A/N Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad you like Nicholas :D

Chapter 22

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Supreme Muggwump, Chief Warlock and Headmaster of Hogwarts was not a happy man. At all. All his plans, the decade of work he had done, it was all unravelling around him. He was taking Flamel to the Stone through one of the secret passages only he knew about. It would lead them straight to the Mirror room, but he had keyed it to only his magical signature. He wanted Harry to have to try the challenges and a weakened Voldemort would be more easily defeated.

"To get the Stone, your greatest desire must be to get it, but not use it. Quite a genius idea, don't you think?" Albus tried for conversation.

"For a wizard such as you, I'd expect nothing less. However having only one protection seems a little blasé, even for you Albus."

"Oh there are others. Each professor had a hand in protecting it. Only two were told the full story as to what they were guarding however - Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall."

"You'd better not be lying Albus. You know my skills in the mind arts." Nicolas was very matter of fact.

"This is the truth sir." Albus spoke to the floor, his chest muffling the words slightly as he spoke.

"Look at me Albus."

The blue eyes of the Hogwarts Headmaster had lost their twinkle but seemed to move of their own accord up to look into the brown ones of his mentor. When Nicolas was sure he had his apprentice's full attention he continued.

"You will show me all of your protections. From start to finish. Maybe then you might avoid my more ...creative punishments."

This man may be 665 years old, which was four and a bit times older than the Headmaster himself, but Albus knew he would be beaten in anything he tried. Nicolas was a better dueller, a better occlumems and legilimens and he was his mentor. In short Albus didn't have a leg to stand on.

With a sigh he changed his path towards the third floor corridor. "Yes sir."

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"If only Harry had come with us," hissed Ron as they avoided Filch for what seemed like the twentieth time. "He could have at least left us his invisibility cloak."

"Hush Ronald!" Hermione scolded. "Do you want to get found on the forbidden third floor corridor?"

"Who's going to find us Hermione? Everyone's at dinner."

If looks could kill... Well Ron Weasley would be less than a smudge on the carpet. Combined with the beads of sweat over Hermione's face and tenseness of her body it was a sight to behold.

"Not everybody's life revolves around food" she snapped. "Let's just get this thing and get back. Alohamora."

As Hermione went to push the door open, with Ron close behind her, she heard heated voices coming from behind the door. She stopped and listened.

"A cerberus? A CERBERUS?! Albus, I would advise you to make the explanation you are about to give, phenomenally good."

Hermione had the ball in her pocket and hoped that she could quieten Fluffy down enough to let whoever was in there, get out. As she pulled opened the door however, she froze. In there were no less than her Headmaster and the great alchemist himself, Master Nicolas Flamel. Nicolas was stood, his left arm lighting resting on Fluffy's right head as the creature dozed, anger and magic clearly written on his face. Professor Dumbledore was apparently lost for words.

Hermione tried to close the door softly and leave but Ron barged past her into the room. The noise alerted the two adults and woke Fluffy who began to snap and bark violently.

Albus looked up sharply. Aha! Here was something where he was in control. These were students in his school so it was under his remit to deal with them.

"Mr Weasley, Miss Granger, you know this corridor is forbidden. Come with me" he said sternly.

Hermione's looked crestfallen. She hadn't even lasted one year. She would now have to go back to her parents, knowing she was a witch but unable to perform magic. She was a failure. Everyone at her primary school was right. Nobody would want to be her friend now.

Ron, however, just looked angry. Angry to have been caught. He didn't look repentant at all. He was glaring at Hermione as if it were her fault that they were caught.

As Hermione turned to leave, Fluffy started growling and resisting all of Nicolas's attempts to calm her. She was looking with all three heads at Hermione and pulling at the chain restraining her.

Nicolas was interested. He had learnt to understand animals in his many years and he could tell that this one did not want to harm the girl. It seemed as if it wanted to help her, to console her.

"Leave the girl with me Albus. Unless you want a loose Cerberus. I will bring her to your office shortly."

When the two males had left, Fluffy instantly stopped pulling at the chain and Nicolas beckoned Hermione over. Fluffy encircled her in a hug between two of her heads. It was such a bizarre situation that Hermione couldn't help giggling.

"I bet you never thought you would be getting comfort from a Cerberus did you?" Nicolas grinned as he spoke.

"Fluffy is a great animal sir. She's really intelligent. I knew she wouldn't harm me."

Suddenly Fluffy starting headbutting insistently at the trapdoor under her feet.

"You want us to go down there?" Hermione asked.

Three vicious canine headshakes.

More headbutting of the trapdoor.

"Someone is down there?" Hermione tried again.

Three nods.

"Oh! Oh! The Stone! Voldemort has gone after the Stone! We have to stop him sir!"

"You're name is Hermione isn't it?" Nicolas now spoke softly to the excited girl. "Poppy says you are a good friend of Harry's. I know you want to help, but there are better ways of doing it than running headlong into danger. If you are correct, there is someone who means you harm down there. An eleven year old muggleborn wouldn't be able to hold her own regardless of how well she did in class. A levitation spell won't do you much good in a duel."

"Alright sir, but what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to ask the castle for help. Hogwarts nearly always comes up with better ideas than I do."