Disclaimer 1: This is fanfic. That means I do not own any of it. I just borrow it to play with for a little while and let people see the pathetic results if they really want to.

Disclaimer 2: I'm not making any money from it. It's just for fun.

Disclaimer 3: What isn't borrowed is all made up. None of this is real or most likely at all realistic. Please don't trust any of the information in here. Most likely you know more about whatever I'm writing about than I do.

Disclaimer 4: Attitudes, views and opinions expressed by the characters or in the story are not necessarily those of the author. Even when writing Science Fiction or Fantasy I do not tend to attempt to create perfect/better worlds in which everybody gets a happy end ... or whatever is best for them. Please accept that some characters will have a bad ending or be unhappy.

Disclaimer 5: I intend no insult to anyone. If I offend anyone I'm very sorry. Please understand that it was an accident as I tend to be very clumsy in these things.

Notes: Draco's not likely to bully Neville for no reason, so Harry won't give him a chocolate frog. So how to make Harry read a chocolate frog card?

Harry No. 5 and the Philosopher's Stone

Chapter 13: Nicholas Flamel

And so Harry concentrated on his Quidditch training and homework and tried not to think about his parents anymore. For a while he was very hopeful that they would beat Hufflepuff in the next game and indeed win the Quidditch cup, but then one day Oliver informed the team that instead of Madam Hooch the Flying teacher Professor Snape would referee the match.

"But why?" asked Frederic one of the team's absolutely identical looking beaters. He and George also had the same birthday which was why they were convinced that they were twins. "He's never done that before."

"Because," said Oliver. "If we win against Hufflepuff, we will be ahead in the tournament and most likely win the cup. And Slytherin has had a winning streak of seven years. He wants to keep it going."

"He won't play fair?" Harry asked horrified.

"Honestly, Harry," said George. "How long have you been here now? Shouldn't you know by now that Snape is never fair to Gryffindors?"

So they had an unfair referee who wanted to kill him. Harry went up to the Gryffindor common room - the only place that he didn't keep running into Snape these days - and tried to console himself with a chocolate frog.

He glanced at the collectible card and blinked. The picture looked familiar. It was Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster!

Normally Harry didn't read his chocolate frog cards, but this was an actual real person that he'd spoken with himself! Maybe he ought to know a little more about him. Hermione kept telling them what a great wizard he was. So Harry read he card and ...

"Hermione! Hermione look! Nicholas Flamel!"

Hermione tore the card from his hand, read it and then ran up to her dorm and returned with a fat tome about Alchemy.

"Here it is!" she announced proudly. "Nicholas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone. That's a stone that can make you immortal and turn anything into gold. No wonder Snape wants it! Who wouldn't want to be rich and immortal?"

"It's better to be productive," Harry reminded her. "That makes one happy."

"So what's to stop him from using his immortality and gold to be productive?" Hermione asked. "He could do anything he wanted with it."

That was a convincing argument, but what could they do to stop him from stealing the stone?

Not knowing a solution to that problem Harry kept working hard on his Quidditch practise and it paid off. He managed to catch the snitch early in the game preventing Professor Snape from giving Hufflepuff too many undeserved points. And this time he hadn't caught the ball in his mouth either. Even Draco would have to admit that Gryffindor deserved this victory.

Harry was just carrying the broom he'd been riding back into the flying equipment shed when he noticed a dark shape sneak off into the forest. It looked an awful lot like Professor Snape!

Without giving it a second thought Harry jumped back onto the broom and followed him.

In the forest he found not only Professor Snape however! Professor Quirrel was with him now. Harry couldn't really figure out what they were talking about. Something to do with loyalty and debt?

Harry knew that loyalty was the love and pride one felt for the institute one was in, or the company one worked for and debt was something companies got into if their employees weren't productive enough or demanded higher salaries. And then soon the company would have to be closed and the employees would be unemployed and miserable.

But Snape and Quirrel worked for an institute and not a company. Institutes didn't get into debt.

Or did they?

Whatever it meant it scared poor Professor Quirrel a lot and that made Harry nervous as well. Of course Quirrel was scared of a lot of things, but they were all actually dangerous, weren't they?