Chapter 6: Nicolas who?

Harry had grown more and more nervous over the course of the last couple of days. He was to play his first ever Quidditch match was later that day, against Slytherin no less. And then there was that whole Snape thing going on, he had tried to get past the three headed dog on Halloween during the troll panic, and Harry had seen the wound. Hermione and Kiba couldn't really believe that a Hogwarts teacher would try to steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe, but Ron was with Harry. Indeed he was cruel to most non-Slytherins, but much more towards Harry and Ron.

Hermione, Kiba and Ron had wished Harry good luck before they had gone up to the stands to wait for the start of the match. It didn't take long until Wood, the team captain, flew onto the pitch followed by Harry and then the Weasley twins. The three chasers lined up with one of the beaters on either side while Harry hovered high above them.

"Now, i want a nice and clean game" Madam Hooch, the match referee, shouted loudly from the ground beside a giant box "from all of you" she added looking towards the Slytherin team. She bend down and opened the box and out shot three bludgers followed by the golden snitch. Madam Hooch blew her whistle and threw the quaffle high into the air, it was immediately seized by one of Gryffindor's chasers and the game began.

Kiba observed, and watched as Harry flew in a high circle searching for the snitch, like a hawk looking for a mouse in the grass, and like a hawk he suddenly dove towards the ground. It seemed like no one was paying attention to the Quaffle anymore as Harry chased the snitch. "Budge up there, will ye?"

"Hagrid" Hermione and Ron greeted the tall man that had now taken up as much space on a bench as four first years, "glad you could make it"

"yer Kiba eh?" Hagrid asked "Rubeus Hagrid" he extended his gigantic hand and Kiba shook it with a nod.

"What is Harry doing?" Ron asked out of the blue, Hermione and Kiba whipped their heads back to the game and saw what Ron meant. Harry was dangling from his broom in mid air and it was shaking violently.

"somethings wrong with his broom" Hagrid said

"if i didn't know better, i'd say it's bewitched" Hermione added

"flint must've done something to it when he blocked Harry" Ron muttered

"nonsense, can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful dark magic" Hagrid replied, at those words Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars. She began scanning the stands, she gave them to Kiba with a shocked expression and disappeared.

"What's that about?" Ron asked, Kiba also scanned the stands and then saw what Hermione saw. Snape, he had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering under his breath.

"It's Snape, he's jinxing Harry's broom" Kiba replied, Ron looked in the direction that Kiba was pointing and saw it too. "Hermione is probably going to try and stop him. Let's hope she does" and indeed, a few moments later Snape's long black cloak was on fire and Harry finally got back onto his broom and dashed after the snitch. Harry stood on his broom as he reached for the snitch. Hermione had just returned to her seat when Harry tumbled, fell and rolled on the ground.

"i think he's gonna be sick" Hagrid said when Harry stood and grabbed his stomach, he gagged as then spit something into his hand.

"Harry Potter has done it" Lee Jordan shouted through the announcer microphone "Harry Potter has caught the golden snitch, Gryffindor wins!"

"now that's one for the history books" Kiba joked "Let's get down and wait for Harry" the others agreed and with Hagrid they waited by the changing room for Harry

"yer wanna come to me hut?" Hagrid asked the four kids "I'll make yer a nice cup o' tee" Harry nodded enthusiastically, he wanted to know what he looked like on the pitch, and as they walked they could Flint complain to Madam Hooch about how Harry had caught the snitch.

Hagrid's hut was a small building at the edge off the forbidden forest near the bottom of a hill. A small path lead from the castle down to it where Harry was just being told what had happened to his broom. "now why would Snape do somethin' like that?" Hagrid asked,

"i found out he tried to get past the three headed dog at Halloween" Harry answered. Hagrid almost dropped his teapot at Harry's answer.

"how'd you find out about Fluffy?" He asked in disbelief

"Fluffy?!" Kiba Said "is he yours?"

"Yeah, he's mine. Bought him off a chappie from the pub, almost a year ago. Lent him to Dumbledore to guard the-"

"to guard the?" Harry said trying to push Hagrid to an answer

"now don't ask any more. that's top secret that is" The half giant said "and Snape is a Hogwarts teacher, he'd never steal from the castle"

"then why did he try to kill Harry?" Hermione asked "i know a jinx when i see one"

"listen, yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh" Hagrid said firmly "all four of yeh, it's dangerous. Forget the dog an' what it's guarding. that's between professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel-" Hagrid looked very angry when that last name left his mouth and turned around muttering under his breath "i should not have said that"

"Nicolas Flamel?" Harry and Kiba asked simultaneously as they looked at each other.

One day, in the middle of December, Hogwarts awoke covered in several feet of snow. Students were now more commonly found in the great hall or their common room by three giant fires, because the halls were very cold during the winter. Draco had gotten more unbearable by the day, bragging about what he will be getting for Christmas. One cold potions lesson at Kiba, Harry and Draco's table while Kiba was preparing his mistletoe berries for the potion he was making, Draco had to open his mouth "i feel bad for all those people who stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home"

He had been targeting Harry ever since he caught the snitch to defeat Slytherin. He had been running they same joke that any wide mouthed animal would replace Harry but now came back to hammering on the fact that Harry had no family. After the lesson Snape called Kiba to him.

"i really shouldn't keep my friends waiting" Kiba said

"i only wish to convey a message" the Professor answered "i simply ment to wish you enjoyable holidays, and to say that Dumbledore wished to see you. Immediately" Kiba nodded and quickly made his way to the headmaster office. To his surprise the staircase was already there and he quickly ran up the spiral staircase and knocked on the door.

"ah yes, Mr. Scamander." The old wizard said "i heard from professor McGonagall that you are going back to the muggle orphanage"

"yes, sir. That is correct" Kiba replied "made a promise to my friend"

"and how are you feeling?" Dumbledore asked

"much better then at the start of the year"

"how come?"

"well, you know. At first i thought that Mr. Lupin was making all this up, and then i thought i wouldn't fit in" Kiba said happily "but i was wrong, i have friends here, people who care about me"

"you might want to buy a owl by the way" Dumbledore said with a little smile "they are much better at delivering your letters" Dumbledore slid a letter towards him, it had been opened and it was the one Kiba had send to Faye. Then Dumbledore put a cage on his desk. "now, Hagrid told me what kind of dragon this is, and you are lucky to have her" he opened the cage and out flew Hotaru.

"there you are!" Kiba said "i was wondering where you were. Did you have her all this time, sir?" Dumbledore nodded and made the cage disappear with a slight hand movement.

"a word of caution Mr. Scamander, if others saw this dragon they might not be kind enough to spare it like i did" Dumbledore said "wolf dragons have a high value among dark and criminal wizards, so be careful who sees her, or it might get you in trouble" Hotaru quickly climbed into Kiba shirt "enjoy the holidays" Dumbledore called after him as the boy left.

Kiba quickly made for the library since he had almost half an hour before lunch, he entered as found Ron, Hermione and Harry already searching. The four had agreed to search for any information on Nicolas Flamel and spent most their free time searching. Kiba quickly sat down next to Hermione and began to help her with the books she had picked out.

"you will keep searching while we are find right?" Hermione asked Harry and Ron when the bell rung for lunchtime.

"we've already searched every section" Ron complained

"not the restricted section" Kiba replied.

The next morning all the students that went back home for the holidays took the self moving carriages to the station after breakfast to take the train back to kings cross. Kiba sat with Hermione and Neville for the entire ride, and stayed with Hermione even after they left the platform 9 3/4. "Mom. Dad!" Hermione ran to her parents and hugged them tightly.

"honey we missed you so much" Mr. Granger said

"how was it? You have to tell us everything" her mother squealed

"my rides here" Kiba said to Hermione "Happy holidays and Merry –" Hermione suddenly embraced him tightly "Christmas"

"Merry Christmas, Kiba. See you soon" she replied. Kiba also wished her parents Merry Christmas and then pushed his trolley to the small car. Only to find not Miss Helaway, but Sister Crawford behind the wheel.

"Kiba my dear" she quickly got out of the car and knelt down to hug the boy. "i missed you"

"i missed you too" the boy replied. To him, Sister Crawford had always been a sort of kind and loving older sister.

"Miss Helaway was busy so she told me to get you. let's get your trunk in the back, and then you can hop into the front seat" Kiba couldn't help but smile, he was going to sit in the front seat, that was something new, and new always excited Kiba. Little did he know there was another surprise, when he returned to the orphanage he saw something he had never seen before. In the corner of the entrance corridor stood a Christmas tree with lights, ornaments and a big star on top.

"wow!" Kiba said aloud

"yeah, it's beautiful" Sister Crawford said

"who put that there, Sister Crawford? It can't have been Miss Helaway"

"no it wasn't her. The tree is courtesy of Mister Edward Kenway" Sister Crawford looked very happy "i haven't seen a Christmas tree in this orphanage since i was a little girl, nearly eighteen years ago, when the old Miss Maudy died"

"ouf" Kiba felt the air being pushed out of his body when he fell on his stomach with someone on his back. The person on top him was laughing uncontrollably, he turned his head to look at the girl on top of him. She brushed her black lock back with her hand and smiled at the boy.

"you should be in bed young lady" Sister Crawford said with a chuckle

"i had to welcome Kiba back properly, Lucy" she replied

"Lucy?" Kiba asked when he was finally back on his feet

"whenever Miss Helaway isn't around you can call me Lucy, it's my name" Sister Crawford replied "but now off to bed. Kiba can tell you all about his school at breakfast" the two children nodded and proceeded up the stairs, whispering so that they wouldn't wake Helaway or the others. Kiba pulled his trunk inside his room and flopped down on the bed.

"somehow, it feels good to be back here" Kiba sighed "even if it's only for a few weeks" Kiba felt Hotaru under his shirt as something popped into his mind. "hey Hotaru?" he said "did Faye ever give you a letter?" the Dragon poked it's head out off the shirt and shook her head

"i waited but she didn't even open yours" she replied

"but it was open when Dumbledore gave it to me"

"yes, he opened it to see who wrote it. that's how her made the connection, that i am yours"

"wait. Where did you put the letter?"

"on her desk, in full view. But it never moved"

"weird. She must've overlooked it, it's a big desk after all, and she only ever does her homework on it and nothing else. She was probably too focused."

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AN: Happy New Year i guess. Yeah, i was super sick and couldn't finish this chapter but... YAY we're half way thorough book one. I think i might only use one chapter for Christmas because I'm introducing a new character (sadly not a fan requested one [come on people, Send in some side character ideas] ) and you will understand why some time in the future. So yeah stay tuned peace.

Edit: I've picked up writing on Moe!NG again so yay to that too