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They had almost given up hope of ever finding Flamel in a li- brary |
book, even though Harry was still sure he'd read the name somewhere. |
Once term had started, they were back to skimming through books for ten |
minutes during their breaks. Harry had even less time than the other |
two, because Quidditch practice had started again. |
Wood was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that |
had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. The Weasleys |
complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic, but Harry was on Wood's |
side. If they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would |
overtake Slytherin in the house championship for the first time in seven |
years. Quite apart from wanting to win, Harry found that he had fewer |
nightmares when he was tired out after training. |
Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Wood gave |
the team a bit of bad news. He'd just gotten very angry with the |
Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off |
their brooms. |
"Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of |
thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll |
be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!" |
George Weasley really did fall off his broom at these words. |
"Snape's refereeing?" he spluttered through a mouthful of mud. "When's |
he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we |
might overtake Slytherin." |
The rest of the team landed next to George to complain, too. |
"It's not my fault," said Wood. "We've just got to make sure we play a |
clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us." |
Which was all very well, thought Harry, but he had another reason for |
not wanting Snape near him while he was playing Quidditch.... |
The rest of the team hung back to talk to one another as usual at the |
end of practice, but Harry headed straight back to the Gryffindor common |
room, where he found Ron and Hermione playing chess. Chess was the only |
thing Hermione ever lost at, something Harry and Ron thought was very |
good for her. |
"Don't talk to me for a moment," said Ron when Harry sat down next to |
him, "I need to concen --" He caught sight of Harry's face. "What's the |
matter with you? You look terrible." |
Speaking quietly so that no one else would hear, Harry told the other |
two about Snape's sudden, sinister desire to be a Quidditch referee. |
"Don't play," said Hermione at once. |
"Say you're ill," said Ron. |
"Pretend to break your leg," Hermione suggested. |
"Really break your leg," said Ron. |
"I can't," said Harry. "There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, |
Gryffindor can't play at all." |
At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed |
to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs |
had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the |
Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to |
Gryffindor tower. |
Everyone fell over laughing except Hermione, who leapt up and performed |
the countercurse. Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, |
trembling. "What happened?" Hermione asked him, leading him over to sit |
with Harry and Ron. |
"Malfoy," said Neville shakily. "I met him outside the library. He said |
he'd been looking for someone to practice that on." |
"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!" |
Neville shook his head. |
"I don't want more trouble," he mumbled. |
"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to |
walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of |
him and make it easier." |
"There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, |
Malfoy's already done that," Neville choked out. |
Harry felt in the pocket of his robes and pulled out a Chocolate Frog, |
the very last one from the box Hermione had given him for Christmas. He |
gave it to Neville, who looked as though he might cry. |
"You're worth twelve of Malfoy," Harry said. "The Sorting Hat chose you |
for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin." |
Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog. |
"Thanks, Harry... I think I'll go to bed.... D'you want the card, you |
collect them, don't you?" |
As Neville walked away, Harry looked at the Famous Wizard card. |
"Dumbledore again," he said, "He was the first one I ever-" |
He gasped. He stared at the back of the card. Then he looked up at Ron |
and Hermione. |
"I've found him!" he whispered. "I've found Flamel! I told you I'd read |
the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here -- listen |
to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark |
wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of |
dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas |
Flamel'!" |
Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd |
gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework. |
"Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' |
dormitories. Harry and Ron barely had time to exchange mystified looks |
before she was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms. |
"I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this |
out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading." |
"Light?" said Ron, but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked |
something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, |
muttering to herself. |
At last she found what she was looking for. |
"I knew it! I knew it!" |
"Are we allowed to speak yet?" said Ron grumpily. Hermione ignored him. |
"Nicolas Flamel," she whispered dramatically, "is the only known maker |
of the Sorcerer's Stone!" |
This didn't have quite the effect she'd expected. |
"The what?" said Harry and Ron. |
"Oh, honestly, don't you two read? Look -- read that, there." |
She pushed the book toward them, and Harry and Ron read: The ancient |
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