꧁☬⋆ᴺᴼ ᴼᴺᴱ'ˢ ᴾᴼᵛ⋆☬꧂

The stands erupted; it had to be a record; no one could ever remember the Snitch being caught so quickly.

You stood up from your chair as you clap, smiling so brightly.

'I am so happy that they won! I knew they would win!' You thought as you were celebrating with your grandfather.

"Ron! Ron! Where are you? The game's over! Harry's won! We've won! Gryffindor is in the lead!" shrieked Hermione, dancing up and down on her seat and hugging Parvati Patil in the row in front.

Harry jumped off his broom, a foot from the ground. He couldn't believe it. He'd done it -- the game was over; it had barely lasted five minutes.

As Gryffindors came spilling onto the field, he saw Snape land nearby, white-faced and tight-lipped -- then Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into The Dumbledores smiling face.

"Well done," you said quietly so that only Harry could hear then hugged him tightly.

"Nice to see you haven't been brooding about that mirror...been keeping busy...excellent..." Professor Dumbledore spoke.

Snape spat bitterly on the ground.

On the other side of the field, there was a jealous Hufflepuff watching.

"Cedric, let's go." His teammates said as they all went to the locker room.

Harry left the locker room alone sometime later, to take his Nimbus Two Thousand back to the broom shed. He couldn't ever remember feeling happier. He'd really done something to be proud of now -- no one could say he was just a famous name any more.

The evening air had never smelled so sweet. He walked over the damp grass, reliving the last hour in his head, which was a happy blur: Gryffindors running to lift him onto their shoulders.

Ron, Hermione and Y/N in the distance jumping up and down, Ron was cheering through a massive nosebleed.

Behind them, four Slytherins have few marks on their faces. Only a few but mostly all the beat-up marks were on Draco Malfoy's face and his companions.

Harry had reached the shed. He leaned against the wooden door and looked up at Hogwarts, with its windows glowing red in the setting sun. Gryffindor in the lead. He'd done it; he'd shown Snape...

And speaking of Snape...

A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest. Harry's victory faded from his mind as he watched.

You noticed how he's acting weird and went up to him and saw where he was staring.

You both recognised the figure's prowling walk. Snape, sneaking into the woods while everyone else was at dinner -- what was going on?

You two looked at each other and nodded. Harry and you behind him jumped back on his and your Nimbus Two Thousand and took off.

Gliding silently over the castle you both saw Snape enter the forest at a run, you two followed.

The trees were so thick you couldn't see where Snape had gone. You two flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees until he heard voices. You glided toward them and landed noiselessly in a towering beech tree.

You two climbed carefully along one of the branches, holding tight to your broomsticks, trying to see through the leaves.

Below, in a shadowy clearing, stood Snape, but he wasn't alone. Quirrell was there, too. You couldn't make out the look on his face, but he was stuttering worse than ever.

You and Harry strained to catch what they were saying.

"...d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus..."

"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," said Snape, his voice icy. "Students aren't supposed to know about the Sorcerer's Stone, after all. "

Your eyes widen and clap your hand on your mouth, preventing to stop your loud gasp.

"Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?"

"B-b-but Severus, I--"

"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," said Snape, taking a step toward him.

"I-I don't know what you--"

"You know perfectly well what I mean. "

An owl hooted loudly, and you two nearly fell out of the tree. You both steadied yourselves in time to hear Snape say, "your little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting. "

"B-but I d-d-don't--"

"Very well," Snape cut in. "We'll have another little chat soon when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie. "

He threw his cloak over his head and strode out of the clearing. It was almost dark now, but you could see Quirrell, standing quite still as though he was petrified.

➱➱➱➱

"Harry! Y/N, where have you been ?" Hermione squeaked.

"We won! You won! We won!" shouted Ron, thumping Harry on the back.

"And I gave Malfoy a black eye, and Neville tried to stop your Slytherin friends from beating the crap out of Malfoy's friend and him. But he got pushed."

"He's still out cold, but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be all right -- talk about showing Slytherin! I've waited for you in the common room; we're having a party, Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens."

"Never mind that now," said Harry breathlessly.

"Let's find an empty room, and you wait 'til you hear this..." You continued.

You made sure Peeves wasn't inside before shutting the door behind them; then you two told them what you two had seen and heard.

"So we were right, it is the Sorcerer's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy -- and he said something about Quirrell's 'hocus pocus' -- I reckon other things are guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell that Snape needs to breakthrough--"

"Do you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" said Hermione in alarm.

"It'll be gone by next Tuesday," you sighed.

⇜⇜⇜⇜

Quirrell, however, must have been braver than they'd thought. In the weeks that followed, he did seem to be getting paler and thinner, but it didn't look as though he'd cracked yet.

Every time they passed the third-floor corridor, Harry, Ron, Hermione and you would press their ears to the door to check that Fluffy was still growling inside.

Snape was sweeping about in his usual bad temper, which inevitably meant that the Stone was still safe.

Whenever you and Harry passed Quirrell these days, he gave him an encouraging sort of smile, and Ron had started telling people off for laughing at Quirrell's stutter.

Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Sorcerer's Stone. She had started drawing up study schedules and colour coding all her notes. Harry and Ron wouldn't have minded, but she kept nagging them to do the same.

You did the same thing, marking everything so you'll be ready for the upcoming exams.

"Hermione, Y/N, the exams are ages away."

"Ten weeks," Hermione snapped, and you nodded.

"That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicolas Flamel. "

"But we're not six hundred years old," Ron reminded her. "Anyway, what are you two studying for, you already know it's an A. "

"What am I studying for? Are you crazy? Do you realise we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're essential; I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what's gotten into me..." Hermione sighed and buried her face to her hands.

"Well, it's not that hard." You shrug as you keep marking just in case someone asks for your notes, but you were drawing but at the same time taking notes even though you don't need it.

"I'm not even surprised about that; also you know the questions because you grew up here and sneaked in some classes and took their test with them." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Who told you about that." You narrowed your eyes.

"Everyone knows about it, Y/N." Easton shook his head and sat down beside you and Hermione.

"If anyone needs help or maybe copy for some notes, we would gladly help you. Right? Guys?" He tilts his head to the other Slytherin coming their way.

"Knight, why your hair wet?" Neville asked as he touched her short hair.

"We were playing, and we would put water on our mouth while our teammates would tell a joke, whoever laugh, the one who have water on their mouth. Have to pay the winners." Knight explained as she asked you to dry her hair up with magic.

You dried her hair, as Neville still giving her a confused look. "We won." Then he nodded.

"And we lost." Ben and Easton rolled their eyes, and Kayden and Henry smirked.

"How?" They all looked at them.

"These two little gits, oh gosh, when it was my turn to put water on my mouth, and that means it's their turn to make jokes, I felt disgusted for laughing a while-" Easton said, but Ben cut him off.

"They both used dirty jokes." Ben sighed as he buried his face to his head, trying to laugh because he remembers what they said.

"What? You two are such a dumbhead! How in the world, 11 years old say such a thing!" Hermione snapped.

"What did they say?" Ron spoke, looking at the two Slytherin.

"Yeah, yeah, what did you two said." You crossed your arms; you couldn't believe it. Your friends didn't invite you to have some fun.

"Okay so, remember what madam Hooch when we were at the flying broom class?" Henry said as he's trying to stop himself from laughing, everyone nodded.

""Now, once you've got a hold of your broom, I want you to mount it."" Kayden mimics Madam Hooch voice.

""Grip it tight. You don't want to be sliding off the end."" Henry continues.

"That's what she said," Kayden smirks as the boys, and you started laughing their arse off.

"You idiot!" Hermione smacked Knight's back head.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"Knight, you are such an idiot."

"It wasn't really my idea to say that! It was from Henry!"

"No, it wasn't!"

➱➱➱➱

Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Hermione. They piled so much homework on them that the Easter holidays weren't nearly as much fun as the Christmas ones.

It was hard to relax with Hermione next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood or practising wand movements.

Wailing and yawning, Harry and Ron spent most of their free time in the library with you both, trying to get through all their extra work.

"I'll never memorise this," Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window.

It was the first beautiful day they'd had in months. The sky was a bright, forget-me-not blue, and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming.

Harry, who was looking up "Dittany" in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, didn't look up until he heard Ron say, "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"

You three perk up your head, Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.

"Jus' lookin'," he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"

"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," said Ron impressively. "And we know what that dog's guarding, and it's a Sorcerer's St--"

"Shhhh!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"

"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Y/N, "about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy--"

"SHHHH!" repeated Hagrid. "Listen -- come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll say yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've said yeh--"

"See you later, then," said Harry.

Hagrid shuffled off.

"What was he hiding behind his back?" said Hermione thoughtfully.

"Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?" You said.

"I'm going to see what section he was in," said Ron, who'd had enough of working. He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table.

"Dragons!" he whispered. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide."

You eyes widen, from shock but mostly excitement.

"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him," said Harry.

"Same goes here, and I want to see a real dragon. It would be nice to see one up close." You grinned.