I don't own Harry Potter. I wish I did. Get on with it.
And my first H/Hr moment in this chapter! Yay!
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Chapter 9 - Christmas Revelations
"How about this?" Blaise asked, pointing at an entry in Best and Strangest Magical Objects in Britain. "The Mirror of Erised. Created in the early tenth century, this magical object shows not a person's reflection, but his deepest, most heartfelt desire. Be warned, though, that this power is addictive, and people have wasted away in front of it. Its current wherabouts are unknown."
"Nah, doesn't sound like something Voldemort would want," Harry said.
"How do you know that it's even Voldemort?"
"Who else has the balls to try and rob Gringotts?"
"Oh. Well, that book's a bust," Blaise said, closing the large tome and shoving it aside.
Ever since their run-in with the hellhound, the Marauders (as the four friends had taken to calling themselves on Sirius' insistence) had been going through every book on magical objects in Hogwarts' library in an effort to figure out whatever it may be guarding.
So far, they had turned up empty.
"Okay, that's the what, seventh book we've gone through?" Michael said, leaning back and cracking his knuckles. "How many more do we have?"
"Sixteen," Hermione said, not looking up from her copy of Great Magical Artifacts of the Middle East.
"Fifteen," Harry corrected, closing his book and sliding it away. He groaned tiredly and laid his head on the table. "I need a break."
"We can't!" Hermione said. "You said it yourself, we still have fifteen books to go through!"
"Hermione, we've been at this for three days," Blaise groaned. "My eyes are tired, my head hurts, and my back feels like it's been permanently relocated from all that hunching over. And besides, I still have homework to do; I can't blaze through everything in two nights like you and Harry." With that, she pulled out a book and a long roll of paper out of her bag and began reading. "Four feet on Calming Draught. I swear, that slimy git'll get what's coming to him one day..." Blaise grumbled. Hermione chose not to comment on her blatant hatred for Snape.
"Do we even know what we're looking for?" Michael asked, stretching.
"Nope," Harry said, his head still on the table. Michael sighed.
"Well, there's always the Black library," Michael said. "Thing is Christmas isn't for another month and a half." Harry sighed.
"I'm hungry, lunch is in twenty minutes," Harry said, grabbing the books to put them away.
"So...why are you putting books away?"
"Because Madam Pince will kill us and use our skins for book bindings if we don't," Harry deadpanned.
"Good point," Michael said before grabbing an armful of books and placing them randomly on shelves.
November passed by quickly with no results, and soon it was almost time for the students who were planning to return home to sign their names. All four of the Marauders signed their names.
"I'll look through my library back home to see if there's anything there," Blaise said. "After I do my homework, of course," she added quickly.
"Same here," Harry said. Michael yawned loudly.
"Well I don't know about you ladies, but I need my beauty sleep, `night," Michael said tiredly, dragging himself up the stairs to the boy's dormitory.
"He's got a point," Blaise said. "See you guys tomorrow." With that, she too went to her dormitory, leaving Harry and Hermione alone in the Common Room.
"So, what're you planning to do over Christmas holiday?" Harry asked.
"Oh, my parents were thinking of going for a family trip to America," Hermione said. "What about you?" Harry shrugged.
"Research." After a few seconds of silence, Hermione started smirking.
"So, put anything on your wish list this year?" Harry looked at her with genuine confusion.
"Wish list? What's that?" Suddenly, Hermione's expression turned to one of horror, as she pulled Harry into a hug.
"I'm so sorry, Harry," she sniffled. "I forgot about your...home situation." Harry awkwardly patted her on the back.
"It's okay, Hermione, really," he said comfortingly. She shook her head in his shoulder.
"No it's not, Harry," she said, tears leaking from her eyes. "No one should have to go without Christmas." Harry gently pulled her off.
"Hermione, it's okay, really. I never had a Christmas, so I can't miss it." Suddenly, Harry's eyes got darker. "Besides, if the price of keeping my dad out of prison is no gifts and a pasty complexion-" Hermione couldn't help but chuckle at that, "then it's a small price to pay." Hermione sniffled again.
"Okay, but when we leave, I'm going to get something extra special for you and Michael," she said.
"Okay, I can live with that." Harry pulled her back into another hug, and they held each other for a few minutes before they left for bed.
It was three days before Christmas, and the Marauders decided to visit Hagrid one last time before they left.
"Back! Back, Fang! Crazy mutt," Hagrid muttered when Harry knocked on the door to his hut. "Oh, `Arry! How are yeh? Come in, come in, Lord knows it's freezin' ou'," the giant man said, beckoning them in. "Care fer a cuppa?" Not waiting for an answer, Hagrid placed a pot of tea in front of the fire to warm. "So, how've thin's been?"
"Okay," Harry said. "Uneventful." Suddenly, Harry had an idea. "Say, Hagrid, you wouldn't happen to know about a hellhound in Hogwarts, do you?" Hagrid nearly dropped the now hot pot of tea.
"How'd yeh find out `bout Fluffy?" he asked incredulously. Resisting the urge to snort at such a ridiculous name, Harry shrugged.
"Heard rumors floating around Hogwarts. You know how rumors are here, can't tell what's real from what's not. So I just wondering." Hagrid snorted.
"Prolly them Weasley twins," he said. "Always stirrin' up trouble, them two. Good fer a laugh, tho'." Harry just shrugged, not knowing who the Weasley twins were.
"It does beg the question, though, what is it guarding?" Hermione said. Again, Hagrid froze suspiciously. "I mean, hellhounds are some of the best guards for valuable objects."
"Now see `ere," Hagrid said before he could stop himself. "It'll do yeh no good to go snoopin' `round in thin's that don't concern yeh. That strictly between Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel." Suddenly, horror plastered itself on Hagrid's face. "I shouldn't've said tha'. I shoul' not have said tha'...." Muttering to himself, Hagrid did not notice the four kids leaving.
"Okay, so now we know what to look for," Harry said. "Something to do with Nicholas Flamel."
"I just can't help but feel...helpless that I can't do any research," Hermione moaned. "But I already told my parents I'd go, and it's too late to change my mind now."
"Don't worry, Hermione," Blaise said, wrapping her arm around the other girl's shoulder. "We'll work extra hard for you, won't we boys?" Harry and Michael muttered to the affirmative.
The next day, the Marauders left for Hogsmeade station to leave for King's Cross Station. All through the train ride, the four kids played cards (Hermione, Harry and Michael taught Blaise how to play rummy), with no disturbances. Several hours later, the Hogwarts Express pulled into platform 9-3/4 and the Marauders went back to their respective families.
"Did you gain weight, Mum?" Michael asked. Indeed, Lizzie Black seemed a bit plumper than when they left in September.
"Erm..." she said awkwardly. "Your father and I have something to tell you when we get back. Now let's go." Harry, Michael, Remus and Lizzie walked back to 12 Grimmauld Place, although the walk seemed to take longer than before. When they went inside, the boys were jumped by a large black dog.
"Eww, geroff, Dad!" Harry shouted, covered in dog slobber. The dog stepped back and morphed back into Sirius Black.
"Aww, you're gone for four months, and that's all the thanks I get? I'm crushed," he said, dramatically clutching his heart.
"Ha ha, you're a real Clint Eastwood," Lizzie said flatly. "Now move, I gotta pee."
"What's up with her?" Harry asked.
"Later." A few minutes later, Lizzie came out of the loo considerably calmer.
"Now kids, you may want to sit down," Lizzie said. Harry and Michael complied. "See, the reason why I've seem bigger is that I'm kinda...sorta...pregnant." Hours seemed to pass without word, even though it was only seconds.
"Pregnant?" Michael gasped.
"How long?" Harry asked.
"Three and a half months," Sirius said. "It should be born around June."
"That eager to replace us, huh?" Harry asked with a straight face.
"What?! We would never repla-Ohh, I get it, real slick, buster," Lizzie admonished, even though she was grinning. Soon, the house was filled with laughter.
That night, Harry came up to Remus, who was having one last cup of tea before turning in.
"Uncle Moony?"
"Hmm?"
"Have you ever heard of Nicholas Flamel? It's for an extracurricular project." Remus frowned in concentration.
"I might have, but it was a long time ago, sorry. You should check in the library."
"Okay, thanks anyway, Uncle Moony," Harry said, before climbing up the stairs.
Hundreds of miles away, in Zabini Manor, Blaise flipped through another history book, clearly bored. Absently flipping pages, she found a page on Nicholas Flamel. She skimmed through the text, and quickly found an interesting sentence. His greatest achievement is the Philosopher's Stone, an alchemical miracle that can turn base metals into gold and create the Elixir of Life, which can grant immortality. Bursting with excitement, she could not contain herself.
"EUREKA!"
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Well, I hope that you enjoyed that.
Here's another question for you readers:
Judging by her continued attendance of Hogwarts despite all that's happened in the books, it seems that Hermione has kept a pretty tight lid on the activities there. The question is, if you were Hermione's parents (this question can be applied to your own children) and knew that all this was happening, what would you do?
A). Let her keep going to Hogwarts
B). Transfer to another magical school
C). Pull her out of the magical world altogether.
The responses may be filed away for future reference.
Don't forget to R&R!!!
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