It was nice not having Peeves around anymore. There wasn't anyone to routinely throw stink pellets at students as they traveled from class to class and Harry discovered that his leg got caught in the trick step on the 5th floor far less.
The Christmas holidays came quickly. Two days before Christmas Harry and Ron sat in the Great Hall playing a game of Wizards Chess. Hermione walked up to them lugging her trunk behind her. "I see you've packed." Ron said. "I see you haven't." She replied. "Change of plans." Ron responded. "My parent's are going to Romania to visit my brother Charlie. He's studying dragons there."
"Good." Hermione said. "That means that you can stay here and help Harry try to figure out who Nicolas Flamel is. Ron rolled his eyes. "I suggest going back to the Library."
"The Library? But we've looked a thousand times!" Hermione leaned closer to them. "Not in the restricted section. Happy Christmas." And she walked off.
On Christmas morning Harry woke to an empty dormitory. He rolled out of bed and put his glasses on. As he walked to the door he heard Ron shout from the Common Room. "Wake up Harry! You've got presents!" Harry wasn't used to receiving anything for Christmas, let alone multiple gifts! Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia did give him a 50-Pence piece a couple years ago, but he hadn't gotten much since.
Harry ran down the stairs and made his way over to a small pile of packages sitting under the tree. He opened the first one and pulled out a green sweater with a giant 'H' sewn onto it's front. "Looks like Mum's made you a sweater too." Ron said. "It's great!" Harry responded.
Harry opened up a few more small packages including a box of chocolate frogs from Hermione. He picked up his last package and tore off the wrapping. Harry pulled a silky smooth piece of cloth out of the package as well as a note.
"Your father left this in my possession before he died. It's time that it was returned to you. Use it well."
Harry wasn't sure what it was but he unfolded the cloth and swung it over himself. Harry's mouth dropped open as he looked down at his feet.. or when he looked down at where his feet had been standing a second before. They had disappeared. "My body's gone!" Harry exclaimed.
"Woah!" Ron shouted. "I know what that is! It's an invisibility cloak! I wonder where you go it. These are really rare."
"I don't know." Harry replied. "The note only said that it had belonged to my father and that I should use it well."
That night Harry decided that he was going to put his cloak to the test. This was the perfect opportunity to sneak into the Restricted Section of the Library to try and find out about Nicolas Flamel. At half past eleven, Harry rolled out of his four-poster and pulled his cloak out of the trunk. Swinging the cloak over himself he ran down the stairs, crept across the Common Room, and out of the portrait hole. Harry did not meet anyone in the corridors and made it safely to the Library. He walked swiftly passed the numerous shelves that he had scoured for Nicolas Flamel's name numerous times and went straight to the restricted section. He selected a book to begin looking through and pulled it off the shelf. Almost instantly a high pitched screech rang out from the book. It was some sort of security measure.
A voice called from the Library door: "Who's in here?" It was Filch. Harry's heart was pounding. He swung the cloak back over his head. His lantern crashed to the floor and broke. Harry quickly shuffled down another aisle and stood silently while Filch walked passed squinting into the darkness. After he had passed, Harry moved as quickly and as quietly as he could out of the library and down the corridor. As he approached the corner two figures appeared. Things couldn't have gotten any worse for Harry. It was Snape and Professor Quirrell. Harry had nowhere to go so he pressed himself against the wall and stood as still as if he had frozen there.
Harry heard Snape growl at Quirrell: "You need to decide where your priorities lie, Quirrell. You don't want me as your enemy." Quirrell stood there trembling as Snape bullied him. Moments later Filch re-appeared from the library and shuffled over to Snape and Quirrell holding up Harry's lantern. "Professors, I found this in the Restricted Section. That means that there's a student out of bed!" He sneered.
The three of them tore off down the corridor toward the library and Harry did not wait around to see what would happen. He ducked into a nearby classroom to catch his breath. After he had silently pulled the door closed behind himself he stood there panting and clutching his knees. When Harry caught his breath and stood up properly he saw himself staring back. In the corner of this empty classroom stood an old, large, ornate mirror. Harry was intrigued and slowly approached it. As he came nearer a startling reality dawned on him. He wasn't alone. Two people had materialized in the mirror behind him. Harry jumped and whirled around only to see an empty room behind him. Harry turned back around and there they were again. A beautiful woman with long brown hair and piercing green eyes and a tall man with brown hair and glasses. "Mom? Dad?" Harry said. The people in the mirror simply smiled back at him warmly.
Harry could not believe what he had seen. He had to tell Ron so he rushed back through the castle and up to Gryffindor Tower. Harry took Ron to the classroom to show him his parent's but Ron did not see them. Instead, when Ron peered into the mirror he saw himself holding the Quidditch Cup and a Head Boy Badge.
Harry was not sure why Ron couldn't see his parents but this classroom was now Harry's favorite place in the school. He returned each night for the next couple nights just so that he could sit in front of the mirror and look into his parent's eyes. One night, a few days later, Harry sat on the floor looking into the mirror. He had been sitting there for a few minutes when he heard a calm voice behind him. "Back again, Harry?" It was Dumbledore. Harry jumped slightly. "I see that you, like so many others before you, have found the delights of the Mirror of Erised. Do you understand what you are seeing?" He asked Harry. Harry wasn't sure. Dumbledore went on to explain that the Mirror showed the user nothing less than the deepest desire of their hearts. He then told Harry that the Mirror was to be moved the next day to a new permanent home and cautioned Harry against searching for it again.
Hermione had returned from Christmas break the next morning and sat with Harry and Ron in the Common Room playing a game of chess. They were all enjoying some of the candies that Harry had received from Hermione for Christmas. Ron opened a Chocolate Frog and took a big bite out of it while Harry was moving his pawn. Ron shouted "I knew it!"
"Knew what?! Harry asked. "I knew that I had seen Nicolas Flamel's name before." Ron pulled the Famous Witches and Wizards card out of the Chocolate Frog box and handed it to Harry. Dumbledore stared up from the card. Harry flipped it over and read the back: "Considered by many to be the greatest wizard of modern times, 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, the only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling."
"Nicolas Flamel made the Sorcerer's Stone." Harry said. "We have to talk to Dumbledore and tell him that Snape is going to try to steal it."
They didn't know where Dumbledore's office was so they jumped down several flights of stairs and ran to Professor McGonagall's office. When McGonagall opened the door they exclaimed "We need to see Professor Dumbledore immediately! It's about the Sorcerer's Stone. We think that someone is going to try and steal it." McGonagall was taken aback. "Well I don't know how you found out about the Sorcerer's Stone but I can assure you that it's quite safe." She said. "Besides Professor Dumbledore received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic this morning and left right away for London."
Professor Albus Dumbledore (Samus) a Tracker has left Hogwarts on night 4.
It is now day 5. The day will last until 12:00pm CST on Monday, July 25th.
Vote Count
Finster Baby (0):
iSocialism (0):
KevinH (0):
King Hitler (0):
Lyner (0):
Mazuurek (0):
Preston (0):
Sister Midnight (0):
Wolfpacks (0):
No Lynch (0):
Not voting: Finster Baby, iSocialism, KevinH, King Hitler, Lyner, Mazuurek, Preston, Sister Midnight, Wolfpacks
With 9 alive, it takes 5 to lynch or 3 at deadline.
Deadline is 12:00pm CST on Monday, July 25th.