Chapter 18: The Clue to Nicolas Flamel
The day before school started, Draco returned to school early and had nothing to do, so he tried out his new wizard chess in the auditorium.
He checkmated Theodore Nott with a pair of rampaging pawns and a ruthless bishop, defeating him severely.
"Okay, I admit you're better." Theodore dropped the chess piece and walked away dejectedly.
Not long after, Hermione ran to Draco like a gust of wind and said to him happily: "Draco, thank you! Thanks to you!"
"What happened?" Draco casually tapped the chessboard with his wand and said "Pack!" The chess pieces automatically jumped into the chessboard box and put themselves away.
"How do you do it?" Hermione asked. "Why do different people have different results when casting the Organizing Charm? I've tried it many times, and while the undulating hand gestures help, they have very little effect on the final clarity of the spell."
"I guess you haven't grasped a key point," Draco said cheerfully. "Arranging and tidying spells require a combination of rigorous logic and imagination. At the moment of casting the spell, you need to imagine where all the pieces should be placed, and coordinate the spell to work."
He suddenly reached out and messed up the neatly-made chess box, causing the chess pieces inside to wail in chaos. "You try it."
Hermione took out her wand and said "Pack!"
The chess pieces were arranged closely together, but some of them were in the wrong position.
"Oh, I see. You might not be that familiar with wizard chess," Draco said. "That brings us to another point. You need to have a special understanding of the things you're organizing and storing. You need to first remember where they were originally placed, and then you can use your imagination."
"I see." Hermione said happily, secretly delighted because she had learned some more "tips" on casting spells from the boy.
She had never expected to meet such a talented peer like Draco at Hogwarts - to her, he was like a surprise shining with platinum light.
The closer she got to him, the more dazzling he became, and the more impossible for her to ignore him.
His understanding of the key concepts far surpassed that of his peers. While most students were still struggling to memorize spell names and correct their pronunciation, he was already far ahead, applying these spells fluently in real life. His classmates all knew that he was the first person in the class to complete a spell, but few knew that Draco was the one who could perform spells better and had a deeper understanding of them.
He never laughed at her ignorance of the magical world. When she first entered Hogwarts, she was a little afraid of being "intimidated" and worried that her "unfamiliarity" with the magical world would be laughed at by children from wizarding families - but he never did that.
He would gently remind her of her naiveté and ease her anxiety. This seemed to have started with the Sorting Hat. Later, she was even willing to let down her guard, actively admitting that she didn't understand something and wanted to "hear" his thoughts on certain things.
And he, this boy with a gentle heart hidden beneath his cold face, seemed extremely patient with her. He was always willing to share his experience with her, and even helped her practice, finding loopholes based on her situation, and helping her further improve her understanding of spells.
Draco Malfoy's name has been placed at the top of the "most desired study partner wish list" by the academically inclined Gryffindor know-it-all.
As long as he was in the classroom, any other study partner was so ordinary that she couldn't stand it.
"What happened?" Her favorite study partner was asking her. "What did you want to say when you came here just now?"
"Oh! I almost forgot." She leaned close to his ear and said excitedly, "We found Flamel! And the Philosopher's Stone! The three-headed dog is guarding the Philosopher's Stone!"
"Shh!" Draco covered her mouth to silence her.
Over Hermione's shoulder, he saw Quirrell not far away - he was staggering past.
The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor seemed to have had a terrible Christmas holiday. He looked pale and thin, as if he had been seriously ill.
It was obvious that Quirrell was not in good shape, and Draco was not surprised.
It's impossible to have a soul possessing the back of his head out of thin air without any cost - physical weakness may be the least of the cost.
Hermione was startled by his sudden touch. His hand was warm, and the action was a little overbearing and forceful, but she didn't mind it.
It reminded her of the time he saved her from the troll on Halloween night.
He wasn't the kind of person who would joke around for no reason. She had that kind of confidence in him. So, this time, she didn't get angry. Instead, she cleverly followed Draco's gaze and quietly turned her head back, immediately catching sight of Quirrell.
What a close call! Fortunately, fortunately, she breathed a sigh of relief in fear.
Her soft, warm breath hit Draco's hand, making him feel a little uncomfortable.
He quickly let go of her and put his hands behind his back, subconsciously holding the heat in his hands. He looked around, frowned at the students gathered in groups of three or four, chatting nearby, and said to her, "Let's find a quiet place to talk."
Before long, they found an empty classroom. From the classroom window, they could see the Quidditch pitch in full view, with several golden and red figures struggling to shuttle through the air.
The winter sun shines through the window and falls on them, making them feel warm.
"Prepared very hard," Draco drawled. Gold and red were the colors of Gryffindor, and among the figures on the field, one must be Potter.
"Thank Merlin, he's finally stopped thinking about that damn mirror," Hermione muttered.
"What?" Draco asked.
"The Mirror of Erised. Harry found it while wandering around an empty classroom. It's said to be able to see into people's minds," Hermione said excitedly. "It's a pity I never got the chance to see it. They moved it away before the holidays. I don't know where it went."
Draco raised an eyebrow. He had heard of this thing before, but he had never seen it before. It seemed that Hogwarts still had many treasures that he had not yet discovered.
"Okay! Let's stop talking about this and talk about Nicolas Flamel! At Christmas, Harry discovered Nicolas Flamel's name on the back of a chocolate frog card! I found more on the Christmas gift you gave me." She excitedly opened the thick book that she had been holding tightly in her arms, pushed it in front of Draco, and showed him the long text description about Nicolas Flamel.
"As you expected, he's six hundred and sixty-five years old! No wonder I couldn't find him in any of the modern wizard books." Hermione said happily before Draco finished reading.
"What are you going to do?" Draco looked up at her and asked calmly.
Nicolas Flamel has finally been discovered. Miss Know-It-All's reading for pleasure certainly didn't disappoint, Draco thought.
"We don't know. We're just curious to know about it. Now Professor Dumbledore would have kept it well hidden..." Hermione stammered.
"You haven't forgotten that someone once tried to steal it from Gringotts, have you? Do you think Quirrell released the troll from the dungeon just to play a prank?" Draco asked her in return. "Not long ago, when you suspected Professor Snape, you thought he was planning some earth-shattering conspiracy..."
"Yes, I did doubt Professor Snape... A few days ago, Harry overheard Professor Snape threatening Quirrell." Hermione said vaguely, her expression becoming a little hesitant. "But why did Professor Quirrell steal the Philosopher's Stone? He has no hatred towards Harry, so why did he cast a curse and try to hurt Harry? Sometimes, looking at Professor Quirrell's pitiful and indifferent look, it's really hard to believe-"
"Hermione, I think you may have made a misunderstanding. Why not expand the scope a little and work backwards from the results," Draco interrupted her, reminding her meaningfully, "Is there anyone in this world who hates Potter so much that they want him dead? Who else is eagerly longing for eternal life, hoping to obtain endless life? He may be hiding somewhere in this world, barely surviving..."
Hermione understood immediately. Her eyes widened and she called out the name, "Voldemort!"
Being called by his name like this made Draco extremely uncomfortable.
"Don't say that name!" he said gloomily.
However, Hermione didn't care about any of this at all.
She stood up and eagerly grasped Draco's hand, which made him feel the soft warmth of her hand. "Yes, you are right. Quirrell did this not for himself, he might have done this for someone else, for his master! He is most likely Voldemort's subordinate!"
"Don't say that name!" Draco said again angrily.
You can't blame Draco for being overly sensitive.
Once, the Dark Lord's search team members and the werewolf Greyback found the Potter trio by relying on this kind of Gryffindor-style reckless blurting.
This triggered a series of tragedies.
Irreversible damage.
This should have been avoidable.
"Sorry." Hermione glanced at him, a look of confusion on her face.
She didn't dwell too much on Voldemort's name, as there were more important things for her to do right now.
She let go of Draco's hand and paced back and forth, thinking as she walked, "I have to tell Harry quickly to be wary of Quirrell... We need more evidence... Otherwise, Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore won't believe us..."
"Yeah, I agree." Draco said lazily, secretly holding the hand she had held.
Miss Know-it-all's fighting spirit is truly high. This raging fire of battle is so intense that it can be ignited at any moment.
"Draco, thank you. I have to go, I have a lot of things to do!" Hermione smiled at him and quickly ran out of the classroom, startling Ms. Grey who was floating to the door.
She hurriedly said "I'm sorry" to Ms. Grey and left in a hurry.
Draco shook his head, amused by her recklessness.
He stared at her receding figure, his thoughts slowly drifting to another matter: What role did Professor Snape play in this matter?
In that memory, he never knew that Professor Snape had cast a spell to protect Potter.
He also didn't know that Professor Snape had once threatened Quirrell, who intended to harm Potter.
When Draco was madly targeting Harry and others in his previous life, his attitude was tacit approval and even encouragement.
Professor Snape's behavior was too confusing and unfathomable. He was once very kind to Draco and was once a guest of honor at Malfoy Manor.
At the same time, he was deeply trusted by Professor Dumbledore - at least before he killed Professor Dumbledore.
When he returned to the Dark Lord's camp, he was able to gain the Dark Lord's trust without hesitation. It was obvious that he had been living under Dumbledore's protection all these years, but he cleared himself of all charges.
Regardless of which side Professor Snape ultimately falls on, he's quite resourceful. Not every fence-sitter can survive in the cracks and get away with it.
Before confirming Professor Snape's true attitude, Draco could maintain superficial respect and admiration, but it was difficult for him to be open and honest with him.
Draco was not an ungrateful person. Over the years, as the Head of Slytherin, Professor Snape had been particularly partial and preferential to all the students in the house.
As a person on welfare, Draco, like most Slytherins, found it difficult to think of Professor Snape in a negative light.
When Draco was injured by the "Invisible Strike" and was in danger, it was Professor Snape who saved his life.
Although Professor Snape had been madly spying on Draco's unfinished mission for the Dark Lord, it was Professor Snape who finally completed it for him - and he even made an unbreakable vow to his mother Narcissa for this.
This is a really foggy one.
After Christmas, the Quidditch pitches were decorated with the flags of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff houses.
Professor Snape, who is difficult to understand, also showed his usual unpredictable style and took the initiative to ask Professor Dumbledore to serve as the referee of this competition.
Originally, Draco might have thought that Professor Snape's purpose in being the referee was to vent his anger on Potter, but after learning that he had protected Potter before, this prediction about Professor Snape seemed a little shaky.
Is it possible that Professor Snape decided to act as referee in order to protect Potter?
Draco proposed this hypothesis, and then shuddered at the irony of it. It was like a bad joke, and it was hard to laugh at.
As students filed into the auditorium in twos and threes, he heard Weasley in front of him complaining to Hermione, "I bet he wants to give Hufflepuff more points."
"Oh, come on, Ron, the referee of the match has to make fair decisions." Hermione said weakly.
Potter was not much affected by the news brought by Hermione. After the game started, he got the Golden Snitch in just five minutes, breaking the historical record.
The Hufflepuff team suffered a crushing defeat.
The time it took for Gryffindor to win the match was too short! So short that no one had time to unleash their will on Potter, whether it was good or bad intentions. Draco noticed that Professor Snape's face was ashen.
In fact, the entire Slytherin and Hufflepuff crowd was dejected, and the Slytherin team captain, Marcus Flint, even spat on the field in anger.
No one wanted their house to lose. Although Draco had some personal connections with Potter and the others, everyone knew that Gryffindor's victory meant they were one step closer to winning the championship.
After Slytherin lost to Gryffindor last time, they have been hoping that Gryffindor would lose to Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, so that Slytherin still has a chance of winning the championship.
Now, the hope of winning the championship has undoubtedly become much slimmer.
At that moment, Draco heard Flint yelling to Slytherin's Seeker, Terence Higgs, "You need to practice more. Slytherin can't afford another failure!"
"What does it have to do with me? It's not just my fault!" Higgs said unconvinced.
"Is this your attitude?" Flint said irritably. "Is this the attitude of a Slytherin who strives for excellence..."
As Flint cursed, Draco, along with Crabbe and Goyle, followed the crowd into the hall, uncontrollably imagining himself catching the Golden Snitch in a Quidditch game.