Chapter 5 - Philosopher's Stone

 The class that I had with Eric before our study period was potions with Professor Snape. I was nervous, to say the least, since my scar had started hurting as soon as I had noticed him the night before. I took my seat beside Eric, and we all chattered a bit while waiting for Professor Snape to come and start the class. It was only a few moments of talking before Professor Snape came rushing in through the classroom door, dishing out instructions,

"There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class. As such, I don't expect many of you to enjoy the subtle science and exact art that is potion-making. However, for those select few... who possess... the predisposition, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death... Then again, it could be that some of you have come to Hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable that you feel confidant enough to not... pay attention."

I froze as Snape's stare moved onto me as he started making his way to stand in front of my desk. "Miss Potter. Our other... new... celebrity. It was during the class before this one that your brother, Mr Potter, decided that my teaching did not deserve his attention. However... when asked a series of questions regarding different potions... he failed to give any answers. So... I ask... shall I expect the same from you?"

Taking a subtle, deep breath, I looked Professor Snape in the eye while giving him a small, kind smile,

"Well, sir, knowing my brother, I assume that he most likely meant no insult to you or your teachings, but either way, sir, I can assure you that my attention and interest will be intensely focused on this subject while in your class. As for the questions, seeing as my brother and I are... new at this, you could ask me those same questions that you asked Harry, and I can have the answers ready for you by the next class if you would like?"

I saw Eric smile proudly in my peripheral vision and tried to stop my small smile from growing as Professor Snape seemed speechless. However, after a second, he regained himself and nodded with a softer expression,

"Very well, Miss Potter. At the end of class, I will give you those questions for homework. Now... to begin this lesson... open your books... to page 193."

It was about midday after potions class, and Harry, Ron, Hermione, Eric and I were all sitting at one of the long tables in the Great Hall along with our various classmates. I sat beside Eric while Ron and Harry sat across from us. We were working on some homework together when I heard a boy from slightly further down the table.

"Eye of rabbit, harp string hum. Turn this water into rum," the boy, who I knew to be Seamus in Harry's house, said as he waved his wand at his cup. When nothing happened, he shook his head and tried again, "Eye of rabbit, harp string hum..."

"What's Seamus trying to do to that glass of water?" Harry asked while watching the strange sight, causing Eric and Ron to follow our line of sight.

"Turn it into rum," Ron replied with a shrug. "Actually managed a weak tea yesterday, before-"

All of a sudden, the sound of the cup exploding interrupted Ron. After a moment, a bunch of students started laughing while Seamus just frowned. I held a sympathetic smile on my face for Seamus when a flock of owls started to come into the hall through the rafters above. "Ah. Mail's here!"

The owls soared by, dropping parcels to various students. Harry and I didn't receive anything, per usual. I didn't mind that much since the two of us were used to not receiving anything.

"Can I borrow this?" Harry asked Ron, gesturing to the newspaper our ginger friend had laid on the table. Ron nodded, allowing Harry to take the newspaper into his hands. "Thanks."

Everyone continued to open their letters and packages when Seamus suddenly shouted excitedly,

"Hey, look! Neville's got a Remembrall!"

We all turned to Neville to see him holding a clear ball as Hermione spoke,

"I've read about those. When the smoke turns red."

The smoke in the ball suddenly turned red as Hermione continued, "It means you've forgotten something."

"The only problem is," Neville shrugged. "I can't remember what I've forgotten."

I giggled, noticing that Neville had forgotten to put on his robe when Harry gained our attention, his eyes still on the paper,

"Hey, guys, somebody broke into Gringotts."

At this news, I grew concerned as I listened to my brother, "Listen, 'Believed to be the work of dark witches or wizards unknown, Gringotts goblins, while acknowledging the breach, insist that nothing was taken. The vault in question, number 713, had, in fact, been emptied earlier that same day.'"

"That's odd," I said, furrowing my brows.

"What is?" Eric asked.

"That's the vault Hagrid, Harry and I went to the day he took us to Diagon Alley."

The three boys and Hermione now had their brows furrowed as well as we all pondered who could have tried to get whatever was in that vault.

Harry, Ron, Eric and I were outside with the rest of our classmates for our first flying lessons. I was excited and nervous at the same time. Our teacher, Madam Hooch, had lined us up in two rows, standing opposite each other with brooms on the ground beside each individual student. As she spoke, Madam Hooch, with her short white hair and yellow hawk-like eyes, walked down the line between the two rows

"Good afternoon, class."

"Good afternoon, Madam Hooch," we all replied.

"Good afternoon, Amanda, good afternoon."

"Welcome to your first flying lesson. Well, what are you waiting for? Everyone step up to the left side of their broomstick. Come on now, hurry up. Stick your right hand over the broom and say, Up!"

Everyone did as Madam Hooch had instructed before a chorus of the word 'up' could be heard,

"Up!"

As soon as Harry and I had said the word the first time, our brooms flew into our hands immediately.

"Wow," my brother and I gasped at once, noticing how a few people, including Hermione, stared in slight shock before continuing their efforts. I gave everyone that looked my way a comforting smile until my eyes landed on Malfoy as he effortlessly said 'up' and brought his broomstick to his hand. He had a smug grin on his face, clearly proud that he had done it before the majority of the others. Quickly, I looked away, not wanting to be impressed by a snobby boy like him. While all my classmates kept trying, Madam Hooch encouraged them,

"With feeling!"

"Up. Up. Up. Up," Hermione repeated, mildly frustrated. Eric continued to try as well, alongside Ron, who proceeded to try a more stern command,

"Up!"

All of a sudden, Ron's broom flew up, but instead of going into his hand, the back end smacked my ginger friend right on the nose. "Ow!"

As Ron cradled his nose with his hands, Eric, Harry and I couldn't help but giggle a little, causing Ron to smile uncontrollably before reprimanding us, "Shut up, you three."

We continued to giggle softly until, eventually, everyone had their broomsticks in their grasps.

"Now," Madam Hooch began, "Once you've got hold of your broom, I want you to mount it. And grip it tight. You don't want to be sliding off the end."

We all proceeded to follow her instructions and then waited for more. "When I blow my whistle, I want each of you to kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your broom steady, hover for a moment, and then lean forward slightly and touch back down. On my whistle...3...2..." Madam Hooch blew her whistle, but before any of us could kick off the ground, Neville immediately lifted off, looking quite frightened. "Mr Longbottom."

"Neville, what are you doing?" a girl from Slytherin asked, followed by the rest of us continuously calling out his name,

"Neville..."

"Neville..."

"We're not supposed to take off yet," a Gryffindor boy said to his flying friend. Neville had started to soar away, and Madam Hooch's voice wavered as she called out to him,

"M-M-Mr Longbottom. Mr Longbottom!"

"AHH!" Neville screamed in panic, and I grew very concerned for him.

"Mr Longbottom!"

"Down! Down! Ahhhh!" Neville attempted to get his broom to stop aggressively flying about as we called his name,

"Neville!"

"Help!!!"

"Come back down this instant!" Madam Hooch instructed, apparently not used to things like this happening, seeing as Neville clearly had zero control as he continued to scream,

"AHH!"

I watched with everyone else as Neville soared through the sky and hit a wall, knocking along it before swooping off. Screaming in terror the entire time. Suddenly, Neville's broom turned him toward us, and Madam Hooch pulled out her wand. "Help!"

"Mr Longbottom!" Madam Hooch shouted as Neville approached. Swiftly, Harry grabbed my arm and pulled me with him, Ron, and Eric as everyone scattered except for our teacher, who had to dive out of the way. Neville flew through the groups of students, thankfully not hitting anyone until he flew up the side of one of the towers.

"Ahhhh! Whoa! Ahhh!" As Neville's broom continued to zoom around, he passed a statue of a man with a sharp spear, causing Neville's robes to get caught. He flipped off the broom and hung there for a moment while we all called his name. "Oh. Ah...help!" The poor boy wavered until his cloak ripped, causing him to fall, catching on a torch, but then slipping out and falling to the ground. "Ahh!"

Swiftly, we all ran straight toward Neville and crowded around him until Madam Hooch came through,

"Everyone out of the way!"

We all moved while Madam Hooch spoke to Neville, "Come on, get up."

"Is he alright?" I asked softly, causing Malfoy to scoff from his position slightly behind me quietly. As Madam Hooch went to help Neville up, he cried in pain,

"Owowowow."

"Oh, oh, oh, oh dear," Madam Hooch said, cradling his arm gently. "It's a broken wrist. Tch, tch, tch. Good boy, come on now, up you get."

Everyone backed away to make room for Neville and our teacher, who stopped to turn to the rest of us, "Everyone's to keep their feet firmly on the ground while I take Mr Longbottom to the hospital wing. Understand? If I see a single broom in the air, the one riding it will find themselves out of Hogwarts before they can say, Quidditch."

The two left, and I turned to my brother and two friends,

"Do you think he's ok?"

"I'm sure he'll be alright," Eric smiled with a hand on my shoulder when we turned at the sound of Malfoy snickering with his friends,

"Did you see his face? Maybe if the fat lump had given this a squeeze, he'd have remembered to fall on his fat ass."

Malfoy and his friends laughed as I noticed Neville's Remembrall in the pale boy's hand. With a glare on my face at the fact that he was making fun of Neville, I stepped up to Malfoy,

"Give it here, Malfoy."

The blond turned around to face me with a scowl across his features,

"No. I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find."

Smoothly, Malfoy hopped on his broom and soared around the group before going higher. "How 'bout up on the roof?" Malfoy challenged, hovering in the sky. I frowned, knowing I couldn't possibly follow him. "What's the matter, Baby Potter? A bit beyond your reach?"

I glared even more at the blond boy. Not only had he made fun of Neville and taken his Remebrall, but he was also mocking me for being the younger twin. Out of nowhere, Harry grabbed his broom and went to get on it until Hermione stopped him,

"Harry, no way! You heard what Madam Hooch said!"

"Besides," I spoke sternly, "We don't even know how to fly."

Completely ignoring both of us, Harry flew off as I yelled his name frustratedly, "Harry!"

"What an idiot," Hermione stated as we watched Harry fly toward Malfoy and hover across from him.

"Give it here, Malfoy, or I'll knock you off your broom!" my brother threatened, but Malfoy only smirked,

"Is that so?"

Harry made a dash for the wizard hovering across from him, but Malfoy simply twirled around his broomstick in a 360. If I was honest, I couldn't help but be a little impressed by Malfoy's flying skills, despite the fact that he was being a huge jerk. Once he was sat upright on his broom once again, Malfoy turned to Harry and held the hand holding the Remembrall up. "Have it your way, then!" Malfoy then threw the Remembrall into the air, causing my twin to zoom after it, speeding toward one of the towers. I grew worried as Harry came close to smashing into a window, but just as he was about to hit it, my talented brother caught the Remembrall and then made his way back over to us. With excitement, we all started to cheer and run toward him.

"Good job, Harry!"

"Oh, that was wicked, Harry."

I quickly hugged my brother once he was firmly on the ground, proud of and thankful for his actions when Professor McGonagall suddenly appeared.

"Harry Potter?" Professor McGonagall called, catching Harry's attention. "Follow me."

Sullenly, Harry gave Neville's Remembrall to Dean and turned to follow her while I reluctantly let go of him. As I watched my brother walk away, I whipped my head toward Malfoy at the sound of him and his goons laughing and snickering.

"You!" I shouted, pointing a finger at him. "You horrid, awful jerk!"

Malfoy's grin swiftly turned into a prominent smirk at my anger and frustration, which only irritated me further.

"Aw, is Baby Potter upset that I got her brother in trouble?" Malfoy mocked as his goons laughed some more. Before I could say anything to retaliate, I felt a hand on each of my shoulders and turned to see Ron and Eric standing behind me.

"Ella, forget him," Eric softly said, and Ron followed suit,

"He's not worth the effort."

With a sigh and frown, I backed away from the smug, blond jerk and stood with Eric and Ron until Madam Hooch returned to finish the class before dismissing us.

After class, Ron, Eric and I were able to find Harry, who strangely held a smile on his face. My expression twisted into one filled with confusion as I questioned,

"Why are you so smiley after getting in trouble?"

"Because, El, I didn't get in trouble," Harry answered cheerfully.

"What?" the three of us said at once before Harry explained what McGonagall had offered.

"Seeker?" Ron repeated with surprise as the four of us walked through the crowded halls. "But first years never make their house teams!"

"You must be the youngest Quidditch player in-" Eric started when Harry interrupted,

"A century, according to McGonagall."

"Wow, Harry! That's amazing!" I beamed, proud of my brother, as he took my hand in his and smiled at me. Out of nowhere, Fred and George, Ron's older twin brothers, approached and walked with us.

"Hey, well done, Harry. Wood's just told us!" Fred, I think, congratulated before Ron explained,

"Fred and George are on the team, too. Beaters."

"Our job is to make sure that you don't get bloodied up too bad," who I thought was George chuckled. "Can't make any promises, of course. Rough game, Quidditch."

"Brutal," Fred agreed, "But no one's died in years. Someone will vanish occasionally..."

The Weasley twins broke off from the four of us as we went to walk across the courtyard while George finished,

"But they'll turn up in a month or two!"

I grew worried for my brother and could tell by the look on his face that George and Fred had scared him a bit. But Ron tried to make him feel better about the idea,

"Oh, go on, Harry, Quidditch is great."

"Best game there is! And you'll be great, too!" Eric encouraged, always knowing what to say to make you feel better. But Harry still frowned,

"But I've never even played Quidditch. What if I make a fool of myself?"

"You won't make a fool of yourself," Hermione said as she came over to us. "It's in your blood."

Curious and confused, Eric, Harry, Ron and I all looked at each other with furrowed brows until Hermione rolled her eyes and walked away, yelling back, "Follow me."

With shrugs, the four of us followed the bright, bushy-haired girl toward a trophy case in one of the halls. When Hermione stopped in front of the case, she pointed at one of the plaques of Quidditch players. I smiled at the sight of my father's name down as a seeker for Gryffindor.

"Whoa. Harry, Ella, you never told me your father was a Seeker, too," Ron smiled excitedly, and I replied, still surprised,

"We-we didn't know."

"That's amazing," Eric stated, just as excited as Ron. Harry and I chuckled, feeling proud, before we all decided we should head back to our common rooms. As we were making our way up one of the stairs together, Ron spoke quietly while Hermione walked behind us,

"I'm telling you, it's spooky. She knows more about you than you do."

"Who doesn't?" Harry and I argued, knowing that it was very likely the whole school already knew about our father being a seeker. All of a sudden, the staircase shuddered and began to move, causing all five of us to gasp as we grabbed ahold of the railings.

"What's happening?" I asked worriedly.

"The staircases change, remember?" Hermione answered. After a moment, the staircase stopped in front of a single door.

"Let's go this way," Harry urged, and we all followed as Eric added,

"Before the staircase moves again."

Together, we opened the door and walked into a very spooky, dark room.

"Does anyone feel like..." Harry started before I finished,

"We shouldn't be here?"

"We're not supposed to be here. This is the third floor. It's forbidden," Hermione explained just as a flame magically lit up on a tall stone support.

"Let's go," Harry stated, and we all turned to leave until a cat came running into the room and meowed. The five of us jumped, and Eric announced,

"It's Filch's cat!"

"Run!" Harry semi-shouted, causing all of us to turn and run further into the dark hall with flames lighting as we went. "Quick, let's hide through that door!" Harry suggested, pointing toward the end of the corridor where a door stood. When we reached it, my brother tried to grab the handle and pull the door open, but it didn't budge. "It's locked!"

"That's it, we're done for!" Ron cried until Hermione came and shoved him out of the way,

"Oh, move over!" Pulling out her wand, I watched as Hermione pointed it toward the door before saying a spell, "Alohomora."

The door magically unlocked and opened, allowing us all to go in after Hermione, "Get in."

Harry let me in first before I was followed by Eric, Ron and then Harry. As Ron was closing the door, he asked,

"Alohomora?"

"Standard book of spells, Chapter 7."

At the sound of Filch's voice, we all stayed quiet until there was silence. I was growing a bit anxious, but Harry took my hand in his to comfort me.

"Filch is gone," Ron announced as Harry and I walked into the room a bit more.

"Probably thinks this door's locked," Eric guessed, causing Hermione to correct him,

"It was locked."

"And for good reason," Harry and I said simultaneously, looking up at a massively huge three-headed dog sleeping in front of us in the middle of the room. As Ron, Eric and Hermione came to stand beside us, the dog started to wake up, yawning until it noticed us and started growling.

"AHHHHHHH!" We all screamed in terror before all five of us bolted, running out of the door. Quickly we stopped and turned to shut the door, fighting with one of the heads pushing back. Luckily, we were able to get it to shut before we all started running out of the dark hall and back to the staircases. As we were walking up the stairs, breathless, so the three Gryffindors could get to their entry, and Eric and I could get to the lower floor, Ron questioned with a bit of a yell,

"What do they think they're doing? Keeping a thing like that locked up in a school."

"You don't use your eyes, do you?" Hermione asked, "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"

"I wasn't looking at its feet! I was a bit preoccupied with its heads. Or maybe you didn't notice, there were three!"

"It was standing on a trap door. Which means it wasn't there by accident. It's guarding something."

"Guarding something?" Eric repeated with furrowed brows.

"That's right. Now, if you four don't mind, I'm going to bed before any of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed... or worse, expelled!" Hermione turned toward the Gryffindor painting as Ron shook his head,

"She needs to sort out her priorities!"

Harry nodded in agreement while Eric and I merely looked at one another with our furrowed brows. Both about what the dog could be guarding as well as why Hermione could possibly think getting expelled would be worse than dying.