Nicolas Flamel
Eda had convinced Luz to not go looking for the mirror again, of course, it was tempting but for the rest of the holidays, the cloak stayed not so neatly folded beneath Luz’s pillow.
The same nightmare came night and night again, her father disappearing in a flash of green light while someone chuckled coldly “I guess she was right, it does messes up with your head” Gus, who arrived the day before the term restart, took a different view of things, he was more horrified with the fact that Luz wandered around at night three nights in a row and upset that neither of them gave any good search on Nicolas Flamel while he was gone. Unfortunately, Gus's father didn't have anything about Flamel in his personal library.
Wood was working the team harder than ever, no snow or rain could stop him “He’s going mental” the twins said once, but Willow was on his side; if they win against Hufflepuff next, they would surpass Slytherin and would take the Quidditch Cup for the first time in 7 years.
One piece of bad news struck them one day: Lilith would be refereeing the match; Emira fell from her Palisman when she heard that “No way, she going to make sure we lose so her house win the cup!” Edric accused and the rest of the team agreed “Not my fault” Wood replied “We just got to play a 110% clean game, so she can’t pick on us” Willow didn’t want Lilith anywhere near her while she played Quidditch.
When Willow told Luz and Gus that Lilith was refereeing the next match, which caused Luz to knock over the chess board in the common room “You can’t play the match” Luz said “Say you’re ill” Gus added “Pretend you broke your leg” Luz suggested “Really break your leg” Gus said “I can’t, we don’t have a reserve seeker, if I don’t go Hufflepuff win by W.O--- What the…” Star entered the room, her legs stuck together by the Leg Locker curse.
The room blasted in laughter, except for Gus who took his Palisman and performed the counter-curse. Star legs sprang apart and she fell, face planted in the ground “What happened?” Gus asked while Luz and Willow helped her sit.
“Boscha, I tried to use that spell on her, for everything she did to me, to us, but I failed… Then she told me she’d show me how it was done and used in me” Star said embarrassed “I am a failure… Worthless” She moaned tearfully. Luz reached for the last chocolate frog of the box Gus got her “You are worth 12 of Boscha, the Sorting Hat put you in brave Gryffindor while she ended up in stinking Slytherin” Star’s lips twitched in a week smile “Thank you, Luz…” She opened the frog and ate it. She went to bed leaving the card with Luz.
“Bump again? That’s unlucky since he was my first---” Luz gasped, she stared at the back of the card and turned to Gus and Willow “I found him” Luz whispered and reread the card to her friends. Gus jumped to his feet, more excited than ever before “Wait here” He sprinted upstairs to the boy’s dormitory.
Gus came back with an old and probably the largest book Luz had ever seen in her life “I got this from the library weeks ago, for a bit of light reading” – “Light reading?” Willow asked baffled. Gus started frantically flicking through the pages muttering to himself. At last, he stopped “I knew it!” Willow and Luz blinked waiting for an explanation.
“Nicolas Flamel” He said dramatically “Is the only alchemist alive who managed to duplicate ancient studies and recreate a Galdorstone” It didn’t have quite the effect he expected “The what?” The girls asked and Gus faced-palmed. He pushed the book towards them and they read:
The Galdorstone is one of the objectives of the ancient study of Alchemy. The stone is an endless source of magical power as well can render the bearer immortal. The only Galdorstone ever created was credited to Axamor Blight, who named it a Witch’s Stone in her writings, in the year 500, but many believed that the stone was a myth and it was just a rumor spread by Axamor herself, until mister Nicolas Flamel successfully create one, using Axamor’s note as the base. Currently, his stone is the only one in the world. Nicolas Flamel, noted alchemist and opera lover, who celebrated his 665 birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife Perenelle, 658 years.
“I bet this is what the dog is guarding, Flamel asked his friend Bump to keep it safe” Gus concluded “Immortality and endless power? No wonder Lilith’s after it, anyone would want it” – “Ha, that explains why we couldn’t find him in the 'Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry', he is not exactly recent if he’s 665 is he?” Willow added. For a little while, Willow had forgotten Lilith’s refereeing her next match.
Luz feared for her house team, Lilith seemed to appear next to the Gryffindor students every once in a while, like she was trying to catch them doing something they shouldn’t, just to make the match easier. The weekly potion lessons were becoming torture to Gryffindor, especially to Luz.
“Does she know we know about the Galdorstone?” Luz asked Gus after a lesson “That’s impossible, we never talked about it in the open” The boy argued “And yet… sometimes I have the horrifying feeling that she can read our minds” Their bodies shivered just with the thought of it.
Wood’s pep talk before the match went right over Willow’s head and Gus and Luz wondered if they would ever see their friend again. By the time the match started Gus and Luz had their Palismen on hands ready to use the leg locker curse, they got the idea from Boscha, in Lilith at any threat she posed.
“Remember, is Locomotor Mortis” Gus muttered to Luz “I know, don’t nag”. Everyone seemed to be there, even Bump and Eda, which made Willow 1000 times calmer, there was no way Lilith would do anything to hurt her with both the Principal and her notoriously more well-known, loved, and stronger sister.
“Never seen Lilith so angry and mean” Gus said when he saw the witch staring at the pitch. “Ouch!” Luz cried when Boscha hit her head with Maya, her crab Palisman “Sooorryyy, it’s slipped” Boscha grinned to Amity and Skara, the first seemed too focused on a book and the other smiled rather awkwardly.
Lilith had just rewarded Hufflepuff a penalty because Emira had hit a Bludger at her. Gus had all his finger crossed in his lap and was squinting fixedly at Willow, who circled the pitch like a hawk looking for the Snitch.
“You know, I think the criteria to enter the Gryffindor team is to be as pitiful as possible, wonder how Noceda isn’t there” Boscha mocked, Amity seemed to rose her gaze from her book for a minute, she stared at Boscha meanly for a moment but ultimately turned back to her book.
“Shut up” Star said turning her gaze to Boscha, who laughed at her; Skara seemed, like Gus, to be too focused in the game “You tell her Star” Luz said still following Willow with her eyes. “I warn you, next time you say something…’’— “Look!” Skara and Gus pointed.
Willow had suddenly gone for a spectacular dive which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. Gus stood up, his crossed finger in his mouth as Willow streaked towards the ground like a bullet “Oh look, Park might have spotted some valor, too bad you can’t fill a bucket full of holes--” Boscha didn’t see what tackled her.
In the next second, Luz was wrestling her to the ground, Star jumped to help her friend “Come on…” Gus was almost jumping over the edge of his seat; Skara looked like a statue, without even blinking. Neither saw when Amity alone incapacitated Star with a single hand.
Lilith could only watch as Willow pulled out of the dive, her arm raised in triumph, the snitch clasped in her hand. The crowd erupted, a new record “Luz, Luz where are you? Willow won, the game is over, and we won! We are on the lead!” shrieked Augustus, dancing up and down in his seat and hugging Gloria in the row in front.
Willow had won in less than 5 minutes. When she landed and the Gryffindors came spilling onto the pitch, she saw Lilith land nearby Edalyn, clutching her teeth – The younger Clawthorne seemed to playfully taunt her sister. Willow caught a glimpse of Bump who said "Well done" to every member of the team.
Willow made memories she could never forget, her house lifting her in the air, Bump congratulating her, Gus in the distance jumping up and down, Luz cheering through a half nose bleed and of course, the look on Lilith’s face as Gryffindor took the lead.
“Urg, that girl does pack a good punch” Luz said to herself, she had stopped by the medical wing to get something for her nose “Kind expected witches and wizards to not do good in a fist fight” She was heading to the hall for dinner when she saw Lilith sneaking up one the castle’s towers.
Luz mounted her staff, though one of her weakest abilities was flight, and took off. Gliding not very gracefully over the castle she saw Lilith reaching the top of the Astronomy tower, away from anyone else. Luz followed, the air got cold and foggy as she reached the highest point in Hogwarts.
Luz pressed her back against the tower beneath the last window before the top, so in case anyone looked down, they wouldn’t see her. Luz flew up until she reached ear range; Lilith wasn’t alone, Piniet was there too.
Luz couldn’t see any face or body, but he was stuttering worse than ever “Wh-wh-wh-why di-di-di-did you a-a-a-a-ask m-e-me t-t-t-t-to come h-e-he-here?” – “I thought we could keep this privet” Lilith replied, her voice ever so coldly “Students aren’t supposed to know about the Galdorstone after all” Luz flew to the side opposite of the voices, still flying under the edges.
“Have you found out how to pass that beast of Hagrid?” Lilith cut one of Piniet’s mumbles “Bu-Bu-But Lili-li-lith I” – You don’t want me as your enemy Piniet” She said menacingly “We’ll chat soon, when you’ve had time to think things over and decided where your loyalty lies” Luz heard the sound of Lilith walking down the stair, she then flew away towards the main entrance of the castle as fast as she could.
Luz met with Gus and Willow and pulled them aside to an empty room, where she told them what she heard “So we were right about the stone and Lilith wanting to steal it” Gus concluded “Yes, and if she is trying to get Piniet to undo some anti-dark magic spell, the stone is only safe as long as Piniet stands up to her” Luz added.
“So by next Tuesday Lilith will be immortal and all-powerful” Willow said.