Silver Trinkets

Harry spent 3 days in the hospital wing before Madam Pomfrey declared him well enough to return to class. He received a proper scolding for waiting so long to see her in the first place, but she nursed him back to health, dutifully. Well, as healthy as he could be until the weather warmed up and killed off the cold virus.

He was still stuffed up and sneezing, but the sore throat, headache, chills, and body aches were gone, so he called that a win.

When he returned to the Slytherin common room, he immediately sought out Draco and Hermione. They were sitting in a pair of winged chairs that had been turned to face the window looking out into the lake. There was a bunch of empty seats around them facing the window as well, so the squid must have been there not too long ago.

Harry went straight to Draco’s chair, where he sat down on the arm, leaning his head on the high wing.

“So,” he began immediately, “what’s the plan for Dumbledore’s next review? It’s April, right?” Draco looked up at him and smiled, glad for his best friends’ return.

“Welcome back,” Hermione chuckled. “Straight to business then, I see.”

“Problem is,” Draco went straight to it, “his next review is for his abilities to handle the administrative tasks of being Headmaster. We’re not exactly sure how to sabotage that.”

“Well,” Harry pondered aloud, “what even are his administrative duties?”

“That’s just it,” Draco replied. “We don’t know for sure. Hermione says she can get a few books on running a school to get a general idea, but there aren’t any resources in the library.”

“What with Hogwarts existing,” Hermione explained, “there’s never really been much need or interest in opening another school. So there’s no reason to have resources to explain how. But I’ve written to my parents, and hopefully they’ll be able to find some muggle books on the subject. Obviously, it’s not the same, but it’s got to be the same set of principles, right?”

“Your parents can get their hands on muggle books?” Draco asked Hermione, rather impressed by the idea.

“Of course they can. Why wouldn’t they?” Hermione dismissed.

“I don’t know, just… How?” Draco couldn’t really wrap his head around the idea. He’d lived his life so far removed from muggle influence that the idea of it being so easily reachable was a little mind blowing.

“They would just have to walk into a muggle book store,” Hermione explained. She made a pinched face as if steeling herself for something, then took a deep breath and added, “It’s really easy considering they’re muggles themselves.”

“They are?” Harry asked. That was a surprise. He’d spent this entire time thinking she was pureblood. In the old sense of the word, that is. If Harry was shocked, Draco was utterly gob smacked.

“But… But” Draco stammered, eyes wide and mouth pulled into a perfect O. “But… but you’re brilliant!”

“Thanks…” Hermione trailed off with a sigh, knowing he didn’t mean it as a compliment.

“How could you be a mud- uh! Muggle born?” he had to correct himself. “You’re so good at magic!”

“Yeah,” Harry asked as well. “You always seem to know so much about the magical world. I assumed it was because you grew up in it.”

“I never said I did.” Hermione dropped her eyes down to her lap, as if unable to face the boys and their bewilderment at her blood status. “I learned it all from reading,” she admitted. “When I found out I was a witch, I read every book I could get my hands on. I wanted to know everything there was to know about the wizarding world, so I educated myself as best I could.

“That’s how I wound up with the book on magical genetics. It made no sense to me how I could have magic without magical parents. So, I researched it. I never really lied about being pureblood. You just all assumed and, well… I just never said I wasn’t.”

“Hermione…” Harry called, voice airy with disbelief. She looked up at him, face drawn into a carefully composed blank state. “… You’re incredible.”

That clearly wasn’t what she’d expected to hear.

“You managed to read yourself into expertise on the wizarding world. You did it so well, that neither of us” Harry gestured to himself and Draco, “had even begun to consider that you were anything other than magic raised. You’re kind of a genius.”

Hermione shot him a grateful smile. That was definitely a compliment. “Thanks,” she said, feeling a small weight lift off her chest. It was good to know Harry didn’t judge her for her heritage.

Draco, however, was still looking at her with a frown on his face and eyebrows drawn in thought.

“I guess that just goes to show,” he started, shaking his head in disbelief, “that all the blood purism that’s been going on has really been pointless. I mean, you’re the most brilliant witch in Hogwarts. You’re smarter than Dumbledore himself. And you’re a muggle born. If that right there doesn’t prove that purebloods are no better than muggle borns, then I don’t know what will.”

It went against everything that Draco was raised to believe. Wizards were superior. Muggles were inferior. Dirty. And muggle borns were no better than their muggle counterparts. The less muggle blood you had, the better wizard you would be, and the more muggle blood you had, the worse.

This new revelation merely served as more evidence to support what the Trinkets had revealed. Not only was it not that simple, but the playing field was a lot more level than Draco ever thought it could be.

“None of it matters, anyways,” Harry finished. “Even if her parents were muggles,” he lifted his Trinket and jingled it on his wrist, “we’re all purebloods. So, we’re still all the same.”

Draco lifted his own Trinket, and Hermione did as well. A “pureblood,” a halfblood, and a muggle born, all in matching purple. Harry was right. Blood status really didn’t matter. The color on their wrists was what did.

Draco and Harry smiled at Hermione, and she smiled back. They accepted her just fine, despite her lie by omission. That was all she could ask for.

“Now,” Harry asked, back to the task at hand. “What are we going to do about Dumbledore?”

“For now, we’ll just have to wait until I get those books,” Hermione explained. “I don’t like the idea of letting time slip idly by, but it’s pointless to jump into anything without a solid plan, like a bunch of Gryffindors.”

Harry and Draco had to agree.

“In the meantime,” Draco chirruped, “why don’t we see what we can do about those Weasleys?”

Harry wasn’t surprised that was where Draco’s mind went. Despite the entire Malfoy family’s general annoyance with the Weasleys, lately Draco seemed to be a bit fixated on the twins. It was usually under the guise of using them as scapegoats in their plans, like with baiting them to taunt Filch at just the right time. However, Harry was beginning to fall under the impression that Draco might actually enjoy their company.

He knew much better than to ever suggest so out loud, though. Draco would deny, deny, deny.

So they set about tracking the twins down. Draco had figured out weeks ago that they liked to hide in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom to avoid prying eyes. The ghost was annoying and liked to flood the bathroom anyways, so the whole school pretty much avoided it. That made it the perfect spot to get up to mischief.

It was merely a matter of good timing that Harry, Draco, and Hermione managed to corner the twins while they were in there.

Once again, Harry’s favorite book came in handy. It supplied the trio with an unlocking spell that was a little more complex than the basic alohomora. The twins were much cleverer than they acted. So, to maintain secrecy, they used an above basic locking spell.

If a pair of 14-year-olds could figure that out, you’d think the headmaster could as well.

When the trio entered the room, one of the twins looked over his shoulder in shock.

Behind him, a large open book was floating in the air. A luxurious powder blue quill had been striking out what appeared to be a list of ingredients that spanned both pages. Beneath the book was a small trunk that seemed to be full of potions ingredients and various candies.

When the redhead spotted the Slytherins entering the bathroom, he whipped right back around and said “Finite Incantatem,” making the book and quill fall into the trunk, and the lid to snap shut. With that out of the way, he crossed his arms and slowly spun around to face the approaching first years.

The way he was standing, something about him seemed slightly off to Harry. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“What do you snakes want?” the twin asked suspiciously. “How’d you even get in here?”

“We unlocked the door, obviously,” Draco replied with a superior air.

“You knew how to break the spell?”

“Of course! Child’s play for us!” Draco taunted haughtily. It really had been tricky to get the first few times they’d practiced it, but any opportunity for Draco to look superior was an opportunity he’d take.

“Oh!” Harry exclaimed suddenly. He finally realized what seemed so odd about the Gryffindor boy. “You’re alone!”

It seemed like the simplest thing, but it was so strange for Harry. Of course the boys were each their own individual person, but Harry was so used to them being together that he often thought of them as a single entity. Two parts of a whole.

“Yeah?” the boy asked, still suspicious. “What’s it to you?”

“Nothing!” Harry reassured. “I’ve just never seen one of you without the other. It’s strange, I guess.”

“Yeah, it is,” Draco agreed. “Which one are you, anyways?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Hermione finally spoke up to get their conversation on track. “We’re just here because we were curious if there were any updates on your explorations through the third floor corridor.”

“Ah,” the Gryffindor uncrossed his arms, no longer on the defensive. “Fishing for information, then?” Now he was the haughty one. If they wanted information out of him, then he was the one with the upper hand, and he knew it. “What do you want to know?”

“Have you gotten past the chessboard yet?” Hermione asked.

“Not yet, but not for a lack of trying. We tried playing a few times, but we’re just not that great at chess. And those giant pieces are vicious.”

“How do you mean?” Harry asked.

“The way you play, you have to replace a piece on the board. So if you get taken out…” He drew a line across his throat with a finger while simultaneously making a dramatic choking sound. “Poor Fred nearly broke his arm last time. That was better than when the queen tried decapitating me after Christmas, though. Only reason I made it out alive is because we managed to outrun her and make it to the previous door in time. Just barely, mind you.”

“Wow!” Harry found himself thoroughly surprised. With as feeble as the other protections were, he never imagined the chessboard would be a formidable task. If it was playing to kill like real wizard’s chess, then it might actually be a proficient protection for the Philosopher’s Stone. “I didn’t think Dumbledore had it in him.”

“Neither did I,” Hermione scoffed. George gave them a curious look at their comments, but Hermione continued before he could say anything. “Do you and your brother have any ideas how you might get past it?”

“We just have to keep playing, I guess. If all else fails, we do have an ace up our sleeves, but we don’t want to use that unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“What’s your ace?” Draco asked eagerly.

“Not telling,” George smirked. “I just gave you all that information for free. There’s no way I’m telling you anything substantial without a price. You’re lucky I’m cooperating at all. If Fred were here, you wouldn’t be getting anything.”

“Oh please!” Draco argued. “You didn’t give us anything at all! All you had to say was that you made no progress!”

“You wanted an update,” George shrugged. “That’s your update. Now scram before I lose my patience and turn you into real snakes,” he threatened.

“Third years can’t do human transfiguration,” Hermione scoffed.

“Want to bet?” George lifted his wand and aimed it at the trio.

At the very same time, the bathroom door swung open behind them as Fred and Lee Jordan came barging in.

“Hagrid’s doing alright now!” Lee announced loudly. “He’s definitely not taking any more food from us after this time, though. We’ll have to find a new- hey! What are you lot doing in here?” He cut himself off midsentence when he noticed the Slytherins standing near George.

“What do you snakes want?” Fred asked suspiciously. “How’d you even get in here?”

“Never mind that!” Harry was stuck on Lee’s words. “What did you do to Hagrid?”

“Nothing!” all 3 older boys said in unison.

“You just said-” Harry started to argue, but Fred cut him off.

“All that happened is he ate something that disagreed with him, and he’s been sick for four days. No big deal. He’s right as rain now.”

“What’d you give him?” Harry snapped.

“Doesn’t matter.” Fred pulled his wand out and pointed it at the Slytherins. “Now, scram before I lose my patience and turn you into real snakes!”

“Alright, alright,” Hermione placated, raising her hands in surrender. She turned and led Draco and Harry back out into the hallway. They already got what they wanted to hear, anyways.

“Guess that explains why Hagrid never turned up during the review,” Draco mused aloud.

“What do you think they’re doing in there?” Harry asked, glancing back at the bathroom door as they continued away from it.

“Probably just some prank,” Hermione dismissed. “But I just had an idea about the Philosopher’s Stone.”

“What was it?” Draco whispered in excitement. They rounded a corner and a group of Hufflepuffs were leaning against the wall having a heated debate about recent quidditch results.

“Not here,” Hermione whispered back.

They hurried back to the Slytherin dorms and in no time at all, were sitting on Draco’s bed, behind the curtains and under a silencing spell.

“So what did you figure out?” Harry questioned.

“I think I found the pattern to the obstacles protecting the Stone.”

“How?” Draco gaped at her in disbelief.

“I must admit,” Hermione explained, “I haven’t been thinking about it as much as I ought to, but it all came to me when George said he’d turn us into snakes.” Draco tugged his eyebrows together in confusion, so she continued. “Turning us into snakes is transfiguration. Turning a wizard’s chess set into a life size board game is also a type of transfiguration. Shrinking and expanding. Transfiguration is taught by Professor McGonagall, the Head of Gryffindor House.

“The flying keys were charmed to avoid being caught, and to attack anyone who tried to catch the right one. The Head of Ravenclaw House is the Charms Professor. The devil’s snare is a magical plant. The Herbology Professor is Head of House for Hufflepuff. So that means, there must be another obstacle from the last Head of House. Professor Snape.”

“But, what about the three headed dog?” Harry asked.

“I was stuck on that for a moment as well,” Hermione answered. “Then the other two barged in and mentioned Hagrid. He’s not a Head of House, but he’s the one who got the Stone from Gringott’s. Obviously, Dumbledore trusts him, so why not let him help protect it? Not to mention, Hagrid was kicked out of school for harboring a dangerous monster that killed a student. Even if the three headed dog wasn’t that monster specifically, he’s obviously not adverse to dangerous creatures. So it makes perfect sense that the Cerberus came from him.

“Dumbledore himself is likely to have some sort of protection on the Stone as well. So that means, there should only be 2 more obstacles left, and one of them will definitely have to do with potions.”

Draco and Harry both had their mouths wide open in shock.

“You managed to work all of that out because the twins threatened to turn us into snakes?” Harry asked, voice slightly higher than usual in his disbelief. “Have I ever told you, you’re a genius before?”

Hermione rolled her eyes playfully. “Yes, once or twice,” she teased. “I can’t help but think of that troll, though,” she pondered aloud.

“The one on Samhain?” Draco asked. “What about it?”

“I’m thinking about how it got into the castle so undetected. It managed to make its way all the way into the dungeons without being noticed. The castle is surrounded by protective wards and spells that should have kept it far away. Or at least someone should have been notified when it got close enough. But what if none of the warding was triggered because it was already here?”

Harry gasped. “You think the troll was the last obstacle?”

“And it just escaped?” Draco finished.

“That’s something I can’t make any sense of. Trolls really aren’t very smart. I can’t figure out how it would have managed to escape. Especially if it had to make it back through all the other obstacles to do so.”

After a moment of silent thought, Harry spoke up again. “What if it didn’t escape?”

“What do you mean?” Hermione asked.

“What if somebody let it out?”

“Like who?” Draco asked.

“The person who was looking for the Stone in the first place,” Hermione deduced. “But there weren’t any guests at the school around then. Not that I know of.”

“So then, it must be one of the teachers,” Draco decided. “But that still doesn’t tell us who?”

“Quirrell,” Harry stated.

Draco scoffed at him. “Oh yeah, Quirrell. The man’s a blithering idiot and a coward.”

“True,” Harry agreed. “He may be an idiot, but he’s still a fully trained wizard. If a pair of third years could get past all those traps, I’m sure he could.

“It makes perfect sense,” he explained. “He was the first one to find out about the troll. What if he went to the third floor while everyone was distracted with the feast, and he made it past the other obstacles until he made it to the troll? He’s clearly terrified of them, so he must have run away after that, but it followed him. It lost his trail in the dungeons, then he ran to the Great Hall to get help.”

“But why would Quirrell want the Stone?” Hermione asked.

“The same reason anyone would,” Draco replied. “He probably wants to use it to get rich and never have to teach again.”

“Yeah, that does make sense, doesn’t it?” Hermione wasn’t exactly hung up on the idea. He was an absolutely terrible teacher. “Dumbledore didn’t do anything about it. He must have figured out that Quirrell set the troll loose, but he didn’t sack him, or turn him in to the aurors or anything.”

Harry rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Quirrell never made it past the troll, so Dumbledore must have figured that meant his protections worked, so he didn’t bother worrying about it. He probably brought it right back to the third floor and forgot about it.”

Hermione pursed her lips in thought. She didn’t seem completely satisfied with Harry’s assumption, but didn’t argue. “So, do you think we should protect the Stone from Quirrell?” she asked instead.

“Why?” Draco asked. “Who cares if he gets it? It’s not our problem. As long as someone does so we can use it to embarrass Dumbledore, then it doesn’t matter. Although, I personally would prefer if the twins got it.”

“Yeah,” Harry agreed. “Him being thwarted by a pair of third years just has such a stronger impact.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Hermione admitted. “I definitely think we should keep an eye on him, just in case.”