Chapter 10: Before Christmas Holidays

I was watching them as they whispered amongst each other.

"We can't trust him Hermione", Ron said under his breath.

"We don't have to tell him anything, he also reads many books, may be he read a book we might have missed", Hermione whispered back at him.

"You know I can hear you guys", I said loudly.

All three looked at me.

Hermione started hesitantly, "Do you know…. I mean we wanted to know.."

Harry cut her off before she could finish, " Have you heard of the name Nicholas Flamel?"

'Should I tell them or let them find it on their own? It shouldn't change the outcome too much. They won't really take action until they find out that Hagrid revealed how to get past fluffy to a stranger'

"Nicholas Flamel__ hmm, I've read it somewhere definitely", I pretended to think.

"Oh yeah, I remember now", I said as if I just got it. Their faces lit up with excitement.

"Weasley aren't you from a Wizarding family. I thought you would know about it", I said to Ron.

"Just because I come from a wizard family, doesn't mean I know everyone in the magical society", Ron said in a pissed voice.

"That's not what I meant. You do collect chocolate frog cards don't you? Because all boys in my dorm collect them. Anyway, I read the name Nicholas Flamel on Dumbledore's card I got from my roommate. He said it's one of most common cards. That's why I thought you would know it." I explained.

"Really?" Hermione exclaimed. "Do any of you has that card right now?" she asked Harry and Ron.

"It's in my room, I think I also remember reading the name on the cards on Hogwarts express ", Harry said.

"Do you remember what it said?", Ron asked Harry.

"No, I just read it one time, you've got six of those, why don't you remember it?", Harry asked back.

"I just collect them, I don't read what it said", Ron argued back

"Stop arguing both of you, you are disturbing others", Hermione shushed them.

"Do you remember what it said?", she then asked me.

"Hmm___, I think he is an Alchemist, the card said Dumbledore is famous for his work on Alchemy with his partner Nicholas Flamel", I said after some thinking. "By the way why are you three so interested in him?", I asked not really wanting an answer. It would just be natural to be curious.

"Of course, been looking at the wrong places all along", said Hermione smacking herself on the forehead.

" Oh, don't worry about it, it's just a game we've been playing. Thanks for your help Callum", she said, relying to my query.

All three then went away to a different table where Hermione brought a book and three of them poured over it discussing something furiously.

I ignored them and got back to my homework that was given for Holidays. I plan to complete it as quickly as I can and give the rest of my time to practicing. Recently I have been giving homework less and less priority because I realized that it shouldn't really get counted for the overall marks. Even if it does, it doesn't really matter as it's just my first year it won't affect my future anyhow. Mostly I try to write my homework as concise as I can. I write facts, my observations, inferences and conclusions in clear brief points just like I used to do in my college rather than writing long paragraphs.

In my opinion writing long essays for every topic is inefficient and time and stationary consuming. The drawback to this is I don't reach the required length of parchment to fill. I think evaluating someone's work in length of parchment, itself is old fashioned and ineffective. I'm getting lesser evaluation from the professors due to this but I don't mind as long as they don't outright reject my homework which they can't because my homework carries all the relevant information that is needed. I can only hope they soon accept the modern system of writing everything in concise points that was used in my college.

After completing some of my work, I left the library and went to ROR for my daily practice. I decided to work on Protego. I have learned many attacking spells, now it's time to work on my defense. Protego is simple enough and it can defend from most physical and magical attacks. If the user spends enough magic on it, it can defend from most powerful of attacks if they are not unforgivable curses.

Of course the best to defend against an attack is to avoid it completely, as you never know what your opponent may come up with, that Protego may not work on. Also, you may underestimate the power of incoming spell and don't use a strong enough Protego. That's why it's always better to avoid a spell if you can and use defensive spells like Protego for when you can't dodge.

I decided to work on my physique and fitness from the summer next year. I will need quick reflexes if I have to master consistently dodging the spells.

The thing I'm most concerned about right now is my Occlumency. I'm making progress or I should be making progress but I have no way to know how far I've come or how much I've to go. I'm trying to make a barrier around my mind that will keep my surface thoughts and inner thoughts separate but I've no way to test it. The book suggests that the best way to make progress is to have someone use legilimency on me. There are two benefits to this, one is I will know what it feels like when someone is trying to read your mind and second is that my defense will get stronger by repeated practice.

Right now I'm still working on having two separate thought process, so there is still time till I need some to test the barrier, but I don't really have someone that I trust enough to tell them about my trump card, this ROR. Maybe I will try to ask ROR to help me when the time comes. Maybe it will summon an artifact that uses legilimency like the Sorting Hat. But I'm reluctant to let even an artifact inside my head.

'Come to think of it, there is an artifact inside ROR that might use something like legilimency', I was of course thinking about the Diadem. If I wear it long enough it will definitely try to mess with my mind and I don't know if I can resist it as I'm now. So I will stay away from it for the time being.

Holidays finally started, most of Hogwarts became empty as students went back to their homes. I, of course stayed. I've sent letters to Mother weekly using school owls and have already told her about my decision to stay for the holidays. This will be the most productive time for me as there are no disturbances around. I will finally fully explore the mysteries of ROR and try to test its limits.

***

Third Person POV

In Headmaster's office, all the professors can be seen sitting around a table with Albus Dumbledore at its head. It was time for their big end of the year meeting.