Chapter 19 Interrogation and Planning

The following Sunday morning, after having breakfast with his friends, He told his friends about visiting the Gamekeeper, Hagrid.

His friends were not interested. He didn't tell them what he was planning to do or his abilities, these were his secrets. He was followed by Crabe and Goyle and went to Hagrid's place.

Reaching Hagrid's, they knocked the door and just when Hagrid opened the door, he was hit by a confusion curse followed by silencing and fainting.

Crabe and Goyle closed the door and checked for any people coming at the door and window, while Draco opened Hagrid's mouth and downed a Calming and Sleeping draught. Then he open Hagrid's eyes with his hands and started legilimency, quickly searching and reading his memories. Starting from when he was born, family, how he was an outcast and came to Hogwarts, his class, how and why he got expelled, about giant acromantula spider, Aragog, his role during the war, where Harry Potter was sent to raise, his duty as Hogwarts gamekeeper along with the different parts and habitats of monsters and animals living in Forbidden forest, his recent task of bringing back an item of the famous alchemist Nicolas Flamel at Dumbledore's behalf , his pet a three headed dog Cerberus, guarding the entrance at the third floor corridor, its weakness to music, his recent encounter with Harry.

After doing this Draco's head swelled so he just made a mental suggestion to inform Harry of the name Nicolas Flamel. He searched the room and found a barrel of butterbeer and so he drained half of it on Hagrid and left the hut with the boys.

He needs time to digest the information and make further plans. Hagrid will think that he is drunk and have a hangover with a terrible headache.

Returning to his room, he lay on his bed and silently sorted out the useful memories and made notes. He came to the conclusion that:

1. The Sorcerer's stone is here in Hogwarts and can be stolen.

2. Several professors designed traps to delay the thief.

3. Voldemort is here possessing Quirrel and likely trying to steal the stone and check on Harry Potter.

Draco decided to check on the traps while everybody including Dumbledore and Quirrel will be outside watching Quidditch.

Speaking of quidditch, Harry is the new seeker, for Gryffindor, whatever happened to no brooms for first-years. For now he will do his part as a student and focus on his studies and start preparing spells and other items needed for the raid. Also, he asked his father to send him books and notes on the appearance, uses and method of making and verification of the sorcerer's stone. He also decided to go home for Christmas and bring the failed replica stones and notes from the secret vault.

One day, Harry, Ron and Hermione were returning to their dorm, when the stairs shifted leading to the forbidden corridor. They opened the secret door at the end only to find a sleeping giant three headed dog. Luckily, they avoided getting bitten and the boys were trying to find out what it was doing there.

Hermione quickly dismissed their enthusiasm saying, "Don't bring up any ideas. We could have been killed or worst expelled." In her heart, getting recognized is a very important, second only to making friends. 

Days passed and class continued as usual, Draco has read most of the first-year subjects and notes from the common library in Dungeon. He spends most of his time with friends and practicing different and higher spells, occasionally checking up on the trio by reading their minds. They seemed to have gotten the news about Nicolas Flamel but didn't know who he was and searching for him.

Today is Halloween and we are waiting for the feast and show, we hear that Hogwarts usually invite troops to perform on Halloween.

When Draco and his friends passed Harry and his group, he didn't see Hermione. She seemed to be upset about something Ronald had said and stayed crying in the bathroom. He decided to wait until the show starts and when everybody's attention was diverted, to go and check on her.

He doesn't know why but he cares about her, yet didn't show any interest in front of others, maybe this is the forbidden fruit!