Chapter 30

Hagrid said, "Well, when I was your age, I was studying at this school, and I found a book in the Restricted Section of the library. It mentioned that the greatest wizard of all time, Merlin, known as the Sorcerer's Prince, also used magic without a wand."

Hermione asked, "What? But I read in books that Merlin had the wand made from the oak tree of King Arthur's time."

Hagrid replied, "Yes, but Merlin used a wand as a cover so people wouldn't discover he could perform magic without one."

Ron wondered, "But how did people know he could use magic without a wand?"

Hagrid explained, "Merlin wrote about it in his famous book, *Merlin: The Sorcerer's Prince*, which covers everything about him."

Harry said, "Oh, so Merlin must have been in Gryffindor, right, Hagrid?"

Hagrid corrected him, "Actually, you're wrong. He was in Slytherin. Back then, he was taught by one of the four founders of the school, Salazar Slytherin."

The trio was surprised to learn that Merlin, whom everyone revered, was from Slytherin House, but Albert already knew this.

Harry changed the subject, "Forget about Merlin. We came here to discuss Snape."

Hagrid asked, "Snape? What happened this time?"

Harry explained, "I saw Snape yesterday going to the upper floor, limping. I examined his foot and saw a big wound with three scratches, as if a dog had clawed him. I'm sure he went to the room on the upper floor where the three-headed dog is. We know that the dog was guarding something for Dumbledore. I'm convinced Snape tried to steal it!"

Hagrid slammed the teapot down.

He said, "Nonsense! Why would Professor Snape do something like that? And how do you know about the three-headed dog?"

"Three-headed dog?" Harry asked.

"Yes, it's mine. I bought it from a Greek man I met at the inn last year, and I loaned it to Dumbledore for safekeeping..."

"What?" Harry asked impatiently.

Hagrid said bluntly, "Well, don't ask any more. This is a secret between us, understand?"

"But someone tried to steal what the dog was guarding."

Hagrid repeated, "Nonsense. Snape and Quirrell are both teachers at Hogwarts. They would never do such a thing."

"Then why does Quirrell want to kill Harry?" Ron asked loudly.

Hagrid replied angrily, "It might just be a coincidence. You've misunderstood everything!"

"I don't know why Harry's broom behaved like that, but it's impossible that the teachers Dumbledore chose would want to kill a student! Now, you three, listen to me: you're meddling in matters that have nothing to do with what you're suggesting."

Albert asked, "Are you saying that the reason Harry's broom spun was just a coincidence?"

Hagrid replied, "Yes."

Albert said, "But I saw the magic swirling around Harry, and Hermione and Ron saw Quirrell and Snape casting spells and watching Harry. We know the cause was Quirrell. We want to know why Snape attacked the room with the three-headed dog."

Hagrid's tongue slipped, and he spoke without hesitation.

Hagrid said, "It's serious. Forget about the big dog and what it guards. This is between Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel."

Harry exclaimed, "Ah! There was a man named Nicolas Flamel involved with Professor Dumbledore, right?"

Hagrid quickly expelled the four from the hut.

Back in the common room, after Harry and Albert dealt with many well-wishers, they saw Hermione and Ron discussing something in a corner with a few others.

Harry approached, and Ron said, "I think Snape must be the mastermind behind this. We both suspect Quirrell and Snape."

After hearing Ron's account, Harry told Albert and Hermione, "I feel like I've wronged Snape because I sense he hates me and Albert."

Albert silently complained to himself.

Hermione, wanting to end the argument with Ron, cleared her throat and said, "Who wants to steal is not the most important question right now. We've gathered a lot of information from Hagrid today."

"We now know that the three-headed dog is named Fluffy and belongs to Hagrid. It's been loaned to Dumbledore to guard something, and that something is connected to a man named Nicolas Flamel."

Albert added, "Also, the giant beast that was chasing us carried a weapon, a club. According to *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*, some intelligent trolls can be trained as guards, which means the giant beast was originally used to guard a specific place. After all, if it were used as a teaching assistant in Defense Against the Dark Arts, it wouldn't be armed."

"This means there's likely a large space under the trapdoor beneath the dog it was guarding."

"Okay," Harry interrupted Albert's speculation. "What we need to know now is, who is Nicolas Flamel?"

"I don't know," said Ron and Hermione.

"Wait, I think I remember something. My parents might have told me about him."

The three remaining people turned their attention to Albert, and Ron asked first, "How do you know this?"

Albert said, "My father told me that Nicolas Flamel is a very famous alchemist. He was born about 700 years ago and still lives in France."

The trio was stunned by Albert's revelation about Flamel's age.

Ron said, "Did you say Flamel is 700 years old? That's logically impossible."

Hermione said, "If what you're saying is true, then the thing in that room that Fluffy guards must be what's keeping Flamel alive."

Albert thought to himself, "How many times will this girl amaze me with her intelligence? Just from a bit of information I shared, she's figured out so much."

Ron asked, "So what do we do now?"

Albert replied, "I think it's best to wait until I go home for Christmas and check my family's library. I'm sure there will be information about Nicolas Flamel."

When Hermione saw that everyone was quiet and not talking, she said, "Let's use our free time to look into this person. I remember Hagrid saying it was between Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel. Although he didn't elaborate, we can confirm that Dumbledore knows Flamel. So let's start with people connected to Professor Dumbledore."

Harry said, "Okay, that's a good idea. Anyway, there won't be any matches for Albert and me until Christmas, so we can use this time to visit the library and read some books. After Albert returns home and checks his family's library during Christmas."

When everyone finished talking, Albert stood up and told Harry and the others, "Well, today was the first win for our Quidditch team, and also my and Harry's first win." He pointed to the bustling common room. "So let's discuss what we need to do tomorrow. Now it's time to celebrate."