Child of Azkaban

The End of First Term

Six Gryffindors were walking towards the game keepers hut with the friendly half giant- Hermione, Harry and Ron were pestering him about the game while Pansy and Neville had fallen back, walking with Y/N who was being uncharacteristically slow.

"Nonsense! Why would Snape put a curse on a player's broom, let alone a player from his own team?" Hagrid chuckled in disbelief at the children's hypothesis.

"Who knows? Why was he trying to get passed that three headed dog on Halloween?" Harry asked back.

"Who told you about Fluffy?" Hagrid asked suspiciously.

"Fluffy?" Ron asked incredulously.

"That thing has a name?" Hermione added in disbelief.

"Well of course he's got a name, he's mine" Hagrid replied, causing Y/N to chuckle "only Hagrid could name a Cerberus 'Fluffy'" before grabbing his side as he chuckled, Pansy grabbing his arm in concern.

"I bought him off an Irish fella I met down the pub last year. Then I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the-"

"Yes?" Harry asked innocently.

"I shouldn't have said that. No more questions. Don't ask any more questions. That's top secret that is" Hagrid replied, reprimanding himself as much as the children.

"But Hagrid, whatever Fluffy's guarding, Snape's trying to steal it!" Harry said as he pleaded his case.

"Codswallop! Professor Snape is a Hogwarts teacher" Hagrid said turning and coming to a stop, glaring at the kids to try and impart the seriousness of the allegations they were making.

"Hogwarts teacher or not I know a spell when I see one. I've read all about them. You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking" Hermione argued, Harry backing her up with "exactly."

"Y/N you're not buying all this are you?" Hagrid asked as the second trio arrived, Y/N still holding his side.

"I was too busy holding on for dear life to see, but I trust Hermione if she says that's what she saw" Y/N answered, causing the bushy haired girl to blush.

"Besides, he is an utter prick" Y/N added before seething at the pain in his side from the chuckle his own comment elicited.

Hagrid sighed deeply and looked at the six Gryffindors with great sincerity:

"Now you lot listen to me. All of you. You're meddling in things that ought not to be meddled in. It's dangerous. What that dog is guarding is strictly between Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel."

"Nicholas Flamel?" Hermione asked with a smile as a look of horror erupted on Hagrid's face.

"I shouldn't have said that. I should not have said that" Hagrid admonished himself as he turned and walked away.

"Who's Nicholas Flamel?" Harry asked. The others shook their heads apart from Hermione who added "I don't know" and Y/N who asked:

"Before we figure it out can we swing past the infirmary? I'm pretty sure I've got some broken ribs."

—~—

Following yet another stay in hospital for Y/N, this time only overnight, time flew by. Y/N's actions in defeating Slytherin meant that he was now a favourite among the students of Gryffindor house, multiple year levels now pretending that two months of isolation and suspicion hadn't happened. Y/N didn't forget however. Y/N never forgot.

During the first week in December, names were taken by Professor McGonagall of students who were going to be remaining at Hogwarts for the Christmas break. As she got to Y/N and the others Draco arrived at the Gryffindor table and stood there very meekly, catching the Professor's attention.