Harry hadn't told anyone about his newfound alliance with Draco Malfoy, and when he returned to school, it seemed Draco hadn't told anyone either. He also hadn't told anyone about how he, Ron, Fred and George were hiding clues around Hogwarts. Not until Hermione found the solution and approached them about it.

"So let me get this straight, you lot over break made a secret club for solving mysteries around Hogwarts, and you didn't invite me?" Hermione's voice had been so filled with shock and betrayal Harry had to stop himself from laughing.

"Did you think we doubted your ability to solve the riddles? That WAS your invitation." He teased. By the next day, a deerstalker had been dropped off to her by Headwig, and Hermione was an official member.

Draco had been... Interesting. He certainly was bullying people less, and warning him of others, but, well... The teasing hadn't ended. If anything he used it as an excuse to pass him notes.

"Try not to fall off your broomstick next Quidditch match Potter, maybe you're too delicate to be riding." Draco sneered, but Harry hadn't missed the subtle wink from the boy nor the note that appeared in his hand after Draco shouldered him out of the way.

'Crabbe's planning on pranking Hermione in the library.' The warning was clear, and a good start to this. When Draco looked back, Harry gave a subtle nod, before going on his own path. Well, apparently he had a prank to put a stop to. Hermione had been spending a lot of time in the Library. Hermione had even come back before term started, and wrote Sherlock asking for permission to read through the restricted section, but to no avail.

They had almost given up on finding anything about Nicolas Flamel in a library book. Still, Harry was certain he had seen the name before. It just must not have been important enough to stick. Not to mention his mind was also clouded with thoughts about who was murdering purebloods. That case was still open, and as far as he could tell, Sherlock hadn't even come close to an answer.

Sherlock's teaching had become... erratic, to say the least. He went through bouts of silence, to fits of near rage, to John having to take his classes because he refused to wear pants. All of this would have been pretty funny, if Harry wasn't a little bit worried. He could tell Sherlock really wanted to stay and monitor Harry, make sure he was safe, but he knew that Sherlock also wanted to be out there, solving the case. Lestrade was sending letters to the flat, that Mrs. Hudson was forwarding via Hedwig, but the whole thing had begun wearing on all of them.

On top of all of that, Harry still had Quidditch to focus on too.

Wood was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. The Weasleys complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic, but Harry was on Wood's side. If they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the House Championship for the first time in seven years. Harry knew how badly Wood wanted this, so the boy did his best to try to help, no matter how tired he was starting to become.

The latest practice, a particularly wet and muddy one, Wood informed the team of something somewhat... surprising. He'd just gotten very angry with the Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.

"Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!" George Weasley really did fall off his broom at these words.

"Snape's refereeing?" he spluttered through a mouthful of mud.

"When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin." The rest of the team landed next to George to complain, too.

"It's not my fault," said Wood. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us." Which was all very well, thought Harry, but he had an inkling there was more to Snape refereeing than just wanting to help Slytherin win.

The rest of the team hung back to talk to one another as usual at the end of practice, but Harry headed straight to the Dungeons, wanting some answers from a certain professor.

"Why are you refereeing the match?" Harry leaned against the door frame of the potions classroom. Snape had appeared to be grading papers. Snape looked up at Harry, their eyes meeting, before Snape let out an annoyed sigh.

"Do come in." Snape said sarcastically.

"The Gryffindor team is worried that you've taken this position to help further your own team, but I don't think that's the case, is it." Harry stepped into the room, taking a seat at a desk up front. Snape's eyes narrowed at him suspiciously.

"No... it's not." Snape agreed.

"So why? Does it have anything to do with my broom acting as if it had it's own mind last match?" Harry crossed his arms. Snape's gaze furrowed.

"If you're insinuating-"

"I was at the Christmas Party." Harry admitted like he was exposing Snape. Snape, on the other hand, looked incredibly surprised.

"Do your father's know about that?"

"That's not really important right now." Harry dismissed. "You said you were doing a counter spell. Is that true?" Harry's words were stern and left no room for argument. He could tell there was some sort of resolve in Snape that was breaking. "I don't think you're a bad person. Not anymore. I think you're a bit overly mean to some of the Gryffindors. You've already started giving Neville nightmares." The words were spoken so casually, it was easy to tell Snape was caught off guard. "So?"

"So?" Snape seemed hesitant in his monosyllabic response, but stood up, and moved to sit beside Harry. "You're correct."

"Of course" Harry's cockiness was not lost on Snape.

"You've been correct about a lot of things." He added. "Someone tried to knock you off your broom, I tried to stop it, rather successfully." He seemed almost proud, but in a way that was as if he believed he should be proud. "And you were right about Victorian Flower language." Snape looked far different than Harry had seen him. "And you're right about being more like your adoptive father than James. Though you're all equally insufferable." There was almost... humour in Snape's voice.

"You knew them then... My birth parents."

"Your mother more so, but yes. Your father... He wasn't very kind." Snape spoke bitterly.

"You're not kind either."

"I can still give you detention, Potter." Harry chuckled, rolling his eye a touch as he thought about Snape's words. It was still sometimes a strange thing to conceive, having a mother. He had one, logically he knew that, but there was a part of him that forgot that it hadn't always been him, Sherlock, and John."Your fathers..." Snape spoke up again. "The blonde one especially. They're kind." Snape sighed. Harry nodded.

"Yes, they are. They took me in when my Aunt and Uncle were mistreating me." Harry rested his arms on the table. For the first time since Snape had met Harry, Harry truly just looked like a young boy. A young boy with the world on his shoulder. Too young to be worried about death and enemies. He should just be a kid. That's what Lily would have wanted.

"I never liked Petunia." Snape commented, making Harry chuckle.

"Me neither." the young boy agreed. There was a pause, an awkward one that bordered on uncomfortable, before Harry decided to end this odd moment in time.

"Well, alright then, if I'm sure you're going to referee the match fairly, then I suppose I've found out what I had come here to find out." Harry stood back up and headed to the door, before Snape suddenly spoke again.

"I'll make you a deal, Potter." Snape started, which caused Harry to perk up in curiosity. "I'll be... kinder... to the Gryffindors, if you stop acting up in class." Snape gave him a side eye, and for the first time since he met the young Potter, Harry looked sheepish.

"I suppose I was a bit... disrespectful." Harry agreed, and Snape made a strange sound.

Snape snorted.

He actually laughed.

"Just a bit?" Snape had him under a knowing smirk, and Harry bowed his head in defeat, laughing along.

"Alright, I was incredibly disrespectful. My father, Sherlock's doing, I promise." Harry joked lightly.

"No doubt." Snape responded. Harry, just maybe, had Snape all wrong. In this moment, Snape didn't seem bad, he just was hurt, and having his own issues. Was it mature to take those issues out on an eleven year old? No, but Sherlock wasn't exactly mature either, so from what Harry could understand, adults didn't always make the best choices.

"I recommend..." Harry started. "When you're having a hard time being a good person, Hang out with my dad, John for a bit. He's the best person I know, maybe he'll rub off on you." Harry teased lightly.

"I can still give you detention." Snape groaned again.

"Yeah, but then you'd have to spend more time with me, and we both know you don't want that." Harry snickered before leaving. Harry headed straight back to the Gryffindor common room, where he found Ron and Hermione playing chess. Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Harry and Ron thought was very good for her.

"Don't talk to me for a moment," said Ron when Harry sat down next to him, "I need to concentrate..." Harry chuckled under his breath, but otherwise made no move to interrupt him. Within three moves, Ron had overtaken Hermione's Queen, and declared Checkmate.

At that moment, Neville entered the common room, looking rather... perplexed.

"Neville, something wrong?" Harry asked, frowning at the boy's clear confusion over something.

"Anyone else notice Malfoy's been pulling far less pranks around the school lately?" Neville asked, and Harry feigned surprise.

"I guess... I guess he has, hasn't he?" Harry said.

"Now that you mention it, he hasn't made fun of me in almost a week." Ron noted.

"I ran into him out by the Library, he was casting spells at this garden gnome they found, the muggle kind that's not alive, and as I went to walk past, he told me to 'Hurry along' before he changes his mind and curses me." Neville explained. "Normally he would have been giddy for someone to practice on, but today... He didn't, he just hexed a fake gnome instead." Neville explained.

"Maybe Mcgonagall got to him." Hermione quipped. "Well, whatever it is, he's still a Slytherin, don't worry too much about it Neville."

"That's the thing, it's almost more unsettling, I feel like he's planning something." Neville's voice sounded really nervous, and Harry couldn't help but feel bad. Still, feeling nervous was better than actually getting hurt, wasn't it?

"I'm sure it's nothing Neville, maybe Malfoy's finally just... seen some sense, that acting superior to everyone else doesn't actually make you superior." Harry reassured. "You're no worse than anyone else in this school, remember that." Harry said kindly. Harry felt in the pocket of his robes and pulled out a Chocolate Frog, the very last one from the box Hermione had given him for Christmas. He gave it to Neville, who looked as though he might cry from anxiety.

"The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? You're brave, and you can take on anything, even if you don't always believe it." Harry said. He could have put down Malfoy in an attempt to make Neville feel better, but the truth was Malfoy was more on their side now than anyone realized. It was more important anyways that Neville not get his self worth by thinking less of others.

Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog. "Thanks, Harry . . . I think I'll go to bed. . . . D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?" As Neville walked away, Harry looked at the Famous Wizard card.

"Dumbledore again," he said, "He was the first one I ever —" He gasped. He stared at the back of the card. Then he looked up at Ron and Hermione.

"I've found him!" he whispered. "I've found Flamel! I told you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here — listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!" Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework.

"Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Harry and Ron barely had time to exchange mystified looks before she was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms.

"I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

"Light?" said Ron, but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself. At last she found what she was looking for.

"I knew it! I knew it!"

"Are we allowed to speak yet?" said Ron grumpily. Hermione ignored him.

"Nicolas Flamel," she whispered dramatically, "is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone!" Harry blinked in surprise.

"Even Muggles know about that stone. How come I didn't remember it until now?" He furrowed his brow, annoyed with himself.

"Probably some 'Mind Palace' explanation." Ron said, slightly sarcastic, making Harry roll his eyes at the other boy. "Now, what are you two talking about exactly?"

"Oh, honestly, don't you read? Look — read that, there." She pushed the book toward them, and Ron read, with Harry peaking over his shoulder:

The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Sorcerer's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The Stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal. There have been many reports of the Sorcerer's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight).

"See?" said Hermione, when Harry and Ron had finished. "The dog must be guarding Flamel's Sorcerer's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!"

"A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying" said Harry. "I suppose it makes sense for someone to want it, the gold aspect alone would draw many people in." Harry noted.

"And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry," said Ron. "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?"

Still, Harry still had a Quidditch match to think about, and to think about.

As the match drew nearer, Harry noticed more and more, Gryffindor house grew nervous at the idea of Snape refereeing the match. The idea of overtaking Slytherin in the House Championship was wonderful, no one had done it for seven years, but he knew people still expected Snape to show heavy bias.

He also kept running into Snape, who kept quizzing him on potion ingredients that quick rummaging through his notes he realized were messages. Either Snape was really worried about him, or Snape was setting up a known secret method of communication that was being designed to keep messages between the group of sleuths to keep information hidden from those they wished to keep the information from.

Harry used this as an excuse and opportunity to teach the Deerstalkers Victorian Flower language, opening up more methods to pass information between each other.

It was around then someone else solved the riddles.

Draco.

"No, No, Malfoy cannot become a member." Ron said adamantly.

"I'm right here..." Draco said, leaning against the section of books the group had been using as a meeting spot. "You know, if you really want this club of yours to be secret, there are much better places in Hogwarts to hide things." Draco suggested.

"You've got a better idea?" Fred asked, standing up. Draco's face looked thoughtful for a moment, before he nodded.

"Follow me." Draco said, before heading off.

"I don't like this." Ron's whine was not missed as Harry began without hesitation.

"Harry, how do we know this isn't a trap?" Hermione grabbed his arm, looking conflicted.

"We... We know this for reasons I'll explain later. For now, please, just trust me on this." Harry requested, really hoping they could give Draco the benefit of the doubt just this once, before he turned to follow.

They followed Draco to a hallway, which they seemed to be going back and forth in a couple times.

"Lost Malfoy?" Ron quipped in annoyance.

"Not at all, take a look for yourself." Draco gestured to the door. Wait... When had that door arrived? Harry stepped forward after noting everyone's hesitance, and Hermione grabbed his arm again to stop him. Harry sighed, putting his hand on Hermione's.

"Trust me..." He said softly, and the small, uncertain nod she gave didn't give him much, but she released his arm all the same.

Harry pushed open the doors, and what awaited them looked like a common room, but instead of it being a clear house, there was items and banners that fit all the houses. Bookshelves lined the walls, with books on the stars, victorian sign language, riddles, mysteries, and more. The chairs and couches looked more comfortable than anything Harry had ever seen, and the whole room smelled of fresh cookies. Outside of the false window, it was as if they were looking into the lake, despite being far from that floor.

At the lack of danger, immediately everyone filled the room in awe.

"There are books that aren't even in the Library!"

"Is that hot cocoa?"

"Why can't the couches in the common room be this comfy?" Draco's chuckle snapped everyone out of it though.

"Good to know you lot are so quick to accept things if they look to your taste." His voice was teasing, but immediately everyone except Harry tensed. Draco's face dropped as he waved his hands. "I'm kidding, I promise, everything' safe." He reassured. The group seemed apprehensive still, remembering Draco was the one who lead them there. Still, Harry stepped forward.

"Draco, what is this place?" Harry asked, amazement laced his voice.

"Wait, since when do you call him Draco?" Harry heard Ron ask, but chose to ignore it.

"This is the room or requirements. That little back and forth wasn't just to be strange, it's the process to make this room appear, and now that we're all in, the door outside is hidden, no one can find us. Keeps us perfectly safe." Draco smiled, and Harry nodded.

"This is brilliant!" Hermione cleared her throat then.

"Right, so why are we trusting Malfoy now?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Right... During the break Draco and I ran into each other." Harry started.

"Let's just say... I don't see eye to eye with my father anymore. I'm sorry for any pain I've caused you all. You deserve better."

"Okay, so... Why should we let you stay in the club? Also why are you still mean if you're sorry?" Ron's suspicion was not hidden at all in his voice.

"Well, if I'm to spy on the kids of the remaining followers of You-Know-Who, and Slytherin house in general, won't be much good if they think I'm buddy buddy with the enemy, will it?"

"You're a double agent!" Hermione's excitement, much like Ron's earlier suspicion, was also not hidden. Draco's ears turned red a bit as he cleared his throat.

"I... I guess so."

"Right, well... I think it's only fair the existing members discuss this quickly." George suddenly spoke up.

"Right you are George. Excuse us, Draco." Fred agreed, and gestured for the younger Gryffindors to approach. Draco could barely make out their whispers, but gave up trying, and turned to look at the books. There were some rather interesting documents upon the shelves. He'd have to come back and read some of them.

"Draco?" Harry suddenly spoke, calling Draco back to attention. Harry's eyes looked into Draco searchingly, looking for any sign of betrayal.

"Do you promise to keep this club a secret?" Harry asked, head held high.

"I... I do..." Draco responds, completely confused.

"And do you promise to uphold the rules of this club, by being loyal to it's members, always searching for the truth, and never letting the darkness of the world win?" Draco's back straightened at this question, as if realizing what this meant.

"I do." He spoke confidently, unwaveringly.

"And most importantly, do you promise to be a friend, no matter what, until the last flicker of life of this group goes out?" Harry asked seriously. There was something he wasn't expecting in Draco's eyes. Excitement, and... it was as if Draco felt... touched?

"I do." Draco could barely contain his smile.

"Then, I, Harry Potter, as founder of the Deerstalkers, hereby name you... One of us." He holds out a hat for Draco, just as the other members put theirs on. The smile on Draco's face was the most genuine expression of happiness he had ever seen on the boy. Immediately Draco grabbed the hat, and slapped it on his head, and the twins immediately came and clapped him on the back, before Harry felt Hermione pull him aside.

"I'm sorry I doubted you." She said honestly, and Harry just chuckled.

"You were just won over by the books." He teased her.

"Not just the books Harry. I never would have given Draco a chance if you hadn't asked me to." She admitted, and Harry only nodded. He could understand that, after Everything Draco put them through. He could see Ron was still apprehensive, and he didn't blame the man.

"To be honest, I think this will be good for him. I think he needs friends, real friends, not the... Not the puppets who follow him around." Hermione nodded.

"How you've found the best in him I'll never know." She shoved him playfully with her elbow. He laughed, hugging the girl.

"John always taught me to try to find the good in others. Even Sherlock has a soft side." He joked.

"Now Potter." Draco suddenly called over.

"Don't think this means I'm going easy on you." Draco's teasing voice didn't dig as deep this time, and more felt like friendly competition. Harry looked confused. "When you go against Slytherin, I'll be cheering against you every chance I get."

"The... The match is against Hufflepuff."

"Who I have no doubt you'll beat." Draco's smirk was almost proud of his new found friend, and Harry smiled.

"If I don't blunder it too much." Harry joked with a laugh.

The rest of the meeting was spent discussing the incident with Harry's Broom, Nicholas Flamel - much to Ron's disagreement - And how to stop Harry from getting hurt if something were to go wrong.

They had plans in place, now, time for the match.

"Now, don't forget, it's Locomotor Mortis," Hermione muttered as Ron slipped his wand up his sleeve.

"I know," Ron snapped. "Don't nag."

Back in the locker room, Wood had taken Harry aside.

"Don't want to pressure you, Potter, but if we ever need an early capture of the Snitch it's now. Finish the game before Snape can favour Hufflepuff too much."

"The whole school's out there!" said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door. "Even — blimey — Dumbledore's come to watch!" Harry's heart did a somersault.

"Dumbledore?" he said, dashing to the door to make sure. Fred was right. There was no mistaking that silver beard. Harry could have laughed out loud with relief. He was safe. There was simply no way that whoever was after him would dare to try to hurt him if Dumbledore was watching. He could almost swear he saw some relief at that from Snape, but Snape looked angry too. Harry was beginning to wonder if he learned something.

"I've never seen Snape look so mean," he told Hermione. "Look — they're off. Ouch!" Someone had poked Ron in the back of the head. It was Draco.

"Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn't see you there." The sass in Draco's voice was very apparent. However, the look in Draco's eye made Ron curious. "Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on his broom this time? Anyone want a bet? What about you, Weasley?" What was Draco talking about? Or was this just a play to keep up his act? Probably the latter.

"Longer than you would Malfoy." Ron sassed back, and Malfoy smirked.

"Watch out!" Somebody yelled as a Bludger headed for the stands, making Snape call a Penalty against George Weasley. That was fair, but that didn't mean Ron liked it.

"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all. "It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents, then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money." Draco continued his mean teasing, but a quick look from Draco Ron could tell he didn't mean it.

"At least none of us will have to buy our way onto the team should we ever want to join." Ron quipped back.

"Ron!" said Hermione suddenly, "Harry — !"

"What? Where?"

Harry had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth, as Harry streaked toward the ground like a bullet.

"Come on, Harry!" Hermione screamed, leaping onto her seat to watch as Harry sped straight at Snape. Up in the air, Snape turned on his broomstick just in time to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches — the next second, Harry had pulled out of the dive, his arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in his hand.

Harry jumped off his broom, a foot from the ground. He couldn't believe it. He'd done it — the game was over; it had barely lasted five minutes. As Gryffindors came spilling onto the field, he saw Snape land nearby, white-faced and tight-lipped — then Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into Dumbledore's smiling face.

"Well done," said Dumbledore quietly, so that only Harry could hear. "Nice to see you haven't been brooding about that mirror . . . been keeping busy . . . excellent . . ." Harry looked at him.

"The Mirror's been far from my mind, Professor." Was Harry's only response.

The feelings Harry felt as he left the locker room could only be matched by one other instance in his life. He had figured out how some clues coincided with each other, and therefore lead the police to a serial killer just in time to save someone from certain death, and many others as well. The evening air had never smelled so sweet. He walked over the damp grass, reliving the last hour in his head, which was a happy blur: Gryffindors running to lift him onto their shoulders; Ron and Hermione in the distance, jumping up and down, Ron cheering, he was pretty sure he even saw Draco give a secret smile.

Harry had reached the shed. He leaned against the wooden door and looked up at Hogwarts, with its windows glowing red in the setting sun. Gryffindor in the lead, he had shown everyone who thought he'd fail.

"Potter, I need to talk to you for a minute." He suddenly heard as he locked up the shed. There stood Draco.

"What is it?"

"I... Informed Snape we're working together, no details, but he's going to start passing messages through me." He let Harry know, which he was a bit surprised, but he supposed it made sense, Draco was in his house after all.

"Alright, is there a reason you're telling me this now?" Harry asked, receiving a nod from Draco.

"Snape thinks he knows who's after the Stone."

__________

TEN THOUSAND YEARS

Is how long it feels like it's been since I updated this. I am so sorry.

First off, I want to address something. While I may be writing this story, I do not support JKR's views on Transgender people. Transgender people deserve the rights that match their gender. Trans Women are Women, Trans Men are Men, Non Binary people are Non Binary. There is no if ands or buts. If you disagree, I'm sorry but you have no business here.

I want you all to know that all minorities are welcome and celebrated by me, and for that reason, I'm taking Harry Potter as my own now. I'm not perfect, so if there are any chances you would like me to make, please let me know.

Now on to happier news.

I'm on Tiktok, I think I mentioned before. My username is locket.angel, and I cosplay many things including HP related content.

AND

I am almost at 100k reads on this story! I will probably be at this point by the time I finish uploading this if not long after. I want to thank you all so much for reading my story and sticking through my delays and overly large hiatuses. This chapter was a really hard one for me for many reasons, but getting it done is an amazing feeling. I'm not going to promise you quicker uploads. I've done that before and I never follow through, but I promise you this book will have a conclusion... eventually.

Much love

Locket