Chapter 6
"Did you see the look in Malfoy's face when he couldn't find us?" Ron said as he entered the Gryffindor common room with Harry and Hermione. They had just come back from visiting Hagrid and the newly hatched dragon, Norbert. This time Harry had been prepared for Malfoy's spying and took the invisibility cloak along with him. There had been a close call when Ron nearly burst out into laughter when Professor McGonagall had given Draco detention for being out after curfew.
"Just remember to send an owl to your brother so we can take care of that dragon." Harry said. Ron went up to the dorm shortly after agreeing to owl Charlie tomorrow. Harry turned to Hermione. "Were running out of time to get the stone before Qurriell goes after it."
"Don't worry Harry we'll have a plan ready soon." Hermione reassured him.
The coven decided that the day of the Slytherin – Hufflepuff Quidditch game. While Harry and Cho were at the game, Hermione, Daphne, and Susan would be going after the stone. With the majority of the school at the quidditch pitch, the three girls were able to enter the third floor corridor unnoticed.
"Tinker!" Hermione called and with a pop, the diminutive elf appeared in the hallway.
"What do you require Mistress?" the tiny elf said with a bow.
"Can you get us to the chamber where the Mirror of Erised is?" Hermione asked. The elf had a look on his face that appeared to be a mixture of confusion and pain.
"I'm afraid not Mistress. There appears to be a ward that prevents all forms of magical travel from entering. However there's nothing preventing anyone from leaving."
"Thank you Tinker." Hermione said. "Be ready for when we call you again." The elf disappeared with a pop.
"Well it looks like we're doing this the hard way." Daphne said with a sigh. She conjured a harp that began playing on its own from a pebble. Hermione and Susan levitated it into the now unlocked doorway leading to the chamber Fluffy was housed. After a minute the three witches entered the room to find Fluffy passed out on the floor in the corner of the room, leaving the trapdoor clear.
"I'll go first." Hermione said. "Just remember that there's Devil's Snare at the bottom." Hermione dropped down the shaft first, followed by Daphne and then Susan. As soon as they landed, the Devil's Snare began to wrap itself around them. "Just remember to relax!" Hermione shouted as she began to sink into the vines. Susan and Daphne followed shortly after.
"How are you guys doing?" Harry asked over the bond.
"We're doing alright. We just got past the Devil's Snare." Hermione replied.
"Good. The teams just took the pitch so you still have plenty of time."
The third room held the winged keys and the broomsticks. Unfortunately the three of them were not very comfortable on brooms.
"It's going to take too long to try and go after the key on a broom. There's got to be another way," Hermione said.
"What if we tried to summon it?" Susan suggested. "I don't think Professor Quirrell and You-Know-Who would have used the broom either."
"That just might work!" Hermione said excitedly. "Accio Rusted Key!" The key struggled against the summoning charm at first but eventually it was pulled into Hermione's waiting hand.
The chess set was next and just like last time there was three empty spaces on the near side of the chessboard.
"We don't have time to play an entire game." Susan said.
"I've got an idea." Daphne said. "I'm going to need everyone's help with this. On the count of three cast Bombarda Maxima at the far wall. One…Two…..THREE!"
"BOMBARDA MAXIMA!" the three witches drew some extra power from their other bondmates. The increased power was enough to level the entire white side of the chess board. The three of them rushed through the door before the piece could repair themselves.
"What was in this chamber again?" Daphne asked noticing the foul stench.
"TROLL!" Hermione shouted as the three of them dodged the charging mountain troll. The troll crashed into the wall and became disoriented. The three of them rushed over to the door to the next chamber only to find it locked.
"Alohomora!" Daphne tried on the door but that failed as well. The troll regained its bearings and began to approach the three of them.
"I've got this." Susan said. Her body began to expand and began to grow green scales. Soon standing before them was Susan in her animagus form. The troll was no match for a nearly full grown Welsh Green Dragon. Susan lifted the troll and threw it causing it to hit its head against the far wall, knocking it out cold. Hermione and Daphne were staring at Susan with a shocked look on their faces. "What you guys haven't been working on your animagus forms?"
The potion chamber was easily solved by using a flame freezing charm on the flames on the door guarding the final chamber
"How are we supposed to get the stone out?" Daphne asked as the three of them stood before the Mirror of Erised.
"Harry said we have to want the stone but we can't have any desire to use it." Hermione explained. As she looked into the mirror, she saw Harry come up behind her and kiss her on the cheek before placing something into the front pocket of her robe and walking away. Hermione reached into her pocket and pulled out the Philosopher's Stone. "Harry we've got it!" She said.
"Good timing. Cedric just saw the snitch." Harry replied.
"Tinker!" she called and the elf appeared. The three of them were pulled out of the underground chambers and back into the first year girl's dorm. "Tinker find some way to get this Nicholas Flamel."
Three days later, the withered body of Quirinis Quirrell was found in the same underground chamber as the Mirror of Erised.
The day after Professor Quirrell's body was removed from the chamber, Harry was summoned to Dumbledore's office.
"Please have a seat Harry." Dumbledore said casually as Harry entered the office. "Now do you know the reason I've called you here today?"
"Not really professor." Harry replied.
"Well with the end of term approaching, I think it's very important that we discuss where you'll be spending your summer."
"Actually professor that won't be necessary." Harry said. "I'll be spending it with my godfather and legal guardian."
"Harry I must insist that you return to your family at Privet Drive."
."And I must refuse Professor." "Harry said calmly, but you could easily tell that he was struggling to stay calm. "How I spend my holidays is none of your concern."
"Don't you think you should stay with your family?" Dumbledore asked.
"If you're referring to Dursely's as my family then you'd be mistaken. I may be related to them, but I've never thought of them as my family." As Harry said this the objects monitoring the wards Privet Drive began to go haywire.
"Harry do you realize what you've just done!?" Dumbledore asked.
"No professor." Harry lied. "But I think we're done here." Dumbledore didn't even react as Harry got up and left the office. He was too busy staring at the monitors on the shelf and wondering how many of his plans had just been destroyed in that moment.
At the end of term, Gryffindor had won the House Cup, even without the bonus points Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville received last time. Gryffindor had also won the Quidditch Cup in a close game against Ravenclaw. Cho had made an amazing catch that led to Gryffindor winning the final match of the year 300-180.
"I can't believe he actually thought you'd go back to those awful muggles." Daphne said as they entered an empty compartment on the Hogwarts express.
"Well hopefully I made it clear to him that I wouldn't be returning to the Dursely's" Harry said. The other three joined them shortly after.
"So what's the plan for the holidays?" Susan asked.
"Well we need to get the Goblet and the Diary." Harry said.
"Don't we have most of the Horcruxes" Cho asked.
"We've only got half of them." Hermione said. "But we should have the rest by the end of the summer."
"In the meantime I would suggest that everyone work on their animagus forms and work on expanding their cores." The rest of the train ride was spent quietly with Hermione and Cho reading and Harry alternating between snogging Daphne and Susan. The train managed to pull into King's Cross in the late afternoon. The others went their separate ways after disembarking. Harry was busy looking for Sirius in the crowd when he heard Ginny's voice over the bond.
"Harry behind you!" Ginny said. Harry quickly turned around, his hand going to his wand automatically. He relaxed when he saw that it was only Mrs. Weasley approaching him with Ron and Ginny.
"Hello Harry I just wanted to let you know that you're welcome to visit The Burrow anytime over the summer holidays." Molly said.
"Thanks Mrs. Weasley while I'll be spending most of the summer with my godfather in France, I will certainly take you up on that offer when we get back."
After saying his goodbyes to the Weasleys, Harry found Sirius talking to a blond wizard that Harry didn't recognize. As he approached he noticed Daphne standing on the wizard's other side.
"Ah there he is now." Harry recognized Sirius' voice. "Harry I'd like to introduce Sir Lawrence Greengrass, Head of the Most noble and Ancient House of Greengrass."
"It's an honor to make your acquaintance Lord Greengrass." Harry said shaking Lord Greengrass' hand.
"I've heard many good things about you from Daphne." Lord Greengrass said. "Sirius it was good to see you again, I'll be in contact with you shortly. Come Daphne, your mother and sister are waiting for us."
"What was that about?" Harry asked after Daphne and her father left.
"Family business." Was all that Sirius said. "You ready to go home Prongslet?"
"Yeah let's go home."