Who Needs Immortality?
a/n: Two days after I post this chapter, the poll will be taken down. I'd tell you who's winning, but that's no fun.
Also, you guys should check out DZ2's Marauding Chaos, it's a great story!
The end of term was close upon the students of Hogwarts. The students were all panicking hoping that they would make a good enough grade to advance, especially the 5th and 7th years. Even Harry and Draco had focused on their homework, but Harry never forgot about Quirrell's leg.
Deciding it was time to investigate what caused the problem with Quirrell, he went to the one place he hadn't been before. The third floor corridor on the right, finding the door locked he cast a simple alohomora, he froze in surprise at what was staring at him. A giant black dog with three head and bright red eyes was growling at him, foaming at the mouth. Harry slowly backed away careful not to anger the dog even more.
Slowly making his way back to the Slytherin common room Harry was trying to figure out how to make it pass the Cerberus. When he was hit from behind by tarantellegra, he turned and fired a stunner watching as Weasley fell to the ground with Granger standing in shock next to him. "Why am I not surprised to find you two idiots here? What, Granger? Too threatened because I've better marks than you? A pity. Obliviate." Granger had a glassy eyed look for a moment, Harry turned a corner and finally made it to the common room.
Finding Draco sitting at a table reading one of the spell books his father got him, he sat across from him. When Draco finished his reading he looked up with a raised eyebrow, "I need to know how to get pass a Cerberus." Draco's eyes widened, before narrowing at Harry.
"Why on earth would you need to get pass a Cerberus..?"
Harry smirked, "That's what got Quirrell all those months ago, it was standing on a trap door. Any idea?" Daphne overheard the conversation, although admittedly they weren't being too quiet about it. The boys looked up at her smiling face with a question in their eyes.
"I know how to get past a Cerberus." Harry and Draco were surprised at hearing this, and pulled her aside. They began talking in hushed tones when Pansy came in and saw them, she hurried over and caught the last part "… music continuously."
"Good evening everyone, what has you all so secretive?" She asked with a smirk. They stared at her before shrugging. Pansy narrowed her eyes, "You can tell me, or I'll get Professor Snape and he'll find out." Harry grunted.
"There's a Cerberus in the third floor corridor, we're trying to figure out how to get pass it." Pansy was grinning like a Cheshire cat, makes sense about the music thing. "Right, I'm coming in that case."
Harry tilted his head before grinning, "Let's go then."
Daphne and Pansy had a violin and flute ready respectively as they approached the door. "Ready?" Harry asked, receiving nods from the others. "Alohomora." The door opened with a click and they could hear the dog growling already, Draco motioned to the girls to start playing.
A haunting melody filled the air as they closed the door behind them and saw the Cerberus's heads dropping in sleep. Harry and Draco managed to move the paw off of the trap door, looking at one another and shrugging they jumped into the hole.
Landing on something soft and slimy they grimaced at the feeling of it all, they heard the girls screaming as they jumped down too. When they landed and screeched at the slimy object they landed on they couldn't hold in the laugh that rippled from their throats.
"What… Is this disgusting thing?" Daphne asked, trying not to get sick at all of this.
Pansy looked around and felt the around her, "Ah… I think its Devil's Snare. My father owns an apothecary, I'm sure it's Devil's Snare." Taking out her wand she shouted out the light spell, "Lumos!" A bright white light shone at the end of her wand, you could heard shrieks from the plant as they were all dropped to the stone floor below them.
"Ow! Ugh, when was the last time this place was cleaned? My robes are filthy!" Draco groaned.
Shaking his head, Harry couldn't resist. "Draco, are you really going to be that whiny? Forgive me ladies, but honestly Draco, you sound like a prissy little girl." Pansy and Daphne froze before roaring with laughter. Draco was bright red and glaring at Harry, he was about to retort when Harry spoke again. "Well, we should keep moving." Draco merely grunted, while the girls were still snickering.
Opening the next door there was a faint buzzing going on above them, looking up Harry noticed keys flying around. His eyebrow raised and so did part of his upper lip in a look of complete and utter confusion. Noticing how the door looked, he tried to find something that was big and kind of old. Noticing an old broom he had a sadistic grin on his face as he looked at Draco. "Draco. Get on the broom and get the old key, then unlock the door."
Shrugging, Draco jumped onto the broom and immediately all of the keys except one dived at him. "Draco, hurry and don't get hurt too bad! Ladies, to the door, now." Harry and the girls ran for the door, as Draco took off for the old key. He was fighting off the other keys that were darting at him. He closed in on the key, when another key slammed into the back of his head. He was vaguely aware of Pansy screaming for him. Reaching out he grabbed the key and flipped over before heading straight at the ground and throwing the rest of the keys off. He slowed down just enough to jump off the broom and unlock the door before slamming it shut.
What met them next was a surprise, it was a giant chess board, with missing pieces. Harry stood for a few moments, "Ah." He said, "It seems we must play our way across. Not to worry, we'll be fine. Pansy and Daphne, take the bishops. Draco, knight and I'll play a rook."
The game began as soon as they took their spots. Harry was wondering how well the chess set would play against them before shrugging. Harry started the game and lost a pawn rather quickly, "Huh, guess its wizard chess in every meaning." He said chuckling, the others glanced at him and worried greatly. They knew he wasn't entirely right in the head, the question was did they trust him?
As it turns out, the chess game wasn't very difficult it turned out. Harry was able to complete it in a little under twenty minutes with minimal losses and no injuries to the others. Sighing in relief, they all moved to the next door recoiling from the stench permeating from it. "Well, this can't be good now can it?" Harry asked the others. Pushing open the door the pungent smell became much stronger, when they looked inside they saw why.
Laying in pools of blood were three trolls, bigger than the one Harry had killed earlier in the school year. Brain matter was splattered against the troll hands, Harry tilted his head wondering who did this. Though he had a fairly good idea, he was vaguely aware of the others vomiting up their dinner. "Less work for us I suppose, come."
Moving to the final door, which was more like a gateway they stopped and stared at the vials lined in a row. A wall of fire stopping their progress, as they were trying to figure out how to pass through the wall of flame Draco shouted in glee. "It's a logic puzzle! My godfather must have had a hand in this, a few of these are poison, but one is a liquid version of the flame-freeze charm. According to this it should be… the smallest bottle… Oh. There's not much in here now is there? Harry, take it. You're the strongest of us, you have the highest chance of survival. We'll go get Professor Snape. Be safe." Harry nodded and downed the potion, his veins felt like ice and he noticed the fire didn't bother him nearly as much as it should.
"Why am I not surprised to find you down here Quirrell? Is that even who you really are? Doesn't matter to me either way." Harry was strolling down the stairs to Quirrell who was standing in front of a large mirror. When Quirrell saw Harry he was quite shocked to say the least. He had no idea how the boy had gotten down here, but it turns out he was far more resourceful than he initially believed.
"Good evening Potter, how kind of you to join me.. How did you figure out what was going on?" Quirrell was watching the boy carefully, it wouldn't do to lower his guard after all. Attempting a small bit of legilimency, he was surprised to find a raging storm surrounding himself. Quirrell pulled back almost immediately.
"I'd recommend not trying that again Professor. As for figuring out what was going on? I didn't, I was simply curious about your leg and hadn't bothered looking at the corridor until a few weeks ago. Cerberus did that to you did he? You might want to get that looked at, could get infected."
Grimacing at the boy's nonchalant attitude. He spoke, "I don't need your pity Potter, help me figure out this mirror. I want something from inside it, but don't know how to get it." You must tell the boy about the Stone, Quirrell. He cannot walk into this blindly. "I'm attempting to retrieve the Philosopher's Stone. An enchantment was placed on this mirror, get it for me and I let you live."
Harry snorted, as if I'd believe this fool, better I take it for myself. If only so he can't use it. "Very well, move aside. I should be able to figure it out." Staring at the mirror he was surprised when he saw his family, he didn't understand but shrugged. I need the stone to prevent Quirrell from getting it, come on! Help me out here would you? He felt something heavy in his pants, keeping his features schooled he turned to look at Quirrell. "Sorry, no idea. Seems like one of Dumbledore's, can't say I'd be able to outclass him yet."
Kill the boy, we've no longer any use for him if he can't get the damned stone. "My apologies, Mr. Potter. I'm afraid, I have no choice but to end your life. My master commands it you see, and without the stone you've nothing left to bargain with. See you on the other side, boy. Avada Kedavra!" A sickly green light flashed toward Harry, when a wall of black came up and stopped it.
A voice spoke, "You shall not harm my child, nor will you escape your fate. Your arrogance shall be your downfall, Thomas Riddle." Harry was frozen, he knew that voice. It was the one that had spoken to him during the troll incident earlier this year. "Say goodbye to your host." With that said, black tendrils ripped into Quirrell. Tearing him a part from the inside, he was dead before he could make a sound. An ethereal scream echoed throughout the room as a black specter flew toward Harry and ripped through him.
Harry screamed out in agony, the pain was unreal. He had heard about the Cruciatus from Draco's father, but he doubted that came anywhere near what he felt right now. In an instant it was gone and he was filled with a feeling of contentment. Harry found himself staring at the face of an angelic beauty. Burying his face into her, he felt safe and cared for even… loved. "Thank you…. I don't know what you did. But thank you. Who are you? I recognize your voice."
The woman smiled at him before her face changed before his eyes into a fiery red-head with emeralds for eyes. "My dearest Harry, I am your mother. Mortals knew me as Lily Potter at the time of my death, far fewer know me for who I truly am. I, am Nyx."
Harry was grinning softly, before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he blacked out.
A/N: FINALLY! You have no idea how long I've struggled with this damnable chapter. I wrote literally all of this tonight… This morning? Hard to tell, I do everything in the early morning (1-3 my time). Please review, it means a lot!
Poll: From the looks of the poll it will be Harry/Thalia! You can get your final votes in until Tomorrow at midnight, that's when I'll be taking the poll down for good.
