Chapter 9: Well, That Was Unexpected…

The four of us sat around the common room, waiting for it to empty so we could sneak out and head down the trap door. None of us were talking. We were too nervous about what we had to do.

Bella was going over her notes to look for ideas of what we might face. Rosalie and Edward were playing wizard's chess. I was sitting, breathing in and out.

The only people still left in the common room were Fred, George, and Emmett, and neither of them looked our way. They still wouldn't speak to us after we lost all those points.

Finally, they headed to bed after shooting an angry glare in our direction. For the first time, it didn't bother me.

"You better go get the cloak," Edward whispered to me. I darted up into my dormitory and grabbed the invisibility cloak from my trunk. I saw the flute Hagrid gave me for Christmas, grabbed that too, then ran back down the stairs to join the others.

"Here, let's put the cloak on before we go out so there's no way we'll be seen," I whispered to them as I reached the bottom stair. "We don't want Filch seeing a random foot wandering the corridors."

"What are you doing?" a voice said. The four of us turned and saw Ron sitting in one of the chairs.

"Go away, Ron" Rosalie told her brother.

Wait, this seemed familiar…

"You're going out again."

"No, it's not—"

"I know you are. You can't. You'll get caught, and Gryffindor will be in even more trouble!"

"You don't understand," Edward told Ron. "This is important!"

"I won't let you!" he said, moving in front of the portrait hole. "Rosalie, I won't let you!"

"Ron, move out of the way and stop being stupid!" Rosalie hissed at him.

"I'm not stupid! And you said I should stand up to Fred and George!"

"Fred and George, yes. Us, no!" Ron stayed where he was.

"Do something!" Edward hissed at Bella.

"Ron, I'm really sorry. Petrificus Totalus!" Ron's arms and legs snapped together, and he fell to the ground, stiff as a board.

"What did you do to him?" I asked, shocked.

"The full Body-Bind. Oh, Ron, I'm really sorry. Please forgive me," she said to the still form of Ron Weasley, who was looking up at the four of us with horror.

Let's go," I said, tearing my eyes away from Ron and throwing the cloak over the four of us.

We carefully made our way out of the portrait hole and through the corridors. We saw Nearly-Headless Nick floating by, but other than him, we didn't run into anybody.

We had almost made it to the third floor corridor when we saw Peeves loosening the chandelier on the ceiling so it would fall on somebody's head. I motioned to the others to head in the other direction, when Bella tripped and fell into a suit of armor. It fell to the ground with an ear-shattering crash.

We heard footsteps hitting the ground as Filch ran toward the source of the noise.

"Run!" I hissed at the others. We sprinted under the cloak up the stairs to the third floor.

"Why do you have to be so clumsy, Bella?" Edward asked angrily.

"I'm sorry!" Bella apologized.

"If we get caught, I'll kill you!"

"Shut up, both of you!" I hissed. I could still hear Filch walking around underneath us.

"Peeves," he muttered before stalking off in the other direction.

"Okay, let's go," I said. We continued until we made it to the third-floor corridor—where the door was already slightly ajar.

"Great. Snape's already made it past Fluffy. If you three want to go back now, I won't blame you," I said to them. "You can take the cloak—I don't need it down there."

"Don't be stupid," Edward said.

"Yeah, we're coming with you," Rosalie added.

"We're all in this together. Besides, I don't know if we'd make it back to the dorms without me crashing onto something. We're safer here, with you," Bella said, smiling.

I pushed the door open. A deep growling greeted us as Fluffy looked up, searching for the disturbance. The dog still couldn't see us since we were under the cloak.

I pulled out the flute. "Someone's going to have to play to put it to sleep," I said quietly.

"Give it to me," Edward said, handing out his hand. "I'm the best musician in my family." I handed him Hagrid's flue, and he began to play a soft lullaby that made me want to fall asleep.

The effect was instantaneous. The dog's six eyes began to droop, and Fluffy was fast asleep a minute later.

"Keep playing," Rosalie commanded Edward as we pulled the cloak off and walked over to the trap door.

"Here, help me move its paw so we can open this," I said to Rosalie and Bella. They both walked over to me, but Bella tripped over something on the floor and fell into the dog.

"Careful, Bella," Edward hissed, pulling the flute from his mouth. As soon as he stopped playing, Fluffy's eyes opened and he started growling.

"Edward!" I hissed. He put the flute back to his lips and began playing again. Fluffy instantly fell back asleep.

We got the door open and I peered into it, seeing nothing except blackness.

"Can you see what's down there?" Rosalie asked. I shook my head.

"It's all black. We can't climb down—we'll have to jump. I'll go first. If something happens to me, don't follow. I want you to go to the owlery and send Venus to Dumbledore, okay?"

They nodded.

"Okay, see you in a minute—I hope."

I jumped down. It felt like I was falling for ages until I landed in something soft. It felt like some kind of plant.

"It's okay!" I called up to Rosalie, Bella, and Edward. "It's a soft landing."

Rosalie jumped down next, followed immediately by Bella and Edward. I could hear Fluffy barking after Edward jumped.

"Lucky this plant thing was here to break the fall," Edward said.

"Lucky! Look at you guys!" Bella shrieked, pulling herself up and out of the plant. I looked down and gasped. The tendrils of the plant had wrapped themselves around my arms and legs, making it impossible for me to escape. I started struggling, but they just wrapped themselves tighter around me.

I looked over, and saw Rosalie and Edward were struggling against the constricting plant also.

"Stop moving!" Bella hissed. "I know what this is—it's Devil's Snare."

"Oh, I'm thrilled we know what it's called. I was worried we were up against an unnamed killer plant!" Edward said sarcastically, trying to keep the plant from wrapping itself around his neck.

"Stop moving!" she said again. "If you keep struggling with it, it'll only kill you faster."

"Kill me faster? Oh, I don't want to make it too easy," Rosalie said angrily.

"Shut up, all of you. I'm trying to remember how to kill it! Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare, it likes the cold and damp—"

"So light a fire!" I gasped as the Devil's Snare wrapped around my neck, cutting off my oxygen supply.

"Yes—of course—if only I had some wood…"

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD? ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?" Edward bellowed at her. "USE YOUR WAND!"

"Oh, right," she said, turning red. She pulled out her wand, muttered some spell. Blue flames shot out of the tip of her wand. Immediately, the Devil's Snare loosened its grip on Rosalie, Edward, and I, trying to escape the warmth from the flames. It unraveled its tendrils, and the three of us were able to pull ourselves free.

"Thanks," I said to Bella as she helped me up. "It's a good thing you pay attention in Herbology."

"It's a good thing Alice doesn't lose her head in a crisis—'there's no wood!'—honestly, you call yourself a witch," Edward muttered. Bella glared at him.

"Well, excuse me, but I believe I'm the one who just saved your life!"

"Guys, shut up! Follow me—it's this way, I think," I said, walking down a passageway. The four of us walked deeper and deeper, unsure of what we were going to meet next.

"Hey, do you hear something?" Edward whispered to me. I cocked my ear to the side, and heard a rustling sound.

"It's coming from up ahead.," Bella whispered.

"What do you think it is?" Rosalie asked.

"I dunno—it sounds like wings," I said, unsure.

"Look, there's a light!" Bella exclaimed, pointing. Sure enough, there was a room ahead, illuminated by a light. We walked in, and saw many colorful birds glittering from the ceiling.

"Will they attack us if we cross?" Bella asked.

"I don't know. Let's try," I said, grabbing Rosalie's hand. Shoot!

"Hand it over, Brandon, or I'll kill her!" a voice sneered at me. In front of me, a hooded man was pointing his wand at Rosalie's throat. She looked terrified.

In my hand, I was holding a small, glass orb.

"Don't give it to him, Alice!" Rosalie shouted. "Don't do it! If you give it to him, we're all dead!"

"Shut up!" he snarled, jabbing his wand into her neck. She winced in pain.

"Hand it over!" he shouted again.

I shook my head. "Never!"

"Very well," he said, shoving Rosalie on the ground. "Crucio!" A jet of red light came out of his wand and hit Rosalie. She screamed in pain, her knees buckling inward. She fell to the floor, still screaming and writhing in pain. The man pulled his wand off Rosalie. She stopped screaming, but was gasping for air.

"Give me the prophecy, or she gets it, just like your parents. Do you really want to be responsible for the death of a friend? Your parents had a choice. Now, so do you. Make your choice!"

I looked over at Rosalie's terror-filled eyes, then back to the orb in my hand, then back to Rosalie. She shook her head at me.

I had to make a decision.

There was a flash of green light, my scar burned, and a cold, high-pitched laughter filled my ears.

"Alice! Snap out of it!" Rosalie said, shaking me.

"Sorry," I said, shaking my head. "Okay, let's try and cross the room." The four of us sprinted across to the door on the other side, but the birds didn't do anything. Edward tried opening the door, but it didn't budge. He even tried Alohomora, but it didn't work.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Edward asked.

"These birds," Bella said, staring at the ceiling. "They can't just be here for decoration."

I looked up at the glittering birds. Wait a minute—birds don't glitter…

"They're not birds, they're keys!" Rosalie gasped. "Winged keys, which must mean one of them fits the door!"

"How are we supposed to catch them?" Edward asked. "We can't fly."

"We can't, but those can," I said, pointing to a few broomsticks on the side of the room. "I think we've got to catch the key that fits the door."

"How are we supposed to find it?" Rosalie whined. "There're hundreds of them!"

Edward looked at the door. "We're looking for a big silver one, probably old fashioned, like the door."

"Bella, you stay on the ground and help us search," I said, grabbing one of the brooms. There were only three brooms, and Rosalie and Edward were better fliers than she was.

"Good idea. I'd probably kill someone if I got in the air. I'm enough of a walking disaster on land."

Rosalie, Edward, and I kicked off the ground while Bella stared up at the flying keys. Every time we approached a patch of keys, they darted to the side, making it impossible to catch them.

It was hard, but a little easier for me. I was a Seeker—I saw things that other people tended to miss. I saw a key that was flying slower than the others were. Its wing on the left side was bent.

"There!" Bella shouted, pointing to the key I had just spotted. "That one there! Its wings are all bent."

"Rosalie, you go to the left. Edward, you go right, and I'll come from underneath." The three of us flew and cornered the key. Finally, I was able to grab it. I hopped off the broom and jammed the key in the lock, then turned the knob, opening the door.

The four of us entered the next room. It was completely dark, but when we walked in, the torches let. We were on a giant board with a checkered pattern. There were a bunch of black and white figures all over the floor. It looked like a—

"It's a chess board!" Rosalie exclaimed.

"What do we do?" I asked.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" she asked. "We have to play our way across."

"How?"

"I think—I think we have to take the places of some of the black pieces. Excuse me," she said, touching a black knight next to her. He sprang to life and looked at Rosalie. "Do we have to play with you?" He nodded his head.

"Okay, hold on a moment, I need to think about this." Rosalie walked onto the chessboard and looked at each of the pieces. "Don't be offended or anything, but none of you are very good at chess."

"We're not offended, just tell us what to do," Edward said.

"Right. Alice, you take the place of that bishop, Bella and Edward, you guys be the two castles, and I'll be a knight." The four black chess pieces got up and walked off the board, leaving four empty spaces. We all took our places on the board.

"Now what?" I asked.

"Well, white always moves first, then we play." A white pawn moved forward two squares at that moment. Rosalie began directing the black pieces across the board like soldiers in battle.

It was just like a battle. Each time one of our men was taken by a white piece, they showed no mercy, the white queen especially. She was ruthless, smashing into black pieces left and right. My knees started shaking as the game progressed; what if we lost? What happened then?

Every time Rosalie saw that Edward, Bella, or I was in danger of being taken, she swooped across the board, taking as many pieces as we had lost. Eventually, there were only a few pieces left on either side.

"Let me think," Rosalie muttered, staring at the blank face of the white queen. "Yes…it's the only option…I have to be taken," she said without an ounce of fear in her voice.

"No!" the three of us shouted.

"That's chess," she snapped. "I'll sacrifice myself. The queen will move to take me, leaving you free to take the king, Alice."

"There has to be another way!" I said.

"Do you want to stop Snape?"

"Yes, but—"

"Alice, you're supposed to go on. I'm not the one who's supposed to fight Snape—you are! If you don't let me go, Snape'll get the stone and he'll come back! Do you really want that?"

I shook my head.

"Okay, once she takes me, you checkmate the king. Don't stick around afterwards, just go on. Good luck, Alice. I know you can do it!" Rosalie looked ahead, and she moved forward. The queen moved towards her until she was right next to Rosalie. She lifted her arm in the air and whacked Rosalie on the head. She fell to the ground and was dragged off the board. Bella screamed, but made sure not to move. I looked over at Rosalie, but she wasn't moving.

I moved forward four spaces until I was directly in front of the white king. "Checkmate!"

The king bowed and tossed his crown to me. We had won! The rest of the chess pieces moved to the side, revealing the door that led to the next room.

"C'mon, let's go!" I said, running to the door. Bella and Edward followed me.

"What's next?" Edward asked.

"Well, Sprout had the Devil's Snare, Flitwick charmed the keys, and McGonagall transfigured the chessboard— so all we have left is Quirrell's anti-dark obstacle and Snape."

We walked into the next room, and a horrible smell filled our noses. It was like pressing your nostrils up against a cow's butt. The three of us started gagging, unable to breathe.

"Over there!" Edward gasped pointing to the left. On the ground was a large, unconscious mountain troll—twice the size of the one we defeated in the beginning of the year.

"Thank god we didn't have to fight that one—c'mon, let's go," I whispered as we walked into the next room.

In the room, there was a table with seven different bottles on it. Edward, Bella, and I stepped over the threshold, and a wall of fire immediately appeared in the doorway. There was fire blocking the doorway leading forward, too. We were trapped!

"Look," Bella said, grabbing a roll of parchment off the table. She read it aloud:

Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,
Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,
One among us seven will let you move ahead,
Another will transport the drinker back instead,
Two among our number hold only nettle wine,
Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.
Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,
To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:
First, however slyly the poison tries to hide
You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;
Second, different are those who stand at either end,
But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;
Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,
Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;
Fourth, the second left and the second on the right,
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.

Bella gasped, then let out a long sigh. I looked at her, expecting to say how this was impossible, but she had on a huge smile.

"Brilliant! It's not magic—it's logic! Most wizards don't have an ounce of logic in them. They'd be stuck here forever."

"Great," I said miserably. "We're never going to stop Snape from getting the stone."

"Yes, we will. Everything we need is on this paper. Just give me a minute to figure it out."

Edward and I stared at her, dumbfounded, as she walked up and down the line of bottles, rereading the paper, muttering to herself, and pointing to the bottles.

"Got it!" she said excitedly. "This small one in the middle will transport you forward, while this orange one at the end will take you back."

"There's only enough for one person in the small one," I said, picking it up. "There's barely one sip. Listen, you two share the orange bottle—no, listen to me! Drink it, go back and get Rosalie, take the brooms from the key room, fly out of the trap door and head up to the owlery and send Venus to Dumbledore—I'm going to need him in there. I don't know how long I'll be able to hold Snape off."

"What if You-Know-Who's there too?" Edward asked, worried.

"I was lucky once," I said, pointing to my scar. "Maybe I'll get luck again."

"Oh, Alice!" Bella said, throwing her arms around me, being careful not to touch my skin.

"Bella!"

"Alice, please be careful! You're a great witch, you know that?"

"You really are," Edward added.

"What about you guys? Bella, you're the smartest witch I've ever met."

"Me? All I have is book smarts. There're more important things then knowing a lot of information—like bravery and friendship! I don't know where I would be without you, so please be careful!"

"I will, now you both go!" I said, shoving them towards the doorway we came through.

Bella and Edward each took a sip of the potion, then shivered.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing. It just feels like ice," Bella said.

"Go now, before it wears off," I said. They both walked through the flames. Instead of burning them, the fire licked around their bodies.

"Well, here goes nothing," I said to myself, downing the potion. It was like ice had filled my body. Shivering, I walked though the flames. I saw the fire surrounding my body, but I couldn't feel it. For a moment, everything was black, but then I saw a figure.

It wasn't Snape.

It wasn't Voldemort.

It was Quirrell.

"You?" I said, confused.

"Yes, me," he said calmly, staring at me. He didn't flinch or look worried. "I was waiting for you to arrive, Alice."

"But—Snape—I thought—"

"Severus?" he laughed. "No, no, no. I mean, he seems the type, which was very convenient, because who would suspect p-p-poor st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell next to the evil potions master?"

"But he tried to kill me! At the Quidditch match!"

"Silly girl, I tried to kill you, and I would have succeeded, even with Snape muttering his little counter curse, if your friend, Miss Swan, hadn't knocked me over, breaking my eye contact."

"Snape was trying to…save me?"

"Of course! Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? Everyone thought he wanted to stop Gryffindor from winning, but it was really to keep an eye on me. It wasn't necessary—I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. Snape did make himself unpopular—what a waste, since I'm going to kill you tonight." His voice was much colder than it normally was, and he didn't have his stutter anymore. He snapped his fingers, and thick ropes sprang out of the air and wrapped themselves around my body like the Devil's Snare. "You're too nosy to live, Alice. Like on Halloween, running around the castle. For all I knew, you'd seen me go and look for the stone."

"You let troll in?" I gasped. This couldn't be happening. Professor Quirrell, the teacher who was always willing to help me, wanted the stone? But why?

"Of course I did. I've always had a knack with trolls—you must have seen what I did with the one back there. While everyone was preoccupied with the troll, I headed up to the third floor. Snape, however, wasn't fooled. He raced me up there—and not only did the troll fail to kill you, the dog failed to bite Snape's leg fully off. Now be quiet, Alice, while I examine this mirror."

I looked over, and saw Quirrell standing in front of the Mirror of Erised.

I knew this! I had seen this! The first time I met Quirrell, I saw this! I remember being in this room, looking at a grotesque face with a pair of red eyes.

"This mirror is the key to finding the stone," he said to himself. "I see the stone—I'm presenting it to my master, but how do I get it? Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this—he's in London, and I'll be far away by the time he returns…"

Many thoughts kept racing through my head—I had to get the stone before Quirrell, but how?

"I saw you and Snape in the forest!" I blurted out, trying to distract him.

"Yes, he had figured out I was after the stone by that point. He was always suspicious of me—he wanted to see how much I had discovered by then—tried to frighten me…foolish when I had Lord Voldemort on my side."

"But I thought Snape hates me."

"Oh, he does. He was at school with your parents, and he loathed your father, but he never wanted you dead."

"I heard you sobbing a few days ago—wasn't Snape threatening you?"

Quirrell looked frightened for a moment before regaining his composure. "I sometimes find it difficult to follow my master's orders—he is, after all, a great wizard, and I am weak."

"You mean, he was in the classroom with you?" I gasped.

"He is always with me. I met him in my travels. I was a foolish man then—Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was about good and evil. He showed me the path to greatness—I have served him faithfully ever since. After my failed attempt to steal the stone from Gringotts, he decided he needed to keep a closer watch on me—he does not forgive easily."

How could I have been so stupid? I had seen Quirrell in Diagon Alley that day! I looked back at him while he cursed under his breath, still glaring at the mirror.

"I don't understand—is it inside the mirror?"

I had to stop him. What I wanted more than anything else was to find the stone before Quirrell. Not to use it, but to stop him from using it. If I looked in the mirror, I should see myself finding it, so I would know where it is—then, I could find it.

I tried edging myself over to the mirror without Quirrell seeing, but I fell over. Quirrell ignored me, too consumed with getting the stone.

"I don't understand what to do! Help me master!"

A weak voice spoke. I didn't see from where, but it sounded like it came from Quirrell. "Use the girl…the girl…"

Quirrell walked up to me, grabbed my robes, and pulled me to my feet. He carried me over and put me in front of the mirror. He snapped his fingers, and the ropes fell off me.

"Tell me what you see," he said.

I have to lie. I have to lie.

I looked in, and at first, I only saw my reflection. She smiled at me and waved, then put her hand in her pocket. She pulled out a blood-red stone, showed it to me, and then put it back in. I felt something hard press against my leg, and realized, somehow, I had gotten the stone.

"What do you see?" Quirrell asked impatiently.

"I'm standing with Bella, Edward, and Rosalie—we're hanging out in the summer. I'm away from my family."

"Get out of the way," he snarled, pushing me to the ground. I felt the stone crush against my leg. I quickly got to my feet, then started walking away quickly, trying to get out before Quirrell noticed, but I wasn't fast enough.

"She lies…she lies…"

"Alice! Come back here! Tell me what you saw!"

"Let me speak to her," the voice whispered, "face-to-face."

"Master, you aren't strong enough," Quirrell said, worried.

"I'm strong enough for this. Let me talk to her…"

As Quirrell's hands moved up to his turban, I couldn't move. I was rooted to the spot, gaping at Quirrell. The purple turban fell to the floor, and Quirrell slowly turned away from me.

I gasped when I saw the back of Quirrell's head. Instead of hair, there was face, the face from my vision. The face was pale white, like a vampire. He had red eyes and slits for a nose that reminded me of a snake.

"Do you see what I have become?" he rasped. "A mere shadow of what I once was, dependent on others to keep me alive...I have to depend on unicorn blood—you saw Quirrell in the forest drinking it for me. Once I have the Elixir of Life, I can create a body for myself, but that's not all I can do with it.I can help you. I can give you everything you've wanted. I can bring your parents back. All I need is what's in your pocket.

I reached for the pocket of my robe and felt the Stone. I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at it.

"That's it, Alice. Hand it over, and everything will be okay." I saw the hungry look in his eyes.

"You're lying!" I shouted.

"Don't be a fool!" he hissed. "Join me, and your parents won't have died in vain."

"Never! I'll NEVER go over to the dark side!" I turned and sprinted towards the flame barrier, but Voldemort was ready.

"SEIZE HER!" he shouted at Quirrell. Suddenly, I felt Quirrell's hands close around my throat. Instead of seeing a vision, my scar exploded with pain. It felt like someone was ripping my head open. I wanted the pain to end, I wanted it to be over.

At that moment, the pain stopped. I looked up and saw Quirrell backing away from me, his hands blistering.

"Master—I can't—my hands—my hands!"

"SEIZE HER!" Voldemort shrieked. Quirrell jumped on me again, but a moment later, he released me, howling with pain.

"KILL HER!"

Before Quirrell could do anything, I jumped up and grabbed his face. My scar exploded with pain, but I looked down and saw Quirrell's face burning before me. Quirrell grabbed me around the waist and flung me to the floor. My only chance of survival was to keep holding on to Quirrell.

Everything around me started to go black. I could hear Quirrell's screams, Voldemort's shouts of "KILL HER! KILL HER!" and a soft voice calling my name.

***

There was something gold above me. The Snitch! I tried to grab it, but my arms felt like cinderblocks. I opened my eyes, and saw it wasn't the Snitch, but a pair of glasses. Wearing the glasses was Professor Dumbledore.

"Good afternoon, Alice," Dumbledore greeted me, smiling.

Suddenly, a bunch of memories flooded back to me, all at once.

"Sir! The Stone! Quirrell! He has it! He—"

"Calm down, Alice. You are behind the times. Quirrell does not have the stone."

"He doesn't? But sir, then who—"

"Alice, you must relax, or Madam Pomfrey will throw me out."

I looked up at him, nodded, and relaxed in my bed. I must be in the hospital wing. I wondered how I got here. On the table next to me, there was an enormous pile of sweets.

"Tokens from your many admirers. What happened in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a secret. So, naturally, the whole school knows."

"How long have I been here?" I asked.

"Three days. Your friends Miss Rosalie Weasley, Mr. Edward Cullen, and Miss Isabella Swan were all very worried. They'll be happy to hear that you are now awake."

"But the Stone!"

"Ah, I see you are not distracted. Very well. Professor Quirrell was unable to take the Stone from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, however, you were doing very well on your own."

"You got Bella's owl?"

"We must have crossed paths. When I arrived in London, I realized I was needed here and turned around. I arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off you—"

"It was you!"

"I feared I might be too late."

"You almost were. A few more minutes and Quirrell would have gotten—"

"Not the Stone! You! The effort involved nearly killed you—for a moment, I feared it had. As for the Stone, it has been destroyed."

"But your friend—Nicolas Flamel—he'll die!"

"Nicolas and I had a chat, and decided it's for the best. He and his wife have enough Elixir to set their affairs in order, and then, yes, they will die."

I looked at him, stunned.

"To Nicolas and his wife, it is like going to sleep after a very, very long day. After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."

"Sir, even though it's gone, Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who—"

"Call him Voldemort, Alice. Fear of the name increases fear of the thing itself."

"Yes, sir. Well, Voldemort 's going to try and come back another way, isn't he? I mean, he's not gone, right?"

Dumbledore sighed. "No, he is not gone. He's out there, looking for another body to share. Not being fully alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die—he treats his followers with as little mercy as his foes. While you only delayed his return, as long as there are those who are willing to fight a seemingly losing battle, he may never return to power."

"Sir, I have a few questions."

"I will try to answer, but some things I cannot answer at this time, and I will tell you so. However, I promise not to lie."

"Why did Voldemort try to kill me in the first place?"

Dumbledore sighed. "That I cannot answer you today. Someday, yes. But not today. When you are older, you will be ready to know."

Even though I wanted to know, I knew it was pointless to argue with him.

"Why couldn't Quirrell touch me?"

"Your mother dies to save you. That left a mark upon you. While it cannot be seen, it is there. She loved you very much, and that love and protection is still alive in you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He is so filled with hatred and greed, that he cannot harm something so good."

"The invisibility cloak—do you know who sent it?"

"I did. Your father left it with me shortly before he died. IO thought you might like it."

"There's another thing. Quirrell said Snape—"

"Professor Snape."

"Yes, him. He said he hates me because he hated my father. Is that true?"

"Well, they did dislike each other, like yourself and Mr. Malfoy. Then, your father did something Professor Snape could never forgive."

"What?"

"He saved his life."

"He what?"

"Yes, funny thing, isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear being in your father's debt, which is why, I believe, he worked so hard to protect you this year. Now he can go back to hating your father's memory in peace."

"And another thing…this year, I've been having these flashes whenever I touch someone. I realized that I'm seeing the future. The first time shook Quirrell's hand, I saw myself in the dungeon, facing Voldemort. Do you know why that happens?"

"I do not. I believe it has something to do with the scar on your forehead and the attempted murder of you when you were a baby."

"Sir, one more thing?"

"Yes?"

"How did I get the Stone?"

Dumbledore smiled dreamily at me. "Ah, one of my more brilliant ideas. You see, the person who could get the Stone was the person who wanted to find it, but not use it. If they were planning on using it, they would just see themselves dinking the Elixir of Life or making gold. Sometimes my brain even surpasses me." He chuckled to himself. "Now, enough questions. Why don't you enjoy some of your sweets?"

***

"Just five minutes?" I pleaded with Madam Pomfrey.

"No, absolutely not."

"But you let Professor Dumbledore in!"

"Yes, well, he's the headmaster. You need your rest."

"Look, I'm in bed. I'm resting. Please?"

"Alright, but only five minutes." She let Bella, Rosalie, and Edward in.

"Alice!" they all shouted, rushing to my bed. Bella, of course, tripped on the way over.

They sat down next to me, and I told them everything that happened, about Quirrell, about the cloak, about Flamel, everything.

"So, he's just going to die?" Bella gasped.

I nodded. "But Dumbledore said it's alright. He said—after all, to the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure—or something like that."

"I always thought he was mad," Edward said.

"So, what happened with you three?"

"Well, we went back and grabbed Rosalie, then flew out the trap door and ran towards the owlery, but we ran into Dumbledore on the way. He saw us and said, 'Alice went to fight him, didn't she?' and ran off towards the third floor."

We all sat there, pondering the past week's events.

"Well, you'll have to some to the feast," Edward finally said. "We lost the last Quidditch match without you—Ravenclaw killed us, so Slytherin is in first—but the food'll be good."

***

"Can I go to the feast?" I asked Madam Pomfrey the next day.

"Professor Dumbledore said you may," she sniffed, obviously disagreeing with Dumbledore's opinion. "And you have a visitor."

"Really?" I asked. Just then, Hagrid came in.

"It's all me fault," he sobbed. "It's all me ruddy fault. If I hadn't told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy, yeh wouldn't be here! I should be chucked out and made ter live like a Muggle!"

"Hagrid, he'd have found out somehow. This is Voldemort we're talking about!"

"Yeh could've died! And don' say the name!"

"VOLDEMORT!" I shouted at him. He looked at me, stunned. "Look, I've met him, and I'm going to call him by his name now. We saved the Stone, it's gone. Cheer up, have a Chocolate Frog…I've got tons."

"I got a present fer yeh," he said, pulling something out of his coat. He handed me a leather-bound book. "It's pictures of yer mom an' dad. Though yeh might like it, since I figured yeh didn't have any pictures of yer own."

"Thank you, Hagrid," I said, giving him a big hug. I brought my blanket up to my eyes and wiped away the tears that were now falling.

***

That night, I went down to the end-of-the-year feast. When I walked in, everyone stopped talking, looked at me, then resumed their conversations. I sat down next to Edward, Bella, and Rosalie. Across the table, Jasper gave me a smile and a wink. I smiled back at him. All around the Great Hall, people were trying to look at me.

The Great Hall was decked out in green and silver, in honor of Slytherin winning the cup for the seventh year in a row.

Dumbledore stood up, cleared his throat, and everyone became silent.

"Another year! I hope your heads are fuller than they were at the beginning. Hopefully, you will have time this summer to empty them out. Now, it's time to award the house cup. IN fourth place, with 262 points, is Gryffindor. In third place, with 352 points, is Hufflepuff. In second place, with 426 points, is Ravenclaw. And in first place, with 472 points, is Slytherin."

A round of cheering broke out from the Slytherin table. I sighed.

"Yes, yes. Well done, Slytherin. However, recent events must be taken into account I have a few last-minute points to award. First, to Mr. Edward Cullen." Edward's eyes became as large as Galleons as he stared up at Dumbledore. "For creating magic far greater than we do here, I award Gryffindor 50 points."

All the Gryffindors began applauding as Emmett grabbed Edward and gave him a big hug.

"Second, to Miss Rosalie Weasley, for the best game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor 50 points."

Rosalie buried her face as Fred and George kissed her on her cheeks and Percy boasted to anyone that could hear, "My sister, you know. My sister got past McGonagall's giant chessboard!"

"Third, to Miss Isabella Swan, for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor 50 points." Bella turned bright red as everyone around her shook her hand and congratulated her.

"Fourth, to Miss Alice Brandon, for pure nerve and courage, I award Gryffindor 60 points."

The applause was overwhelming. Anyone who could do quick math realized we were now tied with Slytherin. If only Dumbledore had given me one more point!

Dumbledore raised his hands, and everyone fell silent. "There are all kinds of courage. It takes a lot to stand up to our enemies, and even more to stand up to our friends. The most, however, is needed when we stand up to our closest friends—our own family. Therefore, I award 10 points to Mr. Ronald Weasley.

It was like a bomb went off in the Great Hall. Even the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin. Everyone was hugging Ron as Fred and George hoisted him onto their shoulders.

"If my math is correct, which it is, we are in need of new decorations!" He clapped his hands twice, and the silver and green turned to scarlet and gold. I looked over and saw Snape shaking Professor McGonagall's hand, looking bitter. He glared at me, and I knew his feelings hadn't changed at all.

***

After the feast, exam results were released. Everyone passed, even Dean, whose Charms grade made up for Potions. Bella and Hermione Granger tied for the best in the year, something Bella was still grumbling about on the Hogwarts Express.

"Oh, cheer up!" Edward said, throwing his arm around her shoulders. "You still know you did better than all of us."

"I just wish I could have been the best," she said, looking at the ground.

"Hey, whatever happened with you two?" Rosalie asked. "You guys were like, best friends in the beginning of the year!"

"Oh, right. Well, she was too much of a know-it-all, and she was always trying to correct what I was saying and doing. I just couldn't take it anymore. Anyways, she found new friends—she's been hanging out with your brother and Harry."

On the train ride back, we played wizard's chess and Exploding Snap while eating sweets. Jasper and Emmett came in and sat with us for a while, joking and talking about Quidditch. Once we arrived back at King's Cross, we crossed though the barrier in twos and threes.

"Promise you'll come stay this summer!" Rosalie said to me. "All of you. Edward, I know you'll be there since Emmett'll be there. I'll send an owl to you guys once I clear it with Mum."

"Thanks—at least I'll have one piece of mail this summer."

As I walked though the station with my friends, people called to me.

"Bye, Alice!"

"See you next year, Brandon!"

"You're still famous," Rosalie said, linking arms with me.

"Not at my house," I said, spotting Uncle John, Aunt Samantha, and April standing next to a woman with fiery red hair. I recognized her as Rosalie's mom.

"Busy year?" she asked Rosalie as we approached them.

"Yes," she said, kissing her mother on the cheek.

"Thanks for the sweater and fudge, Mrs. Weasley. It was really thoughtful."

"It was nothing, dear."

"Are you ready?" snapped Uncle John. "I want to get out of here before anyone I know sees us."

"You must be Alice's family!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.

"Unfortunately," Uncle John snarled.

I hung back for a minute with Bella, Rosalie, and Edward.

"Hope you have—er—a good holiday," Bella said, looking uneasily at Uncle John.

"Oh, I will," I said, smiling and crumpling the warning about using magic over the summer. "They don't know we can't use magic. I'm going to have a lot of fun with April!"

Laughing, I waved goodbye to Rosalie, Edward, and Bella as I followed Uncle John, Aunt Samantha, and April out to the car.