Author's note: Well, here's the Harry VS Quirrell/Voldemort chapter. There will be another Philosopher's Stone chapter before I go onto Chamber of Secrets, just to let you know. Anyway, on with the story...

Chapter 10: The Philosopher's Stone

A few days have passed since the Mirror of Erised event and Harry has noticed some very peculiar things regarding three of the professors. Dumbledore and Snape seem to always be talking at the staff table, with Dumbledore being more erratic and, what Harry could almost say, expectant than usual, as if he was waiting for something to happen. Snape seemed to be in on this as well, being equally as expecting. The man had even stopped trying to catch Harry out in lessons, merely trying to breach his mental shields as if he didn't want to do anything that might ruin any plans concerning Harry. Harry also noticed that Quirrell seemed to be skittish, and looking as though he didn't want to be at the staff table, or in the school for that matter, looking around for a possible exit maybe. Something was definitely wrong, and Harry didn't like it one bit.

When Harry told Hermione, and wrote to Ginny, about his concerns, the two girls agreed that something big was going to happen towards the end of this year, and it wasn't going to be good. Harry had also noticed that Snape seemed to be following Quirrell around a lot more since Halloween, as if the man suspected the stuttering professor of doing something wrong. Harry too had wondered how Quirrell knew about the troll, only for him to have been lying about it true location. Whether it was that when Quirrell had seen the troll, it was in the dungeon and had escaped, or whether he was deliberately lying was up for debate in Harry's mind, but he still kept a close eye on the professor. Strangely, his scar always began to burn whenever he looked at Quirrell recently. He wondered whether it could be a sign that maybe Quirrell was up to something dangerous.

Harry had told Hermione one day that they needed to check on the Stone to see how well guarded it was, plus if Voldemort tried to get it, they might be able to stop him, as he didn't really trust Dumbledore with defending anything well. All it took was an insider's help, and Voldemort would be in, and if the two students could get in without trouble, then the defences stood no chance against the self-proclaimed Dark Lord.

That day, however, came sooner than expected. After Defence Against the Dark Arts, the last lesson of the day, Harry and Hermione noticed that Quirrell almost ran out of the classroom. The professor had been jumpy all lesson and stuttered even more than usual as if he was nervous about something. Harry and Hermione decided to follow him and were surprised when he headed in the direction of the third floor corridor...towards Fluffy and the trapdoor. Harry put on the invisibility cloak, that he had received for Christmas from an unknown sender who said that Harry's father had left him the cloak, over himself and Hermione to hide themselves from Quirrell as they continued to follow him into Fluffy's room. Quirrell conjured a harp and charmed it to play, sending Fluffy to sleep before he could attack the intruder. Quirrell then moved Fluffy's paw off of the trapdoor with a levitating charm and opened the door before jumping down, dropping the paw back onto the door.

Harry and Hermione quickly repeated what Quirrell had done with the paw and trapdoor before following after him. When they landed on the surface below, they couldn't see him anywhere, so he must've gone on further in the time it took them to come down. Just then, the ground began to wriggle around and grab them. They realised, thanks to Herbology lessons, that what they had landed on was a Devil's Snare. Instantly, they relaxed their bodies, pretending to be dead, which made the Devil's Snare drop them down to the stone floor below unharmed.

"Well, that was certainly odd. Having defences that can be fooled so easily is definitely not something you'd use to protect something as precious as the Philosopher's Stone. What was Dumbledore thinking when he did this?" Harry commented.

"You're right, Quirrell got through fine, and so have we, and we're only first years! Anyone who listened in Herbology would've got past the Devil's Snare...It's almost like Dumbledore made these defences too easy to get through...like he wanted them to be passed..." Hermione stated, obviously confused at such poor defences.

Yes, like Dumbledore wanted the defences to be passed...by someone, and Harry had a feeling that that 'someone' was him. This must be what Dumbledore had been expecting. This was the 'test' to see whether Harry would do what was expected of him. This made him slightly sick to his stomach to know that he was unwittingly Dumbledore's pawn in this little game of his. The problem here was that if Harry refused to be a pawn, he'd allow Quirrell to possible retrieve the Stone and use it badly, like giving it to Voldemort, or trying to become another Dark Lord. That was something he could never allow to happen. Regardless of the circumstances, he wouldn't allow Dumbledore, or Quirrell, or anyone else to change his judgement on this. He was going to stop this madness, once and for all, and not for Dumbledore's sake. Dumbledore would definitely be in for a surprise if he saw what Harry would do, as he certainly wasn't going to play by the rules.

Harry and Hermione entered the next room to see flying keys everywhere and a hovering broom. Hermione went over to the door and tried to open it. It was locked.

"Alohamora!" Hermione said, but the door still wouldn't budge. They needed to find the key to the door.

"We need to find an old, battered one. One that's like the door..." Harry adopted a pensive expression as he looked up at the keys. One soon caught his eye, "There! The one with the broken wing has to be the one!"

"But how do we get it?" Hermione asked, adopting a pensive look of her own.

Harry then remembered the broom and went over to it. He had to catch the key. It was a good job that he was the Gryffindor Seeker...And once again, Harry realised that these defences were tests for him. He was a Seeker, so Dumbledore made a defence where you had to catch something as if you were a Seeker going after the Golden Snitch. Hermione saw Harry's hesitation and figured out his concerns. She walked over to him a placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I know what you're thinking, Harry, but you can't let that meddlesome fool dictate your actions. We've got only one chance to stop Quirrell from getting the Stone. For crying out loud, if he could catch the key on that broomstick, so can you. You're the youngest Quidditch player in the century, so prove why you were picked above people older than you," Hermione said firmly.

Harry realised that Hermione was right, so he mounted the broom and took off. The other keys started to charge after him as he pursued the correct key, obviously trying to distract him. However, being who his was, Harry wouldn't allow himself to be distracted and eventually caught up with the correct key, grabbing it when his free hand. He dived down and threw the key to Hermione while he lured the other keys away from her, giving her time to open the next door. Once he opened the door, she called for Harry to follow her, which he did, speeding through the door just as Hermione locked the door, leaving the other keys to charge straight into it.

The room they were in now was quite dark, but as they walked forward, fire lights came on, revealing a chessboard. After watching Ron as Harry tried to figure out the boy's motives and plans, he noticed how much the red-haired boy played Wizard's Chess. It was obvious that Dumbledore had expected Harry and Ron to become friends, as it would explain why a chessboard was the next challenge. Harry assumed that they were expected to play it, but since he and Hermione were on such a tight schedule, he decided to skip this. The duo walked forward, but were stopped by the opposing white pawns' swords blocking the exit.

"Confringo!" Harry bellowed, blowing the swords out of the pawns' hands, leaving a clear path to the exit.

Harry lead Hermione forward and out of the chess room, into a room full of potions. In the middle of the room, a desk was situated with a piece of parchment on the top of it. Harry walked forward and picked the parchment up. He began to read the note left on it. It seemed as though he had to pick a specific potion to get through to the next area. As he looked forward, he saw the black and purple fires that the note described as being the entrance to the final chamber, and only one potion would allow only one person to cross, whereas the others would either do nothing, send you back to the start, a.k.a. the third floor corridor, or kill you. Harry definitely wanted the one that would allow him to pass, but he also hoped that Hermione would get one that would return her back to the third floor corridor and out of harm's way.

"The note says that only one potion can take only one person through. Hermione, I have to do this. It's me who's being tested and involved in this, not you. You've got to go back and get help. Ask McGonagall when you return. Promise me that. I'm not letting you get hurt because of following me," Harry told Hermione, hoping that she would understand.

"While I'm not happy with leaving you to fight this alone, the note clearly states that only one can go on...It's just...Please be careful, Harry. You're my best friend, and I'd be lost here without you and I'm sure that Ginny would feel the same way. You're a brilliant wizard, but remember not to get too overconfident and open yourself up for an attack. Promise me that too," Hermione said, tears threatening to leak out of her eyes as they watered at the thought of losing her best and only friend.

"I promise Hermione. I'll be fine. There's too much I've still got left to do in my life to just give it away. Now then...the one that will let me pass is either the giant-sized bottle, the dwarf-sized bottle, or the one at the end if my deductions are correct...I wonder..." Harry said thoughtfully, scratching the side of his head.

Just then, Harry caught a smell of the giant and it smelt just like how nettle win was meant to smell like, according to the textbooks, so he decided to go for the dwarf-sized bottle and drank it. Well, he wasn't dead, that was a good thing. He walked towards the black fire and found himself to be passing through the flames unharmed.

"It worked! Alright, Hermione! The far right bottle should be the one to take you back through the purple fire! Remember to get McGonagall! It's time that I ended this! I'll see you soon!" Harry shouted as he passed through the black fire.

"OK, Harry! Good luck! And be careful in there!" Hermione yelled back just as she saw Harry disappear.

Hermione took the far right bottle and drank it before heading through the purple fire to find herself back in the third floor corridor. Immediately, she went in search for Professor McGonagall, just as Harry asked, hoping that she wouldn't be too late to help him.

Harry entered the final chamber to see Quirrell in front of...the Mirror of Erised? So this is where it's 'new home' was. Somehow, Harry has a weird feeling that the Mirror had something to do with getting the Stone. Not that he'd tell Quirrell that though. As Harry continued to walk down the stairs, he heard Quirrell talking to someone, but there was only him and Harry here, wasn't there?

"Master...I'm here...But where's the Stone? How do I get it?" Quirrell asked to apparently no-one.

"When Potter arrives, use him! He will be able to get it, then I'll convince him to give us the Stone by offering to return his parents to life...Not that it's even possible though...Hahahahahaha!" a disembodied voice said, appearing to come from the back of Quirrell's head?

"How are you so sure that he'll come? It's obvious that he isn't going to act according to Dumbledore's plan, so why should he come here?" Quirrell asked, worry etched in his voice.

"Try watching how you've been acting in the past, and seeing you come down here to get the Stone, Quirrell," Harry said, revealing his presence at last.

"Potter! How did you-?!" Quirrell spluttered, not believing that Harry was actually there.

"I just said that I followed you down here. You really aren't all that smart, are you 'Professor'? By the way, who's your crazy 'Master'? He sounds like he's got a sore throat. Been screaming and shouting too much in annoyance?" Harry commented mockingly. He knew that it would strike a nerve with this 'Master' to make him reveal himself, and Harry wanted to know who he was fighting against.

"How dare you mock me, boy! You'll see the error of your ways soon enough! Let me speak with him, Quirrell!" the 'Master' bellowed in anger.

"Are you sure that you're strong enough, Master?" Quirrell questioned.

"I have strength enough for this, fool!" the 'Master' replied as Quirrell took his turban off, revealing a deformed face on the back of Quirrell's head...The face of Voldemort...

"Voldemort...I should've known that you'd be behind all of this," Harry said, folding his arms as he thought about his plan of action.

"Harry Potter...We meet again...This is what I've been forced to do to survive after you stopped me 10 years ago. To live off another...a mere parasite!" Voldemort said with distaste at the last word. He didn't like having to depend on another person.

"So what? Do you think that the Stone will make you...normal...again?" Harry asked inquisitively, but not really sure of the word to describe Voldemort's previous form. He was a monster, so he would definitely never be able to say that he was ever human, that's for sure.

"Oh, I know it can. I will finally have a body of my own...and you're going to help me, whether you like it or not," Voldemort answered triumphantly.

Harry thought back to the fact that the Mirror of Erised was in the room. Why would the Mirror be moved here? Unless...Harry then decided to play along with Voldemort's game. If Voldemort thought that Harry could get the Stone, then he would get it, but keep it well away from the madman's grasp. He too could play this game of wits. He walked up to the Mirror and looked into it.

Harry saw the present Ginny Weasley standing next to where his reflection was, smiling at him. She reached into her pocket and discreetly placed a red object into his own pocket. Strangely, he felt a weight in the pocket where Mirror Ginny had dropped the object into. He had received the Stone.

"What is it?! What do you see, boy! Tell us!" Quirrell demanded, trying to sound like he had authority over Harry, but instead, the man sounded frightened, probably by Voldemort's anger.

"I'm seeing a good friend giving me support. She doesn't want me to fail," Harry grinned. This wasn't a lie. Ginny is a friend, and her Mirror version had just given him support by giving him the Stone. And he wouldn't fail her, no way.

"You're not lying, but I sense that there's something that you're not telling us, Potter. Where is the Stone?!" Voldemort said rather testily, obviously getting irritated at not having the Stone yet.

"Do you really expect me to tell you where it is if I knew? The man who killed my parents? You must be joking! What do you take me for, a fool? Like I'm going to let you return properly. You deserve this! You're nothing but a shell of your former self because of your own mistakes! No criminal will ever escape judgement, and soon, your time will come!" Harry bellowed, proudly standing up to this monster of a man.

"Why you little! Kill him and take the Stone from him! I know he has it! Make him pay for mocking me!" Voldemort ordered Quirrell, losing his patience completely now.

Quirrell lunged at Harry, but his training paid off as he side-stepped the man, causing him to fall over due to his own momentum carrying him forward.

"You idiot! Get the Stone, damn it!" Voldemort yelled, getting more frustrated by the minute.

"Harry brought out his bō and faced Quirrell, who was starting to rise. With a swift strike, Harry knocked the man back to the floor. Quirrell grabbed Harry's arm, and just as he was about to strike the man's arm away, Harry saw Quirrell's hand begin to burn upon contact with his skin. Quirrell's hand completely disintegrated, just from touching Harry! That gave him an idea. Harry put his bō away and lunged at Quirrell, rapidly punching the man's face. Eventually, the onslaught proved to be too much for the man as his face became burnt and bloodied from Harry's punches, causing Quirrell's head, and Voldemort's face, to crumble into dust, ending the life of the evil professor.

Harry looked upon his fallen foe and sighed in relief that his first true battle was over with no injuries. Just as he thought that, a mist appeared out of the dust, forming what looked like Voldemort's face! The evil spirit rushed at Harry, but he side-stepped away, letting the spirit to fly out of the room, and leaving Harry all alone.

Harry looked back at the Mirror and saw Mirror Ginny smiling at him proudly, and he couldn't help but smile back. He could still feel the Stone in his pocket to, and wondered what to do with it. He took it out and looked at it as he thought of ideas. He definitely couldn't give it to Dumbledore, so he guessed that he better keep it hidden away for now. Just as he put the Stone away, he saw Hermione run in with McGonagall. They had made it.

"Potter! Thank goodness that you're safe! What possessed you to come down here in the first place?! You could've been killed!" McGonagall demanded angrily.

"Me and Hermione saw Quirrell come down here. He had been acting strange for months, and I didn't trust him, so we followed after him. It's a good job too, because he was trying to get the Stone for Voldemort to return. I've stopped him though, so the crisis is over, and the Stone was destroyed in the conflict," Harry lied. He didn't want to lie to his Head of House, but he knew that she'd relay the information straight to Dumbledore, and he wanted to make sure that he didn't ask about the Stone. Making the old fool believe it to be destroyed would make life a whole lot easier.

"Well, I commend you for protecting the school then, if that's true-" McGonagall tried to say, but she was cut off by Hermione.

"It is true, Professor. Harry would never lie about something this important, and neither would I. I'll back him up if needs be," Hermione stated firmly, earning a smile of gratitude from Harry.

"Very well. Now then, let's get you two to the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey will want to check you over before she lets you run free," McGonagall said.

Harry and Hermione followed after McGonagall as she lead them out of the chambers. Harry felt immensely relieved, but he had a feeling that the events this year would only be the tip of the iceberg. More was to come, and he, Hermione, and Ginny, would need to be ready for when the next problem arose.