Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of... not me. I am not in any way profiting by this story, but merely taking the opportunity to play in JK's sandbox for a bit. Any resemblance to any living person, etc, is completely unintentional.
HP – HP – HP
"That's wicked, Harry!" Justin said as Harry donned his new cloak, vanishing before his friends' eyes. Ernie shook his head in amazement, and even the perpetually scowling Zacharias looked amazed.
The rest of the winter holidays had gone by as quickly as they'd arrived, and before Harry knew it, he was once more in his dorm in Hogwarts. He'd not yet shown Susan his unexpected Christmas gift, not sure if it was allowed or not and not wanting to put her in an awkward position with her aunt. He was, though, still an 11-year-old boy, and couldn't curb his enthusiasm, once he'd met back up with his friends and roommates at Hogwarts.
"And you said that you have no idea who sent it to you, huh?" Ernie asked as Harry emerged once more from underneath the cloak.
Harry shook his head. "No idea. The note said that it used to belong to my dad," he said, a bit wistfully.
Ernie nodded. "The Potters are an old family, so it makes sense that there would be some heirlooms here and there. Invisibility cloaks are very rare, though. And that one looks like new. My mum used to have one, but it wore out ages ago."
"Huh," Harry said, as he tried the cloak on once more, leaving only his head visible.
Justin rolled his eyes. "I think what Ernie's getting at is that it's a bit fishy, don't you think? That you just randomly get a rare magical artifact on Christmas from... from someone?"
Harry shrugged, and folded up the cloak. Despite its large size, it folded down into a very manageable square that he could stuff into his pocket. "Maybe. But why? It could have just been a friend of my parents, wanting to make my first Christmas in the wizarding world memorable. Well, more memorable."
"If someone was going to send Potter something cursed, they'd probably have sent something a bit less expensive, right? No sense wasting an invisibility cloak when you can curse a wand holster or something," Zacharias said.
Harry nodded. "I admit it's a bit suspicious, but like Smith said, there's better ways to send cursed mail. I am curious about who sent it, and why, but I don't think it's anything bad."
"Still think it's a bit strange, but you do have a point," Justin said. "Nothing to do but enjoy it I guess!" The other boys, even Zacharias, laughed. Harry had enjoyed his time with the Bones family, but it was good to be home.
Despite the long break, Harry hadn't neglected his studies. He'd spent a fair bit of time reading beyond his school books while visiting with Susan's family, and as soon as he'd gotten back to Hogwarts, he'd put his hard-won knowledge into practice. Harry was well aware that his encounter with Malfoy before break was likely not the last, and was still determined to make sure he came out of the next meeting better than he had the last one. To that end, he focused mainly on defensive magic and hexes. He pleased to find that, with only a bit of practice, he was able to cast the disarming jinx with ease, and the jelly-legs jinx and full-body bind were not far behind. He'd started working on the shield charm, too, but had had limited success. Still, Harry was pleased with the results; he was, after all, working on spells that were beyond his year. Some of them, in fact, were several years more advanced than his education, so the fact that he was even able to meet with some success was impressive.
He also hadn't forgotten his suspicions about Professor Quirrel, and felt that, with his added knowledge (and the security provided by his invisibility cloak) he was ready to really start investigating. He didn't fancy his chances in an actual confrontation with the defense professor, no matter how incompetent the man might be, but instead hoped to catch Quirrel doing something that he could bring to the attention of Professor Sprout or even the Headmaster.
Surprisingly, his chance came in the very first week of term. While he and Ernie were busy cleaning their telescope at the end of Astronomy class, Harry had caught sight of the turban-wearing professor making his way towards the Forbidden Forest. The man appeared to be almost running, and Harry felt that this might be his best chance.
"Ernie," he said in his softest voice. "Ernie!" Ernie turned quickly upon hearing his name, almost knocking over his telescope. "I just saw Quirrel go into the Forest- can you cover for me? I'm going to go have a look at what he's up to."
"Er, Harry, are you sure that's such a good idea? I'd hate to see what happens if he catches you. And, the Forest... it's supposed to be very, very dangerous," Ernie said, sounding very nervous.
Harry shook his head. "I'm not going to follow him into the Forest. I'm going to have a look around his office."
That didn't seem to make Ernie feel any better, but after a tense moment, he gave a short nod. "Harry, I'll come with you-"
"No," Harry interrupted, fighting a grin at the warm feelings that came from the realization that his friend- despite being obviously frightened- was willing to go with him into Quirrel's lair. "I appreciate it, Ernie, really I do. But, if something happens, I'm going to need you and the others to keep an eye out for me."
Ernie nodded, reluctantly. "Good luck then, Harry, and be careful!"
Harry nodded back and, after waiting until Professor Sinistra was paying attention to another group of students, put on his invisibility cloak- which he'd decided to keep folded up in his pocket in case it was needed- and crept away as quietly as he could. As he ducked into the stairwell, he saw Ernie whispering urgently to Susan, and winced as he realized he'd not yet told the girls about his cloak. Oh, well, hopefully I'll get the chance to pay the piper in the morning.
Harry had learned the castle quite well by now, but sneaking around in the middle of the night, with sweaty palms and pounding heart, was quite different than going to class during the day. As it was, he ran afoul of Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, and he was sure that she was staring at him as he went by as quietly as he could. Her great, lamp-like yellow eyes followed him all the way down the corridor, and it was only after he'd turned the corner and passed beyond her sight that he let out the breath he didn't know he was holding.
Fortunately, he reached the defense classroom with no further issue, and ducked inside, taking care to shut the door behind him. He quickly made his way to the office door, then stopped, hesitating. What if Quirrel had trapped the door? Harry would have no way of knowing, nor would he have a way to disarm the trap even if he knew of it. He didn't have long to consider, though. Time was quickly running out, and this was his best, and perhaps only, chance to get some answers.
This is my only chance to get some answers, Harry repeated in his head. He tightened his lips in determination and opened the door...
Or at least, tried to. Locked, he realized. Quickly, and as quietly as he could, Harry cast the unlocking charm, barely vocalizing it for fear of being overheard. To his surprise, the door opened without complaint, and Harry went in quickly, lest his courage leave him.
The office was surprisingly well appointed. Unlike the classroom, which smelled heavily of garlic, Quirrel's office had a very potent, sickly sweet smell that Harry couldn't quite identify. It wasn't pleasant, but it was tolerable. There were several bookshelves in the office and very few personal effects. There was a cauldron in the corner, though despite Harry's initial thoughts that perhaps that was the source of the smell, it was empty. However, next to the cauldron, Harry noticed an open vial, with a tiny amount of some sort of thick, silvery liquid still stuck to the bottom. After a brief moment of hesitation, Harry pocketed the vial.
Knowing that he was fast running out of time, Harry quickly made his way to Quirrel's desk. There were several open books piled haphazardly on the cluttered surface, but they weren't remotely what Harry expected. Alchemy and the Secrets of Life Everlasting, by Vivian Vivati, read one title, while another, much more sinister sounding tome right next to it was titled Beyond the Deathly Veil: Rituals and Rites for the Necromantically Inclined, by Stygnis Mortio. Other books were in similar vein- books on life, books about death, and several alchemical volumes.
Harry briefly contemplated taking one or more of the books, but realized that they, unlike the vial, were quite likely to be noticed missing. As it was, Harry felt, he'd likely used up much of his time. He idly rubbed his scar, feeling a headache coming on, and decided it was time to leave, before Quirrel made it back.
He'd slipped out of the office and into the defense classroom, there to make his way back into the corridor and safety, when the far door slammed open and an irate Quirrel strode purposefully in. The man's eyes narrowed as he regarded the still-open door to his office, and Harry's headache began pounding in time with his heart. Harry made his way to the classroom door as quietly as he could, as Quirrel stopped suddenly, and began to slowly turn, his narrowed eyes seeking intently for something they, Harry hoped fervently, couldn't see.
Harry was sure that, if the man's eyes found him, invisibility cloak or no, he'd be done for. With an urgency he'd never felt before in his life, Harry darted for the door just as Quirrel's wand found it's way to the man's hand. The wand swished towards the door, and Harry hoped with all he had that he'd make it through before Quirrel's magic could seal it- and with it, Harry's fate.
There wasn't enough time. Harry knew it, even as he could feel the magic take hold. Yet, somehow, miraculously, the door closed, ever so slowly, and Harry made it through. The door slammed shut with a dead finality, but Harry was free, and relatively safe. Quickly, almost disregarding stealth, Harry made his way back to the Hufflepuff common room as quickly as he could. He pulled off the cloak once he was safely inside, one hand clutching the vial and its tiny bit of silver fluid- the same silver fluid he was sure he'd seen on Quirrel's cloak when he'd nearly caught him.
"Harry, you idiot!" Hannah yelled as she and his other friends, who'd apparently been waiting for him in the common room, called as soon as she caught sight of him. "What were you thinking, running off without us!" She threw herself at him, followed immediately by Megan and Susan, though Megan added a punch to his arm along with her hug.
"I tried to tell them not to worry, but, well..." Ernie said, looking abashed.
"Are you, you know, okay?" Justin asked, nervously. "I mean, he didn't catch you, or curse you, or anything?"
Harry shook his head. "Nearly, but I got out okay. He didn't see me, but... he knew I was there, I think." Harry shuddered as the adrenaline finally wore off, leaving only the abject terror over the fact that he'd nearly been caught; that he wouldn't have gotten detention, wouldn't have lost points, but instead would probably have never been seen again.
Wordlessly, his hand shaking a bit, Harry withdrew the vial and passed it to Ernie.
"What is this? You found it in Quirrel's office, I take it?" Harry nodded. "I... I've never seen anything quite like this. I can check my potions book tomorrow, I guess. There's not enough here to really test, though."
"It's got something to do with Voldemort, I think," Harry said into the uncomfortable silence. The other first years shuddered, or flinched back, though Harry was at least pleased that Hannah didn't scream this time. "Or at the very least, I found proof that he's interested in the Stone. He had loads of books open on his desk, books about alchemy, necromancy. Books about death."
The silence this time was palpable.
Susan spoke first, in a meek, quiet voice, very different from her usual cheerfulness. "Harry, this is big. Really big. I think we should tell the Headmaster. Or even my aunt. If it is Him, or even if it's just Quirrel, we've done all we can. More than we should have, probably."
The others seemed to be in agreement, but Harry spoke over them. "We can't, Susan. We don't have any proof, not that adults would consider proof, anyway. All we have is that vial, and we don't even know what's in it. You know they won't do anything unless we can prove... something."
The rest quieted at that, and finally, Susan nodded. "Alright, then, Harry, if you're sure. But, you have to promise me that, if you do find proof, you'll tell an adult."
Harry could agree to that. "Alright. If I can get some proof, I'll tell someone."
Susan seemed to accept that, but Harry noticed that Hannah was still giving him a foul look. "Alright then, that's settled. Now," she said in a too-sweet tone of voice, "what's this I hear about an invisibility cloak that you only told the boys about?" Justin had the good grace to blush, as Harry once more found himself facing down his annoyed female friends.
HP – HP – HP
Despite her generally pleasant attitude, it took most of the rest of the week for Harry to earn his way back into Hannah's good graces, and even then it was only with a promise to give her an invisible tour of Hogwarts at some point. Harry thought this was a reasonable trade to make peace with the blond girl.
That tour would take place on Friday. Of course, once word got to his other friends that he was giving 'invisible Hogwarts tours,' Harry found himself quickly being 'booked up,' as it were. Even Zacharias seemed interested in a nighttime jaunt around the school while invisible, though he seemed less eager when he realized that he'd have to share the cloak with Harry. Still, Hannah had claimed the first trip, and seemed rather excited at her first real Hogwarts adventure when she met Harry in the common room shortly after the last student had gone up to bed.
"This is really exciting, I've never had the chance to explore a lot of the school," she said, her words running together as she veritably bounced in place.
"There's nothing stopping you from looking around on the weekends, during the day, though," Harry said.
"Yeah, but this is different. It's exciting, you know?" Harry shook his head. "Of course, maybe not to you, but I think I'll stick with wandering at night invisibly instead of playing with three-headed dogs!" Hannah said, laughing.
"Aw, no trolls?" Harry asked, grinning himself, now. Maybe this wouldn't be too bad.
Hannah stuck her tongue out at him. "Prat. There's a difference between a fun adventure and an 'oh God, oh God, I'm gonna die' adventure!"
"Huh," Harry said, still grinning. "I've only had the one kind, so..."
Hannah rolled her eyes. "Come on, we don't want to miss all the fun."
Harry complied, taking out the cloak and wrapping them both in it, even as he spoke. "What is there to miss, besides getting caught out by Filch? It's a castle full of empty corridors. And monsters."
"Yes, and monsters. We'll be avoiding those, I think, Harry."
To Harry's great surprise, the tour was actually quite a bit of fun. Hannah insisted on searching for hidden doors and passages, and by some quirk of fortune, the pair actually located one that brought them out near the second floor girl's bathroom.
"It's haunted, you know," Hannah said as they went by. "Some ghost lives in there. Well, not lives," Hannah said, blushing slightly. "You know what I mean. She cries all the time, though."
Indeed, faint sobbing could be heard through the door, and Harry was quite glad when he and Hannah made their way away.
But it was on the fourth floor that Hannah and Harry made their first truly interesting discovery. They'd ducked into an unused classroom to take a bit of a break, but it wasn't a room full of dust and desks they'd found.
"Look at that mirror," Hannah said, raising her eyebrows. "I've never seen anything like it. What's that written on the top?"
"Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi," Harry recited. "Do you think it might be some sort of spell?"
"No idea," Hannah said. She stepped in front of the mirror, starting to adjust her hair. Harry rolled his eyes. Girls, he thought, but he frowned when Hannah suddenly froze in place.
"Hannah?" he asked, a bit worried, and walked over to her when she didn't immediately respond.
"Harry, this is amazing!" she said abruptly, startling Harry. "Do you think it tells the future, maybe?"
"What is it, Hannah?" Harry asked, his curiousity now piqued.
"It's... it's me, but all grown up! I'm as pretty as my mum. Oh, I hope it is showing the future! I've always hoped that I'd be as pretty as her... look, Harry, she's there with me, you can see her, too!"
But Harry couldn't see anything at all in the mirror. "Hannah, are you sure? I don't see anything."
"You're not looking at it right, here, come stand where I am," Hannah said, stepping aside with obvious reluctance.
Harry promptly stepped where Hannah had been standing, but it wasn't Hannah's mum that he saw in the mirror. Harry saw his own reflection, surrounded by his friends. He could see Susan's family there, too. And... "That's... my dad. My mother. I really do have her eyes," Harry said, steadfastly ignoring the moisture he felt in those eyes. "And... my whole family is there. All my friends. Everyone."
Hannah looked at him with sad eyes, and gave him a hug. "Oh, Harry." But Harry didn't see her, or really even feel the hug. All he had eyes for was his family, his friends, everyone that mattered to him, there in the mirror.
"Are you really there?" he asked. "This can't be the future..."
"Harry," Hannah said, pulling on his arm a bit. She, too, was giving the mirror a look of longing, but she was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable with it, the way Harry was staring at it. "Don't you think we should go? We've been here for a long time. Harry?" she asked again, more insistently.
"What!" Harry snapped, breaking his gaze from the mirror to glare at the girl.
Hannah jerked back as if slapped. "Harry, I think we should go. We've been here a long time."
Harry felt the mirror trying to pull his gaze back towards it, and belatedly realized that he'd spoken rather nastily towards his friend. His friend, who certainly didn't deserve such treatment. He took a deep breath, and stepped away from the mirror. "Sorry, Hannah, you're right. There's something odd about this mirror. I wonder what it does?"
"We can talk about it when we get back," she said. "For now, let's just get far away from here!"
Harry nodded, and as he walked away from the mirror and put the cloak back over the two of them. Strangely, he felt... lighter, as he and Hannah walked away from the mirror. He felt as though he was turning his back on everything he'd ever wanted. And he felt stronger for it. When they later made their way back to the common room, Harry couldn't help but think that he and Hannah had together faced- and beaten- an even greater trial than the dog, or the troll, or even Quirrel.
HP – HP – HP
Fortunately, the rest of Harry's Midnight Invisible Tours, as they came to be secretly known among the Hufflepuff first years, went off without a hitch. Harry studiously avoided the abandoned classroom on the fourth floor, and he and Hannah agreed never to tell any of the others about the mirror.
Class during the following week, however, was an entirely other affair. Snape seemed, if anything, extra vindictive, taking points for any and every potential infraction. Harry and Ernie continued to persevere, difficult though it was at times.
Quirrel, on the other hand, was certainly different than he had been the week before. His stutter seemed less pronounced, at least to Harry, and he seemed both angry and nervous. The classroom continued to give Harry headaches, and he studiously avoided looking at the professor. He'd often heard as a child that adults could tell if you were up to something (or had been into mischief) by the look in your eyes, and though Harry wasn't sure if it was true or not, he wasn't willing to risk making Quirrel suspicious.
In the days following their encounter with the mirror, Harry found that Hannah seemed... unsure of herself. While Hannah was never the most confident person, even among Hufflepuffs, Harry belatedly realized that the mirror must have shaken her more than he'd known.
However, he wasn't really comfortable trying to draw her away from Susan, Megan, and Sally-Anne. At least, he wasn't fond of the idea of facing the inevitable questioning from the other girls as to why he wanted to see Hannah alone. Fortunately, Harry saw his chance shortly after potions class. Hannah had stayed a bit late to finish cleaning her cauldron, which had been caked with something that perhaps had been intended to be the day's potion (and was likely scored at least a mark higher than Harry and Ernie's).
Harry didn't want to linger in the potions classroom longer than necessary, however. Showing respect to Snape was one thing; willingly enduring his presence outside of class was quite another. So, while the Slytherins made their way down to their dungeon common room, Harry walked about a corridor away, along the path he knew Hannah was likely to take on her way back to their own common room.
He didn't get to wait long.
"A little Hufflepuff, all alone," the familiar drawl mocked. Harry immediately drew his wand, glancing about for the tell-tale shimmer of his not-quite invisible foe. He realized, however, that the words sounded as though they weren't terribly close to him.
"Sod off, Malfoy," Hannah's said, her voice carrying around the corner. Harry realized at once that it wasn't him who Malfoy had caught out this time- it was Hannah. He ran back towards the corridor outside the potions classroom, determined to make sure Hannah didn't endure the same embarrassment he had.
"Your manners are atrocious, though I suppose it's to be expected from a mongrel like you. Still, you won't be the first 'Puff I've taught manners to," Malfoy said, and while Harry couldn't hear what spell the boy cast, he most definitely heard a loud 'thump' noise as (presumably) Hannah hit the floor. Harry heard someone laugh, and realized Malfoy wasn't alone. It didn't matter.
He turned the corner, and as fast as he could, before he'd even properly gotten sight of the Slytherins, threw off a tripping jinx. He was lucky, and he knew it- the jinx hit one of Malfoy's goons, and the large boy dropped to the ground before he could turn around.
The other boy- Gabbe, or Coyle, or something- turned to face the unexpected threat, as did Malfoy.
"Potter? I thought we'd settled this last time. I guess it's true what they say about Hufflepuffs being thick. I don't mind putting you in your place again," Malfoy drawled, lazily bringing his wand to bear.
Harry didn't waste time conversing, and used the time Malfoy spent threatening him to throw another spell. "Expelliarmus!" he said quietly, hoping not to alert Snape to the fight going on right outside of his classroom. Harry only hoped the man was in his office, as he knew Snape wasn't likely to care about silly things like 'facts' or 'reason' as to why his favorite student was dueling with his least favorite.
Harry's spell struck true, and a surprised Malfoy was knocked back as his wand went sailing into Harry's waiting hand.
While Malfoy's other friend struggled to his feet, the one Harry hadn't knocked down threw his own wand forward. "Petricus Talus!" he shouted, and Harry winced at the noise even as the unformed, badly cast spell rocketed forward. Malfoy's wand was in better position to block, Harry decided.
"Protego," he said in a calm voice, trying to keep his nerves (and volume) under control. The wand felt... odd, in his hands, and his spell- which he still hadn't mastered- shimmered in front of him. The Slytherin boy's attempted petrification spell impacted the ill-formed shield with a loud crack, and Harry realized that it had not only broken the shield, but Malfoy's wand.
He grinned. "Oops," he said, dropping the wand and sending his own full-body bind at the boy. His was much more effective, and the charging Slytherin dropped to the ground, skidding as his body went rigid.
"My wand," Malfoy said, the shock evident on his face. "You broke my wand!" Malfoy's voice grew louder. "When my father-"
"Petrificus totalus," Harry said, again, in barely over a whisper, and Malfoy joined his friend on the floor. Another full body bind followed, taking the third and final Slytherin out of the fight. Harry didn't spare the trio another glance as he rushed over to Hannah, who appeared to be trying to stand. Her legs wouldn't support her, though, and Harry realized she'd been hit by a jelly-legs jinx.
"Harry, that was, well, wow! Where did you learn all that stuff?" Hannah said as Harry helped her up, looking both embarrassed and proud. "You, you took on three Slytherins by yourself. What were you thinking?"
Harry, fortunately, knew the counter to the jelly-legs jinx, and Hannah was quickly able to stand on her own. "I couldn't just let them attack you," he said, glowering at the three frozen Slytherins.
"How long will they be...?"
"Long enough," Harry said, smiling. It was not a friendly smile.
HP – HP – HP
"Gryffindor colors, Harry?" Ernie asked him that night in the common room. Harry had wanted to keep quiet about what happened, but Hannah was having none of it. She was confident that Hufflepuff solidarity would keep word from spreading to the other houses. In fact, Hufflepuff was outraged that the Slytherins had ganged up three to one on one of their own, and the looks on several of the upper years' faces said that Malfoy would likely be in for an interesting week.
"And he stuck them to the wall right outside of Snape's cave," Hannah added, laughing. "They couldn't move their faces, but the look in their eyes was priceless!"
More laughter ensued. "Shame about Malfoy's wand, though," Ernie said in a voice that said it wasn't unfortunate at all. "He's going to be mad about that, but there's not much he can do unless he wants to admit to starting trouble, and to him and his friends losing to Harry."
"And he'll never, ever admit to being bested by a Hufflepuff, let alone an outnumbered Hufflepuff!" Justin said, obviously relishing Malfoy's downfall. Harry, apparently, wasn't the only one who disliked the Slytherin.
"Malfoy isn't the only one who'll be mad, though, Harry," Megan said. She, too, was smiling. "After all, I can't see Snape liking his corridor decorated with be-Gryffindored Slytherins."
"In the muggle world, we call that a 'two for one deal,'" Justin said, causing another round of laughter to erupt. It was, in fact, very good to be home.