Chapter Nine

"Harry?"

He glanced up from his studies to find a nervous Ember watching him, "Is all well, Em?" He had figured the moment she could find him alone she would question him on what she had seen the nights before, afraid of what he would think about her.

She swallowed, not wanting to disturb his reading but afraid all the same. "I think so." She couldn't explain why she felt so guilty. At least not in so many words without hurting herself more or her brother.

He simply nodded, "I know." He seemed not to care; she knew different. "Reflections are just that, Em. Yet they can become more should one please." She shivered at his quiet tone of acceptance and understanding while the silent library seemed even quieter.

"It's to happen?" Say no, Harry.

It's to begin." Her thoughts fell, hope dying. She really didn't want to play savior, at least not for a few more years. This was her childhood that she was determined to enjoy but as she watched Harry collect his books, she knew. He turned back to her before moving away from the tiny corner study table, "One step closer comes their shadow, fear running rampart until it is halted."

Ember bit her lower lip, worrying in between unforgiving teeth. She, as well as her two best friends, knew what was below the school, hiding among the forbidden corridor of the school. They suspected who could possibly want such a prize. They knew they had to tell someone that it was in trouble for the moment the Headmaster steps out it would possibly vanish. For now she would take Harry's warning to heart and accept Hermione's advice, she was going to tell her Head of House, someone has to listen.

"Professor?"

Said Professor raised her head from the various reports left behind as the Headmaster hurried off to some meeting with the Minister. "Ah, Miss Potter, should you not be using this time to complete your studies?"

Ember fidgeted as she tried to word her suspicions, "Um.."

McGonagall eyed her student carefully, lips pressed tightly, "Are you quite all right, child?"

"I…Ithinkthestone'sindanger." Both witches blinked at the rush of words.

McGonagall frowned as she tried to decipher the babble into something resembling coherency and when they did her sharp eyes narrowed further as she stood tall and ramrod straight, voice harsh, "Miss Potter, I do not know where you got this information but it is not the type you simply blurt out without taking proper security procedures. I will not ask you where you heard this from but I will expect you to keep quiet and return to either your studies or your Common Room. It is not in danger, we have seen to that. I will not accept this type of behavior again, am I understood?"

"But…"

"Return to your Common Room immediately, young lady."

Ember sighed as she trudged out of her Professor's office, eyeing the sharply closed door sadly. Hermione was wrong for once; their Head of House didn't listen. Maybe I should have gone up to the Headmaster's office. He'll believe me, Mum said so. She rushed off, ignoring the order given to her earlier. "Ember!" She blinked at the sharp cry, turning swiftly just as she was to round the corner to the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office, only to find a breathless Ron and worried Hermione.

"There you are. We were looking for you."

"Sorry but I was speaking with Professor McGonagall."

Hermione immediately understood, "What did she say?"

Ember shook her head, "She didn't believe me."

"What!"

"Yeah, that's why I was coming here. Mum always said Professor Dumbledore will believe his students until proven otherwise."

"Oh!" Hermione's soft voice caused her to turn back when she would have walked away,

"Didn't you know?" Her friend continued at her questioning look, "The Headmaster was called away to the Ministry. We overheard some of the Professors on our way to find you. Apparently, there's a meeting he was to attend."

"He's gone!" her voice echoed down the practically empty hall, though several portraits clucked disapprovingly at her, chastising her manners.

"Wha?" Ron eyed his friend weirdly.

"The stone! Remember? Someone was waiting until Dumbledore would be called away to get to it. They couldn't any other time while he was here! Now's the perfect time. We have to go tonight!"

"Ember! We can't!"

"Why not?"

"Dinner. That's why we were coming to find you. It's time for dinner. We…"

"Well, isn't this a warm welcome." They jumped at the chuckled as the Headmaster suddenly came around the very corner they stood at. "You did not have to wait for me this long, children. Let me not be the reason you will starve. Dinner is after all an important meal for such growing young adults. But come, I shall walk with you."

Hermione softly snorted as she turned with triumph to her friend, whispering so no one but Ember and Ron could hear, "See? He's back. Obviously tonight was wrong. There's no danger."

Ember was determined not to be swayed; she knew something was going to happened, "We've had all year to find the clues. It will be tonight or very soon, Hermione! The Leaving Feast isn't far away!"

"I'm telling you it's safe!"

Ember ignored their whispered arguing when Dumbledore opened the Great Hall doors, leading them inside as food was appearing on the tables. Several stragglers were entering just behind them. She knew she wasn't wrong. She had seen Voldemort while on detention in the Forbidden Forest. He was living off unicorn blood. The Philosopher Stone would be the perfect way to regain mortality as well as immortality. She was determined to keep him from coming back. The way she saw it, as long as he never regain power, she was safe to live her life the way she wanted. Yes, it was selfish but she felt she wasn't ready to fight.

But it seemed fate was determined to prove her wrong.

"Troll!" The very last straggler happened to be Professor Quirrell, "Troll in the dungeons!" He was screaming in fear before stopping in the middle of the Hall, collapsing as he murmured, "Thought you ought to know."

Students screamed in fear as they panicked until a loud voice boomed over their noise, "Silence!" Whimpers continued as Dumbledore calmly stated, "Prefects, you shall hurry your Houses back to the Commons. Keep away from any levels near the dungeons. Slytherins, you shall head straight to the library where Madame Pince will watch over you. Professors will follow me to the dungeons."

Ember lingered behind her house, fingering a soft object in her robe pocket, "Ember?" Hazel eyes looked up at her friends, "What are you doing? We need to hurry to the Common room. We don't want to get caught by the troll."

Hermione would have gone on about the terrible dangers trolls were to mere mortals, which would have had Ron arguing with her, making the poor girl burst into tears, calling him a cold hearted jerk before running off, heedless of danger. And Ember really didn't want to go looking for her lost friend just to meet up with a dumb troll so Ron could apologize. No, that wasn't good at all, especially as this distraction could mean the stone was in danger. "No, I'm going for the stone." She hurried away only to hear, "Wait!" She turned to find Hermione and Ron determinedly following.

"We're coming with you."

From the shadows, green eyes watched passively as they rushed off, Ember yanking out the invisibility cloak given her by their father. Harry sighed as she hurried to save some object at the risk of her life, murmuring, "Savior indeed. A complex you do not want but can't help to provide. It begins tonight." He turned away as a voice called out his name, knowing his House noticed him missing but a hand suddenly shot out of the very shadows he hid in, catching him before he could hurry off. He blinked rapidly to find the hard stare of one Severus Snape. "Sir?"

"Where are those idiotic Gryffindors going?" Snape had seen them with a cloak, vanishing from sight. He knew the elder Potter passed on that wretched thing to his daughter. Now the chit was off to cause more trouble. It would be up to him to stop the girl before she ended up killing herself doing something she shouldn't.

"She goes forward for a shadow that will not stop."

Snape glared at his student, "Listen to me, Potter, I want you to return to your friends. You will go in the library and wait until my return. Am I clear?" he waited for the confirming nod, "Good. I will punish you if I hear you left for any reason." He pushed the boy to the left as Draco hurried over, "Mister Malfoy, be sure Mister Potter enters the library. I will not be tolerable if any of my House are outside the library." He glared darkly in the opposite direction before rushing off to find the Headmaster.

***Third Floor Corridor***

Ember swallowed thickly as they entered the forbidden door underneath her invisibility cloak, only for it to blow off in the huge gust of wind by a snoring huge three headed dog. They stared, dumbstruck, as the creature slept on while a harp played. Hermione shook free from the trance only to slap her forehead, "Of course! Why didn't I see it sooner? I read about this. Music was said to be used to calm any creature, of any raging beast. Music is supposed to be soothing and relaxing. It…"

"Hermione!" Ember hissed angrily as the girl tried to continue with a vague concept, "We don't have the time. Help me move his paw. We have to move on." She pushed the huffing witch into helping as they grunted. It was heavier than it looked, freezing whenever Fluffy moved in his sleep. It even took the three of them to open the trap door, forgetting they could have used their wands. A low growling rumbled above them as the harp slowed in its steady playing. "Hurry!"

Ember leapt down into the darkness, uncaring where she would have landed. Ron pushed Hermione in next as the girl turned to the musical instrument. He had just entered when Fluffy's one head bit down, missing him by mere inches.

He laughed jerkily, trying to hide his fear, "So, that was a trap?"

Hermione reached over and slapped the back of his head hard, snorting, "Honestly! Someone obviously got by Fluffy!"

Ron glared at the huffing witch, rubbing his head, "I knew that! We already knew Snape tried to kill Ember." The brunet opened her mouth to argue further when he felt something slithering over him, not spiders, please not spiders. He slapped it away only to feel another on his left side, twisting to remove it, "I hate spiders! Get 'em off, get 'em off!"

Ember frowned, "There aren't spiders here, Ron. You're…." she trailed off as she noticed something sliding around the redhead's waist, "Ron!" She struggled to reach him when something jerked her back, "Ah!"

Hermione swiftly pulled her wand, yelling out, "Lumos!" Small screeches could be heard at the small bright light but larger tentacles kept coming. Brown eyes widened as she instantly recognized it, "Devil's Snare! Stop struggling or it will kill you faster!" But they wouldn't listen, especially as she vanished from sight, determined to remain still until she was free. She yelped as she met stone, hearing the startled cries above her until Ron's was cut off. "Oh!" She could hear Ember screaming for Ron, talking to herself for an answer, "Oh, what did Professor Sprout say?" She rapidly wracked her mind, "Oh! Sunlight!" She raised her wand; please don't let me down, "Lumos Solum!" She practically cried in rivers as the thing screamed in agony, dropping its two victims to her level.