Ch 10.

Still Halloween 1991:

Harry woke up late that night and felt compelled to start wondering around, to him this was strange as he does not usually either wake up a night or go wondering around the school after curfew. Harry felt himself get out of bed and start wondering toward exit of Ravenclaw Tower. Upon exiting he saw Neville and Draco waiting for him like they two had no control over what they were doing. The three boys fought the compulsion enough to send a message via house elf asking for help to Remus and hoping he would get it in time as they made their way toward the third floor corridor.

Remus Lupin was very upset to be woken up by a frantic house elf who then gave him the message that Harry, Neville and Draco feel the compulsion again and are not sure where it is forcing them to go this time but they might need his help. Remus jumps out of bed and sends a patronus to Headmistress McGonagal, Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout as it is their students out of bed.

The professors and Headmistress upon reaching the third floor corridor hear snarls from the three-headed dog guarding the way into the stone. Then they hear a scream and a thud before all becomes quiet. After racing through the door intent on helping Harry, Neville and Draco, whom they suspect are the ones in the corridor they see the three-headed dog bleeding on the floor from a severing hex to one of its heads. Near the same head is a large amount of blood, they can tell from the amount of blood that whomever is bleeding will need serious medical attention. Remus and the other Professors turn a sickly shade of white before heading for the trap door which they can see is now wide open; they hear the voice of Neville saying "I know what this is. Its Devil's Snare and it likes dark and damp quick someone light a fire." And soon see a flash of bright light coming from the hole. Determined that their students will not be hurt further Remus calls out for them to wait for the adults.

The only response they receive as they make their way down the opening is "hurry up we can't wait very long." Upon reaching the bottom the professors see Harry, Neville and Draco being compelled to make their way toward the next set of obstacles that were supposed to deter the return of the dark lord but so far three first years have gotten through with only a little harm. They see that it is Draco that is bleeding and limping from the dog, Neville and Harry sporting a few minor cuts and bruises.

Upon entering the next room Flitwick gives a halfhearted laugh knowing there should be no key to the door across the way, but has a suspicion that someone changed his trap the same way they did Pamona's, as he can hear her grumbling about how she had not put up Devil's Snare but a cross between Devil's Snare and Venomous Tantacula but someone had modified or changed the plant all together. Soon Flitwick's suspicions are confirmed when Harry catches a key that unlocks the door. By now the professors are very angry that someone (probably Dumbledore) changed their traps so that a certain trio of first years could get through them.

Headmistress McGonagal paled as they approached her defense as it was supposed to be nearly impossible to get past, so that the stone would be protected. She was very angry upon finding out that her wall of statues that could not be blasted out of the way and would only move if the person uttered the correct password was transfigured into a giant chess set that you could play your way across the room or just walk around to get to the door. Harry not being any good at chess and just wanting to get it over with tried to walk around the chess game only to find himself in the middle of the board and being forced to play, since He, Draco and Neville were being forced to play he was taking directions from McGonagal to get through the game with as little harm as possible. Harry seeing the only move he could make was to either sacrifice himself or Neville so the other could check mate the king decided he would not let his friend get hurt and made his own move, the queen knocked him over and unconscious causing Remus and the other professors to gasp. Neville finished the game before he and Draco rushed over to check to see if their friend was ok.

McGonagal and the other professors keep asking themselves why they are not stopping the students from continuing on through the trials and why they do not just move to the end, upon thinking about it they realize that whatever force is making Harry, Neville and Draco go through the trials is effecting them as well and making it so they will not interfere as much as possible. After about half an hour Harry finally comes too and seeing the worried look on his friends faces assures them he is alright but that the compulsion is getting stronger and since they can't fight it they need to continue so they can go back to sleep.

Remus had been asked to put up a protection to keep people from getting to the stone as well and he is sure by now that his defense, a sphinx that made you answer ten riddles before you could pass safely would be changed as well. Upon entering the next room the smell alerted them all that there was a troll some place close by. When they rounded the corner they saw the troll knocked unconscious on the floor and the way through unguarded. Remus let out a frustrated sigh and knew the last test would be changed as well. He knew Professor McNeil had placed all poison in the bottles and that it should be enough to stop anyone from the final step of the journey.

Remus' suspicions were confirmed when Harry, Neville and Draco figured out the riddle of the potions bottles left for them, though the bottle to go on would have made Harry go on alone he never got a chance to drink it as Neville trying to spare his friend snatched up the bottle and drank down the last dose in the bottle before moving through the flames to the final room. Everyone watched in growing horror as Neville moved forward to confront the young man who had earlier alerted them to the troll.

"You're not Harry Potter." The man snarled.

"Your right I am not, I couldn't let my friend enter here without knowing what was going to happen to him." Neville growled glaring at the man.

"Well you will have to do in his place then, the stone is here in this mirror get it for me boy." The man said he was still snarling and glaring at Neville who had the audacity to arrive in place of Harry Potter whom he was planning to kill once he was no longer useful to him.

"What stone?" Neville asked curiously. "The only reason we are here at all is because of the compulsion we had no wish to be here."

"The Sorcerer's Stone of course so that my master can rise again and continue the noble work of his ancestor." The man responded with a shake of his head.

While Neville was keeping the man busy the professors working together had managed to find a way through the fire and all fired "Stupefy" at the same time knocking the man unconscious.

"The stone is to be removed immediately from the school. And Dumbledore has a few things to answer too." McGonagal growled taking the stone from the mirror in the room. "I will send this stone and a letter to the Flamel's if they wish the stone to be protected it will not be here at Hogwarts. I will not have my students in danger."

Mrs. Weasley again sent Harry a howler this time one about him not taking Ron with him when he went to retrieve the stone, Harry, Sirius and Remus soon responded with a couple howlers of their own. The first one being that she had no idea what so ever that was going on at Hogwarts and that she is not Harry's guardian and has no business sending him howlers. The next howler was how her son was a bully and that Harry is not and will not be friends with someone who bullies others and thinks they are entitled to something just because they are "friends" with someone rich and famous. Also included in their howlers was a not so subtle warning that she leave Harry alone or they would see to it that Ron was taken home by Mr. Weasley and made to behave himself as he would not be a spoiled brat any longer.

Needless to say Molly Weasley got a seriously rude awakening when it came to Harry Potter and her own importance in his life which is to say she was not important at all. Molly Weasley also received a visit from the Minister of Magic and was warned to leave Harry Potter and his guardians alone or there would be serious consequences.

The rest of Harry's school year was uneventful. Ron would occasionally disrupt his classes, but Harry paid him no mind at all and enjoyed the rest of his first year at Hogwarts, he sent letters home about the Quidditch matches he would watch, about his friend Draco and how Draco was looking forward to getting to know Ginny as a friend as well. All three boys would send letters explaining their grades in classes and how they would help Ginny be ready to join them next year. And the hopes that Ginny would join Harry in Ravenclaw or Neville and Draco in Hufflepuff were expressed in the letters as well and none of them could repress their excitement about seeing each other again in only a few days' time. These letters got Ginny to thinking about what house she would like to be in at Hogwarts, though she hoped she would be a Ravenclaw with Harry she supposed being in Hufflepuff with Neville and Draco would not be a bad thing, she dreaded being sorted into Gryffindor with Ron as he would surely make her life miserable.

The train ride home started out being uneventful but about halfway through the trip Ron pushed his way into the compartment and started a fight with Draco and Neville before slapping Harry on the back like you would a good mate. Harry felt a pull behind his navel as the port key Ron had placed upon him activated. Seeing Harry disappear Neville and Draco stunned Ron and quickly alerted Remus who was patrolling the corridors of the train.

Upon arriving at the destination determined by the port key Harry found himself stunned quickly and disarmed so that he could not fight back. Molly Weasley was very proud of the fact that her son Ron managed to get close enough to Harry to plant the port key on him. Sure that no one would be looking for Harry for a while Molly sent a letter to Dumbledore letting him know that the package had arrived and she was waiting further instructions.