Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Just using him to satisfy my very creative muse.
Chapter 14: The Unicorn's Gift
Harry was two hours early when he tucked himself in the last compartment of the Hogwarts Express. He pensively looked out the window; his mind was processing the things he discovered from his godfather's letter.
A frown made his way to his face when he realized that Dumbledore did more to his life than he knew.
Sirius's warning in his letter made everything crystal clear and various questions in Harry's mind snapped into place as various answers were revealed to him.
To summarize his thoughts, Harry realized that Dumbledore may have orchestrated the whole thing – his parent's death, him being the so-called savior of the Wizarding World, his placement with the Dursleys, Sirius' imprisonment, and more. All this facts pointed to one thing.
Albus Dumbledore had a plan for him and his only clue was a few tidbits here and there but the whole picture still eluded him.
Harry grimaced when he realized that Dumbledore already had one against him after revealing one of his powers. He knew that there was no way out of explaining about his staff but if he had the time, he would have thought of other alibis that would put the old coot in the dark.
However, it was already too late and the only thing left for him to do was to go with the flow.
Harry couldn't help but assume that the placement of the Philosopher's Stone in Hogwarts may be a machination of the Headmaster. He knew that the old man wanted something due to the placement of the powerful artifact in Hogwarts. However, he knew that one fact still eluded him.
Who was the thief that wanted to steal the stone?
If he had the answer to that question then it's quite possible that it would reveal a part of the game that the old man wanted him to play.
Harry sighed since he was just wasting his time thinking about things that shouldn't concern him yet without everyone laying down their cards, so to speak.
He decided that he would play the wait-and-see game for now while bringing out a few plans from the backburner and adding new ones to the list.
First, it was finally time to get out of the Dursleys. If Dumbledore placed him there then he needed to find a new home to get out of the old coot's thumb. He decided to send an email to Griphook later about the status of Potter Manor. Old family homes, especially in the Wizarding World, were heavily warded so it was the best place for him to set up shop.
Second, he needed to get to know the real Albus Dumbledore. He knew that the books wouldn't tell him anything but it would probably contain facts that would point him to the right direction.
Lastly, he needed to visit his Family Vault. He needed to get Sirius out of prison and there was a possibility that his father might have a something there that would help his godfather.
Harry sighed after finalizing his plan. He had to do all those while juggling with his school work. A life of a prodigy, no matter how much he denied that he was, wasn't easy.
Life at Hogwarts went back to normal after the Christmas hubbub died down. His schedule was filled to the brim with studying, reading, hanging out with his Slytherin buds and those in his study group, and raiding the Hogwarts Library for anything involving Albus Dumbledore.
He didn't find out anything concrete about Albus Dumbledore but he did find a line stating that the old coot was in a partnership of sorts with Nicholas Flamel, which was possibly the reason why the famed Alchemist entrusted the artifact to the Headmaster.
Harry, however, considered the safety of the stone since the protections weren't really that good, except for his ward, of course.
Whoever the thief was, making sure that the stone didn't fall to his or her hand was the top priority. He was playing around with the idea of stealing the stone himself and giving it back to the Flamels when the bell rang signaling the start of his next class.
Harry was staring incredulously at the half-giant and a large draconic egg in front of him. He knew that Hagrid was obsessive over magical animals, the larger the better, but to actually have a genuine dragon egg being kept in a cauldron in the fireplace inside a wooden hut was just too much.
Here he was now, sitting in one of Hagrid's oversize couches staring at the twitching egg in front of him with Hagrid waiting expectantly for it to hatch.
"Uh, Hagrid, you do know that keeping a dragon, much less a dragon egg, outside a preserve is illegal right?" Harry asked his friend who immediately went on the defensive.
"There's nothing wrong with owning a dragon, Harry. Besides, I won him fair and square." Hagrid said defensively.
Harry stared at his half-giant friend incredulously.
"You won a dragon egg? Who in their right mind would use a dragon egg as a bet?" Harry said with disbelief.
Hagrid gave Harry a sheepish grin.
"Well, I was down at the pub in Hogsmeade when I had a round of poker with the people there. There was this one guy who was fascinated in magical creatures and we shared a bunch of stories over a few card games. Well, we played a bit until he placed down a dragon egg that he found somewhere and used it as a bet. As you can see, I won!" Hagrid said proudly.
"Uh-huh. I got it." said Harry before he realized something which filled him with dread. "Uh, Hagrid, what creatures did you talk about this guy?"
"I talked about Fluffy of course." Hagrid said proudly. Harry had to stop himself from slapping his face in exasperation. Since he shouldn't know about the Cerberus, he decided to go for the indirect approach.
"Who or what is a Fluffy?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow, curiosity in his voice.
"Fluffy is a Cerberus and very rare. He is currently in the third floor corridor guarding the stone for Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel." said Hagrid happily before he froze, realizing that he said too much. "I shouldn't have said that."
"Well, whatever." said Harry dismissively, deciding to put the giant at ease by not noticing the slip about the Philosopher's Stone. "Putting a real live Cerberus in the unused wing of a castle filled with students might be dangerous but if Professor Dumbledore said so then there's no problem there."
Hagrid gave the boy a grin, happy that the boy wasn't interested in the stone. He was so screwed if Harry decided to check it out.
"Aye, you're right, Harry. Professor Dumbledore knows everything." said Hagrid proudly, not noticing the frown marring the boy's face.
Harry was in a very irritable mood. He was standing just outside of the Forbidden Forest with Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger, waiting for Hagrid to pick them up for a detention.
In all honesty, Harry was in because of collateral damage.
Harry was making his way to the Ravenclaw dorms after getting shooed out by Madam Pince from the library since it was already way past curfew. Thankfully, the kindly librarian gave him a pass so he wouldn't get in trouble if a Prefect or a Professor found him outside his dorm after curfew.
However, the pass didn't help on what happened next.
He was about to make his way to a corridor that led to the Ravenclaw dorms when he bumped into an odd sight.
Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were arguing with Ronald Weasley and Granger with Filch grinning madly as he watched the two groups shout at each other. The Hogwarts caretaker looked as if someone just made his day.
Harry, clueless and curious, approached the arguing group but Filch spotted him. He showed the man the pass Madam Pince gave him but the man studiously ignored it before swiping it out of his hands and burned it with the lamp he was carrying before he could summon it back to safety.
So here he was now, serving detention because Filch couldn't just accept the fact that he was innocent. He made a mental note to prank the man before leaving Hogwarts.
"You just had to find a way to make trouble for Weasley and Granger, didn't you?" Harry asked Draco with an annoyed sigh.
"What? There's nothing wrong in telling someone in authority that Weasley and Granger were smuggling a dragon out of Hogwarts." Draco said defensively.
"There's nothing wrong with that but there is something seriously wrong in telling Filch of all people. Why can't you just tell your Head of House about it? Professor Snape would have taken care of everything without landing you and me in detention." Harry sarcastically informed the blonde who gave him a sheepish grin.
"I never thought of that." Draco admitted causing Harry to sigh.
"Obviously." Harry said with a sniff before patting the blonde boy on the shoulder when he saw the guilty look in Draco's face. "Never mind, Drake. I know you meant well."
"Sorry , Har." Draco whispered. Harry smiled at him.
"Don't worry about it. Let's just worry about getting out of the forest in one piece. Seriously, why in the world would they let five students do detention in the Forbidden Forest? I know the Headmaster wasn't right in the head but this takes the cake." Harry said in disgust.
As if his question was answered Hagrid appeared coming from the direction of his hut. Filch met him halfway and both talked for a bit before Hagrid face grew grim. He approached the group of students and explained the situation.
"As your detention approved by the Headmaster, we are going into the forest to investigate the killing of unicorns."
Harry, Draco, and Hermione stared the giant in disbelief while Crabbe, Goyle, and Weasley had questioning looks on their faces.
"Who would be evil enough to kill a unicorn?" Harry asked with disbelief. He knew all about unicorns and their status as one of the most pure Light-based magical creature in the world. To kill a unicorn was a blasphemy that should never be uttered nor done.
"Who would kill such a lovely creature?" Hermione asked with tears in her eyes.
"Whoever is killing them is pure evil. Unicorns are the epitome of Light magic beside a phoenix." Draco said with a grimace before turning into fear. "Whoever is killing them had no fear of the consequence."
"What consequence?" Hermione asked, forgetting the fact that the boy was one of the few who made her life in Hogwarts a living hell.
"As if you didn't know, Granger." Draco said with a sniff before he saw the questioning look on her face. "You really don't?"
"I wouldn't have asked if I did." said Hermione with a huff of irritation. She really hated it when someone pointed out that she didn't know everything, especially those with magical backgrounds.
However, it was Harry who answered, much to everyone surprise.
"Unicorns are the epitome of Light-based magic. Unlike the phoenix, a unicorn is the model for beauty, grace, innocence, power, and mostly, the goodness in the world. A phoenix may be considered as a Light-based creature but it is mostly governed by its morals. It can do an act of evil the phoenix thinks is morally good. However, unicorns are different. They are good through and through. They will never succumb to their instinct like the phoenix does. This is one of the reasons why you will never read in a book about unicorns killing anything. Killing a unicorn is a direct act of war towards anything Light. This means that those who kill a unicorn forsake whatever Light magic affinity they had in their bodies. Meaning, a person who kills a unicorn subjects himself wholly to the Dark" Harry explained seriously. "Hagrid, how did the unicorns die?"
"Drained of their blood." Hagrid answered angrily causing Harry to curse.
"Now what?" Granger asked immediately, a bit put out that Harry knew more than her.
"Whoever is attacking and killing the unicorns is draining their blood. Sure, we use unicorn blood as potion ingredients but those are willingly given and no consequence is suffered by those who use it. However, to take blood from an unwilling unicorn and use it will suffer dire consequences."
"Maybe it's a vampire?" Ron asked, pale as a sheet. Vampires were dark creatures who prey on human blood to survive.
Harry shook his head in negative before giving everyone a serious look, a look that they weren't used to seeing on their happy-go-lucky peer.
"No dark creature would ever resort to killing a unicorn if they can help it and no vampire is stupid enough to drink the blood of a unicorn. Anyone who do, may they be human or magical creature, will live a cursed life, doomed to suffer until they breathe out their last breath."
"What does a unicorn blood do anyway?" Hermione asked, paling at the information she just learned.
"Aside from healing potions, drinking raw unicorn blood can extend a person's life even when in the brink of death. However, drinking their blood, even if it is willingly given, will result in the curse following you your whole life."
It was then that Hagrid decided to interrupt the impromptu discussion, wanting to get the night over and done with.
"And our job is to go in there," said Hagrid with a jerk of his thumb over his shoulder towards the dark forest behind him. "Find out who or what is attacking the unicorns. Once we find out the killer, the professors or the Ministry will find a way to destroy it."
"Are you sure it's safe?" Ronald asked shakily. He didn't know it but he was huddled with Crabbe and Goyle, forgetting that they were in rival houses, too afraid to notice.
"The Forbidden Forest is never safe." Filch butted in with a cackle. "A fitting punishment for troublesome kids like you. On with the detention, Hagrid. The night is young after all."
Hagrid nodded grimly and led the kids towards the gloomy foliage, all of them with fear etched on their faces except for Harry who had a determined and grim glint in his eyes.
After teaching them how to throw up sparks using their wands, Hagrid broke them into three teams. Whoever was in trouble or spot the attacker would immediately send out red sparks to alert the others.
Hagrid would be teamed up with Hermione and Ronald while Draco would go with his two bodyguards.
Harry wanted to find out what was killing the unicorns without bothering to hide his strength so he sent a telepathic suggestion for Hagrid to decide the teams. It was easy considering the giant didn't have any mental shield protecting him from Harry's subtle suggestion so Harry was partnered with Fang as a bodyguard much to Draco and Hermione's protest. However, a brief telepathic nudge from Harry quieted the two.
Harry watched Hagrid and the rest make their way into the forest following different paths. When he was alone, Harry looked at the shadows for a few moments before calling out to his familiar.
"Zieg." Harry whispered causing Fang to look at him curiously.
It was a second later when a large Shadow Wolf jumped out of the shadow and stopped in front of young sorcerer. Fang saw the wolf and immediately whined as he sunk to the ground, shivering in fear. Harry chuckled at that. Considering that Zieg was twice the boarhound's size, he should be afraid.
"Fang, I want you to meet my familiar and friend, Zieg. Zieg, this is Fang, Hagrid's pet." Harry introduced the two with a bit of amusement leaking in his voice.
Zieg walked over to Fang and gave the dog a sniff before giving out a huff. Fang just curled up on himself knowing the power of the creature in front of him.
"Fang, do you want to come with us or do you want to stay here?" Harry asked the shivering boarhound beside him.
Fang whined before standing up and walked beside Harry. The boy could see the dog was afraid of his familiar but it had enough courage to go with him as protection. This made Harry give the dog a nod of respect. It was quite obvious that the dog was like his master, a Gryffindor through and through.
"Thanks, Fang." said Harry as he scratched the dog behind the ear. "Zieg, we are going to look around to find out who or what is killing the unicorns. I want you to keep your senses open for anything around us, stick to the shadows and stay ahead. I'll watch the back."
Zieg nodded before giving Harry a bump on the knee before running ahead, easily blending with the darkness around him as Harry and Fang followed his lead.
It was half an hour later that Harry stumbled on a scene that filled him with horror.
In front of him was a unicorn foal lying on its side on the ground as a wraith-like monster was lapping up the blood dribbling down the unicorn's neck.
Harry didn't waste any time, he immediately attacked. He flicked out his wand and channeled more power into it as he incanted a spell.
"Bombarda!"
The blasting hex hit the creature on the side causing a bit of explosion before throwing it back before righting itself as it hovered a few feet above ground. The creature shrugged off the spell and spotted him. It released a loud human-like wail and glided forward to attack. Harry wanted none of that.
With a grim look on his face, he slashed his forward and released the next spell, an elemental one.
"Fulmens!"
A powerful lightning bolt flew out from the tip of his wand towards the wraith who didn't have time to dodge the attack which hit it right on the chest. It released a pained wail that echoed throughout the forest. It's wails, however, turned to a loud screech when Harry channeled more magic into the spell, doubling its potency.
Unable to withstand the onslaught, the wraith turned and tried get away from its attacker. Harry helped it along by hitting its fleeing back with an overpowered blasting hex, throwing it forward until it could no longer be seen though its pained wails echoed as it slowly disappeared.
Harry sprinted over to the downed unicorn with Zieg guarding his back. He saw a large gash on the unicorn's neck, silvery blood flowing out of the wound.
"There, there. It's alright. The thing is gone. He won't harm you anymore." Harry soothed the unicorn as it let out a pained whinny.
Considering that he didn't know any healing spells, Harry decided to resort to sorcery. He returned his wand into his holster and placed both of his hands over the wound, careful not to touch the silvery blood since he didn't know how it would affect him.
"Heal." whispered Harry as he directed his Will into the wound. He felt something stopping his Will from reaching the wound but he persevered. He channeled more of his Will until he encountered a barrier of sorts. For ten minutes, Harry fought with the barrier as he felt the life of the unicorn foal bleeding out.
He wouldn't let the pure creature die if he had anything to say about it.
"HEAL!" screamed Harry as he thrust his entire focus and Will into the barrier for one final push before it finally broke. He could feel his energy reaching out to the colt and slowly healing the mortal wound.
Harry was tiring but he kept it on, determined to save the young creatures life. He didn't notice a herd of centaurs watching his desperate attempt.
It was a few more minutes later that the wound finally closed, leaving only a thin scar, marring its pristine white coat.
Harry cut off his Will before slumping down on the ground, tired from the effort of healing the unicorn. The act took a lot out of him.
He breathed in much needed oxygen for a few minutes until he felt something touch his cheek. He looked up to see the unicorn he saved standing on its legs and nuzzling him lovingly.
Harry smiled and stroke's the creature's neck.
"I-I'm glad that you're alright." Harry breathed out with a smile before nudging at the creature. "You need to go back to your family. Whatever that creature was that attacked you, it will be back. You need to be safe. Go now."
The unicorn let out a whinny of protest but Harry kept pushing at the foal until it grudgingly agreed. But before it could leave, the unicorn bit him on the wrist. The spot where the unicorn bit him glowed silver for a few moments before dying down. Instead of a teeth mark, there was now a runic tattoo wrapped around his wrist. Harry could only stare at it incredulously.
The unicorn nuzzled him for the last time before leaving the clearing towards where Harry surmised was where its family was.
"Zieg. Follow the unicorn. Make sure that it's safe." Harry ordered his familiar who simply nodded and took off after the creature.
He sat on the cold forest floor as he rested. He would need to get back to Hagrid and report what he found though he decided to leave some things out for his peace of mind. The giant definitely didn't need to know that he was a sorcerer since he knew it would reach Dumbledore's ear.
"That was a brave thing you did, young sorcerer."
Harry whipped his head around to see a centaur staring at him with a smile on his face.
"Um, hello." Harry said with some surprise since the sentient creature knew what he was.
"Be at ease, young sorcerer, your secret will not be revealed by me or my herd if you so wish it." said the centaur.
Harry nodded and pushed himself off the floor but his knees buckled and almost fell if not for the centaur catching him in his arms.
"Sorry about that." Harry said sheepishly while inwardly cursing his moment of weakness. "So you saw the whole thing, huh?"
"That we did, Harry Potter, the stars have foretold of the young unicorn's passing to the afterlife but you, using your growing powers, pierced the shroud of death enveloping the foal and kept the hands of death at bay before it could be claimed."
"Oh," said Harry before realizing what the centaur meant. The barrier! "I couldn't let the colt die before it could grow and experience life. No one should be taken before their time."
"And how did you know that it wasn't the colt's time?" said the centaur, amused. "However, the stars predicted its demise but you went against it. A powerful sorcerer you are, young one."
"Um, thanks, I think." said Harry, not sure if he was being complimented or chided for such a rash action.
The centaur chuckled and beckoned to the woods where three more centaurs walked out of the foliage. Harry stiffened a bit since he was surrounded.
"Don't fear, young one. You need not worry about your safety with us. You have saved one of the precious denizens of the forest and we are in your debt. My name is Magorian, the leader of the centaur herd of the Forbidden Forest. The others are Bane, Frienze, and Trist."
"Well met, Harry Potter. Mars is quite bright tonight and Jupiter is too." Frienze quoted as he looked up the clear sky.
Harry frowned as he remembered his lessons in Astronomy. Mars was always compared to war. He didn't believe in divination, well, human divination anyway, but centaurs were known to give accurate readings when it comes to the constellations. What was the reference to Jupiter though?
"Considering what attacked the unicorn then you're correct, Master Centaur." said Harry politely.
"You speak the truth, Harry Potter, for the omens told by the stars concern you directly and what is being hidden in the castle." Magorian said with a frown as he looked at the direction of the castle.
"Do you know who attacked the unicorn?"
"Yes, it is a name that we don't speak, young one. However, that creature's goal isn't the unicorn but what is hidden inside the castle."
Harry stared dumbly at the centaur before something clicked in his head.
"The Philosopher's Stone. That thing is after the stone." Harry said immediately.
"Correct, however, as the stars foretold, a warrior will block its path." said Magorian as he looked at Harry pointedly causing said boy to sigh. He was in the spotlight…again.
"Fine. But who would risk living a cursed life by drinking a unicorn's blood?"
"Do you not realize the identity of the creature, young one?" asked Magorian slyly. "A creature who fears death so much that he would go to extreme lengths just to avoid it."
"A creature that fears death…Voldemort!" Harry exclaimed before a cold feeling run up his spine. He already knew of the meaning of Voldemort's name, Flight from Death.
"Aye, lad, and I think you already know why he seeks the stone."
"He needs the stone for the Elixir of Life!"
"Indeed, lad. Now that you know the reason why it is in the castle, you need to return to its safety. The forest is no place for a young one, especially for an untrained sorcerer. Your powers might be great but they are still growing, child. Come, we will escort you to Hagrid. He will need to know what happened." said Magorian as he nudged Harry to move, his retinue following the two of them as they made their way into the forest.
Harry was sitting in front of the fire in the Ravenclaw common room as he studied the tattoo on his wrist, Frienze's explanation of it echoing in his mind.
"The unicorn you saved gave you a great blessing, Harry Potter. As long as you stay true to your heart and not adhere to the dark side of magic, you will forever bear its protection. Any magical being will know you through that mark and will never harm or injure your person if they can help it. You have done well this night, Scion of Jupiter." Firenze informed him gravely before following his leader back into the darkness of the Forbidden Forest.
He didn't know the reference of being called the 'Scion of Jupiter' but whatever it was, Firenze definitely knew what it meant. Asking the centaur would be useless since the half-man half-horse would just give him a cryptic smile and leaving it at that.
Harry sighed and pushed the thought out of his mind before a grim look appeared on his face when he realized that his family's killer was alive. Many thought Voldemort was dead and this event disabused that.
However, the reference of the unicorn's blood meant that the idiot would risk anything to maintain whatever form he was in now. The tosser wasn't fully alive and he needed the stone at least bring him back to a semblance of one.
Harry decided right there and then that the stone needed to be kept out of Voldemort's hand at all cost. He stood up from the sofa and disappeared from the room without a sound when a plan formed in his mind.
Harry woke up the next morning without the weight of worry on his shoulders. He went to the room where the Philosopher's Stone was hidden last night and was surprised that instead of the raised altar, a mirror stood in its place.
Thankfully, the proximity ward was no longer present so he approached it cautiously to study the new addition in the room.
He was further surprised when he saw himself and his parents behind him in the mirror, their hands on his shoulders. He knew instantly that it wasn't real because he didn't sense ANYONE in the room with him and didn't feel ANYONE touching him.
He was confused at first as to why he was seeing the image of his dead parents on the mirror but when he discovered the ability of the artifact, he couldn't help but grimace at the sight. He didn't hate his parents but he didn't like it when he was reminded that he was the last Potter.
After checking the mirror out, he discovered some writings on the wooden panel, it was pure gibberish. However, when read backwards, it explained the artifact's magical use.
It showed him his heart's desire, a family, but that was where the illusions ended.
His family was dead and there was nothing he could do about it. He realized the mirror's trap. The past was the past, there was no such thing as going back.
After finally getting a semblance of control over his raging emotions, he finally saw himself alone in the mirror. However, the only difference was his mirror image smirking at him while holding onto a blood red stone before casually placing it in his pocket. Harry immediately felt the weight of something in his own pocket and later discovered that he now had the Philosopher's Stone.
Before he teleported himself out of the chamber, he found himself looking at the mirror again. However, this time, he didn't see anything on it. He only saw himself with a smile on his face.
Smiling, Harry pushed himself off his bed and made his way to the bathroom to start the day. Considering the stone was tucked safely inside his warded trunk, he didn't have to worry about the Dark Tosser getting his hands on it. He wondered briefly if he should have left a booby trap of some sort though the idea was immediately stamped out since it wasn't his concern at the moment.
After all, Dumbledore was the one who hid the stone so if Voldemort does come for it then the old coot would just have to take care of the snake-faced idiot by himself.
The exams were quite easy for Harry since he already knew the lessons by heart thanks to his advance reading and research. He aced all of them easily much to the ire of Granger when the results came out.
The exams involved two parts – a written exam and practical, the latter of which involved casting the spells the professors called out. Harry aced both the written and practical exams thanks to his studies and research, as well as some practice sessions in his trunk.
After finishing the last exam in the curriculum which involved making the Forgetfulness Potion from Snape, Harry made his way to the lake and settled down in a quiet corner under a large Oak to relax. However, his quiet time was disturbed when Neville approached him in a dead run with a fearful look on his face.
"Harry! Thank Merlin I found you." Neville exclaimed, out of breath from the running.
"Whoah there, Nev. What seems to be the problem?" Harry said with a frown. This was the first time he saw Neville so excited though he could sense that something was wrong from the chubby boy's posture.
"I told you all about the Philosopher's Stone, right?" asked Neville causing Harry to nod in affirmative. "I just overheard Granger and Weasley planning to go to the third floor corridor tonight with Seamus. They had this idea that Snape was going to make a break for tonight to steal the stone."
"Snape?" Harry asked incredulously. "I think they are taking the house rivalry gig too far. Why in the world would they suspect Snape?"
Neville shrugged before sitting himself beside Harry.
"No idea." said Neville as he leaned on the tree.
"Well, don't worry about it then. It's not Snape." said Harry with a shrug. Neville raised a curious eyebrow.
"What made you say that?" asked Neville.
"Let's just say that I already checked out the place where the stone is kept. Trust me, Snape's not the thief. If nothing else, Professor Snape is protecting the stone since one of the traps there was of his own devising." Harry said with a grin. The chubby boy stared at him incredulously.
"You w-went…Harry! Don't tell me that you faced the three-headed dog on your own?" Neville exclaimed in disbelief.
"Well, I won't tell you." Harry said with a smug look on his face. Neville sighed before giving the Potter heir a pleading look.
"Can you please go with them tonight or follow them just in case? I know you don't like Weasley and Granger but they might get killed down there."
"Hm," Harry mused as he thought of the traps. "I doubt they'll get killed; a bit bruised maybe or possibly a few scratches here and there if they decided to confront Fluffy without taking into account its weakness. Other than that, they'll be fine."
"Who is the world is Fluffy?" the Longbottom heir half-asked half-shouted.
"Relax, Nev. Fluffy is the Cerberus and Hagrid's pet. If Granger did her research then they would know that it would take music to put the dog to sleep, though I doubt if they have enough musical talent to pull that off or advanced enough in their magic to conjure a self-playing musical instrument."
"Whatever, can you just please keep an eye on them? For my peace of mind?" pleaded Neville. Harry gave the boy a speculative look.
"If I didn't know any better, the Sorting Hat placed you in the wrong house. You sound like a Puff." Harry joked though it wasn't funny since Neville wasn't laughing.
"Please?" Neville said while looking at Harry with a pleading look – puppy dog eyes and all making Harry grimace at the sight since it looked weird on the boy's face.
"Fine fine. I'll go. Just get rid of that look, alright? It looks…creepy on you." Harry said with a shudder. He didn't notice Neville giving him a smug look.
Harry sighed as he waited outside the room where the trap door was under an illusion of invisibility using sorcery. He didn't resort to the Disillusionment Charm since it could be detected by anyone with a hint of sensitivity towards magic. He wondered if he had to wait long for the trio but that thought was dashed when he sensed someone coming.
He almost laughed out loud when Quirrel appeared. However, this Quirrel wasn't the Quirrel he knew from DADA class. No, this Quirrel was quite different if the aura of darkness surrounding the man was anything to go by. In fact, the darkness around the DADA professor was so thick that the tattoo gifted to him by the unicorn colt was tingling in response to the evil presence.
He decided to let the professor in since he wasn't worried about the stone. If he could bypass the other professor's protection, it wouldn't matter since the stone was already out of his reach. However, he was quite curious how Quirrel would react when faced with the Potter family ward. He grinned at the thought.
Twenty minutes later, the Gryffindor Trio finally made their appearance. Right on time too since Harry was getting bored. They didn't have to worry about Fluffy since Quirrel conjured a harp to put the Cerberus to sleep. In fact, it was still playing and Harry couldn't help but give the DADA professor some credit. He definitely knew his music if the song the harp was playing was anything to go by.
Harry observed the trio cautiously enter the room, stopped and looked at the sleeping dog in disbelief. He could practically feel the fear oozing out of the three Gryffindors but it would seem the Sorting Hat placed them in the right house since they still entered despite their instincts telling them to turn back and run away.
When they jumped into the trapdoor, Harry peeked in and had to stifle a laugh when Weasley screamed at Granger if she was a witch nor not. Really, if there weren't any fire around then make one.
Granger finally got enough control over her fear to draw her wand out and cast a weak Incendio at the Devil's Snare. It retreated away from the flames, dropping the trio unceremoniously on the floor below.
Harry lowered himself using his Will before the plant could close the entrance. He landed quietly behind the three as they made their way into Flitwick's challenge.
Harry had to stifle another bout of laughter when Weasley used one of the brooms to catch the silver key. He heard from Neville how Weasley bragged that he was a great flyer. Judging from the wobbly flight, he needed to redefine 'great flyer' if his skill told everyone what he was capable of.
However, Weasley did catch the right key and had to throw it down tp Granger since he was being chased by the other flying keys. He was decent enough in his broom to dodge the winged projectiles before making his way to the open door. He got in just in time because the keys were almost on him.
Since the door was locked by Granger, Harry merely translocated himself into the next challenge - McGonagall's chess set.
Harry watched silently as Weasley took charge of the challenge and couldn't help but give the redhead some credit. Ronald Weasley might have his faults but he was one hell of a strategist though it could have been better if he didn't sacrifice himself just to let Seamus make his way to the king.
Harry stayed behind to check on the downed Weasley and couldn't help but shake his head in exasperation. The idiot was playing dead. Sure he had a small bump on the back of his head but it wasn't a grievous injury. Shaking his head, he left the cowardly lion to watch out for the two and had to quicken his steps when he heard Granger's scream.
He ran to the next room to see Granger as pale as a ghost as she stared at the dead troll with fearful eyes. Seamus definitely wet his pants if the dark patch on his groin was anything to go by. Harry observed the troll and couldn't help but grimace.
Unlike his clean kill, this one was killed in a messy fashion. Various lacerations decorated the troll's skin, its right hand blown off, as well as half of its head. It definitely died in a painful way and only Quirrel could have done it since no one else entered the trap door. It would seem that the stuttering professor was more than just a fool.
Thankfully, Granger and Seamus decided that it was just too much for them to handle so they went back the way they came, picked up Weasley, and exited the area. Harry followed them and froze the enchantments on the traps so they wouldn't have to worry about doing it all over again.
When they were safely out of the trap door, Harry grimly translocated himself to the stone's chamber to face a funny sight in front of him.
His ward was working perfectly if Quirrel's face was an indication. He was definitely in a fit of rage.
Quirrel was trying to get past the shield at the entrance by firing spells after spells at it to no avail. He even saw a few Killing Curses but it was useless since the shield was semi-solid in construct held together by magic. Harry made himself comfortable while observing the DADA professor tire himself out.
When Quirrel was panting on the floor, tired from casting too many spells, Harry merely shook his head and teleported out of the chamber and into one of the abandoned classrooms in the Transfiguration Wing of the castle before making his way to the Ravenclaw dorm, merrily whistling a happy tune which scared quite a few portraits since he was still invisible.
He went down there to watch over Granger and her clique and since they were back in the safety of their dorm, his services were no longer needed so staying there was just a waste of time.
end of chapter 14
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