Chapter Seventeen: The Man With Two Faces

"What's that noise Harry?" Ron wondered.

"I dunno, it sounds like wings." Harry replied and sure enough as Harry, Ron, and Hermione all looked up and saw a bunch of winged keys overhead. "That's interesting, I wonder what that's all about." Harry said when suddenly Ron spotted a door and started walking towards it and withdrew his wand.

"Alohomora!" He exclaimed before trying to jiggle around the lock and then his cheeks turned pink as he glanced back up at his friends. "Well, it was worth a try." He told them.

"I bet that the door is bewitched and one of the keys fits that door." Harry said as Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Harry's right, and there's a broomstick right over there!" Hermione cried while pointing over at a Comet 260. However, Harry just simply shook his head in sorrow.

"I don't think that I can do this." He told her.

"Oh come on Harry! You're the youngest seeker in the century and defeated you-know-who once so you can certainly do it again!" Ron exclaimed.

"Alright, if you're sure." Harry replied with a nod and slowly swung his leg over the seat of the broom. The keys that were soaring above him seemed to sense this and started diving down towards him. Harry managed to shoo them away before he took to the air and started chasing after the key. He discovered that it was the one with the broken wing and managed to catch it.

He then tossed it over to Ron who managed to catch it and shove it inside the lock before he opened the door and he and Hermione raced inside and Harry soared in through the door next and the door slammed shut with all of the other keys ramming into it. Once they were inside the room Harry put his broomstick down and lit the tip of his wand with Ron and Hermione since the room was extremely dark.

"Now where are we?" Ron wondered.

"I'm not sure." Hermione began as they started walking closer to the place in front of them. "It looks like a graveyard." She finished.

"This is no graveyard." Ron began when suddenly the place lit up. "It's a chess board." He finished.

"Chess board? You mean like wizard's chess?" Hermione questioned him anxiously hoping that it wouldn't be played out like real wizard's chess.

"I do believe so, but all we have to do is play our way a crossed the room." Ron told them before he started giving his friends instructions and then they all took their places and started making their moves and watching pieces get smashed. Finally, it was down to their last two moves and Ron realized what he had to do. For he was a knight and he already knew that he had to sacrifice himself so that Harry could get to Voldemort.

"Ron no! Don't! You can't!" Harry cried.

"Do you want to stop you-know-who from getting that stone or not?" Ron questioned him. "Harry, it's you that has to go on I know it. Not me, not Hermione, you!" He told him as Harry just simply nodded his head while Ron took a deep breath. "Knight to H3." He said and both Harry and Hermione watched in horror as Ron's piece was destroyed and he fell to the ground. Both of them rushed to his aide and then knelt down beside him.

"Get Ron to the hospital wing and then go to the owlery and send a message to Dumbledore and a note to my father explaining everything. I know that he didn't want me facing Voldemort by myself, but he's right,.. I have to go on." He told her.

"You'll be okay Harry." Hermione began more so telling herself this than him this. "You're a great wizard, you really are." She told him but Harry just shook his head at her.

"You're a much better witch." He told her.

"Yeah right, me with my books and cleverness." She began while stifling a laugh. "I've learned that there are much more important things like books and cleverness. Just whatever happens promise me that you'll be careful." She told him as he nodded.

"I promise." He replied before he stood up and started walking towards the final room. As he entered the final room, he instantly placed a hand to his forehead as his scar started burning again. He couldn't believe what he saw. For there right in front of him was the Mirror of Erised and,.. his defense against the dark arts teacher Professor Quirrell. "No! It's you! But it can't be!" He cried when suddenly Professor Quirrell turned to face him.

"Of course it's me you dear boy!" He exclaimed. "And after all, who would suspect p-p-poor s-s-stuttering Professor Quirrell!" He cried out.

"So that day during the Qudditch match, you tried to kill me." Harry suddenly realized.

"Very good Snape, but unfortunately for me your father's counter curse was much stronger. However, fortunately for me,.." he began louder. "it turns out that I needed you alive anyways. For some strange reason I am very confused and bewildered by this mirror. It shows me what I truly desire as I see myself holding the stone,.. but how do I get it?" He wondered.

"Use the boy!" A voice hissed.

"Come here Snape now!" Quirrell demanded and Harry knew better than to disobey him as he slowly and reluctantly started walking towards him. "Now tell me,.. what do you see?" He questioned him as Harry looked at himself in the mirror and he couldn't believe what was happening to him. For his own reflection was smiling at him and winking while holding up a tiny red stone and then putting it inside his pocket. That's when suddenly to Harry's complete and utter astonishment his pocket felt heavier. As he glanced down at it he realized that the stone was now inside his own pocket.

"Well go on tell me what is it? What do you see?" Quirrell questioned him again as Harry quickly thought up something.

"I'm shaking hands with Dumbledore; I won the house cup." He lied.

"He lies!" The voice hissed once again.

"TELL THE TRUTH! WHAT DO YOU SEE!?" Quirrell bellowed.

"Let me speak to him." The voice said.

"But Master you are not strong enough." Quirrell told him.

"I have drunk enough blood for this." The voice replied as Quirrell started to remove his turban bit by bit and then where the back of his head should have been there was another face. Harry widened his eyes in shock as it began to speak to him.

"Harry Snape, we meet again." It hissed and that's when Harry knew,..

"Voldemort." He simply just stated.

Hey guys I'm sorry if the chess scene was kind of rushed but it was rather difficult for me to remember lol so I decided to just jump ahead to the ending climax.