Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stomach Ache

Chapter 18

What if something unexpected stole Harry's thunder?

By

Jason Richard

That night Harry dreamed. He could hear his mother sobbing, begging, saying, "Please, not Harr!" A cold cruel voice told her to step aside, but she refused. There was a flash of green light, and then...

Harry woke up in the hospital wing feeling groggy. He looked around and found Dumbledore sitting next to his bed with a worried look on his face. Despite Dumbledore's concern, Harry started to feel good.

Harry, "I did it, didn't I? I stopped Voldemort from getting the sorcerers stone!"

Dumbledore, "Yes…" said Dumbledore hesitantly. "You...you were hurt under our watch, when we, the Hogwarts professors are supposed to look after our students. I feel like I let you down, and that's very serious. Are you sure you're alright?"

Harry, "Are you kidding? I feel great! Whoo Hoo! The boy who lived triumphs again!"

Dumbledore, "Ah! Well, that's good. Would you excuse me for a moment?"

Dumbledore got up and wet to the door, where the other teachers were waiting outside. McGonagall, Sprout, Snape, Flitwick and the others were all very concerned.

Dumbledore, whispered, "We can call off the lawyers. He's not going to sue."

Sighs of relief everywhere.

Dumbledore closed the door and went back to Harry's hospital bed, sitting down.

"I'm sure you have questions," said Dumbledore.

"Sure," said Harry. "What's going to happen to the Sorcerer's stone?"

"Philosopher's stone, Harry," said Dumbledore. "And it's going to be destroyed. Nicolas Flamel and I decided that it's too dangerous to keep around, lest Voldemort get his hands on it."

Harry, "Won't he die without the Elixir of life?"

Dumbledore, "Of course, but he has lived a long life, and for someone like him death is merely the next step, like going to sleep after a very, very long day. Of course, now that I think about it I wonder how his wife took the news."

…

Nicolas cowered behind the table as his wife screamed at the top of her lungs, "YOU DID WHAT WITH THE PHILOSOPHERS STONE?!"

And the man had to duck as a plate flew over his head and broke against the wall behind him.

…

Dumbledore shrugged and said, "Eh, I'm sure she took it well. Now, I'm sure you have other questions."

Harry, "Yes. Was it really Quirrell and not Snape that I encountered?"

Dumbledore, "I'm afraid so. Snape is not as evil as he seems."

Harry, "could've fooled me."

Dumbledore, "Yeah I've told him to work on that but he's kind of stubborn. Anyway, next question?"

Harry, "Why was the mirror of Erised there?"

Dumbledore, "That was the final lock. You see the Mirror of Erised reads a person's desires in order to determine a person's deepest desire. I cast an additional spell so that only someone whose desire was to find the stone but not use it would be able to get it."

Harry, "Wait...wouldn't that mean Nicolas Flamel himself couldn't get it? I mean his intention was to use it so that he could keep on living. Wasn't it?"

Dumbledore, "Yes, but I could get it for him since I didn't want to use it myself. If you want to get the stone so that someone else could use it then that's fine. Voldemort couldn't get it because he wanted it, and Quirrell couldn't get it because he and Voldemort were sharing a body."

"Buuuuut…" said Harry. "If one could get it so that someone else could use it, couldn't Voldemort just have detached his spirit? If he'd done that Quirrell could have gotten it so so that someone else could use it...someone like Voldemort. Couldn't he?"

Dumbledore, "Oh yes, and then he who must not be named would have gotten his body back, returned to full power, and taken over the wizarding world. Lucky they didn't think of that isn't it?"

"Yeah," said Harry nervously. "Lucky. Okay then. How come when Quirrell touched me he started burning up? I noticed this before I passed out from him strangling me to death."

Dumbledore, "That, Harry, that is because of what happened the night your parents died. Near as I could tell when Voldemort approached their house your mother Lily went to protect you while James Potter tried to fend Voldemort off. It didn't go well for him. As far as I can tell he fought bravely, but he was no match for Voldemort."

Harry, "And My mother?"

"Well," said Dumbledore. "She was a talented witch but must have known she couldn't defeat Voldemort any more than her husband could. Even so, she must have stood her ground."

"She did," said Harry. "I think I can remember that. Even knowing she would die she wouldn't step aside let Voldemort kill me."

Dumbledore, "And that's why he cannot touch you. She gave her life so that you might live, and that placed upon you a powerful magic that resides in your very skin. Love Harry. That's how your mother saved you."

Harry, "Wait...I was literally saved by the power of love? Not some special magical power or ancient prophecy? Just...the power of love?"

Dumbledore, "Pretty much."

Harry, "Huh. That feels like a plot from an 80's cartoon or a Disney movie. Kind of underwhelming honestly. Of course, now that you mention it, why has everyone praising me? I mean if you really think about it, then it was my mother who beat Voldemort, not me! If they realized that then they might not care as much about the boy who lived. If you knew this, why didn't you tell anyone?"

Dumbledore, "Well people seemed so happy believing a baby beat Voldemort. Who was I to ruin that?"

Harry, "That makes no sense."

Dumbledore, "Well it's too late for that. Does this mean you're going to tell people?"

Harry, "Hah. As if. No, I'm going to milk the fame of being the boy who lived until the day I die, having people ask for my autographs and shower me with attention. It's what my parents would have wanted I'm sure."

Dumbledore, "Huh."

That put Dumbledore's mind thinking. Maybe letting the world believe this baby was a messiah who had defeated Voldemort wasn't such a good idea. It seemed to be going to Harry's head, so maybe the time was right to take Harry down a peg.

…

"Well," said Harry, feeling good about himself as he waited outside the grand hall. "Let's go meet our adoring fans."

"Yeah," said Ron sulkily. "Your adoring fans. You're the one who actually faced Voldemort."

"Oh who cares," said Hermione, looking through her notebook furiously. "All that time we spent trying to save the Philosopher's stone has put us back on our studying."

Ron, "Finals are over already. What are you studying for the second year already?"

Hermione, "That's insulting. I've already started studying for our third year."

Harry, "Would you two stop arguing? Please? We're here. Come on. They're going to love all of us."

And as he tried to open the doors to the grand hall they wouldn't budge.

Harry, "Huh?"

Suddenly they could hear Dumbledore's voice from inside the hall.

Dumbledore, "Ladies and gentlemen an extraordinary thing happened in the third-floor corridor. This tiny little thing wandered into the forbidden room and was present as Quirrell and Voldemort tried to steal a precious magical artifact. In all other cases, any of these in the area when Voldemort appeared were blown to smithereens, but by miraculous circumstances, this one survived. Students of Hogwarts, and reporters from The Daily Prophet, I am pleased to introduce you to...the puppy who lived!"

Cheers rose up from inside the great all and they could hear the sound of camera flashes.

Harry, "This is going to steal my thunder, isn't it?"

Hermione, "Yeah."

Ron, "Probably."

Harry sighed and, playing a hunch that Dumbledore wanted him to hear that but not interfere, he pushed the doors again and of course, they opened this time. Harry sighed and went with everyone else to greet...the puppy who lived.