Disclaimer: One Piece and Harry Potter does not belong to me, each belongs to their respective author.
Challenge by TheBlackSeaReaper.
Beta: TheBlackSeaReaper and UnorthodoxDreamer
-.- The man with two faces
The great advantage of having gone for the stone before exams was that Hermione had been free to force them to study for exams.
And now, after an hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented self-stirring cauldrons, and long days of making a pineapple tap-dance across a desk, turning a mouse into a snuffbox, and trying to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion, they were free; free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out.
"That was far easier than I thought it would be," said Hermione as they joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds. "I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."
Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterward, fortunately the twins had chosen that moment to arrive.
"Small First years, ready to enjoy a sunny day after several ones in darkness?"
"No need to say it" Ron muttered.
"Hey, there's Hagrid," said Neville suddenly.
"It's been a long time since the last time we visited Hagrid," Hermione said. "Why don't we visit him?"
All automatically accepted, eager to get away from the interior of the castle and thus the subject of examinations.
Hagrid was outside his home, sitting on the front steps, in his big hands was a weapon, which he carefully checked the delicate mechanisms of, and making sure it was in good condition.
"Hello, Hagrid." Ace greeted upon arrival with the giant.
Hagrid looked up and grinned at the children. "Guys, did you already finish your exams?"
"That's right," said Neville "That looks interesting, what you have in your hands."
"This?" Asked Hagrid, lifting the object resting on his legs. "It's a crossbow; I usually use it when I go to the forest."
"Wow, cool." muttered Ron watching the weapon.
"Not so much when you have to use it in the forest," said the giant.
"Are you going into the forest?" Ace asked.
"Yes, There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by someone. This is the second time in a week. And I found two dead a week ago. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."
And with that he took the crossbow and walked into the forest.
"Wait, Hagrid!" and Ace went after the man, the rest sighed and left their stuff near the door to get behind the pirate and the giant.
Ace managed to catch up to Hagrid, "How could someone hurt a unicorn? Those things are very fast; I had problems keeping up with one of them in a race."
"That's true," the twins said.
"I don't know how you know that," Hagrid muttered, imagining that Ace had been in the forest before.
Before Hagrid could say anything more, Ace's attention turned to another part of the forest, "Firenze?"
"Good evening." A centaur that had a youthful in appearance with white-blond hair and a palomino body approached them.
"Well, let's get on with it," said Hagrid, ready to go on.
"Why would someone hurt a unicorn?" Hermione muttered.
"Little witch, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?" asked Firenze.
"No," said Hermione, startled by the odd question. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."
"That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," said Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."
"But who'd be that desperate?" wondered Neville aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, deaths better isn't it?"
"It is," Firenze agreed, "unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else - something that will bring you back to full strength and power - something that will mean you can never die."
Most of the kids gasp, and looked to one another.
"But who..."
"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, which has clung to life, awaiting their chance?"
This time only a few of them gasped, as they becoming slightly pale.
"Well, this is fascinating," Hagrid continued, "but we have a unicorn to find."
"It was a pleasure to see you again Portgas D. Ace. Fred, George, Rohan is still mad, I do not recommend you to come so soon."
And with that he continued.
"Listen," said Hagrid, turning to the children "I don't want any 'o ya to get any strange ideas, nobody will steal the stone."
"We didn't think about that." Fred said.
"In fact we had forgotten about the stone," continued George.
"Everything is Hermione's fault." Fred finished.
"My fault!? Why?!" exclaimed the girl.
"You forced too much information in our brains for the exams."
"Anyway ..." Hagrid tried to continue before being interrupted by the twins.
"Easy, Hagrid, we know it's safe, we don't need more"
Hagrid looked at them suspiciously.
"Well, we must leave, Ace needs his nap." murmured Hermione taking Ace's arm.
"Damn, again." the pirate said.
"It's called a daily nap, now let's go."
They fled the scene before Hagrid could stop them, not that he was going to do that, he had a mission, so he went after Firenze.
"You are aware that it will come a day when we can no longer use that excuse?" murmured Ron to Hermione, as they walked out of the forest.
"For the moment it works," Hermione said forcefully, "But more importantly, did you hear what Firenze said?"
A gloomy aura enveloped everyone as they got to Hagrid's hut.
"I can only think of one person," Neville said. "You-Know-Who"
"But he died." Ron said in denial, pointing to Ace leaning against the wall of the hut "Ace destroyed him."
"Many don't believe that," George said, and his twin continues:
"Dumbledore and Father among them."
"So what? You-know-who is after the stone and Snape is innocent?" Neville asked.
"It may be that Snape wants the stone for You-Know-Who." suggested Ron.
"Anyway" Interrupted Hermione "We have to tell Dumbledore, someone is after the stone and we have it."
"What are you suggesting?" Neville asked.
"We have to return the stone"
"WHAT?!"
"No way!" Ron said. "Right, Ace?"
Silence.
"Ace?"
Ace did not move, was still leaning against the wall, his head bowed, her hair obscuring his eyes.
"Don't tell me ..."
"That's correct little brother," replied George.
"He is sleep."
"No way."
"Ace, it's time to eat!"
"Keep me something."
"Ace!"
"Hermione wants to give away the stone!"
"Why?"
"You do not hear anything? You-Know-Who is coming for the stone, and we have it, he'll come for us"
"And then?" asked the pirate.
"Hermione," said Fred "I think it is impossible to discover that we have it."
"And if he knows?" Nobody said anything, and the scared girl went back to the castle.
She moved in hurried steps, anxious and nervous. She had to find someone, anyone, as in the pocket of her robes the stone weighed; it seemed to burn against her skin each time it hit against her leg. She hadn't been separated from the object since the night that they had returned to the room at night, and she had gone distressing slowly, wondering what they would say if it were found by a teacher that they had an object that was supposedly secluded behind multiple traps that had been assembled. Would they be punished? Expelled? The idea terrified her, and only those examinations had distracted her enough to forget what was in her robes.
"Hermione," said Ace catching up "Nothing will happen to you."
"You don't know that." She replied tensely.
"No, it's 'cause if someone tries to hurt you I will kick they're ass." Hermione stopped, but without looking at Ace, or any of the guys who were behind the young pirate, the boy's voice echoing in the walls of the castle entrance, completely deserted due to the lack of students who had fled to the warm day and the breeze outside. "That will happen to anyone who tries to harm any of my friends"
The girl remained still, Ace had come towards her and placed his hand on her shoulder looking to comfort, while Hermione, confused and in a mental battle, trying to cling to the words of Ace, which continued ringing, but this time inside her head.
A voice suddenly rang across the hall.
"What are you doing inside?"
It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.
"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," Said Hermione, rather bravely, willing to break the echo that had formed in her head and would not let her think clearly.
"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very suspicious thing to want to do. "Why? Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."
"He's gone?" said Neville frantically. "Now?"
"Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Longbottom, he has many demands for his time -"
"But..."
"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Granger?"
Hermione said nothing, the hand of Ace's hand still on her shoulder, and dared to watch him for a second, for the first time since she had chosen to go to the castle and deliver the heavy burdenin her robe. The countenance of Ace was quiet and firm, he was really sure of what he'd said, and Hermione could feel that if he could he would do it, and could not help remembering the face he had when he had seen Neville when he had such a defeated spirit. Breathing deeply she returned her eyes to Professor McGonagall.
"Sorry, Professor, I panicked," said firm and secure with herself before saying a half truth "I don't feel like I have done well in the exams and ..."
The Professor's face relaxed, probably failing to account for where came all the anguish and fear that Hermione brought with her when she said she had to talk to Dumbledore.
"It happens to everyone, Miss Granger" she looked both ways making sure they were alone. "But if you are afraid that we to take you out it will not happen. Professor Flitwick told me in secret that you got a hundred and twelve percent on his exam. I think you are doing perfectly." Then she returned to her authoritarian attitude, adding quickly. "Now, I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine." and off they went.
They didn't wait to be told nothing more and retreated before something else happened. Once they were back in the sun and gentle breeze, Hermione paused and muttered weakly like a little mouse, she looked down. "Sorry, I panicked" but Ace had his hand on her head in an affectionate sign that all was well.
"By the way, Ace" George said.
"Before we leave behind the issue" continue Fred.
"And we forget what happened that night"
"You want to explain what you did with the fire?"
"Right," said Neville "The Enkai spell"
"Spell?" Ace said as they reached the desired location by the lake "That wasn't a spell."
"No? Then what was it?"
Leaning on the grass the pirate meditate a moment how to explain it "I ate a Devil's Fruit" If he had his eyes open he would had view the questioning gaze of all, Ron and Neville even looked at Hermione as if waiting for an explanation "The Mera-Mera no Mi, I am a man of fire."
"Never had heard that before," Hermione muttered.
"Devil's fruit, sounds like something big."
"But what does meramera mean... Ace?"
"Not again!"
Ace had fallen asleep.
-.-
"I was thinking," said Ron the next morning at breakfast. "Yesterday was the perfect day to commit the theft."
Hermione looked both ways to make sure that nobody would listen, nobody was listening, and there was almost one meter before the next person.
"Why you say that, brother?" asked Fred.
"Dumbledore is the only one You-know-how has always feared, and yesterday he went out."
"How convenient."
"Brilliant, Little brother, certainly brilliant."
Neville looked at the staff table where Snape was talking to Flitwick. "Snape look like he always does."
"It may be that the one who gave Norbert to Hagrid wasn't Snape." Ace said before eating a big piece of bacon.
"Then who?" asked Hermione looked away from the staff table.
"Well, if he or she is at Hogwarts, we will know." George said.
"Agh, for God sake!" Hermione muttered, "What did you do now?"
"Nothing," they both said "Nothing out of the ordinary."
She just grumbled.
"Well, at least will you tell us what you did?" Ron asked.
"No..."
Hermione stared.
"By definition it must be something elaborate, I didn't see anything in any of the rooms"
The twins watched her, both smiling.
"Of course you didn't see anything."
"It was so subtle,"
"A work of art."
"Even though you didn't see it because you were with Ace."
Hermione opened her eyes widely, clearly tying the different tracks she had, while Ron and Neville simply nodded as if to confirm that what you just said.
"Did you come prepared or did you only invert them?" Ace asked.
The twins smiled satisfied that the boy had discovered the mystery.
"We had to improvise."
"You are crazy!" Hermione exclaimed, before dropping back her voice "two of them had poison."
"So? We solved it before."
"Although even I have doubts in that last one."
"Which one?" Hermione insisted
"The last ... the one which was to return."
The girl dropped her head on the table in frustration.
"Relax," said Ace, while drinking some juice "You get stressed too much."
Hermione looked up quickly, in such a sudden movement that Neville sitting next to her, had the need to get away, "Do you have any idea what might have happened if you had not done what you did with...?" her lip curled looking how to externalize what she wanted to say, and everyone understood she meant to the mere-mere fruit. "If they made a mistake, we would be dead."
"But we're not, relax." insisted Ace.
The girl just grunted, but decided to leave that discussion for peace and insist on other matters. "Ace you had not drunk your potion."
"Hermione..."
"With this I am not going to relax, if you want the other topic to be forgot, ok, but do not ask me more now, where your potion?"
Like a little boy who was scolded and tried to take away attention to the problem, Ace looked away and murmured with disinterest: "Up."
"And what are you waiting for?"
The guys pretended not to hear anything. And only to not encourage the stress of Hermione, Ace finished his juice, and simply stood up to leaving the great hall.
He lumbered in the direction of what was the stairs to the tower for what was left of the potion that left him that lousy taste.
He reached the first landing of the stairs when a loud clatter was heard. Damn of curiosity Ace glanced backward; Professor Quirrell was on the floor of the stairs.
"Ah ... Ace ..." that had sounded more like a question. "Could you help me, I can't stand up."
Oh well! Any way A few more minutes wouldn't affect much more. Ace went down the steps toward the man, and reached out to hold his hand and then pull him to put it up. Ace ignore how strange it was that the man had been slow to take his hand, or seemed to take too long to react to what he said to him, so as to grab tightly the hand of the boy.
He stood up the man swiftly and without much effort, but the man refused to release him, he even grabbed Ace's opposite shoulder as looking for more support.
"At least with your life ..." Ace could only listen and try to understand what that meant, when suddenly the man threw himself with full force at the boy and Ace, only because he had been taken by surprise, he lost his balance and fell against the steps, while some hands tangled at the back of his neck. While rolling down the stairs, Ace began to take out his flame, burning the hands tightly holding him and refusing to let go. Hitting the ground, Ace was ready to burst into flames, but without notice something struck Quirrell in the head, separating him from the boy and throwing him against the stairs again. Everything had happened in seconds.
Ace, still with flames in the hands and arms, quickly prepared to attack if attacked. But the man did not rise as fast as expected, searched the ground looking like a fulcrum, and when a voice came right behind Ace, the man never flinched, as if he had not heard anything.
A black figure moved to the side of Ace, wand in hand and steadily, ready in case Quirrell chose to rise up and attack.
Ace stood up, ignoring Professor McGonagall who had come to his side to make sure he was okay, and advanced to Quirrell being one step closer than Snape.
"At least with your life," Quirrell murmured again "I will be useful to my master." blank man's eyes did not look at Ace. They looked lost, as he groped the floor, looking for something but even as he touch his wand the man was still groping looking for something, while black smoke pouring from the turban.
"Portgas, step back." Snape said wand even higher, although the man did not seem to be a threat, for some reason he was blind, and Ace was sure he could not hear or feel anything either.
Suddenly, the black smoke around Quirrell, as if it were alive moved swiftly in the direction of the exit, passing dangerously close to Ace, where Snape, unaware that the boy was ready to burst into flames, took him from the robes getting him away from the road, letting the smoke ran out of the castle.
On the stairs, Quirrell no longer was moving.
-.-
The official story, which they got from Hagrid, was that someone outside the castle had entered and robbed the stone, weeks before Quirrell made his attempt and drunk the wrong potion that slowly atrophied his sense in a torturous death.
"On the positive side, Dumbledore says, is that You-Know-Who didn't get the stone." Said the giant.
"That's good" say Ron smiling.
"It must be a very talented wizard to have gotten past all the traps that you put." George smile knowingly.
"Undoubtedly, besides a skilled thief," said Hagrid, without knowing the compliment he just made to the children sitting at his table. "Even I don't understand how he could pass Fluffy"
"And speaking of Fluffy, What will happen to him?" Neville said, pushing the conversation away from the robbery, he did not feel comfortable with the idea that they had stolen something.
Hagrid replied quickly, as if it were a fact from the beginning. "He will return home, where he lived before all this."
"And where was that?" Hermione asked.
"In the Forbidden Forest."
"Excellent." murmured several voices in chorus.
"You think we can go visit occasionally?" Fred asked excitedly.
Hagrid left the pot on the table and stared at the whole group. "Listen, do not believe that I don't know what you all did" Neville and Hermione were momentarily scared "even if I thank you for keeping Fluffy company, what would have happened if in your many visits you have encountered the thief?" the children quickly relaxed, knowing that Hagrid knew nothing of the stone.
"Fluffy would have defended us!" exclaimed Ron proudly, quickly followed by Neville.
"If not, Ace had taken up the matter."
"Speaking of Ace, he is late." Hermione muttered "He only went to Madam Pomfrey to collect his ration of potion to regulate his sleep."
Inside castle, certainly Ace had gone to get his potion, which he stubbornly refused to take, no matter how much Hermione insisted. But on his way to Hagrid's hut he stopped by the giant hourglasses.
Rubies, Sapphires, Diamonds and Emeralds, were falling in the giant hourglasses, and Ace wondered which could be the real purpose of all these hourglasses with gems.
Steps were heard, letting Ace know that he would have company soon. The steps were firm, but at the same time light and quiet.
Ace knew only a few steps like that. "They are fascinating." said Dumbledore's voice, just behind Ace. The boy did not answer, at the time he could not be sure what his opinion of man was, but something about him drove Ace to keep his guard up.
"I have several boxes of chocolate frogs waiting in my office, Ace." He had used his name, he had said Ace ... he never used his name. "Could you come with me to my office?" Ace felt he ought to be careful with the peculiar situation.
"Excuse me," said the young pirate in mock courtesy, "But my friends are waiting for me at Hagrid's"
The man just smiled. "Sure, I'll be brief" and return his sight to the hourglasses, the man really was lucky: there was nobody around "The night your parents died, your mother" Lily Potter Ace reminded, creating the barrier that separate him from that woman "she sacrificed her life to protect you, that kind of sacrifice leaves a mark, not physical like a scar, but something deeper, this mark of unconditional love protect you and was strong while you're near your family, so you lived with your aunt" the Dursleys, Ace reminded, that was not family, perhaps Harry Potter was bound to them by a blood tie, but Portgas D. Ace had nothing to do with them." Two years ago you escaped the Dursleys without trace, and thought that protection mark had faded, but yesterday you were attacked by Professor Quirrell possessed by Voldemort, and you were protected by fire, that made me think that the mark is still alive " Ace smile, the old man thought that the Mera-mera no mi was a mark of protection, he clutch his fists."You can laugh, it may sound strange, but I saw the fire, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape were there too, and saw it as well " Ace tried hard not to laugh "Harry, we need to keep the mark alive, and so I ask you to return this summer with the Dursleys."
That was all it took for Ace to lose controlled, and the boy directed a dark look to man.
"I will not go back to that place," Ace said, while Dumbledore watched the boy for a moment, and Ace interpreted it as an attempt to read what to do and take his next step, every time the man did that he felt like he was starting to get a headache.
"I understand you do not like being there, but with Voldemort lurking ..."
"Let him come if he wants it, I will not hide myself, I will not flee," said the young pirate" but if he expects to find a frightened child he is really wrong."
"Ace, you should go home."
"That place is not my home; my only home is in the sea."
And he left in the direction of Hagrid's hut. He was a pirate, free and nobody would say what do with his life.
-.-
The last weeks passed like water which ran into the sea, and soon they realized it was time to pack up and go home. In the bedroom, Ron, Neville and Ace were packing their trunks, Ron containing the intense desire to just throw everything in the trunk.
A knock at the door distracted all of them, the door opened; Professor McGonagall was there and said before someone could ask something:
"Portgas, a moment please."
The young pirate followed the teacher, who took him out of the tower, and led him to the first empty classroom. The teacher sat in a chair while Ace sat in the opposite one, across the table. She remained thoughtful for a moment, and Ace recognized that as concern and as a signal that she was searching how to start.
"Is something wrong, Minnie?" Ace said to ease pressure.
"Do not call me that, Portgas." said the woman trying to regain authority without much success, before sighing "I'll go straight to the point, I heard you do not want to go back to the Dursley's."
The boy's smile fell apart, showing on his face and semblant he did not like this in the slightest.
"You were sent to convince me." Growled the boy.
"No, I came to hear why you refuse to go."
The pirate sighed, looking away toward the ground.
"You had a problem with them?"
"Thousands ..." murmured the pirate "Those people didn't care for Harry Potter, they were capricious, selfish, and even they really made a group of mountain bandits seem like a loving family."
The teacher looked at Ace one moment. Mountain bandits? Minerva knew of the family of Lily Potter's sister was bad, but they couldn't be worse than a gang of thieves. "Were you mistreated?" she asked without thinking about whether it was appropriate to say the question.
"You have no idea." said the boy, before getting lost again in memories of his childhood with Dadan.
Meanwhile Minerva sighed distraught, what kind of childhood had this child? She could not let him go back there "Yet the problem still persists," said the woman as she stood standing "We must solve the problem of where you stay during the summer."
"I planned to tour England, Ron mentioned that there were dragons in this country, I would like to see one."
"You'll be twelve in July; you're hardly young enough to be left alone! Wandering around the country aimlessly, Ace you are still a kid."
"I did that for a whole year since I left the Dursleys, also who would allow me to stay with? In The Leakey Caldron? I don't think Tom wants another summer like the last one."
Definitely not, thought McGonagall, besides that stay in the Leakey Caldron had been quite expensive for all the food.
"Will You could stay with me," said the Professor
"What?"
"I cannot leave you alone like that; you will spend the summer at home with me."
"But-"
"Please Ace."
He should have left this conversation a while ago. Ace thought this had been a bad idea the moment the teacher had that expression, watching him so over protectively, he knew he was weak at those kinds of looks. Damn! It had been so long ago that somebody looked at him in that way, although the expert was still Makino, after so many years still the memory of that woman asking him to no matter where he went and even if he had seventeen-years, he should remember to be respectful and do not forget the lessons given to him as well as a milepost list of tips that he still follow up today.
"Ace?" insisted the teacher standing in front of him.
"Alright! I'll spend the summer at your home, but only this summer." and the teacher smiled.
It would be an interesting summer.
-.-
Author's Notes.
Yes! I finished!
Ok, first of all, I want to introduce UnorthodoxDreamer who will be supporting me as beta starting this chapter. Thanks a lot.
Well, with this we closed the Philosopher's Stone (after two years, yei!). Now… let's start with the Chamber of Secrets…