Disclaimer: Not mine, I only own the plot of this fanfic and Carya, some parts are copied from the book, you might notice that some people got into different houses than in the books by JKR; this has only minor reasons, but I need them to be where they are now ^_^

Author's Notes: Finally, I didn't have access to FF.Net for most of yesterday. Due to an annoying overload-message and refresh problems with my browser. But here it is, the second last chapter of book one.

Thanks for the reviews I got to 'Sephrenia of Ylara' and 'shadow4284' (^_^). You can find answers to your reviews in the Author's Notes.

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Chapter 11 - The Philosopher's Stone

As evening approached the friends felt the odd atmosphere which was hanging all over the castle. It seemed dark - darker than ever.

"This is it. I can fell it. We are going through that trapdoor tonight," said Harry seriously. Ginny wanted to protest but Carya reminded her of how it had been when Voldemort was in full power.

"No, Ginny, Harry is right. Don't you remember what was in the history books? How it was like in those days when Voldemort was in full power? I've read about that in my mothers diary and I certainly don't want to grow up in a world like that. It must have been horrible. Not to know whom you could trust. Not knowing who was friend and who was enemy. Or coming home and see that mark - the Dark Mark - above your house ..." Carya couldn't go on.

They all knew and yet they only knew from books. But not even one of them wanted to find out for real what it had been like. They agreed to collect Hermione at the Ravenclaw common room when everyone else was asleep.

Ginny stayed behind and was covering for them in the common room.

"Good luck!" she said. "Please come back in one piece, okay?"

Carya, Harry and Draco nodded and made their way towards the Ravenclaw common room where Hermione was waiting for them. The four of them silently crept through the corridors. No one got in their way. Not even Peeves which was very odd and soon they'd reached the third floor corridor.

Harry pushed the door open. As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. Fluffy was sleeping and the harp that stood next to him kept playing as if it was enchanted.

"Quirrell must have left it there," said Carya.

"It must wake up the moment you stop playing," added Harry. "Well, here we go..."

With that they one after another jumped through the trapdoor. They landed on something soft.

"What is a plant doing here?" wondered Draco.

But as soon as he had asked that the strange plant began to wrap itself around the four first years. They were struggling and trying to get free. It was Hermione who remembered that it was a Devil's Snare. The others panicked but she stayed calm and told them what they should do.

"Harry, Draco, Carya, listen! You have to relax. It's a Devil's Snare. It will kill you if you don't relax," she said calmly.

They didn't believe her but they knew they could trust Hermione with things like that. One after the other slowly relaxed and soon they were underneath the plant all safe and healthy.

When they got into the next room they heard something that sounded like hundreds of wings. They actually were winged keys and as soon as Harry and Draco figured out what to do they instructed the girls.

"Seems we have to find the right key for that door over there," Harry said.

And Draco added "Probably an small one if you can judge by the size of that the keyhole."

Once they'd found the right key they tossed it at the girls who quickly opened the door and shut it directly behind the boys. But their was barely time to relax because they were faced with the next task. A giant chess set that covered the whole room.

"Shit, what do we do now? I'm not even average level in chess," said Hermione and got a glare from the twins because she always beat them at chess. It seemed that either the twins nor Hermione were really good at chess but Draco was a fairly good player.

"I can do it. I've always been good at chess," he told them and they instantly felt better.

He instructed the others which positions to take and then they played what seemed for hours but it was only a few minutes. Draco was good but soon they got stuck in a situation where there was only one way out if they wanted to win.

Carya saw that as well and shouted: "No Draco, you can't..." But the boy interrupted her.

"I can and I will. Do you want to stop Quirrell or not?" he yelled.

When he got no answer to that he told Harry what to do after his next move. Harry was worried but promised Draco they would do as he said. When Draco was taken by the opposite queen Harry checkmated the king.

They'd won but Draco was injured and unconscious now. Carya told Hermione to take Draco to the hospital wing and then send an owl to Dumbledore. They departed and Harry and Carya were left alone. In the next room was a dead troll with a nasty wound on its head.

"I'm glad Quirrell took care of his own trap but did he have to make such a mess?" Carya said and held a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from throwing up.

Harry only grimaced and they quickly hurried into the next room. As soon as they went through the door a fire sprang up behind them blocking the way back and another fire sprang up at the opposite door.

The one behind them was purple and that in front of them was pure black in colour. There were seven bottles standing on that table in the middle of the room. And a piece of parchment lay there as well.

Carya started to read it aloud:

'Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,

Two of us will help you, which ever you would find,

One among us seven will let you move ahead,

Another will transport the drinker back instead,

Two among our number hold only nettle wine,

Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line.

Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,

To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:

First, however slyly the poison tries to hide

You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;

Second, different are those who stand at either end,

But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;

Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,

Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;

Fourth, the second left and the second on the right

Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.'

"Bloody hell, this is about logic. I suck at that," exclaimed Harry.

"Don't worry, dear brother. I think I can figure it out!" said his sister but the look on her face told that she, too, was worried.

After what seemed an eternity she shouted "Got it! - The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire -- toward the Stone. Hmm, this is hardly enough for one of us. ... Wait I've an idea. Engorgio!".

The bottle grew and now there was enough potion for both of them. They didn't bother with the other potion because they agreed that they would worry about that later. The potion felt like ice and then they stepped through the fire. On the other side they saw a man standing in front of a mirror. It was whom they had expected to see.

In front of the mirror they'd once found in that abandoned classroom stood their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher - Professor Quirrell. Harry was the first to speak

"We knew it was you!" he stated calmly.

This seemed to disturb Quirrell and he asked curiously "How could YOU have known?"

"Simple," answered Carya, "We saw what you did at that Quidditch match. And the look you gave me was more than clear. And the feeling in the forest ... it was the same one we got on our first day here when we looked at you."

"I see but this time no one will save you. This time I kill you both!" Quirrell shouted and with a snap of his fingers the twins were bound by ropes that appeared out of thin air.

With that done Quirrell turned around and continued studying the mirror. He got angrier every second because he couldn't figure out what to do with the mirror. He only saw himself holding the stone or giving it to his master.

Suddenly the air was filed with a cold voice. "Use the boy!"

"Come here boy! Look in the mirror and tell me what you see." Quirrell ordered and Harry couldn't resist.

He just walked towards him. Harry's thought centred around how to lie about what he might see in the mirror. By now he had a fairly good idea how the mirror was working. He also knew that Carya was thinking the same as him.

They knew by now how to control their telepathic abilities. Sometimes they were able to actually read each others thoughts without any effort at all - just like now.

Harry looked into the mirror and saw his smiling reflection. His mirror-self reached into his pocket and pulled out the stone. When the reflection put its hand back into the pocket Harry could feel the stone against his leg. Behind him Carya struggled to get free but her efforts were in vain.

/You have to lie to him, brother! Please, do something!/ Carya told him.

/I'm trying, I'm trying!!/ Harry sent back.

He began to speak. "I see myself. I'm team-captain and I'm holding the Quidditch Cup," he told Quirrell.

But the voice spoke again. "He lies ... he lies!" it said, "Let me speak to him... face-to-face...!"

After that Quirrell began to unwrap his turban. When he turned around both Harry and Carya would have screamed, but they couldn't make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face they had ever seen.

It was totally white, with slits for nostrils like a snake and it had glaring crimson eyes.

"Harry Potter..." it whispered.

Harry tried to take a step backward but his legs wouldn't move. He was starting to fell the panic he had missed all the time. Okay not really missed but he had known that he was way to calm.

"Voldemort," he whispered more to himself than to someone else.

"Yes, see what I have become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapour ... I have form only when I can share another's body... but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds.... Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks... you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest... and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own.... Now... why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"

So he knew. Suddenly Harry could feel his legs again and stumbled backward towards the spot where Carya was standing. She had finally succeeded in trying to throw of the ropes. She was staring at the creature all wizards and witches feared most in the whole world.

/Don't let him scare you Harry. We have to get through this. For our sake and that of our friends!/ his sister told him through their bond.

/Yeah, I know but how? You've to help me, sister. I can't do this without you,/ Harry replied.

"Don't be a fool," snarled the face. "Better save your own life and join me... or you'll meet the same end as your parents.... They died begging me for mercy..."

"LIAR!" Harry and Carya shouted suddenly and in unison.

Quirrell was walking backward at them, so that Voldemort could still see them. The evil face was now smiling.

"How touching..." it hissed. "I always value bravery... Yes, my children, your parents were brave.... I killed your father first; and he put up a courageous fight... but your mother needn't have died... she was trying to protect you.... Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain."

"NEVER!" they both shouted.

The twins weren't fools. They knew they wouldn't stand a chance if they stayed much longer. Sometimes it was better to run. Just like Draco had told them shortly before Christmas. 'The one who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.' And the tried to run away. But Quirrell was faster.

(A/N: Quote above taken from VMorticia's Slytherin Code of Conduct!)

He held Harry by the wrist and a sharp pain seared through Harry's scar. Carya tried to help her brother and pulled at Quirrell's arm ignoring the pain in her chest that made it almost impossible to breathe. Suddenly Quirrell let go of Harry who fell to the floor panting heavily.

The pain in the boys head and the girls chest lessened -- Harry looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone, and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers -- they were blistering before his eyes.

"Seize him! SEIZE HIM!" shrieked Voldemort again.

Quirrell lunged, knocking Harry right back down, landing on top of him, both hands around Harry's neck -- Harry's scar was almost blinding him with pain, yet he could see Quirrell howling in agony.

"Master, I cannot hold him -- my hands -- my hands!"

And Quirrell, though pinning Harry to the ground with his knees, let go of his neck and stared, bewildered, at his own palms -- Harry could see they looked burned, raw, red, and shiny.

"Then kill him, fool, and be done!" screeched Voldemort.

At this Carya interrupted again and tried to pull Quirrell off her brother but her attempts were in vain. She was thrown across the room and hit the wall. Quirrell raised his hand to perform a deadly curse, but Harry, by instinct, reached up and grabbed Quirrell's face -- Carya's interference had given him enough space to act.

"AAAARGH!" the creature that once had been a wizard in front of him screamed.

Quirrell rolled off him, his face blistering, too, and then Harry knew: Quirrell couldn't touch his bare skin, not without suffering terrible pain -- his only chance was to keep hold of Quirrell, keep him in enough pain to stop him from doing a curse.

Harry jumped to his feet, caught Quirrell by the arm, and hung on as tight as he could. Quirrell screamed and tried to throw Harry off. Carya got up again, joined him and hung on Quirrell's other side while the pain in Harry's head and Carya's chest was building.

He couldn't see a thing and she could hardly breathe -- they could only hear Quirrell's terrible shrieks and Voldemort's yells of, "KILL THEM! KILL THEM!"

And there were other voices, maybe in their own heads, crying, "Harry! Carya!"

They felt Quirrell's arm wrenched from their grasp, knew all was lost, tried to hold onto each other, each of them grabbing the stone with their right hand and fell into blackness. The feeling of the stone against their palms was the last they remembered.

When Harry woke up he realised that he was in the hospital wing. He then remembered what had happened before he blacked out and frantically searched around the room until he spotted his sister in the bed next to him - sleeping almost peacefully.

Harry gently woke her up through their bond and when she opened her eyes she could see that Professor Dumbledore had entered the room and walked towards them. Harry immediately asked what had happened to the stone and Dumbledore tried to calm him down.

"Everything is alright Harry, please calm down or Madam Pomfrey will throw me out." The headmaster said. "I will try and answer your questions if I can."

Carya's chest still hurt, so she decided to listen instead of asking questions.

The headmaster explained that all the presents were from their friends and admirers, that their friends were fine and that they'd been here for three days now. They were also told that it seemed almost too late to rescue the twins. They had used so much energy to stop Quirrell that it had almost killed them.

Carya couldn't help but shiver at that thought and Harry didn't feel that good either. When Harry again asked what had happened to the Philosopher's stone, he then told them. The stone was destroyed and couldn't be used by anyone ever again.

The twins were relieved about that but concerned about Dumbledore's friend Nicolas Flamel. They didn't ask about what had happened to Voldemort. The twins just knew that he wasn't gone. That one day he might be back and that there was very little they could do about it right now. Dumbledore told them that everything was fine.

Harry nodded, but stopped quickly, because it made his head hurt and Carya agreed silently.

Then he said, "Sir, there are some other things I'd like to know, if you can tell us... things I want to know the truth about...."

"The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie."

"Well... Voldemort said that he only killed our mother because she tried to stop him from killing us. But why would he want to kill us in the first place?"

Dumbledore sighed very deeply this time. "Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know, one day... put it from your mind for now, Harry, Carya. When you are older... I know you hate to hear this... when you are ready, you will know." And the twins knew that arguing was useless now.

"But why couldn't Quirrell touch us?" Carya asked carefully.

"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realise that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign... to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good."

"And sir, there's one more thing..."

"Just the one?" asked Dumbledore curiously.

"How did I get the Stone out of the mirror?" Harry wanted to know.

He got his answer right away: "Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something. You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone -- find it, but not use it -- would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life."

"It only shows us what we want the most at that time, right? Regardless of it being possible or not? Like us seeing our parents," Carya said.

"Yes, it only shows your deepest desire and not what can or will be. I used this tiny little thing to hide the stone. My brain surprises even me sometimes.... Now, enough questions. I suggest you make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bettie Bott's Every Flavour Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit-flavoured one, and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them -- but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?"

"Er... I wouldn't try that one," warned Harry. He had the same coloured ones on the ride to Hogwarts and Draco had laughed his head off when Harry tried to get rid of the taste.

Dumbledore only smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth. Then he choked and said, "Alas! Ear wax!"

Engorgio = enlarge

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Thx ^_^,

Carya