Chapter 14 -- The Two Faces
"You!" gasped Harry.
It wasn't just Quirrell. It wasn't just Snape. It was both of them.
"Yes, it's me," said Quirrell with an evil smile. "You probably suspected Severus here. He looks the part, doesn't he? Next to him, who would suspect p-poor s-stuttering P-professor Quirrell?"
"I suspected you and not him," said Harry, pointing at Quirrell.
"How very clever of you," said Snape. "But still wrong."
Quirrell conjured cords from thin air that bound themselves around Harry.
"You both tried kill me during the Quiddich game!" said Harry.
"No, no, no. _I_ tried to kill you, and it would have worked if Snape's counterspell hadn't given your team-mates time to break your fall," said Quirrell.
"As I told Adrian later, I thought the death of a student would provoke an investigation I couldn't handle. It wasn't that I wanted to save your miserable skin," said Snape.
"Why did you want to kill me?"
"You were scurrying around at night near the forbidden room. Besides, you are an enemy of the Master, responsible for his current... condition," said Quirrell.
"You've been working together all along?"
"Not at first," said Snape. "I thought Adrian was just a greedy fool out to get the Stone for gold. On Halloween, I headed straight to the forbidden room to cut him off. I got bitten by that contemptible three-headed cur for my trouble."
"But later?"
"Later I found out that he was working for my Master, the Dark Lord. That was a different story. On the day I refereed your Quiddich match I met with him the Forbidden Forest," said Snape.
"I was nervous that he was on to me when he asked me if I had found a way around Hagrid's dog," said Quirrell. He gave an odd high-pitched laugh.
"I was offering my help," said Snape. "I told him he didn't want me as an enemy any more. Then I showed him the mark on my arm, the dark mark of the Death Eaters."
"Then you said... how did you put it?" said Quirrell.
"That if we joined forces we could accomplish much more than your bit of hocus-pocus," said Snape. "And that if you didn't act on my advice, I would suspect your loyalty to the Dark Lord."
"A bit rude, but effective," said Quirrell. "I have proved my loyalty tonight. I will obtain what Lord Voldemort most desires: the Philosopher's Stone and the Elixir of Life!"
"What happened to the Stone? Do you have it?" asked Harry.
"Not yet," said Quirrell, "But we've figured out a way to get it. It's in the mirror of Erised, and it seems Dumbledore put a spell on it so that only one who wants to get the Stone without using it can get it out."
"But you both want to use it," said Harry.
"We've thought of someone who wouldn't. Professor Binns!" said Quirrell.
"Yes, that dusty old ghost of a history professor would only want to see the Stone out of historical curiosity," said Snape.
"We'll find him, spin him a story, and lead him down here to have a look at a famous historical artifact, the Philosopher's Stone. He'll be so pleased he won't notice a few rooms with odd contents along the way," said Quirrell.
Again there was a high-pitched muffled laugh that seemed to come from under Quirrell' turban.
"We'd love to chat with you more, but it happens that we're in a hurry and you're in our way -- so I'll just finish you off now!" Quirrell raised his wand to perform the death curse.
Just then, the table with the potions on it came soaring into the room. Hermione had gotten into the potion room when the flames went down and Harry ran out. She had heard everything. Desperately trying to save Harry, she was doing the the largest Wingardium Leviosa she had ever attempted.
She lost control of it before she could get it to land on their enemies, but it did hit Harry from behind and shoved him into Quirrell. Harry's face grazed Quirrell's face, which immediately started to smoke and burn. Harry's scar also burned with excruciating pain.
They fell with Harry on top of Quirrell and the table on top of both. Quirrell's turban came loose and Harry caught a glimpse of a hideous face on the back of Quirrell's head.
"Master, it burns!" cried Quirrell.
"Then kill him, fool, and have done with it," said the high-pitched voice of Voldemort.
Harry knew his only chance was to keep hurting Quirrell so he didn't have a chance to get off a killing spell. He clutched his enemy's robes with his bound hands, ignoring his own pain. He pressed the bare skin of his face into Quirrell's as hard as he could, and the fiery effect continued. Hermione ran up to help, but she came face to face with the scowling Snape and froze in panic.
Suddenly Dumbledore arrived. He swept aside both Hermione and Snape, then pulled Harry and Quirrell apart. Quirrell was dead and Harry was unconscious.
"In the nick of time," Dumbledore said. "Harry couldn't have stood much more. Thank you for sending me a warning."
"But I didn't send you a warning," said Hermione.
"I know," said Dumbledore.
"I did," said Snape.
"You!" gasped Harry.
It wasn't just Quirrell. It wasn't just Snape. It was both of them.
"Yes, it's me," said Quirrell with an evil smile. "You probably suspected Severus here. He looks the part, doesn't he? Next to him, who would suspect p-poor s-stuttering P-professor Quirrell?"
"I suspected you and not him," said Harry, pointing at Quirrell.
"How very clever of you," said Snape. "But still wrong."
Quirrell conjured cords from thin air that bound themselves around Harry.
"You both tried kill me during the Quiddich game!" said Harry.
"No, no, no. _I_ tried to kill you, and it would have worked if Snape's counterspell hadn't given your team-mates time to break your fall," said Quirrell.
"As I told Adrian later, I thought the death of a student would provoke an investigation I couldn't handle. It wasn't that I wanted to save your miserable skin," said Snape.
"Why did you want to kill me?"
"You were scurrying around at night near the forbidden room. Besides, you are an enemy of the Master, responsible for his current... condition," said Quirrell.
"You've been working together all along?"
"Not at first," said Snape. "I thought Adrian was just a greedy fool out to get the Stone for gold. On Halloween, I headed straight to the forbidden room to cut him off. I got bitten by that contemptible three-headed cur for my trouble."
"But later?"
"Later I found out that he was working for my Master, the Dark Lord. That was a different story. On the day I refereed your Quiddich match I met with him the Forbidden Forest," said Snape.
"I was nervous that he was on to me when he asked me if I had found a way around Hagrid's dog," said Quirrell. He gave an odd high-pitched laugh.
"I was offering my help," said Snape. "I told him he didn't want me as an enemy any more. Then I showed him the mark on my arm, the dark mark of the Death Eaters."
"Then you said... how did you put it?" said Quirrell.
"That if we joined forces we could accomplish much more than your bit of hocus-pocus," said Snape. "And that if you didn't act on my advice, I would suspect your loyalty to the Dark Lord."
"A bit rude, but effective," said Quirrell. "I have proved my loyalty tonight. I will obtain what Lord Voldemort most desires: the Philosopher's Stone and the Elixir of Life!"
"What happened to the Stone? Do you have it?" asked Harry.
"Not yet," said Quirrell, "But we've figured out a way to get it. It's in the mirror of Erised, and it seems Dumbledore put a spell on it so that only one who wants to get the Stone without using it can get it out."
"But you both want to use it," said Harry.
"We've thought of someone who wouldn't. Professor Binns!" said Quirrell.
"Yes, that dusty old ghost of a history professor would only want to see the Stone out of historical curiosity," said Snape.
"We'll find him, spin him a story, and lead him down here to have a look at a famous historical artifact, the Philosopher's Stone. He'll be so pleased he won't notice a few rooms with odd contents along the way," said Quirrell.
Again there was a high-pitched muffled laugh that seemed to come from under Quirrell' turban.
"We'd love to chat with you more, but it happens that we're in a hurry and you're in our way -- so I'll just finish you off now!" Quirrell raised his wand to perform the death curse.
Just then, the table with the potions on it came soaring into the room. Hermione had gotten into the potion room when the flames went down and Harry ran out. She had heard everything. Desperately trying to save Harry, she was doing the the largest Wingardium Leviosa she had ever attempted.
She lost control of it before she could get it to land on their enemies, but it did hit Harry from behind and shoved him into Quirrell. Harry's face grazed Quirrell's face, which immediately started to smoke and burn. Harry's scar also burned with excruciating pain.
They fell with Harry on top of Quirrell and the table on top of both. Quirrell's turban came loose and Harry caught a glimpse of a hideous face on the back of Quirrell's head.
"Master, it burns!" cried Quirrell.
"Then kill him, fool, and have done with it," said the high-pitched voice of Voldemort.
Harry knew his only chance was to keep hurting Quirrell so he didn't have a chance to get off a killing spell. He clutched his enemy's robes with his bound hands, ignoring his own pain. He pressed the bare skin of his face into Quirrell's as hard as he could, and the fiery effect continued. Hermione ran up to help, but she came face to face with the scowling Snape and froze in panic.
Suddenly Dumbledore arrived. He swept aside both Hermione and Snape, then pulled Harry and Quirrell apart. Quirrell was dead and Harry was unconscious.
"In the nick of time," Dumbledore said. "Harry couldn't have stood much more. Thank you for sending me a warning."
"But I didn't send you a warning," said Hermione.
"I know," said Dumbledore.
"I did," said Snape.
