AN: Check the first chapter for disclaimers. I mean really read them, so you aren't surprised whenever something happens as I will not be posting warnings at the start of each chapter about their content.

The last chapter was received very well by you lot. Thank you all for the show of appreciation.

BTW, this story now has over 100 favorites. Never thought I'd get over 100 people to like my work when I started, so a big Thank You again.

And because of this, here's a huge chapter for you all to enjoy.

And enjoy it you will ;)

What's in the Box?! What's in the BOX? WHAT'S IN THE BAAAAXXX?! (Sorry, couldn't resist :D)


Helen had decided to split her magical training into two distinct parts. One focused on wandless and elemental magic. This part of her training completely concentrated on her learning new skills and developing her finesse in the esoteric arts. The second part involved her hurling huge amounts of magic at targets at a very quick pace. She was doing this for multiple reasons. Firstly, this was the easiest way to stretch the limits of her magic and thus the best way to force its growth. It also helped in smoothing out and expanding her magical channels. Secondly, this kind of practice would increase her casting speed and accuracy, something that could only be learned by practice. It would also make her magic become accustomed to using combat spells.

Helen would have multiple moving dummies with a shield up moving around, with Helen trying to destroy them in the shortest time possible. She didn't have them shooting back yet, as of right now she was focusing on her own spellwork. Dodging and defense practice would come later once she was decent enough with her offense. At this point, she had progressed to using mid level curses and would occasionally throw in a high level curse at the dummies as well. Though, she hadn't really dipped into dark magic at this point.

While using 'dark' spells would cause her to use more magic, as they were generally on the higher end of the magical requirement spectrum, using the spells which required negative intent too much at an early age could taint a person's core. It would make using 'light' spells far more difficult and downright impossible if they required their own positive intent. This was a problem faced by many dark magic users. Voldemort, for example, couldn't use the patronus charm or the white lance spell. Helen didn't want the same to happen to her, so for now, she had to compromise with only an occasional dark spell here or there.

On the elemental magic front, Helen had mastered her firebolts and was now working on a fireball that would explode on impact, covering a 10 feet area in fire. Along with that she was also working on fire traps that would work like landmines and a flame cloak that could absorb some minor spells and prevent attackers from coming in close to her.

Due to her extensive training schedule, her research projects had taken a back seat but Helen reckoned that she would take them on again in the summer when she couldn't do magic anyway. Well, not until she removed the trace on her wand at least.

XXXXX

Helen knew she was in trouble. Her most recent ritual had an unforeseen side-effect, which in hind-site should have been obvious, a side-effect that she had unconsciously been acting on. Like when she had kissed Cedric right in the middle of the quidditch pitch or when she had done the same with Hermione later in the dormitory. She had also unconsciously guided a few boys to dance with their bodies pressed to her, enough for her to know that they had really liked it.

She had known that the ritual would accelerate her puberty. She hadn't realized that it would accelerate her...urges as well. This was because she had replaced Re'em blood with troll blood and trolls were known to have a lot of sex. In fact, that's all they did: eat, fuck and fight, when they were not sleeping. Thankfully her desires weren't strong right now but she guessed they would become so as she grew up and entered the later years of a teenager and further as an adult.

At least she wouldn't be like Voldemort who only had sex twice over his long life, once with a man and once with a woman. Both times it was to see what all the fuss was about and he had come to the conclusion that it wasn't for him. She was slightly relieved to be honest, because she had an unconscious worry that she might find sexual activities as uninteresting as him. So, she was looking forward to it but for now the impulses were mostly weak and she had them under control.

Though on occasions her desires would work overtime, like right now, as Hermione, who was already sitting close, was biting her lower lip while working on a potion's essay and looking absolutely adorable. Suppressing the urge to take that lip between her own lips, Helen got up and pulled her friend along to go to the oval for a training session. Hermione had also asked to join the training when she was informed of the arrangement and had also given her word to never betray or deceive her.

They had decided to have sessions on Thursdays and Fridays after lunch, as none of them had any classes then. Today was the first session and she was going to teach them how to use the levitation spell to hurl objects. It was actually not an efficient way to do so, as banishing the object worked far better, but she couldn't justify knowing the banisher spell just yet. She would slowly start teaching them advanced stuff making them proficient in magical combat and magic in general. They were practically her followers now, and she couldn't have dunces among her followers.

XXXXX

The winter holidays had started and Helen, along with Padma and Sue were the only first year Ravenclaws left in the castle. Over the last few months Helen had become fluent in Sanskrit under Padma's tutelage and she could now read heavy texts on them easily. Helen had also convinced Su to start teaching her Cantonese and they would start initial tutoring during the holidays. Unfortunately, Sue didn't know any martial arts because it wasn't something she was interested in, so Helen decided to find some muggle instructors over the summer holidays.

Helen had also made progress in determining her animagus form. By now she knew it was a bird of some kind with dark plumage, so likely something from the Corvus genus. After finding that her form would be useful and not something impractical such as a lion or a tiger, she had decided to pursue becoming an animagus. However, this would be on the back burner for now as she had more pressing needs for the moment, like enchanting and alchemy.

Her little project for the forbidden corridor had helped expand her understanding of advanced enchanting principles. She had enchanted a few small items for practice since then, like a comb to untangle knots, a few cushions to become warm whenever someone sat on them and curtains to darken, whenever someone was asleep nearby. Her real goal with enchanting was to make a combat gear to help her out in fights. Very few wizards and witches did that. Sure, enchanted clothes were a norm in the wizarding world, but enchantments were regularly simple, with things like lengthening, shrinking, color changing, temperature control and in a few cases some basic protection spells.

What she really wanted was truly enchanted gear with augmentations embedded in the material, not just applied on top afterwards. The enhancements that she planned for weren't as pathetically mundane as color changing charms. Unfortunately, that was all for later because she wasn't an expert in enchanting yet so her later goals were out of reach.

She hadn't even started on alchemy yet. The reason was that one had to have a sound knowledge of several other fields of magic before they could make heads or tails on the subject. These fields were transfiguration, potions and arithmancy. What most magicians didn't realize was that to be a master alchemist you had to have sound knowledge and understanding of chemistry as well. It was for this reason that she was reading a huge volume of physical chemistry right now. Students had left for their homes yesterday and today was Sunday, so everybody was sleeping in late.

The Ravenclaw tower was internally heated so they didn't have to worry about the cold or heavy clothes. Helen had decided to read in the common room instead of the oval because there weren't many Ravens left in the house. She was still in her nightwear of plaid flannel blue shorts, with a short white camisole and a blue silk open robe over it. She had been in the common room for over an hour now and had made good headway into the text, when Hilliard and White entered, after having breakfast and came to a stand still to admire the sight in front of them.

Helen had been so engrossed in her reading that she had forgotten where she was and shifted into a comfortable lying position. This shift had completely removed her robe and she was currently giving a show to the boys in front of her. By now her body had developed nicely and her breasts had achieved perkiness with an ideal round shape. They were a large A cup size as of now and were almost completely on display to the boys.

Hilliard, being a gentleman, stopped perving and loudly cleared his throat notifying Helen of their presence. Helen sat up and looked up at the two boys before greeting them, "Good morning, Robert. Good morning, Chester."

She looked askance at their mumbled replies and blushing faces. Taking a glance downwards she realized that she was giving them quite a show and adjusted her camisole so that they could talk normally.

They joined her after getting their own books out and chatted about OWLs, complaining about the gigantic syllabus they had to study. Soon, they were joined by a couple of seventh years who had also stayed over the holidays to work on their NEWTs projects. Together, with one sixth year and Padma and Su, you could find all that were left behind over the holidays in Ravenclaw.

Helen realized that she was a bit aroused after giving the boys a show and was finding it difficult to concentrate on her reading. Soon, the boys left for their dorm and Helen decided that she wouldn't be making any more progress and followed in their steps. Inside the oval, she found Padma and Su getting ready to leave for breakfast. Helen had already had hers so she declined their invitation. With nothing left to do, she decided to take care of her problem.

She leaned back on the couch and slipped her left hand under her camisole. She then started caressing the underside of her left breast, while her right hand did the same to her right thigh. Slowly, her fingers started closing in towards her areola and teased it without touching her nipple. She moved her finger in a circular motion around it, lightly touching its edges. After teasing for a few moments she moved in and pinched her nipple causing her to draw a sharp breath in pleasure. Her right hand, which had been playing with the skin of her inner thighs, came up to play with her other unattended breast.

Both her hands worked in tandem for the next several minutes, kneading and squeezing her breasts, while alternatively frisking and lightly pinching her rock hard nipples, bringing her pleasure and causing several sighs and moans to emanate from her mouth.

Soon, her right started descending downwards and slipped under her shorts and panties to find a very wet opening. She fondled her lower lips for a few moments and then brought her fingers slightly higher to find a nub on top of her opening. She started playing with it, rubbing it, flicking it and lightly pinching it. As her excitement increased, so did her speed and soon she was on the cusp of an orgasm. She pinched both her nipple and clitoris hard and the dam broke. Helen gave a deep drawn moan as waves after waves of pleasure and glorious shocks rode her body. She remained catatonic for a minute, letting the waves ride out and letting the pleasure subside.

Coming down from her high, she sighed and cleaned herself up with a wave of her wand. While adjusting her clothes, she realized that she should have done this before and that Voldemort was missing out on a lot. As she sat and opened her book again, she discerned that masturbating wouldn't be enough and she would have to find someone or someones to satisfy her needs without anyone finding out.

Her first thoughts were of those she found attractive and date-able. Cedric was certainly her first choice, with Hermione and Blaise as good options too. However, she recognized that not one single partner would be able to handle her needs and she would need multiple partners to satisfy herself. It was a good thing she found both boys and girls attractive and she already had a few people interested in her. But she would have to wait till second year to openly date someone, because dating as a 13 year old was not ideal. It was also likely Hermione and Blaise weren't ready for it mentally, despite Hermione's crush on her or Blaise's suave tendencies. She would have to find a few friends with benefits till then.

XXXXX

Christmas morning greeted Helen with snowfall. She had woken up early as usual while it was still dark out and had trained until seven in the morning. Upon returning to her oval room, she found piles of presents on the table which the house elves probably would have gathered while she was out training. Feeling a bit of Christmas cheer, she woke up Padma and Su so they could open their presents together. Obviously, none of them celebrated Christmas as a religious event. Wizards didn't follow any known religions, most could be considered animistic as they knew that everything in the universe had a sort of imprint, a soul if you would. Moreover, most of the religious figures in history were obviously wizards; even a first year could turn water into wine.

Soon, they had gathered around the table and had divided the presents into smaller piles for each respective recipient. Helen had received a lot of presents from her friends, Cedric and Blaise each sent her boxes of chocolates with bouquets, orange and lavender roses from Blaise, while Cedric had sent her lilies and carnations.

Padma had given her tomes in Sanskrit about rare magical practices in India and a few yellow mountain flowers, which she requested that Helen keep with her all the time, being the only heiress of an ancient house. This particular flower was very rare and grew only in the valleys of Himalayas, it had properties superior to a bezoar especially, against mind manipulation potions and poisons. The quidditch team had pitched together and had gotten her a top of the line quidditch gear set. Hermione had sent her a personalized journal with a beautiful design on the cover and with some small artwork along the margins of each page. Hagrid had sent her a handcrafted flute. She also received a plethora of sweets for her other friends.

Helen had sent most of the girls clothing items. For each of her girl friends she had personally selected a dress or a top and skirt or short get up to match their styles and looks. Especially for the pureblood girls, she had chosen modern clothing like, for example, she had sent a blue dress suit with a short pencil skirt and a white shirt for Daphne, to introduce them to modern day fashion.

For Hermione however, she had also given a hair care kit, which included shampoos, oils and potions to get her curls straighter. She had done so after realizing that Hermione hated her bushy hair and couldn't get it straight. The kit would get her hair to be wavy instead of bushy and could eventually completely straighten it out if she desired to do so. All she had to do was keep using the potion until she got the desired result. The shampoo and oil were there to improve the texture and keep her hair healthy.

For Cedric she had sent a brown Citrine pendant to match his eyes, while for Blaise she had gone with a silver and amethyst tie clip. She had enchanted both to keep them warm in cold weather. Everyone else received chocolates and sweets from her.

After opening her last gift, she noticed there was another gift lying at the bottom of the pile. It was loosely packed and didn't have the sender's name, instead there was a note attached to it, 'Your father left this in my possession when he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well.' Helen recognized the hand-writing to be headmaster's. She collected all her presents and told the girls, "I'm going to keep them in my room. Will see you in a bit." The girls agreed and followed her lead.

Inside the confines of her room, she took her wand out and carefully opened the package with its tip. Inside was a smooth folded fabric of some kind. Upon casting a detection charm she found a weak compulsion charm on it. On inspecting it further, she found that it would cause the person wearing the clothing article to have a desire to roam and explore. She then deduced Dumbledore's plan. He wanted her to roam around the castle and happen to stumble upon a clue or an indication that something of importance was hidden in the castle. 'Subtle manipulative bastard' she thought as she took out the article. It was a cloak made of smooth fabric which was cool to touch. Putting it on she looked at herself in the mirror and dropped her jaw on the floor.

Her body was invisible! She looked down to confirm it and saw the floor under her with nothing in between. It was an invisibility cloak the like of which she, or rather Voldemort, had never seen. She had not detected the invisibility spell on it, nor did it have an invisibility enchantment. It certainly wasn't made of demiguise hair either, being too smooth to touch. Recalling something on the note, she read it again. According to Dumbledore, and she believed him to not be lying about this, her father also had this same cloak. So, it was safe to assume that it was at least over 12 years old. Normal invisibility cloaks lasted less than that while demiguise would last up to 15 years max. So what she had over her shoulders was something special.

And there was only one special invisibility cloak in myths and stories. The death's own cloak of invisibility. Could it possibly be?

She sat down on the bed and thought about what she knew of the tale of the three brothers. It was speculated that the three brothers were Peverell brothers, but they had never confirmed it before their line disappeared. It was rumored that Potters' were descendants of the Peverells. She knew that Gaunts were certainly descendants from a different branch of that same family based on the Peverell coat of arms on the family ring which Voldemort had turned into a horcrux. So, it was a possibility that this could be the true cloak of invisibility being passed generation after generation in the Potter family as a family heirloom. She would have to test it.

For now though, she would have to pretend to be under compulsion and wander the castle to play Dumbledore's game.

XXXXX

Helen had found what Dumbledore wanted her to find on the third night of wandering. It was a giant mirror with a strange text engraved on its frame 'Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi', but she quickly realized it was written backwards and its reflection read, 'I show not your face but your heart's desire'. She read it out loud for the benefit of her invisible stalker and looked into the mirror.

As soon as Helen looked at her reflection, it changed to show an older version of herself. She was about 20 years old and looked stunning. She was wearing black leather outfit consisting of a sleeveless halter top and tight pants with bracers and fingerless gloves as well as knee high boots. She also had a dark cloak at her back and was wearing a tactical belt over her hips. There was a hilt of a sword poking out next to her right hip and looked like a Japanese Katana. Her mahogany hairs were open and flowing lightly in the air and her eyes were bright and vibrant. Several figures were kneeling in front of her looking up at her. Some with love and adoration, some with wonder and awe and some with fear and terror.

Helen rather liked the image and knew that this woman was certainly what her heart desired to be. Dumbledore decided to cut her enjoyment short and showed himself at that moment.

"Captivating, is it not?" he asked in a grandfatherly voice.

She turned around quickly and acted startled, "Headmaster? What are you doing here?"

Dumbledore chuckled in amusement, "I could ask you the same thing."

Helen blushed a bit and ducked her head. "Sorry, sir."

"It is quite alright, my girl." he said kindly. After a moment he continued, "Do you realize what the mirror shows?"

Helen nodded looking back at the mirror, "It shows what I want the most."

"Indeed, the Mirror of Erised does not reflect ourselves, but the deepest, most desperate desires of our hearts." Dumbledore clarified. "Men have wasted away before it, yearning for what it shows them, even if they know it to be impossible. Perhaps especially if they know it to be impossible."

"What do you see, sir?" Helen ventured carefully, knowing that it was a personal question.

He looked at the mirror with a sad expression on his face. Interesting, so whatever he desired the most, he couldn't get it.

"I see myself getting a pair of thick wooly socks for Christmas." He finally answered. "People always get me books for Christmas, you see."

Helen of course knew this was a lie. She hadn't really expected him to answer truthfully but it was worth asking.

"Orphans often see their parents returned to them, would I be correct in guessing that this is what it shows you?" Dumbledore asked, fishing for an opening.

Helen had another answer prepared for such a question, so she didn't go for the hook and answered, "No sir, it doesn't." surprising him and continued, "It shows me surrounded by my friends and all of us seem happy, enjoying each other's company." It was almost the truth even. The older version of her was enjoying the kneeling company.

Dumbledore seemed a bit relieved and responded, "Ah, a desire for companionship. I've noticed you've made a lot of friends from all the houses. That is very commendable. One cannot enjoy any powers or riches unless they have someone to enjoy them with. Friends and family are the most valuable treasure one can have."

After a brief pause he continued, "The mirror will be moved to a new location tomorrow. I hope you don't go looking for it again."

Soon they parted, each with thoughts in their head. Dumbledore pondered how this new information could be used to inspire a sense of loyalty and responsibility towards Wizarding Britain in Helen Potter.

Helen left with a complete picture of what Dumbledore had planned for the corridor and for her. Though she agreed with Dumbledore on the topic of friends, being on top but not having anyone to enjoy it with seemed like a bore. On this matter she was certainly different from Voldemort, as all he cared about was being on the top alone; he could not fathom the concept of companionship.

XXXXX

The students returned as the break ended and classes resumed. Hermione had given Helen a tight hug on returning, thanking her for the gift. Her hair already looked a bit less bushier, indicating that the gift had already been put to use. All the girls had thanked Helen for their new outfits.

Ever since her first quidditch match, when Snape had countered Quirrell's curse, Helen had started to grow a soft spot for the man. She had realized then that he wasn't on either Dumbledore's or the dark lord's side. All he cared for was Lily and her memory, she wanted to focus that devotion towards her and had started working on it. She would sit right in front and center during potions class to be in his eyesight all the time. She did her work meticulously and precisely to remind him of her mother.

In the beginning of the year, he had asked her questions to find a way to torment James Potter's child. Now, his tone and questions had changed and he would ask them to make sure she had understood the subtleties and the refinement of the subject. They would, on occasions, have some one-on-one in-depth discussions which none other in the class could follow or understand. That he got an excuse to look at her familiar beautiful face and eyes for longer was a pleasant bonus.

Helen, in turn got a master's view and approach to the art of potion making, which would help her in her alchemy studies. She also believed that she could turn him over completely to her side with the right application of determination, charm and maybe even seduction, after all she did look like the woman he loved.

XXXXX

Helen had visited Hagrid again, this time with Hermione, Susan and Hannah, she spent a pleasant afternoon at his cabin drinking tea and catching up. She had asked him about Potter ancestral manor. Hagrid didn't know much, but it was rumored to have been destroyed during a death eater raid, which had killed her Grandparents, Charlus Potter and Dorea Potter née Black.

From Voldemort's memory she knew that the killing of elder Potters was true. He had ordered the kill before having learned of prophecy because they had a strong political position in Wizengamot and had blocked several of his agendas. However, he wasn't aware about what had happened to the manor.

Helen hoped that it had survived, so that she could have her own place sooner rather than later, but she knew it was unlikely. She planned on checking it out during the summer.

XXXXX

The second set of quidditch matches had come and gone, putting Gryffindor out of contention for the quidditch cup this year. They were defeated by the brilliant Hufflepuff team, with a final score of 120-370. Cedric had caught the snitch after a smart maneuver which had left McLaggen befuddled. After the match finished, there was a party in the Hufflepuff common room, to which Helen was invited. Their common was in the upper dungeons near the kitchens and had a pile of barrels as their entrance. One had to knock them in a particular rhythm to gain entrance, that was it, no changing passwords or riddles, a friendly house indeed. The common room had an earthy feel to it and had high windows which she realized would be at ground level.

Helen had worn a mustard yellow A-line cold shoulder dress to the party in the honor of the house, something which they had appreciated and had her hair done in an elaborate bun. Susan and Hannah had utilized their gifts and had attended the party in their own modern outfits. The party was a merry event with lots of games, chatter and dancing. Helen had danced several times with Cedric, but had thankfully been spared by the rest of the boys.

Cedric, on the other hand, had a busy night as every girl wanted to dance with the handsome boy who had won them the game. Helen was pleased though, because everytime a girl approached him, he would look at her, as if asking for approval. At 9 O'clock Sprout came to collect her and deliver her to her common room. Before she had left, she had given Cedric a close hug and a lingering kiss on his cheek, as his reward and a promise for the future.

Her own match against the Slytherin was a brutal affair. Hard and dangerous tactics, multiple fouls, cracked ribs and a concussion, it had them all. They knew that Slytherin would play rough so they had prepared accordingly. The chasers and beaters were instructed to play fire with fire and had gone in with a similar approach to the Slytherin. They would play a counter-attacking game with quick long passes on offensive and a vicious defense. The strategy had partially worked because the entire Slytherin team had to get in on the action, leaving Helen relatively unbothered and she closed the match after an hour of play by catching the snitch. Ravenclaw had won the game narrowly by 190-150. They didn't have a party afterwards because half of the team had to spend the night in the hospital.

This had left Hufflepuff leading with 170 points, Slytherin second with 150 points, Ravenclaw third with 120 points and Gryffindor nowhere in sight with -440 points.

The last set of the Quidditch matches started with Hufflepuff facing Slytherin. It had been rumored that Hufflepuff had trained extremely hard over the last month to finally end their dry spell. It turned out that rumors were true based on what happened in the match.

Hufflepuff destroyed Slytherin with a massive scoreline of 450-160, giving them an insurmountable lead of 460 points. In order to win the cup, Ravenclaw would not only have to defeat Gryffindor, but do it by a margin of at least by 340 points, an unheard of figure. And they did try their level best, but after 5 hours of gameplay, with a score line of 210-200, they knew it was not possible and they didn't want to risk McLaggen catching the snitch accidentally.

So, Helen caught the snitch ending the match 360-200 in their favor. Ravenclaw kept a perfect record over the season, winning all their matches, courtesy of Helen catching the snitch in every match. Hufflepuff won the quidditch cup for the first time in decades with a massive point tally of 460, with Ravenclaw coming second at 280.

Helen still had managed to earn accolades for being the youngest and the best seeker of the year. She had caught the snitch in all the matches she played. Ravenclaw were content being in second place this year knowing that with her in the team, next year was going to be theirs. Her performances had also made her very popular among her housemates, who by now knew to always heed her council and inputs.

XXXXX

Over the term, Helen had started to spend more time in the common room, being seen and chatting with the upper years. Her quidditch teammates were her openings into several years with only 6th year having no representation on the team. She didn't interact much with 6th and 7th years for that reason and also because they would be leaving soon, especially in the case of 7th years. It gave her too little time to influence them.

She had already made a few friends in all years upto the 5th. She had also identified a few who could become her friends with benefits. She had kept this list limited only to Ravenclaw for now, as others wouldn't be available on short notice. Two of her teammates were on this list, namely, Roger Davies and Chester White. Both were good looking boys who were attracted to her. There was also a 4th year girl, Arya Williams, a muggleborn who fancied her and could be useful whenever she wanted a woman's touch.

Outside Ravenclaw she had friends in all the houses. In Gryffindor apart from Hermione, she was friendly with Fred and George Weasley, with whom she had very affable relations. They had also come to an understanding that Helen would sometimes make or provide them some enchanted items for their pranks and in return she and her friends will not be targeted by any serious or harmful prank. Helen herself wasn't into pranking but was mightily entertained by their antics so she assisted them from time to time.

In Hufflepuff she had Susan, Hannah and Cedric. A few of Cedric's friends and all the rest of first years were on speaking terms with her. She would occasionally have a meal at their table. In Slytherin she only had her three first year friends in Daphne, Tracey and Blaise. She was on speaking terms with Malfoy, Nott and Parkinson as well but certainly couldn't count them among her friends. Helen's year was a bit unusual as in there were so many heirs to important houses in her year. But this helped her in a way because she didn't have to focus too much on other years to get potentially noteworthy personnels within her network.

Just like Voldemort, she was also planning on forming her own inner circle and already knew some of the candidates. However, unlike the dark lord's inner circle, her's wouldn't be so monotonous by having just male pureblood blood-supremacists in it. No, she wanted diversity in her primary unit of management and strategy. What was the point of having a council if everyone had the same advice and suggestions?

XXXXX

Hermione had somehow figured out that the philosopher's stone was hidden in the forbidden corridor on her own. Apparently, Fred and George had tried getting past Fluffy and Hermione had overheard them talking about it to Lee Jordan, their usual partner in crime. Then she had asked Hagrid about it and he had accidentally let slip that whatever was in the forbidden corridor was business concerning Nicolas Flamel and headmaster Dumbledore, from which she deduced the stone was hidden there.

It was fascinating that she had figured out the secrets that were hidden from the general masses with just two lines of conversation, she really was brilliant. When she had come to Helen with this information, the latter admitted that she already knew of it and didn't want to say anything for the fear that the secret might get out.

However, Hermione believed that Snape was trying to steal it. Helen couldn't correct her because that would lead to giving out information she couldn't have known normally, but she did tell Hermione that she wasn't convinced about that.

XXXXX

Exams had arrived and they brought high levels of anxiety among the student body with them. Hermione was spending more and more time in the Ravenclaw tower where things were planned and organized for revisions and practices, very unlike in Gryffindor where, according to her, 'people were running around like headless chickens' and her fellow first years keep begging her to lend her notes. Getting an idea, Helen had invited her other friends too for the study sessions and thus it was a common sight of finding Susan, Hannah, Daphne, Tracey and Blaise in the first year oval studying along with the ravens and Hermione.

Due to this, the exams were actually a breeze for the group. Helen was sure they would all occupy the top spots in their year. As for herself, she only wrote the exams with the minimum required answers. She would answer the questions correctly but would not elaborate more than just what was needed in all her tests, except for potions where she went all out.

In the practical portion of the exams her group did very well especially those who were training under her. She had them up to the level of a second year in DADA and halfway there in charms as well, not that they realized it. But, their real training was mostly oriented towards combat spells both offensive and defensive as well as some physical training like dodging and jumping.

For her own practical exams, Helen performed all the spells correctly in the wanded subjects, correctly handled her flora in the herbology portion and made a perfect Forgetfulness potion, earning a nod from Professor Snape.

They had just finished the last of their exams and were laying on a rock overlooking the lake. The group consisted of all her first year friends apart from Hermione, who had gone to meet Hagrid. The day was hot so they had taken off their robes, ties and shoes. The boys were tossing pieces of bread to the giant squid and the girls were discussing their last exam. Helen, Padma and Daphne were just lying with their feet in the cool water, relaxing a little bit away from the chatting girls.

It was at this moment that Hermione chose to join them. However, she wasn't relaxed at all but rather seemed agitated. She approached Helen and in a restrained quiet voice asked, "Can I talk to you for a moment, it's urgent?"

Helen looked up at her wondering what this was about. "Alright." She got up and walked away a bit with Hermione. As soon as they were out of earshot Hermione started frantically, "Snape is going to steal the stone tonight." As Helen looked askance at her, she explained, "Hagrid just told me that last night he got drunk and told some hooded fellow how to calm Fluffy down." This got Helen's attention. "I'm certain Snape's going for it tonight."

Helen interjected, "Ok, first we're not sure if it's Snape. Second, Fluffy cannot be the only defense for the stone, there have to be more of them. Thirdly, we could just tell this to the headmaster and he will look into it. So, don't panic, we'll go to the headmaster now."

Internally, Helen was conflicted. On the one hand, she was relieved that she wouldn't have to do anything now, just inform the headmaster and that would be it. On the other hand, she wanted to find out what exactly the deal was with Quirrell. Unfortunately, she'd justl have to let the headmaster handle him.

As it turned out, Dumbledore had just left the castle to go to the ministry on some urgent work.

On a broom.

From Scotland to London.

Bullshit. He was certainly setting her up to face Quirrell. Now, the question was how to go about it.

Helen knew Hermione would come along now that she knew that there was no one to defend it after McGonagall had brushed aside their concerns so they went to the oval room to plan. There they found Padma and Daphne waiting for them. It seemed that the two of them had overheard the conversation and knew they were going to do something dangerous. They demanded to know what was going on and Helen decided to let them in on the secret. After learning about it, they were worried and wanted in on the plan. So, after much deliberation, they decided to all go together. Helen and Padma would collect Hermione and they would meet Daphne in the charms corridor at 10 O'clock that night.

Helen had gone with comfortable and maneuverable clothing options, wearing a pair of denim shorts with T-shirt and soft sneakers. She already knew what she was going to face so she planned ahead, she couldn't use the same approach as last time because she would have company. She took the invisibility cloak, donned it and snuck into Padma's room. Padma was startled for a moment when Helen suddenly appeared in her room, but didn't make any sound as Helen had told her that she would do so. She was surprised and fascinated by the cloak though. They snuck past Micheal and Anthony playing chess, while discussing which girls they found most attractive. Padma giggled silently and gave her a silent ribbing when Helen's name came on top.

They made it to the entrance of Gryffindor tower and waited for Hermione to appear. She did a minute later, quietly stepping out from behind the fat lady and looked around trying to locate them. Helen revealed them by opening the cloak a bit and beckoned her. After she had admired the cloak, they quickly moved downstairs towards the charms corridor. Daphne was already waiting for them, hiding in an alcove near the entrance of the corridor.

Together they moved quickly towards the forbidden corridor and approached the last door from which they could hear light notes of music coming from it. They looked at each other, knowing what that meant, someone was already ahead of them. Helen knew that already, having seen Quirrell entering on her monitoring device.

Helen folded her cloak and put it in her pocket and they proceeded forward. After carefully opening the door, they found Fluffy sleeping with a harp playing soft notes on its own and the trapdoor opened on the floor. They peered inside and couldn't see anything. Hermione showed them her Gryffindor side and decided to jump in. She landed on a soft surface and called them to follow as it was safe. Padma and Daphne followed and took a leap as well. Helen shook her head at their carelessness and followed to save her friends from the expected troubles. The girls had tried to move and the devil's snare had started to coil around their feet making them panic. Helen casted a 'Lumos' spell and the tendrils recoiled from the light, freeing the girls and dropping them down below.

Helen, with her quick reflexes, landed on her feet while the rest fell on their backsides. They got up rubbing their sore bottoms and thanked her for saving them from the murderous plant. They then proceeded to the next room and found the keys. Daphne determined the right key and Helen caught it in short order using the broom.

Next, they entered the next room and found the giant chess set, however, the white side was missing a few pieces, probably blasted away by whoever had come earlier. Helen ordered them to occupy the empty spaces and proceeded to defeat the opponent in four moves using the same move of Scholar's mate. Apparently this set didn't learn from past games. Lisa and Daphne were astonished but Hermione recognized the move and explained the details to them.

They opened the next door carefully, with their wands out after Hermione identified the smell to be that of a troll. The said troll was lying in a pool of its own blood, very dead judging by its head lying a few feet away from the body. Gagging, they quickly made it across the chamber and entered the next room. Of course, as soon as they entered the doors were covered in fire. Helen pointed to the rack of potions and the parchment, which upon inspection, they found a riddle. Padma and Hermione quickly figured out the riddle and indicated the potions which would get them through the doors. The problem was that the potion that would let them move forward only had enough for one person, while everyone else could share the other one which would allow them to go back.

Helen ordered them to go back and get help while she would go forward and see what she could do. They protested of course, but she overruled them, and after receiving hugs she chugged the potion and walked through the door.

Inside, she found Quirrell staring at the mirror of Erised trying to figure out its secret. She knew that he had noticed her presence but ignored her to continue to work out the puzzle. Helen was a bit miffed upon being ignored and in order to distract him she loudly said, "You?" in a surprised voice.

He turned then and looked at her fully, "Me, I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter."

Using Hermione's guess she responded, "I thought Snape was the one trying to steal it."

"Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?" he responded with a delicate smirk in his lips.

He went on to explain how he tried to kill her during the Quidditch match and how he was the one who had let the troll in on Halloween. Helen let him deliver his spiel as more he spoke more time he wasted before help arrived.

Suddenly however, he bound her non-verbally in ropes and went back to the mirror to figure out how to get the stone.

After failing to get it after a few minutes, a voice came from his turban, "Use the girl." Helen recognized who this voice belonged to. Suddenly, Helen felt icy fear grip her heart, he was here.

Quirrell quickly vanished the ropes and forced her in front of the mirror. She of course knew how to get the stone and felt it slip in her shorts pocket.

"What do you see?" Quirrell asked impatiently.

"I see my parents" Helen replied, using Dumbledore's example.

"She lies!" the voice said. "Let me face her."

"Master, you are not strong enough." Quirrell said.

"I am strong enough for this."

Quirrell then started taking off his turban and turned around. Voldemort's face was stuck at the back of his head. Helen was a bit relieved to see him there as a parasite, because it meant he wasn't strong enough to even carry himself.

He then started to speak, "See what I've become? Mere shadow and vapor ... 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 ... 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.

Of course he knew.

She tried pulling out her wand but Voldemort had sound control of Quirrell's body and made him turn around and disarm her.

"How amusing, you think you could fight back against me?" Helen very much did think that but had underestimated his control over the body. He continued, "I always value bravery ... Yes, girl, your parents were brave as well ... 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."

As she refused, he ordered Quirrell to seize her and get the stone. Quirrell lunged forward to grab her. She tried to dodge but his reach was too long and he caught her arm. He let go suddenly however as if he was burned. And he was, as blisters formed on his fingers before his eyes.

"It burns!" he screamed.

Voldemort shouted "Seize her! SEIZE HER!"

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

"Then kill her fool, and be done!"

Before he could point his wand at her again, Helen sprang forward and grabbed his neck in both her hands. His skin started burning and blistering under her touch. Helen grabbed his face and helped the burning along by summoning some elemental fire in her palms and pushed it into Quirrell. Immediately his skin charred and his eyes popped due to the extreme heat. Voldemort gave off a violent scream as the skull he was residing turned into dust and flew out to form a dark spirit cloud. He wailed and passed through her body, draining her of her magic. As she collapsed and her world began to darken, she saw Dumbledore rushing in and then everything was black.

XXXXX

Helen slowly gained consciousness and realized she was lying in a bed. As she opened her eyes she found herself in the hospital wing. The chair next to her was occupied by the headmaster.

He greeted her with a smile, "Good afternoon, Helen."

She replied, "Professor Dumbledore" with a weak nod and asked, "Is the stone safe?"

He answered evasively, "Professor Quirrell didn't get the stone" and then continued with an amused smile "What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows."

"How long have I been in here?"

"It's the day after your last night adventure. You've been out only for about half a day, though you might feel a bit weak for a day or two as your magical core was completely exhausted and thus you're suffering from what is called a magical exhaustion. It generally takes 2 to 3 days to recover from but I think Madam Pomfrey will let you out in a few hours."

Helen nodded at the information and again asked, "Sir, about the stone..."

"I see you are not to be distracted. Very well, the Stone. What do you remember last?"

"I remember Quirrell burning under my touch and then Voldemort coming out of him and attacking me in his spirit form. Why did he burn under my touch?" Even Helen didn't know why that happened.

"Let's come back to that question in a moment. I arrived in time to see the demise of our poor defense professor and I did see Voldemort attacking you. Sadly, I was just a bit too late to prevent that from happening. I did manage to catch you just as you fell, however by that time he had managed to flee. As for the stone, it has been destroyed."

"Destroyed?" said Helen blankly.

"Yes, Nicolas and I had a little chat and together destroyed it. He and his wife have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order."

"But they will eventually die." Helen stated.

Dumbledore smiled and calmly went on "To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day. After all, to the well-organised mind, death is but the next great adventure. You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all – the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things which are worst for them."

'Going to bed, my cute little arse' Helen thought to herself. For someone who had been around for six centuries to destroy his only source of long life and immortality just because a dark lord was after it didn't seem rational. They must have made other stones, that's the only logical conclusion and will probably fake their deaths in a few years and disappear.

After sitting in silence for a while she asked, "Sir, even with the stone gone, Vol... I mean You-Know-who - "

"Call him Voldemort, Helen. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."

'And chances of death' Helen thought, remembering the pleasure Voldemort would take at hunting down anyone who used his name. .

"Yes sir. Well, Voldemort will certainly try other methods to come back. He isn't gone, is he?" she asked, fishing around.

"No Helen, he has not. He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share... Not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. Nevertheless, Helen, while you may only have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time – and if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power."

So he was setting her up against the dark lord. He obviously knew the whole prophecy, as it was given to him. She would have to find out the complete thing. So she asked not expecting him to answer "Sir, there are some other things I'd like to know, if you can tell me ... 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."

'So he wasn't going to tell her. Oh well, let's get this over with then' she thought to herself and asked, "Well ... Voldemort said that he only killed my mother because she tried to stop him from killing me. But why would he want to kill me 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, Helen. When you are older ... I know you hate to hear this ... when you are ready, you will know."

And Helen knew a no when she heard one and decided it would be no good to push so she went to her next question.

"So, why couldn't Quirrell touch me?"

"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize 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 being. 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."

Helen deduced the reality from that statement. Lily likely did a sacrificial ritual with herself as a sacrifice to cast protection on Helen and Voldemort just came and triggered it by killing her mother. Then, the ritual was completed as he tried to kill Helen. Yeah, that would do the trick, as sacrificial rituals were extremely powerful especially when the sacrifice was voluntary. Lily must be very knowledgeable to come up with a ritual on the spot and execute it perfectly. She might have even planned it beforehand as a last resort. One thing is for sure, Lily Potter definitely wasn't as light as the world thought her to be.

"Sir, one last thing, how did I get the stone out of the mirror?" she asked hoping for him to give away the magic behind it or how he managed to hide it in the mirror in the first place.

"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. My brain surprises even me sometimes ... Now, enough questions. Your friends are waiting outside, we shouldn't keep them long."

'Cheeky bastard' Helen thought in amusement, as he told her nothing in that statement which she hadn't already deduced.

Madam Pomfrey only let four people in and Hermione, Padma, Daphne and Cedric came in. She received hugs from all three girls and an awkward smile from Cedric who looked like he wanted to hug her as well but thought it inappropriate. She beckoned him forward and gave him a hug as well easing his troubles.

"We were so worried when Dumbledore carried you out of there unconscious," Hermione started.

"What happened?" Daphne asked the important question.

She told them about everything that happened in the last room including the presence of Voldemort.

"So he's still alive..." Padma said fearfully.

"And he came after me specifically, that night. Dumbledore just confirmed it. So, it's logical to think he will come after me again."

They all looked worried at that.

She continued, "I'll just have to face him again then, I'm not one to run."

Hermione immediately added, "And you won't face him alone, I'll be with you." Others also quickly gave their consent.

Helen was pleased that she now had a cause to rally people to her. She now also had a cause to not hold herself back too much. If she did accidentally show some advanced knowledge, she could chalk it onto the preparation for the eventual showdown with the dark lord.

Helen told them that she would be out in a few hours and would meet all her friends soon. They soon left and Madam Pomfrey came to fuss over her.

XXXXX

Helen entered the oval to find all her dorm-mates plus Hermione waiting for her. She retold the details of her adventures and they had the same reaction as those in the hospital before.

However, Padma surprised everyone in the room as she pulled out her wand and pointed it at her heart, "I, Padma Patil, pledge my life and magic, to follow and support, Helen Lilian Potter, in any way I can. I promise to hold all her secrets and to aid her in all her endeavors. I will hold this pledge until such time when I'm released from this oath by her and her alone."

Helen looked on shocked at her along with most of those present. Hermione looked confused at all them and Padma. Before she could ask anything though, Helen moved in front of Padma and formally replied, "I, Helen Lilian Potter, accept your oath, Padma Patil." There was a light glow around both their bodies indicating the acceptance of the oath. As soon as it faded Helen tightly hugged her. As she hugged her back, Helen asked "Why?"

Releasing her, she answered "You are going to fight You-Know-Who, you will need all the help you can get. Besides, my family was targeted by the death eaters in the last war and will be in danger again as soon as he returns. I was always going to fight him, but now there is no doubt about it."

As Helen hugged her again, Hermione finally asked "What's going on? What did she just do?"

Lisa explained to her, "She just made a magical oath to follow Helen. And she did it with both her life and magic. It means that if she breaks her oath she will lose both her life and magic, making it impossible for her to go back on her words and live."

Hermione, getting the seriousness of the situation slowly asked "OK. Then why did Helen accept it if it's so bad?"

Lisa answered again, "First, it's not bad. It's just very rare for someone to make such an oath. Second, Helen could not have rejected it without implying that Padma's life and magic were worthless to her. Padma had just laid out her life and magic in front of her and if Helen had rejected it, it would have meant that she didn't value Padma at all."

"And I value her a lot." Helen interjected, "I value all my friends. They are all that I have." while holding the hand of her first follower.

That assuaged Hermione and she didn't argue further. Everyone else promised to help her but no more oaths were given. Soon the group got up and went out to relax in the sun before dinner.

XXXXX

Results were declared and, unsurprisingly, Hermione was first in the class, with Lisa second, Padma third and Helen fourth in their year. As Helen had predicted, all the top spots were occupied by her group with only Nott getting ahead of Hannah and Tracey, who were the least academically inclined of their group. Helen had gotten top marks in potions though, of which she got a surprising look of approval from Snape.

They were currently on the Hogwarts Express on their way back for the summer holidays. The group was very similar to the one on their first day with Susan, Hannah, Daphne, Tracey and Helen in the cabin. In addition, Hermione and Padma were also there. They were planning visits and shopping trips as Helen looked into the photo album Hagrid had given to her at the station. She would have to do something nice for him because it was a beautiful gift. It contained the pictures of her parents from the time they were at school up to and including their marriage. Smiling softly, she put it aside for now and joined in the conversation.

It was going to be a good summer.


Please Review.

There is also a poll on my page about Helen's animagus form. Please vote your preference.

Phew, a long one, this. A whopping 10K words.

Hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter: the summer before 2nd year.

Thank you 1saaa for your brilliant work.