CHAPTER 23
Slytherin First Year Boys Dorm - 8:40PM
Harry tossed and turned, unable to get his mind to relax enough to sleep. Beside him Selma soothingly hissed, trying (and failing) to calm him down so he could rest. Tossing and turning for a few more moments, Harry finally stopped and laid flat on his back. Taking deep breaths, he slowly went through his Occludic breathing exercises, allowing himself to sink into a phase one meditative state. His roaring thoughts slowed down to a gentle buzz, and the young wizard took his time to review them one-by-one.
Professor Quirrell, for some inexplicable reason, had been hellbent on murdering his brother, being so blatantly desperate as to attempt to crash the boy's broom in front of hundreds of witnesses. Though Jim could be a raging bratty twat, that certainly didn't merit trying to kill him in such an obvious manner. Then there was the whole troll incident; a Defense Professor luring in a dangerous human-eating magical beast as a distraction, all so he could tangle with a Cerberus and steal an ancient artifact. And not just any ancient magical artifact, but the Philosopher's Stone, the alchemical magnum opus that could create the Elixir of Life, extending its drinker's life force to the point of immortality. And now - much to Harry's frustration - his best friends, idiot brother, and his equally idiot flunky were all aware of the Stone's existence, and there was no doubt that Brother Dearest and Lackey Weasley would attempt to pursue Quirrell if the man were to go after the Stone (again).
All of these details whirled around in Harry's mind and he took a deep breath, sinking deeper into his meditative state. A few beats passed, and suddenly, Harry's eyes flew open, as his mind whir-clicked and all the pieces fell into place, like a fuzzy kaleidoscope achieving perfect clarity.
'Bloody buggering hell, it's the Dark Lord! He's not dead! He's been possessing Professor Quirrell and that's why the man's turned into a murderous loon! That's why he's trying to kill Jim and probably kill me too! Ugh no wonder he's been legilimizing us! Bloody hell! And if he gets the Stone, he'll be restored and immortal and we are all bloody doomed!' Harry suddenly sat upright in his bed, startling poor Selma who hissed in annoyance. Making his apologies, he gave her a goodnight kiss and deposited her in her terrarium, making sure she had enough apple treats to last the night. As quietly as possible, he pulled a casual day robe over his pajamas, making sure to Silence his feet. Ensuring his dormmates were all still asleep, Harry quietly trekked to the Common Room, pausing to hiss a message to the dozing puff adder - Kyna - to send a message to Solon, the rather curmudgeon banded-krait in the painting of a snake charmer that hung in Professor Evans' personal quarters. Harry watched Kyna take off and nervously awaited her return, occasionally checking to ensure that he was alone. A minute later Kyna returned, informing him that Solon had let his mother know to expect him. Hissing his thanks, Harry discretely exited the Common Room.
Lily's Quarters - 9:03PM
"The Dark Lord lives… he… lives!" Lily sagged against the sofa, eyes blown wide in shock. By her side a concerned Harry reached for her hand, which she gripped fiercely. From his position in the chair across, Severus sighed whilst he sipped his tea, mind still churning from all the new and very unsavory discoveries the day had produced. After he and Minerva had made their oaths, he'd thankfully worked out a way to share the disturbing details with Lily and Tom (thanks to a secondary psychic personality he'd created specifically for oath-evasions), but it seemed Harry had come to the same conclusion and did him the favor of telling Lily. The witch had been very displeased when she'd finally awoken some hours earlier, seething that Severus had hit her with a Sleeping Charm whilst she'd been mid-rant about the many ways she would've liked to eviscerate Quirrell for his blatant murder attempt against her son. Patiently, Severus had explained that any successful attempt on the Defense Professor's life may have resulted with her in Azkaban, no matter how justified she would be in her revenge. Somewhat mollified, Lily had acquiesced, though Severus was still nervous about her intent, if the remaining furious glint of her eyes had been anything to go by.
"And… that's not all." Lily's head whipped to Harry. Wincing, he continued. "Beneath the trap door guarded by Fluffy the Cerberus (Lily snorted) lay a series of rooms, each with a trap designed by one of the Hogwarts professors. Specifically and in order, by Sprout, Flitwick, McGonagall, Quirrell, and Severus. And in the last room is Nicholas Flamel's fabled Philosopher's Stone which Professor Quirrell wants to steal, and has attempted to steal once now." He paused to give a significant look to his mother. "And Brother Dearest knows all about it, and more than likely intends on stopping Quirrell from his future attempt. By himself, or worse, with Neville and Hermione in tow because they wouldn't want him to go at it alone." Lily hissed furiously, her serpentine swears so colorful that Harry blushed in spite of himself. His mother stood and began pacing, muttering to herself. She suddenly paused and stared at Severus, eyes flinty.
"Is Harry correct? The Headmaster really put together some… ludicrous adventure-quest ruse to lure the Dark Lord to the Philosopher's Stone? Does he not realize what can be made from the Stone?" Sighing, Severus placidly replied, "I can neither confirm nor deny the Headmaster's intentions on creating the 'adventure-quest ruse' to lure the Dark Lord to the Philosopher's Stone." Lily hiss-swore again, before she resumed her furious pacing.
"I am still very confused as to how the Dark Lord still persists," said Harry, brows scrunched in visible confusion. Lily paused mid-stride, staring at Severus as Harry continued. "I mean, everyone believes that Jim vanquished the Dark Lord that night, using whatever… Boy-Who-Lived power to defeat him." Lily stiffened as Severus (subtly) winced. "Therefore, shouldn't the Dark Lord be dead? I mean, all the press clippings I've read clearly stated that Jim somehow rebounded the Killing Curse against the nutter, and no one's meant to survive that. So how is that possible?" He looked up to see his mother ashen-faced, and Severus no better. His concern rising, he continued to stare at the adults, hoping one of them would answer. Lily woodenly resumed her seat and continued to stare at Severus.
"Severus… tell me… no, swear to me… that this does not involve the Prophecy." Severus winced at her cold tone, though his placid expression remained while he sipped his tea.
"Wait, prophecy? What prophecy? As in, Divination?" Harry suddenly chortled, causing Lily and Severus to give him equally strange looks. "I just imagined batty Professor Trelawney hunched over a crystal ball, foretelling words of DOOOOOM!," he said, wiggling his fingers while widening his eyes dramatically to imitate the eccentric Divinations professor. He froze in shock as his mother closed her eyes and slowly exhaled, as Severus choked on his tea. "WHAT?! I was being entirely facetious! Severus, did Professor Trelawney really make a prophecy involving Jim and the Dark Lord?!"
Sighing, Severus replied, "I can neither confirm nor deny that Professor Trelawney was involved in the utterance of a Prophecy that involved Jim Potter and the Dark Lord." Harry's jaw dropped in shock as his mind raced. Another whir-click of his mind, and he solved another piece of the puzzle. "So that's why the Headmaster is doing all of this," he whispered. "He wants Brother Dearest and the Dark Lord to meet, having some kind of epic face-off. That's why he created this ruse to begin with; create a labyrinth to tire the Dark Lord in his pursuit of the Stone. Have Jim follow behind him, and, capitalizing on the Dark Lord being worn out, use whatever power Brother Dearest is meant to have to finally finish him off." Severus' eyes widened by a fraction, amazed (and impressed) that the boy had reached such a correct conclusion so quickly.
"I'm calling Tom." His mother hopped off the couch and marched to her bedroom, returning a few moments later to resume her seat. A minute passed, and the whoosh of the Floo announced Tom, immaculate in his dark green silk pajamas and matching green traveling cloak. He paused to take in the scene; Severus quietly sipping his tea and Lily sat woodenly by Harry, who looked somewhat… shell-shocked. Walking to Severus' side, he summoned a chair and took a seat, quickly preparing a cup of tea.
"Right then. Tell me exactly what is going on." Harry quickly told him everything, including the conclusions he'd reached some moments before. Tom's only response was a quirked brow, inwardly impressed (like Severus) at Harry's ability to reach said conclusions, no doubt his inductive Legilimens ability at play. Pausing to take a brief sip of his tea, Tom leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs and steepling his hands under his chin.
"It is rather regrettable and deeply concerning to discover that the Dark Lord still persists, and is, somehow, ironically possessing the Defense Professor, all aimed at acquiring the Philosopher's Stone. That Dumbledore is the architect of this scheme to force a confrontation between the Boy-Who-Lived and the Dark Lord is also concerning, but alas, I imagine the seriousness of the Prophecy has regrettably forced his hand to rely on such brash Gryffindor-ness to somehow ensure the Dark Lord's destruction." Three identical snorts responded to his statement of "Gryffindor-ness", causing Tom to lightly chuckle. "However, we cannot regard the Prophecy lightly. While I will not repeat its specific details to you Harry until you're at least a Level Two Occlumens, I will say that Professor Trelawney did foretell that a child would be born to defeat the Dark Lord." Harry's eyes widened, suddenly not thinking the eccentric woman to be so batty after all. "At the time, the possibility lay with you, your brother, or Neville Longbottom as an option, since his birth coincided with yours and your brother's. As it stands, your mother, Severus, and I worked to place protections that we believed would thwart the Dark Lord should he attack your family in Godric's Hollow. We were right and he was thwarted, but, as it stands, he did not die." Tom's expression became very grim, mirrored by Severus and Lily.
"Is there some special mechanics to prophecies then? I don't understand how someone can survive the Killing Curse, unless I'm to assume that the Dark Lord also performed the same protective magic you three did?" Tom stared unblinkingly before responding.
"To answer your first question; yes, there are special mechanics to prophecies. I have it on good authority that Sybill's prophecy is a True Prophecy, an event Fate - the powerful primordial magical force - wants to see come true. If the… interference of mine, your mother's, Severus' actions did not in fact thwart or fulfill its contents, then… then it is inevitable that Jim and the Dark Lord will have to face-off against each other. Fate demands it so, therefore it must be done to Fate's will." Lily flinched at his portentous words, causing Tom and Severus' expressions to soften. Harry reached for her hand, which she grasped while softly smiling at him.
"As to the second part of your statement, I… I am not certain. The protections we utilized required three members, as three is a magically powerful number. There are… other ways… all exceptionally wretched" his voice turned harsh, causing Harry's eyes to widen, "to evade death… and I will not repeat them here and now unless I can confirm their would-be validity in this particular context. All I know is that his continued existence in spite of all that's transpired makes him an even more dangerous enemy than once believed." Harry felt his mother stiffen, and he soothing rubbed the back of her hand, pleased when he felt her somewhat relax.
"Hang on a minute," said Harry, his brow furrowing once more. "Are we sure it's really the Stone that's hidden? I mean, granted Flamel and Dumbledore are known to be very good friends and academic partners. But friends or not, I would not so eagerly relinquish the key to mine and my wife's immortality, especially not if an immortal Dark Lord would be the end result. That cannot be the Stone; if anything, I imagine it's a very convincing fake, enough to fool the Dark Lord long enough for Jim to… finish him off." Three penetrating stares met him, causing Harry to lightly blush while clearing his throat. Tom, Lily, and Severus all exchanged The Look, before Tom spoke once more.
"Very good Harry. You are absolutely correct. The Nicholas I know is no fool, and, in spite of some of his actions, neither is Dumbledore. The true Stone is hidden away under a Fidelius while the Headmaster makes a grand show of constructing elaborate traps around a very convincing fake. As I understand, he even announced exactly what room said object is housed at the Opening Feast, all while standing mere feet away from Quirrell, since exposing, entrapping, and subsequently defeating the man and the Dark Lord possessing him is the entire point of the whole exercise." Tom paused, rubbing his chin with his steepled hands. He, Lily, and Severus exchanged The Look once more, with Lily quietly nodding her approval.
Without a word, Severus reached into the right-hand side of his robes, briefly whispering before relinquishing a small leather bound book which he handed to Harry. The boy crooked an eyebrow as he regarded the cover.
"Great Potion Masters of the Holy Roman Empire?" he read in confusion.
Tom and Severus gave him identical 'don't be stupid' looks while Lily lightly chuckled as Severus responded. "The cover is transfigured, as it is not something you should be seen reading by the casual observer, even in Slytherin. Though it isn't illegal, Occlumency is frowned upon by most authority figures in Wizarding Britain, since a Master Occlumens can evade Legilimency and even Veritaserum should the need arise. However, in spite of its somewhat taboo nature, Occlumency is a very useful skill to have, as you've already realized with the preliminary meditative exercises we've had you learn. You've already done so well, and I'm sure you've realized how much it's helped with your Legilimens ability too." Harry nodded, still inspecting the book cover while his mother continued. "You'll find that the necessary chapters have been bookmarked and charmed, with the proceeding chapters revealing themselves only when you've completed the necessary preliminary ones. Order is very important. You're comfortably approaching Level One, which is the memory organization, memory recall, and ability to achieve the necessary Occludic meditative state to help fend off psychic attacks. Once you reach Level Two, you'll have near-eidetic memory, and the shields needed to block a good amount of Legilimens attacks."
Harry nodded at his mentor's thorough statement and opened the book. The title page read Occlumency: The Moste Hidden Arte. Flipping through the pages that were accessible to him, a thought struck him.
"What level are you three?" Lily smiled and Tom chuckled, while Severus merely snorted and drank his tea.
"Well, I'm a Level Four Occlumens," said Lily. "That means eidetic memory recall, emotional control (Severus snorted, causing Lily to frown at him before continuing), memory organization, warding off complex Legilimens attacks, Thought Dilation, a secondary psychic personality, evading Veritaserum, creation and utilization of at least three simultaneous thoughtstreams, along with a defensive mindscape that can entrap and ward off a Master Legilimens." Harry's eyes had grown wide, marveling at all the potential becoming a real Occlumens would have. "Those two," his mother said, pointing at Severus and Tom, "are currently Level Seven Master Occlumens, probably even beyond knowing them." Tom chuckled, not denying the truth of her statement. "They can do all of what I mentioned, with the exception of having up to six simultaneous thoughtstreams, up to four psychic personalities, and a very dangerous mindscape that can, if need be, inflict physical corresponding injury on a Master Legilimens should their thoughts be evaded. That Tom is also a Master Legilimens seems almost gratuitous." Harry snorted in spite of his amazement, causing all three adults to laugh.
"And I'll be able to do that? One day?"
"If you keep at it Harry, I am absolutely certain you will be able to accomplish being at least a Level Five or Level Six, if not a Level Seven. You will also find that your Legilimens ability will be easier to master, and I will personally be tutoring you in that regard." Harry nodded at Tom's statement, the mood growing comfortable. That is, until Harry quietly asked:
"So… what are we going to do about Quirrell and all of this?"
"We are going to do what Slytherins do best; observe, plan, then act. Though I know he has done little to earn this privilege, I do ask you Harry that you keep an eye on your brother. Now that we know Dumbledore and Quirrell's intentions, it is imperative that you keep track of his actions. Utilize young Heir Longbottom's and Miss Granger's proximity to help achieve this. You've already began using the serpent network, I advise you to continue to do so, and have them all report to you on all the aforementioned parties' movements, especially Quirrell and your brother. Have Kyna be your point of contact, she's very discreet and efficient. I find it highly unlikely that he would suspect, and it gives you some plausible deniability regarding your involvement." Harry nodded his ascent.
"I'll also place my own ward near the Third Floor corridor," Lily said. "I'll place a charmed totem on Matilda's frame; it'll have a proximity Parsel-based ward that will alert me if Quirrell goes to the Corridor. It's undetectable and won't trip the Hogwarts ward scheme and inform the Headmaster. That way, we'll know when Quirrell makes his next attempt." Tom, Severus, and Harry nodded, with the latter impressed with his mother's foresight. "And like Tom said, I know he's done very little to deserve it but…please… keep an eye on your brother, ok love? I know our relationship is… difficult at this time, but… he is still our family." Harry nodded his agreement, rubbing soothing circles on his mother's hand while she smoothed his curls.
"It's getting late Harry. I'll escort you back to the Common Room to avoid the Prefects. I'll return here so Tom, Lily, and I can finish… planning." Severus' tone was firm, and hugging his mother and giving a quick one-armed embrace to Tom, Harry allowed himself to be led back to Slytherin House, mind aflutter with all he needed to do.
Slytherin First Year Boys Dorm - 10:01 PM
Harry started when he noticed something most unusual on his bed: a folded and wax-sealed piece of parchment with his name printed on the outside. The lettering was in a plain generic script and appeared to have been engraved through magic rather than handwritten. He paused and checked his alarm wards, discovering that they had not, in fact, been breached. He glanced at his still-sleeping dormmates, wondering if it had been any of them. None stirred. Eyes narrowed, he cast the necessary diagnostic spells his mother had taught him, and all of them came up negative. Not satisfied, he tapped the right side of his glasses thrice, activating the spell and ward detection feature. The letter still came up clean, heightening Harry's suspicion. With bated breath, he sliced through the wax seal with his wand and opened the letter. On the inside were six words in the same bland script followed by a question mark, words that meant nothing to him but immediately piqued his curiosity, given their most provocative nature. As soon as the young wizard read the question, the paper disintegrated in a flash of bright green fire, with nary a fleck of ash or residue remaining. Just a six-word question now stuck in Harry's mind along with everything else he had to deal with:
"Who Is The Prince of Slytherin?"
AN 1: And the questing begins! Harry's well on his way to discovering the Hydra Throne, so stay tuned!
AN 2: Lily will have her revenge against Quirrell, she is not one to let his murder attempt go unanswered.
Next Up: The Magical Youth Liaison Program's Reunion Seminar, and post-Crazy Unicorn Cabaret reactions!