Harley Potter And The Sorcerers Stone

The Girl Who Lived

Chapter Seventeen

The Face Off With Memories Appearing

It was Quirrell. "You." Harley gasped.

Quirrell smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all. "Me." Quirrell stated calmly. No stuttering was heard. His was voice was unusually cold and sharp. "I'd wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter."

"But – I thought - Snape." Harley stated in a slight stutter. She was too shocked to form a coherent sentence.

"Severus?" Quirrell laughed. It wasn't his usual stuttering laugh. It was bitter and quick. "Yes, Severus does seem the type doesn't he? So useful of him to be swooping around like an over grown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-poor unsuspecting s-s-stuttering Professor Quirrell?" Harley couldn't believe what she was hearing. It couldn't be true.

"But he tried to kill me!" The girl exclaimed with a shake of her head.

"I tried to kill you. If it weren't for your friend Ms. Granger, who knocked me over accidentally when she was trying to set Snape's robe on fire at the Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I've have you knocked off your broom. I'd have managed it before then if it wasn't for Snape muttering the counter jinx, trying to save you." Quirrell sneered.

"Snape was trying to save me?" She asked incredulously. Now that was even more far fetched to be believable. The Potions Master hated her, with a fiery passion she couldn't even accurately describe with words.

"Of course." Quirrell stated coolly. "Why do you think he wanted to referee at the next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't try anything. Not like I'd bother. I couldn't try anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other Gryffindors thought he was trying to stop them from winning. He did make himself unpopular…and what a waste of time. Seeing as I'm going to kill you tonight." With a snap of his fingers ropes appeared and tied themselves tightly around Harley's body. Making her ribs pull and push even more uncomfortably then they already were. Her ribs pounded and squeezed, making her breathing irregular. She hissed out a breath after a few ineffective minutes of struggling to untie herself. "You're too nosy to live Potter. Scouring around the halls like that on Halloween. For all I knew, you had seen me coming looking for the stone."

"You let that troll in?" She questioned. As she tried yet again to loosen the robes tied around her.

"Certainly. I have a special way with trolls. Of course, I left that one in the chamber just for you." Quirrell smirked sinisterly. "It's a shame it didn't kill you." He paused. "Now wait quietly Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror." Harley realized that behind Quirrell was the Mirror of Erised. "This mirror is the key to finding the stone. Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this." Murmured Quirrell. "He's in London…and I'll be long gone by time he gets back."

Harley could only think of getting Quirrell to keep talking. "I saw you and Snape in the Forbidden Forest." She stated boldly as her hands squirmed at her side, causing her skin to become raw and irritated.

"Yes, he was onto my by that time. Tried to see how far I'd gotten to it. Thought he could scare me. As though he could – when I have Lord Voldemort on my side." Quirrell replied vaguely as he circled the mirror. Quirrell looked hungrily into it as he stood before it again. "I see the stone, but where is it?" Quirrell muttered to himself.

Harley bit her lip to stop a grunt from releasing as she becoming very frustrated at the lack of the ropes loosening. "I don't understand. Snape, he hates me. So why save me?" She stated.

"Oh, he does. He and your father use to go to school together. They loathed each other. But he would never wish you dead." Quirrell stated nonchalantly as he continued to stare into the mirror with a thoughtful expression. As the two spoke to each other, Quirrell going on about a big speech on how Voldemort changed his views. Harley tried to continuously get out of the tight bindings. Harley's mind raced. All she wanted more in the world at that moment was to get the stone before Quirrell did. Which meant, if she looked in the mirror, she should see herself finding it. Then she'd know where the stone was! But how could she do that without Quirrell seeing? Harley tried to edge herself over but toppled over, hurting her ribs to the point of being unable to breath for a diminutive few minutes. Quirrell ignored her.

"Master…how do I find the stone?" Quirrell called out aloud. And to the horror of Harley, a voice spoke.

"Use the girl…Use the girl." Quirrell snapped his head towards Harley and spoke. "You girl – come here." Clapping his hands the ropes disappeared. Standing unsteadily onto her feet she walked slowly towards the Mirror of Erised and Quirrell. She stood before the mirror and looked to Quirrell.

"Look into the mirror. What do you see?" Quirrell demanded. Harley looked into the mirror and looked at her reflection. All she saw for a couple of minutes was a pale thin girl covered with a few bruises and dirt. Then her reflection smiled and reached into her pocket. A red stone was held in her hand as her reflection winked and put the stone back into her jeans. As that happened, Harley felt something heavy fall into her pocket. The stone. "Well?" Quirrell questioned. Harley spoke, lying like she would to any other adult.

"I – I just won the House Cup. I'm shaking hands with Dumbledore." She replied. Quirrell cursed to himself and began to speak. Harley slowly began to back away from Quirrell when the voice spoke again.

"She lies…she lies."

"Potter comes back here! Tell me what you saw! The truth!" Quirrell bellowed out to the young girl.

"Let me speak to her…face to face" The voice whispered.

"But master, you're not strong enough." Quirrell hesitated.

"I have strength enough…for this…" The voice hissed. Harley watched in shock as Quirrell began to unwrap his turban. The purple turban slowly fell to floor as he finished. Quirrells head seemed smaller without it. She was frozen at her spot as she watched Quirrell turn around slowly on the spot. Harley would have screamed if she had the voice to. Where Quirrells back of his head should have been was a face. It was glaring at her with red eyes and a grim smile.

"Harley Potter." The face whispered. Harley remained stationary where she stood. "See what I have become? Mere shadow and vapor…I have form only when I share another's body. There have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and mind. Unicorn blood has only strengthened me, these past weeks. You saw how faithful Quirrell was drinking it for me in the forest…and once I have the Elixir of Life, I'll be able to create a body of my own. Now…why don't you give me that stone from your pocket?" Harley suddenly felt the feelings in her legs again, causing her to stumble backwards. "Don't be a fool girl. Better to save your own life and join me…or you'll end up like your parent…they died begging for mercy." The voice snarled.

"LIAR!" Harley bellowed out. She knew her parents where no cowards and would have fought Voldemort to the death, like they did. Quirrell walked backwards to him so Voldemort could see her.

"How touching…" The face hissed. "I always valued bravery…yes…you're parents were brave girl…I killed your father first, and he put a courageous fight…but your mother did not have to die…she was just trying to protect you…Now give me the stone if you want to live." Voldemort demanded.

"NEVER!" Harley yelled before turning on her heel and running up the stairs, springing towards the flame door.

"SEIZE HER!" Voldemort screamed. The next thing Harley knew was Quirrell's hand wrapped around her wrist. At once Harley felt the sharp pain through her head causing a blinding throbbing to flash through her head. As soon as it had come, it had disappeared. She looked around wildly to see Quirrell hunched over staring as his blistering hands. "SEIZE HER! SEIZE HER!" Screeched Voldemort. Harley made to run away again when Quirrell suddenly tackled her to the floor. Her head smacked into the steps, causing her eyesight to blur and spots to enter her eyesight. Blood dripped down the side of her head from the hard impact against the stone steps. Large hands wrapped her neck as Quirrell began to choke the life out of her. Harley's scar throbbed with pain as she tried to fight Quirrell, to stop him from killing her. Quirrell howled in pain as Harley looked through her blurred eyesight.

"Master, I cannot hold her – my hands – my hands!" Quirrell howled. Though Quirrell was still holding her down with his knees he stared down at his blistering hands with astonishment.

"Then kill her you fool, and be done!" Bellowed Voldemort. As Quirrell raised his hand to say the deadly curse Harley reacted on instinct and raised her hands to his face. Quirrell screamed in pain and rolled off of her, his face had become blistered too. She knew, then, even as her head pulsed and hammered with pain, that this was her only chance at living. Jumping unsteadily to her feet she rushed towards Quirrell and grabbed onto his arms as she held him tightly. He tried to shake her off but Harley held on with a vise grip. She could hear Voldemort bellowing "KILL HER! KILL HER!" distantly as her head continued to pulsate. Her consciousness began to diffuse after what seemed forever with her holding onto Quirrell.

She heard someone calling her name. "Harley! Harley!" But perhaps it was just her mind playing tricks. Then before she knew it, she felt darkness swarm her vision as she finally let Quirrell go. Her head felt light headed as she collapsed to the ground. She was going down, down and down as her eyes flutter shut as she collapsed.

"Where am I?" The question echoed around the eleven year old girl as she spun in a slow circle, trying to figure out where she was. Blackness met her sight everywhere she looked. Harley felt confusion bubble in her chest as she gazed at her murky black surroundings. "Did I die?" The question echoed again through her surroundings, almost like it was rebounding against walls. But were there any walls? Or just blackness like the midnight sky? That just continued to travel on and on. With a furrow of her eyebrows and a purse of her lips Harley pushed herself to walk forward, or wherever forward was. Her steps echoed loudly, like walking in a deserted room with absolutely no noise, except for the sound of your footsteps and pounding heart. She felt a dull ache through her body as she pushed herself forward. If she was feeling pain…did that mean she was still alive or in an in-between place? Was she in between life and death? These confusing thoughts swept through her mind. As quickly as they surfaced, they disappeared. "I'll get out of here." She decided as she continued to move onward, move forward. If there was a way out of wherever she was going to find it.

After what seemed hours of walking, but was really only mere minutes, Harley gave a disgruntled groan and tossed her hands up in the air. "Alright. I bloody give up! You friggin' win!" She bellowed out, her voice shook in the air like an electric wave.

The unexpected sound of a giggle caused Harley to freeze, and her head to snap left and right. 'Where had that laugh come from?' The sound of the laughter grew, louder and louder as Harley suddenly dashed forward. As the laughter grew, the sounds of more voices, adult and children, surfaced in the murky blackness. As Harley ran forward she suddenly stumbled forward and fell through the black void, like glass had suddenly broken. The loud crash of what sounded like glass breaking worried Harley for a split few minutes as she fell through the shattered black ground. "AH!" Harley screamed in alarm as she crashed forward through nothing, before landing on solid ground on her feet. Holding her hands out in front of herself to stop herself from tumbling forward the young eleven year old looked around with confusion. "Where am I now?" The question fluttered through the room silently before the sound of two vaguely familiar voices reached her ears.

"You're so beautiful my darling girl." A sweet voice like honey stated in a soft whisper. "Isn't she just beautiful James?" A woman with dark, fiery, red hair and bright, emerald green eyes questioned the man beside her.

"She is gorgeous Lily. She's as beautiful as you are." The man whispered from beside the woman Lily. His messy raven black hair stood on end, looking like it had just had a fight against the wind and lost. Twinkling hazel blue eyes looked to the woman and then baby in the crib. He wrapped his arms around the young woman's waist as he leaned his chin against her shoulder while he remained looking down at the awake child in the crib.

"I love you my darling Harley." Lily whispered with a grin as she stared down at the baby girl in the crib. Little baby Harley, looking no older than eight or nine months old, smiled up at her mother. "You're going to do some great things one day my little Harlot." Lily murmured as she leaned against the crib and held out a pale white finger. Baby Harley grabbed hold of it with two small hands and began to play with it in amusement.

"You're going to show the world that you can do anything, and that you're not afraid to do what you need to." James stated with a large smile that made him look like the teenager he once was. He leaned against the crib now, his arm still wrapped around Lily's waist as he too gazed down at his baby girl. With a smile James leaned forward and gradually pulled the baby Harley in his arms. Harley still held onto her mother's finger as she looked towards her mother with her own wide, bright, emerald green eyes.

"You're my little angel Harley. We'll always love you and will always be there with you." Lily raised baby Harley's hand and gave it a kiss, making the young baby giggle. James used one of his hands and released Lily of their daughter's tight grip and held her in his arms.

"You'll do us proud one day Harley." James whispered in the baby girl's ear. For once, after seeing this strange…memory, Harley realized she was in her old nursery. The room had been painted a beautiful maroon color. A gorgeous oak crib was placed beside a window, where white curtains hung above it. An oak walking chair sat in the corner, with a blanket over it on top of a cushion. A changing table was on the other side of the room with a large oak cabinet on the far wall. Toys and baby things littered the floor. A closet was beside the door of the nursery, showing many clothes inside it. As Harley made to walk farther into the room, the image changed into pitch-blackness again.

"Hey! I was watching them!" Harley hollered into nothing. She stopped as voices filtered through the air again. She could only listen to what was being said, but couldn't see anything but blackness.

"She'll be an amazing Quidditch player when she's older." A husky voice stated from beside Lily as the two figures watched a year old Harley fly across the backyard on a toy broom. One-year-old Harley's giggle echoed through the quiet front yard, causing a small smile to grace the gorgeous Lily's face. She glanced to her husband's best friend, his brother with a nod of her head.

"She will be if she's anything like James." Lily remarked and gave a laugh as baby Harley almost hit James as he tried to catch her.

"I'm sure she'll be more than just like James. If anything, she'll have your temper and aptitude for Potions." The hoarse voice remarked as eyes watched Harley and James interact. It was a wonderful thing to see, how James handled being a father so well and how much Harley loved her silly and mischievous father.

"I hope she never has to deal with what's been put upon her." Lily sighed sadly as she continued to watch her husband and daughter play together. James gave a loud laugh as he swooped the little raven haired and emerald green-eyed one year old in his arms. A laughing Harley kicked her little feet in the air as she looked to her father with a bright smile across her lips.

"I hope so too Lily. Just like James does." The soft voice of the man beside Lily gave a quirk of his lips as James came trotting up to the two figures with a smile as Harley continued to squeal and giggle in her father's arms.

"Looks like this little monster wants you Lily." James joked as he handed over the baby girl to her mother. Lily held Harley in her arms and looked down at the girl in her arms that looked back up at her mother wide-eyed wonder.

"Love you my little Harlot." Lily murmured before giving her a kiss on the left side of her forehead.

The talking voices suddenly stopped, now only becoming a statically sound as the voices no longer became clearer. Harley rubbed her eyes from the watery tears in them. These had to be memories. How she remembered them so clearly, when she was only a few months or a year old at the time, was a miracle. Harley supposed, it was that baby witches and wizards have greater memories than Muggles. With a sigh Harley took a seat on the black nothingness and looked around herself with a frown. 'How was she going to get out of here? If she didn't know where she was? With a heavy sigh the raven-haired girl lay back on the ground and closed her eyes.

The sound of voices filtering in her ears made Harley begin to stir in her bed as she gave a small moan of pain as her moving body protested the sore movements of her limbs.

Well, this chapter is finished.

The reason why I had those little memories happen in this chapter, is because of what happens in third year. :)

Hope you all liked this chapter.

I'll have the next three chapters hopefully up today so I can finally finish this chapter and work on second year.

I have my Poll up still, so go and vote if you haven't already. Also, I'm having a battle of what I want to happen to Harley.

I'm trying to decide if she should get placed or adopted by a family in her later years. Or should she remain in the Orphanage? I'm starting to think of just keeping her at the Orphanage for a few years, but I'm not sure yet. It's hard to decide. :(

R&R! They make me smile!

Your Writer,

TheWeepingRaven