"It's you?" Hailey shouted at Quirrell, confused.
"Me," Quirrell responded, calmly. "I was wondering when I was going to meet you here, Potter."
Hailey was still confused. She was expecting to see Snape, "I thought—Snape was—"
"Severus?" Quirrell sounded incredulous and gave a cold, sharp laugh, which made Hailey shiver. "Severus does seem like the type doesn't he? It was so useful having him around, swooping around like an overgrown bat. Who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?"
Hailey was still in disbelief. She was sorted into Ravenclaw for a reason, but she couldn't figure out who was really trying to steal the Stone? "Snape tried to kill me!"
"No, no, no. I tried to kill you, you daft girl! Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she went to set fire to Snape at that Qudditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I'd have got you off the broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a countercurse, trying to save you."
Hailey felt like her brain failed at that. Snape was trying to save her? Why would he do that? He despised her. "He was trying to save me?"
"Of course," Quirrell said, coldly. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really…he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Ravenclaw from winning, he did make himself unpopular…and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight."
He snapped his fingers and then ropes sprung out of nowhere, wrapping around her tightly. She looked at the ropes, realizing it was the Incarcerous Spell.
"You're too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone."
"You let the troll in?" Hailey asked, in disbelief. This man, who seems to be afraid of his own shadow, let a troll in?
Quirrell explained, "I have a special gift with trolls—you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off—and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bit Snape's leg off properly. Now, wait quietly. I need to examine this interesting mirror."
Hailey frowned, looking at the mirror.
"This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured. He walked around the mirror tapping it. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this…but he's in London. I'll be far away by the time he gets back."
Hailey looked at Quirrell, "I saw you and Snape in the forest."
"Yes, he was onto me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me—as though he could, when I have Lord Voldemort on my side," Quirrell said. Hailey flinched at the name. He stared hungrily into the mirror. "I see the Stone…I'm presenting it to my master…but where is it?"
Hailey had to keep Quirrell from giving his whole attention to the mirror. "But Snape always seemed to hate me."
"Oh, he does," Quirrell replied, "Heavens, yes. He went to Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other, but he never wanted you dead."
"I heard you a few days ago, sobbing—I thought Snape was threatening you…" Hailey replied.
For the first time, Quirrell looked scared. "Sometimes, I find it hard to follow my master's instructions—he is a great wizard and I am weak—"
"He was there in the classroom with you?" Hailey asked stunned.
"He is with me where I go." Quirrell explained, "I met him when I traveled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it. Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He had to be very hard on me, since he does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the Stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me…decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me."
Hailey remembered her trip to Diagon Alley—she met him and even shook hands with him. She had no reason to blame him for something. She thought, What I want more than anything is to find the Stone before Quirrell does. If I look in the mirror, I should see myself finding it, which I'll see where it's hidden! I got to look without Quirrell realizing what I'm doing.
She started to edge to the left to try to get in front of the glass without Quirrell realizing it. The ropes around her ankles were too tight, so she ending up falling over.
"What does the mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!" Quirrell said to himself.
"Use the girl…use the girl…" a high-pitched voice said, coming from Quirrell. It didn't sound like Quirrell at all.
"Yes, Potter, come here." Quirrell said. He clapped once and the rope binding her fell off. She stood up. "Look into the mirror and tell me what you see."
Hailey knew she must lie and walked toward him. I must lie. I can't tell him the truth. She thought desperately, I can't let him have the Stone. She stood in front of the mirror and Quirrell was standing behind her.
She could smell the weird, funny smell coming from his turban. She closed her eyes and opened them. She saw her reflection, pale, shaking, and terrified. Suddenly the reflection held up a large, blood-red stone. She realized it was the Philosopher's Stone and her reflection smiled. Her reflection winked at her, as she put it in her pocket. She felt a weight enter her own pocket and wondered if she somehow managed to get the Stone.
"Well?" Quirrelll demanded, "What did you see?"
Hailey had to pull out some courage that she supposedly had. "I see my House cheering and getting in a group hug because we won the House Championship. I'm shaking hands with Dumbledore."
Quirrell cursed and shoved her out of the way. She felt the weight against her leg as she nearly hit the ground. She slowly started walking to the fire, wondering if she might be able to leave the black fire.
"She lies. She lies…" the high-pitched voice said.
Hailey wondered how the voice knew that.
Quirrell turned to face her, looking enraged. "Potter, come back here! Tell me the truth! What did you really see?"
"Let me speak to her, face-to-face," the high pitched voice said.
"Master, you're not strong enough," Quirrell said.
"I have enough strength…for this," the voice replied.
Hailey felt like she was back with the Devil's Snare, rooted to the spot. She watched entranced, while Quirrell started unraveling the turban.
What's going on? Hailey wondered, staring as the last wrap fell down. Quirrell turned around, slowly.
There was a face on the back of his head. It was chalk-white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils. It was terrible and Hailey couldn't scream. She felt like she was petrified.
"Hailey Potter…" the face whispered. Hailey couldn't step back, no matter how hard she tried. She couldn't even scream. "See what I have 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. Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past few weeks, you and that retched boy saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest. Once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own. Now, why don't you be a good girl and give me that Stone in your pocket?"
The feeling surged into her legs and she stumbled backwards. "No!"
"Don't be a fool," the face snarled, "Better you save your own life and join me…or you'll meet the same end as your parents. They died begging me for mercy."
Hailey doubted that. The Sorting Hat told her that they were in Gryffindor, which was a house for bravery after all. She was sure that they won't die begging for mercy. "You're lying!"
Quirrell was walking backward so the face could still see her.
"How touching…" the face hissed, "I always value bravery. Yes, girl, your parents were very brave. I killed your father first and he put up a courageous fight, but your mother needn't have died. She was trying to protect you. Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain."
"I'm never giving it to you!" Hailey shouted back, "And that's the truth!" She grabbed Michael's wand out of her pocket and held it out, ready to use the Body-Bind spell, "P—" Quirrell did one hand motion, causing Michael's wand to fly out of her hand, and right across the chamber. She ran for it.
"Seize her!" The face shouted.
Quirrell somehow managed to grab Hailey's upper arm and a searing pain entered her scar. It felt like her head was going to split in two. She screamed and started slapping at Quirrell to be released. Surprisingly, he let go of her. She hit the ground, the pain in her lessening, and looked for Michael's wand. She could barely see through the tears in her eyes and she managed to spot it a few feet away. She started crawling for it, shaking, and she could feel tears roll down her cheeks.
"Seize her!" Voldemort shouted and louder, "Seize her!"
Quirrell jumped over and grabbed her ankles. Hailey started kicking at his face, the pain in her head swelling. Someone was howling in agony, but she wasn't sure who it was. It could've been Quirrell, but she wasn't sure. It could've been her.
Hailey started kicking at Quirrell harder who released her. He was looking at his hands and Hailey could see that they were raw, red, and blistering.
"Master, I cannot hold her! My hands! My hands!" Quirrell shouted, still looking at his hands.
"Kill her, then! Kill her!" Voldermort ordered.
She got up and started running for Michael's wand, but Quirrell tackled her. He reached for her neck and Hailey touched his face, shoving him away. His face started blistering.
"Kill her, you fool! Get it over with! Kill her!" Voldemort repeated and Quirrell pulled out his wand, ready to perform a curse on her.
Hailey reached over and grabbed his face again. He backed away and Hailey got up. She needed to grab him and keep him for performing a spell on her. She grabbed his arm and the pain in her head was building. She could hear Voldemort shrieking, "kill her!" over and over again. She could hear Quirrell screaming or was it her or was it both? He was trying to throw her off by swinging his arm round, but she held on and clawed at him. He couldn't touch her because it caused him agony to even do it. She heard someone shouting her name repeatedly.
She felt her grip on Quirrell loosen, but she still struggled to grab him. She couldn't let Voldemort and Quirrell get the Stone. She couldn't let them win. She couldn't let Voldemort form a new body. She kicked and clawed to get to Quirrell. Her vision was turning white, then to fuzzy grey, and then it started to blacken. She was falling into blackness, yet she still struggled, and then she saw darkness.
A/N: Wow, I think this is the shortest chapter for this story so far.