Title: The Boys Who Lived
Author: Shara Lunison
Beta: Batsutousai
Rating for this Chapter: T
Pairings: Harry/Henry (OMC)
Warnings: SLASH, Eventual twincest!
Summary: The Potter twins are attacked by Voldemort and somehow defeat him. Now the Dark Lord has returned and they have to choose between light and dark. SLASH, Twincest, rated M for later chapters.
Disclaim Her: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Chapter Eleven: The Philosopher's Stone
"You?" Henry gasped.
The form turned and a delighted grin suffused his face as he realized who the intruders were. "Potter and Potter. How delightful." Professor Quirrell took a step closer to them and Henry noticed the gilt mirror that stood behind him. The Mirror of Erised. "I am not surprised to see you here tonight, but I am afraid we have no time to chat. I was just examining this fascinating mirror." The defense professor turned back around and ran his hands over the frame. "I see myself presenting the Stone to my master, but how do I get it? Do I need to break it?"
"But why are you after the Stone?" Harry asked.
Quirrell laughed maniacally. It didn't suit the stuttering, cowardly professor they were used to. "I will give it to my master to return him to human form, of course."
"You don't mean…?" Harry whispered.
"Yes. The Dark Lord. He found me while I was on a trip through Albania. I alone have had the honor of sharing my body with him."
"Sharing your body?" Henry asked in horror.
A thin whisper of voice joined the room. "Let me speak with them… face to face."
The turbaned man looked up, "Master, you are not strong enough!"
"I am strong enough… for this."
Quirrell began unwrapping his turban from his head. He was quite bald underneath and as he turned they were granted the horrible sight of a second face sticking out of the back of his head. The eyes were a dull red, the nose flat and slitted like a snake, and the lips were thin and white.
"Potter…" Voldemort whispered in a raspy snarl, "We meet… at last." Quirrell walked backwards towards the twins, who stumbled over their own feet to get away from the terrible face of the Dark Lord. "Do you see what has become of me? Reduced to mere spirit, forced to possess the bodies of animals to survive. You did this to me!" he hissed menacingly.
"You did this to yourself," Henry answered as calmly as he could. "You'll never be able to get the Stone from the mirror."
He laughed. "I suppose Dumbledore is responsible for this gilt artifact. But if I cannot get the Stone, then perhaps someone else can. Use the boy," Voldemort rasped to Quirrell.
"Yes, of course!" Quirrell turned, and the twins were grateful that the other face was now turned away from them. He grabbed Harry, who was closest, and thrust him in front of the mirror. "What do you see?"
Harry saw himself in the mirror, holding a ruby red stone in the palm of his hand. With a wink the mirror Harry put the Stone in his pocket, and he realized with a start that his own pocket now seemed a little heavier. "I see… my family," he whispered, doing his best to imitate the hunger and longing that he had felt when he first looked into the mirror and saw those things.
"He lies," Voldemort hissed.
Henry drew his wand and prepared to fire a curse at the Defense professor. "Expell…"
"Crucio!" Voldemort took control of one of Quirrell's arms, bending it backwards unnaturally as he raised his wand and fired the pain curse at Henry.
He was on fire. Every nerve ending screamed for release. His body arched off of the ground where he had fallen when first hit by the curse. Ligaments popped and twitched, muscles spasmed. An eternity of pain that ended after thirty seconds.
Moaning, Henry tried to crawl towards his wand that had fallen nearby.
"Crucio!" Voldemort cackled as Henry screamed again. Harry's voice was joining him, but he couldn't hear it. Both boys experienced the curse simultaneously despite the fact that is was only being cast on Henry. "Curious," the Dark Lord murmured, releasing the curse.
"Please stop!" Harry gasped from Quirrell's other hand—the man was clutching the neck of his robes in a fist. "You're killing him!"
"And how," Voldemort lay his wand along Harry's cheek and stared intently down into his eyes, "do you know that?"
"I can feel it," Harry whispered brokenly. Tears gathered in his eyes as he looked at his brother lying face down on the floor.
"And why is that? Hm?" The Dark Lord kicked Henry over onto his back as he asked.
"Soul… bond." Henry's voice was dry and sore sounding.
"Soul bond?" Voldemort asked. He was silent for several long moments, eyes darting back and forth as the gears turned in his mind.
"Should I kill them, master?" Quirrell asked eagerly.
"No!" Voldemort cried, and Harry thought he could detect actual horror on the man's snake-like face. He shook Harry slightly. "This one has the Stone in his pocket. Take it and leave them here. I will deal with them at a later date."
Quirrell turned and manhandled Harry so that he could search his pockets. But the boy grabbed his arm and tried to pull him away. It took them both a moment to realize that his flesh was searing at Harry's touch, crumbling into ash after only a few seconds of contact.
"What are you doing? The Stone! Get the Stone!" Voldemort ordered.
Harry, realizing his advantage, grabbed Quirrell by the face and watched as the man crumbled beneath his fingers. He felt no pain. There was only a queer sort of tingling feeling under his skin that made him feel safe and warm. It was like his mother was there, hugging him and telling him that everything would be all right.
"NO!" Voldemort screamed. Quirrell's body dissolved into ash on the floor and a misty ghost-like specter emerged from his shell and disappeared through the wall.
"Hen!" Harry cried, kneeling to help his brother sit up. "Are you all right?"
Henry was clutching his cheek over the curse scar and gritting his teeth in pain. "Hurts," he muttered.
"What hurts? Your scar?" Harry asked, confused.
The other boy slowly pulled his hand away and was startled to see the blood on his hand.
Harry studied the wound. It looked as though it was newly cut. "But why? If it was because of Voldemort, then why didn't mine hurt, too?"
"Harry, Henry!" Professor Snape hurtled through the fire in the doorway and sighed with relief to see that both boys were unharmed. "Thank Merlin. Come on, let's get you to the hospital wing so that Madam Pomfrey can check you out. Dumbledore is here as well."
"All right," Henry said tiredly. He sat up and then tried to stand when a feeling like blood rushing to his head came over him. Blinking black spots from his vision, he took one step and promptly passed out. Harry just barely caught him in time.
"Hen…" Harry sighed as the effect of his brother's fainting spell struck him as well. Snape caught them both before they hit the floor, wondering how he was going to get them out of there now.
-o-0-o-
They woke in the same bed in the hospital, squinting up at a pair of twinkling blue eyes framed by half moon spectacles.
"Welcome back," said Professor Dumbledore.
The boys sat up, retrieved their own glasses from the table beside the bed and looked questioningly at the Headmaster.
"I expect you have quite a few questions, foremost being how you got here," he stated.
"I remember Professor Snape coming to get us…" Harry trailed off. Everything was a little blurry after that.
"He did indeed. And he brought you both back up here where Madam Pomfrey treated you. I was wondering if you could tell me what happened to Professor Quirrell and Voldemort?"
"Did you know he was possessing Quirrell this whole time and you didn't do anything about it?" Henry asked angrily.
"Alas, I did not know. I only suspected. And suspicions are horrible things to act on at the best of times. I had to wait until I was sure to do anything. Unfortunately, that seemed to be too late as well."
Henry continued to frown slightly at the Headmaster, but didn't say anything else about the possession. Through his bond with his twin, he could feel a huge wave of guilt building and looked at his brother in concern. Harry's bottom lip was being nibbled fiercely as he stared at his fisted hands.
"I killed him," Harry whispered. "When I touched Quirrell's skin with my hands, he just crumbled away and died. I don't understand why."
"Ah, that explains the state of my Defense professor when I found him there. I believe that the answer to your question has something to do with why you both survived the Killing Curse as babies. Your mother died sacrificing her life to save yours. It imbued you with a protection that even Voldemort could not face. A protection in your very skin. Someone as dark and evil as Voldemort would never be able to touch something so pure without feeling pain or even dying."
Harry nodded hesitantly and slowly relaxed his fists.
"My dear boy," Dumbledore said sympathetically, "You must understand that even if you had done nothing, Professor Quirrell would have died anyway. By sharing his body with Voldemort, he used up his very life force keeping him alive. Had the Dark Lord suddenly left the Professor's body, he would have died immediately. It was only a matter of time."
The younger twin sighed and shook his head. "I still killed him, Professor. Nothing you say will change that."
The Headmaster nodded reluctantly.
"And my scar?" Henry asked next, desperate to know why his hurt and Harry's didn't. "It hurt when Harry killed him, but Harry's didn't even twinge."
"I had noticed that Poppy had to treat the wound, yes. I am curious myself to know why only one of you seems to have such a connection to Voldemort. I would have assumed that if it existed, both of you would feel the same things."
"So I'm connected to Voldemort? Is this like the soul bond between me and Harry?"
Dumbledore's eyes lit up as though he had just grasped the final piece of a puzzle. "Perhaps…" he murmured to himself. He pointed at the scar on Henry's face. "It is conceivable that as the curse rebounded off of you and struck the Dark Lord, it created a soul bond between you and Harry, and between yourself and Voldemort."
"So, there's a bit of Voldemort's soul stuck in my cheek?" Henry asked incredulously.
The Headmaster shook his head. "It would not be in such a specific location. The soul is a complex thing. It is more likely that that tiny piece of Voldemort is a part of the person you are now. Do not be concerned. The worst part seems to be that you have this connection to him. Should he ever regain his body, it would grow even stronger."
Harry clutched his brother's hand over the blankets and asked another question. "How did I get the Stone out of the mirror? And where is it now? Is your friend Nicholas Flamel going to be all right?"
"You did do your homework, didn't you?" Dumbledore chuckled. "It was rather ingenious of me to place it in the mirror. Only someone who wanted to find the Stone, but not use it, would be able to get it free. Otherwise you would just see yourself drinking Elixir or swimming through piles of gold. I fear that Nicholas has decided to destroy the Stone so that no one will be tempted to steal it again. He and his wife will continue to live long enough to set their affairs in order, and then they will move on to life's next great adventure."
Henry frowned. "How do you know so much about the mirror? I mean, how did you get the Stone inside of it?"
The old man smiled. "The Mirror of Erised is very old magic. I have spent quite a number of years studying the mirror, and I have learned some of its secrets. Hiding the Stone was simple enough after that."
The older boy fingered the sheets in his free hand, looking down at his lap. "I saw…" he stopped and glanced at Harry and then quickly looked away, "I saw something in the mirror, but not something I've ever wanted…"
"What you saw, Henry, is nothing more than your deepest more heartfelt desire. But just because somewhere in your heart of hearts you want it, it does not mean that it will ever come to pass. Do not dwell overmuch on it. I suspect that when you're older, other… options, shall we say, will seem more appealing." He twinkled reassuringly at the boys.
Henry looked at him in horror. "How did you know? I never told anyone!"
Dumbledore patted his arm. "I think that is enough questions for tonight. Madam Pomfrey has granted you both a clean bill of health. The closing feast will be starting in an hour. I do hope you'll both be able to make it down and join your classmates." And with that, he quickly disappeared from the ward.
Henry was tightly clutching Harry's hand in his, his downcast eyes glaring daggers at the bed sheets. A glass of water on the bedside table began to tremble suspiciously before shattering with a sharp crack.
"Hen? What's wrong? What did you see? You can tell me, you know."
Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm down. The spilled water from the glass stopped trying to freeze itself. "I saw you."
"What, that's it?"
"I saw you kissing me. And I kissed you back," Henry whispered brokenly.
"Oh." Harry looked away for a few moments as he thought. When he finally looked back up, he was smiling. "It's all right."
Hen looked at him incredulously.
"No, really. It's all right. I think that our souls are bound closer than anyone can really imagine. I'm not surprised that when you looked in the mirror, you saw us like that. If you think of our souls as two different people joined together, half for half, then I think it's natural that that kind of closeness could exist. But Dumbledore is right, I don't think it will matter in a few years. We'll both find someone else that we like. I'm sure of it."
His brother hugged him tightly. "Thanks, Harry. But I can't believe that Dumbledore invaded my privacy like that. I'm not just going to forget it either. He had no right to use whatever he knows about the mirror to find out what I saw."
Harry nodded against Henry's hair. "I think you're right. He seems like a nice old man, but that says a lot about his character. Perhaps we should be more cautious around him."
Henry nodded and pulled away. "Let's get down to the feast. I think Slytherin won the House Cup again, even if Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup finally."
They changed out of their pajamas into the clean uniforms and robes laid out for them and trekked down to the Great Hall. There was a lull in the conversation when they entered, and a few people actually cheered for them as they went to sit at the Slytherin table for dinner. Ron was already there, sitting beside Draco, while Hermione had joined her friends at the Ravenclaw table.
Dumbledore stood from the head table once the twins were seated. "Another year over already! Tomorrow you will all return home to your families for a summer of fun and relaxation. And tonight we celebrate our last night in Hogwarts by awarding the House Cup!" Slytherin cheered at this. "Yes, congratulations, Slytherin! However, I do have a few last minute points to hand out." Henry and Draco frowned at each other. They didn't like the sound of that. "First, to Ms. Hermione Granger, for the use of her extensive knowledge to save her friends from a watery death, I award Gryffindor House fifty points!"
Loud cheers were heard from both the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables.
"Second, to Mr. Ronald Weasley, for the best played game of chess Hogwarts has ever seen, and for the sacrifice he made to protect his friends, I award Gryffindor House fifty points!"
Draco clapped Ron on the shoulder with a fond smile as the Gryffindor table cheered again. They were now only fifty points shy of a tie with Slytherin.
Dumbledore raised his hand for silence. "To Messirs Fred and George Weasley, for the use of their entirely secret skill in potions in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor House one hundred points!"
Gryffindor exploded, realizing that they were now beating Slytherin. Fred and George had paled dramatically at the outing of their skills and were looking at Snape's evil smile and gulping in terror.
"And finally!" the Headmaster cried, "I award Mr. Henry Potter, Mr. Harry Potter, and Mr. Draco Malfoy fifty points each for the bravery, support, and cunning it took to help their friends and come out victorious in the end!"
With a wave of his wand, the hall was redecorated to include the Gryffindor colors and banners along with the Slytherin. They had tied for the House Cup.
"Now, dig in!" Dumbledore retook his seat with the other professors and the plates and platters on all the long tables suddenly filled with an endless array of tasty things. Everyone was in good spirits, for even though Slytherin had still partially won; the inclusion of Gryffindor assured the rest of the school that the snakes' winning streak was coming to an end.
-o-0-o-
"Harry, Henry!" Hagrid called across the platform to the two Potters as the other students filed onto the Express to head back to London.
"Hello, Hagrid!" Harry greeted the half-giant cheerfully.
"Where are yer things?" he asked, confused. "Aren't you takin' the train home fer the summer?"
"Nope!" Henry cried with an infectious grin. "Dumbledore told us we could come see out friends off, but he's going to take us to our new summer guardian after the train leaves."
The twins waved to the compartment they were standing near, where all of their friends were clustered close to the window, as the train started to move out of the platform. Everyone had traded promises to write, though Draco had said it may not be possible for him because of his father. To even Henry's surprise, the blond Slytherin had kept his friendship with the Potters, Weasley, and Granger a secret from his family for reasons they didn't understand and that Draco was reluctant to explain.
They walked slowly back up to the castle with Hagrid after the train disappeared around a bend through the trees.
"I hope y'll be stayin in Hogsmeade for the summer," Hagrid said. "Y'll be close enough to come visit. I'm goin ter be working with some of the beasts that live in the forest, if you'd like ter take a look. Might even be able ter help me if I can get Dumbledore's say-so."
They readily agreed to do so if they could and greeted the Headmaster as they reached the steps of the castle.
"I have had the house elves take your things ahead. You will be staying in Hogsmeade with my brother this summer." The old man twinkled brightly at them.
"Professor, would it be all right if they came ter visit me occasionally? Only I told 'em about the beasts I'll be seeing ter, and…"
"Of course, Hagrid." He turned to smile at the twins. "You're welcome to wander around Hogsmeade and the grounds of Hogwarts as much as you please this summer, but not in the castle itself. I will be working with a few of the professors to strengthen the wards after that little fiasco with the Stone and I wouldn't want you to stumble in at the wrong time. Warding can be very delicate, and Hogwarts is very temperamental."
"Excellent!" they said in unison, grinning from ear to ear.
"Well, then. If you would follow me? Good day Hagrid." The Headmaster led them down the long path that led from the school to Hogsmeade. "I should warn you before we arrive that my brother, Aberforth, and I do not particularly get along. He may say things about me that you will find most surprising. I wish to assure you that he is simply casting aspersions on my name."
"What happened to cause you to fight like that?" Henry asked.
"I fear he blames me for our sister's death. In truth, I do not know who is responsible. He and I had a fight with a good friend of mine and she was caught in the middle. By the time we realized she had been hit by a stray spell, it was too late." The twinkle died from his eyes and they shone with a suspicious brightness.
"I'm sorry Professor," Harry whispered, Henry murmuring his agreement.
"Oh, it was many years ago. I have had a long time to get over it. But as is the case with accidental death, it is always hard to rid oneself of feelings of guilt and pain." They approached the little town and proceeded from the main road onto a dingy little side street and a worn-down old establishment called the Hog's Head. "I don't know why he won't let me clean this place up," Dumbledore informed them, "but over the past few weeks I have added numerous wards and enchantments to insure your protection here. And despite our falling out, I know Abe will take good care of you."
They entered to find a dusty and dirty bar room that was even gloomier than the outside of the building, if that was possible. A few rather sketchy looking patrons were nursing drinks under long black cloaks at various intervals around the room, and a man with graying auburn hair was polishing a dirty glass with an even dirtier cloth behind the bar.
"Albus," the barkeep growled.
"Aberforth. These are Harry and Henry Potter." He gestured to each boy in turn. "I will leave you to get settled and get to know each other," he told the twins. "Farewell!" Albus swept out of the room back into the street, leaving the boys and the man staring at one another for several moments.
At last Abe smiled. "I have quite a bit to share with you boys, but why don't I show you to your room first?"
Nodding, the twins followed him upstairs, surprised to find a cozy and well-kept living room complete with couch and muggle telly. He motioned to four doors, two on each side of the room. "My room is the first on the left. I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't go in there without my permission when the door is closed. If it's open and I'm home, feel free to knock. The second door on that side is the bathroom. Your room is the first door on the right." He opened the door to reveal a very nice bedroom with a single four-poster, a wardrobe, and a standing mirror on a small table. It was decorated in tasteful midnight blue with shooting stars and constellations picked out on the comforter and climbing the walls. They were delighted to see that the stars moved across the walls in bright flashes every few minutes. Their trunks were placed on opposite sides of the room next to each end of the bed situated under a window. "Next door is a study room of sorts. There are two desks and I found some of my brother, sister, and my toys from when we were kids and placed them in a chest in there as well." He winked brightly at them.
"This is amazing, Mr. Dumbledore," Henry breathed.
"Please, call me Abe. I'll leave you to get settled and come find me when you want some lunch. I'll start telling you things you'll need to know before you start your next school year as well." He swept out the door and returned to the bar downstairs.
The twins exchanged glances. "I wonder what he's going to tell us?" Harry asked.
"Well, if Dumbledore is to be believed, I would imagine he is going to try to turn us against the Headmaster." Henry grinned. "If that's his aim, it shouldn't be too hard. I think it will be interesting to hear the take of someone close to our dear Professor."
They unpacked their clothes into the wardrobe, their books and supplies into the room next door, and took some time to explore the chest of toys in the corner. When lunchtime came, their stomachs ordered them downstairs and they sat down to a delicious looking meal prepared by Abe.
"Now." He poured them both glasses of pumpkin juice and picked up his fork. "The first thing you should know is that Albus was good friends with Gellert Grindelwald."
The twins stared at him in surprise. It was going to be an interesting summer.
-o-0-o-