Chapter 5: Betrayals
As a special event the day before the holiday, the Great Hall was flooded with decorations for the Christmas festivities.
For dinner, there was a huge roasted turkey with small slices served with a side of corn, mashed potatoes and cauliflower covered in melted cheese.
Harry had a big chunk of it on his plate liking the smell of the food but feeling a little bit anxious just as Professor Quirrell came running in.
The man looked disheveled, his eyes wide in horror as if the very thing he had seen had frightened him as he told Dumbledore about a troll at the school as if to make sure that everyone heard it.
If everyone had heard it the only thing it could accomplish was a massive panic. Why would Quirrell go through such trouble, if what Snape had said that Dumbledore had already known about it?
'Wait, is that what I really want to ask? Who in their right mind would allow a teacher like that at this school?'
Unfortunately Harry didn't have the answer in his grasp at the moment and shoved this thought in the back of his mind to consider later instead thinking about the other question at hand.
'If I wanted to get the philosopher's stone the only reason I would do such a thing...' Harry thought. 'Wait, he's intentionally trying to stir a panic to provide distraction enough to obtain the philosopher's stone from the school.'
A loud commotion coming from the headmaster's wand had silenced the uproar as he told the prefects to lead the students to their dormitories immediately.
Harry had barely heard it as he stared at the head table where Snape had sprung onto his feet, eye filled with intent. It looked like he was going to confront Professor Quirrell.
He shook his head at the worry that began to flood his mind at the thought of the man confronting such a powerful wizard. Deep down he knew Snape was a powerful wizard but there was a doubt in his mind what if Snape was killed by the troll. What about his niece-?
'She doesn't know about the troll.' Harry thought with realisation. 'She's-"
He quickly ran out of the great hall among the crowd of students who hadn't noticed him leaving, heading towards the girl's bathroom.
On the corner of his eye he saw Snape heading towards the third floor giving Harry further anxiety, adrenaline at this point surging through his veins.
He turned at the most horrid smell, startled at the appearance of a 12 foot troll with a long wooden club in it's hands.
Quickly Harry turned on his heel, following his first instinct of running to the girl's bathroom eager to get Emily out of there before the troll could reach her.
Suddenly he heard the sound of the troll swinging his club, his head ducking in instinct at what he thought to be an incoming blow.
The club had hit the foundation of the school causing massive tremors to stir beneath Harry's feet. Rocks from the ceiling began to tumble to the ground due to the tremors.
Suddenly a force knocked the breath out of Harry as something had forcibly pushed him forward.
Panic stunned Harry as he began to feel a sharp pain on his side. There was also a stabbing headache and impending dizziness at the thought of his blood pouring out of his wound and looking at the red viscous fluid if he had checked the wound for blood.
'It could be a fatal wound.' He thought. 'I have to be sure.'
Harry felt the wound, his finger were beginning to be caked with something sticky. Harry brought his red fingers to his face.
'This could be bad.'
More impending tremors seemed to shake the ground and Harry saw that the troll was heading in Snape's direction.
He winced, there was no time to be worrying about his pain when Snape could still be in danger.
Harry shrugged the massive weight of the wreckage that had weighed him down as he lifted himself off the ground looking briefly at the jagged rock on the ground covered with his blood.
To stiffle the pain, he grabbed his side limping and running to the girl's bathroom.
Inside Emily looked indifferent to everything that was happened as she was talking with Myrtle.
"You have to head back to the dungeons." Harry said, wincing at the pain in his side.
"What happened to you?" Emily asked. "That wound looks very serious."
"Now's not the time. You got to get out of here before the troll comes back."
"A troll? How could someone possibly sneak something like that into Hogwarts?"
"Just go."
Emily collected her feet.
"Myrtle, sorry I have to go." She addressed the ghost residing in the girl's bathroom.
Harry looked up seeing her for the first time.
"This is the first time, a boy has thought to drop by and visit. What's your name?" Myrtle asked.
He was briefly startled by the ghost's presence.
"Look Myrtle or whoever you are can you make sure Emily get to the dungeons safely?"
"Oh all right but you have to tell me your name after this is over it."
HPSS
Some time before these events had started happening, Ron walked Hermione to detention at around the same time Harry was having dinner.
"Thank you for joining me like this, Ron." Hermione said with relief.
"It's not a problem. Something about this is making me uneasy, it would feel uncomfortable if I let you go alone."
Eventually the two made it outside Quirrell's classroom.
Hermione hesitated before knocking on the door.
There was silence.
"Professor?" She was puzzled at the lack of response.
"Is he even here?" Ron asked.
In the distance they heard screams, murmurs and loud commotion some distance away.
"I don't like this." Hermione said with unease.
"Ms Granger, I see you've made it. Pleased to see your company." Quirrell said, the stutter not present at all, building up the unease she had felt in the first place.
"You're after the Philosopher's stone aren't you?" Hermione asked, intending on confronting the professor.
Quirrell's face contorted into a scowl.
"You're sharper than you seem."
Suddenly the professor fired a wandless spell in Hermione's direction which Hermione had side stepped.
"Confundo."
Quirrell conjured a shield quickly in order to block the stray curse and he flung his wand causing a rope to spew out of it.
Hermione cast a severing charm in the nick of time.
"I'm impressed with the amount of second year spells you've learned. Been cramming the information from your spellbooks?"
Ron stepped forward.
"Let me handle this, Ron." She insisted pushing him back.
"Expulso."
The ceiling began to collapse and Quirrell had just barely side-stepped the rocks.
"Clever, wouldn't mind trying something like that myself." He taunted, doing the same thing to the ceiling above her.
Then just as quickly he cast an inpediment curse, as Hermione was distracted with side stepping all the rocks.
Hermione just barely managed to dodge the spells while avoiding the rocks.
"You're quite powerful and turning out to be quite a challenge but you must know that your skill and knowledge won't always help you." He said and suddenly Ron walked past Hermione standing in front of Quirrell.
"Now I wonder would you dare hurt your friend in means of the greater good?" He asked, pointing his wand at Ron's jugular.
"What did you do to him?" She asked.
"He's a victim of the imperius curse in case it escaped your notice."
"The imperius curse?" Hermione didn't think a professor would dare use it, it was an unforgivable curse, it was illegal according to the Ministry. Surely she was residing in a world where the Ministry was able to track and imprison those who used illegal spells.
"You sound surprised that I've used such an illegal spell as if you believe the Ministry had means of tracing it's use. You are naive. I could use it and not even Dumbledore would be able to stop me." Quirrell said. "Why I could kill him right now and not feel a thing."
Hermione found herself paralysed not having enough ill will to want Ron to die for her sake. Even if she had the ill-will she imagined she'd never want anyone to die for her sake.
"Use the impediment curse, Mr Weasley."
Hermione was surprised when Ron looked up with cold misty blue eyes.
"Impedimenta."
Suddenly black filled her vision and she collapsed to the stone cold floor.
HPSS
After making his way over to a short cut on the third floor, he managed by the looks of it to make it to Snape before the troll had.
Upon his arrival, he saw Snape pointing his wand at the big atrocious three-headed dog-like beast who was growling at him quite ferociously. His arms were cupping his mangled leg which he had held close to his.
He turned towards Harry indifferently.
"Potter, what are you doing down here?"
"The troll is coming this way."
Snape's dark gaze dwelled on the blood coating the boy's fingers that gripped his side.
"Where did you get that wound?"
"Does it matter?"
"You need to get that treated."
"Not without you."
"Get out of here you fool."
Suddenly the troll burst through the door, causing both of them to fall backwards at the impact.
Harry jumped in surprise, the sheer fear of being surrounded by death made his legs shake, folding from beneath him.
"Idiot, now look what you've done."
"Me? Do you even know what you're getting yourself into Professor Quirrell is using this as a diversion to get to the philosopher's stone."
"You don't think I know that."
Quickly glancing around the room where he and Snape were boxed in, Harry saw something beneath the three-headed dog's feet and was hit with a realisation.
"The philosopher's stone. It's here isn't it? Right under that flea-bitten canine."
Snape said nothing. He didn't have to, his expression told Harry everything from the amount of disgust at Harry's high strung behavior to his anger at him trying to pull a hero act.
"I-I guess this is it. I guess we're done for." Harry said closing his eyes bracing himself for his future demise. He knew nothing would prepare him for the inevitable pain. Singing usually calmed him though so he began humming to himself the lullaby Malory would often sing to him every night.
Opening his eyes at the realisation that neither the canine nor the troll had attacked them, Harry saw he had somehow lured the canine to sleep. Turning around he saw the troll seemed perplexed by this.
"Potter, run." Snape cut through his thoughts grabbing the boy by his arm and pulling him towards the underground door beneath the sleeping three-headed dog.
He opened the door before throwing him into the deep depths of darkness.
Harry found the landing surprisingly soft as if he had landed on a bed of clouds. He winced as it lightly brushed against his wound. His eyes brightened at the sound of a light thump that followed soon afterwards.
"Snape?" He cried out. "Professor?"
The sound of a pained groan came from in back of him.
Harry frantically moved above the bed of clouds struggling to get to the potion professor to see if he was alright.
"I'm fine, Potter." The voice was closer than Harry expected it to be. "We have better things to worry about now then the extent of my injuries."
"Where are we, professor?"
Snape was quiet. Right at that moment a faint light brought depth to the scenery. It seemed they were trapped in a bundle of vines. The thought made Harry twitch causing the vines to squeeze him.
"Hold still, Potter."
"Lumos maxima."
Harry clearly saw the plant had wrapped them somehow in it's strangling vines. He was amazed the plant with the bright light had ceased it's movements at the sight of bright light.
"Come on, Potter. Help me up."
The boy struggled free from vines and crawled to the professor and his lit wand pulling him from the plant's vines.
"Let me lean on you, Potter." Snape asked wrapping his right arm around the boy's shoulders.
Snape looked back, there was no way back if the boy had indeed lied to him destroying the plants would be useless.
The two eventually opened the door at the end of the room nearly getting bombarded by malicious-looking flying keys.
Three broomsticks were lined against the wall much to Harry's bafflement.
"Broomsticks?"
Harry inquired incredulously before he tried to open the door in the room. It was locked.
"Yes Potter, what did you expect to see an exit?"
"What is all of this?" Harry asked, voice laced with suspicion. If Snape wasn't mistaken he thought he could also sense a trace of fear. Usually he'd revel in the knowledge that his nemesis was shaken with the current of events but there was no enjoyment in it as it would seem it was now his obligation to get the boy to safety.
Snape sighed in defeat.
"These are traps that Dumbledore had established to protect philosopher's stone if you're so curious." He explained.
"I suppose the key to the door is one of those keys flying around."
"Yes." Snape replied before sighing with exasperation. Looking up he glanced at Harry who was looking very leery about the brooms.
"I assume I'm expected to use the broom to try and catch the right key."
"Not at all. I was contemplating on doing it myself but if you're so eager, Potter." Snape said, his left arm leaning against the wall.
"Eager? I've only flown once on a broom."
"Go on."
Harry set off on one of the brooms to catch the key getting scratched up on his way to obtaining the correct key to the door, enduring the blinding pain at his side as he did so.
"How many more traps after this?" He asked wincing as he clutched his side.
"I'm just as clueless as you are, Potter. The headmaster has said he has informed most of the staff about the fact it's hidden here. He never did say who was contributing to the traps and there are over 20 staff members that teach at this school."
The next room was a room full of life sized chess pieces which Snape helped him get through and the room after that was a room full of potions and riddles in which Snape had also helped with as it was the room he had also contributed to.
As soon as the two stepped through the flames a red hex hit Harry from the back, knocking both his wand out of his hands.
Harry turned to see who hit him and was horrified and shocked by the presence of a smoking wand held at the end of Snape's hand.
Black eyes held no emotion.
"Professor...but why?" Harry stammered. Snape roughly brought him to his feet forcing him towards the mirror at the corner of the room.
"I need the stone. Find it Potter." He whispered menacingly in his ears.
The most confusing aspect of the mirror was the phrase at the top of the mirror: WiLLoL ot ELiseq. What exactly was Harry supposed to do? There was nothing in the mirror. What exactly was he supposed to see?
Suddenly a flash of red light headed towards the mirror shattering it into pieces.
Snape turned to glare at Professor Quirrell.
"Mr Potter, you mustn't give in to him. He's trying to trick you." Professor Quirrell's voice echoed through Harry's thoughts. He looked up it seemed the professor had come from a secret corridor on the right side away from all the dangerous traps.
"You? Why are you helping me, professor? You sent the troll, it hurts when you are anywhere near my scar. Every single action you have done was to obtain the Philosopher's stone and I want to know why? Why does Snape want the stone?"
Snape fired a green spell in his direction which Quirrell quickly deflected with a shield charm.
"Everything has a simple answer really. What you fail to realise is your very life has been lead by puppet strings to face this very moment? Professor Dumbledore assigned me to watch Professor Snape very closely in exchange for this very object. You see last year my mother has fallen ill to Dragon Pox but that was indirectly caused by her genetic disease, Tempaitus. It had caused quick aging and she died because her immune system had grown too weak. He was supposed to help us but he backed out wanting immortality himself and sent you to retrieve the stone for him wondering if you'd stop me from getting what's rightfully mine. Snape was sent to ensure that."
"Why did you shatter the mirror then if it's the only way you could obtain the stone?" Harry asked.
Suddenly Quirrell stepped in front of Harry as a red-haired boy had stepped out of the shadows and fired a yellow coloured hex.
"Isn't that..." Harry asked beyond shocked at seeing what looked like one of his friends firing a curse at him.
Quirrell said nothing though instead firing a wordless curse causing Ron to collapse unconscious and he continued his explanation as if there were no interruptions.
"To prevent the stone from getting into the wrong hands. You are injured Mr Potter if you like I can take you to the hospital wing but be cautious of the potions professor who knows what he's capable of."
Quirrell held out his hand which Harry looked at for a brief moment contemplating the information he received. There was no doubt that Harry had put a lot of trust in Severus Snape but he had thought Snape was trying to protect him. Perhaps Professor Quirrell wasn't so bad.
HP
End notes: I updated this a little early seeing as I already made the corrections.
Feedback: If there is any criticisms left in the form of anonymous reviews, if possible please leave details about corrections that otherwise can't be corrected through spellcheck. Meaning if there is a review that says: I hate the way you portray (a character) or the way you had character a communicate with character b is stupid or etc...what I want to know is why and what I could do to possibly change it otherwise I will not be able to make corrections or even consider making corrections.
Emily-She does have more than one purpose in this fic which is why I added her but with adding an OC I wanted to make her interesting so I gave her flaws so I'm glad she's at least somewhat likable. I will be covering her to a much later extent in later chapters though.
In response to BumbleBeez: I don't know exactly what part you'd like me to slow the pacing on but I'm guessing that more depth should be emphasized on Pettigrew and McGonagall's meeting and have thus extended the scene. If the matter is the pacing of the plot though don't think for a second that after Quirrell that book 1 is over. *smiles*