Watching carefully, the foursome noticed that Quirrell was moving carefully the next day. A pained expression came over his face occasionally, usually when he thought no one was looking. He favored his left side.
Harry recalled that Steven had hit the figure in the forest on its left side with his shield. More and more he was convinced that it was Quirrell and not Snape who was the one who'd gone after the unicorns.
He wasn't sure what to do about it. They didn't have any real proof. A scent in the forest, the occasional odd facial expression...it wasn't enough to bring to the teachers. In his experience adults didn't listen to children against other adults.
In his old life he'd once told a teacher what the Dursleys were doing to him. The Dursleys had spent years painting him as a liar to everyone in the community. Instead of investigating further, the woman had simply informed his aunt and uncle that Harry was acting out again.
He'd learned a lesson about trusting adults. Similar things had happened over and over again, all of which had convinced him that the only one he could trust was himself. It was probably why the sorting hat had almost sorted him into Slytherin.
Fortunately, Steven seemed to be even more used to doing things on his own that Harry was. Ron was willing to follow Harry's lead, and only Hermione had to be convinced.
She wanted to go to McGonegall, but Harry finally convinced her they didn't have any real proof. Even if Quirrell was still injured, he could claim it was from some other cause. Wizard healing and potions were quite potent in any case, and he might be completely healed by the time they got any of the professors to listen.
Besides, Snape already seemed to be suspicious of Quirrell, given the way he'd warned him off. If he was loyal to Dumbledore, then he surely would have informed the headmaster. If he wasn't, then it would be risky to go to him.
It was best to watch and wait.
At first it seemed nothing was going to happen. Exams were coming, and in the press of studying for them, Harry didn't have much time to worry about Nicolas Flamel, magical stones or Quirrell.
Once exams were over, though, they were free for a glorious week until results came out.
Steven was worried, of course. He'd never actually had end of year exams, or any exams at all before this year that didn't involve actual monsters.
Harry suspected that he'd do fine. He'd been tutored by Hermione for pretty much the entire year, and she'd made sure that none of them had been unprepared, no matter how much they'd wanted to skiv off from studying.
Still, they didn't leave the matter entirely to chance. Steven had created more of the watermelon Stevens, much like the one that was still in Harry's room. Ron had decorated that one with a large hat and scarf. It had thrown the first three down, never moving while anyone was looking. The fourth set it seemed to like though.
It made it look like some kind of weird, watermelon musketeer, but it seemed satisfied.
Steven had hidden the Watermelon Stevens in several locations in the castle. They'd apparently been good enough at hiding that even Filch and his cat Mrs. Norris hadn't found them even after three weeks. It was a little creepy.
They were coming back from dinner when Harry felt a tugging on his robe.
He looked down and was shocked to see that it was one of the watermelon Stevens. The creature stared up at him and gestured.
"Which one is it?" he asked.
Hermione gestured toward its shoulder, where she'd inked a number one.
"He's going for the stone now," Harry hissed. This was the Watermelon Steven set to guard the entrance to Fluffy's room on the third floor. He'd been hidden up in the rafters; how he'd gotten down Harry couldn't even imagine. They'd had to levitate him up there with some difficulty.
"We've got to tell the headmaster," Hermione said firmly.
Reluctantly, Harry nodded. Quirrell was a full adult wizard; nothing they could come up with as first years was likely to be able to stop him. Steven might be able to do so, but they weren't sure where he was.
A moment after he'd had the thought, Steven came around the corner, following a second watermelon Steven. The first had presumably cued the second to help find their master.
"It's happening tonight," Hermione said breathlessly.
"Has anyone been to Dumbledore's office?" Harry asked.
They looked at each other helplessly. By some miracle, they'd all managed to avoid any infraction that would bring them to the headmaster's attention. None of them even knew where it was.
"We could ask a painting," Steven said slowly. "Or maybe one of the ghosts."
It took three paintings before they found one willing to give them directions.
The elderly lady in the picture frame stared down at them. "You'll need a password to get into his office, but it will not do you any good. He is away for the evening."
"Away?"
"He has a meeting at the ministry of magic. I overheard him telling Minerva right where you are standing."
"It's up to us," Harry said.
"You could tell Professor Snape," Harry said. "You said he tried to warn Professor Quirrell off."
Harry shook his head. "He could be just as bad as Quirrell. Maybe they both want the stone. Besides...it's not like he'd listen to anything I have to say."
"I don't think you give him enough credit," Steven said quietly.
"You don't have to have potions with him with Harry and Neville in the same classroom," Ron said.
"All right," Steven said. "Let's go."
As they ran through the corridor, Harry noticed shapes jumping from the rafters as they passed by. Just how many watermelon soldiers had Steven made, anyway? What had he been preparing for?
Had he been worried that Fluffy would get loose? That was...actually sensible.
Harry had no idea how powerful any of these soldiers could possibly be; it looked like it would be easy to smash their watermelon faces in. Steven seemed confident in them, though.
It seemed like no time at all passed before they reached the third flood corridor. The door opened easily, and the Cerberus leaped to its feet. A harp was laying on its side on the floor beside it.
"If you're evil and you're on the rise, you can count on the four of us taking you down," Steven sang softly. The Cerberus stared at them for a moment, then it's three sets of eyes began to droop.
He continued to sing, even as Ron and Harry slowly lifted the trap door.
Steven gestured, and the watermelon Stevens jumped down before the rest of them did. Harry counted; there were twelve of them.
Finally he jumped, followed by Hermione, Ron and with Steven coming last.
They landed in waiting hands; the watermelon Stevens were wrapped in some kind of a plant, but Harry found himself caught by the first Steven. This one handed him over to the second, who handed him to the third. He found himself being handed from Steven to Steven until he was outside the area of the plants.
"It's Devil's snare plants," Hermione said, as the last soldier handed her off right after Harry.
Ron followed, then Steven.
"Devil Snare hates light," Hermione said uncertainly. "But I'd hate to hurt the Watermelon Stevens."
The watermelon soldiers were completely ensnared now.
"They were just waiting for us," Steven said confidently. "Come on guys, let's get a move on."
As one, the watermelon Stevens moved forward. There was a shrieking sound as roots ripped and tore. The watermelons moved as though the Devil's snare wasn't even there. A moment later they were standing in front of Steven, staring impassively.
Harry felt a chill. Steven had admitted once that these soldiers weren't entirely under his control. If they had this much of a portion of Steven's strength, in these numbers, they could be incredibly dangerous.
"We need to get moving," Hermione said. "for all we know he has the stone by now."
They all nodded and turned to move on.
The next challenge involved flying keys; the soldiers could do nothing but stand silently as Harry flew around the room on a broomstick grabbing for the one key out of hundreds that would open the lock.
A chessboard was the next room.
"We've got to play to get through," Ron said, but even as he was speaking, the watermelon Stevens were moving forward, smashing everything in sight.
Ron looked a little disappointed as they walked through the mass of destroyed pieces, which were beginning to reform behind them.
The troll in the next room had already been knocked unconscious, although the watermelons all moved to guard him as they passed through the room.
Finally there was the room with the potions and the curtain of fire.
"There's only enough for one of us to pass through the curtain," Hermione said.
Harry frowned. It would be suicidal to face an adult wizard by himself. Even Steven probably wouldn't fare well if he had to go it alone.
Still, he didn't see how they were going to get through the wall of fire unless...
"Can you make a bubble?" he asked Steven.
Steven stared at him for a moment, then frowned. "I can make one big enough for the two of us. Any bigger and it would be too big to go through the door...and I can only do circles."
"It should be me and Steven," Harry said finally. He turned to Hermione and Ron. "I need you to go back and use the brooms to get out. They'll let you get by Fluffy and the rest of it. Send an owl to Dumbledore; we're going to need him."
Hermione hesitated, then nodded.
"Two of you guys go with Hermione and Ron," Steven said to the watermelon Stevens. "The rest of you stand guard here. It's OK to let any of the professors through except for professor Quirrell."
Neither of them had to say that if Professor Quirrell came through, the odds were that something terrible would have happened to them.
Harry took a deep breath. It was time to confront Quirrell.