Chapter Nineteen

No sooner had they all entered the room than two huge fires exploded. One blocking the door before them and the other one blocking the door they'd just come through. They could see a long table lined with several potion bottles of different sizes, shapes and colours.

"Right well." Draco said, shuffling a little further away from the fire, "This is cosy."

Harry walked forward and picked up a roll of parchment that lay in front of the potion bottles.

"I think it's a riddle." Harry said, "Someone else is going to have to work it out. I'm useless at this stuff."

He handed the piece of parchment over to Pansy, Neville, Daphne and Draco.

Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,
Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,
One among us seven will let you move ahead,
Another will transport the drinker back instead,
Two among our number hold only nettle wine,
Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.
Choose, unless you wish to stay here for evermore,
To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:
First, however slyly the poison tries to hide
You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;
Second, different are those who stand at either end,
But if you would move onwards, neither is your friend;
Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,
Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;
Fourth, the second left and the second on the right
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.

"Ok, right. We can do this." Daphne said looking over the potions.

"Yeah I mean it's just common sense right?" Draco said, "Nope I give up."

"Your father is brilliant Harry," Daphne said, "Lots of wizards can be stupidly powerful but have no common sense."

Pansy took Draco's place while Draco went to lean against the wall with Harry.

The three of them ducked their heads together and moved up and down the line of bottles.

"Ok got it. We think….we're like 85% sure." Neville grinned.

"Just tell us which potion we need to drink." Draco smirked.

"Do you want the explanation or just take our word for it?" Pansy asked.

"We're not going to understand it anyway." Harry shrugged.

"One is poison, Two is nettle wine, Three is move forward, Four is poison, Five is also poison, Six is nettle wine and Seven is go back." Daphne said. Pansy and Neville nodded along.

"We have a problem then guys." Draco said picking up the third bottle, "There is only enough in here for one person at best. Not five of us and even in this go back one I don't think there's going to be more than enough for three of us."

"Well I have to go on." Harry said, "I need to stop Voldemort."

"Yeah but Harry you can't go alone!" Pansy exclaimed, "That's the point."

"We don't have a choice." Daphne huffed, "We need to stop You-know-who or whoever is working for him or whatever and only one of us can go through."

They all remained quiet for a few moments.

"Harry is right, he should go, if it is Voldermort," Pansy shuddered at the name, "Harry survived him once, maybe he could hold him off till the rest of us can get help. I'm happy to stay here, maybe I could mix something with what is left to help get us through to help Harry."

"Pansy that could be really dangerous." Harry said

"I know but I wont drink anything unless I'm completely sure. I remember something about nettle wine helping to identify things." Pansy shrugged.

"I'll stay with her." Draco volunteered, "That way we'll have a dose of the potion that gets us through a fire. Maybe it will help."

Harry nodded, "You guys go first." he said to Neville and Daphne.

Daphne and Neville gave him a quick hug and took a small drink of the potion each before shivering suddenly.

"Feels cold. Like I'm made of ice." Neville told them.

"Go quickly before it wears off. Get help." Draco told them.

Harry watched as Daphne and Neville walked quickly through the fire, reaching the other side unharmed and ran through the door. He picked up the smallest potion bottle and drank down the liquid before he could think about it too much.

He took a deep breath as the feeling of ice flooded through him. He waved goodbye to Draco and Pansy before darting through the fire. He half expected to burn anyway but he couldn't feel more than a warm tingle over his skin.

Through the fire, he pushed open another door and found himself in a large chamber, fires lit around the outside let him see the person after the stone. Not Professor McGonagall; but Quirrell.

"You?" Harry exclaimed, "But how."

Quirrell let out a horrible, cruel laugh. Harry took a step backwards without thinking; his forehead braking out in pain.

"Yes I'm not who you expected am I?" Professor Quirrell laughed, "I imagine you were thinking I would be mean Professor McGonagall, hating and strict to even her own house let alone yours. An enemy you might say. I mean who would ever suspect poor st..stttuttering Professor Quirrell?"

"She...she tried to kill me. At the Quidditch match." Harry sad confused, "Why would she try and do that?"

"She wasn't trying to kill you, no no no I was trying to kill you! And I would have succeeded had your little friend Daphne not set McGonagall falling forwards, knocking me over! Tipping that bench saved your life." he snarled, "You are the biggest threat and yet just a small boy,"

Harry's brain kicked into gear, he needed to keep Quirrell busy, at least until help arrived, "Why? What do you want with the stone?"

"I do not want it for myself but for my master! He is right and must succeed!"

"He hurt you. Daphne heard you being hurt, he can't be all that good if he is so cruel." Harry said defiantly.

"My master is strict as he must be and I have failed him many times. He must be cruel." At this Quirrell looked down and rubbed his head, "But he is still right and after tonight I will have proven myself once and for all!"

Harry took a few steps forward and several deep breaths, "Was it you in the forest then? Killing that unicorn."

"Enough." hissed a voice, "Focus on the mirror."

Quirrell snarled at Harry and turned his attention back to the large mirror in front of him. Harry took a few more slow steps forward and saw it was the mirror of Erised.

'What's that doing here? And where's the stone?'

"I can see myself!" Quirrell exclaimed, "I can see myself holding the stone! Giving it to you master! Presenting the cure to you and bringing you back to full life! But how do I find it?"

Harry had a sickening thought; was the stone in the mirror? Was Quirrell about to get it out? He was too late; Quirrell had found the stone.

"Use the boy." The voice hissed.

It was coming from near Quirrell, possibly even from the same spot.

"You! Come here!" Quirrell ordered.

Harry thought about trying to run away but Quirrell grabbed the top of his sleeve and dragged him to the mirror.

"What do you see?" he demanded.

Harry looked into the mirror as the image cleared. He expected to see his family; as he did before instead all he saw was himself; smiling.

The mirror image reached into it's pocket and pulled out a glistening red jewel stone; it smiled and put the stone back into it's pocket. At that moment Harry felt something heavy land in his own pocket. He had the stone and now he had to get out of there.

"I see myself, Dumbledore is giving me the house cup." Harry lied, making sure to keep his breathing steady, "Does this mirror tell the future?"

Quirrell simply glared at him and pushed him out the way slightly. Harry took the opportunity to take a few more steps towards the door.

"That would be brilliant if it did. I do feel bad about loosing all those points for Slytherin." Harry said, backing away even more. His heart was racing, his palms covered in sweat and his head feeling like someone was drilling into it. He couldn't stay in that room for much longer.

"He lies! Let me see him." the voice hissed, Harry froze.

"No master, you do not have the strength." Quirrell pleaded.

"I have strength enough for this!"

With shaking hands Quirrell reached up and unwound his long strange purple turban. The length of purple fabric fell to the floor and Harry gasped.

Quirrell had two heads! Well two faces at least, it looked like someone had messily welded another person onto the back of Quirrell's head. Harry felt the pain at his scar increase.

"Do you remember me Harry?" the other head laughed cruelly.

"You...you're Voldemort." Harry said, much more bravely than he felt.

Voldemort laughed, "So brave to say my name. I am what's left. I came to kill you that night. I killed your father, I spared your mother. Snape, so loyal I thought, had begged me not to kill her. I tortured her for so long I thought I'd kill her anyway but she just couldn't leave you. But she fell in the end, nearly dead, no one can last forever against me." he gave a cruel smile, his small snake-like eyes narrowing even further.

"But I survived." Harry pointed out defiantly, "You tried to kill me and failed even though I was only a baby."

"Yes you did. And now we stand here, I give you a choice. Join me. I wont hurt your mother or your little sister; they can come too. To be safe in my world; your whole little family you care so much about. I can give you all the power you've ever dreamed of and more if only you give me what's in your pocket!"

Harry's hand reached into his pocket instinctively and clutched at the stone, "Never!"

Voldermort sighed before grinning nastily, "Kill him."

Harry turned to run back but Quirrell waved his wand and a ring of fire spread quickly to encircle them. Harry had nowhere to go. He looked around trying not to panic; knowing it wouldn't help but under the circumstances staying calm was not easy. He felt a hand reach and grab hold of his collar pulling him to the ground.

Harry felt the air rush out of him and struggled to catch his breath and Quirrell forced his hands around Harry's throat.

Then he stopped and pulled away in horror. Quirrell looked down at his burnt and blistered hands, small puffs of smoke still rising from them.

"What? How is this happening?" he cried in pain, "What have you done to me?!" he demanded from Harry.

Harry rubbed his throat and shuffled away; no idea what was going on, gasping for air.

"Kill him!" Voldemort ordered, clearly getting angry.

"But master; the pain!" Quirrell begged.

"Kill him!" Voldermort shrieked, "Bring me that stone!"

Quirrell once again lunged at Harry. Harry through his hands up and pushed at Quirrell's face which burnt before his eyes at his touch.

Quirrell was screaming in pain, Voldermort was screaming in rage and Harry could hear another scream and a cry filling his acutely painful head and then it went black.