A/N: Day 7!
Rising Storms
A Harry Potter and Percy Jackson crossover
Chapter 12:
Harry
Harry awoke to an unfamiliar place, disoriented and groggy. The room was dimly lit, with a cold, damp feeling to the air. As he tried to sit up, he realized his hands were bound, and panic began to set in. Memories of being kidnapped from the dungeons of Hogwarts came rushing back.
His eyes darted around the chamber, taking in the stone walls and eerie silence. And then, he noticed the figure standing a few feet away, gazing intently at a tall, ornate mirror.
The man was Professor Quirrell, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Harry couldn't fathom what the professor was doing here, in this strange, hidden chamber.
"Professor Quirrell?" Harry's voice wavered with both fear and confusion. "Where are we, and what's going on?"
Quirrell slowly turned to face Harry, his eyes gleaming with an unsettling intensity. "Ah, Mr. Potter, you're awake. We find ourselves in the presence of something truly remarkable."
Harry's gaze followed Quirrell's as it settled on the ornate mirror. The mirror was grand, its frame decorated with intricate patterns and motifs that seemed to shift and change, mesmerizing and strange.
"What's so special about that mirror?" Harry asked, his curiosity growing.
Quirrell's response was filled with a mix of determination and urgency. "That mirror, Mr. Potter, is known as the Mirror of Erised. It shows us the deepest desires of our hearts, the things we most long for."
Harry's eyes locked onto his own reflection in the mirror. He saw himself, but there was something different about the image. He appeared older, happier, and surrounded by a loving family he had never known. The sight was both comforting and bittersweet, as it revealed the family he had always wished for.
Quirrell's gaze turned back to Harry, his voice growing demanding. "You see, Mr. Potter, I need what's hidden within that mirror. The Sorcerer's Stone. I need you to retrieve it for me."
Harry's brow furrowed in confusion. "The Sorcerer's Stone? But I don't see it in the mirror. It's just showing my family."
Quirrell's expression grew more agitated. "You don't understand, Mr. Potter. The stone is hidden within the mirror. It shows itself only to those who desire to find it, but the challenge lies in extracting it."
Harry tried to comprehend what Quirrell was saying. "So, the stone is hidden within my deepest desire?"
Quirrell nodded, a glimmer of frustration in his eyes. "Precisely. But the mirror shows what the heart most desires, not necessarily the way to obtain it. I need you to figure out how to retrieve the stone."
Harry's gaze returned to the mirror, his thoughts swirling with possibilities. He stared at his reflection, contemplating the meaning of the vision he saw.
As the moments passed, Harry realized that it wasn't just his family he saw in the mirror. He saw himself holding the Sorcerer's Stone, the glittering red gem clutched tightly in his hand.
The pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. He understood that the stone was hidden within the mirror, but to obtain it, he needed to want it for the right reasons. It wasn't about personal gain or power; it was about protecting the stone from those who might misuse it.
Quirrell, growing impatient, demanded, "Well, Potter? Have you figured it out?"
Harry turned to Quirrell, a new sense of determination in his eyes. "Yes, I think I have. I see myself with the stone, but it's not because I want it for myself. I want it to keep it safe, away from people who would use it for evil."
Quirrell's face contorted with frustration and anger. "That's not what I need, Potter! You will tell me how to get the stone!"
But Harry had found the key to unlocking the mirror's secret, and with it, the power to protect the Sorcerer's Stone. As Quirrell continued to press him, Harry remained steadfast in his resolve, determined to keep the stone out of the hands of those who sought to misuse it.
The passage of time in the hidden chamber beneath Hogwarts was excruciating for Harry. Three long, torturous days had passed since he'd been kidnapped by Professor Quirrell. Each day felt like an eternity, and the pain in his heart was matched only by the physical discomfort he endured.
During those days, Quirrell continued to play his role as the timid Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, maintaining a facade of stuttering ineptitude. He interacted with the staff, attended meals in the Great Hall, and carried on as if nothing had happened. No one suspected the darkness that lurked within him, nor the suffering he was inflicting on Harry.
In the hidden chamber, Harry was trapped in front of the Mirror of Erised. The mirror, which had once held the potential to fulfill his deepest desires, had now become his prison. His hands remained bound, and he had received only a small amount of water each day, barely enough to sustain him.
Harry's thoughts oscillated between despair and determination. The image of his family, the key to unlocking the mirror's secret, was both comforting and painful. It served as a reminder of the world he so desperately wanted to return to.
Meanwhile, back in the school, the absence of the young Slytherin was becoming increasingly conspicuous. His friends and fellow students had begun to worry, and the staff had launched a frantic search for the missing student. Professors, prefects, and even Filch scoured the castle, checking every corner and passage in a desperate attempt to find Harry.
The sense of dread and urgency among the Hogwarts community grew with each passing hour, as they realized that Harry had been missing for days. Concerned whispers echoed through the hallways, and worried faces filled the common rooms of each house.
But hidden beneath the castle, in the chamber with the mysterious mirror, Harry's ordeal continued. He was determined not to give in to despair, his thoughts focused on his family, and the desire to keep the Sorcerer's Stone safe from Quirrell's grasp. It was a battle of wills, one that he could not afford to lose, for the sake of his own life and the safety of the wizarding world.
A/N: 1088 words