Basically a summary until the confrontation.
When he awoke, he discovered himself seated on the floor, facing the crackling fire.
Rising to his feet, he stretched and ascended the stairs, opening the door to the dormitory. It was no surprise that everyone was already awake. Dean and Seamus were engaged in conversation while perched on their beds, Neville and Ron absent.
He directed a warm smile toward them. "Good morning, guys," he greeted with enthusiasm.
Their response was a collection of blank stares, leaving Harry in an uncomfortable position. He settled awkwardly onto his own bed. "What's going on?" he inquired.
Seamus cleared his throat. "Oh, well... not much, really. Just, um... wondering what you've been up to during the break."
Harry replied, "Not a lot, just spending time in the common room and such. How about you guys? How was your holiday?"
Dean nonchalantly shrugged. "It was pretty good, I suppose. Picked up some new clothes and a couple of books…"
Seamus chimed in, "Yeah, pretty much the same here. I'm just glad to be back, though."
"Me too," Harry concurred.
Seamus rose to his feet, announcing, "Well, we'll be on our way now. See you later, Harry."
"Goodbye, guys," Harry bid them farewell.
As they exited the room, the atmosphere retained a certain sense of unease.
Harry changed his clothes, and even though he didn't expect Burmese to have returned from wherever he had slithered off to, he couldn't resist checking. As expected, the snake was nowhere to be seen.
He let out a sigh and made his way to the common room. It was still early, but he was certain that Hermione was already up and waiting for him. She typically was, given her aversion to tardiness.
Upon entering the room, he immediately spotted her. She was seated in a chair by the fireplace, completely absorbed in something. When her gaze fell on him, she promptly rose and hurried over.
"Hi!" she greeted him with enthusiasm. "Did you have a nice Christmas?"
Harry smiled and replied, "Yes, it was wonderful. Thanks."
Her grin widened. "You're welcome. So, how did things go over there? Did you manage to find out who Nicolas Flamel is?"
To be honest, Harry had completely forgotten about Flamel.
"Um, no," he cautiously admitted.
To say that Hermione was disappointed would be an understatement.
Once the term was in full swing, they were back to hastily scanning through books for ten-minute intervals during their breaks. Harry had even less time than the other two, as Quidditch practice demanded his attention, along with his ongoing efforts to use his non-dominant hand for magic.
The fact that Ron and Hermione continually questioned his motivation for this endeavour only added to his frustration, as he could only offer, "I'm just curious to see if I can do it." which didn't help. Harry could only imagine how foolish he must look.
During a Quidditch practice one day, the team received the unsettling news: Snape was to be the referee for an upcoming game. He and his friends began to wonder if Snape might attempt to hurt Harry during the game.
After practice, Harry seized an opportunity to speak with the Weasley twins about their encounter at the train station.
"No, Mom's been helping Muggles like that for ages," one of the twins replied.
"Yeah, I think it started when Bill began," the other added.
"Why are you asking? Did Ronniekins..." the twin started suspiciously, but Harry quickly interjected.
"NO! No, don't worry. Nothing like that. I just..." Harry trailed off.
Without finishing his sentence, Harry rushed off to find Ron and offer his apologies immediately.
While they were engrossed in conversation, Neville hobbled by, his legs bound together by some nasty magic Malfoy had inflicted upon him. Harry took the opportunity to encourage Neville to stand up to Malfoy. Neville looked hesitant, but nodded before shuffling away. However, before he left, he handed Harry a wizarding trading card for his collection. Harry accepted it with a smile, then watched Neville's retreating figure.
Suddenly, out of the blue, Harry remembered where he had seen the name Nicolas Flamel before, it was on the back of the card of Albus Dumbledore that Ron had given him on the train to Hogwarts.
Hermione, with her insatiable thirst for knowledge, rushed to her room and retrieved a book that informed them that Flamel, once Dumbledore's partner, was the only wizard to have ever created a Philosopher's Stone.
With bated breath, they delved into the book's pages and discovered that the Sorcerer's Stone had the power to transform any metal into gold and produce an elixir of everlasting life. It all clicked into place for Harry and his friends; they concluded that the dog guarding the third-floor corridor must be protecting Flamel's stone.
The Quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor was an astonishingly brief affair, lasting a mere five minutes, shattering all previous records. Dumbledore himself extended his congratulations to Harry for his remarkable performance.
After the other students headed inside for their supper, Harry decided to take a moment to collect his thoughts. While doing so, he noticed Snape sneaking toward the Forbidden Forest. Curiosity got the better of him, and he leaped onto his broomstick, following Snape and soon came across Snape and Quirrell, who were engaged in an intense discussion.
Silently, he landed in a tall beech tree and clung tightly to his broomstick, making his way up on one branch to eavesdrop on their conversation. Snape was whispering fiercely, and Harry strained to catch their words, but the foliage made it difficult to hear.
Just as he leaned forward to eavesdrop more closely, the leaves above him rustled, and the branch he was perched on shook. Harry was on the verge of shouting and losing his balance when a large figure emerged behind him, one hand swiftly covering his mouth while the other secured his waist.
"Quiet, boy!" the Stranger whispered.
The Stranger removed his hand from Harry's mouth, and it began to glow.
"... d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus..." Quirrell's voice stammered worse than ever.
"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," Snape replied with an icy tone. "Students aren't supposed to know about the Philosopher's Stone, after all."
Harry strained to listen as Quirrell mumbled something, but Snape interrupted him.
"Have you yet figured out how to move past Hagrid's beast?"
"B-b-but Severus, I-"
"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," Snape asserted, taking a step closer.
"I-I don't know what you-"
"You know perfectly well what I mean."
Snape was clearly putting pressure on Quirrell, and Harry remained perched in the tree, determined to learn more.
A menacing growl emanated from the nearby shadows, and an owl hooted loudly. The Stranger clutched Harry even closer to ensure he didn't fall, and a quiet curse escaped his lips.
"...ou've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie," Snape stated before striding out of the clearing.
Darkness was descending rapidly, but Harry could still make out Quirrell, who remained immobile, as though he had been petrified.
After Quirrell eventually left, the Stranger turned his gaze down to Harry and inquired, "Those were your teachers?"
Harry nodded, "Yes." his head drooping, feeling somewhat downcast.
"Both of them have tainted magic around them," the Stranger remarked. Harry could sense the warmth of the Stranger's body and felt himself beginning to relax. But the Stranger released his hold on Harry and, without warning, flung himself from the branch. Harry screamed in fear and reached out desperately to catch him, but he missed.
Just as he thought the Stranger was about to plummet to the ground, a pair of wings unfurled from the Stranger's back, and he gracefully glided down to safety.
Harry could only gape in astonishment as the Stranger gracefully landed on the forest floor, rolled onto his back, and looked back at him.
"You'd better get back to the castle. You'll get in trouble," the Stranger advised.
"How did you do that?" Harry asked, still breathless.
"Practice," the Stranger simply replied before fading into the trees.
Back at the school, the celebrations were still in full swing over their victory in the Quidditch match. The common room was buzzing with students congratulating Harry on his victory. He eventually found Ron and Hermione and shared the details of Snape's and Quirrell's conversation, which had taken place in an empty room they stumbled upon.
Lying in bed that night, Harry couldn't help but ponder the questions swirling in his mind.
Why were Quirrell and Snape were in the forest? They could have met secretly in the school. What did the Stranger meant by both of them having tainted magic?
As Easter approached, Hermione's anxiety about upcoming exams became increasingly apparent, but Harry and Ron were more focused on trying to keep up with their studies. However, Harry still made time to ensure that Fluffy, the three-headed guard dog, to ensure that he remained on watch.
In addition to the concern about the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry had been troubled by recurring stabbing pains in his forehead scar ever since his encounter in the forest. He couldn't help but wonder if these pains were a sign that Voldemort was nearby.
Out of nowhere, Harry realised the significance of the chimeras' egg. He learns that while drunk and playing cards, Hagrid revealed that anyone can get past the three-headed guard dog, Fluffy, by playing music to him. It was now evident that either Snape or Voldemort, or both, would be privy to this information. Driven by a sense of urgency, Harry decided to seek out the Headmaster to relay this information, only to be informed by Professor McGonagall that Dumbledore had been called away on urgent business to the Ministry of Magic.
Shortly after, he encountered Snape, who issued a stern warning to Harry not to be caught wandering the school at night, threatening expulsion if he were caught. Convinced that the attempted theft of the Sorcerer's Stone was imminent, Harry promptly shared this troubling development with Hermione and Ron. They came to a decision – they had to find a way to reach the Stone before anyone else did.
