Reviews:

Darkscythe Drake: Yeah, one of the biggest secrets has been revealed with more to come. It'll be a pleasure to have you as a reader until the very end.

NB123: I had hoped to incorporate the mystery and reveal elements of both works so I'm glad to hear that one of the payoffs was worth it. I can say that things are only going to escalate further going forward.

NathanHale2: Sorry to hear about the ships, I actually do find both of them cute, too, but just looking at how the canon manga progressed... hopefully when I add the Shingeki characters in, they'll be able to find some sort of closure. I re-read the chapter and saw some of those mistakes. I'll have to edit those.

SentinalSlice: A smart idea since there will be many spoilers to what happens in the manga.

PaperbackAlloy: That is the next phase of the mystery going forward. As for the Titan, he can receive a partial Titan form of sorts if certain conditions are met.

culpeuslycal: Thanks! I hope you enjoyed it and that the story will continue to hold interest.

Austin: Future chapters and revelations will show the repercussions Harry's disappearance has had on the Shingeki world and how that could cause problems with the magical community who are largely in the dark as to what happened as well. To answer your question, if certain conditions are met, it would be possible for the skeletal form to appear. Here's the next chapter and I hope you enjoy it.

DidHeJustNut: Glad to hear you enjoyed the chapter. Hopefully, you'll enjoy this one as well.

CygusLorman: In a way she is, she's still her own person but with part of Ymir's soul in her as well as carrying her name in honor of her and the Ymir from the 104th.

Well- O- Being: That is the next part of the mystery indeed. I tried to take inspiration from how Isayama does reveals by first showing one side then the other and then finally the truth.

Zamasu black: The horcrux is an issue that will have to be addressed, for sure. As this chapter will show, he will have access to some Titan ability, but nothing final just yet.

Guest: Glad that you love it! More parts of the mystery will be unveiled in coming chapters. To answer your question, I intend for Dumbledore to be a flawed character with good intentions. He isn't a villain, but because of him things aren't in the best state that they can be and he just tries to act within his own rules of morality.

Guest: Not a problem. I hope to not abandon this story and want to see it through to completion.

KingAllen: Thank you! I can say without spoilers that they and some other Shingeki characters will be making appearances in a few coming chapters.

Draedon's Forge: Thanks! So glad that you ended up enjoying it. Here's the next one.

Disclaimer- Harry Potter is owned by J. K. Rowling and Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan is owned by Hajime Isayama. I own nothing.

Chapter 13: Hogwarts' Secret

As it turned out, asking the biggest know-it-all in their year a question about advanced magic that even she didn't know about was not something anyone should consider doing unless they had the time and patience to put up with long-winded ramblings. It was one such mistake Harry had realized too little too late.

"Travel between worlds?" Hermione had at first repeated the question posed to her. "I've never read anything about that." Her face became sullenly mortified. "Why have I never read anything about that?!" She grabbed the sleeve of his robe. "Come with me! We've got some searching ahead of us."

She dragged him along the rows of shelves, Harry eventually pulling free of her grip and following by her side like a normal individual. All the while, Hermione continued to mutter to herself about different types of advanced spells, ancient rituals and techniques, and all manner of magical transit listed. While she did that, Harry cast wary glances over towards where Madam Pince was. She eyed them suspiciously since they were the only two students in her domain this early in the morning.

"Here, hold these," Hermione grabbed some books off the shelves and handed them off to him. "These all look promising. But maybe some - oh! There's also the section based on non-standard magical theories that are taught around the globe. Maybe a few dozen of those and-,"

"Hermione," Harry broke her train of thought.

"Hm? What is it?" she asked.

"My arms aren't made of steel and I'm already holding eight. I'd like to set them down now." As much as he wanted some solid answers, he wasn't looking to break his arms over this.

"Oh." She realized her ramblings. "Alright. Let's go grab a table. We can grab some more once we've sorted through these." Happy that she had listened, they sought out the nearest seats and laid out the texts that she had secured from the shelves.

"Let's see what we've got here," Hermione examined the titles. "There's A Witches Guide to Easy Travel, Best Broomsticks and Where to Buy, Trans-Continental Travel, Unorthodox Magical Theories Vol. 1, and Top Methods for Traveling by Magic. Any of those suit your fancy?"

"Maybe that trans-continent or the unorthodox one," Harry stated. He pulled those two texts over his way and examined the contents. The first just listed things like floo travel or international portkeys and which ones were illegal in certain countries. He held out hope for the second text, but when it came to unorthodox for wizard standards, it mainly meant muggle transportation such as busses, trains, and automobiles. He closed both of them, not willing to waste his time with what would get him nowhere.

"Nothing?" Hermione asked, seeing the dejected look on his face.

"Not a thing." He rubbed where his glasses rested on his face.

"I know I asked you this before, but does this have anything to do with that supposed Paradis Island? Even if you said you got your answers, it still seems a bit odd that you'd come here looking for various methods of magical transport." Well, she was certainly observant.

"I did find some of the answers I was looking for, yeah, but not all of them." And that wasn't even a lie or half-truth. "Turns out that the island is pretty hidden away by magical means." He didn't need to tell the whole truth for that bit. "That's probably why you couldn't find anything on it." She gave him a suspicious look with that one. "Anyway, that's why I was looking for ways to get around that."

"You want to get around that… by learning how to travel worlds?" Hermione quzzingly asked. "Where are you looking on getting around that, on Saturn?"

"What? No!" That was a bit too literal. "What I mean is… what I meant to say is…" ugh! How could he ever word this that would even remotely begin to make sense and not make him seem like some sort of loon?

"Well?" Hermione waited for an explanation.

"I… I guess I just thought that there's some things at Hogwarts that aren't taught to us students," Harry settled on. Her expecting glare began to lessen. "I guess there's just so much more to magic that we don't even know about. Do you ever get that feeling?"

"Well… I can't exactly argue that." That was a relief. "I've actually gone ahead and requested the syllabi for all of our classes up to year five when we take our OWL exams."

"Wait, seriously?" Harry knew she was a smart one, and organized at that, but even that seemed a little excessive.

"Well, it doesn't exactly hurt to be prepared, does it?" she asked, a tad indignantly.

"Fine, fine, you got your priorities. What were you about to say?"

"Even with the future syllabi, I've noticed that most of what's being taught in our History of Magic class doesn't touch up on several rather fascinating chapters in Howgarts: a History."

"Yeah, probably because Binns doesn't ever stop rambling on about goblin rebellions and uprisings." Hermione fixed him with an exasperated glare.

"You know, some of those are really interesting. Learning about a whole other magical species and their culture can be really intriguing."

"Is it so intriguing that even you seemed ready to nod off during a few of his lectures?" Harry decided he'd ask.

"I'll have you know I just hadn't gotten enough sleep the night prior," Hermione defended her scholarly honor. "I had lots to do with some papers and some additional reading."

"Uh-huh." Harry would leave it at that. "Anyways, you were saying?"

"Hm? Oh, right," she got back on her train of thought. "I was saying how that even thought Hogwarts: a History makes mention of several notable names such as Merlin and the four founders as well as a summary of their life and accomplishments in and out of school, our History of Magic syllabus really doesn't go into too much detail at all about them. Although, maybe Muggle Studies would mention more about that. I can imagine a lot of students from muggle households being rather curious about how the school they're attending was established and more about how magic exists alongside us for all this time."

"I suppose so, too," Harry lacklusterdly agreed.

"I've thought about taking it our third-year," she explained. "Honestly, I've thought about all of them. The one that really catches my attention, however, is-," Harry wordlessly nodded along as she began explaining a class callen arithmancy.

"...how magic exists alongside us for all this time." Those words played over again in his head.

"...exists alongside us…"

Like a parasite…

His eyes began to widen.

"...and let's not forget about Ancient Runes. Our third-year is going to very time consuming. At least for my schedule. Have you given any thought about what you'll-,"

"-Sorry to interrupt, Hermione." This was a little more important, anyway. "But something you said got me thinking about something else right now, something big."

"And what would that be?" she questioned.

'Yeah, where are you going with this?' Ymir asked him as well.

Just listen.

"You said something about magic existing alongside us for all this time," Harry reiterated.

"Yes, and?"

"Well, I know that magic is well… magic, it just kinda exists on its own. But, do you think that magic can… I don't know, maybe… gather in special places like some sort of source or well?"

"Oh, I see what you mean. Well I guess that would make sense since the entire magical community is basically kept secret from the rest of the world. I think you have a point."

"Really?" he perked up a bit more.

"Of course. I remember reading something about how ancient civilizations built structures such as the pyramids in specific locations because of magical energy being present there. Stonehenge has always been a mystery, but it is sacred to the magical community. And then there's Hogwarts, too. One of the earliest chapters in Hogwarts: a History mentioned that the four founders chose this specific spot to build the castle because of how strong the magic was here."

"And do you know if anyone ever… came into contact with it or anything like that?"

"What, you mean like physically touched magic?" Hermione tilted her head. "I don't even know if that's possible. Sure, magic can seep and bleed in unknown places that even muggles would notice, but magic is more ethereal. Why?"

"Just curious."

"So you're telling me that if you came across a well of magical energy you'd try and touch it?" Hermione surmised. I know Gryffindor's have a reputation for being rather reckless, but that's just plain suicidal."

"Maybe."

"No, no "maybe," it is!" she asserted. "What could even make you think otherwise?"

"Just something I had a dream about, I guess." Even if Hermione had no idea what he was talking about, he knew Ymir certainly did.

"Oh, a dream. That's all the more reassuring." She glanced at the library clock and began packing her things. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I don't want to be late for class. It'd be bad enough if Professor Snape caught me being tardy, but it'd be even worse for you."

Wasn't that the truth.

Packing up his things as well, Harry left soon after. It wasn't long before he heard her voice speaking to him again.

'The memory that I showed you last night, the one with Ymir Fritz, you think there might be something similar to Source of Organic Life here?"

I don't know about that, Harry admitted as much. But it's like Hermione said, isn't it? If magic can really pool or well in certain areas and if I can reach it, maybe that's just what I need to fully access the Paths that you were talking about. And if he could do that, then maybe that opened up the possibility of him being able to get to Paradis.

Even if Hermione hadn't been able to provide him with the answer that he needed, she sure did give him a new opportunity to explore. And Harry knew just the group of people to talk to about extensive background into magic.

The potions classroom was especially cool during the winter months and the students all huddled close to their cauldrons, hoping to catch some of the heat radiating off of it. Snape seemed largely unaffected by it, making his usual rounds through the rows and peering over their shoulders to see the contents of their potions. He paused when he got to Harry and Neville's.

"And what exactly is this?" Snape arched a brow.

"The frostbite cure potion," Harry innocently replied as Neville kept his mouth shut and eyes set on the table.

"And tell me, Potter, how do you and Longbottom expect to properly brew frostbite cure without adding salamander toes?" His sneer deepened. "And I doubt that you added them unseen or your potion would not be the color of a troll."

"Right. I'll go and fetch them now, Professor." Ignoring the little jab about being unseen, Harry waited until Snape had left staking about the room before tearing off a corner piece of parchment and writing a small message.

Got some things I wanted to talk about. Can you get the others?

He walked over to the Slytherin side of the room which seemed a tad warmer than the rest and towards the supply cabinet. Passing by Tracey's table, Harry let the folded piece of parchment land on the edge of her workspace as he rummaged through the listed ingredients. Once he got the salamander toes he slowly walked back.

"Psst!" Tracey whispered. "Don't be dropping your things, Potter." She handed him back a new bit of folded parchment. He took it.

"Right. I'll keep that in mind." Snape sent a suspicious glance his way from a few tables over but no one else paid any attention to the exchange between Slytherin and Gryffindor.

Once he was seated and instructed Neville to add the toes, he unfurled her note to see her short reply.

During lunch. Astronomy Tower unused.

And that's where he would be.

His breath was visible in the winter air as he exhaled after the climb up the tower stairs. The Astronomy Tower was the tallest in the castle and was only mainly used at midnight when the stars would be most visible. It looked very different during the day with sunlight pouring in instead of the illumination spell Professor Sinestra would use to make the tower feel almost part of the heavens above. And in place of a full class there were but three, and now, four students gathered around the top of the tower.

"Ah, there you are, Potter." Malfoy stepped away from one of the telescopes he had been playing around with. Daphne and Tracey stood by the railing with neutrality. "So, what's this all about? Have more questions about during the war?"

"No," Harry simply put. "I think I've found out just about all I needed to know about that."

"So if not that, a question on some traditional wizard customs?" Daphne suggested. "Maybe that's why you didn't write over the holiday."

"Or maybe something a little too personal to put in writing," Tracey playfully teased.

"I wouldn't even say that," Harry wanted to clarify. "I brought this up with Hermione, too, and even she didn't have too solid an answer."

"Oh-ho, look at you, Potter," Tracey gave a small clap. "I think this makes you two-for-two in questions that the smartest in our year doesn't know. First that island and now this. Where do you come up with all of it?"

Daphne shook her head at her friend. "Sounds pretty complicated if Granger can't even give it to you straight. What's this all important question that you've had?"

"Since you've all known about magic longer than her or I have, I wanted to know if any of you have heard any stories about magical sources." Harry let his inquiry be known. The three Slytherin's shared a rather bemused expression.

"A magical… source?" Tracey repeated.

"You know, sort of like a well," Harry hoped to clarify.

"Uh, Potter," Tracey began. "I don't know if you've caught on or not, but magic is just… magic. Some people have it, others don't. Simple as that."

"I know that," Harry kept the frustration in his voice to a minimum. "There's purebloods, half-bloobs, and muggle-borns who can all use it. What I'm asking is do any of you think it's possible for magic to group together, or maybe root to something specific?"

"It almost sounds like you're asking about ritual sites," Daphne noted.

"No," Harry shook his head. "What I'm talking about is something that can actually be touched. If someone with magic came in contact with a source of magic, what would happen?"

"Aiming to become an unspeakable, Potter?" Malfoy almost sounded amused. "I'd say it's a bit too early to be looking for a career path in the Department of Mysteries."

"The department of what?" Now it was Harry's turn to be the confused one of this gathering. Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"I guess considering you were raised by muggles, you wouldn't have heard of various departments within the Ministry. The Department of Mysteries is on the lower levels of the Ministry and houses some of the most secretive and dangerous types of magical items and knowledge. The wizards who work there are known as Unspeakables because their work is so secret." He then smirked. "Of course, my father has some ties to them so I bet he knows a fair bit more than maybe even the Minister does."

"Has your father ever been in there?" Harry asked, knowing Malfoy might let something slip if he continued to boast.

"A few times." Malfoy's smirk dropped. "He would never tell me anything when I asked. Completely ridiculous since he was the one who brought it up in the first place. All he ever really said about it was you'd need an Unspeakable to guide you otherwise you'd likely get lost wandering around in circles."

Well that was a letdown. Even if he tried to get in there he'd probably get lost, not to mention he didn't even know where the Ministry of Magic was even located to begin with.

"So what about Hogwarts, then?" Harry then asked.

"What about Hogwarts?" Malfoy asked in return.

"Hogwarts is supposed to be one of the most magical places there is, right?" Harry posed the rhetoric to them. "And according to our books, the four founders built the castle here because the magic was so strong. You've never heard anything from your parents about strange things happening, things that are out of the ordinary?"

Tracey seemed amused by that. "Potter, when magic is involved, the strange is the normal."

"My parents told me stories about when they went here," Daphne supplied. "But they were mainly about the classes, how they met, and where to find some secret passages to use as shortcuts."

"Mine were similar," Malfoy chimed in. "Although, my father did tell me about one story that was different than the rest."

"And what's that if you don't mind sharing?"

Malfoy grew his knowing smirk back. "He told me that there's a hidden chamber somewhere within the school that was built by Salazar Slytherin himself. Even though the chamber hasn't been opened for close to fifty years now, the school almost shut down the last time it was opened because whatever was in there ended up killing a student. A monster is said to live down there that only Slytherin or his heir could control."

A monster?

"What kind of monster?"

Malfoy shrugged. "Who knows. But according to what my father heard, it's something massive."

"Huh…" Harry mindlessly nodded along.

"You don't sound too scared there," Daphne observed his reaction. "Then again, I don't know many people our age who could kill a troll and walk it off."

"Oh please!" Malfoy waved a dismissive hand. "Slytherin's monster could do away with any troll with ease. If the chamber ever was opened again, I'd bet that it'd be worse than the last time."

"Is that so?" Tracey offered up. "Well, then I guess I should consider myself lucky that I was sorted into the house that would most likely be spared from any attack."

"That's true," Daphne agreed. "You'd talk the things ear off if it did try to abduct you."

"Huh?! I don't talk that much!" Tracey defended. "Besides, you'd make for a pretty good damsel in distress yourself. Maybe waiting for a brave rogue to come and rescue you."

"I haven't a clue what you're talking about."

Harry silently observed the bickering friends, all the while thinking about the possibility of a hidden depth to the castle.

Everything Malfoy just said, that sounds an awful lot like what happened to the first Ymir when she came in contact with that parasite.

'Something hidden away, a giant monster that can be controlled by a specific person… yeah, that sounds an awful lot like Titan powers,' she agreed. 'Maybe there is a parasite like that around this place, too. Or at the very least, something like it.'

Yeah. There just might be.

The rest of the day passed by with little to no events. They learned about hazardous plants in herbology and how to defend against them, a quick quiz in charms, trying to decipher Quirrell's stuttering mess, and ending with a full dinner.

So in a castle this big, where's a good place to hide something you don't want anyone to find?

'Uh…'

You know, that was actually a dumb question to ask.

'It was.'

Dumbledore had given a whole speech about it the very first night he had arrived at the castle. Filch had given him a chewing out for even being near it. The third floor.

Could that really be it? The answer he had been seeking was right under his and everybody else's nose the whole time? If what Malfoy said was true, and Hogwarts was hiding a secret chamber and dark past, this could very well be the entry point for such a place. And if somebody really did die the last time, it made Dumbeldore's starting speech carry a little more weight behind it. If he were to venture down there, he could very well end up the same as that past student.

But he had to be sure. And he thought of just the pair of mischief makers who could give him some additional information.

He spotted them in the Gryffindor common room seated around the fire with their friend Lee Jordan, laughing and joking animatedly. He made his way over to get their attention.

"Excuse me, Fred, George, do you two have a minute?" he politely interrupted.

"A minute-,"

"Or two."

"What's on your mind?" they asked at the same time.

"Sorry about that," George apologized.

"It's a bit of a twin thing," Fred explained. "Special connection, you know."

Oh, more than you realize.

"Yeah… anyways, I wanted to ask you both about the third floor." Their already mischievous eyes glittered.

"Looks like we've got a rebel on our hands, Fred ol' boy!" George patted his brother on the back.

"One little scolding from Filch and he's ready to take on the world." Fred wiped a fake tear away. "Oh, they grow up so fast."

"No, no, no," Harry waved his hands. "That's not what I'm here for," he lied. "I just wanted to ask you both if the third floor has always been off limits?"

They shared a look. "Nope."

"During our first year exploring, nothing was ever really sealed off there," Fred recalled. "Nothing really out of the ordinary."

"Few unused classrooms and offices," George continued. "Nothing really different from other places you'd find around the castle."

"That's why it's such a big deal now. Hogwarts has never blocked off an entire corridor before, well for anything other than a big prank, that is. George and I figure they must've moved something big in there and they're waiting until the end of the year to unveil it."

"Unless we get a sneak peak beforehand," George slyly winked.

"Uh-huh," Harry nodded along.

'So, what're you thinking?'

That whatever's hidden on the third floor might be just what I'm looking for. Hermione even said magic trends to bleed through the cracks. And if there really is a hidden chamber, that has to be where it is.

'So when? When are you going to make your move? Now?'

No, not now. Harry mentally shook his head. I don't have any idea what could be waiting there.

'I guess that's true. As anxious as I am to see you in person, I don't want you getting killed over it.'

And if there really is some sort of monster waiting there, a Titan form would probably be useful for that.

'I said a partial Titan, but even then some specific conditions would have to be met, or even at all.'

Still, I don't want to rush this. I have the cloak so getting into the third floor won't be too hard. From there it's just… staying alive.

He wished he was making it sound that easy. To better prepare for this exploration, Harry would spend the next several weeks reading over some useful spells to use at his disposal. A basic unlocking charm should come in handy along with a few defensive spells he had read since it was nearly impossible to fully discern what Quirrell talked about.

The more he planned it out, Harry decided his best course of action would be to wait until around the spring seminar to put his plan into motion. Many of the students would be busy studying for end of the year finals just as the teachers would be preparing as well. Not to mention he did his best to keep up on his studies, too. He had seen the two mountains that shadowed Malfoy in passing, Crabbe and Goyle. If he failed his tests, Harry wouldn't want to repeat first-year with the likes of them.

And so he waited. He waited until the days began to grow a bit longer; waited until the last of the snow had melted away under the sun's rays. The lake thawed and the trees and flowers began to blossom with life once more, ready for a new cycle. They were not alone.

That night, Harry made sure he heard the snores coming from both Ron and Neville's beds to let him know that the other boys were fast asleep before slipping out of his and donning the invisibility cloak once more.

The trek down to the third flood from the Gryffindor Tower proved largely uneventful, save for Peeves floating by throwing water balloons at sleeping portraits with Mrs. Norris hot on his trail. And where she was, Filch was bound to not be too far away. He continued silently on his way.

When he did reach the landing for the third floor, Harry gave an experimental tug on the handle. As expected, it was locked. Pulling his phoenix wand free, Harry pointed it at the lock and softly muttered, "Alohomora."

He didn't even know if that would work and was surprised when he heard it click open for him. For something off limits, it was rather easy to get past.

Closing the door behind him, Harry set foot beyond the threshold and saw nothing out of the ordinary from any of Hogwarts' other corridors. None of the braziers were lit so Harry was going off the light from the moon cast through the windows as he made his way along to a door at the end of the hall. When he did he have a tug and found that it was locked, too.

Casting alohomora again, the door opened for him. When he stepped through, he wasn't met with an empty classroom, but a massive three-headed dog that was soundly asleep. He froze in his tracks as he felt the breath from one of the heads snore.

This… this is the monster that Malfoy mentioned? Harry figured that it must have been close to five meters tall standing upright.

'I don't know. But if Titans had pets, this would be one.'

It's asleep though. He was grateful for that much. How'd this thing even get in here? This isn't some hidden chamber and that trapdoor wouldn't fit a- hold on!

There, right beneath one of the dog's massive paws was a wooden trapdoor that led to who-knows-what. He took a cautious step forward.

'You're braver than I am, that's for certain.'

Brave? Not stupid?

'I didn't say that.'

Ignoring her, Harry reached out a hand and touched the paw. He pulled back when he saw one of the ears twitch. The dog let out a yawn. Feeling some sweat run down his back, Harry aimed his wand at the paw and muttered the levitation incantation. This was much heavier than a feather, but he only focused on moving the paw to clear the trapdoor. The dog yawned again. One of its eyes blinked open.

Bending down, still under the cover of his cloak, Harry yanked the bolt free as one of the heads began to rise up. The second soon joined. And then, the third.

With all three heads wide awake now, each began to look in a specific direction, finding no intruder. Then they began to sniff the air. Harry didn't look up, but he could tell by the tingle running down his spine that they were all staring down at there he had opened the trapdoor. A bit of drool fell down and landed on his shoulder.

Without even thinking twice on what could be down there, Harry jumped down, the sound of rabid barking hounded his ears as he descended.

His stomach jumped its way into his throat as he continued his fall down into pitch darkness. The narrow tunnel gave way to a wider gap and the darkness lessened just a fraction and Harry's fall was broken by a large tangled mass of blackened green vines.

That could have gone a lot worse, Harry internally remarked as he stared back up at the hole in the ceiling leading to the room with the dog. Although this did raise the question of how he was going to get back out of here now.

Before he could think of it any more, he became aware of the vines wrapping themselves around his legs and waist in a constricting manner. He tried to kick himself free but that only seemed to make the vines grow tighter. And they didn't just stop there. More were snaking their way around his torso and arms, slowly creeping their way to his neck and head. His mind raced to come up with a solution.

This is Devil's Snare, Harry recognized the plant from an earlier herbology class. As foolish as it sounded, he almost wished he had brought Neville along for this. Think! They had just had a class about this and what to do to protect yourself from being snared.

His fingers curled around his wand as more vines started to encase his body. He blindly aimed his wand and muttered aloud, "Lumos Solem!"

An intense ray of magical sunlight shot out from his wand and the Devil's Snare seemed to hiss at the intensity of it. The constricting grip that it had encased Harry in began to wither away and Harry felt his stomach drop as the vines parted, releasing him down to the cold stone below.

"Ugh!" Harry groaned from the fall and took a minute to catch a breather. It was a good thing he had paid attention in that herbology class. Once he had calmed down some, he became increasingly aware of a faint fluttering noise coming from beyond a closed door in front of him.

Birds? He wondered.

'Probably ones that breathe fire if that dog was anything to go by.' And wouldn't that just be his luck.

Taking a cautious peek inside, Harry didn't spot a single bird, just keys. There had to be hundreds of them all fluttering about. The only other thing present was a rickety old broom that levitated above the ground and another door leading forward. He entered. The keys paid him no mind as he crossed to the other door. He pointed his wand and cast the unlocking spell again. He pulled and the door didn't budge at all. He looked back up at the winged keys.

It's a puzzle. He realized. This whole floor is some sort of puzzle.

'Well if one of those founders constructed it then wouldn't they want it to be difficult?' she asked.

I guess. But so far things have been easy enough for someone like me to solve.

'Don't go putting yourself down.'

I meant as in a first-year.

'Oh.'

He rolled his eyes. It looks like only one of the keys will work for this. He scanned the passive swarm and spotted one that seemed to be lagging a bit slower than the rest. It was a big old-fashioned one with a bend in one of the wings. I think I just found it.

Getting the idea of what he had to do, Harry went over to the broom, folding up the invisibility cloak to better fly unrestricted. The moment he mounted it was the instant the keys suddenly grew frantic. They scattered, flying in each and every direction available to them as Harry set after them.

The broom was even more rustic than the ones they had used in flying lessons, but it was made bearable by the fact that the object he was chasing had a bum wing. He reached out a hand and wrapped his fingers around the key, accidentally bending the other wing in the process. That was wenn the swarm changed direction and flocked straight in his direction.

He dived downwards, hearing the angry buzz of the swarm right behind him. When he was close enough to the ground, Harry jumped from his broom, letting it crash into the wall as he hurriedly jammed the key in and threw the door open. As soon as he was through, he slammed it shut, listening as the swarm barraged the door in a desperate attempt to skewer him.

Flying keys. What's next? He was glad he didn't ask that out loud.

The room he was in now was a graveyard for chess pieces. A giant board of black and white tiles complete with figures was all set up on full display. Pieces of fallen opponents littered the surrounding sides.

Is it asking for too much if I can just walk across to the other side? He got his answer when the line of pawns drew their weapons on him, forcing him back to black figured side. I should have taken Ron up on some of his offers of playing chess. He knew the basics and how to get a checkmate, that was about it. How about you? Any suggestions?

'I'm no Dot Pixis or Erwin Smith, but the two of us can figure out a way to win… probably.'

And so they played. Harry took one of the knight's positions and had the pawns move first. He ended up losing a lot of his pawns. He took some of the white one's, too, but he was going through his pieces faster than they were theirs. The enemy queen was dominating the board, taking pawns, a rook, and even the other knight he had at his disposal. The king had yet to be moved but was starting to show an opening.

Risking his own queen to the enemy, Harry risked it and moved over to check the king. He was left with only his knight and king while the white pieces moved aside for him to pass.

Moving away from the chessboard, Harry was overwhelmed with an intense odor and covered his nose and mouth to keep from gagging. The next room he entered contained another mountain troll, even larger than the one he had killed on Halloween. This one wasn't dead, just unconscious with a rather nasty sore welling up on its head and leaking a putrid puss.

'Something knocked that out. Any ideas?'

Maybe another monster like Malfoy mentioned. Either way, he wasn't alone down here, that was for certain. He advanced ahead.

When he crossed into the next room, walls of fire sprang to life in front and behind him, trapping him inside with only a table filled with various potion bottles along with a note of parchment. He read it.

"Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind." Considering he didn't know for how long that troll would be out, Harry didn't know if that counted as safe. "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 nettle wine's left side; second, different are those who stand on either end, but if you were to 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 right are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight."

A riddle. There was no magic needed for this, just time and understanding. He read it over again and looked at the bottles. The largest and smallest were safe, that was clear and if there were twin wines they had to be the red and black bottles so the poison would be next to those. And if he was thinking on the right path, the small blue bottle would get him past the flames. There was just enough inside for one person to drink.

'Sure about this?' she nervously asked. 'What if it's the poison?'

In that case… it's been really nice talking to you.

He popped the cork and downed the rest of the potion. An icy feeling crept up from his stomach and Harry feared he had made the wrong choice before the feeling began to subside and a more comforting chill enveloped his body. He was still standing. Taking a deep breath, Harry reached out a hand to touch the flames leading onward. He didn't feel a thing.

He walked through completely and found himself standing in a semi-circular room with steps leading down to where an all too familiar arched mirror was stationed. And he was not alone.

The sole occupant facing the mirror turned around to face him as his reflection disrupted the image he was staring at so intensely. "Ah, Potter. You're here." A sharp throb of pain came from his scar.

"Professor… Quirrell?" Harry asked, facing the usually frazzled defensive professor. Quirrell wasn't twitching in the slightest.

"Surprised?" he asked without a single stutter. "Perhaps you were expecting Professor Snape to be down here - he certainly fits the type to do so."

"What? No. I… I didn't think anyone would be down here. Why, um, why're you here?" This new version of Quirrell was putting him on edge with how calm he seemed to be.

"You don't know?" Quirrell seemed curious. "You seriously don't know what Dumbledore and the rest of the staff have been keeping hidden all this time? I imagine you've read the Daily Prophet, you've must have read something about a break-in at Gringotts."

The vault he and Hagrid had been at. Quirrell was at Diagon Alley that same day. "That was you?"

"Indeed. Not an easy feat, but a necessary one. Including this."

Harry went to draw his wand, but Quirrell was faster. "Expelliarmus!"

The phoenix wand flew from his hand and over to Quirrell who caught it. With another wave of his wand, ropes shot out and wrapped themselves around Harry's wrists and ankles. He fell on the stairs. The jotun wand he could feel pressed between his hip and the step.

"What are you doing?!" Harry shouted at him. "Why is a teacher down here? What's so important?!"

"The Philosophers Stone, of course," Quirrell answered with a condescending tone. "A stone created by the alchemist Nicholas Flamel that will turn any metal into pure gold along with producing the elixir of life. In other words, a way of immortality."

Immortal?

Quirrell turned back to the mirror and Harry felt a pang of pain in his head once again. "This mirror is the final protection hiding the stone. Leave it to the old fool to put something like this as the last defense." He scowled. "I see myself holding the stone. I see it clear as day. But how do I get it? Should I try breaking it?" Quirrell got an answer from another.

"Use the boy."

A shiver past through Harry's body at the sound of the voice. From his fallen position, he looked around the room but saw no one else. He and Quirrell were the only two people here.

Quirrell snapped his fingers and the ropes restraining Harry fell slack. The turban-wearing professor pointed his wand at Harry. "Come over here, Potter. Come take a look in this mirror." He stepped aside so Harry could see into it properly.

Waiting before he did anything, Harry took a step to stand in front of the mirror. The moment he did, he was faced with his own reflection as well as one of Ymir standing beside him. She was holding something in her hand. It was a ruby red stone that seemed to pulse with an inner fire somewhere inside. She reached over to him and slipped the stone into his pocket, and from his stance looking, Harry felt a sudden weight occupy what had previously been empty. She gave a playfully knowing wink.

"Well, what is it, what do you see?!" Quirrell began to grow impatient.

"I… I see myself visiting a long-distance friend of mine," Harry came up with. "I'm staying with them for the summer holiday."

Quirrell cursed to himself in dismay. Harry began to reach for his second wand when the voice spoke again.

"He lies."

Quirrell rounded on him. "Tell the truth, Potter. What do you see?" Harry backed away from him.

"Let me speak with him," the disembodied voice spoke once again.

"Master, you are not strong enough," Quirrell seemed to cower.

"I have strength enough for this."

Facing away from Harry, Quirrell began to unfurl his distinct purple turban. He kept undoing it until he had reached the very end and removed it from his shaved head. From the back of Quirrell's head, another face was growing.

It was pale, almost paper white in color and stretched awfully thin. There was no nose, just two slits similar to that of a snake. The lips were pulled to a thin line, basically another slit. And the eyes, they were the color of blood cherries with a reptilian style pupil resting vertically in observation. When they stared at Harry, his scar throbbed again. He knew who this was. The same person who had tried to kill him as a mere infant.

"You… you're Voldemort."

"I am." His voice was a winter breeze in the summertime. "See what has become of me since our last encounter those years ago. Leeching myself to another in order to stay alive. A mere parasite." He spat the word. "Unicorn blood can sustain me, but not grant me a body of my own."

Harry backed away some more, but Voldemort had Quirrell walk backwards to close the distance. "You think me pathetic? That's reasonable. I have thought the same. I thought there was no barrier of magic that I had not crossed, no secret that I hadn't uncovered." His eyes narrowed. "Until that night."

Harry said nothing. What was there for him to say?

"You miss your parents, do you not? Together, we could bring them back. At my full power, there is no magic that I could not perform. It is clear to me now that there was something special about you that night. Surrender what I know you to have and I will spare your life. There is no need for us to be enemies now. The way to seeing your mother and father again lies with me. Just give me the stone."

"My family?" Harry asked the two-faced man.

"If that is what you so desire," Voldemort said. "The stone can do great things. I can do great things. And you… I suspect that even you can do great things. Good. Evil. Those don't matter. You and I have power and a will to act. Anyone who ever achieved anything in life has ever only needed those two things."

Harry felt his feet shake but managed to stay firm.

"I have escaped death many times, even cheated it," Voldemort continued. "Why should the same not apply to those who bore you? Magic is limitless, magic is might. And it is not too late."

Harry's hand went down to his pocket. "You're lying."

He pulled out his second wand and fired a quick jinx at Quirrell.

The defensive professor jumped out of the way and produced a magical shield when Harry fired off another one. With the element of surprise gone, Quirrell began advancing on him, firing off a few curses of his own.

Not knowing how to counter these more advanced spells, Harry began backing his way back up the steps, trying to keep Quirrell at bay. He hoped that potion was still in effect for him to pass through the flames again. He never made it to the top.

Quirrell struck him with some spell that made his legs lock together, halting his escape. Harry fell back on the steps. That was all it took for Quirrell to get over to him.

He tried to raise his wand to shoot a jinx in Quirrell's face, but the man had grabbed hold of his wand and yanked it free from his grasp. He tossed it away out of Harry's reach.

"Get rid of him and get the stone!" Voldemort ordered his puppet.

Quirrell's hands wrapped around Harry's neck. They began to tighten. Harry could feel himself start to gasp for air like a fish on a dock, his feet feebly trying to kick Quirrell off of him, but the professor wasn't budging. His grip on Harry's neck tightened even more.

Harry could feel his eyes starting to well up, his vision becoming blurry. His head was starting to feel all loose and slack but his mind drifted to just one thing.

Ymir…

'Harry!' he could faintly hear her voice. 'Just… just hold on! I have an idea…'

An idea… Ymir?

Was this it? Was this the last time he would get to hear her voice? He was never going to see her now. He would never meet with his first real friend, the person who actually cared about him for who he was - someone who he shared a connection much deeper than even blood. He could… could…

He could hear her.

'Harry, listen! Hurt yourself!'

Wha... ?

'Anyway you can! Trust me!'

And he did.

Lifting his head up as far as he could with Quirrell still strangling him, Harry then brought his head back to slam against the stone step hard enough to leave his glasses askew and enough for him to feel a warm wetness dampen his hair.

His vision seemed to clear and he found himself in a familiar starry desert of clay with a faded beacon of a tree in the near distance. He was still lying on his back, but Ymir was there kneeling next to him and… someone else.

A shadowed figure seemed to have a hand on her shoulder as it oversaw the both of them. It was in the shape of a man, that was certain, but if he could just squint hard enough…

'Harry…' she was offering him her hand.

He grasped it.

In a singular burst of condensed lightning and steam, Harry was aware that he was back in the mirror room with Quirrell who was now flat on his back, knocked away by the sudden burst of steam and heat. He looked so small to him now. What was stranger still was that he seemed to be looking down at Quirrell now. Strange since he didn't stand up. And there was steam, so much of it all around them.

"Wh-what is this magic?!" Quirrell cried out. He raised his wand to perform a deadly curse, but Harry made a move to stop him.

When his hand emerged from the steam, Harry took notice of just how big it was. It was large enough to hold an adult human like a ragdoll. And that's exactly what he did.

Quirrell's arms were pinned to his side as he was lifted off the ground. When Harry willed the hand to squeeze tighter, a resounding snap! Echoed around the room and Quirrell let out a cry of pain. But it didn't stop there.

The more Quirrell squirmed and the longer Harry held him, the heat radiating from this giant arm began to grow more intense. Quirrell's robes began to smoke and smolder from the heat as fire began to catch.

"Master, help me!" he cried in despair. A shadowed figure began to leak out from the back of Quirrell's head, an apparition of sorts. "Master! Don't abandon me!" And it was off, a formless spectre floating past the chaos and through the restricting flames. "Master!"

The flames reached Quirrell's flesh, engulfing him until he was reduced to a charred piece of flesh that hung loosely in his grasp. He let the body drop to the floor. Only then did he realize just how hot he felt himself. It was… constricting almost. He wanted to get out.

Hsssssssssssss

Steam fogged his glasses as Harry felt the upper half of his body pull free from something much larger. Some bits of fleshy muscle seemed to stick to his face, leaving a patterned imprint. He dropped to his knees, looking up at what had materialized out of thin air.

It looked to be an incomplete torso of sorts with only the right arm attached as an appendage. The skin was patchy, leaving whole sections of the ribcage exposed as well as the pieces of protruding spine. The flesh had already peeled away on the head leaving just a giant skull staring back down at him with an increasingly dim look in those glowing green eyes.

Harry's head hit the floor and his vision began to fade.

…

"Would you like to see him, Carla?" the man whose perspective he was seeing this through asked.

A woman with dark hair and warm eyes laid on a bed looking exhausted but still conscious. "Of course I would. It is a boy, isn't it?"

"Yes, dear. We have a son." he passed the bundle over to the new mother. "He looks a lot like you."

She smiled. "But he has his father's eyes. Lucky me that my husband is my doctor on this day."

"With the hell you went through carrying him, it was the least I could do."

"Oh, I've no doubt he'll be a spitfire soon enough. He wouldn't stop kicking as soon as his toes developed. I swear he almost wanted to be born as soon as possible."

"Maybe he just wanted his birth to be special."

"He already is," Carla looked down at their son. "Have you thought of a name for him, Grisha? We agreed if it was a boy, you could name him."

"I have. I was thinking… Eren."

"Eren, hm?" she mulled it over. "Like the man you told me that saved your life? That Eren?"

"Yeah… like that Eren. I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for that old owl."

"I like it," she agreed. "Eren. That's a fitting name. A shame that I couldn't meet him. Maybe one day you'll tell me the full story on how he saved you."

"Yeah… maybe someday…"

…

When he blinked his eyes open, he was no longer in the cold underground of the third floor, but a warm and soft bed that he had felt earlier in the year. Somehow, he had gotten out.

Uhh… his head felt so sore.

'You're awake!' her voice was enough to make him flinch. 'Oh, sorry. But you're awake, how're you feeling?'

I feel… fine actually. Aside from the headache, any injury he got from the third floor seemed to have healed. But… how? Down there, I became a Titan.

'Well, a partial Titan,' she corrected. 'That was all I was able to give you. Sorry.'

No, don't feel bad. I'm alive because of it. If you hadn't then Quirrell would've-,

Quirrell.

The man was dead now. Dead by the hand of a Titan he commanded.

'Don't feel bad,' she seemed to read his thoughts.

Don't feel bad?

'He tried to take away your life and your freedom, you just fought back. Who could blame someone for wanting to stay alive?'

...I guess. Even if she had a point, Harry didn't have to be happy about what he did. He stayed silent before speaking to her again. How'd you get me that Titan?

'Since we have the power of Ymir Fritz, I just went to find the one who has the Founding Titan. Together, we were able to bring that to you, but even that wasn't easy.'

Wait. Then that means that person I saw you with, that was-,

"Awake at last, Harry?" He had a visitor.

Striding his way over to a seat next to his cot was none other than the Headmaster himself. He was wearing burgundy robes today, but the twinkle was still ever-present in his eyes. It was then that Harry noticed the vast assortment of sweets he had lying in wait next to his bed. Dumbledore noticed his stare.

"Gifts of recovery from your many acquaintances," Dumbledore examined one of the boxes. "Although it seems young Ronald Weasley has helped himself to the every-flavor beans. I was unfortunate to come across a vomit-flavored one in my youth and haven't been brave enough to try one since."

There was a lot of candy there for him.

"How long?" Harry simply asked.

"You were out for the better part of a week," Dumbledore answered. "What happened down there between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret. So, naturally - the whole school knows."

"Oh." Well, if he was going to get fame for this, at least he remembered what he did this time.

"If it comes as any sort of comforting thought, the stone has been destroyed. My dear friend Nicholas has enough elixir to set his affairs in order. The last defense of the stone held strong. You see, only one who wished to find the stone, but not use its power would be able to retrieve it. One of my more clever ideas." He smiled. Harry frowned.

"So… it was purposefully put there. That wasn't something the founders made."

"Nicholas believed Hogwarts to be the best place to keep his prized creation," Dumbledore nodded. "Several of the teachers put their talents forward to protecting the stone. I imagine next year the third floor will be back and available to the students."

"And I was there after hours by myself," Harry reminded. "Am I in trouble?"

"Under most circumstances, yes. However, all things considered, I believe a slight… bend in the rules is in order. You did prevent the stone from falling into the wrong hands."

"It wasn't just Quirrell, it was Voldemort, too," Harry informed. "He was… fused with him, his face was on the back of his head. Is he… gone, too?"

Dumbledore sighed. "If only it were that easy. This marks the second time you've encountered him and lived. But for one such as Voldemort who fears death above all else, no, I do not believe him to be dead this time either. Less than a phantom, he will retreat and look for a new host or body to possess to fulfill his needs."

"Just like a parasite."

"An apt comparison," Dumbledore agreed. "Although, there is one thing I am unsure of." Harry looked over at him curiously. "When I came to retrieve you, I saw what appeared to be a skeleton of some large creature looming over you. And when I returned to further examine it - it had vanished." Harry said nothing. "Do you have any idea what that could have been?"

"There's something I was confused about, too," Harry avoided answering.

"And what is that?" Dumbledore asked.

"Down there, Voldemort mentioned that there wasn't a need for us to be enemies anymore. I know he was probably lying, but why did he even try to kill me in the first place?"

The twinkle seemed to fade almost completely. "Alas, the question you ask of me, I cannot answer."

"You can't or don't want to?" Harry then asked, surprising even himself by doing so. Dumbledore didn't even seem angered by it.

"Perhaps a mix of both. It would be a grave misgiving on my end to burden an eleven-year-old with. Yours is a life that should be enjoyed."

"Misgiving?" Harry repeated. He laid back down on the bed. "Was it also a misgiving that I ended up away from my home and here, too?"

"Harry…?" Dumbledore sounded stunned.

"I know about them," Harry continued. "I know the Potter's couldn't have kids. I know that they lost their first one. So why am I here? Why is it such a secret?"

"You know?" Dumbledore asked him.

"More than I did before."

The aged headmaster rubbed his crooked nose. "You do. Please, Harry, try to understand that-,"

"That what?" He cut the man off. "Understand that everything I was told since forever was basically a lie? Is that what I need to understand?"

"The love Lily and James had for you was no lie," Dumbledore silenced him without even raising his voice. "Love is one of the most ancient and complex forms of anything, including magic. It was the love of Lily's sacrifice that saved you that night as an infant. That same protection extends to Lily's own family and why you were left in their care. So long as you call that place home, that protection is available to you. They might have lost their own child, but that did not mean that they didn't think of you as anything less."

"But I wasn't," Harry heard his own voice rising. "Just because they lost one doesn't give them a right to steal from somebody else!"

"Steal? You believe you were stolen?"

"What else am I supposed to believe?" Harry demanded. "When all I've ever been told is lies, why should I believe anything else?"

"Lily and James had many choices presented to them after their loss," Dumbledore kept his voice calm. "I assured her that there was no shame in adopting another. In fact, I believed it safer to do so. Voldemort was after a child born to those who had defied him before. I believed that to be a safer route, a flaw in Voldemort's logic."

"So they adopted from another world?" Harry then threw at him, hardly caring at this point. "I was safe where I was. I could have had a normal life there."

"That isn't how they saw it," Dumbledore kept calm. "They believed they were rescuing you."

"Rescue me from what?!" Harry didn't bother to hide his shout. "Rescue me from having a happy childhood? From being free? Is that what they rescued me from?!" Dumbledore said nothing. He gripped the bed sheets so tight he thought he might rip them.

"I don't know what they were thinking. I don't really want to know anymore. But I do know one thing; I know that I'm going to find a way back."

Dumbledore met his stare, his now dull blue met with a blazing intensity of green.

"...If there is such a way, I've no doubt that you'll find it. But Harry, do try to understand one thing."

"I'm not interested in knowing."

"James and Lily picked you from a world of suffering and grief," Dumbledore continued anyways. "One where a great tragedy had taken place. If you should return, I don't believe there will be much to return to."

And with that, he left.

Harry lay there, still venting quite heavily.

'Harry…' she tentatively reached out.

Yeah?

'I appreciate your dedication, but was that really the smartest thing you could've said?'

I don't care, Harry bluntly said. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of all the lies, sick of not knowing the truth, sick of all of it! His hand lashed out and scattered the assortment of candy all along the infirmary floor.

'H-hey!'

I meant everything I said just then. I don't care how long it takes, I'll be there. I'll find a way.

And that was his declaration. That would be his truth.

Thank you for reading. Next chapter, As the first year comes to a close, Harry finds himself heading back to the place he hates the most. His burning will driving him forward, he continues on, ready to embrace a new side of himself. Chapter 14: Back to a Cage.