Chapter 13

Face of the Enemy

Hermione stumbled out of the flames, gasping as she released the breath she had been holding unconsciously. Hermione then snapped her head up and scanned the room. She first noticed Harry hiding behind a nearby pillar. There was also a set of stairs leading down to a landing where the Mirror of Erised sat at the far end of the room, and a man wearing a familiar purple turban staring into it. Hermione moved quickly to the pillar across from Harry, and the two locked eyes; they communicated with their eyes for a brief moment as both fully understood what had to happen next. The man, also known as Professor Quirrell, had to be confronted, and whatever dark schemes he had for the mirror had to be stopped. Harry took the first step, pulling out his wand, and after taking a deep breath, stepped out and confronted Professor Quirrell.

"Hello, Professor, nice evening for a walk, wouldn't you agree?" asked Harry, pointing his wand directly at Quirrell's back.

"Indeed it is, Mr. Potter, but I believe you and your companion." should be in bed right now. Is that not correct, Ms. Granger?" replied Quirrell

Hermione let out a quiet hiss before standing and pointing her wand directly at Quirrell as well. "Perhaps we should be, but I know for a fact that I cannot let you find whatever you are looking for." retorted Hermione

"What could you possibly know about what I am doing down here, Ms. Granger!? "You and the boy whose parents killed my master!" Quirrell yelled as he turned, wand at the ready and a fire in his eyes.

Silence reigned for but a moment, and the fire in Quirrell's eyes died down. He kept his wand trained on the two students standing on the stairs, but his other hand began to unravel his turban, and as the cloth fell to the ground, a raspy voice from the back of Quirrell's head spoke.

"So the old man sends two small children to fight his battles for him, it seems." "The young Potter boy whose parents managed to kill me, and the young Miss Granger who has power beyond her years, how wonderful to meet the two of you." rasped Voldemort.

Voldemort was fused with the back of Quirrell's head like an overgrown parasite. He could barely even be considered a living thing, with slits for eyes, a slim nose, and a mouth with yellowed teeth. Every word he spoke sounded like it was ripping his throat apart, and his skin was so pale it was translucent. Harry and Hermione could see him in the reflection of the mirror, and Harry was clearly struggling after seeing the face of the dead. Hermione on the other hand, gripped her wand tighter and glared at the face in the mirror with all the hatred she could muster.

"I suppose that means you must be looking for the Philospher's Stone and the immortal life it promises, and I'm guessing Dumbledore must have hidden it within the mirror and you can get it out." asserted Hermione.

"Hahahaha… "Indeed, I am child and if I cannot retrieve it, I shall have one of you do so for me!" hissed Voldemort.

"Over my dead body!" "screamed Hermione as she sent a spell flying at Quirrell

Quirrell blocked the spell and Voldemort laughed "That is the plan, little girl! Kill her, we'll use the boy to claim the stone!" Voldemort ordered.

This broke Harry out of his shocked state, and he gripped his wand tighter before jumping back behind the nearest pillar. Hermione pulled up a shield just in time to block one of Quirrell's attacks. The two began to battle ferociously. However, while Hermione had been improving herself both physically and magically, she knew she did not have the magical stamina to match Quirrell. While Quirrell and Hermione dueled, Harry moved from pillar to pillar, closing the distance between himself and Quirrell. Hermione felt herself approaching her current limit and called out to Harry.

"Cover me, I need a minute to rest!" called Hermione

"I've got you!" "replied Harry as he stepped out near the bottom of the steps and began firing off spells at Quirrell, diverting his attention.

Hermione ducked behind a nearby pillar to catch her breath. She had fought an uncountable number of duels in her previous life and probably several hundred times against Bellatrix alone. Hermione knew she was one of the best duelists around, but her body was still immature and her magical core was nowhere near what it had been before her transfer to this world. Once she had managed to slow her pulse back to a normal rate, Hermione peeked out from behind her pillar and saw that Harry was holding his own against Quirrell but had lost any kind of potential cover as Harry had moved further into the room. Quirrell looked worse for wear, covered in sweat and breathing heavily, indicating it had been a while since he had had to endure a long duel.

The mirror behind Quirrell captured the entire duel, and in the reflection of the mirror, she saw her own reflection moving ever so slightly, it pulled a bright red stone from within its jacket pocket. Once the reflection placed the stone back into its jacket pocket, Hermione felt a weight in her own. Hermione knew it could only be one thing: the Philosopher's Stone. Hermione allowed a small smile to etch itself onto her face before her attention was forced back to the fight between Harry and Quirrell. Harry was getting pushed back, and Hermione wasted no time and made a break towards him. Hermione had hoped to reach Harry before the worst could happen, but fate had other ideas, and just as Hermione had made it about halfway down the stairs, Harry tripped.

Time seemed to slow down as Hermione's eyes widened in horror. She could see the grin on Quirrell's face as a bolt of green light left his wand. She could see Harry lose his balance and then his focus as the shield he had been maintaining vanished. Hermione could feel her heart freeze in her chest. A fear filled her mind. She could not allow Harry to die again, never again. In that moment of fear Hermione awakened the great power that had been given to her. The stairs under her feet cracked, then shattered as she moved with speeds beyond human perception, and in the next nanosecond, Hermione was standing in front of Harry's unconscious form. Hermione could see where Harry had hit his head on the stairs and by the small pool of blood forming under his head. The fear she had originally felt began to change. Quirrell and, by extension, Voldemort had harmed her best friend. The rage and hatred Hermione had been holding in burst forth.

A wave of power filled the room and caused Quirrell's spell to fizzle out before it reached its target. The air itself became laden with unseen rage, and Quirrell was struggling to take a breath as if the air had become poisonous. When Quirrell found the strength to look up, his eyes widened at what he saw. There, standing by the stairs, was a glowing creature that looked like a crude rock suit. It had a mouth with a couple rough fangs, claws that looked like primitive forks, wings that wouldn't be able to glide, much less fly. Quirrell at first thought it to be no more than an illusion, but the longer he looked at it, the more certain he became that he was looking at no illusion. The voice of his master told him to kill and keep killing, but his instincts had kicked in and his fight or flight response was telling him the only way to survive this creature was to run. Quirrell began to back up until his back collided with the mirror. He never took his eyes off the glowing rock dragon.

Hermione could feel the power surrounding her and filling the chamber, and with her eyes trained on Quirrell, she could see his face turn from absolute confidence to immense terror. Hermione tried to move, but she found herself unable to physically move her limbs. This only caused her anger to explode even further, and as soon as her emotions heightened, she moved as if controlled by some outside force, taking a large, lumbering step forward. Hermione felt like laughing, the power was intoxicating. However, when she opened her mouth to laugh, a tremendous roar shook the castle walls around her. The construct she had created took another step towards Quirrell when suddenly Hermione felt lightheaded. Her vision began to blur, and she felt her limbs grow heavy as her body refused to obey her mind. What would happen next would only be known by Voldemort and Viskara as they could be the only two to witness the crystalline construct of Hermione's rage turn Quirrell into a bloody mix of flesh, bone, and liquid that the teachers would struggle to identify. Voldemort would flee in his spirit form after taking note of Hermione's strength and Harry's potential. After Voldemort fled, Hermione's construct and overwhelming magic dissipated, dropping her into what remained of Quirrell, where she would be found by teachers soon after.

Hermione would wake slowly and tried to move, but stopped instantly when pain shot through her body, she stiffled a cry that tried to escape her lips. Hermione forced herself to focus on her breathing, trying to calm down, and she soon was able to realize that she was in the hospital wing and not in the underground chamber anymore. Hermione let out a heavy sigh as she sank deeper into her bed. She turned her head to the left and could see Amy sleeping in a nearby chair, and in the next bed over, Harry was sleeping peacefully. Hermione let a smile grace her face as she felt herself fall back into a quiet slumber. When Hermione next woke, it was dark out and moonlight was pouring windows, and while her bed had the privacy screen in place, she could make out three silhouettes in the middle of the hospital wing floor. Hermione could also clearly hear what the three were whispering thanks to her enhanced hearing.

"How are they doing, Madam Pomfrey?" asked Dumbledore

"Mr. Weasley was the first to recover as most of his injuries were physical and were easily healed with magic and potions." responded Madam Pofrey

"Mr. Potter woke up earlier this evening and, despite feeling weak,was able to communicate clearly and coherently. After a couple more days of observation, he will be released." continued Madam Pomfrey

"What about Miss Granger?" asked Professor Valler

"Miss Granger is stable but has yet to awaken." replied Madam Pomfrey

"Given where she was found and the fact that her magical reserves were low, it is a miracle that she is even stable to begin with. Between her and , we have a hardy bunch of first-years this time around." Mentioned Professor Valler

"Indeed we do, that being said Madam Pomfrey I do require you to join me in my office for a bit to help explain how Mr. Potter is doing to his parents. Professor Valler will take over while you are out." Dumbledore said

"Understood headmaster, Professor Valler if anything changes with any of the students, please let me know immediately." ordered Madam Pomfrey

"Of course, Madam Pomfrey, I'll call if anything changes." replied Professor Valler

Once Dumbledore and Pomfrey had left, Professor Valler began checking the other occupied beds, including Harry's bed. Once Valler had reached Harry's bed, Hermione had started to pretend to sleep, hoping to avoid any attention. Valler entered Hermione's privacy screen and after giving Hermione a quick look over before sitting down in the chair next to her bed.

"You scared me, you know. I was the first in the chamber after Snape took down his barrier, and seeing you lying in that pile of guts was… well shocking' feels like the right word, but at the same time, it's too weak." reveled Valler

"I don't understand why, but in the next moment, I had you in my arms and I was running towards the hospital wing. I was scared, scared of losing you, still not sure why. You are the best first-year student by far, but that still does not explain the tightness in my chest." Valler rambled.

Valler let out a condescending laugh. "Listen to me, pouring out my fears and worries to an unconscious student. I need a drink." Valler whispered darkly.

Valler got up and made her way out of Hermione's privacy screen, moving to a different part of the Hospital wing. Once Hermione was sure Valler was gone, she cracked open her eyes and let out a quiet sigh.

Well, that was unexpected. I never thought our hardline Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher would care that much about any student. Hopefully this will be the last of the danger this year with Quirrel and Voldemort gone.

Hermione let her mind wander, flowing from reality to fantasy until the quietness of sleep overtook her once more. When she next woke, it was mid-morning and the sun was shining through the hospital wing windows. Hermione let out a groan as she moved her still sore muscles, trying to sit up. In less than a second, Madam Pomfrey was at her side and began fussing over Hermione. The next few hours passed quickly as her friends and teachers each came by to wish her a speedy recovery or drop off assignments she had missed. The next few days also went by in a blur as Hermione and Harry were released from the Hospital Wing and resumed their daily lives as much as they could. The rest of the year flew by as well, with both Harry and Hermione paid a visit to Dumbledore's office to recount their tale of events, and the fervent studying for final exams led to a marvelous final banquet. Gryffindor had managed to win the House Cup,Cup breaking Slytherin's recent streak. Then came the day when Hermione found herself standing on the platform about to board the Hogwarts Express back to London for the summer. She looked back at Hogwarts Castle one last time with the feeling that next year the castle would look very different than it did now.