Tonks just prayed for some normalcy as the school year started to draw to a close, after the detention in the forest she just had to make it through two more weeks before she graduated. But on the last Tuesday of the year, the headmaster made an announcement that he had business to attend to at the Ministry, and that was Tonks' understanding that it was a ploy to get the powerful wizard out of the castle.
In the common room that night she wanted to just go to her bed, close her eyes and pretend that she didn't know what was going to happen. She could just strip down, lie in bed, maybe take her mind off the exams she had the entire week… and she was already heading out the door with the third floor corridor in mind for a destination.
She was walking down the hallway and saw at the end of the walk the door which had been locked every other time she checked was wide open. "You just wanted to be an auror Tonks, you couldn't have been like the other girls and want a job at the ministry or making brooms, nope," Tonks muttered to herself as she came to the doorway which showed a cerberus snoozing on the floor.
And just her luck, trying to carefully move the massive dog's paw was Harry. "What are you doing here?" Tonks quietly said, catching Harry's attention and making him stop in his tracks.
"T-Tonks," Harry stepped back, not having expected to find anyone here except for maybe Voldemort. "What are you doing here?"
"Stopping Professor Snape from resurrecting You-Know-Who," Tonks looked at Harry.
"Why would you try to stop Professor Snape? It's Professor Quirrell we have to stop from helping Voldemort," Harry shook his head.
"What?" Tonks couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Look, just help me get Fluffy's paw off the door and I'll explain everything," Harry assured his best friend.
"No, I'll take care of this, and then I'll explain what's going on, so you can go right back to your dorm," Tonks came over to try to get Harry out of the room.
"Tonks," Harry said and he managed to make the older girl pause momentarily with how firmly he spoke her name. It was not like any other time when she knew it was full of warmth. "I will not let you go down there alone. I'll wake up the entire school if I have to and I don't want to do that, I know who is down there. So let me come with you."
Tonks was going to stand against Harry's decision because it was insane, but she knew he wasn't speaking now as her friend, he was speaking from a place of authority whether he knew it or not. "Fine," Tonks gave in because it really wouldn't do to have it out here.
Once they moved Fluffy's paw off the door and opened the trap, "not too late to go back Harry," Tonks smirked but that turned into a frown as Harry jumped in before her.
Landing on a spongy mass, she had a moment to reorient herself before she realized what she landed in, "Devil's Snare," Tonks shouted as she struggled against the tendrils that were wrapping themselves around her. She could feel them tightening around her limbs, keeping her down. "Not like this, I've seen too many-" her complaint got cut off as the vines started to loosen instead of roaming her body more.
She fell through the magical plant to see Harry standing there with his wand glowing brightly. "How did you know they were weak to light?" Tonks wiped some of the slick residue the plant left on her legs off.
"Oh Norine Longbottom really knows her plants. I asked her if she was the herbology professor and wanted to use a plant as a guard for a place she wouldn't want someone going into what she would use. Thankfully it wasn't that venomous thing or the snargaluff," Harry smiled because he didn't really have an answer to those other than hope he could produce a powerful enough incendio to burn them up.
"I figured that Professor Sprout seemed like such a nice lady that she wouldn't use something that would kill a person just, you know trap them," Harry explained why he learned the sunlight charm for this. "But what was that about you seeing too many of something? If you knew what Devil's Snare was why were you concerned?"
Tonks blushed because she did not want to explain to Harry that more than one girl had said how amazing it might be if a Devil's Snare got randy, of course she was more realistic than that since plants couldn't get randy, then again that Devil's Snare was going a little bit under her shirt. Shaking her head because she didn't need to think about that now. "Nothing, just, let's move on."
Following Tonks through the door, they could hear the flapping of wings from above. "Okay, um this one might be on you Harry," Tonks cringed because she didn't have the best coordination on foot, on a broom was… well she had only tried out for the beater position before and that had destructive results.
"I see it," Harry said as he noticed one key that had a bent wing, it was near the center of the pack but now that he saw it, he wouldn't lose track of it.
Two traps down and Tonks was feeling weird when she should be feeling confident, after all they got through Hagrid's trap, Professor Sprouts and what she suspected was Professor Flitwicks. This giant chessboard had to be McGonagalls, but it didn't make sense to her. All of these obstacle so far were being overcome by Harry, sure she could probably have done it or just brute forced her way through with a couple of spells but, as she moved pieces around to protect the King, which was Harry, it didn't add up that these would impede Professor Snape. Her being a death eater aside the witch wasn't dumb or weak, so these wouldn't challenge her, Tonks knew she was missing something.
As they moved onto the next room, lying on the floor was an unconscious troll. It finally made sense to her, Harry had already defeated a mountain troll, these were all obstacles that Harry could beat, that were possible for a first year wizard. As Harry walked past the troll Tonks finally understood it.
"He was supposed to beat them, the professors wanted Harry down here, tonight," Tonks gulped because the only reason why must be that You-Know-Who was actually here. That was why Dumbledore announced during dinner that he would be out of the castle. As they came to the last obstacle, she was now trying to figure out this puzzle before Harry did, if she could then she could do whatever was needed to get past the flames and prevent Harry from falling into this ploy. Whether it was made by the professors or not, they shouldn't be gambling anything like what she suspected on a first year student.
But Harry already reached for a potion and uncorked it, and before she could stop him because she wanted to at least make sure he didn't poison himself, he had drunk a little less than half the vial. "Here, I figured I didn't need as much since I'm still small."
Tonks downed the rest as Harry tested the flames by slowly putting his toe down, when he didn't pull it back that must mean the potion had worked, but why was there any potion at all.
If Harry was right and Professor Snape wasn't the perpetrator, then wouldn't she just put sleeping draught in all the vials, let whoever got this far think they beat it just to fall asleep and be picked up at a more convenient time. Surely Professor Quirrell would have brought her own vial with the correct potion if she had gotten this far before and been stopped. So again her only possible conclusion was it was meant for Harry to solve and he had done so.
Entering the final chamber Tonks wanted to groan because it wasn't Professor Snape, it was Professor Quirrell talking to her reflection in a mirror or at least that's what she thought.
"See, I told you it was Professor Quirrell," Harry said as he drew his wand. Their arrival was enough to draw the timid woman's attention. Except now she didn't look as frightened as she normally did.
"Ah Harry Potter, finally arrived. You've been a thorn in my side this entire year," Quirinette stated and stared sourly at the young wizard who had stopped the troll, which was going to serve as a longer distraction. And his interruption when her master fed on the unicorn, it cut down on his remaining time so he could no longer wait until the castle had emptied of students. Now it seemed that he was also the reason that retrieving the stone was impossible.
"But this doesn't add up, it should be Snape here," Tonks protested that she somehow had come to the wrong conclusion.
"Severia, no, of course you'd think that foolish girl," Quirinette snorted. "You only managed to bungle my attempt on Harry Potter's life when you mindlessly tackled her in the stands."
Turning to face the mirror again, Harry winced and grabbed at his forehead, Tonks noticing that he had done that in the forest. "That's how you knew," Tonks realized what gave Harry the final clue, something only he would have, a connection to the Dark Lord.
"Let me speak to him," a hissing voice said, startling Tonks to waving her wand around the room, looking for an invisible intruder.
Slowly Quirinette removed her turban and Tonks didn't even hold back a noise of disgust seeing the malformed face protruding out of the skin. It was only a reflection of the former man but it still revolted her.
"Subdue the witch," Voldemort commanded and even though Tonks had brought her shield charm up the onslaught of spells she was under showed that Quirrell wasn't a slouch as a defense professor.
"Yes," Quirinette's eyes flashed with glee. "The power I gain just by having a fraction of a wizard reside in me makes me the most powerful witch in the world, you have no chance girl, now die."
Tonks didn't recognize most of what was being thrown at her and while she was desperately trying to come up with a plan to get out of this situation, she saw Harry start moving his wand. "Diffindo, Incendio, Flipendo, Locomotor Mortis, Petrificus Totalis," these were simple first year spells but it was serving as a proper distraction that Tonks was able to reposition herself to fire off her own volley.
Quirrell started to fall back from the two-pronged assault on her, "Master, I cannot fend off a wizard alone," she pleaded as she lost ground. The pressure on her was becoming too much for her before she stumbled.
"You fool," Voldemort hissed as he decided that it was a lost cause, so he would simply abandon Quirinette and drain whatever life could.
She had a moment to understand the situation before she felt a massive tearing of her flesh and very soul. Quirinette screamed in agony as her skull broke open and the shade of the Dark Lord took off. Tonks looked down on the gasping woman almost feeling sorry for her, it looked like an excruciatingly painful way to die. She turned to try and get Harry out of the room so he didn't have to witness this when she found him standing in front of the mirror, pressing his forehead against the glass.
"I don't know what I have to do to get the stone but someone is going to die, please, please I need it, please give me the stone," Harry said tiredly to his reflection that just stood there holding the stone in his hand. He found it sickening that this mirrored version of himself was smiling like nothing in the world was bothering him. "Please, just give me the stone. I wouldn't ever let someone die."
It seemed like whatever sentience imbued in this mirror needed to think before his reflection dropped the stone in his pocket and Harry felt a weight that hadn't been there before. Pulling out the ruby red stone, Harry slid next to Quirrell who even he could tell was not long for this world. "I don't know how to use it?!" Harry shouted and looked to Tonks for an answer.
Tonks in her studies for any more clues about the stone never once turned up how to make or even use it, that much was obvious to her as it wouldn't do for just anyone to know about these features. "I… I only know it's a potion."
Harry could see Quirinette's breathing start to slow. "No no no," Harry whined as he gripped the jagged stone tightly in his hand, he felt it dig into his palm and make a small cut, the stone began glowing brightly and Harry let out a gasp before falling back onto the stone floor.
When he next awoke it was to being in the hospital wing and sitting next to him calmly reading a book was the headmaster. "Professor Dumbledore?" Harry said as he started to move.
Albus closed his book with a smile, "And a good morning to you Harry."
"What happened? How did I get here?" Harry asked while looking around. "Where's Tonks and Qui-Quirrell."
Folding his arms onto his lap, Dumbledore decided he should tell what happened after he returned to the castle, his protective wards telling him that the final room had been breached, it just took him time to get down there. "I was surprised to see you and Ms. Tonks, I had not intended for any students to become involved in this. But she was hovering over you protectively and there was a number of red glassy shards strewn about the room. Harry, did you use the Philosopher's stone?"
"I tried, Professor Quirrell was dying," Harry answered honestly.
"Then I would like to inform you that she has survived," Albus informed Harry that his attempt to use the stone while disastrous for the artifact had the result of preventing the woman from expiring. He had been keeping an eye on Harry closely because Quirrell was only healed, but the stone held much more power than just healing a single person, albeit a very critically injured person. That magic had to go somewhere and he had his suspicions.
Harry was relieved to hear that no one had died. "But what happened after that?"
"Ms. Tonks told me everything, that the two of you had snuck out after curfew, individually to try and stop someone from stealing the stone. She's been given another detention, just as I would have given one to you, but as you have been asleep for three days I am willing to forgo your punishment as I feel like mitigating circumstances are in play," Albus chuckled because Nymphadora had been quite distraught while she was concerned for Harry's health.
"And Professor Quirrell?" Harry asked before catching the other tidbit of information. "And wait, three days?!"
"She's been taken by the aurors, understandably, she committed a number of crimes," Albus explained. "Sending a troll into the school, attempting to curse your broom, killing a unicorn, all were not something that I could simply turn a blind eye to, unlike a certain smuggling of a dragon."
Harry chuckled because it seemed the Headmaster knew about that little trip he took a a few weeks ago. "But yes, three days, your body needed time to recover."
"I missed a lot then," Harry looked at his sheets. He'd missed most of his final exams and. "Oliver must be mad that I wasn't there for the quidditch match."
Albus just shook his head. "Sadly the Gryffindor team did lose their final match against Ravenclaw but as what happened under the castle was a secret, naturally everyone in the school knows about it."
Word was whispered in the halls that Harry Potter had gone under the school to stop Professor Quirrell from stealing something, it had taken some measure of control on his part to make sure that no one suspected that Tom had anything to do with this, but with the aurors walking Quirinette out in broad daylight after she had been deemed healthy enough to move. That had been out of his hands, but he impressed upon Nymphadora the importance of discretion regarding the continued existence of a particular dark wizard.
"As for your exams, I would like to believe that the skills you demonstrated to get past each obstacle, even with the help of Ms. Tonks, was enough to warrant a passing grade for your first year of education," Albus smiled as it would be easier to graduate Harry than to have him take the exams, as Harry was a wizard there wasn't going to be any inquiries from the ministry for Harry passing his classes, they were after all only first year work.
"For now just be content to know that you have done a service to the school," Albus patted Harry on the leg before leaving the hospital wing.
Later at the end of the year feast where Hufflepuff was celebrating another win for the house cup, Harry was happy that things had turned out okay, Tonks sitting next to him as they ate. Even if nothing else, he'd come away from this year with friends and a new place he would want nothing more than to return to as soon as possible.
Sitting in the train compartment Tonks was splayed out on a bench reading a book as Harry looked out the window. "And I'm going to be sending letters to you Harry. I only have this summer before I enter the auror training program."
"I already can't wait, hopefully I won't be stuck with the Dursley's for too long," Harry smiled as he already imagined the best summer ever where he wouldn't be doing chores all day every day.