Chapter 52: Chapter 52 Confronting Voldemort
Harry, who had just entered the final room, was stunned by what he saw. Someone was already there, but it wasn't Snape or Voldemort as he had always thought—it was the stuttering Professor Quirrell.
Eisen, who came in behind him, also noticed Harry's confused expression. Clearly, Harry had been wrong from the start.
"You—" Harry stammered, momentarily lost for words.
"It's me, Mr. Potter!" Quirrell said, his face pale but no longer timid. His sneer was a far cry from the weak, nervous professor Harry had known. "I wondered if I'd meet you here."
"But—I thought it was Snape!" Harry exclaimed, still reeling. He had blamed Snape for everything and always believed him to be the villain. Now, realizing he was wrong, Harry was at a loss for words.
"Snape?" Quirrell chuckled coldly. "Yes, he certainly doesn't seem like a good person, always sweeping around like a giant bat. He was quite useful to us."
Quirrell's laugh was chilling, his tone starkly different from his usual stutter. "With him around, who would ever suspect—poor, stuttering Professor Quirrell?"
"But on the Quidditch field, Snape tried to kill me! He cast a curse on me!" Harry struggled to grasp the reality before him.
Eisen, standing quietly nearby, considered taking advantage of Quirrell's typical villainous monologue to attack and knock him out. But he hesitated. His goal wasn't just to defeat Quirrell; it was to get the Philosopher's Stone.
"No, no, no. I was the one who tried to kill you." Quirrell shook his head with a chilling smile. "During the match, your friend Miss Granger knocked me over when she hexed Snape, breaking my eye contact with you. That's why you escaped. If Snape hadn't been countering my curse, you'd be dead."
"Snape was saving me?" Harry was stunned. The man he thought was his enemy had been trying to save his life. It was almost too much to process. "So Snape, who never referees, wanted to be the referee in the next match to keep me safe?"
"Yes, though he didn't have to. Not with Dumbledore around. Still, he made plenty of enemies, especially among Gryffindors, who thought he was trying to stop you from winning. But it was all for nothing—today, I'm going to kill you!"
With a sneer, Quirrell snapped his fingers, and ropes appeared from nowhere, binding Harry tightly.
"Now wait here quietly while I examine this interesting mirror. It's the key to finding the Philosopher's Stone. Only Dumbledore could have thought of something like this."
Quirrell assumed Harry was no real threat, and after binding him, turned his attention to the Mirror of Erised.
"I saw you and Snape in the Forbidden Forest—" Harry struggled to free himself, but the ropes only tightened. Desperate to stop Quirrell from getting the Stone, he tried to stall with conversation.
"Yes, Snape suspected me. He thought he could stop me, but with Voldemort as my master, he was doomed to fail!" Quirrell dismissed Snape with a sneer.
"I see the Philosopher's Stone in the mirror," Quirrell muttered, staring into the reflection. "I'm presenting it to my master, but where is it hidden?"
"But Snape always seemed to hate me," Harry said, trying to buy more time as he subtly glanced around.
Eisen, noticing Harry's small movements, understood that Harry was signaling for help. However, Eisen didn't act just yet. If Quirrell became desperate, Harry could be in greater danger. For now, Eisen relied on the magical card he had hidden on Harry.
"Oh, he does hate you," Quirrell said, almost absently. Just then, Harry felt a warmth spread from his chest, calming his mind. He realized it was coming from the card Eisen had given him.
"He hated your father too. But he didn't want you dead!" Quirrell continued, still staring at the mirror.
"What's the deal with this mirror? Where is the Stone?" Quirrell cursed in frustration, as though ready to smash the Mirror of Erised.
"Use the boy," a voice hissed from somewhere within Quirrell.
"Yes, Master." Quirrell turned toward Harry and clapped his hands, releasing the ropes that bound him. "Come here, Harry. Look into the mirror. Tell me what you see."
Eisen's presence made Harry feel less afraid, so he stepped toward the Mirror of Erised without hesitation. Staring into the glass, he saw his reflection pull the Philosopher's Stone from his pocket and wink at him before putting it back. Incredibly, Harry felt the weight of the Stone in his real pocket.
"Tell me, Harry, what do you see?" Quirrell demanded impatiently.
"I see myself winning the House Cup for Gryffindor, and Headmaster Dumbledore shaking my hand!" Harry lied, trying to buy time.
"Move aside!" Quirrell pushed him back, but before Harry could slip away, the voice inside Quirrell's body snarled, "He's lying."
Eisen, wand in hand, prepared to intervene. The time was coming—Dumbledore might be arriving soon.
"Let me speak to him... face to face," Voldemort's voice rasped again. Quirrell began unwrapping his turban, revealing a hideous face on the back of his head.
Harry recoiled in shock as the face of Voldemort sneered at him. "Look what I've become, Harry Potter," the voice said. "I share bodies now, but soon I will rise again. The Philosopher's Stone will make me whole. Hand it over!"
Harry staggered back, clutching his forehead in pain as his scar throbbed.
"Don't be foolish. Give me the Stone, and you might live. Otherwise, you'll join your parents, who begged me for mercy before I killed them!"
"You're lying!" Harry shouted, his anger flaring up.
"Your father died bravely, but your mother... she didn't have to die. She sacrificed herself to save you. Now, give me the Stone!"
"Professor!" Harry shouted, retreating as Quirrell lunged toward him.
Quirrell reached for Harry, but the moment his hand touched him, Quirrell cried out in agony. His skin burned where it met Harry's, the result of his mother's protective spell.
At that moment, chains of stone twisted from the ground, binding Quirrell in place. Eisen, now visible, had cast the spell. A golden shield appeared around Eisen, while the magical cards hidden on Harry formed a protective barrier over him.
All of this happened in an instant, and Quirrell was caught off guard.
"Master, I'm trapped!" Quirrell screamed as the chains tightened.
"You're a Hogwarts professor. Who are you to defy me?" Voldemort's voice hissed, but Quirrell, trapped by the chains and unable to see Eisen, didn't know who he was facing.
I hope your like the chapter 😊.
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