บท 80: Twins vs Parasites

"See what I have become?" The face says. "Mere shadow and vapor… having form only when I can share the body of another… but there have always been those who would allow me into their hearts and minds… But once I have obtained the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own. All I need now… is the Stone."

Before either of us can fully process what we're seeing and hearing, Quirrell whirls back around and snatches Harry by the arm to drag him in front of the mirror. I watch as he swallows down a cry of surprise.

But for some reason, he doesn't resist as he's placed in front of it. As Quirrell…Voldemort? Quirrell-mort? That sounds right. Ooh, or what about Queer-mort? I'm not sure what a queer is, but one of the older students got really mad when they got called that, so it's probably a horrible insult! So, as Queer-mort leers over his shoulder at Harry's pale and scared reflection, I slowly approach while clearing my wand from my sleeve but still holding it parallel against it, out of sight.

After a moment of silence, I watch as his eyes widen and Queer-mort asks what he sees. After a moment of hesitation, he responds. "I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore. I-I've won the House Cup for Gryffindor!"

'Well that's a clear and obvious lie. Even without knowing what he'd seen the first time he looked at the mirror. There's absolutely no way that-'

"Get out of the way," Queer-mort snarls. Harry does so with a sigh of relief and I almost stumble as I take my own place in front of the mirror.

I mean…. seriously? He believed that??? It's super obvious that he's lying! I guess evil wizards suck at reading people? Wait, is there a spell for that? Or to turn someone into a book? Would you end up reading their thoughts or their life? Actually, can people be transformed into inanimate objects? They wouldn't be able to breathe, so would they automatically turn back to normal once they run out of breath?

My inane thoughts work to distract me from how much stronger the sense of wrongness that surrounds the man is now that I'm closer. And now I'm sure- it's the same feeling as the thing that attacked us in the Forest.

"So," I begin as I step in front of the mirror, the feeling of the man-thing behind me sending chills down my spine. "What was the deal with you attacking a unicorn in the Forest back then?"

There's a chuckle from the face part of it, but it does respond. Which is weird because of how desperate they are to have the Stone as soon as possible. Maybe they like me better than Harry? That's the only thing I can think of, what with the whole - him being the one to kill them thing. Though a less pleasant theory comes to mind, making me work to keep the grimace from showing.

They might be sensing the fact that I too can utilize natural magic to augment my spells, and it's established some form of bond between us. Though if that's the case, they clearly can't tell how much, or else they'd be reacting differently given how much more of it I can use. It's an unsettling thought, and I immediately banish it while staring at my completely normal reflection in the Mirror.

"Such curiosity… one that befits those from the proud House of Slytherin." I don't manage to hold back the shudder at the reminder that this thing was once in the same House as me, but it goes ignored in favor of an explanation. "Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks. Though not as much as I should… after once again you interfered and caused trouble for me."

Queer-mort's patience seems to be at an end, as after his master finishes speaking he demands to know what I see. Obviously I'm not just going to tell him that the Mirror doesn't work on me. But there are so many things I can tell them! But let's go with something that could help lower their guard more…

"I see Hogwarts being engulfed in a fiery explosion, shadowy figures surrounding me as I watch its destruction from a hill in the distance." Unlike Harry, I know how to tell a lie with a straight face. And since we've started growing distant, I also know how to ignore the betrayed look Harry shoots at me. Distrusting prat.

Queer-mort chuckles -this time with both mouths- which causes another shudder to wrack my frame. I'm going to have to get used to creepy junk like this if I'm going to be experiencing everything the wizarding world has to offer. It hasn't even been a single school year and I'm already dealing with the former Dark Lord, what will I encounter during the next!

"My, my. Quite the desire… And far more honest than your brother…" Queer-mort whirls on Harry, but backwards so that the second face can still look at him. Though the first face's look of outrage is clear as well.

"Now… why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"

It's clear to see the way Harry's stomach drops at the reveal, and I can't help but be bewildered at how in the bloody hell that happened before saying "Magic doesn't have to make any bloody sense". Because why the hell should it!? We came down here to get the Stone, but it somehow ends up being in his pocket?

Whatever.

But while I've been bewildered, Queer-mort has been conducting an evil monologue about how he killed our parents, and Harry springs towards the flaming door in a rage. Queer-mort reaches for him, his hand closing around his wrist, but now that all of his attention is off of me, I think it's time to show him how much I've improved since the Forest.

A flick of my wrist has my wand swinging upwards at Queer-mort, and I use it to direct the flow of where I want my magic to go. No Confringo since he's too close to Harry, which is unfortunate since I doubt that I'll get a better chance than this to end him.

Instead, a line of magic flies from my wand and impacts Queer-mort's wrist-

And severs it.

His dismembered hand falls to the floor as both mouths scream in pain, clutching at the start of the stump with his uninjured hand. I look to Harry and see him looking at the scene with horror, causing me to growl at him. "Either help or run! Don't just stand there like you're Weasley!"

That's enough to get him moving, and he stumbles backwards. Unfortunately it also caused Queer-mort to snap out of his pain fuelled screaming. With an incoherent scream of rage and pain he lunges at Harry again, grabbing his wrist with his remaining hand while the second face screams at him to kill us both.

But to the surprise of us all, he lets go almost immediately and tries to clutch it, not used to only having a single hand after only a couple seconds after losing the second. But what's really interesting is the fact that the hand is burned.

"No fair," I shout! "You can hurt him just by touching him!? I have to- GAH!" My outraged cry is ground to a halt as Queer-mort swings the burned hand and I feel an invisible force impact me, sending me flying back. I don't quite make it to the stairs, but it's close.

"You damnable child!" Queer-mort snarls. "You dare to attack me!? I could have made what you viewed in the Mirror a reality! Instead, you'll die here!"

I blink tears of pain out of my eyes and see that Harry is next to the wall of flames, looking like he's about to go charging at the abomination to take advantage of his touch based attack. But the burns are clearly not enough to stop him. We need something much, much stronger. And I've already tested just causing his head to explode, but it had even less of an effect on him than the troll.

So I raise my wand, and give a smile I reserve for one certain, special occasion. Seeing it, Harry's eyes widen and he dives through the flames, likely hoping that they'll keep him safe. Knowing Professor Snape, they just might.

I turn my crazed smile towards Queer-mort, who has the briefest moment of hesitation upon seeing it. It's not much. Only long enough for a single word. But a single word is all I need.

"Confringo."

There's a flash of light before the room is engulfed in fire and noise. There's a brief moment where I feel like I'm flying. I feel a crack. And then I feel nothing at all.