บท 76: The Silver Sacrifice

After about 30 minutes of debating whether he should go to classes or not he decided not to. Instead he just sat down near the fireplace looking at the fire dancing merrily.

His mind wandered as he sat by the fireplace. The vivid image of Embera, her long, fiery hair that reflected the flames before him, filled his thoughts. She was like no one he had ever met—otherworldly, yet comforting. Her deep crimson eyes, with their mysterious depth, often felt like they held answers to questions he hadn't even thought to ask. Although it was not a romantic feeling, Harry had always felt a deep connection between them, almost like having an older sister who understood him without words.

For once he was grateful for the dreams that led him to her; without them, he might have never known her company.

After some time, Harry decided to take a break and get something to eat, but he didn't want to go to the Great Hall. He wanted some peace and quiet and the Great Hall was anything but that.

So at last he decided that he would go to the restaurant in Diagon Alley, "Silver Hearth". He stood up and headed to his dormitory to change into some rather luxurious clothes that he had. After changing, he Apparated away without a sound to the Diagon Alley entrance. Appearing in the street, he noticed that it was lively as ever, with witched and wizards of all sorts going through their day.

After a few minutes of walking, he reached the entrance of The Silver Hearth, an upscale restaurant known for its elegance and exclusivity.

Taking a deep breath, Harry stepped inside. The atmosphere was immediately soothing—a stark contrast to the chaos outside. A young receptionist, a wizard in his twenties greeted him with a smile.

"Good afternoon. Do you have a reservation?" the man asked politely.

Harry shook his head, "No, I was hoping to have lunch here, but I didn't book in advance."

The receptionist took a long look at the reservation book for a moment before he looked up. "You're in luck. We have one table left, a single by the bay window. Would you like to be seated there?"

Harry smiled, "That sounds perfect."

Another staff member arrived and guided Harry upstairs to the second floor. The single table by the large bay window offered a perfect view of Diagon Alley below. Harry could see the hustle and bustle from a distance, but was glad for the quiet, calm atmosphere he was in.

He thanked the staff member as he handed him the menu and looked through it. Everything seemed good, but he didn't know what to order. So he turned to the waiter who was looking at him expectantly.

"I am a bit confused about what to order," Harry admitted with a sheepish smile. "Could you bring me some appetizers while I decide on the main course?"

The waiter nodded with a knowing smile. "Of course, sir. May I suggest Firewhisky-Glazed Shrimp? They're quite popular and offer a delightful start to your meal."

"That sounds perfect," Harry agreed, feeling a bit more at ease.

As the waiter turned to leave, Harry called out, "Would you mind getting me some Firewhisky as well?"

The waiter paused, his smile faltering slightly as he took a closer look at Harry. The boy was young—very young, barely eleven years old by the looks of him. Serving Firewhisky-glazed food was one thing, as the alcohol cooked off, but giving a direct shot of Firewhisky to someone so clearly underage was another matter entirely.

"I... I'm afraid that's not something we usually—" the waiter began hesitantly.

But before he could finish, Harry pulled out a galleon from his pouch and slipped it into the waiter's hand. "No one has to know," he said with a wink.

The waiter hesitated, although the galleon was a lot, still serving alcohol to an underage, didn't morally seem right. After a moment of internal conflict, he gave a reluctant nod. "Very well, sir," he said quietly, slipping the galleon into his pocket. "But just this once."

Harry smiled, "Thanks."

The waiter nodded, still uneasy about serving but turned to head back to the kitchen.

Harry sighed. He just paid a galleon for a single shot of Firewhisky. Maybe he should get a bottle instead. But then again, who would sell a bottle of Firewhisky to an eleven-year-old.

As he thought all this, he glanced at the interior of the restaurant. It was designed very elegantly with a black color theme that was quite the contrast as compared to other restaurants. The second floor was almost entirely empty apart from him.

The waiter returned shortly, carrying a small tray with the Firewhisky-Glazed Shrimp and a single shot of Firewhisky. He set the plate and glass down in front of Harry with a nod. "Enjoy your appetizers, sir. I'll return shortly to take your main course order."

"Thank you," Harry replied, his eyes lingering on the shot of Firewhisky. He looked at the shrimp. It looked really good and juicy with a charred look. As he took a bite, the taste was exquisite—just the right balance of sweet, spicy and smoky. He quite enjoyed the shrimps and quickly finished them.

After finishing them, Harry turned his attention to the shot glass. He picked it up, examining the amber liquid. He hesitated for a moment, then downed the liquid in one go. The liquid burned its way down his throat. It was a strange sensation, but not entirely unpleasant. He could definitely see why adults enjoyed it so much, though he wasn't sure if it was something he'd want to drink again.

For him, it was just an alcohol that burned his throat. It didn't have any good taste apart from that so comparing it to all the ones he used to drink in his past life, it wasn't something he would drink again. As he set the empty glass down, the waiter returned, ready to take his main course order. "Have you decided, sir?"

Harry nodded and placed the order for both the main course and the dessert. The waiter commended him on his choice and went to place his order. The shrimps were certainly quite good and as such he was looking forward to the rest of his meal.

By the time Harry finished his meal, he felt better. The waiter approached him again, this time with the check. "Was everything to your satisfaction, sir?"

Harry nodded, "Everything was perfect, thank you."

The waiter handed him the check, and Harry paid before getting up and walking out. As he made his way out of The Silver Hearth, the noise and energy of the Diagon Alley was back. Harry casually strolled through the streets before making his way to the entrance. He also bought some treats for Hedwig as it was beginning to run low.

After getting the treats, he quietly Disapparated from the alley. Harry appeared in his empty dormitory and looked at the time. It was almost 4 pm and by now the students should be heading back after the classes.

"Was it just me or did time pass too quickly today?" Harry thought. He left Hedwig's treats on his bedside table and quickly changed into more comfortable clothing. After changing he headed down to the common room to find that it was starting to fill up with students coming back from their classes.

Harry spotted Wood and Alicia entering through the hole, followed by Fred and George.

"Harry!" Wood called out. "I was planning on letting Fred and George tell you, but now that I've found you I'll tell you myself."

Harry nodded, "What is it?"

Wood replied, "Quidditch practice from tomorrow after classes. Don't be late" With that he left the common room towards his dormitory.

"Got it." Harry called out behind him. Just as he was about to turn around, Fred and George came and stood beside him. "Harry! Enjoying your free time?" Fred smirked.

Harry smiled back, "Definitely better than the boring classes."

George smiled sheepishly, "So we got another three assignments that we have to get done by next week..."

Harry nodded, "Give me the topics and I'll get it done."

Fred took out a paper and handed it to Harry. He had written the topics on which they needed to write an assignment. Harry took it and put it in his pocket.

"I'll get it done by tomorrow, so you guys can pick it up in the evening." Harry replied. Fred and George nodded, "Sorry to make you do our assignments..."

Harry shushed them, "Nope...don't be. I'm helping my brothers... no need for all this sorry and thank you..."

Both Fred and George were visibly touched by Harry's words. They nodded gratefully before heading up the stairs to their dormitory. As the twins disappeared from view, Harry noticed Ron and Hermione entering the common room. They were deep in one of their usual bickering, with Hermione clearly having the upper hand(no surprise there). Curious as to what they were bickering about, harry crept closer without letting them notice.

"No, Ron, I can't do that. That's not what we agreed on," Hermione said firmly. Ron looking extremely guilty replied, "But Hermione... you know I'm no good at it."

Hermione didn't budge. "That's your problem, Ron. I asked you twice before starting it, and you said you'd handle it."

Harry was now very curious as to what they were bickering about. "What's going on here?" he called out, causing both of them to jump. They had been so absorbed in their argument that they didn't even notice Harry standing right beside them.

Ron looked particularly uneasy, while Hermione glared at him. Her look definitely said, "You have to explain this." With a sigh, Ron reluctantly grabbed Harry's hand and started pulling him out of the common room. Hermione followed behind them with a frustrated expression.

Once they were out of the common room, Ron turned to Harry. "Harry...this is about the Transfiguration assignment we were supposed to submit today after dinner."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Okay..."

Ron continued, "I...I kind of messed up. You see, when McGonagall assigned the essay on the basics of Switching spells, I wasn't paying attention and I ended up copying Hermione's assignment."

At this, Hermione let out an exasperated sigh. "And he didn't even do it right! He copied word for word, Harry. If McGonagall sees his essay, she'll know immediately that it's not his own work."

Harry looked at the two and understood why Hermione was so frustrated. She didn't like having her work copied. "Ron, you know McGonagall won't just let this slide. She'll probably give you detention or worse."

Ron nodded miserably, "I know. I just didn't have enough time to get it done and now I won't be able to complete it if I write from the beginning."

Harry sighed, "Okay...follow me."

He led them down the corridor and into a quiet, empty classroom. The classroom was very dark as there were no windows to let the sun rays in. Harry waved his hand, and the lamps in the room flickered on.

He motioned them towards the benches. Both Ron and Hermione settled into the desks, Ron still looking anxious.

"Alright, Ron," Harry began. "Grab a fresh piece of parchment." Ron nodded as he fumbled through his bag to take out a large piece of parchment, ink and quill. He put them on the desk and looked at Harry.

"You know we still can't get it done if I start writing. I can't write fast and the assignment is 6 inches long." Ron said.

Harry nodded, "I know. Now take out your wands. Both of you."

"You both already know the spells I told you—'Scripto Auctor' and 'Cogitomotus.' Now, you just need to use," Harry began.

Hermione looked a bit skeptical. "Are you sure it's going to work, Harry?" she asked, folding her arms.

Harry shot her a look. "Really?"

Hermione blushed, realizing she had questioned Harry's abilities despite knowing how skilled he was. "Right, sorry."

Harry started. "The first spell as you already know is Scripto Auctor. This one lets the quill write automatically in any specific writing style you choose, by itself."

He showed them the wand movement he wanted them to do with his bare hands.

Both of them followed his movements with their wands. Harry stated, "Now keep in mind, you have to think of what the writing style you want the quill to write in. You have to think of every little detail you can to make it accurate."

Both of them nodded and cast the spell on their quills. Hermione had already completed her assignment, she was just learning it for the future.

When they cast the spells on their quills, the quills shimmered briefly before jumping right onto the air and standing still over the parchments.

Harry watched as the quill hovered in the air, their tips poised on the parchments. "Good. Now, let's move on to the next spell: Cogitomotus."

"Now this one is a bit trickier than the first one." Harry explained. "This spell will extract all the relevant information about the topic from your mind and channel it into the quill, so it writes everything down automatically. But remember, the key is focus. You need to think clearly about the topic you want to write about while you are casting the spell."

Ron and Hermione both nodded. Hermione was already focused, her brow furrowed in concentration. Ron on the other hand, looked a little bit apprehensive.

Harry demonstrated the wand movement again, this time with more precision, as his hand traced the air in front of him. "Follow this movement with your wands and focus on Switching spells. Then cast Cogitomotus"

Both Ron and Hermione mirrored his actions, their wands moving in unison. Harry watched carefully, making sure they had the technique right.

"Now, when you're ready, cast the spell," Harry instructed.

Hermione took a deep breath and cast the spell. A silvery thread emerged from her temples and connected with the quill. As the thread connected, the quill sprang to life as it began to write a detailed essay on Switching spells.

Ron hesitated for a moment then cast the spell. Similar to Hermione's, a silvery thread emerged from his temples and connected to the quill. The quill immediately started scribing on the parchment.

The pros of the Scripto Auctor spell was that the quill wrote very fast as there was no human hand directing it. Harry watched as the quills wrote with a breakneck speed.

In about 5 minutes, the quills finished their jobs and hovered over the parchments. Harry showed them the wand movement to end the spells. As they did, the quills dropped down and stood still.

Ron, however, looked as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "Mate, you're a lifesaver. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Harry gave him a light punch on the arm. "Just make sure you pay attention next time. I won't always be around to save you from McGonagall's wrath."

Hermione reviewing what her quill had written. "This is incredible, Harry. It's like having all your thoughts organized perfectly without even trying."

Harry smiled, "Just remember, these spells are tools to help you. You will have to know the material for the spells to work."

Ron grinned. "Thanks, Harry. You've really saved my skin tonight."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "Yes, thank you. This will definitely be useful in the future."

Harry shrugged, "You still have to study keep that in mind.. And don't even dream about using this in exams" he pointed at Ron.

Ron smiled sheepishly. "Okay..."

"Great. Now let's get back to the common..." Harry stopped mid sentence as he remembered something.

Both Ron and Hermione looked at him, "What is it, Harry?"

Harry replied, "I just realized that I have not visited Lumos this term at all."

At first both Ron and Hermione looked confused at the name. Then they remembered that Lumos was their unicorn friend.

Ron glanced at Harry, "Are you going to visit him now?"

Harry paused for a moment, "Yeah, I think I will. It's been too long since I last saw him."

Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance, and Hermione quickly chimed in, "We'd like to come too, Harry."

Harry nodded, "Alright, but first you guys need to change and keep your stuff away."

Ron and Hermione nodded as they quickly gathered their belongings and hurried off towards the common room. Harry followed them but didn't go inside. He was thinking of Lumos, and quickly summoned some treats to give to him when he met him.

A few minutes later, Ron and Hermione returned, both dressed in casual clothes. Harry nodded, "Alright, let's go."

They walked through the corridors, towards the main entrance. As soon as Harry figured they were alone, he cast the Disillusionment charm. The spell took effect immediately, making each of them completely invisible.

Harry whispered, "Stay close and follow my footsteps."

They moved out of the castle and towards the forest. The sky was turning dark slowly as they made their way towards the small clearing they always met Lumos in.

After a short walk, they reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Harry felt uneasy for some reason as if something bad was happening.

"Let's head to the clearing," Harry whispered as he walked in front. Ron and Hermione followed his voice as they walked towards the clearing. After a few minutes they reached the clearing and Harry undid the Disillusionment charm. It was almost dark now, but there were still one or two rays of sunlight that passed through the canopy.

The trio stood in the clearing, the stillness of the night settling in pressing down on them. Harry's eyes scanned the darkness, waiting for the familiar sight of Lumos or even the sound of his hooves. But minutes passed by and there was still no sign of him. The uneasy feeling Harry had from before was becoming more stronger now.

'Where is he?" Harry muttered under his breath, his brow furrowing in concern. Lumos was never late, he always came whenever Harry was in the clearing.

Ron and Hermione were worried. "Maybe something's keeping him," Ron suggested. "We could come back tomorrow. He's probably just... I don't know, busy?"

Harry shook his head, "No, something's wrong. Lumos always comes when I'm here. Always."

Hermione placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry, maybe Ron's right. It's getting late, and we don't want to get caught out here. We can come back first thing in the morning—"

"No," Harry interrupted. "You two go back. I'm going to Lumos's den. Something's not right."

Ron and Hermione knew better than to argue when Harry was like this. Partly because Harry's instincts were never wrong, they were worried themselves.

"I'm coming with you," Ron said, pulling out his wand. Hermione nodded as she pulled out her wand as well. "Me too."

The three of them walked in deeper into the forest with Harry guiding them. The uneasy feeling Harry was having was becoming more and more real as he walked. Something happened to Lumos...

He hurried through the trees, bending here and there to avoid straying off the path. As they neared the den, Harry suddenly stopped in his tracks. Ron and Hermione nearly bumped into him. They looked at Harry who was gazing in the direction of the den.

They followed his gaze to the scene that unfolded before them. Just beyond the trees, in a small clearing, was a sight that made their blood run cold. A black hooded figure was crouched over something that shimmered faintly in the moonlight. It was Lumos, lying lifeless on the ground. The silvery blood of the unicorn pooled around him, and the hooded figure seemed to be drinking it.

Harry's heart pounded in his chest, the sight of Lumos's lifeless body sending a wave of despair through him. "No..." he whispered in a trembling voice.

Ron and Hermione stood frozen in horror. Hermione's eyes welled up with tears as she fought to hold back sobs. But Ron knew what was coming and felt an icy dread creep over him.

Then it happened again. Harry's magical power erupted from his body threatening to flatten everything around him. The dense magical pressure that made it almost impossible to breath, once again pressing down on him. He remembered the scene from the dragon reserve where he saw this for the first time. Ron was again incapable of moving, all he could do was hope that Harry came to his senses.

Hermione's face showed her terrified expression as he struggled to breath. It was her first time seeing Harry like this. Ron had told her about this on the train but she had not believed him completely. The Harry she knew, the boy who had become her best friend seemed to have vanished.

The cold and ancient presence coming from Harry was nothing but pure rage and evil. His eyes had gone from the usual emerald to an unsettling shade of grey.

The hooded figure sensed the shift in the air and slowly looked up, his red eyes meeting Harry's. There was no fear in those eyes, only cold amusement, as if it relished the fury he had provoked.

Harry didn't care. All he could see was Lumos, his friend, lying dead in the grass. He felt nothing but rage and an unsettling urge to make the one responsible pay. He waved his hand to cast an inescapable barrier around them.

Voldemort, or rather the figure of Quirrell under his control, looked at Harry, his red eyes gleaming with dark satisfaction. Harry's magical energy had forced the hood of the cloak off and Ron and Hermione saw who the person was.

Ron and Hermione were frozen in place, terror etched on their faces as they stared at the man they thought was their teacher.

Voldemort's voice, cold and mocking, slithered into the air. "You have power, boy… But power alone is not enough. What will you do now, Potter? Will you join your pathetic friend in death, or will you fight and meet the same fate?"

Harry couldn't seem to take his eyes of Lumos. Tears began to flow down his cheeks as his eyes turned a darker shade of grey. He looked up at Quirrell for the first time and saw him smiling in a twisted way.

Voldemort's voice continued, dripping with venomous pride, "You can't stop me, Harry. You'll join your friend soon enough—"

But Harry didn't let him finish. His hands shot up, and in an instant, his wand, Elythral, materialized in his grip. Ron noticed that Elythral just like the day at the dragon reserve was glowing in a very dark way.

The next words that came out of Harry's mouth terrified Ron and Hermione to the point that they couldn't think straight. The same ancient and hoarse voice that Ron had heard before spat out two words. They weren't just words; they were a promise of death, spoken in a voice so ancient, so filled with wrath, that it hardly sounded like Harry at all.

"Avada Kedavra."

The green light that burst from Elythral's tip was not just a flash. It was an inescapable torrent fueled by Harry's rage and grief, streaking towards the figure of Quirrell, who barely had time to react. The curse struck him directly in the chest. The force of the curse was so high that it threw Quirrell of the ground and slammed him into the tree behind.

Ron's eyes widened in shock, and Hermione's breath caught in her throat as tears began to spill from her eyes.

Quirrell's eyes widened in shock, and Voldemort's presence within him recoiled, sensing the unnatural strength behind the spell. There was no scream, no cry of agony. Quirrell's body simply crumpled to the ground, lifeless, as Voldemort's essence was forcibly expelled from the host. A faint wisp of dark smoke rose into the air before dissipating, leaving behind nothing but a hollow silence.

Harry stood there, his wand pointing at where Quirrell's body laid lifeless. All he felt was the burning desire to erase any trace of the creature that had taken his friend. His eyes had nothing but pure hatred and rage.

"Incendio," Harry said, but this time his voice seemed more like him than the ancient hoarse one from before. Black flames, churning slowly erupted on Quirrell's body. The flames seemed to be burning in slow motion—Chaos Fire. Ron and Hemione recognised the flames as they felt a tug at their own magic. They remembered Petunia telling Mrs. Weasley about Harry being able to conjure Chaos fire wandlessly when countless wizards couldn't manage to get a sliver of it after days of performing rituals to conjure it.

The flames continued to burn, leaving nothing but ash in their wake, and as they did, the dark aura surrounding Harry seemed to dissipate slowly.