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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I've never even met the guy. Jo Rowling owns every one of the characters in this story. As well as the story itself. I just own a few of the changes I made to it. And I make no money.

Chapter 7

Ron spent the next few weeks being nagged by Hermione to study. She would occasionally nag Harry as well, but he was having none of it. He had all night every night to study. He would spend the day time learning the layout of the castle (while he was allowed to), joking around with Fred, George, and the other Gryffindors, or talking with Hagrid.

It was during one of these sessions with Hagrid that Harry learned of the trouble with the unicorns. Hagrid had been the one that Draco and Neville had their detentions with. They went into the forest to look for a unicorn that had been injured, and they split up. Draco and Neville found it, but it was still being fed on by a hooded figure. They were saved from what Harry strongly suspected was Voldemort by a centaur. The centaur escorted them back to Hagrid and told Hagrid that the forests are not safe for students at the moment.

Finally, the exams were upon them. Harry was certain that he aced them, but Hermione seemed to worry needlessly. Several times Harry had to point out that Hermione was the smartest person in their year. Hermione was also fretting about Voldemort. After Harry had told her about the unicorns Hagrid had mentioned, Hermione became very anxious. She told him about all the terrible things that can happen when someone drinks unicorn blood. She was sure it was Voldemort; no one else would wish that upon themselves.

When they were finally through with their last exam (History of Magic), Ron managed to convince Hermione that it was time to relax. They were relaxing under a tree when they saw Professor Dumbledore walk out of Hogwarts, outside the gate, and apparate away.

Hermione immediately worked herself up. "Oh, no! He's gone! He's left and now Quirrell's going to steal the stone and give it to Voldemort and he's going to come back to life and be immortal-"

"Hermione! I doubt that Professor Dumbledore left it unprotected. He is well aware that someone is after the stone, I'm sure that he told the other professors of the dangers and that they will be on high alert."

"Yeah, maybe you're right. Can we go tell them anyway, just to be sure?"

"Sure." They started walking through the halls towards the teachers' lounge. About half way there, they met with Professor McGonagall.

"Professor! We need to talk to you."

"Well, what is it, Miss Granger?"
"We need to talk in private, Professor," said Harry.

"Very well. Follow me." And she led the way to her office. When they got there, she sat behind the desk and motioned for them to sit as well. "Would any of you care for a biscuit?" They all accepted (Hermione just for manners' sake). "Now, what was so important?"

Harry decided to take it. "When we saw Professor Dumbledore leave, Hermione became worried for the safety of the Philosopher's stone." Professor McGonagall dropped her biscuit.

"What? How do you...?" She attempted to pull herself together. "Well, I don't know how you found out about the stone, but I can assure you that it is perfectly safe. It is too well protected. Now, if you lot will excuse me, I have exams to grade." And with that, she shooed them out of the room.

"Well, that didn't go well. I suppose we'll just have to do this ourselves."

"What do you mean?" asked Ron.

"I mean, that tonight, I am going down that trap door, and I'm going to steal that stone before Quirrell can."

"Oh, but you can't! You'll be expelled for sure!" exclaimed Hermione.

"Well, there are more important things happening right now. I'm not asking you to come with me, but I'm definitely going. Besides, I want to prove to McGonagall how ineffective her almighty protections are."

Hermione sighed. "Trust you to save the world out of spite. Fine, I'll go with you."

"Good. Ron, I'm going to need you to stand outside the door while we go in. If you see a professor, stop them and tell them that we probably need their backup against Quirrell."

"What? No way! I'm going in with you!"

"No, you are keeping lookout. We are going to need reinforcements and we need you to get them for us."

Ron looked at Hermione, but she knew that Harry wouldn't bend on this. Sighing, Ron conceded. "Fine. But what if it's Filch that comes by?"

"He won't catch you. You'll be invisible."

"How will I be invisible?"

"You'll be under my invisibility cloak."
"You have an invisibility cloak?! Awesome!"

They spent the next few hours just hanging in the common room. When finally the common room cleared of students, Harry retrieved his cloak and his flute. In the common room, Harry noticed that Neville was sitting in one of the chairs still. Sneaking up behind him, Harry hit him with a stunner at the lowest power he could manage. It was enough to put the already sleepy Neville to sleep.

The trio snuck down to the third floor where Peeves was busy loosening the rug. Attempting an impression of the Bloody Baron, Harry managed to scare him off. Harry pulled out the flute, and he and Hermione stepped into the corridor.

The dog growled, but Harry's playing quickly lulled it to sleep. In the corner, there lay a harp. They opened the trap door, and Harry signaled to Hermione that he was going first. He handed her the flute and jumped down. He landed on a plant.

"It's ok! You can jump!" Then, Harry noticed that the plant was coiling around his legs. 'Devil's Snare. Just great. Well, I'll conjure a fire when Hermione gets down here. She needs a soft landing.' Just after Hermione landed, Harry conjured a fire and made it make a walkway to the door. When Hermione asked what the fire was for, he told her what kind of plant it was.

In the next room, there was a bunch of keys flying around the ceiling. Looking, Harry saw one that was obviously for the door on the other side. It was the only one big enough for a key whole that size. There were brooms sitting against a wall.

"You've got to be joking." It took Harry and Hermione ten minutes to corner the key (Hermione is not a very good flyer).

When, at last, they made it into the next chamber, they were faced with a life-sized chess set. Hermione started going on about how they should have brought Ron, but Harry just levitated himself over the pieces. When he got to the other side, he levitated Hermione as well ("Harry! Put me down this instant!")

In the next room, they were met with an even bigger and smellier troll than the one they had killed on Halloween. Luckily, it was unconscious.

In the next room, there was a table with potions on it. Harry and Hermione worked out the riddle. The one that would allow them onward only had enough in it for one swallow. Harry made Hermione take the one that would let her go back and told her to go stay with Ron. When she had left, he grabbed the two with wine and pocketed them. Then he went on ahead.

When he got to the next room, he found Quirrell staring into the Mirror of Erised. "Hello, Professor."

"Yes, I wondered if I would be seeing you here, Potter. Funny, you don't seem surprised to see me. How did you come to realize that po-poor st-stuttering Professor Q-Quirrell was the one trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone?"

"Why, deductive reasoning. I met you in Diagon Alley the very day that Gringots was broken into. Then you were the one that let the troll in on Halloween. And all those conversations you have been having with Professor Snape without taking any effort to find out if you're being spied on. At first, I thought it might be Snape, but it was quickly obvious that it wasn't."

"Snape, yes he does seem the type, doesn't he? Why did you decide it couldn't be him?"

"Well, my only real reason to suspect him was that he seems to hate me, and he tried to get past the Cerberus on Halloween. I informed the headmaster of that, and Snape wasn't fired, so I figured it wasn't him."

"Yes, logic is wonderfully helpful. And incidently, yes, Snape does hate you. He and your father had something of a rivalry in school. Now, be quiet while I examine this wonderful mirror." Quirrell snapped his fingers and ropes appeared and tied Harry up. He concentrated and managed to get his own wandless magic to cut the ropes enough that he could get free.

"I see the stone. I'm presenting it to my master, but where is it?" He continued to mutter to himself. "I don't understand! Help me master!"

"Use the boy!"

"You, Potter, come here....how did you get out of those bindings?" Harry just shrugged while Quirrell pushed him in front the mirror. "Now what do you see?"

Harry saw himself. At first it seemed to be just a reflection, but then the mirror Harry winked and took something out of his pocket. It had to be the Philosopher's Stone. When he put it back into his pocket, Harry felt a lump rise in his own pocket. He could feel the phenomenal power source fill the room with magic, so much, that if he hadn't known that it was in his pocket, he would not have been able to pinpoint it. Realizing that Quirrell was still waiting for an answer, Harry told him what he usually saw in the mirror.

Quirrell cursed. "Get out of the way."

Harry did. He was about halfway out of the room when the high, cold voice of Voldemort shouted, "He lies!" 'Damnit. I let my guard drop. Oh, well.'

"Potter, come back here. Tell the truth. What did you see?"

"Let me speak to him, face to face."

"But master, you are not yet strong enough."

"I have strength enough, for this." Quirrell unwrapped his turban and turned on the spot. Sticking out of the back of Quirrell's head was another face, this one with red eyes with slits for pupils and a snake like nose. The face of Lord Voldemort. 'Eew'

"See what I have be come? Mere shadow and vapors. I only have form when I can share another's body. But there have always been those that have been willing to let me into their hearts and minds. Unicorn blood has strengthened me these past weeks and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own. Now, why don't you give me that stone in your pocket?"

"No, I don't think I will."

"Don't be a fool, boy. Don't let your preconceived notions of good and evil ruin this chance for you. There is no good and evil, only power, and those too weak to seek it."

"If that is indeed the case, then only someone incredibly weak would give up something like this."

"You are smart, boy. Smart enough to know when to save your own skin. Give it to me or you will meet the same end as your parents. They died begging for mercy."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Now I don't believe that."

"Touching...I always value bravery. Yes, boy, your parents were brave. I killed your father first and he fought courageously. But your mother needn't have died. She was trying to protect you. Now give me the stone unless you want her to have died in vain."

"No."

"Seize him!" At once, Quirrell lunged at him. Quirrell's hand latched onto Harry wrist. Harry was struggling as hard as he could (he even landed a punch to Quirrell's jaw) and to his surprise, Quirrell let go. He was staring at his hand and it was blistering before his eyes. Voldemort was still yelling Seize him! over and over, so Quirrell lunged again, pinning Harry to a wall with both hands choking the breath out of him. Harry could feel his scar searing with pain, so he put more effort into protecting his mind. Then, Quirrell stumbled off of him, howling with agony, his hands raw as though they were in a fire.

"Master! I cannot hold him. My hands!"

"Then kill him, fool, and be done!" As Quirrell started to draw his wand, Harry grabbed him around the throat and held onto his face, all the while trying his best to keep the pain in his scar to a minimum.

Finally, Harry could see a shadow soar out of Quirrell from the back of his head, and Quirrell collapsed into a pile of ash.
Gasping, Harry sat until he could get his bearings. Then, he reached into his pocket and took out the Philosopher's Stone. As soon as he got a good look at it, his brain was invaded with an intense pain. It wasn't coming from his scar, but from some place in the back of his mind. It was similar to the pain he felt when he first saw Hogwarts, but exponentially stronger. Then the stone began to glow, and, as he watched, it sank into the palm of his hand as though it were water. After a few moments of nothing, his whole body began to glow with a reddish gold light and he collapsed.