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Holly Evans and the Spiral Path

Chapter 3: Getting a Head



30th May, 1992

Dear Harry,

While Hermione and I wait for the headmaster to abandon the castle and lead us all to ruin, I'd like to share a conversation I just had with Prof McG that I find illuminating. I am not a stenographer, so bear with me.



"Prof McG?"

"Miss Evans, I have told you in the past that you should respect me enough to use my full name."

"Sorry. Deputy Headmistress Madame Professor Doctor McGonagall, ma'am?"

I think she sighed then. "Yes, Miss Evans?"

"What would have happened if I said I didn't want to go to Hogwarts?"

"Why wouldn't you want to come here? I would have thought you were relieved to come here, given the circumstances."

"I was. I am. That's not the question."

"What is the source of the question, my dear?"

"Coming here may have been a mistake. There are dangers here I never imagined. Also, Ithink that Volde..."

"Don't say his name!"

"...dedoodah, um, might be trying to get here. To get in. Soon."

Prof. McG gave me the bad-homework stare for a full minute. I pushed forward.

"So what if I said I didn't want to come? Better yet, what would have happened if Hermione's parents didn't believe you about the magic and all and said 'Go away, you freak!' and so Hermione couldn't come. What would happen?"

"Miss Evans, the Grangers were very understanding of the situation, and my demonstration of transfiguration quite easily convinced them of the truth about magic."

"Yes, but not everyone could possibly be so accepting of it. What happens then?" I said that very insistently. Prof McG looked at me a while longer and then offered me a biscuit from a tin on her desk.

"Well, Miss Evans, hopefully Professor Binns has covered the Statutes of Secrecy in History this year. You may wish to read deeper into the topic as your schedule permits."

"I did. From what I gather, in the situation I described with Hermione's parents, they and Hermione would all be charmed to not remember anything about your conversation, possibly about any accidental magic incidents as well."

"Yes, quite."

"So then what happens the next time Hermione started to use her magic?"

"There is a Department of the Ministry that sends out squads to cover for such incidents. They are kept quite busy, I assure you."

I forget the rest of the conversation, but the biscuits were tasty.



So it's Hogwarts or bust. If I don't want to hang out with the nice but dumb people who are likely to get me killed, I'll be back in Surrey where Vernon can get the job done at his own pace. There's also something very disconcerting about an entire department of the government dedicated to changing people's perception of what is real. They are called Obliviators. It means our memories aren't safe on their own. Anything you believe may be altered to suit the desires of someone more powerful than you, at the Ministry's direction. I'm beginning to think that writing to you in this journal may be a smart thing after all. I just need to find a way to make it safe, and difficult to modify. This looks like a job for Hermione, once exams are done. Hyperventilating over exam prep has caused her to faint twice already. I need her brain cells to recover before we start a new project. Besides, we may not live through June.



Holly



*



8th June, 1992



Dear Harry,

I have been out for a bit. This past week has been a surreal haze of nightmares about killer plants, giant chess sets, flying keys and a man with two heads. Unfortunately, those things actually happened.

Professor Dumb left the building. Hermione, Ron and I knew that meant the game was afoot. After explaining Sherlock Holmes to Ron for the third time, we made our way to Fluffy's door, hoping to head off the bad guys at the pass. Two things became obvious to me then. One; someone was already past Fluffy. Two: the next time Iwant to save the world, I'll skive off exams and get a head start.

I won't go into the specifics. We made it past a mess of obstacles set up to allow us firsties to make it through, although Ron got pummeled by the Chess pieces- a small amount of poetic justice given how he abuses the pieces in his chess set. Hermione was stuck at the last task, for only one of us could go forward. She suggested that I should go, despite her voluminous spell knowledge. Her argument was simple, and I couldn't deny it.

"I am just books and cleverness; there are more important things, like friendship and bravery and..."

"And?"

"Well, a killer instinct. You don't flinch, Holly."

I guess I must have looked a little sad as I nodded my head, because Hermione gave me a hug to compete with the strangling vine just then. It took me aminute, but I finally relaxed into it. I hope someone gives you hugs, Harry. They make you feel like you can do anything. Hermione gave me one last piece of advice before she turned to go back.

"Don't you die in there. I would feel severely put out."



Short version of what followed:

Voldemort had been occupying the back of Professor Quirrel's head, when he wasn't feasting on Unicorns. They were confounded by the Mirror of Erised, convinced that it was somehow the key to getting the stone. When I wouldn't tell them anything about it, they used this pain-inducing curse on me. After a few minutes of that fun, Voldemort took full control of Quirrel and dragged my head up to look directly in my eyes. He noticed my scar and started to say something so I took the opportunity to shove the Philosopher's Stone into his mouth. The Stone had dropped into my hand as I was looking in the mirror, but they hadn't noticed it as it's about the size of a small egg. With Quirrell-mort occupied with choking on his prize, I gave him an Iron Fist uppercut right in the jaw. That's when his head exploded.

He killed Mum, but I killed him back, Harry.

Between the 'Crucio!'s, the Iron Fist and having chunks of stone and skull lodged into my arm and face, I got knocked out. When I woke up, it was four days later. My glasses were pulverised, but my eyes are fine. I just pulled a sliver of the Stone from my right lower leg and forced the cut to heal itself. Maybe I'll use the sliver as a bookmark.



Headmaster Dumbledore is here. I'm already getting a headache from healing my leg, so Imight as well see what he has to say. I'll let you know what comes of it.



"Holly. How are you feeling?"

"Well enough, sir. Madame Pomfrey has pulled out all the pieces and patched me up quite well."

"Holly, you should look up when speaking to people. It shows respect."

"All due respect, sir, but my glasses got crunched and focusing on people is hurting my eyes."

The headmaster seemed to get momentarily flustered by this. He then conjured up aplush velvet chair next to my bed and sat down.

"I'd like to discuss what happened to put you in here, and perhaps answer some questions you may have about these events."

"Alright."

I think he was expecting me to start explaining myself. I learned from Vernon never to offer up reasons to be punished, so I waited for the headmaster to choose the topic.

"Well, from what your friends have mentioned, you went to stop Professor Snape from stealing the Philosopher's Stone. You were able to make it to the last room and had to leave Miss Granger to inform us of the grave situation, then forged ahead to confront the intruder yourself."

"Ron and Hermione thought it was Professor Snape. I just knew the Stone was at risk."

"And you found Professor Quirrel there instead."

"Yes, sir."

"And when he put you in front of the Mirror of Erised, the Stone appeared to you."

"Yes, sir."

The headmaster pulled back in his chair with a self-satisfied smirk at that point.

"That was my little trick. You see, only a person with the best intentions, who had aneed for the Stone, but without any desire to use it, could get the Stone from the Mirror. That was one of my more ingenious ideas, and not to sound arrogant, but that is really saying something."

I stared at him a moment then looked back down to the blanket.

"Well, good on you then."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkle sometimes, but at this point I think I doused his twinkle.

He harrumphed. "Yes, well, please continue."

"Well, Quirrel got frustrated from not getting the Stone, and he pulled off his turban to reveal a second face in the back of his head. The second face told him Iknew about the Mirror and suggested he torture me to get me to talk."

"And when he touched you, he started to burn."

"Um, no. Quirrel pulled out his wand and yelled Crucio at me a couple times. It felt like being electrocuted and dumped in freezing water at the same time."

"What?"

"Yeah, after the first time it didn't seem as bad." I was bluffing a bit at this point. Crucio is horrifyingly intense. I really had the headmaster's attention now.

"So...you don't remember anything after that?"

"Of course I do. The back face seemed to get frustrated with Quirrel's driving and kinda swiveled into place in the front. He grabbed me by the head and started to say something, so I shoved the Stone in his mouth. He started choking on it, and so I concentrated all my anger and hatred into my fist and let him have it. I guess it broke the Stone, because his head blew up."

I can't quite figure out why I told him the full truth just then. I think Ilooked up at him when he got all surprised about the Crucio thing. I remember turning my head back down to the blanket at that point though.

"Am I going to go to jail, headmaster?"

"No, I have already explained to the Ministry that Professor Quirrel was killed trying to steal a precious artifact from the school. I imagine at this point the students will know of your involvement in these matters, but you shouldn't concern yourself about their opinions. You did the...right thing."

I don't think he was convinced of that himself, but I wasn't up to caring at that moment. I needed to make sure of our victory.

"It was Volde...it was him, right? The one that killed my Mum? I want to make sure he's dead now."

"Yes, it was Voldemort, but I don't believe he's dead. His spirit survived that night when he took your mother Lily's life and that spirit is what possessed Professor Quirrel. Voldemort may have been defeated this time, but I believe he will be back. You see, Lily's sacrifice provided a protection for your brother, Harry that night. Voldemort couldn't take Harry's life and the Killing curse he used was reflected back onto him. But Voldemort has some other protections of his own, that prevent his permanent departure from this earth so while his body died his spirit remained. I am trying to ascertain how he has accomplished this. Eventually, I may need your help to remove those protections, and to bring about Voldemort's end."



Well, fuck me. Sorry, Harry. I'll try harder next time.



"I notice you don't have any problem saying...his name, sir."

"No, I don't and you shouldn't either. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself."

"I'm not afraid; it just seemed to annoy Prof. McG earlier."

"When did you discuss Voldemort with Professor McGonagall, Holly?"

"I mentioned to her a week ago that I thought Voldemort might be trying to get in to the castle."

"And what made you think that?"

"I remembered Firenze saying that only something with a desperate need would drink Unicorn blood. He implied that Voldemort was desperate enough, and likely to be in the area."

"And you didn't think to mention this directly after your excursion?"

OK, at this point he really started to bug me.

"Uh, no. I was distracted by visions of Firenze's giant horse cock."

"Miss Evans, that is entirely uncalled for!"

"It's the truth! Besides, you just said I should use the proper names for things."

"The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution."

"Well, yeah. It was really distracting."

Dumbledore huffed and grumbled a bit then. "Yes, well, it is unfortunate that in your altercation that the Philosopher's Stone was shattered."

"I really feel bad about that sir. What will the Flamels do now? Can they still use the pieces?"

"I wouldn't worry too much about that, Holly. Nicholas and I had come to an agreement recently, that the Stone was too tempting to be left intact during these troubled times. They have enough of the elixir of life to set their affairs in order. I believe they may welcome death after all this time. After all, to the well-organised mind, death is but the next great adventure. You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all - the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things which are worst for them."

After that long-winded bit, I begged off as being tired and the headmaster left me to rest.



I wrote a letter of apology to the Flamels. Despite the headmasters take on things, I felt really bad about breaking their Stone. I gave the letter and the piece of Stone from my leg in an envelope to Hedwig. When I explained where she was to go, she looked at me and let out a long low gurgle. I think the translation would be 'This may take some time, and I won't be there for you at the Dursleys'. Either that or she's got indigestion and doesn't think I feed her enough.



Harry, there is too much going on here that doesn't add up. I'm going to bring Hermione up to speed and set her on my privacy needs for this journal. If there's anything I can tell you as a big sister that may help you in this life, it's to make sure you find out the truth from others, but protect your truths until you need them. The headmaster is right about that bit at least. The truth and Firenze's package are both to be treated with caution.



Holly