And… yet another chapter!

Chapter 23 – Harry

We made it.

There was a blue maze we passed through after the fire, but we’ve made it. It wasn’t a very hard maze, oddly enough.

It was a maze of mirrors, but nothing jumped out of them.

I’m glad.

Who knew trying to find a Stone was so stressful? I know it’s important, but still… maybe… well, if students like us can break in, Voldemort probably can as well.

Anyway, I wonder how Yuki’s doing? He went elsewhere. I guess the potion didn’t work for him. But since I drank from both, I could pass and Ron apparently drank from the right one.

Still…

It’s never that simple, is it? Traps.. traps within traps, who knew what the teachers were thinking when they built these? I don’t.

I want to sleep! I’m so tired…

No, I have to keep going! I can’t let Voldemort get the stone!

Ron’s yawning too.

There’s a sleep sell then! Slow acting, so we didn’t notice it until it was too late! Kuso! But no, we sprint out of the exit, and there’s no more urge to sleep. Good.

Where are we now?

Ron and I are standing in a room, it looks empty… and just then; something bursts in through the door.

I hope this is the last room.

What was that that flew in?

It’s an angel.

Well, that was my first reaction, but yes, it’s an angel in long, white robes with white hair and white wings carrying Yuki!

“Whoa, what’s going on?”

“Master - *pause* Yuki fainted.” The angel says matter-of-factly. “I can’t revive him, so I decided to carry him.”

“Who are you?”

“His guardian angel.”

That makes sense in a weird way…

Anyways, it takes a second, but that’s when I register the laughter. It’s not nice laughter either, it’s like the ramblings of an insane fanfic authoress at 4 A.M. when she hasn’t done her physics homework because she doesn’t know how and it’s due the next morning and she’s going insane but that’s the not point. The point is that the laughter was scary! Anyway…

“Snape?”

Ron grips his wand, and I do the same. I’m sure Yuki would if he were awake. “What happened to him?”

The angel shrugs. “Magic overuse.”

You can overuse magic? Now I feel nervous. How many spells have we already used? Will we run out now?

Uh-oh…

The mist resolves itself… it’s… Quirrell?

How?

I thought it was Snape!

“B-but I thought…” I’m stammering, but then Quirrell just laughs and a stunning spell sends Ron flying into a corner. I look up and see… on the ceiling… the mirror of Erised. What in the world?

“Ah yes Snape so useful to have him around, swooping down like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would have suspected p-poor, s-stuttering P-P-Professor Quirrell?”

I can’t move. I’m in shock. I know now this not the time to think these things, but how? Why Quirrell? That just doesn’t make sense!

Besides… how could Quirrell rob Gringotts?

Argh… what to do? What to do? I should run, I should get Dumbledore or at least McGonagall; it was a mistake coming here by myself, what should I do!

“But I thought he hated me!”

“Heavens, yes, but he didn’t want you dead…” Quirrell turns back to his task at hand. The stone!

“Now then… this Mirror….”

The stone’s hidden inside? I suppose it would make sense… but how do I get it out? I’m still confused, but then I hear something different… another voice.

It’s the laughing from earlier! But if it’s not Quirrell, where is it coming from?

Am I going mad?

No… I guess not… madness would have been preferable to what happens next! Quirrell unwraps his turban, and on the back of his head is another face! And I know, without knowing, that it’s Voldemort…

No! Please, no! I can’t deal with this!

Gryffindors are supposed to be brave but I’m not suicidal1 I can’t face him! What do I do! I’m trying to run but it’s like I’m rooted to the ground! Quirrell advances...

I can’t help it! I’m only eleven! I’m too young to die! Why me? Why’s Voldemort trying to kill me?

HELP!

And a sudden shower of icicle shards sends him back. What?

Yuki’s guardian angel lowers his hand, crystals still visible between his fingers. They’re like diamonds or something…

“Who are you?” Voldemort hisses. “No matter! Kill him!”

“Avada Kedavra!”

So that’s the killing curse, and sure enough, there’s a flash of green, and it hits dead-on… but the angel doesn’t die. Doesn’t even flinch.

What’s going on here?

He puts Yuki down on the ground next to Ron and whispers a word I don’t understand, but it’s some kind of shield that covers them…

They’ll be safe then.

If Voldemort could drop his jaw, he would. Then again, I’m not looking too fine myself. How is this possible?

The angel says something else and suddenly there are two people. One’s Voldemort, and the other is… Quirrell. What?! Why did he do that? Now that makes two opponents! But as Quirrell lunges for me, his hands burn up, and I realize that maybe this isn’t so bad after all…

So I’m punching and hitting and kicking Quirrell, since I doubt magic will work now, and it’s working since he’s crying out in agony, and then the angel smiles and holds up… something. I can’t see what.

It’s squarish though.

A card?

Voldemort screams and then he just… vanishes. What’s going on? I want some explanations, but first, Yuki and Ron are coming to, so…

This must be important.
There’s this flash of strange light, and then the shield vanishes.

Yuki runs to the angel and they start talking, I think it’s Japanese but I don’t know Japanese but at least we saved the stone, right?

That’s got to count for something.

And a few minutes later, Dumbledore comes along and it’s time to explain what happened… Quirrell’s restrained with a bunch of ropes, so it’ll be okay…

Right?

I feel my head hit the floor and everything goes black. What’s going on! I have to stay awake… must… get the Stone… just in case…

No! Not the eyes! Please send him away-!

Voldemort’s not gone!

I can’t move!

Someone please! Help!

End Chapter

Completed 2/6/05