Ella Potter (Draco Malfoy)

Chapter 8

Ella slowed as she approached the final room, she quietly entered the room and hid behind a pillar. Harry was struggling against ropes while trying to distract Quirrell.

"He is with me wherever I go," said Quirrell quietly. "I met him when I traveled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it. . . Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me. "

Quirrell shivered suddenly. "He does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me... decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me. . . "

"I don't understand. . . is the Stone inside the mirror? Should I break it?"

"Don't move Harry," Ella muttered, watching him fall over

"What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!"

Ella shivered as a voice answered, and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself.

"Use the boy. . . Use the boy. . . "

Quirrell rounded on Harry.

"Yes -- Potter -- come here. "

He clapped his hands once, and the ropes binding Harry fell off. Harry got slowly to his feet.

"Come here," Quirrell repeated. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see. "

Harry walked toward him. Quirrell moved close behind him. Harry breathed in the funny smell that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban. He closed his eyes, stepped in front of the mirror, and opened them again.

He saw his reflection, pale and scared-looking at first. But a moment later, the reflection smiled at him. It moved it's head to the side, Harry stared in the mirror where he then saw Ella's reflection. Ella's reflection put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone.

The real Ella put her hand over her pocket when she felt something heavy in it. That wasn't the plan.. Ella looked back at Harry who mouthed into the mirror 'run.'

"Well?" said Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?"

Harry screwed up his courage.

"I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," he invented. "I -- I've won the house cup for Gryffindor. "

Quirrell cursed again.

"Get out of the way," he said.

Harry moved aside and slowly started backing towards Ella, who moved slightly to motion him to hurry. Harry hadn't walked five paces before a high voice spoke, though Quirrell wasn't moving his lips.

"He lies. . . He lies. . . "

"Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell me the truth! What did you just see?"

The high voice spoke again.

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

"Master, you are not strong enough!"

"I have strength enough. . . for this. . . "

Harry felt as if Devil's Snare was rooting him to the spot. He couldn't move a muscle. Petrified, he watched as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban. What was going on? The turban fell away. Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the spot.

Harry would have screamed, but he couldn't make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.

"Potter.. " it whispered.

Harry tried to take a step backward but his legs wouldn't move.

"See what I have become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapor. . . I have form only when I can share another's body. . . but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds. . . Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks. . . you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest. . . 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 sister's pocket?"

Ella moved from her hiding spot, the feeling suddenly surged back into Harry's legs. He stumbled backward.

"Harry run!" Ella shouts to him

"Don't be a fool," snarled the face. "Better save your own life and join me. . . or you'll meet the same end as your parents. . . They died begging me for mercy. . . "

"LIAR!" Harry shouted suddenly.

Quirrell was walking backward at him, so that Voldemort could still see him. The evil face was now smiling.

"How touching... " it hissed. "I always value bravery... Yes, your parents were brave. . . I killed your father first; and he put up a courageous fight... but your mother needn't have died... she was trying to protect you two... Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain."

"NEVER!"

Harry sprang toward the flame door where Ella stood, but Voldemort screamed "SEIZE HIM!" and the next second, Harry felt Quirrell's hand close on his wrist. 

"Ella run!" Harry shouts at her

"I'm not leaving you!" Ella runs to him

At once, a needle-sharp pain seared across Harry's scar; his head felt as though it was about to split in two; he yelled, struggling with all his might, and to his surprise, Quirrell let go of him. The pain in his head lessened -- he looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone, and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers -- they were blistering before his eyes.

Harry looked at Ella who was holding her hand over her scar as well.

"All I did was touch him," Ella told Harry

"..he was touching both of us." Harry said

"Seize her! She has the stone! SEIZE HER!" shrieked Voldemort

Quirrell lunged, knocking Ella clean off her feet landing on top of her, both hands around Ella's neck.

"Get off her!" Harry jumps onto Quirrell's back

The twin's scars were almost blinding them with pain, yet Quirrell was howling in agony.

"Master, I cannot hold her -- my hands -- my hands!"

Quirrell was staring, bewildered, at his own hands that were wrapped around Ella's neck.

"Then kill them, fool, and be done!" screeched Voldemort.

Quirrell knocked Harry off his back, Ella coughed and gasped for air as Harry was knocked out clean. Quirrell lifted his wand and pointed it at Harry.

Ella lifted her want and muttered "Avada Kedavra." She watched the spell hit Quirrell before everything went black.