The Fall of Dumbledore: The White King

The Stone!

Harry burst into Professor Snape's office, his three friends hurrying in behind him. Snape looked up from the potion he was brewing, his black eyes narrowing at the intrusion.

"Potter. What is the meaning of this?" he snapped.

Harry opened his mouth but found himself struggling for words. How could he explain what he knew without revealing he had the legendary Sorcerer's Stone in his possession? He felt the weight of it burning in his robe pocket.

"Well?" Snape prompted impatiently. "This had better be important."

"It's...it's about Professor Quirrell, sir," Harry managed finally. Snape's eyes flicked over to Draco, Pansy and Blaise hovering silently behind Harry.

"I see. And what, pray tell, about Professor Quirrell requires this theatrical visit to my office?"

Harry swallowed hard. "I think...I believe he may be working for Voldemort, sir."

The silence that followed was deafening. Snape stared at Harry with an inscrutable expression. Then, slowly, he rose from his desk and crossed the room towards the young Slytherins, seeming to tower over them.

"And what," he said in a low, dangerous voice, "Has given you this alarmingly ridiculous notion?"

Harry faltered under Snape's intense glare. He couldn't reveal the truth about the Mirror of Erised and the Sorcerer's Stone. But he had to make them understand the urgency.

"D-During the welcoming feast, when Quirrell was introduced, my scar hurt. The same kind of pain I felt when...when Voldemort attacked me as a baby. And I keep having this terrible feeling that something isn't right about him."

The words sounded feeble and unconvincing, even to Harry's own ears. Snape studied him coldly for a moment, then let out a soft, humorless chuckle.

"Let me make something abundantly clear, Potter. Allegations against a Hogwarts professor had better be based on more than adolescent suspicions and aching scars." His lip curled in contempt. "Ten points will be taken from Slytherin...from each of you."

"B-But sir!" Pansy burst out, unable to contain herself. "We're only trying to-"

"Another word, Miss Parkinson, and it will be fifty," Snape cut her off silkily. "I suggest you and your friends put aside these childish fantasies about Dark Lords and giving chase around the castle before you find yourselves in even more trouble."

He turned away dismissively, returning to his potion ingredients. Harry felt his heart sink in bitter disappointment. They weren't being taken seriously at all.

"Now get out, all of you, before I take further disciplinary action."

Crestfallen, Harry led the way out of Snape's office and back towards the Slytherin common room. His friends trailed silently behind, none of them daring to speak until they were in the safety of the deserted dorm room.

"Well that went terribly," Draco muttered, throwing himself onto his bed once they were back in the deserted Slytherin dorm room.

Harry paced back and forth, agitated. He knew he was right about Quirrell and the Stone - he could feel it deep in his gut. The way his scar burned whenever the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was around was too much of a coincidence.

But how could he prove Quirrell was up to something without admitting he had the coveted Sorcerer's Stone? The corridors and classrooms of Hogwarts suddenly felt treacherous with such a powerful artifact in his possession.

"We have to find a way to expose Quirrell," Harry stated, turning to his friends. "If he really is being controlled by Voldemort, there has to be some evidence or clue we can uncover."

Pansy looked doubtful. "And just how do you propose we do that? Snape made it pretty clear we're not to go snooping again."

"Maybe we don't have to snoop overtly," Blaise said thoughtfully. "What if we just...kept a very close watch on Quirrell's movements and behavior?"

"You mean tail him?" Draco asked with raised eyebrows.

Blaise nodded. "Precisely. Between classes, meals, anywhere he goes - we follow at a distance and look for anything suspicious."

It was a risky plan, but Harry had to admit it could work if they were careful. If Quirrell truly was being possessed by Voldemort and seeking out the Sorcerer's Stone, sooner or later he would slip up.

"Alright," Harry agreed, feeling a surge of resolve. "We'll take turns secretly following Quirrell everywhere he goes, watching his every move until we catch him in the act. Whatever sinister act he's planning."

The four Slytherins exchanged determined looks. Despite Snape's warnings, they would hunt down the truth about their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Even if it meant putting themselves in potential danger, they had to expose Quirrell before he could make his next nefarious move.