Hogwarts is my Home

Chapter 14: The Philosopher's Stone (SS CH17)

We entered our final room and saw only the golden mirror we had first encountered Christmas night. "The Mirror of Erised? What's that doing in here?" I let go of Harry's hand and walked up to it.

"What do you see?" he asked.

"Us. Safe in our beds."

"That would be nice."

"I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter." Quirrell's voice rang out as he emerged into the middle of the room, creating a line of fire around all of us.

"You? But I thought Snape-"

"Severus?" Quirrell laughed, cold and sharp. "Yes, Severus does seem like the type, doesn't he? Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor st-st-st-stuttering Professor Quirrell?"

"But that day- at the Quidditch match. Snape tried to kill Harry."

"No, dear girl. I tried to kill Harry! And trust me, if Snape's cloak hadn't caught fire and broken my eye contact, I would've succeeded! Even with Snape muttering his little counter curse."

"Snape was trying to save me?"

"I knew you were a danger to me from the off. Especially after Halloween."

"Then you let the troll in."

"Very good, Potter, yes. Snape unfortunately wasn't fooled. While everyone else was running about the dungeon, he went to the third floor to head me off. He, of course, never trusted me again. He rarely left me alone."

Harry touched his forehead right where his scar was. "What is it?" I whispered.

"Not good."

Quirrell continued his monologue. "But he doesn't understand. I'm never alone. Never. Now... What does this mirror do? I see what I desire. I see myself holding the stone. But how do I get it?" he spat.

"Use the girl,"  a cold voice echoed from someone who wasn't present. Harry and I both looked around to where it could be coming from. 

"Marston!" Quirrell rounded on me. "Come here." 

I squeezed Harry's hand once to reassure him I was okay, then stepped forward to join Quirrell. He grabbed me by my shoulders and placed me in front of the Mirror of Erised. "Tell me, what do you see?"

For the first time, I had seen myself reflected back at me in this mirror. She raised her eyebrows at me to get my attention, then placed her right hand in her jacket pocket. She pulled out a stone that fit perfectly in her hand- sparkling silver. She pointed at the stone with her other hand and shook her head with a smile before tilting her head at me to ask if I understood. Then she disappeared and showed me Harry instead of myself. Mirror Harry pulled a deep red stone out of his pants pocket and nodded.

Harry and I both had Philosopher's Stones- mine was fake and his was real, although I had to make Quirrell think mine was the real one. But how?

"Well?" he asked impatiently.

"This mirror's very confusing," I said at once.

"Don't play dumb," Quirrell warned.

"Fine." I sighed before reaching into my pocket and pulling out the stone. I held it in front of my face. "I guess this is what you want, then?" There was an airiness to my voice that I could tell was throwing Harry off- he had no idea what my plan was.

"Yes!" He lunged forward but I snatched it away and held it behind my back.

"Hold on. What exactly do I get if I give it to you?"

"I don't kill you," he said through gritted teeth.

"Hmm..." I clutched the stone tightly in my hand before crossing my arms. "Not good enough. You see, I had already planned on dying down here when I decided to go on this little mission, and now it feels kinda pathetic to go back up there. Ya know?" 

He could tell I was taunting him now. "Enough of this nonsense!" Quirrell roared.

"Kill her!" At these words, Quirrell lunged forward and grabbed me by the throat. Whatever power he now possessed made my body go numb instantaneously. My only thought was to get rid of the stone, so I mustered up all my strength then threw the stone and watched it vanish in midair. 

Harry was furious, rushing toward him and screaming, "Get off her." He grabbed his hand to pull it off me. 

Quirrell wailed in terror as his hand disintegrated to dust right before his very eyes. "What is this magic?!" 

Harry stared at his own hands, wondering how he could do something like that, but I stared in amazement.

I was now falling backward. Harry rushed over and grabbed my head before it hit the stairs.

"Fool! Get the stone!"

Quirrell leapt at us again, but Harry stepped forward, this time grabbing his face, which developed smoke and crumbled away along with the rest of his body. In one final attempt, he leaned forward, but fell onto the floor, erupting in a cloud of dust. Professor Quirrell was dead, and I would soon be too.

"Harry," I barely could call out.

"Toni! No!" Harry rushed over to where I was laying on the steps and lifted me up enough so he could hold me. "Toni, what do I do?"

"You have... the stone... pocket."

"Toni? Toni!" 

A gut wrenching scream could be heard echoing off the chamber walls as Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall came across the scene of Harry crying over his friend's dead body.