The Odd Potter (Book 1)

The faces of a dark wizard

Thank the gods Percy was a demigod, even though he had to ditch the shirt he was wearing, the fire didn't do much damage to him instead, it felt as if someone was pouring warm water over him.

"I'm Okay!" Percy yelled, hoping Hermione could hear him.

"How?!" 

"I honestly don't know." Percy had to lie there was no way he could explain it, and even if he tried, he didn't have the time. Now, he had to save his brother. 

"I'm going after Harry take Ron back with you to a professor!"

"I'll be back as soon as possible!"

He could hear her scurry off as he turned around and went down the hallway towards his brother, as he approached, he hid behind a pillar, hearing voices.

"Snape was trying to save me?"

"Of course," said Quirrell coolly. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really...he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular...and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight."

Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Harry.

"You're too noisy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew, you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone."

"You let the troll in?"

"Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls – you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there. Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight up to the third floor to head me off – and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, but that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly.

"Now, wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror."

Percy was ready to get rid of the ropes before he noticed what Professor Quirrell was looking at It was the Mirror of Erised.

Percy stayed back he had no indication of the power the Professor wielded he was new to this wizarding business and didn't wish to die already. He will only intervene if Harry is in true danger.

"This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this...but he's in London...I'll be far away by the time he gets back...."

"I saw you and Snape in the forest –" Harry blurted out.

"Yes," said Quirrell idly, walking around the mirror to look at the back. "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me – as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side...."

Quirrell came back out from behind the mirror and stared hungrily into it.

"I see the Stone...I'm presenting it to my master...but where is it?"

Harry struggled against the ropes binding him, but they didn't give. 

"But Snape always seemed to hate me so much."

"Oh, he does," said Quirrell casually, "heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead."

"But I heard you a few days ago, sobbing – I thought Snape was threatening you...."

For the first time, a spasm of fear flitted across Quirrell's face.

"Sometimes," he said, "I find it hard to follow my master's instructions – he is a great wizard and I am weak –"

"You mean he was there in the classroom with you?" Harry gasped.

"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. He was most displeased when I failed to steal the Stone from Gringotts. He punished me...decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me...."