The Cunning and Ambitious

Chapter Eighteen

A purple turban was the first thing I saw.

Quirrell was standing before us. I scoff.

"You!" Harry gasps.

Quirrell just smiles.

"Me," He says, "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here Potter. Though I had no idea you'd be teaming up with Aran Hall."

"But Snape-"

"Severus?" Quirrell just laughs.

This is just typical. Harry and Ron ought to listen to my suspicions more often I think to myself.

"Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p- p- poor st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?"

"I knew it." I say outloud, "I spotted you trying to kill Harry, I just can't come up with why Snape would try to save him."

"Snape was trying to save me?" Harry says in disbelief.

"Yeah, I doubt it'll be that way for long though."

"Quite the waste of time." Quirrell says, "When after all his efforts to keep you alive, I'm going to kill you tonight."

I step in front of him, "Not on my watch."

"Bravery? Doesn't sound like you Hall." Quirrell mocks

He's right of course, I'm not brave. I'm just a girl, I may ambitious, I may be the cleverest of them all, but would I die for Harry. Hell, no! I try to think fast, this isn't something like the chess game or devil's snare. I look around, trying to find what I can use to my advantage. My wand...

I pull it out of my pocket and quickly say the word "Incendio", my favorite spell so far.

I attempted to light Quirrell's turban on fire, but instead got his pants. He screams and puts out the fire.

"Crucio!" He shouts and immediately my entire body lights up on fire. I don't really remember screaming or falling, not until the Quirrell finishes the curse. Then he binds Harry and I in ropes, tightly. It's only then when I realise what's also in the room with us.

A tall mirror stands before Quirrell, he's studying quite viciously.

"This mirror is the key to finding the stone." Quirrell mumbles to himself, "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 blurts out,

"Yes, 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 stares into the mirror again, "I see the stone... I'm presenting it to my master... but where is it?"

Harry struggles to escape his bonds. I can't, really, I'm laying on the floor.

"But Snape always seemed to hate me so much." Harry complains,

"Oh, he does. 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..."

Quirrell hesitates, "Sometimes, 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?"

"He is with me wherever I go. 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. 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..."

When I hear Quirrell's speech, it really doesn't seem too insane. Life really is all about power and those strong enough to grasp it and never let go.

"Use the boy." A voice echoes out. But from where? It penetrates my thoughts.

Quirrell in the meantime unbinds Harry and forces him in front of the mirror.

I don't understand at all what is special about it. Isn't it just a mirror, maybe with magic to do something else.

"I see myself," Harry explains to Quirrell, "shaking hands with Dumbledore, I- I've won the house cup for Gryffindor"

"He lies..." The voice from no where says.

"Hall! What about you? Will you be more compliant?"

I stand up, being freed from the ropes, and Quirrell shoves me at the mirror. I stare in it, and then I begin to change. I get older, maybe 20 or 30. I'm as powerful as Dumbledore himself and there are so many other wizards behind me. I smile. If this mirror shows the future, and it better, then I like what life has in store for me.

"Well?!" Quirrell insists.

"I see myself, older, and as the most powerful witch in the world."

"Useless!" He exclaims and shoves me away.

"Let me speak to him..." the voice echoes, "face to face..."

"Master, you are not strong enough!" Quirrell answers

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

Then Quirrell began to unwrap his turban. Once he finishes, it is truly a sight to be seen. There, on the back of his head is a face. A horrible face. It the man looked more snake than man. With blood red eyes and only slits for a nose. Voldemort...

"Harry Potter," he whispers. "See what I have become? Mere shadow and vapor... I only form 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 pocket?"

I whip my head at Harry, so he had the stone... I send him a look saying "How?"

"Oh yes... Araminta Hall..." Voldemort gives his attention to me, mustering up what little courage I may have, I attempt to keep him from Harry.

"I almost had forgotten about you... but that would've been rude... for someone of my own blood..."

"What does that even mean?" I sneer, "There is no way I could possibly be related to someone as cruel as you."

"I can tell you more, or you can get me the stone."

I admit it. It's slightly tempting. How could I ever being related to friggin' Voldemort.

"You're lying."

"Give me the stone... and you will never know..."

I consider my options here. Find out information I never even knew, or let Voldemort come back. I heard rumors about how Voldemort is nearly the most powerful wizard of my age, following Dumbledore. If he really is so powerful, couldn't he teach me a few things? I don't think it would really be all to bad.

"Aran..." Harry says, snapping me out of it.

But it's Harry. How would he feel if I betrayed him. Betrayed all wizards just for my lust for power and for knowledge. I make up my mind.

I smile at Voldemort, then grab my wand and scream "Incendio" catching the wizard on fire, as well as Quirrell. I sprint towards Harry, grabbing his hands and running for the fire that we had gone through getting in this room.

Quirrell shouts "Crucio" again and I fall into the flame. It instantly lights my body.

I hear Voldemort scream "SEIZE THE BOY!"

I try to climb out of the fire, but the pain from the curse Quirrell had used in addition to the fire burning me is too much for me to handle.

I black out.