Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin 63 The man with two faces.

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

Harry's mind was racing. What I want more than anything else in the world at the moment, he thought, is to find the Stone before Quirrell does. So if I look in the mirror, I should see myself finding it -- which means I'll see where it's hidden! But how can I look without Quirrell realizing what I'm up to?

He tried to edge to the left, to get in front of the glass without Quirrell noticing, but the ropes around his ankles were too tight: he tripped and fell over. Quirrell ignored him. He was still talking to himself. "What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!"

And to Harry's horror, 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 towards him.

'I must lie.' he thought desperately. 'I must look and lie about what I see, that's all.'

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 put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket -- and as it did so, Harry felt something heavy drop into his real pocket. Somehow -- incredibly -- he'd gotten the Stone.

"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. As Harry moved aside, he felt the Sorcerer's Stone against his leg. Dare he make a break for it?

But he 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.

"Harry 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 pocket?"

So he knew. The feeling suddenly surged back into Harry's legs. He stumbled backward.

"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, boy, 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... Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain."

"NEVER!" Harry yelled.

"Che! How long are you going to hide?" Voldemort said in a hissed tone shocking both Quirrell and Harry.

Draco came out of the corner with a wand in his hand. Harry seeing Draco felt happy for the first time, "Draco, quickly use a spell."

"Shut up!" Quirrell voice rang out as he apprehended Harry in the vine again.

"Quick!" Harry yelped but his happiness soon turned to despair when he heard Voldemort.

"Take the stone from him." Voldemort ordered.

Draco looked at Voldemort for a while as he turned his wand towards Harry. Voldemort grinned, but to his surprise, Draco turned his wand towards Voldemort again, "Why should I?"

"You traitor!!" Quirrell yelled.

"Shut up!" Voldemort hissed, "My boy what do you want... I can give it to you... So, why not follow me instead?... Your parents, friends everyone are my servants, to begin with... so why ruin it for everyone?"

Draco looked as if he was considering things while Harry was panicking to his fullest. He knew he shouldn't have trusted Draco but what else could he do, he was too weak.

"What do I get in return?" Draco asked raising an eyebrow.

"Everything you desire... Your talent is very similar to mine... and unlike me, you grew up knowing you were a wizard... making you even stronger than when I was at your age... Both of us can destroy or rule this world... cleansing it... You and I can rule the wizarding world together... Follow me Draco... you won't regret it... help me get the stone my child." Voldemort whispered in an alluring tone.

Draco sighed as he pointed his wand back at Harry, "Release him."

Quirrell hesitated but after Voldemort whispered something to him he released Harry.

Draco walked closer to Harry, with his wand pointed at his face, "Hermione trusted you!" Harry yelled in anger, "I knew you were the same as Ron described, we shouldn't have trusted you."

Draco smiled, "So long Potter." He winked.

Harry was surprised as to what was going on again, as Draco suddenly turned his wand back to Quirrell, "Expulso."

Quirrell tried to block the spell but he was too late and was sent flying towards the wall but he quickly used a sponge spell softening his landing.

"Got your wand Potter?" Draco asked readying his dueling stance.

Harry who was still in shock quickly recovered as he looked around searching for his wand.

"Better pick it up quickly, you know." Draco hurried to dodge a spell from Quirrell as he rolled to the side.

"Expelliramus." Draco chanted but Quirrell dodged the spell.

"Kill him..." Voldemort said with rage in his voice.

"You are still too young to challenge me to a duel." Quirrell said attacking him with a string of fire-based spells.

Draco used a bunch of defensive spells blocking the attacks but the last one was too strong to block as he barely managed to dodge the spell. He fell on the ground hard having his ankle twisted as his wand slipped from his hand. 'Shit!' Draco thought to himself.

"You should have joined me... but now you will die... I will make sure Lucius pays dearly for his son's mistake..." Voldemort whispered

"It's the end, dear Draco." Quirrell said coming closer grinning, his wand shined green in color as he chanted "Avada.."

Draco was struggling to dodge gritting his teeth but suddenly Harry came flying towards Quirrell, pushing him out of the way. Quirrell quickly kneed Harry throwing him hard on the ground. "You little..."

Draco took the chance to pick up his wand and chanted, "Expelliramus"

The wand flew from Quirrell's hand as he looked a Draco in pure hatred.

"Incarcerous" Draco chanted.

Soon a rope materialized out of thin air completely binding Quirrell.

Quirrell and Voldemort quickly started chanting somethings loosening Draco's grip on him.

"Potter Quick! Touch his face." Draco yelled trying his hardest to hold onto him longer.

Harry who was holding his stomach in pain barely managed to do so, without knowing why.

Chapter end