moon-struck....harry james potter

1.10| it has been quirrel all along

1.10| it has been quirrel all along

Harry sensing Alex's discomfort took her hand him his as the made their way to the next chamber. He himself was really startled. But Alex was shaking, she kept fumbling with the ring on her thumb. Harry offered her his hand and she hesitated to take it at first, but eventually gave away.

"It's alright" he said and have her hand a squeeze and rubbed circles with his thumb. "He'll be alright" he said, but he felt he was trying to convince himself more. They reached another door, Harry pushed it open, and as soon as he did a disgusting smell made its way to their nostrils. Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head.

"I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one" Harry whispered as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs.

"Come on, I can't breathe" Alex said and pulled open the next door, both of them hardly daring to look at what came next, but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.

"Snape's" said Harry. "What do we have to do?" They stepped over the threshold, and immediately a fire sprang up behindthem in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either; it was purple. At the sameinstant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. They were trapped.

"Look!" Alex said, pointing to a parchment roll besides the bottles.

Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,
Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,
One among us seven will let you move ahead,
Another will transport the drinker back instead,
Two among our number hold only nettle wine,
Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.
Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,
To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:
First, however slyly the poison tries to hide
You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;
Second, different are those who stand at either end,
But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;
Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,
Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;
Fourth, the second left and the second on the right
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.

"What does this mean?" Harry asked

"It's a riddle of course!" Alex said looking at the bottles. She looked through the parchment and picked up the tiniest bottle, with little to no potion in it. "Ah—ha! This one"

"Are you sure?" Harry said. "I don't think I want to be poisoned at the mere age of eleven"

"Are you doubting me Potter?" She asked and raised her eyebrows. "Besides we don't have any other choice Here goes nothing" she said talking a small gulp of the potion so that Harry could have it too. She handed it to him and he closed his eyes and downed the remaining potion.

She stepped forward and turned the door handle, the fire not affecting her at all. It opened. "Come-on Harry, I think it's safe" she said and he joined her. She opened the door and standing inside the room was, not Snape or even Voldemort.

"You?" Both of them shouted in unison. Quirrell smiled at them.

"But—Snape—"

"Severus?" Quirrell laughed, as if someone told a very funny joke. "He does seem the type, doesn't he?"

"But he, attacked Harry in the match!"

"No, silly girl—" Alex glared at him for calling her that, but he ignored. "I tried to kill him. Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a countercurse, trying to save you"