Whatever Comes (Demma Book 1)

The First Confrontation

Dateline: June 4th, 1992

It was Quirrell. Harry and Hermione thought they had Snape for a little while, but after Hagrid told them about a hooded figure, they knew it couldn't be him. They had been right for the past five hours; Quirrell was the one after the Stone.

"I knew it! It was you!" said Hermione as Quirrell turned around.

"Yes," said Quirrell, and it wasn't his usual quivering treble either, but cold and sharp. "But really, who would suspect, p-p-poor s-stuttering Professor Quirrell? And yes, I tried to kill Potter! Trust me; if Snape's cloak hadn't caught fire and broken my eye contact, I would have succeeded. Even with Snape muttering his little counter-curse."

"Snape was trying to save me?" asked Harry.

"Of course, Why do you two think that 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 two tonight. But Snape, of course, never trusted me again. He rarely left me alone. 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? Help me, master!"

And to Harry and Hermione's horror, a voice answered, and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself.

"Use the boy...Use the girl..."

"Come here, Potter and Granger, now!" screamed Quirrell, letting out echoes in the chamber.

Both walked forward in an awkward movement, and they looked at the Mirror. It wasn't an ordinary mirror; however, it had an ornate gold frame with the words: I show not your face, but your heart's desire. Both knew at once that this was the Mirror of Erised. They found this Mirror in one of the unused classrooms on Christmas Day.

"Tell me. What do you see?"

Harry then saw his reflection, pale and scared-looking at first. With Hermione's following a millisecond behind. A moment later, the reflections smiled at them. 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, they'd gotten the Stone.

"What is it?! What do you see?!"

"I-I'm shaking hands with Dumbledore," Harry said.

"I've won the house cup," Hermione said.

"They lie," said the high voice.

"Tell the truth! What do you see?!" Quirrell shouted.

The high voice spoke again.

"Let me speak to them."

"Master, you are not strong enough."

"I have strength enough for this."

Harry and Hermione couldn't move a muscle. Petrified, they 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. Both Harry and Hermione could've screamed, but they couldn't make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face they'd ever seen. It was chalk white with red glaring eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.

"Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. We meet again."

"Voldemort." they both said.

"Yes. You see what I've become? See what I must do to survive? Live off another—a mere parasite. Unicorn blood can sustain me, but it cannot give me a body of my own. But there's something that can. Something that conveniently enough lies in your pocket!" said Voldemort.

Harry and Hermione tried to run to the exit but,

"Stop them!" he hissed, and Quirrell snapped his fingers, creating a fire that lit up the entire room. "Don't be a fool! Why suffer a horrific death when you can join me and live?!"

"Never!" they said, shaking their heads.

"Haha. Bravery. Your parents had it too. Tell me, Harry and Hermione, would you like to see your mothers and fathers again? Together, we can bring them back. All I ask is for something in return." Voldemort said as four faces appeared in the Mirror, and Harry reached into his pocket to reveal the Stone. "That's it, Harry. There is no good and evil. There is only power and those too weak to seek it. Together, we'll do extraordinary things. Just give me the Stone!" The parents disappeared, and that was the last straw for Harry and Hermione.

"You liar!"

"Kill them!"

Quirrell soared into the air and smashed Harry and Hermione with both of his hands, choking them on the steps towards the Mirror. Suddenly, Harry and Hermione grabbed their hands on both of Quirrell's arms, trying to get him off of them and smoke began from under his hands.

"What is this magic?"

"Fool! Get the Stone!"

Quirrell tried to charge into them, and Harry and Hermione touched his face with their hands, causing Quirrell to scream in pain. They looked up at Quirrell with horrified looks, and his face had been burned badly. Quirrell crumbled as he walked forward, turning his body entirely in ash as it fell to the floor. Quirrell was gone, defeated, and dead. After Quirrell was dead, they both fainted with Hermione on top of him.