Harry Potter The Prince Of Underworld

Chapter 11

It was nearly Christmas when the staff finally noticed that the stone was missing. They all looked like they had aged a decade. They looked extremely worried, which was guaranteed. Someone had stolen the famed philosopher stone after all, which could cause a significant problem in the wrong hands. It’s good then that it was not. Anyway, the castle had gone into lockdown, all students’ belongings were checked, Snape even tried legillimency on me, the bastard. It’s a good thing I had learnt occlumency.

It’s like one problem wasn’t enough that fate dropped the other one right into my lap. It had begun at night before the break after I had slept. When I found myself standing before my father’s throne. Gods can do that. They can appear in our dream or bring our consciousness to them.

“Son.”

“Father.” I bowed.

He looked angry, extremely angry. I wouldn’t be surprised if Los Angeles had experienced an earthquake today.

“My helm has been stolen.” He claimed.

“What? Why? How?” I asked. It was completely unfathomable to me. It was one of the most powerful artefact in the entire world. The legendary helm that can render the wearer completely invisible even to the gods, that emits such a powerful aura of fear that even shakes the gods.

“Gods can’t take others’ symbol of power, can they?” I asked.

“No, they can’t.” He confirmed. “But demigods can steal it for them”

“You suspect someone, don’t you?” I asked.

“Poseidon has a brat. He stole it for sure. Only his trident hasn’t been stolen.”

“Only his trident?” My eyes widened. “Then Zeus’s master bolt has been stolen too, hasn’t it?”

He nodded.

“Does he think it’s stolen by Poseidon, too?” I asked.

“I think so.” He replied. “He had blamed Poseidon earlier. Inclined towards it. He has only unaccounted brat after all. But he may suspect you, too. So it’s better to stay away from sky.”

“Okay, father.” I replied.

“You return to New York tomorrow, don’t you? Spy on him for me when you are there. I will have Alecto after him too.” He ordered, showing a hologram of a boy. He was about my age with messy jet black hair, a “Mediterranean” complexion, and sea-green eyes like his father Poseidon.

“Okay, father.” I rreplied

“You can go now.” He dismissed.

I woke up. It had already been morning. So I brushed and did my exercises with Lou. I told her about bolt, not helm though father had forbidden it. None of the gods knew, too. He didn’t believe other gods would do him justice and he could I’ll afford for word to get out that his most powerful weapon of fear is missing. The underworld houses lots of powerful beings, some of whom are only loyal due to fear. If the word got out, Hades would have a rebellion on his hands.

“Why would he steal it, though?” Lou asked.

I shrugged. “It could be any reason, can’t it? Maybe he wants the throne or just power. Or someone else might be trying to frame him.”

“Yeah, we mere humans will never be able to understand god’s reasons. Well.. anyway, since the stone is gone, what do you the wraith will do now?”

“I don’t know. He is very angry, but he doesn’t believe the stone to be stolen. He is quite arrogant. He doesn’t believe anyone except him will be able to do it. So it will keep trying. He hasn’t figured out a way to get past fluffy yet.”

“Oh, he will remain here then. I think we should confront it sometime. Even if it hasn’t tried to harm anyone, it is still dangerous to be among students.”

“ Yeah, sure but after we return. One problem is enough for now.”

Nothing interesting happened during Christmas break. We returned to camp half-blood. Lou was bombarded with questions of Hogwarts by her friends. Most of the campers with school had returned, too. We played capture the flag and trained. I couldn’t go flying with Skotos, though. Even though the thestrals are considered neutral ground, I couldn’t risk it now. I had my clone spy on Percy Jackson. So far I haven’t seen anything that could indicate him being the thief. Father still believes him to be the thief though.

“You can’t believe everything you see, Harry?” he had said. “If Poseidon is keeping an eye on him. Your clone would have been easily spotted. Then he can easily notify the brat about it without your knowledge. After that, he could just have been acting normal.”

“Why was the quest assigned to me, then?” I demanded. “If my intel could be so easily disregarded.

Father frowned. He didn’t seem to appreciate me questioning him. But he let it go. “There was a chance Poseidon wouldn’t be looking. I wanted to see if we could get any answer that way. I didn’t want to dismiss any possibility.” He had said.

I personally think he simply cannot imagine anyone other than Poseidon being the culprit. Since no-one has enough strength to dare to do such a thing. Not that I voiced it aloud, though Father loved me I didn’t want to take a chance specially with him this angry with having his helm stolen. And I have already pushed him  far enough. Or it may be my feelings. Percy, which I saw through clone whether he was acting or not, reminds me of how I was before I travelled to the underworld, abused by those supposed to be family, outcast and bullied in school, alone and loyal. Though his loyalty was far too easy to gain than mine. There are only two people I am loyal to. At least he has his mother. Arguably, a lot of demigods face similar issues, but there were lots of parallels in our life. And I don’t think all of that was staged. There wouldn’t have been enough time for all of that. Since the sea god would have informed him after I arrived. So I don’t want him to be a thief.

Well, it’s out of my hands, anyway. I could only look at him as long as I was in New York. Hogwarts is too far away to spy on him using the clones.

New term at Hogwarts began without any problems. It was peaceful even at least until may. Quirrell’s life is nearing its end, it seems. Hosting two souls is very drawing on the body after all, especially if both souls are active. It would have been good news if it wasn’t for the foul method they have decided to use in order to lengthen its life. Being the son of Hades and prince of Underworld, I am not strange to death. But even I draw my line when it comes to unicorns. Unicorns are extremely pure beings. Harming it in any way for selfish desire isn’t something that can be excused. If cheating death wasn’t enough, this wraith is sure to have a very harsh punishment when it dies. Due to its pureness, unicorns have great power. Just a drop of unicorn blood will keep you alive even when you are in brink of death, but you get a cursed life and one-way ticket to the field of punishment after death. Wraith must be desperate if he thinks he has no option left than it. I don’t know the full extend of stone’s power but from what father has said, it may be able to negate at-least the cursed life.

We couldn’t let pure being like a unicorn in be killed or harmed so we confronted it in the forest where it was trying to capture unicorn.

Quirrell was cloaked covering his whole body. He was crouched beside an injured unicorn, about to drink the blood.

“Quirrel and whoever you are, sharing his body.” I bellowed.

He raised his head and looked at us. He looked at both Lou and me for a while before keeping his attention solely on me. He looked bewildered.

“How do you know about my master?” He asked, face white and eyes huge with shock.

“I have my ways.” I replied. “You have doomed yourself by attacking pure being as unicorn. I didn’t think you and your master would be foolish enough to attempt it.”

His face became red with anger.

“You dare..” he snarled.

He was interrupted by a voice, probably of his master, since it seemed to come from Quirrell himself.

“Let me speak to him… face-to-face…” the voice whispered.

  “Master, you are not strong enough!”

“I have strength enough…for them, and don’t question me.” The voice snarled.

Lou snorted at this. They were greatly underestimating us.

Quirrell whimpered and slowly undid his turban, revealing what probably was the ugliest face he had ever seen, and he has seen various monsters from the underworld.

It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.

“Harry Potter…” it whispered.

Whether he was being dramatic, or it was his natural volume, I am not ssure

“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… but this body is weakening. I need blood to for now. Not longer though I will have stone soon enough. I Lord Voldemort, will be the most powerful person and rule the world.”

“Tom Riddle” I said. This person was getting really annoying now. He seems to be everywhere Harry goes. First in his scar, second the ring and now.. And is he really spilling his plan here? He seemed to be really dramatic, too. It was funny though seeing him declare his grandeur though when he needed support of other to perform barest of works.

Hi hissed. “ You dare to use that name. I am Lord Voldemort.”

I rolled my eyes. If he thought I would call him by his such ridiculous name, he was sorely mistaken.

“Are you sure you should be spilling your plan here to me?” I asked.

He laughed. “It doesn’t matter. You won’t be alive to tell it to anyone. Fate seems to be on my side today. They have handed you right to me. I will complete now what I couldn’t do eleven years ago,” he said. “Kill him.”

I drew my sceptre, and Quirrell drew his wand. Lou, too, had drawn her sword. She had gone to face the other side of him when he was giving his monologue.

“Avada kedavra” he screamed.

I slammed my sceptre on the ground, bring dark underworld obsidian which intercepted the curse.

I could see Quirrell widening his eyes. He was probably expecting a foolhardy eleven-year-old with no spells to use in combat.

Responding to my will, my shadow stretched from me and finally joined Quirrell.

He probably had tried to wave his wand to use another spell, because he suddenly screamed.

I smirked. “What happened? Can’t move your body? And I thought I was going to die here?”

He snarled and said something and then a fire was coming towards me, which I blocked with another wall, but the light of the fire had dispersed my shadow. I didn’t think Quirrell could do wandless magic. It requires great power, which I thought he didn’t have. He probably had been able to drink some blood before we arrived.

He started firing spells rapidly towards both of us with great speed for a mortal.

“Crucio”

“Avada kedavra”

“Bombarda”

We evaded all the curses, though. We demigods, especially trained demigods like us, have super human reflexes, which no mortal could hope to achieve and he has to focus on two of us. But he was still fast, though. None of us could get close enough to use our weapons. Lou’s sword was useless against him to begin with, so she too had started firing spells at him which were blocked with great ease. Which wasnot a surprise, she hadn’t learned many offensive spells, and Riddle has experience against us. My shadow attack was blocked by shining the light towards it which immediately dispelled the shadow.

Adrenaline was coursing through my body. He was a skilled fighter. It was his skill or Riddle’s. I am not sure though. Probably Riddle’s. Since his head had disappeared, and Quirrell’s eyes had turned red.

Another curse came towards me, which I dodged and slammed the sceptre to the ground. The ground started cracking from where it made contact and started expanding towards Quirrell.

He fell straight through the pit to the depths of the underworld. Unfortunately, seeing the ground cracking around him, Riddle left the body and escaped. He did threaten to kill me next time, though.

School went peaceful after that. No one knew what happened to Quirrell. The rumour mill went rampant with wildest theories about what could have happened. Remaining DADA class were taught by Dumbledore, since the term near its end, and the new teacher couldn’t be found. The exams went successfully, theory was hard due to dyslexia. But we aced through practicals, especially Lou as magic came naturally to her due to her parentage.