To love her

Chapter 57

"They're up to something." Severus leaned against his desk.
"You don't have to tell me, I already know. The gits know about the stone." Bella stood leaning against the wall.
"They think someone is going to try to steal it, Harry doesn't trust me that much was quite clear." Bella came to sit beside the man.
"I got the feeling they don't trust me either." Snape said remembering how one of them set him aflame, "They'll never get past the wards though...right?" He looks to the witch.
"Wouldn't put it past the little buggers, especially if they're anything like we were."
"You were, you caused the havoc, it was always you."
"Alright no need to point fingers." Bella rolls her eyes.

"They're not wrong though, I think someone is going to steal the stone, only it's not one of us like they think."
"Quirell."
"You got it. The stuttering bastard." Bella frowns she really hated the man, especially when she caught him trying to talk to her Minerva.
"Surly they can't get past Minerva's wards though..."
"Not a chance, Minerva is the queen of Wizarding chess." Bella smiles confidently "Besides they'd have to get past Fluffy first, then again that's not particularly hard...Don't know why Minerva let Dumbledore go ahead with him..."
"To shut him up no doubt, the man acts like a toddler sometimes." Snape scoffs.
"Right well you take care of the children, I'll take care of the stuttering useless git." The woman said before making her leave.

***

Meanwhile the three children are under the Invisibility cloak, sneaking along the corridors.
It was quite tight beneath the cloak, they did their best to remain as silent as possible, however that wasn't particularly easy when one of the three were clumsy.
"Ow! You stood on my foot!" Hermione yelped as she snapped her head towards the boy coming face to face with the red head who smiles sheepishly.
"Sorry." He swallows, Harry hushes them as they came towards a closed door.
Harry slipped out from under the cloak and tried the door knob.
"It's locked, what do we do now?" He looks to Ron who shrugs, both boys look at the girl who sighs and rolls her eyes, maybe Draco was right, they're definitely not the brightest tools in the box. Hermione brushes past Harry and draws her wand pointing it at the door.
"Alohomora."
Ron glances at Harry who shrugs and then heads inside.

A large three headed dog lay sound asleep at the center of the dark drafts room.
"Wait a minute...he's.... Sleeping."Ron said.
"Snape or Black have already been here. They've put a spell on the harp." Harry glances towards the playing harp.
"What makes you so sure it's professor Black Harry?" Ron asks, still not entirely convinced about her. His family especially his brothers always spoke so fondly of her and Professor Mcgonagall, he couldn't quite grasp that someone he'd looked up to for so long could be bad.
"What makes you so sure it's not?"  He looks to the red head.

***

Bellatrix storms through the hallways, only to bump into Minerva and Severus.
"Don't you look like a bucket of sunshine."
"Bastards gone." She growls coming to a stop.
"So I gathered." Minerva clasps her hands together.  Bella glances to Minerva.
"Yes, Severus filled me in when he couldn't find the children. We'll discuss this later, right now we need to find those children, he won't  be able to get to the stone, the children might. That's assuming they'll get through the wards which I doubt, mind you Hermione is a smart cookie...she reminds me of you in a way, just not as...aggressive." Minerva glances to Bella.
"And Harry is James" the ravenette glances to Snape.
"We're fucked then."
"Severus!" Minerva frowns.
"I mean I can't see them getting past the chess." Bella shrugs.
"Well let's not stand here, I think we'd best sort this." Minerva said as the three set off.

The trio arrived and couldn't believe what they were seeing as they passed each floor. Bella's stomach clenched as they reached the chess room. Minerva gasps as rushes towards an unconscious Ron and an upset Hermione.
"Snape, owlery now." Bella snaps as she makes her way towards the three. Minerva kneels beside the boy, checking him over. Hermione wipes a tear as she glances at Bellatrix.
Bella looks to her before rushing towards the door.

***

Harry couldn't believe his eyes as he entered the room, the two people he suspected were not who stood before him.
"You?" He gasps as the man himself turns around.
"No. It can't be...Snape...And Black. They were the ones-"
"Yes. They do seem the type, don't they? Next to me, who would suspect, "p-p-poor s-stuttering Professor Quirrell?" The man himself smiles.
"B-but, that day, during the Quidditch Match, Snape tried to kill me and Black was there with him..."
Quirrell chuckles
"No, dear boy. I tried to kill you! And trust me, if Snape's cloak hadn't caught fire and broken my eye contact, and if that Black left me alone I would have succeeded. Even with Snape muttering his little counter-curse." The man snaps, frustration clear on his face.
"They were trying to...save me?" Harry frowns, he should have known, Ron was right all along.

"I knew you and your troublesome little friends were a danger right from the start, Especially after Halloween." The man interrupts the boys thoughts.
"Th-then you let the troll in."
"Very good Potter, yes. Snape and Black, unfortunately, wasn't fooled. While everyone else was running to the dungeon, he went to the 3rd floor to head me off and she went after her precious students, your little friends." He paused " They, of course, never trusted me again. They rarely left me alone." the man turns back to the mirror and Harry winced as his scar began to hurt.
"But they don'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?" He frowns studying the mirror.

**
Bellatrix ran down the long dark staircase, images of Lily and James flashing through her mind.
"Whatever it takes." She mutters aloud, finally reaching the end of the stair case.
**

"I have strength enough for this." The raspy voice said, Quirrell began unwrapping his turban to reveal an ugly snake like face on the back of his head. Harry swallows at the sight before him.
"Harry Potter. We meet again at last." The head hissed, tongue darting out just like a snake as it hisses at the boy.

"Voldemort."