The Gryffindor Royal

Chapter Thirteen

"Check." Ron said,hardly louder than a whisper. The white chess pieces still heard him,and slid across the board as slowly as humanely possible. Hermione gnawed at her lower lip in agonising worry,Harry clenched and unclenched his hands,and (Y/N) shouted at the chess piece. "Oh,come on! We don't have all day! Get a move on you bloody thing!" As though it understood her,the queen drew her sword and stabbed Ron's horse. He let out a blood-curdling scream as he fell to the floor,unconscious. "Ron!" Harry yelled,knees buckling at the sight of his unconscious best friend. Hermione tried to make her way over to Ron,but Harry pointed his finger at her. "Don't move! Don't forget,we're still playing." Hermione stepped back into her square,casting worried glances at Ron. (Y/N) took it the worse,though. From her angle,Ron looked practically dead. She sunk to her knees in shock and let silent tears form rivers on her cheeks,clearly regretting yelling at the chess piece now. Then she let out a ear-piercing shriek that could've rivalled Ron's. Her brother was paling and losing life before her very eyes. She wanted to move,to run to him,but Harry was right;they were still playing. Ron was important to her,but the fate of essentially the entire wizarding world was resting on their shoulders. Since it was the black side's turn to move,Harry moved to the square directly in front of the white's king. "Checkmate." The king let go of his sword,letting it drop to Harry's feet. He stared up at the king for a moment, before finally remembering that he'd won the game. He dashed over to Ron, Hermione hot on his trail. (Y/N) was already kneeling down to check on her brother. "Take care of Ron." Harry told the two girls. "Then,go to the owlery. Send a message to Dumbledore. Ron's right;I have to go on." "You'll be ok, Harry. You're a great wizard,you really are." "Not as good as you," Harry tried to argue. Hermione giggled sadly. "Heh,me? Books and cleverness. There are more important things. Friendship and bravery. And Harry,just be careful." Harry nodded and glanced at Ron one last time. He stood up and got ready to leave,only to be stopped by someone grabbing his hand. Harry turned back around and saw (Y/N)'s mesmerising (E/C) eyes staring into his emerald ones. "I'm going with you." She said. Harry shook his head. "You can't. Don't you want to take care of Ron? And besides, I'm the one that's supposed to go on." (Y/N) shook her head and a frown was etched onto her face. "You listen here, Harry James Potter. You're a great wizard,yes. But you can be thick as a brick when you don't think carefully. Let me go with you,please?" Harry couldn't resist. Although she didn't really cry in front of people,the girl would often fake it,or manipulate someone,in order to get others to do what she said. Harry rolled his eyes and gestured for her to stand up. If it wasn't for the fact that they had to save the entire wizarding world,Harry was sure (Y/N) would have been squealing with excitement. She and Harry walked off and down a long flight of stairs,only to be met with the mirror of Erised,and Professor Quirell standing in front of it. He must've sensed their presence,because he turned around. "No,i-it can't be true," Harry muttered. "Snape-he was the one-" "Yes,he does seem the type,doesn't he? Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor st-t-tuttering Professor Quirell?" "But-but that day,during the Quidditch match, Snape tried to kill Harry." (Y/N) looked utterly confused. "No,dear girl. I tried to kill him. And 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?" Harry was amazed. All this year Snape hadn't tried to hide his distaste for him, and yet he tried to save him? "I knew you were a danger to me right from the off,and you too ms Weasley,especially after Halloween." "Th-then you let the troll in." Harry realised. "Very good, Potter,yes. Snape,unfortunately wasn't fooled. While everyone else was running about the dungeon,he went to the third floor to head me off. He,of course,never trusted me again." "Well I,for one,am glad about that. He saw right through you. I should have too,what with all the clues you unintentionally dropped about being the culprit." (Y/N)'s face hardened. "Anything else you're hiding from us,Professor?" She sneered,eyes fixed on his turban. "Like someone underneath that turban?" She added when she noticed Harry rubbing his scar. "Hold your questions till the end of my... presentation,ms Weasley. Back to Snape. He rarely left me alone. But he doesn't understand. I'm never alone. Never." His eyes wandered to the side of the room as his mouth formed a sneer. "Now,what does this mirror do? I see what I desire!" He said suddenly. "I see myself holding the Stone. But how do I get it?!" He snapped angrily. "Use the boy," a voice answered. Quirell turned to Harry. "Come here! Potter!" He hollered. "Now!" He yelled when Harry didn't move. He was about to walk to Quirell,but (Y/N) put an arm out to stop him. "He's not going anywhere." She snarled. Her other hand extended toward Quirell and blasts of ice came shooting out of it. Quirell only barely managed to avoid them and snapped his fingers angrily. Ropes came flying out of nowhere and wrapped themselves around (Y/N). Then,she was thrown onto the floor several feet away from Harry. After that,Harry didn't really have much choice but to walk toward a bad-tempered Quirell. He looked into the mirror,not talking for several minutes. "Well? What do you see?!" Quirell asked impatiently. Harry hesitated for a moment. His reflection had just pulled the Stone out of his pocket. Reflection Harry winked at the real Harry before putting the Stone back in his pocket. Harry was sure it was just showing him his greatest desire,but a sudden weight in his pocket proved him wrong. He touched his pocket carefully and gave a start when he realised the Stone was really in his pocket. He gave a soft gasp and tried to brush it off so as not to attract Quirell's attention. He wasn't fooled. "What is it? What do you see?" "I-I'm shaking hands with Dumbledore. I've won the house cup." (Y/N) scoffed in the background. He couldn't think of a better lie? Quirell looked over to bring her over to the mirror,but the same voice from earlier stopped him. "She's useless for now,Quirell. As for the boy,lies!" "What do you see?!" Quirell roared. Harry was saved from answering when the voice spoke again. "Let me speak to him." "Master you are not strong enough." Quirell argued. Some of the old fear in his voice came back and he fidgeted with his hands. "I have strength enough for this." The voice replied. Giving up,Quirell reached for his turban and unraveled it. Layer after layer was removed,and what was underneath would probably scar Harry and (Y/N) for the rest of their lives. (Y/N) had known that something was under the turban,she just hadn't expected it to be the darkest wizard of all time! She'd expected a pet or something! Harry just froze. "Harry Potter," Voldemort said. "We meet again. And as for you,(Y/N) Weasley,pleasure to meet you." Harry cast a weary glance at (Y/N),who nodded and mouthed 'You-Know-Who'. "Voldemort," Harry whispered. "Yes." He confirmed. "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 is something that can. Something that,conveniently enough,lies in your pocket." Harry's eyes widened. He cast a levitation charm and (Y/N) floated into mid-air. Somehow,she managed to break free of the ropes and sprang to the ground with the agility and precision of a cat. "Stop them!" Voldemort hissed at Quirell. Harry and (Y/N) had nearly managed to get to the stairs but with another snap of Quirell's fingers,fire emerged at the foot of the stairs and blocked the two from escaping. Harry backed down immediately,but (Y/N) jumped through the fire with ease. She turned back to help Harry through the flames but soon realised she couldn't. "My powers! What happened to them?!" She shrieked. Voldemort gave a shrill laugh. "They won't be returned to you till someone in this room wins this battle. Also,when I win,your powers will go to me. Now, Potter,don't be foolish. Why die a horrific death when you can join me and live?" Harry's face contorted with rage. "Never!" He yelled. Voldemort chuckled. "Bravery. Your parents had it too. Tell me,Harry,would you like to see your mother and father again?" Harry's eyes flickered with a new emotion:hope. Did he want to go to the Dark Side? No way! Did he want to see his parents again? Heck yeah! "Together,we can bring them back." Voldemort said,an image of the two Potters appearing in the mirror. "All I ask is for something in return." Harry knew instantly what he meant. He reached into his pocket for the Stone and pulled it out somewhat reluctantly. "That's it,Harry. There is no good and evil. There is only power and those too weak to seek it. Like your little friend (Y/N). She could have done great things with her powers,but what does she do? Goes to Dumbledore to 'tame them'. As if. The old man has probably been restricting her powers! So now I'm giving both of you a chance to be powerful. Together,we'll do extraordinary things. Just give me the Stone!" Voldemort encouraged. The image of Harry's parents disappeared and he knew it was all lies. "You liar!" He yelled. Voldemort's face turned angry. "Kill him!" He hissed at Quirell. The dark arts professor obeyed. He soared into the air and toward Harry. He pinned the latter to the ground and attempted to suffocate him. Unable to breathe and trying to get air, Harry let go of the Stone. (Y/N) leaped forward and bent down to pick the Stone. She successfully got a grip on it as Harry finally tried to slap their professor's hand away. It began to singe, much to everyone's horror. Quirell let out a series of yells and held onto his burning hand. Harry looked at his own hands in amazement as (Y/N) tried to catch up with all the information. "Touch him again Harry! Maybe you'll kill him!" (Y/N) shouted over all the noise. "No! Don't touch me! What is this magic?!" Quirell whimpered. "Fool! Get the Stone!" Voldemort shouted. Quirell and Harry made their way toward each other while (Y/N) tried her powers once again. Nothing. She watched as Harry forcefully placed his hands on the teacher's face and the latter casting one last spell in her direction. That's all she remembered before blacking out.•••••A few hours later,(Y/N) woke up in the hospital wing. She glanced around and realised she was the only person there. Then where was Harry? "Harry? Harry!" She yelped worriedly. Madame Pomfrey came hurrying out of her small office and tutted at the girl. "Mr Potter should be fast asleep in his dorm. Now,please go to bed. It was shocking enough when you simply appeared on the bed!" (Y/N) froze. That meant nobody knew where Harry was! She tried to explain what had happened,but Pomfrey wouldn't hear it. "You'd best be grateful I let you have one last visitor. She was in earlier and I just finished the last of her wounds. I'll let her in now. Shelena,come on in!" Pomfrey said in one breath.