The Survivor

The Man with Two Faces - Part One

It was Quirrell.

"Dun, dun, dun!" Said the Weasley twins.

"No way he's evil!" Cursed Charlie. The man seemed like a total fool, not a criminal mastermind.

"I'm glad you're not an Auror. You would've been killed by now if that's how you worked." Tonks gave him a look.

'You!' gasped Harry.

Quirrell smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all. 'Me,' he said calmly. 'I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter twins.'

'We both know by now that my brother's a trouble finder, so the fake surprise is unwarranted.' Rolled her eyes Violet as she subtly tried to put as much distance between him and Harry as possible. 'Though I must admit you were smart to make it seem like someone else was at fault. I truly believed it was Snape until we saw you.' She smiled sweetly at him. Honey caught more flies than vinegar.

"I love you more and more with each day." Violet heard a whisper.

"That's because you haven't seen how this went down." She replied and cringed a little as she thought about whether or not the book will be graphic with the scene or not.

'Severus?' Quirrell laughed and it wasn't his usual quivering treble, either, but cold and sharp. 'Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p- p-poor st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?'

"Like Violet said, I'm impressed." Nodded Fleur. "I don't agree with it, but it was a very good cover."

Harry couldn't take it in. This couldn't be true, it couldn't.
'But Snape tried to kill me!'

"Your faith in me is the biggest compliment I've received in my career, Mr Potter." Said Snape.

'No, no, no. I tried to kill you. 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 counter-curse, trying to save you.'

"Counter-curse!" Gasped a lot of people.

"Do any of you listen to me?" Asked Violet exasperated.

'Snape was trying to save me?'

'Of course,' said Quirrell coolly. 'Why do you think 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 winning, he did make himself unpopular ... and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight.' Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Harry and Violet. 'You're too nosy to live, Potter twins. Scurrying around the school at Hallowe'en like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone.'

'You let the troll in? For what? How?' Asked Violet, feigning interest in whatever explanation he could come up with.

Mrs Zabini, Narcissa and Mrs Nott were having the time of their life watching their Violet play an adult so well. They were so proud.

'I have a special gift with trolls – you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off – and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly. Now, wait quietly, Potter twins. I need to examine this interesting mirror.'