Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Exams are here and they have been getting to some. Normally I would be going over my answers wondering if I got it right or gave enough information but learning about the things Buffy has faced and what she has gone through told me it’s about the little things in life. It’s less stressful too! In Charms, we had to make a pineapple tap dance. In Potions, we brewed a Forgetfulness potion. In Transfiguration, we had to turn a mouse into a snuffbox. I studied hard just like my Slayer studies.
After the History of Magic, Harry’s scar started hurting again. He said it felt like some kind of warning and decided we MUST see Hagrid. So, we took off and found out that to get the dragon egg, Hagrid told someone how to get past Fluffy. Which led to Harry stressing even more and us going to Professor Dumbledore and finding him gone. Professor McGonagall tried to calm Harry and assure him the stone was well-protected, but Harry was too worried. I promised her I would stay with the boys for now.
I convinced them to come with me to see Xander hoping that talking to him would calm Harry down, but in the middle of explaining to Xander about Harry’s problem, my necklace began to heat up. Xander caught my grabbing the necklace with wide eyes.
“Mia?”
“Xander, tell Professor McGonagall the stone is in trouble. I’m going after it,” I tell him and watch him run with a nod at the wardrobe. I move to change behind a screen in the classroom, putting on my leather pants, a purple tank top, and my leather jacket. According to Buffy, it’s perfect battle wear. I step out and head to the door pulling my hair into a ponytail and the Scythe from my back.
Harry and Ron standing by the door with determined looks on their faces, “We’re going with you.” Harry states.
I give him a nod pull two swords from the weapon chest passing one to each boy and make my way to the third floor. “Follow my instructions to the letter and stay behind me. If you can’t follow those rules stay behind.”
On the Grand Staircase, we come across Neville. “I don’t know what you’re doing, but I won’t let you lose Gryffindor more points!”
“Neville, this is an ICW matter. Stand aside, these two are coming with me. Gryffindor will not lose points,” I tell him.
Neville moves to the side saying, “I was ready to fight you. Well, not you Hermione. I’ve seen what you are capable of.”
We move past him to the door containing Fluffy. Opening the door to hear nothing but music and loud snores. Fluffy was sleeping to the side. I move to the trapdoor and open it while motioning to the boys. “Jump in and don’t move when you get in there.” Both boys immediately follow my orders jumping in the door. I made it in behind them just as I heard the music stop.
I land on the spongey warm surface of the Devil’s Snare and Ron asks, “What is this stuff?”
“I’m not going to tell you because you will panic and that’s the last thing we need. Wait here and give me a moment.” I point my wand underneath me and cast “Lumos Solem” a light spell. I drop through the floor and repeat the spell for the boys to join me. After some groaning from the boys about a rough landing, they get up grab their borrowed swords and follow me to the key room. They take a moment to look around, but I keep going for the next door. “Ignore everything. I can get us to the stone.”
Harry and Ron follow me into the room and Harry asks me, “Why were you given the way in Hermione? I mean what do you do?! I’ve seen you fighting teachers patrolling the Forbidden Forest and leaving the castle at night. I don’t get it, Hermione. You’re a first year like us!”
I stop just before the chess board and address Ron, “What did your mother tell you would happen if you didn’t behave when you were little?”
Ron stops and thinks about it and pales, taking a small step back, and whispers, “No.”
“Yes, Ron.” I take a step to the white pawns and say clearly, “Slayer code gold.”
“You can’t be… It’s not real,” Ron denies vehemently. The pawns move aside instantly.
“One girl in all the world to fight vampires, demons, and evil in the world,” I say adjusting my grip on the Scythe while moving to the troll room. The troll is dead which means Voldemort has been here already. I move on and keep talking. “There are things in the world that are truly evil, Harry. Vampires without souls and demons from the deepest pits of hell. This is who I am.” I knocked the hollow leg of the table under the potions task grabbed the spare vial and handed Harry the one from the table that was now less full. “Ron, the teachers should be at the top. There is only enough for Harry to follow, and he deserves to face his parents' murderer.” I grab the paper going over the ridiculous riddle and hand Ron the blue potion, “This will take you back through those flames. Tell them to prepare Madam Pomfrey just in case,” I turn to Harry and raise my vial. “Bottoms up, Harry,” and drink my potion feeling the ice of the potion wash over me. Harry does the same and shudders grips his sword with both hands and follows me through the final door.
And this is why Xander says never trust a book by its cover. Standing in front of us looking into the mirror is none other than Professor Quirrell. I mouth to Harry to get him talking and move silently to the column lining the room.
Harry didn’t have to act surprised about it being Professor Quirrell. What with him believing it to be Professor Snape this whole time, “You.”
I saw Professor Quirrell’s lips twitch up, still looking in the mirror, “Me. I wondered if I would be meeting you here, Potter. I was honestly expecting Miss Granger. I’m sure she’ll join us shortly.”
“But I thought— Snape —”
“Severus?” Quirrell gave a cold bark of laughter and turned to face Harry, “Severus does indeed seem like the type, doesn’t he? It was very useful to have him swooping around the castle like an overgrown bat. Next to that who would consider p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrel?”
I kept moving along the wall to the back of the room making my way behind the mirror. “But Snape tried to kill me!” Harry exclaimed.
“No, I tried to kill you and if it wasn’t for my robes catching fire I would have succeeded,”
“Of course. Why do you think he refereed your next match? He didn’t trust me after that and was stalking me at every turn. What a waste of time considering I’m going to kill you tonight.” Quirrell snaps his fingers, and Harry is bound in ropes.
I take a breath and make my move. As I step from behind the mirror and swing the scythe, ax first, I say, “Not on my watch.”
Quirrell ducks, my swipe missing him by inches, and he steps away from me. “Miss Granger, the thorn in my side. Just why exactly would Dumbledore let a first year handle a troll? It took me a lot of trouble to get that into the castle.”
“You let the troll in?” I ask charging him for another swipe, but he casts a spell that sends me flying into the wall. I hear a distinct crack and feel pain in my chest. Man, that one hurt. I hear Xander in my head. Never stop moving, Mia. I heed his advice and stay on the attack.
“Of course I did. I needed to retrieve the stone for my master, but that filthy muggle had to derail my plans, and don’t get me started on the trouble you gave me with the unicorns,” I give another swipe, this time knocking the purple turban from his head.
Harry shouts, “Hermione the back of his head! It’s Voldemort!”
I keep dodging and swiping moving my position closer to Harry. Quirrell keeps shooting spells of various colors in my direction. I glance in the mirror and see the face protruding out of Quirrel’s head. “Oh, that is just gross,” I groan.
“Kill the girl,” a voice rasps from the face.
“You can try,” I easily reply and swing my scythe just right to cut Harry’s bindings. Harry grabbed his sword from where it fell and stayed at my side but did not move forward.
I finally land a hit and the scythe slices straight through his wand arm. The arm and wand fell to the ground with a pained scream for Quirrell. Harry rushes forward and punches the face of Voldemort, “That’s for my parents!” He shouts.
I’m about two steps behind him, “And this is for everyone else.” I swing the scythe, and it glides right through Quirrell’s neck his head falling with a thud. I step forward and notice the Voldemort side of the face is slowly turning to ashes. “Ew! Why is it like that?”
Harry just looks at his hand and shrugs. Just then I hear the door and turn, scythe at the ready. “At ease, Mia!” I hear a familiar voice say. In the doorway to the room are Xander, Professor Dumbledore, and surprisingly Buffy and Willow armed to the teeth.
I laugh, “What took you so long?”
“We took the scenic route. You both okay?”
I walk over to the head and kick it in Xander’s direction, “Maybe a cracked rib. Walls don’t like me. I got you a present.”
Xander takes a step back, “I always wanted my own dismembered head! Why does it have two faces?”
Buffy glances at it a makes a disgusted face, “Ew! Why is it like that?”
“That’s exactly what Hermione said. It's Voldemort, a dark wizard who killed my parents,” Harry speaks up. I walk and place a comforting hand on Harry’s shoulder, but not without a wince.
“Um guys, maybe we should get Hermione to a nurse?” Willow adds with concern.
“I think that would be wise,” Professor Dumbledore pulls out a rope and taps it with his wand and it glows for only a moment. “If everyone would grab ahold?” Everyone does and within moments we’re in the hospital wing with Madam Pomfrey fussing over me. At least I protected the stone.