Chapter 2
Sometimes, Harry wondered whether it was a smart idea, making a deal with a Daedric Prince. Sure it might have its pros, like the whole favor system that was part of the deal, and being able to gain knowledge that no one else thought he ought to know. However, it had its cons like the time that Lord Mora had tried to convince him to deliver him an entire unicorn corpse. Eventually, he managed to whittle Harry down to getting him some blood, in return for a nifty spell from the school of Conjuration that let him summon daggers.
None of this was why he was currently rather supremely pissed off with Hermaeus Mora. No, the reason behind that was because of his current predicament. Over the course of the year, he’d finally managed to drop enough hints and nudge Hermione enough, to get the others in the know about Flamel and the Stone, eventually going down the third-floor corridor to protect the stone from Quirrel (though Ron and Hermione thought it was Snape). See, this is where his annoyance came from. Lord Mora had made a copy of the original mirror, meaning he had a link with it.
You’d think he would have told his champion that the Philosopher’s Stone was in the mirror right? Well, turns out, that would be “a favor” so no, he hadn’t. That’s how he found himself in his current situation.
“Use the boy…”
Doing as Voldemort had dictated, Quirrel roughly shoved Harry in front of the mirror, and in an imperious tone demanded Harry tell him what he saw in the mirror.
Looking into the mirror, Harry no longer saw his parents, which he had suspected would be the case, seeing as it was linked to his patron. Now, he saw a room full of bookshelves, floating books, and eldritch floating, four-armed creatures organizing the shelves. Acknowledging his presence, one of the beings (he vaguely recalled Mora referring to his servants as Seekers) turned to face him and pointed at his pocket, upon which he felt a weight fall into his pocket.
Deciding that lying was a better option, Harry said “I see my family, they’re looking at me, smiling.”
“He liess… the Stone. It is in his pocket.”
“Let him have it, the true Philosopher’s Stone resides in Apocrypha.” Mora whispered to Harry.
Realizing that his patron had some form of plan to deal with Voldemort, Harry started feigning an attempt to defend the Stone when Quirrel went after him. It would have been a good plan if Harry hadn’t inadvertently caused him to crumble to ash. The moment Harry’s hand touched Quirrell’s skin, arcs of electricity sparked between them, eventually killing him.
“Hm. How unfortunate. The false Stone that I gave you would have trapped the wraith. Though your display of Nirnian magic is rather interesting.”
“Are you telling me I killed him?” Harry asked.
“Yes, though if it helps with your… morals, he would undoubtedly have tried to kill you.”
“So, now that the wraith is still out there, where does that leave your illustrious champion?”
“For now, we will have to bide our time, until something surfaces to indicate his presence, or how he’s keeping himself tied to your plane.”
“I’m cashing in some points for some spell tomes. What could I get?”
“Currently, a few tomes of Destruction, Conjuration, and Illusion. When you return to your quarters, there shall be a small guide on the various schools, and some examples of what they can do. This is merely so you may be informed. Currently, it would be best if you appeared unconscious, as your headmaster is approaching rather rapidly.”
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“I can’t believe he thought you were saved by the power of love of all things.” Hermaeus Mora commented as Harry was considering which Schools of magic to pursue.
“To be fair, he doesn’t know that you lot exist. I’ve made a decision, by the way. Two Destruction, one Conjuration, two Restoration. Also, I’d like them to be in english, just because I eventually learned how to read Daedric scripts because you’re an ass doesn’t mean I want to read it all the time.”
“I imagine you’ll have an interesting summer with your relatives, now that you have access to Nirnian magic. Remember our bargain, and collect more knowledge.”
“Yeah, yeah, I think summoning a dagger will discourage them enough.”