Harry Potter : Bloodraven-Chapter 107: Twilight of the Parasite (III) (CH - 127)

The patrol of the Forbidden Forest passed without incident. No sudden attacks, no monstrous creatures emerging from the darkness—only the natural sounds of the forest at night. The deeper the four children followed Hagrid, the more their initial fear gave way to wary exhaustion. The snapping of twigs and rustling of leaves no longer made them jump, though their eyes still darted toward every unexpected sound.

Maverick had stopped trailing them halfway through the night, slipping away unnoticed as he made his way back to the castle. He was certain that, at least for tonight, Quirrell and Voldemort would not make an appearance. But knowing their condition, he doubted Voldemort's patience would last much longer.

The night ended, giving way to a brand-new day, but nothing had changed for the trio. Breakfast was the same. Gryffindors still treated them like outcasts. Some glared openly, while others whispered behind cupped hands, not even bothering to be discreet. Disappointment was all they saw on their faces.

But on the bright side, the few who had shown outright anger the day before no longer looked as furious. Sure enough, all they needed was time, they thought, until things settled and returned to normal.

So, they did what they had done the day before—ignored the glares, finished their breakfast, then headed off to class to earn back some points and restore a bit of their reputation.

---

In the afternoon, just like the day before, the trio found themselves back in the library. There really was no other choice. The common room, usually their go-to spot to relax after classes had become unbearable. And the library, it has become the perfect place instead, an escape from all the silent judgment that followed them everywhere else.

They picked a table away from where most students gathered. At first, they whispered to each other about their day, but as time passed, their words dwindled into silence.

A while later, Hermione was the only one actually doing anything, her mind buried in a book. Ron had his face pressed against the table, looking as though he might drift off at any moment. Harry, meanwhile, stared blankly at the open pages in front of him, not even sure what the book was about.

The silence stretched on until—

"I need to use the bathroom," Harry muttered to Ron and Hermione, pushing his chair back.

Ron grunted in acknowledgment without lifting his head, while Hermione gave a distracted nod. Without another word, Harry stood up, slung his bag over his shoulder, and made his way toward the door.

---

Harry walked slowly through the castle corridors with his head down and lost in thought. He was halfway to the nearest boys' bathroom when something made him stop in his tracks.

A sound.

Soft, pitiful, barely more than a whisper.

His brows furrowed. It was faint, but there was no mistaking it—one voice, no, two.

"Please... no, no, no, no..."

Harry's pulse quickened. He recognized that voice.

Professor Quirrell.

"Yes... I... I will... yes, tonight..."

The voices were coming from a nearby room, just ahead past the corner.

Harry crept closer, pressing himself against the cold stone wall.

His heart pounded as he strained to hear more, but the words were still too low, too shaky to make out clearly. Who was Professor Quirrell talking to? Who was making him sound so frightened?

His mind raced. He had to get closer.

Without thinking twice, he slipped off his bag, quickly dug inside, and pulled out his Invisibility Cloak. He flung it over himself and took careful, quiet steps toward the corner.

But just as he reached it—before he could take the turn—he heard a door swing open.

Harry barely had time to press himself flat against the wall as hurried footsteps rushed past him. He held his breath, standing completely still.

Professor Quirrell stumbled into view. He looked even paler than usual, his eyes darting wildly around the corridor, as if searching for something—or someone.

For a brief moment, Harry thought Quirrell was looking right at him.

But then the professor turned his head, glanced over his shoulder nervously, and hurried away.

Harry let out a slow, silent breath.

And again, just as he was about to step forward—

Another sound of footsteps caught his ears.

Someone else was coming from the same direction Quirrell had just fled from.

Harry tensed, pressing himself back against the wall.

The footsteps neared until, finally, another familiar figure stepped into view.

Snape.

The Potions Master was still limping like he had the day before. Harry watched him pass by, heading in the same direction Quirrell had gone.

His mind raced.

He quickly pieced it together.

The second voice—it had to have been Snape. Snape was the one threatening Quirrell.

It didn't take much for his Gryffindor brain to conjure a story. Why Quirrell had sounded so afraid, why he had promised to do something tonight. Snape must have been forcing him to do something about the Sorcerer's Stone.

Harry clenched his fists. But what should he do?

He had told himself he wouldn't meddle in other people's business.

But after this?

There was no way he could ignore it.

Without a second thought, he turned on his heel and hurried straight back to the library—completely forgetting about his full bladder.

---

Ron was still slumped over the table when Harry slid back into his seat. Hermione looked up, surprised.

"That was quick," she said, frowning.

"I didn't go," Harry muttered, leaning in. "Listen to this—"

Ron, who had been half-asleep, immediately perked up.

Harry quickly recounted everything—Quirrell's panicked voice, Snape appearing right after him, and how the Potions Master had followed him down the corridor.

Ron's eyes widened.

"So Snape's threatening Professor Quirrell?" he whispered loudly. "D'you think he's trying to get him to spill how to get past Fluffy—"

"It could be," Hermione said, chewing her lip. "Don't forget, Professor Quirrell knows how to deal with all sorts of creatures. If he can handle vampires, then maybe he knows how to get past a three-headed dog too."

"And did Quirrell say anything? Did he say how?" Ron asked eagerly.

Harry shook his head. "I didn't hear everything. It was too quiet."

They all sighed.

"So what do we do now?" Hermione asked.

Ron and Harry exchanged glances. Neither had an answer.

"We could tell Dumbledore," Hermione suggested after a pause.

Harry hesitated. "And tell him what? There's no evidence... We'll only be losing another bunch of points..."

Hermione bit her lip but didn't argue. She knew he had a point.

After a moment, she straightened her shoulders. "Then we need evidence."

"We could take Professor Quirrell and go to Dumbledore..." Ron suggested.

Harry shook his head. "No... Quirrell looked terrified of Snape. He was threatened, so he's never going to admit it to us..."

"Besides, everyone knows we don't get along with Snape," he added. "Dumbledore will think we're making it up just to get Snape in trouble."

Ron and Hermione nodded grimly.

Harry continued. "And even if he did believe us, how are we supposed to explain how we know about the Stone? Or Fluffy?"

There was no way around it. They knew too much. If they wanted to tell Dumbledore, they'd have to explain everything, and they didn't have a good reason to know any of it.

Silence hung between them.

Then—

"Should we go to Professor Maverick again?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

Harry and Ron exchanged glances.

It wasn't the worst idea—they all thought the same.

"We don't have time," Harry said firmly. "Snape's going to try to steal the Stone tonight. We have to tell someone... Even... even if it means losing more House points... we can't let Snape win."

One would think that Severus Snape was Harry's greatest enemy, listening to his tone. But alas, the man had tormented him in every class, sneering at his mistakes and docking points at every opportunity. It was no wonder Harry felt that way about him.

Hermione sighed. "Let's just hope Professor Maverick is more merciful than McGonagall."

Without wasting another second, they grabbed their things and hurried out of the library.

The corridors were mostly empty as they made their way to the alchemy professor's office, and soon they reached the door.

Ron took the initiative to knock, and the door swung open almost instantly.

They saw Professor Maverick seated at his desk, flipping through a stack of papers, and then raised an eyebrow at the sight of them.

"Why is it that every time you three show up, you look like the world's about to end?" he asked, setting his papers aside.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione hesitated for only a moment before stepping inside and sitting down.

"Right then," Maverick said, folding his arms. "Tell me what's so urgent..."

Ron wasted no time and blurted out, "Snape's going to steal the Sorcerer's Stone tonight!"

Silence.

"I'm sorry, what?" Maverick asked, blinking.

Hermione quickly cut in. "Professor, we know the Sorcerer Stone is hidden in the castle. And Snape... he's been trying to steal it all year!"

She launched into a rushed explanation, starting from how they first found out about the Stone, how Fluffy was guarding it, and how Snape had somehow pressured Quirrell into helping him.

"He's getting Quirrell to deal with Fluffy tonight," she said urgently. "And once that's done, Snape will go in and steal the Stone!"

Harry added, "We think Snape was the one who broke into Gringotts last year... He was trying to steal the Stone before it was moved here."

They kept talking, throwing in every piece of evidence they had, their words tumbling over each other in their urgency.

Maverick didn't say a word. He simply listened, truly at a loss for words at their imagination.

"Professor?" Hermione called hesitantly as the silence stretched after their recounting.

Maverick exhaled and leaned back in his chair. "First of all," he said slowly, "I didn't even know there was such a thing hidden in this castle."

That made all three of them blink in surprise.

"And even if it is here," he continued, "it's Headmaster Dumbledore's business. I'm certain he wouldn't leave it unprotected."

"But Snape—" Harry started.

But Maverick raised a hand to interrupt.

"And you got one thing wrong, that I know for certain," he said. "Even if Professor Quirrell knows how to deal with vampires, that doesn't mean he would know how to get past a Cerberus. Each Cerberus is different. Only their owner would know how to handle it."

Just as Maverick said that, something clicked in Harry's mind.

Hagrid.

Hagrid was the owner... and Hagrid was someone who would very easily let things slip when he shouldn't.

His brain worked overtime, and then another thought hit him.

The dragon egg. Hagrid had won a dragon egg from some stranger in a card game.

Harry shot to his feet.

"Sorry, Professor," he said quickly. "We have to go."

With that, Harry grabbed Ron and Hermione, pulling them out of the office before Maverick could even say anything.

And Maverick did not try to stop them, nor did he want to ask anything else. He simply watched them leave, but a small smirk tugged his lips as soon as the door shut behind them.

"Interesting," he muttered under his breath. "It's all happening much sooner than they did in the books..."

He tapped his fingers against the desk thoughtfully. Was it because Quirrell couldn't get the unicorn blood? Then Voldemort must be getting really desperate...

It was bound to be an eventful evening.

---

Harry didn't stop running until they were halfway across the grounds, Ron and Hermione panting behind him.

"Harry—" Hermione gasped, struggling to keep up. "What—are—we—doing?"

Harry didn't slow down. "It's Hagrid," he said breathlessly. "Don't you think it's strange... that what Hagrid wants most is a dragon, and a stranger turns up and just happens to have one? I mean, how many people just wander around with a dragon egg in their pocket?"

Ron and Hermione exchanged glances.

They quickened their pace and skidded to a stop outside Hagrid's hut. The half-giant was outside, tending to a few pumpkins with Fang at his feet.

"Hagrid!" Harry called.

Hagrid looked up, surprised. "What're yeh three doin' out here?"

Harry didn't waste time. "Hagrid, we need to ask you something... about the dragon egg," he said urgently.

Hagrid straightened, frowning. "Dragon egg? What about it?"

"You know, the one you won in that card game," Harry pressed. "Who was the person you won it from?"

Hagrid's frown deepened. "I dunno... didn't see his face. Kept his hood up," he said slowly.

Ron and Hermione exchanged uneasy glances.

Harry stepped closer. "This stranger though, he must have talked to you... said something about what you do, right?"

Hagrid paused, thinking. "Well, he wanted to know what sort of creatures I looked after... and I told him. Told him after Fluffy, I wouldn't mind raisin' a dragon." He chuckled at the thought.

"Did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry pressed, his heart beating faster.

Hagrid blinked at him, as if the question were obvious. "Well, course he was interested in Fluffy," he said with a grin. "I mean, how often do yeh come across someone who owns a three-headed dog?"

He went on, beaming as he recalled the rest of the encounter. "And I told him about Fluffy, of course. Told him... the trick to calming Fluffy is simple—just play him a bit of music. He'll fall right off to sleep. Works every time..."

He paused at the end, and then let out an "Oh..."

"I shouldn't have told yeh that... I should not have told yeh that..." he muttered to himself, but Harry's mind was already elsewhere.

A moment of silence stretched between them until Hermione broke it with another question. "Hagrid, is Dumbledore back yet?"

Hagrid blinked, looking confused. "Not that I know of."

That was it. That was all the three of them needed to hear. Without another word, Harry turned on his heel, pulling Ron and Hermione along as he rushed back toward the castle.

"Wait! Where're ye goin'? Wait!" Hagrid shouted after them, but all three of them didn't stop for a second.

---

"We have to get to the Stone before Snape does," Harry said, practically sprinting through the corridors.

"Harry, wait!" Hermione called, reaching out to grab his arm. "We can't—what if we get caught? We'll lose even more points."

"Big deal," Harry shot back. "What matters is stopping Snape."

"But—" Hermione tried to reason, but Harry cut her off.

"Do you really want him getting his hands on the Stone? Snape becoming immortal?" Harry asked, trying to convince her. "Besides, if we get to the Stone before him... prevent him from stealing it... we might just earn back the points we lost."

Hermione went quiet at that, and then there was a moment of silence between them, until—

Ron swallowed before asking, "we're really doing this, aren't we?"

Harry nodded. "We have to."

Hermione hesitated, her thoughts clearly racing, but then she let out a shaky breath and nodded. "Alright. But if we're doing this, we're doing it properly."

"Tonight," Harry said, his jaw set. "We'll go tonight. After dinner, after everyone falls asleep."

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