Chapter Text
Harry, Neville, Hermione, and even Draco were given detention from Filch after tracking in mud, a couple days after the dragon left. The four had gone to the greenhouse where Professor Sprout and Alex were, discussing about a newly discovered plant called dragonsbane.
Alex had decided on bringing the dragonsbane plant from the Known Worlds to Hogwarts. He had a very good feeling the plant would come into handy in a school like this, so Alex gave the herbology professor the plant with instructions on how to take care of it.
Sprout had spread the news of the gift in each of her classes. Draco had come to see the strange boy, Alexander, since he heard the name from Professor Sprout. Neville had come for his favorite class, Herbology. While Harry and Hermione came to see Alex get an award for his “service to the school”.
As Professor Sprout told the group of students, who were there for the extra credit, and maybe some who were truly interested in the discovery, the story Alex had told her. He found the plant on one of his trips in a magical forest. She remarked how the plant could be made into an incredibly strong healing potion, and the plant itself was incredibly rare. Alex was donating a bush-size of dragonsbane to the professor, and today it was going to be replanted in one of the greenhouses.
N.E.W.T level Herbology students were going to be chosen to take care of the plant for the rest of the school year, and some N.E.W.T level Potion students were going to be able to make the healing potion with Professor Snape. Sprout was ecstatic, and even Snape appeared at the end to select some students to brew the potion right away. Snape had said it might even be able to save someone an inch from death, which amazed the students, even Draco, who didn’t particularly enjoy Herbology class.
Afterwards, Alex said his hellos to Hermione and Harry, and waved at Neville who was caught up in a conversation with Professor Sprout at that moment. The two congratulated him on his award. He had gotten a small golden necklace of a plant growing, and he was told he was going to have his name in the trophy room. He quickly told them, however, he wanted to oversee Snape and his student’s potions, and rushed off.
Hermione, Harry, and Neville chatted with Professor Sprout for a while, even Draco staying nearby, as she talked about some of the ways the plant could help the wizarding world.
As they walked back in, Filch was waiting, and gave them each a detention ticket, blaming all the dirt that they and other students had tracked in, on the four of them.
A day later, they were each given a note reading: Your detention will take place at eleven o’clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.
That night, Hermione and Harry said goodbye to Ron in the common room and went down to the entrance hall with Neville. Filch was already there – and so was Malfoy. Harry had forgotten that Malfoy had gotten a detention, too.
“Follow me,” said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside.
As Filch led them outside, they could hear him talking, mainly to himself.
“Oh yes…hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me…It’s just a pity they let the old punishments die out…hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I’ve got the chains still in my office, keep ‘em well oiled in case they’re ever needed….Right, off we go, and don’t think of running off, now, it’ll be worse for you if you do.”
They marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffing. Harry wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really horrible, or Filch wouldn’t be sounding so delighted.
The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Harry could see the lighted windows of Hagrid’s hut. Then, they heard a distant shout.
“Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ‘ter get started.”
Harry’s heart rose, if they were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn’t be so bad. His relief must have showed in his face, because Filch said, “I suppose you think you’ll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, boy – it’s into the forest you’re going and I’m much mistaken if you’ll all come out in one piece.”
At this, Neville let out a little moan, and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.
“The forest?” he repeated, and he didn’t sound quite as cool as usual. “We can’t go in there at night – there’s all sorts of things in there – werewolves, I heard.”
Neville clutched the sleeve of Harry’s robe and made a choking noise.
“That’s your problem, isn’t it?” said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. “Should’ve thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn’t you?”
Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.
“Abou’ time. I bin waitin’ fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Hermione?”
“I shouldn’t be too friendly to them, Hagrid,” said Filch coldly, “they’re here to be punished, after all.”
“That’s why yer late, is it?” said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. “Bin lecturin’ them, eh? ‘Snot your place ter do that. Yeh’vedone yer bit, I’ll take over from here.”
“I’ll be back at dawn…for what’s left of them,” he said nastily, and turned back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.
Malfoy now turned to Hagrid.
“I’m not going in that forest,” he said, and Harry was pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice.
Hagrid and Malfoy argued for a while, until Malfoy dropped his gaze and stopped talking back.
He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest.
“Look there, see that stuff shin’ on the ground? Silvery stuff? That’s unicorn blood. There’s a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We’re gonna try an’ find the porrthing. We might have ter put it out of its misery.”
A stick snapped, and everyone turned around, except for Hagrid.
“Hopefully, we won’t need to,” Alex appeared from the forest, “ as long as the unicorn is still alive, and someone lets me know its location, I should be able to help.”
“And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?” said Malfoy, looking at Alex, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.
Hagrid answered, “There’s nothin’ that lives in the forest that’ll hurt yeh if yer with me, Fang, or Alex. An’ keep ter the path. Right, now, we’re gonna split inter two parties an’ follow the trail in diff’rent directions. There’s blood all over the place, it must’ve bin staggerin’ around since last night at least.”
“I want Alex…and Fang,” said Malfoy quickly, looking at Fang’s long teeth.
“Fang’s a coward, but that’s fine. You, me, Neville, and Fang will be a group. Harry, Hermione, you’ll be a part of Hagrid’s group. If any group finds the unicorn, it’s green sparks, and if you’re in trouble, it’s red sparks. Can everyone do that?”
The four students nodded their heads. Harry looked oddly at Alex, and then back to Malfoy. Harry thought, Why did Draco trust Alex?
“Harry, I’ll explain how I met Malfoy later. Now, everyone, be careful and let’s get started. Hagrid, would you like to lead the way?”
Hagrid nodded, Harry and Hermione side by side. Alex’s group trailed at the end.
The forest was black and silent. A little way into it they reached a fork in the earth path, and the two groups split up.
Alex’s group took the right. They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue blood on the fallen leaves.
Surprisingly, Neville spoke to Alex, “Sir, could a-a werewolf be killing the unicorns?”
Alex shook his head, quietly, “No. They aren’t fast enough. It’s something else. And, please just call me Alex, Neville.”
Neville asked another question, “You said you were going to help the unicorn. How are you going to do that? With your dragonsbane potion?”
Alex nodded, “Smart, Neville, yes. I will be using the potion, as well as a couple other healing spells to help the unicorn recover.”
Neville smiled. It seemed to Alex that Neville usually wasn’t called that.
Alex quickly stopped Malfoy from spooking the smiling Neville, with a quick lumos spell that blinded him for a moment.
“Draco. I recommend you keep your manners in check. If something can kill a unicorn, I expect it can kill students.”
Draco turned even paler, and Neville’s smile faded away, replaced with fear.
“Don’t worry. Nothing’s going to hurt you while I’m around, so wherever I go, you need to follow. No wandering off, and if red sparks appear from the other group, you better not fall behind me.”
The two boys nodded, and Alex dimmed down his lumos spell.
“Alex, why do you use a staff?” Malfoy asked, snarkily. Alex thought that the boy must think the staff is less powerful than a wand.
Alex smiled, leading them further into the heart of the forest.
“My mentor and I both use staffs. It’s tradition. I got my staff, which chose me just like how your wands chose you two. If we face this unicorn-killer, I expect you’ll see a demonstration of me and my staff.”
Alex continued, talking while observing the path. It was getting harder and harder to see. The blood also seemed to grow thicker.
“Boys, wands at the ready, and stay behind me. Don’t run away, because then it’ll be harder to find you. Both of you are not trained enough to defend yourself from most of the creatures out here, so stick behind me.”
Neville stepped closer to Alex’s left, and Malfoy to his right. The three of them could now see splashes of unicorn blood on the roots of a tree. They could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an oak tree.
“You have your wands ready, yes?”
Alex could see from the corner of his eyes, the boys nodding.
“Good. Again, you both need to stay close to me. I suspect the unicorn is here…as well as its attacker.”
The boys looked like they were about to faint, they were both so pale. Neville grabbed onto Alex’s sleeve, Malfoy quickly following.
Malfoy muttered to Alex, “A-and you’re sure you can stop it?”
“I am. This — whatever it is — won’t be a problem.”
Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. The three inched closer.
“Both of you cast green sparks now.”
The two quickly did, pointing their wands up at the sky. Alex looked closer at the unicorn. It was dead. Freshly dead. I can’t save it, he thought sadly.
“Alright, you two…”
Alex stopped as he heard a slithering sound. He grabbed Malfoy’s arm before Draco could get far, while Neville stuck close to Alex. They all started backing away from the noise. Fang had started yapping and running away. The dog was definitely a coward.
The thing that attacked the unicorn was nearby. He couldn’t leave the two kids alone, and the unicorn was dead, so it couldn’t be saved from its attacker. Alex had to be on the defensive, more than the offensive, for this fight.
A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered. Out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground toward the unicorn.
Alex cast Diffindo on the creature. A red light streaked out of Alex’s staff, but the creature waved it aside, turning it into sparks. It got closer to the unicorn, not the three wizards.
“Cast the red sparks charm now. The both of you.”
The cloaked figure had reached the unicorn by now, and started drinking its blood. The three of them had slowly reached the edge of the clearing.
Neville cast the charm while Malfoy screamed, seeing the figure drinking the unicorn’s blood. Malfoy tried to run, but Alex held him tight.
Alex cast inferno and a length of fire came towards the hooded attacker. A shield came up. It looked like…the protegocharm. The wizard had to stop drinking, in order to focus on the spell.
He cast another diffindo.
The shield broke, and the caster quickly moved aside, dodging the spell. He cast immobulus again and again, each time the wizard was dodging or casting a counter spell.
The figure turned, for a moment, looking at Alex and the two boys next to him. Alex couldn’t see its face, but it saw the blood dripping off him. He kept casting charms, but as the other group came running towards them, the wizard fled.
Hagrid was in the lead, with his crossbow out. He scanned the area, and when Hagrid noticed the unicorn, he ran forward to examine it. Hermione and Harry ran up to Alex.
“What happened? Are you okay?”
Alex dropped his hand from Malfoy’s arm. Neville was still scared, holding his wand up in the air with one hand, and holding on to Alex’s sleeve with the other.
“I’m fine. A hooded figure was killing the unicorns. From what I saw, he’s a wizard. A dark one. No one would want a unicorn’s curse.”
Hermione asked, “A curse?”
Alex nodded. Neville loosened his grip on his shoulder.
“Unicorns are very magical, and purely good creatures. They are also defenseless. Only a person who had nothing to lose, would be willing to drink its blood, since anyone who drinks is cursed to live a half-life. It could help someone live, even if they were really, really close to death.”
Alex continued, “At least that’s what I’ve read. Unfortunately, it never really explained how it would negatively affect the person’s life, other than it would leave a curse….specifically the term ‘half-life.’ I have my guesses, of course.”
He cleared his throat. Neville removed his hand from Alex, and dropped his wand back to his side.
“Anyway, glad that everyone is safe. I believe it’s best that we all leave. I’m sure it’s past midnight.”
Harry asked, “But who would be that desperate? If you’re going to be cursed forever, death’s better, isn’t it?”
“Someone who wanted to live, no matter the cost. Someone desperate would want it, or…someone waiting for their chance to get something better.”
Malfoy and Neville looked confused, but Hermione and Harry both looked at each other.
Alex called to Hagrid, “Is it alright, if I bring them back to the castle now?”
“Go fer it! I’ll catch up with ye later.”
As the five of them walked down the path, Hermione and Harry were behind Fang whispering. Neville and Malfoy were slightly in front of Alex, while Fang was right behind him. Since everyone was a bit tense, Alex sent out balls of light, every once in a while changing the color to something cool. Blue, green, pink, yellow, and more. It calmed everyone down, and it also, unfortunately, made everyone curious about him.
As they continued walking, Neville and Malfoy started asking questions. While the two didn’t seem to like each other at all, they both were curious about Alex.
Malfoy spoke first, “You said you’ve killed monsters before, like what?”
“Evil wizards, a dragon, the undead, trolls, a sea monster, and many others.”
Malfoy scoffed, and looked skeptical at him.
Alex laughed, “Believe me or don’t. I don’t care.”
Harry stopped talking with Hermione to say, “You’ve never told me about a sea monster. When did that happen?”
Alex laughed as Malfoy got both confused and suspicious. This time he looked between the older boy and Harry. Malfoy didn’t know Alex was Harry’s cousin.
“Well, I technically didn’t kill it. I convinced it to leave me and the crew alone. One of my friends was believed to be the serpent slayer. Not many people saw what actually happened. They were too busy, trying to not be thrown overboard.”
Neville looked like he wanted to say something.
“What is it, Neville?”
“Well, sir, I mean, Alex. I have a couple questions. One, how did you convince it? Two, how did you make the lights? Three,…could I ask you some more questions about your plants? Professor Sprout told me you had more plants that you and her have been talking about.”
Alex nodded his head. He didn’t think Neville’s question was exactly about plants. He had a feeling it was more about…healing.
“Harry and Hermione have recently learned this about me, and I’ve been thinking about talking to Dumbledore about it, but I can speak to dragons. I know their language. I’ve been thinking next year I can set up a club or maybe an elective to teach it to people.”
“For your first question, Neville, I convinced the dragon because I talked to her, told her why it was important for the ship to pass and bargained with her to let us through.”
Malfoy looked more confused. He interrupted Alex, “How can you talk to dragons? I’ve only heard of Merlin being able to do that!”
Alex turned to the boy, then spoke in Draconic, “Hello, boy. Would you mind?”
Hermione and Harry covered their mouths to stifle their laughter at Draco’s shocked expression. He turned back to Neville, continuing.
“I made the lights from a spell I learned from my mentor. The best way I can explain it is it’s like a summoning charm. I summon the number of lights I want, place them in the place I want, and then change the color or intensity of the light. I practiced for a while before I could get it to be this many and with all these different colors.
He thought for a moment, before Alex offered to Neville, “If you want, Professor Sprout and I just planned to start meeting the first of every Saturday. I’d like you to come, if you’re free.”
Neville looked thrilled, but nervously agreed. He had a feeling that Neville thought he would mess things up, if he was there.
There were a couple more minutes of questions by all four of the students, before they got out of the forest, and back into the castle. Alex waved his goodbyes as he left. He was sure Harry and his friends were going to ask for a meeting with him, after Alex clued the two in on what type of person would be drinking unicorn blood.
The next afternoon, Alex got a letter from Harry. Neville also added another letter to send to him, as well. Neville must have worked up the courage to ask Harry for it.
Harry and his friends wanted a meeting with him. This time though it wasn’t going to be about the Sorcerer’s Stone, but about Alex. They wanted to know more about him, after their detention.
They also finally believed it was Quirrell only, and Snape was not at all a part of it, because Snape would have already known that the effects of the dragonsbane potion would be similar to unicorn blood. Both would be able to save someone an inch from death. Snape would have just brewed one of Alex’s potions, and gave it to Quirrell. The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor wouldn’t be able to access the ingredients, and would especially not be able to brew the potion right. The three students trusted that Alex would protect the Stone, and promised to not go and break into the third floor corridor.
Alex was glad, and also quickly realized that while the stone would be safe, he hadn’t protected everything. He went to the greenhouse, and placed a charm around the bush, so that no one would be able to take any part of it for evil reasons.
Alex and Snape, a couple days prior to the award ceremony and the repotting of the plant, had already agreed that the potions would be carefully secured in either Snape’s personal room or with Alex. While Madam Pomfrey would likely want a couple of the potions in the Hospital Wing, Alex and Snape both agreed that it could easily be broken into. The two were also the only ones who could make the potion a complete success, to the point where it could stop someone from dying. They both figured that out, the day they watched the N.E.W.T students brew the potion.
Harry also told Alex, in the letter, that he had stabbing pains in his forehead, ever since his trip into the Forbidden Forest. He was being woken up by his old nightmare again. Harry said he felt like it was a sign or a warning of some kind.
Alex wrote back that he should use some of the Dreamless Sleep potions to get some rest, when it was closer to exams. Another tip, that Harry found odd, was to take the necklace he had been given, and put it closer to his forehead. Even odder, it worked.
Alex tried to calm Harry down by telling him that he would guard the Stone for a couple more days, and then Flamel had agreed to altogether have it destroyed, so no one could use it again. Dumbledore had been working on that agreement all year.
Four days before the final day of Harry’s school year, the trio planned on meeting up after their final exam to meet with Alex at Hagrid’s hut. As Harry and his friends walked over, he noticed an owl going by and soon he was rushing to the hut, worried.
“ALEX! Alex! Alex!” yelled Harry.
Hagrid was outside on a chair, and knocked on the door as he heard the boy yelling. Ron and Hermione still didn’t understand what Harry was so worried about.
Alex opened the door and saw Harry running towards him.
“Yes, Harry, what is it?”
“Hagrid…,” he panted. “Hagrid might’ve told the guy who sold him the dragon how to get past Fluffy.”
Alex turned to Hagrid, his eyebrow raised. “Hagrid, do you think you did that?”
“No!”
Hagrid thought for a moment. “I mean I…but he wouldn’t. He was just curious. Not many have seen a three-headed dog like Fluffy before.”
Alex nodded. “I agree, but like I assumed the last time you told me this, Harry’s right.”
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid looked confused.
Harry asked, “You know?”
“Yeah, one night when we were taking care of Norbert, we were both tired, and it was late in the night. Hagrid was a bit…red in the face, after celebrating Norbert growing so fast. He told me all about how he had gotten the egg, and with some questions, because just like you Harry, I was wondering. I learned that he had shared that music would get past Fluffy.”
Alex sighed, as Hagrid looked horrified, realizing. Alex waved his hand at Hagrid, stopping him before he could say anything.
“Don’t worry, Hagrid, it’s been weeks and weeks since the seller has learned of this. I’ve also set up some charms so I know when someone gets past the final challenge, and sees the Mirror. No one has.”
The four looked more relaxed after hearing this.
“Harry, Hermione, Ron, enjoy your final couple days here. Hagrid, don’t worry about it. I’m always minutes away from that corridor. No one is going to be able to get past me.”
Alex clapped his hands together, as he continued, “So, you are all here to know a bit more about me, so come on in. Hagrid has allowed me to use his hut to talk to you three.”
As the three kids went inside, Alex said, “Thanks, Hagrid. I’ll set up one of those magical tents you talked about next year, so I don’t have to take over your house all the time.”
“It’s no problem. An’ thanks for helpin’ me with the Stone. I would have felt terrible, if something happened to yer an’ the kids.”
Alex walked in, and chatted with the three of them for a while. They asked plenty of questions, and luckily he was able to answer most of them. Some of them, however, he couldn’t answer which both upset them and made them more curious about him.
He walked them back to the castle, and finished telling them the story about the serpent. The trio thought that Alex would be leaving the castle, but Alex continued walking up to the third corridor. He explained that since it’s the final days of school, someone was probably going to become desperate enough to try to break in, even if they didn’t have a full plan. He would be staying here until school ended. He promised to meet Harry at the station, if not sooner. He waved at them, and then went inside.
He meditated for a couple hours, before he heard a noise and a blazing black fire appeared near the door. Someone was breaking in.
He had a letter written already, in case of this, and sent it to Snape, through geeb. The geeb’s instructions were to be unnoticed, and deliver the message. The payment in gems was already done, so it wouldn’t wait around for a reply, since there would be none. The letter had a charm on it, so as soon as the geeb placed it carefully in Snape’s room, the letter would start to yell within the minute, “Emergency! Wake up!” in the voice of Alex himself. In the letter, he had the written the words: Intruder broke past everything, but the Mirror. Inform the appropriate people as soon as possible.
Snape didn’t know this was possible, so he was going to have a very weird and annoying wake-up call, but Alex knew Snape would wake up then.
He saw a figure walk through the fire, as Alex stood up to meet him.
Alex smiled at the man. Shock written on Quirrell’s face.
“Good evening, Professor.”
“Good evening. Alex, was it?”
“Yes.”
Quirrell sighed, coolly.
“I should have known to keep my eye on you, but you were always so hard to track. I saw you once with the troll, and the other in the woods. I never saw you anywhere else…How are you here?”
“I’m not a student here, but I’m…acquainted with the Headmaster. I could easily walk around the school, without much notice. Most professors have seen me around the hallways, and students think I look young enough to be one of the older students. So, that’s why you never really got to see me, Professor.”
Alex stepped away from the mirror, smiling, “Would you like to try the Mirror? It’s really an interesting piece of magic.”
Quirrell stepped forward, facing the Mirror while keeping an eye on him, as Alex walked back closer to the fire.
“This mirror is the key to finding the Stone,” Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame. “Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this…but he’s in London…I’ll be far away by the time he gets back…”
The professor walked towards the back, and then came back out from behind the mirror and stared hungrily into it.
“I see the Stone…I’m presenting it to my master…but where is it?”
Quirrell cursed under his breath.
“I don’t understand…is the Stone inside the mirror? Should I break it?”
After looking into the mirror again, he said, “What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!”
The voice came out, finally, “Use him…the wizard…”
Quirrell rounded on Alex.
“Yes – Alex – come here.”
Alex smiled as he walked closer towards the professor.
“Finally, you remembered me…Who’s the voice? It certainly wasn’t yours, Quirrell.”
He walked in front of the mirror, but didn’t look, instead looking at the professor. As Quirrell walked towards him, he stepped aside, out of the mirror’s view.
“Professor, I apologize for what I’m about to say, but you smell terrible. Move away. We can talk at a distance, can we not?”
Quirrell’s jaw clenched as he backed a step away.
“Thank you, Professor.”
He stepped back in front of the mirror, and looked in.
He saw his reflection, and a moment later the reflection smiled at him. Alex did not want the Stone, nor did he want to use the Stone, so nothing happened.
“Well?” said Quirrell impatiently. “What do you see?”
“I see nothing but my reflection, smiling back at me.”
He moved aside as Quirrell cursed again, walking towards the mirror. Alex moved back, closer to the fire.
He could tell Voldemort was trying to read his mind, he guided it to what he wanted him to see. What he saw in the mirror, just his reflection. It seems however that Voldemort was curious why he would be here, and searched his mind for that. He led him to a letter that Dumbledore had sent him before the year had started.
Dear Alex,
I would like to inform you that the Stone has been entrusted to me by Flamel. Since most of the professors have arrived, ready for the term to start, I have instructed them to each prepare a challenge or obstacle to block any unwanted intruders from being able to grab the Stone.
I ask you to protect the Stone as I finalize my own protection against any intruders…
The rest of the letter, Alex purposely blurred away, and while Voldemort searched his mind for anything to do with the Stone, that’s all he got to see from Alex.
Voldemort spoke, “Let me speak to him…face-to-face…”
“Master, you are not strong enough!”
“I have strength enough…for this…”
Quirrell began to unwrap his turban. His head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly so his back was facing Alex. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell’s head, there was a face, the most terrible-looking face Alex had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.
“Voldemort is the voice,” Alex said, it was a statement. “You’ve turned into this.”
Voldemort’s face contorted into anger as he spoke.
“Mere shadow and vapor…I have form only when I can share another’s body…but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds…Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks…you saw Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest…and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own…Now…tell me…how to get the Stone!”
Alex smiled, “Why would I want to do that?”
“Don’t be a fool! Better save your own life and join me.”
“I don’t believe that you can kill me. Not in that form.”
Alex kept smiling at the face.
“Why should I fear you? I don’t believe your Death Eaters even know you’re still alive. You have Quirrell, but…He’s good with theory, but won’t be a good enough duelist.”
Voldemort screamed, “SEIZE HIM!”
Quirrell jumped to get him. Alex didn’t sense any magic used, so he punched him hard.
He pulled out of his bag his staff, as he moved away from Quirrell, who was on the ground, getting back up.
“Colloshoo.”
As Quirrell got up, and tried to move, his shoes were stuck. Quirrell picked up his wand, about to say a spell.
“Expelliarmus,” Alex said.
The wand flew away.
“Like I said, Voldemort, you picked a very weak dueler. He’s good with spells when someone isn’t actively fighting him, I’ll say that much.”
Alex could hear a set of footsteps coming towards the two. Hopefully, it was Dumbledore. Voldemort heard the steps too.
“I’ll find another way soon…I will return.”
Quirrell screamed, as Voldemort separated his soul from his body.
The man fell as Voldemort in shade form flew away, past the fire.
Alex walked closer to check on Quirrell. Dead. It seems like the energy taken by Voldemort through possession was slowly killing him. With Voldemort breaking away from him, the man died.
Dumbledore walked through the fire, his wand out. He saw Quirrell lying there, and put his wand away.
“Dead.”
Alex nodded.
“Voldemort turned back into his shade form, and flew off. He heard your footsteps, seems like he knew it was you, or at least more trouble for him.”
Dumbledore nodded, looking towards the Mirror.
“Couldn’t get through to the Stone, could he?”
Alex shook his head.
“He got angry because of it. Tried to get me to get it for him. Obviously, I couldn’t either. Didn’t want it. Didn’t want to use it either.”
Alex looked carefully at Dumbledore, “You will be destroying it, correct?”
Dumbledore nodded.
“Flamel agreed.”
Alex thanked Dumbledore, and left. The following morning, Dumbledore informed Alex of the Stone’s destruction. A couple days later, Alex picked up Harry at the station.
His cousin and his friends talked for a while as Alex introduced himself to Hermione’s parents and talked with the Weasley family. Eventually the three students said hello to their families, but before they left Ron and Hermione quickly stepped over to talk to Alex.
“Are you going to be able to teach us over the summer?” asked Hermione.
Alex smiled.
“I’ll make a textbook over the summer and send it to you. Unfortunately, it’s probably going to be sent close to when you guys will be going off to Hogwarts. But, I will likely become a professor next year, so you three can always find me in my classroom.”
Hermione was already smiling, but by the end, the three were grinning at each other.
“…what am I missing?”
Harry smiled at Alex.
“You’ll find out next year.”
Alex sighed, his eyebrows raised.
“I’m sure I will. And, Ron, I’ll give a textbook to your brother Charlie. If he ever wants to visit me over the school year, I can give him a couple practical lessons that might be helpful for him.”
Ron nodded, smiling.
“He’s going to be thrilled. He’s always wanted to know what the dragons are saying to each other.”
“I’m sure you three will be sending each other letters over the summer, and I’m sure I can set up a meeting with your parents so that you all can meet a couple times over the summer.”
They were all excited. They all promised each other to keep in touch, and the three families started to leave.
As Alex and Harry went back to the Happy Dragon, Alex explained what happened the night they last saw him, going down the third floor corridor. When Alex explained that Voldemort was on the back of Quirrell’s head, Harry nervously nodded.
Harry had a feeling Quirrell was connected to Voldemort, maybe not on the back of his head, but somewhere too close for comfort. The ring was always so bright every time Harry even saw the man. Harry and his friends knew from their night in the forest that only someone close to death would want to drink unicorn blood, and get the stone. They couldn’t think of anyone else but Voldemort.
There was a couple minutes of quiet driving before Harry talked.
“Voldemort was getting the Stone to make the Elixir. If he got it, he would have come back. Would he have tried to kill me?”
“He might have, but that’s why I was guarding the Stone for most of the year. I trusted most of the obstacles, but I trust myself the most, especially when it comes to you. He was never going to get that stone, and now he never will.”
“Is it destroyed?”
“Yes. Dumbledore destroyed it with Flamel’s permission. He’s lived a very long life. He got enough wealth and life from that stone, and now he’s done. He’s accepted his death. Flamel’s got enough elixir to set his affairs in order, and then he will pass away.”
Alex could see Harry thinking, in the rear view mirror.
Harry said, quietly, “Could you stop him, Alex?”
Alex stayed quiet for a while, then said, “I think I could, but someday I’m going to help you get strong enough you can stop him yourself. That’s far away from now though, so for now I’m going to make sure nothing bad happens to you.”
Harry nodded his head, a small smile on his face. He was safe as long as Alex was around, he thought. Someday I might even be able to stop Voldemort myself…