The dream had left Harry restless. He didn't mention it during breakfast. The Hall was too loud, too normal. The clink of spoons, the rustle of owl wings, the easy chatter of students, it all grated against something inside him that just wouldn't settle.
He had barely touched his food. Hermione noticed first, she had been spending more time at the Ravenclaw table instead of her own table lately.
"Are you not hungry?"
Harry shrugged. Lynne, across the table, said nothing. But her eyes flicked up when he stood.
"Let's go." she said quietly.
They didn't need to ask where. The walk to the courtyard was silent, the wind brisk but not cruel. Frost lingered on the stone, glittering in the early light. They sat near the edge of the wall, where the sun warmed the stones just enough to be bearable.
"I had a dream the other day." Harry said finally.
Hermione leaned in. "A nightmare?" she asked.
"Maybe, it's making me feel very uneasy, like something is about to happen soon, my scar has been hurting at times as well."
"Would you like to go to the hospital wing?" Lynne asked.
"I don't think that will solve it."
"Honestly, I understand you, Harry. I'm stressing over exams too, I definitely should have begun studying hard earlier." Hermione said.
"You will do fine, Hermione. You answered all of my quizzes perfectly."
Lynne had somehow prepared exams for every class, with every topic that was covered, and even some questions that would help as extra points. Harry had tried his best but some questions were just too hard. Nevertheless Hermione had answered everything well enough but was still fussing over the oncoming exams.
While Lynne and her kept mumbling about the upcoming tests, Harry couldn't stop thinking that things were not fine and that something bad was going to happen soon. It had nothing to do with the exams, Actually he was confident he would do well enough.
They had done a lot of studying throughout the year, and even some of their housemates, like Anthony, Terry and Padma had joined them to review some of the classes, they had discovered that Lynne would answer everything that she was asked without fail. It was fun times as well and he felt that he was gaining more friends in the house of the ravens.
So why was he feeling so uneasy when everything else aside from the stone mystery was going great, he wondered. Maybe he was just tired of pretending it would sort itself out. Pretending the professors had it handled, with everything that had happened, specially the troll incident, and what Lynne told him about what happened in the forbidden forest.
Harry and Lynne went back to the common room, the fire burned low, casting long and lazy shadows against the walls. They would have two weeks of exams to worry about first before the stone, they plan to get information from Hagrid eventually while trying to get their mind focused on their education first.
----0000----
The sky was bruised with clouds when they made their way to Hagrid's hut in the afternoon. The wind had picked up over the grounds, carrying with it the faint scent of wet soil. Hogwarts loomed behind them, distant and quiet as if holding its breath.
Hagrid welcomed them in with his usual booming voice, but there was something uneasy in the way his eyes flicked towards them. The inside of the hut was warm, cluttered as ever, with Fang asleep by the fire and kettle whistling on the stove.
They talked over steaming mugs of tea, the trio carefully guiding the conversation, eventually the question slipped out. Harry had been waiting to ask, unable to keep it buried.
"We know, Hagrid. We know what is behind Fluffy. We think a professor is trying to steal it, and we don't know who to go to. Do you think we should warn Dumbledore?"
Hagrid stuttered and tried to brush it off with praise for the headmaster, with the stone being safe, that no one would get past Fluffy, but it didn't take long before they had what they needed. Hagrid slipped and they now knew that several Professors had placed enchantments there.
By the time they returned to the Great hall, their minds went into overdrive trying to figure out which one of them could have motives to go after the stone and how to prepare their case to accuse them to the headmaster.
"So, several professors laid down a defense, it's not just Fluffy up there. One of them is going for the stone, I'm sure." Harry whispered.
Lynne's eyes were turned towards him, the book she had on her lap forgotten, her metal fingers were tense twitching slightly, as if her thoughts sparked restless movement in them.
"You should let me handle it."
Harry sat up straighter. "What? No. We are a team."
"I'm trained for this, Harry. It could be very dangerous."
He frowned. "That's exactly why I have to help, I cannot leave you to face this alone."
The silence after that was heavy. Lynne stared at him for a long time before finally, with the smallest trace of guilt behind her composed expression she spoke again.
"We are going to spy and get close to the person who may be working to bring back the Dark Lord. If I let you go with me, you have to follow my orders. No rushing in."
"Deal." He said without hesitation.
"That goes for you as well, Hermione."
And there was no room for discussion. That evening they spent their time trailing professors, taking their exams and taking notes. Harry's journal was now full with details of comings and goings, schedules and professors' habits.
They started with the most suspicious one, Snape. They had to follow him around with the cloak as it seemed he knew exactly where Lynne was at all times. When they couldn't gather more information other than he didn't like grading exams they moved to the others.
Harry hadn't meant to linger inside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, he was looking for clues on Quirrell's things. He searched through his drawers, desk and different possessions but found nothing to do with the Stone.
He got trapped when Professor Quirrel entered his office abruptly. Hiding below the cloak trapped into a corner of the room, Harry did his best to hold his breath and reduce the noise of his beating heart.
Quirrell began muttering to himself, but the words were too deliberate, too low. And there was no stammer.
"I have done what you asked." the professor said, his voice strained. "The girl was just too aware, I couldn't kill her, she is too dangerous. She knows something, she keeps watching me wherever I go."
Harry froze, every nerve buzzing.
"I ordered you to remove her!" came the answer. It wasn't Quirrell, it was colder, sharper. Like glass dragged over marble, yet barely louder than a whisper. "You should have killed her already."
A silence stretched, and Harry could hear only the faintest rustle of cloth, he also saw Quirrell shifting, almost trembling.
"I… I will try again."
"No, we focus on the plan now. One girl won't stop us. You will kill her if she stands in our way. We will go for the stone soon, then we can deal with other problems."
"As you say, master."
Harry waited, heart pounding, trying to slow his fast paced breathing, doing his best not to do a single movement. His mind racing, after a few seconds, Quirrell left his office, for Harry it felt like an eternity. He waited for a moment to make sure he was not coming back and quietly left the office, then hurried down in search of his friends.
----0000----
They were halfway up the castle stairs when Lynne felt the shift behind them. She turned her head and in a blink of an eye, had her wand ready in the face of an older student, falling into step beside her, hands tucked into his cloak pockets, his expression unconcerned under the pale hue of Lynne's wand.
"Busy evening?" he asked, glancing between the three of them.
Harry blinked. "Do we know you?"
"Hi." Hermione offered, awkwardly.
He ignored them and looked at Lynne who was now lowering her wand, clearly assessing he was not a threat.
"I've been meaning to talk to you."
Lynne stared back for a moment.
"Must it be now, Fowler?" she asked.
"I'm not here to throw stones." he said. "You've had enough of that lately."
He gave a short breath of laughter, not mocking, just tired.
"Look. I know how Ravenclaws talk, they like being right, they like order and competition. And when someone doesn't fit, we cut them out and call it logic."
Harry frowned slightly, still anxious as they still had to go tell Professor Flitwick about Quirrell. Lynne kept her eyes on him, studying.
"I remember when they started whispering about me." Virgil added, softer now. "After what happened to my family, I tried to do my best, but I was made an outcast ."
His voice dropped lower, but there was steel underneath it.
"They never expected me to outlast and ignore everyone. But it has been lonely, which is why I wanted to offer you my support, as I would have wanted myself when I entered school."
A long pause made the silence uncomfortable.
Lynne's eyes flicked toward him, just briefly.
"I already have friends." she said.
"Yes, but why not more? I could be of assistance." he replied.
They didn't shake hands, or vows. No awkward smiles to seal the deal. Lynne just nodded in quiet understanding.
"Then if you want to support us, we would use help convincing professor Flitwick, we are on our way to his office, something dangerous is happening on school grounds."
"Lead the way then, no need to explain." he answered.
Having an older student with them might push the odds of being taken seriously in their favor, and Harry was happy to have a new friend in their group. They were friendly with most of their housemates but they had kept their distance because they were scared of Lynne. This lifted the group's unease for a bit.
The now four member group headed for Flitwick's office with haste. They now had evidence and they were ready to let the professor know of the danger. Maybe he could also notify Professor Dumbledore.
The corridor outside Professor Flitwick's office felt colder than usual, the torches flickering with jittery orange light as Harry, Hermione, Lynne and Virgil stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the carved oak door. None of them spoke at first.
Hermione shifted her weight, fidgeting with her hands. "He'll listen. He has to."
Virgil nodded, more reserved. "He always says students should speak up if they're troubled. He means it… I think."
Harry glanced at Lynne, whose expression remained unreadable. She wasn't fidgeting or pacing like the rest of them, just watching the door with that calm intensity she always had before something big happened.
Harry raised a hand and knocked.
A moment later, the door swung open and Professor Flitwick appeared, blinking behind his tiny spectacles. "Oh! Goodness, what a crowd. Come in, come in."
They filed inside, the room was cozy and stacked high with books. Enchanted instruments quietly humming from the shelves. A kettle whistled in the corner as Flitwick waved his wand to silence it.
"To what do I owe this visit?" he asked, hopping onto a cushion behind his desk. "It's not often I get a delegation from my own house and a lion with them."
Harry took a breath. "Professor, we think Professor Quirrell is going to steal what's being guarded on the third floor, the philosopher's stone is not safe."
Flitwick blinked surprised. "Pardon?"
"We've put the pieces together." Hermione said quickly. "We know what is being stored in the castle, safe behind enchantments provided by several Professors, but what if one of you knows about them already and how to get past them?"
Lynne didn't speak, but she stared straight at Flitwick. Her silence made her point louder than words.
"We even heard him talk about it, we spied on several Professors and Quirrell was talking to a voice I didn't recognize. He must be the one behind the troll attack as well!" Harry continued.
Flitwick raised a hand gently. "I understand you're worried, I do. And if what you said is correct and Professor Quirrell is trying to steal the stone, he is going to face more resistance than he anticipated. Hogwarts has layers of magical protections, very powerful ones. Besides Professor Dumbledore himself added an enchantment of his own to protect the stone. It will keep it safe I assure you."
"But what if he knows how to get past them already?" Harry asked. "What if he manages to get it for Voldemort?"
Flitwick recoiled at the mention of the dark lord. "This is not something for students to involve themselves in." a hint of steel entering his little voice.
Virgil was shocked at the revelation of what was being kept at the school, and how a couple of first years had come up with what was going on at the third corridor, and that it was much more dangerous than he originally expected. And now he looked visibly deflated.
"Sir, what if the students are the ones in danger as well? What happens if Quirrell is indeed working to get the stone and is frustrated? What if he takes a kid with him to face the protections?"
Flitwick gave him a long look. "Then the professors will protect them, and no one should be after curfew at all, you shouldn't worry until Professor Dumbledore comes tomorrow. We can explain to him everything you said and we can see what he decides to do with this information."
"If he is gone, then we are all in danger, Professors included."
Flitwick adjusted his spectacles. "He had an emergency meeting, he will be back in the morning and we can resolve this. This conversation is over, I won't have rumours or accusations. I suggest you all return to your dormitories and leave this to the staff."
They stood to go, but as soon as Virgil got up a flash of light erupted from his pocket. Blinding all of them momentarily. When Harry regained his sight he saw a small pebble that was shining red as if it had been heated in an oven.
"Ugh, sorry Professor. I forgot I had that in my pocket, the Wesley twins pranked me with one of those things and I thought I had deactivated it."
With a small wave Flitwick dismissed them. The news obviously made the group desperate, that meant that Quirrell was moving tonight, and their own head of House was not taking them seriously.
As they were about to return Virgil approached Lynne and whispered something in her ear and placed something in her hands, Harry couldn't see well what it was. Then marched to the common room leaving the trio behind.
"He gave me my wand back." Lynne said finally with a smile on her face.
Harry looked hopeful for the first time in hours. "I don't think we can wait any longer. Dumbledore is not in the castle, it's going to be tonight. Quirrell is going to try to get the stone."
"We will stop him." Said Hermione. "I will sneak out of my common room and meet you guys close to the third floor."
She quickly left, leaving the pair of Harry and Lynne to review what could be the enchantments placed by each Professor.
----0000----
The torches lining the third-floor hallway flickered with nervous firelight as Harry and Lynne waited outside the forbidden floor near the stairs, their breath quiet and their ears tuned to the emptiness around them.
Footsteps echoed fast from the far end of the corridor. Hermione emerged from the shadows, slightly out of breath, her wand gripped tightly in one hand.
"You're late." Harry whispered.
"I had to petrify Weasley." she said, brushing hair from her eyes.
"You what?" Harry blinked.
"He wanted to follow me." Hermione huffed. "He was pacing in the common room with that look, you know the one, and I knew he was going to sneak after me. So I used the Full Body-Bind Curse. He's fine. I propped him up near the fireplace and left a note apologizing."
"You left a note?" Harry muttered.
"I was in a rush!"
Lynne tilted her head. "You could've stunned him. Faster."
Hermione frowned. "That's a bit much."
Lynne gave a shrug, unbothered. "Depends how long you want him out of the way."
Harry ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "Alright. Let's just hope he doesn't find us later."
Hermione took a breath and looked at the locked door. "We're really doing this."
"We are." Lynne said simply, her voice calm and firm.
They crept through the silent corridor under the cloak's cover, their footsteps muffled by Lynne's careful enchantments. The door to the forbidden corridor on the third floor loomed ahead like a secret too big to stay hidden. It was cooler than the rest of the castle, and unnaturally quiet.
Their footsteps echoed faintly on the stone floor, every breath sounding louder than it should in the charged silence. As they approached the end of the hall, the distant sound of soft harp music drifted toward them like a lullaby forgotten by time.
Harry opened it quietly. The low growl of the three-headed dog rumbled like distant thunder. Fluffy stirred, but he was sleeping soundly.
The enormous three-headed dog lay coiled, its bulk enough to fill half the chamber. The beast's fur was dark and matted in places, more bear than dog in sheer mass, and each massive head rose and fell in rhythm with the others. Drool pooled beneath its three muzzles, nostrils flaring slightly with each snore.
Despite its fearsome reputation, the creature looked… oddly peaceful. A golden harp stood just beside the platform, gently plucking its own strings without aid. An enchantment, clearly.
Lynne's eyes narrowed. "Someone's already been here." she whispered.
"The music, someone enchanted the harp." Hermione added, stepping lightly closer. "Must've been Quirrell. He left it playing to keep the dog asleep."
Harry couldn't help but stare. Even asleep, Fluffy was terrifying. One wrong move, one broken note, and those massive heads could wake in an instant. The size of its paws alone could shatter ribs.
"How do you even keep something like that fed?" he muttered.
"I don't think you ask questions like that at Hogwarts." Lynne replied quietly, checking the shadows. "We need to move before the spell fades."
They approached the trapdoor. Hermione was already crouching down, inspecting it. "It's quite dark down there, I cannot see the bottom." she murmured, fingers tracing the heavy iron latch.
"I'll go first." she said. "Wait for my go." She knelt, wand in hand.
Lynne looked down, then without hesitation swung her legs over and dropped into the darkness below. She gave them a soft reply to come down.
The harp gave a faint stutter, one note faltered and then the music stopped. Harry and Hermione froze. One of Fluffy's ears twitched. A massive paw shifted.
"Hurry." Harry hissed. "Jump."
A dark void yawned beneath them, air rushing up cold and damp. They landed on something soft. As they landed blue fire engulfed them and they fell once more to the floor.
"What was that?" Harry asked, eyes wide.
"Devil's Snare." Hermione said "Or what is left of it."
The plant had recoiled instantly, some of its tendrils burning.
They heard in the distance the sound of flaps, like a swarm of birds. But when they approached the next room, they saw they were keys, enchanted winged ones that shimmered in the torchlight like darting stars. A single broom in the middle of the room.
"I assume we have to get the key to this door. It must be one of those." Harry said.
"Alohomora." Hermione tried the spell on the door but it didn't work.
"I see it."
Lynne jumped first, grabbing the broom without hesitation.
"I'll get it." she said, eyes narrowed.
She was immediately attacked by the swarm of keys as she took off. She batted them away with one hand while accelerating for the one she saw as the right one. It was an old key that had an injured wing. She weaved between the flitting shapes with surgical precision, catching the old key in a clean snatch before dropping it into Harry's hand.
"Go."
Harry quickly tried it and the locked door swung open. They moved inside as Lynne let go of the broom midair and landed with a loud thumping noise. The keys seemed to only attack the one on top of the broom and they began flying idly as she hopped off.
They closed the door leaving the keys behind.
----0000----
The next room was a massive chamber stretched out before them in black and white marble, polished to a mirror shine. Towering chess pieces stood motionless on either side of the board, each carved from stone and exuding a silent menace. The air was colder here. The only sound was the faint echo of their footsteps as they stepped into the room.
A heavy click resounded behind them, the door sealed shut.
"A real-life game." Harry whispered. "This is a transfiguration spell."
"We have to play." Hermione said, stepping forward and studying the pieces. "We have to take the places of real chess pieces."
"Which ones?" Harry asked, but Lynne had already stepped onto a square.
"Knight. Duro." she said simply, drawing her wand and tapping her shoulder. Her robes shimmered and darkened, almost like armor.
Harry took the bishop's position, and Hermione the rook's. The board came to life with a grinding of stone on stone. The opposing black pieces stirred, silent, watchful as the game began.
It wasn't fast. Every move mattered. Hermione's lips were tight with focus, Harry's hands balled at his sides between turns, and Lynne advised both of them regularly. Her knight's role came with the brunt of battle.
The first piece she struck was a bishop. Her spell split it cleanly down the center. When the enemy retaliated, the rook came down like a hammer. Lynne blocked it mid-swing with a shield charm, her body thrown back across the square. Her metal limbs sparked where she hit the stone but held.
She stood, blood trickled from her hairline. Harry gasped, she wiped it away and prepared to defend again, the piece failed to break her so now it was just looking for a fight.
"We're cornered, I'm not good at this." Hermione breathed in panic.
Lynne raised her wand, casting a glance at Harry. "I've had enough of this."
Before they could stop her, she took three steps forward.
"Bombarda."
The spell struck the white queen, causing an explosion that sent shards of stone flying. The queen was obliterated, leaving a smoking pair of legs in its place. The remaining white pieces hesitated, as if reconsidering their programmed responses.
Hermione gasped. "Lynne, you're not supposed to-"
"Bombarda!" Lynne interrupted, already targeting the next piece. Another explosion, another piece destroyed.
Harry and Hermione exchanged glances but said nothing. The path was being cleared, albeit unconventionally. With the opposing side in disarray, they just stood while Lynne unleashed spell after spell.
The remaining white pieces froze, then bowed, acknowledging defeat. Lynne lowered her wand, light shimmers curling from its tip.
"Let's go."
They went into the next room, a troll lay dead, and the smell was foul. This turned Lynne's look to one of concern. She kept going forward and the pair followed.
The next chamber was cold and narrow, the walls lined with tall, empty shelves and a single table in the center. Upon it stood seven glass bottles of varying sizes and colors, each marked with a tiny rune.
A scroll sat beside them, inked in flowing script. Hermione stepped forward and scanned it quickly.
"It's a riddle." she murmured. "Logic, instead of using magic."
Harry wiped blood from his cheek, eyes darting between the bottles and Lynne, who stood perfectly still, already scanning their placement, the candlelight catching the worn edges of her coat.
"We have to pick the right potion to go forward." Hermione said, thinking aloud. "Only one lets us through the black fire ahead. Another will send us safely back."
Lynne didn't speak. She stared at the bottles as if seeing through them. After a moment, she pointed to the third on the left.
"This one lets you through."
Hermione blinked. "Are you sure? We haven't even-"
"I'm sure."
Harry stepped forward, but Lynne turned to block him.
"You'll drink the one that takes you back, which is this one." she said, pointing to another bottle.
"No." His voice cracked slightly. "We're not leaving you."
"You've done enough, think about what the dead troll means." she replied, not unkindly.
"You said I could help. That I could stay."
Lynne looked at him for a long moment. Then, softly, "You've already helped more than I ever expected. But I cannot know for sure I can protect you in there."
Hermione's lip trembled. "You don't have to go alone."
"I do." she said. "And I will."
Before either of them could react, she lifted her wand and whispered a word neither of them caught. A soft shimmer, like falling snow, drifted over them both.
Harry's eyes went wide. "Lynne, what did you-?"
The world tilted. His limbs went heavy.
Hermione's voice slurred "No…wait…"
And then, both of them collapsed gently against the far wall, asleep, safe. Lynne stepped back. Her hands trembled, just for a moment, then steadied again. She took the third potion and drank. She stepped through the black fire, and into peril.
----0000----
She came through the flames like a ghost, silent and unburnt. Her eyes fixed on him with a focus that made Quirrell's breath catch. He was trying to figure out how to extract the stone from the Mirror, that cursed headmaster had placed all of those defenses to annoy him, the cursed artifact was the real challenge, nothing more.
He knew that she was following him, and thus was not surprised that she was the one who would come after him that same night. But something about her today was totally wrong, her sharp eyes were trained on him, her wand ready and a curse soon left her lips.
He straightened and evaded, surprised at first then angry at the small brat. They traded a few spells before both paused for a breath, calculating.
"Brave of you to come alone." he said, letting the smoothness return to his voice.
She didn't answer, just kept her arm raised, her wand glowing softly.
"You had so much potential for a first year, I will give you that, but your foolishness led you here, and now you will die."
He unleashed a fury of spells, cutting, reductor and different curses meant to pierce her shields and deal enough damage to slowly take her down. He felt the twist of annoyance flare in his chest.
"Expulso!"
The blast scorched towards her, a quick, cracking explosion that had dropped more than one target before, learnt from Antonov himself. But she moved like water, darting to the side, metal limbs hitting the ground with a harsh scrape.
She retaliated instantly, three spells in quick succession, no flash and no flourish.
"Confringo, Diffindo, Depulso."
Quirrell blocked and ducked but the third caught his sleeves again making him spin in his place. He stumbled but didn't fall.
"Sloppy." his master growled.
"I'm trying, master, she is too quick." he snapped under his breath.
She was already circling, no words said, he felt she was not dueling a student, much less a first year, as he deflected another cutting curse.
"Reducto!" He lashed out again, aiming for her center but she evaded with ease.
"I will handle her." he heard.
"You are not strong enough for this, mast-" he was interrupted as a yellow curse smashed against his shields and threw him backwards.
He felt his body slowly stop responding to him. He was now a passenger in his own body as his master stood and started throwing curses and transfiguring the stone of the now broken floor, attacking the girl relentlessly. He finally caught her with debris and then a Banishing spell sent her flying against the steps of the room.
She didn't scream, but landed hard, falling across the marble, one leg beneath her bent in the wrong direction. She stood up still even after the hard hit and he felt his master frustration deepen. A black liquid dripped to the ground where she stood.
"You are a formidable foe, for a first year, but you are nothing against me. Crucio!"
Damn, there is no escaping now, he thought, if the castle wards were active correctly, then an unforgivable inside it's walls would be detected easily. But as he was lost in planning ahead, he felt fear and confusion from his master.
He looked ahead and the girl was not screaming and she was barely twitching, in fact she had raised her wand again, conjuring multiple butterflies that seemed to fly harmlessly in front of her.
"Clever. But that won't save you."
"Rubescens." the girl whispered and her butterflies turned scarlet red.
"Avada Kedavra!" The killing curse bolted from his wand but the green curse was intercepted by one of those butterflies, falling to the ground in the process.
"Expelliarmus, Confringo." she retaliated, but his body evaded the spells once more
"Expulso."
Her butterflies now blown away by the explosion wouldn't shield her anymore. But as he thought his master would finish her, he felt his body again and quickly realized, his master lost control of his body, he was too weak now. It was up to him.
"Confringo." The explosion spell caught her stuck leg, throwing shards of metal in all directions and sending the girl to the floor once again and finally she did not stand back up.
He was about to use a reductor curse on her just to be sure when movement on the top of the stairs caught his attention. A gasp escaped from his mouth. The boy.
----0000----
Harry's head throbbed. He wasn't sure how long he'd been out. The chamber around him was still and silent, the flicker of torchlight casting uneven shadows across the stone. The cold had sunk into his skin, his limbs felt heavy, like they were wrapped in fog.
Then he remembered the spell that put him to sleep and how Lynne went there by herself. He jolted upright and saw that Hermione still lay beside him, breathing slow and steady, unconscious but unharmed. Her wand had rolled a few inches away, and he pushed it gently back into her hand before standing.
He tried to wake her up but no matter how much he shook her, she wouldn't open her eyes. The black flames were still there and the potion that Lynne had taken now was refilled. He thought that it made sense as Quirrell had probably gone inside already and they still had the potions for them to pass as well.
"We are coming back for you." He whispered to Hermione and drank the potion.
He went through the flames, stepping through. What he found on the other side stopped him cold. The air stank of smoke and burnt oil, the room was a ruin of shattered stone and scorched walls, a wand lay abandoned on the steps on the floor. He spotted Quirrell wand in hand, breathing heavily, and Lynne on the ground, there was what seemed to be blood scattered through the floor.
She was missing a leg from the knee down, her coat was torn and her hair was stuck to the side of her face. He could see that one of her hands was trembling against the floor as if trying to push herself up.
"Lynne!" Harry called rushing forward.
Quirrell moved, stopping him.
"You." the professor said, voice low and cold. "You will help me get the stone." Quirrell stepped closer.
"I should thank you." He murmured. "Come, stand in front of the mirror. Now!"
Harry didn't move as he reached out. He was about to grab him by his shoulder and Harry didn't think, just reacted. He raised his arm to block, trying to bat Quirrell's hand away. His hand grazed Quirrel's skin and that small contact sent the Professor screaming. It sounded almost inhuman.
Quirrell jerked back like he'd touched molten metal, his skin blistered, his wrist twisted violently and he was gasping in pain, as his hand was reduced to ashes. His wand was forgotten on the floor.
Harry stood frozen, breathing hard, the training with Lynne finally kicking in, his wand was now in his hand. He was about to stun Quirrell when behind him, he heard a sound, the scrape of metal and as he turned he saw Lynne dragging herself upright, blood streaking behind her. Her voice came through clenched teeth.
"Step aside, Harry."
Harry sidestepped and Quirrell barely had time to look up. Her spell hit him full-force. He was thrown across the chamber, crashing into the far wall with a crack that echoed like thunder. For a moment everything was still, then a sound, low angry and unnatural whispered across the stones.
A shadow peeled itself from Quirrell's fallen body, it had only a face, no edges, just shape, chill and malice. A guttural scream escaping its form.
Harry couldn't move, his mind realizing the terrible truth. Voldemort was inside the professor all along and that thing now turned to them, looking angry, finally passing through him like smoke. A wave of dread and desperation filled him. He didn't scream but he felt it in his chest, cold, heavy and terrible.
He was thrown back and landed hard on the floor. As his consciousness slipped away he saw that Lynne was on the floor again. His eyes felt so heavy, but at the last moment of clarity he heard footsteps, fast and urgent. He saw robes being swept through the broken steps like a wind chasing the dark.
His mind realized Professor Dumbledore came back, then everything went dark.
----0000----
Lynne's head rolled slightly to one side as consciousness slipped away again, the echo of that cold still clinging to her ribs. In the haze behind her eyelids, she saw flashes of images. A red butterfly on stone, the glint of silver arms raised in defiance.
Lynne felt the weightless drift of unconsciousness, yet her mind was wide awake, pulled violently through half-shapes and moments that weren't hers. A cradle's lullaby, then a girl's hand, small and trembling, reaching for light. Someone calling a name, but not hers, over and over again. A man with blood on his hands begging the world to stop turning.
'Where am I? Who is this? Why does it hurt?' She wondered. Faces flickered in the dark, soft and human, full of warmth she didn't understand. A woman, perhaps? Mother? It couldn't be, she didn't have one.
A rush of color blurred her vision. Then more memory fragments invaded her mind, sharper this time. She saw herself running barefoot down a hallway. A laugh that ended in a scream, then hands, too many hands, holding her down. Then all came crashing down, a final spell followed by silence.
Lynne gasped in the void, though her body didn't move. Her mind clawed for something familiar, something real. After what felt like eternity, she finally heard familiar footsteps, heavy and measured. A figure emerged from the mist, tall and robbed, his face obscured by shadows. She recognized that shape, her mentor.
She remembered the sound of his voice like a ticking metronome, cold and precise. The way he corrected her posture with a nod while going through the many lessons he taught her. Or when he guided her on how to disassemble and assemble her arms and legs. Briefly she swore she heard him speak. "I made you to endure, now get up."
She could finally relax, feeling confident that everything would work out. In this dreamscape, he knelt before her.
"Focus." he said. "You have a mission to complete yet."
The voices quieted. The chaos receded. Lynne reached out, as if to touch the edge of his cloak, anything to stay grounded, and the moment shattered. The dream blurred into comfortable white and she finally woke up. Her first thoughts going to her mission.
"Harry?" She asked as she opened her eyes.