Silence of the Winters; CH-22: The Final Showdown (Patreon)

Ahoy mates! This is chapter twenty-two of ‘Silence of the Winters’. Hopefully you’ll like it and comment on how it was? Fingers crossed.

Out with my rant, Here you go!

“I am Talking.”

‘I am Thinking’

Spells

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Be creative in making mistakes, you're allowed to make new ones,

but aren’t allowed to repeat them

~ R-Kade

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Previously in SotW:

In one of the towers of the same ancient castle, located on the fifth floor, twin emerald orbs opened in shock as their body was jolted by a small electric current triggered by someone triggering their alert ward.

On scanning the magical signature, Harry's eyes froze and there was only one thought in his mind…

'Shit…!'

Silence of the Winters

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 22: The Final Showdown~~

“Ron! Ron!!”

“...unh..five more mins mum..”

“I am not Mrs Weasley you idiot, wake up! Or did you forget what we had planned for tonight?” Alan whispered in his best friend’s ears who hummed but continued to snore loudly.

‘Honestly, he should’ve stopped eating more when I told him to, look at him now!’ Alan sighed before grabbing hold of Ron’s right arm and violently shaking him.

“wufgms..HWAA…WHAAZAAA..ALA-” Alan immediately placed his hand on Ron's mouth effectively shutting the boy off.

“Ron, don’t forget the mission, Professor Dumbledore is not in Hogwarts and Snape might try to steal the stone today!” Alan reminded.

Ron’s brain caught up and the boy woke up from his sleep-induced haze.

The redhead sat upright on his bed before he remembered the conversation that they had with Hagrid that afternoon about how he told someone how to get past Fluffy and Dumbledore not being in school to prevent Snape from stealing the stone.

“What are we waiting for Alan? Let’s go!” Ron removed his sheets as he jumped from bed, he grabbed his wand from beneath the pillow and together, the two boys stepped down the boy’s dormitory.

“Where are you two going now?”

Alan cursed his luck as both Hermione and Nevile were standing right beside the burning fireplace with their wands in their hands.

.

Harry closed the door behind him as he moved towards the common room, he flipped out his invisibility cloak and covered himself as he sneaked out of the common room and took off in the direction of the third-floor corridor.

‘Damn it! I will have to kill Quirrell tonight, unfortunately since today was going to be the last day of my elemental practice. I over-extended myself and can’t use my elemental powers at all…’

Harry is turning towards the staircase when he suddenly felt three more pings from the alert ward and his mind went to a halt when he sensed who they were:

Ronald Weasley

Hermione Granger

Alandale Potter

.

.

.

‘To think that those three would have enough bad luck to go after the stone on the same day as Voldemort…how are they ‘this’ dumb?!’’

Harry jumped into the corridor at the last moment because immediately after that, the staircase moved and joined the first-floor corridor.

The elemental didn’t break his stride as he rushed towards the wooden door that held the Cerberus, he was already five minutes late and he didn’t know if they would be able to fight the beast or if they were dead meat by now.

Opening the door, Harry saw that the Cerberus was fast asleep while there was a harp playing magically. He knew that it was Quirrel’s work because none of the first years had any prior training in magical instruments.

Harry didn’t know if he should be relieved that the idiots were still alive or feel bad for them because they were chasing after Voldemort who’d make their deaths even more torturous. Shaking his head, he continued.

Keeping his thoughts in check, he opened the trap door again and jumped down the chute. He cursed his luck as he had little to no elemental magic in him today, so he knew that he would have to rely completely on his magical prowess to fight Voldemort and save others.

Sliding through the slowly reforming vine bed which was burning, he praised Hermione’s brain to be able to remember the plant and how to counter it, he knew it had to be her because there was no way that the other two troglodytes could remember this.

Harry easily slid through the vine bed and went towards the room with flying keys, the door was riddled with holes and the broomstick was nowhere to be seen.

So Harry did what he thought was best in that situation, “Bombarda Maxima!”

.

‘BOOOOOM!’

“ALAN!”

Alan froze when he heard the blast and Hermione shouting his name, they just crossed the giant chessboard and his best friend had sacrificed himself to let them pass.

Alan swore that he will stop Snape even if that was the last thing he did and he won’t let Ron’s sacrifice go in vain, till this point they had been rushing to save the stone thinking that Snape was ahead of them, but this blast from behind changed things.

“What do you think that is, Hermione? Who could that be?” Alan asked his other friend who, he had to admit even though he didn’t like it, was much more brilliant than him.

“If that was Professor McGonagall then we should be thankful that we aren’t alone in this and that she heard our pleas but..” At this, Hermione looked back to the door that was behind them which led to the large empty room they just crossed.

“If it’s Snape then we have to save Ron!” Alan caught up and left the parchment that he was holding on the table and was about to run back to save his best friend when Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

“You aren’t going back there, Alan! You have much more important duty!” Hermione shouted at him.

“But RON-”

“I will go back and see if it’s Professor Snape or not, if not then I will take the flying broom and get some help from one of the Professors, we have to save the stone, we can’t take any risks.” Hermione elaborated her plan as she took the parchment beside the potions and started to solve the potions riddle.

‘Be safe Ron, I will come back as soon as I can!’ Alan and Hermione were thinking the same thing.

.

Harry moved into the chessboard room and frowned at its state, the king of both sides was dead, the game had already been played and since both the kings were dead, Harry assumed that the game had been played twice.

‘That means my brother’s merry gang of misfits and Quirrell are both in either the troll room or in the potions, wait didn’t I change the potion in that vial with water, that would mean…’

Harry’s eyes widened when he imagined that both Voldemort and Alandale might end up in Dumbledore’s floo which might be locked right now because the headmaster isn’t in Hogwarts.

With that thought in mind, Harry sped towards the door on the other end but stopped when he saw the lying, bloodied form of one Ronald Bilius Weasley on the chess board.

Harry looked at the redhead and had the urge to leave the boy as he was but he knew that watching an innocent person suffer uselessly or die was not something his consciousness would allow.

Harry knew that he was a hypocrite considering the numerous people he had tortured and killed to date but they were all wrong and even if he wanted to leave Weasley to his fate or say all those things about him all year long, he knew that he couldn’t.

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” Harry threw his hands in the air in frustration and pointed his wand towards the lying redhead and muttered “Episkey”

.

“The third clue here says that ‘neither dwarf nor the giant holding death’, and since we already know that the giant one had nettle wine, it means that this blue bottle contains the potion to go through that black fire.” Hermione held the small blue vial and gulped,

“Alan, this is it, the potion is already half, Snape is already inside and only one of us could go, you’ll have to go alone while I go back and get help.” Hermione gave the blue vial to Alan who looked at the potion with both determination and a little bit of dread.

“Take the broomstick and call McGonagall as soon as possible Hermione and don’t worry about me, I am the boy-who-lived, I finished you-know-who when I was a child, this is just an evil professor we are chasing, he won’t stand a chance.”

Alan puffed his thick chest out making Hermione frown in disgust before she shook her head and watched Alan gulp the entire potion in one go and throw the empty vial to a corner where it smashed and broke into pieces.

“All the best Alan,” Hermione said and after nodding to each other, she turned towards the door and ran back towards the chessboard room while Alan started walking towards the black fire.

Hermionie was about to open the door to that large empty room when the door opened on its own and someone stepped in the room.

The Gryffindor girl’s eyes widened in shock as she took a step back “YOU!”

.

Harry let out a small breath when his diagnostic charms confirmed that the Weasley male would live a few more boring years of his below-average life. He released his wand back into the holster and ran towards the troll chamber.

The chamber was, as he had already predicted, empty. So, without wasting any time, Harry ran towards the Potions chamber hoping against hope that he was still in time and that Alan and Hermione-no wait, Hermione only hadn’t solved the riddle already.

The elemental opened the door and stopped when he saw Hermione’s shocked face a metre away from his and by the looks of it, she was going for the door’s handle.

“YOU!” Hermione screamed in shock and disbelief.

“Me yes. That’s the second of your lot. Now, where’s Alandale?” Harry asked the still shocked girl.

“What are you doing here? You aren’t supposed to be here!” Hermione was still shocked as to how this boy of all people had joined them.

“I am trying to save you idiots from being more idiotic than usual, now where.is.Alandale?”

Maybe it was the look on Harry's face or maybe it was the way he spoke, maybe it was the situation that they were in or maybe it was the fear of looming death that had clouded her mind, Hermione for the first time didn’t argue with Harry and instead pointed him towards the corridor brimming with black flames lashing out like whips “He is in there, going to save the stone from Professor Snape.”

‘Snape? Oh you bloody ignorant fools…you don’t even know who you are trying to save the stone from,’ Harry shook his head.

“Where are you going? Why are you even in-” Hermione stopped again when those smouldering green eyes glared at her.

“Go help Weasley, I tried to heal him but it’s not perfect, take him to Madam Pomfrey and go tell McGonagall to call Dumbledore, I will try to stop Alan from going on a suicide mission,” Harry told her as he turned towards the flame corridor.

“You know Healing charms are-” Hermione began.

“NOW! Granger! Do as I say or both of your friends will die within half-an-hour!” The emergency and force in Harry's voice pushed Hermione to scurry off in the direction where she knew Ron was lying while Harry moved towards the corridor just in time to see Alan take the first step in the corridor.

“ALAN, NO!” Harry screamed but his brother ignored him and went completely into the fire. He turned back towards the sound and was surprised to see his brother standing in front of Hermione.

“What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here.” Alan shouted over the flames as Harry ran towards him.

“And you shouldn’t do what you are doing, step out of the flames this instant!” Harry yelled back was about to pull his wand to summon Alan out of the flames but he noticed how the open floo fireplace was active now and that his brother was already in the process of rapid floo transgressions.

Any moment now and Alan would be flooed to Dumbledore’s office, the floo which might have Quirrell in it.

“You think I don’t know what you are doing here?” Alan smirked as he saw his brother come to a halt.

“What? I am trying to save you, you damn idiot! Step out of the flames already or you will be trapped and likely be killed tonight!”

“Try all you want but it won’t faze me. I know you want to save the stone and steal my credit but you're not the hero Harry, that’s me.” Alan puffed his chest out “I have always been the hero, the better one among us and I will be the hero this time too!”

And with that, Alan started moving towards the final chamber.

‘WHAT THE-’ Harry’s brain stopped working for a few nanoseconds when he heard the utterly idiotic and abysmal shit of an excuse which proved his brother’s minuscule prowess in thinking capacity and his IQ which was probably lower than the room temperature.

“What’s wrong with you? Come back, don’t go, it's not Snape that you are going after!” Harry screamed aloud but by then Alan had already crossed the fire.

‘Wait what? Did Dumbledore refill the potion that allowed you to cross the flames? If that is the case then..’ Harry turned towards the potion table, he could check the vial if there was even a drop left, the potion would still-

But the vial wasn’t there, Harry looked around and saw broken pieces of glass that were there in a corner ‘Can you be any more of an idiot?’ Knowing his brother, Harry knew that he shouldn’t ask such things, his brother might prove him wrong.

Harry looked around the room and realised that Hermione had already left ‘Probably to save Weasley’ he then made up his mind to use his life source and charge his elemental powers enough so that he could fly over the black flames and enter the chamber to fight Quirrel.

The elemental closed his eyes and was about to link his elemental self with his mortal one when he heard a voice that stopped him.

“Why am I not surprised that you already know Severus is not after the stone…after all, you aren’t the dumb one who went inside, are you?”

Harry turned around and immediately flicked his wand out, the tip glowed as its master took a defensive stance, glaring at…nothing? The boy didn’t utter a word but spread his magical senses around him, was Quirrell playing games with him now?

“Where are you? Show yourself.”

Laughter boomed in the nearly empty chamber as Harry looked around, he could sense that the sound was originating from the dark corner to his far-right but he could neither see the man nor sense him.

“I have to say though, you are far more interesting than the presumed boy-who-lived. I've been observing you for a year now and I am quite pleased with your growth.”

"Though I doubt it, I am glad that my progress makes you happy. Now come out and show yourself, your voice has changed but I know who you are.” ‘Quirrel, where the hell are you?’ Harry looked to his right where the laughter boomed from and he was shocked at what he saw.

The shadow to his far right darkened and moved towards the corner where they coalesced and it seemed that they became more solid, as if the shadows from the entire room were running to that one point of convergence.

Slowly a shape started forming as a solid black mass emerged from the darkened corner and rose to Harry’s height before rising even more. Hands and legs started forming as the shoulders space widened and a head of the same inky blackness emerged.

There was now a shadow figure standing right in front of Harry who was looking at it with wide eyes as he saw the figure slowly clear out to get Quirrell’s smirking face.

“Quirrell,” Harry muttered as the shadows over the man’s torso crept down like snakes clinging to him while black wisps from the smirking DADA professor’s limbs.

“Surprised Mr Potter?” Quirrel asked the boy who was still looking at him with a pointed wand and surprisingly enough there wasn’t a single emotion that could be detected from the boy.

No fear, no anxiousness, no dread…it was as if the boy was a statue carved out of stone without any mind or emotions for that matter.

“Not at all, I already knew it was you who was after the stone, I am here to stop you from doing what you plan on doing Quirrell,” Harry stated calmly as he was eying the smiling professor who finally stepped out of the shadows into the light.

“And pray tell me Potter, what do you think I am planning to do with the ‘stone’ as you put it?” Quirell was smiling as he walked out of the shadows and-

“Why, resurrect Voldemort of course.”

The moment he had said that Quirrell stopped midstride, his eyes widened and glared at the boy “What are you saying, Potter? Have you lost your mind?!”

Harry allowed a small smirk to form on his face as he readied a spell chain in his head “Surprised Professor? I know all about that thing on the back of your skull.”

“Watch your mou-

“Quirrrinussss….remove the turban now, I will sssspeeak to him persssonallly….”

Quirrell gulped as he heard his master’s displeasure ‘Bu-but you aren’t strong enough for-AAAGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!”

“I hope…that thisss gave you a tasste of…my powerrrr…”

Harry gulped as he tightened his grip on his wand while Quirrell turned around and removed the turban, slowly yet surely that hideous face he had seen a few days ago came in front of his face, the same red glowing eyes full of malice glared at him with hatred.

"Potter…it’s been some time, Harry Potter…”

Harry hated the way Voldemort’s face said his name as if they were long-lost friends, but both of them knew better than that, “Voldemort, I take it, you need motivation for another vacation?”

Voldemort glared at the boy in front of him “It is always surprising how your father tried to joke too before I killed him myself.”

Harry clenched his teeth as he glared at Voldemort, clamping down harder on his Occlumency shields so that he doesn’t act rashly in such a sticky situation.

“Impressive Potter, I can’t read your mind at all…to be able to challenge the might of Lord Voldemort, even though I am weakened, is impressive,” The face smirked. “Never let it be known that Lord Voldemort doesn’t appreciate his opponent’s skills.”

Harry didn’t say anything and instead decided to stare at the speaking face in front of him ‘Think Harry, think! This is Lord Voldemort you are facing, what to do? How to beat him?’

“I would have asked you to join me but we both know you aren’t an idiot and won’t join me, so let’s talk about how you will try and fail to stop me from getting my hands on the stone and finishing my work that I started all those years ago in Godric’s Hollow.”

Harry frowned “Why would you even think that I would join you voluntarily? You are the worst wizard, you have killed innocents for power and you will kill anyone who stands in your way to gain that, it doesn’t matter who they are.”

Voldemort laughed as he looked at the boy, “There is only power and those too weak to seek it. I have seen your progress throughout the year, Potter, how you saved that girl from an accident and how you killed that troll.”

“It is as clear as it could be Potter, we both are strong, you are just like me when I was your age, the world seemed boring and unjust, this is why I decided to…correct a few things and if it wasn’t for you, I’d have won,” Voldemort told the boy who was listening intently.

“Yes well, sorry for the disturbance, now I’ll ask you to leave Quirrell and not to show up for a few more years because I don’t think you’ll leave the mortal plane today.” Harry took the defensive stance once again and tightened his leg muscles.

“I am immortal Potter, I have left these mere limitations of mortal death long ago, you can’t even comprehend-”

“CONFRINGO! DEPULSO!”

The first bright red beam of light shot towards Voldemort who jumped to the side immediately turning mid-air and casting a protego.

“So you want to play Potter? Let’s see how you do it!” Quirrell spat out as he readied his wand.

“What can I say?” Harry shrugged, “Your master was too boring, APOVOLI ORGANON!”

“CONFRINGO!” Quirrell sidestepped the organ-expelling curse and blasted the ground where Harry was standing who jumped out of the way as dust and stone flew everywhere.

“Never expected a first year to know such Dark curses, what would Dumbledore say, Potter?” Quirrel mocked as he dodged a purple beam of light which was likely the eye-gouging curse.

“I don’t care what he thinks, I am only here to kill you and that’s what will happen today! REDUCTO MAXIMA!” Harry ducked as the conjunctivitis curse came his way.

“You can try Potter, this is not even making me sweat.” Quirrell conjured a block of granite to block the reductor. Dust and pebbles flew from the point of impact as the granite was blasted.

“Mutatio LATA! Ventus!” The floating dust turned to small pins and flew towards Quirrell who conjured another slab of granite to block the onslaught.

Quirrell jumped off the granite slab as Harry blasted it and pointed towards the rubble “TRANSMORFIGUO!”

Four small golems started rising from the granite rubble with dark red eyes as they charged towards Harry.

‘Shit!’ “BOMBARDA MAXIMA!” Harry blasted the central golems and the other two near it.

“Accio Tie!” Quirrel pointed towards Harry’s tie which got pulled towards the incoming Golem. “CALCITRARE MAXIMA”

Harry’s eyes widened as he watched the golem come at him “Difindo,” Slicing his tie Harry moved to his left dodging the golem but got smashed in the face with the Punching hex, he winced as he felt something fluid travel down his right nostril. Likely blood.

“Give up Potter, you might be strong but you can never match my master’s skills and knowledge, you will likely die just like your parents did that night.” Quirrell taunted Harry who slipped and fell while dodging.

Harry hated this. He could see the difference, but that wasn’t all, Quirrell’s attacks were actually quite strong and he was pretty sure that the golem with hex techniques was old Voldy’s suggestion.

“We’ll see Quirrell, who dies tonight and who gets to see tomorrow’s sunrise.” Harry wiped the blood off as he glared at the monster in front of his eyes and a plan started forming in his mind.

“Enough playing Potter, time is of the essence so I’d like to end our little game here, AVADA KEDAVRA!” Green light shot out of Quirrell’s wand and raced towards Harry.

‘Perfect’ Harry flicked his wand towards the incoming spell “AVIS!” A large flock of birds flew from his wand towards the incoming death ray “MUTARE MORTUOS!”

Quirrell’s eyes widened as the birds suddenly changed to a flock of eagles with steel beaks and claws, the group squeaked as one and went on to converge on Quirrell.

Harry smirked when he saw the fear on Quirrell’s face, he then flicked his hand towards the two bottles of Nettle wine on the table and removing their cork, he threw the bottles at Quirrell with full force.

“BOMBARDA MAXIMA!” Quirrell blasted the flock of birds but winced as a few on the sides dodge the blast and he screamed in pain when they converged to pierce his skin.

What Quirrell failed to notice was that there was another blast that was hidden in the one that he did, small pieces of glass were scattered all over the floor in front of him as his face felt to be dripping with something and his robe was wet.

“Difindo!” cutting the last of the birds that were piercing his flesh he looked at the severed bird as large amounts of blood sprouted from the cut.

“Ignis Flagellum!”

Quirrell’s eyes widened in shock when a red hot fire whip lashed out of Potter’s wand and moved towards him, he tried to dodge it but the pain from the birds was too much and the whip caught him on his chest.

“WHAT THE-AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH” Quirrell screamed as his face and body caught on fire courtesy of the two bottles of nettle wine that splashed on him when he blasted the birds.

“BOMBARDA MAXIMA OMNIS!” Harry blasted Quirrel to either side of the Troll chamber, hard. He knew that Quirrell was just shocked and that he didn’t have much time before the psychopath’s shock wore off.

Time was of the essence now ‘Hope you finish your work fast Granger, cause this next one will suck up twenty-five percent of my power at once…’

“EXERCITUS MORTUORUM!!!”

A giant wave of silver magic crossed through the rubble formed from the entire wall that had been crushed, the tonne load of weight started floating a foot above the level and soon enough got accumulated in seven different places.

“Arise…”

A skeleton hand made of stone rose from one of the accumulated spots followed by its body as the rubble got shaped and attached like a skeleton warrior, silver aura filling them, making their hollow eyes glow in the dim room.

“Glacius Ignis!” Quirrell screamed and extinguished the flames. His robes as well as his face, both were burnt in patches.

Red flesh was visible in Quirrell’s hideous face as he glared at Harry who was doing the same from the other side but what shocked Quirrell was Harry's recent creation, his burning didn't cause him much harm.

Quirrell cursed his luck when he looked at what his overconfidence had caused him.

Seven fully formed skeleton warriors were standing in the room, brimming with Harry’s magic giving out a silver aura, their eye sockets filled with the same silver glow as wisps of silvery vapour wafted out from their magically constructed bodies.

“Master….I am sorry to disturb you, but your servant needs your help.” Quirrell knew his master wouldn't be pleased with this but if they didn’t use his wraith powers, then they might not survive the onslaught from the Potter heir.

Apparently, Voldemort was also surprised by the thirteen-year-old’s skill, knowledge and power he held, therefore without saying anything Voldemort summoned his power that he had inculcated in his wraith form over the years.

This was the power that had helped him enter and escape Gringotts unscathed when he had gone to look for the stone in the Flamel vault, this was the power that had helped him curse that broomstick when he had tried and failed to kill the Potter heir and on many such occasions.

The power to become one with the shadows, the power to become a shadow….the power to become darkness…

Quirrell felt his body get wrapped tightly by invisible ropes as snake-like writhing grazed his lower limbs. He jumped straight into the nearest shadowed spot and smirked at Potter, his half-burnt lips showing his teeth as his eyes glared at Harry with unbound malice.

“It has been a..fun night Potter-”

Harry raised his wand and pointed towards his DADA professor “PIERTOTUM LOCOMOTOR!!”

The skeletons charged towards Quirrell.

“-but I guess we both want to end this now, therefore” Quirrell pointed his wand towards the burning torches in the room “VENTUS!”

The burning torches went off and Harry’s eyes widened as the last thing he saw before the light went off was Quirrell’s body sinking in the shadows in the blink of an eye after which the chamber was pushed into darkness and…

“AVADA KEDAVRA!”

.

‘I have to do it, Harry and Alan are in trouble now…don’t know why or how Harry followed us but I know he is strong and so will be able to handle Professor Snape better than Alan.’

Hermionie was levitating Ron’s partially healed unconscious body as she grabbed the broom before crossing the room of flying keys and standing beneath the burnt Devil Snare.

The bushy-haired Gryffindor gulped as she raised her leg and sat on the broom ‘I hate this…I know I am never going to be as good as Alan or Ron at this but desperate situations call for desperate measures,’ Hermione thought before looking towards the still levitating Ron.

Pushing the trap door open with a hard push, Hermione thanked her lucky stars that the harp was still playing which meant that Fluffy was still sleeping, they had enough problems as it is.

Floating wobbly out of the trap-door hole with Ron's arms around her torso, tied together with his T-Shirt. Hermione slowly crossed the room, she squeaked a bit when a large gust of air pushed her forwards courtesy of Fluffy’s snore.

‘Where to now? Professor McGonagall or Madam Pomfrey?’ Hermione looked at Ron and made up her mind.

.

‘KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!’

“Professor McGonagall!! Please open the door!!” Hermione screamed as she rapped on the door to the Transfiguration Professor’s office which was connected to her personal suite.

“PROFESSOR MCGONA-” Hermione stopped as the door creaked open and McGongall stood there wrapping her night robe around her, frowning at Hermione’s small form with tired, half-asleep eyes which widened in shock when she saw the sight in front of her eyes.

“Miss Granger?! What are you doing here at this-? And is that Weasley? What happened to him and why is he like this? What were you two-”

“Professor! We don’t have much time!” Hermione screamed, effectively pausing McGonagall’s terrified rant.

“What?”

“Yes professor, we don’t have much time. Harry and Alan are fighting Professor Snape right now to save the Philosopher’s Stone…”

“Oh for the last time GRANGER-”

“-we need to contact Professor Dumbledore now so that he can save Alan and Harry and the stone too! They are down there professor, we were there too, I had to run to call you so that you could call Headmaster Dumbledore!” Hermione finished and took a large gulp of air.

“Granger, why did you go after the stone? Didn’t I tell you that the stone was safe at Hogwarts and that Professor Snape is one of the professors guarding the stone?” McGonagall asked her second favourite student with narrowed eyes.

“Fluffy was asleep when we reached him, we burned the Devil Snare, Alan opened the gate to the huge chess room…”

McGonagall’s eyes widened as she heard Hermione count off the traps in the corridor.

“Three pieces were already damaged on the chess board, one of which was the king. Ron’s skill in chess saved us but he had to sacrifice himself,” Hermione cried as she retold the story.

“Then I solved the potions riddle professor, but the bottle was already half because Professor Snape had already finished half of it. Alan finished the rest and crossed the black flame corridor to save the stone. I-I don’t even know how he is right now or if he is alive or not!” Hermione wailed out loud.

McGonagall’s face had frozen in shock as she heard the tale and watched Hermione cry her heart out. She wanted to scold the girl for being so reckless but if what the first year Gryffindor had said was true, then they were in grave danger and there was only one thing left to do.

Green fire flared as Dumbledore stepped out of the floo in Professor McGonagall’s office, he had been sleeping in one of the Ministry guest rooms due to some late-night meeting with Cornelius regarding the bi-annual Wizengamot session on the coming Summer Solstice.

That was when Dumbledore’s floo had flared from the receptionist asking him if she could connect his floo to his deputy headmistress who was waiting for him because it was an emergency.

In truth, it was still May and the Wizengamot session was about a month from now, but he needed to get Voldemort and Quirrell in the same room soon. This was the reason why he had announced in today’s staff meeting that he would be out of Hogwarts tonight.

It was all going according to the plan when he sensed Quirrell’s signature followed by Alan and his friends, things were a bit suspicious when he felt Harry Potter’s signature after them but he let it be, because this might help him gauge the potential in Potter brothers.

Dumbledore’s perimeter alert ward around the mirror had signified to him about Alan’s entry into the final chamber but suspiciously enough, he was the only one who had entered.

This was why Dumbledore was actually waiting for Quirrell to enter the final chamber and meet Alan there, the plan was to wait a few minutes before he would flash in the troll chamber, then drink the spare potion to cross the black flames and then fight Quirrell to death.

This way, it would solidify his image in Alan’s eyes as the most powerful being in the entire magical world and would help him gain the boy-who-lived’s complete loyalty.

This was why Dumbledore was more than a bit surprised when Minerva had floo-called him about some emergency and when he came he found Hermione Granger standing beside Minerva while a battered Ron Weasley was lying on the couch.

“What happened?” Dumbledore asked both the females who shared a worried glance before starting with the story.

.

‘Ugh, from the right this time..’ “Bombarda!” He screamed as he dodged the burning flame whip that passed through the point where he was standing moments ago.

The boy was standing beneath a large glowing ball of light that he had cast the moment he dodged Quirrell’s first spell. He then proceeded to spread his senses that were five metres in radius with him at its centre.

Three of his skeleton soldiers had been destroyed by Quirrell and the rest were moving around trying to look for a wand point which was still hiding in the shadows somewhere and was shooting spells at Harry.

Harry was still standing but he wasn’t unscathed, this guerilla warfare was taking a toll on his physical strength while maintaining the senses along with the magical lumos over his head combined with the five skeleton soldiers running purely on his magic was depleting his magic quickly.

The boy had three cuts on his right arm, a large gnash from his left shoulder running to his left hip bone.

Harry was sure that the punching hexes had broken at least two of his ribs. His right foot was also suffering from the flame whip that had caressed it when he had tried to dodge the severing hex aimed at his neck.

But all thanks to his fast reflexes and senses, the elemental was able to not only protect himself from any major harm, but he had also to severely damage Quirrell, this was of course a big bonus now when he was fighting in Quirrell’s terrain.

Although he still wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to keep this up or how long will Quirrell be able to keep this up.

‘DUCK Potter!’ “REDUCTO MAXIMA!”

.

“Why is the female gender so hard to convince on anything?” Dumbledore muttered as he crossed the second-floor corridor and went towards the third-floor one.

Both Minerva and Hermione were adamant about accompanying Dumbledore on his way to save the stone and were arguing with him as to why that was more important than taking Ronald Weasley to the Hospital wing.

In the end, Dumbledore had told them that he was more than capable of handling the thief and that they should care more about a fellow Gryffindor as a family. He might or might not have used compulsion charm as well as the confounding hex to cloud their judgement, but ah well.

So, this was why the headmaster was now moving towards the third-floor corridor so that he could travel down the chute and engage Quirrell.

Dumbledore wasn't worried though because according to the alert wards, Alan was still in the room with the mirror which meant that the boy was currently watching his dream and was enraptured in it while Quirrell and Harry had yet to cross it.

This meant that Quirrell might be fighting Harry Potter right now and since Harry Potter was a ‘nobody’ in the grand scheme, he was pretty much like a useless pawn and therefore expendable in the grand scheme…Dumbledore’s eyes widened and he increased his speed and rushed towards the door.

‘How did Alan break through the mirror’s compulsion and why did he go back to the Potion’s chamber now?’

.

“So this is it, eh?”

Harry glared at the nothingness around him. He had been beaten and he knew that. Quirrell had turned out to be a formidable opponent and had successfully beaten Harry Potter.

It was true that Quirrell was currently using Voldemort’s power and that Harry couldn’t use his elemental magic to fly above the shadows or he didn’t have much magical power left due to the fight and spells that had absorbed his magic at an exponential rate.

But that didn’t change the fact that Quirrell had won their fight and was only toying with him now. It was true that the DADA professor was not too different from the boy, with a burnt body and his right limb blasted out from down the shoulder but Harry didn’t know that yet.

“HARRY?” Alan screamed and the said boy's eyes widened in shock as he saw a dark silhouette emerge from the black flame corridor ‘No no no…not now…go back Alan…not now!’

“Where are you, you nerd? I can’t see anything in here, what happened to the torches?” Alan asked as he walked in the darkness while walking with precaution along the wall.

Harry kept silent fearing that if he spoke then he might give his position away from within the invisibility cloak that he had used at the last moment.

Harry was also using the last of his elemental magic reserve to float a centimetre above the ground so that the shadows might not give his position away.

All of his skeletons were nothing more than dust now and Harry had to extinguish the Lumos ball to save his power and to hide himself, he could still sense Alan’s location through his sensor sheet. And the redhead was straightaway pissing on all of his efforts.

“So you won’t tell me huh? Snape wasn’t in there, it's entirely possible that he left already, so this entire thing has been use-ACK! OUCH! OUCH! OUCHH!! Damnit looks like you really are not going to help me here, some brother you are, I wish it was you who died that night instead of Mom and Dad!” Alan muttered before pulling out his wand.

“Lumo-”

“AVADA KEDAVRA!”

‘NOO!!’

.

Dumbledore flicked his wand and saw as the slide formed that went down the chute passing through the burnt Devil Snare, all the way to the floor.

The headmaster cursed his luck that Fawkes had suffered a burning day just three days ago and the passage that he had traced when the stone had been originally stolen led him to a special secret passage which could only be opened from the inside.

Even he himself had never known that such a door existed, so it was shocking news that a total outsider knew about this door and that they had somehow activated it to escape successfully.

But for now, other pressing matters needed to be taken care of, and so Dumbledore slid down the trap door, intent on finding Quirrell as he was sure that Harry Potter would have been dead by now.

.

“DEPULSO!” Harry screamed as the white beam of light left his wand and impacted Alan straightaway, flinging the boy seven feet back into the corner.

There was an audible crack in the crack which signified that the boy had smashed his head and had probably fallen unconscious 'Was that the crunch of glass? Probably'

“DEPULSO!” Harry cursed as he tried to dodge the spell that was racing his way but was unsuccessful and got hit on his right shoulder. He winced as he was thrown back and he smashed into the wall behind him falling unceremoniously on the floor.

Voldemort laughed as he sensed the still form of his opponent through the shadows around him, he knew that the boy was still alive which was a miracle in itself because they had been fighting for the last half-an-hour and to not only sustain that but also damage his body to this extent?

It was indeed praiseworthy, if not for the boy’s morals Voldemort knew that he would have gone to any length to recruit the boy and train him as his own, after all, he cherished talent and knew when he saw potential, ‘But alas, all good things come to an end and so will he.’

“I hope that you won't do anything Potter.” Quirrell taunts Harry as he comes out of the shadows holding Alan’s body as hostage “Because we both know what will happen to the last of your family if you try to do that.”

“I don’t…have to Quirrell…” Harry looked at his DADA professor who flicked his wand and another glowing ball of light started floating in the centre of the chamber.

“Granger is on her way…to call Dumbledore and..and McGonagall. You can kill me…and Alan too but you won’t get your hands…on the stone tonight…” Harry took a huge breath of air as he tried to pass as much time as he could to gain enough power for one last spell.

“By the time that old coot arrives, I would have already left with the stone and resurrected my master. After that, this world will cry tears of blood, you two are the first of many sacrifices, Potter, be glad that your death marks the beginning of a new era.” Quirrell grinned and turned towards the black flame corridor.

But then something weird happens, well according to Voldemort and Quirrell anyway. Harry laughs.

“What is the meaning of this Potter? Did you finally snap and step into insanity?!” Quirrell taunted the boy who kept on laughing.

“The stone that you are going after…that stone had already been stolen…months ago.” Harry laughed out loud when he saw the look of utter frustration and anger on Quirrell’s face.

“You are bluffing Potter, you don’t even know what you are talking about anymore.”

“If that is what you think Quirrell, but trust me when I say this, the stone is already stolen and…that mirror inside is nothing but an empty trap now.” Harry wheezed out.

“And if it’s stolen, who is the thief that crossed all these traps and why didn’t that old fool tell his staff members about this?” Quirrell sneered but was internally getting worried that what Harry was saying might actually be true, even though its possibility was minute.

“I don’t know why Dumbledore never told his staff members but I know who stole it before you.” Harry smirked when he saw the frown on Quirrell’s disgusting face “Me.”

“You are lying Potter, there’s no way you could ever-”

“How else do you think I came here the moment you came?.... How do you think I already knew that it wasn’t Snape but you who was after the stone? How do you think I knew about that idiot sticking at the back of your head?” Harry was slowly getting strong again as he was gaining enough strength for one last spell.

Quirrell didn’t say anything for a few minutes but Voldemort knew the answer, they had failed. The stone was already stolen and there was no way that they’d ever be able to get their hands on it because no one knew where the boy had kept the stone.

All of his hard work, all of his frustration, his plans….everything went down the drain again because of one single boy. and again, the same single boy!

Quirrell screamed in unimaginable pain as Voldemort started severing their link forcefully, he knew that his servant was useless now and that he would be more of a burden than an asset. It was better to finish him off now than to suffer his mistake later.

Harry looked as Quirrell fell on his knees and screamed his lungs out, he summoned all of his leftover strength as he raised his wand and pointed it towards Quirrell, building up all of his expandable magical power he looked at the screaming creature ‘Now or never’

‘WHAM!’

The door to the far end of the chamber was blast opened as Dumbledore rushed in, his eyes widened in shock as he could not comprehend what was actually happening here. He was about to shout Harry’s name but it was too late.

“BOMBARDA MAXIMA!”

A pure black ray with a silver wave rotating around it lept off his wand and rushed towards the DADA professor of Hogwarts and hit him straight on the head.

Quirrell’s eyes widened moments before his head was blasted in a shower of flesh and bones as blood splashed on the wall and floor while the headless body fell over the unconscious body of Alandale Potter.

A black wraith emerging from the place where Quirrell’s head should’ve been and opening its mouth in a mute agonising scream was the last thing Harry saw before his vision turned black and he fell unconscious.

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Ending Note- There you have it fellas, Chapter Twenty-two of Silence of the Winters. Liked it? Loved it? Hated it? Please, do tell. Due to my previous blunder, I've extended the word count and with 7.7k+ words, this chapter is officially the longest chapter that i've written.

I am waiting for all your comments. Constructive criticism is appreciated.

Thank you for reading and comments.

With regards,

Dev Black