Ron trudged back to the castle, his mind running with thoughts of Harry. A creeping sense of unease started to settle in his chest as he recalled the recent events coupled with the events from the previous evening. Harry's mastery of magic was growing at an astonishing rate. Both he and Hermione knew that Harry was leagues above them, but seeing that first hand was something different. Although both of them wanted to catchup to him, they doubted they would ever be able to. He was in a different dimension entirely.
Hermione had once said that she suspected that Harry's magical core might be different from theirs. Based on his seemingly endless magical energy, the only thing that could explain it is that, his magical core does not have a limit—a limitless core.
As if it was not enough that the guy had mastered almost all the magic till the Auror's level. Ron couldn't help but be jealous. Harry was changing... he is becoming something totally different. But more than that he was afraid—what if this growing power is what makes Harry go down the dark path?
As he walked up the stairs of the Gryffindor Tower, he kept thinking about the recent events. Harry almost seemed like a different person than what he had seen at the beginning. Then another uneasy thought crept up his mind, maybe Harry wasn't changing, maybe he was showing his true self. They didn't have any situation in school where Harry had to display his magic fully. This could be the reason why they didn't have a complete idea of what he is capable of—or what kind of a person he really was.
By the time he reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Ron's mind was still in turmoil. He gave the password and stepped inside. The earlier empty common room was not empty this time around with some students sitting in the room. Ron did recognise one girl who was from second year, sitting near the window half asleep with a book open in front of her.
He sighed as he knew that there was no way he was going to be able to get any more sleep. Not when his mind was in chaos from everything he had witnessed in the span of 24 hours. Not knowing what else to do, he went ahead and took a seat near the fireplace, where contrary to earlier, there was a small fire dancing away on some woods.
He just gazed at the fire as he tried to sort everything out in his mind. It was not easy. Its not everyday your best friend kills your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Although he doubted there were any days, where your supposed teacher is possessed by the most evil dark lord known to man.
"This is not what I had expected to go through this year", Ron sighed. He sat there for a few minutes before deciding to go back to his dormitory and get ready for the classes. With a troubled mind, he headed back to his dormitory to shower and change into his robes.
Ron spent a restless half-hour up in the dormitory. He showered and changed into his school robes with almost automatic robot-like motions, since his mind was still trying to process everything. When he finally descended the stairs, the common room was crowded than before with many students hanging about for their friends to come downstairs.
Hermione was there, pacing near the portrait. The moment she spotted him, she hurried over.
"Ron, how's Harry? Is he still sleeping? Did he say anything?" Hermione asked in a low voice.
Ron exhaled deeply and motioned her to follow him outside. They both climbed out of the portrait hole and started walking towards the Great Hall.
"I woke up quite early today because of all the things that happened yesterday. Then I looked over to Harry's bed to see if he was there. But I didn't see him." Ron started recounted the morning to her.
Hermione listened with her breath held. "Then what did you do?"
"I tried looking in the common room, thinking that he might be there. But there was no sign of him anywhere. I even tried to look through all the places he usually goes, the kitchen, Owlery...But he was nowhere to be found." Ron's voice was hushed.
Hermione's face was tense. "What did you do?"
"When I didn't find him, I figured he must have gone to the Forbidden Forest. It made sense, given everything that happened... So, I rushed out there." He paused as he recalled the eerie silence of the forest.
"And then I found him," Ron said. "He was in front of Lumos's grave... and it looked like he was trying to resurrect him. There was this other unicorn—must have been Lumos's mate—she was pushing Harry away from the grave, almost like she knew what he was trying to do.
Hermione gasped. "Resurrect him? But that's... that's impossible right? Ron?"
"I don't know anymore Hermione..." Ron said, shaking his head. "I used to think that it is... but Harry expression seemed to point that it was not."
Hermione shook her head in disbelief, trying to wrap her head about the fact that everything she learnt so far seemed to be proven wrong by a boy who was her age. "What happened after that Ron? Did you talk to Harry? Did he say anything?"
Ron shook his head. "After the unicorn pushed him away, he just... he just disapparated, taking the unicorn and its foal with him."
Hermione stared at Ron, trying to process everything. "Disapparated? Where did he go?"
"I don't know," Ron admitted. "He didn't say anything. One moment he was there, the next he was gone. And before I could do anything, he just... punched the air, like he was hitting something, and the next thing I knew, I was on the edge of the forest. It was like he didn't want me to follow him."
Hermione's hands were trembling slightly as she listened. "This isn't like Harry..."
Ron shook his head. " I don't know Hermione... what if this is exactly who Harry is? What if we are seeing his real self for the first time?"
They walked in silence for a moment, as both of them tried to make sense of their best friend's behaviour.
Finally Ron broke the silence as they walked. "You know... I have been thinking... is what Harry did really wrong?"
Hermione looked at him with wide eyes. "What do you mean Ron? Of course it is... He ..."
Ron cut her off before she could finish the sentence. "I know what he did Hermione. But is it really wrong? What would you have done if you saw someone kill your family member in front of you?"
Hermione tried to say but nothing came out of her mouth. Was Harry using the Killing curse, really that bad? Quirrell killed Lumos, Harry's friend. What was he supposed to do? Tell a professor? But what good would that have done?
Ron continued. "I understand laws are there for crimes but Hermione the magical world is different from the Muggle world. Laws don't hold unrivaled powers here. Only a person who is strong does... "
Hermione tried to make sense of what Ron was saying. Its true that the magical world was different from the muggle world. She was always forgetting it somehow.
"The Government collapsed the last time during Voldemort's time... at least that's what I heard from my parents. So you see... laws are not ultimate here. Power is!" Ron said, not realising that he said Voldemort's name without thinking. "And if someone killed a person I love in front of me... I don't think I'll be much different than Harry..."
Hermione was silent for the rest of their walk to the Great Hall. Her mind was conflicted. She knew that Harry used the Killing curse. It was one of the three Unforgivable curse and it went against everything she had read about magic and morality. Then on the other hand she tried to imagine what she would do if she saw one of her parent dead with the murderer laughing at her face. Her face turned white as she realised that she too would have killed the murderer.
Finally they both turned the corner and could hear the continues hum of talking from the Great Hall. Hermione wanted to say something but thought better of it, since they were almost at the Great Hall. They needed to get their breakfast as they had a whole day of classes ahead.
Hermione glanced at Ron, her brow furrowed with worry. She desperately wanted to believe that Harry was fine and that he had simply gone back home. Ron seemed to understand what Hermione was thinking and he too was thinking along the same lines.
The sound of the chatter and clattering dishes grew louder as they approached the entrance to the Great Hall. As they stepped inside they saw that most of the students were already digging in to their breakfast. The familiar smell of toast, eggs, and sausages filled the air, but neither Ron nor Hermione felt the slightest bit hungry.
Hermione's eyes scanned the room instinctively, searching the Gryffindor table in hopes that Harry had come back for breakfast, although she doubted he would. Her heart sank a little. She had hoped, against all logic that Harry would be waiting for them at the table.
Ron too looked around to see the students, but then something felt weird. And then he saw it. They both did, at the same time. Ron stopped abruptly and he felt Hermione's hand grip his arm tightly. His heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, he wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him. But there was no mistaking what he was seeing.
Sitting at the teacher's table, calmly talking with Professor Flitwick, was Quirrell. Alive, as if nothing had happened.
Hermione's breath caught in her throat, and she felt the blood drain from her face. It was impossible. She had seen Quirrell die, had watched as Harry's killing curse had hit Quirrell in the chest and then he had proceeded to burn Quirrell's body to ashes. And yet, here he was, looking exactly the same as he always had, wearing his usual turban.
Her nails dug into Ron's arm as her grip tightened. "Ron... this..."
For a moment, Ron thought he might pass out. His vision blurred, and he had to blink rapidly to clear it. His legs felt like they were going to give out from under him, and he staggered but Hermione held him and helped him stay standing.
They both stared at Quirrell trying to comprehend what they were seeing. How could someone who was dead just... be alive again?
"We're not imagining this, are we?" Ron asked in a whisper.
Hermione shook her head slowly. "No. This is real. He's... he's really there."
"But how? We saw him... Harry... " Ron's voice trailed off. "What does this mean? What happened yesterday?"
Hermione didn't have an answer. Her mind was spinning, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. There was no logical explanation for this. Quirrell had been dead. Harry had killed him. And yet, here he was, alive and well, chatting with other professors as if nothing had happened.
"Ron, we need to leave. We need to find Harry," Hermione whispered urgently. But Ron noticed several people looking at them. He knew that they couldn't just bolt out of the Great Hall without drawing more attention to themselves. People would notice, and that's the last thing they needed right now. They have to stay calm, have to act normal, even though every instinct in his body was telling him to run.
"No... We need to act normal." Ron whispered back. Hermione bit her lip, and nodded. Even though she wanted to find Harry immediately, she doubted she could. And she noticed the eyes that were on them.
So both of them moved and took the empty seats on the Gryffindor table. Neither of them touched their food. The thought of eating was now out of question. All they could do was sit there and stare blankly at the table, their minds in chaos.
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Unknown to all that, Harry was in Moonstone Dunvegan. Loppy had cleared the master bedroom on the second floor, ensuring everything was perfect for Harry's stay.
The master bedroom was nothing short of magnificient. It was almost four times the size of Harry's room back in the Dursley Mansion. There was a large chandelier hung from the ceiling from the center, casting a warm, golden light in the room. There was a large four poster bed towards one end. To the right of the bed there was a small study area with a large mahogany desk, complete with a large comfortable looking leather chair.
Across the bed, on the opposite wall, was a huge walk-in closer. Although it was currently empty as Harry didn't plan on staying there. There was also a small dining table in the room where he could have his meals, if he didn't feel like going down.
If it was another day, Harry would have been captivated by all this, but today it was different. With his mind set on trying to make a way to resurrect Lumos, he just laid in the bed thinking about what kind of magic he could try. Something was wrong. Something seemed entirely wrong but Harry couldn't just put his finger on it. It was as if his body was telling him that something had happened which was not supposed to happen but he couldn't figure out what it was.
"Why do I feel so uneasy?" Harry thought out loud. The uneasiness seemed to be growing quickly. Why? What was happening? Did something happen at home? With that thought Harry quickly Disapparated from Moonstone Dunvegan and appeared in the living room of the Dursley Mansion. There was no one there, so he quickly spread out his magical energy throughout the mansion to see if anything was wrong.
Thankfully nothing was wrong. Petunia was sitting near the pool and reading and Abigail and Ginny seemed to be playing in the pool. If there was no problem here than was there any problem at Hogwarts? But that was not possible, Quirrell was already dead and he had burned his body down. Then what was it?
For the love of his life, he couldn't figure out why he was feeling this uneasy. He Disapparated from Dursley Mansion and appeared back in his room in Moonstone Dunvegan. Although the uneasy feeling had not gone, Harry decided to ignore it for the time being. He needed to think of resurrection magic and for that he would have to know exactly what happens when you die.
"But that's a question, no one knows the answer to", Harry sighed as he flopped down on the bed. He stared up at the ceiling, watching the chandelier's light cast interesting figures of light and shadow on the ceiling.
"What do I feel like this?" he muttered to himself, his voice barely above a whisper. His mind continued to race, but he tried to rationalize the unease, convincing himself that it might simply be due to the fact that he had exhausted most of his magical energy yesterday when he was possessed. Now that was another thing to think about. What or who possessed him?
The entity who did, almost wiped out his entire magical energy clean, so there was no way it was something normal. Maybe the current uneasiness is due to his body overwoking to refil his magical energy? Could be right?
"Loppy!" Harry called out.
With a soft pop, Loppy appeared in front of him, bowing low. "Yes, Master Harry?"
"Could you prepare some breakfast for me?" Harry said, forcing himself to sound calm. "Just a simple meal."
Loppy's large eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "Of course, Master Harry! Loppy will make the best breakfast for Master Harry right away!" And with another pop, the house-elf disappeared to fulfill his request.
A few minutes later, Loppy reappeared with a tray laden with food. A plate of scrambled eggs, toast, crispy bacon, and a steaming cup of tea.
"Breakfast is ready, Master Harry," Loppy said with a proud smile as he set the tray down on the small dining table gently.
"Thanks Loppy," Harry said as he sat down at the table. As he picked up his fork and began to eay, Harry tried to focus on the food, hoping that the food will solve the uneasiness he was feeling.
After a few bites, he pushed the plate away. The uneasiness was still not going away. Maybe its not uneasiness, maybe it was his magical energy that was reacting in a way to something that was problematic. Just like how his magical energy had reacted to that water resin back in Hogsmeade.
"But how does that happen?" he muttered. It was almost like his magical energy had a mind of its own and he didn't like that.
"Loppy," Harry called, his voice slightly strained.
The house-elf appeared again, this time with a concerned expression. "Yes, Master Harry?"
"I need to check on something," Harry said, standing up from the table. "I'm going to Hogwarts for a bit."
"Is Master Harry sure he does not need more rest?" Loppy asked with a worried voice.
"I'm fine, Loppy," Harry reassured him, though he wasn't sure he believed it himself. "I just need to make sure everything is okay."
Harry glanced at the clock—8:40 am. Perfect timing. Everyone would be in the Great Hall for breakfast, so he woulnd't need to take the long way around. Instead of heading straight to his dormitory, Harry chose to Apparate directly to the long corridor just outside the Great Hall—the same one where they had gathered on the very first day of the school year.
With that, he vanished from Moonstone Dunvegan and reappeared in the quiet corridor without a sound, the stone walls echoing faintly with distant chatter from the hall.
Unknown to Harry, someone stood at a distance saw the scene unfold. Their breath caught in their throat as they witnessed the impossible—this first-year had just Apparated within Hogwarts. Apparition, a feat already far beyond someone of his age, was supposed to be impossible here, on these grounds.
Unknown to the fact that someone had seen him Apparate, Harry made his way towards the Great Hall. As he entered the Great Hall, his eyes immediately found Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table. They were sitting together, but something was off. They were pale, their faces drained of color as they stared into the table. Harry didn't try to see anything else, but made his way towards them.
As he walked, his magical energy was pounding away inside him, but he tried to ignore it. As he reached them, he slightly shook Hermione's shoulder.
"Hermione? What happened?" Harry asked as he looked at her.
Both Ron and Hermione snapped their heads towards him as they registered his voice. The moment their eyes met his, panic surged in them. This was the worst possible timing.
Without saying a word, they both stood up abruptly, grabbing Harry by his arms and pulling him towards the exit of the Great Hall. The sudden movement drew several pairs of eyes towards them, but neither Ron nor Hermione cared. They had bigger problems than people staring. Harry's presence here could lead to far worse consequences if he saw what they had.
"Oi, what are you—" Harry protested, trying to break free from their tight grip, but they didn't let go.
"Not here. Just.... trust us," Ron muttered urgently as they continued draggin him towards the doors.
As they approached the entrance, Harry tried to look around the Great Hall. His body went rigid as his eyes fell on the teacher's table. There looking at him, sitting between Snape and Flitwick, was Quirrrell. The same Quirrell he had killed less than 24 hours ago.
His breath caught in his throat, and the uneasiness he had been feeling finally made sense. His magic was trying to tell him that something had gone wrong; something that shouldn't happen had happened.
His mind was swirling with questions. How was Quirrell alive? If Quirrell was alive then who was the Quirrell he killed in the Forbidden Forest? How is this possible in the first place?
Both Ron and Hermione noticed Harry's body going rigid and understood that Harry had seen Quirrell. "Move faster," Ron whispered to Hermione as they hurried to get Harry out of the hall.
Harry didn't resist. He couldn't. His mind was a whirlwind of confusion and anger. All he could see, all he could feel, was Quirrell's presence.
Once outside, Hermione tried to steer Harry further down the hallway, away from the Great Hall. But Harry wasn't having it. He yanked his arms free from their grip. Elythral materialised in his hand, glowing dark.
"Harry! What are you doing?" Hermione asked. But Harry's eyes were already fixed on the entrance of the Great Hall.
"I'm going to kill him," Harry growled. "I killed him once... and I'll do it again. This time for good."
He tried to push past them and make his way to the Great Hall.
"Harry, no! You can't—" Ron tried to reason with him, but Harry barely even heard him. His mind was consumed with just one thought. Kill Quirrell.
"Get out of my way!" Harry snarled as he tried to push past them.
"Harry, think!" Hermione pleaded, as they struggled to keep him from going to the Great Hall. "You can't just barge in there and kill him. There are too many people—"
But Harry wasn't listening. He was driven by a singular thought—revenge. Quirrell had taken Lumos, and now Harry would take Quirrell's life in front of everyone, no matter the consequences.
Desperate and unsure what else to do, Hermione did the only thing she could think of. Her hand shot out, and she slapped Harry hard across the face.
The sound echoed through the corridor. Harry stood frozen in place, stunned. The bloodlust in his eyes flickered.
"I'm sorry!" Hermione blurted out, her voice trembling. She was scared—terrified even—by the look in Harry's eyes, but she pressed on. "You can't do this, not in front of everyone! If you kill him here, you'll be expelled from Hogwarts. You'll be sent to Azkaban!"
Harry blinked, the sharp sting of the slap cleared away his muddled head. Elythral disappeared from his grip.
Ron added quickly, "Mate, you know she's right. You can't just kill him in front of all those people... not here."
Slowly, Harry calmed down. They were right. Although he wanted to kill Quirrell, he couldn't do so. Something was very wrong, as Quirrell shouldn't even be alive right now. Yet even after seeing that he tried to commit murder in front of everyone. He would have been thrown in Azkaban for the rest of his life and even if he got out would have to lead a life of a fugitive.
"I... I wasn't thinking," Harry muttered. It weas true he wasn't. But why? Ever since that day at the dragon reserve, he lost his mind whenever he was angry. It was as if something possessed him. He needed to work on that.
Ron placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "We get it, but we need to be smart about this. We'll figure out what's going on with Quirrell. Just... not like this."
Harry exhaled. "You're right," he finally said, his voice subdued. "Thanks... both of you. I would've done something stupid if you hadn't stopped me."
Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance before they both nodded. They needed to know what was going on and how Quirrell was still alive. And from what they had seen in the forest the day before, they knew Quirrell's goal—the Sorcerer stone. The only thing they didn't know till now was when would Quirrell try to get it and how would they stop him.