Harry looked at both Ron and Hermione, "Listen, we need to change our plan. After classes, meet me near the seventh-floor corridor. We can talk there."
"Seventh floor? Why there? There is nothing there..." Hermione asked.
"Just trust me," Harry replied. "I'll explain everything then. For now, you two need to act normal—attend every class, and don't do anything to draw attention."
Ron looked at Hermione, then back at Harry. "Alright. But what are you going to do?"
Harry thought for a while and then spoke up. "I need to speak with Snape."
"Snape?" Ron exclaimed loudly. "Why would you—"
"Keep your voice down," Harry hissed. "I need to check with him to see if my potion worked. Also I need to ask him about something else too, but you don't need to worry about that. Just do what I said, okay? We don't have Defense Against the Dark Arts today, so we won't run into Quirrell."
Ron wanted to say something but Hermione held him back. "Fine. We'll meet you later, Harry."
Harry managed a small smile. "I'll be fine. Just... trust me."
With that, Harry left them and started making his way towards the dungeons. Ron and Hermione were left looking at his back for a few moments before they decided to get going.
After about 10 minutes of walking, Harry reached Snape's office. He hesitated for a brief moment before knocking sharply on the heavy wooden door.
A few seconds later, the door creaked open, revealing Snape standing behind it. "Harry?" Snape's eyebrows raised slightly, his voice sounded surprised. "Come in"
Snape stepped aside, holding the door open for Harry to enter. As Harry stepped in, he noticed Snape glancing down the hallway before shutting the door. To Harry's further surprise, Snape waved his wand, casting a locking charm on the door, followed by a silencing spell.
What is so important that Snape is behaving this way? Harry thought. He had come to discuss the effectiveness of the Moonsbane Elixir and to ask about the Potion Masters exam but it seemed that Snape had something to discuss too.
Without a word, Snape walked towards the fireplace and grabbed a handful of Floo powder from the mantel. Throwing it into the flames, he called, "Lupin!"
The fire flared green, and a moment later, Lupin stepped out of the fireplace, brushing off his robes. He nodded at Snape before he say Harry and smiled.
"Harry," Lupin greeted, walking forward and pulling him into a hug. "I can't thank you enough. The Moonsbane Elixir... it worked, perfectly."
Harry blinked, taken aback by the sudden affection but smiled. "So, it worked?" he asked, eager to hear the details.
Lupin nodded."Yes. Even when I transformed, my mind stayed intact. I could think clearly. It was... incredible. Moreover, I didn't feel any pain when I transformed. I've never experienced anything like it. You've given me a new kind of freedom, Harry."
Harry smiled. "I'm glad it worked," he said, "But I couldn't have done it without Professor Snape. He helped me get all the rare ingredients."
Snape gave a curt nod, but refused. "I only helped procure the ingredients, everything else was done by you. I cannot take any credit for the potion."
Lupin smiled gratefully. "I'll be forever in your debt, both of you. Thank you."
Harry smiled, "It's too early to thank me Professor. I have not cured your Lycanthropy yet. You can thank me once I do."
Both Snape and Lupin froze for a moment. Though they had heard Harry say it before, it still sent a jolt through them—this wasn't a passing comment made by an overly ambitious student. This was an eleven-year-old boy claiming he could cure Lycanthropy. Something that had left the greatest minds of magical society baffled for centuries.
"Harry," Lupin said softly, "I don't know if it's even possible, but thank you. Just for the thought alone."
Snape merely inclined his head slightly, his expression unreadable.
Lupin gave Harry one last appreciative nod before saying, "I should get going before I hold up my class. But... Harry, no matter what happens, you've already given me more hope than I ever thought possible."
With that, Lupin stepped back towards the fireplace, disappearing with the green flames.
Harry turned to Snape. "Professor, you mentioned something about the Potions Mastery exam. Have you been able to arrange it?"
Snape sighed. "I have begun the process," he said. "It will take some time, given the procedures involved. However, I believe it will be ready by the start of summer. You'll need to prepare—extensively."
Harry nodded. "I'm ready even now." With that he got up to leave but Snape's voice stopped him. "Harry, before you go..."
Harry paused and looked back, "Yes, Professor?"
Snape's eyes narrowed but after a moment he shook his head. "Nothing. Just prepare well for the Masters exam."
Harry nodded, "Of course, sir." As he turned to leave, he flicked his hand absentmindedly in the direction of the door. Instantly, the locking and silencing charms Snape had cast broke apart without a sound. The door creaked open, and Harry walked out, lost in thought. His mind was still swirling with questions as to how Quirrell was still alive.
Snape stood frozen in place, his eyes wide with disbelief as he watched Harry leave. The door swung open, and Harry walked out without so much as glancing back, as if what he had just done was nothing.
Did he really just... Snape's thought's faltered, but before he could ask, Harry was already gone.
Harry who was walking towards the Gryffindor tower was deep in thought. How did Quirrell come back?
The Killing Curse doesn't just fail, he reminded himself. No counter, no reversal. There are no loopholes. Even Harry's survival was a one-off result of Lily's powerful sacrificial magic.
I'm sure I killed him.
For Quirrell to return, someone or something, had to have intervened. But who? Voldemort? No—if he had that kind of power he wouldn't be after the Sorcerer's stone in the first place.
Praesidius? Harry considered the goddess, but dismissed the thought immediately. She wouldn't interfere in this way—especially not for someone like Quirrell.
That left only one horrifying possibility.
The one Praesidius had hinted to be the true enemy. Its safe to assume that if that true enemy was responsible for bringing back Quirrell than that enemy is far more powerful than Voldemort. Leagues above him...
Will I be able to protect my family and friends against such a powerful enemy?
A shiver ran down his spine. His true enemy is a god... What... How was he supposed to do anything against such an enmy?
While his mind swirled with questions, Harry reached the portrait of Fat Lady. He quickly gave the password and stepped in the common room. He saw that is was empty. Not surprising since all the students were probably at the classes.
He sat in the Gryffindor common room, replaying everything in his mind. He had been blind, too overconfident in his knowledge of the original story. The situation with the Dursleys alone should have been enough for him to realize how different this world was. But lulled by the warmth of a loving family he had forgotten the fact that this world didn't necessarily follow the original script.
Moreover, he had altered the course of events—he had freed Sirius.
What would have happened if Scabbers hadn't been Peter? What if I'd been wrong? How would I have dealt with that?
Even Voldemort is not the end game here. He would have to fight someone far worse than him... That thought alone sent shivers down Harry's spine. He would need to do things differently. He had to know to what degree this world was different from the original. Will his knowledge of the future events be any help?
But then again, everything was indeed similar to the original script. Harry began making a checklist of what had remained unchanged in this world compared to the original story.
Sirius was still framed by Peter Pettigrew... Check.
The Weasleys—the same. Arthur was still fascinated by Muggle artifacts, and Molly was still a caring person.
The Sorcerer's Stone was still hidden at Hogwarts, and even followed the same protection setup that was mentioned in the books.
The professors... the same, apart from Snape.
Now that he thought about it, the only out of place stuff was the Dursleys being magical rather than Muggle and them loving Harry as their own son.
Did he just overreact? No overreacting will be better than taking things for granted and regretting later.
Harry couldn't help but be nervous about it. What if Quirrell came back again after he deals with him again?
As minutes passed by his anxiety began to grow, but Harry forced himself to stay calm. He couldn't afford to lose his head now. He would need to get answers and he needed them soon.
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Hours later, Harry stepped into the Gryffindor common room, fresh from Quidditch practice. His robes were damp with sweat, and his hair was stuck up in odd angles from the wind. He scanned the room in hopes of finding either Ron or Hermione there. To his surprise, both of them were sitting near the fire with tense faces, clearly waiting for him.
The moment they spotted him, they stood up and walked towards him. Harry motioned that he would quickly go and change before hurrying up the stairs to get out of his Quidditch robes. His mind was still tangled in thoughts of Quirrell, a distraction that had affected his performance at practice. It hadn't gone unnoticed either. The team had suggested he leave early, much to his own frustration.
After a shower and changing into more casual clothing, Harry returned to the common room. He looked at Ron and Hermione, sending them a silent message through Legilimency: "Follow me. Not here."
Hermione's eyes shot up in surprise as she heard Harry's voice in her mind. Ron who already knew about this just nodded and followed Harry. The trio headed out of the common room as Harry led them towards the Room of Requirements.
"Harry... how did you..." Hermione began.
Harry smiled, "It's nothing. I'll teach it to you today."
"We were about to head for the seventh floor after classes," Ron said, "but we ran into Fred and George. They told us about Quidditch practice and that you'd be there."
Harry nodded. "Yeah, I had completely forgotten about practice until Alicia reminded me. I thought maybe it'd help me clear my head, but..." He trailed off, shaking his head.
"How'd it go, anyway?" Hermione asked, although she seemed to already know the answer.
"Not great," Harry admitted. "I couldn't focus at all. Kept thinking about Quirrell. In the end, they let me leave early."
Ron and Hermione exchanged uneasy glances, the same unsettling feeling Harry was experiencing had been with them all day. Neither had managed to concentrate in class either, their minds too occupied with the sight of Quirrell, alive and well, speaking casually with the other professors in the Great Hall. It was a sight that neither of them had been able to digest.
"Harry..." Ron began but Harry cut him off.
"I know, Ron. We need to talk about it, but not here. Just wait until we're there."
They continued the rest of their journey in silence, their footsteps echoing softly through the empty hallways. After about 5 minutes of walking, they reached the seventh-floor corridor.
Harry stopped in front of the tapestry depicting the attempt of Barnabas the Barmy to teach trolls ballet. He walked past three times thinking of the small library that he had visited before. Only this time he wanted it to be a bit bigger and have armchairs. As he walked by the third time, a wooden door appeared on the wall opposite to the tapestry.
Both Ron and Hermione gasped as the door suddenly materialised. Harry pushed open the door and headed inside while Ron and Hermione followed with their mouth open.
The small library was slightly different from Harry's previous visit. It was now a bit larger, with three comfortable armchairs arranged around a large table in the center. The shelves of books were still there but they were more spaced around to have a comfortable room for three people.
Ron and Hermione exchanged astonished glances, clearly taken aback by the sudden appearance of the room. Both their eyes were wide as they stepped in.
"Harry, what is this place?" Hermione asked.
"This is the Room of Requirement," Harry explained as he took seat in one of the armchairs. "It's a magical room that appears when you need it. It can provide whatever you require, as long as you have a clear idea of what you need."
Ron was still looking around in a daze. "How did you find out about this place?"
"Sirius told me about it. Before Hogwarts." Harry quickly lied.
Both Ron and Hermione nodded as they took their seats.
Hermione began, "Alright, now... Quirrell. What do we do?"
Harry nodded. "You two saw it right?..."
Ron seemed to understand what Harry was asking. "You killed him. I saw it. We saw it."
Harry nodded. He had hoped that this was just a bad dream but it was real. "The Killing curse never fails... it has no counter..."
Hermione chimed in. "That's whats puzzling. How is Quirrell alive when the killing curse doesn't fail and has no counter."
"I burned the body of Quirrell after I killed him...so ressurection is out of the equation" Harry continued. "The only possible way that's left is..." It wasn't a very comforting thought.
Ron and Hermione seemed to know the answer. "Time manipulation"
Harry nodded. The trio's faces were grim. The very thought of someone turning back time of a particular object was terrifying. It was very different from normal. It was unnatural. Something that shouldn't be possible.
"Voldemort?" Hermione whispered, her voice barely audible.
Harry shook his head. "No, it can't be Voldemort. Although, I can't completely overrule that option. But if he had that kind of power, he wouldn't be bothering with Sorcerer's Stone. He wouldn't need it."
"Then who?" Ron asked, his voice growing louder with frustration. "Who else could be behind this?"
The true enemy. Harry thought. Praesidius had warned him that Voldemort would be the least of his worries. Then the only possible answer is the 'true enemy.' Whoever it was. But he couldn't share that with Ron and Hermione. At least not yet.
"I don't know..." Harry said. "But whoever or whatever it is, is definitely more powerful than Voldemort."
Color drained from Ron and Hermione's faces. "More powerful?"
"Yes..." Harry sighed. "That's the only possible way.... Whoever it is, is infinitely more powerful than Voldemort. That's the only explanation that we have here."
Ron and Hermione were now shaking in fear. Hermione didn't want to believe it. "Couldn't it be something like a ritual or something related to ressurection?"
Harry ran a hand through his messy hair. He understood that Ron and Hermione were scared. He was too. Nothing good would come out of having them shaking in fear so Harry quickly thought about lying.
"It could be. I can't claim that I know everything about rituals or ressurection as such." Harry replied. "So... yes, it's possible."
Both Ron and Hermione seemed to be a bit less scared now. Harry understood that having to deal something like an infinitely more powerful being than the most evil Dark Lord ever in the history is not something a normal eleven year old, would be thrilled about.
"But let's leave what we don't know for now." Harry said as he shifted in the chair. "What do we do about Quirrell?"
"Is he still after the Sorcerer stone?" Ron asked.
"We can't rule it out. Although Quirrell is back...Voldemort isn't. So our best hope it that Quirrell is still after the Sorcerer's stone" Harry replied.
Hermione's expression grew serious. "We can't take any chances with the Sorcerer's stone then."
The trio fell into silence. What should their next move be?
Hermione's face lit up with an idea. "What if we replace the Stone with a fake one?"
Harry thought about it. Yes it was possible to do that and they could safeguard the stone until they dealt with Quirrell. Although it may lead to unforeseen situations that was not in the original book, it would still be better than Quirrell getting the stone.
"Yes...That's a good idea." Harry replied. "If we replace the real Stone with a fake one, Quirrell won't be able to get his hands on the real one."
Ron nodded in agreement. "Yes and then we won't have to keep worrying about the Stone. Even if Quirrell gets the stone he would get a fake one."
Harry nodded and looked at them both. "We'll do it tonight, after everyone's gone to bed. It's the best time to get it."
Hermione asked, "How are we going to get past Fluffy?"
Harry leaned back in his chair and smirked. "Why would I have to go through Fluffy, when I can just apparate into the chamber where the stone is?"
Both Ron and Hermione remembered that Harry could apparate in and out of Hogwarts without the Anti-Apparation wards affecting him. So apparating into the chamber below would be child's play for Harry.
Hermione frowned. "But how will we make the fake Stone look real? We don't want anyone to find out the real one is missing right?"
Harry smiled. "We don't have to do that. I will return the stone once Quirrell is gone. And knowing Voldemort, once he finds out that the real stone is not at Hogwarts, he would kill Quirrell and leave."
"So we don't have to worry about all that." Harry replied.
Both Ron and Hermione nodded their heads in unison. But Ron suddenly asked. "What if there are charms or spells on that Stone that would notify Dumbledore, when its taken?"
Harry thought about it. He could deal with it anyway. "I'll be able to deal with it, no problem."
The room fell into a brief, tense silence. After the discussion about Quirrell and the Stone, neither Ron nor Hermione were sure what to ask or how to continue the conversation.
"Harry" Hermione began. "How were you able to speak into my mind earlier?"
Ron who had experienced the mind talk by Harry before, perked up as he too was interested in how Harry did that.
"Legillimency... I used Legillimency" Harry replied.
"What's Legillimency?" Ron asked.
Harry gave them the brief overview on mind magic. He told them how Legillimency and Occlumency worked. He also told them how Snape and Dumbledore used passive Legillimency to see into people's surface thoughts.
Both Ron and Hermione were shocked to learn that there was such magic. It was their first time hearing about it.
"How did you learn it?" Ron asked.
Harry smiled, "I learnt it here. In the same small library we are sitting in."
Harry got up and went to the shelf he had found the book. He quickly saw the book and picked it out.
He laid the book down on the table, 'The Mind's Magic: A Treatise on Legillimency and Occlumency." Hermione immediately pulled the book towards her. She opened the book and saw the warning on the first page.
Both Ron and Hermione looked at Harry, he smiled and motioned them to go further. Both of them began flipping through the yellowed pages.
"How long did it take you to learn this?" Ron asked.
Harry hesitated for a moment, weighing his words. Part of him wanted to tell the truth—how he almost went mad trying to cram all the information into his brain using the Cognitio Transcribere spell. But a part of him also wanted to brag about how fast he was able to get it down. In the end he decided to brag about it.
"Half an hour," he said with a smirk.
"Half an hour?" Hermione head snapped up from the book to look at Harry. "That's impossible!"
Harry smirked. "Not for me"
"Shut up...really? Are you pulling our legs?" Ron asked in disbelief.
Harry smirked as he nodded.
Hermione closed the book slowly, her eyes still on Harry. "There's more to this, isn't there? No one—no one——can master magic like this so quickly. The book even warns not to rush. Harry, what aren't you telling us?"
Harry smirked. Leave it to Hermione to be the smartest one in the room. Ron meanwhile was still trying to wrap his head around how Harry had managed to pull of such a feat.
Harry let out a sigh. "Yeah... You're right. there is more." He admitted.
Both Ron and Hermione leaned in closer. "We are listening..."
Harry sat back down. "There's a spell," he began slowly, "that can... transfer the information inside a book directly to your mind. All of it. At once."
Hermione's eyes widened in horror. "That's incredibly dangerous, Harry! You could have—"
"Died" Harry smiled. "Yeah, I know. I almost did, too."
Ron blanched. "Bloody hell..."
Harry chuckled. "One would think that I learnt my lesson..."
Ron knew where this was heading. "What did YOU do?"
Harry chuckled. "I modified that spell into a new spell. Once that would help me scan shelves of books at once and transfer them to my mind."
Ron and Hermione stared at Harry, their jaws practically hitting the floor.
"You... what?" Hermione managed to choke out. Harry could see her temple pulsing, a sure sign of anger. "You modified an already dangerous spell? Harry, that's—"
"Completely mental!" Ron finished. He looked at Harry as though he was seeing a ghost. "You can't just—are you serious?"
Harry leaned back in his chair with a sheepish smiled. "No, I'm Harry."
"Ohh, don't you start with a Sirius joke right now, Harry James Potter." Hermione snapped. Harry raised his hand in surrender.
Before she could begin her rant, Ron cut in. "Mate, how are you this stupid when you're so bloody powerful?"
Harry winced at Ron's bluntness but chuckled. "It's not like I planned to mess it up. It was just a quickler way to learn. But, well... I may have overlooked a few things."
"Overlooked?" Hermione repeated, her voice shaking in disbelief. "What could you possibly have overlooked while casting a spell that shoves information into your brain?"
Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I... forgot to define the filters."
"Filters?" Ron echoed. "What filters?"
"The filters I placed on the spell so that it would exclude irrelevant information." Harry smiled sheepishly. "Only I forgot to define the condition in which the filters would consider information irrelevant."
Ron and Hermione were livid by now. Ron's face had a mixture of amusement, disbelief and 'are you stupid' emotion. Hermione's had disbelief and anger.
"I cast the spell without the right parameters, so... everything from the books I scanned just poured into my mind. All of it." Harry finished.
Hermione's eyes were wide as saucers. "You mean everything? Not just the spells or useful knowledge but—"
"Everything," Harry confirmed with a grim nod. "Every word. Every page. Even footnotes, page numbers and margins."
Ron's face had turned pale. "So how many books did you scan?"
Harry looked at them sheepishly. "This entire library..." his voice almost came out as a whisper.
Hermione gasped,"You scanned this entire library? Every single book?"
Harry nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah… I wasn't exactly thinking things through. I just wanted to absorb as much as I could."
Ron looked like he might pass out. "You've got every single book from this place stuffed inside your head? Mate, that's... that's... are you mad?"
The room fell into a stunned silence again, while both Hermione and Ron were trying to grasp the insanity of Harry's action.
"Harry," Hermione finally said. "Do you understand how dangerous that is? You could've been permanently damamged! You're luck you're still... still here after something like that."
Ron nodded. "Yeah, mate. I mean, how did you even survive? What happened after that?"
Harry chuckled nervously. "I ended up in the hospital wing."
"Obviously," Hermione muttered.
Ron shook his head, still staring at Harry in disbelief. "Mate, you're brilliant… but you're completely mental."