The scream and the slamming club on the stone wall alerted the professors and the Headmaster and the alchemist. After a moment's shock, they acted. Flitwick summoned the students to him by their robes, casting a Shield Charm over them. McGonagall flicked her wand at the suits of empty armor and they sprang to life, launching themselves at the troll.
"There's another!" Quirrell shouted as another gigantic form blundered its way up the hallway. He hissed an incantation and the second troll howled with pain as a rain of stones pelted it, driving it back.
Dumbledore drew an intricate symbol with his wand and the club in the second troll's hand became a coil of rope that slithered around the troll, binding it tightly. "Block the foyer!" he shouted, voice deep and full of purpose. McGonagall slashed with her wand and the wooden plinths at either side of the way into the castle fell and elongated, becoming a wall that blocked the rest of the castle off before transforming into stone.
Flamel reached into his robes and withdrew a vial. He bit the top off and spat it aside and scattered handfuls of things into it, speaking rapidly in French. The vial shimmered and the contents turned inky black and he threw it at the first troll.
The vial shattered and the contents spilled out, covering the troll in thick viscous material, making it struggle slowly. The suits of armor were coated too and they clung to the troll, hampering its movements even more.
"Let's get out of here," Flitwick said, voice high from adrenaline but still kind. He hustled the students in front of him, eager to escape the coming melee.
"Watch out!" Harry shouted, pushing back against Lavender and Flitwick. A third troll came out of another side passage and it swung its club, shattering stone and brick and everything in between. Harry pushed Lavender into Flitwick and dove, arms over his head.
His push sent the girl and the professor flying back, out of the way of falling stones and separating them. He rolled and tried to scramble up but tripped and he went flying into the passage. He landed heavily and his head bounced off the stone, knocking him sluggish.
"Harry!" Lavender shrieked.
Dumbledore turned to look and his attention wavered for a critical second. The bound troll roared and flexed, snapping the rope that was holding it still. It charged forward, knocking Quirrell aside with a slap, sending the man flying. Dumbledore stood his ground and pointed his wand at the troll. " Impedimenta!" The troll slammed to a stop, as if hitting an invisible wall and Dumbledore's face twisted from the effort. With another wave of his wand, he smashed the troll down and it collapsed into a boneless heap, unconscious.
He spared a moment to look for Harry and see how Quirrell was but by then the third troll was trying to crush Flitwick and Lavender. With a shout, he jumped to help, followed by McGonagall and Flamel.
Quirrell shook his head drunkenly as he sat up. His eyes were bright red however, and he moved in a fashion that was different than usual. "Fool!" Voldemort hissed. The blow from the third troll, despite being hastily aimed, was more than enough to send the grown man flying and knock him senseless. Voldemort's spirit was able to take control while Quirrell's consciousness was absent. "I should have known better than to trust you completely!"
He watched as the professors and Dumbledore and Nicolas battled the second troll while dealing with the third one that was stirring feebly. Mountain trolls were notoriously magic resistant and were proving to be difficult to handle.
With how furiously they were fighting, Quirrell/Voldemort had no way to ambush Nicolas and take the stone. The opportunity was wasted.
Voldemort hissed in agony, feeling the skin on his host's arm burn. He realized that he had flown into Harry, knocking the boy over and the two of them falling into the side passage with the first troll that was still fighting its way from the black goo that Nicolas had thrown over it. As Voldemort reeled back, he paused, feeling something else besides intense pain and burning.
"No… can it be?" he whispered to himself. He flicked the wand and Harry turned over, groaning fitfully. Voldemort stared at the scar on Harry's forehead and he felt a tiny pulse that throbbed deeply in his fractured soul.
Recognition.
Voldemort looked at the battling professors, then looked down at Harry. An idea flashed into being in his mind and he grinned savagely. He held his right hand over Harry's scar and snarled. "Return to me, return what is mine!"
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