It was time. The showdown between Harry Potter and Quirrellmort was about to go down, and I was, perched on the sidelines like the world's most curious spectator.
You might be wondering, Arthur, didn't you say you wanted no part in this? Well, yeah. But come on, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a live-action recreation of a movie scene. No way was I missing this.
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The Third Corridor
I hid in the shadows as the Golden Trio came rushing into the forbidden third-floor corridor. They had that determined look on their faces, the kind that screamed, "We're about to do something incredibly dangerous and incredibly stupid."
Fluffy, the massive three-headed dog, was already fast asleep, Harry pushed aside his massive foot—or is it Hermione?—meh who cares.
I slipped inside quietly, staying far enough behind to avoid detection. As soon as they disappeared down the trapdoor, I waited for a bit, giving them time to get past the Devil's Snare before following.
---
Dropping down into the dark abyss, I immediately felt the Devil's Snare start wrapping around me. It was a little unsettling, but nothing I couldn't handle.
"Lumos," I whispered, and the snare recoiled from the light. Huh, simple enough.
By the time I reached the next room, the Trio was already ahead. The door to the key chamber was wide open, so I didn't bother messing with the flying keys. Instead, I kept my pace slow and quiet, savoring the real-life reenactment unfolding before me.
---
Now, this was the part I had been waiting for—the famous life-sized wizard's chess game. I entered just in time to see the dramatic standoff between Ron and the giant chess pieces.
Let me tell you, watching it in person was ridiculous as it was in the movie. Ron, wanting to be the martyr, climbed onto the knight's horse like a wannabe medieval hero.
I almost laughed out loud. "There's literally no reason for him to be on the horse," I muttered to myself. "Just use Bombarda or simply use moves to get to the end of the board and be done with it."
But nope, Ron had to go full drama mode, sacrificing himself in a blaze of glory—or, well, a chessboard collision. Hermione screamed his name as he was "knocked out," and Harry rushed to the king to claim victory.
Rolling my eyes, I waited for the coast to clear before slipping past the two. Hermione stayed behind to tend to Ron, leaving Harry to proceed to the final chamber alone.
---
By the time I reached the final chamber, the climactic confrontation was already in full swing. Harry stood in front of the Mirror of Erised, while Quirrell revealed his master plan, complete with a dramatic monologue about how he had fooled everyone.
And then came the big reveal. Voldemort's face appeared on the back of Quirrell's head, just as grotesque and unsettling as I'd once seen.
From my hiding spot, I couldn't help but whisper, "How does that even work? Is there a spinal cord situation going on, or…?"
The battle unfolded much as I remembered it from the movie, but seeing it live was another level of surreal. Quirrell grabbed Harry, trying to wrest the Philosopher's Stone from him, only to start screaming in agony as his skin began to burn.
Now, this part had always confused me. How was Harry able to burn Quirrell into ash just by touching him? Was it the Stone's magic? Some kind of protective mana burst? A plot convenience J.K. Rowling never bothered to explain?
I watched, baffled, as Quirrell crumbled to dust, Voldemort's spirit screaming as it fled the scene. Harry collapsed shortly after, unconscious but victorious.
---
As the room fell silent, I decided it was time to dip. No way was I sticking around for Dumbledore's dramatic post-battle entrance or Harry's heartfelt reunion with his friends.
Slipping out the way I came, I made my way back to Gryffindor Tower. The corridors were quiet, the castle seemingly unaware of the chaos that had just unfolded beneath it.
Back in my room, I flopped onto my bed and stared at the ceiling.
"Well," I muttered to Garuda, who had been perched on my shoulder the whole time, "that was something."
The bird let out a soft chuckle. "And you claim to be a side character."
"Hey, I didn't do anything," I shot back. "I just… observed."
"Observing is still participating, Arthur."
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever you say, wise bird. I'm going to sleep."
I closed my eyes, I couldn't help but replay the events of the night in my head. The Golden Trio had their moment, Quirrellmort was defeated, and Hogwarts was safe—for now.
And me? I was just glad I'd managed to stay out of the spotlight.
---Note
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