Chapter 68 - Boss Battle

When Thomas and Harry reached the next chamber, there was already someone there – but it wasn't Snape. It wasn't even Voldemort. It was Quirrell.

"You!" gasped Harry, his voice filled with surprise and suspicion.

Quirrell, however, wore a calm smile on his face. His usual nervous twitching was nowhere to be seen.

"Me," he replied calmly. "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter, Grayson."

[Thomas, that devil is near. Do not succumb to her allure.]

Before Thomas could react to Bahamut's warning, a soft and feminine voice resonated from behind them, causing Thomas to turn his head. When his eyes saw who the somewhat familiar voice belonged to, he froze as the very same devil woman that almost killed Marsius, wrapped her arms around him, drawing him away from Harry's side.

"Thomas, my dear," she purred. "How I've missed you. I've been waiting for this moment ever since our last meeting, yearning to play with you once more."

Thomas's horror deepened as the memories of his fight against her summons returned to his mind. He remembered her twisted desires, her sadistic pleasure in inflicting pain, and the danger she posed to those around her.

Summoning every ounce of willpower, Thomas mustered a shaky voice. "Stay away from me," he managed to utter.

The woman's smile widened, while her eyes sparkle in pleasure that sent a chill through Thomas's body. She tightened her grip on him, before she spoke back, almost as if she was enjoying his reaction.

"Oh, my dear Thomas, resisting me will only make it more enjoyable. We have unfinished business, you and I. I won't let you slip away this time. Nor will my master let your friend leave alive."

Meanwhile, Harry was having a hard time figuring out what the hell was happening with both Quirrel and Thomas. "Why are you here? I thought, Snape …"

"Severus?" Quirrell laughed and it wasn't his usual quivering treble, either, but cold and sharp. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?"

Harry couldn't take it in. This couldn't be true, it couldn't.

"Back when I had my first game, Snape tried to kill me!"

"No, no, no. I tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger and your rather unusual friend Mr. Grayson accidentally knocked me over as they rushed towards Snape at that Quidditch match. That made me break my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a counter-curse, trying to save you. Such a pity, that would have been easier than this and less of a chore as well."

"Snape was trying to save me?"

"Of course," said Quirrell coolly. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really … he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular … and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight. As for your friend, well my acquaintance will make sure he will not disturb my plans one way or another."

Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Harry.

As the ropes sprang out of thin air, tightly binding Harry, Thomas's heart sank. He struggled against the devil woman's grip, desperate to break free and come to his friend's aid. But she held him firmly, forcing him to watch as her master, approached Harry with a malevolent grin.

"My dear," the devil woman whispered in his ear. "Watch closely as my master unveils his true intentions. See the fear in your friend's eyes as he realizes that he would die soon. But don't worry, you won't follow him in death."

"You and your friends are too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school at Hallowe'en like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone."

"You let the troll in?"

"Certainly, thought it was a pity that someone actually managed to end his pathetic life with a magical dagger. Nevertheless, I have a special gift with trolls … you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off, and not only did my troll die, that damned three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly."

Thomas's eyes went wide in shock when he heard Quirrell's words. He knew that Snape wasn't the one that tried to harm Harry, but to actually hear that the strict professor was willing to risk his own life was a surprise, to say the least.

But then if Snape wasn't the culprit, and judging by the fact that Quirrell seems to be the one responsible for the series of dangerous events that happened around the school, another thought appeared in Thomas' head. Why hadn't the headmaster, intervened to stop it?

Yes, as a student, he respected Dumbledore and admired him as a wise and powerful wizard, but now he couldn't help but question the headmaster's motives. Was this some twisted game to prove his own wisdom? Did Dumbledore purposefully allow these dangerous challenges to test the students, to mold them into stronger individuals? Or was there something more about this whole ordeal that he hadn't found yet?

All these thoughts swirled in Thomas's mind, but he had little time to ponder them further. The succubus-like woman continued to hold him tightly, restricting his movements and preventing him from going to save Harry.

[Thomas, you can break free from her hold, but you must make a sacrifice. If you agree to let me transform a part of your body into that of a dragon permanently. And while that would boost your power to the next class, be warned that such an act will not go unnoticed. It will alert the gods and powerful beings of my return to the mortal realm.]

It took Thomas a few seconds to comprehend Bahamut's words and when he finally understood what the dragon was telling him, Thomas didn't know how to react or what to do. Was it worth the risk? Most likely yes, but was he ready to face the whole world alone? Not even close.

While Thomas was having his inner dialogue with his teacher, the succubus-like woman held his body tightly, but when she realized that he didn't struggle anymore, she tilted her head curiously, as her crimson eyes fixed on him. "Why have you stopped struggling, my dear?" she inquired in a seductive tone. "Are you feeling uncomfortable? Is there something you need?"

At the same time, Thomas was searching for a way to break free from her grasp, when a desperate thought appeared in his mind. In a bold and unexpected move, he decided to take a risk—one of the craziest things he had ever done. Without even hesitating or thinking twice about the consequences of his actions, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.

At that moment, the devil woman's mind seemed to freeze and her seductive demeanor gave a turn into confusion. The unexpected gesture disrupted everything. And for Thomas, this was a desperate gamble, one that he hopes would pay off. Taking advantage of the lack of response from the woman, Thomas swiftly slipped out of her grasp, leaving to recover her bearing. He wasted no time and rushed towards Harry, already holding his wand and muttering a spell.

Meanwhile, Quirrell was happily telling Harry about the reason behind Snape's hate for him.

"But Snape always seemed to hate me so much."

"Oh, he does," said Quirrell casually, "heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead."

"But I heard you a few days ago, sobbing, I thought Snape was threatening you …"

For the first time, a spasm of fear flitted across Quirrell's face.

"Sometimes," he said, "I find it hard to follow my master's instructions since he is a great wizard and I am weak …"

"You mean he was there in the classroom with you?" Harry gasped.

'He is with me wherever I go,' said Quirrell quietly. 'I met him when I traveled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it … Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me." Quirrell shivered suddenly. "He does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the Stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me … decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me …'

Quirrell's voice tailed away as Harry was remembering his trip to Diagon Alley – how could he have been so stupid? He'd seen Quirrell there that very day, shaking hands with him in the Leaky Cauldron. Quirrell cursed under his breath.

"I don't understand … is the Stone inside the Mirror? Should I break it?"

Just as Quirrell was thinking of breaking the Mirror to obtain the Philosopher's Stone, a powerful charm struck him from the side, catching him off-guard. The force of the spell sent Quirrell flying through the air, crashing into the chamber wall.

Thomas then quickly untied Harry nudging the boy towards the mirror while he stood in front of him ready to defend his friend.

"So, you dare to challenge me?" Quirrell sneered as he got back on his feet.

Thomas held his ground, not cowering in fear. "I won't let you harm Harry or get the stone."

Quirrell, still recovering from the impact, took a step forward as he raised his wand, preparing to retaliate. However, before he could utter a counter-spell, another voice echoed through the chamber.

"He's mine, master!"

With a swift motion, the devil woman tackled Thomas, lifting him off his feet and forcing him to drop his wand.

Thomas struggled against her grip, as he tried to break free. He desperately tried to reach for his wand, now lying just out of his grasp on the chamber floor. But her strength was something Thomas couldn't deal with no matter how much he struggle.

"Let go of me!" Thomas shouted.

The woman grinned wickedly when she heard his words. "Oh, Thomas, my dear, you really think you can challenge Lord Voldemort? How amusing."

She then tightened her grip on Thomas as her strength was making it difficult for him to breathe.

Harry, seeing his friend in danger, desperately searched for a way to help. He noticed Thomas's wand lying on the ground and run from the mirror to reach out to grab it.

"Stupefy!" Harry shouted, unleashing a stunning spell at the devil woman.

Sadly, for him, the spell bounced off a barrier, and the next thing Harry saw was the safe ropes that were around his body tying him up once again and bringing him in from Quirrell, who now look angrier than before.

"Come here," Quirrell ordered while grabbing Harry and bringing him in front of the mirror. "Look in the Mirror and tell me what you see."

'I must lie,' he thought desperately. 'I must look and lie about what I see, that's all.'

Quirrell moved him closer to the mirror and Harry breathed in the funny smell that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban. He closed his eyes and looked at the Mirror.

He saw his reflection, pale and scared-looking at first. But a moment later, the reflection smiled at him. It put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket, and as it did so, Harry felt something heavy drop into his real pocket. Somehow, incredibly, he'd got the Stone.

"Well?" said Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?"

Harry screwed up his courage.

"I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," he invented. "I – I've won the House Cup for Gryffindor."

Quirrell cursed again.

"Get out of the way," he said. As Harry moved aside, he felt the Philosopher's Stone against his leg. Dare he make a break for it?

But he hadn't walked five paces before a high voice spoke, though Quirrell wasn't moving his lips.

"He lies … He lies …"

"Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell me the truth! What did you just see?"

The high voice spoke again.

"Let me speak to him … face to face …"

"Master, you are not strong enough!"

"I have strength enough … for this …"

Harry felt as if Devil's Snare was rooting him to the spot. He couldn't move a muscle. Petrified, he watched as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban. What was going on? The turban fell away. Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the spot.

Harry would have screamed, but he couldn't make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.

"Harry Potter …" it whispered.

Harry tried to take a step backwards but his legs wouldn't move.

"See what I have become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapour … I have form only when I can share another's body … but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds … Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks … you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the Forest … and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own … Now … why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"

As Harry stood frozen there, frozen in fear, Thomas gritted his teeth and made a desperate decision. He couldn't bear to let Voldemort lay his hands on the Philosopher's Stone. So after accepting his doom, he accepted Bahamut's offer.

"Very well, Bahamut. I'll do it. Change a part of my body into that of a dragon."

The ancient dragon didn't waste any time. In an instant, Bahamut's magic enveloped Thomas, igniting a transformation unlike any he had ever experienced. His eyes, once human, were now replaced by fiery dragon orbs, piercing through the darkness of the chamber.

Thomas could feel the power coursing through his veins as he underwent the ever-familiar transformation. His body into his hybrid form but then dark armor appeared around him, covering his entire body.

[Unleash your Balance Breaker, and let your enemies tremble before you.]

"Get away from him!" Thomas roared, as he broke free from the devil woman's grasp before punching her in the face. The impact sent her flying across the chamber, crashing into the wall and knocking her out for good.

After breaking free, Thomas landed in front of Harry, and the ground beneath him shook, sending Quirrell stumbling several meters away. Voldemort's face sneered back at him, but even the Dark Lord couldn't hide the flicker of fear that danced in his eyes as he looked at bot he found interesting.

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