Attempted kidnapping

The brothers had fun for the rest of the holidays. They played Quidditch, learned how to create artefacts, and read books. Itachi tried out new paints, and Sasuke experimented under his great-grandfather's supervision with an alchemy kit. Severus taught them to brew more complex potions since they already knew how to make everything from the school's three-year program.

Back at school on the third of January, the twins happily discussed the past holidays with their friends. Six days later, on the ninth of January, they ran to their father's house early in the morning.

- Happy birthday to you! - The brothers started humming as soon as the door closed behind them and presented them with potion vials with a tangle of unique charms to keep them from breaking and the potions from changing their properties. Such vials were not uncommon, but they cost twice as much as ordinary vials because although the spells were simple, they required care and precision in their application. It took the twins a while to recreate them, they even used the Sharingan, but in the end, it went well.

- Did you make them yourself? - Severus asked in surprise.

He knew the children had started working with the artefacts, but he had no idea they had made it this far. Severus couldn't take his eyes off the gift.

- We wanted to get you something special. We had the money, but something beneficial and valuable cost too much, so we decided to make our own gift. But we can't give you a potion; you can make anything yourself. So we decided to make an artefact of some kind. Are we right? - Itachi asked.

- You have yet to learn how! - Severus smiled and hugged the children.

****

The second half of the school year brought nothing unusual to the brothers. They only found it odd that Hermione, Harry and Ron began to whisper to each other frequently. It had started before Christmas, in early November, when Granger began to rummage through the library for something. The brothers wanted to ask directly at first, but whenever it was worth it for them to approach her favoured reading desk or see them, she immediately closed the books and hid them if possible. The brothers had agreed not to bother her since Hermione wouldn't say anything, but when two months passed, and the situation hadn't changed, Sasuke's patience snapped. When Hermione noticed them slamming the folio shut once again, he spoke up:

- "Hermione, I understand that you like to search for information on your own, but did it ever occur to you that if two months have passed and you haven't found the answer, it's worth asking for help? My brother and I have been in the magical world longer than you have, and we may have heard of or even known the wizard you are seeking information about.

The girl's eyes widened.

- How do you know I'm looking for information about a wizard?

- It's hard not to notice the spines of the books you read and match the facts," Itachi replied.

Hermione bit her lip and sighed.

- 'You're right. I just thought I could figure it out on my own," the girl shook her head, "I've been looking for information about Nicholas Flamel for so long, and still not a single clue!

- Nicholas Flamel? The creator of the Philosopher's Stone? - Surprised Itachi," Decided to do some kind of project for the exam?

- Philosopher's Stone! Exactly! - The girl covered her face with her hands, but after being a little nervous, she answered, "Yes, I wanted to prepare something. I'd be glad if you didn't say anything to anyone.

- Okay," the brothers shrugged.

They noted that Hermione was clearly not telling them something but decided not to ask any more questions.

****

The Gryffindor's strange behaviour didn't stop there, and it worried their friends, but the end of the school year was approaching, and Manda had not reported any attempts to enter the third floor, so the twins decided to focus on the problems at hand. The brothers had quickly passed their exams and were looking forward to the day when they returned home. Hogwarts was interesting, but their great-grandfather had promised them a trip to Rome for their excellent studies. When the results were a week away, Manda came crawling in unexpectedly with a message.

"A strange smelling man has entered the room, the cubs have followed him," she relayed to Sasuke through her surname and master's mind link.

"What are the cubs and how many are there?" - The Prince asked.

"Three. One is Potter, whom you asked me to keep a special eye on. The other hangs around him all the time. The third is a girl."

"So, apparently the weird-smelling one is Quirrell, the second cub is Ronald, and the third is Hermione. She was with us at the time and apparently noticed the hatch. They've been whispering in the corners a lot lately, and Hermione's been going through the library," Sasuke thought to himself.

He thanked the snake and relayed what Itachi had said to her.

- It was urgent that he warned his father. If Quirrell decides to take them hostage, we will be in a difficult position. The only way to save them would be to submerge him in illusion, but I still need to perfect Tsukuyomi to his previous level. Still, magic is more complicated to work with than chakra. We'd better turn to my father. Surely there must be a way to safely get the Gryffindors out of there. Who knows what kind of traps there are... Potter and Weasley had something to do. Instead of trying to talk them out of it or call their teachers, Hermione went with them. Gryffindors love to go on adventures," Itachi said, annoyed.

Even though it was late and bedtime was long gone, the children went to their father's rooms. They had made friends with Mrs Norris (the Uchis were cat people, after all), so they didn't have to fear Filch catching them.

- What are you doing here so late? - A sleepy Severus asked in surprise when he found his sons at his door.

- Quirrell had made his way to the third floor, and Potter, Weasley and Granger had gone there too.

- And you know how?

- I sent Manda up there...

- Okay, explanations later. I, along with Professor McGonagall, am going over there. You sit here quietly and wait for me to return.

Without waiting for their reply, Severus left the room. The hours dragged on slowly. Itachi and Sasuke decided to try and get some sleep, but the worry for his father and the restless trio was too much. Finally, after five hours. The door opened. Severus was clearly exhausted but content. Carefully inspecting his clothes for traces of blood, the children rushed towards him.

- What happened? How are the Gryffindors? What happened to Quirrell? - Sasuke muttered.

- The Gryffindors were fine. Potter and Weasley will be in the hospital wing for a while. Nothing serious. The trio had somehow figured out that the third floor housed the Philosopher's Stone.

- Philosopher's Stone! - Sasuke's eyes lit up.

- Yes. Dumbledore knows Nicholas Flamel and asks the headmaster to hide it, which he does.

- Is hiding something so valuable in a school full of children safe? Wouldn't it be better to use the services of Gringotts? - Itachi asked.

- The stone was there, but it had been reported that someone wanted to steal it. And as it turned out, the fears were not unfounded. Have you heard about the break-in at the bank?

- I have.

- It was Quirrell; he was after the stone. Dumbledore thought that it would be possible to get to the customer by provoking the kidnapper. So obstacles and traps were set up on the third floor, and children were forbidden. Quirinus returned from Albania in a strange state, and the headmaster asked me to watch him. After the bizarre incident on Halloween, I began to suspect that Quirrell was the one who was after the stone. He was the one who released the troll, but I realised that kidnapping was being prepared and went to the third floor, scaring him off. I decided to talk to him, hoping he would come to his senses and tell me who his customer was, but he didn't want to accept help, and today he broke into the third floor. The Gryffindors somehow learned about the impending theft of the Philosopher's Stone. By the way, they decided that I was the one who decided to steal it to use it to revive the Dark Lord," Severus snorted.

- That's ridiculous. "Why would they even think that? - Sasuke asked.

- You see since I don't kiss the sand under the Chosen One's feet, and since I am critical of his actions, it means that I do wish for his resurrection.

After laughing, the children asked:

- What about Quirrell?

- It turned out that he was possessed by the Dark Lord's spirit.

- So it turns out he's still alive like Dumbledore thinks he is? - Itachi asked.

- Yes," Severus sighed, "When he tried to kill Potter, the protection put on Lily the day she died was triggered, and Quirrell died. He didn't have long to live, anyway, since the Lord had drained him of his life force. Quirrell even went so far as to kill a unicorn.

The children grew dark. They knew what terrible punishment awaited the man who dared such an atrocity.

- As he realised his powers were insufficient, he decided to use the Philosopher's Stone to create the elixir of life, which he did by infiltrating the third floor. By the time Professor McGonagall and I arrived, virtually nothing was left of him. Now tell us how you learned about Quirrell breaking into the third floor.

The twins looked at each other.

- We told you that Quirrell's behaviour seemed suspicious to us from the beginning. And then he tried to commit an assassination attempt on Potter, which confirmed our suspicions. There were no further attempts, and we assumed that the Gryffindor was not his target. That's when we got the idea that he wanted what was on the third floor. After all, it had only been closed this year; the students had been forbidden to go there, saying it could cost them their lives. If, for example, renovation works were being carried out there, everyone would have simply been told so. So no one should know what is there. That's why we decided to send Manda to watch and report if anything happens," Itachi replied.

- Your reasoning is logical, but why did you have to get involved in this in the first place? I told you to mind your own business.

- We knew you couldn't be on call 24/7, Dad; you're not a three-legged man, so we wanted to help you," Sasuke replied.

Severus sighed.

- Well done for coming straight to me. I told Minerva I found out about everything because I put a tracking spell on Quirrell on the headmaster's orders, so no one would know about your involvement. Now I'll show you to the living room.

****

After reaching Ravenclaw Tower and parting with their father, the brothers decided to discuss the news.

- If Voldemort is alive, he will try to regain his powers. I don't think the Philosopher's Stone is the only way; it just happens to be the most convenient. Now the Lord will probably lie low and wait for the right moment to attack," Itachi sighed.

- And we have to act. I don't want to sit around and wait for news anymore, like a genin who encounters a too-strong opponent on a mission and has to wait for sensei to deal with him. I've been through this before when we ran into Zabuza on the first mission. I'll never shake again," Sasuke clenched his fists.

- No one's asking you to, Otto," Itachi said soothingly, "Father will undoubtedly be against our interference, but I will find a way to change his mind. A man who has fought Kaguya and won cannot, by definition, be a coward. We will learn and train; next time, we will be ready to attack.

****

The Princes spent the last day of school walking around the lake with Draco, Theo and Dakota. The weather was beautiful, and the friends happily nestled under a tree, chatting about nothing. In the evening, although the boys wanted to wander around Hogwarts one last time before the holidays, Dakota and Theo took them out for a feast.

- We got first place thanks to our Quidditch team winning and your answers in class! You owe it to yourselves to be there.

Sighing, the brothers followed their friends. Before entering the Great Hall, they bumped into Draco, Krebbe and Goyle.

- Congratulations, Heirs Prince, Ravenclaw is ahead of Slytherin, but next year, we'll get the cup," Malfoy said grudgingly.

An outsider wouldn't have noticed the signs of a slight smile at the corners of his lips, indicating the boy's proper attitude towards the situation.

- Thank you, heir Malfoy. That was the work of the entire faculty," Itachi smiled openly.

The children entered the hall and dispersed to their desks. Once everyone was in their seats. Dumbledore began his speech. The brothers partially missed the first part, looking carefully at the decorations of the hall and woke up when it was time for the results to be announced:

- And now, as I understand it, we must determine who has won the competition between the faculties. Let's start at the end. (*) Fourth place went to the faculty, Gryffindor, with three hundred and sixty-two points. Third place went to Hufflepuff with three hundred and sixty-seven points. In second place was Slytherin with five hundred and twenty-two points. And in the first place, Ravenclaw, by a narrow margin, five hundred and twenty-five points.

The hall erupted in applause. The children were already talking over each other when the headmaster suddenly continued his speech.

- Yes, yes, you've done an excellent job," Dumbledore said, turning to the Ravenclaws sitting at the table. - However, we should have taken recent events into account.

The hall fell silent. Everyone looked at each other in surprise.

Dumbledore gave a loud chuckle.

- "So," he continued. - Because in light of recent events, some students have earned some points... Wait, wait... Yeah...

Dumbledore pondered - or pretended to consider.

- Let's start with Mr Ronald Weasley...

Ron puffed up and looked like a sunburned radish.

I award fifty points to the Gryffindor faculty for the best chess game in Hogwarts history.

The shouts that rose at the table where Harry sat must have reached the enchanted ceiling. At the very least, the stars on the top trembled. Harry could clearly hear Percy addressing the other elders, shouting relentlessly:

- It's my brother! My little brother! He won at McGonagall's enchanted chess!

"What's he doing?" - raced through the twins' minds, who knew practically first-hand about all the events that had taken place, "Shouldn't he then also take points off for breaking curfew and the third-floor ban?"

Finally, there was silence again.

- Next... Miss Hermione Granger," Dumbledore said. - For the ability to use cold logic in the face of flame, I award fifty points to the Gryffindor faculty.

The brothers found their eyes on Hermione, who covered her face with her hands and laughed. They were happy for the girl.

- And finally, Mr Harry Potter," Dumbledore announced, and there was absolute silence in the hall. - I award sixty points to the Gryffindor faculty for iron restraint and fantastic bravery.

After counting, the Princes realised that Gryffindor was tied with Slytherin for second place. They began to realise what would happen next.

Dumbledore raised his hand. The hall began to fall silent.

- Courage comes in many forms. - Dumbledore was still smiling. - You have to be brave enough to stand up to your enemy. But it takes just as much courage to stand up to your friends! And for that, I award ten points to Mr Neville Longbottom.

Gryffindor came out on top with five hundred and thirty-two points.

"Has he seriously now made his former faculty a winner?" - Couldn't quite believe the brothers. The Scarlet table erupted in applause. The Hufflapaff cheered them unabashedly. Ravenclaw and Slytherin remained dead silent. Seemingly unaware of all this, Dumbledore changed the scenery and once again congratulated everyone at the end of the year. The princes noted the indignant look on their dean's face and the furtive rage on their father's face.

- No, how could he?! You won fair and square! - Indignantly, Draco caught up with the twins, Theo and Dakota.

The boy's face turned red with anger.

- Don't worry, Draco. You know our position. All this competition is nothing; the most important thing is knowledge," Itachi said soothingly, "Oh, and he's doing the vultures a disservice himself.

- Exactly. Do you think the other faculties like it? You'd think they'd treat them like the freeloaders the headmaster supports and who can't do anything without his help," Sasuke snorted.

- Still, it's a shame. You guys tried so hard, and they got everything for nothing.

- Hmm. If that's what you're worried about," Sasuke smiled slyly, "Then take down their Quidditch team next year. I hear Potter and Weasley are going to make their way there. By the way, Theo, that goes for you, too.

- Yeah. We'll show them where the crayfish are," Theo and Draco laughed.