Had the time finally come?
The mission reward looked generous at first glance, but compared to long-term gains like talent or intelligence, the numerical values didn't feel as impactful.
Over the six months since Kevin had started at Hogwarts, he hadn't made dramatic progress in magic or physical fitness.
Most of his time had been devoted to Potions study, and he'd become proficient in spells after only a few practice sessions.
That afternoon, Harry hurried over after class, looking unusually serious.
"I heard from Professor McGonagall that Professor Dumbledore went to London," Harry said.
"Snape might make his move tonight. The other professors don't believe us, so we have to check on the Philosopher's Stone ourselves."
Harry's intention was clear: he was going tonight, and he wanted Kevin to come with him. Harry couldn't risk Voldemort's return.
"Alright, I'll come," Kevin agreed. "Hermione, you—"
"I'm coming too!" Hermione cut in firmly before he could finish.
Kevin nodded. "I suppose that's settled. We'll meet in the common room at eleven."
Night fell quickly. The four of them — Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Kevin — gathered quietly in the Gryffindor common room.
They hadn't expected Neville to be waiting for them at the portrait hole.
In the original sequence of events, Neville had blocked Harry, Ron, and Hermione's way, but Kevin's presence had changed things.
The trio rarely sneaked out anymore, and they'd never been caught. So why was Neville here now?
Was it a leak of information? Or just one of Dumbledore's schemes to award Gryffindor points later?
Whatever the reason, Neville was quickly dealt with — a single Petrificus Totalus, and he was out of the way.
They reached the third-floor corridor and found the trapdoor room.
Inside, a harp played on its own, and the three-headed dog, Fluffy, was snoring soundly. Someone had already been here.
Knowing Fluffy wouldn't stay asleep for long, Kevin instructed the others to carefully move the dog's paws, open the trapdoor, and jump through.
They landed in a tangle of Devil's Snare. Kevin thought about blasting it with a light spell but decided against taking over. This was, after all, Harry, Hermione, and Ron's adventure.
Hermione immediately remembered the plant's weakness.
"Don't struggle — just relax!" she called.
Kevin, already relaxed, dropped through immediately. Hermione and Harry followed suit.
Ron, however, continued thrashing until Hermione, thinking quickly, conjured bright light to force the plant back.
The next chamber was full of winged keys. The locked door ahead couldn't be opened magically.
This was Harry's element. As a Seeker, he spotted the right key and caught it after a short chase, unlocking the way forward.
The next room was a giant wizard's chessboard. Ron took command.
In the end, Ron sacrificed himself to secure victory, getting knocked unconscious by a massive black knight.
Harry wanted Hermione to take Ron back while he and Kevin continued, but Kevin gave Ron a dose of recovery potion. Groggy but determined, Ron insisted on pressing forward.
The last room held Professor Quirrell, standing before the Mirror of Erised.
Harry was stunned.
"But… it was you? I thought Snape—"
Quirrell smirked.
"If Snape hadn't been countering my curse during the Quidditch match, you'd have been dead. And on Halloween, while the troll distracted everyone else, Snape came straight to the third floor to stop me."
Hermione glanced at Kevin — it seemed Snape truly had been protecting Harry.
Then, a cold, inhuman voice filled the air. Voldemort.
As Quirrell began to remove his turban, Kevin moved. In a blur, he launched forward, crowbar in hand, striking at Quirrell's back.
A deafening clang — the Shield Charm had absorbed the blow. Voldemort's battle instincts had forced Quirrell to defend without hesitation.
Kevin had expected this. In midair, he swapped the crowbar for his wand and unleashed his most powerful spell before even touching the ground.
Invisible, blade-like magic tore into Quirrell, breaking through his defenses and slicing into his body.
Kevin didn't hesitate — crowbar back in hand, he struck the back of Quirrell's head, right where Voldemort's face was emerging. Quirrell collapsed.
Kevin kept hitting until Quirrell's body lay broken on the ground.
Still breathing heavily, Kevin grabbed Harry, forcing his hand onto Quirrell's bare skin. The body let out a blood-curdling scream as Voldemort's smoky form erupted into the air.
The dark wizard cursed Kevin furiously before fleeing through the walls, his soul too weak to remain.
Kevin collapsed, trembling. The Killing Curse was far too dangerous to risk. He'd attacked before Voldemort could act — there had been no time to wait for a "fair duel."
Harry was still retching, Ron sat pale and shaken, and Hermione, though visibly shaken, remained the most composed.
Kevin took a recovery potion, feeling strength slowly return. Quirrell's body crumbled into ash, leaving only Harry's mess on the floor.
"It's alright," Kevin said quietly. "The professors will be here soon."
He lay his head on Hermione's lap, chatting idly with her to distract the others.
When Snape finally arrived, he found all four of them lying on the stairs, chatting as if nothing had happened — though the smell in the air told a very different story.