In the final chamber, the Mirror of Erised stood silently in the center, its silver surface reflecting the flickering torchlight.
Voldemort, currently inhabiting a snake's body, was coiled before the mirror, his icy gaze locked onto the glass.
But the reflection wasn't his current grotesque serpent form.
It was Tom Riddle, young, handsome, powerful, holding a gleaming crimson Philosopher's Stone in his hand.
Damn that Dumbledore!
Voldemort cursed inwardly.
He could feel the Stone was inside the mirror.
But no matter what he tried, he couldn't take it out.
That damned mirror showed only one's deepest desires…
But it didn't give you anything.
Just as he was growing more agitated, a burst of sound echoed from behind, the flames had been extinguished.
He whipped around, eyes cold and deadly.
Harry stepped into the chamber, leading the way.
Voldemort's gaze turned venomous.
Had it not been for Harry, he would never have become this wretched, half-dead thing.
To Voldemort, Harry walking in right now was like a soul delivering itself to the gates of Hell.
He opened his serpent's maw, preparing to instill fear in Harry and slowly torment him…
But before he could even get a word out, more and more figures poured into the room.
What is this, a tour group?!
Why the hell are there so many people?!
More than thirty students stormed into the chamber, momentarily stunned by the giant snake coiled in the middle.
"Whoa! That snake's massive!"
"But wait, where's the thief? Weren't we here to catch a thief?"
"Is it the snake that's trying to steal the Stone?"
The students chattered among themselves, not treating the giant serpent seriously at all.
After all, how dangerous could a snake really be?
Voldemort was about to explode.
When did a bunch of school brats start treating the Dark Lord like background furniture?!
But he knew the odds weren't in his favor.
One versus thirty?
Yeah… no.
He decided to play dead.
Slithering low to the ground, he mimicked the movements of an ordinary serpent, even slowing his breathing.
Then Charlie stepped in, scanning the room until his eyes landed on Voldemort.
Man and snake locked eyes.
In that instant, Charlie knew something was off.
A normal snake didn't radiate such concentrated malice.
Nor would it linger in a big open space like this.
Slowly, Charlie drew his wand and pointed it cautiously at Voldemort.
Feeling threatened, Voldemort began to slither away, trying to avoid Charlie's line of sight.
"It's that one!"
Charlie raised his arm and shouted, "Get it!"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, the students swarmed.
"Grab it!"
"Don't let it escape!"
"A hundred Galleons, lads!"
The Weasley twins led the charge, diving straight for the snake's tail.
Voldemort twisted frantically, trying to flee.
But with so many people, it wasn't easy to escape.
Harry sprinted after him, kicking wildly. Accuracy? Questionable. But energy? Top-notch.
"That's for trying to steal the Stone!"
"That's for hurting my parents!"
Voldemort was completely disoriented, battered in a chaotic mess.
He had never suffered such humiliation in his life!
Back in the day, when he ruled the wizarding world, who dared lay a hand on him?
Now he was being chased and pummeled by a gang of first-years!
Finally, Voldemort snapped.
He reared up, furious, and let out a sharp hiss.
A talking snake.
The students froze.
"Merlin's beard, it can speak?!"
"What is this thing?"
"Creepy as hell!"
They all backed away in fright.
Charlie, unfazed, flicked his wand and shouted,
"Sectumsempra!"
"Keep hitting it!"
Voldemort shrank back just in time.
The invisible blade grazed past his serpent head, carving a deep gash into the floor.
Seeing Charlie so aggressive snapped the students out of their fear.
With Charlie leading them, what was there to be afraid of?
"Who cares if it can talk?!"
"Charge, boys!"
"Hundred Galleons, don't forget!"
The chaos resumed.
More than thirty students piled back in, chasing Voldemort around like a common pest.
Voldemort wanted to cry.
In the middle of the chaos, Harry accidentally stepped in front of the Mirror of Erised.
He froze.
The reflection showed him slipping a crimson stone into his pocket.
Startled, he reached into his own pocket and felt something solid.
He quickly touched it again.
Yes. Something the size of a stone.
The Philosopher's Stone?!
Just as he was about to call out to Charlie, an intense wave of killing intent rushed toward him.
Voldemort had also sensed it,
The Stone was on Harry!
Ignoring all the others, Voldemort lunged straight at him, jaws wide open.
"Harry, look out!" Hermione shrieked.
But in exposing himself, Voldemort gave Charlie the perfect opportunity.
Charlie's eyes narrowed.
His wand moved.
"Sectumsempra!"
The invisible curse cut through Voldemort mid-lunge, severing the serpent's body clean in half.
Black blood splattered across the floor.
But what followed was even more shocking.
This time, there was no darkness or fog to obscure the view.
Charlie saw it clearly.
A shadowy black mist, vaguely human-shaped, rose slowly from the serpent's corpse, twisting in the air, forming a distorted humanoid figure.
"W-What is that?" Neville asked, voice trembling.
The black mist suddenly surged toward Harry's pocket.
Charlie reacted instantly.
He raised his wand.
"Expecto Patronum!"
A silver dragon burst from his wand tip, roaring to life, pouncing at the soul-form of Voldemort.
The mist screamed.
"AAAAHHHHHH!"
Even Charlie was stunned.
Wait, this actually worked?!
He'd only tried it on a whim, but it turned out Patronus magic could restrain this thing.
Then again, it made sense.
Voldemort's current state was practically that of a dark spirit.
And the Patronus Charm was built exactly to deal with darkness.
"Charlie's amazing! Even ghosts are no match for him!"
The students crowded around, excited.
None of them realized just how dangerous that shadowy thing truly was.
The silver dragon tightened its coils.
Voldemort's shrieks grew more anguished.
Charlie wanted to finish it off for good, to obliterate him on the spot.
But no matter how much he pushed his magic, the silver dragon couldn't fully crush the soul.
Even though Voldemort's form was compressed to the brink of collapse…
He wouldn't vanish.
Finally, with one last cry, the dark mist shot upward, escaping through a crack in the ceiling.
The students erupted with cheers.
"Three cheers for Charlie!" Ernie yelled.
"Hogwarts' hero!" Justin added.
The others joined in celebration.
Charlie had defeated the snake, so that 100 Galleons reward?
Totally his.
But the rest of them would each get ten Galleons, not a bad deal at all.
"We're rich! Ten Galleons each!"
The students surrounded Charlie and lifted him into the air.
"Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!"
As they tossed him up and down, Charlie's mind wandered.
Was Voldemort always this weak?
If he'd known, he wouldn't have bothered calling for backup.
Just as he thought this-
"WHAT are you all doing?!"
A lion's roar exploded from the entrance.
Professor McGonagall stormed in, her face fierce enough to kill a troll on the spot.
The students immediately froze.
They let go of Charlie and stared at their shoes.
Charlie, still in midair: ???
He hit the ground with a puff of dust.
McGonagall's previously stern expression cracked.
"Merlin's beard, Charlie, are you alright?!"
She rushed over, kneeling down to check him.
"I'm fine. But they're not," Charlie said, clutching his ribs.
*Who the hell dropped me?! Your ten Galleons are gone! *
McGonagall pulled out her wand.
"Scourgify."
A flash of white light, and the dust vanished from Charlie's robes.
Once they saw he was okay, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Professor," Harry stepped forward, pulling a crimson stone from his pocket.
"We saved the Philosopher's Stone."
McGonagall's expression shifted.
She had wanted to lecture these reckless students…
But what could she say now?
They'd really protected the Stone.
She couldn't punish them for succeeding, could she?
Her tone softened ever so slightly.
"…There better not be a next time."
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Hello guys Fanfic recommendation!
Check out my other work:
💥> Naruto: Mind Control (Highly Recommended)
💥> Bleach: Sephiroth Template
If you like smart and strong MC, this fanfic is for you.
It's Peak.
Give it a chance and you won't be disappointed