The Weight of a Decision
"So that was Voldemort," Percy said as they both walked back toward the Potions classroom, whose flames seemed to have gone out, since there was no real need to keep them burning now that the stone was no longer there. "I do not think he is as strong as the stories make him out to be," he added.
"Well, he was obviously weakened," Harry said with a serious expression. "You heard him; he had to parasite another person's body just to survive," he added. Even so, deep down, Harry knew it did not feel like the whole truth. Because if Voldemort could parasite others, who was to say he would not do it again? And besides, they still did not know what had happened to that specter that had come out and tried to attack them before vanishing.
"So what now? Should we hand the stone over to the headmaster, or send it to Grandpa Vincent?" Percy asked seriously.
Harry seemed to think about it for a moment. After all, it was an extremely dangerous object, and it was precisely that kind of thing that the Veil was supposed to protect. Even so, it was still an item that belonged to a truly ancient wizard, like Nicolas Flamel. Though, thinking about it again, the fact that it had been at Hogwarts and not in a vault protected by Flamel himself was exactly what had put the school in danger.
And not just the school, but them as well… and the world, with Voldemort's possible return.
"Well…" Harry managed to say, before hurried footsteps echoed as they approached quickly, making both of them realize that it was probably the professors. Hermione must have managed to warn them, though not quite in time, since they had still ended up facing Quirrell and Voldemort on their own.
"Oh… we are not going to get in trouble," Percy said, since there were really no traces of Quirrell left behind. Just dust and ashes.
Harry looked at his brother for a moment. "Percy, I am sorry, but I need a bit of a distraction," he said, offering him an apologetic smile that already felt suspicious. "Do you remember the strategy we tried with Dred to get out of training?" he asked.
Percy looked at him, confused. "You mean pretending to be unconscious? That never works," he replied, shaking his head.
"Well, that is because you are really bad at pretending," Harry said, looking at him seriously before letting a faint smile form.
That confused Percy for a second, until he saw his own brother raise his wand directly in front of his face. He did not have time to react. By the time he barely managed to move, Harry had already spoken the spell.
"Stupefy."
Percy felt everything go dark. He tried to fight it with sheer willpower, but he could not resist it before falling unconscious.
…
"Damn evil four-eyes," Percy said as he jolted upright, furious. The last thing he remembered was his brother suddenly attacking him. However, almost immediately, he realized they were no longer in the same place.
And the location felt quite familiar, since he had already come to visit Neville there once before. It was the Hogwarts infirmary, and he was lying on one of the beds.
"Percy, are you okay?" Grover asked right away, having stayed there waiting for him to wake up.
"Where is that idiot? Where is that pig Potter?" Percy said angrily, trying to get up from the bed, but Grover quickly stopped him so he would stay lying down a little longer. "Where is he?" he insisted, irritated at not seeing his brother nearby.
"Well… Harry is in trouble," Grover said, his expression somewhat serious.
That made Percy stop almost immediately. In a much more serious tone, he asked again. "Where is he?"
…
Harry was standing in front of the headmaster's desk, his back straight, looking directly at the man he had maybe only seen this close once in his entire life, and that had been during the trouble with the Dursleys. Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, supposedly the most powerful wizard of all time still alive.
Though, to Harry, that title did not mean much. After all, he lived with a witch who, according to the stories, was considered the greatest dark witch of all. And he was fairly sure that Aunt Mor could easily defeat Dumbledore, if not for her own restrictions. That, in turn, made him wonder whether there might be other truly powerful wizards hidden out there in the world.
"Harry, are you listening to me?" Dumbledore asked again, pulling him out of his thoughts, which had been drifting. Something more common for Percy, but that also happened to Harry from time to time.
"Yes, sir," Harry replied calmly, meeting the headmaster's bright eyes.
"You know that what you did was not entirely right, do you, Harry? The object you sent away belonged to someone else, and it is a very dangerous item in the hands of those who do not know how to control it," Dumbledore said in a serious tone.
"Yes, sir, I know. That is why I sent the Philosopher's Stone to the knights so they could protect it. After all, that has been their duty for generations," Harry replied.
"Even if that was their duty, the stone was under the protection of Hogwarts and its professors, so it was not exactly polite for you to act without asking," Dumbledore replied.
"Excuse me, sir, but we warned Professor McGonagall that the stone could be in danger. She did not take our warning seriously. That is how Quirrell managed to pass every safeguard with ease. Even we were able to do it. I believe the place where it is now has far more security than a giant chessboard," Harry said frankly. "Besides, they were safeguards that even first year students managed to overcome without too much trouble."
Dumbledore watched him in silence for a few seconds before letting out a sigh. "I cannot deny that you are right, Harry. Even so, since it is an object that belongs to someone else, it would be good if you could provide me with a way to contact your friends, the knights, so I may speak with them," he said at last, as if he had little else to add.
"Of course, sir. I am sure they will want to hear from you as well," Harry said calmly as he approached Dumbledore's desk. On a parchment the headmaster handed him, he wrote an address where Dumbledore could, perhaps, send his letters.
"Thank you, Harry. You may go," the headmaster said.
Harry did not need to say anything else. He simply turned and left the office.
Dumbledore watched him for a moment, following his back until the boy disappeared through the door.
"Hahaha, the boy caught you, Dumbledore," a suddenly amused laugh said from a corner of the office.
Dumbledore turned his gaze and found the Sorting Hat there, shifting slightly as its face formed between the folds of the fabric, wearing an amused smile. "I knew it. He has clear hints of Slytherin and something of Ravenclaw. I even doubt now whether he truly is a full Gryffindor. Helga would have accepted him into her house without much trouble, just like his brother," it added.
Dumbledore frowned for a moment at the hat's words, never taking his eyes off it. "Then why did you send him to Gryffindor if he could have been accepted into the others?" he asked, unable to help himself.
"I am sorry. Even as headmaster, I cannot tell you that," the hat replied softly. "Though I can say that it is something Salazar and Godric had planned completely," it added, before closing its mouth and returning to looking like an old, ordinary hat.
That made Dumbledore narrow his eyes for a moment.
…
Harry stepped out of the headmaster's office as the gargoyle behind him began to move, sealing the staircase shut.
He let out a slightly tired sigh before forming a small, amused smile.
"Harry!"
He turned and saw Percy running toward him at full speed. On reflex, Harry went on guard. He already knew his brother would be angry about being knocked unconscious. However, Percy looked far more worried about what had happened to him.
"What happened? Did they expel you? Did that old man say something bad to you? If you want, we can beat him up before leaving the school," Percy said in a rapid stream of words, which drew a faint smile from Harry.
"I am fine. I was not expelled, and he did not say anything bad," he replied calmly. "He was just somewhat disappointed and genuinely worried because I sent the Philosopher's Stone to Grandpa Vincent," he explained. "Even though Snape was trying with all his might to get me expelled for stealing an object of that level, luckily he was taken out of the office so we could talk more calmly. Besides, the professors could not keep the stone safe, so I sent it to the place where, in my view, it would obviously be secure. Dumbledore could not say much about it; he only asked for a way to communicate with the knights," he added.
"Phew," Percy let out a breath, knowing that if Harry had been expelled, it really would have been terrible for him. After all, Harry loved that school. "How did you manage to send it?" he asked, now much calmer.
"Oh, well. I just acted as if I were genuinely worried about your fainting and ran after Professor McGonagall to the infirmary while carrying you. I used her distraction to call Hedwig," Harry said, as if it had been some brilliant strategy.
"Wow… right, damn bastard. How dare you knock me unconscious?" Percy said, as if he were only remembering it at that moment.
But Harry was already running away, a wide smile on his face, while Percy started chasing after him, causing quite a stir through the school corridors.