1.17 The Man with Two Faces

'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.

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

I'Il be far away by the time he gets back

All Harry could think of doing was to keep
Quirrell talking
and
stop
him
concentrating on the Mirror.

Blurt out

Idly

'He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far
I'd got. He suspected me all along.

Harry struggled against the ropes
binding him, but they didn't give. He had to
keep Quirrell from giving his whole
attention to the Mirror

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

Voldemort showed me how
wrong I was.

◦ Quirrell's voice tailed away.

Quirrell cursed under his breath

But how can I look
without Quirrell realising what Im up
to?

Harry screwed up his courage.

Dare he make a
break for it?

Harry would have screamed, but he
couldn't make a sound.

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

I killed your father first
and he put up a courageous fight ... but
your mother needn't have died ... she
was trying to protect you ...

Now give
me the Stone, unless you want her to
have died in vain.'

At once, a
needle-sharp pain seared across Harry's
scar; his head felt as though it was about
to split in two; he yelled, struggling with
all his might, and to his surprise,
Quirrell let go of him.

The pain in his
head lessened

The smiling face of
Albus Dumbledore swam into
view
above him

'Calm yourself, dear boy, you
are a
little
behind the
Times,'

He was lying in a bed
with white linen sheets and next to him
was a table piled high with what looked
like half the sweet-shop.

'How long have I been in here?'

You got there? You got Hermione's
owl?'
We must have crossed in mid-air. No
sooner had I reached London than it
became clear to me that the place I
should be was the one I had just left. I
arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off
you-

the trouble is, humans do
have a knack of choosing precisely
those things which are worst for
them.

'The truth.' Dumbledore sighed. 'It
is a beautiful and terrible thing, and
should therefore be treated with great
caution. However, I shall answer your
questions unless I have a very good
reason not to, in which case i beg
you'll forgive me. I shall not, of
course, lie.'

And Harry knew it would be no
good to argue

Dumbledore now
became very
interested in a bird out on the
window-sill, which gave Harry time
to dry his eyes on the sheet.

When he
had found his voice again, Harry said,
And the Invisibility Cloak - do you
know who sent it to me?'
Ah - your father happened to leave
it in my possession and I thought you
might like it.

Fire away

Funny, the way people's minds work,
isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear
being in your father's debt ... I do
believe he worked so hard to protect
you this year because he felt that
would make him and your father
quits. Then he could go back to hating
your father's memory in peace

I t was one of my more
brilliant ideas, and between you
and me, that's saying something

My brain surprises even me sometimes

Ah! Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans! I
was unfortunate enough in my youth to come
across a vomit-flavoured one, and since then
I'm afraid i've rather lost my liking for them-
but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't
you?

Hermione looked ready to fling her
arms
around him again, but Harry was glad she held
herself in as his head was still very sore.

Ron and Hermione were a very good
audience; they gasped in all the right
places

I always said he was off his rocker,'
said Ron, looking quite impressed at
how mad his hero was

Hurtle off

he knows more or less everything
that goes on here, you know.

Slytherin won, of course - you missed
the last Quidditch match we were
steamrollered by Ravenclaw without
you - but the food'll be good.

Bustle over

After a good night's sleep, Harry felt
nearly back to normal

Sidle

Remorse

Stoat

Decked out

◦ The babble died away.

'Another year gone!

I must trouble you with
an old man's wheezing waffle before we
sink our teeth into our delicious feast.

Harry could see Draco Malfoy banging
his goblet on the table. It was a sickening
sight.

However, recent events
must be taken into account.
still. The
Slytherins' smiles faded a little

'I have a few
last-minute points to dish out.

The din was deafening. Those who
could add up while yelling themselves
hoarse knew that Gryffindor now had
four hundred and seventy-two points

They had
drawn for the House Cup - if only
Dumbledore had given Harry just one
more point.

It takes a great
deal of bravery to stand up to
our
enemies, but just as much to stand up to
our friends. I therefore award ten points
to Mr Neville Longbottom.'

Neville, white with shock, disappearede
under a pile of people hugging him.

snape was shaking
McGonagall's hand, with a horrible
forced smile. He caught Harry's eye and
Harry knew at once that Snape's feelings
towards him hadn't changed one jot.

Harry had almost forgotten that the exam
results were still to come, but
come they did. To their great surprise,
both he and Ron passed with good
marks; Hermione, of course, came top of
the year. Even Neville scraped through,
his good Herbology mark making up for
his abysmal Potions one. They had

wizened old guard

You must come and stay this
summer,'

TIl need something to-
look forward to.'

'In a manner of speaking,' said Uncle Vernon.
Hurry up, boy, we haven't got all day.' He
walkedaway.

Harry hung back for a last word with Ron
and Hermione.
'See you over the summer, then.'

'Oh, I will, said Harry, and they
were
surprised at the grin that was spreading over
his face.