Chapter 9

A little girl, no more than five years old, sits in the corner of a small dirty room. Her knees are drawn to her chest and her head is down, all that could be seen was a mop of messy black hair. The little girl twitched and heher body quivered.

Suddenly, loud thumping footsteps could be heard, indicating someone was coming. The little girl's head snapped up at the sounds, she trembled and huddled herself up into the corner. The door of the small room was thrown open, revealing a big beefy man with hardly any neck and a large moustache. His face was red with anger. He glared at the little girl.

"You, girl," he yelled. The man stepped forward and grabbed the small girl by her hair, lifting her up to her feet. The little girl whimpered in pain as the rotund man bellowed, "What did I tell you about your freakiness?"

"I didn't mean to burn your shirt uncle, I swear. The iron was giving nasty shocks whenever I tried to touch it," she whimpered, tears falling down her cheeks. "It was like mag-" but before she could finish the word 'magic' a large hand slammed against her right cheek, the slap was so forceful that she instantly dropped to the dirty floor.

"Do not use that word in my hohouse," he shouted, breathing heavily. "Magic does not exist. We took you out of the goodness of our hearts when your good for nothing drunken parents died and this is how you repay us? By burning our things, you ungrateful brat. You should have died with your worthless parents, than at least we wouldn't have to tolerate your wretched existence," he paused, "you will not have any food for two weeks. Maybe then you will learn how to be grateful, you little freak." The little girl stared down at the floor, one hand held up to her burning cheek. She did not look up as the walrus-like man slammed the door shut and locked it. She laid down on the dirty floor, crying her eyes out alone in the dark room.

Tom jerked awake, sweating and breathing heavily. Everything was incredibly still around him. He looked around in confusion and saw he was in his bed. He rubbed his hands over his face, remembering the dream he had just seen. 'It was no usual dream' he thought to himself. It was so real that he was even able to felt the emotions of the girl through whose eyes he had seen the dream. He hadn't been able to see her face or anything about her, all he knew was that she was a girl.

Leaning against the bed, he realized that his heart was still racing. Her dream. He'd been inside of her dream. He'd been her.

He had a very good idea who the girl was. His soulmate. Now his knowledge was limited when it came to soulmates. He remembered reading a book about soulmates when he was a student. He hadn't paid much attention to it, he had skimmed it and he was satisfied with the information he had gained and left it at that because he never thought he would have a soulmate in his life. Especially considering soulmates were almost a borderline myth. So at the time he didn't think it would be much of importance to his life and goals. However, there were some things he remembered, specifically, that soulmates can share their emotions, their thoughts and sometimes they could share dreams or visions through their connection. Also if one has any special abilities then their mate would have those abilities as well.

He scowled. He'd forgotten to ensure that his Occlumency walls were raised before he drifted off to sleep. He wouldn't make the same mistake again. He had no interest in sharing her dreams or God forbid his dreams with her. Keeping his Occlumency walls up also helped in the case with Potter, as for whatever reason the blasted girl had been experiencing pain in his presence had stopped.

Suddenly anger started to rise inside him as he remembered the contents of the dream he had just seen. The way that girl had been feeling scared of the man she called Uncle, the feeling of helplessness, of self loathing, of fear and pain, so much pain. And the way that walrus-like man spat at her, called her names, promised to not to let her have any food for weeks. Seeing all of these memories allowed him to come to one conclusion, abuse.

His nostrils flared as the realization sank in. He got up from bed and started to pace. His soulmate was being abused, by a Muggle no less. Oh how he loathed Muggles. Soon he would find her and bring her to his side. Whoever the girl was, she was his and his alone. She was his to cherish and his to love. Whoever hurt her will feel his wrath and beg for mercy, but no mercy would be given.

He took a deep breath to calm his anger. 'I won't be able to sleep anymore' he thought. He turned around and walked toward the bathroom to shower. Maybe it would help to clear his mind.

The following morning Viola was in a bad mood. For starters, the night had been spoiled by a horrible nightmare. Though it was nothing new for her, she had been having bad dreams all her life and she was quite used to it by now. No, what was bothering her was that since she woke up, she had been feeling Tom's anger through their connection, which was affecting her too. She hadn't felt any anger or madness from his side for a very long time. She wondered what had made him angry now and instantly started to wonder at what she had done wrong. Because she always seemed to have the misfortune of being at the center of the reason of his anger, but she was certain this time she hadn't done anything wrong.

She glanced up at the staff table, Tom hadn't yet come to Great Hall for breakfast.

"We have Herbology first with puffs, others are all with Gryffintwits." Said Draco with a sigh as he checked his schedule. Viola turned toward him.

"I don't know why the Professors even bother to set Gryffindor and Slytherin together in almost every class. All we do in these classes is glare and sneer at each other. It would have been a lot better if our classes were set up with Hufflepuff and then have Gryffindor with Ravenclaw." Daphne said in a bored tone. Others around mumbled their agreements.

"Tell this to that senile old goat. It's all his idea. My father said that it used to be different when Dippet was headmaster. Classes, books were all changed later after Dumbledore was appointed headmaster." Draco said with distaste.

The others continued to bad mouth the headmaster, and maybe she would have joined them on any other day, but today Viola was in no mood to chatter, she just sat quietly and kept eating. Theo and Draco noticed their friend's change in mood but did not ask anything. They knew their friend well enough to know that if she wanted to tell them anything, she would tell them by herself away from the others.

After finishing their breakfast they made their way to Herbology class. When they were half way there Viola suddenly spoke to Theo and Draco,

"I want to do it tonight," She paused, the trio stopped walking and held back as the other students walked past them. "I want to steal the stone tonight." She whispered to the boys quietly so that no one could overhear.

"But why so soon?" Theo asked, "Or at least wait until exams are over."

"No. That's when Dumbledore expects something to happen. I would rather do it when he isn't expecting." She paused and looked at the boys with a serious look on her face. "Besides, exams are 10 weeks away and everyone is busy now. including the Professors. This is the best time to do it."

"Okay," Draco agreed after a little silence. "When are we going to do it?"

"We?" Asked Viola, with a raised brow.

"You aren't planning to go there alone, are you?" Draco asked incredulously. "Don't be an idiot, who knows what's down there, what if you die there? It's better to be three of us than just one."

Viola restrained herself from saying that she knew what was down there and what to expect. "Fine. Tonight at 10 o'clock when everyone goes to sleep, we will meet in the common room, okay?" At that both boys nodded their heads in unison.

They resumed their walk to Herbology and were glad to see Professor Sprout hadn't arrived yet. Viola took her seat beside Neville. He gave her a smile as she sat, which she returned. Theo and Draco sat in front of them. Two minutes later Professor Sprout arrived and began the lesson about devil's snare, 'what a coincidence' Viola thought to herself.

"Merlin's beard what's wrong with him today?" Pansy asked, as the first year Slytherins hurriedly made their way out of DADA class room with relieved faces. "I never saw him so angry before."

'Indeed,' Viola thought. She knew he was angry about something for some reason, that's why she had chosen to sit at one of the benches at the far end of the room and dragged Draco and Theo along there too. They didn't object and let themselves be dragged. Since she told the boys who Quirrell really was they began to avoid him like the plague, they wouldn't even look at him and always seemed to be tense and nervous whenever he was near. She couldn't blame them. Anyone in their shoes would have reacted far worse than them at the revelation.

Later Tom stormed into the classroom and slammed the door shut loudly. One look at his fuming face was enough to quiet down the entire room. By the end of the class he had taken 60 points from both houses.

"It is a wonder that he didn't 'crucio' anyone, knowing who he really is." Theo whispered to his two friends. Viola lips twisted a little at that.

After dinner the three of them sat in the common room. Viola and Draco were playing wizard chess and Theo was skimming through his book, hoping to come across some spells that would be useful for their coming expedition.

Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed. As soon as the last person, Marcus Flint, yawned and went up to his dormitory Viola jumped to her feet. She had an excited look on her face.

"Stay there! I will be right back." she told the boys quietly, and she sprinted up the stairs to her dormitory. Theo and Draco barely had time to exchange mystified looks before she was dashing back, a shining, silvery cloth in her hand.

Theo grasped. "Is that an Invisibility Cloak?" He asked, a look of awe on his face, "They're very rare, very valuable. Where did you get one?"

Viola nodded her head. "It was my father's." She said, it was the first time she had brought the cloak out of her trunk since she had put it there. She wasn't able to use it much because she hardly ever wandered around at night like she used to do in her first life.

"I'd give anything for one of these," Draco said as he put his hand around the cloak. "Anything."

"It will help us to get to the third floor corridor without being seen, come." She told them and threw the cloak around the three of them.

The trio carefully walked out into the hall and headed to the third floor, it seemed like luck was with them because they hadn't come across anyone, well except Mrs. Norris. That Demon was skulking near the top of the second floor corridor staircase.

"Did you bring what I asked?" Viola asked Draco when they reached the Cerberus' room. She had asked him to bring a musical instrument when he went home for holidays. She had told the boys that to get past the three headed dog they needed to play music.

"Yes," the blond boy replied as he pulled out a harp from his rope. "But are you sure it will work?"

He look doubtful as he stared at the growling monstrous beast as all the three of its noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them. Not that he doubted Viola but he was having a hard time believing that such a horrible beast could be controlled by music of all things.

Viola took the harp from his hand. "Trust me, alright." She said with narrowed eyes.

She waved her wand and the harp started to play itself. A tune floated through the room immediately sending the Cerberus to sleep.

"Look, it's working." Said Theo when the dog's eyes closed.

"Unbelievable." Draco said incredulously.

"Come on." She said as she levitated the beast's paw off the trap door and jumped, the boys came flying down behind her, they landed on a plant that started to wrap around their limbs.

"What is this? Its going to strangle us to death." Draco began to panic as he struggled to pull the plant off him.

"Stop screaming like a little girl." Theo snapped at him.

Viola on the other hand lit a fire which caused the plant to cringe away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies, and they

were able to pull themselves free.

"Uh, that was easy." Draco mumbled as he got up.

"This way." Said Viola, she hurried down a stone passageway, the boys followed close behind her.

"Can you hear something?" Draco whispered when he heard a soft rustling and clicking sounds.

Viola nodded, "it's the keys."

They reached the end of the passageway and arrived in a brightly lit chamber with a surprisingly high ceiling. Opposite them was a very large wooden door, and above them the air was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room.

"Do you think they'll attack us if we try to cross the room?" Theo asked while gazing at the flying key birds.

"No. But we need a key to open the door," Viola paused. "That one!" She pointed. "That big one with the bright blue wings, the feathers are all crumpled on one side. That's the key."

"We have to fly to catch it," said Draco. He was looking around the room, "oh look, there's broomstick here." He made his way to pick up the broomstick.

"Wait." Theo said suddenly as an idea come into his mind. He thrust his hand forward and summoned the key, immediately the key come flying toward his hand. Viola grinned at him.

Draco had an incredulous look on his face. "Seriously? They didn't even put an anti-summoning charm on the key. This is how they expect to stop the Dark Lord from stealing the stone? What are they, dumb?" He shook his head.

Theo rammed the key into the lock and pulled the door open.

Stepping through, they found themselves in a dark room. As they stepped forward the door slammed shut behind them and at the same time the whole room lit up, revealing a life sized chess board, complete with pieces. They tried to walk across but the pieces came to life and blocked their way.

"Seems like we have to play to get to the other side." Viola said.

"So... Who is good in chess?" Theo asked.

Viola pull up her hands in surrender. "I'm nowhere near good at chess."

"I will play since neither of you are good at chess. Viola, you take the place of Queen, Theo you will be Bishop." While the two do so, Draco himself replaced one of the Knights.

In all the chess matches white moved first and then black. Draco directed the black pieces around the board. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Viola was quite impressed by Draco's chess playing, seeing that he was able to finish the game in a very short time.

"Aha! Checkmate." The blond boy declared his victory with a proud smirk, jumping up and down happily. The white king took off his crown and threw it at Draco's feet. They had won.

Viola was happy that this time around no one had to get injured. Clearly Draco was far more accomplished in wizard chess than Weasley ever would be.

"Come on guys, we have to hurry up." Viola told them and charged through the door and up to the next room.

"What do you think will be next?" Asked Theo.

"I have a feeling it will be something to do with Quirrell." She told them. Of course she knew what awaited them in the next room. But she wasn't about to tell the boys that and raise their suspicions about how she knew it.

They had reached another door and Viola pushed it open, revealing a troll around 20 feet tall, sitting in the corner, apparently asleep.

"Oh, poor thing," Viola said, "being stuck in a room with no company. How miserable he must be feeling." While she was looking at the troll pitifully, Theo and Draco stared at her incredulously.

"Poor thing, really?" Draco said.

"Come off it, will you? A troll can have feelings too."

"I don't want to go through that thing." Theo said. Swallowed hard as he remembered the one on Halloween night.

Viola looked around the room and spotted a door on the opposite side.

"The door is over there." Viola pointed. "Come on, the troll is sleeping. We can cross without waking it up."

The two boys nodded and followed her. They moved silently, as soon as they reached the door, the trio bolted through the door together and flames shot up in each doorway, one set was purple and the other set was black.

Theo took the sheet of parchment off the table which Viola knew contained Snape's riddle.

"Professor Snape is way too smart for his own good." Theo muttered as he read it and turned to inspect the bottles, but Viola had already picked up two bottles.

"This bottle will get us toward the stone, through the black flame," She explained as she showed the the tiny black bottle, "and this one will get us back through the purple flame."

Theo reread the riddle again then looked at the bottles and nodded his head. He looked like he wanted to say something but kept silent, just narrowing his eyes at Viola suspiciously.

"But that's hardly a mouthful." Draco said, taking the tiny bottle.

"I think as soon as the bottle goes back in its place, it will refill."

"And what if it doesn't?" Asked Theo.

"Then you two will wait here and I will go on and get the stone. It's the last room." She replied.

The boys agreed. Viola drank the tiny bottle amd walked straight through the fire. She quickly reached the last chamber, as she was looking around, Draco and than Theo entered the room.

"I was right, wasn't I?" She asked in a smug tone.

"Shut up."

"What's this now?" Asked Draco as he inspected a grand mirror which was the only thing in the room.

"Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi," Theo muttered, "I show not your face but your heart's desire."

"The stone is in the mirror." Viola informed them.

"Clever."

Draco stood in front of the mirror and he looked into it, he gasped. "I can see myself, holding a Quidditch cup, my mother and father stand beside me, beaming proudly at me," Draco smile, tore his eyes away, "but I can't see the stone."

Theo on the other hand seemed like had gone frozen. There an odd expression on his face, his eyes seem to shining in the light.

"Theo, what do you see in the mirror?" Viola asked softly.

There was a small pause, "uh, nothing... I can't see the stone neither." He look away from the mirror, blinking rapidly, he did not look at the mirror again.

Viola didn't press him, clearly he didn't want to talk about it now.

"Give me a minute." Viola placed herself in front of the glass, she closed her eyes and focused her thoughts and feelings then snapped her eyes open. She stood calmly staring into the mirror when the reflection suddenly winked and pulled a blood red stone from her rope pocket and replaced it in the same place, only this time she felt a weight land in her actual pocket. She pulled out the stone from her pocket and showed to the boys, a large grin was on her face.

"Holy shit, how did you do that?"

"You just needed to want the stone but not want to use it, it's simple when you think about it."

Theo shook his head and sighed. Viola just laughed. She looked the stone over, looking at all its details before conjuring up one that was identical and set it back in to the mirror.

"Come on, we needed to go back to our common room."

The trio made their way out of the chambers without any trouble. When Viola cancelled the charm on the harp the Cerberus dog immediately woke up and started to growl at them, Viola shut the door and pulled out her invisibility cloak to cover three of them and they made their to the dungeon.

What they were unaware of was that someone was waiting for them in the common room. Someone who was by this point quite livid for the amount of time he had to wait for the little brats return.

"Anguineus!" Viola whispered the password and the blank wall opened. The three of them entered the common room, Viola was about to remove the cloak when she heard a snarky voice, a voice that struck fear into the hearts of Hogwarts students (past and present) for several years.

"Remove your invisibility cloak, Miss Potter."

The three of them watched with wide eyes as Professor Snape came out of the corner where he was hidden in the shadows, looking furious and glaring hard at the trio.

'Oh God.' Viola thought dreadfully.

TBC….