For the next week and a half, Harry made frequent trips down to see the Mirror. He would sit and simply watch the reflection of his family, unbroken. Sometimes he would speak to them.
He only stopped visiting the mirror when Dumbledore was there one night. The two discussed the mirror, particularly how it could be unhealthy to obsess over impossibilities, which Harry did agree with.
The months after break seemed to hurtle past, until it was practically June.
Harry attended some Quidditch games, he studied for exams with Hermione, Padma, Daphne, and Susan, and overall, he was happy.
It could be predicted at this point that things would soon go wrong.
Harry and Daphne were returning back from the library late one night. They were joined by Susan, as the Hufflepuff and Slytherin common rooms were both rather low down compared to Ravenclaw, who had their own tower.
The three students were almost to the staircase leading down from the third floor when they spotted Professor Quirrel, but gone was his timid walk, his quavering movements.
This Quirrel moved, not fearlessly, but with purpose. It seemed to outweigh any fear he had, and it befuddled Harry.
"Where d'you reckon Quirrel's off to?" Harry wondered.
"No clue." Daphne said, her lips flickering with a bit of a smirk, "Wanna follow him?"
"Follow him?" Susan asked in surprise, "What if it's just some teacher meeting?"
"This late at night?" Daphne challenged.
Both girls turned to look at Harry, who gave a start of surprise.
"Why are you looking at me?" Harry asked obliviously.
"Well, you're in charge here, aren't you?" Daphne asked exasperatedly.
"Who put me in charge?" Harry asked in surprise.
"Just make a choice!" Daphne exclaimed.
"Fine. Let's follow Quirrel." Harry decided.
Daphne set off at once, and Harry followed briskly. He glanced back to see the buxom, redhead Hufflepuff looking uncertainly after the two Slytherins.
"C'mon." Harry invited. Susan gave a reluctant sound and made to follow, but hurried footsteps approached them, and the source was revealed to be Hermione.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked in surprise.
"Remembered I left my book with Susan. What are you guys doing out here in the corridor?" Hermione wondered.
"We're trying to follow Quirrel!" Daphne reminded Harry, "We'll lose him."
"You girls coming?" Harry asked Susan and Hermione.
"Where?" Hermione asked apprehensively, but Harry grabbed her hand and half yanked her down the corridor.
Susan set off with them, and it took Harry a couple seconds to realize he was still holding Hermione's hand. When he dropped it, he saw that her cheeks were a little pink. Odd.
Harry and the three girls moved as quietly as they could as they followed Quirrel.
They filled Hermione in in a whispered tone while they pursued Quirrel.
It wasn't long before they reached a familiar locked door.
"Oh, hell." Harry said in a groan.
"What's wrong with this door?" Susan asked.
"There's a Cerberus behind it." Harry growled.
"So?" Hermione asked.
"What d'you mean, so?" Daphne asked in amazement.
"Music makes them fall asleep." Hermione said as if it was obvious, "I read a book on fantastic beasts."
"Anyone here know a music charm?" Harry asked. They had quite a few brains in their quartet, but no one seemed to know a music spell.
"Great. So, we open the door, and, what, start humming?" Harry asked.
"It should work." Hermione said readily.
"Right." Harry said. He grabbed the door handle and opened it, already readying his mouth to start humming, but to his relief, it seemed Quirrel had left a bewitched harp playing music. The Cerberus guard dog was out cold.
"Through the trapdoor?" Susan squeaked, looking at the sleeping Cerberus apprehensively.
"Yeah." Harry whispered. He moved towards it and opened the trapdoor. The four of them peered down into the depths below.
Harry was weighing up his options when the harp abruptly stopped playing music.
The four first years only had time to exchange fearful looks before the Cerberus started waking up.
Harry grabbed Susan's arm (who he figured would he most likely to hesitate before jumping) and the two of them leaped down the shaft.
Daphne and Hermione leaped down almost instantly after, and the four of them fell.
Their fall was broken by soft, odd vine-like plants.
Plants, Harry noticed, which started curling around their appendages.
"What the hell?" Harry exclaimed, trying to wrest his arm free.
"We learned about this in Herbology! What was the name of it?!" Hermione cried, screwing up her eyes, visibly trying to remember.
"Devil's Snare!" Susan recalled.
"And?! How do we not die?" Daphne shouted, always the practical one.
"It likes damp, dark places!" Hermione recited, the name having sparked her memory.
"Incendio!" Harry cried immediately, and a jet of flames burst from the tip of his wand, and all the plants that were wrapping around the students' appendages recoiled back into the plants, and the four fell to the floor, unharmed.
Harry rose to his feet first, and helped Daphne up. She batted him away, but without much real force to her blows.
They were standing in a small hallway, which led only forwards to a wooden door.
"Let me guess… dragon?" Daphne asked with a frustrated huff.
"What are all of these traps and things meant to be guarding?" Hermione wondered as the four walked forwards. They had no way to return to the proper castle, as they could not fly.
"Whatever it is, I bet Quirrel wants it. And surely if it's here, that means Dumbledore doesn't want anyone having it, right?" Harry reasoned.
"You don't think that we should just leave this be?" Hermione asked.
"No, I think Harry's right." Susan spoke up, "There's a reason that Dumbledore constructed all of this."
Harry gave a grateful nod at Susan, and Daphne opened the door. This door led into a large room where a variety of birds flapped around the top. No, wait, they weren't birds. They were winged keys!
"Wow. What's with the keys?" Harry asked.
"The door, probably." Daphne said dryly, pointing across the room to a door with a big keyhole.
"So, are we matching the key to the keyhole?" Hermione inquired.
"Look, a broom." Susan said, and sure enough, there was a broom.
"Can't you try to do a Summoning Charm before leaping on the broom?" Daphne asked, putting a hand out to prevent Harry from going for the broom.
"Oh, good idea." Harry said, grabbing his wand.
"Surely it can't be that easy." Hermione reasoned.
"Accio Key!" Harry shouted, aiming his wand at the flock of keys. None of them do much as twitched.
"Right. That didn't work." Harry said, a bit downcast, "Good idea though, Daph."
Daphne dropped her arm and let Harry approach the broom.
"So, what key should I go for?" Harry asked.
The three girls considered the flock of keys for a bit.
"That one's got a crumpled wing! There, the old-fashioned silvery one." Susan pointed. Harry's eyes landed on it, and he jumped on the broom hastily, kicking off towards the ceiling.
"What's the trap here?" Harry heard Hermione ask the other girls. He pushed that thought aside, and went for the key that Susan had indicated.