39 Chapter 39: Waking Up

Harry Potter slowly regained consciousness, his eyelids fluttering as he groggily blinked his eyes open. As he stirred, he felt a warm and comforting sensation enveloping him from above. Instinctively, his hand reached out to grasp whatever was giving him this soothing feeling.

To his surprise, Harry's hand landed on a soft, warm surface. Confused, he looked up and saw Rias with her beautiful crimson red hair leaning over him with a concerned expression. Her small developing chest was inadvertently positioned above Harry's hand, causing him to accidentally touch her breast.

Startled, Harry quickly retracted his hand, his face flushing with embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry!" he stammered, flustered and apologetic. "I didn't mean to... I was just trying to find something to hold onto."

Rias, realizing it was an innocent accident, chuckled softly and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, offering him a reassuring smile while a pink blush decorated her cheeks. "It's alright, Harry. Accidents happen," she said, her voice filled with kindness. "I'm just happy that you woke up!"

Though the accidental touch brought a momentary awkwardness, Harry was quickly able to think straight again. "What happened? Where am I?" Harry swallowed and looked around him. He realized he must be in the hospital wing. 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 candy shop. On a chair beside him sat Akeno and Koneko, who looked at him with relieved expressions.

"You are in the Hospital Wing, my boy. All of us were very worried. As for what happened? That's something I would like to learn myself." Turning his head around, Harry saw the ancient form of Dumbledore approaching his bed, his crystal clear blue eyes focused on him while chuckling after witnessing the previous scene. The Headmaster was accompanied by Lord Zeoticus Gremory, who looked at Harry with a smile. "All I know is that the Alarm spells I placed on the third-floor corridor went off the moment I arrived there. The shade of Voldemort fled from there, bypassing me as it escaped the school. When I arrived in the Chamber, I found you unconscious with the ashes of a person that I suspect is my missing DADA Professor, and the destroyed remains of the Philosopher's Stone."

Harry remembered what happened in the Chamber and caught himself quickly, protecting his mind with the power of the Mirror of Erised again. He was pretty sure that the Headmaster knew how to read minds too, although he didn't believe that he would do it in front of Lord Gremory. "Quirrell was possessed by Voldemort! He is still alive. Like some kind of perverted version of a ghost with the ability to possess other living beings," explained Harry quickly.

"I see. I expected as much when I saw that shade flying by me. Quirinus' condition became stranger and stranger by the week. Please go on. How did you land down there?" nodded Dumbledore as Harry confirmed his suspicion about the shade.

"Thanks to Hagrid, I learned pretty early what was hidden behind the door on the third floor. When he mentioned that it was something between you and Nicholas Flamel, I figured out that it was the Philosopher's Stone that you hid there, Professor. Hagrid also recently told me that he accidentally told someone how to bypass Fluffy. I realized that... how long was I out? Well, after my last exam on Friday," explained Harry, portraying himself as the hero. "I couldn't find a teacher that I trusted. The only one I saw was Professor Snape, who was on the list of my suspects along with Quirrell, who was suspicious since the troll incident. So I headed there myself to get the Stone and hide it from whoever wanted to steal it. What happened to the Stone, Professor?" asked Harry, even though he had an idea, as the others listened with interest.

"Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. During the battle between the two of you, it was destroyed. I found the remains of it beside you, and after analyzing them, I can say without a doubt that they belonged to the Philosopher's Stone. What I am interested in is how this happened? How did you manage to beat Quirrell and Voldemort? And what was the critical mass of energy the wards registered in the Chamber?" asked the aged Professor as he looked at Harry with a serious face.

"Well, all of that is related to the Philosopher's Stone. When I got it from the Mirror, I tried to flee with the Stone and almost reached the exit. But at the last moment, Quirrellmort summoned the Stone with a spell," explained Harry. He continued when he saw the amused expression of the others present at the name Quirrellmort, "I had to stop in order to grab the Stone, and that was enough for them to reach me and grab me. In the pulling fight, I lost my wand, and Quirrell was about to send a spell at me. I tried to defend myself, and the Philosopher's Stone reacted to my instinctive desire for defense. It began to become glowing hot and released a ray of pure energy that destroyed Quirrellmort. After that, Voldemort fled, and I had to endure the power of the Stone before I lost consciousness and woke up here. What will happen to the Flamels now?"

"Fascinating. I didn't think the Stone could have been used in such a manner. Your connection to magic must be really powerful if you could access its power without a medium. Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat and agreed it's all for the best. They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order, and then, yes, they will die," explained Dumbledore. When he saw Harry's sad face, he added, "To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day. After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."

"Quirrell could just touch you without any trouble?" clarified Headmaster Dumbledore with a frown after he let Harry think a bit about the Flamels' upcoming death.

"Yes. Shouldn't he?" asked Harry, confused.

"Normally not. Your mother left a powerful protection on you that should protect you from Voldemort. But it seems to have been completely broken during the incident that led to your disappearance," sighed Dumbledore. "I also have to apologize to you. It was me who placed you with the Dursleys."

"Why?" Harry asked in a monotone voice, not truly wanting to think back to that time.

"There were multiple reasons. They were your closest blood relatives, also completely unrelated to anyone in the Wizarding World besides your parents. Back then, it was a chaotic time. You couldn't trust anybody. People who were completely trusted before turned out to be traitors. So it was a safe option to protect you from any revenge attempts," explained Dumbledore with a sad look on his face. "But most importantly, the protections your mother left on you through a piece of ancient magic could be kept powered by your aunt and cousin and could keep you safe from any outsider wishing you harm."

"Outsiders?" muttered Harry.

"Yes, unfortunately only outsiders. The protective magic didn't work against your own blood. While I had someone keeping an eye on you in the neighborhood, she couldn't see what was truly going on in the house. She only saw that you weren't the happiest and had to do a lot of housework but seemed fine otherwise. Back then, I made the call to keep you there. I judged the protections more important than a sad childhood. Unfortunately, things were in truth far worse than they looked on the surface. This is my mistake. I still have trouble believing that people could treat their own family that way."

"I see. I can understand your reasoning, Professor Dumbledore, but I won't forgive you for now. I don't know you enough to tell if you are truly honest with me," explained Harry, while Dumbledore nodded in acceptance, already having expected something like that. "Why was Voldemort after me back then? Why shouldn't he be able to touch me?"

"That is something I can't tell you," said Dumbledore, now troubled.

Remembering what Serafall said a while ago, Harry asked, "Why not? Is it a prophecy?"

"So you know that much. Yes, it is indeed a prophecy. But I won't disclose the contents to you. The same way you don't know and truly trust me, the same is it for me and your new guardians. Lord Gremory was able to convince me that you are safe wherever you are staying with them, but I don't trust them enough to disclose such vital information. Even if it's related to you, there is too much involved in this."

Harry, since he was reborn, became a person strongly following logic. Although he wanted to know more, he could understand where Dumbledore was coming from. And he didn't say he wouldn't tell him ever.

"Well, I think we have talked enough for now. How about you take a rest and show your family the school? You have my permission." After Dumbledore said that, the faces of the others brightened up. They had listened closely to the discussion and were troubled by the content, so a tour through the school was a welcome change.

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