ÍROAS

Harry, Ron, and I have been walking through the corridors, covered by Harry's invisibility cloak; trying so hard to be not heard by the person we've been following since this morning.

"Oh, Come on! When will those two goons leave Malfoy alone?" Frantically whispered by Ron.

"You know that Crabbe and Goyle are almost considered as his bodyguards. We have to wait for a miracle for Malfoy to be left alone." Harry whispered back, then looked at me.

"So Iro, how exactly will you conjure those clouds? Do we need to fight you, scare you, or something to trigger it?" He asked me. I shook my head and smiled at him.

"No need for that Harry, I think I have an idea how to do it. Well, based on Ron's observation the first time it happened, at least." I answered back, with a tone of uncertainty in my voice. Harry then shot a glance to the red headed boy to his left but before he could utter a word, I felt a couple of figures leaving. The blond is now alone and stopped in the corner of the corridor.

'A secluded place, perfect!' I thought and smiled nastily. I then tapped Harry and Ron to get their attention, pointing them to the now alone Malfoy.

"Okay Iro, do whatever you have to do, but please not be around here. I don't want to get blind again. And make it quick." Harry said, with a bit pleading and agitation in his voice.

I slid off the cloak that covers me and walked a bit closer to where Malfoy stood, but still hidden from the sight. I concentrated first from all the lights that surrounded him. Clearing my thoughts, I tried to think about the lights being absorbed and slowly dying.

I waited for a moment until I felt it, all the filaments of darkness coming within me are now overpowring all the fires that gave light to this secluded place. A sudden warmth rushed through my entire body. I opened my eyes and gasped from my accomplishment. All the sources of light of this part of the corridor are now gone.

Suddenly, coldness rippled in my eyes as my night vision kicked in. I looked at Malfoy's petrified expression and I could see now the vulnerability of an 11-year-old kid, terrified by the sudden dimness of the place. An evil grin morphed on my face and laughed internally.

'Not enough dark' I thought.

I once again closed my eyes and tried to trace all the darkness of this place. Widening the range of my power, I could now feel the connection of my own shadow to the coldness of every silhouette. I could sense the dimness coming from the walls, and the 2 shadowy figures behind me that clearly from Harry and Ron under the invisibility cloak. Realization then struck me. - 'The reason I could always easily sense people within my range is because of their shadows. I could feel them.'

I took a deep breath and summoned all my concentration as I called upon the power of the night resting within me. I felt the tugging sensation rippling in my gut; the same feeling I got the first time I triggered the clouds. Sensing the black clouds I had conjured, I commanded them to go after the lone boy.

As I opened my eyes, I watched the pitch-black clouds slowly devouring the platinum-blond boy who's now pleading for his vision to come back as darkness filled his'. Traces of obscurity, shock, and horror are now all over his face.

"Mother! - Mother!" he cried out.

Watching his expression, I quietly laugh at my place, feeling the victory of our revenge to him. But all of a sudden, I felt all the sudden desperation to grasp an air. My hands started to tremble and my knee slowly failed me. I was about to fall at the ground but a pair of hands caught me. I looked at the owner and saw Harry's worried face.

"You conjured too much." he bagan, "That's enough Iro, you can hold it back now." He said with a calm voice, still wearing the same expression. I nodded at him and pulled all the threads of dark clouds and retrieved it through my shadows. My breathing is getting heavier and I could feel my body drenched in sweat. Shooting a glance to my friend, I gave him a reassuring smile. I notice Malfoy runs hysterically, still wearing the frightened expression. We covered ourselves by the cloak and together we soared to our dormitory, filled with astonishment and victory in our faces.

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HARRY

"It's no fun! I haven't seen Malfoy's expression!" Ron demanded. We are currently inside our room. Our other roommates aren't here yet thus, only the three of us and Hermione, celebrating our accomplishment.

"It's pretty historic, honestly! He looks like he's going to pee in his uniform. - I wish you'd seen it" Iro said between the gaps of his laugh. I didn't actually enjoy it because I hadn't seen Malfoy's reaction with all the dark clouds surrounding him. But I'm satisfied that we were able to get back to him.

"Ron, just imagine your face the first time it happened to you. I reckon Malfoy's reactions the same as you did." Hermione sniggered from her seat, which made us all laugh except him.

Days had passed and my Quidditch match against Hufflepuff would eventually start on the 8th day of march, a week later after Ron's birthday. Flashes of images are constantly playing in my head but only all about Snape trying to kill me.

"AHG! He's getting to my head all the time." I burst out of my frustration.

"Don't worry Harry, we got your back. He's going to be blind before he could do anything to you. Right Iro?" Ron assured me. I looked at Iro who just simply nodded and smiled nastily. It did cheer me up a bit, but I still felt the nervousness in me.

The day of the match, after lunch, I bid my goodbye to the three, which pretty much sounds like I'll never get to see them again. I changed to my Quidditch robes quickly and looked at the rest of the team who's clearly worried about the same person, but apparently, have a different reason unlike mine.

"Don't want to pressure you, Potter, but if we ever need an early capture of the Snitch, it's now. Finish the game before Snape can favor Hufflepuff too much." Oliver Wood, our team captain told me. I galp to what he said and simply nodded to him. We are now walking towards the field, shivering, when Fred voice out,

"Don't worry guys! Professor Dumbledore is watching today. Snape won't be able to do his biasness." And with that, we all felt the sudden relief and assurance from the air because of the news he had said - 'Snape won't be able to kill me.' I thought. All together, we mounted our brooms and soared up to the air with smiles and confidence on our faces.

The game had begun; about a minute or two. I started looking for a flying small golden ball. I've been trying my best to do my job as quickly as possible while staying alive and away from Snape.

Suddenly, a glinting golden blur caught my attention. I rose higher to the air to have a wider range to examine the pitch and see where the golden snitch is. Then I saw it, there, in the corner of the field, a small golden ball hooping around the pole of the goal post far below me.

I smiled to my amusement, forgetting the danger that Snape could give, I leaned forward and gripped tighter to my broom as I dived down towards the ball. I kept flying downwards with a speed of light, and when I'm in close range I stretch out my right hand to where the snitch is. Bursts of winds constantly scratched my naked skin, and I could now hear the loud noises of cheers and support coming from the Gryffindor stands when they saw what I'm chasing.

The ball kept flying away but I'm quicker; I leaned more from my broom and immediately closed my arm as I felt a struggling object touch my palm. I smiled to my accomplishment and raised my arms high up in the air where a golden snitch clasped between my fingers. Shouts of victory erupted as Lee Jordan; the commentator shouted with all his might.

"Harry Potter once again caught the Golden Snitch! Gryffindor wins!" Upon the realization of our victory, I jumped off my broom about a foot from the ground, and before I could go to our locker room, Professor Dumbledore greeted me to my achievement of winning the game and also about not looking anymore for the 'Mirror of Erised.' Hours later of cheering me because of our fast victory, I walked alone, still holding my Nimbus Two Thousand, over the damp grass of Hogwarts Grounds. Still deep in thoughts about the game, but suddenly, I noticed a hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Clearly not wanting to be noticed, it walked as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest.

"Snape!" I muttered, recognizing the hooded man. I jump back to my broom deciding to follow him, unnoticed. I rose up in the air, silently, and kept in a close distance between the open branches to a now running Snape. When he stopped, I quietly landed in a towering beech tree.

I narrowed my eyes to his location, and to my utmost surprise, he's not alone. From where Snape is, there stood in front of him a pale young man with a purple turban over his head. I raised my eyebrow as I realized who's with him.

"What's Professor Quirrell doing here with Snape?" I muttered to myself. Still holding tight my broom to my right hand, I tried to get closer to them to hear their conversation.

"... don't know why you wanted t – t – to meet here of all p – places, Severus..." said by a stuttering professor to Snape.

"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private, - students aren't supposed to know about the Philosopher's Stone, after all." Replied by the greasy haired man, Severus Snape. I couldn't catch some of Quirrell's reply, but then Snape interrupted him.

"Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?"

"B – b – but Severus, I..."

"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell."

"I don't know what you..."

"You know perfectly well what I mean." Intervened by Snape. I was just listening to them, with wide eyes open, filled with horror from what I am hearing. I kept listening until Snape mentioned something about Quirrell's hocus-pocus.

"Very well... We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decide where your loyalties lie." And with that, the hooded man left the now paler Quirrell. I then decided to get away from the scene before I got caught.

"I need to tell them!"