Snape then waved his wand again, levitating the unconscious Harry. He led the two of them out through the fire door, passed through several rooms in succession, and placed them on brooms before flying out through the trapdoor.
A tambourine shook beside Fluffy, keeping the great dog asleep.
They were brought out into the corridor, where Tom saw Hermione and Ron Weasley, who had likewise been tied up in a bundle.
"When I came out, I ran into him..." Hermione's face was streaked with tears. She was clearly terrified.
"Come along, you lot," Snape said, levitating the still-sleeping Ron with his wand while grabbing Tom and Hermione with his other hand. "I told you that if you kept wandering around in the middle of the night, I would expel every last one of you! I meant it!"
"What an impressive display, Professor Snape..."
Just then, a mocking voice came from a shadow in the corridor.
"Who?" Snape shoved Tom and Hermione away and spun around sharply, but it was already too late.
"Stupefy!" A red beam struck Snape, knocking him unconscious.
The person stepped out of the shadows. "Tom, you got the Philosopher's Stone and brought Harry here. You did very well."
Hermione's eyes widened as she stared at the person before her. "P-Professor Quirrell! Your stutter..."
"Oh, s-s-sorry, Miss G-G-Granger. That was all to f-f-fool you..." Quirrell said smugly. "With that big idiot Snape standing in front to draw attention, who would ever notice poor, p-p-pitiable Professor Quirrell?"
"You... why?" Hermione was utterly shocked.
Tom, however, was not particularly surprised. That day in the Forbidden Forest, he had already found the other man's voice familiar. There were only so many professors at the school; after ruling a few out, he had known who it was.
Quirrell still wanted to