The Secret Riddle

by literate-angel

Melanie was like any other normal girl. Except she had no family, no last name, and no history. So it was expected that she would be skeptical when she is told she's a witch and accepted at Hogwarts. [no major pairings as of yet][follows the Golden Trio]

4. Just the Beginning

Chapter 4: Just the Beginning

As the start of November came the weather became icy and cold and every morning frost could be seen covering Hogwarts' grounds. Hagrid was always outside defrosting the schools broomsticks, wearing his long moleskin overcoat and enormous woolen mitts. They all disliked the trip out to the greenhouses for Herbology and had taken to huddling in groups whenever outside the castle. However the weather was the least of their problems.

The Saturday after the incident with the troll was the first match of the Quidditch season, and saying that Harry was nervous was a huge understatement. He was downright terrified. But with their help, he somehow made it to Saturday.

But at breakfast the day of the match Harry wouldn't eat anything he was so nervous.

"You've got to eat something, mate," Ron said.

"I don't want anything," Harry answered looking down at the table.

Hermione then said, "Just a bit of toast."

"I'm not hungry."

"Harry," Melanie said in a tone that forced him to look up at her. "You'll need your strength."

He looked at her a moment before sighing and taking a bite out of his previously untouched toast.

"Good luck today, Potter."

Melanie looked over Harry's shoulder at Snape, who was glaring down at Harry. "Then again, a little game of Quidditch should be nothing after defeating a mountain troll…even if it is against Slytherin," he sneered before turning and exciting the Great Hall. Melanie watched him and noticed that he was walking with a limp.

"What's wrong with his leg?" she asked, drawing the others' attentions.

"I saw it too," Harry said. "Listen," he said leaning in closer to them. "The night the troll got in; I saw blood on Snape's leg. It looked like he'd been attacked. I think he let the troll in as a distraction to try and get past that three-headed dog."

"But why would Snape go near that thing?" Ron asked.

"Why would anyone go near that thing?" Melanie said.

Hermione shook her head. "That's ridiculous. Professor Snape is a teacher. Why would he try to steal whatever that dog is guarding?"

None of them could come up with a realistic answer, so they sat in silence until the very last second.

"I suppose we should head down now," Ron suggested, looking warily at Harry.

Harry merely nodded and stood from the table. Together the four of them walked down to the Quidditch pitch, where students were already beginning to fill the stands. Beside her Harry moaned and she put a hand on his shoulder.

"You'll be brilliant. I know it," Melanie said reassuringly.

He nodded, his face beginning to look very pale. Harry left them to go to the Gryffindor change room and Melanie, Hermione, and Ron made their way to the stands.

They finally found their place just as the stadium became packed with students and teachers. Melanie wondered how Harry was doing; he must have been close to being sick. She prayed that he would make it through this game okay and something inside her told her he would.

Hagrid appeared beside her, giving her a warm welcome and a strong pat on the head, and not soon after the teams came onto the pitch. Melanie cheered as the Gryffindor team flew around the pitch and watched as Harry followed them, proving that he was an excellent flyer.

Just watching the game had Melanie grasping onto the rail in front of her in her excited fear. Harry had been brilliant so far, at least for his first game, but it was a back and forth game between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Melanie watched as Harry suddenly sped off after what she could only assume was the Golden Snitch.

Then the strangest and scariest thing happened. Harry suddenly flew off course as his broom began to jerk him around. Melanie watch helplessly as Harry hung on for dear life, nearly being tossed form his broomstick.

"What's wrong with Harry's broom?" Hagrid asked.

Hermione reached over and grabbed Hagrid large binoculars and pressed them to her eyes. However instead of watching Harry, she was scanning the crowd. Now holding her breath, Melanie watched as Hermione stopped on something, or someone, in the sea of people.

"It's Snape! He's jinxing the broom!" she whispered just loud enough for Melanie and Ron to hear.

"What?" Melanie exclaimed, grabbing the pair of binoculars and looking in the direction Hermione had. Sure enough, her eyes found Snape and she saw him staring unblinkingly at Harry and his mouth forming an incantation she couldn't understand.

"What are we going to do?" Ron asked worriedly.

"Leave it to me," Hermione said before disappearing into the crowd.

Melanie looked back into the binoculars, this time looking at Harry. She caught a glimpse of his face as he was being flung around, and it held a look of utter terror.

"Come on Hermione," she muttered.

A few moments passed and Melanie continued to watch Harry. Suddenly his broom stopped bucking and Harry pulled himself back on top of it, giving Melanie the chance to let out the breath she had been holding. As he flew off in search of the Snitch again, Melanie looked over at Snape and saw him trying desperately to put out a fire. He had knocked the people around him down, including poor Professor Quirrell, but it had done the trick. Harry was back flying again.

Now they watched Harry catch up to the Slytherin Seeker, Marcus Flint, and race to catch the Snitch. However it wasn't long before Melanie was holding her breath again as they both went into a nose dive, heading straight towards the ground. The entire stadium seemed to fill with tension as they got closer and closer to the ground, neither slowing down.

Suddenly Flint pulled out of the dive and so did Harry, but only at the last second. Perfectly level with the ground, Harry carefully stood on his broom reaching an arm out…

"Harry!"

He was thrown forwards off his broom and landed with a thud on the hard pitch. Melanie covered her mouth in shock and watched as he slowly stood up, both hands over his stomach.

"It looks like he's going to be sick!" Hagrid said.

Indeed it did, Harry lurched forward, his hand flying to his mouth. However instead of seeing the small breakfast he had that morning, Melanie saw something gold and round in his hand.

"He got the Snitch!" she cried, sending the stadium into a frenzy.

"Gryffindor wins one hundred seventy to sixty!" shouted Lee Jordan, Fred and George Weasley's best friend and Quidditch commentator. Harry stood in the middle of the pitch with his fist in the air as his friends all felt relieved because he was finally safe.

After the match the four followed Hagrid down to his hut, where he made them each a cup of strong tea and they talked about Harry's great victory. He was no longer nervous and afraid about Quidditch, in fact he had told him it was the most wonderful thing he had ever felt. Melanie was happy for him, knowing that this was exactly what he needed to take his mind off of everyone else.

They were all seated around Hagrid's giant table and Ron had just told Hagrid about how it was Snape who had jinxed Harry's broom.

"Nonsense," Hagrid said. "Why would Snape try to jinx Harry's broom?"

"Why did he try to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween?" Harry asked.

Hagrid choked on his tea. "Who told you about Fluffy?"

"Fluffy?" Melanie asked unbelievingly while Hermione said, "That thing has a name?"

"Course he has a name! 'E's mine! Gave him to Dumbledore to guard the…"

"The what?" Harry asked.

"I shouldn't 'a said that," Hagrid muttered to himself. "Nothing, never you mind."

"Hagrid," Harry continued. "Whatever…Fluffy… is guarding, Snape is after it."

Hagrid sighed. "Now listen here you four. You're meddling in business that ain't meant to be meddled in! This is strictly between Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel!"

Melanie looked at the others who shared the same curious look that she did.

"Nicolas Flamel?" Hermione asked.

Hagrid stood shocked at what he had just let slip and ushered them out of the hut before they could asked any more questions.

"I shouldn't have said that. I should not have said that," he said cursing himself as he closed the door.

"Nicolas Flamel?" Harry wondered aloud before turning to Hermione. "Who's Nicolas Flamel?"

She shook her head. "I don't know."

Soon November became December and Melanie couldn't wait for Christmas. She was going to be returning to the orphanage for the holidays and she couldn't wait to see everyone again. Hermione was also going to be returning home for Christmas, as well as Ron, which left Harry alone over the holidays. Melanie felt bad, she had asked him if he wanted her to stay there, but he told her that he would be fine and that she should go home for Christmas. Melanie had agreed sadly, feeling as if she was abandoning him.

Up until the time she left however, Melanie would be practically living in the library with the other three, looking up information on Nicolas Flamel. None of them had found anything on him yet and wondered if he was even in a book. Hermione was convinced he was.

"If he is associated with Dumbledore and the thing that Snape is trying to steal, he must be in a book somewhere. He has to be," she said, sounding as if she was trying to convince herself more than the other three.

It was the night before they were leaving for the holidays and Melanie and Hermione were still looking through books. They were sitting on Hermione's bed, both clad in their pajamas, the only sound heard was the sound of a page turning. It was getting late and Melanie was already struggling to keep her eyes open, her eyelids had grown too heavy. The words on the page had become blurred and her brain was no longer processing anything, so she marked her page and closed the book. Lying down on Hermione's bed she said, "I feel bad for leaving Harry here."

Hermione looked up from her reading, her eyes betraying that she too was very tired. "Me too, but he said he'd be okay, didn't he?"

"And you believe him?"

Hermione sighed and shook her head.

"If only I had convinced him to let me stay. I hate the thought of him being alone… especially at Christmas," Melanie said, ending her sentence with a long yawn.

Hermione yawned too and closed her book. "Maybe he'll be alright. Besides we promised to write him, so I think he'll be fine," she said.

Melanie agreed and got off Hermione's bed and threw herself onto her own. She checked to make sure her trunk was packed and that she had left a change of clothes out for the next day, before pulling the scarlet hangings around her bed closed. She bid Hermione goodnight before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

The next morning Melanie woke up later than usual and was surprised that Hermione had actually let her sleep in. She got out of bed and changed just as Hermione opened the door.

"Good morning," she greeted cheerfully.

Melanie greeted her with a smile before packing her pajamas away and closing her trunk. She began to lug it towards the door and Hermione laughed.

"Honestly…they say you're the best in Charms," Hermione said jokingly as she levitated the trunk out the door. Melanie laughed and followed her down to the Common Room. Looking around, Melanie saw that it was still beautifully decorated with holly lacing nearly everything and a giant Christmas tree by the already roaring fireplace.

"Where are the boys?" Melanie asked, noticing that neither Harry nor Ron were there.

"Probably in the Great Hall," Hermione answered. "Ron was hungry and he just couldn't wait for you to get up so he and Harry went down. I ate earlier."

Melanie laughed at Ron's impatience and grabbed her trunk as Hermione did the same to hers and they left the Common Room together.

When they arrived at the Great Hall, Melanie spotted Harry and Ron sitting at the bare Gryffindor table, playing what looked like chess. She rolled her trunk over to them and sat down next to Harry just as Ron made his next move.

"Queen to E5," Ron said. Melanie watched in amazement as Ron's queen got up and walked over to Harry's knight, and knocked it over. She couldn't help but laugh.

"That's barbaric!" Hermione exclaimed.

"That's Wizard's Chess," Ron answered.

"I think its brilliant," Melanie said earning a nod from Harry.

"I see you're all packed," Ron said gesturing to Melanie's and Hermione's luggage.

"I see you're not."

"Change of plans," Ron said. "My parents have gone to Romania to visit my brother Charlie."

"Good," Hermione said smugly. "Then you can help Harry look in the library fvor more books on Nicolas Flamel."

"Again?" Ron exclaimed looking at Harry. "We've looked a thousand times!"

Hermione leaned in close so that passers-by wouldn't hear. "Not in the Restricted Section. Happy Christmas!" With that she turned and pulled her trunk to the entrance.

Melanie stood up to follow. "Be careful…both of you. And Happy Christmas," she said before going after Hermione.

When the train arrived at Platform Nine and Three Quarters later that day, Melanie couldn't be more excited. She and Hermione got off the train, but Melanie didn't see Mrs. Danielson anywhere. So she followed Hermione over to where her parents said they would meet her.

"Mum! Dad!" Hermione cried as she rushed over and hugged each of her parents. Melanie felt slightly uncomfortable watching the happy family, knowing that she would never be greeted by her actual parents.

"Mum, Dad," Hermione began. "This is Melanie Danielson. Melanie these are my parents."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Melanie said as she shook each of their hands.

Melanie noticed that Hermione's mother had the same bushy brown hair and eyes that her daughter had. Mr. Granger on the other hand, was quite tall and had blue eyes.

"Hermione tells us that you're an excellent student," Mr. Granger said.

Melanie thanked him and they talked for a while until Melanie saw Mrs. Danielson from the corner of her eye.

"I have to go, but it was very nice meeting you. I'll see you after the break Hermione!"

Melanie nearly ran over to Mrs. Danielson, who enveloped her in a hug as soon as she saw her.

"Oh, Melanie," Mrs. Danielson said as she held Melanie at arms length. "Look how much you've grown. The girls are all so excited to see you again."

With that Melanie left the platform with Mrs. Danielson and headed home.

"Melanie! Melanie! Wake up!"

Melanie groaned and pulled the covers over her head. "Not now Hermione! Let me sleep!"

Someone ripped the covers away from her and Melanie looked into the emerald green eyes of Faye.

"Come down for presents! And stop calling me Hermione!" Faye laughed, dragging Melanie out of bed.

It had been a week at the orphanage and Melanie was beginning to find that she had a hard time forgetting about the usual school routine. Instead of Hermione waking her up, Faye did. And instead of waiting in the Common Room for Harry and Ron, she was dragged straight to the kitchen to see her fifteen sisters. It was strange, that she had been living this way her entire life and now suddenly it seemed foreign.

Faye held Melanie's hand in a tight grip as she dragged her down the stairs and into the living room where everyone was waiting. Around the Christmas tree there was a present for each girl from Mrs. Danielson as there was each year. Melanie sat and watched as each girl took their turn opening their present, until she was the last one to go. She felt slightly guilty, she had known that there would be extra presents for her because of Harry, Ron, and Hermione and she didn't want anyone to feel annoyed or upset.

However to her surprise, they seemed excited to watch her open her presents and so the guiltiness slipped away. Making her way over to the tree, Melanie picked up the first present, the one from Mrs. Danielson. Opening it, she found a warm knitted sweater in scarlet and gold. Melanie looked at Mrs. Danielson confused, only to have the elderly woman smile back at her. How she knew Melanie's house colors were scarlet and gold she would never know.

The next present was from Hermione. Melanie picked it up and laughed, already knowing what it was. She pulled back the paper to reveal a thick book with a blank cover. Hermione must have found a spell that would erase the title, knowing that none of Melanie's sisters knew about magic and if Melanie received a book titled Wickedly Witchy: The Most Famous Witches of the Century, they might begin to wonder.

Ron's present was next and Melanie was happy to find he had given her some more wizarding sweets, which she had fallen in love with. She just had to remember to keep them away from the others, the last thing she needed was for someone to open a Chocolate Frog and completely freak out.

Finally, she opened Harry's present, a colorfully wrapped box. Inside was a plush toy lion (Gryffindor's icon) with a note inside the box. Melanie carefully pulled it out and read it to herself.

Dear Mel,

Hope you like your present! I remember you telling me about leaving your stuffed owl with your friend at the orphanage, so I thought you might need this one. Hermione helped stitch your name on the side (who knows what would have happened if I had tried myself).

Happy Christmas,

Harry

Melanie turned the lion and sure enough (in gold) 'Mel' was stitched onto the side. Melanie smiled and hugged the lion tight to her chest before gathering up her other presents. The girls had gone to playing with their presents already, so Melanie was just going to sneak upstairs and put her things away in her trunk.

Somehow she managed to escape without Faye noticing and went into their room. She opened her trunk and put the book and sweets inside then closed it. Melanie placed the lion in the middle of her bed and turned to leave.

The holidays passed quickly for Melanie and before she knew it she was getting ready to leave the home for the train station again. She said goodbye to everyone and promised to write before she headed out the door with Mrs. Danielson.

The trip back to Hogwarts was slow; she and Hermione just retold their holidays and thanked each other for their gifts (Melanie had gotten her an organizer, not knowing what else Hermione would want). They arrived at the school and went straight to the Gryffindor Common Room. Melanie went through first and saw Harry and Ron sitting by the fire. She dropped her trunk and raced over to them, giving them each a hug.

They told Melanie and Hermione about Harry receiving an Invisibility Cloak for Christmas (supposedly it was his father's) and using it to sneak into the Restricted Section of the library. He didn't find anything on Nicolas Flamel, but he said he found something called the Mirror of Erised, what showed you your heart's greatest desire. Melanie wondered what she would have seen if she had looked into the mirror, but from the sad look on Harry's face, decided she didn't really want to know.

The problem was they still hadn't found anything on Nicolas Flamel and Snape could be so much closer to stealing whatever was guarded.

As the second term started, they found themselves in the library again. They had less time now that their homework was being piled on heavier than ever and Harry had even less time. Gryffindor was playing its second game against Hufflepuff, with Snape refereeing. They were all worried about that, in case Snape tried to jinx Harry's broom again.

It was the first time they had found themselves with free time since the end of the Christmas break, and they were enjoying it in the Common Room. Ron and Hermione were playing chess, Hermione was terrible and Ron was brilliant, so Melanie didn't think it was very fair. But chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at and they decided it would be healthy for her.

Harry and Melanie were eating the rest of the sweets they had left over from Christmas, while they were trying to figure out a way to get Harry out of playing Quidditch while Snape was there.

"Don't play," Hermione said.

"Say you're ill," said Ron.

"Pretend to break your leg," Melanie suggested.

"Really break your leg," Ron said.

"I can't," Harry explained. "We don't have a reserve seeker! If I back out Gryffindor can't play at all!"

"Well I don't think it's worth the risk, mate," Ron said looking at the chess board in complete focus. "I mean, if Snape's trying to kill you…"

"I've found him!"

Melanie looked at Harry who was studying the back of a Chocolate Frog card. The side that she could see had a picture of Dumbledore, who smiled and winked at her. What on earth was he talking about?

"I've found Flamel! I knew I'd read the name somewhere…listen: 'Professor Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood and his work on alchemy with his partner Nicolas Flamel'!"

Hermione jumped from her seat and ran towards the girls' dorms. A couple minutes later she returned, carrying a heavy book in her hands. "I had you looking in the wrong place all this time! I took this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading," she said placing the book on the table with a loud thud.

"This is light?" Ron asked, but was quickly shut up by the look Hermione gave him.

She flicked through the pages while the others watched and suddenly she came to a stop about halfway through the book.

"Here! Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone!"

Apparently she didn't quite get the effect she expected because she sighed and rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Oh, honestly, don't you three read?"

She looked at the book again and began to read a passage. "The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal.

"There have been many reports of the Philosopher's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera-lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred fifty-eight)…

"That's what that dog's guarding! That's what Snape was trying to steal!"

Gryffindor beat Hufflepuff in the game the next day and Harry managed to play without having Snape jinx him. And since they won the match, it put Gryffindor in first place for the Cup. In all that excitement, they had not forgotten about the Stone however. They decided that since they knew what Fluffy was guarding they had to find a way to stop Snape from stealing it.

So the night after the match Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Melanie snuck out of the castle under Harry's Invisibility Cloak. Melanie was amazed by it at first, but quickly became serious as she realized how much trouble they would be in if they were caught outside on the school grounds after-hours. They headed towards Hagrid's hut; the only light guiding them was the soft glow through the windows of the hut.

Harry banged on the door loudly, enough for Hagrid to hear but quiet enough for it to not carry across the grounds. The door opened and they lifted the cloak so Hagrid could see who it was. When he did however, he smiled hurriedly and said, "Sorry don't wish to be rude, but I'm in no fit state to entertain today."

He began to close the door on them when all four of them said, "We know about the Philosopher's Stone!"

The door opened again and Hagrid said, "Oh," before letting them in.

The first thing Melanie noticed when she stepped inside was how stiflingly hot it was. Even though it was a warm night, Hagrid had a blazing fire going. They sat down in the enormous chairs by the fire and Harry said, "We think Snape's trying to steal it."

"Snape?" Hagrid asked unbelievingly. "Blimey, you're not still on about him, are you?"

"Hagrid, we know he's after the stone… we just don't know why!" Melanie exclaimed.

"Snape is one of the teachers protecting the Stone," Hagrid told them. "He's not about to steal it!"

"What?" Harry asked.

"You heard. Right, come on now, I'm a bit preoccupied today," Hagrid said motioning to the door.

"Wait a minute," Harry said. "One of the teachers?"

"Of course," Hermione said as if realization had just struck her. "There are other things protecting the Stone. Spells, enchantments."

"Fluffy isn't the only thing guarding the Stone is he? There are other things…" Melanie added.

"That's right," Hagrid said. "Waste of bloody time if you ask me. Ain't no one gonna get past Fluffy. Ain't a soul knows how except for me an' Dumbledore," he chuckled, but stopped as soon as he realized what he had said.

"I shouldn't have told you that. I should not have told you that," he muttered.

Melanie was about to ask another question when the cauldron over the fire began rattling. Everyone turned to watch it and Hagrid went over and reached in. He pulled something out of it and set it down onto the table. They crowded around and Melanie couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Er, Hagrid. What exactly is that?" Harry asked nervously.

"Oh, that? That's a…that's umm…"

"I know what that is!" Ron exclaimed. Then he looked at Hagrid. "But Hagrid, how did you get one?"

"I won it," said Hagrid casually. "Off a stranger I met down at the pub. Seemed quite glad to be rid of it as a matter of fact."

The shiny black egg began shacking and rattling more violently until finally it burst open, pieces flying everywhere. Melanie took a step back as she looked down at the small, scaly lizard. Or at least she thought it was a lizard.

"Is that…is that a dragon?" Hermione asked.

"That's not just a dragon!" Ron said. "That's a Norwegian Ridgeback! My brother Charlie works with these in Romania!"

So that was a dragon? Melanie had expected a little bit more than what was in front of her, but she supposed this one was still a baby. Who knew how big it would get?

"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid said joyfully. "Oh bless him. Look, he knows his mummy," Hagrid said as the tiny dragon turned to look at him. "Hello Norbert," he cooed as he scratched the dragon underneath the chin.

"Norbert?" Harry asked.

"Well, he's got to have a name, don't he? Don't you Norbert?"

As Hagrid tickled Norbert under the chin, the newborn dragon hiccupped and set fire to Hagrid's big busy beard. Hagrid jumped back and began to pat it out.

"Well, he'll have to be trained up a bit…" he said, but then suddenly stopped and narrowed his eyes. "Who's that?"

Melanie looked over to the window he was looking out of and saw a flash of white-blonde hair disappear off to the side. She gasped. This was the last thing they needed… for him to find out.

"Malfoy," Harry said.

"Oh, dear."

As quickly as they could, the four of them pulled their coats back on and slipped under the Invisibility Cloak. If they got caught, not only would they be in trouble, but Hagrid would be too and that was not really an option for him right now. Not with an illegal newborn dragon in his hut.

They all said goodbye to Hagrid before running out and across the grounds. They couldn't see Malfoy ahead of them, which meant that he must have already been inside the castle. And if Melanie knew anything about Malfoy, it was that he would do anything to get them into trouble. If she didn't know any better, she'd say that Malfoy was already on his way to the nearest teacher, or worse…headed straight for Snape.

"Hagrid always wanted a dragon," Harry said as they quietly walked through the halls towards the Gryffindor Common Room. "Remember he told us the first time we met him?" he asked Melanie, who nodded.

"Why would anyone want a dragon?" Hermione asked.

"It's crazy," said Ron. "And worse, Malfoy knows."

"I don't understand," Hermione said questioningly. "Is that bad?"

"It's bad."

Melanie looked ahead and saw Professor McGonagall standing outside her classroom door, clothed in a tartan dressing gown and slippers. Malfoy stood beside her, that evil smirk on his face.

"Good Evening," she said sternly, and Melanie knew that things weren't going to get any better.

The next thing Melanie knew she was stuck between Ron and Harry, as all four of them were lined up in front of McGonagall's desk, while being scolded by a very irate McGonagall.

"Nothing," she spat angrily, "I repeat, nothing, gives a student to walk about the school at night. Therefore, as punishment for your actions, fifty points will be taken."

"Fifty?"

"Each."

Melanie looked at the others in shock, and saw that their faces mirrored hers. How could they have possibly lost two hundred points, in only one night?

"And to be sure it doesn't happen again," continued McGonagall, while Melanie inwardly groaned. How much worse could this get? "All five of you will receive detention."

Malfoy, who up until this point had stayed in the background quietly smirking as McGonagall delivered their punishment, stepped forward with a look of confusion on his face.

"Excuse me Professor," he said, "perhaps I heard you wrong. I thought you said the five of us."

"No, you heard me correctly, Mr. Malfoy. You see, honorable as your intentions were, you too were out of bed after hours."

Melanie watched gleefully as Malfoy's face fell. The others beside her grinned for a moment, before Professor McGonagall spoke again, "You will join your classmates in detention."

Filch, the caretaker, arrived a few minutes after and escorted them back outside. Melanie didn't know where they were going or what he was talking about because her mind was elsewhere. Two hundred points? How did they manage to lose two hundred points? And what would Mrs. Danielson say when she found out that Melanie had been sneaking around the grounds at night? Surely Professor McGonagall would send a letter.

As they got closer to their destination, Melanie finally realized where they were going. Hagrid was moping around in front of his hut, waiting for them with a crossbow over his shoulder. The weapon scared her a bit, but she decided that Hagrid wouldn't shoot them with it, no matter what they had done to receive detention.

When they finally reached him, Melanie noticed that his eyes were red and (what she could see of them) his cheeks were tear-stained. He had been crying.

"A sorry lot, this, Hagrid," Filch said. Then he too noticed Hagrid had been crying and said, "Oh good God man, you're not still on about that bloody dragon, are you?"

Melanie felt a pain in her heart for Hagrid. All he wanted was to keep Norbert and they ruined it for him. "Hagrid…what happened?" she asked softly.

He turned his sad eyes on her and said, "Norbert's gone! Dumbledore sent him off to Romania to live in a colony."

"Well that's good isn't it?" Hermione asked tentatively. "He'll be with his own kind."

"But what if he don't like Romania?" Hagrid asked. "What if the other dragons are mean to him? He's only a baby after all…"

"For God's sake, pull yourself together man," Filch said. "You're going into the Forest after all. You've got to have your wits about you."

Malfoy looked up at him, his eyes wide in shock. "The Forest?" he stammered. "I thought that was a joke. We can't go in there. Students aren't allowed. And there are..."

A howl came from the distance and sent chills down her spine. She did not like the sound of it and was more than positive it had come from the Forest.

"…werewolves," Malfoy finished, his tone betraying his bravery.

Filch nearly laughed. "Oh, there are more than werewolves in those trees, lad. You can be sure of that." He turned to look at the others. "Nighty night," he said before limping away towards the castle.

Melanie watched him go and then turned to Hagrid, who took a deep breath and picked up a glowing lantern. "Right, let's go."

She followed beside Hermione, who was positively trembling out of shock that she was in detention, as the group walked towards the dark mass that was the Forbidden Forest. Melanie had only seen it at a distance up until that point and from what she had heard of it, it was not the most pleasant place at Hogwarts. Then again, it had been Fred and George that had told her the most of it but…

"Hagrid…what is that?"

Melanie looked up to see Harry pointing at a bush. As she looked closer, Melanie saw what looked like silver paint spattered across the dark leaves, only it shimmered a bit in the moonlight.

"What we're here for. See that? That's unicorn blood, that is" Hagrid told them, his voice solemn. "I found one dead a few days ago. Now this one's been hurt bad by something. So, its our job to find the poor beast.

"Alright, Ron, Hermione you're with me. Harry, Melanie, an' Malfoy you'll go the other way."

"Then I get Fang," Malfoy said, looking at the huge bloodhound at Hagrid's side.

"Fine," Hagrid said. "Just so you know…he's a bloody coward."

Melanie and Harry turned away into the forest, keeping to the path so they didn't stray in the wrong direction. Malfoy kept Fang near him, and like she expected it wasn't long before he started to whine and complain.

"Wait till my father hears about this," he scoffed arrogantly. "This is servants' stuff."

"If I didn't know any better, Draco," Harry answered irritably, "I'd say you were scared."

"I'm not scared Potter."

In the distance an owl hooted causing Malfoy to nearly jump out of his skin.

"Did you hear that?" he stammered.

Melanie snorted. "No, not scared at all!"

She could feel Malfoy's glare burn into her back, but it only made her laugh silently.

"I'd watch my tongue if I were you, Danielson," he sneered.

"Then I suppose it's a good thing you're not, Malfoy," Melanie retorted angrily.

She was about to turn to berate him further, but a hand on her arm stopped her. She looked at Harry who just shook his head, as if to tell her it wasn't worth it. He was right, but that didn't mean she would like to hex Malfoy any less.

They walked a little farther when Fang suddenly started growling. Melanie looked back to see him slowly backing away, his eyes narrowed and his teeth bared.

"What is it, Fang?" Harry asked.

Melanie looked ahead of them and saw something white laying on the ground, the purest white she had ever seen.

"Harry…" she said slowly and he too looked over.

They walked a little further, leaving Malfoy and Fang behind them, until suddenly her eyes focused in the pitch black night. It would have been the most magnificent creature she had ever seen, if it hadn't been in such horrifying circumstances. The unicorn's beautiful white coat was marred by the silver blood that covered it.

However it wasn't that which caused the very blood in Melanie's veins to freeze.

Hovering over the innocent creature was a black hooded figure, which seemed to show no guilt for what it was doing. It was close to the unicorn's neck, as if it was sucking the blood from that position, which sickened Melanie further.

Harry suddenly gasped beside her, and she looked over to see his hand fly to his forehead, as if he was suddenly struck by a headache. The dark figure looked up at the disturbance and stood. Behind her Malfoy screamed and Fang started barking wildly before they ran away in the opposite direction.

Suddenly feeling desperate and alone she called after them, but it was no use. They were gone and she and Harry were very, very alone.

At first she would have said the figure was a man, but she began to think otherwise when it began to float towards them, coming closer and closer. She helped Harry back away from the thing, but found that she herself was stumbling over tree roots and fallen branches. She was gripping tightly to his arm when he fell backwards, causing her to fall down beside him.

The figure seemed even more ominous as it hovered so close to them while they were trapped lying hopeless on the ground. Melanie pulled herself in close to Harry and prayed that somehow they would get away safe, just as she felt something soar over her head. Still too terrified to look up, Melanie kept her face buried in Harry's shoulder and listened as the sound of heavy footfalls echoed in her ears. A screech came to her ears and the sound of a billowing cloak and then silence.

"Mel? It's okay, it's gone," Harry whispered.

Melanie looked up to see that the dark figure was indeed gone, to be replaced by a man and his horse. Of course, it took her eyes a while to adjust before she realized that it wasn't a man and his horse, it was both a man and a horse. It was a centaur.

The half-man half-horse approached then cautiously and Harry helped Melanie to her feet. As she looked at it, Melanie realized that it really was a majestic creature, with the dark skin and hair of a man and the dark coat of a steed.

"Harry Potter," the centaur said, in a deep melodic tone. "You and your friend must leave. You are known to many creatures here. The Forest is not safe at this time. Especially for you."

Harry, however, ignored the command and asked, "What was that thing you saved us from?"

"A monstrous creature," the centaur answered, spite filling his words. "It is a terrible crime, to slay a unicorn. Drinking the blood of a unicorn will keep you alive even if you are an inch from death… but at a terrible price. For if you have slain something so pure that from the moment the blood touches your lips you will have a half life. A cursed life."

"But who would choose such a life?" Harry wondered.

"Can you think of no one?"

Melanie was shocked by the first thought that came to her head, which she guessed was the same as Harry's. Voldemort would live such a life, if it meant he had the power to continue tormenting more innocent people.

"Do you mean to say," Harry began, "that that thing that killed the unicorn… that was drinking its blood. That was Voldemort?"

The centaur leaned closer to them, as if to try to stop anyone or anything else from hearing him. "Do you know what is hidden in the school at the very moment, Mr. Potter?" it asked.

"The Philosopher's Stone," Melanie answered for him, as sudden realization came to her. Voldemort could become immortal if he had the Stone, not to mention that it would bring back his strength and life. What if… could it be possible that Snape wasn't trying to steal the Stone for himself, but for Voldemort?

"Harry! Melanie!"

Melanie turned when she heard their names being called and saw the others racing through the trees towards them, Hagrid's large figure obvious among them. They stopped when they saw the centaur with them, and Hagrid let out a sigh of relief.

"Hello there, Firenze," he said. "I see you've met our young Mr. Potter and Miss Danielson. Alright there you two?"

Harry and Melanie both nodded, no matter how shaken up they still were.

"Harry Potter. Miss Danielson," Firenze said nodding in a slight bow to Harry and Melanie. "This is where I leave you both. You are safe now. Good luck."

Later that night, when they were safely back in their Common Room, Melanie realized that Harry was not about to let this go. He was now convinced that Voldemort was after him, not that they didn't think he was in the first place, but everyone said that Voldemort was long gone. But how was she supposed to explain the dark figure in the Forest and what Firenze had said.

Also Harry seemed to have come to the same conclusion that Melanie had gotten when they were in the Forest.

"You mean that You-Know-Who is out there right now in the Forest?" Hermione asked incredulously when Harry suggested the idea.

"But he's weak. He's living off unicorns," Harry said. "Don't you see? We've had it all wrong! Snape doesn't want the Stone for himself. He wants the Stone for Voldemort. With the Elixir of Life, Voldemort will become strong again. He…he'll come back."

"But if he comes back," Ron interjected, "you don't think he'll try to kill you do you?"

"I think if he had his chance he would have tried to kill me tonight."

Ron blanked. "And to think I've been worrying about my Potions final!"

"Hang on a minute," Hermione interrupted. "We're forgetting one thing. Who's the one wizard Voldemort has always feared? Dumbledore. As long as Dumbledore's around, Harry, you're safe. As long as Dumbledore's around you can't be touched."

"Hermione's right Harry," Melanie said. "Dumbledore wouldn't let anything happen to you."

After that he was comforted somewhat, but still didn't give up on the idea as the term continued and winter became spring and then summer. Long before then Hermione had them studying for exams, insisting that if they didn't do well on these they couldn't go on to second year. That took up most of Melanie's concern and all thoughts of Voldemort were pushed to the back of her mind. Now the only thing that bothered her besides exams was Harry.

He had been having dreams lately, she knew it, and by the state he was in she decided they weren't good dreams. And now sometimes when she looked at him, she would see him with his hand against his head, as if he had a constant headache.

She had told Hermione about her concerns, but she was far too busy revising to hear a word of what Melanie said. So, before their Charms exam (which she had studied the least for) she pulled him behind the group. Hermione and Ron, who were having another row, seemed not to notice they were gone.

"Harry, are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" he said, but his eyes told her that he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"These dreams…nightmares… I've seen what they're doing to you. And all you can think about is the Stone… I'm just worried, Harry."

"Don't be. I'm fine, really. And the dreams… they're not bad at all…"

"Harry," Melanie said, pulling him to a stop. "Whenever I look at you, you're acting as if you have a terrible headache. This isn't good for you and frankly, I'm…"

"It's not that."

She looked at him curiously. "It's not what?"

"It's not a headache," Harry continued more quietly. He pulled her closer so that the passersby couldn't hear and said, "It's my scar. Ever since the Forest it's been… it's burning. And it keeps getting worse. I don't know what it means."

Melanie looked at him with wide eyes. "Your scar?"

Harry nodded.

"Have you told Ron? Or Dumbledore for that matter?" she asked.

"No, not until I figure out why."

"Harry…"

"I can't Melanie. Ron will make a fuss, you know. And Dumbledore can't be bothered."

They began to walk towards the Great Hall again when Melanie said, "It still think you should tell someone."

"I've told you," Harry said with a smile.

Melanie smiled too. "And I'm grateful, but I can't do anything about it. Dumbledore could."

Harry went silent again and they continued in silence for the rest of the trip.

The Charms exam wasn't too difficult for Melanie, she thought she did fairly well, and the practical test went without any problems. Harry had decided to tell Ron and Hermione after the exam and they had told him the same thing, to tell Dumbledore. Again he told them he wouldn't and they left the castle to go relax in the grounds.

Melanie could tell that his scar was still hurting him as she half-listened to Hermione verbally go over her exam, asking questions and then answering them herself. Suddenly, Harry stopped in his tracks and a look of realization dawned on his face.

"Of course," he muttered before quickly walking away again.

Hermione stopped her chattering to ask what was wrong, as the other three set out after him.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd," Harry explained as they walked, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything is a dragon and a stranger turns up and just happens to have one? I mean, how many people wander around with dragon eggs in their pockets? Why didn't I see it before?"

Melanie found they were soon dashing across the lawns towards Hagrid, who was sitting outside his hut playing a wooden flute. She supposed Harry was making sense, but what were the chances that a complete stranger would know Hagrid wanted a dragon? It was just too weird.

"Hagrid, who gave you the dragon egg?" Harry asked hurriedly. Hagrid stopped playing the flute and looked up at them curiously. "What did he look like?" Harry pushed.

"I dunno," Hagrid said. "I never saw his face. He kept his hood up."

"This stranger though, you and he must have talked."

"Well, he wanted to know what sort of creatures I looked after. I told him, I said after Fluffy, a dragon's going to be no problem," Hagrid said.

"Did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked.

"Well of course he was interested in Fluffy!" said Hagrid. "How often do you come across a three-headed dog even if you're in the trade? But I told him, I said, I said 'The trick with any beast is to know how to calm it him'. Take Fluffy for example, just play him a bit of music and he falls straight to sleep."

Melanie gasped and looked at the others, who shared the same look of shock on their faces.

"I shouldn't have told you that," Hagrid mumbled when he realized what he had just said.

Melanie ran off with the others, as Hagrid shouted after them. With Harry in the lead, she had no idea where they were going, but they were definitely in a hurry. She realized that they were headed to Professor McGonagall's office, but she didn't know why.

"We have to see Professor Dumbledore immediately!" Harry shouted as they ran into the room and up to her desk.

"I'm afraid Professor Dumbledore is not here," she answered. "He received and urgent Owl from the Ministry of Magic and left immediately for London."

"He's gone?" said Harry. "But this is important! It's about the Philosopher's Stone!"

Professor McGonagall's face paled as the words reached her ears and she stuttered as she spoke. "How do you know…?"

"Someone's going to try to steal it!" Harry interrupted.

McGonagall looked at them seriously. "I don't know how you four found out about the Stone but I can assure you it's perfectly well protected," she said, adjusting her glasses. "Now, would you go back to your dormitories? Quietly."

They had no choice but to leave the room, but as soon as they did Harry started up again.

"That was no stranger Hagrid met," he said. "It was Snape, which means he knows how to get past Fluffy."

Hermione looked startled. "And with Dumbledore gone…"

"Good afternoon."

Melanie turned around to see Snape hovering over them, the usual sneer on his face. She just hoped he hadn't heard anything.

"Now what would four young Gryffindors, such as yourselves, be doing inside on a day like this?"

"We were… we were just…" Hermione stuttered, obviously scared about being caught.

"You ought to be careful," Snape said coolly. "People will think you're…" he looked at Harry would was glaring right at him. Not the most subtle of looks. "…up to something."

He walked away and they waited until he was well around the corner before talking again.

"Now what do we do?" Hermione asked, still a little bit shaken up.

"We go down the trapdoor. Tonight," Harry said.

Melanie looked at him, shock written all over her face. "Harry we can't!"

"Why not?"

"Maybe you've forgotten, but we're not allowed out at night. If we're caught again, we'll be expelled for sure!"

"Snape is going tonight, Mel. And if we don't stop him, he'll get the Stone, give it to Voldemort (Ron flinched), and then we're all in trouble," Harry told her.

She had to give him that much, but she still didn't want to go down there. "There are things set up that are supposed to stop a fully grown wizard from getting to the Stone. How are four first year wizards supposed to get through that?"

"We stopped that troll on Halloween."

"That was one troll Harry!" she said. "We have no idea how many other things are set up!"

"Look," Harry said dragging her away from the other two. "I'll admit we don't have the best chance. But if we don't stop Snape nobody will and I can't let that happen. I'm going with or without you Mel."

He walked away leaving Melanie to make the biggest decision of her life. To go with her friends and risk being caught (or worse) or stay behind fretting about them and probably regretting the decision after?

It was late and Melanie was still trying to choose between staying behind or going with Harry and the others. She knew they would never hold it against her if she didn't go, but she knew she would feel terrible if something happened to one of them and she could have stopped it.

Sighing angrily she closed her eyes and prayed for the answer to come to her, when suddenly she heard a noise come from the bed beside her. Hermione must have been leaving to meet the boys. She listened as Hermione pulled her shoes on and walked across the room, opened the door, and left.

Melanie groaned inwardly and pulled the hangings away and climbed out of her bed. It was dark, but she managed to make her way over to the door without knocking anything over. She opened the door and stepped out into the silence of the Common Room. Melanie carefully walked down the stairs and heard voices, whispering hurriedly.

"I didn't hear her."

"You mean she's not coming?"

"Of course I'm coming," Melanie said as she stepped out of the shadows. She walked into the Common Room to see the other three looking at her with smiles on their faces. She stepped forward and nearly tripped over Neville, who lay frozen on the floor. Hermione's doing.

"What'd you do to him?" she asked.

"I just froze him," Hermione said innocently.

"He was trying to stop us from leaving," Harry said.

Melanie nodded and as they walked past she muttered sorry to the poor boy, who was only trying to do the right thing for his house. Together they walked out of the Common Room and Harry threw the Invisibility Cloak over them.

It was dark in the castle halls, but somehow they managed to make it through undetected and quickly arrived at the third floor corridor. As quietly as possible, in case Snape was still around, they crept inside and made their way over to the door that Fluffy was waiting behind. Harry, who was in front, cautiously opened the door and peered inside. Melanie strained her ears for any sound of growling that would come from a monstrous three-headed dog, but heard only the soft sound of a melody being played. She followed the others inside and saw that Fluffy was sleeping peacefully on the ground, all eyes closed and heads resting on its giant paws. In the corner of the room, a large musical harp stood playing, magically enchanted to continue it rhythm even though whoever conjured it was long gone.

"Wait a minute. He's snoring," Harry said. They all stepped inside and a sudden gust blew the Cloak off of them. Fluffy was snoring and with every breath he exhaled, a gust of wind blew over them.

"Snape's already been here. He put a spell on that harp," Melanie said quietly, careful not to wake the slumbering beast.

Harry stepped forward toward the napping dog and saw that the trapdoor was covered by a massive paw. "Help me move it," he said.

Melanie, Ron, and Hermione stepped forward and together they managed to slide the paw over well enough to open the trapdoor. Melanie was startled when Fluffy gave a snort, but the music was still playing so he did not wake.

The four looked down into the tunnel and saw nothing but black, which worried Melanie. They couldn't take the risk of jumping into something unknown.

"I'll go first," Harry said bluntly. "Don't follow me until I give you a sign…"

"Harry!"

"If something bad happens," he continued, completely ignoring her, "get yourselves out!"

In all the thinking about what to do, Melanie hadn't noticed that in the far corner of the room, no longer in her line of sight, something happened. The harp stopped playing.

It was only when Harry spoke that she noticed. "Does it seem a bit quiet to you?"

"UGH! YUCK!"

She looked at Ron who was attempting to wipe a disgusting amount of slobber off his shoulder. Slowly realizing what it was Melanie looked above her, along with the other three, and saw a very wide awake Fluffy staring back at him. Fluffy began to thrash and bark madly and Hermione and Ron jumped in. Melanie was pushed in and found the drop was rather short and she landed on something soft. Looking around she saw the entire room covered in thick green vines. Harry landed beside her and gave a relieved sigh.

Melanie wasn't so relieved.

"Lucky this plant thing's here really!" Ron said when suddenly a vine sprung to life and wrapped around his ankle.

He and Harry began to thrash about to avoid the creeping plant, so it seemed that only Melanie and Hermione knew what kind of trouble they were in.

"Stop moving, both of you!" Hermione told them. "This is Devil's Snare. You have to relax! If you don't, it'll only kill you faster!"

"Kill us faster?" Ron yelled. "Oh, now I can relax!"

The boys continued to move around while Hermione glared at them indignantly. Slowly the plant grew over her and she disappeared beneath the surface. Harry and Ron both shouted for her and then shouted for Melanie as she too disappeared below the surface.

She landed hard on her feet and Hermione reached out to steady her. Melanie looked up to see the bottom of the plant and through the gaps she could still see the boys moving around.

"Melanie! Hermione!" Harry shouted.

"Oh, now what are we going to do?"

"Just relax!" Hermione yelled up at them.

"Hermione? Where are you?"

"Just do as she says!" Melanie cried.

She saw Harry stop moving and soon he fell through and onto the floor. Melanie went over to help him up, but Ron was still panicking.

"He's not relaxing is he?" Hermione said.

"Apparently not."

Melanie huffed. "We've got to do something!"

"What?" Harry asked.

Above them Ron's shouts were growing muffled and Melanie couldn't help but picture the Devil's Snare wrapping itself around him and squeezing the life from him.

"I remember reading something in Herbology," Hermione said, racking her brain for anything that could help. "'Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare; its deadly fun… but will sulk in the sun!' That's it! Devil's Snare hates sunlight!"

She flicked her wand at the plant and shouted, "Lumus Solem!"

A bright beam of light erupted from the tip of her wand and the plant above them began to writhe in agony. Ron suddenly dropped to the ground, stood and brushed himself off.

"Ron, are you okay?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," he said, still a little shaken up. "Lucky we didn't panic!"

"Lucky Hermione pays attention in Herbology."

Ron smiled sheepishly and muttered a thank you before they set off down the dark path again.

A while later Melanie saw a door ahead of them and heard what she thought were fluttering wings.

"Do you hear that?" she asked.

The others strained their ears to listen, and they seemed to hear it too.

"What is that?" Hermione asked as they approached the door.

"I don't know. Sounds like wings," Harry replied.

Melanie arrived at the door first and pushed it open. Inside there must have been hundreds…thousands of birds flying in a tall circular chamber. They walked in, all appearing to be mesmerized by the very sight of it.

"Curious… I've never seen birds like these," Hermione said.

Just then one of the 'birds' fluttered past Melanie's face and she noticed that the were not birds.

"They're not birds…they're keys," she said.

"And I'll bet one fits that door," Harry added, pointing to a door on the opposite side of the room.

They walked over, past a suspended broom, and Ron tried to get it open.

"Alohomora!" he said. Nothing. "Well, it was worth a try."

"What are we going to do? There must be a thousand keys up there!" Hermione said.

"We just need to find the right one," said Melanie.

Ron, looking up, said, "We're looking for a big old fashioned one. Probably rusty like the door handle."

After looking around a few more moments Harry exclaimed, "There! I see it! The one with the broken wing!"

Melanie followed his gaze and saw it too. It was a large brass key with round wings, but one of them was broken, so it flew with a slight limp.

Harry looked over at the broomstick, but didn't make a move towards it.

"What's wrong Harry?" Hermione asked.

He shook his head wonderingly. "It's too simple," he said, nearly a whisper.

"Oh, go on Harry!" Ron said encouragingly. "If Snape can catch it on that old broomstick, you can! You're the youngest Seeker in a century!"

"He's right Harry," Melanie added. "This will be no problem for you! A snitch flies much faster than this anyway!"

Harry nodded before walking over to the broom. However, as soon as his hand touched the handle, the keys jumped into action and began zooming around madly attacking Harry as they went. He jumped onto the broom and flew upwards, swatting the keys away as he did.

"This complicates things a bit," Ron said.

Melanie watch helplessly as Harry fought his way through the swarm of keys, chasing after the one that they needed. He finally grabbed it and yelled, "Catch the key!"

He dove down and tossed the key to Hermione, who caught it and ran for the door. She jammed it into the lock and swung the door open, but Harry was still trying to get the other keys off of him.

Melanie and Ron ran through the door after Hermione and they held the door open as Harry flew inside. They closed it just in time and held it as hundreds of the wild keys hit the door, some piercing the wood of it.

Harry leapt off the broom and they continued on their way. Hermione and Ron walked ahead, as Melanie and Harry brought up the rear. She looked at him for a quick second before gasping.

"Harry! You're hurt!" she said. Across his cheek there was a long red line, from just beside his eye to near his chin. She guessed it was from a key, as they had done a lot of damage to his arms and clothes already.

"What?" he asked, clearly not having realized that he was injured.

"Right here," Melanie said as she carefully wiped away a trickle of blood that was running down his cheek. It left behind a red stain, but it could have been worse.

Shrugging he said, "I'll get it cleaned up later. We need to keep moving."

He walked ahead, but Melanie stopped. He turned to look at her, curiosity filling his eyes.

"What?" he asked.

"Sometimes you amaze me, Harry Potter," Melanie said.

Harry laughed and pulled Melanie along after the others, who had not heard a word of the conversation.

"I don't like this. I don't like this at all," Hermione said as they entered a grand chamber with great stone pillars standing tall throughout the room.

"Where are we? A graveyard?" Harry asked as they walked past another huge stone figure.

"This is no graveyard," Ron began. "It's a chessboard."

Light suddenly filled the hall as the wall torches in the hall were lit. Melanie looked around in awe, seeing that it was in fact a giant chessboard, resembling the one Ron had. The tall stone figures were the chess pieces and across the floor was the checkered pattern of the board.

"There's the door!" Harry said pointing across the hall. They all walked towards it but were abruptly stopped as a pawn jumped to life and blocked their way.

Wizard's Chess.

"Now what do we do?" Hermione asked while she backed away, a frightened look on her face.

"It's obvious isn't it?" Ron said. The others looked at him, telling him that it was not obvious. "We've got to play our way across the room," he said.

Melanie had to admit, that with everything else she had seen that night, it did sort of make sense.

"Harry, you take the empty bishop's square. Melanie, you'll go where the king's side castle would be. Hermione you'll be the queen-side castle. As for me, I'll be a knight."

Melanie took her position and looked at Ron, not knowing how to play chess very well. The others looked at him as well, making it official that he was supposed to lead them through this.

"What happens next?" Melanie asked, shouting across the distance to him.

"Well, white moves first," Ron answered. "And then…we play."

An opposing pawn slide forward and Hermione asked, "Ron, you don't suppose this'll be like real Wizard's Chess, do you?"

Ron looked around the board before yelling, "You there! D-5!"

A pawn moved in front of one of the white ones and was crushed to pieces. Melanie was still staring at it with wide eyes as Ron said, "Yes, Hermione, I think this is going to be exactly like Wizard's Chess."

And so they played.

Melanie made a note to congratulate Ron on spending so much bloody time playing chess, because if he hadn't been there they surely would have lost. And Melanie found herself being moved around, but never in harms way thanks to Ron's quick thinking. The white team was showing no mercy, clearly intent on stopping them from moving on.

"Pawn to C-3!" Ron yelled.

"Wait a minute," Harry said suddenly. He was closest to her, but his eyes were trained on Ron. She just wished she understood why.

"You understand right Harry," Ron answered. "Once I make my move, the queen will take me. Then you're free to check the king."

"No. Ron, no!" Harry protested.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, obviously understanding about as much as Melanie was.

"He's going to sacrifice himself!" Harry said.

"What?" Melanie asked, hoping to all hope that she had heard him wrong.

Hermione looked at Ron. "No, you can't! There must be another way!"

"Do you want to stop Snape from getting that Stone or not?" Ron said defiantly. He then turned to Harry and said, "Harry, it's you that has to go on. Not me! Not Melanie! Not Hermione! You!"

Silence followed as no one dared to stop Ron in his sudden desire to be chivalrous. He took a deep breath (as did Melanie) and said, "Knight to H-3!"

The piece he was sitting on moved forward, each inch cutting deeper and deeper into Melanie. How could he be so stupid? There must have been another way! He didn't have to go through with this!

Ron stopped in front of the white queen.

"Check."

He yelled as the queen took her staff and drove it through Ron's piece. He fell to the floor before lying unconscious. Melanie went to move forward, as did Hermione, but Harry stopped them.

"No, don't move! Don't forget we're still playing!" he shouted.

Both girls watched as he stepped across the board and stood beside the queen. With determination he called, "Checkmate."

The white queen took the staff that had crushed Ron's knight and thrust it through her middle, causing her to crumble into unrecognizable pieces.

The game was over.

Melanie ran from her spot over to Ron, where Hermione and Harry were already crouching over him.

"Ron!" she exclaimed. She saw how beat up he was and that he was still out cold and it sent pain into her heart.

"Take care of Ron, and then go to the owlery. Send a message to Dumbledore. Ron's right. I have to go on," Harry told them.

"You'll be okay, Harry. You're a great wizard. You really are," Hermione said.

"Not as good as you."

"Me?" she laughed. "Books and cleverness. There are more important things. Friendship and bravery. And Harry…just be careful."

Harry nodded before turning to Melanie. "Be careful. And take care of Ron. Make sure he's alright," he said.

Melanie nodded, but everything in her told her not too. She was abandoning him again. Getting this far with four was hard enough; she couldn't let him go on to worse alone. A friend didn't do that to a friend.

By the time she had stopped debating whether to listen to what he told her to do or to follow him; Harry had already left the chamber. She took one look at Hermione, who was attempting to wake Ron up, before grabbing the Invisibility Cloak off the floor and standing up.

She walked away only a bit when Hermione said, "Where are you going?"

"After Harry," Melanie answered bluntly.

"What? Melanie!"

She continued walking until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around she saw Hermione's concerned face and said, "I'm going after him Hermione."

"You can't! Harry said…"

"What makes you think I do everything that Harry says? He'll need help and I'm going to give it to him," Melanie retorted.

Hermione stared at her for a while before pulling her into a hug. "Please…please, be careful," she whispered.

Melanie nodded and pulled away. She gave Hermione one last smile before pulling the Cloak over her and walking away. The last thing she heard was, "Where'd Mel and Harry go?"