Chapter 7

One day after exams, Hemrione and I were discussing about how to teach Shadow some trick when Harry suddenly jumped to his feet.

"Where're you going?" said Ron sleepily.

"I've just thought of something," said Harry. He had gone white. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now."

"Why?" panted Hermione, hurrying to keep up.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd," Harry said, scrambling up the grassy slope, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?"

"What are you on about?" said Ron, but Harry, sprinting across the grounds towards the Forest, didn't answer.

Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.

"Hullo," he said, smiling.

"We're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?" Harry asked

'Dunno,' said Hagrid casually, 'he wouldn' take his cloak off.'

He saw the four of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows.

"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head – that's one of the pubs down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."

'What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?'

"Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember.

"Yeah ... he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here ... He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I look after ... so I told him ... an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon ... an' then ... I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks ... Let's see ... yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted ... but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home ... So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy ..."

"And did he – did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked trying to keep his voice calm.

"Well – yeah – how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep –"

Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.

"I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey – where're yeh goin'?"

We didn't speak to each other, until we arrive the Entrance Hall.

"We've got to go to Dumbledore." said Harry. "Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak – it must've been easy once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Where's Dumbledore's office?"

They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.

"We'll just have to…" Harry began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.

"What are you three doing inside?"

It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.

"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," said Hermione, rather bravely.

"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do. "Why?"

"Now what?" I thought.

"It's sort of secret," I said, but I wished at once I hadn't, because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared.

"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."

"He's gone?" said Harry frantically. "Now?"

"Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time –"

"But this is important." Harry insisted.

"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?"

"Look," said Harry, throwing caution to the winds, "Professor – it's about the Philosopher's Stone –"

Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms but she didn't pick them up.

"How do you know –?" she spluttered.

"Professor, I think – I know – that Sn– that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore."

"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. "I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."

"But Professor –"

"Good afternoon" she said picking up her books and leaving.

"Its tonight" Harry said." Snape is going through the trapdoor tonight."

"What are we going to do?" Hermione cries.

"Isn't it obvious? We make sure Snape doesn't take the stone" I say matter-of-factly.

"But how?" Ron asks

Later that night, after dinner, we are sitting on the common room nervously. We waited everyone to go to sleep before taking Harrys invisible cloak out. We were about to leave when Neville came out of the shadows and stood in front of us.

"You are not sneaking, are you?" he asked. "You're going out again."

"No, no, no," said Hermione. "No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?"

"You can't go out," said Neville, "you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."

"Neville" I say, taking a step forward. "Get out of our way or someone can get hurt"

"No, I'm not moving. I am not afraid of you".

"I'm sorry, Neville. Petrificus Totalus"

Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board.

A few minutes later, we were there, outside the third-floor corridor – and the door was already ajar.

"Well, there you are," Harry said quietly. "Snape's already got past Fluffy."

Harry pushed the door open. As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them.

"What's that at its feet?" Hermione whispered.

"Looks like a harp," I said. "Snape must have left it there."

"It must wake up the moment you stop playing," said Harry.

"Well, here goes ..."

Harry put Hagrid's flute to his lips and blew. It wasn't really a tune, but from the first note the beast's eyes began to droop. Harry hardly drew breath. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased – it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.

"So, who wants to go first?" Ron asks.

"I will go" I say. He opens the trapdoor and I jump. I sat up and felt around, my eyes not used to the gloom. It felt as though I was sitting on some sort of plant.

"It's OK!" I called up to the light the size of a postage stamp which was the open trapdoor. "It's a soft landing, you can jump!" Hermione followed straight away. She landed sprawled next to me. Ron and Harry landed a few feet away.

"Oh no" I hear Hermione say. "Devils Snare"

I knew what she meant. The big black plant started to wrap itself around me and the rest.

"I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" said Hermione.

"Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" Harry gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around his chest.

"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare ... What did Professor Sprout say? It likes the dark and the damp –"

"So light a fire!" Harry choked.

"Yes – of course – but there's no wood!" Hermione cried, wringing her hands.

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"

"Oh, right!" said Hermione and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant. In matter of seconds I could feel it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth.

"Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione," I said as I joined her by the wall, wiping sweat off my face.

"This way," said Harry, pointing down a stone passageway which was the only way on. We continued to walk until we heard some strange noise.

"Do you hear something?" Ron whispered.

"Sounds like wings to me" I say.

We reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door. We reached the door and pulled, it was locked.

"Now what?" said Ron.

"These birds... they can't be here just for decoration," said Hermione.

I watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering - glittering?

"They're not birds!" Harry said suddenly. "They're keys! Winged keys -look carefully. So that must mean..." he looked around the chamber whilethe other two squinted up at the flock of keys. "... yes - look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!"

Harry and I each seized a broomstick and kicked off into the air, soaring intothe midst of the cloud of keys. They grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one.

"That one!" he called to the others. "That big one - there - no, there- with bright blue wings - the feathers are all crumpled on one side."

"We've got to close in on it!" Harry called, not taking his eyes off the key with the damaged wing. "Tony, you from above and I will stay below. Ready? Now"

I dived and Harry leaned forward and with a nasty, crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand. They landed quickly, and Harry ran to the door, the key struggling in his hand. He rammed it into the lock and turned - it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice.

The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight. We were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces.

"Now what do we do?" Harry whispered.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room."

He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron.

"Do we - er - have to join you to get across?" The black knight nodded. Ron turned to the rest of us.

"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you next to him instead of that castle."

"What about us?" I ask

"We are going to be a knight," said Ron.

We waited until the withe piece moved. Soon, pieces were being smashed and thrown apart. Ron tried his best to make sure, none of us get hurt. One piece flew past my head, making me a big deep cut on the forehead.

"We're nearly there," he muttered suddenly. "Let me think let me think..."

The white queen turned her blank face toward me.

"Yes..." said I softly, "It's the only way... I've got to be taken."

"No" the three of them shouted.

"There has to be another way, just give me time to think" Ron insisted.

"Ron, we don't have time. Look, if you don't hurry up, Snape will already have the Stone. Just tell me what to do"

"Take a step forward" He whispered.

I stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck me hard across the head with her stone arm.

The last thing I hear is Hermione's screams before the world is swallowed by darkness

One more chapter and we arrive to the end. I havent got anything to say, except to ask you to vote for the name (read previous chapter for more information). Thank you for all your love and support.

-Lobo Sombra