A/N – We're into the last week of publishing this story. But before I make any final decisions on publishing year 2, I need to ask a question. Are people still interested in this story? In the last week I've noticed the reviews have dropped off massively, and it's got me wondering if people are still interested in this series. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate every review I get and I'm grateful I get so many fabulous ones (especially from my regular readers), but the vast difference in the amount of reviews I've received for the last few chapters compared to earlier chapters has me worried. I wasn't sure if the problem was the lack of romance, but that's inevitable in the early years. The romance will develop in later years, but not when they're still so young. I also wasn't sure if it was too similar to the actual books, but I did explain that the first few years are very similar and the big differences would come in later years. I don't want to stop publishing the series but at the same time I don't want to waste my time publishing a story no-one is interested in (although I will carry on writing it as I write because I love it, and this series is one I particularly love).

Despite being ready to act when someone made an attempt to steal the Philosopher's Stone, the Gryffindor trio had a while to wait before something happened. They checked on the stone regularly, sometimes as often as two or three times a day, but nothing happened. Instead they were able to enjoy their Easter Holidays with very little drama.

Harry and Hermione had wondered if whoever they were waiting for would strike over Easter when it was quiet, but they soon discovered that very few people left Hogwarts for the Easter holidays. Unlike Christmas where only a few people remained behind, at Easter practically the whole school remained on the premises and they just had a couple of weeks free of lessons.

The only thing of note that happened over the holidays was Hagrid having to give up Norbert. The trio were present as Hagrid prepared to say goodbye to the baby dragon, and they were also allowed to stay when Ron's brother, Charlie, showed up with a couple of his colleagues. Ron was thrilled to see Charlie and when he introduced his brother to Harry and Hermione the pair could easily see that Ron worshipped his big brother.

It wasn't until a few weeks into the third and final term of the year that something finally happened. At breakfast there was no sign of Dumbledore, which was very unusual as the headmaster was present for every meal of the day. Harry immediately began puzzling over the Headmaster's absence, and by the end of the day his curiosity had grown so much he hung back as the other students trooped out of Transfiguration.

"Can I help you Mr Potter?" McGonagall asked, looking up and getting a surprise when she spotted the young wizard hanging around in the classroom.

"Yeah, I was hoping to speak to Dumbledore this morning but he wasn't at breakfast," Harry said. "He wasn't at lunch either."

"Is there anything I can help with?" McGonagall asked. "Professor Dumbledore was called down to London on urgent Ministry business, and he won't be back until late this evening."

"It's okay, it'll wait," Harry replied.

Grabbing his bag, he quickly scarpered from the classroom before McGonagall questioned him any further. Outside the classroom he found a curious looking Hermione and Ron waiting for him. His decision to talk to McGonagall had been spur of the moment, so he hadn't had a chance to tell Hermione and Ron of his plans.

"What's going on, Harry?" Ron asked. "We turned round, and you weren't behind us."

"I was asking McGonagall about Dumbledore," Harry replied.

"And?" Hermione pressed.

"He's been called down to London on urgent business," Harry answered. "And you know what that means, don't you?"

"No," Ron replied with a puzzled shake of his head.

"This is the perfect time to get to the stone," Hermione said. "If I was trying to steal the stone, I'd take advantage of Dumbledore being gone."

"So would I," Harry agreed. "I think we need to be ready tonight."

"You think Snape's going to steal the stone tonight?" Ron checked.

"It's a real possibility," Harry replied.

"Then let's make sure we're ready tonight," Ron declared, before turning and leading the way up to Gryffindor Tower.

"Do you think its tonight?" Hermione whispered to Harry.

"I do," Harry replied in a quiet voice. "Something tells me that tonight's the night. Is everything in place in case things go wrong?"

"Yeah, I've got a back-up plan and Draco knows what to do," Hermione replied.

Satisfied they'd done all they could to prepare, Hermione and Harry followed Ron up to Gryffindor Tower. If they were right, everything was going to happen that evening. All they had to do was hope that things didn't get out of control and that they came out of the situation looking like the good guys.

C.O.T.D.

"Are you ready?" Harry hissed to Ron.

The pair were in the boys dorms and they were sneaking out to check on Fluffy. They'd managed to check before dinner and everything was normal, but they'd had to wait until after curfew before checking for a second time.

"Yeah, let's go," Ron replied.

Moving as quietly as they could the boys exited the dorm and snuck down the stairs. They arrived in the common room at the same time as Hermione and without exchanging a word, the trio crept into the common room. Unfortunately they hadn't reached the portrait, before they heard footsteps rushing down the stairs behind them. Before they had a chance to escape, Neville burst into the common room still dressed for bed.

"I can't let you do this," Neville hissed as he manoeuvred himself between the stunned trio and the exit.

"Do what?" Harry asked.

"Leave the common room," Neville replied. "I know you've been sneaking out and are planning on doing it again. I heard you whispering earlier."

"We can explain," Harry said. "Just not now. Please, Neville, we have to leave."

"I can't let you go," Neville said stubbornly. "You'll get into trouble and lose us more house points."

"I'm sorry Neville," Hermione whispered as she raised her wand. "Petrificus Totalus."

A brief look of shock passed over Neville's face before he froze and toppled to the ground. At the sight of Neville lying on the ground, Harry and Ron turned and stared at Hermione in surprise. It really hadn't occurred to either of them to do anything proactive to stop Neville.

"You're scary sometimes," Ron whispered in awe. "Brilliant, but scary."

"I just did what needed to be done," Hermione shot back. "Now we better go before anyone else wakes up and tries to stop us."

Exiting the common room, Hermione used the same trick she normally used to prop the door open. Not bothering to check if The Fat Lady was in her portrait or not the trio sped off to the third floor. When they reached the out of bounds corridor, they immediately knew something was different. The door that led to where Fluffy was located was open a crack.

"This is it," Harry whispered as he pulled out his wand. Behind him, Hermione and Ron also pulled out their wands, ready to face whatever lay ahead.

With a firm nod, Harry led the way into the room where they would find Fluffy. Since finding out how to deal with Fluffy, Hermione had been practising a spell to make music play from her wand, but it wasn't necessary as when they entered the room they found an enchanted harp playing in one corner of the room and Fluffy lying sound asleep on the floor. Beside a sleeping Fluffy was the open trapdoor, leading down to where the Philosopher's Stone was hidden.

"What's down there?" Ron asked, peering down into the darkness.

Harry shrugged as he slipped his wand back into his pocket. "There's only one way to find out."

Without saying another word, Harry stepped forward and disappeared down the trapdoor. As Harry disappeared, Ron let out a surprised squeak and took a nervous step backwards. Following Harry's lead, Hermione slid her wand away and stepped up to the edge of the trapdoor. Just before she jumped she noticed the room had gone quiet, the harp had stopped playing. Ron had also noticed the change and one look behind him revealed that Fluffy was waking up.

"It's now or never Ron," Hermione said, before jumping into the blackness.

Seconds later Ron followed her and they landed on something soft. Ron was just expressing how lucky they were to have a soft landing when vines twisted around their bodies, squeezing them tight. Looking around in a panic, they found Harry in the same predicament. He was tied up by the plant vines and struggling in vain to get away.

"Stop it," Hermione cried, going still. "This is Devil's Snare. Struggling will only make the plant kill you faster."

"Well that's reassuring," Ron muttered as he continued to struggle.

"I mean it, just relax," Hermione said calmly. "Relax and it will let you go."

Hermione's had barely finished speaking when she sunk into the plant and disappeared from view. Harry and Ron instinctively continued to struggle as they cried out to Hermione.

"Just relax," Hermione called from somewhere underneath them.

Trusting Hermione wouldn't give him bad advice, Harry stopped struggling against the vines holding him. After a few minutes he felt the vines begin to loosen their hold on him and he slowly began to sink into the plant. For a wild moment he thought he was going to be suffocated, but his trust in Hermione kept him calm and he suddenly dropped from the plant and onto the ground next to the brunette witch.

"That was different," Harry said as he got to his feet and brushed himself off.

Above them Ron's cries had reached fever pitch and the pair looked up at the large plant above them with matching scowls etched on their faces.

"He just doesn't listen," Hermione muttered.

"He's not going to relax, is he?" Harry asked.

"No," Hermione replied. "And as much as I would love to leave him there, I think we need to save him. Losing Ron will only tarnish any good we're going to achieve down here."

"Do you know how to save him?" Harry questioned.

Hermione nodded as she pulled out her wand. Pointing it at the plant, she cast a spell and a jet of sunlight shone from the tip of her wand. The sunlight burnt through the Devil's Snare, and it released Ron from its grip. With a squeal, Ron dropped from the giant plant and landed with a thud on the floor beside them.

"Whew, that was close," Ron said as he got to his feet. "Thanks for saving me."

"It's what friends do," Hermione replied with a shrug.

"We should get going," Harry suggested as he looked around and found a door leading from the brick room they were standing in.

"Who knows what sort of lead Snape has on us," Ron agreed as the trio made their way over to the door.

Cautiously, Harry pushed open the door and peered around the edge. When he found a troll lying on the floor, obviously unconscious, he opened the door fully and entered the room. Hermione and Ron followed him, carefully stepping around the troll and making their way across the room. Reaching the door at the opposite end of the room, Harry pulled it open and the trio darted through before the troll woke up.

After leaving the troll behind them they found themselves in a room with hundreds of creatures flapping above their heads. Not taking the time to see what sort of creatures they were trapped with, the threesome ran over to the door at the other end of the room. Unfortunately when Harry tried to open the door they found it was locked.

"What now?" Ron asked as Harry continued to pull at the door.

Looking around for inspiration, Hermione spotted an old broom propped against the wall. Turning her attention to the fluttering creatures above them, she realised they weren't creatures at all. They were various size and shaped keys with wings.

"Up there," She called to the boys. "We need to catch the right key."

Harry and Ron turned their attention to the enchanted keys, and together they located the key they wanted. The key in question was a big old fashioned key that matched the door they were trying to get through, but more telling was the fact one of its wings was broken, indicating it had been caught before.

"Go on Harry, you can do it," Ron said, handing his friend the broom. "If Snape can catch it on this old broom, then you definitely can."

Buoyed by Ron's confidence in him, Harry jumped on the broom and soared up into the air. The instant he was in the air the keys started darting around and moving at a much faster pace and he lost sight of the key he needed. However, he kept his focus and soon relocated the key he desired. Keeping the key firmly in his sights, he flew after it for almost five minutes, before grasping it in his fingertips. Making sure to keep a firm hold of the key, he flew back down to where Hermione and Ron were waiting for him and slid the key into the keyhole.

When the trio travelled into the next room, they couldn't initially see anything but then lights around the room flickered to life and they realised they were standing on a giant chess board. Warily eying the pieces, the trio made their way across the board to where they could see the door hidden behind the chess pieces on the far side of the board. However, the second they reached the pieces they sprung to life, blocking their way with their swords.

"What now?" Harry asked with a frown.

"We play our way across," Ron deduced.

"Do you think this will be like real wizard's chess?" Hermione questioned with a gulp as they backed away from the figures. She had no problem with wizard's chess, but she wasn't keen on the violence when she would be partaking in the game herself.

"There's only one way to find out," Ron replied with a shrug as he led the way back across the board.

Harry and Hermione let Ron take the lead, as he assigned pieces for them to play. While Ron climbed on the back of a horse to play as a knight, the pieces he assigned Harry and Hermione to stepped aside, leaving the pair taking their places. Once they were in position, Ron gave the orders and the game was in progress. Within a couple of moves it became clear the game was exactly like wizards chess as one of the pieces was viciously swiped from the board.

For over half an hour, Ron took control and led the way across the board. In the midst of dodging the flying debris and praying they wouldn't be knocked out, Harry and Hermione had to admit they were pleased they had Ron with them. While they could both play chess, they were nowhere near as good as Ron, and it needed every bit of the redhead's ability to manoeuvre them into a wining position. Unfortunately for Ron, winning meant lining himself up to be sacrificed, while Harry would make the winning move.

"Make sure you save the stone, Harry," Ron said, before making his move.

Hermione couldn't help but wince as Ron's horse manoeuvred into position and he was sent flying as it was hit by the opposing player. Instinctively she moved to go and help Ron, but Harry stopped her by reminding her that the game wasn't over. Staying in place, Hermione watched as Harry made the winning move and checkmated the other side.

The second Harry had won the match, the pair ran over to Ron's side. Their friendship may have been based on what good it would do them, but they were both grateful for the help Ron had provided. Without him, they probably wouldn't have managed to get past the giant chess set. Luckily Ron wasn't badly hurt and they helped him prop himself up against the wall as he caught his breath.

"Go and get the stone," Ron insisted. "I'll be here when you come back."

Not knowing what they were going to face, Hermione decided to go with Harry as he left the chess room. When they entered the next room, they were both glad Hermione had accompanied Harry. In the centre of the room was a table with five bottles spread out and beside them sat a piece of parchment. However, the second they'd entered the room both the door they'd come through and the one they were going to be going through were covered with flames, making them inaccessible.

"It's Severus's potions puzzle," Hermione said as she looked at the bottles.

"What do we do?" Harry asked. "Can I help?"

"It's purely logic," Hermione answered. "Three of the bottles contain water, one bottle contains a potion to allow you to go backwards and the last bottle is what you need to go forwards."

The pair spent a few minutes talking over what happened next, before deciding that Harry would carry on while Hermione would head back to Ron. Giving Hermione a bit of peace and quiet, Harry watched as she thought through the puzzle. Five minutes later, she'd located the two bottles they would need. Handing Harry the bottle to take him forward, she kept the bottle that would enable her to get back to Ron.

"I think we need to execute our emergency protocol," Hermione said. "There's no way we're getting out of here the way we came, not without help."

"Do it," Harry said. "Just give me time to save the stone."

Hermione nodded, before opening her mouth and calling for her own personal house elf, Mitzee. Even though Mitzee didn't work at Hogwarts, they'd already established that wouldn't be a problem as house elves weren't governed by the same rules as witches and wizards. Sure enough, Mitzee appeared directly in front of Hermione.

"Mitzee, I need you to go to Draco," Hermione said. "Tell him it's time to move, but tell him to give us a little bit longer. Do you understand?"

"Yes Miss," Mitzee squeaked, before she disappeared with a small crack.

"Draco will be alone, won't he?" Harry checked.

"I managed to grab him before dinner to tell him it looked like we were on," Hermione confirmed. "He knows to be alone so Mitzee can reach him."

"It looks like this is it," Harry said, taking a deep breath as he looked towards the door he was about to enter.

"Good luck, Harry."

Hermione gave Harry a big hug, before the pair separated and made their way to their respective doors. Sharing one final look, they simultaneously uncorked their bottles and downed the contents. They then turned their backs on each other and headed through their respective doors, each of them ready to carry on with their plan to rescue the Philosopher's Stone and earn Dumbledore's unwavering trust.