When Harry and Theo woke up the next day, they noticed to their surprise Blaise already had left. Guessing the Italian would be with Malfoy they quickly changed into their robes so they could leave and grab some breakfast before they would go to visit Hermione in the hospital wing. They rushed of the stairs, bumping into Kali and Diana. Kali pulled up a brow at the two first years.

"You know it's almost noon, right?" She said amused.

"Made it late, last night?" Diana asked chuckling.

"You could say so…" Harry muttered, yawning. The two girl laughed at that.

"If you're quick you can scoop something from the kitchen. They already cleaned up breakfast." Diana said.

"We… we don't really know how to get in the kitchens." Theo muttered.

"We'll show you the way, but you have to promise you keep your mouth shut to the other prefects." Kali said, giving them a wink before leading them out of the common room. They walked through some unknown corridors and Harry glanced around, trying to remember the way they were going but giving up after five minutes. The two girls stopped for a moment to stroke or tickled something that looked a lot like a pear before a door opened.

"This is the kitchen." They said, letting the two first years enter first. It was buzzing with funny, grey creatures. They had long, pointy ears and big, bulgy eyes. They were wearing some dirty, grey cloths or rags, Harry couldn't figure it out.

"House elves!" Theo said enthusiastic. "So they make all the food?"

"What did you think?" Diana asked chuckling. "That the tables magically conjured the food up?" Harry kept quiet, that was exactly what he had thought. His eyes followed their prefect talking to a small elf wearing a big, white hat. He guessed he – or she – was the chef. It only took five minutes before Kali thanked the elf and walked back to Diana and the two first years.

"Here you go." She handed them both a paper plate with a croissant and a sandwich. "Do you think that's enough? It's lunch in about two hours."

"Yeah, thanks." Theo said shyly at the elder girl. She gave him a sweet smile and let them back outside.

"Come on, we lead you upstairs." Diana said cheery.

They followed the two sixth years, enjoying their breakfast. They said goodbye when they reached the Great Hall and rushed themselves towards the hospital wing. Their food was up so before they entered they quickly threw their plates in the garbage can outside. Madam Pomfrey saw them coming.

"Hello there, sweeties. Can I help you?" She asked kindly.

"We wanted to visit our friend, Hermione Granger." Theo explained.

"Oh, but miss Granger already left the hospital wing this morning. She was accompanied by a friend. I think they went to the library."

Harry and Theo looked surprised at each other before saying goodbye to the elder woman. They quickly went to the library to see the mysterious friend their nurse had been talking about. When they entered they didn't solve one but two mysteries. Hermione was sitting in her regular spot, books spread all over the table, and she was accompanied by… Blaise. So this was the secret friend and Hermione was the reason the Italian had been up so early. They quickly joined their friends to study and earned themselves a small glare from Hermione.

"You know the exams almost start right?" She tutted. The two boys decided not to answer and quickly grabbed their notes to study.

Honestly, Harry didn't know how he through the exam period. He looked over his shoulders almost every few minutes, expecting Voldemort to be lurking at him, his wand pulled to kill him. On top of that his nightmares had returned but turned out to be worse. It was only because of Kali who gave him some of her stock of dreamless sleep potion that he got some sleep at all. And although Harry kept worried about the approaching danger, the days crept by and Fluffy was still very alive behind the door.
The weather had become sweltering hot and especially in the large classroom where they had to do their written papers, the first years felt it. They had been given new, special quills that were bewitched with an anti-cheating spell.
They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap-dance and professor McGonagall made them turn a mouse into a snuff-box – points were given for how pretty the snuff-box was and points were ducked if it had whiskers. But Snape was the worst. He made them all, including the Slytherins, very nervous breathing into their neck while they tried to remember the instructions for making a forgetfulness potion.
Harry did the best he could with the throbbing pain that hadn't left him since his trip into the forbidden forest. His friends did everything to ease his pain and his worries about Voldemort but didn't succeed much. Harry knew Hermione was a mess as well, having seen the same, horrible thing in the forest as him, but his fellow Slytherins tried to minimalize it. Of course the idea of 'the dark lord' returning scared them till dead, but they hadn't been in the forest so they weren't that convinced. When their last exam, history of magic, finally ended after an hour and half writing dull facts about old warlocks and gnomes, harry cheered together with the other first years. They had a free week until their results would arrive. Harry, Hermione and Theo wandered over the grounds towards the lake, sitting down under a giant tree. His two friends had been talking about their last exam but made themselves comfortable when they finally sat down, watching the twins and Lee tickling the tentacles of the giant squid.

"You could try to relax a bit, Harry." Theo said, looking at his frowning friend. "We're finally done with those exams. No more revisions till next year."

"I wish I knew what this meant." Harry spat annoyed, rubbing his throbbing scar.

"Here." Hermione threw him a small bottle. "I went to Madam Pomfrey to get you something against the pain."

"I'm not ill." Harry grumbled, but taking the potion anyway. "I think it's a warning. A warning that danger is coming." He muttered.

"Please, Harry." Theo grumbled. "I thought we had agreed that the stone is safe as long as Dumbledore is in the castle. And Hagrid hasn't told anyone about how to get by Fluffy."

"Theo is right." Hermione said. "You really need to relax a bit."

Harry sighed and let himself lean against the tree. The potion worked and the throbbing pain ended. Harry watched an owl fly by. Hagrid was the only one who ever send him letters, the boy thought with a sad feeling. That man was too nice for this world and too loyal. No wonder Dumbledore trusted him with such an important task. Hagrid would never tell someone how to get past Fluffy... never... but

"We need to see Hagrid!" He said, getting up from the ground.

"To Hagrid?" Hermione asked surprised. "Why do we need to get to Hagrid?" She asked?" She took Theo's outreached hand to get up.

"Don't you think it's odd..." Harry started, almost running towards Hagrid's hut. "That the thing Hagrid wants most in the world is a dragon and that some stranger turns up with an egg?"

"Slow down." Theo said, grabbing his friends shoulder. "Hermione can't follow." Harry turned around and saw the girl standing behind them, panting and trying to get her breath.

"Merlin, not so fast." She muttered. "I agree with you that it is weird. Especially because it's illegal."

"Exactly! Why didn't I see it before!" He grunted. Theo and Hermione jumped on his track of thoughts and quickly sped up again. Running the last meters to Hagrid's hut. He was sitting in a wooded chair, shelling peas in a large bowl.

"Hullo there." The gamekeeper greeted them. "Exams over? Do you need something to drink?" He asked. "

Yes please." A panting Hermione said. Harry tried to be patient while Hagrid brought his friends something to drink.

"Do you want something, Harry?" Hagrid asked. The boy shook his head.

"No, we're in a hurry. That night when you got Norbert. Do you remember what the stranger you played cards with looked like?"

"Dunno." Hagrid shook his shoulders. "He wouldn't take his cloak off." When he saw the three shocked faces he quickly explained more. "That's not unusual in the Hogs head - one of the pubs in Hogsmeade. All kind of folks come over there. Could have been a dragon dealer as far as I know." Harry sank down next to the bowl with peals.

"What did you talk about? Did you talk about Hogwarts?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Might have come up." Hagrid said frowning. "Yeah, he asked what I did so I told him I was a gamekeeper down here at Hogwarts… He asked about what kind of creatures I took care of so I told him… and I told him I always wanted a dragon. After that… Give me a minute, it's all blurry because he kept buying me beer. Oh yeah! He asked if I was capable of handling a dragon so I told him that after Fluffy that wouldn't be a problem."

"And did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Theo asked with a frightened heart.

"Well yeah… How many three-headed dogs do you know down here. I told him Fluffy was a piece of cake if you know how to handle him. Just play some relaxing music and…" Hagrid froze. "Shouldn't have said that! Just forget I told you… Hey where are you going?"

But the three friends didn't stop and ran all the way up towards the Entrance Hall.

"We need to speak Dumbledore!" Harry said panting. "Do you know where his office is? Maybe he will not believe us but I think Firenze will back us up if Bane doesn't stop him."

"What are you all three doing inside?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"We need to speak Professor Dumbledore." Hermione said rather boldly. Theo and Harry looked at her in awe.

"Professor Dumbledore got a letter from the ministry for an urgent question. He will be back tomorrow." The woman spoke. "Why do you need to speak him?" She asked.

"It's… a secret." Harry said. The elder woman stiffed and looked at the three first years.

"Well, your secret will have to wait till tomorrow." She said deliberately. "Off you go, outside the three of you."

"But it's about the philosopher's stone." Theo tried to reassure. The woman looked at them with piercing eyes.

"I don't know how you know about that but I can assure you that it's entirely save and none of your business. Now go outside or I'll duck points."

Not being left a choice the three of them went outside, just in time to see an angry Blaise fire a hex at Weasley . McGonagall saw it as well and quickly walked over to the Slytherin.

"Mister Zabini! What do you think you're doing?!" She yelled. The first year froze midsentence but kept glaring at the ginger boy.

"He provoked him, professor!" Daphne stood up for her housemate. "Weasley called Blaise' mother a slut." Hermione, Harry and Theo quickly walked over to the boy. Hermione glared at her housemate while Theo and Harry pulled him back to restrain him from attacking the ginger.

"I'm afraid I still have to give you a detention Mr. Zabini." McGonagall said sternly.

"But… but.." The Italian glared at the Weasley before taking off angry towards the lake. Weasley smirked and high fived his friends. Probably not the most smart move he could do in front of his head of house.

"And five points from Gryffindor. We do not use that kind of languish on this school and we do not provoke other students, Mr. Weasley ."

"But Professor! We are already losing!" The Weasley complained.

"And who's fault is that Mr. Weasley ?" McGonagall said annoyed.

"It's not fair! Those Suckers always get pulled before anyone else when Snape's around."

"Mr. Weasley !" McGonagall said annoyed. "That's enough. Detention. You can teach something about clean languish tonight with Filch!" She turned around and took off into the castle.

Although it was very tempting to wait and see how this would end Harry, Hermione and Theo took of snickering to go and look for Blaise. Hermione spotted him as first sulking on a bench near the water.

"Hey there." She said, taking place next to the boy. Blaise grunted as acknowledgement.

"They are going after the stone tonight." Harry said dryly, noticing his friend wasn't in the mood to be cheered up.

"What?" The boy looked away from the lake and looked at his three friends. "Since when do you know this?" He asked surprised.

"We actually don't know it for sure…" Hermione muttered. "But Dumbledore is out and Hagrid told a stranger how to get by Fluffy."

"We're doomed." He muttered. "You're here with me now so I guess no one did believe you when you told them."

They shook their head and the Italian sighed, frowning deeply lost in thoughts. Suddenly a smirk played upon his lips.

"So, what do you think of playing the hero?" He asked snickering. "I obviously would do it myself, because, you know how much of a hero I am, but I have detention."

"Just forget whatever you are thinking, Blaise." Harry scowled.

"You need to get the stone before Quirrel/Snape does. We're still not sure who is after it, although my bets are on Quirrel, but we do know what he's planning to do with it and that's bring the dark lord back to life." Harry growled.

"Good job, Blaise." Hermione scowled. "Now Harry can't do anything else than go after that stone. And you know we have to go with him. Now we all can be send from school."

"Or die…" Theo said dryly. "We could all die as well." But Hermione ignored his statement, still glaring at Blaise.

"Relax, Granger." He said reassuring "We'll save the day. No one will expel you."

"Salazar, I hate it when you're right." Harry grumbled. "I swear, next year you can play the hero." He muttered darkly as an afterthought.

"If there is a fair lady who has to be saved, I'm all hers." The boy snickered.

"But that I have to go doesn't mean you don't need to come with me." Harry said to Theo and Hermione.

"Are you insane? How will you ever get the stone without our help?" Hermione muttered confidently.

"They made up protection against dark wizards, you'll need us." Theo said dryly.

"Or else we better make up our testament and die young." Blaise added. Harry grumbled but was thankful his friends would help him face the dark. "Now, let's plan your battle plan."

. . . . . . .

That night, Harry, Theo and Blaise wait up in the common room till Blaise had to leave for his detention. He wished them good luck and hesitated a moment before he said.

"Make sure I don't need to attend a funeral. I want to introduce you to my mother and she prefers you alive." With that being said he quickly left the common room.

"Where's Zabini going?" Kali approached the two first years and frowned. "It's curfew in two minutes."

"He has a detention." Harry explained. "Weasley insulted his mother."

"Which Weasley ?" Diana asked, looking up from her book.

"The youngest." Theo grumbled annoyed.

"Poor boy." Kali muttered. "Well, I'm off. I'm at duty tonight. Devin!" She threw a pillow at her twin and hit him straight in the face. The boy cursed at his sister before standing up.

"Salazar, Kali! You could wake me up nicer you know." He glared at his sister while they left to patrol.

After the prefects left, the common room slowly dripped empty. When Adrian finally left as well Theo poked Harry's shoulder.

"You should grab the cloak. We would meet Hermione at her common room." He ushered the raven. Doing as being said, Harry quickly went upstairs and quietly sneaked in their room. Crabbe and Goyle were snoring loudly and wouldn't wake up, that for sure, but Malfoy slept very lightly. If the odds were against him he hadn't put a muffliato on tonight. Harry quickly grabbed his cloak from under his bed and decided to take Hagrid's flute, the one he had given him for Christmas, with him to Fluffy. He didn't feel much for singing. He stood up again and cursed softly when he fell over Goyle's shoes. Quickly getting up again he left the room to see Theo waiting at the entrance, a black hoody on. Where did he get that one from. Theo, who noticed Harry's confused look, smirked.

"I hid one down here." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh, alright." Harry muttered, before putting the cloak over their head. The two Slytherins left their common room and quickly wandered towards the Gryffindor tower.

"Of course their common room has to be up so many stairs." Theo grumbled. "They couldn't just put their common room on the third floor. You know, less stairs up and less stairs down."

"I warned you about the stairs, bro." Harry chuckled softly before he made his friend shut up. Kali and Devin were only a stair away from them.

"I swear, if I spot Delroi one more time getting a blow job in one of those empty classrooms I'll hex his balls of." Kali muttered darkly.

"Taking after grand aunt Hope, Kali?" Devin chuckled.

"You bet I am." The girl said. "Seriously. I hope those girls use protection. I don't want to know how much STD's that boy spreads." She shivered.

Harry and Theo had to wait till they wandered further before they quickly got up to the Gryffindor common room. Hermione wasn't there yet. Trying to catch his breath, Theo leaned against the wall behind him, not noticing it was a portrait.

"Who's there?" The shrill voice of the fat lady sounded through the empty corridor. Theo jolted away from the wall and cursed, giving Harry a small shove when he noticed the boy laughing at them. Hermione choose just that moment to open up the portrait and shrieked softly when Theo quickly pulled her under the cloak so the Fat lady wouldn't notice her.

"You idiot." She breathed out, poking him in his chest.

"Remember, Blaise asked to make sure he didn't need to attend a funeral." Harry mocked. "Scaring the brains of our team to dead would make that a lot more difficult."

"I have brains as well!" Theo grumbled, pushing the raven forwards so they could go to the third floor.

"That doesn't give you the right to scare me to dead, Theo ." Hermione whispered amused.

"What took you so long?" Harry asked.

"Neville." She muttered. "I told him to stand up for himself but now he used that against me. He wanted to protect Gryffindor and didn't know what I had to do.." She defended her housemate quickly. The Slytherins didn't comment on it. On their way down they didn't come along any more prefects but they did see Mrs. Norris.

"Please, can we kick her of the stairs." Theo joked. The two stern looks from his friends made him shut up though. Harry was being worried. The one after the stone could already have sang Fluffy to sleep. They didn't meet anyone else until they climbed up the stairs to the third floor. Peeves suddenly appeared.

"Who's there?" He spoke suddenly. "I know you are there. Are you a ghoul or a ghost? Or a ickle little student? Should I get Filch."

Harry froze but lucky for him, Theo was a quick thinker.

"Peeves." Theo said in a hoarse whisper. "The bloody baron has his own reasons to be invisible." Peeves paled, as for as that was possible for a ghost, and quickly made his excuses. "Just leave us alone." Theo spat at him, playing the baron scarily good. Peeves quickly took off and the three students made their way upstairs. When they arrived at the third-floor corridor, the door was already ajar.

"Well, there you are." Harry muttered. "Snape already took care of Fluffy."

"Snape?" Theo frowned at him. "Quirrel you mean."

"Boys…" Hermione muttered threatening. "Don't you think we have more urgent things to do than guess who's behind all this?" She said, motioning towards the three-headed dog.

"You're right." Harry muttered. "Are the two of you sure you don't want to go back? You can take the invisibility cloak, I don't need it anymore."

"Don't be daft." Theo grumbled.

"We're coming." Hermione said.

The three of them opened the door to Fluffy a bit more and saw a very awake dog, at his paws was a harp laying.

"He must've woken up the moment the harp stopped playing. "Harry muttered, picking the flute from in his pocket. When Harry started playing, Theo quickly folded the cloak and put it away, scarcely keeping an eye on the, now, sleeping dog.

"Do you want to go first?" He asked Hermione. The girl pulled up a brow.

"When they say it's courtesy to let a girl go first they don't mean in dangerous situations, Theo ."

"That's a no?" The glare she sent him made him put his hands up in defence. "Alright, I just thought because you were the Gryffindor…"

"If you want to survive this you better open that trapdoor already." Hermione said, glaring daggers at her friend. Theo quickly made his way over to the trapdoor and pulled it open at the metal ring.

"I can't see a thing." He muttered. "I guess you won't go first in this as well." He muttered. Hermione nodded. Harry motioned to himself. "You want to go first, Harry?" His friend asked. The boy nodded. "Gave the flute at Hermione, I can't play."

The girl took the flute from the raven and quickly began to play again when the low growl of the three headed dog sounded through the small room the moment Harry stopped playing. Harry walked forwards and looked into the dark hole before lowering himself.

"If something happens to me, you go straight away from here. Don't follow me. You send Hedwig to Dumbledore." He waited till his friends agreed. "See you in a minute." I hope. He let himself fall and landed with a soft THUMP he landed on something funny and soft. "It's safe!" He called up. Theo didn't let him wait much longer and quickly followed him down.

"What is this?" He grunted, trying to get a good look at the thing they landed on.

"Don't know. Plants I think." Harry muttered. A loud bark from Fluffy indicated that Hermione had stopped playing the flute and only a second later she landed next to Theo, grunting softly.

"We must be miles under the school." She muttered, taking in her surroundings.

"I guess everything is possible with magic." Theo muttered. "I mean, we came from the third floor."

"Let's try to unravel the secrets pf magic after we saved the stone from Snape." Harry grumbled.

"Quirrel." Theo said.

"Merlin boys!" Hermione grumbled. "Just make a bet on it and let it go."

"Ten galleons it's Quirrel." Theo dared Harry.

"Ten it's Snape." Harry answered. In the mean while Hermione had figured out what they had landed on.

"Look at your legs." She said urgently. Both boys looked down and saw the plants had gripped their legs in a firm grip, trying to get them below. "It's devils snare." Hermione said, keeping as quiet as possible. "The more you move, the deadlier it is."

"Oh, so we just have to wait till we are dead?!" Theo grumbled.

"Shut up, Theo . I'm trying to remember what professor Sprout said about killing it…" She was silent for a moment and Harry tried to get out of oxygen.

"Don't want to rush you, but a minute away of a funeral." He brought out.

"Devils snare, devils snare… they like dark places." She muttered. The moment she said that, Theo acted. He quickly made a jolt of blue fire appear out of his wand into the plants. They released their deadly grip and the three of them quickly freed themselves before running to a save spot.

"Glad we came with you, Harry?" Theo said.

"Shut up, twat." He answered.

All they could hear, apart from their footsteps, was water dripping of the wall. Harry was reminded of Gringotts and crinkled his nose at the thoughts of the dragons guarding the vaults. If they came upon a dragon… a fully grown dragon… Norbert had been bad enough!

"Can you hear something?" Theo whispered. Harry listened closely. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming up from ahead.

"Do you think it's a ghost?" Hermione whispered unsure.

"It sounds like wings to me." Harry muttered.

"There's a light upon us." Hermione said. They quickly rushed forward and came in a small room, filled with small, weird birds. At the other end of the room there was a large, wooden door.

"Do you think they will attack us if we cross the room?" Theo asked, glancing up at the strange birds.

"I guess we'll find out in a minute." Harry quickly ran towards the other side of the room and although he did expect to be attacked, nothing happened. "I guess it's safe. Come on!"

Theo and Hermione quickly followed them to the other side of the room and joined Harry at the door, trying to open it. But the wooden door was locked. Even the Alohomara didn't help Hermione had to admit with a frustrated groan.

"Now what?" Harry asked.

"Well, those birds aren't here for decoration…" Theo muttered. Harry looked back up at the flickering birds… wait flickering. He squinted his eyes to look better and just as he thought…

"Those aren't birds, but keys." He heard a sharp intake from Hermione's breath.

"That means we probably have to catch them." She said a tad timid. "And probably on those brooms." She motioned towards three brooms in the corner of the room.

"Lucky for us we have the best seeker of the century by our side." Theo joked.

"Yeah, luckily." Hermione muttered. "Because I don't get on one of those." She shivered.

"I could use all the help I can get, you know." Harry said to his friends, grabbing the brooms and getting on one.

"I'm not very fond of them…" Hermione muttered. But she did get on one of them. The three of them rose up in the air, the one higher than the other, and tried to get one of the keys. But they were too quick for them. Hermione had mentioned to them they were looking for an old silver one, like the doorknob. Harry let his eyes scan the room and soon he spotted a key with a snapped wing.

"There!" He indicated to his friends. "We need the one with the bright blue wings." Theo and Hermione spotted it as well. "We need to close it in! Theo, you come from the right and Hermione you from below." The girl paled a bit but nodded. His two friends did as told, both missing the key. Harry sped forwards and went after the key that made a dive towards the wall. He followed in a dive his fellow Slytherins would be proud of, and caught the key. They quickly set foot on the ground again and Harry heard Hermione mumble something along the lines "Ground I missed you" before he quickly opened the door.

"You're afraid of heights, aren't you?" Theo said, looking at the drastic paled Gryffindor.

"No shit Sherlock." She muttered. "What gave it away? The fact I said I wasn't fond of flying?"

"My dear Watson," He snickered. "I see it because you could be Draco's sister with the paleness your skin is right now."

"You know Sherlock Holmes?" She asked surprised.

"Maybe we can discuss literature also after we figured out how we get across this." Harry said dryly.

Hermione and Theo looked at what the boy was referring to and their eyes were big. The next challenge was a big chess game.

"Theo, please say you lead us the way!" Harry almost begged. His friend just nodded.

"Don't be offended…" He muttered. "But you're not good in chess, Harry. Don't know about you, Hermione…"

"Oh, I agree. You should lead this. I'm not that good in this game." She confessed. The boy smirked lightly but didn't commented.

"Do we need to join in the game?" Harry asked one of the black pieces. The knight nodded.

"Alright." Theo muttered. "Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go there instead of the queen."

"What about you?"

"I'll go as a knight" He answered. The chessman had been listening it seemed, because at his words, the called chessman had left the board. The three first years took their places and both Harry and Hermione looked at Theo.

"White always begins." He said, peering across the board. "Yes.. look…"

At the other side of the board a white pawn had moved two squares forwards. Theo started to direct the black pieces over the board and they followed his commands silently. Harry saw sweat sparkling on the boys forehead. He could imagine this was a lot more stressful than an ordinary game of chess, seeing that Theo had three pieces he couldn't afford to lose.

"Harry – move diagonally four squares to the right."

Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed his head off before dragging him of the board where he lay still, his head down.

"Sacrifices have to be made." Theo muttered. Whenever a black piece was taken the whites didn't show any mercy. Theo was paying a close eye to the pieces, making sure Harry nor Hermione came in any danger, while he was darting over the board, taking as much pieces as they had lost.

"We're almost there…" He muttered. "Let me think." Harry and Hermione both looked at the boy in anticipation. "Salazar…" He mumbled softly. "Why is that the only way… I've got to be taken."

"You what?" Hermione shrieked shocked. "You can't do that! What if you die?"

"At least I don't get expelled." The Slytherin joked.

"But, she will destroy you!" Harry tried to reason with his friends.

"That's chess." Theo said deliberately. "Do you think I'm doing this because I like it? You've got to make some sacrifices! I'll make my move and you checkmate the king, Harry!"

"But…" Harry tried again.

"Aren't you proud of me, Granger?" Theo said, ignoring his friend. "I'm going to do something Gryffindorish. Don't linger around after I'm done. And remember, 10 on Quirrel." Before Hermione could answer the boy ruffled through his brown hair, gave a last look at his friends and moved. Once he did that the white queen pounced and struck Theo hard around the head with her stone arm, making him crash at the cold, hard ground. Hermione screamed his name and almost left her place when the white queen dragged the boy to the side of the board. He seemed to be knocked out.

"Stay put." Harry said to her. "We need to end this game."

"Theo !" The girl tried to get an answer but didn't get one. "You're right, we need to end this game, and quick." Hermione mumbled shaken but determined. "Or else Quirrel will have the stone before we blink.

"Are you starting as well now?" Harry muttered. Before – a bit shaken – moving three spaces to the left. He waited nervously on the reaction of the king, who finally took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. The two first years ignored their gesture though and decided to check on their friend first.

"He has a pulse." Hermione mumbled, kneeling beside him. "I think he's going to be alright."

"We really need to go." Harry said hesitantly, feeling like a really bad friend at the moment. Hermione nodded.

"Let's go."

"So? What would you reckon next?" Harry asked the girl with a little heart while they walked to the white door at the other side of the room.

"We've had Hagrid with Fluffy, Sprout with the Devils Snare and Flitwick with the keys." She counted on her fingers. "McGonagall transfigured the chessmen so that leaves Snape and Quirrel." She muttered.

"Great." Harry muttered. They had reached the other door and he looked at Hermione to see if she was okay with him opening the door. She nodded so he pushed it open. A disgusting smell that reminded him of last Halloween made his eyes tear and his last meal almost get up again. Hermione, next to him, had the same problem. On the floor in front of them, there was a troll even bigger than the one they had knocked out. He had a large wound on his head where he was hit with something heavy.

"I'm glad we didn't need to fight him." Harry muttered.

"I agree. I have seen and smelled enough trolls for the rest of my live." The girl said, scrunching her nose.

They quickly crossed this room as well, carefully getting over the giant legs of the troll, Harry giving the girl his hand so she wouldn't fall, and looked at the next door. They quickly opened it, having a rather bad feeling about what was awaiting them next. But there wasn't something scary, only a table with seven bottles on it.

"Snape…" Harry muttered. "What do we have to do?" They stepped over the threshold and Hermione almost got roasted by the purple flames shooting out of the ground, blocking their way back.

"I really need to take bigger steps." She muttered, before quickly walking towards the table. Harry followed her, taking in the room. There wasn't another door waiting for them but black flames wher in front of it. They had to cross them. They were trapped.

"Snape really outdid himself." She said, and to Harry's surprise she was smiling. "This isn't magic, this is logic." She beamed, indicating to the paper she had taken of the table.

Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,
Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,
One among us seven will let you move ahead,
Another will transport the drinker back instead,
Two among our number hold only neffle wine,
Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.
Choose, unless you wish to stay here for evermore,
To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:
First, however slyly the poison tries to hide
You will always find some on neffle's wine left side;
Second, different or those who stand at either end,
But if you move onwards, neither is your friend;
Third, as you see clearly, all different size,
Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;
Fourth, the second left and the second on the right
Are twins when you taste them, Though different
at first sight.

"This is a puzzle." Harry said surprised. The girl nodded enthusiast.

"A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever. I really need to take the paper with me to let Theo and Blaise see it." She muttered thoughtfully.

"But, are we among those wizards who be stuck in here?" Harry asked carefully.

"Of course not." Hermione said dryly. "Just give me a moment." She read the paper a few times more and walked past the line, muttering to herself, before a brilliant smile came on her lips.

"The tiny bottle will get us through the black fire." She told harry. They both looked at the small bottle.

"It's hardly enough for one of us though…" Harry muttered. He locked eyes with the girl for a moment. "Which one of those brings you back?"

"This one." Hermione said, pointing at a rounded bottle on the end of the right line.

"You take that one." Hermione pulled up a brow at him and wanted to say something but Harry was quicker. "No – listen. You go back and take a broom so you can get Theo to the hospital wing before you send Hedwig to Dumbledore to inform him of everything that happened."

"But what if… What if Voldemort is with him?" She asked, afraid for her friends life.

"I was lucky once, wasn't I?" He said, pointing at the scar on his forehead. "Maybe I'm lucky again."

Hermione's lip trembled and before he knew what happened she dashed herself around him, embracing him tightly.

"You're a great wizard, Harry." The girl said, sniffling a bit.

"Not as great as you, though." The boy said, a bit embarrassed when the girl released him.

"Me? Books and cleverness – oh but there are more important things – friendship and bravery… And anyway, I said wizard, not witch…" She tried to lighten up the mood. "Be careful Harry." He nodded, giving her a small smile.

"You drink first. You're sure which is which right?" He asked, just to be sure. She nodded and took a large gulp from her potion. When she stopped shivering Harry looked at her. "No poison?"

"No, it's like ice."

"Quick, go before it takes off." He ushered her.

"Good luck Harry! Remember, no funeral!" She quickly went through the fire and Harry watched her bunch of brown curls disappear. He did a little prayer for both his friends and himself before he gulped his own bottle down.

"Here I come." He muttered, embracing the feeling of ice filling his veins before he went through the fire. There was already someone in the next room, but it wasn't Snape. Salazar, it wasn't even Voldemort. Goodbye galleons!