"Kimber." Hermione's voice cut the silence and dark and I looked towards her, "Yeah?"
"Time to go." I sat up and my flute and wand up then stood up. I
walked with Hermione out and the boys met us at the bottom of the stairs.
"Ready," Ron asked. "Yeah." Harry pulled a funny looking cloak out from behind
him and opened it up. It was adult sized so it would easily fit around us.
"What's that?" "Invisibility Cloak." "Oh. Ok." We walked towards the portrait
hole when something stopped me and caught my eye. "Trevors?" The toad was
sitting on the arm of the large recliner and I found it strange. "Trevors, go
see Neville! Go!" There was movement and Neville stood up out of the chair.
"Where are you guys going?" "Neville," I said slowly, "we have to go-" "No! I
can't let you! Last time you snuck out, you almost got us all killed." I glared
at them, "Seriously?" "Neville," Hermione said softly, pulling her wand slowly,
"Just…just go back to bed." "No! I-I'll tell McGonagall!" "Patrificus Totalus!" Hermione hit Neville and he went stiff as a
board and hit the ground. Trevors went over and hopped on his chest. "I'm sorry
Neville," Hermione pleaded, "I had too!" "We need to go," Harry said. We all
got under the cloak and took off. It didn't take us long to get to the third
floor corridor and we went down three doors and turned at the fourth one. We
took the cloak off and I pulled out my flute. "The doors already unlocked,"
Hermione pointed out as she grasped the handle. "Someone's already been through
here." "Open it," I said readily. She nodded and then opened the handle. I
almost screamed when we walked in and I would have if it weren't for Harry
putting his hand tightly over my mouth as soon as I gasped. The dog was even
bigger than they said. He was gigantic. His three heads were even more
terrifying and his breath smelled disgusting. One of his paws was large enough,
if I got in the fetal position, I could sleep on it. I had been scared at tons
of moments in my life and I had been faced with times where I could get in
serious trouble and injured but nothing
struck fear through my body as that dog did at that moment. Harry slowly
removed his hand and pointed at the harp playing at the far end. "It's
enchanted." I slowly put the flute away and helped the others lift the trap
door up. It was really dark and we looked through. "Ok," Harry said slowly,
"I'll go first. Don't follow until I say so." "Wait, and if you don't," I asked
quickly. "Well just-" "Wait." I said again. I felt something much different in
the air but I couldn't point my finger on it. Then it hit me in another wave of
heart stopping fear. "Do you hear that?" "What," Ron asked. "Exactly. The
harp." "Uh oh," Hermione breathed, terrified. I looked up and so did the
others. The dog was awake and standing over us. My first instinct was to
scream. So were all the others. "Jump!" We all did as Hermione ordered and
jumped into the door as Fluffy started barking it's head off at us. When we
landed I thought quicker than I should have, pulled the flute and started
playing. Fluffy immediately stopped barking and started looking even more
sleepy. The dog hit it's foot on the door, causing it to shut and then there
was a great thud as the dog fell into a sleep. I stopped playing and slowly put
the flute down. "That was close," Harry said. "Yeah. What are we sitting in," I
asked as I looked and felt around. Suddenly, I touched a part of whatever it
was and it wrapped tightly on my wrist. "Owe!" I moved a bit but the rope like
vine tightened and more attacked at me as well as Hermione, Ron, and Harry.
"What do we do," I yelled. "It's Devil's Snare," Hermione snapped, "the more
you struggle the faster it kills you! Just relax." She stopped moving and
talking and talking and suddenly she slowly sank. "Hermione," I asked. "I'm ok,
just calm down." I quickly shut my eyes and felt my body sinking as well. I
landed on a knee on solid ground and stood up. "Stop struggling," I yelled. "It
will only kill you faster," Hermione finished. There was some sound and
suddenly Harry dropped through. "He isn't relaxing," Harry said about Ron in a
panic, "We need to help him." "Devil's Snare, what did we learn about that," I
said quickly. I groaned and put my hand on my wand. "Devil's Snare Devil's
Snare Plenty of fun…" I was blanking out but then suddenly it hit me, "But will
sulk in the sun!" I pointed my wand up and took a deep breath "Lumos Solem!" A blast of sunlight broke
from my wand and the Snare seemed to wilt and dropped Ron out of it. I finally
started breathing again and made sure Ron was ok. "I'm fine," he grumbled. "We
need to move," Harry said. We all started forward down a long corridor and went
into a curious room. It was full of keys that were flying around and a broom
suspended in the air. Harry walked over to the broom and ran his hand around
the top and bottom. "Ok," I said slowly, "I'm not the best nor most experienced
witch but even I know that brooms can't suspend themselves." Ron was looking around
and walked over to the only other door and looked at it. "Alohamora." The door didn't budge or unlocked and he looked around.
"That one." He pointed at a large brass key with a crooked wing, "It's just
like the handle and the wing shows it's been caught already." I took a breath
and frowned, "It's too easy. Harry, we are going to stand by the door and you
get the key. Be ready because it's most likely going to get harder." We stood
back and watched as Harry slowly mounted his broom and just as we suspected,
all but one key swarmed around him to block him off from the other ones.
"Harry, hurry," Hermione yelled. He took off as fast as the old broom would
allow him and grasped the key. He swooped down and threw it and I jumped up to
catch it. I jammed it into the lock, turned it and just as I opened it, Harry
followed Ron and Hermione in and I slammed the door, hearing ton's of keys slam
into it. I was breathing heavy and really nervous. "Told you," I breathed,
"That was terrifying." We composed ourselves and started moving again. We
walked toward another door and opened it cautiously. Inside was the most
peculiar thing. "It's a checker board," I said looking at the floor. "No," Ron
said, "it's a chess board." "Chess," I said softly. Harry stepped forward to
the white pieces and suddenly, they sprung up, baring their swords. "Well," I
said, "guess we ruled that option out." "We have to play." "Wait," I said, "I
can't play." I guess my comments to Ron's were over ruled. "I'll order you.
Kimber, queen. Hermione, you be a pawn. Harry, you can be the bishop." "What
about you," Hermione asked. He walked over to a horse and clambered up on it,
"A knight." The game was really freaking hard to follow for me. I mostly stayed
still until he asked me to but it was only to prevent a move. The game went on
for quite a long time when suddenly, everyone but me, holding a large stone
sword, and the other three on our team were left and the queen on the other
team. Ron mumbled "Uh-oh" and his face went really white. "What," I asked quietly, "There's only
one left." "I know," he said, "but…ok, Kimber, I am going to move and after she
makes her move, you go E-3 and finish the game." "Wait but if it ends like
that-" Hermione stopped and turned toward Ron, "No! There has to be another
way!" "There is but we don't have time," Ron snapped. "The other way is going
to take another ten moves! Let me do this! Harry has to hurry. We don't know
how long it will go." I seemed to be the only one knowing what was going on
until Ron moved and then I saw. He was sacrificing himself. I gasped as the
queen moved in and took her sword. She brought it down and into the horses
torso, throwing Ron. Hermione went to move and Harry snapped at her. "The game
isn't over yet! Don't move." He looked at me and nodded and I walked to the
queen, pulling up my sword. She was standing there and I felt something funny.
I pulled up the sword and with as much power as possible, I put it across her,
making her shatter. She crumpled and then I dropped the sword. We ran to Ron
and he was passed out. "Is he ok," Hermione asked as I put my hand on his
wrist. "Yeah," I breathed, "but he probably has a concussion." "We have to go."
"We can't leave him," Hermione whined at Harry. "I'll stay." They looked
confused and I nodded, "There is only one teacher left and that's Snape. He's
most likely logical and I can't figure it like Hermione. You two go, just
promise me something." "What," Harry asked. "Stay safe." He nodded stiffly and
they both ran through to the next room.