/Kinda a while since updating so here is a bunch of chapters in one go, I've also been working on a side project that I'll probably drop on here soonish.\\

Chapter 10

Who dares nothing, need hope for nothing

It was the week before Christmas when Archer announced his intent to try to venture past the Cerberus. He had decided in his infinite wisdom to train the beast to recognise him and all that could be undone by his extended absence caused by the Christmas holidays. Harry still failed to see the need to investigate the trapdoor in the room but in Archer's mind the question was not 'should we attempt to pass a giant three headed dog?' but instead 'should we bring Neville?' Eventually fairness won out over both Harry's protests over the danger ahead and Archer's argument of he'll love the surprise. When Harry and Archer presented the idea to Neville his first response was "You're both mental."

"Yes, but when has that stopped us before?" Archer replied before Harry could get a word in.

Neville raised an eyebrow.

"Never mind the danger, just tell me how you can raise one eyebrow like that, when I try both go up and just look even more stupid than normal?" Archer asked.

Neville's eyebrow rose even higher before Harry spoke. "Neville, I don't like this at all but he's going to go anyway. We just wanted to invite you before he goes and gets us all killed."

"I guess this isn't that much dumber than anything you've done before so I guess I'll follow so I can have some stories of my own. Hogwarts was never this interesting before you arrived."

"We live to please" Archer replied smirking.

"interesting good or interesting bad?" Harry asked.

"Maybe because I have someone to talk to regularly but this has been my favourite year so far." Neville answered. Harry smiled at him having seen the nervous boy they met in Flourish and Blott's grow so much over a single term.
"Okay we love you too Nev, now let's go."

Sighing Harry led them towards the portrait, away from the warm cosy and most importantly safe Gryffindor common room towards the unknown. Archer still wasn't the most welcome person in the Gryffindor common room but even Ron Weasley had calmed down recently, although that may be due to the huge number of silencing charms he'd been hit with. The only person who still opposed his presence vocally was the Granger girl. While she seemed to preach tolerance she was quick to blame him for any noise or disruption. Granger was still insufferable with regards to the boy's class schedule, she seemed incapable of accepting she wasn't the smartest in the year which Harry found rather funny, having seen the records for the year he knew she wasn't even first when you removed him and Archer. Her theory marks we indeed high, the highest in Gryffindor followed by surprisingly Neville. Her practical grades were however rather disappointing for someone who considered themselves to be the best in the year. It seemed though she might get the spells first she had very little creativity to use the spell to its maximum potential. Her theory showed this too, consistently high marks, text book answers one could say. So strictly textbook one began to question her understanding, she could clearly read ahead and memorise, she could even apply concepts but her answers never showed understanding on a personal level which means she could never explain it simply. Soon Harry felt either he or Archer would get frustrated at her and reveal this to the rest of the year, not yet however since it wouldn't be a kind thing to do.

As the three brave (read: stupid) adventurers headed towards the forbidden corridor on the third floor.
"Oh Neville, Minnie told me how proud she, apparently you have improved massively in her class."

"Well its thanks to you two, it's so strange being one of the first to get things. Even Hermione has been glaring at me, before this year she barely acknowledged I existed." Neville replied.

The boys reached the door which separated the rest of the school from the savage beast.
"Wait before we go in we need to say something." Said Archer.

"What?" asked Neville,

"Yeah before we do something dumb one of us normally gives a somewhat relevant quote, seems he hasn't got one right now." Harry answered.

"Got it, this one has to be it 'Nobody who says, 'I told you so' has ever been, or will ever be, a hero.'― Ursula K. Le Guin, think about that Granger."

"Well not quite what we normally go for but it'll do." Harry remarked.

Archer squatted down and pulled off his backpack. He opened it and removed a large iron ball that looked suspiciously like a bludger.

"Is that what I think it is?" Asked Harry,

"If you think it's a bludger with all the spells cancelled, then yes, yes it is."

"Why, why oh why would you bring that?"

"Well my good friend, don't you think the ickle doggy over there would destroy an enlarged tennis ball."

"You don't mean…"

Archer just smiled at Harry sending shivers down Harry's back.

"What's happening?" Neville asked, completely lost.

"Archer wants to play fetch with his new friend." Harry explained.

"it'll be fine, we've been practicing." Archer revealed.

With a glance between Harry and Neville sharing their doubts they followed Archer into the room. Archer got the giant dog's attention. He started showing the ball and all of the dogs eyes were on it. Archer reached back into his pack and pulled out a steak. With the beast's attention on Archer, Harry and Neville were able to make their way to the trapdoor. A minute later the three of them had landed on some spongy mass. Archer's palm lit up as he cast a spell to give them some light.

"Devil's snare!" Neville warned. "We need more light or a fire"

"We're not starting a fire while we're sitting on it" Harry called.

"Lights then!" Neville urged.

Harry and Archer both sent up globes which flared so bright they couldn't look towards them. The devil's snare shrunk back and they fell once again but this time much less and onto a hard stone floor.

"Well two traps down, on we go." Remarked Archer with a smirk at the other two who were less than impressed.

They made their way into a room with a large door and a lot of fluttering things up above them. They Neville stopped and looked up while the other two made their way to the door.

"I think they're keys, winged wings." Neville announced.

"We don't need a key Neville, they're hundreds of them and look at the broomsticks they've left, it could take hours, no we'll deal with the door."

Neville walked up and joined the other two at the door.

"We've worked out it's an advanced locking charm, I doubt we can do much about it." Harry explained while Archer seemed to be feeling around the frame of the door.

"Why couldn't you just overpower it or something? Overpower a finite charm?"

"I think this spell is tied into Hogwarts itself, its powered by the ambient magic around us. Think if a fraction of every spell was absorbed and used to power this it could be much stronger than the three of us, even if we were stronger then it could drain us to the point we couldn't keep going."

"What's Archer doing?" Neville asked curiously.

"We found out a few years back with some help from my godfather that wizards are kinda dumb. We tend to think up complicated answers using magic and miss simple things."

"Found it," Archer called "Idiots." He muttered.

"What have you found?" Neville asked.

"There is a powerful locking charm and an unbreakable spell on the door itself. Both tied into Hogwarts, basically we can't break the door apart or unlock it without the key."

"How does that help?"

"Patience Nev." Harry interjected.

"Basically the door is protected but not the hinges, we can ignore the locks and just blast where the hinges are sunk into the stone and the door will come down."

"Subtle it's not, but we'll be through. We should even be able to use a repario to fix it when we leave." Harry commented.

They all waked back a bit and Harry turned to Neville.

"The blasting spell is 'Confringo', the wand motion is a big flick back into a slash forwards, as if you're throwing something. Visualise the light being thrown from your wand and then where it hits exploding. The amount of flames and debris can all be adjusted by your control but for now just focus on aiming at the stone around the hinge."

With that the three threw a succession of spells till the door, hinges and the some of the surrounding stone came crashing down. Harry had foreseen this and had cast a wide area cushioning charm to silence the door's fall. They stepped over the door and through the remaining frame into another large room. As they walked in the room light up and showed a giant chess board.
"Minnie's?" Archer asked.

"Got to be, its her style." Harry answered before walked forwards.

"What's he doing?" Neville asked wondering if he could help at all.

"This looks like McGonagall's handiwork. No-one knows that better than Harry, if there is a shortcut he'll find it." With that Archer pulled out a couple of water bottles and tossed one to Harry, "thirsty Nev?"

A few minutes later Harry drew his wand and cast a few spells.
"There, we should be fine to go now, they'll never know we were here"

Neville looked slightly sceptical but they were able just to cross the room.
"Just how did you do that?" Neville asked, it felt like he was cheating somehow but he guessed he wasn't supposed to be here anyway.

"There were a series of spells cast, first there is the obvious transfiguration, then there is a layer of animation charms that cause the pieces to play chess, hugely complicated but it was there, finally a set that tie the game to start when someone steps onto the board, tied into that was a spell that animates the pieces in the event someone tries to just walk across. I cancelled that last bit, I can re-apply it on the way out."

"Is it just me or is this a bit easy? I mean other than the dog I reckon anybody who wandered in could get this far, I mean, it wouldn't be hard to catch the key, or play your way across the chess board." Archer asked.

"I'm fine with it being this easy, it feels almost safe." Harry replied feeling slightly suspicious.

The next room was dark; a slight rattle was heard over to one side.

"Remus' room."

"Dark creatures, Neville stay close."

Neville was distracted and wandered off towards the source of the rattling. He lit his wand and was shocked to see Professor Snape walk towards him.

"Longbottom, only you would be so stupid as to be here." He drawled "I'm sure you have some goodbyes to make before you're expelled."

Neville cowered, struck by fear. He was so worried he didn't notice a blasting spell fly over his shoulder and hit Snape in the chest. With Snape gone he looked around and realised he could no longer see the greasy potions professor.

"There are some anti-lighting charms, only simple lumos charms work, I think there is a bunch of boggarts loose, you learnt how to deal with those right?" Harry said, Neville nodded thinking back to the lesson with Professor Lupin. "I think we should stick together and confuse anything we come across till we stumble on the door."

A few minutes later they found the door to another chamber after defending against a few more boggarts, it was easier as a group as the boggarts always appear miss formed. As they walked into the next room fire erupted in front and behind them. A table held a series of vials and a piece of parchment. The parchment, upon further inspection gave clues as to how to progress to the next chamber. It was quickly decided that the only way to progress would be to drink the correct potion as none of them knew enough about cursed fire to attempt anything clever. It quickly became clear that the way to progress was to drink a potion from a small vial, it was clear that there would only be enough for one or two of them. Thankfully they were young wizards and knew a duplication spell, while not recommended for potions or anything with active magical ingredients if consumed quick enough it should be fine before anything became unstable. Downing the vials as quick as possible they charged through the flames. In the final chamber was a rock sitting on a stool, looking round the room they saw no more doors.

"I think this is it, whatcha think of the rock, reward or final test?" Asked Archer.

"we'll take the pictures now for Remus and work out how to leave here." Harry replied.

"And the stone?"

"Levitate into a bag, we'll work it out tomorrow or something, I'm tired."

With that the three boys left repairing any damage they caused. They were all safely tucked up in bed in their respective dorms with no-one any the wiser about their adventure. The stone was locked away in Harry's trunk ready for investigation.