A/N: I do not own Harry Potter (although I wish that I did (money!! $_$)) all rights go to J.K Rowling, though I'm just borrowing her ideas and adding some of mine.

Through the Hatch

The exams passed by without giving Harry any real trouble. The days came and went, but the door which led to the three headed dog was still locked and to conclude from the sounds, it was very much alive.

Classrooms were hot, especially in the classroom where they had to make the written test. Specially used for the exams were quills with an anti-cheating spell.

For the practical exam they had to come with professor Flitwick make a pineapple tap dance on his desk. Professor McGonagall made her students transform a mouse into a cigar box- the prettier the box the more points you earned, although if your box still had whiskers points were taken from your grade. Snape made even Harry nervous by watching over their shoulders while they were trying to remember how they had to create a forgetfulness potion.

Harry couldn't get the rid of the thought of the thing they had seen in the forbidden forest. He was sure that it had been the very first time he had stood face to face with the dark lord. Yet. The dark lord considered him his enemy. It had to be changed, by any means possible, yet only one option kept reappearing in his thoughts. The philosophers stone.

Harrys hand once more went to his scar as he, Draco, Rowan, Nott, Crabbe and Goyle sat down at the shore of the lake. It kept stinging.

'Go to Pomfrey.' Nott had suggested when Harry had told them about it.

'I am not sick.' Harry had replied.

'Relax Harry' Rowan said soothingly.' It is a full week before we get the results of the exams, so we better try to relax some and prepare for it. I think you are the only one who does not know the real meaning of relaxing.'

'He's right you know' Draco added.

Harry nodded, but something was bothering him, as if he had forgotten something. Something important.

From the corner of his eye, Harry spotted movement.

Weasley and Granger were sprinting to Hagrids cabin.

'Oh?' Harry thought out loud. 'What are they up to?'

'Perhaps another dragon?' Draco said hopefully. 'As it is Hagrid, it could be anything.'

'Tsss..All right.' Rowan said yawning. 'Who's in to find out? A few bodies lying in the grass wont be unusual this time of the year.'

The Slytherins, except Crabbe and Goyle, raised their wands to their foreheads and spoke as one.

'Demonstro'

The incorporeal Slytherins glided across the lake to Hagrids cabin, where the were just in time to hear the start of the conversation.

Hagrid was sitting in a comfortable chair and was whistling a tune.

'Hello' He said cheerfully. 'Finally finished your exams? Want to have a cup 'o tea?

'Yes please' Weasley began, but Granger cut him off.

'No Hagrid, we are in a hurry. I only wanted to ask you something. Do you remember that night when you won Norbert? How did you opponent look like?

'Dunno' Hagrid said bored. 'he kept his hood up'

Hagrid saw the startled faced of Weasley and Granger and frowned.

'That is not so strange by the way, you meet all kinds of strange people in The Hoggs Head.'

'What did you talk about Hagrid?' Granger asked while taking the chair next to Hagrids. 'Did you talk about Hogwarts?'

'Could've mentioned it' Hagrid said trying to remember. 'Yes…He asked me what I did, and I told him I was a gamekeeper…he asked me what kinds of animals I took care of and I told him….and then I said that I'd always wanted a dragon…and then..mh lets see…oh yeah…then he said he happened to have a dragon egg with him, but he had to make sure I could take good care of it….and I said that next to Fluffy, a dragon would not be a problem.'

Harry saw Draco frown, mouthing the word 'Fluffy?'

'Did he seem interested in Fluffy?' Granger asked.

'O' course he was interested in Fluffy! How often do you come across a three headed dog? So I told him that Fluffy was cake…just whistle a tune and he fall straight asleep.' Hagrid said.

A look of shock crossed into Hagrids face.

'I should've told ya that. Hey! Where are you going?'

But Weasley and Granger were already running back towards the castle.

The Slytherin stopped the scrying spell.

'That oaf called that beast Fluffy?! He is an insane maniac!' Draco furiously whispered when he was back in his corporeal form.

Harry ignored him. So the accomplice of the dark lord knew how to pass the three headed dog? And surprisingly Weasley and Granger knew too. There were too few options. He had to steal the stone himself before any of the others could snatch if from before the dark lord.

When the other Slytherins had gone to bed, Harry opened his eyes and stared to the ceiling.

Silently, he left his bed, and put on his cloak, and donned his bracer. He put his wand in his robes, took the invisibility cloak, and left the dormitory.

When he entered the common room however, he noticed that two people were still there.

Draco and Rowan were still there. They had their wands drawn and were facing each other.

'What do you think you are doing?' Draco said when he saw Harry emerge from the dormitory.'

'I'm going to steal the Philosopher stone.' Harry said softly.

'You are crazy! It would get you in enormous trouble! Not to mention what it would do to Slytherin! Stop right there or I will stop you by force!'

'If it has to come to that' Harry said reluctantly, drawing his wand. 'I am sorry Draco.'

'Petrificus Totalus!' Rowan and Harry cried.

Barely evading the spells, Draco dodged the spells and shot a snake at Harry, who turned it to sand in a whip-like wand movement.

'Petrificus Totalus' Rowan cried again, but once again Draco dodged it, only to be caught in mid roll by a body bind curse shot by Harry.

'I am sorry Draco' Harry said again. 'You just don't realize the importance of this.'

Harry turned to Rowan.

'So..You are coming?' Harry asked

'I am' The other replied.

'Then lets go' Harry said throwing the invisibility cloak over the two of them.

When the two Slytherins reached the third floor however, the found the door already unlocked.

'Granger and Weasley probably' Rowan muttered.

A harp was making music in the middle of the room, and the three headed dog was sound asleep. Its paw had already been moved from the hatch.

'Lets go' Rowan said, opening the hatch with his wand.

Jumping through the hatch, Harry and Rowan landed in what looked like a room full of plants.

'What is this stuff?' Harry asked suspiciously.

'I don't know' Rowan said with equal suspicion.

Suddenly the roots of the plants twined themselves around the tow boys.

'Devils Snare!' Rowan cried.

'Relax! Stay calm' Harry said with as much authority as he could muster.

Harry forced as much calm on himself as he could, and felt his body slide through the plants.

He landed on hard floor, with a ceiling covered with the plants he had just fallen through. A second later, Rowan too landed next to him.

'That way.' Harry said and pointed to the stone hallway. They had nowhere else to go.

The only thing the two boys heard while they descended even further below Hogwarts was the water on rock, not much unlike Gringotts.

Harry dearly wished that this place did not have a dragon like the latter did.

Holding out his hand, Rowan stopped him in his tracks.

'Do you hear that?' He said.

Harry listened and could see what Rowan was talking about. It sounded like wings.

'I can see light' Rowan said pointing.

At the end of the hallway, they saw a brightly lit, high cave like room. The room was swarmed with small little birds, who flew and zigzagged through the vast cavern.

'Wait a moment.' Harry said. 'They are keys.'

Rowan looked somewhat closer at the birds and he too noticed that the birdlike things were actually keys.

'Well, quite clear isn't it?' Harry said. We must get the key that will open the door. I think we'll need those brooms.' Harry finished pointing at two ancient looking brooms.

'Or we can use the key our predecessors used before us.' Rowan said pointing at a heavy golden key which was lying at the other end of the caver. Both of its wings were broken, and it was squirming like a severely wounded bird.

'That is also an option.' Harry admitted.

Rowan took the key and forced it into the keyhole at the other side of the cavern.

Unsurprisingly, the door opening, and the key grew limp, it had no strength left to fly again.

The next room was so dark that they couldn't see a thing, but when they stepped in, torches flared brightly and made the content of the room visible.

'A chessboard?' Rowan said frowning.

'Seems like the door is open already' Harry noted.

When the two crossed the board however, the board shook and all the pieces flew back to the board.

'We'll have to win to get through huh?' Rowan said calmly. 'Fine, I'll make quick work of this.'

'We have no time for this Rowan!' Harry said impatient.

Harry raised his wand and pointed it at the white chess pieces.

'BOMBARDA' Harry yelled.

With a huge explosion, the pawn exploded, making chunks of white stone fly in all directions.

'Care to help?' Harry asked Rowan.

'Gladly.' The latter replied also drawing his wand.

The two vanquished the entire middle section of the chessboard, leaving only the rook and the knights alive. This made a considerable hole in the white front.

With nobody to stop them, Harry and Draco proceeded to the next test.

Once more, the hallway led them to a room, somewhat smaller than the two previous ones. The door to the next room was barred by black flames. Surprisingly, they were not alone in this room.

'……So which one can transport us through those black flames?' Weasley asked.

'This small black one' Granger said triumphantly.

'Excellent! You once again save us quite a lot of trouble.' Harry said loudly, which made the two Gryffindors spin around.

'You.' Weasley said softly. Eying both Harry and Rowan.

'Do not interfere!' Granger cried. 'Professor Snape is trying to steal the philosophers' stone! We must stop him!'

'Professor Snape?' Rowan said frowning.

'Cant be.' Harry said also frowning.

'Don't try to stop us!' Harry said turning to the two Gryffindors. 'I do not know why you two think that professor Snape would want to steal the stone, but your adventure ends here. Only we will proceed to the stone!'

'If this is truly necessary…'Granger said drawing her wand.

'I guess it is.' Weasley said, also drawing his wand.

'Take Weasley..I will take Granger..' Harry said only for Rowan to hear.

'Got it.' Rowan said in an equally soft tone.

'Expelliarmus!' Weasley cried.

'Petrificus Totalus!' Granger yelled.

Rowan blocked the disarming spell with his bracer, and shot his own disarming charm at Weasley, who was forced to roll behind the table of potions.

Harry dodged the blue spell, and jumped through the doorway, sending multiple spells and hexes through the room, forcing Granger to roll away as well.

Silence for a few moments. Then suddenly, both Granger and Weasley emerged and shot a combined disarming charm at Harry.

'Protego Horribilis!' Harry cried slashing his wand.

The purple field appeared but held the combined spells with difficulty.

Rowan ran around the table, so that none of the Gryffindors had a place to shield behind.

'Incarcerous!' He cried victoriously.

Granger deflected it and created water from the tip of her wand.

Rowan slipped and crashed on his back, while Weasley moved in to disarm him.

'Expelliarmus!'

Weasley flew wandless against the opposite wall, close to where Rowan was lying on the cold, wet floor. Harry had used the cloak to sneak on top of the two while Rowan distracted them from behind.

Granger opened her mouth to cast a spell, but was tossed over the potion table by Rowan, who had cast an impediment jinx while lying on the floor.

Rowan stood and pointed his wand at Granger.

'Incar-'

He never got to finish his spell. Weasley had charged wandlessly at him, and had punched him hard in the face. Sliding on the wet floor, Rowan thudded against the stone wall.

'Incarcerous!' Harry cried, binding Weasley in ropes.

'Petrificus Totalus' Granger cried from the other side of the room.

Harry wheeled around and was barely in time to catch the spell with the bracer.

Harry pointed his own wand at Granger, at the same time Rowan did, who was clutching his bleeding nose with his free hand.

'Expelliarmus' The two cried. Which made Granger crash into the wall.

Rowan moved in on her and used the body bind curse.

'Episkey' Harry muttered pointing his wand at Rowans bleeding nose, which healed instantly.

'Stay here and guard them' Harry ordered. They will be a nuisance should the spells fade.'

Rowan obviously did not like this, but saw the logic as well as he did.

'Okay' He said reluctantly.

'According to Granger, this should make me pass safely through the black flames.' Harry said, fingering the small bottle.

'Good luck' Rowan said with only a small hint of what seemed to be disappointment.

'Thanks' Harry replied.

Harry took the bottle, drank it in one gulp, and passed through the black flames.

___________________________________________________________________________

A/N Pff, this was actually a really short chapter. Sorry about that, but I am intending to use a full chapter on the meeting with Voldemort, where my entire plot will unfold, and give some clues of what is to happen next.

Read and Review, for if you guys do not reach 50 reviews, I will not continue with the next book.

Once again sorry for the short chapter

Arildun