Diary of a Forgotten Girl

Of Chessboards and Chambers

~Holly's Point of View~

Date : 14 May 1992

"Exams are over with, Norbert's got a new home, Malfoy's got detention!" I exclaimed cheerfully. "I don't know why Hermione's in the library - she doesn't need to study any more! We're through! I could sing!"

"Don't," advised Harry.

"That was a blast!" I said, grinning with the same cheer. "The written portion, oh so boring, but the practical part, oh so fun! Let's see… making a pineapple tap-dance across a desk for Flitwick, and then turning a mouse into a snuff box for McGonagall, and the Forgetfulness Potion for Snape that he tried to make us feel the effects of before we drank it by breathing down our necks!"

Harry laughed. "Nice way of putting it."

"There's only one problem," said Ron. "We still don't know when Snape's going to steal the Stone."

"We still don't know if he's going to steal the Stone," I replied, rolling my eyes.

"Well, based on what Harry said, he's going to try soon," said Ron, ignoring what I had said. "But we still don't know that he can get past Fluffy."

Harry suddenly sat straight up in his seat. "We've got to go see Hagrid," he declared. I stared at him, bewildered.

"Why?" I asked, but he had already gotten up. Exchanging glances, Ron and I followed him.

"Don't you think it curious," said Harry, speed walking through the corridor, "that Hagrid wants a dragon, more than anything, and then a stranger shows up, and just so happens to have an egg?"

"What are you on about, Harry?" I asked incredulously, unable to make heads or tails of what he was saying.

"How many people wander around with class A non-tradeable materials?" Harry continued. "It's against wizard law - lucky they found Hagrid, isn't it? How did I not see this before?"

My eyes widened. "You're not saying-" He had already knocked on the door.

"Hullo," said the half-giant, smiling. "Finished with yer exams? Got time fer a cup o' tea?"

"No, Hagrid, we're in a hurry," replied Harry. "I've got something I need to ask you - about the night you won Norbert. What did the person you played cards with look like?"

"Dunno," replied Hagrid with nonchalance. "Wouldn' lower 'is 'ood."

The three of us exchanged bewildered glances.

"Yeh get a lot o' funny folk down in the Hog's Head," said Hagrid. "Mighta bin a dragon dealer."

"Did you talk about Hogwarts?" asked Ron, catching on to what Harry was saying.

"A bit," he replied." He asked what I did, so I told 'im that I was gamekeeper, and he was interested in the sort of creatures I looked after, so I told 'im, an' I said I 'ad always wanted a dragon... and 'e kept buyin' drinks..."

"Did he seem at all interested in Fluffy?" asked Harry, barely concealed panic laced into his words that Hagrid clearly didn't notice.

"Well, yeah, o' course, who wouldn' be interested in a three-headed dog? So I told him that Fluffy's a piece o' cake, jus' so long as you can calm 'im down... just play 'im a bit o' music and 'e falls right asleep..."

He looked horrified. "I shouldn't've said that!" he cried. "Forget I said that! Hey - where are yeh goin'?!"

We didn't speak until we reached the Entrance Hall.

"We've got to get to Dumbledore!" exclaimed Harry. "If Hagrid told the stranger how to get past Fluffy, then it must have been either Snape under that cloak or Voldemort." Ron flinched at the name of the Dark wizard. "I hope Dumbledore believes us... where's Dumbledore's office?"

"I know the way," I replied. Ron looked confused at this while Harry wasn't too affected. "Come on, we've got to get going if we want to get there in time!"

But Professor McGonagall stopped us, looking at us suspiciously over the rims of her glasses. "What are the three of you doing inside on a day like today?" she asked, adjusting the books in her arms.

"I need to speak to Professor Dumbledore," I replied, rather bravely in my own modest opinion.

"Speak to Professor Dumbledore?" she repeated, as if this was a suspicious thing to need to do. "Whatever for?"

"It's rather confidential, see," I replied, hiding how I instantly regretted these words.

"Professor Dumbledore left for London ten minutes ago," replied Professor McGonagall. "He received an urgent summons from the Ministry of Magic."

"He's gone?" cried Harry frantically. "But this is important-"

"More important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?"

"It's do to with the Philosopher's Stone," I replied.

This had clearly not been the response she had been expecting. The books she had been carrying tumbled out of her arms. "How do you-?"

"Professor, I think - know - that someone's going to try and steal it!" I replied, throwing all caution to the wind.

She eyed the four of us with a mixture of surprise and suspicion. "Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. "Meanwhile, the three of you should get yourselves outside, rather than worrying about the well-protected Stone."

"So, we know that whoever's going to steal the Stone, is going to try tonight," Ron was saying as we walked through the corridor. "We've got to get someone's help-"

"Who's going to believe us?" I asked. "None of the teachers are going to believe that Snape would want to steal the Stone, except for Quirrell, but he's too cowardly to do anything-"

"Then we'll do it ourselves," replied Harry determinedly. "Even though the teachers don't believe us-"

"You're going to get caught, end up in detention, and lose house points!" I exclaimed.

"Who cares about house points when the fate of the world is at stake?!" he cried. "If Voldemort's going to come back, there's not going to be any house points to lose, because those giant hourglasses won't exist! This school will not exist! I'm going to go tonight, and nothing you say will stop me!"

"Then we're coming with you," declared Ron, standing up. "We can't let you go into this alone."

"And me too," I added. "We'll do this together."

"But will the Cloak cover all three of us?" asked Harry. I shrugged.

"If it doesn't, I'm better at staying in the shadows than you might have realized," I replied. "Well, are we going or what?"

After making sure that the three of us could fit under the cloak, Harry, Ron and I crept through the corridors, myself leading the way.

"How do you know all of these secret passageways?" asked Harry.

"Well," I replied, "there are benefits of having certain... talents that I share with Fred and George."

"Such as?" asked Ron. "Pranking?"

"Precisely, Ronald," I replied. "A skill I've managed to keep from you, one of the many things you never - against that tapestry!"

We flattened ourselves against the wall as Filch and his cat came by, narrowly passing by. I let go the breath I had been holding, and we continued on.

We reached the door in record time, thanks to my knowledge of Hogwarts, which still confused Ron and Harry. I pushed it open, hearing an instrument being strummed. We threw off the cloak, and the harp stopped playing. Harry pulled a flute from his bag, thrusting it in my direction as the giant Cerberus-like thing stirred.

"Play!" he whispered urgently. I lifted it to my lips, allowing my breath to pass over it and starting to play a simple melody. Ron and Harry moved the paw off of the trapdoor, opening it.

"You first, Harry," said Ron, and Harry cautiously lowered himself through, apparently free-falling before landing with a soft thump. "It's alright!" he called up. Ron followed him through, and I quickly moved across the room, taking the flute off of my lips the second before I jumped down, landing in something soft and... slimy?

Harry was wriggling as snake-like tendrils started to seize his ankle in a tight grip. I gasped, leaping out of the way before it got too tight a hold on me.

"Devil's Snare!" I exclaimed.

"You know what it's called, great, I'd kind of like to breathe here!" said Ron, who was already waist deep.

"Let me think!" I replied. "Devil's Snare... Devil's Snare... good fun but sulks in the sun! Lumos Solem!" A bright burst of light emerged from the tip of my wand, and the plant shriveled away, releasing Harry and Ron. I grinned, following them down.

"I thought you were rubbish at Herbology," commented Ron, getting up. I shrugged.

"I pay attention, at least," I replied. "Harry, how'd you know I could play flute?"

"You're a girl, aren't you?" he replied. I smacked him. "Where'd you learn, anyway?"

"From a book," I replied, and found myself looking forward to the other side of the chamber. "Are those... birds?"

They appeared to be small, shining birds, all shades of metallics.

"If they attack us, it probably won't hurt much," Harry was saying. "I'll run."

He made for the door, but curiously, none of the birds attacked. Ron and I joined him, to the same avail. He pulled on the door, but it didn't open, not even with Alohomora - the Unlocking Charm.

"Wait a second," I said, squinting at them. "There's... something odd..."

"They're not birds - they're keys!" exclaimed Ron. I could see it now - they were keys with wings! I examined the lock.

"Large, old-fashioned key," I said, "Silver, probably tarnished... large handle..."

"There's hundreds!" exclaimed Harry. "How are we supposed to-"

I grabbed his glasses off of his face. "That one," I said, pointing at it and handing them back to him. He stared at me, bewildered. "So what? I can't see either."

My finger followed it. Harry looked to the wall, and found three broomsticks. "We'll have to fly."

I grabbed the one he handed to me, my eyes still trained on the key. "Harry, go from above, Ron, you on that side, me on the other, and we'll corner it."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," replied Ron, hopping on his broom and flying to the other end of the room. "Ready, then?"

"On three," called Harry. "One, two, THREE!"

We all flew towards the key, Ron narrowly flying above me as Harry caught the key, landing smoothly before rushing across the room. I leaned the broomsticks against the wall before following the boys through the now open door.

The next chamber was so dark that none of us could see a thing, but the moment we stepped through, a light went on, illuminating some sort of giant statues.

"Now what do we do?" asked Harry. I took his glasses again, and found that the statues were actually giant chessmen, and we were nearest the black pieces.

"Ooh, isn't it obvious?" I replied, handing them back. "We've got to play our way across."

"How?" asked Harry nervously, eyeing the chessmen with a mix of fear and wonder.

"We've got to be chessmen," replied Ron. "Alright, let's see - Harry, you can be a bishop, and Willow-"

"I'll be a pawn," I replied. He shook his head.

"Pawns are the most easily captured!" he replied.

"Then I'll have to help you commandeer your soldiers," I replied.

"Where'd you learn how to play chess?" asked Harry.

"From a book," I replied matter-of-factly. "So, I'll be a pawn, Harry will be a bishop, and Ron, you..."

"I'm going to be a knight," he replied. At this, a knight got off his horse, and joined a pawn and a bishop over at the edge of the board.

We took their places, Ron jumping on the horse. "Let's see..." he mumbled. "White goes first."

At this, a pawn moved two spaces forward. He conducted the chess pieces brilliantly, with my occasional screaming at him.

"Harry, move diagonally four spaces to the right."

"Three spaces, Ron! Then when the rook moves next turn, he can take the knight!"

"Oh, right, good point, Willow..."

Harry moved, and then captured the rook. I finally made my grand move, stepping across the square and earning my metaphorical crown.

"I'm a Queen!" I exclaimed. "What now?" The white queen stared at Ron, and his eyes widened. Mine did as well as I realized the situation.

"I've - I've got to sacrifice myself," he said. "Then you'll be free to take the king, Willow."

"Oh, shit," I muttered, looking around the board. "There's no other way!"

"But-" started Harry.

"Do you want to keep that Stone safe or not?"

"Ron-"

"If we hurry, we can catch him!" He stood, facing the queen. "Here I go - get a move on the moment you've won."

He moved to the right three spaces, and forward one. I screamed as the queen relentlessly slashed at him, and he fell off his horse.

"Are you alright?!" I asked, moving across the board to checkmate the king.

"I'll be fine," he replied weakly. "You've done it!"

I looked back to see that the king had dropped his crown at my feet. I grinned, and rushed to Ron's side, helping him up and using what few healing charms I knew. He groaned, and leaned against the wall.

"Go on," he said. "Save that stone."

I looked back at Harry, who nodded at me. Reluctantly, I got up. "Good luck!" called Ron as we moved across the room to the fourth chamber.

"Oh, Merlin, it stinks in here," I muttered, bringing up my robes to my face. I cast a glance at the ground, where a troll, even larger than the one we had fought on the ground, was knocked out. "Glad we didn't have to fight that one... which challenges are left?"

"We've got Hagrid's, Professor Sprout's, Professor Flitwick's, Professor McGonagall's, and that would be Professor Quirrell's... that only leaves Snape's challenge," replied Harry. "Come on - let's get going."

We got out of the room as quickly as we could, and came out in another chamber, with nothing but a table with seven bottles and a piece of parchment.

"What's it say?" I asked, scanning the bottles as Harry picked up the parchment.

"Let's see... Danger lies ahead, while safety lies behind..." he mumbled, analyzing it. I gasped as a wall of fire appeared behind us, almost identical to the one before us - except that it was blue, while the one ahead was black. "This is a logic puzzle!"

"Oh, let me see that," I replied, taking the paper. "I see..."

I peered at the bottles. "That one," I declared, pointing to the smallest bottle. He gaped.

"How'd you figure that out so fast?" he asked. I shrugged.

"It's the one that's been drank out of," I reasoned, rolling my eyes. "Common sense. There's not much in here... take a really small sip, yeah?"

"You don't have to do this," said Harry. My eyes widened. "This is my battle - I'm the one who dragged the two of you down here-"

"In case you haven't realized it, Harry, you don't see either of us running away," I retorted. "Coming down here was our choice, Ron's putting himself on the line was his choice, and my going ahead with you is my choice. And besides," I added with a grin, "I've got a few bones to pick with this guy."

He took a small sip of the potion, and passed it to me. I carefully drained it, shuddering.

"Feels like ice," I muttered, and followed Harry through the black flames.

But the figure in the next chamber wasn't Snape. They weren't even wearing black robes.

The only identification I could garner from their back was the turban wrapped around their head.