[Through the Trapdoor, Chapter Eleven reference pg. 262-287]

In the years to come, Jack would never quite remember how he had managed to get through his exams when he was expecting Bunny to get the stone at any moment. Yet the days crept by and the dragon was still alive and well behind the locked door.

It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did the written portion of the test. They had practical exams as well. Professor Mansnoozie had them charm some sand into different shapes one at a time; Professor North had them turn blocks of ice into wooden toys; Bunny made them all nervous, breathing down their necks as they tried to remember how to make a forgetfulness potion. Their last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about questions about batty old wizards and they'd be free. When the ghost of Professor Binns told to them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, the students could help but cheer.

"No more studying," Jack sighed happily, stretching out under a tree, then noting Hiccup's still sorrowful expression he added, "Cheer up Hic, we've got a whole week before we find out how badly we did. Don't start worrying yet."

"Jack's reit Hiccup. Th' staine is safe as lang as th' dragon is aroond, an' there's nae proof 'at Bunny knows hoo tae gie pest it yit. He nearly hud his leg ripped aff ance, he's nae gonnae try it again." Mérida said.

Hiccup nodded, but couldn't shake the feeling that he had forgotten something important. When he tried to explain this Rapunzel responded, "That's just the exams. I woke up last night that was halfway through my Transfiguration noes before I remembered that we already had done those."

But Hiccup was certain that the unsettling feeling had nothing to do with work. He watched an owl flutter toward the school, a note clamped in its mouth.

Gobber was the only one who ever sent him letters.

Gobber would never reveal how to get past the dragon.

Never,

But-

Hiccup jumped to his feet.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked.

"I just thought of something," Hiccup said, still walking. The others just exchanged glances,"Don't you think its' a bit odd that Gobber needs another dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have one in his pocket? How many people walk around with dragons if it's illegal? Sure is lucky they found Gobber. Why didn't I see it before?"

"Whit ur ye talkin' abit?" Mérida asked, trying to keep up with Hiccup, who was now sprinting towards Gobber's hut.

Gobber was sitting outside of his hut, whittling some wood from the forest nearby.

"Finished your exams, eh?" he said, "Got time fer a drink?"

"Sounds great!" Jack panted, but Hiccup cut him off.

"You know that night you won the Terror? What did the guy who had him look like?"

"Dunno," said Gobber casually, "He wouldn't take his cloak off,"

Four stunned looks later and Gobber said, "Yer get a lot of folk like that in the Hog's Head. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, I never saw his face, he kept his hood up. Now why is this so 'portant all of a sudden?"

"What did you talk about Gobber? Did Hogwarts come up at all?"

"Mighta," Gobber said, frowning as he tried to remember, "Yeah….he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here, that an' dealin' with the dragons back on Berk….He asked about the sorta creatures I look after… an' then I can't remember too well, 'cause he kept buying me drinks…but he said he had a dragon I could play him cards fer…but he had to be sure I could handle it, so I told him after the Hideous Zippleback, a little Terror would be easy."

"And did he - did he seem interested in the Zippleback?"

"Well - yeah - how many two-headed dragons d'yeh meet? So I told him, it's a piece of cake if eyh know how to deal with it. Just get the right head wet and it can't do much more than-"

"I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out, "Just ferget I said - hey, where you four off ter in such a hurry?"

Hiccup, Jack, Mérida and Rapunzel didn't speak to each other until they reached the entrance hall.

"We've got to get to Professor Lunar," said Rapunzel. "Gobber was either talking to Bunny or Mor'du, either way Bunny knows how to get to the stone now. I just hope he believes us. Where's Professor Lunar's office?"

They looked around, hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. They had never been told where Lunar lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.

"Vhat are you four doing inside?"

It was Professor North, carrying a large pile of books.

"We wanted to see Professor Lunar," Rapunzel said.

"See Professor Lunar?" repeated North, "Vhy?"

Hiccup swallowed, now what?

"It's sort of secret," he said.

"Professor Lunar left ten minutes ago," he said coldly. "He received urgent ovl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London."

"He's gone?" Jack said frantically, "Now?"

"Professor Lunar is a very great vizard, he had many demands on his time-"

"But this is important!"

"You have something more important than Ministry of Magic?"

"It's abit th' Sorcerer's Staine-" began Mérida, throwing all caution to the wind.

Whatever North was expecting, it wasn't that. The books he was carrying tumbled out of his arms, and he didn't even bother to pick them up.

"How do you know - ?" he sputtered.

"Professor I think - I know - that Bun - that someone's going to try to steal the Stone. We've got to talk to Professor Lunar!"

He eyed them with a look of shock and suspicion.

"I don't know how you found out about Stone, but it is vell protected. No one can steal it."

"But Professor - "

"I know vhat I am talking about," he said sternly, "I suggest you all go out and enjoy sunshine."

"It's tonight," said Jack, one he was sure North was out of earshot, "Bunny's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs to know, and now he's even got Lunar out of the way! HE sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic won't know what to do when he turns up!"

"But whit can we - "

Mérida and Rapunzel gasped. Jack and Hiccup turned around.

Bunny was standing there.

"Good afternoon," he said coldly.

They stared at him.

"You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he said with an odd smile. "Hanging around like this people will think you're up to something. And Ravenclaw can't afford to lose any more points can it?"

Rapunzel flushed. They turned to go outside, but Bunny called them back.

"Be warned, anymore nighttime wanderings out of the lots of you and I will personally make sure you are expelled."

He then hopped off in the direction of the staff room.

Out on the stone steps, Hiccup turned to the others.

"Here's what we've got to do," he whispered, "One of us has to keep an eye on Bunny - waiting outside and follow him if he leaves it. Rapunzel, we'd better do that."

"Why me?" she squeaked.

"You can pretend to be waiting for Sandy." said Jack, then raising his pitch a little said, "Oh Professor Mansnoozie, I'm so worried, I think I got question fourteen b wrong…."

Mérida jabbed in the ribs, but Rapunzel had already agreed.

"And you two can keep watch outside the third-floor corridor," Hiccup told Jack and Mérida. "If anything happens, meet in the library,"

But that part of the plan didn't work. No sooner had they reached the door had Professor North turned up.

"Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you've come anyvhere near here again, I'll take fifty points from Gryffindor! Yes, from my own house!"

Jack and Mérida went to the library. Jack had just said, "At least Rapunzel and Hiccup are on Bunny's tail," when they came in the room.

"Bunny asked what we were doing, so when we said we were waiting or Sandy he went and got him! We don't know where Bunny went." Hiccup explained.

"Sae that's it 'en,"

They stared at each other.

"I'm going to try to get the stone first." Jack said after a moment of silence.

"Yoo're mad!"

"After what North and Bunny have said? You'll be expelled!"

"SO WHAT?" Jack, "The stone was locked up in Hogwarts for a reason. I don't care if Bunny's only going to use it to live forever, I'm not going to let it leave this castle. I'm going through the trapdoor tonight and there is nothing you can do to stop me!"

He glared at them.

"You're right Jack," Rapunzel said in a small voice.

"I'll use the cloak,"

"Will it cowre aw fower ay us?" asked Mérida.

"It had enough room for me, Rapunzel and a crate with a dragon in it,"

"Wait, what?"

"You didn't think we'd let you go by yourself, did you?"

"How do you think you'd get the stone without us? I should go and look through my books, there might be something useful…."

"An' I'd better gie mah baw ready," said Mérida, "Who knows whit else is doon thaur?"

"But if we get caught, you'll be expelled too."

"Not if I can help it," Hiccup said. "Sandy let it slip that Rapunzel and I got a hundred and twelve on his exam. They're not going to throw us out after that."

After dinner the four of waited until everyone else had fallen asleep before meeting in the trophy room to get under the cloak. In their nervous state, every shadow looked like Weselton, and every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on them. At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top.

"Can we kick her? Just this once?" Jack whispered in Hiccup's ear, but Hiccup shook his head. As they climbed carefully around her, her lamplike eyes on them, but not doing anything. They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so people would trip.

"Who's there?" he said suddenly as they climbed toward him. He narrowed his wicked eyes, "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?"

He rose up in the air and floated there squinting at them.

"Should tell Weselton, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen."

Jack had an idea.

"Peeves," he said in a hoarse whisper, "The Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible."

Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock. He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs.

"So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, sir," he said greasily. "My mistake, my mistake -I didn't see you - of course I didn't, you're invisible - forgive old Peevsie his little joke sir."

"I have business here, Peeves," croaked Jack, "Stay away from this place tonight."

"I will sir, I most certainly will," said Peeves, rising up in the air again. "Hope your business goes well Baron, I'll not bother you."

And he swooped off.

"Genius Jack!" whispered Rapunzel.

A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third floor corridor - and the door was already ajar.

"Guess Bunny already got past the dragon." Hiccup said quietly.

"If you want to go back, I won't blame you," Jack whispered, "You can take the cloak, I don't need it now."

"Don't be stupid," said Mérida.

"Of course we're coming." added Rapunzel.

After a reassuring nod form Hiccup, Jack pushed the door open. As the door creaked, a low, rumbling met their ears. The dragon sniffed in their direction, even though it couldn't see them.

"What's at its feet?" Rapunzel whispered.

"Looks like a bucket of water." Hiccup said, "Bunny must have left it there."

"Well, here goes nothing," they began to walk forward, and the dragon just looked around confused. They were almost to the door when Hiccup tripped and they all came tumbling out of the cloak.

The one the dragon's heads began to breathe a green smoke, and you could tell the other was struggling to light it as it loomed forward.

"What do we do?" Jack asked.

"Ah' dorn't hink mah bow will be much use!" Mérida panicked.

"Don't look at me," Hiccup said, "I don't have the slightest idea what to do!"

Then Rapunzel began to sing.

"Seven A.M., the usual morning line-up! Start on the chores, and sweep 'til the floor's all clean!"

"What are you doing?" Jack asked, completely confused.

The dragon began to calm down.

"Polish and wax, do laundry and mop and shine up! Sweep again, and by then it's, like, seven-fifteen!"

"And why is it working?" asked Hiccup.

"Hey!" Mérida called to the boys, trying to open the trapdoor, "Caur tae help me?"

"And so I'll read a book, or maybe two or three! I'll add a few new paintings to my gallery! I'll play guitar and knit and cook, and basic'ly, Just wonder, when will my life begin?"

"Just keep singing!" Jack called over his shoulder, the dragon now starting to fall asleep.

"Then, after lunch, it's puzzles, and darts and baking, papier-maché, a bit of ballet, and chess! Pottery and ventriloquy, candle-making, then I'll stretch! Maybe sketch! Take a climb, sew a dress!"

"What do you see?" Hiccup asked, straining to fully open the door.

"Naethin', jist black. There's nae way ay climbin' doon, we'll jist hae tae drap."

Jack looked down through the trapdoor to confirm what Mérida had said. He lowered himself thought the hole until he was resting on his elbows. He looked at Hiccup and Mérida and said, "If anything happens to me, don't follow. Go straight to North and have him get Lunar,"

"Got it," said Hiccup.

"And I'll re-read the books, if I have time to spare! I'll paint the wall some more, I'm sure there's room somewhere! And then I'll brush, and brush, and brush, and brush my hair! Stuck in the same place I've always been. And I'll keep won'dring, and won'dring, and won'dring-"

And Jack let go. Cold, damp air rushed past him as he fell down, down, down, and-

FLUMP! with a funny muffled sort of thump he landed on something soft. He sat up and felt it, his eyes not used to the gloom. It felt as though he was sitting on some for of plant.

"It's ok!" he called, "It's a soft landing, you can jump!"

Mérida quickly followed suit, and landed next to Jack.

"What's thes stuff?"

"Some sort of plant thing. I guess it's supposed to break the fall-" Jack was cut off by Hiccup landing on his other side.

"Come on Rapunzel!"

"-And won'dring, when will my life begin?" and with the final note, she too joined her friends on the plant.

"We must be miles under the school," she said once she had collected herself.

"Lucky this plant thing is here." sighed Hiccup.

"LUCKY!" shrieked Rapunzel, "Look at you!"

She leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall. The moment she had landed the plant had started to twist snake-like tendrils around her ankles. As for Jack, Mérida, and Hiccup, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without them noticing. Rapunzel had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her. Now she watched in horror as her friends fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they struggled against it, the tighter the plant's grip became.

"Stop moving!" Hiccup ordered them, "I know what this is - it's Devil's Snare!"

"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help," snarled Jack, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck, "God, I hate that rabbit!"

"Shhh! I'm trying to remember how it kill it!" said Rapunzel.

"Weel, coorie up, Ah can't breathe!" Mérida gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around her chest.

"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare….What did Bunny say? - it likes the dark and the damp - "

"So light a fire!" Hiccup choked.

"Yes - of course - but there's no wood!" Rapunzel cried.

"HAE YE LOST YER MIND?" Mérida bellowed, "UR YE A WITCH UR NAE?"

"Oh, right!" said Rapunzel, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something, and sent a jet of the same blue flames she had used on Bunny at the plant. In a matter of seconds, the three felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies, and they were able to pull free.

"Good thing you two pay attention in Herbology," said Jack as he joined Rapunzel by the wall, wiping sweat off his face.

"Yeah," said Hiccup, "and lucky Mérida doesn't lose her head in a crisis."

"Thank ye," said Mérida.

"This way," said Jack, pointing down a stone passageway, which was the only way forward.

All they could hear other than their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and Rapunzel was reminded of Gringotts.

I hope Flynn is ok… she thought to herself, recalling the events of the previous summer.

"Can you hear something?" Hiccup whispered.

A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.

"Do you think it's a ghost?"

"I don't know, sounds like wings to me."

"There's a light ahead - I can see something moving,"

They had reached the end of the passageway and were confronted with a brightly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, golden birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.

"Do you think they'll attack if we cross the room?" asked Hiccup.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Jack said, taking a step forward. He expected his face filled with sharp beaks and claws, but nothing happened. He had reached the door untouched. He pulled the handle, but it was locked. The others followed him. They too tugged at the door, but it wouldn't budge.

"Now what?" asked Rapunzel.

"These birds can't jist be haur fur decoration," said Mérida.

They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering - glittering?

"They're not birds!" Jack said suddenly, "They're keys! Winged keys! So that must mean..." he looked around the chamber while the others squinted up at the flock. "...A broomstick! We've go to catch the key to the door!"

"But there are hundreds of them!"

Hiccup examined the door.

"We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one - probably silver, like the handle."

They all stared at him.

"I work at the blacksmith's shop with Gobber back home," Hiccup shrugged.

By then Jack had seized the broomstick and kicked off into the air, soaring into the middle of a cloud of keys. After a minute of weaving through a flurry of golden feathers, he noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed into a keyhole. Jack caught it as quickly as he could, flew back down, and ran to the door, struggling key in hand. He rammed it into the lock and turned - it worked. the moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice.

"Ready?" jack asked the others, his hand on the door handle. They nodded, and he pulled the door open.

The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal a large chessboard. They were behind the black pieces, which were all taller than they were and carves from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. They shivered slightly - the white pieces had no faces.

"Noo whit dae we dae?"

"We've got to play our way across," Hiccup said, staring at the door behind the white pieces.

"I think we're going to have to be chessmen," Rapunzel added. She walked up to a black night and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, it sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at her.

"Do we - er - have to join you to get across?" The knight nodded.

"I suppose we've got to take the place of four of the black pieces…."

Jack and Mérida stayed quiet, watching Hiccup and Rapunzel think. Finally Hiccup said, "Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess -"

"Jist teel us whit tae dae." Mérida said quickly.

"Well, Mérida, you take the place of that bishop, and Jack, you go next to her instead of that rook." when they didn't move Hiccup said, "The thing with the pointy hat and the castle."

"What about you two?"

"I'll be a knight." said Rapunzel, still staring at the horse.

"I'll be a pawn then."

The chessmen seemed to be listening, because at these words a knight, pawn, rook and bishop turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving four empty squares that Hiccup, Rapunzel, Jack, and Mérida took.

"White always plays first in chess," Rapunzel said, peering across the board.

A white pawn had moved forward two squares.

Hiccup and Rapunzel started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever they were told to go.

"Mérida - move diagonally four squares to the right."

Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay facedown.

"Had to let that happen," Hiccup said, looking shaken, "Leaves you free to take that bishop Jack."

Everytime one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black pieces slumped along the wall. Twice, Hiccup and Rapunzel had only just noticed when Jack and Mérida were in danger. They themselves darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost.

"We're nearly there," Rapunzel muttered suddenly, "Let me think - let me think…."

The white queen turned her blank face toward her.

"Yes..." she said softly, "it's the only way….I have to be taken."

"NO!" Jack and Mérida shouted.

"That's chess!" cried Rapunzel. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I take one step forward and she'll take me - that leaves you free to checkmate the king Mérida!"

"But-"

"Do you want to stop Bunny or not?"

"Rapunzel-"

"If we don't hurry he'll already have the stone!"

There was no way around it.

"Ready?" Hiccup called.

"Yep," Rapunzel said, as bravely as she could muster.

She stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Rapunzel hard across teh head with her stone are, and she crashed to the floor - Jack screamed but stayed on his square, the white queen dragged Rapunzel to one side. He looked as if she'd been knocked out.

Shaking, Mérida moved three spaces to the left.

"CHECKMATE!" she cried.

The white king took of his crown and threw it at her feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look at Rapunzel, Hiccup said, "Take her to the infirmary Jack,"

"What about you two?"

"You're the best flyer. Take the broom from the key room and get her some help."

Jack paused, "Good luck," and then he ran to Rapunzel and as carefully as he could he took her into the next room.

"Whit dae ye hink is next?"

"We've had one of Bunny's, Sandy must have put the charms on the keys, North must have made the chessmen alive, that leaves Mor'du's spell, whatever Tooth and Lunar came up with, and another one of Bunny's…."

They had reached another door. Mérida and Hiccup pushed it open.

A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making both of them gag. Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in form of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head.

"Glad we didn't have to fight that one," Hiccup whispered as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs.

They pulled open the next door, both of them hardly daring to look at what came next - but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing in a line.

"Th' lest ay Bunny's," said Mérida, "Whit dae we 'ave te dae?"

They stepped over the threshold, and a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either; it was purple. At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading forward. They were trapped.

"Look!" Hiccup seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles.

"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 nettle 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 nettle wine's left side;

Second, different are those who stand at either end,

But if you would move onwards neither is your friend;

Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,

Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;

Fourth, the second left and the second on the right

Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight."

"Genius!" said Hiccup, "This isn't magic - it's a logic puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got any, they'd be stuck here forever."

"Great." said Mérida, "Whit abit us?"

"Everything we need is here on this paper." explained Hiccup, "Seven bottles; three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire, and the other will get though the purple."

"But hoo dae we ken which tae drink?"

"Give me a minute,"

Hiccup read the paper several times. then he walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to himself all the while.

"I've got it!" he said, "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire."

Mérida looked at it. "There's only enaw fur a body ay us," she said, "Hardly one swallow's worth."

They looked at each other.

"Which a body will gie ye back thocht th' purple?"

Hiccup pointed at the rounded bottle at the right end of the line.

"Yoo drink that," she said, "Gang back an' help th' others, send an owl tae Lunar. I'll dae mah best tae hauld aff Bunny."

"Good luck," Hiccup sighed.

"I've got mah baw wi' me. 'At rabbit's nae match fur an archer ay clan Dun'Brooch!" Mérida said cheerfully, "Ye drink first, ye ken which is which."

He took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shuddered.

"It's not poison?"

"No - but it's like ice." Hiccup turned and walked back through the purple fire.

Mérida too a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. She turned to face the black flames.

"Here Ah come," she said, and she drank the little bottle in one gulp.

Hiccup was right when he described the potion like ice. Mérida put the bottle down and walked forward; she braced herself, saw the black flames liking her body, but couldn't feel them - for a moment he could see nothing but dark fire - then she was on the other side, in the last chamber.

There was already someone there - but it wasn't Bunny.