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Chapter 14
When Hermione entered the common room on Sunday morning, almost immediately her breath was knocked out of her as she was caught in a tight hug. "Mione!" Harry said by way of a greeting.
"Hey Harry, how was your Christmas? Did you find anything to do with Nicholas Flamel?"
"No, we didn't. But Professor McGonagall told us that your mum was… ya know… but she didn't elaborate. Are you ok?"
"Mione!" Draco yelled, when he saw her from the stairs. He ran over, and grabbed her in another hug. "Are you ok? Sweet Circe, what happened?"
"Guys, I'm fine, and it seemed as if I had you both looking in the wrong section. I have found out about Nicholas Flamel." She said.
The two boys groaned. "Hermione!" They said in union.
Harry pulled her over to one of the comfy sofas in front of the fire, and sat her down. He sat on one side of her, and Draco sat on the other. "Alright, Hermione, what happened, because we want to know." Draco said.
"It was my dad." Hermione said, and she launched into the story, telling them most of it. Apart from her venture into Gotham. By the end of it, Hermione was crying, just like she had when she had found out that her mother had been killed. Harry pulled her into another tight hug, and Draco pulled her legs up onto his lap. They didn't say anything. They just sat there, letting her cry it out, and just being there for her.
Hermione sniffed when she calmed down. "Thanks guys." She said, clinging to Harry's shirt. She took in a deep breath, trying to compose herself.
"So, it's possible to trust Hannah and Daphne then?" Draco said.
Hermione nodded. "Yeah. I think so. I mean, nothing screamed deceitful about either of them. I think they truly want to help. We should give it a go."
"Alright. We'll talk to them." Harry said. "In the meantime, how about we go down to the Great Hall for breakfast?"
"Yeah, ok." Hermione said. She hadn't eaten much yet, so she was definitely up for some more Breakfast.
"We should have told someone about this, guys." Hermione told the two boys.
"Yeah, well, we may not have enough time." Harry said. "Quirrell knows how to get past Fluffy, we have to stop him from getting the stone!"
"Harry, don't you think this may be what Dumbledore wants?" Hermione asked.
"Hermione, what do you mean?" Harry asked.
"If you just happened to die while he was still your guardian, then all your money, and properties, and titles, will go to him."
"Umm, actually, Hermione, they'd go to his next of kin if he failed to leave a will, and as his wife, that would be you." Draco said. "The Goblins would make sure of it."
"Well, Dumbledore doesn't know that."
"Oh, just come on, Mione. We need to stop Quirrell, we can talk over the old coots scheming later." Harry said, as he opened the door behind which the giant three headed dog resided.
Hermione shook her head at how this was going. "Is Fluffy… already asleep?" She asked. Indeed, the dog was fast asleep due to a harp playing in the corner of the room. "This is too easy."
"We can use this to our advantage." Harry said.
The three of them moved quickly, shifting a giant paw off the trap door. Harry opened the door, and they jumped down.
"Wow, good thing this plant thing is here." Draco laughed.
"No. It's not." Hermione said. "This is Devils Snare!"
"What?" Draco asked. "What's that?"
Just as he asked, the plants tendrils started to wrap round them. Harry and Draco started struggling immediately. "Calm down, both of you!" Hermione ordered. "If we struggle, it'll only kill us faster."
"Kill us faster? Oh, that'll really help us stay calm!" Draco yelled.
"Shh, I'm trying to think about what I've read about it… that's it! Devils snare, its deadly fun, but will sulk in the sun! It hates light! Harry, Fire, now!" Hermione said calmly. Both she and Harry summoned bright flames to their hands, and the Devil Snare started backing off.
The three got up, and rushed off. They soon found themselves in a room full of very weird birds. Harry soon figured out that they were keys. Of course, someone had to go get the key that fit the lock, and of course, Harry being Harry… it was him.
Harry made quick work of the task, however, and soon the trio were walking onto a giant chess board. Draco quickly assumed command and instructed Harry and Hermione on their positioning. He took the position of a knight. When the game began, he was the one to give the orders. Hermione flinched when she realised that this was just as brutal as real wizard's chess. Hermione was really getting nervous, when Draco paused, and he seemed to be calculating something. Hermione stiffened as a vision hit her.
"No, Draco, don't!" Hermione said.
"What's he going to do?" Harry asked.
"Sacrifice himself." Hermione said.
"Draco, don't you dare!" Harry said.
"It's the only way. I'll move the Queen out of the way, and you'll be free to take the king!" Draco said. He then moved into position. Through our connection, Harry and I quickly came up with a plan.
When the queen struck, we used the air element to pull Draco off the back of the horse, and into the air. We set him down to one side of the chess board, and then Harry made his move. He walked across the board and stood in front of the King.
"Check Mate." He said. The king threw down his crown, and then Harry, Hermione and Draco were free to move on. The Troll they encountered next was thankfully unconscious. They quickly moved through to the next chamber. Once in front of the table with a load of potions, a fire sprang up in front of them, and behind them.
"Great, we have to solve a riddle." Draco complained.
"Oh, let me see." Hermione said, taking the parchment in his hand from him. She looked it over, and inspected the selection of potions. She selected one that had a mouthful left in it. "It's this one. Harry, you take it. I'll teleport me and Draco to the other side."
"Are you sure Hermione?" Draco asked.
Hermione looked insulted. "Of course I am." She said, affronted.
Draco held up his hands in surrender. "Ok, I was just checking!"
Harry took the bottle, and swallowed its contents. He then walked through the flames. Hermione grabbed hold of Draco, ad teleported. They appeared beside Harry. "Wait, why didn't Harry just do that too?" Draco asked.
Hermione slapped her forehead, and started berating herself for her lack of insight. When the boys had managed to stop her mumbling, they moved on. When they saw Quirrell in the next chamber, they quickly moved to one side, and Harry and Hermione used their shadow element to hide themselves and Draco. They watched and waited. Quirrell seemed to be observing a mirror.
The Mirror of Erised. Harry informed Hermione through their connection.
"I see myself holding the stone, but how do I get it?" Quirrell asked out loud, apparently to himself.
"Break the mirror!" A cold, high voice hissed. They all exchanged glances. They knew it was Voldemort.
Hermione moved round to the other side of the chamber, keeping to the shadows all the while. Then, when she was in place, she contacted Harry.
I'm ready. She said.
So are we. Harry replied.
Hermione used her power over the earth to cause the earth to rise up between Quirrell and the mirror. Harry used the air to throw Quirrell back, and Draco sent a whispered Petrificus Totalusat him. When his limbs snapped together, the three tentatively approached him, just as his body dissolved, and a dark spirit rose up, and flew towards Harry. It went straight through him, and fled the chamber. Harry collapsed and Hermione and Draco rushed towards him.
"Come on." Hermione said. "We need to get him to Madam Pomfrey."
"Right, yeah." Draco said, and with that, the two both grabbed an arm, and started to pull Harry back out of the chambers they had come to.
Halfway up, they ran into Professor McGonagall. "Good Heavens! Come on." She waved her wand, and levitated Harry the rest of the way, and Draco and Hermione filled her in on what happened.
When they reached the Hospital both first years disobeyed Madam Pomfrey's orders to leave, and sat at Harry's bedside, which was where they fell asleep.
A/N: Please, please, please hit that blue button and leave a review, it doesn't have to be long, just a couple of words.