Chapter 13: Did Someone Say Trouble?
"Sorry, I'm going to need you to say that one more time," George said as he stared at the siblings.
Mia and Harry had summoned the troops…or well, the closest thing to it anyway. They had run down to the common room to get Draco, before crossing the school once more to gather the Mayhem Twins and Neville. Nicola had just happened to be with them, so they brought her along too. They didn't have time to make up excuses—curfew would be in a few minutes and they needed to get to Fluffy now. They had dragged all of them into the first empty classroom they've seen and proceeded to tell them everything about what happened on Halloween, about Fluffy, and what they'd heard in the Forbidden Forest. Needless to say, they were all a bit speechless with shock.
"Weren't you listening?" Mia snapped. "A stone that can give immortality is in the school being guarded by a three-headed beast. Our DADA professor is trying to steal it. Dumbledore is gone and McGonagall won't believe us. We need to stop him," she said with a glare.
George threw up his hands in universal sign of surrender and took a step back, making his twin laugh.
"George's just trying to process it, that all Mia; it's a lot to take in. So what do you want from us?" Fred asked curiously.
"You guys are excellent at sneaking into places and you're brilliant at improvising. Neville is excellent with Herbology and Charms and Draco has a hand for Transfiguration. Something tells me that getting past the Cerberus is going to be the easy part. Snape mentioned that it was the last one he needed, that means there are other things protecting it—possibly designed by the professors. We're going to need help to get past whatever's down there," she said seriously.
"You must be joking! You want us, a bunch of first-years, to go past that bloody beast? Mia, I love you, but have you gone completely mental?" Draco asked with wide eyes.
"We don't know why he wants it! That stone is dangerous! If we can get to it before him, we can get out and keep it safe until Professor Dumbledore arrives tomorrow. But we have to go now. We won't force you to come with us, but we could use the help," she told them earnestly.
She was surprised by the first person to speak up. "I'll come with you. I don't know how much help I'll be, but I'll come," Neville said as he stepped forward. He had really changed this year—he didn't stutter or shuffle around nervously, and he was a lot more confident in his magic. Mia suspected it had something to do with the talk her father had with Lady Longbottom.
"I'll come as well. I know I wasn't your first choice, but you stood up for me before you even knew who I was. I'll help," Nicola told them as she joined Neville. At this, the twins looked at each other and seemed to come to a decision.
"We'll come as well. We wouldn't want to disappoint Lady Black," George said with a ridiculous bow.
"Not to mention, it sounds like there will be trouble. And that's our specialty," Fred added with a grin.
"Fine! FINE! But if we get in trouble for this, you both owe me. I expect a bloody great birthday present from you," Draco said as he rolled his eyes and stepped forward.
Mia snorted before looking around at her marry band of friends. "We're the Fellowship of the Stone," she said with a snicker. No one got her reference though, which made her pout. She thought it was funny.
"Right. Now that you lot won't bail, we need to get going. Mia, how do you want to do this? We won't all fit under the Cloak," Harry said as he looked around.
"No, some of us will have to walk in the open. What we really need is a distraction. McGonagall will be watching the corridor to make sure we don't try anything," she said with an annoyed sigh. At her words, however, the twins perked up.
"A distraction you say?" they asked excitedly.
"You leave that to us!" Fred said as he pulled his twin to the classroom's door.
"Give us five minutes and head to the third-flood corridor. We'll meet you by that giggling suit of armor" George called over his shoulder as they disappeared into the corridor.
"Hope it doesn't involve putting anyone in the Hospital Wing," Nicola said with a frown. It hadn't taken long for the twins to grow a reputation for themselves. They had quickly become notorious for their pranks, and even the older students gave them a wide berth.
"I'm sure they won't; they only do that when someone's really stepped in it with them," Neville reassured her. Living with the George and Fred meant he knew how they operated. Most of the time.
They had been waiting about five minutes when they suddenly heard a loud boom, followed by the distant but unmistakable sounds of Peeves's cackle and Filch's angry screech.
"I think that's our cue," Mia said dryly. "Alright. Neville, you and Nicola start walking. We'll follow behind you. If you see anyone, just say you were in the library late and you're heading back to the common room," she told them as Harry pulled the Cloak out of his pocket. Nicola gasped as they seemed to disappear, but Mia reassured her. "It's alright Nicky, we're still here. It's an Invisibility Cloak. Now go. Hurry!"
They made their way quickly up to the third-floor without incident and went to find the giggling suit of armor where they would meet the twins. George and Fred showed up a couple of minutes later, out of breath and throwing looks over their shoulders.
"What did you do?" Harry asked them when they were close enough.
"Just had a little chat with our friend Peeves and armed him with—"
"—a dung bomb or ten. Had him pelt them down by the Transfiguration classroom." They looked very pleased with the chaos they had created on such short notice.
"Hope she doesn't figure out where they came from," Neville muttered. Mia felt a flash of sympathy for him as she remembered he actually had to live with them and their misadventures. Maybe that was why he wasn't so shy anymore—the twins had scared it out of him.
"Okay, here's the plan. Harry and I will open the door and go in first. We'll get Fluffy to sleep—"
"Still can't believe anyone would name that monster Fluffy," muttered Draco.
Mia ignored him and continued speaking. "When you see Harry wave you in, move quickly. We'll have to keep the song going long enough to get into that door under Fluffy so the quicker the better. Alright, ready Harry?" she turned to look at her brother. He was looking a bit pale, but then they all were.
"Yeah. What song?" he asked as he edged toward the door.
"How about that song Uncle Remus always sings in the shower?" Mia said with a grin.
Harry laughed at that. "I Will Survive?"
"That's the one. Okay you start and then I'll open the door." Harry nodded and began to hum the melody to the song. Mia looked at him once more before unlocking the door and walking in. She was already singing but when she looked around she realized it wasn't necessary. Someone had left a harp playing in the corner of the room and Fluffy was sound asleep next to it. She turned around and waved everyone inside and Nicola gave a startled yelp when he caught sight of the beast.
"He's a bit adorable once you get passed the sharp teeth, the glowing eyes,—"
"The three heads, the enormity of its size, and the arm-length claws," the twins said as they peered closer at the Cerberus. Nicola and Draco were staring at them as though they had suddenly grown three heads.
"I see what you meant about his name," Nicola finally muttered as she glanced at the beast once more.
"Help me move his paw," Harry told them as he and Mia knelt on the floor. Neville hurried over first and they managed to shift the paw far enough that they could see the door. It took all three of them to pull the trap door up. They had it halfway to the ground when it slipped from their grasp and cracked against the stone floor, almost hitting Nicola's foot.
They all froze and looked up at the three heads, watching for any indication they were about to be chomped on. When Fluffy kept sleeping, they let out a relieved breath and looked down.
"That's quite dark. Can't see anything," Nicola said as she stuck her head into the hole in the ground.
"Anyone have something that lights up?" Mia asked suddenly.
"Give me your hair bobble and we will," George told her. Mia quickly shook out her curls and handed it over. George waved his wand and muttered 'meridiem'. Her hair pin began to glow and he handed it back to her. She took it and carefully held her hand in the center of the opening before letting it go. They could see the light getting smaller and smaller before it stopped.
Draco gulped. "That has to be ten meters, at least."
"Yes, but it might be a soft landing," Harry tried to sound encouraging.
"Sorry mate, I don't think it's going to feel very soft," Fred said as he kneeled at the edge and glanced down.
"Oh no," they heard Mia suddenly gasp. "Harry, sing!"
Harry immediately began to sing, not stopping to ask what was wrong. There was only one reason his sister would sound that afraid right now or make such a request. He heard Mia join him and looked up to see Fluffy was once again standing. His heads were lowered and he was growling quietly, slobber slowly dripping and scorching the stone by its paws.
"Why'd the harp stop?" Mia heard Nicola gasp out.
"Who cares why it stopped, move," Draco said shakily as he looked up at the beast. It seemed to be trying to fight off the lull of the music, and he didn't think Harry and Mia could keep it at bay much longer.
"But we can't just ju—"
"Sorry Nicki, but we don't want to be a chew toy."
That was all the warning she got before George rushed her, threw an arm around her, and jumped into the hole. They heard her startled scream before Fred followed suit. Neville and Draco looked at each other before running forward at the same time and taking a dive. Mia and Harry began to slowly make their way closer to the gap in the floor, Fluffy slowly shadowing their every step. His heads would droop before they snapping up, snarling when they realized they were falling asleep. Mia waited until they were at the edge before she wrapped Harry in a hug and threw them down. Fluffy lunged forward but only managed to get empty air as they fell into the darkness.
"George I am going to bloody kill you!" came the enraged voice of Nicola from somewhere.
"At least it was a soft landing!" Harry called out from somewhere to her left.
Mia tried looking around to see where they had landed but it was too dark. She had her wand strapped to her arm in its holster but when she tried to move her hand, she couldn't. That's when she realized she couldn't move any of her limbs.
"Uh guys. I-I can't move!" she said, starting to panic as ropes seemed to tighten around her when she tried to sit up.
"Mia!" Harry called out, as sounds of struggling and yells filled the room.
"STOP! You have to stop!" Neville yelled out.
"Now why the bloody hell would we do that?!" yelled Fred before he let out a word his mother would not approve of. "It's around my whole body!"
"It's Devil's Snare! If you struggle it'll kill you faster!" But that was the wrong thing to say. That's when everyone seemed to lose it.
"KILL US FASTER?"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN KILL US FASTER?"
"AND THAT'S SUPPOSED TO HELP ME RELAX?"
"SHUT UP LET, HIM TALK! NEVILLE HOW DO WE GET RID OF IT?" Mia screamed as she tried to go still.
"We need light! Or fire!" Neville said, his voice muffled as the Devil's Snare reached his mouth.
"Do it Mia!" Harry yelled. She knew what he was telling her to do. She also knew that her father would not be happy about this. But she didn't have much of a choice.
Mia closer her eyes and tried to slow down her breathing as she reached for her magick, until she could see and feel the hot crackling energy inside her. Her lessons with Professor Snape all year had helped her lose her fright of it, had taught her how to call it forward slowly. She pictured dipping her hands into her magic and felt her fingers begin to heat up with power. She opened her eyes and spread her hands wide, two swirling fireballs coming to life in her palms.
As the heat and the light hit the Devil's Snare, the wines recoiled and there came a low whine from the dark. Mia rolled to her feet and threw out her arms, sending the fire out in a circle low to the ground. The vines retreated further until she could see her friends and brother, wrapped like cocoons. She ran forward and placed a hand on each of their forms, burning away the plant as she did so. Soon they were kicking off what was left of the vines from their bodies and scrambling to their feet. Mia kept the fireballs in her palms, ready to use them if it looked like the vines would come after them again.
"WHERE THE HELL DID YOU LEARN TO DO THAT?!" Draco nearly screeched as he finally got his breath back.
"That was…you did that wandlessly," gasped out Fred.
"Not now," Mia said shortly, ignoring the looks of awe on the twins' faces and the brief flash of fear she saw in Nicola's. Harry picked up on her reluctance and began to lead everyone toward the door they could see set in the wall.
"C'mon we have to keep moving. Quirrell's obviously already down here if Fluffy was already asleep but maybe we can beat him to the stone"
They opened the door to find themselves in a dark tunnel that sloped downward. They couldn't see more than a yard in front of them so Mia let go of the fire and raised her hands, cupping them together.
"Lumos maxima" she said, watching as a ball of light formed there. She kept feeding it magic until it was the size about the size of a tennis ball before she threw it up in the air. It levitated in front of her and would stay there as long as she held her concentration. She turned around and looked past the wide-eyed stares of her friends until she met Harry's eyes.
"You better get one going too, in case I lose mine," she told him. He nodded before going through the same motions she had, although his light was a bit dimmer than hers.
"You realize you two will have to explain this when we get back right?" Draco said annoyed. Despite his tone, Mia could see the hurt in his eyes at being kept in the dark about all of this.
"Let's get through this first," Harry told him.
Mia held Draco's gaze for a moment, sending him an apologetic look, before turning back around to the tunnel ahead. She went first, slowly and carefully making her way down the damp and uneven floor. They had been walking for several minutes before the sloping floor ended at the edge of some stone steps.
"How far under the castle do you reckon we're going?" asked Fred.
"We have to be past the dungeons by now," Mia told them. She looked ahead at the darkness for a few more seconds before taking the first step down. "Better keep going."
They descended the dark stairs, taking step after step and jumping at every sound. Mia was able to keep the shadows at bay around them, but it was still disconcerting to not be able to see more than a yard in front of them. It took a few minutes before they reached the bottom step and found themselves in circular chamber, with a wooden door ahead of them. Mia glanced back at everyone's nervous expression before walking across the floor and putting her hand on the door handle.
"Wands out," she said tense. She heard the rustle of robes as everyone took hold of their wands and felt a hum around her as their magick rose to the surface—ready to be called upon. She felt Harry's distinct cool energy press against her magick, prepared to merge with hers if need be. She took a deep breath and opened the door, ready to jump back at the slightest hint of movement. What she saw instead, made her walk forward in interest.
"What are they?" asked Nicola as she followed Mia inside.
"The look like….birds," George said as he looked up at the fluttering wings. You could hear muffled thumps as hundreds of the little creatures flew around the room.
"No Georgie, I think they're keys," Fred corrected him as one of them got close enough to touch.
"I'm guessing we'll need one of them to get through that door," Draco said as he pointed to the heavy wooden door on the other side of the room.
"Which one though? They all look the same," Harry muttered, and Mia had to agree. She tried scanning the cloud of wings above them, but they moved too fast to get a good picture.
"That one there, by the pillar. It's old see? And one of its wings is broken, like someone already caught it!" Neville suddenly cried out.
Mia looked to where he was pointing and saw a large brass key—the old kind that went into those old-fashioned locks. She could make out which one it was because it was flying unsteadily, unable to fully extend one of its wings.
"Brilliant Nev," Harry said with a grin. "Now we just have to figure out how to get it."
"It's a bit obvious, don't you think?" Nicola said with a raised brow, extending her hand to point at the brooms that were leaning against the wall to their right.
"It seems too easy," Draco suddenly said. When everyone looked at him in astonishment, he felt the need to explain. "We had to get through a three-headed beast and a killer plant. And now we just fly and get a key? Too easy," he said with a shake of his head. Mia couldn't really fault his logic and gave the keys a weary look.
"Oooo his Slytherin senses are tingling," Fred said with a snicker.
"What, you think they'll attack us?" Nicola said with a laugh, ignoring Fred. When Draco just stared evenly at her, she gulped and glanced at the keys again.
"You know what we need?" Mia said as she looked between the brooms and the keys. "We need to go fishing." Harry looked at her confused before his face split into a grin, catching on.
"A net?" he asked to confirm. When she nodded, he let out a laugh. "Brilliant, Mia."
"Sorry, but what are you on about?" Fred asked, looking between them. He finally had a taste of how other people felt when he and George talked in snippets, and it was a bit annoying not being in on the know.
"Three of us will get on the brooms. We'll use a net to drag it behind the keys, catching all of them. It'll be easier to get the one we need that way," she explained.
"So who's flying?" Draco said impatiently.
"The twins and you," Mia said as she went over to grab the brooms.
"Wait, I get that the twins fly well together, but why Draco? No offense, mate."
"Offense taken, Potter," Draco snapped.
"Because he's a better flier than you. Oh, don't smirk Draco. I might hit you with the broom instead." Boys, honestly. Between Harry's pout and Draco's superior smirk, she wanted to just knock their heads together and be done with it.
"So, what about this net you said?" Fred asked as he mounted his broom.
"Give me a moment," she said as she took a seat on the ground. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing again. She'd never tried to conjure something before, but she'd read the theory behind it in a Transfiguration book so it should work. Maybe. She shook her doubts away and reached for her magick once more, allowing it to flow through her. She tried to imagine a net appearing before her, shaping it out of thin air, visualizing its every detail. She scrunched her nose and concentrated but nothing was happening. She opened her eyes to see if maybe she'd managed to do it and hadn't realized it but there was nothing in front of her expect the stone floor. She tried again, her brow furrowing with focus but when she opened her eyes again, she had the same result. She was about to close her eyes for the third time when someone spoke.
"What exactly is it you're trying to do?" Fred asked as he came to stand by her. She glared at him for interrupting but knew if she didn't answer, he wouldn't shut up.
"Trying to conjure a net," she said shortly.
"Are you daft?" he asked disbelievingly. "That's a N.E.W.T. spell."
"I know," she snapped.
"Are you just trying to show off then?" he asked curiously.
"What? No."
"Then why don't you just transfigure the robes into a net? It's easier to work the spell when you have matter to work with. Gamp's Laws and all that." When she heard this, Mia blushed a brilliant red. She could hear the others snicker at her reaction—it wasn't often that Mia the Bookworm made such a mistake.
"Oh, I, uh—right. I'll do that, thanks" she said, cheeks still red with embarrassment. She had no idea why she hadn't thought of that, it really was quite obvious.
"You're welcome," he said, throwing her a wink.
He and George shrugged out of their robes and handed them to her. She took off her own and placed it on the floor besides theirs, before grabbing her wand and saying the incantation clearly. She thought of doing the spell without her wand but she hadn't done much transfiguration wandlessly, and she needed to make sure it worked. She held a picture in mind of what she wanted, infusing the spell with her will, and watched as the robes suddenly transformed. A large fishing net began to emerge from the pile of fabric, just like the ones she'd seen the fishermen using out at sea when they'd gone on holiday.
"Right. Now just grab onto it. Remember that you have to be quick to make sure the keys don't get away," Mia said as the boys kicked off their brooms to hover above the ground.
"What do we do after we get them all?" Draco asked as Neville handed him a section of the net.
"The net is big enough that you should be able to hold it closed once you get them all. Once you touch down again, we'll figure it out." Harry said as they all took a step back.
The twins and Draco looked at each other and gave a nod, before launching themselves into the air. It took a bit of maneuvering, but eventually they figured out how best hold the net. They had a triangle formation, with George flying high—low to his broom to trail the net beneath him—Fred flew below him to the right, and Draco flew to the left. It only took them catching the first few keys to figure out that Draco was right. It had been too easy.
As soon as the keys touched the net, the rest of them turned into flying menaces. They started flying towards the boys, cutting their arms and faces as they hit them. They had to stop flying since they couldn't see where they were going; they had their arms up around their faces, trying to protect them from the sharp edges.
"We have to do something!" Neville said anxiously when they what was happening.
"But what? They can't fly without leaving their faces exposed!" Harry told him and winced when he saw a cut open on Draco's arm. They were going to have to get a big birthday present for him.
"Mia! The Freezing Charm!" Nicola said suddenly.
Mia whirled to look at the Gryffindor, nodding her head excitedly. They had seen the spell when they were researching for their Charms essay earlier in the year. "Nicky, that's brilliant," Mia said before she ran towards the keys.
"Mia, wait!" she heard Harry and Neville call out behind her, but she didn't stop.
She ran until she was directly below the boys, and quickly closed her eyes. She knew her magic would have more power if she did the charm wandlessly. She felt a few keys hit her arms, but ignored the sting as she gathered her magic and channeled it into her hands. When she thought she had sufficient power, she opened her eyes and raised her hand.
"Immobulus!"
A wave of power left her and traveled to the keys, freezing them in place as it went through them. She concentrated only on the keys, visualizing the spell bypassing her friends, and was satisfied when they were not affected. They must have felt her magick, however, because they jumped and dropped their arms to look around them. They keys hung suspended in the air, some inches away from their face.
"Forget the net! Just fly and grab the bloody key! I don't know how long I can keep them like this!" Mia yelled up to them with a furrowed brow. The hardest part of wandless magick was keeping your concentration for spells that you wanted to maintain. Mia did not tire, her magick did not waver, but if her concentration slipped, the spell would end.
The boys stared around wide-eyed before nodding and flying around, trying to locate the key they needed. It was much easier to find it this time around since the keys were no longer flying about. Not even five minutes later Fred cried out when he managed to grab ahold of it.
"I got it!" he said as he touched down on the ground.
"Great, celebrate later! We have to get through that door," Harry said as he began to walk towards his sister.
"Why's she still doing it? We already got the key," Draco asked confused.
"We don't know what will happen now that we do," she said shortly, not tearing her gaze away from the keys. Harry guided her to the door slowly, not wanting to break her spell.
"Well go on then, open the door," Nicola said as she pushed Fred towards it.
He looked nervous but he put the key into the lock and they all heard the quiet snick as the door unlocked. Harry looked around at the group before stepping forward.
"Someone make sure to guide Mia through and close the door behind us. We don't need those keys coming after us."
Fred moved to stand by her and put his arm around her waist. Once Harry knew his sister was covered, he turned around and slowly opened the door. His magick was on edge, ready to burst out of him at the first sign of danger. When nothing moved and no spell came his way, he cautiously stepped inside. The room was dimly lit, so it was hard to see where they were or how large it was. Once the door closed behind Mia and Fred, however, torches suddenly flared to light along the entire length of the walls.
Neville gasped when he looked around "Is this…"
"A life-sized Wizard's Chest board? Looks like it," George answered cheerfully.
"What's so dangerous about chess?" scoffed Nicola and before anyone could stop her, she climbed the steps up to the board started walking across it. Before she could cross the white pieces, the pawns suddenly moved. They unsheathed their swords and crossed them, effectively blocking her path. Nicola gasped and jumped back startled, narrowly avoiding running into one of the swords.
"Does that answer your question?" Draco asked sardonically. Nicola just blushed and quickly moved back to the group, careful to keep a distance from the chess pieces.
"We'll have to win to cross," Mia told the group as she examined the board.
"This has McGonagall written all over it," Fred said appreciatively. The woman might be strict and scary, but no one could say her magick wasn't impressive.
"So how do we do this?" Harry asked as he made to step onto the board. Before he could, however, Draco yanked him back.
"Idiot!" Draco hissed. "If you step on, you'll have to be a player. Look!" he said as he pointed to the right wall. There, on a chalkboard under "Blacks" was Nicola's name.
"What? I can't play!" Nicola squeaked out when she saw it. Her eyes widened, no doubt in fear of having to play a game she knew very little about.
"Well you have to now or we can't pass," snapped Draco.
"Stop it, that isn't helping," Neville said with a frown.
"Oh, I'm sorry Longbott–"
"Draco," Harry said warningly. Draco stopped but made sure his displeasure was known with a scowl.
Mia had been quiet this entire time, looking around at each person in the group and trying to decide how to best get past this. She knew Harry would have to be one of the players, he was too good not to be. Nicola had to be involved. She just couldn't decide who else would join them.
"Neville," someone said beside her. She looked over to see Fred standing close by.
"Sorry?" she asked a bit confused.
"You're trying to figure out who's going up there. Send Neville. He's brilliant with chess. He's beat everyone in our House," he said with a nod towards his roommate.
"I'm not 'sending him up there'. He has to choose," she told him with a shrug. Fred rolled his eyes at her response.
"Oi, Nev! You going up there?" Fred called over. Mia was about to scold him when Neville just nodded and stepped up to the board, without warning. Immediately, his name was written under their 'team', below Nicola's.
"Oh thank goodness," Nicola said, sounding very relieved.
"Right, so we have Nicky and Neville, who else?" Draco asked.
Harry looked over at his sister and she nodded her understanding. He stepped up beside Neville, and looked over as his name appeared on the board. Surprisingly, George stepped up beside him.
"I didn't know you played," Nicola said surprised.
"Oh, Georgie's excellent at strategy. He can beat dad at it, he just doesn't play often," Fred said confidently.
"Who's going to play what?" Mia asked as she looked around at the large stone pieces.
"I'll be the right knight," Neville said. As he finished speaking, they noticed the horse suddenly knelt. Neville stared hard before moving and mounting it, gripping the reigns hard.
"I guess I'll take the Queen," George said before the Queen rose from her throne and walked off the stage. He walked over quickly and sat in her empty seat with a grin.
"Nicky, you be the King. It's the safest spot," Harry told her. Just like before, the King rose and left the board, leaving Nicola the empty throne. "I'll take the Bishop." When the Bishop walked off, Harry quickly took its spot.
"I reckon this is going to be exactly like Wizard's Chess, so be careful," Fred called out to them. All of them nodded somberly, Nicola paling at his words.
The game moved quickly and brutally. The stone players were struck down and broken when they were taken, sending shards of stone flying everywhere. Since Nicola was the King, she had to make the official move. The boys would discuss strategy before settling on a decision, giving Nicola the signal to call out their play. Everything was going well until about an hour in when they made a wrong move and Neville was taken.
The Queen stood from her throne and struck out with her scepter, ramming it into the stone horse that reared back and threw Neville off. Mia saw it happening in slow motion, saw Neville fall back and his head bounce off the marble floor, knocking him unconscious. As the horse broke, pieces of it blew out and hit Neville. She saw a large one land on his leg, and they could hear the sickening snap of bone breaking.
"NO!" Mia yelled out and would have run forward if Fred hadn't caught her.
"They're still playing! You can't go up there, you have to wait!" Fred yelled as he struggled to keep his hold on her. Her hair was sparking and scorching his clothes, but he didn't let go.
"Mia, calm down! You'll only distract them more!" Draco said as he came over and helped Fred. Mia looked up at him with watery eyes and nodded. It was her fault Neville was hurt, she was the one that had asked him to help them with this stupid venture.
She looked up at the board and saw Nicky crying and the boys looking extremely pale. It took awhile to calm Nicola down, enough that she would call out their plays once more. Their confidence was shot, however, and it wasn't long before they made their second mistake. George saw what was about to happen and told Nicky what play to call. He moved forward in his throne until he was directly in front of Nicky. Directly in the line of fire of the whites' rook. The soldier atop the castle struck out with its sword, barely missing George as he leaped off the throne. The throne exploded, knocking George back and making him hit his head against the leg of one of the other pieces. Chunks of the broken throne landed on him, hitting his prone form in several places. This time it was Mia's turn to hold Fred back.
"GEORGE!" Fred yelled as Draco and Mia kept him in place. He was much stronger than Mia physically and eventually she had to hook her leg behind him and push him to the floor. She grappled with him until she pinned him down and he looked up at her.
"Fred! Freddie listen to me! They're almost done, we have to wait a bit longer!" Mia told him. He was trying to buck her off but eventually he seemed to understand and he nodded. He slumped beneath her and she cautiously let him go. He sat up and Mia hugged him, trying to keep him calm so he wouldn't rush to his twin's side. She knew how difficult it must be for him, knew that she would be the same if it had been Harry getting hurt.
It didn't take long after George's sacrifice to end the game. They were able to capture the Queen, and they landed a checkmate soon after. As soon as white King threw down his sword and walked off the board, they ran onto the board to check on their friends. Nicola was already by Neville's side, checking him over. Mia ran to his side since he had been the first one to go down.
When Nicola lifted his head from the floor, they could see a bloody pool beneath it. Mia felt her blood run cold but knelt down beside him immediately.
"Get back," Mia told Nicola curtly.
"Not bloody likely! He needs help, we need to take him back," Nicola said with a frown.
"Nicola. Get. Back." Mia said as he turned a fierce glare on the girl. Her eyes glowed in her face, alight as her magick rose within her. Despite the slight chill from her gaze, Nicola opened up her mouth to argue again when Mia lost her patience and raised her hand, sending Nicola sliding a few yards back with her magick.
Before Nicola could recover, Mia set Neville down and placed her hand over his broken leg. She felt her hand heat up with power and saw the golden glow of her healing magick. She heard the bone snap back into place, saw as it had moved beneath the skin she could see through his ripped trouser leg. When she was sure that it was fine, she moved to his head and gently cradled his head. Her hands heated once more and a golden halo seemed to surround his head as she healed the gash she had seen when Nicola lifted his head. She felt the skin knit back together under her fingers and when she turned his head, the gash had closed. She kept the spell, however, because she knew he might have suffered a concussion from his fall. After a minute she let it fade away and placed him gently back down, finally glancing up at her friends.
Everyone beside her brother was staring at her disbelievingly. Nicola's expression was once again shadowed in fear, while Draco's held the previous hurt of before. She couldn't quite decipher Fred's expression, though she tried. She quickly dropped her gaze and hurried over to where George was lying on the ground.
She couldn't see any broken bones but she saw quite a few gashes on his head and arms. She quickly healed the larger ones to stop him bleeding so much, before moving on to his head. Like with Neville, she maintained the spell longer than necessary to make sure any concussion he may have suffered in the fall was healed. She checked him over once more before deciding there really wasn't much more she could do. She stood up and walked over to where Harry was.
"They need to be taken to Madame Pomphrey. I did my best but I'm not a Healer. I don't know if there was something on the inside I can't see," she told him seriously, still avoiding everyone else's burning gaze.
"No, I won't leave you," Harry said with a glare.
"You're the only one who can get them back up, passed Fluffy. Take the brooms and levitate them up. You're the only one strong enough to do it. Send an owl to Professor Dumbledore, or get Professor McGonagall. Tell her I didn't listen and came by myself anyway. She'll have to come then," Mia told him as she squeezed his hand.
"No! You saw everything we did so far. You can't go alone!" Harry all but snarled at her. He would not let his sister get hurt, he had promised his dad.
"We both know I can handle it," she said quietly, the gold in her eyes glowing.
"No, I refuse to let you go by yourself," he said firmly.
"I'll stay," Fred said suddenly, stepping closer to the arguing siblings. "One of us has to anyway, there are only three brooms. I can't help George but I can stay and help Mia."
Harry looked at him hard for a moment before turning to look at his sister. "I don't like it," he said and Mia knew he would do it.
"I know. But we have to. Papa would be disappointed if we didn't take care of our friends," she told him as she stepped forward to hug him tight. "I'll be fine," she promised.
"You better be," he muttered. He stepped back and nodded to Draco and Nicola. "Mobilicorpus," he said as he raised his wand in Neville's direction. He repeated the action with George's body and turned to exit the room, Draco and Nicola following after him.
"Just you and me now," Fred said with a wink.
"Oh shut it, let's keep moving," she said but she couldn't help a small smile from slipping through.
"Lead on, O Powerful Lady" he said with a bow. Mia rolled her eyes but moved across the board to the door she could see set in the wall. Luckily this one wasn't locked and they cautiously pushed it open.
The stench was the first thing to hit them. It smelled absolutely horrid, like spoiled milk and a hundred dirty socks. They both wrinkled their noses in distaste and raised their hand to plug their nose. When they finished walking inside, they saw a creature Mia had hoped to never set eyes on again. In the center of the room a Mountain Troll was in the process of getting up, swaying as though it had just regained consciousness.
"He couldn't have stayed out for a few more?" Fred whined.
"No use complaining now," Mia said as the troll turned and saw them.
It gave a loud roar and charged, dragging its giant club behind him. Fred grabbed Mia's hand and ran, ducking around a column right as the troll swung its club. They expected the column to give, but someone had obviously reinforced them to withstand the troll. They continued to zig-zag between the columns until the troll was swaying again, dizzy from all the turning. Fred then turned around and lifted his wand.
"Wingardium leviosa!" He yelled, the swish and flick of his wand sent the troll's club flying into the air. It raised its head in confusion, trying to figure out what had happened to its club, when Fred released the spell right over him. The heavy club landed heavily on the troll's head and promptly knocked him unconscious.
"That was brilliant," breathed Mia. Such a simple spell, but so effective.
"Thank you. It's pretty useful to drop eggs on unsuspecting Prefects too," he said with a grin. He was praying Mia wouldn't notice that his ears had gone red at her compliment.
Mia laughed, picturing Horatio running around with egg yolk running down his head. "We better keep going," she finally said as she started walking across the chamber. They made sure to give the troll a wide berth, sticking close to the edge of the circular room.
"I wonder if these rooms have always been here. Wonder what they used them for," Fred said as he looked back at the room filled with columns.
"No idea. If we get out in one piece, we'll ask Dumbledore," Mia told him. She had been wondering the same thing since they had landed in the Devil's Snare.
When they walked through the door, they came into a room that was much smaller than all the other ones they had been inside of. It was the size of a bedroom, with a single wooden table in the middle that had various bottles on top. They walked forward and as soon as they had cleared the doorway, purple flames shot up to surround it. Across the room, black flames erupted around their exit as well.
"Well that complicates things," Fred said calmly. Mia hummed her agreement as she stepped closer to the table. She could see a parchment on it with writing.
"It's a riddle," she said out loud.
"Read it, then" Fred said as he picked up one of 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,"
"Seems simple enough so far," Fred said with a shrug. "Sorry," he said when he saw Mia's annoyed glance.
"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."
"That's it?" Fred asked incredulously.
"Papa always says that a lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic," Mia said with a grin.
"But it's not even that hard," he said with a snicker. Mia just shrugged and looked at the puzzle once more.
"Poison in the first?" she asked after a few minutes of them examining the riddle and the bottles.
"That's what I think. Which means the next two are poison as well, since the killers are 'waiting in line'" he told her. He moved those aside, leaving four bottles to choose from.
Mia moved forward and picked up the last one and sniffed it. "This one won't help and it's not the nettle wine," she said as she set it aside. She picked up the one next to it and poured some on the table. She saw the distinctive blue color and grinned. "This one's the nettle wine."
Fred followed her example and opened the one on the edge and poured some out too. "Nettle wine here too. Next to the poison. So that means this one's the one that will take us through the weird black fire," he said triumphantly. When he opened the bottle, however, it was to see only about a mouthful of potion left. "Well that's just not fair," he said with a pout.
"What?" Mia asked alarmed.
"There's barely enough for one of us," he told her. Mia rolled her eyes and performed the refilling charm on the bottle.
"Are you a wizard, or aren't you? Gamp's Laws, remember?" she asked with a grin.
"Right," he said sheepishly, ears a bit red.
They both took a swing from the bottle, shivering as their bodies flashed cold.
Fred looked at the bottle and refilled it, when Mia gave him a questioning look, he explained. "We'll need to come back through," he said with a shrug.
"Good thinking."
Fred placed the small bottle in his pocket before giving her a nod and walking to the door. They stepped through the black flames with no problem, high-fiving each other when they made it to the other side before freezing. They had come into a room that was well lit by torches and they could see Professor Quirrell standing at the end of the room, in front of a mirror that Mia recognized immediately.
'New home indeed,' she thought as she stared at the Mirror of Erised.
"I must say, I'm surprised to see you here and not your brother," Professor Quirrell called out, without a hint of his stutter.
"He got tied up," Mia said, trying to stay calm.
"The girl. Use the girl," a cold voice hissed out.
Quirrell turned around and faced them, holding his hand out to summon them but Mia was quicker. She grabbed George and pulled him behind one of the marble columns that circled the room. Spells couldn't penetrate physical objects.
"Clever girl, but you can't escape," Professor Quirrell said with a chuckle.
Mia gripped her wand and frantically thought of what to do. She looked at Fred who was staring at Quirrell intently and touched his arm. When he looked down at her, she pulled his head down to whisper in his ear.
"First chance we get, we make a run for it. Send the leg-lock curse when I give you the signal," she told him with forced calmness. Truth was, she was absolutely terrified. She knew that she needed to show as little of her power as possible, which meant she would need to rely on Mr. Travers's training, not Professor Snape's. Something told her the last person she wanted to know about her magick was Professor Quirrell.
"If you come out now, I won't hurt your friend," he sing-songed. Mia grabbed Fred's arm and ran behind the next column. As they ran, she felt the air heat behind them with the energy of the spell he threw. Whatever it was, it didn't feel friendly.
Mia peaked around the column and saw Quirrell taking careful steps towards them. "We need to get behind the mirror. He won't damage the mirror," she told Fred. He nodded and on the count of three, they sprinted. When she felt Quirrell's magical energy spike, Mia pointed her wand behind them.
"Protego Maxima!" she hissed, trying to keep her voice down.
The spell he used must have bounced off her shield and hit him because they heard him hiss in pain and stumble.
'FOOL. Get the girl!' the voice said again.
Professor Quirrell straightened up and Mia could see a patch of blood on his right side, by his arm. It made her blood run cold because that had been intended for them. She was so busy staring that she didn't notice him raise his hand once more. Her body jerked from behind the mirror and flew to him, right into his waiting arms.
"Mia!" Fred called. He was started to take a step forward but Quirrell sent a spell his way, making him duck behind the mirror once more.
"Now, now. Don't be rash Mr. Weasley or I'll have to hurt her," he said in a chiding tone. Mia tried to struggle but he only tightened his grip and moved her to stand in front of the mirror.
"I have a problem, Ms. Black. You see, when I look into it, I see myself holding the stone. But how do I get it? You're a very clever witch, surely you have some ideas," he said as he gripped her chin and forced her to look into the mirror.
Despite Mia not moving, she saw her reflection holding out a blood-red stone and tucking it into the zippered pocket of her running jacket. She even threw herself a wink and a raised her finger to her lips, the universal signal for 'don't say anything'. Seeing this, Mia subtly pressed her arm against her side and felt something hard digging into it, making her go still. She had the stone. She had no idea why or how it got there, but she knew she was suddenly in a lot more danger.
"Well this complicates things," she thought, repeating Fred's earlier words.
"What do you see?" Quirrell hissed, tightening his hold on her chin.
She thought frantically and said the first thing that popped into her head. "I see myself standing with my family, but I'm older. I have the Head Girl badge and Slytherin's just won the House cup."
"Liesssss. Let me speak with her," the cold voice returned.
"Master, you're not strong enough yet," Quirrell said, a quiver to his voice.
"You dare question me?" it said, it hissed angrily.
"No! No, of course not. As you wish, my Lord," Quirrell said hastily. Then he did something very curious. He began to unwrap his large purple turban, slowly peeling away layer after layer. Finally, when he was done, he stepped back from her and turned around. What Mia saw, made fear grip her heart. In the back of his head was a face. It was chalk-white with ruby-red eyes that had slits where the pupils should be, like a cat or snake. She turned and ran up the steps but before she could make it far, Quirrell caught her, spinning her around once more.
"Oh, that's disgusting, that is," Fred said from his spot when he saw the face looking at him, before ducking behind the mirror again. Quirrell turned around once more, putting her level with the horrid face.
Mia didn't know whether to be impressed or horrified at her friend for making such a blasé comment about what was happening right then. Then the red eyes shifted and focused on her, and she didn't dare move.
"Do you know who I am, girl?" he asked Mia, the mouth opening grotesquely as it spoke. Mia numbly shook her head and his eyes narrowed. "I am Lord Voldemort," he hissed out.
Hearing those words made Mia suddenly grateful that he brother was not in that room with her. He would have lost it, being confronted by his parents' murderer.
"I have come to collect something that's mine," he told her, eyes watching her.
"The stone belongs to Nicolas Flamel," she said without thinking.
"Flamel is a fool to waste its talents. I tried to make him see reason but he refused. But he will learn that you do not say no to Lord Voldemort," he hissed angrily, his eyes going brighter for a second. "You will help me. I know you have the stone," he said, making ice run through her veins. Then his voice changed, becoming softer, hypnotic. "Give me the stone and I will give you all that you have ever wanted. I will give you power and influence, more than you could ever dream of. People will know your name when you leave this school, you will be feared and respected by all."
For a moment, his voice painted a picture that made Mia waver. In it, nobody taunted her or ridiculed her. Nobody pushed her around, called her names, or bullied her for her strange eyes. In the picture, she stood tall and watched as everyone that had ever treated her like dirt was on the floor before her, writhing and screaming as they paid for their transgressions in pain and blood. It was that last part that snapped her out of it, that made her look away from his eyes. No matter how angry she was, she would never want that.
"I'm not a fan of blood," she said before she struck out with her foot. She kicked Quirrell straight in the middle of his back, causing him to lurch forward and fall down on the steps. He tried to catch himself but his face still hit the edge of a stone step and one of his wrists broke. He cried out when his wrist gave, making him land hard on his shoulder.
"Get the stone! Kill her!" Voldemort yelled, but Mia was ahead of him. She ran forward and kicked his face, sending Quirrell tumbling back with a broken nose, cracking his head against the stone floor. She heard Voldemort screech in fury and ran to get Fred.
"C'mon we don't have a lot of time before he's up!" she said, sprinting to the black flames.
"Here!" Fred said as shoved the bottle at her. He had already taken a swing. Mia quickly took a drink and shuddered at the cold before running through the black flames.
"Get the other potion!" Mia yelled as she heard Quirrell roar behind them. Fred ran to the table and picked up the one that would get them through the purple flames before uncorking it and taking a drink. Mia took a swing and they were off, running through the flames once more.
"The troll!" Fred yelled, ducking as it swung its club.
Mia reacted instinctively. She raised her hand and her magick surged forward, blasted the troll and sending him crashing back. It didn't knock him out but it gave them enough time to keep running and make it through the door. She grabbed Fred and ran across chess board, blasting through the stone pieces when they tried to block the way.
"Why didn't you just do that the first time?!" Fred yelled annoyed.
"I didn't really know how!" she yelled back as they slid through the door. She could hear the roar of the Mountain Troll as Quirrell made it into its chamber.
"What does that even mean?" he said as they ducked into the room full of flying keys.
"My magick sort of reacts when I'm afraid or in danger. I'm not always sure how it works," she panted as they ran across the room. They were about to reach the door when it flew open in front of them and Professor Dumbledore stepped out, his power radiating out from him in formidable waves.
"The stone? Has he got the stone?" he asked them quickly.
They frantically shook their heads. "No, sir. I have it," Mia gasped out, patting her pocket.
"Excellent. Now get behind me!" he ordered when the door on the other side exploded. "Ah, Tom. I would say it's good to see you, but then, we've never lied to each other before," the Headmaster said cordially. Mia and Fred stared at him in disbelief, wanting to know why he wasn't trying to disarm the evil DADA professor.
"Dumbledore," came the hiss from behind Quirrell's head.
"Quirinus, my boy, you have stepped far into the darkness, but you can still return from it," the Headmaster tried to appeal to the young man. Quirrell, however, just laughed.
"And what can you offer me? Penance? A nice cell in Azkaban? I think not," he sneered before he waved his wand and all the keys zeroed in on them, launching themselves like missiles towards Mia and Fred.
Dumbledore raising his own wand and a shield erected itself like a blue-tinted dome around them. As the keys came through, they were vaporized and all that hit them was a fine-grain sand. Then Dumbledore did a complicated movement with his wand, and ropes of water erupted from his wand. He manipulated them until they circled Quirrell, forming an ever-tightening ring around him. Quirrell yelled and Mia could see his mouth move to form a spell, and suddenly the ice around him froze. He flicked his wand out and the shards of ice flew in their direction…and Mia felt her magick surge forward.
"Headmaster, hide us!" she told him. Dumbledore threw her a quick glance but complied, releasing a dense fog around them. As soon as he did so, Mia summoned her magick. She brought her hands up in front of them and all of the ice shard stopped less than half a meter away from them. They hovered in the air for a moment before they melted into a puddle around them.
"Does the great Albus Dumbledore hide behind smoke screens?" hissed the voice of Lord Voldemort. Hearing that voice made Dumbledore's head glance up and a hard look came into his eyes. He raised his wand and sent a purple spell through the fog, never allowing their cover to fade. Whatever spell he sent finally hit, because they could hear Quirrell yell in pain.
Mia tried to ignore it all to keep her concentration as she knelt and put her hands on the ground. She could sense Quirrell's magick ahead of them and focused on the ground below him. Suddenly she balled up her hands and hit the floor hard, sending a shockwave that nearly made Dumbledore and Fred stumble. She heard the ground crack and could feel it bending to her will, to her fear and fury. All she could think of was of her brother, waking up crying and screaming from nightmares from the night his parents were murdered. She knew that's what they were, had heard her uncle and her father discussing it late one night. And it was all because of that thing that had possessed her professor.
The ground shuddered and broke to swallow Quirrell's legs, trapping him, holding him for Mia. As soon as she stood once more, Dumbledore released the fog and they saw what she'd done. Quirrell had sunk into the floor up to his knees and was struggling to free himself. He held his left arm close to his body, probably from the spell the Headmaster had sent through, and kept firing spells into the ground in futile attempts to release his legs. As they watched, a gash opened on his neck began to bleed profusely, saturating his robes with blood.
"Not so fast Tom," Dumbledore said beside them. He had just raised his wand to send off another spell when Quirrell began to scream in pain. They could see the veins in his face and neck turn black, and something below his skin moved. It began to pour out of him, through the opening on his neck, as thick black smoke. The Headmaster was too shocked to do anything, the children too scared to tear their eyes away. As the smoke took the figure of a man, Mia felt Fred move closer to her, pushing her slightly behind the Headmaster. Quirrell gave one last ear-splitting scream and then went limp, falling back. The smoke looked dense for a moment, its head swiveling to look in their direction before the cold voice of Voldemort filled the room.
"You have learned new tricks in your old age, Dumbledore. Don't worry, I'll be back to finish with the boy; I have unfinished business with him. And next time, I won't need a vessel."
The smoke then launched itself through the wall, disappearing and leaving nothing but a scorch mark in its wake.
Once the smoke was gone, Mia ran to the fallen professor before Dumbledore or Fred could stop her. She placed her hands on his body and they glowed a brilliant gold, but the gash on his neck would not close. It oozed blood and she could hear his erratic breathing, but no matter how much magic she brought to, the gash remained open.
"NO!" she screamed when she saw him stop breathing. She summoned as much power as she could, until the air around her glowed and crackled with power and the air smelled of ozone. Still, the professor's chest did not rise. She began to cry hysterically then, beating her hands on his chest, trying to will her magick into him.
"Mia!" Fred yelled her name from outside the golden dome that her power had created. But she was too focused on the dead man before her to hear him.
Dumbledore watched everything with a critical eye, watched her eyes glow and her hair spark, but made no attempt to approach her. Fred didn't like the look he was giving his friend; it was the same look he saw in his mother's eyes when she was trying to decide how much use she'd get out of something expensive. Fred looked back at Mia, crying as she tried to bring back the dead, and set his shoulders in determination. Without giving himself time to think, he rushed into the dome and gasped as her power enveloped him.
At first it felt like his whole body was being shocked repeatedly. Then he felt something reach out to him, assessing him, prodding him this way and that. He must have passed some sort of test because then the pain receded, and all he could feel was an intense warmth. He went to Mia and pulled her hands away hard, breaking her concentration and making her magick snap back into her. Her hair stopped sparking and the dome disappeared, leaving a pale circle etched in the stone. Mia looked up at him and threw her arms around him, sobbing hard.
Fred held his friend as she shook, crying himself and trying not be sick at the sight of their professor laid out beside them. He could see a pool of blood around his head and he had to swallow the bile that rose in his throat at the sight. He had to close his eyes and concentrate on not throwing up all over his friend.
"C'mon Mia, we have to get up," he whispered shakily. He opened his eyes and glanced up at the Headmaster, begging him for help. He saw the hard blue eyes soften once more as Dumbledore took a step towards them. He waved his wand and suddenly a black blanket settled over Quirrell, hiding him from view.
Fred stood up, keeping a hold of Mia, and started walking towards the door Dumbledore had come through. He trusted the Headmaster would be following behind them—he just needed to get himself and Mia out of that room. He walked up the stairs and through the sloping corridor until he reached the room with the Devil's Snare. It felt like they walked forever, but it was really only minutes. When he opened the door, he raised his wand.
"Lumos Maxima," he said as he pointed his wand towards the ground. The plant retreated from the light, letting them pass through until they stood under the trap door they had fallen through. "Well, this is going to be harder this time around," he said out loud, voice still thick with tears.
"Allow me, Mr. Weasley," he heard Dumbledore say behind him. Fred turned his head and saw the Headmaster point his wand at them, before he and Mia began to float upwards.
"What about Fluffy?" he yelled back down to Dumbledore.
"He should still be asleep," the Headmaster replied serenely.
At this point, Mia had stopped crying and was looking rather numb. When they came out of the door, they saw Fluffy in the corner next the Groundskeeper, who was playing a flute.
"Oh, thank gods yer alright," he said as saw them come through. Mia rushed to him and threw her arms around him…or well his waist, which was all she could reach even when he was sitting down. "There now lass, it's alright now," he said gruffly as he put his hand on her back. Mia sniffled a bit more and clung to him tighter. She had gotten quite close to the giant man over the year and she felt safe in his presence.
"Uh, Hagrid…" Fred said, voice unsteady as he pointed to Fluffy.
"Oh he won't do nothin'. Not when mummy's here. Ain't that right Fluff? There's a good boy," he told the giant beast as it lay down, rolling over for a belly rub. Mia saw this and gave a watery giggle as Hagrid stood to rub the Cerberus's belly.
Now that the adrenaline had worn off, Mia was feeling bone tired. It was a struggle to lift her arms or move her feet, and she knew she had used too much magick down in the chambers. She started swaying and tried to steady herself on the chair that Hagrid had been using, only to miss and stumble.
"Mia!" Fred said and tried to rush over but Hagrid got there first.
"I got ya," Hagrid rumbled as he picked her up and cradled her against his chest like a child. She was about to give her thanks when the ringing in her ears got worse and everything went black.
A/N: What'd you think? I've loved reading thoughts on pairings and the reasons behind them.
Another question for you: how do you feel about time jumps? A lot of the action I have planned doesn't get underway until they're older and I am thinking of jumping a few years after the next chapter. I could do filler chapters, but they'd be much shorter than normal. Leave a review and let me know!