I've been getting reviews saying that it seems that I've 'lost my creativity' for this story and I'm just following the movie now. Well, if everyone would please just bare with me and read on you'll see I have a lot planned for dear Riley and this story. In fact I've finished Book Two should anyone request the sequel being posted. So with that, I'm going to post the last two chapters then put up a poll as to whether or not to post Book Two. Enjoy and R&R!

Chapter Twenty~ The Three Challenges

As they fell into a black room and the trap door closed the four fell onto something squishy that broke there fall. Looking around through the dim light, they found it to be plants of some strange sort as Ron said breathlessly,

"Lucky this plant things here, really." before the plant began to wrap around all four of them, tightening on their arms and legs and around their bodies. As the boys struggled both Hermione and Riley calmed down as Hermione cried out,

"Stop moving both of you! This is Devil's Snare! You have to relax! If you don't, it will only kill you faster!"

"Kill us faster?! Oh now I can relax!" Ron cried in annoyance and fear as Hermione vanished from their sights so that both boys cried out her name before Riley too was gone. She fell and found herself below the Devils Snare and stood up as they heard Ron say,

"Now what do we do?!"

"Just relax!" Riley cried to them so that Harry asked,

"Riley where are you two?!"

"Do what Hermione says! Trust her it works!" Riley called so that Harry closed his eyes tight and he too appeared beside the girls leaving Ron alone to start struggling the hardest, screaming at the top of his lungs until a bit of the Snare wrapped around his mouth.

"He's not relaxing is he?" Hermione asked so that Riley shook her head saying,

"Apparently not."

"We've got to do something!" Hermione said pacing and glancing up every so often as Harry asked her,

"What?"

"I remember reading something in Herbology. 'Devils Snare, Devils Snare, is deadly fun—but sulks in the sun!' That's it! Lumus Solem!" Hermione figured out so that a burst of bright white light shot out from her wand tip so that the Snare started to screech and let Ron go and dropped him hard onto the ground below. They rushed to his side and asked him if he was ok as he stood while he nodded brushing himself off saying,

"Lucky we didn't panic!"

"Lucky Hermione pays attention in Herbology class." Riley said patting his dusty shoulder as they continued on to a door where the strangest sound was coming from it.

"What is that weird noise?" Riley asked so that Harry shrugged saying,

"I don't know, it sounds like wings." and upon entering they found maybe hundreds of strange birds inside a room and a single broomstick hovering in the air.

"I've never seen birds like these!" Hermione said but Riley looking around and around said,

"They're not birds, they're keys—and I bet one of them fits for that door."

"What's this all about?" Hermione wondered as Harry stepped up to the broom hovering his hand over it saying,

"I don't know. Strange—" as Ron tried to unlock the door with the unlocking spell only it didn't work.

"What are we going to do? There must be a thousand keys up there!" but Riley going over to the door inspected it and said as she looked at the handle and lock,

"We're looking for a big fat old fashion one. Probably rusty like the handle."

"There! I see it, the one with the broken wing!" Harry called so that he looked back down at the broom as if measuring it up before Ron said to him,

"Oh go on Harry! If Snape can catch it on that old broomstick, you can! You're the youngest Seeker in a century!" only as soon as Harry grabbed the broomstick the keys all aimed for him and he added,

"This complicates things a bit." as they all began to swoop and dive and jab at him while Harry tried to grab the key they needed. Finally after dodging several near misses, Harry caught it and threw it to them saying,

"Catch the key!" so that Riley caught it and putting it into the lock unlocked the door, Harry flying through it and they shut the door just in time before they were attacked. Beyond lay a deadly silent room, not a single noise was being made and hardly any light was coming from anywhere as Hermione said,

"I don't like this. I don't like this at all."

"Where are we? A graveyard?" Harry wondered upon seeing all the littered broken things scattered about but then cauldrons flared to life with fires burning in them and they found themselves on a larger than life set of a chessboard.

"This is no graveyard. This is a chessboard." looking across the way, Riley spotted the door and said,

"There's the door!" so they went towards it—only to be stopped by the pawns who withdrew their swords.

"Now what do we do?" Hermione asked so that Ron said plain as day,

"It's obvious, isn't it? We've got to play our way across the room. All right—Harry, you take empty bishops square. Hermione, you'll be the queen's side castle. Riley, the left rook. As for me—I'll be a knight." so they each took their places on the board slowly, trying not to make a single wrong move before Riley asked,

"Now what?"

"Well, white moves first, and then—we play." Ron said as they watched white move a pawn piece and Hermione asked Ron,

"Ron, you don't suppose that this will be like—real wizard's chess—do you?" with that in mind Ron called out,

"You there, D-5." before they watched the thing get sliced in half by the opposing player side and Ron told her,

"Yes Hermione, I think this is going to be—exactly like wizard's chess." it was several plays in, several hits and losses on both sides that Harry figured out something and called out,

"Wait a minute."

"You understand right Harry? Once I make my move, the queen will take me. Then you're free to check the king." Ron said so that Riley shouted,

"No way Ron!"

"What is it?" Hermione asked so that Harry told her,

"He's going to sacrifice himself."

"No, you can't! There must be another way!" she cried in worry but Ron turned to her atop his steel horse saying,

"Do you want to stop Snape from getting that Stone or not? Harry, it's you that has to go on. I know it! Not me, not Hermione or Riley, you. Now, knight to H-3." the others watched in horror as he moved closer to the queen and said softly,

"Check." before the queen came over and with a swift stab of her sword had him flying onto the ground so that Hermione went to go to him only Riley said,

"Don't! We're still playing!" so that Hermione nodded and Harry went over to the King and cried,

"Checkmate!" then they watched his sword come out of his hands and after waiting a few moments they rushed to an unconscious Ron's side.

"You'll be ok Harry. You're a great wizard. You really are." Hermione told him so that he huffed out,

"Not as good as you." only she chuckled saying,

"Me? Books and cleverness. There are much more important things. Friendship and bravery. And Harry. Just be careful." he nodded and turned to Riley to say,

"Go with Hermione and help her take Ron to Professor McGonagall, send and owl to Professor Dumbledore as soon as you can." then he was vanishing into the inky blackness. Hermione looked down at Ron and then up at Riley to see her standing up.

"What are you doing?!" she asked only she didn't reply just followed after Harry without a word.