AN: Hope you all like all the updates. I will most definitely get to the Chamber of Secrets today. With the earlier novels (i.e. the first three or four) there won't be huge changes. To be perfectly honest there can't be huge changes because that changes the story-line too much. Or at least that's my opinion. Now the Chamber of Secrets part of my Fanfic probably won't be too long since Hermione gets petrified and we already know what happened with Harry and Ron. I haven't completely decided what I'll do with that so we'll see what happens. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.
The next chamber was so dark I couldn't see anything at all. But as we stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight.
We were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than we were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing us, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry, Ron and I shivered slightly — the towering white chessmen had no faces. It was creepy.
"Now what do we do?" Harry whispered.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room."
Behind the white pieces I could see another door.
"How?" I asked nervously.
"I think," said Ron, "we're going to have to be chessmen."
He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron. My heart pounded in my chest. Good Merlin! Would this be like real wizard's chess?
"Do we — er — have to join you to get across?" The black knight nodded. Ron turned to Harry and I.
"This needs thinking about he said. I suppose we've got to take the place of three of the black pieces..."
Harry and I stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he said, "Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess —"
"We're not offended," said Harry quickly. "Just tell us what to do."
"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go next to him instead of that castle."
"What about you?" Harry asked his face pale. I wasn't feeling too good myself.
"I'm going to be a knight," said Ron.
The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a knight, a bishop, and a castle turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving three empty squares that Harry, Ron, and I took. I tried to move confidently but my hands were shaking.
"White always plays first in chess," said Ron, peering across the board. "Yes... look..."
A white pawn had moved forward two squares.
Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. My knees were trembling. What if we lost?
"Harry — move diagonally four squares to the right." Ron said pointing.
Our first real shock came when our other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, face down.
My mouth had dropped open in shock and Harry had ducked to cover his head when a stray piece flew towards him.
"Had to let that happen," said Ron, looking shaken. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on."
Every time one of our men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Harry or I was in danger. He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as we had lost black ones. Honestly the whole thing was terrifying.
"We're nearly there," he muttered suddenly. "Let me think let me think..."
The white queen turned her blank face toward him.
"Yes..." said Ron softly, "It's the only way... I've got to be taken."
"NO!" Harry and I shouted.
"That's chess!" snapped Ron. "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, Harry!"
"But —" I started.
"Do you want to stop Snape or not?" Ron shouted furiously.
"Ron —" Harry tried to say something but Ron cut him off angrily.
"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!" My heart stuttered. He was right. There was no alternative.
"Ready?" Ron called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go — now, don't hang around once you've won."
He stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor —
I screamed but stayed on my square — the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out. Tears swam in my eyes and I felt sick. What if he was... I shook my head. No. He would be fine.
I turned to look at Harry. Shaking, he moved three spaces to the left.
The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. We had won, but at what cost? The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Harry and I charged through the door and up the next passageway.
"What if he's —?" I didn't want to finish my sentence.
"He'll be all right," said Harry but he didn't look convinced. "What do you reckons next?"
"We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare; Flitwick must've put charms on the keys; McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive; that leaves Quirrell's spell, and Snape's." My voice shook as I spoke.
We had reached another door.
"All right?" Harry whispered.
"Go on." I said my heart pounding in my chest and Harry pushed it open.
AN: Please Review! Reviews make me happy, when I'm happy I update more, when I update more you're happy. In the end everyone wins.