Chapter 20
Harry and his friends under the invisibility cloak hobbled together along the dark corridors. It was hot and uncomfortable under it but they had a purpose in mind and it kept them going. "We're almost there. We need to climb the stairs now and it'll be difficult so let's take off the cloak and sneak in." The idea was crazy and Neville was whimpering now. He was frightened of the Hogwarts ghosts and sneaking in the dark and possibly bumping into them scared him terribly.
"All right Nev?" Ron asked. Neville nodded and tried to look brave but he just couldn't help whimpering now and then.
They got past the stairs and finally they reached the corridor where every sensible student avoided.
"What have we got here? Four little Gryffs in the forbidden corridor. Oh I'm telling on you," Peeves cackled.
"Oh no. What do we do now Harry?" Neville moaned.
Harry looked at Peeves as he came towards them. He was completely out of options and he had a few minutes to save the school or possibly, the entire wizarding world from a possessed wizard. Harry run a lot of possible solutions through his mind but yet still, none of them seemed to help his dilemma. Then it hit him. "Peeves let's make a deal", Harry piped up suddenly.
His friends looked at him with questions on their faces and Harry could tell that they were thinking of stopping a possessed wizard, not making deals with annoying poltergeists. "Oooo, he wants to make a deal. Let's hear it then."
"I promise to supply you with Dungbombs so that you can always make life hell for Filch. You know I hate him and his cat. We all do so if you can keep Filch away from here till we get in; a crate of Dungbombs is yours. Wizard's honour."
Peeves looked at Harry for a moment. It seemed that, the idea of blasting Filch with Dungbombs was exciting him. He looked closely at Harry for a moment, then Ron, then Hermione and then Neville and he quickly zoomed off to God knows where.
"What was that supposed to mean Harry?" Ron asked.
"Don't pretend to be thick Ron, it's obvious that Peeves is going to distract Filch for a while and I can bet on my head that he's not off to get a teacher." Harry snapped.
"How are we sure Harry? After all, he's known for tricking everyone and he's always telling everyone's secrets. I'm not going till I know that Peeves is really being sincere," Hermione said in a bossy voice, her arms folded on her chest.
Harry looked angrily at her and then spoke in a murderous tone. "We haven't got time for this. Someone's about to do something stupid with the Philosopher's stone and become immortal and here you go; fucking up at the point when everyone needs you. If I return from whatever hell there is in there, I'll make Hogwarts hell for you. Pray I don't die, because if I do Hermione my ghost will haunt you and on the sixth day of my death, you will join Merlin and the other dead wizards in the after life!"
Hermione and the two boys looked horrified at Harry and didn't say a word. Harry opened the door and his friends quickly followed him. 'Ah the power of a threatening speech,' Harry thought to himself.
"I thought you were not coming". The three of them said nothing and Harry smiled inwardly, satisfied with his work.
"Ok, where's the flute?" Neville took the flute from his pocket and they waited for Fluffy to come. The room was small and the only way out was the door behind them and there was a trapdoor a few yards in front of them.
"Something's not right. Harry said. "Where the hell is Fluffy?"
"Perhaps Quirrell killed him and vanished his body" Ron said, taking steps to the trapdoor. 'Vanished' Harry thought.
"Ron wait, Harry hissed, but Ron was almost standing on the trapdoor and he took one more step and felt something furry against his skin.
"Harry help," he whimpered. Hermione cast a charm and the bulky form of a three headed dog appeared right in front of them. Fluffy saw them and growled. Ron stepped back and hid behind Neville.
"Neville on my mark," Harry commanded. Fluffy's body was on top of the trapdoor now. Harry realized that if Fluffy slept on the trapdoor, they would have problems moving him. Fluffy advanced towards them and Harry screamed "NOW!"
Neville immediately played the flute and a melodious song filled the room. Fluffy stopped in his tracks and looked at the four Gryffs. He closed his eyes one by one. The first head was asleep the second was asleep but the third was still awake, growling but not asleep. Neville played a much softer song and the last head rolled over and fell to the floor.
"Keep playing Neville", Hermione instructed. They all stepped backwards from Fluffy and Ron lifted the handle and together, they all jumped down, leaving Fluffy behind them.
Harry and his friends landed on something soft. "Oh thank Dumbledore for this. It's meant to break our fall," Ron said lying down looking relaxed. Neville however looked around him and his eyes widened in fear.
"Guys please don't move."
"What do you mean Neville this is quite comfy. I'll shrink it on our way back and take it home to use as my bed" Ron said turning around the 'bed'. Suddenly he seemed to be gagging and his face turned red.
"Harry", he whispered.
"It's Devils Snare if you move you'll choke and die. It'll tighten its hold and mind you, it's got sensors. It can feel your pulse and if your pulse is still up, it'll tighten until you are no more." Neville said in a shaky voice.
"Enough Neville," Hermione said becoming bossy suddenly. "It's not a Herbology lesson and after all, I'm the best," she said looking around completely oblivious of what was going on. Harry tried hard to remember what he had read in the book Sirius gave him. 'Devil Snare – Plant of the dark and damp. A little light will help your plight when you are trapped.'
"Neville they don't like light eh?"
"Yes Harry, but we can't make a fire."
Ron was choking and he was being sucked down. Hermione suddenly realised what was happening and shouted "Ignitio!"
The plant loosened its hold and Ron was free. The whole thing burst into flames and the four friends jumped down and run through another doorway, waiting for the next task.
They opened the door and to their surprise, birds were fluttering around them."Oh bloody hell Dumbledore", Ron said. "Are we meant to shoot them all in twenty seconds?" Harry looked around him and saw that three brooms were in a corner of the room.
"They are not birds Ronald, they are keys with wings. this is got to be Flitwick's work." Hermione said.
"Guys grab a broom. We are looking for a key that can fit into this lock there. They all walked to the door and then studied the lock. "A big old key will fit in here," Harry said, looking at the key with the eyes of an expert. Years of stealing from his aunt's supply cupboard had helped him study the principles of locks and keys. It was good to know his miserable life was paying of.
Hermione refused to fly and so did Neville but after encouragement from his friends, Neville mounted the broom and wobbled on it - at least he hadn't crashed. The three boys scanned the air looking for the right key and Harry flew above them all, getting a bird's eye view of the whole thing.
A few months of catching the Snitch through all forms of weather conditions had made him spot things that others could not, and Harry noticed a key with damaged wings, struggling to fly like the others.
"Gotcha" Harry smirked. "Neville it's to your left. Turn the bloody broom to the left!" Harry shouted.
Neville looked to his left and saw the key they were looking for. He turned left as Harry said and stretched his hand for the key. His hands grabbed the key by its wings and Neville feeling proud of himself, forgot that he was on broom lifted his two hands in joy. However, his moment of joy turned to horror as his broom flew downwards and crashed. There was a loud crack and they could tell he had broken some bones.
The three friends gathered around Neville and Neville looked up and smiled weakly at them. Tears were in his eyes and he gave the key to Harry. "Don't worry Nev, you'll be fine." Harry whispered. Neville nodded weakly and closed his eyes, breathing softly. Harry, Ron and Hermione were quiet and unable to speak. Neville could be dead and Harry felt it was his fault. He looked at Neville and he could feel the tears in his own eyes. He turned away from them and walked up to the old door across the room. Without hesitating, he turned the key and opened the door, awaiting the next challenge.
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 an astonishing sight.
They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly – the towering white chessmen had no faces.
"We've got to play our way across the room," Hermione said looking around
Behind the white pieces they could see another door.
"How?" said Harry. "We can't move them or do we just have to talk?"
"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.
"Do we – er – have to join you to get across?" Ron asked the piece nervously.
The black knight nodded. Ron turned to the other two.
"This wants thinking about," he said. "I suppose we've got to take the place of three of the black pieces ..." Harry and Hermione stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he said, "Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess –"
"Excuse me Ronald", Hermione began "but -
"We're not offended,' said Harry quickly, glaring at Hermione. "Just tell us what to do."
"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go there instead of that castle."
"What about you?"
"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 which Harry, Ron and Hermione took.
"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. Harry watched everything with amusement. He didn't flinch when a pawn smashed another pawn and dragged it off the board.
"Harry – move diagonally four squares to the right." Ron barked studying the pieces carefully. Hermione screamed when their 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. Harry giggled at her and she glared at Harry, murder written all over her face.
"Had to let that happen," said Ron, looking shaken. " That leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on."
Every time one of their 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 and Hermione were in danger. He himself darted around the board taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones.
"We're nearly there," he muttered suddenly. "Let me think – let me think ..."
The white queen turned her blank face towards him.
"Yes ..." said Ron softly, "it's the only way ... I've got to be taken."
"NO!" Hermione shouted. "If he's to be taken, he's to be taken Hermione", Harry said.
"Harry" she started, he's going to be killed. I can't let that"-
"That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I'll make my move and she'll take me – that leaves you free to checkmate the king!"
"But –"
"Do you want to stop Quirrell or not?"
"Ron –"
"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!"
There was nothing else for another argument.
"Ready?"
Ron called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go – now, don't hang around once you've won and Harry if I die, just know that I now want to be your friend." Harry nodded at Ron as he stepped forward and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard around the head with her stone arm and he crashed to the floor – Hermione screamed but stayed on her square – the white queen dragged Ron to one side of the board.
Harry moved three spaces to the left and the white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet.
They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Harry and Hermione charged through the door and up the next passageway.
"What if he's –?"
"He'll be all right," said Harry, trying to convince himself. "What do you reckon's next?"
"We've had Sprout's that was the Devil's Snare – Flitwick put charms on the keys – McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive – that leaves Quirrell's spell, and Snape's ..."
They had reached another door.
"All right?" Harry whispered.
"Go on."
Harry pushed it open.
A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making Hermione pull her robes up over her nose. Harry seemed not to have noticed the smell and he didn't even choke when he bent over to look at what was causing the stench. Flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one he had talked to at the girls' toilets had been tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head.
"I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one," Hermione whispered, as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. "Come on, I can't breathe." He 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 on it in a line.
"Snape," said Harry. "What do we have to do?"
They stepped over the threshold and immediately 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 onwards. They were trapped.
"Look!" Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles.
Harry looked over her shoulder to read it:
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.
Hermione let out a great sigh and Harry, amazed, saw that she was smiling, the very last thing he felt like doing. "Fuck Snape and his methods of murder", he cursed loudly.
"Brilliant," said Hermione. "This isn't magic – it's logic – a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever."
"Just get your gears in motion love, we ain't got all day," Harry said impatiently.
Hermione sighed and spoke up. "Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire and one will get us back through the purple."
"But how do we know which to drink?"
"Give me a minute."
Hermione read the paper several times. Then she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands.
"Got it," she said. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire – towards the Stone."
Harry looked at the tiny bottle. "There's only enough there for one of us," he said.
They looked at each other. "Which one will get you back through the purple flames?"
Hermione pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line.
"You drink that," said Harry. "No, listen – get back and get Ron – grab brooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy – go straight to the Owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Quirrell off for a while, but I'm no match for him really, looking at the way he calculated the attacks. I bet my head that the letter to the Ministry was a trap by Quirrell so he could get the Stone."
"But Harry – what if You-Know-Who's with him? I believe strongly it might be him possessing Quirrell but you won't let me talk."
"Well – I was lucky once, wasn't I?" said Harry, pointing at his hair where his scar was, making sure she couldn't see it. "I might get lucky again, and please remind me to give you three a task. I'm sick of that name."
Hermione's lip trembled and she suddenly dashed at Harry and threw her arms around him.
"Hermione!" Harry cringed at her touch.
"Harry – you're a great wizard, you know."
"I'm not as good as you," said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him. "Although you become bossy at times, you are good."
"He's finally admitted I'm good. I can sleep in peace now."
"You drink first," said Harry feeling bored suddenly. "You are sure which is which, aren't you?"
Hermione nodded and took a long drink from the round bottle at the end and shuddered.
"Quick, go, before it wears off."
"Good luck!" she called out
"GO!"
Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire. Harry took a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. He turned to face the black flames.
"For Merlin and country," he muttered and gulped the potion down. It was indeed as though ice was flooding his body. He put the bottle down and walked forward; he braced himself, and saw the black flames licking his body but couldn't feel them – for a moment he could see nothing but dark fire – then he was on the other side, in the last chamber. Quirrell was already there standing in front of a mirror.
"All right you fucking bastard", Harry hissed. "You are history."
Please Review. Some of the parts were copied from Aunt Jo's book
Some bits like the chess bit and the Potion bit was from the book- I don't own Potter.