Chapter 26: Through the Trapdoor and into the Gauntlet
Hermione stood up and gave as mighty of a stretch a twelve-year girl could give. She then looked around the area again. She really liked this place. Despite the stone floor, it was incredibly comfortable. She was pretty sure it was enchanted to be. The place even had a pleasant spring breeze every so often and the trees gave plenty of shade. The runway was on the back side of the castle where there wasn't much to find shade wise down below. Up where they were though, there were some trees and other vegetation.
Hermione had wondered about the lack of shade at the back after they first arrived at Hogwarts and explored the outer grounds a little with her friends. She thought it a little strange then. Now that she knew what Elsa told them, it made sense. If you had races in the area or it was used for shows and as a military installation, of course you wouldn't want a lot of trees and such that might get in the way. People would want to see the shows unobstructed. When it came to races you could easily conjure up a track if you really wanted to. Lastly, if it was being used as a Wizard Air Force runway you'd want plenty of open space around it.
The runway, known as the ruin to everyone else, was also a place of myth, legend and superstition. This meant even students with brooms didn't really dare to venture here. All of this added together meant their group of friends were able to spend time out here without drawing too much attention and away from others. The group of course hung out in plenty of other spaces outside, but this was a new favorite.
Ron was really blown away by it when they first brought him out here after they served their detention with Hagrid. He was really intrigued by it being a former military wing. They even spent more time in the corridor on the way here since they didn't have to worry about meeting a deadline, even if Charlie still took his time that night. They actually looked inside a couple of the barracks' rooms on the way with Ron. The place was pretty well preserved.
"This is wicked!" Ron said as he looked at a board with flight formations and names as assignments. He actually wrote some of them down. "I want to see if maybe some of my family served in the past," he said. It seemed Ron really took a liking to studying things like this since he had started trying to put his more tactical thinking to the test as a way to play more chess and also contribute to their Gauntlet preparations.
"I've never really thought about aerial formations before. Nor have I ever looked at such larger scale things," He said to the others as he looked more at the boards along with the room and actually found what looked like an old set of notes of some kind. He was tempted to leave with them, but it felt wrong to do that. This place felt like it should be as undisturbed as possible.
He also loved it when they described Norbert's Extraction in more detail and showed him where Charlie and the others came from and such. They also described the harness the dragon handlers had. "Man, I wish I was here to see it all, would have been nice to see Charlie again. Mum's always getting on his case about not coming home often enough. Ginny went with my parents to visit him over Christmas as you know. She seemed to have really enjoyed it. I didn't even think how tough it would be on Ginny with only Mum for company," he said as they continued to outside.
Today the five friends were lounging out in the sun. They were a little spread out, but they also kind of joined each other every now and then. Ron and Neville were playing a game of chess. Harry and Elsa were looking over something together. Hermione had been reading a book while she laid down earlier.
Hermione went and checked on the chess game. She found it a lot more intense than she thought it would be. Neville seemed to have a really different style of play or a lack thereof, and Ron loved it. Ron would constantly have to change his approach and he loved how agile it made his mind feel in a way, if that made any sense.
The brainy Gryffindor decided not to say anything after she watched for a bit. She next looked over and giggled as she noticed Harry seemed to convince Elsa to model for more pictures. He was trying out new techniques he had learned with the massive photography book she got him for Christmas. She was glad she bugged Elsa about what she was getting Harry for Christmas. He wouldn't love the camera as much if it wasn't for the book too, even though he would still love it. They did have to tell him to calm down with it after he first got it, but he was mostly behaved with it now.
"Hey, Harry. How about I take a couple of shots of you and Elsa?" Hermione asked. She did at least know how to work the camera, even if she wasn't at his skill level. He looked a little uncertain at her suggestion. Hermione sighed and said, "I'll let you set up the shot." That got him to agree. Harry was already at a stage where a regular shot wouldn't work properly most of the time in his opinion.
Harry started looking around the runway with the camera in his hands trying to get a great shot lined up. He even sneaked a couple of shots of Neville and Ron's game. One of them was actually kind of funny because Neville and Ron's roles were reversed. Neville was usually very serious and Ron laid back. At the moment, Ron was deep in concentration and Neville was leaning back and looking up to the sky.
The amateur photographer finally found what he thought was a great frame for the shot. It was with one of the trees in the middle and part of the Ruin in the background. There was enough of the ruin to look cool, but not to give away the location. He liked the idea of taking photos in ways it wasn't easy to tell where they were shot. Maybe he thought that would give the picture more meaning or something. He wasn't sure, but he liked it.
"Alright Hermione come right here," he called to her. He then pointed to where she had to stand, told her how she had to hold the camera, where to point the camera and several other things that were overly technical for just a couple of photos in her opinion. She obliged him though because it was her idea to get him to have the pictures taken. Harry loved taking pictures, but he wasn't the fondest of being in them. "Did you understand all of that, Hermione?" He asked.
"I know how to work the camera, Harry. Go stand over there with Elsa already," Hermione said causing Harry to chuckle a little. He stood by Elsa and it would have been kind of an awkward photo if Elsa hadn't decided to grab him and pull him in closer. Harry didn't really fret or complain. He even actually smiled in a much more relaxed way than usual. Hermione giggled a little and took three photos. One of them was a close up of the two friends' faces and the others were how he instructed her. "There we go," she said once the pictures were taken.
Elsa then spoke up, "Alright now it's your turn, Hermione! You get to have a picture taken with Harry."
Hermione blushed. That wasn't part of the deal. Harry seemed to agree with Elsa and started staging up a different photo. After all, this was with Hermione and him. It had to be different.
For this photo, he picked a place where there was a broken pillar fallen on the ground with a small pile of rubble. The runway had a bit of an overhang area and part of it had fallen down long ago, but the part that remained was sturdy as ever.
"I never said anything about having my picture taken," Hermione said with a frown to Elsa.
"Well you did just volunteer me to have my picture taken with him. I figured it was only fair you had yours taken too," Elsa said with a far too innocent smile.
Hermione also wasn't the biggest fan of having her picture taken at times. It was her massively frizzy hair that bothered her. Her mom and dad thought it was just fine and she was adorable of course, but they were parents. What did they know about such things?
Hermione was the awkward one in this photo. Harry however, was happy to have a picture taken with her as well and Elsa got him out of his awkwardness with their earlier pictures. He passed forward the favor in kind. Harry quickly pulled Hermione in close causing her to blush a little in surprise and managed to get her to smile as much as she usually smiled, even if she was hiding her buck teeth.
Elsa took a couple of pictures and then gave a mischievous smile as she covertly used her powers to send out a slight cool wind. The wind hit Hermione and caused her hair to blow a little in the wind. Just like Elsa figured, her friend's hair looked less frizzy and more like a beautifully unkempt model's hair blowing in the breeze. Hermione instinctually raised a hand up to brush some of her hair back while Harry smiled and looked a little awestruck. The picture turned out to be rather stunning Elsa thought.
"Really, Hermione. I think you are a little too subconscious about your hair. It does look fine. I can't wait for you to see the last picture I took when that wind blew through," Elsa said.
Harry nodded. "I think that will turn out great, though I might look like a bit of an idiot, because I was caught by surprise there." Hermione blushed but didn't say anything. She did smile though. She doubted it would look good, but she was happy they said that.
"Checkmate!" Ron said victoriously. Neville just shook his head. There really wasn't any doubt in his mind Ron would win, but it seemed like Ron took a certain pride when he won against Neville for whatever reason. Ron then let out a breath and smiled as he said, "Good game, mate. As always."
Neville just shook his head. "If you say so, Ron." He gave a chuckle at the end.
"I'm starving. You think it's close to dinner yet?" Ron asked with a smile. The others laughed at him. "Maybe we should visit Hagrid. I could really go for one of his rock cakes now he's got them figured out and fixed that oven of his."
"Nope," Hermione said putting her foot down on the subject. "We haven't got long until exams you know. And we agreed to get started today after we spent time out here for a bit."
Ron groaned. "Another game? Neville?" he pleaded.
Neville laughed, "Sorry, Ron. I actually agree with Hermione. Better start now. We put off any longer and we'll do bad. Do you really want to have to explain to your mother why you failed a class?"
Ron sighed in an over exaggerated manner but got up. "Guess not," he said. He then laughed and said, "We'll at least ace DADA and History. We've all read the books plenty and for Quirrell's class I'm pretty sure if you just answer, 'Doesn't matter! Just run away!' for everything he'll probably give you bonus points." The group laughed including Hermione as they made their way to go study.
Hermione then snickered again and added, "I bet we can just write down the page number or chapter of the book and say look it up and pass as well."
Ron pretended to almost have a heart attack. "Did Miss Hermione Granger just make a joke about school work?" he asked a snickering Harry. Hermione gave Ron a frown that lasted for a couple of seconds until the friends all laughed again.
{-} {-} {-}
Studying really sucked in Ron's opinion, but it wasn't as bad when Harry, Neville, Hermione, Elsa and he did so together oddly enough. He still wasn't about to dare become the next Percy though. If he felt he was doing too well, he might "accidentally" get a question or two wrong just to be sure he had banked minus points. He wasn't going to bother with this for Potions. Snape hated Gryffindor. If there was one class that he was sure would keep him from becoming a younger version of Percy, it was Potions.
Speaking of which… "I'm surprised Snape hasn't gotten the you know what yet," he said after they studied for a good while. Elsa had just finished quizzing Harry and Neville on charms. She was the best at that class easily and probably felt she had to be since her Head of House taught the class.
"I'm surprised Professor Quirrell has held out this long as well," Harry said.
"There's also the fact Dumbledore has been keeping to the school more lately. Even if Snape is going after the stone for Voldemort or Voldemort is going after it himself, there's no way he'll do so while Dumbledore's in the school," Hermione said ignoring the shivers from Ron and Neville at Voldemort's name. She understood where they were coming from, but that didn't mean she was going to keep saying 'You-know-who' or 'He-who-must-not-be-named'. Harry had pointed out how silly it was to be scared of the name many times during the year. Elsa even agreed with him as well. Plus, it was easier to just say Voldemort instead of You-know-who or He-who-must-not-be-named constantly.
"I just don't get Quirrell at all…" Elsa started. The others looked to her. "I mean he's scared of his own shadow and medium-loud sounds. Heck you all even said he fainted when it came to the troll despite supposedly being an expert on them. How is he able to stand up to Professor Snape? I don't like the potions master, but I totally understand how he can be intimidating. If he wasn't holding back at all he might even get to me a little. It sounds like he isn't pulling any punches with Quirrell. How can he stand against Professor Snape?"
"Maybe it's because he realizes what's actually going on and who Snape's working for really. Maybe he actually realizes this is bigger than his own life," Ron suggested.
"I don't care how he's doing it. I'm just glad he is. We've had plenty of time to get better prepared for the gauntlet during these weeks. I'm betting we do a lot better on the exams than originally expected because of all of that," Harry said.
"Speaking of exams…" Hermione started. The others sighed but got back to studying.
{-} {-} {-}
"Ugh…" Ron groaned. "Harry? We really do just have one day left of exams, right?" he asked.
Harry was laying down and slowly nodded. Sure, they had known a lot more and were really well prepared, even if they decided to keep most of what they learned while getting ready for the gauntlet a secret. However, exams and studying for exams was still tough. When you add in how worried he was Professor Quirrell would give in to Snape any day now and Voldemort would come back in full power thanks to the bloody stone, it was a miracle they had survived. "Ron… if I ever decide to make my own stone slap me, okay?" Harry said.
Ron nodded. The bloody thing was too annoying to keep around. He would just use it to get a lot of gold once or twice and get rid of it himself. It wasn't worth keeping around when you had to constantly worry about Dark Lords coming for it, even less worth it if you were taking exams too. "If anyone makes one and we find out. I saw we require them to have to take a full month of exams the whole time while worrying about it. They'll gladly toss it out on their own after that," Ron said. Neville gave a tired chuckle to that.
Neville was surprised he had somehow managed not to let Snape get to him during the Potions Exam. Maybe it was because the evil professor stayed at his desk the whole time and demanded absolute quiet during the exam, even the Slytherins weren't stupid enough to press their luck in that atmosphere. He seemed to be in an extra foul mood as well. Probably because Quirrell hadn't given in to him yet by some miracle.
Neville's success on the exam was most likely the extra lessons Elsa had him do in addition to their Potions' study sessions. Neville had found things were coming to him easier now that he was doing that whole mediating thing. It had also cleared up the things he learned in class as well. He found it easier to be calm and he noticed he wasn't as forgetful has he used to be at the start of the school year.
Hermione was currently too busy studying for their last exam to add anything to their limited conversation. DADA was the last one they had. It seemed she had decided she would have to quote the book word for word to pass or something. She'd gone over the textbook at least three times today they'd swear.
Harry finally stood up. "I need to go for a bit of a walk and stretch my legs. I'll either be back before the exam or meet you all there," he said as he left. Ron and Neville gave him weak waves. Hermione didn't even acknowledge he was leaving. She was busy reciting the passage about werewolves to herself three times.
Harry decided he might as well keep near the Classrooms because it was a lot closer to exam time than he thought. On the way, he passed by Professor Quirrell's office. He paused when he heard sobs coming from inside. Harry crept closer.
"No more!" the man whimpered. "I'm sorry… I'll not defy you again!" It sounded as if the turban wearing professor was having a conversation with someone who Harry couldn't really hear. "I'll just go now… I have to do the first-year exam…" The man then cried and sobbed for a little while before leaving the office quickly.
Harry jumped out of sight as the door slammed open and Quirrell ran to class. Harry looked inside quickly, but he couldn't see anyone. He couldn't even see any sign someone was in there with Quirrell. "Maybe a secret passageway?" he thought. It was possible. Elsa seemed to know a lot of passageways and he was sure Snape would know even more being a Professor and all. Harry was sure the hooked nosed man had probably just crept out of sight somewhere. He wanted to further examine the office, but realized he needed to hurry to DADA for his exam.
{-} {-} {-}
Harry sighed as he finished the DADA exam. He needed to just rest for a bit to let his mind calm down before telling the others what he found out.
"Don't worry about it, Mate," Ron said. Harry looked to him with a frown. Ron stretched. "Just enjoy not having to study anymore this year. Besides, Dumbledore is still here and the Professors have to teach NEWT level classes. Everyone would suspect something was up if Snape didn't hold his exams. Fred and George reckon he loves exams because it gives him an extra chance to really crush people's dreams of getting passing grades in his class."
Harry sighed. Ron was right. Plus, his headache was really bad after DADA so a little rest would be nice. His scar was bothering him a lot recently. The others were concerned, but they had kind of accepted Harry's scar hurt and that was normalish. He was also too stubborn to see Madam Pomfrey about it and pointed out there wouldn't be anything she could do anyways.
"Besides…" Ron said giving a yawn. "We have a whole week until we find out how bad we did. I really wonder what he will say when he sees I answered the question about werewolves by writing 'Reference Hermione Granger's paper and as a secondary source look on pages 473-489 in chapter 12 of the book'."
"Actually 472-490…" Hermine said automatically. She even shocked herself at her reply and blushed. Neville, Ron and Harry tried not to laugh too hard, but weren't succeeding.
"So how do you think you all did?" Elsa asked as she walked over to them with the other Ravenclaw girls.
"I referenced Hermione for my answers. She listed the pages," Ron said with a laugh earning a halfhearted glare from said girl.
"I was tempted to just answer Doesn't matter run Away for everything myself," Elsa said getting a laugh from Ron. She then smiled and added, "I did doodle a hang man game by one answer in the margin." That got a laugh from all of them.
"I certainly hope we have an actual professor next year," Padma said before shaking her head and finding her sister. Parvati gave them a friendly wave and made her way over to them with Lavender following.
"How long do ya reckon until Quirrell drops the tests and ends up hiding under his bed?" Morag asked with a smile.
"Hmmm…." Ron said pretending to actually be in deep thought on the issue before saying, "Probably by the time he gets to the fifth test. Sooner if he reads Hermione's book accurate answers. Those will probably be too graphic for him."
Hermione rolled her eyes. Ron then gave a grin as he said, "Unless of course he sees Elsa's hangman doodle. Then he'll probably toss the paper into the fire and just give everyone a good grade to spare himself further horror. He'll probably faint if he sees Seamus' paper first though."
"Why's that?" Parvati asked.
Seamus was the one to answer since he was in earshot. "I drew a bloody awesome troll and a couple of explosions!" There was another round of laughter as he walked off with Dean and a friend of theirs from Hufflepuff. Lavender seemed to giggle an extra amount at his answer and blushed a little bit.
Padma rolled her eyes at the blonde Gryffindor. She didn't mind her sister's best friend, but Padma was glad they weren't that girly and giggly in Ravenclaw, even in their extra girly moods. The large group of first years spent a while together before they finally went their separate ways for the day.
{-} {-} {-}
Over the next couple of days Harry somehow managed to let himself relax a little, but he was always in a way ready for action. It was a bright and warm sunny day outside currently and he was with Ron, Hermione and Neville out on the grounds near the lake. Elsa was hanging out in the dorm with her roommates. She had said something at breakfast about it being too bright for her and everyone was too loud. The rest of the Ravenclaw first year girls seemed to be in a similar state as well. They had probably had one of their infamous sleepovers last night.
Harry's scar was still hurting a bit and he didn't know why. It annoyed him a lot. He gave a sigh as he paced and rubbed his forehead.
"You really need to relax, Harry," Neville said with concern.
"Sorry. It's just my scar has been worse since the forest and even more so after the DADA exam," Harry said. "Do you think it is a warning?" he asked his friends.
They shrugged in reply. "Relax, Harry. Besides there's always Fluffy," Ron said causally as he stretched out.
Harry stopped in his tracks. He then slapped his forehead and started muttering, "Stupid, stupid, stupid us! How did we not see it sooner?" He then turned to his confused and concerned friends.
"Norbert," Harry said simply.
The others blinked and it was Hermione who caught on first. "You don't think?!" she asked horrified.
Harry nodded, "We need to go see Hagrid now." He led the way and started marching towards the hut.
"Any explanation for those of us who aren't the top in the year?" Ron asked with a huff.
"Don't you think it's interesting how Hagrid's always wanted a dragon more than anything else?" Harry asked. "And then someone just happens to show up in a pub with a dragon egg and lose it to Hagrid in a game of poker?"
Ron and Neville both gave groans as they understood what he was saying. "Oh, Merlin's beard… I really hope that isn't what happened, but I bet it is," Ron said. They picked up the pace.
Harry was the first to reach the hut and he knocked really loudly on the door. "Hagrid are you in there?" he called.
"Oh hello. If it isn't you lot. Finished with exams?" Hagrid asked from around the hut in his garden.
Harry and the others ran over there. "Yes. We did. But enough about that," Harry started. "Hagrid how exactly did you get Norbert?"
"I already told ya in a game of cards," Hagrid answered clearly puzzled.
"Did you get a good look at the man who gave you the egg?" Neville asked.
Hagrid was in thought. "Now that ye mention it. He was wearing this really thick cloak and had it covering his face."
"And you didn't find that strange at all?" Hermione asked in a huff.
"Ye get a lot of strange folks up at the Hog's Head," Hagrid answered.
"Did he ask you anything in particular?" Harry asked.
"Well yeah. We talked a bit. Told him I worked here as game keeper though he already knew that," Hagrid said. He then rubbed his beard. "It was after that and a few drinks that we played cards. I told him I'd always wanted to raise a dragon and then he told me he actually had an egg he was looking ta get rid of. He asked me if I could handle it. I'm pretty sure I already told ye this. I told him after Fluffy I could handle anything."
"Did he seem particularly interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked.
"Of course, 'e was. How often do ye hear about a three-headed dog?" Hagrid said to them. He then continued, "He asked how I did that. I told him that Fluffy was a sucker for music. Play him a little tune or sing ta him and he sleeps like a baby… I shouldn't have told ye that. What are ye lot doing here anyways? Shouldn't ye be back at the castle?" Hagrid was clearly fed up with them at this moment and so they made their exit.
"He's knows how to get past Fluffy too. I bet anything it was either Voldemort or Snape under that cloak in the pub. He gave Hagrid a few drinks and played him like a Fiddle," Harry said.
"We should tell Professor Dumbledore right away. Or Professor McGonagall," Hermione said. Harry seemed to agree with her. They entered the hallway and looked around. "Anyone know how we get there?" Hermione asked.
They shook their heads. Ron looked around in thought. "We should try the staff lounge. There is a good chance he will be there or if not him maybe Professor Flitwick or Professor McGonagall. I'm pretty sure we can trust those two. Elsa really approves of Professor Flitwick. Also, you know the way there, Harry."
They followed Harry as he led the way with more confidence this time. On their way, they heard a voice call out to them, "What are you four doing inside on a day like this?" Professor McGonagall was in front them holding a stack of books.
"We need to see Professor Dumbledore!" Ron blurted out.
"Really?" she asked incredulously. They nodded quickly hoping that would work. "Well you can't. He's away at the ministry."
"Now?!" Ron asked.
"Yes. Mr. Weasley now…" she said sternly.
"But it's really important we see him immediately!" Ron said again.
"Really… You four have something more important to say than the Minister of Magic? I doubt that," she replied.
Ron was about to say something, but Harry cut him off. "Professor. We know about the Sorcerer's Stone."
She dropped her books in surprise. "How do you know about the stone?"
"That's not important! Sna- Someone is going to try and steal it soon. I know for a fact someone is. We know about Fluffy and everything," Harry said.
Professor McGonagall looked very unimpressed. "I don't know how you learned about everything, but I assure you it is well protected. Besides Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow. Now go back outside. If you keep pressing on this I will be forced to take harsh actions!" she said as she picked up her books and left them.
Once she was out of earshot Neville spoke, "It's going to be tonight isn't, Harry?"
Harry nodded.
"What do we do?" Hermione asked.
Harry was in thought, "Maybe if someone keeps an eye on Snape we can…"
Ron cut him off with a very serious look on his face. "We go to get it now. We get the cloak from our room and we go now. We are as ready as we can be. We don't know how long it will take us to get through. We should get the stone first and either destroy it or at the very least hide it somewhere else where Snape won't find it. First thing tomorrow we give it to Dumbledore, McGonagall or Flitwick."
Neville nodded in agreement. "If we get it first and show it to them, they'll realize we were right. If we can get it then Snape for sure could get it. They'll have to listen to us then."
Harry nodded to this. Hermione sighed. "I don't like this. Not one bit at all. They might expel us or something…" the others looked to her. She continued, "But better to do something about it to prevent Snape from getting the stone and get expelled then to wait and let him get it for Voldemort."
Neville nodded while looking very grave as he said, "We can't let Vol-him come back at any cost or his followers." Neville's words and demeanor were shocking to Harry and the others, but they were impressed and encouraged by him.
"Let's go then," Harry said as they headed to their dorm room. He knew it would fit them all. They could even fit Elsa too if she joined them on the way.
Just as Harry thought about her he saw her in front of them. She smiled at them. "Hey I was looking for you guys. Sorry about this morning. I'm good now. Why are you all still inside?" she asked.
"We're going now. To the Gauntlet," Harry replied. Elsa fell into step by him. "When Hagrid got Norbert, he ended up telling Snape how to get past Fluffy. Quirrell's already broken down and told him how to get past his anti-dark arts protection. Dumbledore's gone and McGonagall won't believe us."
"Can't we try McGonagall again? I'm here now. I could help," she said. She would invoke her full title if she needed to on this. The stone was that important and should not fall into Voldemort's hands at all, especially not when delivered by Professor Snape.
Harry sighed. "It's useless she won't hear any of it from us."
"I'm sure if we try one more time it will work," Elsa said. She seemed to be struggling to stay quiet about why she knew this would be the case with such certainty.
"I'm telling you it won't work. Why are you so sure she will listen if you are there, Elsa?" Harry asked a little testy. His mind was made up and his patience on this topic running thin. They were wasting time arguing like this.
Elsa seemed like there was something really on her mind. She looked very frustrated with herself. "Just trust me on this. If I go with you four and back you up she will listen," she tried one last time.
"It won't work. She more or less said if we didn't leave it alone we would be in serious trouble. She'd probably blow up at us before we could even say anything," Harry said.
Elsa seemed angry or frustrated at them. It was only barely noticeable to Harry though. The others probably noticed it even less. She gave a sigh. "Fine…"
Harry was relieved she was onboard now. "But why are we going the wrong way?" she asked.
"We're getting the cloak first," Ron started as he explained the plan to her.
She nodded to his plan and said, "This will work. I know a shortcut from near where Gryffindor tower is that will take us right outside by the room where you all saw Fluffy." When it came to shortcuts and passageways, they didn't doubt her.
Elsa just hoped the passageway was in good shape. It should be. She had read her ancestors' journals on passageways and even asked Marvin about a few of them. It should be clear, but she was a little nervous about it. She was also a little excited to be going to Gryffindor tower even if she would have to wait outside for them or something.
Once they got there, Elsa waited for them a little away from the entrance. Harry looked through his trunk and grabbed his cloak. In a bit of last minute thinking, he grabbed the flute Hagrid gave him for Christmas as well. "For the music," he said when Ron looked at him. Ron nodded in understanding.
When they exited, Elsa quickly fell in step by Harry again. Harry quickly threw the cloak over all of them as they crowded together. It was a tight fit, but it was good enough. Elsa led them to an alcove a short distance away from their house. There was a painting of a Knight in armor standing next to a centaur and a goblin. They were all three looking at a tower in the distance.
Elsa sighed to herself.
She bit her thumb to draw blood and placed it on the painting. Hermione gasped at her actions but otherwise stayed silent. Elsa then took in a deep breath and whispered in her native tongue so they wouldn't understand her, "It takes more than just the gift to rule the Nation of Eagle Valley. Love is the key. As is courage to face the unknown."
The painting glowed yellow gold and her blood disappeared and her thumb healed, but the cut was still visible. She next leaned forward and softly but strongly whispered, "Kjærlighet". The painting melted away and the path before them lit up.
She waited a moment to let them take in what they saw before moving forward. Once they were inside, the painting appeared again and the entrance closed behind them. This passageway wasn't too long, but it traveled a great distance. They were focused on their current task and what lay ahead of them, so they didn't ask Elsa what just happened.
Soon the passageway opened in front of them and they stepped outside on the forbidden third floor corridor. They were only two doors down from where they needed to go. Harry moved quickly and Hermione again unlocked the door for them. It just felt right that she would open it for them, even though they all knew the unlock spell by this point.
The group was very quiet as they entered the room. They were relieved and disappointed to hear soft harp music playing and the snores of three dog heads. They looked down below the trapdoor. They knew it was a risk, but they had to jump down. "What if you need to know how to levitate yourself to get down there safely?" Ron whispered.
"No one can do that, not even Dumbledore," Neville said quietly. He then looked determined. "This is the first trial of the gauntlet." He then swallowed and dropped down. A couple of seconds later he called up, "There's a soft landing down here."
The others didn't really hesitate as they dropped down in turns. They weren't going to wait for the dog to wake up again. Snape already had a lead on them. When they all landed, the door above slammed shut behind them. It seemed Fluffy moved in his sleep.
As they landed on the soft whatever it was, they soon felt vines start to wrap around them. They were just starting to panic, Ron was already doing just that, when Neville spoke to them. "Devil's Snare. Calm down and relax," he told them.
The friends did just that as they slipped down through the plant leaves and landed on the ground below. Ron took a little longer than the others. "Well…" he said. "Good thing nobody panicked." The others just shook their heads.
Elsa then pointed her wand to the side of her face and said, "Makaask imprivos". The others immediately did the same before continuing.
Ron even added a "Lumo Oblesa" as well to give them some light. They stepped into a room and right away there was a puff of something that looked like pollen right at their faces. They just kept going as the spell protected them.
Once they were away from the pollen area, Neville looked back and whistled. "What was it?" Ron asked.
"That was Polnexius sparious. Elsa's spell saved us a lot of trouble. The plant shoots pollen in the air as a defense mechanism. If it had gotten in our eyes, nose or mouth. Well let's just say it is a very powerful hallucinogen," Neville answered.
"How strong are we talking about here?" Ron asked.
"You'd think you were floating in space while surrounded by strange looking green men. Or you might think you were strapped to a medical table while metal tentacles and instruments floated nearby and little green men were controlling them. It varies a lot, but there are always little green men. My uncle says it's responsible for a lot of the alien abductions muggles talk about," he replied.
"Ahh yeah that's right… Plants. You take the lead, Neville." Harry then stepped to the side and let him pass.
They walked into a new room and right away Neville spread out his hands and stopped his friends from moving forward. "Well… That's very rare… and dangerous," he thought out loud as he pointed towards a medium sized plant with large flowers with white and yellow colored petals that had a red base.
He then pointed his wand at the nearest one and said, "Aguamenti," as a narrow stream of water shot out from his wand and he aimed it right at the red colored petal base. "Do the same on the others," he said. There were several others and they made their way through the group of plants, "Do so in a manner that the plants don't have more than ten seconds of time without the spell hitting them."
The group carefully moved forward. They were usually double teaming the plants as they moved past them. Ron was able to help here because he already could use the water spell with his brother's wand easily. Hermione was nervous while she sprayed the plants in front of her and was thankful Elsa was next to her helping out. Harry was in front with Neville and Ron was bringing up the back.
Once they were clear of the plants, Hermione had to ask, "What plant was that, and what did we just avoid?"
"That was Vanerous mobilos. It is a very nasty but rare plant. You couldn't see them because it was hiding them, but it has vines. These vines don't try to strangle you or anything. They force their way inside you through your mouth, your ears… other orifices…" Neville trailed off a little as they all winced at what that meant.
He then cleared his throat. "It then takes over your body rather painfully and uses you to reproduce. It is particularly long lasting in males," He swallowed.
"And females?" Hermione squeaked. Elsa really wished Hermione hadn't asked that. She was pretty sure it was going to be horrible, but she knew how morbid curiosity worked at times and couldn't fully hold it against Hermione.
"You see the red base of the flowers?" he asked. She nodded. "It births itself from the females violently through their… ummm… wombs…" He said pausing to keep from getting sick at the thought. "The female victims don't know any better either. It messes with their minds and makes them think they are pregnant with the child of their dreams. Everyone else would easily know what was happening and it can be stopped if caught early enough."
He leaned against the wall nearby and said, "With men, they make them go about reproducing the human way, but without any care or thought for the females the possessed man chases or the possessed man himself. Again, the effects are easily noticeable to everyone else and there are methods to save the victim if it is discovered early enough. It still isn't a process you want to go through and given this place is a secret it is very likely we would not get help soon enough. Possessed bodies can't really use magic so we wouldn't be able to get out of her for better or for worse."
Ron seemed to swallow some vomit. Harry just stared at the floor concentrating on it. Elsa was looking a little sickened and Hermione was grabbing on tight to Elsa since she was the closest. "Why keep such a horrible dangerous plant around at all?" Hermione asked in horror and disgust.
Neville sighed to regain himself. He then stood up and said, "If treated right the petals, roots, and stems have very powerful healing properties. Not even essence of dittany can compare. There are several magical aliments that only Vanerous extract can cure. It still has a lot of untapped potential in other healing ways as well. There are some wizards studying the body take over aspects very carefully to see if that could be of any use for people with mobility issues, but the plant is very rare. You have to have a lot of specialized certificates to raise it. There are methods to reproduce it that don't involve humans. It is also highly regulated."
He was in thought and then nodded. "Now that I think about it Professor Sport is one of the few in the area that can certify others. She holds the classes whenever they are needed during the summer break here."
"They have that stuff here?" Hermione asked panicking and grabbing Elsa's arm tighter.
Neville nodded, "But like I said there are a lot of safety precautions you have to follow and special storage requirements. There is no way a Hogwarts Student would be able to stumble across them by accident and there should be stunning arrays around it as well, so the body won't break lose. Again, a controlled body can't use magic."
"You seem to know a lot about it," Elsa said.
Neville gave a slight smiled. "Part of the Longbottom family fortune comes from raising the plants. My Great Uncle Algie is certified. I'll probably get certified further down the line as well," he said.
"Well I sure am glad you were here, mate." Ron said as he looked up. It seemed he was recovering. "I don't want to think what would have happened if you weren't with us."
Neville smiled and said with a hint of amusement, "You'd probably be busy playing Quidditch in space with a bunch of little green men." That got a chuckle from everyone which got them to put the horror that is Vanerous Mobilos out of their minds.
{-} {-} {-}
The group approached another door that was at the end of a long corridor. They heard music coming from it. Some really good and catchy music coming from it. They opened the door and on the other side was a brightly lit room that was decorated like a really happening place.
There were dancing lampposts, coat racks, hat racks, coat and hat racks as well as dress design stands. To one side of the room, there was a piano hopping a bit and playing music. There was even a band of instruments playing along with the piano. They even saw a mic stand that was somehow pretty to them and it was singing songs sometimes with a derby hat mic stand singing as well. There was even an open bar on the other side of the room with a mannequin serving drinks.
In the center of the large room, there was a really nice dance floor. It had a bunch of colorful sheer curtains in a pattern hanging on the ceiling and not drooping enough to get in the way of the dancers. The atmosphere of the place was really cheerful and fun. The music and the feel of the place was really catchy too.
"Come on! I bet they have fire whiskey here in addition to butterbeer!" Ron said as Neville walked over to the bar with him. They felt as if they were forgetting something, but it couldn't be that important really.
"This place is cool. Real cool," Harry said as he listened to the music and tapped his feet while sitting at a table.
"I know! I really like the singer!" Hermione said as she sat next to Harry.
"You tell it like it is don't cha, babe? I like that! I can tell you're a smart cookie too!" A rather handsome lamppost said to her causing her to blush a little.
Hermione giggled, "Oh thank you so much! So many people hate me for being smart. I can't help it. I don't like being dumb." The lamppost laughed to that. Harry chuckled and kept dancing in his seat to the music.
Elsa looked around the place. It was so amazing. She'd seen fancy ballrooms but never such a place like this. It was like those nightclubs in the old movies with Bing Crosby and all of them. She also really liked this kind of music.
"Hogwarts is really amazing! The archive didn't mention anything about this! It must be new," Elsa said to herself as she walked over to see what Neville and Ron were up to. They seemed to be having a butter beer drinking contest.
"Hey! Elsa!" Ron said. "You. You have to try the butterbeer it's really strong, but *hic* it isa so good,"
Neville had a lazy grin as he nodded in agreement. Elsa figured she might as well try some, she was a princess after all she could easily pull the diplomatic immunity card if a police officer tried to get on their case for underaged drinking. She took a sip and took in a deep breath. "Wow…"
"See… See… *Hic* I toldjyas its wus goud… So goud… *hic*," Ron said.
The band started up and a handsome mic singer started off by signing:
"You know I'm almost grown…
Yeah and I'm doing alright in school….
They ain't said I broke no rule…
I aint never been in dutch…
I don't browse around too much…"
"I love this song!" Elsa said.
"Never heard it…" Ron said. "But *hic* itsa guud one for butterbeer!"
Elsa wanted to dance now, but wanted to finish her butterbeer first. It was so good. Then she wanted another one.
She drank until the end of a song or two later. She lost count. An announcer mic stand spoke up. "Up next we got ourselves a really good treat for all you cool cats and kitties. Welcome the Micstand Sisters!"
There was a round of applause from somewhere as a trio of mic stands, one with a blonde wig, one with an auburn wig and one with dark brown hair started to sing.
"Feelin' Lowwww…
Rock me slowwww…
I want to goooo…
Right back where I belong…"
Elsa made up her mind and quickly got on to the dance floor. She was quickly joined by Harry who was dancing with her and somehow to the tune of the song with the right steps. It was almost like his shoes were charmed to dance really well.
Elsa didn't care. She was super happy to be dancing again, especially with Harry. She giggled as she smiled at him. He gave a smooth smile in return. He then said, "You know. You're my best friend, Elsa. I mean you were so nice and wonderful the way you helped me at King's Cross."
Elsa giggled, "Well you're mine as well. I couldn't help it! I just liked you and decided I wanted you to be my first friend."
Harry gave a chuckle. "Nice to know I ranked first in something."
Elsa laughed at what he said. She danced another two songs with Harry. This place was so amazing. She really wished Anna was here with her. She just knew her sister would love this place. Anna loved dancing as well. She missed Anna… Wait Anna couldn't know about this place it was magic. Anna… She almost… Elsa stopped dancing and gasped. Harry went right on and started dancing with a dress designer stand.
The room wasn't as bright anymore and the music was faded and distant. Elsa looked around. Hermione was swooning over a lamppost…? Harry was dancing with a dress stand. Ron was seemingly drunk at a bar talking to the mannequin as if it was his long lost best friend while constantly sipping from an empty glass. Neville was dancing to the music in his own way and surrounded by a crowd of coat and Hat racks and dress stands.
She gave a sigh. "Of course, Charms… Cheering charms or something even more potent and a lot more than just that." She thought of how she broke out of it and came up with a solution.
She walked over to Harry. Everything seemed brighter around him and the music was no longer faded. Harry once again looked like a dancing god on the dance floor, instead of barely rocking back and forth in rhythm to the music like earlier.
"Harry," she said.
"Ahh Elsa! You're back. I was wondering where you went. Another dance or drink?" He asked her with a smile that was only about a million times more charming than it usually was.
Elsa blushed and was very tempted to join him. Did anything else matter? She was happy here this place was wonderful no secrets needed to be kept here. She shook her head and said to him, "Harry think about the mirror and what it really means and what it did to you."
Harry blinked mirror what mirror? Then he seemed to remember seeing his reflection in a mirror surrounded by a happy still alive family… He glared at the memory of the mirror. It was really cruel. His body then shuddered and he shook his head. "What? Was I dancing… With a dress stand?" he asked.
Elsa nodded to this. "We need to get the others to snap out of it. They have to think of something that really upsets them or at least makes them very sad to break out of it."
Harry nodded and added, "Or angry. Anything other than happiness and cheerfulness I get the feeling." She nodded to this. "I'll get Ron. You get Neville," he said as he made his way over to Ron who was acting very silly and drunk while chugging an empty glass.
"Hey! Harry! Buddy *hic* Nice ta see ya *hic* mate… Howsa 'bout ya Join us for a drink?" Ron said with a drunken smile.
Harry wasn't sure what to do here. What would be the best approach. He gave a shrug and simply said "Giant Spiders".
"What?! Where?!" Ron said with wide eyes. He then laughed. "Good… *hic* one 'Arry!"
Harry tried again. "Ron you're turning into Percy! They're going to make you Prefect. The twins said they will have to set you right."
"No! I don't want to be a Percy! He's such a prude and stick in the mud!" Ron said and his body shuddered. "Wait? What?!"
Harry smiled, "You're back."
Ron seemed to realize what he had been doing. "Wow, I was thinking a silent mannequin was one of my best new mates…"
"Help me with Hermione," Harry said. Ron followed slowly. He groaned. "Headache?" Harry asked.
"Yeah… Must have been the drinks despite them not being real," he groaned.
{-} {-} {-}
Elsa approached Neville. She was happy to see Neville this happy. She had never really seen him this happy. He also looked really cool for some reason. He was dancing in his own style, but the crowd of watchers were really impressed and cheering him on it seemed.
She almost wanted to dance with him. She thought about how to approach him. "Hey, Neville!" she called to him. He didn't notice. She tried two more times. No effect.
She then sighed. She was going to have to dance with him. She climbed up on the large table he was dancing on to cheers from the crowd. "Neville! Can I join you in a dance?" she asked.
This time Neville confidently smiled at her. "Sure, Elsa. I'd like that! I'll lead don't worry," he said smoothly and with confidence she had never seen in him before. It was kind of swoon inducing. Neville took her by the hand and they ended up dancing to one song. This was followed by another song.
Once it was over, Elsa giggled in delight and asked, "Hey, Neville. How come you don't ever talk about your mom and dad?" She asked. She felt a little guilty asking him like this.
Neville paused and blinked. He then frowned and sighed. "I really don't want to talk about that right now… Wait?! What?! Oh, Merlin's beard! We've got to hurry. The stone!"
He was back and looked around quickly. Elsa was in front of him with her hands clasped together in a praying motion as she bowed her head a little and said, "I'm so sorry, Neville! I didn't mean to pry… It was the only way I could think to get you out of it."
He gave a sigh and nodded. "I get it. Don't worry, Elsa. Just don't press the issue?" he asked. She nodded in reply.
She then gave him a smile and said, "You did dance really well."
Before he could reply to her, they heard a loud wail, "NOOOO! Please not that!" It was Hermione.
{-} {-} {-}
Ron and Harry sighed as they watched Hermione dancing with the lamppost. She was so happy looking and smiling so brightly, even with her teeth. She actually looked really cute. She was blushing as she danced and talked to the lamppost. They couldn't hear a word it was saying though.
"Any ideas?" Harry asked. "I almost don't want to ruin her fun."
Ron closed his eyes for a moment. He was thinking if maybe they could leave her here and free her on the way back. They felt like she really did deserve this happiness. He shook his head. That was a bad idea in the end. She was really smart and talented. They could use her for the remaining gauntlet rooms. In fact, he was pretty sure they needed her.
"Concerned face," Ron muttered to Harry. Harry adopted one. Ron came up with an idea. It would work with Hermione. "Hey, Hermione…" he said in a sorrowful voice.
"What is it, Ron? Is everything alright? Have another drink you looked like you enjoyed it and the bartender is charming," Hermione said before turning to the mannequin and waving to it with a friendly smile.
"No. I'm fine… It's just that... well… McGonagall just spoke to us. You're being expelled from Hogwarts," he said in all seriousness.
"What?" Hermione asked as her eye twitched but she continued to smile. "Why? How?"
Ron looked to Harry who sighed deeply as he picked up where Ron left off. "Plagiarism… There was talk about fines and deep investigation into all of your other classes," Harry said.
"Heh… heh.. You're joking right…?" Hermione asked with a strained smile. The lamppost seemed really concerned too now.
Ron shook his head. "It was your DADA exam. They think you just copied the textbook and used a memory recall spell. It's pretty serious."
Hermione looked horror stricken. "NOOOO! Please not that! Hogwarts is all I have now!" She sniffed and then blinked and looked around confused as she asked, "What just happened? What was that you said?" She then got angry and glared at Ron and Harry. "That's not funny you two! That's taking the joke too far!"
Harry and Ron were only snickering a little at her reaction but that stopped quickly. Harry and Ron looked to her apologetically. "Sorry, Hermione… It was the room. We had to do something that brought out strong emotions from you that weren't happiness or cheerfulness."
She sighed as a concerned Neville and Elsa came over. She looked to them and said, "Don't ask. Let's just get out of this stupid room." She started to lead the way as she muttered, "I can't believe I was crushing on a lamppost."
"Well he was very charming and handsome," Elsa admitted with a giggle. Hermione sighed and shook her head but cracked a smile. The whole thing was absurd and maybe it was a little funny. She still wasn't alright with what Harry and Ron said to her though.
As they left the room, Elsa was next to Harry and said quietly to him, "By the way. I really enjoyed our dances, Harry." She then winked at him as he stopped and his heart seemed to skip a beat or four for some reason. He then focused on the task ahead.
They heard something that was fluttering and Ron was the first to enter the next room. When they were close they heard him sigh and say, "Flying keys…"