Hey guys! First I want to say (cover your ears) I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER WHATSOEVER! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE QUEEN HERSELF! Whoo!
Except for all OCs created by me!
You might have heard that this series was taken down because of "copyright issues" something about song lyrics. But this time, I will not post any song lyrics whatsoever. Before, I had just now deleted all song lyrics from the chapters containing them. I will mention song names, but not song lyrics. Wish me luck guys as I try to post this series again.
After dinner the four of them sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered them; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to Harry any more, after all. This was the first night he hadn't been upset by it. Hermione was skimming through all her notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments they were about to try to break. Tess had been preparing her fighting in case things got ugly. She had even changed into a new outfit. A black leather jacket over a black tshirt with a v-line that had a purple tanktop underneath, a belt with a copy of Ron's special flashlight, several pocket/army knives and a portable katana that with a button, grew to full size. She had gotten it as a secret birthday present from her martial arts sensei back in America. She also had on black jeans with her black combat boots. On her arms, were black leather arm bracers that were about 2 inches from her wrists with different compartments. On the right arm bracer, was her wand stowed safely and on the other with a photo of her mother for good luck. Harry, Hermione, and Ron didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do.
Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.
"Better get the cloak," Ron muttered, as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning. Harry ran upstairs to their dark dormitory. He putted out the cloak and then his eyes fell on the flute Hagrid had given him for Christmas. He felt that it would come in use.
He ran back down to the common room and met the rest of the gang.
"We'd better put the cloak on here, and make sure it covers all three of us - if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own -"
"What are you doing?" said a voice from the corner of the room.
Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as though he'd been making another bid for freedom.
"Nothing, Neville, nothing," said Harry, hurriedly putting the cloak behind his back. Neville stared at their guilty faces.
"You're going out again," he said.
"No, no, no," said Hermione. "No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?"
Tess looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn't afford to waste any more time, Snape might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep.
"You can't go out," said Neville, "you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."
"Neville, this is serious." Tess warned. "We really don't want a fight here."
"I can't let you go." said Neville. "Gryffindor's lost enough points."
"You don't understand," said Ron, "this is important." But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate.
"I won't let you do it," he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll - I'll fight you!"
"Neville," Ron exploded, "get away from that hole and don't be an idiot -"
"Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"
"Yes, but not to us," said Ron in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing." He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight.
"Go on then, try and hit me!" said Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!"
The others turned to Tess. "I'm not gonna fight you Neville."
Harry turned to Hermione.
"Do something," he said desperately.
Hermione stepped forward. "Neville," she said, "I'm really, really sorry about this." She raised her wand. "Petrificus Totalus!" she cried, pointing it at Neville. Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board. Hermione ran to turn him over. Neville's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror.
"What've you done to him?" Harry whispered.
"It's the full Body-Bind," said Hermione miserably. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry."
"We had to, Neville, no time to explain," said Harry.
"Nothing personal." said Tess.
"You'll understand later, Neville," said Ron as they stepped over him and pulled on the invisibility cloak. Tess was still feeling bad for leaving Neville like that but leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn't feel like a very good omen. In their nervous state, every statue's shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like a ghost swooping down on them. Tess did miss this, the feeling of adrenaline and terror whenever she tried to steal something. At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top.
"Oh, let's kick her, just this once," Ron whispered in Harry's ear, but Harry shook his head.
"As much as we all want to." Tess said to Ron. "We can't. It would compromise the mission."
As they climbed carefully around her, Mrs. Norris turned her lamplike eyes on them, but didn't do anything. They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor - and the door was still locked.
"OW!" Hermione hissed. "You stood on my foot!"
"Sorry." Ron whispered.
"Alright." Tess whispered. "Mione, do your thing."
Hermione whipped out her wand and whispered, "Alohamora." The door opened.
Underneath the cloak, Harry turned to the other two. "If you want to go back, I won't blame you," he said. "You can take the cloak, I won't need it now."
"Don't be stupid," said Ron.
"We're coming," said Hermione.
"If you think you're going alone, you're sadly mistaken." Tess agreed, cracking her knuckles. Harry pushed the door open. As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them.
"What's that at its feet?" Hermione whispered.
"Looks like a harp," said Ron. "Snape must have left it there."
"It will wake up the moment you stop playing," said Tess.
Harry searched his pockets expecting to find his flute, but found nothing.
"I've left my flute." He said.
"Damn it Harry." Tess groaned.
"Well then, who can sing?" Hermione asked.
When the rest shook their heads, everyone turned to Tess who in turn said, "Oh great."
"Tess." Ron said. "From what I hear, New York City is the home of Broadway. If anyone is singing that thing to sleep, it's you."
"I will kill you for this. Oh and BTW, I don'ts sing" Tess mumbled before picking a tune and she picked a Madonna Song, Like a Virgin.
Slowly, the dog's growls ceased - it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep. The trio's jaws dropped but Tess snapped her fingers.
As she sang, the rest took the hint and Ron shone his special flashlight on the floor and found the trapdoor. But all of them were a little distracted by Tess' beautiful singing. They had never seen her like this, usually she was a punk kid who was edgy, but this time, she was elegant, graceful and theatrical. Her voice was the voice of an angel, but they still couldn't believe that Tess could sing. Not that good.
"Keep singing." Ron warned Tess as they slipped out of the cloak and crept toward the floor. Ron shone his special flashlight on the secret door setting and green light showed a door under the paw. They could feel the dog's hot, smelly breath as they approached the giant heads.
"I think we'll be able to pull the door open." said Ron, peering over the dog's back. "Want to go first, Hermione?"
"No, I don't!"
"All right." Harry gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog's legs. Ron bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open.
"What can you see?" Hermione said anxiously.
"Nothing - just black - there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop." Tess, who was in the middle of her song, waved at Ron to get his attention and pointed at herself.
"You want to go first? Are you sure?" said Ron. "I don't know how deep this thing goes. Give the flute to Hermione so she can keep him asleep."
Tess was almost done with her song. Harry climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor. There was no sign of the bottom. He lowered himself through the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips. Then he looked up at Ron and said, "If anything happens to me, don't follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?"
"Right," said Ron. "See you in a minute, I hope...
And Harry let go. Cold, damp air rushed past him as he fell down, down, down and - FLUMP. With a funny, muffled sort of thump he landed on something soft. He sat up and felt around, his eyes not used to the gloom. It felt as though he was sitting on some sort of plant.
"It's okay!" he called up to the light the size of a postage stamp, which was the open trapdoor, "it's a soft landing, you can jump!"
Ron followed right away. He landed, sprawled next to Harry. "What's this stuff?" were his first words.
"Dunno, some sort of plant thing. I suppose it's here to break the fall." Harry said.
"I don't think it's just here to break the fall." Hermione analyzed. "Come on, Tess!"
The distant singing stopped. There was a loud bark from the dog, but Tess had already jumped. She landed on Harry's other side.
"We gotta be at least 10 feet under the school." She said. "Lucky this plant thing's here, really," said Ron.
"Lucky!" shrieked Hermione. "Look at you both!"
She leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall, and Tess did the same thing. They had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around their ankles. As for Harry and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing.
Hermione had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her. Now she watched in horror as the two boys fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them. Tess had tossed pocket knives to the boys and Hermione and took out another one and they all tried to cut it, but the vines grabbed their hands and bound them.
"Stop moving!" Hermione ordered them. "I know what this is - it's Devil's Snare!"
"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help," snarled Ron, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck.
"No." Hermione said. "You have to relax. If you don't, it will only kill you faster."
"Kill us faster?" Ron asked. "Oh yeah now I can relax!"
Hermione closed her eyes and she sank into the vines and was gone.
"HERMIONE!" The three bellowed.
"Now what are we gonna do?" Ron asked.
"Just relax!" Hermione called.
"Hermione where the hell are you?" Tess asked.
"Do what I say." Hermione said. "Trust me."
Tess and Harry closed their eyes and relaxed, sinking into a room underneath the plant.
"You ok?" Hermione asked the two, helping them get up.
"We're fine." said Harry.
They all heard Ron's screams.
"He's not relaxing is he?" Hermione asked.
"Apparently not." Tess said. "Hermione, think of something."
"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare... what did Professor Sprout say? - it's deadly fun...but will sulk in the sun that's it! Devil's snare hates sunlight!" She got out her wand and muttered the right words, causing a whole array of sunshine to burst through the vines and Ron fell through.
"Whoo!" Ron said."Lucky we didn't panic."
"Lucky Hermione pays attention in Herbology." Harry quipped
"Alright guys." Tess said. "That's two of the tri."
"Trials?" Hermione asked.
"The teachers here are protecting the Stone right?" Tess asked. "So it would fit that each obstacle or trial is a specific one based on each teacher's field. So Ron, where's the trail lead to?"
"This way," said Ron said, pointing his special flashlight, or a ReveaLight down a stone passageway, which was one of the three passageways. All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and Harry was reminded of Gringotts. With an unpleasant jolt of the heart, he remembered the dragons said to be guarding vaults in the wizards' bank. If they met a dragon, a fully-grown dragon - Norbert had been bad enough...
"Can you hear something?" Ron whispered.
Harry listened. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead. "Do you think it's a ghost?"
"I don't know... sounds like wings to me." Harry said.
"There's light ahead - I can see something moving." noted Hermione.
They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.
"Curious." said Ron. "I've never seen birds like these."
"That's because they're not birds." Tess said. "They're keys. And I'll bet one of them fits that door."
"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" said Ron.
"Probably," said Tess. "They don't look very vicious, but I guess if they all charged at once... well, there's no other choice... I'll run." She took a deep breath, covered her face with her arms, and sprinted across the room. She expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at her any second, but nothing happened. She reached the door untouched. She pulled the handle, but it was locked. The other two followed him. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Hermione tried her Alohomora charm. Tess pulled out her enchanted sword and pressed the button, revealing her beautiful katana.
"You brought a sword to school?" Hermione asked incredulously.
"You're gonna ask this now?" Tess quipped. She put the point in the lock and twisted it but it wouldn't budge. Tess pressed the button and it shrank back and she leaned against the wall. "So much for the old Shanghai lock-pick trick."
"Now what?" said Ron. "There must be a thousand keys up there."
"We're looking for a big old fashioned one." Tess said. "Probably rusty like the handle."
"There!" Harry pointed up. "I see it! It's the one with the broken wing!"
"Is that a broom?" They turned around to see a single broom floating in the chamber while the other two squinted up at the flock of keys.
Harry went over and waved his hand over it and nothing happened. "Strange."
"What's the hold up Harry?" Tess asked.
Harry looked up and said, "It's too simple."
"Go on Harry!" Ron exclaimed. "If Snape can catch it on that old broomstick you can. You're the youngest Seeker of the century."
But when Harry grabbed it, all the keys came down each one attacking him. He kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. After a minute's weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, he grabbed it and yelled to the others,
"Catch the key!"
He threw it and Ron grabbed it. He rammed it into the lock and turned - it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice and Harry landed outside and Ron shut the door.
When they walked down the hall, they came across another door. "Ready?" Harry asked the other three, his hand on the door handle. They nodded. He pulled the door open. 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, Tess, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly - the towering white chessmen had no faces.
"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 they could see another door.
"How?" said Hermione 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.
"Do we - er - have to join you to get across?"
The black knight nodded. Ron turned to the other two.
"This needs thinking about he said. I suppose we've got to take the place of three of the black pieces..."
Harry, Tess, and Hermione stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he said, "Now, don't be offended or anything, but none of you are that good at chess -"
"We're not offended," said Tess quickly. "Just tell us what to do."
"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you're next to him instead of that castle. Tess, you take a knight, since you have the sharp weapon."
"What about you?"
"I'm gonna be a knight," said Ron. The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words 2 knights, 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 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. Including Tess who knocked down pieces with her katana. Harry's knees were trembling. What if they lost?
Tess was a worthy knight, using her katana to sweep back the other players with no mercy. But on the way, she got hit by debris that caused her to have bruised ribs and blood on her face.
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, Tess, 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 toward him. "Yes..." said Ron softly, "It's the only way... I've got to be taken."
"NO!" Harry, Tess, and Hermione 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 -"
"Do you want to stop Snape or not?"
"Ron -"
"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!"
"Ron let me do it!" Tess exclaimed. "I'm a knight too! I already lost someone I cared about! I am not letting it happen again!"
"Tess." Ron said. "You once said that someone has to take the blow. This time it's gonna be me."
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 - Hermione screamed but stayed on her square - the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out.
"RON!" Tess screamed seeing Harry move. "No, don't move! We're still playing!"
Shaking, Harry moved three spaces to the left and said, "Checkmate."
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.
"Go ahead." Tess told the two. "I'll get Ron to the hospital wing somehow."
"Tess." Harry said. "Thank you, for everything."
"No." Tess said. "Thank you for being the most awesome friends I could ever have had. hermione hugged her causing her to wince in pain. With one last desperate look back at Ron and Tess, Harry and Hermione charged through the door and up the next passageway.
Tess smiled sadly and turned around, ignoring the pain she was feeling and picked Ron up.
"Jesus you're heavy." Tess muttered looking around. "Now, how do I get out of here? Can't go forward, can't go back." She shone her ReveaLight everywhere until she found a door with a stairway. "Looks like I'm going up."
Tess walked over to the wall with the hidden passage and pressed her hand up looking for a hidden lever. She pushed in a brick and the wall slid aside and inside the stairway passage, on the wall were small torches that lite up as soon as the door opened.
"Oooookay?" Tess whispered and then looked back at the open door. "Please don't die." She whispered and ran up.
She stopped for a minute to catch her breath because of the pain she was feeling. "Hang in there Ron." She said to the unconscious boy. "We're almost there." She continued running until she was out into the hallway near the Hospital Wing. When she turned around to see the passageway, it was gone as if it was never there. But that didn't matter to Tess, Ron was at stake.
She knocked the door and Madam Pomfrey opened the door. Immediately, noticing the battered children, the nurse rushed them in. When Ron was lying in bed, McGonagall rushed in.
"Oh my goodness!" She said. "Quintessa, explain yourself now!"
Tess sighed. There was no point in lying anymore. "We went to stop Snape from getting the Philosopher's Stone."
McGonagall looked extremely angry. "First Hagrid, then you come to me knowing about it, and now you actually went through the defenses! And furthermore, you accuse a teacher!"
"Minerva." They all heard an ancient voice, and they looked up to see Headmaster Dumbledore who was accompanied by Professor Snape
"Professor Dumbledore." Tess said. "Thank God you're back."
"I arrived back because I felt something funny at Hogwarts tonight." He said. "And now that you are here, I want to get your side of the story. And I'm talking about starting at the beginning."
Tess told them the whole story of how they caught on Snape's trail and how they solved the case.
"Very well." Snape said getting out of his robes, a vial of clear liquid. "Since you children cannot listen I will do this the Potions way. This is Veritaserum."
"Truth serum." Tess instnatly translated.
"That is correct." Snape said. "And I will drink one drop which is enough for me to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." He did so and his eyes looked glassy.
"Ok." Tess said. "Why did you go to the third floor corridor and get bit by Fluffy?"
"I was guarding the Stone and when the harp stopped playing, I got bit and barely escaped." Snape said, monotone.
"Why did you try to kill Harry that day on the Quidditch match?" Tess asked.
"I was actually trying to save him by muttering a countercurse." Snape responded.
"Did you let the troll in?" Tess asked.
"No."
"Have you been drinking the blood of unicorns?" asked Tess.
"No."
"Did you intend to give the Stone to Voldemort once you stole it?" Tess asked.
"No."
"Did you plan to steal the Stone at all?" Tess asked.
"No."
Tess looked shocked. "Something still isn't right here. If you're not after the Stone, then who is?"
