CHAPTER 28: TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
America took the lead as they headed along the stone passageway that was the only way out of the room full of Demon's Flare or whatever that plant had been. The others had been a bit leery of having him continue with them after the very first trial (and ergo probably the easiest) knocked him out, but he refused to stay behind. He was a bit surprised that a plant of all things had managed to make him pass out, but he was the United States of America! He could do this no problem!
"Can you hear something?" Ron whispered. America listened. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.
"Do you think it's a ghost?" said Harry.
Alfred blanched. "DUDE, DON'T SAY STUFF LIKE THAT!"
"I don't think it's a ghost, eh," whispered Canada. "It sounds like wings to me."
Hermione nodded. "Yes, it does sound like wings."
"There's light ahead – I can see something moving." They reached the end of the passageway and saw a really bright light. After the darkness of the passageway, America had to blink a few times before he could take in the room. It was what England would probably call a 'chamber' with a high arched ceiling. It was also full of birds. Across the room was a heavy-looking wooden door.
"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" said Ron.
"Probably," said America happily. "They don't look very tough. All right, chums, let's do this! LEEEEEERRROOOOOOY JEEEEEENKINSSS!" The nation sprinted to the other side of the room, expecting some sort of avian air-strike. He was very much disappointed when he reached the door untouched. He pulled at the handle, but it was locked. "OH, COME ON!" The others followed him. The humans tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Hermione tried her Alohamora charm.
While the trio struggled with the door, Canada turned to America. "Do you think you could kick it down?"
America let out an affronted noise and gestured to himself. "Bro, c'mon, do you really need to ask?" Ron kicked the door and let out a curse an eleven-year-old really shouldn't know.
A small smile tugged at Canada's mouth. "I suppose not." The smile vanished and was replaced by a worried frown. Jeez, why did Canada always have to be so worried about stuff? "Arthur probably won't approve, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Time is of the essence." He turned to Harry, Ron and Hermione and called quietly, "Guys, move out of the way. Alfred's going to try and force his way through."
The trio looked at them. "It's no use," said Hermione. "We've tried, but there's no way to-"
"Dude, that's 'cause you never tried an AMERICAN DOOR KICK!" At the last three words America kicked the door with all of his strength, sending it flying out of its hinges and landing several feet into the next room. Wow, that door was pretty sturdy. Sturdier than England's, anyway. He looked at Harry, Ron and Hermione. Man, he wished he had a camera. Their expressions were priceless. Striking a heroic pose, he pointed into the room and shouted, "ONWARDS!" And so the five of them (three of them looking very confused and getting the feeling they hadn't done that enchantment properly) marched into the next room.
It was shrouded in complete darkness, but as they stepped into it, someone must have flipped a light-switch or something because there was light. They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen. America and Canada let out groans. People seemed under the impression that military strategists were good at chess, but neither of them had ever found that remotely true. Soldiers didn't fight on an eight-by-eight grid, and none of them could only move diagonally.
"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."
Now that America looked he could see a door behind the white pieces. "Eff that, dude, I think it's time for another AMERICAN DOOR KICK!" But no sooner had he stepped on the board than all the white pawns drew their swords. He stepped back. "Yeesh, fine, fine, we'll do it your way!"
"So how do you think we should do this, eh," whispered Canada. "Do we have to be chessmen?"
Ron nodded. "Yeah, that sounds about right." He walked up to a black night and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground nad the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron. "Do we – er – have to join you to get across?" Te black knight nodded. Ron turned to the others. "This wants thinking about… I suppose we've got to take the place of five of the black pieces…" The others all stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he said, "Now, don't be offended or anything, but none of you are that good at chess-"
"Dude, don't worry about it!" said America. "You're the chess-master. Give us your orders, sir!" He stood to attention and saluted.
"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, Hermione, you go next to him instead of that castle… and Alfred and Matthew can take the ones on the other side of the board."
"What about you?" asked Harry.
"I'm going to be a knight," said Ron. Aw, man, I wanted to be a knight. In any case, the chess pieces seemed to have heard, because the bishops, castles and a knight all turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board leaving five spaces which they all took. America grabbed the castle while Matthew stepped onto the bishop's space.
"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 with all the authority of a general. America felt himself relax. He could pretend this was just another battlefield, albeit one with strange terrain that required very controlled movement. That made it a bit easier. Harry and Hermione were obviously nervous – he thought he could actually spot Harry's knees trembling – so America did his best to project confidence and optimism. When he offered one of them a grin they always smiled back.
The first casualty was their other knight. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, face down. The humans looked shaken by this show of brutality. America and Canada barely even blinked. At least there hadn't been any blood. Still, whenever one of the black pieces was taken (and quite a few were), America couldn't help but imagine what it would have looked like if it had been a human on the receiving end. The mental images weren't pleasant, to say the least. And they nearly came true when, twice, Ron only just noticed in time that America, Canada, Harry or Hermione were in danger. He himself darted around the board taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones. He was a pretty awesome general.
"We're nearly there," he muttered suddenly. "Let me think – let me think…" The white queen turned her creepily blank face towards him. "Yes…" said Ron softly, in a voice that made America's heart plummet. "It's the only way… I've got to be taken."
"NO!" America, Canada, Harry and Hermione all yelled in unison.
"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!" It was scary how few words you'd have to change in that little speech to make it about war.
"But-"
"Do you want to stop Snape or not?"
"Dude-"
"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!" There was nothing else for it. There were always sacrifices in battle. America just hoped this casualty wouldn't be a fatality. "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 around the head with her stone arm and he crashed to the floor – Hermione screamed but held her position – the white queen dragged Ron off to one side. His eyes were shut and America thought he saw some blood, but if he squinted he thought he could also see the faint rise and fall of his chest. Please be alive, dude.
A shaking Harry moved three spaces to the left and captured the king, winning them the game. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. America, Harry and Hermione were almost through the door when America realized they were missing something. He turned to see Canada kneeling next to Ron, checking his wounds. Kuma-whatever-his-name-was was sitting next to him, staring curiously at the scene.
"Bro, c'mon! Let's go!" Harry and Hermione turned at America's call and realized where Canada was.
"Matthew, we need to go," called Harry.
Canada looked up at them and shook his head. "He risked his life for us. The least I can do is make sure he doesn't lose it. You guys go on without me."
America, Harry and Hermione exchanged looks. America sighed. Damn it. "Fine, but don't blame me if you miss all the awesome tests, bro!" He waved goodbye to his brother and set off with Harry and Hermione.
"They'll be all right," said Harry, not convincing anyone. "What do you reckon's next?"
Hermione counted them off on her fingers. "We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare – maybe the birds were Flitwick? I'm not sure, I don't think we got through that the way it was intended – McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive – that leaves Quirrell's spell, and Snape's…"
They reached another door. "All right?" Harry whispered.
"Go on," said Hermione.
"Great! AMERICAN DOOR KICK!" America kicked it open. A smell on par with England's cooking filled their nostrils, making them all pull their robes up over their noses. Eyes watering they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head. "Aw, man," groaned America. "Snape already beat it. Facing a troll again would have been fun."
Harry gaped at him as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. "You have a strange definition of fun, Alfred."
Harry pulled open the next door, depriving them of the opportunity to witness another American Door Kick. America was hoping to see something exciting, but instead there was just a table with seven weirdly-shaped bottles standing on it in a line. "I would've thought the bat-dude would have a scarier test," said America. 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. "Now that's more like it!"
A/N: Whoo, semi-cliffhanger! Have a hug, everyone! \(^-^)/ Pages Left: 16. We're so close! I can almost taste it! It tastes like doughnuts! AMERICAN DOOR KICK! NEXT CHAPTER: Canada, Ron and Hermione run into Dumbledore. It'll probably be a short one. See you next time!
