Hey guys here's the next chapter...only one or two more until the end and then I will be starting the second...I can't let you all down! I have an obligation as a future novelist to give my readers what they want. So just a little insight on this chapter...I did not include the riddle for the potion challenge, sorry but I did not have the patience to copy all of it. So I put something different there. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I would really appreciate your reviews!

Thank you!

Chapter 34

Aurora had honestly tried another approach to protecting the stone. She went to Mcgonnagal, but of course this ended in utter failure…and then she tried to go to the Headmaster. However this led her to find that Dumbledore had left the castle to head into London! She could not believe that Professor Dumbledore would leave so soon to the Stone being taken! Everywhere she turned she approached another dead end…all that was left was to take care of it herself.

Draco and Ashley had agreed to meet in the Common Room around midnight. They would get to the Stone before Voldemort even had a chance to reach the trap door. She would save it…and hopefully send Voldemort back to Hell where he belonged. With a sigh Aurora took out her wand, she knew that Severus had hid her cloak…it was just by luck that she had been able to find it.

Severus was still in Dumbledore's office and she knew that even if he did come in he wouldn't look in his Potions trunk for her cloak. He would probably stop in her room and then head straight for bed. And Aurora didn't even plan to be that long. All they wanted to do was go in, get the stone, and then leave. It sounded simple, but Aurora was sure that it wouldn't go like that. Taking another look around Severus's room, to make sure that everything was back in order, she frowned and left her home.

Both Ashley and Draco were waiting for her in the Common Room…none of them said anything at first. No one really knew what to say. Good luck? Hope to see you again after this? Maybe if we're lucky Fluffy won't eat us and no one will catch them? It just seemed that words weren't enough at this point. Aurora didn't have any type of pep talk for them; this was more or less for her own selfish reasons. She wanted to steal the stone just so Voldemort would die…she didn't want him to exist!

She wasn't going to let her mum and dad die in vain.

"Aurora," Draco whispered. "Are you sure about this?"

"No." Aurora whispered.

And once again the trio sunk back into an unnatural silence. The walk to the third corridor was eerily quiet…it just seemed like the whole school had disappeared. It was unnerving, but in a way it made their job much easier.

"Do you know what we're going to do to keep the dog asleep?" Ashley whispered, as Aurora unlocked the door once more.

Aurora had originally planned on charming the dog to sleep…but she was happy…and somewhat disturbed to find that someone had done her job for her. A harp was playing in the corner of the room putting the dog to sleep.

"He's beat us here." She whispered. "He's charmed the harp…okay so this changes things…"

"What does it change?" Ashley breathed following Aurora to the trap door.

"It would have been different if he wasn't down there…but this means that you both have to go back and get my dad…"

"What!" both boys whispered frantically.

"Are you mad, Snape?" Draco spat. "You're losing your bloody mind if you think that we're going to leave you here alone."

"I'm not mad…" Aurora whispered. "You need to get a message to Dumbledore, and my dad can help the two of you do that! I have to…I…"

Aurora's eyes widened as the soft, lovely, lullaby stopped and was replaced with their quickened breathing and over emphasized heartbeats. Slowly Aurora looked up as Fluffy began to stir and growl.

"M-Move…" Rory gasped. "MOVE!"

The plan was already starting to fall apart! How could it be that they hadn't even officially started saving the stone and already it was falling to bloody Hell? Why couldn't things just play out the way she wanted them to? Why did she always have to accommodate fate, instead of it accommodating her? Aurora pushed Ashley down and soon followed, pulling the trapdoor closed with her.

The landing wasn't that bad…it was actually quite plush and Aurora had to admit that she was a tad grateful…at least until she realized what they had landed in. Green vines that spun around their legs and arms, trying to strangle the life out of them. Behind Professor Dumbledore's grandfather appearance he could be really scary…using this as a trap proved it!

"Devils Snare?" Ashley asked. "Right Rory?"

"Yes…we…we have to just relax…we have to relax."

But Aurora was finding that to be easier said then done. She remembered this feeling, the feeling of not being able to escape. Her Uncle Vernon pressed it upon her every week when she had lived on Privet Drive. Relax, but no matter how many times she repeated this in her head the words just fell flat upon the ground. She could not calm herself knowing that these waxy vines had a hold of her.

"Let…let me…go…let me go!"

"Aurora," Draco shouted. "You need to settle down!"

"It won't let go…Ashley make it let me go!"

"Rory," Ashley said, gently. "Just calm down…if it knows you are upset it'll only squeeze harder."

"But-

"Just think about something calming Aurora, think of Severus."

Aurora closed her eyes and sighed. Severus was safe, she was doing this to keep Voldemort from hurting him or anyone else in her life. Severus was up in his Potions Lab waiting for her and when she got out of this she would be safe and she would have a new home to go to! Everything was going to be okay…everything would work itself out…

"GAH!"

Well that sucked, the next floor wasn't nearly as gentle as the first. But Aurora had to admit that she was comforted by the fact that nothing was grabbing and pulling at her legs. Yes, so as much as it had hurt to land on her tailbone, she would much prefer that moment of pain to a death from stranglation and panic.

"You okay Rory?" Ashley asked, helping her to her feet.

"Yeah, c'mon…" she said dusting off her pants legs. "Let's keep going, Voldemort is already ahead of us."

The corridor leading from the Devils Snare was cold and damp. Darkness consumed them but it wasn't so dark that Aurora could not see where she was walking. She had to admit that as they continued farther and farther down into Merlin only knows where her mind would wander from the current perdicament she was in back to Severus.

What was Severus doing right now? It was pretty late so he had to be going to bed at some point. Would he notice that she was gone right away and how would he react? She hoped he wasn't too hurt by her actions; but surely Severus understood the actual gravity of this stiuation. It couldn't just be left to sort itself out and if no one else would take the call then Aurora would just have to accept responsibilty and accept it for them.

"Do you hear that?" Draco whispered.

Aurora paused, she really needed to stop spacing out like such a twit! Her eyes narrowed as the sound pertruded up the long corridor and bounced upon the stone walls.

"It…it sounds like wings…insect wings!"

"Gross." Ashley whispered.

Aurora and Draco stopped and turned to Ashley.

"What?" he breathed, turning scarlet. "I hate bugs…ugly little bastards."

"Wow." Draco said with a roll of his eyes. "Good thing you weren't sorted into Gryfindor coward."

"Screw you pretty boy!" Ashley snarled. "I didn't see you helping Aurora in the Forbidden Forest."

"Bite me Blake!"

"You want me to, Gayboy?"

"Are we going to do this here?" Aurora spat. "ARE WE?"

Aurora watched as both her friends fell deathly silent and bowed their heads. Aurora's breathing became heavy and she clentched her fists as she felt another wave of anger wash through her. She could not believe that of all places Draco and Ashley would choose to fight here! How could someone be so ignorant and insensitive to a situation!

"Do you guys not care about this or are you both just as thick as a bag full of bricks?" Aurora continued. "Now either shut up and help me or get out and let me do it all by myself!"

"We're sorry Aurora." Ashley said, somberly. "We'll get along…promise."

Aurora rolled her eyes and continued forward…she really wished she could believe that the two of them would keep their word. Some things never changed, but at the moment she had more pressing matters to deal with. As they continued for a couple more feet the corridor ended at a large chamber filled with fluttering shiny looking dragonflies. Aurora looked up and smiled slightly, they were very pretty and once again Aurora found herself thinking about the stars. She was a daydreamer, but now was the time to focus.

"There's a door over there." Aurora stated, pointing across the room. "It looks to easy, they'd probably all attack if we dared to step too close."

"They don't look vicious." Draco commented.

"One of them flying at you would be fine, but could you imagine the whole swarm of them going at you?" Ashley breathed. "It would not be pretty, Malfoy."

"True." Draco said in agreement.

Aurora felt one of her lungs collapse…did Draco Malfoy and Ashley Blake just agree on something?

"Maybe we could try anyway, there's nothing else for us to do!" Aurora sighed. "I'll go across and see if I can open the door."

"Wait…wait Aurora!" Ashley laughed. "They're not bugs!"

"Ashley, whatever you need to tell yourself-

-no, seriously! He growled. "They're keys."

Aurora tilted her head up and squinted; if her eyesight was really this bad then Aurora needed to get a new pair of glasses. But after a couple of minutes of studying the "insects" she found Ashley to be correct and that they were keys…and she would bet anything that they went to the door at the other end of the room.

"You're right…and I can see brooms…so that means we have to fly and catch them!" Aurora sighed. "Great, we'll never get there at this rate! There are hundreds of them!"

"Think like your father…how would he recognize the key?"

"Dad wouldn't make it recognizable…maybe it coordinates to the door…I don't think he set up this trap."

"The handle perhaps?" Draco breathed. "It's probably old with a silver handle."

"I see it."

"Where?" Ashley asked following her eyes.

"The one that has a gimp in its flight…it's old and damaged so you wouldn't go for that one…most would think to look for the most extravagant one."

"Go get it Rory!" Ashley said throwing the broom her way.

Aurora started her ascent and whipped around chasing the key as quickly as the broom would take her. Her eyes started to water as the damp wind slashed at her retinas, but she was so close and as her hand reached out for the key she had this strange sense of pride. James would no doubt applaud her bravery and skill as a Seeker if he were alive.

"GOT IT!" Aurora laughed diving back down to the ground. "Let's go."

They raced to the door and Aurora shoved the battered key into the lock. The tumblers clicked and as quickly as they could the slipped into the next room.

"I…I can't see…Draco, Ashley, where are you?"

"We're right here, Rory." Ashley called reaching out into the darkness.

She was afraid to step forward and see what happened. For all she knew something could reach out and grab them, Voldemort could be in this very room and they wouldn't be wiser. However, they would get nowhere just standing around. So with her lips pursed so tight she could swear the skin would split she walked a step forward and was rewarded with the room filling up with light.

Her eyelids fluttered and adjusted to the knew atmosphere and she almost did not believe what she was seeing.

"It's a chessboard?" she whispered. "I…I hate chess…and at the moment I really hate Papa Albus for coming up with all these traps."

"What do we do?" Draco asked stepping onto the board.

"Play?" Ashley sighed, retaining some arrogance in his tone. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Y'know what Blake-" Draco stopped abruptly and sighed. "That…that makes sense."

"Pick a position…"Rory whispered.

"Knight." Ashley said jumping onto the board and stepping up to his piece.

"Draco?" Aurora asked.

"I'm not that good…I really don't know."

"I'll take the Bishop and you take the 90 instead of the castle." Aurora said joining Ashley on the board. "Ash you've got this right, I didn't know you played Chess?"

"Well I have to do something over the Summer, I usually play my brother when we're not fighting."

"How many times have you actually won?" Draco asked, nervously.

"Well that would depend on how many times me and my brother actually played."

"Rory, move diagonally four spaces to the right." Ashley instructed.

Aurora did so and watched in utter terror as their second knight was taken and smashed into a million marble pieces! Dumbledore was a mad genius!

"Ash…Ashley?"

"It had to go Aurora, now take the bishop…Malfoy go on."

And so they played, watching as several of their chess pieces bit the dust and crumbled before them. Until they were left with nothing but the queen and their few pieces.

"What to do…what to do…wait…if…I got it!" Ashley sighed. "My piece has to be taken."

"No!" Aurora screamed. "Ashley no!"

"It has to happen Aurora, do you want to stop Voldemort or not? It just has to happen and then you can go on for the stone!"

"NO!" Aurora snarled, feeling tears well in her eyes. "Draco stop him!"

"Blake," Draco sighed turning to face him. "You're not a coward."

Ashley smiled and turned to Aurora who was in tears.

"Knight to E-five."

It all happened in slow motion, the landing of the Queens stone arm on Ashley's piece and his body tumbled to the ground among the rumble. Aurora screamed but did not budge from her spot…even though every fiber in her being wanted to race to Ashley's limp frame…she knew that she would lose the game if she did.

"Go Aurora…" Draco breathed.

With a shaky breath Aurora stepped in front of the large white queen and glared.

"Check mate!" she snarled.

"Rory!"

They had won the game, but Ashley was hurt and now Aurora wondered if it had truly been worth it? She wanted to protect Ashley, she didn't want to hurt him!

"Ashley!" Aurora sobbed kneeling down next to him. "Ashley…please be okay!"

"Rory," Draco said grabbing her by the shoulders. "You need to go one, you have to keep going."

"What…how can you expect me to just leave you both here?"

"Go Aurora, we'll be fine…I'll take very good care of him!"

"No…no you won't…you don't even like him!"

"But I like you Rory," he whispered. "And I know…I know how much you care about…about him…so I will take good care of him…now go!"

Aurora took Draco into her arms and very gently pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Thank you, Draco."

"Well…uhh…go…you need to stop you-know-who..."

Nodding in agreement Aurora left and continued through the other door. A familiar acrid scent filled her nostrils and it was almost enough to bring her to her knees. It was a troll, a very much dead troll. She didn't take too much time to admire it as she proceeded out to another door. This trap she knew was one her father had come to make. The various potions were a dead give away, and the fiery doorway just seemed all too Severus Snape.

"Dad, why do you have to be so bloody dramatic." She whispered.

Moving forward Aurora scanned the various bottles. There was a piece of parchment with penmanship she knew all too well to be Severus's. Leave it to her father to place a logic puzzle in a trap…it was brilliant and rather annoying. She didn't have time to read through the darn thing, all she needed to do was think like her father.

"The bigger the bottle…the easier it would be to deceive people that it is the key…bigger is always better…at least that is what they say. All of these vials are brightly colored…dad would coordinate with his favorite…black…or green…but the green bottle is larger than the black. The small vial would contain the key to moving through the fire because no one would expect something so small to lead you to a prize so large." Aurora placed a shaky hand to her chin. "Then again poison comes in small packages…hmm…dad, I hope I'm right."

Taking the black vial into her hand Aurora tilted her head back and swallowed what was in the bottle. Her body felt like it had been slipped into the center of a glacier! Was this the poison…no…no this was to let her walk through the flames without being burnt to a crisp. Holding her breath she slowly walked through the flames, which whipped at her body and caressed her flesh…it was like the flame that had smothered the burning bush. Aurora remembered reading about it one Sunday when the Dursley's were gone. She knew that she could not entrust them with her soul, so she had to take care of it herself.

But before she knew it she was on the other side…she was in the final stage of the game.