The next day, the final exams were finished. Hermione didn't find them scary like everyone else. She found them enjoyible. But that didn't take everyone else's minds off of The Golden Gang. Everyone was still mad at them.
"I thought the exams would get their minds off of us." Said Susan.
"At least we passed them." Said Antonio.
"OUCH!" Harry shouted as he put his hand on his scar.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.
"My Scar. It keeps burning."
"Maybe you should see the nerse." Said Ron.
"No. It's a warning. It means something bad is about to happen."
Just then, everyone saw Hagrid outside his hut playing a flute. And then, Harry realized something.
"Of course. Hagrid always wanted a dragon. And how many people walk around with a dragon egg?" Harry asked.
With that said, the five walked over to Hagrid to talk to him.
"Ah. Finished your exams?" He asked.
"Hagrid. Who gave that egg?" Susan asked.
"Don't know. He kept his hood up."
"Did he seemed intrested in Fluffy?" Antonio asked.
"Of course he was intrested. Who wouldn't be intrested in a Three-headed dog? I told him that if you want to calm them down, you just play them a little music and they fall asleep."
But then, Hagrid went wide eyed.
"I shouldn't have said that."
Too late. The five already ran off.
"Hey! Where you going?!" He asked. But they didn't listen.
"That was Snape." Said Harry. "He gave Nerberel to Hagrid as a trick to tell him how to get passed Fluffy."
The five knew they had act now. So they ran to McGonagalls office to tell the news.
"Professor. We need to know where Dumbledore's office is." Hermione said to her. "It very importent that we speak to him."
"I'm afraid the headmaster is not hare." Said McGonagall. "He reseaved an ugent owl from the Minister of Magic and left an hour ago."
"What?" Antonio shouted. "But Professor, someone knows how to reach the Philosophers Stone and is gonna steal it."
"Mr. Crosthwaite." McGonagall said again. "I don't know how you five found out about the stone. But I can tell you that it is safe. Now I suggest you head back to Hufflepuff Basement. It's almost dark."
With that said, the five left the office.
"Great." Said Ron. "With Dumbledore gone, Harry will be vonible and the stone will end up in You Know Who's hands."
"I bet Snape set it up." Said Antonio.
"Set what up?"
The five jumped, knowing Snapes voice and turned around to see him.
"And might I ask what five young Hufflepuffs be doing out this late?" He asked.
"We were just on our way back." Antonio said to him.
"I think that would be good. You woulden't want anybody to get suspishes. They might think you are up to no good."
With that said, Snape walked away.
"Now what do we do?" Susan asked.
And then Harry said, "We have to go through that trap door. Tonight."
It was 10:00 PM. Almost everyone in Hufflepuff Basement was asleep. This gave The Golden Gang their chance to make their way to the stone. Grabbing Harry's Invisibility Cloak, the five began to make their way through the common room. However, they were stopped by the crooking sound of Trevor the Toad.
"Trevor." Antonio whispered. "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here."
"Nether should you." Came Neville from the sofa. "You're going out again? Are you?"
"Neville." Antonio said to him. "We have to,"
"No." Neville cut him off. "I won't let you."
"Neville, please." Said Hermione. "We'll all be in danger if,"
"I don't care what it's about." Neville said again. "I won't let you do this. You'll get Hufflepuff into trouble again."
"Petrificus Totalus!" Antonio shouted as he waved his wand. Causing Neville to freeze and fall flat on his back.
"Not bad." Susan said to him.
"Let's go." Harry said as they got into the cloak.
After walking for a while, they got the third floor and made their way to the forbidden corridor. But as they were about to unlock the door, Peeves popped in front of them.
"Who's there?!" He hissed.
"It's me Peeves." Antonio said in a low voice. "The Bloody Baron has all rights to be invisible. I'm going to be here for the night so I must ask you not to come back until morning."
"Y-Yes your bloodyness." Peeves said before he flew off.
Now that Peeves was out of the way, Hermione unlocked the door. But as she did, the five saw a surprise.
"Look at that harp over there." Antonio said as he looked at the harp playing by itself.
"Snape must have already been here." Said Harry. "He bewitched the harp."
But that means Fluffy won't be waking up on them. Walking slowly and carefully, Antonio and Susan managed to grab Fluffy's paw and moved it off the trap door before opening it.
"Good job." Said Harry. "Okay. I'll go first. Don't move until I give the single. In anything happens, get yourselves out."
"No Harry." Said Hermione. "We're all in this together."
"I don't anything to happen to any of you."
"Hold on." Said Susan. "Does it seem...quiet?"
"The harp stopped playing." Said Ron. "Witch means,"
Fluffy's awake. And he was about to attack the five right now.
"GO!" Antonio shouted.
At that moment, the five jumped down the trap door before Fluffy took a bite on any of them. And they fell a long way down. Until they landed on some kind of plant.
"I'm glad that's over." Said Antonio. "Lucky these plants broke our fall."
But then, soddenly, vines started to rap themselves around them. Harry, Ron, and Antonio tried to free themselves, but the vines were too strong.
"Stop moving you boys." Said Hermione. "This is Devil Snare. You got to relax. If you keep moving, it'll kill us faster."
"Kill us faster? Now I can relax." Said Ron.
"Just relax." Said Susan.
However, as Hermione and Susan relaxed, they both sanke into the the plants.
"Hermione!" Harry shouted.
"Susan!" Antonio also shouted.
"Don't worry, we're okay." Hermione's voice said to them. "Just relax."
"Just relax." Antonio and Harry said to themselves. So they both relaxed and also sank down.
"HARRY! ANTONIO!" Ron shouted.
But they were alright. There was ground under the Devil Snare.
"Ron! We're not hurt! Relax!" Antonio tried to say to him.
But Ron didn't listen and kept struggling. The vines were wrapping on him faster now.
"He's not listening." Said Harry. "Hermione. Do something."
"What to do?" Hermione asked herself. "Devil Snare. Devil Snare. Let's see. Devil Snare grows fast in the dark and never stops, but does stop in the light. What does that mean?"
"I get it." Said Susan. "Devil Snare hates sunlight."
"Of course. Sunlight." Antonio said as he pulled out his wand and casted the spell, "Lumos Solem!"
Unlike the normal Lumos spell, this one made blinding flash of light. Causing the Devil Snare to react and drop Ron down to the others.
"Thanks." Ron said as he calmed down. "Lucky we didn't panic."
"Lucky the girls pays attention in Herbology." Said Harry.
"Hey." Said Susan. "Do you hear that sound?"
With that said, everyone listened to it. It sounded like flapping wings. The five followed it to the next room and gasped at what they saw.
"Those are not birds." Said Antonio. "They're keys."
"And I bet one of them fits that door." Said Hermione.
Upon hearing that, Ron walked over to the rood to check the lock out. And it was big.
"We're gonna need a big old fashion key." He said.
"Over there." Said Susan, pointed to a key bigger than the others. "That's it. The one with the broken wing."
"But how do we get it?" Harry asked.
But then, they saw something else. It was a broom stick. A Comet 260. Before Harry knew it, everyone turned to him.
"Go on Harry." Antonio said to him. "You're the seeker around here. Not me. I'm a chaser. If Snape can catch that key on that broom, you can too."
With that said, Harry grabbed hold of the broom. But as he did, all the small keys started to attack him. But Harry was able mount himself on the broom and fly to the big key as it tried to get away. So far, the big key wasn't as fast as the Golden Snitch. Harry was able to catch up to it. But the small keys made it hard for him to grab it. Of course, Harry managed to catch it.
"Get ready. Here it comes." He said.
Harry then tossed the key and Susan managed to catch it and unlock the door. The five then ran to the next room and closed the door as the keys ended up getting stuck or slammed on the wall.
"Thanks goodness for that." Said Ron. "Now where are we?"
"Some kind of graveyard I think." Said Hermione.
Antonio then walked up ahead to see if it was a graveyard. But as he got farther, he heard the sounds of swords and stepped back a bit. Casting Lumos, he gasped and knew what this was.
"This is no graveyard guys." He said. "It's a chess board."
He was right. It was a giant Wizard Chess board. And the white poms had their swords blacking the path ahead.
"By the looks of it, the white peaces aren't gonna let us pass." Said Susan.
"Now what do we do?" Harry asked.
"Simple." Said Ron. "We play our way across the room. Antonio. Do you see that platform over there? You and Susan go there and tell me where to move the peaces while I go to that other platform and command them. Harry, you take that empty bishop spot. Hermione, you be the queens side castle."
Antonio was not feeling good about this. He still wasn't a good player. And he was only better at muggle chess. But he did as he was told anyway and went with Susan to the platform.
"Okay." Said Ron. "White moves first."
With that said, a white pom took its move.
"You don't think this will be real Wizard Chess?" Hermione asked.
"Pom to D6." Ron said.
"Yes sir." The pom said and made its move. And then the white pom smashed it to take its spot.
"I think this is gonna be like Wizard Chess." Said Antonio.
Susan helped Antonio find out where to move the peaces and Ron did all the commanding. As the game went on, many peaces were smashed. But so far, it looked like they were winning. Until there was only the knight and king and queen and pom left in the blacks.
"Okay." Said Ron. "I know what to do. I'll have the white queen take the knight out and Harry will be free to check the white king."
"Ron." Said Antonio. "That's not gonna work."
"Of course it will."
"No it won't." Said Harry.
"It's true." Said Susan.
"There's no way any of us can move with out getting hurt." Said Hermione. "We'll get killed."
"It will work." Ron said with pride. "It's the only way. Do you wanna stop Snape from getting that stone or not?"
Still, Harry and Hermione didn't want to take the risk of getting hurt. But Ron had a point. This was the only way.
"Knight to H6." Ron orderd.
With that said, the knight moved to the spot.
"Check." Ron said again.
And then, the white queen made her move and knocked out the knight.
"Here goes nothing." Harry said as he made his move. And when he got to the white king, "Checkmate." He said, waiting for the something to happen.
But instead of getting hurt, the king dropped his sword on the floor and moved aside. Alouing the five to pass to the next room.
"See? It worked." Said Ron.
Now that the game was over, the five went to the next room. But then, two black fire walls blocked their path leading back and to the next room.
"Now what?" Ron asked.
"Over there." Hermione said as she pointed to seven potion bottles. There was also a note and Hermione began to read it.
"Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind. Two of us will help you whitchever you would find. One among us seven will let you move ahead. Another will transeport the drinker back instead. Two among our number hold only nettle wine. Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line. Choose unless you wish to stay forever more. To help in your choice, we give your these clues four.
1: However slyly the potion tries to hide, you will always find some on netter wines left side.
2: Different are those who stand at ether end. But if you move onwards, neither is your friend.
3: As you clearly see, all are different size. Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides.
4: The second left and second on the right. They are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.
"This must be Snape's" Said Harry.
"So we have to salve the riddle to move on." Said Antonio.
"Hermione. That's something you can do." Said Susan.
"Let's see." Hermione thought about what the clues mean. The first said netter wines left side. So the 2nd and 6th bottles are the wines. Now, different are those stand on ether end. As Hermione thought about it, she realized two of poisons are the 1st and 5th bottles. Now, all are different size but neither hides their insides. And then that means the 4th is the third poison. Witch leaves the 3rd and 7th bottles. Finally, the second on both the left and right are twins. Then It hit her.
"Of course. the 7th takes us back while the 3rd will have us go on." She said.
"Doesn't look like much of it was drank." Said Ron.
"But there might not be enough for all of us." Said Hermione. "The second clue said if you move onwards,"
"We can fix that." Said Antonio. "We each take little sips of the potion."
"But it won't work" Said Susan.
"It will. We've gone through this together at the start. We may as well go all the way. Just take one small sip and all of us will stick together."
Antonio was the first to take a sip. And then, Harry, then Ron, then Susan, and Hermione last. With that donne, the five walked to the black fire up ahead. And it worked by all of them holding eather a hand or arm on each other.
"I can't believe it." Said Hermione. "Antonio was right about something."
"I guess." He replied.
"I hope that was the last puzzle." Said Ron.
The five then moved. But little did they know about who was really after the stone.
Authors note:
So, I'm not sure if I got the riddle right from the book in the way Hermione found out how to salve it. But at least I tried. Also, I thought I'd make that everyone managed to go on instead of just Harry.
But how will Dumbledore know about what happened? We'll find out.