Eldon was overjoyed to be through with exams. It had felt like each time he looked down at his parchment the answers simply fled from his mind, taunting him with the possibilities of failing.
It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anti-Cheating spell.
They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap-dance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox - points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers. Snape made them all nervous, even the Slytherins, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion.
Eldon had done the best he could, trying to keep his limbs from shaking from the anxiety wrecking his body. Worst part of it was he couldn't sleep, not only because of the exam nerves, but also because of the nightmares filled with hooded figures with blood dripping from their mouths.
Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented self stirring cauldrons and they'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Eldon couldn't help but let out a groan of relief as everyone cheered.
"No more studying," Blaise sighed happily, stretching out on the grass of the grounds. "You could look more cheerful, Eldon, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet."
Eldon was rubbing his temples.
"I f-feel l-like I f-failed."
"Don't worry about it, Eldon. We've spent hours studying, i'm sure you've done fine," Daphne reassured him. "Though I can't say the same for Blaise, he could have done more studying."
The three of them messed around, happy to be done with exams and free from the need to study. It was about a half hour later that Harry came and graped him off the grass, telling him nothing of what they needed from him. Blaise and Daphne watched with slacked jaws as he was pulled away along with Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Eldon didn't bother to put up a fight as he was dragged along to where Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.
"Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"
"Yes, please," said Ron, but Harry cut him off.
"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"
"Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn' take his cloak off."
He noticed that Eldon seemed to have no clue what was going on, and at the stunned look on the three Gryffindors he raised his eyebrows.
"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head - that's one o' the pubs down in teh village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."
Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas, and Eldon patted his shoulder reassuringly, though he had no clue what he was reassuring him about.
"What did you talk to him about, hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"
"Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah . . . he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here . . . he asked a bit about the sorts of creatures I look after . . . so i told him . . . an' i said what i'd always really wanted was a dragon . . . an' then . . . i can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks . . . let's see . . . yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if i wanted . . . but he had ter be sure i could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home . . . so i told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy . . ."
"And did he - did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm. Eldon was still confused as to where he was going with this. Why did it matter if the man who gave Hagrid the dragon egg asked about Fluffy.
"Well - yeah - how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around HOgwarts? So i told him, FLuffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep -"
Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.
"I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget i said it! Hey - where're yeh goin'?"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the entrance hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds. Eldon had run after them wanting to know why they had dragged him off to Hagrids.
"We've got to go to Dumbledore," said Harry. "Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Snape or Voldermort under that cloak - it must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him. Where's Dumbledore's office?"
"W-Who's bane a-and F-Firenze?"
"Centaurs," Harry answered briefly, paying Eldon no attention otherwise.
They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.
"We'll just have to -" Harry bagan, but a voice suddenly ran across the hall.
"What are you doing inside?"
It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a pile of books.
"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," said Hermione, rather bravely, Harry and Ron though. Eldon still had no clue what was going on, things were moving too quickly for him to make sense of it.
"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do. "Why?"
The three Gryffindors swallowed - now what?
"It's sort of secret," Harry said, but he wished at once he hadn't, because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared.
"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."
"He's gone?" said Harry frantically. "Now?"
"Professor DUmbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time -"
"But this is important."
Eldon was horrified that Harry was speaking to a Professor like that.
"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?"
"Look," said Harry, throwing caution to the winds, "Professor - it's about the Sorcerer's Stone -"
Whatever Professor McGonagall expected, it wasn't that/ the books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't pick them up. Eldon, however, finally realised what Harry was talking about. He was thinking that the man who gave Hagrid the egg was Snape, the same Snape who Harry thought was trying to steal the Stone. And now he knew how to get past the giant three headed dog.
"How do you know -" she spluttered.
"Professor, I think - I know - that Sn - that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore."
She eyed him with a mixture of shock and suspicion.
"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. "I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."
"But Professor -"
"Potter, i know what i'm talking about," she said shortly. She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. "I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine."
But they didn't, and Eldon wasn't going to leave them. Snape had been too kind to him for him to allow Harry to continue accusing him of planning to steal the stone.
"It's tonight," said Harry, once he was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. "Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs, and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up."
"I d-don't th-think it's P-Professor Snape."
Eldon was promptly ignored.
"But what can we -"
Hermione gasped. Harry and Ron wheeled round, Eldon nearly jumping.
Snape was standing there.
"Good afternoon," he said smoothly.
"H-Hello Professor," said Eldon, smiling, as the three Gryffindors stared at him.
"You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he said, with an odd, twisted smile as he looked at Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
"We were -" Harry began, without any idea what he was going to say.
"You want to be more careful," said Snape. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?"
Harry flushed, and the four of them noted briefly that Snape seemed to be acting kindly only to Eldon, the only Slytherin of the group. They turned to go outside, but Snape called out.
"Be warned, Potter - any more nighttime wandering and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you."
He strode off in the direction of the staff room.
Out on the stone steps, Harry turned to the others.
"Right, here's what we've got to do," he whispered urgently. "One of us had to keep an eye on Snape - wait outside the staff room and follow him if he left it. Eldon, you better do that."
"W-What?!"
"Why him?"
"It's obvious," said Ron. "Snape actually likes Eldon, and if he sees him standing outside the staff room there's no way he'd get in trouble."
"I c-can't!"
"It'll be fine, Eldon," Harry said, but when he saw the look on Eldon's face he changed his mind, "Okay, Hermione can do it."
"Me?"
This time Ron laughed.
"You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick, you know." He put on a high voice, "Oh Professor Flitwick, I'm so worried, I think I got question fourteen b wrong . . ."
"Oh, shut up," said Hermione, but she agreed to go and watch out for Snape.
"And we'd better stay outside the third-floor corridor," Harry told Ron and Eldon, though Eldon found it hard to argue, he didn't want to be anywhere near the third corridor.
He was dragged along by the two other boys and found standing just outside the corridor a few minutes later. Though that part of the plan didn't work. No sooner had they reached the door separating Fluffy from the rest of the school than Professor McGonagall turned up again and this time, she lost her temper.
"I suppose you think you're harder to get past than a pack of enchantments!" she stormed. "Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you've come anywhere near here again, I'll take another fifty points from Gryffindor! Yes, from my own House!"
Harry, Ron, and Eldon headed to Gryffindor common room, sitting on the wall outside the portrait of the Fat Lady. Harry had just said, "At least Hermione's on Snape's tail," when Hermione came around the corner.
"I'm sorry, Harry!" she wailed. "Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and I've only just got away, I don't know where Snape went."
"We'll that's it then, isn't it?" Harry said.
Eldon still thought that Professor Snape had nothing to do with the Stone. All three of them stared at Harry though, as he paled and his eyes glittered.
"I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first," Harry announced.
"You're mad!" said Ron.
"D-Don't, it's n-not s-safe!"
"You can't!" said Hermione. "After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!"
"So WHAT" Harry shouted. "Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort's coming back! Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the House Cup? If I get caught before I can get to the stone, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there, it's only dying a bit later then I would have, because I'm never going over to the Dark Side! I'm going though that trapdoor tonight and nothing you three say is going to stop me! Voldermort killed my - our - parents, remember?"
Eldon flinched as he glared at them.
"You're right, Harry," said Hermione in a small voice.
"I'll use the Invisibility Cloak," said Harry. "It's just lucky I got it back."
"But will it cover all four of us?" said Ron.
At that Eldon let out a squeak, we're they involving him in this too!
"All - all four of us?"
"Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you go alone."
"Of course not," said Hermione briskly." How do you think you'd get the Stone without it? I'd better go and look through my books, there might be something useful . . ."
"Y-You're my b-brother, s-so I'll go t-too," said Eldon, unable to think of a way he'd be able to get out of going and still be able to help Harry.
"But if we get caught, you three will be expelled, too."
"Not if I can help it," said Hemrione grimly. "Flitwick told me in secret that i got a hundred and twelve percent on his exam. They're not throwing me out after that."
At dinner that night, when Eldon had returned to Daphne and Blaise, he couldn't settle his nerves. Both of them had accepted "Harry," as an explanation as to why he seemed terrified when exams were already over. Everyone else was celebrating being done with the year's classes and filling themselves with food, while Eldon wasn't able to stomach even a sip of water.
Since he was a Slytherin he'd have to sneak his way to the third floor without the aid of Harry's invisibility cloak, and then meet up with the three Gryffindors before going into the room Fluffy was guarding. If he made even a single mistake getting there he'd be expelled from Hogwarts and would have to stay home with the Dursleys for the next several years while Harry went off to Hogwarts.
"Eldon, you really don't look too good," Daphne whispered. "Maybe you should go ask Madam Pomfrey for a calming drought."
He shook his head, unsure if he'd even be able to stand on his shaky legs.
"N-no, I'll b-be f-fine."
"If you say so, Mate," said Blaise through a mouthful of chewed ham.
That night Eldon sat in the common room with a book open in his lap, he wasn't reading it, but rather just wanted to seem busy so that nobody would talk to him. Daphne and Blaise had already gone to bed, and only a few students remained awake. Malfoy was playing chess against a seventh year, and looked to be winning, and a group of third year girls were snickering together over something.
It was a half hour later that the girls left, and the two playing chess had just finished a game. Malfoy however remained seated as the seventh year left. His attention then turned to Eldon, who had forgotten that to appear like he was reading that he would need to turn the pages.
"Play me."
Eldon jumped in surprise, having not realised Malfoy was even looking at him. He tripped over his feet as he hurried to sit across from him, rushing even though the tone Malfoy used to tell him to play had been soft and lacking in anything commanding.
"U-uh, o-okay."
The chess board and pieces looked expensive, most likely made from carefully carved marble and decorated with different jewels. The pieces in front of Malfoy were black with emerald details, while Eldons were emerald green with shiny black details. The sets looked very Slytherin.
"It's your move first," said Malfoy, his usual sneer nowhere to be found on his face.
"O-oh, uh, p-pawn t-to A4."
The piece moved without any hesitation, seeming to have no problem with Eldons stutter and nerves. They had played for fifteen minutes already when Eldon finally relaxed. He was losing terribly, with most of his pieces laying on the side of the board, though it didn't bother him any. Malfoy who when playing the seventh year the game before had a superior smirk on his face when he was winning simply looked happy to by playing now, not caring that he was beating Eldon with such ease.
"How did you do on exams?"
Eldon blinked in surprise. They'd played the entire game in silence, and he hadn't expected Malfoy to suddenly talk to him.
"I d-did o-okay, but P-Potions w-was hard. P-Professor Snape l-looked d-disappointed why-when I turned i-in my p-potion."
"Hm, well, it was rather simple in my opinion. You should have asked me to tutor you."
Despite his word choice Eldon didn't think Malfoy seemed to be bragging at all. He rather seemed to be interested in helping.
"N-Next year?"
Something flashed through Malfoy's eyes.
"Yes, next year. And checkmate."
Eldon didn't feel upset about losing in less than 20 minutes. Malfoy was a good chess player, and Eldon felt he'd done much better this time than when he was playing Ron. The mach had even taken his mind off Harry and the Stone for a little while. He'd have to leave soon though, to meet up with the three Gryffindors, and he could only hope that Malfoy would go up to bed soon even if he'd been rather kind.
Luckily Malfoy headed up to bed a few minutes after packing up his chess board, leaving Eldon alone in the common room. When he was certain that nobody was going to come back out and see him leaving the common room he ducked out into the dungeon hallway and moved quickly towards the third floor, sticking close to the shadows. He made it there in record time, heart racing in his chest and not wanting to disappoint Harry by being late and not helping him. The three Gryffnidors had been waiting for him in the hallway and one of them had poked their hand out of the cloak and waved at him before they made their way over and covered him as well.
A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor - and the door was already ajar.
"Well, there you are," Harry said quietly, "Snape already got past Fluffy"
Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon all four of them what was facing them. Eldon had already been terrified, and now his trembling returned with a vengeance. Underneath the Cloak, Harry turned to the three of them.
"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.
"Y-Yeah," Eldon added unhelpfully.
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 at its feet?" Hemrione whispered.
"Looks like a harp," said Ron. "Snape must've left it there."
"It must wake up the moment you stop playing," said Harry. "Well, here goes . . ."
Eldon watched as Harry put the flute Hagrid had given him for Christmas to his lips and blew. It wasn't really a tune, but from the first note the beast's eyes began to droop. Harry hardly drew breath. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased - it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.
"Keep playing," Ron warned Harry as they all slipped out of the Cloak and crept towards the trapdoor. They could feel the dog's hot smelly breath as they approached the giant heads and Eldon fought hard to not cry out.
"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!"
When she yelled Eldon couldn't help but cry out, terrified that it would wake the beast.
"All right." ROn fritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog's legs. He bent down 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."
Harry, who was still playing the flute, waved at the tree of them to get their attention and pointed at himself.
"You want to go first? Are you sure?" said Ron. "I don't know how deep this goes. Give the flute to Hermione so she can keep him asleep."
It was smart to not hand it over to Eldon, he would've dropped it with how hard his hands were trembling. Harry handed the flute over. In the few seconds' silence, the dog growled and twitched, but the moment Hemrione began to play, it fell back into its deep sleep.
Harry climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor. Like Ron had said there was no sign of the bottom. Eldon walked slowly around the dog, unable to make himself climb over it and stood beside Harry. He didn't want his brother to jump down there all alone. Harry lowered himself though the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips, and Eldon hovered nervously around him. Before he dropped Harry looked up at Ron.
"If anything happens to me, don't follow. Go straight to the owerly and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?"
"Right," said Ron.
"See you in a minute, I hope . . ."
Eldon watched with halted breath as Harry vanished down into the hole, no longer visible. He couldn't make himself jump in to follow no matter how much he didn't want Harry to have to face it alone. Then Harry called up to them.
"It's okay! It's a soft landing, you can jump!"
Ron jumped in right away, and Hermione joined Eldon next to the trap door, no longer playing the flute as the dog began to stir.
"On three okay?"
"Y-Yeah. . ."
"One . . . Two . . . Three!"
They jumped together and scrawled out onto something soft after the cold, damp air stopped rushing past them.
"We must be miles under the school," Hermione said.
"Lucky this plant thing's here, really," said Ron.
"Lucky!" shrieked Hermione. "Look at you both!"
She leapt up and struggled towards a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snake-like tendrils around her ankles. Eldon, Harry, and Ron however had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing. Eldon froze with terror, horrible whimpers slipping past his lips. The two other boys fought to pull the plant off themselves, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them.
"Stop moving!" Hermione ordered them. "I know what this is - it's Devil's Snare!"
Eldon had no problem not moving, he was already petrified with fear.
"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.
"Shut up, i'm trying to remember how to kill it!" said Hermione.
"Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" Harry gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around his chest.
"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare . . . what did Professor Sprout say? - it likes the dark and the damp -"
"So light a fire!" Harry choked.
"Yes - of course - but there's no wood!" Hermione cried, wringing her hands.
"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"
Eldon hadn't thought of that either.
"Oh, right!" said Hermione, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something, and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant. In a matter of seconds, the two boys felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and failing, it unraveled itself from their bodies, and they were able to pull free.
"Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione," said Harry as he joined her by the wall, wiping sweat off his face.
"Yeah," said Ron," and lucky Harry doesn't lose his head in a crisis - 'there's no wood,' honestly."
Eldon was trembling, the fight with the plant had been too close for comfort, though even being in the room with the dog had been too close for comfort. He followed after Harry when he directed them down a stone passageway, which looked to be the only way forwards. All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and Eldon was faintly reminded of Gringotts. With an unpleasant jolt of his heart, and trembling limbs he continued forwards.
"Can you hear something?" Ron whispered.
Eldon listened. A soft rustling and clicking seems to be coming from up ahead.
"Do you think it's a ghost?" Harry asked.
"I don't know . . . sounds like wings to me."
"Th-there's a l-light u-up ahead - s-something's m-moving."
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.
"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" said Ron.
Eldon really hoped they wouldn't.
"Probably," said Harry. "They don't look very vicious, but I suppose they all swooped down at once . . . well, there's no other choice . . . I'll run."
Eldon reached out to stop him when he realized what Harry was planning to do, but it was too late, Harry ran out into the chamber and not a single bird dove for him. He reached the door a moment later and tried to pull it open, but it didn't seem to be budgeting. The three of them joined him a second later when they were sure that the birds wouldn't attack them, and the door remained stubbornly shut even when Hermione tried her Alohomora Charm.
"Now what?" said Ron.
"These birds . . . they can't be here just for decoration," said Hermione.
THey watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering - glittering?
"Th-Those-aren't birds!" Eldon noted with a start, his surprise overweighting his terror.
"They're keys!" Harry continued. "Winged keys - look carefully. So that must mean . . ." Eldon watched as Harry whirled around searching the chamber for something as his two friends squinted up at the flock of keys. " . . . yes - look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!"
"But there are hundreds of them!"
Eldon let out a distressed moan, his hatred for flying was coming back with a vengeance, and despite the ceiling not being nearly as high as Harry flew during quidditch games he still didn't want him flying around with all the winter keys.
Hermione examined the lock on the door.
"We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one - probably silver, like the handle."
The three Gryffindors each seized a broomstick and didn't seem to mind when Eldon couldn't bring himself to join them. He remained on the ground and watched as they grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and divided so quickly that it was almost impossible to catch one. Harry however, the youngest seeker in a century, seemed to spot the key they needed rather quickly.
"That one!" he called out to the others flying with him. "That big one - there - no, there - with the bright blue wings - the feathers are all crumpled on one side."
Eldon looked around and wasn't able to find the key Harry was talking about, but it seemed the other two had. Ron went speeding in the direction that Harry was pointing, crashed into the ceiling, and nearly fell off his broom. Eldon led out a loud yelp as he did so.
"We've got to close in on it!" Harry called, not taking his eyes off the key with the damaged wing. "Ron, you come at it from above - Hermione, stay below and stop if from going down - and I'll try and catch it. RIght, NOW!"
Ron dived, Hermione rocketed upward, the ley dodged them both, and Harry streaked after it; it sped toward the wall, Harry leaned forward and with a nasty, crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand. Eldon who had been covering his eyes lower his hands as Ron and Hermione's cheers echoed around the high chamber,
They landed quickly, and Harry ran to the door, the key struggling in his hand. He rammed it into the lock and tuned it - it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice.
"Redy?" Harry asked the other three, his hand on the door handle. Ron and Hermione nodded and ELdon sucked in a deep breath, in no way ready to move forwards but preparing himself too anyways. Harry pulled open the door.
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. They all shivered and Eldon felt like fainting - 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."
Eldon certainly hoped that wasn't the case, he'd just lost terribly to Malfoy even when using pieces that listened to him. They could see a door behind the white pieces though, and ELdon felt his heart sink farther than it already had.
"How?" said Hermione nervously.
"I think," said Ron, "we're going to have to be chessmen."
He walked up to a black night and put his hand out to touch the knights horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed at the ground and the knite turned his limited head to look down at Ron.
"Do we - er - have to join you to get across?"
The black night nodded. Ron turned to the other three.
"This needs thinking about . . ." he said. "I suppose we've got to take the place of four of the black pieces. . ."
They 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 Harry quickly. "Just tell us what to do."
Eldon didn't have room to feel offended with how much he was regretting following Harry down here.
"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, Hermione, you go there instead of that castle, and Eldon, you'll be the other bishop."
"W-what about y-you?"
"I;m going to be a knight," said Ron.
The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because in these words a knight, a castle, and both bishops turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving four empty squares that Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Eldon 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 back pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Eldon't entire body was trembling, and he feared that if Ron were to tell him to move he'd find himself unable to. What if they lost?
"Harry - move diagonally four squares to the right."
Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown. Eldon's breath caught in his throat and only came out in harsh pants, his body fighting to pass out while he forced himself to stay awake.
"Had to let that happen," said Ron, looking shaken. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on."
Every time one of their men was kost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron had just noticed in time that Eldon was in danger, and the boy thought he actually blacked out for a second when it happened. Ron himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black pieces.
"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 and Hemrione shouted, and Eldon could only cry out with a whimper.
"That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I'll make my move 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!"
There was no alternative no matter how much ELdon wished there was.
"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 - Eldon dropped his knees unable to stop shaking - the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out.
Shaking, Eldon watched Harry move three spaces to the left.
The white king took off his crown and threw it as Harry's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Eldon charged through the door and up the next passageway.
"Wh-what i-if -"
"He'll be alright," said Harry. "What do you reckon next?'
"We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare; Flitwick must've put the charms on the keys; McGonagall transfigures the chessmen to make them alive; that leaves Quirell's spell, and Snape's . . ."
They had reached another door.
"All right?" Harry whispered.
Eldon was most certainly not alright, his day could not possibly get any worse.
"Go on," said Hermione.
Harry pushed it open and Eldon hid behind him.
A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making all of them 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. Eldon trembled harder at the sight, but was glad they hadn't been made to fight it.
"I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one," Harry whispered as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. "Come on, I can't breathe."
Harry pulled open the next door as well, and Eldon hardly dared to look at what came next - but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in line.
"Snape's," said Harry, and Eldon had to admit he still couldn't see Snape being the one after the Stone. "What do we have to do?"
They stepped over the threshold, and immediately a fie 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 onward. They were trapped.
"Look!" Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Eldon looked nervously over her shoulder, glad that Professor Snape's potion was still working as he read:
Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,,
Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,
One among us seven will let you move ahead,
Another will transport the drinker back instead,
Two among us are killers, waiting hidden in line.
Schoos, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,
To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:
First, however slyly the poison tries to hide
You will always find some on nett;e wine's left side;
Second, different are those who stand at either end,,
But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;
Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,
neither dwarf nor giant hold death in their insides;
Fourth, the second on the left and the right
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.
Hermione let out a great sigh and Eldon, amazed, saw that she was smiling, the very last thing he could possibly be doing.
"Brilliant," said Hermione. "This isn't magic - it's logic - a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they;d be stuck in here forever."
"A-and u-us?" Eldon choked out. "W-will w-we be s-stuck?"
"Of course not," said Hermione. "Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven different bottles; three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely though the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple."
"But how do we know which to drink?"
"Give me a minute."
Hermione read the paper several times, and Eldon grew more anxious by the second. Then she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. As last, she clapped her hands.
"Got it," she said. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire - toward the Stone."
Eldon and Harry looked at the tiny bottle.
"There's only enough for two of us," Harry said, "Which one will get you through the purple flames?"
Hermione pointed at a round bottle at the right end of the line.
"Eldon, you drink that," said Harry. "No, listen, get back and get Ron. Grab the brooms and - Neverming, Hermione, you go. Take the brooms, they'll get you out of the trap door and past Fluffy - go straight to the owlery and send Hedwing to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snaoe off for awhile, but neither me or Eldon are a match for him, really."
"But Harry - what if You-Know-Who's with him?"
"Well- i was lucky once, wasn't I?" said Harry, pointing at his scar. "I might get lucky again."
To Eldon that sounded like a terrible plan, wasn't there something else they could do to lock whoever was after the Stone in the next room so that they couldn't escape?
Hermione's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at Harry and threw her arms around him.
"Hermione!"
"Harry - you're a great wizard, you know."
"I'm not as good as you," said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him.
"Me!" said Hermione. " Books! And cleverness! There are more important things - friendship and bravery and - oh Harry - be careful!"
Eldon felt terribly left out, he was terrified of going through that door with Harry yet neither seemed to be paying much attention to him. He supposed though, that Hermione was Harry's friend, and Harry himself had bigger things to worry about.
"You drink first," said Harry. "You are sure which is which, aren't you?"
"Positive," said Hermione. She took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shuttered.
"It's not poison?" said Harry enciously.
"No - but it's like ice."
"Quick, go, before it wears off."
"Good luck - take care -"
"GO!"
Hermione turned and walked through the purple fire.
Eldon gulped as he and Harry turned to face the black flames. Harry said nothing as drank half the bottle and handed the rest to Eldon who finished it in one gulp. His nerves froze as it slid down his throat.
It was indeed as though ice was flooding his body. He forced himself to quickly put the small bottle down and hurry after Harry who had already made his way through the flame. He was terrified for a moment that the flame would burn him, but he couldn't feel them as they licked his body. For a moment all he saw was dark fire - then he was on the other side, in the last chamber.
There was already someone there - but it wasn't Snape like Harry had believed. It wasn't even Voldemort.
Authors Note:
One more chapter to go! Chapter 1 of book two will be posted on the same day! :)
Thank you Sem16 for the idea!