Ethereal

by HushDon'tLetThemHearYou

Book 1. The Story of Harry and his twin sister, Mara who enter Hogwarts for their first year. Despite being the Girl-Who-Lived even stranger things are happening. They both receive Familiar Bonds and both of their scars start to hurt. They make friends and they make enemies but there is more than meets the eye. Nothing is accidental in the world of magic.

25. Ikigai: Chapter Twenty-One

As April became May, exams hit the Hogwarts students like a speeding hippogriff. It wasn't unusual to see the seventh years passed out in the common rooms, the library, or even at the tables over breakfast or lunch. More than once the seventh years had gotten into nasty fights over the littlest things like someone bumping into their chair.

One fight Harry had the pleasure to witness happened at the breakfast table when two seventh years started fighting over the right way to peel a banana. They both got black eyes and sore knuckles but neither got detention.

The teachers seemed a lot more lenient as the exam week went on.

Harry was honestly terrified of the seventh year exams the longer they went on.

Exhaustion seemed to be the default setting for the seventh years. The fifth years weren't in much better shape as they had to take OWLS. Percy Weasley would often be found during his rounds as a prefect, muttering to himself, a distant look in his eyes.

And on nights when neither Mara nor Harry could sleep and they used the cloak to sit in the common room by the fire, worries, and anxieties about the stone and Snape and Voldemort plaguing their minds, it wasn't unusual to be interrupted by a sleepwalking sixth or seventh year.

They'd often mutter something about a potion ingredient, the formula for a spell, or even practicing hand motions in their sleep before going back up to bed.

It was odd, but not unusual.

And then, it was the first year's turn.

"Exams!" Professor Flitwick declared in an excited, squeaky voice. He was nearly bouncing in his chair with a huge grin on his face. A pineapple sat innocently on his desk.

No one knew what it was for but they all noticed it.

"I'm sure all of you are nervous and excited," Flitwick continued, smiling brightly, "As I'm sure you know already, you will be required to take an exam for each class you have this week. It just so happens that for your class, you have my exam first!"

"I expect great things from you all and I expect to see your bright, happy faces in my class next year! I'm so proud of how far you all have come," Flitwick puffed his chest out, looking near tears as he looked at them like a mother sending her kids off to school for the first time.

Harry looked around at his classes 'bright, happy faces'. They were taking the exam with the Ravenclaws at 9 in the morning. As such, most of the Gryffindors hadn't woken up yet.

Lavender Brown was twirling strands of her hair around her fingers, seemingly uncaring. The seat next to her was occupied by Peyton Bell, who didn't seem to be paying attention in the slightest. A quill in her hand, he wasn't sure what she was writing but it seems to be quite important considering the concentration she's putting into it.

Sophie Roper looked to be praying to Merlin in the corner of the room beside Fay Dunbar, who was sleeping, her eyelids painted to seem as if she was awake. The Parvati twins were sitting together this time, their hands clenched tightly around one another.

Lisa Turpin, another Ravenclaw looked about ready to explode with her face bright red while her partner, Mandy Brocklehurst was secretly flipping through their charms book underneath the table. Sue Li was the only calm Ravenclaw, focused intently on the Professor like she was about to burn a hole through his skull. Meanwhile her partner, Morag MacDougal was still snoring, her head on the desk.

Kevin Entwhistle hadn't eaten anything for breakfast that morning but he still looked ready to hurl on his partner, Terry Boot. Michael Corner and Stephen Cornfoot were sending smug glances to Terry Boot, who was cowering away from Kevin's green face.

Hermione was the readiest he had ever seen her. She looked like she was facing down a war and not a charms exam. Beside her, Mara was smiling excitedly, her wand already clutching in her hand.

Dean seemed to have some kind of leather helmet on his head, inching away from Seamus beside him who in all fairness, hadn't blown up anything for two weeks.

Neville collapsed onto his desk next to Harry, his face pale and sweaty as he murmured for Harry to kill him every few minutes. Ron, looked as if he was the only one unconcerned with the exams. He kept trying to balance a quill on his upper lip, ignoring everything around him. His partner, Anthony Goldstein kept sending him harsh glares as if trying to bury Ron six feet under.

None of them were quite bright or happy but it could be worse.

"For your charms exam, I will call you up one at a time where I will ask you to demonstrate all you've learned in your class by making this pineapple," Flitwick grinned, pushing the pineapple to the front of the desk, "dance across my desk."

Normally, they would all be laughing at this point but the absurdity wasn't nearly as funny as the thought of getting held back if they failed to do so. Harry shivered. He could only imagine his Mum's wrath if he got held back.

"The better the dance and the more control you demonstrate over the spell, the better your score will be," Flitwick said. Though the task seemed ridiculous, it needed the combination of several spells which is difficult for first-years like them. Anyone who had been paying attention in class certainly would pass with flying colors.

"When you have performed the task, you will be free to go. While you are waiting for your turn, feel free to practice your charms or study if you wish. I ask that you do it quietly to be respectful of your classmates," Flitwick smiled.

"First student," Flitwick waved his wand and the parchment for the class list floated a few inches in front of him. Flitwick hummed as he looked through. "Peyton Bell."

Harry's gaze swerved to the brown-haired girl who looked unaffected by the stares. As the first one, it was obvious they would all be watching her set an example. Having a name starting with 'B' must absolutely suck. She'd be first in every exam.

Several of the students, mainly the Ravenclaws, had pulled out their books to study, though each of them eyed Peyton from the corner of their eyes.

Mara looked especially anxious, as she chewed on her fingernails. Harry sighed and raised his wand, murmuring a hex under his breath towards Mara.

Her fingernails gleamed for a minute but once she put her mouth on them again, she leaped back in her seat, a disgusted look on her face.

Harry smirked and even Neville chuckled from beside him.

"Hot sauce?" Neville asked with a knowing smile.

Harry simply smirked.

Mara's gaze found him and she glared at him.

"Well done, Miss Bell!" Flitwick exclaimed.

The distraction had cost them quite a bit as Peyton Bell was already walking out of the classroom.

Brocklehurst, Mandy was already being called up.

Seeing as he would be one of the last called, Harry focused on reading. Every once in a while, he heard the pitter-patter of tap-dancing pineapples across the room, sometimes even music. By the time he heard Hermione's name called, over half the class was gone.

Hermione had no trouble whatsoever with the task as she performed the spells with ease. The pineapple grew legs and tap shoes and began to tap-dance around like it had been doing it all its life. Of course, he never expected anything else from Hermione, he thought with a proud smile.

After Hermione, was Li, Sue and then it was Neville's turn. Neville accidentally turned the pineapple purple on his first try but Harry managed to catch his eye and mimic taking a deep breath. After calming down a bit, Neville retried and nailed it. Neville left the room, a proud smile on his face and Harry gave him a thumbs-up as he passed.

Macdougal, Morag was next and then the Patil twins. After Parvarti's turn, Harry finally put his book down and started paying attention. There was only Mara, him, Ron and three other students now. The room looked practically empty.

Flitwick looked absolutely delighted, nearly vibrating with a huge smile on his face. He called out "Potter, Amaryllis" with a squeak.

Mara sent him a sheepish smile as she made her way to the desk. She took a deep breath once in front of the desk and raised her wand with a confident smile. She swung her wand in a way that reminded Harry of Transfiguration movements and not charms and the coffee mug on the desk morphed into a tiny top hat while the quill next to it morphed into a black and white cane.

"Miss Potter?" Flitwick raised an eyebrow.

Harry knew what he meant. That was Transfiguration.

Mara, the maniac, only shushed him.

Harry was both impressed by the gall she had to shush a teacher and what she did next.

"Piertotum Locomotor! Cantis! Tarantallegra!" Mara shot out the spells at the pineapple in a quick shot.

All at once, the pineapple grew two feet with tap-shoes and two arms. Two black blinking eyes grew on its fruity face and it stood up and opened its mouth, complete with pineapple teeth. It looked comical, like a drawing come to life.

It grabbed the top hat and put it on its head and wielded the cane in one hand. Then, it opened its mouth and a song poured out of its mouth as it danced across the desk.

"Hello, my baby! Hello, my honey! Hello, my ragtime gal!" The pineapple winked. Mara giggled and clapped her hands happily, "Send me a kiss by wire! Baby, my heart's on fire!"

The Pineapple moved into a complicated tap-dance, it's arms and legs moving as it waved it's cane around.

"If you refuse me, Honey you'll lose me!" The pineapple tapped across the desk, spinning around smoothly like it wasn't a pineapple. "Then you'll be left alone!"

"Oh, baby telephone!" The pineapple spun, welding it's hat and cane in its hands as it reached to the sky in a grand finale, "and tell me I'm your own!"

"Reverte!" Mara giggled, waving her hand. With a pop, the pineapple lost all it's humanoid features and the cane and hat reverted back to their original states. Now, there was only a pineapple, a coffee mug, and a quill where the performance had been.

The room was silent.

Harry face-palmed. Then Ron let out a huge snort. He burst into guffaws of laughter, his face turning bright red as he crashed his face into the desk.

Mara blushed as Dean Thomas joined in with Ron. The two of them leaned on one another as they gasped for breaths between their laughter.

Lisa Turpin and Sophie Roper had dissolved into giggles, though they were much more composed than Ron and Dean, who both had tears in their eyes from laughing so hard.

"What a splendid performance, Miss Potter!" Flitwick beamed. He bent down to stare at the pineapple, his eyes sparkling. "That had to be the most entertaining dance I've come across! Where on earth did you come up with it?"

Harry chuckled under his breath at his sister's ridiculous ideas. Mara blushed, probably too embarrassed to say she learned it from a cartoon frog.

"Wonderful, simply wonderful!" Flitwick grinned at her. "Nothing less from my best student, of course!"

Mara flushed and stuttered through thanking him. She left the room slightly nervous.

Right as she passed Ron and Dean, Dean suddenly grinned mischievously, his eyes twinkling. Under his breath, he muttered, "What's up, Doc?"

Mara flushed bright red as Dean burst into laughter once more. Harry smirked as Mara hurried out of the room, her face burning.

Nobody else could compare to Mara's dance but they all tried their best.

For History of Magic, they had to take a 100 question test on various subjects, including a short essay on the invention of the self-stirring cauldron. Harry thought it was incredibly unfair that they made them take the test when they were taught by a ghost who only knew how to talk about the Goblin revolution. They hadn't known a thing about the self-stirring cauldron unless, like Hermione, you studied on your own. Most kids slept through the class so all throughout the silent exam, Harry spotted Ron's eyes getting wider and wider with panic.

Harry was pretty sure they're score on the test didn't matter much. In Herbology with the Hufflepuffs, they had to identify 10 poisonous plants in the greenhouse and 10 non-poisonous plants as partners. Harry hadn't been surprised at all how excited Neville had been for this exam. For once, his confidence was out of the roof and HArry was incredibly disappointed to be partnered up with a Hufflepuff boy, Oliver Rivers, and not his best friend. Neville was partnered with Ernie MacMillian, who smugly looked like he won the lottery.

He might as well have as Ernie didn't need to do anything as Neville finished in startlingly five minutes. The two were out before Harry had even identified one. The next pair finished was Peyton Bell who was partnered with the Hufflepuff girl, Hannah Abbott.

Luckily, Oliver Rivers seemed to be knowledgeable about the poisonous plants but not so much when it came to the non-poisonous section. Hermione and Seamus Finnigan finished third and after that, it was a race.

Dean and Ron seemed like they were struggling even more than Harry and his partner and Mara was completely clueless as was her partner, Parvarti.

Sophie Roper and Sally Smith became the fourth pair to get finished then followed by Justin Finch-Fletchley and Fay Dunbar, and finally, Susan Bones and Lavender Brown.

Harry finally finished, a bit disappointed at how long it took him to complete it. The other four pairs were still scrambling for answers. Wayne Hopkins was trying to prevent his partner, Megan Jones from diving headfirst into the poisonous plants while Mara and Parvarti had lost the section they were supposed to be in and were currently wandering around by the plants not a part of the test.

Roger Malone looked like his soul had left his body as Lily Moon chatted away about each plant and they're wonderful colors and delightful smells and sounds. Ron and Dean hadn't made it past the first ten plants.

Harry was just glad to be out of the suffocating greenhouse.

For Astronomy, they had to wake up at Midnight like usual except for this time, everyone was dead exhausted from all the tests and studying they'd been doing. It was pretty simple as all they had to do was identify the stars and constellations to create their own Star Map.

Harry found it incredibly ironic that one of the ones they had to identify was 'Sirius'.

In Potions, Snape proved to have a sense of humor even if it wasn't funny to anyone but him. They were required to brew the forgetfulness potion from memory. Mara and Neville were on the edge of tears by the time Harry and Ron had completed their potion. Surprisingly, the first one out the door had been a Slytherin girl, Daphne Greengrass, and her partner, Tracey Davis. They'd finished nearly a half-hour before anyone else. Luckily, no one messed up their potions too badly.

Except for Crabbe and Goyle who spent the next two days in the hospital wing.

Next, they had flying. All they had to do was prove they had the basic flying techniques down as they flew through an Obstacle course. Luckily, they were going house by house so it was only the Gryffindors. Harry and Mara, having been raised by three quidditch fanatics, had no problems and even threw a few fancy moves but several of the other students had difficulties. Dean, despite growing up in the muggle world, had caught on to Flying very quickly and Harry suspected he could even be a good beater for their Quidditch team next year. Seamus, however, somehow managed to catch the end of his broom on fire. He completed the course though, even if it had been on fire the entire time.

Neville was incredibly nervous which nobody blamed him for. He hated flying class after how badly the first one ended. Neville luckily made it, only bumping into the flags a few times. Neville had practically clung to the ground as soon as it was over.

Hermione was the same way, though she just hated the aspect of flying and went through the course the slowest you could possibly go.

For Transfiguration, they had to turn a mouse into a snuff-box and McGonagall gave extra points for how pretty the snuffbox was. The prettiest snuff box was made by Parvarti Patil though Hermione was a close second. Hermione's magic was better but Parvarti certainly knew how to make things look pretty.

Harry had only made a snuff box with red and gold trim, though he had made it velvet on the inside. Mara had gone absolutely crazy and decorated it with all kinds of shiny gems with seven different colors that did not go together. Neville had a simple silver design though the flowers on the front turned out to be man-eating flowers and McGonagall did not appreciate that. Ron just made a wooden box and called it a day. When McGonagall demanded a decoration, Ron carved 'R' on the top.

They all passed, though none of them were even close to the word 'pretty'.

Their last exam was Defense Against the Dark Arts which was the absolute last thing any of them wanted to do. Not only was Quirrell a terrible teacher, but they were all tired from having to see his face.

Harry and Mara had told their friends what had happened in the forest minus a few details. They had taken to watching Quirrell and Snape during the day and at night, at least one of them would use the cloak to check that Fluffy was still on the third-floor corridor. They never went in, but it wasn't hard to hear the loud snoring of the three heads through the door.

Neville was the most nervous about approaching the door so he mostly stuck to watching Quirrell, who seemed to be falling sicker as the weeks passed.

Harry and Mara were both rather uncomfortable around him for reasons they couldn't really explain. Luckily, his class was mostly theory so they didn't get very close to him. However, Quirrel looked almost dead by the start of the exam week.

His face was so pale, rumors were going around that Quirrell had not' escaped' that vampire after all and was now turning into one. It would definitely explain the garlic smell on his turban.

Supposedly, he puts garlic in his turban to prevent him from turning into a full vampire.

Hermione thought it was all hogwash but there was no denying the sick appearance of their professor.

His face white and with a sheen of sweat over his skin at all times. His eyes were sunken in and ringed with dark bruises that made him almost seem like a raccoon. He grew incredibly thin and his back hunched over as time went on.

Quirrell, of course, demanded he was fine, stuttering out excuses every time someone mustered up the courage to ask but by the exam, everyone was absolutely sure that Professor Quirrell was incredibly sick.

"Maybe Snape's pressuring him," Ron whispered to him one afternoon. "He's losing his grip."

Whatever it was, the Defense test was disappointingly easy. They only learned a total of five spells the entire year, the rest was all theory-work and for the test, all they had to do was demonstrate their ability to use 'Finite', the counterspell against whatever spell he threw at them.

It was so boringly easy that everyone passed without any hint of trouble whatsoever.

Harry had no idea that the exams were the least of his worries.

---

"Ah, sweet sweet sun," Mara sighed in relief as she stretched out on the lawn.

With all the exams going on, the library was packed with last-minute crammers. It had taken the combined force of Harry, Ron, Mara, and Neville to drag them out of the library and outside by the lake.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining bright in the sky with just enough fluffy clouds so they weren't fried to a crisp. The wind rustled the brand new green leaves on the trees. The lake glittered bright blues and greens making it look shallower than it actually was. Birds skidded across the top, searching for food while every once in a while, something splashed that Mara was pretty sure wasn't a fish.

Harry leaned back against the tree, a book held up to his face as he read. The natural canopy of leaves above them cast shade from the harshness of the sun.

Ron and Neville played exploding snap, letting out the sounds of victory or defeat every time a new round began. Ron almost always won though Neville could win if he really focused.

Hermione sat against the tree, next to Harry with an open book, and her parchment and quill settled on her other lap. As she read, she moved the quill at the same time in a methodic scratching that was lulling the peaceful Mara to sleep.

Mara, herself lay diagonally across the ground, her head in Harry's lap as she looked out over the lake. She listened to the sounds of the distant animals, the birds calling in the distance, the splash of the lake, and her friends' quiet sounds as they relaxed.

There was truly nothing that could break this bit of happiness.

A pair of footsteps changed all of that.

"Ma...Mara?" It was Lily's timid voice that broke her from her peace coma. Mara immediately sat up, at the hesitance in Lily's voice.

Lily stood a few paced away, looking incredibly nervous as she fiddled with the straps on her messenger bag. Behind her stood Killian Grey with a raised eyebrow and his arms folded across his chest. They both looked more serious than Mara had ever seen from them before.

"Lily? What's going on?" She gave them a bewildered look. Ron and Neville's game had stopped, Hermione's quill no longer writing. They had all turned to the newcomers.

Lily looked behind her shoulder at Killian, who nodded seriously. Lilly took a deep breath and stepped forward, fidgeting.

"Well, um, you know about Norbert?"

"Yeah," Mara smiled at her, "Ron got a letter from Charlie the other day about him, or er well, her."

Ron rolled his eyes, "Apparently, it's a girl. They renamed her Norberta."

Lily gave them a soft, anxious smile as she rubbed her hands together.

"What's wrong, Lily?" Mara asked. She stood up, walking towards her red-headed friend.

Killian Grey behind her raised an eyebrow and gestured to Mara as if to tell Lily 'get on with it'. Lilly heaved a heavy sigh and looked up at Mara almost guiltily.

"Something Hagrid said was bothering me. Dragon eggs are illegal to transport and sell, right? So how did Hagrid get one?"

"Well, he said…" Mara thought back with a frown, "He won it?"

Lily nodded, "He said he won in a game at the pub. Well, I started thinking. Who on earth carries an illegal dragon egg with them?"

Mara's eyes widened. Harry stood up, seeming to get what Lily was talking about. Hermione frowned but only looked between them confused.

"Harry, what was it that Hagrid said?" Mara turned to him alarmed.

Hermione piped up, "Hagrid said he always wanted a dragon." Her eyes lit up in realization, "You don't think?" She turned to Harry, biting down on her lower lip.

"What?" Ron asked, bewildered.

Killian frowned. "Everyone knows Hagrid can't keep a secret. Give him alcohol and who knows what he might spill."

"Are you saying that you think someone purposefully used the dragon egg to make Hagrid spill a secret?" Mara turned to them, her face pale.

Killian shrugged, "Hagrid is the gamekeeper. He takes care of all the creatures on the property so he must know quite a bit about them." He tilted his head at Mara giving her a meaningful look, "Especially how to calm them down."

"Fluffy," Hermione whispered, her face turning just as pale as Mara.

Mara sent Harry and Hermione a panicked look.

"We have to tell Professor Dumbledore!" Mara said firmly, "We can't hide what we know any longer!"

"I agree," Hermione stood up.

"Afraid you're out of luck," Killian said.

They turned to him.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, his eyes narrowed.

Killian sighed. "Albus Dumbledore was called to the Ministry in a hurry this morning. Not even the Professor can call him back."

Mara looked at Harry in horror.

"It's tonight," Mara whispered.

Nobody needed an explanation.

"How could we be so stupid?" Harry hissed.

"Maybe if we tell the other professors," Neville piped up, looking like he might faint.

Harry shook his head frustratedly. Underneath his glove, his hand began to light up, and Harry grit his teeth. "Good luck with that. You think they'll listen to a couple first years about something this secretive? We aren't' even supposed to know about the stone."

"Harry, calm down," Hermione reached for his hand, concerned but he pulled away, pulling at his hair with his hands. He breathed and walked away from the group to calm down.

"What are we supposed to do then?" Ron asked, for the first time looking as scared as the others.

"Maybe you can convince them?" Mara turned to Killian pleadingly.

Killian shook his head with a sigh. "I'm from the Grey Family, Mara. The Professors don't believe anything I say."

"Then what do we do?" Hermione asked. Ron and Neville joined the circle.

"Is there anything we can do? It's not our responsibility anyway!" Ron huffed.

"How can you say that? Do you want a dark wizard to rise up again? This is a stone that grants Immortality!" Neville argued back.

"Even if we hunted him down, how are we going to fight an adult wizard! We've been learning magic for a year and they've been at it for a century!" Ron argued.

"Not to mention we don't even know who we're fighting against," Hermione said, biting her lip.

"Exactly!" Ron pointed to her, probably the only time he's ever agreed with Hermione since they met, "For all, we know it's someone much scarier than Snape!"

"So we do nothing? We just let some dark wizards walk in and steal the secret to immortality?"

"Of course not!" Ron argued, "We're Gryffindors."

"Like that means anything! We have to think this through! We can't just recklessly face down a Cerberus and who knows what else!"

Killian and Lily both stepped back, following the exchange with wide eyes.

Everyone's emotions, their lack of sleep, their anxieties, their frustrations, everything had reached ahead. This piece of news was the last straw for the sleep-deprived, emotional messes that they are.

The three friends began to argue as they had never before, their voices rising and their words biting as all of it began to seep out.

"We have to tell the Professors! You're an idiot if you think we can just recklessly play heroes! This isn't a game!"

Hermione's dark circles around her eyes were more pronounced, her exhaustion clear as she interjected her points, interrupting the other two every other sentence. She was fed up with breaking the rules and sneaking around, no matter how good the intentions were.

"The teachers will never believe us! I'm not going to face down a three-headed dog, We're going to be torn to shreds! I won't!"

Ron was livid. He'd always been the most action-packed of them but he wasn't suicidal and going through with this plan is as good as sacrificing their lives. But Ron wasn't alone as he argued, his hands and arms waving around as he growled and bit at them with harsh words. It was clear his frustration had taken over at this point.

"Whatever happened to that Gryffindor Bravery? They've almost killed Mara and who knows who else they might kill using that stone! If you want to sit back and let it happen, then you're just a coward!"

Neville's anxiety had vanished in front of his friends. His exhaustion and fury at himself thrown back into his friend's faces. It was clear something had hit a nerve and Mara knew before long, there would be physical violence.

As the three argued, their words and motions seemed to slow to the female Potter.

"You inconsiderate jerk!"

"Well, you're a suicidal maniac!"

"Both of you quit it! We don't have time for you two idiots to fight!"

"Don't call me an idiot!"

"Yeah, well you're just a buck-toothed know-it-all!"

"How dare you-"

Mara flinched as a sharp pain went through her head. She grabbed her forehead as something burned across the side of her head. Her friend's voices blurred until there was only a ringing in her ears. She clutched her ears, trying to shake away the pain as it bubbled just beneath the surface.

She fell to her knees as her rapid heartbeat joined the ringing, the two sounds moving faster and faster. She felt like everything was going to explode as the pressure built and built.

A red curtain fell in front of her eyes as someone was mouthing something to her.

Lily?

She couldn't see through her watery and blurry eyes. Everything hurt. She couldn't focus on anything besides the ringing as it grew louder and louder.

Mara clutched at her head, squeezing her eyes shut as she shook her head in the pain. The ringing got louder, the burning pain from inside of her skull like someone was trying to escape.

What was happening to her?

"ENOUGH!"

Harry's voice cut through the ringing and a burst of green light shot across the field. The swaying leaves on the trees paused like the wind had vanished and the waves on the water stilled.

Everything was suddenly quiet.

Mara gasped aloud, finally feeling like she was breathing as she tried to catch her breath. The pain still ached but the pressure in her head was gone.

She took a few breaths, noting that at some point she had buried her fingers into the dirt below as she crouched on her hands and knees.

Everything was silent.

Mara looked up, suddenly exhausted.

Harry stood in between them, glaring harshly at Hermione, Neville, and Ron. Harry's eyes were glowing bright emerald and she thinks for a moment that she's seen it before but she can't remember. A dark look crossed his face as he narrowed his eyes at the three friends.

Mara felt the pressure of someone's arm around her and from the corner of her eye, could see the red hair of Lily.

Mara breathed in and out as she got up on her knees, shakily.

"I won't tolerate your bickering any longer!" Harry shouted, his voice distorted. A shiver ran down Mara's back as she gazed up at her brother. He seemed like a stranger now.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Hermione whispered, her gaze lowered to the ground. She seemed ashamed of her behavior. Ron and Neville shuffled on their feet, both gazes lowered to the ground like scolded schoolchildren.

In both awe and confusion, Mara looked up at Harry. His hardened features softened a fraction and he nodded before meeting Mara's eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his eyes still glowing that odd green glow. Mara had felt her parent's magic and had felt the magic of countless Aurors when they had been released. Remus's magic felt like something calm and patient with a hint of something wild lurking beneath the surface. Sirius' magic felt untamed, rebellious, and free, almost unpredictable. Her father's magic felt like home, like the forest at midnight, and burrows that went straight to the earth's core. Her mother's magic felt like a hearth, like a fire that burned slow and comforting in their fireplace, like safety.

But none of them felt like this. Harry's magic felt alive. It felt like protection, swirling around the air, brushing across her skin, and leaving goosebumps behind. Almost like his magic was checking her for injuries, as Harry would do in real life. It felt like an untamed power, protective but possessive, powerful but not aggressive. She shivered in awe as it wrapped around her like a cocoon or a warm blanket being held around her shoulders. Like the nights the two siblings shared when Mara would wake up from a nightmare, like hot chocolate on her tongue and wool socks on her feet.

She suddenly felt very safe.

Is this what it felt like that night with the troll after she had passed out? Is this what her friends had felt?

"Um," Mara swallowed, gaining her breath, "I'm okay. I'm not sure what happened."

Harry offered his hand to her, the one that was glowing. Her heart leaped to her throat at the gesture. She smiled up at him, relieved. With his support, she got on her feet. His hand felt warm but there was no heat. She could clearly see the symbol glowing green underneath the glove.

Harry smiled at her and patted her head like he used to do all the time. The green glow from his eyes faded but lingered just behind his calm look. He turned to something behind her and his gaze hardened into steel.

Killian stood behind them, an uncharacteristically serious look on his face. Lily, still kneeling on the ground, looked between them nervously. Her bag was clutched to her chest and was wiggling.

Mara was 100% sure something was moving inside of the bag but she couldn't tell what. Lily paid it no mind.

"I would appreciate your help in keeping this quiet, Mr. Grey," Harry said diplomatically, despite the ice in his eyes.

Killian suddenly smirked and bowed at the waist.

"Of course, Heir Potter," He said, "I admit I am curious about the magic displayed here but I swear not to tell a living soul."

"Oath."

Killian stiffened. He straightened and eyed Harry without a single emotion on his face.

Mara's eyes went wide. "Harry, that is way too extreme-"

Killian stopped her with a raised hand and smiled at Harry politely.

"Of course," He nodded in consent. He raised his wand in the air and repeated the oath, "I, Killian Grey, swear upon my magic to never reveal the events of this afternoon to any soul. So mote it be."

Harry nodded, "So mote it be."

The end of his wand lit up in a flash and it was Sealed.

"Harry?" Mara piped up, her anxieties coming back to attack her. "What are we going to do now?"

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He was more relaxed than she had seen him in a while though it might be because the faint emerald glow was still visible. Determinedly, he turned to Hermione, Neville, and Ron who watched with guilty and silent faces.

"Hermione, you and Mara can tell Professor McGonagall what we know. They'll at least be on guard and alert tonight. Quirrell is probably going to attack once everyone's asleep, after midnight. Mara, you know how to put a silent trip alarm spell right?"

Mara nodded.

"We'll set it up. Once it's crossed, we'll know they're going after the stone."

"And then what?" Ron asked but by the determined gleam in his eye, he already knew what was next.

Harry's eyes glinted, with a hint of that green glow. Mara shivered at the faces of her friends as they faced Harry.

"All we need to do is buy time until the Professors come back."

All of them looked as if they were getting ready to be sent off into war. Like Soldiers facing their commander.

Even Neville looked like nothing could stop him. All of their complaints and insults from before were gone, instead of first years, they were only battle-hardened warriors.

More than anything, that scared her.

"We can ask Fred and George to set up a distraction for Filch," Ron added with a grin.

"I can forge an emergency document so Dumbledore will have to come back early, but the earliest he can leave the Wizengamot meeting is well after midnight," Killian smirked.

"I can alert the Professors after you go down," Lily stepped up, determinedly. "If I tell them I saw students go down the third floor, they'll have to follow you."

"That leaves how to get past Fluffy," Hermione remarked.

"You're in luck," Killian said, "I've got an informant at Hog's Head Inn who just so happened to overhear Hagrid's conversation. Apparently, the beast falls asleep to music."

"Music?" Neville asked confused, "A three-headed dog likes music?"

Killian shrugged, "Don't judge a three-headed dog, man."

"Didn't you get a flute for Christmas, Mara?" Lily turned to her, her eyes gleaming in excitement.

"Yeah," Mara nodded. "We can use that to get past Fluffy but someone has to keep playing, don't they?"

"I can," Lily volunteered, "I'm good with creatures so I'll stay on the top floor while you guys sneak in. I can easily alert the Professor's that way, too."

"We'll need to be as prepared as we can be," Harry added with a nod, "We can't have any screw-ups."

"Well, we do have two familiars," Mara said to Harry. Harry grinned.

"We also have a certain Slytherin friend who may be able to procure some interesting help," Harry's eyes gleamed.

Sometimes, Mara forgot how scary Harry could be. She sighed. As the group around her spoke about their plans, Mara worriedly bit at her fingernails.

Even with all this planning, she still felt this was too reckless. What if someone gets hurt? They have no clue what kinds of traps are waiting beyond the trapdoor?

There was no talking them out of this and Mara wasn't sure she even wanted to. Someone had to do something and though she preferred being safe, if Voldemort truly got his hands on immortality, there's no telling how much destruction he could cause.

They had to do this, Mara thought, but they didn't have to do this alone.

---

Mara's hands were shaking as she lay in bed that night. She listened to the soft breathing of her roommates, waiting in the darkness.

Breena laid next to her but the anxiety she felt was mirrored by the familiar through the bond. She closed her eyes in the darkness, trying with all her might to keep calm.

The last one to fall asleep was Sophie, who had always been a restless sleeper. Of course, Peyton didn't even come back that night but none of her roommates seemed to notice. Peyton's curtains were drawn up around her bed, a mound of pillows stuffed inside of the blankets. Peyton had even simulated it breathing much to Mara's awe.

Hermione was the only other one awake, probably as tense as Mara was. Once Mara was sure the other girls were asleep, she sat up in bed.

She got up and noticed Hermione getting out of her own bed. The two nodded and Mara raised her wand, using silencing charms around them.

Hermione blocked her trunk and pulled out a bundle of clothing and began to strip out of her pajamas and get dressed.

Draco had been so very helpful as he helped procure them magical wand holsters, along with magic-resistant clothing. Harry and Mara both had wand holsters but the new ones provided extra charms only found in the darkest pits of Knockturn Alley. Mara knew better than to question where he got them. She slipped it on underneath her arm, flicking her wrist a few times to make sure it was working. Her wand fit like a glove.

Mara dressed in dark grey dragon-hide leggings and a black top with long sleeves. She pulled on two arm braces around her forearms, both resistant to magic and strong enough to take on a dragon bite. She pulled her long hair into a ponytail, brushing her bangs over her forehead to cover her scars. Two knee braces that were impact-resistant and she threw on her mother's necklace which functioned as both as a mild shield charm (preventing most mild hexes and charms) and a portkey for emergency situations. She threw on her dragon-hide boots, protective against most basic charms and most importantly, fire.

Mara threw a cloak over her outfit, wrapping it tightly around her throat and clasping it. She turned to Hermione, who had pulled her untamable hair up into a bun, wearing much of the same outfit.

"Are you ready?" Mara asked.

Hermione nodded, determinedly. "Let's go."

Mara gestured to Breena, who jumped from her bed to her arms. Mara caught her easily and held the familiar to her chest.

Hermione and Mara crept silently across the floor, Mara making sure to hold the silencing charm as they opened the door and crept down the girl's staircase. Mara shut the door behind them and breathed a sigh of relief.

"We're not out of the woods yet," Hermione whispered to her.

At the bottom of the staircase, Hermione and Mara both lit up their wands with a silent Lumos. Hermione looked around the common room, peeking out.

"Harry?" She whispered, unsurely.

"Over here." Harry's voice came from over by the fireplace.

Mara and Hermione entered the room, their hoods obscuring their faces. The fireplace was lit up, dimly casting a light.

There was movement and a shiver in the air as Harry suddenly appeared with Ron and Neville behind him. Aura perched on Harry's shoulder, calm and quiet.

"Any problems?" Hermione asked, approaching them quietly.

Neville shook his head. "The last student went to bed thirty minutes ago. Nobody's gotten up after."

"Fred and George?" Mara turned to Ron.

Ron smirked and crossed his arms, "They're both setting up for the distraction. They were absolutely thrilled."

"Any idea what they're planning?" Hermione asked hesitantly, biting her lower lip.

"Nope," Ron shook his head, "Told them we needed a distraction and they were more than willing to help out. It's Fred and George though, so probably something big."

"Alright. Do you have the flute, Mara?" Harry asked her.

She nodded, pulling it out of her pocket to flash to her brother.

"Can you two get to the third floor?" Harry asked Aura and then Breena. Aura gave a bright chirp which they were learning meant her agreement.

'Of course, I can get anywhere,' Breena sniffed haughtily.

Mara could feel Breena's pride through their bond.

"Alright, let's go," Harry nodded. The group of five crowded together and Harry threw the cloak over them. Mara reached out her hand to let him know where the entrance was and HArry ducked under.

It was crowded and just as hot as she had remembered but Mara knew how to fix this.

Mara flicked her wrist, her wand entering her hand. She cast a silencing charm and cooling charm underneath the cloak. Immediately, the effects began to work as the heat lessened.

"Oh, thank Merlin," Ron whispered, breathing in deeply.

Mara grinned and sent him a wink.

It was much easier to move under the cloak this time. Harry had asked his dad about extensions of the cloak and found out that it only needed a passcode and would extend as far as he wanted. This was the first they'd tested it out and it covered all five of them comfortably, even their shoes.

With more room, cooler air, and less chance of being caught through the silencing charm, They were feeling pretty confident as they slipped out of the common room.

The Fat Lady didn't even seem concerned anymore, as she simply waved her hand, going back to snoring in the portrait. Aura took flight as she soared down the hallway ahead of them. Breena meanwhile padded out for calm and primly, her tail soaring in the air. She padded down the hallway as well, uncaringly.

Everything was silent, quiet, and peaceful. Hogwarts during the night felt like something forbidden, like something that wasn't meant to be seen.

Like an airport with nobody inside of it.

Something just felt wrong.

Despite this, Mara ignored the goosebumps on her skin and trudged along behind Hermione and in front of Ron. They ducked around the corners, Harry always leaning over to check if it's clear before moving towards the third floor.

The staircase was moving as usual, even without any people to move for. They had to wait for two cycles before the right staircase appeared before them. Once they were on, they had to wait for two stops as it lifted them to the third floor.

Right as they stopped on the fourth floor, Mara suddenly stiffened under the cloak as she felt a tug in her stomach at her magic.

The silent trip alarm she had put on the third floor had been dispersed. Nobody had activated it, it simply disappeared.

"Someone deactivated the trip alarm," Mara whispered. A bad feeling settled in her stomach but they were already in way too far to stop now.

"Snape," Ron growled.

The staircase began to move down to the third floor as Mara and Hermione exchanged unsure glances. Mara kept her suspicions to herself, but the feeling of this all being planned out didn't leave her.

Once it clicked in place, the group of five moved down the hallway, towards the corridor they knew contained a fearsome creature ready to devour them. They were halfway down the corridor when something in the far distance exploded.

BOOM!

Ron's hand went around Mara's mouth immediately, strangling the scream she was about to let out. They all flattened onto the wall, as whatever had exploded had rattled even the floors. It had to have been below them.

"What the hell are they doing?" Harry hissed, turning his eyes onto Ron.

Ron gave him a sheepish look, "I dunno but it sounds like a really good distraction."

They all stiffened as down the hall they heard voices, lights appearing in the corridors. They passed by quickly, whispering to one another furiously.

"That would be the teachers," Neville whispered.

"We better go, Now," Harry said.

Despite the surprise from the explosion, Mara managed to push Ron's hand off her mouth and continue onward, even if her hands were still shaking.

They rushed down the hallway until finally, the old crickety door holding the Fluffy the Cerberus came into view.

The door was ajar.

"Shit," Ron cursed.

"Ronald," Hermione admonished.

Harry ignored them, turning to Mara and she nodded before he could get out any words. She suddenly pulled off the cloak and whispered "Lily?"

She crept forward, searching the dark corridors for a hint of her red-headed friend.

"Here," Lily called out as she suddenly popped out from behind a statue.

Mara jumped and bit her tongue to prevent herself from screaming. She was on edge tonight, for good reason but if she couldn't stop herself, she'd only get them caught.

She took a deep breath, hoping to calm herself and turned to her friend.

"And Grey?" Mara asked.

The Black-haired third year popped his head out from the same statue with a smirk.

"Present," He crossed his arms as he entered the corridor. He leaned against the wall with a casual smirk.

"You guys don't do things half-assed, do you?" Killian snickered.

Behind her, Harry pulled the cloak off of the remaining first-years.

"Did you send the letter?" Harry asked.

"Of course," Killian nodded, "I made sure to put it through the emergency lines so as soon as the Wizemgaunt lets out, it's the first thing he'll see. After that, it's only how fast he can get back here."

"Was that explosion the Weasley twins?" Lily asked, worriedly.

Mara gave a sheepish laugh, "Yeah, probably. We don't know what they did but it certainly worked."

"Did you guys see who entered the room?" Hermione suddenly asked.

Lily and Killian exchanged a look Mara couldn't decipher before Lily shook her head. "He was wearing a cloak that covered his face. He didn't have a limp though."

"Maybe Snape was faking his limp?" Ron frowned.

"Doubtful," Hermione shook her head.

"Whoever it is, we don't have any more time to waste," Harry got them back on track. He sent Mara a look and she sighed. She pulled the flute from her pocket and handed it to Lily, who took it quietly.

Lily surveyed it curiously, with one hole to blow in, and three tiny ones on the top.

"Alright, let's do this," Lily nodded.

Harry and Mara crowded around their friends and threw the cloak back on around them. They approached the door cautiously, unsure of what awaited them.

Harry cautiously opened the door, ignoring the creaking. Mara could hear a soft sound from inside, like a harp being played.

"Is that Mozart?" Hermione asked incredulously.

Mara listened a little more before shrugging. "I think it is. Mozart was a wizard you know."

"Of course he was," Hermione said dryly.

After eight months of finding out the majority of her childhood heroes were witches or wizards, Mara wasn't sure why Hermione was still surprised by these.

"Ready?" Lily asked, holding the flute up to her mouth as she stood at the door.

Harry turned to them one at a time, waiting for them to change their mind and turn back.

"Not a chance," Ron crossed his arms.

"Don't be stupid, Harry," Neville frowned.

"If you think you're leaving me behind, you have another thing coming," Hermione huffed.

Mara giggled and turned to her brother. They didn't need any words between them.

Harry sighed and nodded. "Alright, let's go."

"I'll blow it as long as I can but try not to hurry. It can still smell and hear you so don't make any noise," Lily warned them.

Lily took a deep breath and began to play the flute.

It did sound like a wolf and Lily moved her fingers, gently covering the three holes in different combinations. And the flute sounded less like a howling wolf and more like one who was singing a song. The flute joined the harp in a melody which actually sounded pleasant.

They didn't waste any time as they crept into the room. The dog's eyes were closed as it snored on the floor, two of its heads letting out rumbles once in a while. Its nose twitched as they passed it, almost as if it was smelling them and Harry froze in place, causing them all to do so.

After a moment, the heads all relaxed, drifting off once more. Sometime between this, the harp stopped playing, it's magic having run out. This left only the flute to play, it's howling sound the only thing keeping the three-headed dog from ripping their throats out.

Harry and Ron threw off the cloak to grab the edges of the trapdoor. Mara kept her eyes on the dog, hoping it wouldn't wake up. It snored, it's hot, smelly breath brushing past her face.

Mara scrunched up her nose as Ron and Harry lifted the trap-door as quietly as they could. It gave a groan, but luckily the silencing charm Hermione cast kept the dog from hearing it.

Lily paused in her flute-playing, taking a huge gasp of breath. She began to cough and Mara stiffened as Fluffy's eyes began to open.

Lily took in a deep breath and played the flute once more but it was too late.

The dog's large black eyes landed on Mara's hazel ones.

It let out a huge snarl, drool dripping from its lips as the other two heads startled awake.

"Go!" Harry yelled as he pushed Neville into the trapdoor. Neville yelped as he fell but they heard a loud squish and Neville yell "It's safe!"

Hermione was next down the tunnel, with a short scream quickly followed by Ron.

The three-heads focused on Mara, turning to her as they began to let out booming barks.

Harry dived for her and the two went crashing to the ground just as the dog's head snapped at where her head had been. It was on its feet now, drool flying everywhere.

Mara rolled to her feet as the dog's paws stepped forward. The chains around its neck jingled and cracked as it moved.

Mara kneeled before the creature, it's heads swerving on her as it let out a threatening growl. Mara swallowed, sure this was how she was going to die.

Lily stepped bravely in front of her.

Lily held her wand out, her eyes narrowed threateningly at the dog.

"Get down the chamber," Lily said, "I'll handle him."

"Wait, Lily!" Mara cried, trying to help her friend but Harry grabbed her wrist and pulled her along.

Right before she was shoved down the trapdoor, Mara saw Lily's eyes begin to glow violet.

Then Mara was falling. A scream lept from her throat and - SQUISH!

She landed on something both hard and soft at the same time. She groaned, sitting up as her tailbone ached from the sudden drop.

Harry landed next to her with a loud grunt and the same squish sound though she couldn't see anything in the darkness.

"Where-Where are we?" MAra groaned.

"What is this stuff?" Harry asked, probably poking around at the squishy pile underneath them.

"HMMM!" Something that sounded oddly like Neville but muffled yelled out to them.

Mara flicked her wrist and her wand lit up.

Across from her, she met the blue eyes of Neville. His entire body, legs, arms, and even mouth were trapped by green tentacle vines wrapped around him.

Mara gasped and something crept along her leg.

"Harry!" That was Hermione, "Be careful!"

Mara jumped to the ground, using her light to brush away the vine crawling up her leg. It shied away from the light, making a sort of hissing sound.

Swerving her wand around, Ron was caught in the vines but was fighting them, his legs trapped but not his arms as he pulled them off him as fast as he could.

"Help!" Ron yelped.

Hermione was standing on the plant, her using her wand to cut away the vines that reached for her. Her shoes and legs had sunk into the plant much to Hermione's panic, as she kept wielding her wand and throwing curse after curse towards the plants. It didn't seem to help.

"What is this stuff?" Harry demanded.

Mara's pounding heartbeat drowned out her friend's yelps and shouts. A plant. It was a plant.

But which one?

The only one who might know is-

Mara suddenly leaped forward, ignoring the plant as it wrapped around her legs. MAra waved her wand in a familiar pattern and said as loudly as she could "LUMOS SOLEM!"

The light nearly blinded Mara and the plant let out shrieks as it moved but barely. It let go of Neville's mouth just enough for him to breathe out "Devils' Snare! Fire!"

Mara's eyes were shut tightly as she kept the light glowing as long as she could. It was just enough to keep the plant from suffocating Neville and herself and dragging them down but not enough for the plant to let go of them completely.

"Fire! Hermione, use fire!" Ron shouted to Hermione. With one arm trapped in vines, he couldn't reach his wand at all.

"Oh, right! Devil's snare! It needs a fire!" Hermione looked around wildly, "But there's no wood!"

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD!" Ron shouted incredulously, "Are you a witch or not!"

"Oh yeah"! Like suddenly remembering magic existed, Hermione brandished her wand at the same time as Harry did and both shouted "Lacarnum Inflamari!"

Bluebell flames shot out of their wands, drenching the plant in blue fire. Luckily, it was cold and not hot.

Suddenly, Mara felt the creature's vines loosening as it screeched in agony and she was falling through the plant. She was falling and falling and she hit the ground, her ankle twisting as it cracked onto the concrete below.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all landed safely, moving to the wall while Neville landed in a thump beside her. Mara groaned, trying to ignore the tingling pain in her ankle.

"Mara!" Harry rushed forward. Hermione was beside him, both of them helping her up.

"Oh no," Hermione whispered as she looked at Mara's ankle, which was now swelling up turning a deep red.

"What do we do?" Hermione turned to Harry. Behind them Ron and Neville both got up with no problem, staring concernedly at Mara's ankle.

Harry clenched his fists, his hand already lighting up emerald green. In the darkness, it was more pronounced, casting shadows of the twisting vines above them on the wall.

"I'm fine," Mara pushed them away. She sat up. "Help me with this, Hermione." Mara took off her cloak and held it out to Hermione.

Hermione held it out and Mara cut a diagonal line across it with her wand, the fabric cutting away.

"Oh!" Hermione realized suddenly what Mara was going to do. She grabbed the cloth and wrapped it around Mara's ankle tightly, tying off the ends in a firm knot.

"I'll be okay," Mara winced as she stood up, stumbling forward but Hermione and Neville both helped stable her. She leaned against the wand, breathing in and out to ignore the pain in her ankle.

Harry looked unsure, guilty, and angry at the same time but Mara sent him a crooked grin.

"I chose to come, Harry. This isn't your fault. I knew the risks." Mara told him.

And she had. Mara knew without a doubt that she would be going down to here and getting injured. It was a miracle if she could go a month without a single injury.

Harry sighed, relenting to his stubborn sister.

"Well, we're lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Neville," Ron patted Neville on the back. Neville flushed but turned to Ron with a grin.

"We're lucky you and Harry don't lose your heads in a crisis." they both sent a teasing glance to Hermione, who huffed, her cheeks pink.

"There's no wood, honestly," Ron shook his head.

"This way," Harry pointed out. A stone passageway in front of them was the only way in or out.

'It certainly took you long enough,' Breena's voice entered her head. Mara jumped and couldn't help the bright smile on her face as Breena padded around the corner, her tail twisting in the air.

"Breena!" Mara jumped forward. Breena jumped into her arms and Mara easily caught her, hugging her close.

'You're lucky I stopped the phoenix from burning the place down,' Breena sniffed.

"Why'd you stop her?" Mara asked.

'You and your littermate are stronger than an overgrown plant,' Breena rubbed her face against Mara's, purring quietly.

There was a sudden trill and Aura's bright and glorious feathers flew towards Harry. Harry held out his arm and Aura landed on it, leaning to rub her face against Harry's affection.

"Aura," Harry smiled. Their familiars weren't connected right now so Mara didn't understand what images Aura was sending him but she had a good idea of the message.

Harry smiled. "I missed you too, girl."

'There is a chamber just ahead, I believe it is your next task,' Breena said lazily in Mara's arms.

Mara frowned. She caught Harry's eye and he nodded solemnly. He took a deep breath and started the march down the stone corridor. Hermione and Ron followed. Neville held out his arm towards Mara with slightly pink cheeks.

Mara sent him a bright smile, grabbing onto his arm with one hand as she leaned on him. She limped after the group, slightly slower due to her injury as she held Breena with the other hand.

After only a few minutes of walking, a new sound invaded Mara's ears. She frowned at the beating, rhythmic sound.

"What's that sound?" Ron asked, with a frown.

"I'm not sure," Hermione shook her head.

"They sound like…" Harry frowned, turning to Hermione perplexed, "wings."

They had barely turned the corner when Mara realized exactly what Harry was talking about.

It was a barren stone room with a huge ceiling. It had to reach twenty or thirty feet in height. A single window stood at the top of the ceiling, much too high for any of them to even think of reaching. On the side of the farthest wall, three old school brooms lay against the wall.

What was most incredible were the hundreds of glittering, winged creatures flying around the ceiling. Some flew in packs, some solo but the moonlight from the single window at the top of the ceiling shone down on their glittering bodies. It took only a minute for Mara to realize that they weren't creatures at all. They were -

"Keys," Mara breathed, unable to believe her eyes.

They were glittering keys of all colors and shapes with two wings sprouted on their handles. Silver, Bronze, Gold, Black, white, small, big, crooked, straight, two prongs, three prongs, no prongs, there was every variety of key she could imagine floating above them.

"Alohomora!" Ron shouted, waving his wand at the wooden, rickety door. There was no sound of the door being unlocked but Ron tried the handle anyway. He pulled on the door, shaking it a bit when it refused to budge.

It moaned and groaned, it creaked and squeaked but it didn't open.

"What do we do now?" Ron groaned, turning to Harry.

Harry's eyes were on the keys, a calculating look in his eyes as he puzzled what he was thinking together. He looked over at the door, or more precisely the lock, and then scanned the keys above once more.

"There," Harry suddenly pointed, "That key opens the door."

Mara squinted her eyes to where he was pointing but all she could see were the keys. Even with her perfect vision, she didn't have the eye for these things. She scanned the keys but she couldn't find the one Harry was pointing at.

"How do you know?" Mara asked, unsurely.

"It matches the lock, the same old and rusty look but it also has a broken wing," Harry said firmly, "Somebody handled it before us."

"But how do we get it?" Hermione asked.

"They did leave us brooms," Neville pointed out. "Maybe we're supposed to catch it."

"Can you try a Summoning charm, Mara?" Harry turned to her.

Mara shuffled uncomfortably. "I've never actually tried it before, Harry. It's not exactly a first-year spell. I know the theory but I'm not sure I can do it."

"You should at least try, Mara," Ron told her, "If it doesn't work, then we know we can't summon it. If you can't perform it, the rest of us are hopeless."

Mara's cheeks turned pink at the praise. She eyed the keys above and sighed, relenting.

"I'll try," She bit the inside of her lip, flicking her wrist for her wand. The wood slid into her hand comfortably. Mara flicked her wrist in a half-circle and declared "Accio Key!"

Nothing happened.

Mara frowned. She had the incantation and movement right, she was positive.

"There might be an Anti-Summoning charm," Hermione pondered, "It'd make it too easy if you could just summon the key at will."

Harry sighed, brushing a hand through his hair. "We'll have to do this the old fashioned way."

Breena sniffed in distaste as the brooms, 'I'd much rather stay on the ground, thank you very much.'

Mara smiled in amusement, "Don't worry, Breena. You won't be flying any time soon."

None of her friends commented on her outburst, used to her speaking aloud to talk to her familiar as Harry handed one broom to Ron and one to Mara and kept one to himself.

With only three brooms, they decided among themselves to send up Harry, Mara, and Ron as Neville and Hermione were the weakest flyers. Hermione and Neville waited on the ground with hesitant and worried looks as the three Gryffindors mounted their brooms and took off into the mass of keys.

Harry immediately took off as he spotted the key and Mara and Ron chased after them. The key proved to be slippery as it escaped them at every turn.

Mara grabbed one of the keys and it twitched and struggled in her hands but surveying it, it wasn't the one she was looking for. She let it go and continued to search the air for the key.

They lost track of the key as it delved into the mass of keys, swerving around but Harry somehow always found it again. It was the catching part that proved to be difficult. It was much much faster than the school brooms and even with three of them, there was no way to corner it.

Harry yelled directions at them but it proved all but too useless.

Mara panted as she and Ron landed back on the ground. There were too many keys for this and not enough time. There had to be something else. Mara slumped against the wall, trying to catch her breath.

Harry still hadn't given up, chasing after the key through the middle but it was useless. Mara groaned, covering her eyes with her hand. There was a line of sweat across her forehead and she grimaced from the slimy feeling.

"Harry, I have an idea!" Hermione suddenly shouted at her stubborn twin.

It took a few minutes before Harry lost the key once more and in frustration, finally relented to Hermione's call. He landed on the ground, still standing despite how exhausted he must be. Aura immediately landed on his shoulder, nuzzling his face.

Ron was already laying on the ground, Hermione having conjured a pillow for him as he groaned.

"Harry, this is going to take forever," Hermione said with a frown. "I've already tried to duplicate the brooms or charm them but nothing is working. But then I thought that we have a predator used to catching creatures like this in mid-air."

Hermione gestured to the phoenix on Harry's shoulders.

Harry frowned, worriedly. "Will that work? What if they attack her?"

"I don't know but It's the best idea we've got," Hermione crossed her arms, looking unsure.

Harry looked reluctant but Aura trilled on his shoulder. She brushed her face against Harry and Mara knew she was sending Harry images.

"Are you sure?" Harry frowned, brushing a hand down her feathers. She trilled in confirmation.

"Alright, just be careful," Harry eyed the keys, "We don't know what other spells they've put on them."

Aura let out a trill, rubbing her head against Harry's once more before spreading her wings and taking off into the mass of flying keys.

All seemed well as the phoenix glided through the mass of the flying keys, like a dance in the air as her feathers gleamed under the moonlight. Mara smiled. Aura seemed to find something as she suddenly dove for one of the keys, her talons outstretched as she hunted.

It seemed like it would work but as soon as Aura's talons gripped onto a silver, old-fashioned key with bent wings, the other wings suddenly all dived for the phoenix.

Aura screeched in the air, letting go of the key as the hundreds of keys suddenly swarmed her.

"Aura!" Harry yelled, gripping his chest with a wince. Mara looked worriedly at Breena as Harry fell onto one knee, gasping in pain. He got up quickly but looked up at where Aura was engulfed by the keys with a pained look.

'He is feeling her pain through the connection,' Breena explained.

"So we feel your pain and you feel ours?" Mara realized with sudden horror. Breena didn't answer, simply flicked her tail, looking up at where her fellow familiar was being attacked.

Harry staggered against the wall, gasping. Aura was surrounded by the keys as she flew around the room but they were right on her. Mara could barely see through the mass of keys as they attacked the bird, only catching glimpses of her bright feathers as she tried to get rid of them.

"Harry," Hermione whispered pale, trying to help Harry stand. Sweat poured from his forehead as he gritted his teeth and looked up at the group.

Mara caught the sight of several drops of something falling from the sky, landing on the cement floor. Blood.

"I- I don't have any spells that reach that far, Harry," Mara whispered, turning to her pale brother.

Aura screeched again as a burst of flames suddenly burst around the phoenix, surrounding the entire upper area of the ceiling and below.

Mara ducked from the sudden rise of heat, noticing Hermione and Ron dropping to the ground as well as Neville pulled Harry down too, covering the back of their heads.

There was a screech, something twisting in Mara's heart at the painful sound, and looking up, the flames died down.

Hundreds of keys began to fall from the sky, their wings burnt to a crisp but there were still more which immediately descended on the injured phoenix.

"Aura!" Harry shouted, getting to his feet despite the pain he must be in. The keys on the ground twitched, their wings suddenly regrowing, and dozen by dozen they suddenly flew back into the sky, diving after the bird once more.

Aura had had enough though. She gave a pained screech and then she began to fall.

Mara didn't have enough time to stop him as Harry suddenly dove forward as the phoenix fell. The keys chased after her but gravity proved to be faster.

Harry's eyes glowed bright emerald as he reached out his hands, stopping right under where she was falling. Just before she hit the ground, Harry caught her in his arms. He curled into a ball on his knees, wincing from the impact as he cradled his familiar to his chest.

He suddenly looked up as the winged keys dove for the two. His eyes glowed bright emerald as he glared hatefully at the keys.

"HARRY!" Mara screamed, moving forward but a hand on her wrist prevented her from getting involved.

A sudden flare of emerald magic burst from Harry right as the keys reached them. The burst knocked the keys from their trajectory. The keys caught on fire with a green flame, burning their wings as it spread from one key to the next in a glory of furious emerald fire.

The keys dropped to the ground one by one around Harry as they twitched.

"There!" Ron suddenly shouted, running towards the mass of keys while they were twitching and stunned on the ground. Ron and Neville dove for the key at the same time, Mara spotted the old-fashioned style as the one Aura had tried to grab.

Ron grabbed it first and Neville hovered around anxiously as Ron wrestled in with both his hands.

"Open the door!" Hermione shouted as she ran through the twitching keys on the ground to help up Harry.

Ron and Neville fled to the door as Mara helped support Harry. Breena followed carefully as Mara swung one of his arms around her shoulder, Hermione sliding a hand around his waist as he clung to the injured Aura with his other arm.

Mara took great pleasure in stepping on the keys as they moved through.

One by one, their wings were starting to grow back.

"Got it!" Ron shouted from the door as it opened up with a loud creak. Mara and Hermione helped Harry through, Breena close by their heels ass Ron and Neville followed, shutting the door behind them.

Only a few seconds after the door shut tight, the sound of flittering came back.

Mara and Hermione maneuvered Harry towards a wall as Neville lit the way with Lumos.

It seemed to be an empty room from what they could see but there were pics of what looked like pottery or stone all over the ground.

Ron cleared a spot next to the wall and Hermione and Mara lowered Harry against it. He breathed out raggedly, laying Aura on his lap carefully.

Mara crouched next to him to survey the bird.

Some of her feathers were gone and others were broken or ruffled. With a pang, her appearance now reminded Mara of when Harry had first presented her though not nearly as bad.

Aura trilled his lap, her eyes opening to look at Harry. She gave a sad trill and Harry shook his head firmly, running a hand calmingly down her feathers.

"You did really well, Aura," Harry said, his eyes uncharacteristically misty, "Thank you so much."

Aura trilled, happy this time as she snuggled into Harry's lap.

Mara bit her lip as Harry turned to her, helplessly.

"I don't know any healing spells," Mara admitted quietly.

"Phoenix's have strong healing powers," Hermione said, "She'll heal faster if she rests for a bit."

Hermione conjured a soft, white, fluffy pillow and laid it on the ground next to him. Harry carefully cradled Aura's body, wincing at the sores and wounds covering her body. He laid her carefully on the pillow and caressed her feathers once more.

"Uh, you guys gotta see this!" Ron shouted. It echoed and in the distance, Mara spotted his and Neville's wands lit up though she couldn't spot what they were looking at.

'I will watch over the phoenix,' Breena said, padding forward to curl next to the pillow. Aura gave a soft trill, rubbing her head onto Breena's pelt and Breena's tail flicked down Aura's feathers as if repeating Harry's actions.

Harry nodded at Breena, who was purring now. The sound seemed to soothe Aura as she faded away into a deep sleep.

The three Gryffindors left the two familiars together to join up with their two friends.

Ron and Neville were discussing something heatedly, going back and forth with bewildered looks.

"What's going on?" Harry demanded.

The five were at the edge of what looked like steps in front of them. She couldn't see very well but she was sure at the top of the stairs was some kind of podium that went far, far back.

"See for yourself," Ron gestured as he led the way up the stairs. As soon as they were up the set of stairs and on the edge of what seemed like some kind of wooden stage, they saw what Ron was talking about.

The room suddenly lit up.

They were on a massive chessboard. 16 by 16 spaces, in a black and white pattern, it was unmistakable a chessboard.

They stood behind the black chessmen, the King and Queen directly in front of them. They loomed overhead, both still as can be. They had to be maybe twice or three times taller than any of them and carved from a kind of black stone. Looking at the chess pieces, Mara realized with a sudden shiver what exactly those pieces of stone all over the floor were.

Across the board were identical chessmen only carved in white stone. None of the chessmen had any faces which gave Mara a shiver down her spine.

"What do we do now?" Hermione whispered, entirely out of her element now.

It was unsurprising that Ron took the lead this time, entirely sure as a calculating look came across his face. "It's pretty obvious, ain't it? We've just got to play across."

"What if we lose?" Neville asked, pale.

Ron rolled his shoulders, a smirk coming across his face.

"I don't lose," Ron said confidently.

Mara wished she had his confidence as Ron walked up to one of the knights. He placed his hand on the stone and the knight suddenly burst to life. The horse pawed at the ground, giving a loud snort as if it had lungs and not stone. The knight on the back of the horse turned his head to Ron. His helmet obscured his face but Mara was sure he didn't have one anyway.

" Do we have to join you to get across?" Ron asked. The knight nodded firmly. Ron looked over at the white pieces, a frown on his face which Mara had come to realize was how he was thinking.

He suddenly nodded and turned to them.

"Hermione, take the Queen's side castle, Neville, you take the Queen's side bishop, Harry, take the King's bishop and Mara…" Ron looked unsure as he said this last bit but pushed through it, "Mara, take the queen's place. I'll be the King's knight."

Mara's eyes widened as the pieces seemed to have been listening. At once, the five pieces he called out moved off the board, except for the knight Ron had been talking to. The horse stayed, pawing at the ground as its knight slid off in a bow. It left the five empty pieces.

"Ron, what are you doing?" Harry hissed, turning to Ron. "The Queen's a target piece."

"I know," Ron sighed, "It's risky but I need you to trust me."

Ron and Harry looked at one another for a long time, seeming to have a conversation with their eyes. It felt weird being on the outside as normally it was Mara and Harry communicating wordlessly.

Mara was rubbish at chess so she didn't understand what the big deal about being the queen was but she knew it was a very important piece.

Harry resented, sighing. "I trust you. Just don't let her get hurt."

Ron nodded. "Alright, take your places."

Hermione and Neville took their place at the Queen's side as the castle and bishop respectively. Harry took his place on the King's side as the bishop. Mara hesitantly stepped forward into the empty space beside the King. She felt better having Neville beside her and only having the knight between them and Hermione but it was still unnerving to have the King's piece right beside her, looming over her.

Beside the king was Harry and then Ron, now on the horse. He looked like a valiant knight as he surveyed the battlefield calculatingly.

"What now?" Mara asked nervously.

"White plays first," Ron answered grimly.

Sure enough, one of the white pawns slid forward two paces. It was four spaces in front of Mara but it looked much closer despite the pawn shielding her.

And the game began. Ron directly the pieces, calling out and they silently obeyed his commands.

Harry was the first one of the Gryffindors Ron moved, moving out into the battlefield. Mara's hands shook as she allowed it to happen.

It was a massive shock finding out what happened to the taken pieces as the white queen smashed their other knight to the ground ruthlessly and dragged him off the board in pieces.

Even Harry looked disturbed but Ron was surprisingly okay about the whole ideal.

The pawns were the first to be taken as they assumed a large lump of black stone behind them. Ron was quick to sacrifice pieces as he moved across the board as the knight, taking as many pieces as they had lost.

Unsurprisingly, Mara learned very quickly that she was a very, very important, and active piece.

She did not enjoy taking pieces at all as every time Ron called her to take a piece, she was forced to use the blasting hex to take care of it. For some reason, these pieces didn't accept a quiet defeat.

Hermione and Neville barely moved and when they did, it was only to take a piece or for bait. They were also safe but she and Harry were more in the danger zone. Only a few times had they been in danger of being taken and Ron always maneuvered them out of the way.

Ron himself was like a one-man army as he flew across the board, taking piece after piece. Like a real army general on top of his horse, Ron was truly in his element.

After only a few minutes and they had taken almost fifteen white pieces, Ron suddenly called out "We're almost there!"

Ron looked incredibly shaken as the Queen's piece would be eyeing it if she had eyes. Instead, her faceless face stared at him, like a hunter after prey.

"I've gotta be taken," Ron said.

Mara's eyes widened in shock from over the other side of the board. Her friends lit up in protests, panic across their faces as Ron argued his points.

Mara had just taken the King's knight and Harry was in a similar position, near the white side more than the black, and Mara quickly realized why Ron had said such a thing. If Harry moved three spaces to the left, he'd be able to take the King. If the King moved to the right or left, Mara would be able to take him. There would be no escape.

It would be a checkmate.

But to get there, the white queen needed to be across the board. She needed to take Ron.

"That's chess!" Ron shouted, his face pale but determined, "You've gotta make sacrifices to win! I move and she takes me, that'll leave you free to check the King, Harry!"

"There has to be another way!" Hermione shouted.

"This is the quickest way to win and get to the stone!" Ron shouted. He glared at them and then the white queen. He gulped. "Once you win, don't hang around to check on me. Just go straight for the stone."

"Don't be an idiot!" Neville snapped.

"Just do it!" Ron snapped back. He took a deep breath and then he moved.

He paused and the queen moved forward. Ron was clearly panicked but she admired him for his ability to face the faceless queen head-on.

And then she struck. Her arm struck Ron across the head and he collapsed to the ground. Hermione let out a scream and Mara bit her lip, shutting her eyes to prevent herself from moving.

"Don't move!" Harry shouted at them. Mara's hands were shaking as she heard the sound of something being dragged off the board.

Hermione whimpered but nobody moved.

Mara opened her eyes and Harry's eyes were glowing emerald again, bright as he took three spaces to the left. Determinedly, he called out "Checkmate!" facing the King straight-on.

The White King suddenly took off his crown, throwing it across the floor where it slid straight in front of Harry.

Shaking, Mara watched as the pieces all bowed and simultaneously moved off the board leaving only the four Gryffindors.

It took half a second before Hermione was darting across the board and to where Ron had been dragged off.

Harry and Neville followed and only Mara was left on the board. Shakily, her legs gave out and she covered her face with her hands.

God, this was so much more than she wanted. This was so beyond them it wasn't funny. Tears flooded MAra's eyes as she replayed the scene of Ron getting hit over and over in her mind.

"I'm sorry, Ron." she whimpered. What if he wasn't okay? What if that hit killed him? Marta couldn't bear the thought.

Something brushed across her arms, a familiar fluff as waves of comfort flooded the bond in her chest.

The knot in her chest lessened and Mara opened her eyes. Breena brushed against her, purring. On her other side, Aura's feathers tickled her skin. Aura looked much better but not by much. Her feathers were still messed up but she was no longer bleeding and the sores and cuts had seemingly started to heal.

"He's okay," Harry said shakily from behind her. Mara looked up at him. Behind him, they noticed Ron was laying on his back. Hermione had conjured another pillow and laid his head on it as she surveyed him for injuries.

Mara nodded.

Hermione's eyes were red-rimmed as she and Neville approached, both looking pale and shaky.

"We've gotta go, come on." He jerked his head to the exit across the board.

Mara nodded and grasped Harry's hand to stand. Mara sent a look back at the unconscious Ron, regret, and guilt filling her up like a balloon as she felt like sobbing.

But Rons' sacrifice wouldn't mean nothing. As he said, you've gotta make sacrifices to win. Ron knew that better than anyone.

Mara shook her head. He wasn't dead, he wasn't. He was okay, she swore to herself.

Mara gripped Breena in her arms for comfort as they entered the next room. There was a small hallway, straight through where a door at the end stood.

"We've had Sprout's trap - had to have been the devil's snare," Hermione listed, "The keys had to have been Flitwick, and the chessboard was probably McGonagall. That would leave Quirrell and Snape."

"That's if that's the only teachers they used," Neville pointed out, "they could've used the third year teachers too."

"We'll deal with it when we get there," Harry said. They came across another door and this time, Alohomora worked. As soon as they stepped into the room, Mara very nearly backed out as she gagged at the sudden smell.

"Ugh," Neville blanched, pulling his robe up to his face to cover his nose. Mara and Hermione followed but Harry seemed to be fine, though she did catch his grimace.

A disgusting and unfortunately, familiar smell floated through the room causing their eyes to water. Mara eyed the unconscious troll on the floor. It was big, much, much bigger than the troll at Halloween. Luckily, it was unconscious, a nasty bump on its head. Its club was missing, if it even had one and Mara was just lucky they didn't have to fight this one.

They wouldn't be getting lucky a second time.

"Thank Merlin we didn't have to fight that one," Harry breathed in relief, "Be careful around it. We don't want to wake it."

Harry tiptoed through the troll's massive legs first, careful not to wake it. Hermione followed and then Mara.

Mara struggled slightly as she was still having trouble with her ankle. Luckily, she was able to maneuver on the edges, shuffling slightly and only needing to put weight on her foot once. If she hadn't had training in hiding her pain, she would've been screaming bloody murder at the pain it caused. Aura was lucky as she was able to fly across and Breena was a cat so she was agile by nature.

Next was Neville and Mara could see his hesitancy and anxiousness. She bit the edges of her nails, nervous for him. Neville had always been clumsy and they couldn't afford to wake it now.

Neville went slow, very slow as he bypassed its legs. About halfway through maneuvering, he seemed to gain more confidence, relief coming across his face.

Things were never that easy though.

It happened all too quickly. Neville was so busy on the troll, he hadn't noticed the club lying hidden on the ground, trapped between the wall and the troll.

Before Mara could say anything to Neville, He was already falling and landed on the troll with a grunt. Neville's eyes went wide with terror as the troll began to stir.

It's beady black eyes opened and a snarl came across his face.

"Neville!" Mara shouted, reaching forward but Harry's hand stopped her.

Mara flicked her wand out, paling in terror as the troll stood up to its full height. It was ten times her size, maybe more. It's beady eyes focused on Neville, who cowered against the wall. The troll swung its fist.

"Breena!" Mara shouted, as Breena suddenly jumped out of her arms in front of Neville. A blue light surrounded Breena's form and in her place, a huge white tiger Mara had only seen once before took her place.

Breena snarled in her tiger form, launching off her heels to bite into the troll's arm. The troll screamed in pain, waving its arm in the air but Breena didn't let go. While it was distracted, Neville got to his feet and ran towards them.

In shock, Mara saw something begin to creep from where Breena had bitten it. She quickly realized it was encasing the troll in ice. Its arm turned blue and then black as the ice coated it's arm and kept spreading. The troll knocked its arm against the wall and Mara gasped in horror as it's arm suddenly shattered into pieces.

Without the arm she was holding onto, Breena fell to the wall, taking the impact full on. She slumped against the wall, trying to shake it off. A blue mist covered her and she was back to her kitten size. She got up from the wall to hide behind Mara's legs.

The troll began screaming, the ice spreading faster and faster across its body until only it's head and right arm were uncovered. Once the ice spread to its leg, it stopped moving, only wildly shaking its arm, beating his own body with it.

"Harry!" Mara said determinedly, flicking her wand out. Harry nodded and the two raised their wands at the troll just as its head and other arm were encased and it stopped moving.

Together they shouted, "Bombarda!"

The troll's body burst into pieces, exploding into the icy shards but Harry and Mara had made a terrible miscalculation.

Bombarda didn't destroy the pieces.

The pieces rained down on them and Harry pulled Mara to his chest, both crouching to avoid the explosion.

Someone screamed and it took a few seconds before Mara realized it was Neville. Mara looked up and blanched.

"Oh my god," Hermione said, her hand over her mouth.

Neville was extremely pale, like a ghost as he leaned against the furthest wall. In his right leg, a large shard of ice was stuck all the way through the leg. Mara swallowed at the sight, trying to ignore that the piece stuck in Neville's leg was once a piece of the troll's body.

"Bloody hell," Harry said. His eyes were flickering between regular and glowing this time as if he was caught between his fury and horror.

Neville whimpered and Mara leaped into action.

Mara cut the side of his pant leg to view the injury and winced. The piece stuck right through his leg, in one side and out the other. Blood pooled down his leg and onto the floor.

"We can't remove it," Mara said hesitantly, "It'll cause more damage."

"You're okay for now," Mara told him, leaning forward to grip his hand, "Merlin, I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking."

Neville breathed in and out and gave her a shaky smile. "Well, At least I won't have to face Snape."

"You'll be okay," Harry said determinedly, leaving no option for the other.

Neville smiled, pretending like he was fine. "You guys just go. The troll's dead and I'll just stay here until help comes."

Mara gripped his hand tightly. Fear and guilt had trapped her in an endless loop and all she wanted to do was cry, to sob and beg for forgiveness. This was her fault. It was always her fault.

"I'm okay," Neville said, brushing his other hand across her face. Mara was startled as she realized she was crying. "Just go."

Harry gripped her shoulder and pulled on her and despite her reluctance, Mara let Harry maneuver her away from Neville and into the next room. Hermione was sniffling and Harry sent Neville a smile.

"Don't die," Harry said firmly.

Neville laughed, a little color returning to his face, "I'll try my best."

And then they were gone. As soon as they were out of ear-range, Neville sighed and leaned his head back on the wall.

"This is what I get for choosing a pair of walking disasters as my friends," He mumbled. Despite that, he knew he'd never regret becoming their friends. Even if a troll popsicle was now stuck inside of his leg.

"I need a vacation," Neville sighed.

---

The hallway was colder, much colder than any of the rooms before. Mara was almost convinced that if she breathed out, she could see her breath in the darkness.

Mara shivered as she used one hand on the wall to navigate the hallway, taking the weight off her injured foot. Harry and Hermione walked in front of her, but neither seemed particularly bothered by the cold. Breena tailed along near her feet, walking in pace with her.

"Look," Hermione pointed out at the end of the hallway. There was a door, this time leading to who knows what dangerous trap.

Harry pushed the door open, maneuvering Aura who was still perched on his shoulders and Mara winced, expecting unspeakable horrific challenges to be waiting for them. At this point, she wouldn't be surprised to see a herd of hippogriffs over a boiling lake of lava.

Yet, there wasn't anything horrible in the room. It was simple, much smaller than the other rooms, and the only thing they could see was a door on the other side of the room and a long, black table in the middle of the floor.

It looked to be made with some kind of dark wood but from the entrance, she couldn't tell. On the table, in a straight, neat row were seven bottles, potion bottles.

Different shapes and sizes, each holding a different colored liquid.

"Snape," Harry said.

Mara groaned. She hated to think of what kind of trap her least favorite professor would think of. She'd take Binns any day over the overgrown dungeon bat.

As soon as they stepped into the room and away from the doorway, the door slammed shut behind them and purple flames shot up from the floor. On the other side of the room, black flames shot up into the doorway, preventing them from reaching the exit.

They were trapped.

Mara jumped back from the burst of flames, hissing as she landed on her ankle wrong. Hermione suddenly shrieked and Mara turned to her to find out why. Hermione closed in on herself, grasping her hand to her chest as she sobbed quietly.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Harry rushed over to her, placing his hand on her back.

Breena twirled around her feet, purring softly to give some kind of comfort to Mara, who paled. First Ron, then Neville, now Hermione. Guilt welled up like a bad taste in her mouth.

"I'm… I'm okay," Hermione' s strained voice echoed through the chamber. Harry growled, his eyes glowing again as he ripped up a piece of his cloak and gently took Hermione's hands in his own. Mara limped over to them and gasped when Harry uncovered Hermione's hand.

The palm had been burned, luckily not too bad but blisters were already starting to form in the dark red skin. It looked like a layer or two had been completely peeled off. She winced as Harry wrapped her hand with the cloth, knotting it tightly.

"I'm okay, I promise," Hermione sent both him and Mara a strained smile. She let her hand dangle uselessly at her side as she moved to the table. Mara sighed, noting to send all her friends double the gifts once they get out of here.

"It's a riddle," Hermione declared, holding a roll of parchment in her good hand. Her eyes scanned it once before she looked at the bottles, muttering to herself.

"Oh, how brilliant!" Hermione declared,, "It's not magic - it's a puzzle. From what I've seen most wizards don't have a hint of common sense or logic in their brains, they'd be stuck here forever."

She seemed to realize how insulting what she said had just sounded as she turned to look at Harry and Mara with a guilty expression, "Sorry, no offense."

Harry and Mara looked at one another and shrugged.

"None taken," they said together before joining Hermione at the table.

It wasn't like she was wrong. For some reason, the wizarding world just drained most people of their logical reasoning.

"I will blame you for complimenting Snape's murderous death trap though," Mara glared at her from the corner of her eye.

Hermione winced.

"Well, how do we solve the puzzle?" Harry asked, reading over the parchment he stole from Hermione.

Mara surveyed the bottles curiously. All the other traps showed clear signs that someone had been here before them. All except this one. Maybe…

"Oh, I already solved it," Hermione declared flippantly. "The small one will get you to the stone and the round one at the end will let you go back."

Harry grabbed the small potion bottle and surveyed it. There looked barely enough for one gulp. The same with the round one as well.

Mara frowned. This entire time, she had felt like something was off. Something was terribly wrong and she couldn't ignore her feelings any longer.

"Harry, maybe we should just wait for the Professors," Mara said hesitantly. Harry swung his head around to look at her so fast she thought he might get whiplash.

"Wait for the Professors? We had a plan!" Harry protested.

"I know, but this all just seems…" Mara hesitated, wrapping her arms around her middle, "too easy."

"Easy?" Harry declared, his eyes wide. "You have a sprained ankle from escaping a death tentacle plant, Aura's covered in injuries from flying keys, Ron got knocked in the head by a stone chess piece, Neville has a frozen piece of troll stuck in his leg and now Hermione's hand is burnt! How is any of this easy?"

"Not for us," Mara told him, "We're first years so of course we'd struggle but this is a philosopher's stone. Don't you think it's weird how they chose to hide it in a school? They told us especially not to come down here. We're not the only ones who got past Fluffy, Harry! The door to this place was unlocked with a simple unlocking charm! That's a first-year spell, Harry!"

"What are you implying?"

"I'm saying this is too easy! First years should not be able to get past these defenses, even talented ones. A group of Seventh years would be able to get past these defenses easily and if they can, how about a notorious dark wizard who terrorized an entire country? This is a piece of cake for him!"

Harry clearly didn't want to entertain the way her thoughts had gone. He crossed his arms, glowering at her as he clutched the potion bottle in one hand.

"Think about it, Harry," Mara pleaded with him. "The defenses seem strong on the outside but they're not, not really. A first-year spell to get the door open, the three-headed dog falls asleep to music, we learn about Devil's Snare in First-year Herbology. The keys aren't difficult if you really think about it. Destroying their wings we like did is child's play for an adult wizard. Wizard's chess, you could just blast your way through them. The troll was the only half-decent defense but as you saw, a simple bump on the head and it's out like a light! And now this. They give you the answer right there!"

"She has a point, Harry," Hermione said reluctantly, "If they're hiding something this important, normally they'd have more defenses in place, don't you think?"

"Most wizards hide important things in Gringotts for a reason, Harry. If Gringotts is unsafe, then taking it to Hogwarts is the worst possible idea. It only makes the students the targets, like the troll incident. How could the Professors be this idiotic?"

Hermione swallowed nervously. Harry looked at the potion in his hand, then at Mara.

"Harry…" Mara called out warningly. She had seen that look in his eyes before and nothing good ever came from it. She knew what he was going to do before he did it but she didn't have time to stop it.

All at once, he downed the bottle, shivering, and once it was gone, he eyed Mara and Hermione once more.

Mara didn't have the energy to lunge after him as he called out "Sorry," and he threw the bottle on the ground. As it shattered, for the first time in her young life, Mara Potter watched her brother as he left her behind.

"Harry, no!" Hermione called out behind him but Harry wasn't listening. He dove into the black fire headfirst and with a screech, Aura followed, flying after him over the black fire. Then the two were gone.

There were several moments of silence.

"Mara?" Hermione asked timidly.

And then Mara exploded.

"That self-sacrificing, stubborn, over-protective idiot!" Mara suddenly screeched.

Hermione flinched, staring at Mara with wide eyes.

All year. All year Mara had to deal with Harry's bullshit. Taking on a troll for her, hiding things from her, keeping her in the dark, ignoring her. All in some stupid notion that he had to protect her.

This was the absolute last straw.

Mara seethed inwardly as she gathered her outward composure, remembering that Hermione was now staring at her as if she had snapped.

Granted, Hermione wasn't wrong but that didn't mean Mara wanted her to know that.

"Which one to go back, Hermione?" Mara asked more calmly than she felt.

"This one," Hermione pointed to the bottle, sneaking a nervous glance at Mara.

"Okay, you take it and go back. Find Ron and Neville and then wait for help," Mara told her.

"But the bottle broke!" Hermione protested, grabbing Mara's shoulders. Mara smirked and flicked her wrist. She flicked her wand over the bottle, "Reparo!"

They watched as the bottle reformed into the previous one.

"Something I noticed. Someone already passed through here right?" She looked at Hermione as she picked up the bottle. Mara fiddled with it for only a few seconds before placing it back where it was in the lineup. "Then how was the potion still here?"

It seemed to dawn on Hermione as, after a few seconds, the potion bottle refilled itself with the same liquid Harry had downed.

"Brilliant," She whispered as if she hadn't meant to say it aloud.

Mara grabbed the smallest bottle this time, eyeing the liquid with a dark look. She grabbed the potion Hermione pointed out would send her back and handed it to Hermione.

Hermione took it, nervously, biting down on her lip nervously. "

"But they don't know we're down here! It could take hours!" Hermione protested.

Mara smirked, crossing her arms. "Yes, they do."

"Hermione, I've dealt with my brother since birth. Literally. He's reckless and stubborn and he doesn't know when to ask for help. Luckily for all of us, I know when things are too big for us to handle."

Hermione's eyes widened in response. Mara smiled, stepping forward to wrap Hermione in a hug.

"I won't let Harry leave me behind again but I need you, Ron and Neville, to be safe. My Mum and Dad should've gotten my message by now. Let them know where we've gone."

"Okay," The intellectual girl whispered, wrapping her arms around Mara.

Mara pretended to ignore the shake in Hermione's hands, she didn't mention the suspicious sniffles or sudden wetness on her shoulder.

There wasn't enough time.

"I'm glad we became friends, Hermione," Mara whispered, ignoring the sudden lump in her throat.

Hermione let go, gripping Mara's shoulders desperately, "You come back. You and Harry both. Be safe, Mara."

Above all else, Mara regretted not being able to promise her friend. Mara would never willingly lie to her friends. And coming back safely was too similar to a lie than truth at this moment.

Hermione pulled back, sniffling. She brushed her hand under her eyes to brush away the tears that had gathered.

"Are you ready?" Mara asked more calmly than she felt.

"No," Hermione laughed nervously.

Mara smiled and gestured for Hermione to take deep breaths. The two breathed in and out and once Mara felt Hermione was in a calmer state of mind, held up three fingers.

"I'll count to three."

Hermione shakily nodded.

"One."

Mara watched Hermione pull the cork off the potion with a POP.

"Two."

Hermione tilted the bottle back up to her lips, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Three."

The liquid was gone in an instant, leaving behind only the empty bottle and the shivering girl before her.

"Not poison?" Mara couldn't help but ask anxiously.

Hermione shook her head. "No, but it's like ice."

Mara winced in sympathy, "Alright, Go back and wait for help. My parents or the Professors, whoever comes first."

"Alright, Mara I -"

"Go!" There was no time for goodbyes now as Hermione nodded determinedly and ran off into the purple flames. They parted for her easily, as if she was simply a ghost. Then Hermione was down the tunnel and Mara was left alone.

Mara sighed, rubbing her forehead, "Well, Breena, it looks like we have to save my idiot brother."

'My favorite past-time,' Breena purred amusedly.

Mara straightened out her back and in one gulp, she downed the entire potion.

Hermione was right. It felt like she was drinking pure ice as it slid down her throat. The cold slipped down her throat and into her stomach like water to an empty well. It spread throughout her body until she was left feeling cold in every way.

She shivered, putting the now empty bottle back on the table. Mara grabbed Breena in her arms, trying to ignore the ice running through her veins. The only good part about the cold potion was that it numbed the pain in her ankle slightly.

Mara cradled Breena in her arms, hunching down to prevent the flames from getting her familiar and then ran through the fire. It was unnerving to face down the black flames but Mara squeezed her eyes shut, trusting the potions.

She could feel the magic held in the flames as she passed through but no heat. The magic wrapped around her like a cocoon and then Mara was through. Mara immediately started checking her familiar for any burns.

'I am unharmed,' Breena stated, purring to calm down the frantic red-head. Mara squished her paws, breathing out in relief. She looked behind her at the black flames that were still burning. They were safe for now.

With no time left, Mara opened the door she had seen Harry pass through. It was another hallway, not that Mara was expecting anything less. Mara walked through.

"Can you sense Harry or Aura?" Mara asked Breena, who jumped out of her arms to land on the ground on all four feet.

'Yes,' Breena nodded, 'this way.'

Mara followed Breena through the twisty hallway, hoping beyond hope that at the end of this, she'd find her brother safe and unharmed. The likelihood was against them.

But Mara had always been a special kind of lucky (whether good or bad).

This time, it was her turn to protect her brother.