Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Couples: Later on Draco/Harry slash (as in a Male/Male relationship)
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Yes definitely, mentions from all four books.
**********
~*~ Chapter 4 ~*~
Harry glanced behind him to make sure Draco was still there, and whirled around when he discovered that the Slytherin wasn't even in the room.
"Malfoy's gone."
"He's probably just trying to play some sort of joke on us. It's Malfoy after all," Ron said sarcastically.
"No. Something's wrong. I know it is. Where's Hermione?"
"Right behind . . . Me. What's going on, Harry? Harry? Where'd you go? Harry?! Hermione?! Malfoy? Where the hell did everyone go?"
Ron ran back to the room where they had just been and gasped when he stepped into it. Draco was hanging unconscious from the ceiling, wrapped neatly in spider web. Blood had dripped down from the wound on his neck and stained the perfect snow white thread that bound him a deep red. Harry and Hermione hung beside him in similar cocoons crafted of the same white thread, and Harry was staring at Draco with a look of utmost concern. Ron could see fear and worry in the emerald eyes of the Boy Who Lived, and he could also tell that Hermione's mind was racing, trying to figure a way out.
The spider stepped out before them and smiled at Ron, her fangs gleaming in the dim light. She bowed and stepped closer as Ron backed into the wall, his pulse pounding in his ears.
"Oh man . . . I hate spiders . . ." He whimpered under his breath. "What do I do? Earth can't really help me . . . Damn. I wish I had Fire. I'd fry the legs off that thing. If I had Water I could drown it. Why did I get the useless element?"
"It's lovely to meet you. You have such gorgeous hair. It's red, like mine. Very nice . . ." The spider ran her fingers through her long red hair and admired it for a moment before turning her gaze back to Ron.
'The giant spider is practically hitting on me. I don't believe it . . . This is not good . . . I have to do something. What if she tries to kill Hermione or Harry? What would I do? Oh this is so bad . . . I wish this was a Boggart like the one I faced in third year. I ripped its legs off with a spell . . . But this isn't a Boggart, and the Ridikkulus spell isn't going to work on it . . . What would Hermione and Harry do? I wish they could help. I need them.'
"Is something wrong little one? You look frightened. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise I won't. I love red. It's my favorite color. I wouldn't hurt anyone with such pretty red hair . . ." The spider woman seemed to purr in his ear as she cupped his chin in her hand.
Ron squeaked because it was all he could manage to do, and as she ran her fingers over his cheek, his face flushed. He didn't know whether he was going to be sick or faint.
"My name is Aranea. What's yours?"
"Ron . . ." He squeaked.
Her fingers traveled up to his hair, and he clenched his fists into tight balls, digging his nails into the sweaty flesh of his palms. He could see his friends over her shoulder, and Hermione looked petrified. Harry was still watching Draco with the same worried expression as before.
"What did you do to him, the unconscious one?"
Aranea looked over her shoulder casually and thought for a moment, gently touching a long red fingernail to her chin.
"I bit him, so he's been poisoned, but you don't have to worry. I won't do it to you. You don't like him anyway. You know you don't."
She touched Ron's face again and leaned down to kiss him, but he'd had enough. He jumped out of the way and ran for the other side of the room with Aranea in close pursuit.
'Need a spell, need a spell . . . What sort of spell could I use against her? Wait, what was the spell we learned in charms the other day? Something with fire . . . Damn, what was it? I can't remember. Hermione would know . . . I wish I had her help. She's smart . . .'
"Why are you running from me little one? I won't hurt you! I promise I won't!"
'Take a deep breath Ron . . . What was the name of that spell . . . It set fire to things, made them burn . . . Wait! That's it!'
"Incendio!"
A circle of flame shot up around Aranea, and she screamed at an eardrum shattering pitch.
"Yes! Now to get the others down . . . Expedio!"
The spider web went slack, and all three who were trapped fell to the ground with a crash. Harry was immediately at Draco's side, examining the wound on his neck.
"We have to get out of here! This place is going to burn to the ground!"
Harry pulled Draco up into his arms as he yelled to the others and scrambled for the door as quickly as he could holding Draco's limp body. Hermione followed him, choking on the smoke and the pungent smell of burning hair and flesh. Once in the next room, Hermione summoned for Water to come and put out the fire that blazed on after annihilating Aranea. Earth was released from the wand in Ron's hand, and she smiled at him with a faint blush.
"You did well, and you have completed your trial. Aranea was a creature I created. I pick an animal or insect of my keeper's fears, and make them half human. It is their job to destroy or render the creature helpless. You have used your own wit to fight, and have not relied on your friends to help. You may travel on, but be wary, a trial can present its self at any time."
"We need to rest. I'm tired, and we have to make sure Draco's all right," Harry said as he laid the blonde boy on the floor and made his robes into a pillow for his adversary.
"What's this? Why are you calling him Draco all of a sudden? He's Malfoy," Ron snapped sitting down and leaning up against the wall.
"Well Draco is his name. We need him here Ron. He has to go with us so that we can finish the tasks."
"Is that all I'm good for to the lot of you? I'm just the unimportant helper, that you have to drag through the maze. I have half a mind to walk out right now, and you're lucky that I don't. Get away from me, Potter. I don't need you to be tending to my wounds. I'm quite capable of fixing them up myself," Draco snarled as he opened his eyes and sat up slowly, careful not to irritate the wound just above his shoulder.
"I didn't mean it that way Draco."
"Stop calling me that. Not even my friends call me Draco. Everyone calls me Malfoy."
"Maybe if you had real friends they would call you Draco," Harry said calmly, looking directly into the Slytherin's eyes.
Draco's jaw dropped, and for a moment the room was silent, the only sound being Draco's raspy breaths. Without another word, he stood up and trudged out of the room like a dog with his tail between his legs. He didn't need them. He could make it through on his own, and when he got to the end, he'd just have to wait for them. They'd get there eventually. After walking for quite some time, Draco's vision blurred, and he leaned up against the wall to support himself as the world began to spin and twist.
"What's wrong with me?" He asked himself as he toppled to the ground and landed in a heap on the chilly marble floor.
**********
Harry tossed and turned for more than an hour before he decided to go and search for Draco. He had to be around somewhere. Little did he know, Draco was about to face his own trial at the moment.
The young blonde wizard lay unconscious on a stone platform that was raised in the middle of the room where he had fallen. He was sick with fever but shivering in the cool air that filled the room. His black robes hung loosely around his shoulders and pooled at his sides. Wind watched him contentedly, waiting to begin the task which he had in mind. A small ball of soft red light drifted into the room and stopped, glowing even brighter as it spoke in a soft, but all-knowing tone.
"What is your plan, Wind? How can you test him while he is asleep?"
"Because I can enter the realm of dreams and test him there."
"And what shall his task be?"
"I'm going to scare the hell out of him to put it simply, but if you must know, I'm going to test his trust, and make him see who it is best to trust. He seems to have trouble in that area."
"What shall you do if he doesn't survive the poison that spreads through his system as we speak?"
"He will, it is not deadly unless it goes untreated."
"Well . . . The other three seem to dislike him a great deal. What if they choose not to treat him?"
"They cannot abandon him. They need him to complete your task, do they not?"
"Yes, but what if they do not get here in time?"
"They will get here. One of them will at least. He has feelings for him, but he is unsure of them at the moment. This one cares for him in return, but does not want to admit it to himself. Typical mixed up humans."
"Hmm . . . I could use that to my advantage in my task . . ." The glowing orb said amusedly as she circled Draco's stone bed. "This may prove interesting. It will add some spice to my sisters' boring questions. I will be off now, and make sure this one gets to me. I'm counting on you, Wind."
"Of course."
The orb of rose seemed to disintegrate, and Wind resumed his watch. It was time for the task to commence.
**********
Draco watched silently as his father stepped forward to where Harry hung helplessly, bound by sparkling blue rope to a metallic silver pole that stuck out of the ground. Emerald green eyes bore into Draco's own gray ones, pleading for a savior and freedom from certain death, but when Draco cast his eyes to the ground, Harry did the same, and did not look up again. He wouldn't plead to be released any longer. He was too proud to beg. He would die with his Gryffindor pride and bravery in tact. Draco watched as his father spoke with Lord Voldemort, taking great pride in the fact that he had been able to capture Harry Potter, and all because of Draco. The younger Malfoy had lured him to his doom, and now an overwhelming sense of guilt rose up within him.
"You're going to make a fine Death Eater Draco. You've allowed quite the capture, and you will be greatly rewarded for it."
Draco nodded numbly and continued to stare at the ground in despair. He was silent as Voldemort said something to Harry. He didn't listen. He didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to watch Voldemort kill Harry. His stomach began to churn with the very thought of watching Harry die.
Of course, once Granger and Weasel found out, he too would be dead. They would kill him for luring their best friend into such a trap. They had trusted him, every single one of them had believed that he was working for them, and he had turned against them, just to save his own skin. He had betrayed them in one of the worst ways possible.
"Is something wrong boy?"
"Nothing Father . . . I just feel a bit ill . . ."
Harry looked up at Draco and narrowed his eyes as cold fury surged up within him.
Draco could practically read Harry's mind just by looking into those greens gems.
'You betrayed us Draco. You traded me in to save your own pathetic self. You're nothing but a traitor. That's all you'll ever be. Nothing but a filthy rotten traitor.'
Draco stepped back and shook his head, trying desperately to get the voice that pried into his mind to be silent. His father raised an eyebrow and glared at him as he sunk down onto his knees and closed his eyes tightly, pushing back hot tears that threatened to spill over his cheeks.
"He seems to be having second thoughts, Lucius. He should be left to share Potter's fate."
Lucius seemed to consider the idea that perhaps letting his only child be magically executed was wrong, but then his face hardened, and he nodded. Draco stared around the circle of Death Eaters helplessly and began to back away as his father raised his wand to cast the Avada Kedavra curse. They were turning on him, just as he had turned on the ones he was supposed to be helping.
"Get away from me!" Draco hissed the words and pulled his wand from his pocket.
"Stupid boy. You shouldn't have showed your weakness. You'll pay for it now, with your life."
And then Draco made his decision, he charged forward, and flung himself at Harry, undoing the Gryffindor's magical bonds with a spell he had learned earlier that year. Harry took his own wand in hand, and they prepared to face their fates together. Several flashes of green light shot past them and--
**********
"Will he be all right?" Harry asked leaning against the cold stone wall with his hands behind his back.
"His wound needs to be treated, and he needs to take something to rid his body of the poison, then he will be well again. Until then, he is going to be rather sick. Even after he is healed, the poison will leave some rather long lasting side effects Ha . . . His trial is complete, well to a degree. I will see if it has worked when he awakens.
Draco woke up with a wail that would have shattered a mirror had there been one in the chamber. He looked around frantically and collapsed back against the stone when he realized it had all been a dream.
"Oh my . . . What the hell was that all about? Were you playing around with my dreams?" Draco snarled jumping up and stalking towards Wind.
"Yes, as a matter of fact. I was, and it was part of your trial."
"You know what? I think your trials are-"
Draco sunk to the floor before finishing his statement. Harry caught him before his head could hit the marble below and carefully laid him to rest on the floor again.
"Get the girl. She has an antitoxin potion with her. Fire will tend to the wound once the girl has administered the potion." Wind directed pointing in the direction in which Harry had come from.
**********
Hermione shook Draco gently, trying to wake him from the deep sleep into which he had fallen. He mumbled something groggily and just barely opened his silvery gray eyes to glance at the one who was denying him much needed sleep.
"You have to drink this. Sit up a bit."
Hermione assisted Draco in sitting up, and pressed the small glass vial in her hand to his lips. He drank its contents and gagged on the bitter amber liquid before sinking back to the floor.
"How long will it take for the antitoxin potion to take affect?" Harry asked kneeling down beside the drowsy wizard.
"A few hours perhaps. He should be well by morning. However, I did tell you that there will be side effects long after he is cured," Wind said looking at Harry and then directing his gaze at Fire.
The golden element with fiery orange and red hair ran a hand over Draco's neck, provoking him to whimper and bite his lip in pain. She had closed the wound on his neck by burning it, hoping to prevent any infection. It would be healed properly back at school, or perhaps Draco could heal it when he was well again. Hermione had noticed that Draco knew a bit of healing magic after breaking the young man's nose.
"So did I pass your bloody trial," Draco queried as he closed his eyes and dug his nails into his robes to stop from screaming.
"I don't know yet. I cannot determine whether or not you have passed until you prove or disprove that you have," Wind replied as he began to become translucent. "We shall see tomorrow. For now, we should all rest."
"Finally, a good long nap. I need one," Ron said bitterly. "So what's going to try and attack us while we sleep?"
"Nothing," Earth replied as she too began to fade. "You are protected tonight. We have enchanted this room."
"Good. I can't afford to stay awake and worry about our safety," Hermione muttered as she began to fall asleep.
Before Harry could even say goodnight, his two best friends were sound asleep. He wasn't going to fall asleep as quickly though. He was worried about Draco.
"You awake, Draco?"
"What do you care, Potter?"
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay . . ."
"Why?"
"Because I was worried, and I felt bad for what happened to you earlier with the spider."
Draco snorted and opened an eye to look at Harry. His trademark smirk could be seen in the dim light cast by four small torches hanging in the four corners of the room.
"Sod off, Potter."
Draco rolled over to face the wall and closed his eyes. His cheeks turned a rosy red color as he thought about what had just been said.
'Because I was worried . . .'
Harry had been worried about him. He was Potter's adversary, his enemy, his worst nightmare. Why would he worry about a Slytherin anyway? Draco pushed the thoughts from his mind and moved around for a bit trying to get comfortable. The floor was the most uncomfortable place he had ever slept. It reminded him of the dungeons at home in the mansion. He sat up and drew his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them so he could keep warm. His arm burned and his neck stung every time he shifted just the tiniest bit. It was going to be a long night.
**********
The elements woke them from their sleep late in the afternoon the next day. They had all slept through the rest of the night and all of the morning, and they seemed quite refreshed. The elements led them through a door and into a forest.
"What are we doing out here? Aren't we supposed to be in the maze?"
"Yes, Ron, but this is part of the maze. You must make it through the woods alive by dawn. If you don't make it by then, we will assume that you have been killed trying to get to the final task," Earth replied motioning at the woods ahead.
"Are there magical creatures out there?"
"Yes, Hermione. You must be careful," Water answered.
"We shall be at the end. There you will face the last task. For those of you who have not faced your task, then be prepared to face it before you reach us. Good luck," Fire said softly before zipping off in a golden bolt of light.
The other three elements followed her, and the quartet was left in the fading light by themselves. Harry looked around apprehensively and then started down the path. Draco, Ron, and Hermione followed him in silence.
"Make sure you keep up. We don't want to get lost, and we don't want to get in a situation where we can't defend ourselves as a group," Harry directed over his shoulder. "Make sure you have your wand ready at all times too."
Harry fished around in his pocket and gasped when he realized that his wand was missing. Similar gasps came from the other three.
"They took our wands! Those bloody elemental spirits took our damned wands!" Draco growled kicking a stone into the bushes.
"They neglected to tell us that we wouldn't be able to use magic," Hermione murmured feeling very nervous all of a sudden. "This isn't fair. We can't do anything without our wands if we get attacked."
"Well, let's hope we don't get attacked then," said Harry continuing on down the path.
As darkness enveloped the group, a heavy mist rose up around them, engulfing them, and making the path difficult to stay on. Noises seemed to resonate from all parts of the forest, and it was impossible to tell exactly where they had come from.
"We've been walking for hours. Can we take a break? I need to sit down for a few minutes," said Draco as he sunk down against a tree.
"Only a few minutes. The longer we stay here, the more chance we have of getting caught by some creature, or maybe losing our way," Ron grumbled as he glared at the Slytherin with malice.
The other three sat down on the path and took turns getting drinks of water. Hermione pulled out small bit of food and served each of the others before eating something herself. A strangled cry caught her attention. Something crimson red in color was wrapping itself around Ron's legs.
"It's venomous tentacula! It's poisonous, and somewhere it has a mouth. It's deadly. Get Ron untangled!"
Draco and Harry pulled at the vine, but Draco was cuffed by one of the other tentacles, knocking him into a tree which held him fast with its branches and vines.
"Harry look out the vines and the trees are alive!"
"I know that! Do something useful Hermione! Don't just stand there!"
"I don't have my wand Harry! There's nothing I can do!"
Hermione could feel tears filling her eyes as she watched Harry struggle to get Ron free. The vine was dragging him towards the bushes at a rapid speed, and Harry was getting nothing accomplished. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Draco struggling against the large tree that was scratching him with its branches. She saw the boy almost vanish, but then realized that a small black raven had taken his place and was now flying out of the tree's reach. He flew over to Hermione and landed before returning to his normal human shape.
"We have to get Weasel and Potter away from the plant."
Draco rushed over and began to help pull at the branches and found one trying to wrap him up. The vine grabbed his arms, and he kicked it furiously. Hermione looked around frenziedly and spotted a very sharp stick which she picked up and drove into the plant's tentacle. Soon she had stabbed it enough to make it release all three boys who it had ensnared, and the students ran deeper into the woods. They stopped some time later, and realized that they were not all together anymore.
"Where are Hermione and Ron? Did we lose them?"
"How should I know, Potter? They probably got lost in this fog. Maybe they're on the path and we're the ones who are lost."
"Will you stop being snide for once? We need to find them."
"I'm not wasting my time."
"Damn it, Malfoy! Stop being such an ass! We have to find them. We have no choice. They're my friends, and I don't care if you'd rather be kissed by Dementors than go find them. You're going with me and that's that. Don't even bother to argue with me, because if I have to, I'll drag you through these woods kicking and screaming!"
Draco smirked and watched as Harry began calling for his friends. After a few minutes, Harry had hollered himself hoarse.
"Well, I'd say they got eaten by something."
"They didn't get eaten by anything Malfoy. They're fine. We should keep going. They know they have to get to the end of the woods, and they'll make it there, so we have to too. Hey . . . What's that light up ahead?"
"Maybe it's them, or the elements. Let's follow it," Draco suggested racing after the light.
The pair followed the light for a bit, unable to see much of anything in their path, until Harry watched as Draco sunk into something ahead of him.
"Damn it! It was a Hinkypunk! It lured us into this place. Must be a bog. Pull me out!"
Harry's arms wrapped around Draco's chest, and he pulled the boy out of the muck. Draco landed on top of Harry so that their faces were only a few inches apart, close enough to kiss. It took all the willpower Draco had for him not to lean down just a little more and claim Harry's lips with his own. He was glad it was dark and Harry couldn't see his face that well as it had turned a deep pink color.
"Are you going to move, Malfoy, or are you going to stay on top of me?"
Draco's face turned red, and he scrambled up off of Harry.
"You okay?"
"Fine, Potter. Just covered with mud and without my wand to clean my clothes up. It feels horrible. This is disgusting."
"Well you said that we should follow the light."
"And you listened and followed me! Shows how smart you are, following your enemies around in the woods in the middle of the night. Why'd you follow me?"
"Well I didn't have any idea which way to go, so I figured you might."
"When did you start believing in and listening to me?"
"You saved me once today, and I saw you help Hermione, so you can't be all that bad. You were helping out."
"Well we have to pass to get out of here don't we? We need you and your little playmates as much as I hate to say it."
"Admit it, Draco. You don't mind being with us as much as you say you do. We're not all that bad."
"Where did you get that crazy idea from, Potter?"
"You wouldn't have helped if you were as bad as you try to be. And you would never have asked for my help out of that bog if you were. You try to play the part of the proud evil Slytherin, but really, you're no better than me, Hermione, or Ron. You're just as much against evil as the three of us."
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
"Come on Draco. You'd rather have any other last name than Malfoy. You know that Voldemort and the Death Eaters will get nowhere. They'll be stopped. You said so yourself."
"Why do you care what I think?"
"Because I want the truth from you. I want to know if you're truly as horrible as you act all the time."
"What do you mean by that? You want me to humiliate myself? You want me to tell you what I really think so you can go back and tell my fellow Slytherins that I'm a no good traitor, and that I hate them all? You're right, Potter. I hate my father. I hate the Death Eaters. I hate the rest of the Slytherins, and I hate myself a good bit too. I would rather be anything other than a Malfoy. Everyone looks at me and thinks I'm automatically this horrible little monster that they should stay away from, unless they're a Slytherin or dark wizard which gives them the idea that they should worship the ground I walk on just because of my last name. I hate having that sort of reputation. I'd rather have none. I was only put into Slytherin because my father basically pounded the idea into my head. I had no other choice than to act the part I had been given by my wonderful last name. I had to be a Slytherin, and a nasty one at that."
Draco looked as though he was about to cry, but he held back the tears and started looking for the path.
"Do you really hate me?"
"I don't hate anyone except for the Death Eaters, and those who can't see me for who I really am. Are you satisfied now?"
"Well then I think we owe each other some apologies."
"I'm not apologizing for anything."
"Of course not. Still trying to act like someone you're not. Maybe people could see you for who you really are, if you act like the person you really are. You're not completely icy. You just proved that. Maybe you should stop acting so cold. "
"Well I might as well be nicer now. Once my father finds out that I helped get this crystal, he'll make sure I pay for it, most likely with my life, over summer holiday. He'll have me killed or beaten within inches of my life, try to teach me some loyalty and respect. In a way I hope he does kill me. I won't have to put up with all the problems I'm having now . . ."
"What sort of problems?"
"Determining who my allies and enemies are, school, crushes, things like that . . ."
"If you stay with our side, you'll be safe."
"If the Death Eaters are out to get you, then you're safe in very few places."
"Well, I'll make sure you're all right, and that your father doesn't get his hands on you."
"I can protect myself, Potter. I'm not a little girl who's completely helpless. I don't need you as my keeper."
"It was just a thought. Maybe you should ask Dumbledore-"
"Just be quiet and help me find the path."
**********
Draco and Harry finished the trek in silence after Draco forced Harry to stop talking to him and asking him questions. Once they reached the end, they found Ron and Hermione waiting there. Both ran up and hugged Harry.
"You're all right! I thought you were dead!"
"I'm fine, Herm. I'm perfectly fine. Where are the elements?"
"We don't know, but this is where we're supposed to be. What was your trial?"
"I'm not really sure, but I think I have an idea," Harry replied casting a sideways glance at Draco..
Before them stood an old iron gate, with one door open. Harry was the first to venture into the darkness beyond the gates. Draco would have shoved him aside any other old time and called him a wimp or some such thing, but this was different. He wasn't as cocky as he had been at the beginning of this adventure. He had changed. They all had in one way or another.
The darkness was boundless, and Harry couldn't see anything except the faint glow of three small spheres. Each was a different color, red, silver, or green. Then it struck him, a flash of white light, that rendered him blind for a moment. He refocused on the space in front of him to see three witches, standing in a group. Two of the witches sat on the stone wall behind them while one with shimmering silvery-white hair approached. She had the same platinum blonde hair that Draco had. The women appeared to be a family, perhaps three sisters. The one who advanced wore a silvery dress that accented her hair and eyes. She also sported a long cloak of the same color and her hair hung loosely over her shoulders and cascaded down her back to just below her waist. Instead of a wand, she held a large staff that cast an eerie blue glow over the seven people present.
"You must be Harry Potter. We've heard a great deal about you Mr. Potter, a great deal about you and your adventures. You've faced many things in your young life, much more than anyone should ever face at such a young age. You have handled everything truly well though, and for saving our world many times, we thank you. The elements thank you as well, and wish to return to you, your wands. However before they do so, you must all face us before you pass on to receive what you came for. You must not be afraid of us, for no physical harm shall befall any of you here. You are safe in these grounds, and the only thing that will deter your progress past us will be yourselves. Are you ready for our challenge?"
Harry turned to his companions who each nodded silently in return. After what they had faced, they were ready for most anything. Harry turned back to the witch and nodded like the rest had done.
"Yes we're ready. We accept your challenge."
"Good. We will each ask you a question, whatever we wish, and you must answer it truthfully."
Ron tensed up, and Hermione put a hand on his shoulder. He hated tests, and he prayed that it wouldn't involve anything he had learned in Potions so far that year.
"Calm down, Mr. Weasley. These are not test questions. These are questions who's answers lie within your hearts. They should not take much thought. The answers should be simple to come by."
Ron eased up a little and then leaned back against the metal gate behind him. Draco had seated himself on the stone wall that supported the fence from beneath, and seemed to be ignoring the witches.
"I shall ask the first question, then one of my sisters shall ask, and then the other after her. Remember to be truthful in your responses. And as a warning, you may be forced to confess something that you don't wish to say with others around. It is the only difficulty in this final task."
Four heads nodded simultaneously, and the oldest witch closed her eyes to think for a moment. There was a sparkle in her gray eyes when she opened them once again and spoke.
"My question shall most likely be the easiest, for it isn't something difficult to speak of in the face of others. I want to know what the most important thing you have learned here since your arrival here is."
Ron's face lit up, and Hermione smiled thoughtfully. Draco seemed lost in his own world as he wrapped his hands around the bars of the iron gate. Harry was the first to respond.
"I learned that you can't judge someone unless you get to know them. Sometimes people aren't always what they seem."
"No you cannot judge a book by it's cover. It is unfair to the book, and also to yourself. You Miss Granger? What have you learned?"
"I've learned that books smarts aren't everything. You have to use common sense. I rely too much on my books and my powers, and they won't always be there to help me out when I need them. I couldn't even help Ron out when I didn't have my wand. I was lost, and it was horrible. I know now that my test was to show me my weakness."
The old witch nodded and turned to Ron who was still a bit nervous. He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, and then he realized something.
"I'm doing it again. I'm staying out of it, being nervous and cowardly, and after learning the opposite yesterday, I should know better. I learned that it's better to stand up for yourself instead of backing down and being afraid or hiding in the shadows of others. I've always relied on Harry and Hermione, but I can't always do that, and I've got to do things for myself. I have to be more independent. They couldn't help me after the spider had captured them, so I had to be the brave one for once. I had to think about the situation and come up with a solution by myself."
"It's good to feel safe and sound with your friends, but when you are threatened and are by yourself, or perhaps if it's your friend who needs your aid, you must learn to stand alone." She focused her attention on Draco. "You, young man, seem like you'd rather not be here."
"Well I think I've had enough fun for the past two days, but if I have to do this I will. I'm certainly not backing down after almost getting killed who knows how many times. I learned that I should be more trusting of others. I shouldn't just turn them away because I was taught not to like them. I have to make my own choices and decide where my alliances lay by myself, and not let people do it for me. Now get on with your damned questions!"
Draco turned his back again as the others glared at him. Perhaps he wasn't as reformed as they had thought. He was still as rude as he had been before they had begun the journey. The youngest witch stood up and glared daggers at Draco.
"You know, Malfoy," she hissed, "you may think you're something, but I'm going to put you in your place when my turn comes. I've warned you. You've never dealt well with humility or rejection, and when my question arrives, you may regret having such a mouth and being rude to my sister."
Draco ignored her and stared off into the distance. Hermione shook her head, and Ron sighed.
"Have patience, Sister. I have the idea that he knows the final purpose of this task, and he's sees what we're leading up to. You have all answered well, and you will now answer the next question. Sister . . ."
The next witch assumed her sibling's spot and ran a hand through her very short chestnut colored hair. Her fair hands smoothed out her green shirt as she thought, and then she faced the children with bright emerald eyes that were true rivals to Harry's.
"My question is more difficult than my sister's, and it may require a little thought, and perhaps a little embarrassment. I want to know what you fear more than anything else, and why you fear it."
The witch dressed in black pants and a green turtleneck gave the children time to think, and then waited for the first response.
"If you don't mind, Harry, I'd like to go first this time," Ron murmured. "I'm getting this one over with."
"Go ahead. I don't mind."
Ron stepped forward a little and looked down at his feet.
"I'm scared to death of spiders. I know that seems a little odd after everything else I've faced, but I just can't seem to stop being afraid of them. They're creepy. I started being afraid of them when my twin brothers turned my favorite teddy bear into one when I was little."
"Sometimes something small can be just as dangerous as something very large. It's not always the big things you should be afraid of," said the witch directing her attention to Hermione and Harry.
"I'm afraid of not living up to other people's expectations. If I don't do as good as people always expect me to do, I get unnerved. People look down on me, and I hate being embarrassed like that. It's depressing as well, and that frightens me too," Hermione answered.
"Sometimes people expect too much. It can become dangerous to a person's health if it gets too bad. You should live up to your own expectations, and no one else's."
Harry looked at Ron and Hermione and then at the witch.
"I'm afraid of losing my friends, or anyone close to me for that matter. I never had the chance to know my parents, so I didn't have anyone to be truly close to until I came to Hogwarts when I was eleven. I made the best friends I've ever had, and I met my godfather, and if anything ever happened to them, I'd be devastated."
"It is good to value friendships and relationships so highly. Fear of losing a friend or loved one is only natural."
"Death scares me a lot. Especially after Cedric . . ." Harry stopped and bit his lip.
"You have had many encounters with death, so you have reason to fear it. And you, Mr. Malfoy? What are you afraid of?"
Draco was silent for a few moments and he leaned his head against the bars and closed his eyes.
"My father. I don't feel safe at home like I should. Believe me, if you had my father, you'd be afraid too. He's evil and dangerous, and I wish I had nothing to do with him."
Draco went silent and the others glanced at him wearily. He was clenching the iron bars so hard that his knuckles had turned white.
"Sister, it is your turn. I am finished."
The youngest of the three witches stepped forward and then walked over to Draco. She put her foot up on the stone wall where he sat and stared at him. He looked up at her and then looked over her outfit. She wore a leather skirt and a bright red shirt with a leather vest over it. Her wrists were covered in bracelets and her ears were pierced several times. Knee high boots covered the lower half of her legs. Golden curls reached down to her shoulders and her teal eyes sparkled dangerously.
"This question may be very hard for you to answer with others near. I want to know what your heart's desire is. I don't need a reason why unless you want to give me one. Just make sure you're all truthful."
"I want Voldemort to be dead and gone for good and the wizarding world to have complete peace," replied Harry. "That's an easy question."
"For you it may be, Mr. Potter, but for others it may be a very hard question to answer indeed."
Hermione blushed and looked away from the group. Ron was busy staring at his feet and trying to either avoid the question or figure out what he wanted more than anything else in the world.
"I want my family to be well off, and a little more respected too. People make fun of all of us and say we're poor and not a good wizarding family, but all three of my brothers who have graduated from Hogwarts have become very successful. Charlie works with dragons in Romania, Bill works for Gringotts in Egypt, and Percy works at the Ministry. I want my father and the rest of my family to become just as successful and show everyone that we're good wizards just like everyone else," said Ron, directing most of the statement towards Draco who had teased him about his family on numerous occasions.
Hermione was still blushing and avoiding her friends' curious stares.
"What's wrong, Herm? Is it something embarrassing?"
"Yes . . . Well I think it is, Ron. I don't like saying things against my will because I believe that fate should decided when things should be said and done, and this seems to be a forced sort of fate. Oh well . . . I guess there's no turning back now that we're here. Ron, I like you, and I have for the longest time, and I wanted to know if you'd go out with me."
Ron blushed bright red and gave a one hundred percent Weasley smile.
"Sure. Why didn't you say something before?" Ron beamed.
"I was afraid of what you'd say. I thought it might ruin our friendship."
"Well it won't. You can count on that. Well Malfoy, you're last. Spill it. What do you want? I want to get out of here."
"Shut up, Weasel. I want to get out of here more than you do, that's for damn sure, and is there any way out of this mess?"
"I'm afraid not, Malfoy. You have to confess, or none of you can pass through to get your reward for completing all the tasks," answered the blonde witch through glossy black lips.
"Potter."
"What?"
"That was my answer, now can we leave?"
"What did you say Malfoy?" Ron asked harshly. Harry had been the only one to hear besides the witches, and Hermione and Ron were giving him puzzled looks.
"Why don't you figure it out? She heard me, and I won't repeat myself."
Harry stared at Draco with an odd expression and then looked at the witch. She shrugged and held out her hand in which rested a small white crystal.
"This is your reward for passing each challenge. You will now be transported back to the surface, and there you will find the elements."
Harry took the crystal and a faint glow enveloped the group. They suddenly found themselves with the elements once again in the dark of the Forbidden Forest. They held out the young wizards' wands, and they eagerly took them back.
"So that's the thing we came for? It's kind of small. How can that protect the whole of Hogwarts?"
"I don't know, Ron. Come on. Let's get out of here. We can make it back to the castle before everyone gets up and give this little thing to Dumbledore," said Harry starting to walk away
Once they had stepped through the portal back into the Forbidden Forest, Draco knew something was wrong. Something was dreadfully wrong. Then he noticed the dark cloaked and masked figures that blended in with their surroundings. He gasped as one lunged at him and grabbed him by the robes.
**********
Another chapter! Yay! Thanks again for the reviews!