(A/N: My sister has informed me that y'all non-francophone people in the might not know how to pronounce Genevieve's name. It's John-V-eve (like egg). So there you go. And the Demiguise down is what they make Invisibility Cloaks out of. All the animals are thanks to my handy copy of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," to give some credit to them. I just wish they would make more textbooks, or make them bigger. A 50-page book is not a text. It just isn't right.)

After what seemed like a descent of the ages, Draco finally reached the bottom. The floor was slimy, and textured in a bumpy, ridged pattern. Just touching the flooring through his shoes made him feel unclean. The repulsiveness was only increased as he reached out for a wall to steady himself. Strings of ooze came away clinging to his fingers. He pulled his hand away, and reached for his wand. "Lumos," he said and a light came out of his wand. He appeared to be in a long tunnel with no end in sight, but at least he knew that there were no traps in the passageway.

He paced forward, trying to get out of his trap as soon as possible. The hallway held no traps, but on the walls were pictures of kings and queens, topped with golden crowns. They talked to him as he passed, some complimenting him on his job so far, others warning of the trials ahead. He stopped at a double portrait. "Hello, dear. I'm Sophie, and this is my husband, Ferdinand."

"Who are all these portraits of? And why are they here?" Draco asked Lady Sophie.

"We are your ancestors. We are also, obviously, witches and wizards." She told him, pleased by his inquisitive nature.

"But I thought that you were the ones that were going to be the King and Queen of Austria-Hungary. You were both assassinated, though! Oh, I bet you went into hiding after that, though. Are you my great-great-grandparents?" he added in a rush.

"Yes, we are, dear. Now, run along. You don't want to miss the next trial. It's the last one, though." She said, with a little wave of her hand to shoo him to the end of the tunnel.



Unbeknownst to Draco, the professors of Beauxbatons were watching his every move, judging his actions and his reactions. So far, he had shown no outstanding magical skill or perceptive abilities, other than concluding how he was related to the portraits, and his knowledge about Muggle History. So they continued watching. And waiting.



Draco walked to the end of the tunnel and stopped before a low wooden and bench. A game of wizard's chess was atop it, unplayed and only the white members set up. As he sat down at the table, a voice came into his head, soft and fluttery.

"Two tries you have to find the key, So cast a spell and then you'll see If your spell has gone awry. If it has, you've one more try To guess the key to unlock The door, and then you knock."

He guessed that he would have to use transfiguration to change one of the chess pieces into a key. He glanced at the door, and the crafting that went into it. It was encrusted with jewels, gleaming from every walnut board. The keyhole was silvery, with a complicated tracing of gold throughout. Draco glanced at the chessboard. Which piece would be most likely to fit into that keyhole?

The king, standing proud and tall, was nonetheless plain. The rooks were simple castles, unadorned. Knights, though honourable, were just noblemen on horseback, not a worthy choice to put in the door. Bishops shunned all things material, and lived meagrely. Ah, the queen. She would be the one, wearing her golden crown and draped in the royal jewels. Her key would be perfect, matching the door with precision.

Draco pulled out his wand, and transfigured the piece. The key was massive, just as jewelled as the door. He walked over to the door and put the key into the keyhole. He turned it, and the door didn't open. He turned it the other way. Still no entrance.

He turned around and looked at the table again. If not the queen, then what? He ran through the list of pieces in his mind again. The king, the queen, the bishop, knight, rook. The pawn. That was the right one; the plainest piece for the fanciest door, he reasoned.

Quickly he changed the pawn. The key it turned into was as heavy as lead with a well worn handle. He walked to the entrance to his next task, put the key in, and swivelled it. The door swung open of its own accord, creaking slightly.

Draco entered the room, shadowy and dark. These walls appeared clean, but covered with what looks like cloth. In the middle of the room was a huge shadow, lying down and breathing slowly. Wings slowly unfurled from its back, and ripples ran underneath the tawny hide. Long, dark hair, styled Egyptian, fell to its shoulders. It was a Sphinx.

"Hello, Boy. Have you come to try my riddles?" She purred, looking pleased to have found a new victim. "I hope you are worthy of them. Not everyone is, you know, and let's not say what happened to those people."

"I suppose I shall have to try the puzzles. I don't really have a choice, do I? Could you give it to me? And slowly, if you will." He said leisurely, as he knew he would have to think hard about the conundrum and wanted to be as calm as possible for the guesswork.

"Here is the first one: A moon coloured box, To be opened from within. I hold the golden key to life. What am I?"

Draco thought. What was moon coloured? And what had gold inside? "Repeat that, please?" he asked. "I might have it, but I want to make sure."

"Gladly," she complied and reiterated the points.

"Is it an egg?" he asked with hope in his voice.

"Yes! Now here's the second one. If you get it right, I shall have to let you pass beyond me. This next one was named after me, it was so good. Here it is: I have four legs in the morning, And two legs in the day. At night I finish up with three legs. What am I?"

"Four legs, two, and then three. Is it an analogy?" he asked, and the Sphinx nodded. "I know," he cried. "If it's an analogy, it's a man, crawling on all fours, walking upright, then aided by a cane in the later years of life!"

The Sphinx stood aside, and let him pass into the hall beyond.