Chapter 13 - Through the Trapdoor

Hermione, Mandy, Alice, and Lisa crept carefully down the hall near the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower. They took up positions where they could watch the door without being seen by the Fat Lady.

"Ready, everyone?" whispered Hermione. "When they come out, we'll give them both a full Body-Bind spell. They'll be furious with us later but it will save them from killing themselves in the traps."

"Then we go into the forbidden room ourselves?" said Mandy. "That doesn't make sense."

"Not in. If it looks like Quirrell has gotten in we'll raise the alarm and catch him in the act!" said Hermione.

Inside, Harry and Ron faced another obstacle: Neville. He popped up from behind an armchair, clutching his toad Trevor, which had been trying to escape again.

"You're going out, aren't you?" he demanded. "You'll be caught again and lose even more points for Gryffindor."

"You don't understand. This is important," said Harry.

"I won't let you do it. I'll -- I'll fight you!"

"Neville," said Ron. "Do you remember when I learned that Leg-Locker curse so I could get back at Malfoy for using it on you?"

"Yes. So?"

"Locomotor Mortis!" said Ron, pointing his wand at Neville.

Then they both rushed him and tied him up with belts from bathrobes that had been left around the room. Harry stuffed a handkerchief as a gag into Neville's mouth.

"Sorry, Neville, no time to explain," said Harry.

Outside, the Mavens saw the Gryffindor door open and then close again. None of them had any idea that Harry owned an Invisibility Cloak. They remained waiting for someone to come out while Harry and Ron stole past them.

"Those nosy Ravenclaws were trying to stop us, I bet," said Ron in a whisper once they were out of earshot.

With only two under the cloak they could travel rapidly, and they made good time to the forbidden room on the third floor. The door was already ajar.

"Quirrel's already past Fluffy," said Harry.

There was music coming from the room; inside they saw a harp that had been enchanted to play. Fluffy was sound asleep beside it. Harry had brought a flute along but it looked like they wouldn't need it. They slipped out of the cloak, crept softly to the trapdoor, and opened it.

"It's pitch dark in there," whispered Ron. "I don't know how deep it goes. We'll just have to drop."

Since the dog being kept asleep for them, Harry had time to think for a second. "We can get torches from the wall and drop them in first. I'd like to see what I'm jumping into."

"Good idea," said Ron.

They got two torches each from the walls outside the room and dropped them down. The fire revealed a moving mass of plant tendrils, which recoiled from the flames. They dropped down unto the plants, then had to snatch up the torches to beat off the strangling vines. They emerged, panting, into the stone corridor that led from the room.

Meanwhile, Hermione and the others were tired of waiting for them to come out of Gryffindor Tower.

"I think they aren't coming," said Hermione. "We'd better get to the third-floor corridor if we want to catch Quirrell."

They sneaked along secret passages Lisa had found in an old book, very carefully to avoid being caught, and arrived at the third floor corridor to find the door ajar and Fluffy still asleep to the music from the harp. Hermione picked up the Invisibility Cloak.

"Oh no!" she said, "That's how they got past us. Harry and Ron are down there. We have to go after them!"

"What? Why not just go for help?" said Mandy.

"Every second counts. They could be injured or dying down there!" said Hermione.

"So could we, in a few minutes," muttered Mandy. But she reluctantly accepted the leadership of Hermione, who was bold as a Gryffindor.

Abruptly the music stopped playing and Fluffy woke up with a snarl. Alice thought fast, dived for the harp, and began playing. Fluffy went back to sleep as soon as he heard music.

"I'll keep playing while you go down and look," Alice said. "Don't take too long. I've had a few harp lessons but the only thing I remember is 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'. I hope Fluffy doesn't get bored with it and w-wake up!"

In the dying light of the torches the boys had dropped the Mavens saw the plants.

"That's Devil's Snare!" said Hermione. "Look, it doesn't like the flames. I know a blue-fire spell."

"I know that one, too," said Lisa. With the two of them casting it they were able to get through the Devil's Snare trap fairly easily.

The next room, with the flying keys, was more of a problem. "The key we want has been caught twice, first by Quirrell and then by the boys. It's the one with the damaged wings," said Hermione.

"I've had a lot of practice flying, so I'll get it," said Mandy.

It still wasn't easy, but she wore the key down by chasing it around and finally caught it. They unlocked the door and entered the room with the giant chess pieces. They saw broken pieces of chessmen everywhere, and Ron lying injured on the other side of the room. They were about to start across when Ron called out to them.

"Don't step on the board! They'll attack anyone that's not playing a piece in the game," said Ron.

"Are you all right?" called Hermione.

"I sacrificed my knight so Harry could checkmate and get through," said Ron. "My head hurts real bad but I think I'm in one piece."

Hermione called to the chess pieces, "Is it permitted to clear a taken piece? I won't step on the board."

One of the remaining black pawns nodded, so Hermione used a levitation spell to gently lift Ron from the board and bring him to their side.

"Mandy, since you're a good flyer, why don't you get a broomstick from the other room and fly with Ron to get medical attention," said Hermione.

"I'll be glad to be out of this place," said Mandy. "Are you sure you and Lisa will be all right, 'Mione?"

"Sure we will," said Lisa. "I'm pretty good at chess and I have an idea. Ron, what was your last move?"

"Bishop from c1 to e3, checkmate," said Ron. "How can you do anything? The game's over and neither of you were pieces in the game."

"Black withdraws the last move and plays pawn to a4 instead," called Lisa to the game pieces. "I'm replacing the bishop from c1 that has fallen off the board." She walked out onto the field and the pieces didn't challenge her, so she moved to where Harry had been before his last move.

"Mandy, go ahead and take Ron. We've got it under control," said Hermione.

Mandy got a broomstick, placed Ron on it in front of her, and took off.

A white pawn moved. "I was afraid of that," said Lisa. "Now the king has an escape square and I can't checkmate him any more. The best I can do is perpetual check. We've lost too many pieces to risk anything else."

"But now you're stuck, and I still can't get across," said Hermione.

"If the pieces are bound by the rules of chess, there's still a way. No piece can move while the king's in check, unless it gets him out of check. So the next time I say check...."

"I understand," said Hermione.

Lisa moved diagonally. "Check!"

Hermione dashed across in the moment the king was moving out of check. As the White pieces turned to attack the intruder, Lisa moved again. "Check!"

"Go help Harry," Lisa called. "I'll keep them occupied. Check!"

Hermione rushed through the next room, glad to find the troll that occupied it was knocked out.

"I expect Quirrell did that," she thought. "I can't imagine a first-year taking on a full-grown mountain troll."

The next doorway was blocked by fiercely burning purple flames. Hermione couldn't get through. She was stuck.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the wall of flame, Harry had been reading the puzzle for the potions over and over. He wasn't very good at logic puzzles. Left, right, big, small, twins.... he was all mixed up. Finally he thought he had solved it. He picked up a potion and was about to drink it.

"Harry, are you in there? Are you hurt?" Hermione called.

Harry jumped, and the bottle dropped to the floor and shattered. "Hermione? What are you doing here?"

"We came to help you. What's happening in there? I can't see through the flame."

"There's fire in the other doorway too. I can't get out unless I find the right potion. There's a riddle here that says what's what, but it's hard to figure out."

"Tell it to me. Maybe I can help."

Harry recited the poem.

"All right, now describe the row of bottles. Which one is biggest and which smallest?"

Harry told her.

"Give me a minute," she said, and a little later, "Got it! The smallest will get you through the other door, towards the stone. The one on the right end will get you back."

"I'm going on," said Harry. "I have to stop him bringing Voldemort back."

"I knew you'd say that," Hermione said. "Go ahead, but be careful."

"I thought you'd try to talk me out of it," said Harry. "Weren't you and your friends waiting to stop us in the hall tonight?"

"We were, but now that I've seen how brave you and Ron were, facing all this... You're a great wizard, Harry Potter."

"You faced it, too."

"Well maybe, but we're not in your league. You're a hero. We're just clever student who got lucky. Oh Harry, please be careful."

Harry started to go, then turned back to her.

"By the way, what was the middle potion?" Harry asked.

"Poison," said Hermione.

Harry shuddered. He drank from the smallest bottle and stepped forward into the flames. Just as he did, the flames in both doorways suddenly went out.

Harry ran forward. Hermione heard him gasp.

"You!"