Hmph. I didn't really like this chapter, but whatever. One of my special readers *coughlolacough* pointed out that Bill and Charlie couldn't be older then Lily and James, or at least the Twins couldn't be born. So ummm, let's forget this fact. Good of you to notice that Lola, sorry, my math skills are terrible *points at C in math* see!

Chapter 18

Sphinx, Potions and Lies

The doorway led the group into a small chamber where a cat like figure sat on a pedestal. It had the body of an over-large lion: great clawed paws and a long yellowish tail ending in a brown tuft. Its head, however, was that of a woman. It was a Sphinx. She turned to look at them, her pale green eyes were peaceful.

"To get to the next task, you must answer my riddle. I will give you three tries, and if you fail, I can eat you all." She smiled a cat like smile, and folded her paws beneath her.

"You look like you're going to enjoy toying with us." Arabella said.

"I will." The Sphinx answered.

"So, the riddle?" Sirius asked.

"With potent, flowery words speak I,
Of something common, vulgar, dry;
I weave webs of pedantic prose,
In effort to befuddle those,
Who think I wile time away,
In lofty things, above all day
The common kind that linger where
Monadic beings live and fare;
Practical I may not be,
But life, it seems, is full of me!"

Lily looked at her friends, completely bemused. Arabella had a look of concentration on her face, but the rest were all as confused as her.

"Can you repeat it?" Arabella asked.

The Sphinx repeated the riddle and Arabella smiled slightly. "Is there more then one answer?"

The Sphinx merely smiled. Arabella frowned. "Can we have a hint?"

"Everything is a lie, but everyone is right." The Sphinx said.

"A riddle, or the riddler." Arabella said smiling broadly.

The Sphinx nodded slightly and stepped aside. A door appeared.

Lily lead the way into the next chamber. A small table with two bottles and a piece of parchment was the only thing in the room.

Walking up to the table she read "In the two bottles are two potions. One will return you to the start without anything but the memory. The other will continue you forward. Chose blue to go and red to stop. Do not rot away in this prison cell forever. Once you have chosen one potion and drunk from it, you can not go back."

Lily looked up and shrugged. "Everything." She said and walked straight up to the blue bottle and took a sip. Lily disappeared.

"What does that mean?" Arabella asked. Sirius stared at the place where Lily had disappeared.

"I don't know." James said.

"Everything." Remus mused.

"What did the Sphinx say?" Karrie asked, frowning.

"What are you talking about?" Peter asked.

"She said something about everything being a lie and how everyone is right." She frowned and then shook it off. She walked over to the table and pick red up the blue bottle. "See you there."

Karrie disappeared as well.

Remus shrugged and took his own sip.

Sirius, Peter, James and Arabella remained.

"So, what are you taking?" James asked nervously.

"Well, it means we could go back—" Peter said carefully.

"Yeah, but you wouldn't have your wand." Arabella pointed out.

"You wouldn't?" Peter asked.

"'One will return you to the start without anything but the memory.' That means everything." Arabella said.

"Well then, it's obvious what we have to do." Sirius said.

Arabella and Peter nodded.

Stepping forward by turn they all took a sip.

"All players have entered the Chamber of Lies." The same metallic voice was back. "From now on, you are not allowed to speak any truths."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "I have no sister to speak of." She said simply.

"My brother's name isn't Henry." Sirius said.

"I have no interest in getting out of here." Lily said.

"I don't want to know what this accomplishes." Arabella said.

"Questions are allowed." The voice said.

"What are we supposed to be doing?" Peter asked.

"Getting the figure to tell the truth." The voice said.

a small girl sat on the floor, looking completely innocent. Sirius shrugged.

"What color is the sky?" he asked.

"Wed." the little girl said.

"What is one plus one?"

"Five hundred." The girl said.

"What color is your eyes?" Sirius asked.

"Greew." The girl said, a laugh in her brown eyes.

Arabella looked slightly mad. "What does it matter if we punch your brains out."

"If wou do, moma will wurt wou." the girl said.

Arabella rolled her eyes. "I don't believe anything." She said loftily.

"Neiver do me." The little girl said.

"Why don't you smile?" Arabella asked.

"I dun want to." The little girl said.

her face flicker slightly. "A-ha!" Arabella cried.

"What?" Peter voiced the groups question.

"Why don't you cry?"

"I dun want to."

"Why don't you get angry?"

"I dun want to." The face flickered again and then the little girl was gone.

"You have passed." The metallic voice said. "Continue." A door appeared.

Lilly looked at her friends. "Ready?" she asked.

They didn't do anything but Lily went through the door and they followed.

Well I have the last twelve chapters planed out and ready to go. Soon to Lily Evans and the Marauder series. This is a prequel. So smile there is more.

And also, I need help with a name for their fifth year… hmph….