Chapter 27:

"The Obstacles"

'squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line'

Snape paced in front of Dumbledore's desk. He told Harry he'd gone to bed, but he flooed to Dumbledore's office from the fireplace in his bedroom instead. Albus hadn't been happy that Harry was left alone in Snape's chambers, but Severus calmed him down by saying that Harry was reading, and elephants couldn't pull that boy from a book. Dumbledore calmed down a bit, but was still unhappy with the actions of his Potions Master.

"Albus, he's going to make his move. Could be today, could be tomorrow, there's no way for us to know. He's out of his power, but he's still evasive and formidable."

"I know all this, Severus."

"I know you know it, I'm stating facts." He stopped and sat in front of his Headmaster. "Do you really think the obstacles protecting the stone is enough to protect it?"

Dumbledore leaned forward and steepled his long fingers. "Severus, do you know what I put down there?"

Snape shook his head. "I don't, Headmaster."

He leaned back with a small smile. "Exactly. Do you know what Minerva put down there? Or Quirrell? Or Professor Sprout? Or Professor Flitwick? No. You don't. You know what you put down there. And that's it. It's impossible to be prepared for those tasks."

The Potions Master waited for him to continue with a raised eyebrow.

"How many people can you name that have the talent of each and every one of Hogwarts' Professors combined?"

"Um…. None?"

"There you go. Who do you think can get past each of those obstacles?"

Severus stood again. "I don't know, but I know that he'll figure out a way. He's not as stupid as—"

They were disturbed by an owl at Dumbledore's window. Albus walked over and opened it, allowing the bird to fly in. It landed on his desk and stuck out it's leg in his direction. Dumbledore took the letter off the owl's leg and read it silently.

He frowned. "I have to go."

Severus gave him a puzzled look. "Pardon?"

"The Ministry of Magic needs me. It doesn't say why."

'squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line'

Harry was falling. And falling. And falling. And falling. He steeled himself for what was to come while in the air. When he landed, it was in something soft, not what he expected, for sure.

"You guys can come!" he yelled. "The landing's soft, don't worry!"

Vanella came, followed by Draco, Ron, and finally Hermione.

Ron was looking at the landing pad when Hermione came. "What is this?" he asked, poking it.

Harry shrugged, "Seems to be some kind of plant."

Hermione gaped. "Look at yourselves!" she hissed. "You're all tied up!" Hermione struggled to reach a wall.

Harry looked down at himself. The 'soft landing' he had stumbled upon was binding him up with long, snakelike tendrils, and the more he struggled, the tighter it wound. "Hermione!" he rasped. "What now?"

She looked at it. "I think… I think it's Devil's Snare!"

"Devil's Snare?" Draco asked.

"Stop moving! It goes tighter if you move," Vanella said.

"Very perspective of you," Ron snarled, struggling even more.

Hermione was free, having never gotten completely gripped by the plant. "The Devil's Snare…" she thought, trying to remember about it. "The Devil's Snare… it likes the damp and dark, so our best bet…"

"Fire!" Ron cried, trying to breathe while the plant wound it's way around his neck and chest. "Light a fire!"

Vanella struggled to get her wand out. "My…specialty," she said, freeing it. "Caeruleus ignis," she said. Blue fire flew from her wand, causing everyone to wince at the light, but the Devil's Snare pulled away from the light, loosening it's coils on everyone.

They pulled away from it, freeing themselves and getting over to where Hermione was waiting.

"Through that corridor," Draco said.

It was a stone corridor that seemed to slope downward, and it was the only way to proceed, so they trudged ahead.

Ron was looking at the ceiling. "We must be miles under the school," he said.

"And still descending," Hermione added.

Harry nodded. Then he stopped. "Do you guys hear that?"

The rest paused to listen. "Is it a ghost?" Draco whispered.

"Sounds like wings," Vanella said.

Harry nodded. "Wings."

They reached the end of the passageway and came to a brightly lit room, with a high, arched ceiling decorated with many fluttering birds, soaring and tumbling and fluttering all over the room. There was a large wooden door waiting on the other side of the room.

"Are they going to attack us?" Ron asked. "You know, if we try to use the door?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Let's see." He stepped cautiously into the room, waiting for them to attack. He took another step, holding his breath, then he made a run for it, reaching the other door in seconds. The others followed, and they tried to open the door.

"Locked," Draco said, slumping against the wall. "Now what?"

Hermione tried "Alohomora," but it didn't unlock. "I think it has something to do with the birds," she said. "They can't just be for decoration, that wouldn't make sense."

Vanella watched them carefully. "They're not birds."

They all looked at her. "They're not birds," she repeated.

"Yea, we got that part," Ron said impatiently, "what we don't know is what they actually are. Do you know that?"

She shook her head.

Harry looked from the 'birds' to the door and back. "They're keys."

Now everyone looked at him. "Pardon?" Hermione asked.

"They're keys. One of them is the key to the lock. There must be some way to…" he looked around, "… catch it! Look, broomsticks!" He walked to a corner and grabbed a broomstick. "We have to get the one for the door!" he said, mounting the broom.

Ron examined the lock. "Silver key, for a silver handle," he said. "Probably big, old fashioned, like the door. Probably a skeleton key."

Each of them grabbed a broomstick and floated into the air, looking for one key among a hundred. The grabbed, seized, and snatched, but they keys were so quick that it was nearly impossible to catch one.

But Harry was the youngest seeker in a century, and had skills most didn't. After some weaving and darting, he noticed a large silver key with a bent blue wing, as if someone had already caught it.

"There!" he shouted. "The big one, with silver wings! The feathers are all crumpled on one side, we should be able to catch it!"

They all began to corner it, speeding and dashing around, careful of hitting each other. "Okay, now close in!" Harry called, starting in, reaching out with one hand to grab it, and steadying himself on the broom with the other. "Yes! Keep going, we almost got it!"

Harry flew closer and made a grab, closing his fist over the key. "Got it!" he yelled, lowering himself to the floor on his broom. Everyone followed, dropping their brooms where they land and hurrying to the large wooden door. Harry stuffed the key in the lock and turned, and let out a yelp of happiness when the door swung open. The key flew loose, looking very pathetic for a flying key.

They shot the keys one last look and went through the door. The next chamber was dark at first, let lit up brilliantly when they stepped inside.

"Oh my gods," Hermione said, surveying the scene.

"What do we do now?" asked Vanella.

Ron gave a faint smile. "That's obvious. We play chess."

Harry looked over the room and recognized the floor as a huge chessboard. Directly in front of them were the black pieces, huge chunks of black stone, carved as chess pieces. Facing them from way across the chamber were the white pieces, looking very ominous from their places.

"And exactly how do we do that?" Draco asked.

Ron took a deep breath and glanced around. "I think we take some of their places. Hold on." He walked up to a black knight and touched the horse. It sprang to life, the horse pawing the ground and the knight looking at Ron from his perch on the horse. "Do we—ah—do we have to join you to get across?" Ron asked the knight. The black knight nodded.

Ron turned to the others. "Now… we have to take the place of some of the black pieces."

The other four stayed silent.

"Who knows how to play chess?"

Hermione raised her hand, but Ron shot her a look.

"You don't count," he said. "No offense, but I've seen you play."

She shook her head. "None taken. I agree."

"Anyone else?" asked Ron.

Draco shrugged his shoulders. "I know how, but not well."

Ron nodded. "Okay, then I'm in charge." He took a deep breath and looked around again. "Alright, I'll take the place of that knight; Harry, you take the place of that bishop; Hermione, you take the place of the queen; Vanella, take the place of that rook, and Draco, take the place of the other knight. I'll tell you all what to do."

They all took their spots where the chessman had stepped off.

"Okay, white plays first in chess, see, look," Ron said. A white pawn had moved forward two squares.

Ron started directing the black pieces, and they moved silently wherever he ordered.

"Harry: move diagonally four squares to the right."

Their first shock came when one of their pawns was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board before going back to her space. The pawn didn't move afterwards.

"Had to do it," Ron said. "Now you can take their bishop, Hermione, go."

It didn't take long before there was a huddle of limp black players along the wall. A few times, they came close to being smashed themselves. Ron put himself in danger a few times, flying around the board taking as many white pieces as possible without killing himself.

Ron looked around. "Almost there." He studied their positions, then a pained look came over his face. "Oh, no," he whined.

"Two words you don't want to hear when about to be savagely attacked by big white stones," Vanella muttered.

Ron ignored it. "I have to sacrifice both knights."

Draco paled, even more that he was before.

"I'm really, really sorry."

Draco shook his head. "S'alright. For a good cause, right?" he said with a nervous half-smile.

A white bishop knocked Draco down with a heavy white arm and threw him to the side on white's next turn.

"Okay," Ron said, shaking. "Now I have to go."

They all had pained expressions.

"Now, I'll take one step forward and that leaves Harry free to checkmate the king. I'm sure we'll all be fine. Just be careful when facing You-Know-Who."

Ron went forward one square, and the white queen pounced. She slammed Ron across the head with her arm and dragged him aside. He looked unconscious, like Draco.

Hermione was looking at him with wide eyes, but didn't move.

Harry swallowed and moved three spaces to the left. The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet, signaling that they had one. The chessman parted, walking to the side and leaving the door ahead clear.

All three of them ran over to Ron and Draco.

"Alright," Harry said, looking around. "Only one of you has to come with me. I think only one or two trials are left. One of you should try to bring them around and get Dumbledore or Snape."

"Which one?"

"Which one wants to come?"

Hermione and Vanella looked at each other, then back at Harry. "I'll go," Vanella said.

Hermione nodded and watched them go through the door.

'squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line'

Snape had walked back to his chambers after Dumbledore left. Once there, when he realized Harry had already gone to bed, he had decided to just read.

After a little while, though, he had noticed that there were no sounds coming from Harry's bedroom, which was strange, because Harry snored lightly.

Severus had gone in the bedroom to check on Harry, to make sure he hadn't fallen unconscious again or anything unusual, but when he got in there, the bed was empty.

Severus Snape was not a stupid man. He had asked Saliza if Harry ever went to bed, and when she said 'no', he quickly came to the conclusion that Harry had gone after the Sorcerer's Stone.

Which had brought him to where he was now, passing Fluffy (the flute was still playing) and jumping down the trapdoor.

'squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line'

In the next room a troll was lying over, with a very large lump on its head. "I take it we don't have to fight him," Vanella whispered.

Harry agreed, and they stepped over its huge leg towards the door.

Behind this door was a long table. There were seven vials on the table, all different sizes and/or shapes. They stepped over the threshold, and immediately purple fire shot up behind them, while at the same time, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward.

Harry grimaced. "Snape's." He walked over to the table. "What's this?" he asked, surveying the scene.

Vanella picked up a piece of parchment. She read it quickly and handed it to Harry. "A logic puzzle," she said, a hint of admiration in her voice. "Brilliant. Really."

Harry shot her a look and read the paper.

It read:

Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,

Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,

One among us seven will let you move ahead,

Another will transport the drinker back instead,

Two among our number hold only nettle wine,

Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.

Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,

To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:

First, however slyly the poison tries to hide

You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;

Second, different are those who stand at either end,

But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;

Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,

Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;

Fourth, the second left and the second on the right

Are twins one you taste them, though different at first sight.

Harry nodded. "Yes, brilliant, indeed. Now we're trapped."

Vanella shook her head. "No, we're not trapped, you fool. I used to do things like this when I was a little girl, when we couldn't afford a television." She looked around. "Brilliant. Logic. Many a great wizard would be trapped in her forever. Most don't have any logic in them at all."

"Wonderful. Now solve it."

She gave him a cold glare and turned to the table, studying the placement and shapes and colors. She read the paper a few more times and kept studying.

"Alright, I get it."

Harry nodded at her, telling her to keep going.

"It's simple, really," she said. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire, towards the Stone and Voldemort."

Harry looked at the bottle. "Uh…Vanella, there's barely enough for one person in there."

She looked at it. "Good point."

"Which one will get you back through the purple?"

She pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line. "That."

Harry frowned. "Okay, you drink that, and go back to the others. I'll take this and get the stone."

"Harry?"

He looked at her, gingerly picking up the bottle. "Yes?"

"Be careful, will you?"

"I will, promise." He watched her pick up the rounded bottle. "The brooms in the room with the keys should get you back up through the trapdoor. If the others are still in the chess room, of course. If not, you may be able to catch them. Either way, I'll see you later, okay?"

"You sure you'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine. I'll be able to hold him off until help comes, at least." He glanced at the bottles. "You sure about these?" he asked, holding it out.

"Positive," she said.

She drank the liquid in the rounded bottle solemnly. "Good luck," she said, before walking back through the purple flames.

Harry walked her go, then drank from the tiny bottle. It was ice cold going down his throat. He shivered and walked through the fire, through into the next chamber.

The Mirror of Erised was directly across the circular chamber. Pillars circled the room at the top of the steps that led down to the center, where the Mirror was, and where the man was.

He turned when Harry stepped in and smiled evilly. "Ah, good to see you could make it, Harry," he said harshly.

Harry just gaped. You?

'squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line'

Severus hurried down the stone corridor, after being slowed a bit by a Devil's Snare. He skidded to a stop when he saw four shapes exiting the door far in front of him, on the other side of the bright chamber.

"Don't let the door—"

It slammed behind them, while they gawked at him.

"—close," he said futilely.

He reached the chamber and looked up, then back at his four students. "That door's locked, isn't it?" he asked.

They all nodded.

He looked up again, watching little glittery things dart and fly about. "Those are keys, aren't they?"

They nodded again.

He looked at the door, then back at the keys. "Oh, bloody hell."

'squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line, star, squiggly line'

Author's Note: Got this one up! Left a cliffhanger, too! Oh… yea, sorry.

Anyway, the squiggly line, star thingy is obviously not working.

The next chapter will be up as soon as possible but I have no idea when.

I hope this chapter made up for the last in length.

Translation:

"Caeruleus ignis": 'dark blue fire'

Review Answers:

Shadowface: Got to hate it when that happens. Anyway, thanks for the review, and I got this chapter up as soon as I could!

Tabitha78: First: Yea, a few people didn't like that I left the whole Sorting Surprise thing on a cliffhanger. Oh don't worry though, when you catch up I'm sure I'll have a cliffhanger of sorts set up. Second: Thank you! I don't plan on giving up. Ah, I double type all the time, because I start thinking one thing, get ahead of myself, and restart completely to get back on track. Usually I catch it though. Maybe I should go back and fix all my chapters? Oh, I don't know what 'daft' is as a British slang word; I'm American. Yea, the helpful criticism versus just slandering is a big pain, but it doesn't matter much now. Anyways, thanks for the reviews!

athenakitty: They all find out who the possessed person is in the next chapter. I don't think that person will die, no. Headsmacking, maybe. Harry will eventually let Snape adopt him.

starangel2106: Thanks! No, Snape wasn't really sleeping…we'll just have to see how he reacts to Harry's little running-off jig…

Until next time…