Title: Harry Potter and the Staff of Merlin

Author: Legolas-gurl88

Disclaimer: J.K., not me.

Author Note: Finally, the chapter you've all been waiting for!

Story time!

()o()o()

32. The Staff of Merlin

Cold air whipped at Harry's robes and whistled in his ears as he fell further downwards. The first rush of panic had melted away and was replaced with fear of where he might land. Silently, he prayed it would be a soft landing. Or maybe, he thought frantically, this was a never-ending tunnel. Maybe he was doomed to fall forever, until heart attack or thirst took him.

No, he told himself firmly. That basilisk had to have come from somewhere. It would not be a never-ending tunnel if the basilisk could go in an out without forever falling.

, he told himself firmly. It would not be a never-ending tunnel if the basilisk could go in an out without forever falling.

Suddenly, a sound like water could be heard and Harry barely had time to wonder what it was before he felt the air stop around him. Instead, his eyes stung and he was so surprised that he gasped. Instantly, his lungs filled up with water and he choked. Instinctively, Harry began kicking wildly and used his arms to propel himself up to the surface of wherever he was.

He felt the water break over his head and took a large gasping breath. He spent several minutes treading water and coughing up as much as he could from his lungs. Finally, gasping, he pushed his hair out of his eyes and looked around. Several torches lit with blue flame were around him so he could see the stone walls that were decorated with carvings of snakes, all of their emerald eyes glinting in the blue firelight. He looked up, hoping to see how far he had fallen. Surprisingly, he could see a tiny pinprick of light, barely visible, at the very top.

Pushing his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose, he reached in his pocket and found that his wand still, astonishingly, remained in his pocket. Grabbing it up, he pointed upward, knowing that his friends would never hear him from so far away, even if his voice echoed. Green sparks emitted from the tip of his wand, going as high as the roof of Slytherin's mouth, nearly three miles away, he guessed. Then he waited.

Minutes flew by where Harry wondered if they had seen the green sparks or not. Then, he heard a scream that could only be Hermione's and knew that the slide had given way from underneath her. Several more minutes passed in which Harry swam out of the way of where his friends would supposedly be landing. Sure enough, he heard five splashes, a fraction of a second apart from each other and then swam back to help them regain composure after the surprise of going from air to water.

Ron was first to pop up out of the water, his red hair sopping wet. Then came Ginny, Hermione, Mark and lastly, Neville. All of them went into coughing fits, just as Harry had, and he waited for them to subside before speaking.

"Are you alright?" he asked them. Too shocked to answer, all of them nodded their heads. Harry nodded in return.

"How-- how deep d'you think we are… from the school?" Ron stammered.

"Dunno," said Harry. "C'mon, there's got to be a way out of this pool."

"B-but…" Hermione said, spinning in the water as she searched around the room of water. "I don't see a door."

"Maybe it's hidden," Harry said. "That's the sort of thing someone would do in a place like this, isn't it, if they've gone through all the trouble to hide the entrance to the Chamber, then to this place?"

"Maybe we have to find the right snake on the wall," Mark offered. Without another word, all of them began swimming to the walls of the pool, poking and prodding the images of snakes, touching the eyes, trying to press them in, hoping one would act as a maneuver to open a hidden door. Nothing of the sort happened.

"Nothing," Ron called from one side of the room, using his fist to punch the eye of one of his snakes in. "Maybe we're-- AAARRRGGG!"

Ron's bright red hair suddenly disappeared under the water, bubbled popping up where he vanished.

"RON!" Everyone shouted. Harry was first to react. Taking a deep breath, he dove under the water and willed his eyes to open. Everything was fogged, but he could see the form of Ron being pulled deeper and deeper into the water. Desperately wishing he had gillyweed, Harry took giant strokes with his hands and kicking the water harshly, he chased Ron's red hair deeper and deeper. His ears began to pop and sting as the pressure increased. His air supply began to run short and the wasted breath escaped through his lips, making tiny bubbles that tickled his nose.

Suddenly, he stopped, squinting his eyes to see better in the fogged water. There was a small doorway at the base of the tub of water, big enough for a large person to swim under. How deep or long it was, Harry didn't know. All he knew was that that was there ticket out. Turning back, he focused on Ron, kicking with all his might to reach his best friend.

Finally, he neared Ron and grabbed his wrist, pulling with all the strength he had left to use, practically crushing his lungs of any air. He felt something tug back and he and Ron were dragged further down. Worriedly, Ron reached up and grabbed Harry's other hand and began kicking frantically. Looking down at Ron's feet, Harry could see the form of several horned creatures-- Grindylows.

Without thinking, Harry pulled his wand out and pointed it at the creature.

"Relashio!" he shouted, using up the last of his air and sent a jet of hot water at the grindylow, remembering the second task nearly two years ago. The grindylows let go of Ron's ankles and Ron kicked as hard as he could, the two friends willing each other to hang on until they reached the surface of the water.

Gasping for air, Harry took in several deep breaths, allowing his chest to expand to its full extent before breathing out and coughing up more water, Ron doing the same next to him.

"Harry! Ron!" he heard everyone shouting. Paddling over to the two, the other four were ashen-faced. "Are you two alright? We were so worried! You were under for more than a minute!"

Exhausted, Harry stopped treading and allowed his head to slip under water for a fraction of a second, letting his tired limbs rest before popping back up again and taking another gasping breath. Yawning, he popped his ears and they rang out in all the confusion, as water splashed around him. He looked over at Ron and saw that Ginny had him put his arm around her shoulder so he could rest while she paddled for the both of them.

"Th-thanks, Harry," he choked out. "W-what w-was that-- that t-thing?"

"They were grinylows." said Harry. "R-remember what L-Lupin showed us in our th-third year?"

Everyone was silent, allowing the two boys to catch their breaths before Harry continued.

"I sent hot water their way, so they'll stand c-clear for a while, but they'll come back soon, s-so we've got to hurry. I saw a d-door at the bottom of the p-pool. That's our ticket out of here."

"But isn't that right next to where the grindylows are?"

"Yeah. I was thinking about what to do. Hermione, what's the spell to change into anything that can breath underwater?"

Hermione eyed him warily before answering.

"Signum Mutatio can change you into a seal for ten minutes." Hermione said. Harry nodded and pointed his wand at his head.

"I'm going to play bait for the grindylows. While they're chasing me, go under the water and go through the door-- no, over there-- and I'll catch up when I see you're all okay."

"Remember, Harry, the spell will only work for ten minutes."

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said. "Signum Mutatio!" he shouted and suddenly felt his nose being pulled out into a long snout. His glasses disappeared and his hair shrank back into his scalp. Pocketing his wand before his hands turned into flippers, he quickly changed into a seal before his friend's eyes. Without another glance, he turned and dove into the water, watching as each of his friends took a deep breath and sank below the surface. Then, he swam off with ease towards the grindylows' hiding place.

When he reached it, they had already started to come out of their hiding places and were rubbing their spindly hands together greedily, eyeing Harry with malice and snickering. Daringly, Harry sped up and rushed at one of them, knocking into it so it spun like a top, screeching in anger. The other grindylows began to speak in gibberish and swim after Harry. Looking up, he saw that Mark was in the lead. All of his friends were hand-in-hand so they would not lose each other. Mark slipped under the slot at the bottom of the pool and one by one, the rest of them disappeared.

Focusing on the grindylows, Harry saw them coming closer, shaking their fists at him. One darted forwards, grabbing Harry's tail and biting down hard in frustration. Harry let out a wounded cry and flicked his tail to rid it of the grindylow. The creature was forced away and it bowled off, knocking into another as the rest of them closed Harry into a corner.

Searching for a way out, Harry swam upwards and over, trying to get to the slot. The grindylows chased him and two cut off his path. Scooting through the water in a messy halt, he swam off the other way, hoping to confuse them. However, they saw his plan and several darted over, blocking his path again.

For several minutes, Harry tried to rid himself of them, but each time, his plans failed. He was running out of time, he knew it. Desperately, he tried to make a beeline for the opening, but the grindylows had set themselves in pairs several feet away from each other so the space was filled with grindylows. Any place he swam, he would run into one.

They began to close in on Harry and he felt himself growing more panicked. Suddenly, he felt a jolt of pain as his nose began to shrink back to it's normal size and shape, filling with water. Knowing his time was nearly up, he took a last advantage of his tail and fins and propelled himself as fast and far as he could, dodging grindylows everywhere. Then, his fins broke into two legs and his finds elongated back into arms and working hands. Desperately, Harry reached into his pocket for his wand, brandishing it like a sword. The grindylows he had sent water at before backed off slightly, but the others pressed in, knowing Harry would soon be out of air.

Kicking backwards, Harry avoided their long hands, kicking any that would come too close to him. He felt the need of air gnawing at his lungs. They were almost empty of any stowed air. Feeling unconsciousness clog his vision, the fogged forms of the grindylows were swimming closer--

Then a giant form came from nowhere and Harry jolted, scooting far away from whatever it was. Blinking, he hardly dared to believe it, even in his lack of oxygen, but it was real; an orca whale swooped down and swallowed every grindylow whole. It looked over at Harry and he saw the corners of the mouth grin. Swimming off, it left the pathway for the door wide open and Harry kicked off of the opposite wall towards it. His breath was almost out. He needed air. More than anything, he wanted to breathe.

He slid under the slot and looked around. The small tunnel curved upwards and he could see the surface of the water only five feet away. He kicked off from the floor of the slot and was at the top in seconds. Taking a deep gulp of air, he felt hands grab his robes and hoist him up onto solid ground. His eyes were closed, full of water. Rubbing them from behind the glasses, he opened his eyes. Around him kneeled Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Mark, all looking worried.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Y-yeah." Harry said, allowing himself to roll over and cough water onto the stones he rested on. Ginny backed out of the way of the water. It took a long while for Harry to cough up all the water from his lungs, but once he was finished, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve and looked around. His foot began to sting and he looked down to see a bit of blood seeping through his shoe where the grindylow had bit him with it's sharp teeth. "W-where's Neville?"

"He went after you." Hermione said calmly.

"WHAT!" Harry yelled, jumping up. Hermione grabbed his shoulder and forced him down again as though expecting such a reaction from him.

"Don't worry. He's fine. He's still got three minutes. Then we should worry."

"Th-three minutes?" Harry asked. "He didn't--"

"He did," said Ron. "Neville was so worried about you that he turned himself into a whale and followed you in."

At the perfect timing, Neville emerged from the water, coughing and heaving himself up over the edge. He stood up and looked at Harry, who still lay on the ground. Unexpectedly, Neville opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, but instead gave an enormously loud burp and covered his mouth apologetically. Harry couldn't help but laugh as he stood up slowly. Once he was on his feet, he looked around the small room they were in. There were no wall decorations, and several lights lit the path to a door only a few feet away.

"Let's go," said Harry.

"You don't think it's another trap?" Ginny asked.

"There's nothing for it." answered Harry. "Either we go ahead or go back to the grindylows."

"I say we go ahead." Mark said strappingly, his jaw set, just as it always was before a Quidditch match. Harry nodded and walked the short path to the door. There was no doorknob on the door, but a rope tied into a loop. He grabbed it up and pulled. The door opened with a loud creeeaaaaak! Harry walked into the next room, darkness drowning his vision as the others filed in after him. As the last person walked in-- Ginny, the door slammed shut of its own accord, leaving the six of them in complete darkness. No one dared speak.

Suddenly, lights blazed and the entire long and narrow room came into view. For a few seconds, they looked around at the odd wall decorations that leaked onto the floor and ceiling. They looked like decorated coin slots, each with a carving of a snake right next to it, coiling itself around the slot.

"Look," said Hermione, pointing to the door where there was a single word carved onto it. The word was ancient Druid. Slowly, Hermione approached it and read it, trying to remember each symbol, word, and meaning.

"Dialanza." she whispered.

"What does that mean?" Harry asked.

"It means 'tongue'." Hermione said, turning back around. She leaned against the wall of the room, but shrieked suddenly as the wall began moving inwards. Shocked, Harry wondered it he swallowed too much water and was now becoming dizzy. But turning around, he could see that the other wall was slowly closing in on them. He knew that if they waited here any longer, they would be crushed.

"Look down there!" Ron shouted, pointing to the other end of the narrow room, growing narrower by the minute. A door rested there-- their ticket out.

The six of them began running to the door, avoiding the walls. Neville was first to reach the door. He grabbed the rope that was being used as a doorknob, trying to pull the door open. It wouldn't budge.

"Try pushing the door!" Harry shouted to Neville. Neville used his bodyweight to hit the door, but it didn't even wobble on its hinges.

"Wait!" Hermione said as Neville backed up, preparing to ram himself into the door again. "It's a type of riddle. You need to speak the password. 'Tongue'!"

"Nice, Hermione, but you've said 'tongue' twice already and nothing's happening." Ron yelled, going to one of the walls and desperately trying to push it back to it's resting place. The walls were slowly moving inch-by-inch, closer and closer together, only three feet apart.

"No," said Hermione impatiently. "Harry, say 'tongue' in parstletongue. Quickly!"

Harry looked around at the walls which were now two feet apart.

"Tongue!" he shouted, a loud hiss escaping from his mouth. Not as he expected, the walls shuddered a bit, but kept closing in on them. He turned sideways to fit better in the small gap he had for space.

"Nothing happened, Hermione!" Ginny shrieked and all of them turned sideways, sucking their guts in.

"No, look!" Hermione said, pointing to the floor several feet away. One of the slots began to glow, the snake moving around the slot, hissing words that Harry didn't have time to understand. "Harry, you're closest. Here's the coin," she held out her hand and dropped the Druid coin into his, Harry's, hand. "Put it in the slot!"

Harry tried to move, but the walls were now crushing all of them together. He felt his ribs bending slightly and knew they would be the first things to break.

"I can't move!" Harry said.

"Use the Banishing Spell!" Hermione said. Harry grabbed his wand and pointed to the coin in his hand.

"Hurry!" Mark gasped. "I can barely breathe!"

"Deletrius!" Harry shouted, his lung inflating with effort, causing his ribs to scream in pain. The coin lifted from his hand and he guided it to the slot. He could hear it clatter downwards, through a pipe of sorts over the scraping of the stone walls. Suddenly, they stopped, leaving the six student crushed in the middle, barely able to breath for fear of breaking their ribs.

"Let's get out of here," Harry suggested. "Neville, try the door. It should work now."

Reaching out a leg, Neville kicked the door and it swung open easily as if it had always been that way. Scooting so his chest scraped against the opposite wall, Neville slid out of view through the door. The rest of them followed, their stomachs and backs becoming redder as they were forced to scrape along to get out of the room. Finally, Harry climbed out and the door slammed shut behind him. Everyone stood there for a moment, in the torch-lit room, staring at each other and gasping heavily.

In this moment of silence, Harry, felt guilt grow up inside him. That was too close. That could have meant the deaths of his friends. All for a treasure.

That Voldemort wants, said the voice inside Harry's head. It's their own fault for coming. You warned them that it would be dangerous. You've got to get to the weapon before Voldemort does or it will mean the death of even more people.

, said the voice inside Harry's head.

Finally, Hermione swallowed and looked around the room and Harry jerked out of his thoughts.

"There's a plaque over there," she gasped. Walking over to it, looking slightly lopsided, she rested her hand on the wall as she read it in Druid. "Another riddle."

"Read it," Harry gasped. Hermione began reading it slowly and roughly, tracing the words back to make sure it made sense.

"Half-way up the hill, I see thee at last

Lying beneath me with thy sounds and sights--

A city in the twilight, dim and vast,

With smoking roofs, soft bells, and gleaming lights."

"This shouldn't be so hard," said Ron, clapping his hands together and wincing as his bruised chest stung. "We've solved two riddles so far. So we just have Harry say the answer in parstletongue and go on."

They all looked around for the door. Once again, it rested at the other end of the room, beyond tiles with carved Druid symbols in them.

"What're those for?" Ginny asked, pointing to them.

"I don't know," said Hermione.

"Let's just focus on the answer to the riddle." said Harry.

"Yes," said Hermione and she began pacing. "Half-way up the hill, I see thee at last… Lying beneath me with thy sounds… and sights. This doesn't make any sense."

"Just keep trying." Mark said.

"So, someone's climbing a hill and… they look back at what's behind them." said Hermione.

"A city in the twilight, dim and vast… With smoking roofs, soft bells, and gleaming lights." Harry said, trying to recall the last bit of the riddle.

"That's what's behind them," said Hermione.

Harry looked at his watch and received a shock. It was already three o'clock in the afternoon. He realized that it would seem odd that six Gryffindors were missing from their classes and he hoped that it wouldn't be as noticeable to the teachers as paranoia allowed him to see. Looking up from his watch, Harry saw Hermione pacing, staring at the ground, her arms crossed as if she was cold. Finally, she snapped her fingers and looked up.

"I've got it!" she said. "What's behind them is the past." Ron pulled a confused face.

"I don't get it."

"I know it's confusing, but if you think about, it makes more sense. Someone looking behind them at what once was… burning roofs. It's the past."

"Okay, Harry, say 'past'," said Neville. Harry closed his eyes and concentrated hard on the language, pretending there was a snake on.

"The past," said Harry awkwardly to no one in particular. The hiss that issued from his mouth lingered a bit as it bounced off the walls in an echo. All of them waited, staring around the room. This time, nothing happened. The door on the opposite side of the room remained closed and no hint of what to do next popped out at them.

"I guess we should just go see if the door's unlocked." Mark said. Everyone nodded and so Mark turned towards the door, ignoring the symbols on the ground. Taking a step off the platform where they stood, he stepped onto a stone tile with a symbol carved on it that looked like a curly and decorated upside-down V.

It all happened in a flash. Mark gave a loud cry that echoed through the room as the tile he stood on crumbled under his feet. He went falling through the dark hole and the sound of the broken stone could never be heard, marking the length of space beneath the tiles. With the reflexes of a Quidditch player, he grabbed onto the edge of the platform before falling completely through the hole and held on, his knuckles white from strain.

Rushing forward, Harry and Ginny both grabbed one of Mark's arms and heaved him up onto the platform. Once Mark lay on his stomach, breathing heavily and shaking, Harry leaned over to see down the hole. The bottom could not be seen. Pulling out his wand, he sent green sparks downwards. They kept going and never reached an end.

"It's a long way down," said Harry, re-pocketing his wand and standing up. "But no one would have made this impossible to beat. Any ideas of what we're supposed to do?"

"I have an idea," Hermione squeaked nervously. "But I'm not sure it would work."

"We've got nothing to lose." said Harry.

"Nothing to lose? Are you mad?" Mark breathed from the ground as he sat up on his knees to look back at where he nearly fell.

"If we don't do anything, we'll die anyway. It's worth taking a chance if it means stopping Voldemort and getting out alive. What's your idea, Hermione?" Harry asked, turning to his friend.

"Those symbols are the letters of the Druid alphabet. They've got to be there for something. I think it might be so we have to step on the right letters to spell out the answer to the riddle."

"So-- so what's the Druid word for 'past'?" Ron asked.

"It's futre, like in Vivien's poem."

"Now, who's going across on the tiles?" Ron asked.

"Not me," said Mark. Neville shook his head from where he stood in the corner. Ron looked helplessly around at Ginny. She shook her head, her eyes wide.

"I'll do it," said Harry.

"No, Harry, you really shouldn't." said Hermione.

"Why not?" Harry asked angrily, rounding on her. She shrank back a bit.

"Because if we do get across, suppose we meet Voldemort. You're the only one who could fight him and have a chance of surviving."

Harry laughed bitterly.

"I'm serious, Harry. Look at all the other times you've escaped."

"Flukes, all of them." said Harry.

"Still, it's dangerous to go across this and we'll need someone at the end who could defend us if we get there. And suppose you were to… fall?"

"Suppose I wasn't?"

"I just don't think it's a good idea, Harry." said Hermione.

"I'll go for you, mate," said Ron, stepping forward, his face sweating and pale.

"Let him, Harry. We'll need you at the end."

Harry made eye contact with Ron, whose jaw was set in a defiant, yet determined way. Under his mop of red hair, Ron was trying to hide the fear that he truly felt. Harry sighed, and nodded at the ground.

"Be careful, Ron," Ginny squeaked, watching her big brother worriedly. Ron heaved a sigh and turned towards the puzzle of tiles strewn across the ground before him. Harry could see his friends hands quivering nervously at his sides.

"Right, Ron," said Hermione. She cleared her throat and swallowed hard. "Futre. Step on that tile." She pointed to a crooked tile that had a shape like a 'g' and an 'S' intertwined.

"You're sure?" Ron asked nervously.

"Positive. Go on, step on it."

"Be prepared to grab onto the platform, just in case, Ron." said Harry, watching his best friend lift a foot over the stone tile. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for Ron to put his weight on the first stone. Ginny was clutching Mark's shoulder tightly, her face white and her eyes wide. Gently, Ron stepped on the stone, then put his full weight on it. Exhaling loudly, he turned on the tile, staring at Harry.

"Like chess, eh, Harry?" he said, grinning slightly. Already, perspiration was gathering on his forehead.

Harry could say nothing out of nervousness, but instead, he smiledto give his friend support. He suddenly felt angry at Hermione. He, Harry, was not afraid to go. So why was he watching as his friend put his life in jeopardy?

"Okay, Ron," said Hermione, shuddering slightly. Neville stood behind her, looking over her shoulder at Ron, who turned and looked at his choice of old, cracked tiles. "Step on the one that looks almost like a capital 'R'."

Ron scanned the tiles and hopped more quickly to the next one, trusting Hermione's judgment a bit more.

"Now go to the one that had the weird diamond shape in the middle of the circle…"

"One by one, Ron hopped like a frog on lily pads from one stone to the next, making his way farther across the room. At one point, his heel touched one of the weak stones and he nearly lost his balance as it crumbled beneath him. At the same time, a resounding "OW!" came from Mark as Ginny dug her nails into his shoulder. Ron caught his poise again and turned, giving them a thumbs up, too shocked to speak. Shakily, Hermione gave him instructions to the next stone and everyone watched, bated breath.

After what seemed ages, Ron stepped onto the sturdy platform on the other side of the room. Turning, he gave a loud whoop in celebration and everyone on the other side cheered.

"Now open the door!" said Hermione. Ron went over and pushed the door open. Just after he did, a plank of glass slid out from under the platform on the others' side, allowing them to walk across the stones unharmed. Ginny went first, sprinting across the glass. She rammed into her brother with an immense force, refusing to let go for a long while, in which time everyone had given Ron a hug over her head. Ron clapped Harry's shoulder, smiling with pride, looking at Harry's face that was still creased with anxiety.

"You weren't worried, were you, mate?" he asked jokingly, his freckles showing vividly over his pallid face. Harry shook his head wearily.

"Not at all? You?"

"Me? Of course not!" said Ron, finally prying Ginny off him.

"Come on, I don't know how much time we have before Voldemort comes," said Harry. Turning, he walked unsurely into the next room, which was much darker than the other rooms, lit with the same colored blue torches that had been in the pool. The room was eerie and silent and Harry was sure that the still air spoke of death. His friends followed right behind him as he rose his wand, ready for anything to attack him. But as he advanced through the room, not even the slightest hint of movement showed, except for the torches in their brackets.

"What is this place?" Neville asked, looking around. There were stone benches all around the room, but nothing more. Not even a door. They were at a dead end.

"There's a sign over there," said Ginny, pointing to the left of the door they had just come through. Though the sign was on the same type of plaque that the previous riddle had been on, it was written in modern English. Everyone closed in around it, silently reading it. In the torchlight, the carvings moved as though they were alive, though they spoke of death.

The Greatest Witches and Wizards of All Time Are and Shall be Buried Here

Harry turned to stare at the benches. It was then that he realized they were tombs, each labeled in modern English, signifying a different wizard or witch.

"Look," said Mark, running to the farthest corner. Everyone followed him, reading the tombstones of the four sepulchers that rested right next to each other, reading off the famous names that had been engraved into each of their minds; Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, Salazar Slytherin, and Godric Gryffindor.

"I can't believe it." gasped Hermione. "We've just found the graves of the founders of Hogwarts!"

"How did they get down here?" Ron asked. "I mean, this isn't a popular area, is it?"

"Maybe a spell brought them down here." said Hermione. "Spread out, let's see what else is here."

Each of them went off in a different direction, reading the names of the tombstones with fascination.

"Joan of Arc," said Hermione from one corner of the room. "So she really was a witch!"

"Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa," said Ginny. "Born 1486... Died in 1555."

"Druidess Cliodna." Mark read off.

"I've found one," said Neville unnecessarily. "It says… Alberic Grunnion."

"Here's an open grave. No one's in it." said Ron. "It had a birth date, but no death date. The name's… blimey! Dumbledore! Albus Dumbledore!"

"You're kidding!" said Harry, running over to where Ron was standing. True enough, the grave was open, as if waiting for Dumbledore to die one day so it could entomb him forever.

"You'd never expect Dumbledore to be down here!" said Mark, scrambling over the grave of Circe to see for himself where Dumbledore would one day be buried.

"Of course you would!" said Hermione. "'The Greatest Witches and Wizards of All Time Are and Shall be Buried Here.' Dumbledore's a great wizard."

"Brilliant, actually," said Harry, staring at the letters spelling out the Headmaster's name. He wondered if Dumbledore knew about this.

"Look at the one next to it," said Ron, pointing. They all turned their heads in unison to read the headstone next to Dumbledore's, where the grave was also open. Once again, the birth year had been given, but no death year. Harry read the name and received a huge shock.

Harry James Potter

Dazed, he stared at his own name for a while, not sure what to think. So this was his fate as well? To be buried here whenever he should die, next to rotting basilisk skins, molding walls and rat skeletons?

"So this is where I'll be in case you guys ever want to come drop off some flowers." he said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

"Don't be so cheerful about it," said Ron, smiling. "You'd think that you'd actually want to be down here."

"Harry," said Neville quietly from the middle of the room. "I think you should come see this."

"What?" Harry asked Neville, who shook his head as though scared of Harry. Curiously, Harry and the others walked over to where Neville was standing. The grave Neville was standing in front of was a double tomb and the wind from Harry's lungs was crushed completely as he read the names on the single tombstone.

James and Lily Potter

"I-- I don't believe it," whispered Hermione. Harry's mind went blank. He could feel the stares of his friends, and he wanted to say something, but words were at a total loss to him. All he could do was gape at the tombstone.

"Harry, mate," croaked Ron, patting Harry on the back sympathetically, "you alright?"

Harry tried to answer. The only sound that came from him was an awkward stammering sound. Swallowing to moisten his throat, Harry found his voice.

"I-- I always w-wondered… where they had been…" he stammered, unable to continue.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Ginny said kindly, taking hold of Harry's arm and patting it lightly. Hermione walked to him and put her hand on his shoulder hesitantly, as though she were afraid he would soon explode.

"It-- it's alright," choked Harry finally, after several minutes of staring at the tomb of his parents. "It was just a-- a bit of a shock… I mean… I was never told what happened to their… to them… after Voldemort…"

"We understand, Harry," said Hermione soothingly. "Do you want to go on?"

As though an off switch had been pressed, Harry snapped out of his stupor and stared around the room, suddenly remembering why they were there in the first place.

"Yeah," he said, taking a deep breath. "Where do you suppose we go next?"

"Look!" said Ginny, rushing to another tombstone resting between Philippus Aureolus Paracelsus and Ptolemy. Everyone sprinted to the gravestone and read a single word, no birth date or death date, yet the grave was sealed.

Merlin

"So why d'you suppose his grave is closed when there's no death date?" Ron asked.

"Dunno," said Mark.

"Maybe it's because he was supposed to be dead, so the grave sealed itself, even when Merlin is still trapped behind a boulder in a cave."

"I wonder if he's really in there," said Ginny.

"There's only on way to find out," said Harry. Leaning over, he took the top of the tombstone in his hands and began pushing with all his might. Joining in, Ron, Ginny and Hermione began huffing and puffing. To help out, Neville and Mark began to pull from the other side. With all their combined efforts, the six of them were able pull the top of the grave onto the ground, where it rested as they looked into the grave.

Sure enough, no remnants of any body could be seen or found. They continued to stare at it.

"So now where do we go?" said Hermione with the air of someone who felt guilt for disturbing a grave.

"Look at this," said Harry, leaning over the grave wall, pointing to a small notch in the very corner of the tomb. It was nearly invisible, but he leaned over and touched it. As though on a feel sensor, the stone slid away, showing a path of stairs, leading downward. The end wall of the grave slid down, waiting for them to walk down the stairs.

"Shall we go?" said Mark.

"There's nothing for it. We're already this far," said Hermione.

"I'll go first," said Harry, pulling his wand from where he had unconsciously stored it in his pocket. Holding it in front of him again, he lead the way down the staircase. He could hear the thumping steps of his friends behind him as he walked, careful not to trip; the old stairs were very narrow and rocky. Reaching the bottom, he turned and waited for his friends to collect at the bottom of the staircase. Once they were all there, they stood for a while, hearing a clatter from up above. Supposing it was a rat, they all looked around. They were in a very small room, with a wooden door right across from where they stood.

Harry walked forward and grasped the rope doorknob. Sighing, he pulled it open and walked in.

The room was bright; nearly blinding and Harry's eyes had to adjust to the newfound light before he could truly see.

"Oh my," said Hermione from behind him. Truly, she had taken the words right from his, Harry's mouth, for in front of him was a sight he'd never seen before.

Two stone hippogriffs were resting, their back hooves touching the ground. Their eyes glowed like embers, making them seem almost real and they stared at the six students with an almost reproachful look. However, suspended right above them, stealing the majority of the attention, was a clear golden orb. Casting light everywhere, it was a beautiful sight. Encased in the golden orb was a long wooden staff, spinning slowly in it's beautiful prison.

"That's the Staff of Merlin," said Harry, gazing at it in awe. It was such a beautiful thing.

"How do we get it out?" Mark asked, amazed.

"I guess we just go and grab it." said Ron.

"Here, I'll do it." said Ginny. Slowly, she approached the staff as it continued to spin. Reaching out a shaking hand, she reached for it. Only inches away from the outside of the golden sphere, a sudden movement took them by surprise as one of the stone hippogriffs came alive, giving a loud squawk. There was a sudden flash of talons and Ginny gave a shriek, falling backwards onto the ground, scooting until she was at Ron's feet, clutching her arm.

"Ginny!" Ron said, kneeling down. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, my arm!" Ginny moaned.

"Here, let's looks," said Ron. Gently, brother-like, he pulled her sleeve up to reveal a giant gash in her arm. "It's deep."

"I know," said Harry. He reached down to the hem of his robes and ripped a giant piece off, handing it to Ron, "here." Slowly, Ron wrapped the black cloth around Ginny's arm to stem the bleeding.

"Thanks," she sniffed, looking at the two boys that had helped her.

"Well, we can't even touch the stupid thing." Mark said. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"Hippogriffs could signify something." said Hermione.

"Great!" said Ron. "Why does every bloody thing have to signify something? Didn't those Druids do anything besides making up riddles?"

"At least it's monotones. That way we can figure things out easier." argued Hermione. "Hippogriffs only allow trusting people to touch them." Without another word, she walked forward, towards the hippogriffs, not reaching out an arm for the staff. Instead, she stopped a few feet short of them and bowed deeply. The stone hippogriffs stayed exactly as they were. Slowly, Hermione backed away.

"See? Apparently, I'm not trustworthy." she said in a hurtful voice.

"Harry, you should try," said Ron from his spot next to his sister.

"What?" asked Harry.

"You've got us this far. Try, go on. I've got a feeling…"

With no answer to Ron's comment, Harry walked forward, staring at the hippogriffs determinedly. Trying hard not to blink, he bowed profoundly. Looking up, he saw the hippogriffs stay still. Then, suddenly, they began moving as if they were really alive. To Harry's utmost surprise, they bowed. As soon as their scaly knees his the ground, the orb around the staff completely disappeared and the staff floated towards Harry. Without thinking, Harry reached out a hand to it and caught it as it slid gracefully into his palm. A comfortable feeling of warmth spread through his fingers, much like how he felt when he first held his wand.

"You did it, Harry!" Hermione shrieked and Harry grinned in spite of himself, holding the staff aloft, staring at it. Though it was only a long strip of wood, it seemed more than that. It showed power, danger, yet also kindness. Ron gave a whoop and everyone breathed a sigh of happiness, letting grins come across their faces.

"Good job, Harry," said a familiar and friendly, yet unwelcoming voice. "Now, if you'll be so kind, I need to hand that over, nice and easy."

The students jumped and stared around, but the voice had come from nowhere. Then, as though answering their questions, a figure appeared, holding an Invisibility Cloak in her hand.

Harry suddenly felt angry with himself for falling into yet another trap, staringdaggers into themalicious eyes of Philberta Bradwer Frost.

L--

Yay! This chapter was the longest chapter I've written, beating chapter seven, which was 17 pages! Yay!

Next chapter shall be posted Friday, June 24th! Until then, have a great week!

Review time!

SiriusLeeBlack09- I agree, it was an awesome defense: ) However, here is another quote from the book, continuing the dialogue on pg 17. And I quote:

"DUDLEY, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! WHATEVER YOU DO, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! Wand!" Harry muttered frantically, his hands flying over the ground like spiders. "Where's-- wand-- come on-- Lumos!" (Now, here's where you stopped. However, keep reading!)

He said the spell automatically, desperate for light to help him in his search-- and to his disbelieving relief, (and ours! Whew!) light flared inches from his right hand-- the wand tip had ignited. Harry snatched it up, scrambled to his feet, and turned around."

How could he have found the wand and said the spell, only to have it light up away from his hand, hence my proposition that he is able to do magic without his wand! YAY! Was this a good rebuttal? We'd make a good Speech Debate team, wouldn't we? I'm glad that you're enjoying my story! Thanks for the fun review!

Magicgirl45852- I'm going on the Merlin series books as a slight reference and a few ideas. But mythically/historically, Merlin's death came about because he was so in love with the Lady of the Lake (Vivien/Nimue) that she was able to get him to teach her his magic. He did, and once she grew more powerful than him, she trapped him in the cave, behind the huge boulder. Or you can go the other way, where she trapped him in a gravestone and left him to die. Or you could go with the fact that he was just a prophet. You know, there are so many tales of Merlin that it is VERY hard to write something down and have it wrong, 'cause no one has any proof! That's why I love Arthurian Legends… there's so much information that is unknown that you can never be wrong in your writing!

The wiz- Wow! I'm really glad you like my story! Thanks a bunch!

Wytil- To be quite honest, I had no idea what you were talking about. Sorry!

Ava Monroe- Oh, I'm not offended! You're just expressing your opinion! And it's a good one! I was actually thinking about it a bit, and I remember thinking that there was nothing going on in the story and I needed a bit of tension. So I figured why not have the two :alive: best friends of Sirius go at each other. Like, Lupin is trying to take over for Sirius in parenting Harry, but Harry doesn't want him to, so they get a little tense. Sorry about that! Thanks for the review!

Foreverfree- Thanks for enjoying my story… oh! And for reviewing!

Trinityelf- I know you won't be able to get this, 'cause you're at music camp, but I just wanted to drop a review anyway, telling you to have fun! YAY! Crazy me for talking to nobody: )

Mistopurr- I breathed a sigh of relief when people said the dialogue was fine! I'll talk to you in an e-mail later!

Charming-Lynn- Thanks! Did you like this chapter?

Mei1105- Libraries are fun, but I can never find a good book in mine! Evil me! They also don't allow food! I mean, I can see where they're coming from, but… no… food!

Rich Rahl- Can't wait for your opinion! Which author's note was it? I have so many up there!

Gogglehead Lover- Yay for valedictorians! I will never be a valedictorian, 'cause I spend so much time on fanfic and work. But my friend will be, she's so smart!

Jeanne2- Yeah, I tried to fashion this chapter on the Sorcerer's Stone in a way, with the different chambers of stuff to do. Was it alright?

Jorgeiscool- Yeah, chapters with more dialogue tend to go faster, but it actually did make it's goal of ten pages, which was kind of difficult! The number 23 is EVIL! Lol!

JeanieBeanie33- Wow! Thanks! I am so glad the dialogue isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be! I just didn't like how it flowed! I'm glad my readers did, though! I've actually read a few chapters of her story, and it's pretty good.

Drgn prncss- Yay! A cookie! I love cookies, especially ones with white chocolate! Mmmm! I can't believe she's going to kill off another character. There's actually a rumor going around that it's going to be Dumbledore, but he's such a great wizard that I think if he were to die in any book, it would be book 7, because he's too powerful to go prematurely! I don't believe it! I won't:pouts:

Thanks for all your reviews, guys! Luv you all!

Luv,

Legolas-gurl88

Next chapter: Frost demands the staff and Harry refuses to give it to her. But someone shows up that Harry least expected!