Part Eighteen
Erin circled with the troll. He had to be about 15 feet tall. She kept hitting him with the club. Oh, the stench was terrible. It's a very good thing trolls are stupid and that Erin know a couple words in troll (thanks in part to a troll that Mrs. Peabroom, the woman who ran the place where Erin lived, knew that visited the orphanage a few times). Erin stopped suddenly and opened her mouth wide. The troll looked confused. "Look!" She shouted in troll pointing behind him. "A cute girl troll!"
The troll looked behind it and she wailed him in the back of the head. He went down. Erin tossed the club down and went after Hermione and Harry. Hermione came out of the other door just as she was coming to it. "Erin! Harry's gone on! He told me to tell you that we have to get Ron and go get Dumbledore!"
Erin looked back at the door and felt the tug on her arm from Hermione and went with her back to Ron. It took a while to get him up and when they did they dragged him to the key room. Erin paused. "Hermione, take the brooms and get out with Ron."
"What are you going to do?" She asked suddenly afraid.
"I'm going after Harry." She paused and licked her lips. "I can't explain it, Hermione, but I know he needs me…He's in pain…" She rubbed her neck. "Go, get Dumbledore…just get help."
Erin ran back through the chessboard and through the troll's room (he was still out cold). She got into the next room and found potion bottles. Behind her and in front of her fire burned in the doorways. There was a little piece of paper on the table. "Snape…" She murmured knowing he was the one that had this room. She picked up the piece of paper.
Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,
Two of us will help you, whichever you would fine,
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 say 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 hold death in their insides;
Fourth, the second left and the second on the right
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.
Erin nodded to herself and started looking at the potions. After a few moments she picked up a tiny bottle and drank its contents, before taking a deep breath and stepping through the fire. She was instantly in a scene of chaos that she hadn't heard a moment before. Someone screamed, "SEIZE HIM!" Erin knew that voice and her heart suddenly burned with fire. She saw Quirrell, not Snape in the room and lunging at Harry! She ran down the steps separating them and launched herself at Quirrell.
"Don't touch him!" Erin screamed. Harry was on the ground; she felt the pain in her neck become almost unbearable. Harry was right behind her and they were fighting him. "You can't have him!" Erin yelled. "Voldemort!"
"Who is it?" The voice hissed.
"A girl!" Quirrel cried out, his skin was burning under Harry's touch. "Lyancomp! Erin Lyancomp!"
"Erin Black…" Erin whispered in Quirrel's ear.
"NO! KILL THEM! KILL THEM!" Voldemort's voice practically shrieked through the air.
Erin was fighting off Quirrell and she heard, through the darkness engulfing her, Harry's cries as he fought as well. As Erin fell she thought she heard a different voice calling…"Erin! Harry!"