Disclaimer: I own nothing. Also, I'll be skipping right to the part when they are playing chess because I'm lazy. Actually, I'm tired, but it's basically the same thing. Kind of.

Chapter Nine, Year One: Through the Trapdoor and Into the Fire (p. 281 para. 2)

"Ready?" Salazar asked the other two, his hand on the door handle.. They nodded, he grit his teeth and pulled the door open.

The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight.

They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Ron and Hermione shivered slightly-the towering white chessmen had no faces.

"Now what do we do?" Salazar asked, hoping against hope that someone had spotted an alternative route, like a hole in the side of the wall. He had never been a great chess player, despite other's beliefs. It had taken years for him to master it, years that didn't matter anymore since it had been a millennia since he had last played. The afterlife held many things, but not, it had seemed, a chessboard.

"It's obvious isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room." The only door in the room was behind the white pieces.

"How?" said Hermione nervously.

"I think," said Ron, "we're going to have to be chessmen."

He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron.

"Do we-er-have to join you to get across?"

The black knight nodded. Salazar wished that Dark magic was permitted in the school. With the proper curse he could demolish the white pieces, witnesses be damned.

Ron turned to the other two

"This needs thinking about…" he said. "I suppose we've got to take the place of three of the black pieces…." Salazar resisted the urge to sneer and say "Oh, really? I would never have noticed."

But Salazar and Hermione stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he said, "Now don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess-"

"We're not offended," Salazar said quickly to stop the onslaught of words and to still his temper. "Just tell us what to do."

"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione you go next to him instead of that castle."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to be a knight," said Ron. 'How predictable.'

The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words, a knight, a bishop and a castle turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving three empty squares that Salazar, Ron and Hermione took.

"White always plays first in chess," said Ron, peering across the board "Yes…look…"

A white pawn had moved forward two squares.

Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Salazar was wondering what would happen if they lost. Would they be killed? Surely they would.

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

Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay still, facedown. That seemed to answer Salazar's question rather well for him.

"Had to let that happen," said Ron, looking shaken. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on."

Every time on of their men were lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon, there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Salazar and Hermione were in danger. He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many wite pieces as they had lost black ones.

"We're nearly there," he muttered suddenly. "Let me think-let me think…"

The white queen turned her blank face toward him.

"Yes…" said Ron softly, "it's the only way…I've got to be taken."

"NO!" Salazar and Hermione shouted. Well, Hermione shouted, Salazar just kind of muttered it, looking slightly pale. He understood though

"That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I take one step forward and she'll take me-that leaves you free to…"

"Checkmate the king, I know," said Salazar softly. "I'm not daft, I understand. It's war." Hermione gaped at him.

Ron smiled sardonically. "Are you sure you're not a Slytherin?" he asked. Then he gave a thumbs up and stepped forward.

The white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor-Hermione screamed but stayed on her square-the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out.

Salazar moved three spaces to the left.

The white king took off his crown and threw it at Salazar's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one final desperate look back at Ron, Salazar and Hermione charged through the door and up the next passageway.

…………..

After they had exited the room with a troll, they found themselves in front of yet another door. Taking as deep a breath as he dared to, Salazar opened the door to the next room.

There was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.

"Snape's," said Salazar. "What do we have to do?"

They stepped over the threshold, and immediately a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either; it was purple. At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. They were trapped.

While Salazar was pondering over the flames, and the similarities the ones in the second doorway bore to the Darkness flame and Mortal flame (1), Hermione had been busy observing her surroundings.

"Look!" she seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Salazar looked over her shoulder to read it:

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 on either end,

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

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

Neither dwarf not giant holds 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.

Hermione let out a great sigh and Salazar, amazed, saw that she as smiling, the very last thing he thought that she would ever do in this situation.

"Brilliant," said Hermione. "This isn't magic-it's logic-a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever."

Salazar didn't reply. He was too busy muttering to himself, rereading the parchment, and pointing at the bottles.

Hermione sighed. "Let me see that, will you?"

A few moments later, both of them were pacing up and down the row of bottles.

"I found the one for the purple fire," Salazar told Hermione.

"And I believe I've found the one for the black," she said, and held up the smallest bottle.

"Are you sure?"

She reread the parchment for what had to be the seventeenth time. "Yes, completely sure. I'd bet my life."

"There's only enough for one." Salazar handed a bottle to Hermione. "You drink this. Get back and get Ron. Grab broomsticks from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy-go straight to the owlry and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him." 'Without resorting to more advanced magic,' he added silently.

":But Harry-what if you-know-who's with him?"

"Well, I was lucky once, wasn't I? I might get lucky again."

…………….

"Here I come," Salazar said, and he drained the little bottle in one gulp.

It was indeed as though ice was flooding his body. He put the bottle down and walked forward. He saw the black flames licking his body, but couldn't feel them and wondered if his nerves just weren't responding, or if he truly was protected. He tried to catch a glimpse at his hands, but he could see nothing but black fire-then he was on the other side, in the last chamber.

There was already someone there-but it wasn't Snape. It wasn't even Tom.

…………….

Draco and Dumbledore made there way to the third floor.

"Professor, if I may state something?"

"Of course you may."

"You don't seem worried at all that our Savior is down there facing the Dark Lord."

"I have complete confidence in Mr. Potter and his friends, Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley. Between the three of them, they should be able to tackle each and every challenge that presents itself."

Draco scowled at the back of Dumbledore's head. Yes, the three of them might be the dream team, and yes they each complemented the other well, but if Dumbledore honestly thought that they could…

"Ah, we have arrived," Dumbledore said softly with the twinkle still present in his eyes. He pushed the door open slowly.

Draco felt his jaw drop in shock. "Cerberus!" he whispered.

"Not quite," he said, before he spelled music to play from thin air. The dog, which had been drooling, growling and generally acting like a mad pit bull that was about to kill you, quieted. In a few seconds it was sleeping.

"This way," said Dumbledore, pointing to a previously unnoticed (by Draco) trap door. They descended and found a large cavern of Devil's Snare, which they quickly killed with a well placed Incendio.

They were just entering the room with the flying-keys when they spotted Weasley and Granger entering from the next room.

They stared at each other in shock. Dumbledore just continued beaming at everyone.

"What are you doing here!"

"I came to accompany Professor Dumbledore here, on his orders."

"We came to get Dumbledore!" Weasley turned red when he heard said person clear his throat.

"Mr. Malfoy, if you could kindly escort Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley to the Infirmary…thank you."

……………..

It was Quirrel.

"You!" gasped Salazar.

Quirrel smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all.

"Me," he said calmly. "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter."

"But I thought-Snape-"

"Severus?" Quirrel laughed, and it wasn't his usual quivering treble either, but cold and sharp. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an over grown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrel?"

Salazar glared, angry at his own miscalculations.

"Then Snape didn't try to kill me."

Quirrel smiled. It was cool and calculating. "How right you are. I tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I'd have managed it before if Snape hadn't been muttering a counter curse, trying to save you."

"So, that's why he wanted to referee the next match."

"Yes. He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really…he needn't have bothered.I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular…and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight."

"Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Salazar.

"You're too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew, you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone."

"You let the troll in?"

"Certainly. I have a special gifts with trolls-you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off-and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly.

"Now, wait quietly, potter, I need to examine this interesting mirror."

It was only then that Salazar realized what was standing behind Quirrell. It was the Mirror of Erised.

"This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this…but he's in London…I'll be far away by the time he gets back…."

Salazar tried to undo the bonds with magic. It just made them stronger. The only thing he could think of was to bide his time until…

"I saw you and Snape in the forest-" he blurted out.

"Yes," said Quirrell idly, walking around the mirror to look at the back. "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me-as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side…"

Salazar wondered why one of Tom's underlings was calling him by name…one of his names.

Quirrell came back out from behind the mirror and stared hungrily into it.

"I see the Stone….I'm presenting it to my master….but where is it?"

Salazar tried to cast a bit of wandless magic. His diffindo was absorbed. Still had to bide his time, then. "Why call your master by name, why not avoid it like everyone else, like even the most loyal of Death Eaters do?" Salazar asked.

Quirrell chuckled a bit at this. "Because we are…closely connected. Our souls are practically touching. What we are is more intimate than lovers even."

Salazar tried to block out the disturbing mental images. He didn't need to see his descendant and…he shivered.

"So, uh, you bound your soul to him?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"…Why? When?"

"I met him when I traveled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it….Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has been very hard on me." Quirrell shivered suddenly. "He does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me…decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me…."

Quirrel's voice trailed away. Salazar was remembering his trip to Diagon Alley-how could he have been so stupid? He'd seen Quirrell there that very day, shaken hands with him in the Leaky Cauldron.

Quirrell cursed under his breath.

"I don't understand…is the Stone inside the mirror? Should I break it?"

Salazar's mind was racing.

'What I want more than anything in the world at the moment,' he thought, 'is to find the Stone before Quirrell does. So, if I look in the mirror, I should see myself finding it-which means I'll see where it's hidden! But how can I look without Quirrell realizing what I'm up to?'

He tried to edge to the left, to get in front of the glass without Quirrell noticing, but the ropes around his ankles were too tight: he tripped and fell over Quirrell ignored him. He was still talking to himself.

"What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!"

And to Salazar's horror and dawning understanding, a voice answered, and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself.

"Use the boy…Use the boy…"

Quirrell rounded on Harry.

"Yes-Potter-come here."

He clapped his hands once, and the ropes binding Salazar fell off. Salazar got slowly to his feet.

"Come here," Quirrell repeated. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see."

Salazar walked toward him.

Quirrell moved close behind him. Salazar breathed in the funny smell that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban. He closed his eyes, stepped in front of the mirror, and opened them again.

He saw his reflection, pale and scared-looking at first. But a moment later, the reflection smiled at him. It put its hand into it pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket-and as it did so, Salazar felt something heavy drop into his real pocket. Somehow-incredibly-he'd gotten the Stone.

"Well?" said Quirrell impatiently, "What do you see?"

Salazar decided to tell a partial truth and hope for the best. "I see myself surrounded my family. They're all so happy, smiling and waving…"

Quirrell cursed again.

"Get out of the way," he said. As Salazar moved aside, he felt the Sorcerer's Stone against his leg. Dare he make a break for it?

But he hadn't walked five paces before a high voice spoke, though Quirrell wasn't moving his lips

"He lies…He lies…"

"Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell me the truth! What did you see?"

The high voice spoke again.

"Let me speak to him…face-to-face…."

"Master, you are not strong enough!"

"I have strength enough…for this…"

Salazar watched with a terrible curiosity as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban. The turban fell away. Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the spot.

Salazar gaped at the lengths his Heir would go to in order to achieve immortality. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face Salazar had ever seen on a human. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake. Quirrell was possessed.

"Harry Potter…" it whispered. "See what I have become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapor…I have form only when I can share another's body…but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds…Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks...you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest…and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own…Now…why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"

Salazar cursed as he realized that Tom must have used Legilimency. He had been studying Occlumency for the past few weeks, but his barriers must not have been able to hold against someone with more experience. He felt so stupid, for looking in his eyes, that he wanted to kill something.

Salazar took a determined step backward.

"Don't be a fool," snarled the face. "Better you save you own life and join me…or you'll meet the same end as your parents….They died begging for mercy…."

"LIAR!" shouted Salazar suddenly.

Quirrell was walking backward at him, so that Voldemort could still see him The evil face was now smiling.

"how touching…" it hissed. "I always value bravery….Yes, boy, your parents were brave….I killed you father first, and he put up a courageous fight…but your mother needn't have died…she was trying to protect you….Now, give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain."

"NEVER!" Salazar shouted, feeling like an idiotic, suicidal fool. He could only hope that Dumbledore would make it down so that he wouldn't have to blow his cover.

A few moments later, when everyone was getting that odd sort of edgy feeling that someone should just do something, and Dumbledore still hadn't come, Salazar decided to make a run for it. He sprung toward the flame door, but Voldemort screamed "SEIZE HIM!" and the next second, Salazar felt Quirrell's hand close on his wrist. At once, a needle sharp pain seared across Salazar's scar; his head felt as though it was going to split in two; he yelled, struggling with all his might, and to his surprise, Quirrell let go of him. The pain in his head lessened-he looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone, and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers-they were blistering before his eyes.

"Seize him! SEIZE HIM!" shrieked Tom again, and Quirrell lunged, knocking Salazar clean off his feet, landing on top of him, both hands still around Salazar's neck-Salazar's scar was almost blinding him with pain, yet he could see Quirrell howling in agony.

"Master, I cannot hold him-my hands-my hands!"

And Quirrell, though pinning Salazar to the ground with his knees, let go of his neck and stared, bewildered, at his own palms-Salazar could see they looked burned, raw, red, and shiny.

"Then kill him, fool, and be done!" screeched Tom.

Quirrell raised his hand to perform a deadly curse, but Salazar, by instinct, reached up and gabbed Quirrell's face-

"AAAARGH!"

Quirrell rolled off him, his face blistering, too, and then Salazar knew: Quirrell couldn't touch his bare skin, not without suffering terrible pain-his only chance was to keep hold of Quirrell, keep him in enough pain to stop him from doing a curse.

Salazar jumped to his feet, caught Quirrell by the arm, and hung on as tight as he could. Quirrell screamed and tried to through Salazar off-the pain in Salazar's head was building-he couldn't see-he could only hear Quirrell's terrible shrieks and Tom's yells of "KILL HIM! KILL HIM!" and other voices, maybe Salazar's own head crying, "Harry! Harry!" though he doubted he would be calling himself "Harry".

He felt Quirrell's arm wrenched from his grasp, knew all was lost, and fell into blackness down…down…down…

A/N: Yep, it was a really fast update. You all have NephyRiddle to thank for that. I don't know how, but her review inspired me and stuff. Yeah, don't ask me how. I already said I don't know.

Explanations:

1. From YYH. Hiei knows the Darkness Flame technique, and also can summon the Mortal Flame.

Reviews:

SunStar Kitsune: I can't tell you really. I'm contemplating it. I'm also contemplating turning this into a slash fic. But, I'm also thinking that I should have them on opposite sides.

Lady-Slytherin-Warrior: Thanks! I hope this is soon enough.

meowcat00: I hope it's a good interesting.

NephyRiddle: Oh, I'm so glad you understood! And Good!Draco is just so much fun…but I don't know, I like him to be scheming as well…

Yeah, the Chamber of Secrets thing is one that I'm really looking forward too. I'm planning on it being radically different from the book. Okay, not radically, but different, more so than this one.

Yeah, basically, I just want to know how many of you would like for this to become a HP(Sal S.)/DM fic, a Draco-Harry friendship fic thing, or just have them be enemies. So, review and tell me.

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter as much as I'm sleep deprived!