Harry hissed in pain and brought his hand to the back of his arm to soothe the stinging sensation. He glared harshly at Hermione, who had just pinched him to get him to return his attention to class. She did not return his glare, but smirked as she continued to watch Flitwick. After a moment, he turned away before slumping down onto his hand as he watched the professor go on and on.

It wasn't long before Harry found himself staring blankly outside the bay window behind the professor, daydreaming and not paying a lick of attention to class. He could just barely see the white fluffiness of clouds, high in the air, with most of them hidden above the sight the window provided. The classroom was bright and warm from the light and heat provided by the sun that was given free rein from the clouds. A perfect day for flying, Harry thought absently.

He imagined himself flying through the air, the wind, the air, the speed. It did not even have to be Quidditch, he just loved to fly. He loved the freedom it brought when he soared past anyone and everyone on his Firebolt… it was a freedom he found himself lacking everywhere on the ground.

Right on cue, Harry felt Hermione's foot kick his ankle, pushing him to pay attention to Flitwick once more. Harry sighed quietly as he slowly turned his gaze back to Flitwick.

"Enlargement charms, shrinking charms, tunnels through space, rooms that seemingly do not exist, apparition, gravity control, and so many more wonderful magics are all under the field of spatial magic. Spatial magic is sometimes so simple that even muggles can do it. Two mirrors placed in front of one another will give off the appearance of an endless tunnel of mirrors. That is a magical phenomenon going unnoticed." Flitwick chirped happily as some students gasped and started to whisper between themselves.

Even Hermione was taken aback, her gaze distant and her lips muttering something so quickly and quietly that it was incomprehensible.

"Yes, it is surprising. Spatial magic is sometimes so simple that even muggles can practice it. I will now demonstrate a simple room enlargement charm. Though you should remember that while simple, it will still go beyond the curriculum of this year's course and perhaps your time at Hogwarts entirely." Flitwick warned before pulling out his wand, a long slender thing.

Harry thought back to the Weasley's tent when they had gone to the World Cup a few years back. If it was so simple, why did the Weasleys not live in a mansion? Their house defied all logic of proportion and gravity anyway, but it couldn't go the extra step of simply becoming larger, why?

Harry watched, now curious, as Flitwick effortlessly cast the charm. "Cresdilata," he said. There was no buildup or advanced wand work, no long chant or series of complex spells. Just the word "cresdilata" and a "U" shape drawn with the wand. Harry's eyebrows knit in confusion and surprise, and for a moment he doubted the spell would even work, and then the world jumped.

Harry suddenly found himself feeling very small as he gazed upwards around the room. The previously large room was now gigantic, perhaps two times the size it had been. The bay window that sat behind the professor now towered over the professor and his desk. Oddly enough, despite the increased window area, Harry felt the same amount of heat reach his skin, perhaps less.

"Amazing" he heard Hermione utter.

"Eep!" Flitwick gasped suddenly. Harry cringed in anticipation as Flitwick's stacks of books and papers, which previously leaned on and used the walls as support, fell over and hit the ground with a large crash. Harry joined in with his classmates as they erupted in murmurs and giggles. Not even Hermione's glare stopped him.

"As you can see, the walls, the ceiling, and the room itself have grown in size. The benches, the tables, your supplies, and of course, you, have not changed size. Can anyone tell me why that is?" Flitwick squeaked after giving up on returning all his papers and books to their previous locations. Unsurprisingly, Hermione's hand was one of the first to shoot up.

With a smile and a nod from the professor, Hermione hesitantly began. "I believe it is because of the Betchy Laws, named after Albert Betchy who discovered and proved that for spatial charms to work, certain rules must be followed. First, the object must not be alive. You cannot use the extension charm on an alive pig's stomach, for example, but you can use it on a dead one. Second, the spell must be cast for each separate entity. If you wanted to increase the size of this desk, you would have to do so separately from the spell to increase the room's size. This is because this desk is not attached to the floor in any way and therefore it is its own object. Lastly, spatial charms within spatial charms can only be cast to the sixth degree. It's all rather arbitrary, really…" She finished with a flushed face. She shot a side, embarrassed glance to Harry, who smiled in amusement.

How she knew all that was beyond him. What was the point of going to class if you already knew all the material?

"Arbitrary, indeed!" Flitwick chirped, nodding his head to Hermione.

"Fifteen points to Gryffindor for your wonderfully explained answer. Please write that down, everyone, I could not have said it better than myself!" Flitwick spoke gleefully, seemingly moving on.

Flitwick waited a moment before continuing. "Now, I would like to return to my previous statement. Spatial magic is simple. That is true. Spatial magic is simple, so long as you stick within those three laws." He finished with a chuckle as a few students sighed and made a note to memorize that the laws could be broken for the upcoming test.

Harry listened as Hermione started humming impatiently. He looked over to her and found her eyebrows knit and her arms crossed.

"Here we go," Ron whispered to him from his other side.

"Professor?" Hermione finally broke and asked.

"Yes, Ms. Granger?" Flitwick returned innocently.

"'As long as we stick to those laws… I do not follow, can they be broken?" She asked.

Flitwick's eyes lit up and his head bobbed up and down. "I am happy to announce that we here at Hogwarts happen to have some of the greatest exhibits of spatial magic gone awry!" He exclaimed in a high-pitched and quick voice.

Harry sat up straighter as he pulled his head from his hand to listen to the professor in more detail. Spatial magic gone awry?

"Spatial magic traps, as I like to call them, are magical phenomena that we will be studying in greater detail later in the semester, but I do believe I can show you one now." He said before jumping off his desk and making his way to the door of the classroom.

"Oh, right." He said before pulling out his wand. With another "U" shape motion, the room suddenly lurched to a close around them. A few students lost their composure and shrieked in panic but Harry was only curious. Perhaps if he had claustrophobia then that would have been the most terrifying thing he had ever seen.

"Come along, come along, we do not have all day." The small man ordered before waddling off through the door of the classroom.

"The greatest exhibits of spatial magic gone awry? Spatial magic trap? How come I have never heard of it? It is not mentioned anywhere in Hogwarts: A History!" Hermione muttered beside him as they trailed Flitwick through the halls. Harry and Ron smiled at each other before rolling their eyes at their friend.

"Now, I am sure some of you have heard of or have dealt with Hogwarts' Hallways changing

location or direction, hallways or classrooms that sit on top of each other on a geometric plane… There are many such phenomena in Hogwarts" Flitwick spoke before leading the class up the moving stairs.

"Many believe, myself included, that the spatial magic was first cast by the founders a thousand years ago. A classroom larger here, a hallway longer there, and so on. But as the spatial magic added up over the centuries from previous headmasters and teachers, it became much more unpredictable." Flitwick explained before entering the door to the restricted third-floor corridor.

A few students cast uncertain glances between themselves. Harry himself felt uncertain as he thought back to his first-year adventure. He had no interest in being chased by Filch or having to fight Voldemort so soon.

"Excuse me, Professor, is this corridor not restricted to us students?" Susan Bones asked from the front.

"It is restricted to you when you are unsupervised, yes, now come along." Flitwick answered before gesturing them in.

Harry found himself in the curved hallway once again. It was just as he remembered it from his first year: long, dark, bowing inwardly, and cold. Harry wondered if they would be going to the trapdoor. He did not remember any other classrooms or doors from his time there back in the first year.

But Harry quickly found he was wrong. Instead of turning right, they turned left and went in the opposite direction. The hallway was rather boring, he realized. No windows or doors or paintings. All the furniture and statues that once collected dust and cobwebs were nowhere to be seen. It was no wonder it felt so dark and cold.

Harry focused on the shuffling of robe fabric and the murmur of students whispering as they walked. Finally, after walking for a hundred feet or so, they reached a door. It was the exact mirror of the door on the opposite end of the corridor and Harry half expected to see a big black dog behind it. From the looks Hermione and Ron shot him, they were of a similar mind. The door was rather boring and unassuming, with no carving or markings or embellishments, just a solid oak door.

Harry prepared himself for the sight of a hungry dog as Flitwick grabbed the handle. Instead, he was pleasantly surprised to see yet another identical, dull, and boring corridor leading in the same direction.

Harry followed the rest of his class through the doorway, focusing once more on the shuffle of robes and the click of heels.

Flitwick suddenly stopped once the whole class was a few yards into the next identical corridor. He waited a few moments for the class to group up closer before speaking. "Can anyone tell me what charm was used to create this second corridor? If I know Hogwarts, we should be in the base of Gryffindor tower right now, and yet, here we are."

Harry felt a slight chill go up his back at the sudden silence. He wished they were not standing still but he could not figure out why. He wanted to keep moving forward, or backward, but keep moving.

A hand from a Slytherin slowly rose, Daphne Greengrass if he remembered correctly. "The Extension Charm," she answered with an arrogant smirk.

"No, you are incorrect. The extension charm must be used from an external perspective looking at the object. We can assume the charm was cast internally based on how this corridor is an identical copy to the last, rather than a single long hallway." He said before pointing at a door on each side of the long corridor.

Ron and a few others laughed quietly at the arrogant girl, but hypocritically, none of them were willing to give up their ideas. And so, no one spoke for another minute.

Flitwick did not seem at all eager to provide the answer, so Harry finally decided to give it a shot. "This corridor is already in the second degree of spatial magic, professor. Neither this one nor the corridor we just walked through physically exists in the dimensions as we see it." He spoke from behind the short professor.

Flitwick turned in his spot before beaming up at Harry with a smile. "So then, how were the corridors created then?" He asked with a nod of his head.

Harry shrugged. "I am not sure. There are probably various ways to create such hallways." He answered honestly.

"Well, you are correct. To create the third-floor corridor, a mixture of doubling charms, enlargement charms, and shrinking charms were put to use. The methodology I am afraid would go over…"

Harry tuned the professor out as something else caught his attention. Just a few yards in front of them would be the exact halfway point. If the doubling charm was used, then surely it was used on the room itself. That would mean there should be another door somewhere around there. In the first corridor, the door led back to Hogwarts proper and the moving steps. But unless the second corridor inhabited the same physical and magical space then surely it would open somewhere else. Where would it open? Would it even open?

Harry slowly drifted away from the crowd of students, all of whom were absorbed in Flitwick's boring explanation of spatial magics. Harry didn't care about any of that. What better way to learn than to experience?

Sure enough, right where it was supposed to be, was a door. A door exactly like the entrance door to the first corridor, its handle was practically begging to be pulled.

"Should we open it?" A voice suddenly asked him. Harry turned to his left to see a girl standing beside him. She was quiet. He had not heard her following him.

She looked from the door back to Harry. Daphne Greengrass, he realized once more. Harry took a moment to admire the gorgeous girl. Long, dark black hair and bright blue eyes, it was a beautiful contrast.

"I think we probably should." Harry admitted with a long sigh before matching the girl's smirk. It was a smirk that begets trouble and tribulation. Harry reached out a hand and grasped the door handle before another voice called out from behind him.

"Harry, no!" Hermione shrieked as he heard her storming up to him. It was already too late, Harry wanted to see what was on the other side of the door. His hand was already on the door handle. The trouble was already sought. The box was open. The horse let in.

Harry blinked absentmindedly for a moment as he took in the sight.

"While I am happy to see curious and inquiring minds in my students, I will warn you that it is not always wise to jump headfirst in." He heard Flitwick speak slowly from behind him.

"As Mr. Potter has so generously demonstrated for us, the door back to Hogwarts within the second-degree corridor still leads back to Hogwarts. That is because the Betchy Rules have been followed. It is why the vast majority of wizards are never recommended to go past said rules. Mistakes made within the rules are easily fixable, if not escapable. Mistakes and errors made past the Betchy Rules become increasingly large and complex and eventually deadly. Now, let's continue forward." Flitwick said before he began waddling down the corridor in the leftward direction.

Harry watched as Hermione glared harshly at him before following Flitwick, unwilling to be left behind. Ron shot him an apologetic shrug as he too moved on. Harry stayed, still curious about the doorway. It was only then that he noticed that Daphne was still there with him.

He ignored her presence as he stepped closer to the doorway and examined it. It looked like they were in the same position as to where the door opened in the previous corridor. The door and the stairway outside were the same but were they really? What would happen if they went through the doorway? What about someone else, someone unrelated to their current expedition?

He glanced at Daphne and knew that they both had the same idea immediately. Ever the gentleman, Harry placed a foot outside of the door, he wasn't ripped apart yet, so he placed both of them outside. He smiled slightly and jumped once just to make sure before gazing back at Daphne. Finally, he spoke, "ten seconds." He told her.

She nodded once before slamming the door in his face. Harry immediately reopened the door and stepped inside. But Daphne was no longer there with him. He was in the first-degree corridor now, he realized with a smile. He guessed he was approaching ten seconds so he quickly exited the corridor and waited to see if the door would open once again.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the door opened at exactly ten seconds and revealed Daphne Greengrass. Harry stepped back into the second-degree corridor and let out a small chuckle. It was amazing. Why did they forbid students from experiencing such a truly magical experience?

"What are you doing? You're not supposed to be in there." Harry suddenly heard a voice say. He turned and looked back out to the moving steps where there was now a Hufflepuff boy standing, perhaps a third or fourth year. Harry smiled and fished around in the pockets of his robes for a galleon or some sort of coin but he was out of luck. Just when he was about to give up, a galleon appeared before him, in the outstretched hand of Daphne. "Thanks." Harry said before turning to the kid who now stared at the pair with wide eyes.

"If I give you this galleon, will you do me a favor? It will only take a minute and you won't get in any trouble." Harry said, holding the coin up to the kid's eyes. The kid's eyes went slightly dazed as Harry assumed he was imagining all the candy or tricks he could buy with the coin.

"Sure, Harry." The boy said with an easy smile. Harry nodded gratefully before turning to Daphne, who also nodded. Harry stepped out of the second-degree corridor once more, back into Hogwarts proper. The door closed behind him and Harry quickly reopened it before he pushed the boy inside. He could not back out now.

"All you have to do is run that way, there will be a door at the end of the corridor. Go through the door and keep running until you see the girl once more. Okay? Go!" Harry cheered before quickly returning to the moving steps and closing the door behind him.

There was no reason to assume anything but the expected would happen. But there was no reason to assume that the expected would happen. So Harry counted with his fingers, and he suddenly hoped Daphne was doing the same. Where the suddenly shared mindset had come from, Harry did not know but he was happy to simply roll with it.

At about twenty-five seconds, the door opened once again. Except, this time it was not the beautiful face of Daphne that greeted him. Harry's eyes knitted in confusion as he stared at the far uglier face of Flitwick.

"Harry?" Flitwick asked curiously. "What are you doing out there? Still curious, I see? Well, come on then, get in here. Remember, mistakes within six degrees are okay. So you should try and stick with us from now on." Flitwick spoke before making room in the crowd of eager students that surrounded him.

"Seen a dementor, Potter?" He heard Draco's sullen voice ask from somewhere within the crowd, there was far less emotion and bite than he remembered him having in the third year.

Harry found Hermione's face and watched as it transitioned from shock to outright outrage. He was not at all eager to deal with that. A timer was climbing in the back of Harry's mind, that kid had most likely reached Daphne by now, so where were they? Was it because Flitwick was holding the door open?

Flitwick finally released the door handle and glanced at it curiously. Suddenly, the door swung shut and slammed closed sharply. Immediately afterward, the door reopened to reveal Daphne and the Hufflepuff. The Hufflepuff boy had tears streaming down his red face and as soon as the door opened, he ran past Harry with not so much as a glance in his direction.

"What did you do to him?" Harry asked, confused. He had not left the two of them alone for too long. What could she even have done?

"Come on, we have to go." Harry continued, pushing away the thoughts and beginning to run in the direction of Flitwick and the class. Daphne remained silent in response, and neither spoke as they ran. They continued to run through the empty and dark corridors. They were constantly turning in a leftward direction, but they never reached a final direction. Would they eventually reach full circle, Harry wondered. Where would the door in the middle of the final corridor in the circle lead, then?

The clack of their shoes was the only sound to occupy their minds, and it almost didn't sound real. It sounded as if with each step, the sound became quieter, less important, more snuffed out. Harry did not like the feeling the silence brought him. There he was, in a corridor larger than the Dursley's whole house, and yet he felt as if he was still in the cupboard.

It was only when the pair reached the sixth-degree corridor, did they catch up with the professor. Flitwick glanced curiously between Daphne and Harry with a small smile. "Ah yes, I see! I figured it might be something like that. You see, Daphne here was trying to open the door at the same time as I held it open. But both doorways could not inhabit the same magical space at one time and so they acted on one another like a seesaw. The more pressure she placed on opening the door, the more I felt pressing against the door trying to close it. It is an amazing discovery also made by Albert Betchy with numerous applications in our world." Flitwick began to lecture once more as the group resumed their pace towards the seventh-degree corridor.

"Harry!" Hermione whispered furiously as she came up beside him. "Bye Potter," Daphne said, looking at Hermione oddly before making her way to a group of Slytherins.

Harry glanced at Hermione, suddenly feeling sheepish. Her glare bit into him but he decided not to back down. No harm had come from his actions, well besides the crying kid, but that was Daphne.

"What were you thinking, Harry? Even Flitwick said that Hogwarts' spatial magic is not entirely understood!" She scolded quietly.

"Sorry Hermione, I just wanted to see what would happen if I stepped through the doorway." He said slowly, better to leave his other trials unspoken about.

Hermione's glare softened and she spoke, almost bitterly, "well? What happened?" Harry smiled back at his curious friend before beginning to explain all of his experiments.

Once he finished, Hermione only had a few words. By a few, he meant many. "You should have tested what would happen if you put a piece of paper or perhaps string in the doorway. Would it have snapped? What if someone tried opening the door somewhere else? Would they simply be unable to, no matter how much effort they put into it until the object was removed? What if-"

Luckily, her thoughts were cut off by Flitwick reaching the end of the corridor. The professor seemed to stare specifically at Daphne and Harry as he addressed the group. "Please stick together and do not go off exploring without my knowledge or approval. We have had students get lost in the spatial magic, sometimes forever. Do not lose your life to simple curiosity." He spoke seriously, his ever-present, curious, smile missing. Even Hermione's curiosity suddenly sobered up at his warning and she glared at Harry once more. With a self-satisfied nod of his head, Flitwick turned around and pushed the door to the seventh corridor open.

The first and only difference Harry noticed was that instead of the hallway arching in a leftward direction, it arched in a rightward direction. Every corridor previously had gone in a leftward direction. Why was this one the opposite? At first glance, he noticed that it seemed to be an exact opposite copy of the previous ones.

Harry realized that it was not the exact opposite, however, as they walked deeper into the corridor. For each previous corridor, the door that opened back to Hogwarts was always in the middle of the corridor, on the inside wall of the arch. But the seventh-degree corridor turned in a rightward direction, the door should be on the right-hand wall. Except for the fact that it was on the left-hand wall, the outside wall of the arch. It was an observation that surprised Harry and also drew something up from deep within his chest. Was it fear? It did not matter where the door was, he tried to remind himself, he knew how to return to Hogwarts.

Even the cold chill that ran up Harry's back felt similar if not identical to the one he got in the second corridor. The feeling he got from the silence and the feeling he got from standing still terrified him just as much as it had in the second corridor. Was his fear to the same level? Was it greater? Harry honestly could not decide. He wished there were windows so that he may gaze out them into the bright sky or feel the warmth of the sun. How might windows change things? He idly wondered. He wouldn't feel so trapped, that's for sure.

"We will not be going any further today. For those of you disappointed, do not worry, we will be going on many similar expeditions. For now, try to remember as many details and differences between each corridor as you can. I want fifteen inches of parchment on what you predict the eighth-degree corridor and beyond to look like. Now does anyone have any ideas for getting us out of here?" Flitwick asked, looking each student in the eyes.

"Retrace our steps?" Ron asked dryly from his side.

"Retracing our steps, yes… a very good method anywhere but inside a spatial magic trap. No, we will not escape by retracing our steps. Any other suggestions?" Flitwick asked. No one dared answer after he shot down Ron's suggestion which seemed by far the most obvious.

"Finding yourself lost in spatial magic is a very real concern for an everyday wizard. If you think Hogwarts is alone in this phenomenon, you are wrong. Please try to develop logical thinking skills in order to help you navigate such magic, should you need to." Flitwick lectured, serious once more.

"Additionally, looking for patterns and… traps… is one of your most important jobs should it come to being trapped in one." He finished.

When no one made a move to speak, the professor sighed and spoke once more. "I'll simplify my questions for you. Does anyone remember which direction we moved in in order to get to higher and higher degrees of spatial magic?"

"We went in a leftward direction," a few students murmured.

"Leftward, correct. And should we have decided to head back and turn around before reaching the seventh degree, which direction would we have headed in?" He asked.

"Rightward," a few less murmured, unsure of where this was going.

"Final question: if we were to turn around, right now and retrace our steps, relative to this corridor only, which direction would we be moving in?" He asked.

Hermione's eyes widened and her hand shot up into the air. Harry felt goosebumps spread across his skin despite not fully understanding what he thought the professor was trying to tell them.

"Yes, Ms. Granger?"

"We would be heading the leftward direction again, if the pattern is obeyed, instead of coming back the way we came, we would actually be heading deeper into the spatial magic. If the pattern is obeyed, to escape we must keep heading in our current direction." She spoke confidently. Harry found himself hating her use of the word "escape." Instead of "leave" or any of the other terms that had been used previously.

There was something very scary about not being able to leave by simply returning the way you came. More than that, you actually go deeper into the spatial magic trap and become more and more entrenched in it.

Flitwick finally broke a smile that relieved much of the worry and tension that was building in Harry. "Yes, exactly correct! It might be surprising but sometimes the way to escape a spatial trap is to go through the spatial trap. Many spatial magic traps will have an obvious, final, 'go no further,' stage, so to speak. In it, escaping the trap will be far easier than it will be for many more degrees." He spoke calmly, assuaging Harry's unconscious fear.

"If the pattern is followed, then simply continuing on in the same direction is a more than adequate method for escaping-" Flitwick continued before being interrupted.

"If the pattern is followed? What if the pattern is not followed?" Draco called out from the back of the crowd.

Harry paid close attention to Flitwick. The man remained constant, his smile unchanged and any worry or fear was well hidden. But he couldn't help but feel that Flitwick's smile stiffened the slightest bit. That his eyes pulled together a minuscule amount in sadness. Perhaps he simply imagined it.

"Spatial magic traps that don't have a 'go no further degree' or ones that don't follow some sort of pattern are very rare, Mr. Malfoy," Flitwick answered quickly, to prevent the buildup of worry, perhaps.

"I believe we should be getting back now. We could follow Hermione's suggestion but I happen to know a shortcut. Please keep close and do not get left behind!" Flitwick warned before moving to the door that stood in the exact middle of the corridor and opening it. Harry tried to see what was on the other side but couldn't from behind the group of students. He was not entirely sure what to expect. He understood Hermione's pattern. Did this "shortcut" also follow some sort of pattern?

On the other side of the door was another identical corridor. Unlike the last time when they moved from corridor to corridor, this time they entered not from the far side doors but the door in the middle. The door was once again in its correct position, on the inside wall, with the hallway bowing inwards around them. Harry felt his heartbeat calm at the familiarity. When did it become so fast?

Once every student was through, Flitwick closed the door behind them. "Now, Mr. Potter, since it seems you're so fond of experimenting with spatial magic… if you would do the honors?" Flitwick asked, gesturing to the same door he had just closed.

"Yes, professor," Harry spoke before pushing his way through the crowd to the door. Gently he grabbed the handle and pulled the door open. Harry smiled when he was greeted with the familiarity of Hogwarts. He was never so happy to see the moving steps and the rows and rows of paintings on the walls. He was eager to escape the darkness of the spatial magic corridors.

"As you can see, this door opens to Hogwarts and not the corridor we came from. Harry, if you would please step through and reopen the door from the other side." Flitwick requested of him.

Harry nodded and took a hesitant step into Hogwarts. A smile formed on his face as he took in a deep breath, relishing in the comforting air of his home. He turned around and faced the class, his smile seemingly contagious and spreading to his classmates. Flitwick nodded to him gratefully and Harry watched as the door slowly closed in front of him. Just as he took a step forward and reached his hand out to reopen it, something took hold of him.

His feet lost all traction and he was launched forward. His eyes instinctually closed as he fell through the air before, a second later, he slammed face-first into the oak door, hard. Harry groaned in pain as he slowly pushed himself up and opened his eyes. They widened in shock and terror as he looked around. He was kneeling on the oak door… The room's gravity had changed! The oak door was now the floor while the base of the moving staircase he had previously stood on was now a wall!

Harry slowly stood to his full height, holding out his arms low and wide, just in case the room decided to change once more. The air that had previously felt so much like Hogwarts, like home, soured and was replaced by the cold feeling that welled up in his chest. He wanted to go back to his class. He did not want to be trapped here alone.

"Where am I?" Harry whispered as he looked around.

"We are in Hogwarts, are we not?" A voice suddenly called out. Harry jumped in surprise before twirling around, looking for the voice.

"Down here, boy, and watch where you're stepping!" The voice continued angrily. Harry looked down to his feet, confused. Dangerously close to his left foot was a painting, one of the moving paintings, he realized.

Except… something was wrong with it. Its colors were dull and papery, the figure in the portrait moved stiffly and sharply as if it was a doll. Harry recoiled in horror when he looked to where its face should be. Instead of the finely painted likeness of someone, there was nothing but a blurry mess of color.

"What happened to you?" Rushed out of Harry's mouth before he could stop himself.

The portrait snorted three times before answering, "look around, boy, we are all like this." The portrait mocked, as if Harry was stupid for not knowing so.

Harry indeed looked around and found himself shocked when he learned the portrait spoke true. Some of the paintings looked almost life-like, their colors strong and beautiful, however, some looked even worse than the painting just beneath Harry. But each and every one of their faces was a hideous blend of shapes and colors so distorted that none of them were recognizable.

"I am going back. This is wrong. This is all wrong." Harry spoke, more to himself than purposefully out loud.

"You could try retracing your steps." The portrait pointed out, helpfully, before breaking out into a fit of laughter. Harry scowled at the portrait, suddenly feeling tempted to step on the portrait once or twice.

Harry looked back to the door he stood on before kneeling once more. They took a wrong turn, he would have to tell them that. This wasn't Hogwarts. He reached out a hand and grabbed the door handle and slowly turned it.

"I would not recommend doing that." He heard the portrait call out from his side. He did not spare it a glance. His heart raced faster and faster with each second that passed by until he heard a soft click. All of a sudden, he was falling once more, he strengthened his grip on the door handle as much as he could and held on for dear life.

An uncontrolled and panicked shout escaped Harry's lips as he was flung back into the corridor. Except, he quickly realized it wasn't "back into the corridor," it was simply "into the corridor." Flitwick, Ron, Hermione… none of his classmates were there. It was a different corridor entirely. Harry held onto the door handle as his weight and momentum swung him back and forth like a pendulum. He could feel his grip loosening, he didn't have enough grip strength to hold on for much longer. He looked beneath him, down to the wall- the floor of the corridor, he corrected himself. It was only a few feet drop. He would be fine. Probably.

Just as he was about to let go and brace for impact, he felt the door being pulled closed. It was a slow and weak force but Harry quickly realized what was happening and smiled in relief.

He pulled out his Holly and Phoenix feather wand and pointed it upwards, to the guardrail of the base of the moving steps. "Incarcerous," he cast. Rope shot from his wand and tied itself around the railing above him. Harry smiled, knowing his plan would work. Acting quickly, he positioned his feet onto the edge of the door that was perhaps one-third of the way closed by then.

His muscles screamed at him to quit as he tried to leverage himself off the door and pull himself up to the best of his ability. He was a wizard, not a very fit wizard, he had never used his muscles for such strenuous activities and especially not for so long.

Harry looked down to see that the door was almost closed, he quickly pulled the excess rope through the gap and threw it off to the side before stepping off the door entirely, onto the wall beside it. "Watch it!" The painting screamed as his feet graced the side of its body. As soon as his feet left the edge of the door, it slammed shut with a loud thud. Harry waited with bated breath, his heart clenched in worry for a moment when the door didn't open.

And then he heard that sweet clickingsound again. What he didn't account for was falling once more, this time onto his side. The side of his head slammed onto the base of the moving stairs and he groaned in pain. But it was a good pain, a pain that meant the floor was the floor once more.

"Harry!" He heard Hermione call out from above him. After a moment he pushed himself up and looked to the open door where a group of curious students gazed in. In the entranceway were Flitwick, Ron, and Hermione. The latter two being held back by an arm from Flitwick. Hermione's glare was gone entirely, replaced by a look of worry. Ron just looked happy to see him. Harry found himself most interested in Flitwick, however.

The professor looked almost uncertain, at the very least confused. His eyes were unfocused and pulled to the side. "That's not supposed to be there..." He finally spoke after a long moment.

Harry let out a long breath before cracking a small smile. "No, I don't expect so." He whispered as he made his way back into the corridor with his class. "What was it, professor, why was it there?" He continued as he returned Hermione's side hug.

Flitwick hesitated a moment before speaking. "I believe we are the first to witness that room since… at least the 1920s. The altered gravity, moving stairs room is what my predecessor called it, I can say the name is quite apt now that I see the room for myself…" Flitwick trailed off as he followed Harry, away from the door to the room with the faceless portraits.

After another moment, Flitwick collected himself and looked up, his hesitance and surprise gone, his gaze sharp once more. "I must apologize, everybody. That route has been the same since I started teaching at Hogwarts until, well, today. I am not completely inept and I scouted this route out last night to make sure, but it seems that sometime between last night and now, the trap shifted…" Flitwick let the thought hang in the air for a moment before continuing.

"Perhaps it's for the best, this is a learning experience. One may never claim to know their way through a spatial magic trap as it is always shifting. I acted hastily in assuming the shortcut of yesterday would work today. It appears we would have been better off following Hermione's suggestion. May you never make the same mistake as me." Flitwick spoke honestly, holding his hands together in front of him as he bowed his head slightly.

A feeling of fear passed through the student body as whispers erupted between them. Harry's own heartbeat had yet to fully calm down. There was something breathing on his neck, something just behind-

"Fret not. While I will not lie to you, we are in uncharted waters. We are not lost, we are simply… misplaced. If you would kindly give me a moment to think, I do not wish to make the same mistake twice in a row." Flitwick spoke through a stiff smile before moving a few feet away from the group of wide-eyed students.

Harry himself drifted away from the large group, towards the wall opposite the middle door. He leaned his back against the cold, stone wall as he stared straight ahead, towards the door he had fought to get back to.

Hermione stared at him worriedly and opened her mouth to speak, but Ron beat her to it. "What was it like?" He asked, unreservedly.

"The room?" Harry confirmed with a short glance at his friend. Ron nodded simply and while Hermione didn't look pleased, she didn't move to cut in.

"It was like Hogwarts. It was Hogwarts… until Flitwick closed the door and I was falling. You should've seen the paintings, they could move and speak but there was something wrong with them. Their shades were off and they were… stiff, but Ron, they had no faces. They had no mouths and no faces but they still talked to me." Harry recounted, his body suddenly cold as he thought back to the paintings. He realized then that they were what he hated the most about that room. The room with altered gravity, the room where he hit his head multiple times, he hated the paintings most of all.

"Why was the door not opening? You opened the door and we were not behind it, were we?" Hermione asked after another moment of silence.

Harry considered her question. In his panic and desperation, he had not taken much time to really study the corridor which he had fallen into. His only thoughts were of getting back to his class and stable ground.

It was this corridor, wasn't it?

"It was a corridor exactly like this one. There were no differences or errors like in the last one. It was the exact same as the one we are standing in now, except you were not in it, no." Harry finally answered after a moment. Hermione opened her mouth but Flitwick cut in.

Flitwick cleared his throat before beginning in his lecturing voice. "We will split into two groups. One which will stay here and one which will follow me through the door on our right. Dumbledore and I go over each expedition beforehand so he will come for those who stay here, eventually, and he will find you. Should I, and the group who comes with me, safely exit first then I will come and collect you personally. I will not force anyone to go or stay so please decide for yourself, I will give you a few moments." Flitwick spoke before turning and marching over to the door on the far right side of the corridor. His plan seemed to be to follow Hermione's original suggestion.

"Split into two? Is he crazy? If Dumbledore knows where we are then we should just stay here! When lost, the best course of action is to remain in one place." Hermione spoke as if she was reciting from a textbook.

It seemed she had already decided, to be fair, so had Harry. He decided within the first seconds of Flitwick revealing their options. He would not stand still for long. The feeling would not go away.

Ron looked hesitant, he looked between Harry and Hermione as if he could read their minds. When it looked like he might decide to go with Flitwick, Hermione voiced her opinion.

"Ron, no! The smartest thing to do is to stay here, just what exactly is the point of needlessly endangering yourself?" Hermione demanded angrily.

Harry saw Ron's decision written out on his face as he turned to Harry and nodded in agreement. The two had only just begun to turn towards Flitwick when Hermione stormed off in a huff.

"Are you sure she's not right, Harry? Maybe we should just wait for Dumbledore…" Ron asked quietly so that the others would not hear him as they walked over to Flitwick.

"No," Harry answered simply, not returning his friend's stare. The pair was one of the first to arrive and Flitwick nodded to them gratefully as they waited a while longer. Finally, when no more students made their way over, Flitwick spoke.

"I was not planning on teaching how to explore spatial magic traps in groups until at least next semester, but here we are. There is safety in numbers and that is ever truer in here. Such techniques were used to explore the pyramids of Giza and the catacombs of Paris and they will help us here." Flitwick explained in his teacherly tone as he turned and pulled the door open.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, yet another identical corridor was revealed, it turned in the same direction, rightward, and from what Harry could see, the door in the middle was on the correct wall.

"Now pay attention. The method we will be using is called the strong-arm method because quite literally, we strong-arm it. One student will stand in each doorway and keep it open. We will have a continuous line of communication between all of us as we go further and further. If, for whatever reason, your door begins to close, call out ahead of you and try to hold it open as long as possible. If you cannot hold it open long enough for all those in front of you to return, make sure to remain on the correct side in order to reopen it." Flitwick explained, locking eyes with each student to make sure they understood.

There were 14 of them in total: four Gryffindors including himself, Ron, Dean, and Lily Moon; four Slytherins including Draco and Daphne; two Ravenclaws, and four Hufflepuffs.

Justin Finch-Flitchley, a Hufflepuff, raised his hand then and spoke. "I'll stay here, professor." He volunteered with an easy smile.

"Five points to Hufflepuff, thank you, Justin. Now the rest of us, let us get moving." He ordered before the group made their way past Justin who cringed as Draco sneered past him.

"Thanks," Harry spoke as he walked past.

"Thanks," Ron said after him.

"Bloody coward," Ron whispered in a low tone to Harry when they were out of earshot. Harry almost made a comment but decided to refrain from it when he noticed Ron wringing his hands, the boy's eyes were wide and darting around the room.

Harry came to a stop with the rest of the group as they reached the door in the middle of the corridor. "Harry, if you would please." Flitwick requested once more.

"Yes professor," Harry echoed his earlier words.

Harry swung the door open wide and quickly, he would not be tricked this time. The room that was revealed looked like the room with the moving steps, but was it? He took a hesitant step into the room and looked around.

"Ah, welcome back." The faceless portrait called out dryly. Harry shook his head at the professor as he stepped back into the corridor.

"Very well, forward then!" Flitwick called out excitedly.

As it turned out, exploring a spatial magic trap was anything but exciting. At least the way they did it was. Even the faceless portrait seemed to be running out of insults and rude greetings.

"Can't you just leave me be already!" The portrait demanded on their tenth meeting.

"I wish I could," Harry answered for the first time since their original meeting. With a sigh, he stepped back into the corridor and closed the door behind him. Their group had been culled down to only Harry, Ron, Daphne, and Draco, aside from Flitwick of course.

"No go!" Harry heard Ron shout from behind him after a moment.

"We're running out of students, professor, perhaps we should go back and get more-" Daphne began but was cut off.

"No, if we cannot find the exit or the pattern with the students who volunteered then we will go back and wait for Dumbledore. No one will be forced." Flitwick stated firmly. Daphne seemed to disagree with his stance but she backed down.

The four quietly made their way through the long quiet corridor, the silence grew in strength with each student they left behind, as did Harry's discomfort.

"Professor, I'll stay with this door." Ron finally spoke up. He had been oddly quiet the whole time, aside from his yelling, and Harry was beginning to worry about him. Perhaps he regretted coming.

"Thank you, Ron." Flitwick nodded to his student as they reached the door at the end of the corridor. Harry too, nodded to his friend and spoke. "Thank you, Ron, I'll see you in a bit."

"I'm sorry, Harry." Ron cut in after a second.

"Don't worry, you don't have to apologize," Harry reassured him. He really didn't, they were all volunteers after all. But now their group numbered only four in total.

"So much for Gryffindor bravery, Potter?" Draco mocked. Harry didn't rise to the challenge, instead he focused on the corridor in front of him. Once he got back, he could probably draw it perfectly from memory, he wanted to make sure he could notice any change, tiny or large.

"Draco, please, now is not the time for such things. This next door will be yours." Flitwick told him, not angrily.

Harry stopped at the halfway door and peeked inside. "Have you tried retracing your steps?" The portrait mocked once more, not even giving him a second to hope it was the door back to Hogwarts.

Harry closed the door before turning in Ron's direction and shouting, "no go!"

Flitwick, Draco, and Daphne waited for him at the next door as he slowly caught up. "Don't close it on us." He whispered to Draco with a smirk as he walked past. Draco ignored him in favor of leaning his head back on the door and closing his eyes.

"Professor, a door does not always open to the same thing, I experienced that first hand in the altered gravity room and earlier with Daphne. How are we strong-arming this if we do not account for the possibility of the exit being through one of the doors behind us?" Harry asked after a moment. It was one of his first concerns when Flitwick revealed his plan, but he didn't want to say it around the others.

"The exit could very well be through a door behind us. But it could also be in front of us. Finding an exit in front of us will be significantly easier and safer than finding one behind us." Flitwick answered though it left Harry feeling dissatisfied.

Harry didn't press the issue and instead popped his head through the door in the middle of the corridor. "Nope, try again," the portrait mocked in a bored tone. Harry once more shouted, "no go!" Behind him before catching up with Daphne and Flitwick. As they came closer and closer to the door on the far end of the corridor, Daphne spoke. "I suppose this door will be mine. Good luck Harry, Professor." Daphne said formally, bowing her head and pulling the door open.

"Thank you, Daphne." Flitwick spoke before entering the next corridor. "Thanks," Harry echoed.

Yet another corridor identical to the last, Harry thought sadly as the pair walked through it. "What happens next?" Harry asked after a moment.

"We will return to our original position until Dumbledore can find us," Flitwick answered simply.

"And if he cannot find us? You said it yourself, no one can know their way through a spatial magic trap completely because it constantly changes. You said the trap shifted sometime between last night and now. What if it shifted while we were in it, shifted not only in front of us but behind us?" Harry probed as they came to the door in the middle of the corridor once more.

Harry opened it and poked his head through. All he heard was a loud, comically drawn-out sigh, so he made a safe assumption and promptly closed the door.

The pair walked quietly for a few moments until reaching the door at the end of the corridor. Neither reached to open it and so, Flitwick finally spoke. "Should this door not be an exit, or lead to an exit in some way, Harry… it would be wise to keep such observations to yourself when we return to the class." Flitwick spoke slowly, his eyes never leaving Harry's.

"I understand, Professor." Harry answered before turning away and opening the 14th door. Harry's eyes pulled together in confusion at what he saw.

"Professor?" He asked, uncertain. He tried to look closer, he wanted to see their faces.

Flitwick chuckled softly from beside him and Harry turned to look down at the odd man. It took him a moment to realize the chuckle had more relief in it than actual humor. Harry only noticed then, just how sweaty his palms were, just how much his chest clenched. A pressure slowly released from his stomach.

In front of them was a corridor exactly as all the corridors behind them had been, identical in every metric except that this corridor had people in it. It didn't look identical, it was identical to the corridor they had left Hermione and the others in.

"Harry, if you would please round up each student from our volunteer group. I will go ahead and explain what happened to those who stayed and how we will proceed from here." Flitwick requested of him.

Harry hesitated for the briefest of moments before responding. "Yes, Professor." The smile that had slowly been forming on his face, the one that formed from the professor's good mood disappeared. And when the door closed in his face and he turned around to the empty, dark corridor, everything else returned.

Harry moved as quickly as he could, at a pace that was just short of running. He didn't want to be there. He didn't want to be alone there, not there in the cold, darkness.

There were things in the dark, things you could only see out of the corner of your eye.

When he found Daphne leaning up against the inside of the doorway, examining her nails, he never felt so relieved. "Find anything?" She asked when he got closer.

"Flitwick said he knows how to proceed and he looked relieved." Harry relayed, though he did not stop to talk. A moment later he heard the door swing to a close from behind him so he figured she must be following him.

Then there was Draco and Ron, and Lily Moon and Hannah Abbot, then Dean and Terry Boot, and all the way back to Justin Finch-Fletchy stationed at the first door. They quickly rejoined the rest of their classmates with Harry and Ron moving to rejoin Hermione who smiled in relief. They were eager to hear what Flitwick had to say, if he knew how to escape.

Flitwick cleared his throat as he pushed into the center of the group before beginning to speak. "I believe I know how to safely exit this spatial magic trap. For safety, I will once more only ask those willing to come to follow me. If you still wish to wait for Dumbledore, you may." Flitwick addressed the crowd before pushing his way back out.

This time, he did not head to the door heading in the rightward direction. He headed to the door in the leftward direction, the direction that would supposedly take you deeper into the trap.

Hermione grabbed Harry and Ron's arms as they moved to follow the professor. She looked at them pleadingly before speaking. "Please? There's no point. Let's just wait for Dumbledore."

Ron faltered in his certainty and his gaze dropped to the ground. Harry waited for a few moments, he would let his friend make his own decision. He wouldn't let his own decision impact Ron's.

Finally, he looked up at Harry and spoke, "I think… She's right. If Dumbledore is coming, there is no point in trying to find the exit on our own. Sorry, Harry." He argued. And Harry agreed, there was no point if Dumbledore was coming. If Dumbledore was coming.

"Don't worry about it, Ron. I understand. But I am still going." Harry continued, pulling his arm from Hermione's grip. Ron's eyes widened slightly for a moment before quickly returning to normal. With an understanding nod from his friend, Harry followed after Flitwick.

Their group was smaller this time. Perhaps the others had given up or had simply decided that waiting for Dumbledore was best. Harry noticed that those who decided to come were those stationed at the later doors.

They were five this time, including Harry and the professor, Daphne, Lily Moon, and Terry Boot. Harry noticed as Flitwick cast a hesitant glance back towards the group being left behind. For a moment, Harry thought he might turn around and speak to them. But whatever it was, the moment passed and Flitwick opened the door. A corridor much the same as the one they left was revealed. A door in the middle, a door at the end, and the hallway turning to the left. Harry wasn't sure whether to be relieved or annoyed at that.

They left Terry Boot behind first this time. And the group of four made their way through the corridor. Harry stopped at the door in the middle but Flitwick called out to him before he could open it. "That is not the way out, Mr. Potter, it is ahead."

Harry cast a hesitant glance to the door before shrugging and returning to the group.

Next was Daphne, then Lily Moon, and finally, on the fourth door, there was just Harry and Flitwick once more. "What now?" Harry asked as they opened the door to yet another identical corridor.

"Now, exploration becomes less safe. There is no good way to do this so if you wish to turn back, I won't blame you. I thank you for staying with me the longest each time, I understand it wasn't easy. This place… oftentimes has negative effects on those who stray too far from the known." Flitwick spoke quietly as he cast a haunted gaze around him.

"What will you do? If I turn around?" Harry asked.

"I will be forced to turn around with you. I cannot abandon my class no matter how certain I am of the exit ahead." Flitwick answered openly.

Harry nodded simply as he decided what to do. "What do we do, then? How do we move forward?" Harry asked after a moment.

Flitwick smiled softly and nodded his head in thanks. "Thank you for trusting me." He said before stepping through the doorway, into the next corridor.

"Now we close the door and I test whether it will open back into this corridor." Flitwick continued. Harry nodded and pushed the door closed. A bead of sweat dripped from Harry's forehead as he waited in silence. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

On the fourth second, the door reopened to reveal Flitwick once more. Harry breathed out a sigh that he didn't know he had been holding and wiped his face with the sleeve of his robe.

"Onwards it is," Flitwick spoke as Harry joined him in the next corridor.

Harry's heart jolted when he heard the door slam shut behind him, but Flitwick did not turn to look and neither did he.

When they came upon the fifth door, neither spoke as they moved without instruction.

Another identical corridor that turned to the left was revealed and so they didn't waste any time. The professor entered the corridor before turning and nodding to Harry who closed the door between them. Harry waited patiently until the door opened to reveal Flitwick once more.

And so they continued on until they reached the sixth door.

"This is it, Harry. The door in the center of this corridor will open to Hogwarts, I know it will." Flitwick said with a confident smile.

"How are you so sure?" Harry asked. It was not that he lacked trust in the professor. It was just that he wanted to know why the professor was so confident.

"When we left the seventh-degree corridor, through the door in the center, we got flipped… so to speak. The center door which should have opened to Hogwarts did open to Hogwarts. Just not the correct Hogwarts. So to get back to the correct Hogwarts, we went in the rightward direction and checked each middle door. If we had been in the seventh-degree corridor, going in the rightward direction would have worked. But we were not, going right only took us deeper into the spatial magic trap. Then, when we were so deep, we popped back up, like screwing the cap on a bottle too tight. That only leaves going left. I believe that going through this next middle door twice will lead us back to Hogwarts. It is the reverse of what we would have done, should we still be in the seventh corridor." Flitwick explained proudly.

Harry tried to think through the logic and admitted that it made… sense… in a certain light.

Flitwick stepped through the doorway once more, into the corridor which would hopefully lead them to Hogwarts. The pair nodded to each other before closing the door.

Harry found himself surprised when the door did not open. He had forgotten that that was a possibility. He waited another ten seconds as his chest began to pound. Finally, he grabbed the door handle and pulled it open. It was harder than usual, something was keeping the door closed. Harry pulled harder and harder until the resistance broke and the door swung open.

Flitwick stood in front of Harry, his arm still outstretched. A range of emotions, anger to fear, flashed across Flitwick's face before it settled back on confidence.

Harry wasn't sure what would happen next. If only one person could move on then how could they confirm that Hogwarts was past just the next door? Flitwick predicted there were two doors between themselves and Hogwarts. One person couldn't use both of them.

"What now?" Harry asked after Flitwick made no move to speak.

Flitwick glanced at Harry for a moment before looking away. "We go back to Hogwarts. We don't need to confirm the route when I know where the exit is already." Flitwick answered with a tone that left room for no argument.

"But professor…" Harry trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"We will go back to my class and we will tell them we found the exit. They do not need to know that we have not. Because we know where the exit is, I know where it is." Flitwick continued.

"Professor, we cannot lie to them! Why don't we just go back and test the first three doors? With Lily, Daphne, and Terry's help, we could come back here and confirm this as an exit." Harry realized as he spoke. There was no need for any lies or half-truths.

Flitwick still refused to look at Harry as he stared off to the side, he seemed to consider Harry's idea for a moment. Finally, he spoke and Harry's heart dropped. "No, it's too late for that… This is your first spatial magic trap, Harry. You don't understand yet, but you will, at least if I can't help it you will." Flitwick muttered quietly before turning to Harry and matching his gaze. The professor watched Harry with wide, half-crazed eyes as he continued.

"You told me yourself, the trap could have shifted behind us and Dumbledore would have no idea where we are or how to find us. We cannot stay in one place for much longer, Harry, it's been far too long already. I will not ask you to do anything you do not want to. You can let me do all the talking… all the lying. But it is either that or you wait in the next corridor for us to come to you." Flitwick threatened, his hand had gripped his wand holster as he spoke.

"But Professor… What if you're wrong? What if you don't lead us to an exit?" Harry asked, still defiant.

Flitwick scoffed before speaking. "I am not wrong. And even if I am… it's better to be wrong as a group than to go back now, empty-handed. There were fourteen of you who came with me first, then there were four. How many will come with me next time? With each fewer student that desires to keep searching for an exit, the less likely we are to find it. If I am wrong, it gives us more time to be found by Dumbledore, at the very least."

"More time?" Harry asked slowly.

"Are you staying, Harry, or will you be returning with me?" Flitwick asked instead of answering.

Harry looked at Flitwick feeling shocked and even betrayed. This was not his professor. He didn't know what was wrong with the man but something definitely was. He was too certain of himself, too prideful in his thought process, too willing to strand themselves completely.

But what could he do? Harry glanced down to Flitwick's wand, his hand hovering on the holster, ready to withdraw it at any moment.

"Trust me, Mr. Potter, trust me as you have so far." Flitwick tried with a far more diplomatic tone.

Harry cast a glance to the corridor in front of him, the one where if he went in, he could not come out. He would not enter it, not alone.

Finally, Harry relented and nodded his head quietly.

"Thank you." Flitwick whispered before gesturing in front of him.

Harry walked stiffly through the long, quiet corridors as his mind raced. Would he be leading his class to doom? If he was, was it his fault?

"All is well, we have found the exit!" Flitwick spoke excitedly as they reached Lily Moon, still stationed at the third door.

"I see." She whispered in a soft, distant voice as she locked eyes with Harry. Harry looked away without saying a word. He did not have to lie, Flitwick said he wouldn't. Then came Daphne and Terry Boot. Flitwick hastily explained to them where the exit was as they began returning to the class.

Finally, the professor addressed the full class, hopefully for the last time in the spatial magic trap.

"I and those who came with me have located the exit to the spatial magic trap! I told you, there was nothing to fear! As long-" Flitwick suddenly stopped his speech, his head turned sharply to the right as he looked down the corridor. Harry too turned to look but saw nothing.

The professor turned back to the class and smiled easily. "Now! Ms. Greengrass, Mr. Boot, and Ms. Moon will lead from the front while Mr. Potter and I will lead from the back so make sure to keep up. Let go!" Flitwick spoke excitedly before nodding to Harry, a nod that Harry did not return.

Hermione and Ron drifted to his and the professor's side once more as they waited for their class to start moving. "You found the exit? To the real Hogwarts this time?" Hermione asked quietly when they reached the door to the next corridor.

Harry shot Flitwick a glance as he held the door open for them. Flitwick only smiled encouragingly in return.

"I…" Harry trailed off.

That's when he heard it, a soft click that echoed across the empty corridor. Harry's ears rang as he slowly turned to look behind him. At the far end of the corridor… Was the door… opening?

Harry's eyes widened as he watched for a second longer. And then he closed the door behind him and stepped into the next corridor.

He felt his ears twitch as he continued to walk forward but he didn't turn around. He just imagined it, he decided.

"Yes, we did. Six more corridors and then through the middle door twice." Harry responded confidently.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I don't know how much longer I can stay here." She said.

Ron smiled and replied, "I'm hungry, do you think they will extend lunch period for us? I don't want to go back to class right away."

"I believe I can convince McGonagal to let you off for today. I am feeling rather tired myself." Flitwick admitted. The four walked without discussion until reaching the sixth door from the corridor they were trapped in.

This was it, Harry realized.

If he was going to say anything, it had to be then. Perhaps it was already too late, thought Harry. He and Flitwick never checked the first three doors and he couldn't assume they would open to the same place on both the sides. The sixth door proved that was not always the case.

In a surge of regret, Harry opened his mouth, but no words came out. He tried once more but still could not find it within himself to say anything. He watched as Ron and Hermione joked between themselves. Or Ron saying something and Hermione scolding him.

All his classmates looked like that.

Harry's heart dropped and his eyes flinched when the door slammed shut behind him. He and Flitwick locked eyes once more, but this time there was no judgment or veiled threat in either's eyes.

A few moments later, Daphne and those in the lead reached the door in the middle and opened it. Students poured through after them with Harry and Flitwick being the last to go through.

Harry closed his eyes and took in a deep breath in the hope of calming his racing heart. With a shaking hand, Harry pushed the door closed before grabbing the handle and turning it.

Click

And the door opened.

"Hello, Harry, I am glad to see you well, I was just coming to find you," Dumbledore spoke calmly, a pleasant smile plastered on his face.

"Ah, the Headmaster! See, I told you, class, we never had anything to fear! Come along then, I expect you are all hungry and tired!" Flitwick spoke excitedly as he joined Dumbledore on the other side of the door.

There was a chorus of cheer and a few students even let out a laugh. They eagerly followed the professor out of the corridor, pushing Harry out with them. Harry escaped the crowd just outside of the door and corridor and stood, his mind slightly numb.

Harry turned to look to his right, to a moving portrait that hung at eye level just beside him.

"Hello, there!" It exclaimed. Harry ignored it.

He studied the portrait for a moment, looking for any messed-up coloring or chips. Most importantly, he studied the portrait's face. He looked for any blemishes or blurs, any distortions or mistakes.

"Harry?" Hermione called out from behind him.

"Yeah…" Harry trailed off, tearing his eyes from the painting.

"I'm coming." He finally said as he descended one of the moving staircases, increasing the distance between him and the door to the third-floor corridor.