A/N: Mine but not mine.

In years to come, Ace, Alex, Sebastian, Ciel, William, Grell, Lillian, Harry, Fuomi, Kyouya, Rene, Hika, and Kao would never quite remember how they had managed to get through their exams when they half expected Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment.

It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anti-cheating spell.

They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap dance across a desk.

Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox — points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers.

Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion.

Harry did the best he could, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in his forehead, which had been bothering him ever since his trip into the forest. Lillian thought Harry had a bad case of exam nerves because Harry couldn't sleep, but the truth was that Harry kept being woken by his old nightmare, except that it was now worse than ever because there was a hooded figure in it.

The idea of Voldemort certainly scared them, but he didn't keep visiting them in dreams, and they were so busy with their studying they didn't have much time to fret about what Quirrell or anyone else might be up to.

Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented self-stirring cauldrons and they'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Harry couldn't help cheering with the rest.

"That was far easier than I thought it would be," said Lillian, as they joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds. "I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."

Lillian always liked to go through their exam papers afterward, but Grell said this made him feel ill, so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. The Weasley Twins and Lee Jordan in Gryffindor were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows.

"No more studying," Lillian sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. "You could look more cheerful, guys, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, so there is no need to worry yet."

Harry was rubbing his forehead.

"I wish I knew what this means!" he burst out angrily. "My scar keeps hurting — it's happened before, but never as often as this."

"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Kyouya suggested.

"I'm not ill," said Harry. "I think it's a warning…it means danger's coming…"

Lillian couldn't get worked up; it was too hot.

"Harry, relax, Kyouya's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Quirrell found out how to get past Fluffy. And Grell will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down."

Harry nodded, but he couldn't shake off a lurking feeling that there was something he'd forgotten to do, something important.

When he tried to explain this, Sebastian said, "That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one."

Harry was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn't have anything to do with work, though. He watched an owl flutter toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid was the only one who ever sent him letters. Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy…never…but…

Harry suddenly jumped to his feet.

"Where're you going?" Said Grell sleepily.

"I've, just thought of something," said Harry. He had turned white. "We've got to go and Hagrid, now."

"Why?" panted Lillian, standing up as Sebastian, who was already halfway up the slope, turned back around and picked Lillian up before sprinting to catch up with Harry.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd," said Harry, scrambling up the grassy slope, "That what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?"

"What are you talking about?" said Grell, but Harry, sprinting across the grounds toward the forest, didn't answer.

Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.

"Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"

"Yes, please," said Grell but William cut him off.

"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, we've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"

"Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn' take his cloak off."

He saw the thirteen of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows.

"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head — that's one of the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."

Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas. "What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"

"Mighta come up, said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah…he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here…He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after…so I told him…an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon…an' then…I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks… Let's see…yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted…but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home…So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy…"

"And did he — did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Well — yeah — how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep —,"

Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.

"I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey — where're yeh goin'?"

The thirteen of them didn't speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the entrance hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds.

"We've got to go to Dumbledore," said Harry. "Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak — it must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Where's Dumbledore's office?"

They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.

"We'll just have to —," Harry began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.

"What are you thirteen doing inside?"

It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.

"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," said Lillian, rather bravely, the twelve thought.

"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do.

"Why?"

Harry swallowed – now what?

"It's sort of secret," he said, but he wished at once he hadn't, because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared.

""Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."

"He's gone?" said Harry frantically. "Now?"

"Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time –,"

"But this is important."

"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?"

"Look," said Harry, throwing caution to the winds, Professor — it's about the Philosopher's Stone —,"

Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't pick them up.

"How do you know —?" she spluttered.

"Professor, I think — I know— that Qu— that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore."

She eyed him with a mixture of shock and suspicion.

"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. "I don't know how you thirteen found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."

"So is Gringotts, and that's run by goblins, Professor" Ciel said remembering the Daily Prophet article. "If someone can break into a high security vault then someone can break into Hogwarts and steal the Sorcerer's Stone, don't you agree Professor McGonagall?" Sebastian said finishing the young demon earl's thought making Professor McGonagall color slightly.

"Never the less, no one can possibly steal the stone, it's too well protected." She repeated.

"But Professor —,"

"Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she said shortly. She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. "I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine."

But they didn't.

"It's tonight," said Harry, once he was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. "Quirrell's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs, and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up."

"But what can we –,"

Lillian gasped. The other twelve wheeled around.

Professor Quirrell was standing there.

[1] "Good afternoon," he said.

They stared at him.

[2] "You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he said, with an odd, twisted smile.

"We were —," Harry began, without any idea what he was going to say.

[3] "You want to be more careful," said Quirrell. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Slytherin and Ravenclaw really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?"

Harry flushed. They turned to go outside, but Quirrell called them back.

[4] "Be warned, Potter — any more nighttime wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you."

He strode off in the direction of the staffroom.

Out on the stone steps, Ace turned to the others.

"Right, here's what going to happen," she whispered urgently. "Will, Sebastian, Undertaker, and Kyouya come with me," Ace said in a serious tone as Undertaker walked in with Lillian and Fuomi behind him.

"Alex take everyone else back to the Slytherin Common Room Dungeons including Hika, Kao, Lillian, and Fuomi." William added, catching on to Ace's train of thought.

"Young Master, stay with the others make sure no one gets hurt," Sebastian Added before Ciel could argue.

After dinner the five of them sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered them; none of them wanted to risk the wrath of two Shinigami, one demon, and two low blood pressure students who were napping upstairs in Kyouya's bed, after all.

This wasn't the first night they were bothered by it.

William was skimming through all his notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments they were about to try to break. Undertaker and Sebastian didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do.

Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.

"Better get Kyoya and Ace up," Sebastian muttered, as Harry finally left, stretching and yawning dragging Grell's carcass to the room Will and he shared by his hair.

Undertaker nodded and ran upstairs to the dark dormitory woke Ace and Kyouya up and dragged the two down to the common room.

"What are you doing?" said a voice from the corner of the room. Grell appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Lillian's cat, which looked as though he'd been making another bid for freedom.

"Nothing Grell, nothing," said Sebastian trying to usher the Shinigami back to bed.

"Grell stared at their guilty faces.

"You're going out again," she said

"No, no, no," said Sebastian. "No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Grell?"

William looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn't afford to waste any more time, Quirrell might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep.

"You can't go out," said Grell, "You'll be caught again. Slytherin will be in even more trouble."

"You don't understand," said Harry, "This is important."

But Grell was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate.

"I won't let you do it," he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll — I'll fight you!"

"Grell," Ace exploded, "Get away from that hole and don't be an idiot —"

"Don't you call me an idiot!" said Grell. "I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"

"Yes, but not tous," said Ace in exasperation. "Grell, you don't know what you're doing."

She took a step forward and Grell dropped Lillian's cat, which slunk out of sight.

"Go on then, try and hit me!" said Grell, raising his fists. "I'm ready!"

Sebastian turned to Ace.

"Do something," he said desperately.

Ace stepped forward.

"Grell I'm really, really, sorry about this."

She raised her wand.

"Petrificus Totalus!" she cried, pointing it at Grell.

Grell's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board.

Ace ran to turn him over. Grell's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror.

"What've you done to him?" Sebastian whispered.

"It's the full Body-Bind," said Ace miserably. "Oh, Grell, I'm so sorry."

"We had to, Grell, no time to explain," said Kyouya.

"You'll understand later, Grell," said William as they stepped over him.

But leaving Grell lying motionless on the floor didn't feel like a very good omen. In their nervous state, every statue's shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on them. At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top.

"Oh, let's kick her, just this once," William whispered in Ace's ear, but Ace shook her head.

As they climbed carefully around her, Mrs. Norris turned her lamp like eyes on them, but didn't do anything.

They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.

"Who's there?" he said suddenly as they climbed toward him. He narrowed his wicked black eyes. "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?"

He rose up in the air and floated there, squinted at them.

"Should call Filch, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen."

Undertaker had a sudden idea.

"Peeves," he said, in a hoarse whisper, "the Undertaker has his own reasons for being invisible."

Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock. He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs.

So sorry, your Shinigamness , Mr. Undertaker, Sir," he said greasily. "My mistake, my mistake — I didn't see you — of course I didn't, you're invisible — forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir."

I have business here, Peeves," croaked Harry. "Stay away from this place tonight."

"I will, sir, I most certainly will," said Peeves, rising up in the air again. "Hope your businessgoes well Undertaker, I'll not bother you."

And he scooted off.

"Brilliant, Undertaker!" whispered William.

A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor — and the door was already ajar.

"Well, there you are," Ace said quietly, "Quirrell's already got past Fluffy."

Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon all three of them what was facing them.

Ace pushed the door open.

As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them.

"What's that at its feet?" Kyouya whispered.

"Looks like a harp," said William, "Quirrell must have left it there."

"It must wake up the moment you stop playing," said Ace. "Well, here goes…"

Ace started to sing they couldn't tell what song it was but Kyouya must have know it because he joined in as well, but most importantly, it was working from the first note the beast's eyes began to droop. Ace and Kyouya hardly drew breath. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased — it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.

"Keep singing you two," Sebastian warned Ace and Kyouya, as they crept closer to the trapdoor. They could feel the dog's hot smelly breath as the approached the giant heads. "I think we'll be able to pull the door open," said William, peering over the dog's back "Want to go first Sebastian?"

"No, I don't!"

"All right." William gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog's legs. He bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open.

"What can you see?" Ace sang anxiously.

"Nothing — just black — there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop." William said

Kyouya, who was still singing with Ace, waved at William, to get his attention and pointed at himself.

"You want to go first? Are you sure?" said William. "I don't know how deep this thing goes. Give the lyrics to Sebastian so he can keep him asleep."

Kyoya and Ace stopped singing. In the few seconds' silence, the dog growled and twitched, but the moment Sebastian and Ace began to sing, it fell back into its deep sleep.

Kyouya climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor. There was no sign of the bottom.

He lowered himself through the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips. Then he looked up at William and Undertaker and said, ""If anything happens to me, don't follow right?"

"Right," said William, and Undertaker.

"See you in a minute, I hope…"

And Kyouya let go. Cold, damp air rushed past him as he fell down, down, down and

FLUMP

With a funny, muffled sort of thump he landed on something soft. He sat up and felt around, his eyes not used to the gloom. It felt as though he was sitting on some sort of plant.

"It's okay!" he called up to the light the size of a postage stamp, which was the open trapdoor, "it's a soft landing, you can jump!"

William followed right away then Undertaker. He landed, sprawled next to Kyouya.

"What's this stuff?" were their first words.

"Dunno, some sort of plant thing. I suppose it's here to break the fall.

"Come on, Sebastian, Ace!"

The distant singing stopped. There was a loud bark from the dog, but Sebastian and Ace had already jumped. They landed on the other side of Kyouya

"We must be miles under the school," Ace said.

"Lucky this plant thing's here, really," said William.

"Lucky!" shrieked Ace. "Look at you four!"

She leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around her ankles.

As for the other's their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing.

Acehad managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her. Now she watched in horror as the four boys fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them.

"Stop moving!" Ace ordered them. "I know what this is — it's Devil's Snare!"

"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help," snarled Sebastian, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck.

"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" said Ace.

"Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" Undertaker gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around his chest.

"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare…what did Professor Sprout say? — it likes the dark and the damp."

"So light a fire!" Sebastian, Undertaker, William, and Kyoya choked.

"Yes — of course — but there's no wood!" Ace cried, wringing her hands.

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Kyouya bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"

"Oh, right!" said Ace, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something, and sent a jet of bluebell flames at the plant. In a matter of seconds, the four boys felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies, and they were able to pull free.

"Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Ace," said Sebastian as he joined her by the wall, wiping sweat off his face.

"Yeah," said William, "and lucky Kyouya doesn't lose his head in a crisis — 'there's no wood,' honestly."

"This way," said Ace,pointing down a stone passageway, which was the only way forward.

All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and William was reminded of Gringotts. With an unpleasant jolt of the heart, he remembered the dragons said to be guarding vaults in the wizards' bank. If they met a dragon, a fully-grown dragon — Norbert had been bad enough…

"Can you hear something?" Sebastian whispered.

Ace listened. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.

"Do you think it's a ghost?"

"I don't know…sounds like wings to me."

"There's light ahead — I can see something moving."

They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.

"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" said Undertaker.

"Probably," said Kyouya. "They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once…well, there's no other choice…I'll run."

He took a deep breath, covered his face with his arms, and sprinted across the room. He expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at him any second, but nothing happened. He reached the door untouched. He pulled the handle, but it was locked.

The other two followed him. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Ace tried her Alohomora charm.

"Now what?" Said William.

"These birds…they can't be here just for decoration," Said Ace

They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering –glittering?

"They're not birds!" said Sebastian suddenly. "They're key's! Winged keys — look carefully. So that must mean…" he looked around the chamber while the other four squinted up at the flock of keys. "…yes — look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!"

"But there are hundredsof them!"

Undertaker examined the lock on the door.

"We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one — probably silver, like the handle."

They each seized a broomstick and kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. They grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one.

Not for nothing, though, was Sebastian William and Ace the best on a broom in a century.

"They had a knack for spotting things other people didn't.

After a minute's weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, they noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed roughly into the keyhole.

"That one!" Sebastian called to the others. "That big one — there — no, there — with bright blue wings — the feathers are all crumpled on one side."

Kyouya went speeding in the direction that Sebastian was pointing, crashed into the ceiling, and nearly fell off his broom.

"We've got to close in on it!" Sebastian called, not taking his eyes off the key with the damaged wing. "Undertaker, Kyouya, you come at it from above — William, Ace, stay below and stop it from going down and I'll try and catch it. Right, NOW!"

Undertaker, and Kyouya dived, William and Ace rocketed upward, the key dodged them both, and Sebastian streaked after it; it sped toward the wall, Sebastian leaned forward and with a nasty, crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand. Undertaker, and William, Ace, and Kyouya's cheers echoed around the high chamber.

They landed quickly, and Harry ran to the door, the key struggling in his hand. He rammed it into the lock and turned – it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice.

"Ready?" Sebastian asked the other four, his hands on the door handle. They nodded. He 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. The five shivered slightly – the towering white chessmen had no faces.

"Now what do we do?" Ace whispered.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ace "We've got to play our way across the room."

Behind the white pieces they could see another door.

"How?" said Kyouya looking nervous

"I think," said Sebastian, "We're going to have to be chessmen"

"Count me and Kyouya out as being chess pieces," Ace said, "We like to play the game but not play in the game"

Ace and Kyouya did rock, paper, scissors to decide who would be black and who would be white and who would be black and who would be white. Ace won.

She 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 Ace.

"Do we — er — have to join you to get across?"The black knight nodded. Ace turned to Sebastian, William, and Undertaker.

"This needs thinking about…" she said. "I suppose you've got to take the place of three of the black pieces…"

Sebastian, William, and Undertaker stayed quiet, watching Ace think. Finally she said, "Now don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess —,"

"We're not offended," said Undertaker quickly. "Just tell us what to do."

"Well, William, you take the place of that bishop, and Undertaker, you go there instead of that castle."

"What about Sebastian?" Undertaker said looking at Ace.

"I'll be a knight," Sebastian said.

Ace nodded and 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 William, Sebastian, and Undertaker took.

"Kyouya you move first,"Ace said nodding to Kyouya who ordered a white pawn forward two spaces.

Ace started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. William's knees were trembling. What if they lost?

"William — move diagonally four squares to the right." Ace said to William

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 quite still, facedown.

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

Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Sebastian only just noticed in time that William, Undertaker were in danger. He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones on Ace's order's.

"We're nearly there," Ace muttered suddenly. "Let me think — let me think…"

The white queen turned her blank face toward Sebastian.

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

"NO!" William, Kyouya, Undertaker, and Ace shouted.

"That's chess!" snapped Sebastian. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I make my move and she'll take me — that leaves you free to checkmate the king, William"

"But –," William started to say as Ace interrupted him,

"Do you want to stop Quirrell or not?" Ace snapped

"Sebastian –,"

"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!"

There was no alternative.

"Ready?" Sebastian called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go — now, don't hang around once you've won."

"Just drop it," Ace said to William, Undertaker, and Kyouya. "Or did you forget what his is and he'd be fine"

He stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Sebastian hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor — Ace screamed but stayed off of the board — the white queen dragged Sebastian to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out.

Shaking, Undertaker moved three spaces to the left.

The white king took off his crown and threw it at Undertaker's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. Sebastian stood up and running over to where the other's were waiting. The five charged through the door and up the next passageway.

"What do you reckon's next?"

"We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare; Flitwick must've put charms on the keys; McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive; that leaves Quirrell's spell, and Snape's." said Sebastian

They had reached another door.

"All right?" Ace whispered.

"Go on." Said Kyouya

Harry pushed it open.

A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making the five of them pull their robes up over their noses.

Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll out cold with a bloody lump on its head.

"I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one," Ace said as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. "Come on, I can't breathe."

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

The five 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.

"Look!" Ace seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. The other four listened as she read it:

"Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,
One of us will help you, which ever you would find,
One among us seven will let you move ahead,
Two among our number hold only nettle wine,
Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line.
Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,
To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:
First, however slyly the poison tries to hide
You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;
Second, different are those who stand at either end,
But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;
Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,
Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;
Fourth, the second left and the second on the right
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight."

Ace let out a great sigh and Sebastian, amazed, saw that she was smiling, the very last thing he felt like doing.

"Brilliant," said Ace. "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."

"But so will we, won't we?" asked Kyouya

"Of course not," said Ace. "Everything we need is here on this paper. Six bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire"

"But how do we know which to drink?" Asked William

"Give me a minute."

Ace read the paper several times. Then she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands.

"Got it,"she said."The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire — toward the Stone."

The four looked at the tiny bottle.

"There's barely enough there for all of us," William said. "That's hardly one swallow each."

Ace took a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. They turned to face the black flames.

"Here we come," they said, and he drained the little bottle in five sips, each taking a sip.

It felt like ice was flooding their bodies. Ace put the bottle down and they walked forward; they braced themselves, saw the black flames licking their body, but couldn't feel them — for a moment they could see nothing but dark fire — then they were on the other side, in the last chamber.

A/N: Now to explain the numbers in the brackets they were Snape's lines in the chapter and I thought they would be fun to add here. Also I know I said this is the second to last chapter, but I lied, The Final Showdown! Demons and Shinigami vs Voldemort.