AN: Replies to Reviews: I understand why some people feel that Haydrien is too powerful/Mary Sue. If you compare Neville's style to Haydrien's, you might see his weakness, a rather big one for the world they live in. I won't be coming out and saying what it is until much later in the story, but it is there if you want to see it.

Also, no I will not be taking this story down.

Chapter 9: Deathly Traps

Exams had swept in distracting the quartette from the recent revelations. Hermione had color coded study schedules for each of them. They each lead different study sessions based on their own strengths. Haydrien brought history alive, more than the ghostly professor ever could. Neville practiced spells with them for Defense Against the Dark Arts and went over all the plants for Herbology. Hermione spoke of the theory behind Charms and Transfiguration while Ron worked with them on practical side.

Hours and days faded as Hermione's nerves grew waiting to prove herself. She may have entered Hogwarts having only recently learned of magic, but she was determined to leave first year at the top of her class.

~XxXxX~

Hermione stepped into the great hall as dinner was starting. Her eyes immediately locked on Neville as she walked to his side. Neville cocked his head at the strange smile adorning her face.

"Come with me," she whispered in his ear before grabbing his hand and tugging towards the door.

"What's going on?" he asked. Hermione didn't answer. Neville cast a concerned look at Haydrien who had been sitting a couple seats away from him as she continued to pull him to the door. Haydrien gave a short nod back and then stood and slipped out a side door near the head table.

Hermione kept pulling Neville down the hall and towards the staircases. She didn't say another word or answer him. Haydrien stalked after them, running into Ron who was just about to enter the great hall.

"It's Hermione," was all Haydrien said as he followed the pair of friends, Ron now at his heels.

"Hermione, stop," Neville said, pulling his hand from hers. She turned towards him slowly, hands outstretched.

"There is something wrong with her," Haydrien said. Neville stepped away from the brunette.

"You will come with me," Hermione said. Her hazel eyes were expressionless and the smile slid off her face. "You will come with me or I will die." Three mouths fell open.

"What have you done to her?" Haydrien growled, taking a dangerous step forward only for Neville to push him back.

"I am Hermione. I will be released if you do what he says." Neville pushed Haydrien farther behind him with his left hand. His right hand went to the now concealed left wrist. He ran his thumb over the jagged edge of a charm, drawing a drop of blood, before yanking it off it's cord.

"Okay," he answered. Hermione turned and started up the stairs, three boys following. No one noticed the cracked and bloodied charm on the ground from when Neville had been standing.

~XxXxX~

The group walked up three sets of stairs and saw the empty painting before turning down the hall. Hermione stopped in front of a door that was thrown open.

"Black, take care of the dog," Hermione said, motioning him in with a hand. Haydrien fell into a mock bow with his eyes never leaving her.

"Of course," he sneered. His hands were balled into fists at his sides and anger radiating off of his body. He then strode into the room, shoulder relaxed and eyes almost smiling. "Come on guys," he said over his shoulder. Neville, Ron, and lastly Hermione walked into the room. The large three headed dog stepped forward.

"Hey Fluffy," Haydrien greeted, holding out a hand. The dog nuzzled the hand with each of his heads one at a time.

"Have him move off the door," Hermione commanded in the same dead voice. Haydrien turned towards her, all cold eyes and steely nature.

"No. Release Hermione and then I'll have Fluffy move."

"That's not how this works, Black." Before anyone couldn't move, Hermione pulled back her left hand and slammed the fist into the stone. She then showed the limb to her company. The bones of the fingers were sticking out at odd angles and the skin was missing from the knuckles which were also cracked. Blood dripped from it.

"You will do what you're told or your mudblood will pay the price for your hesitation," the words fell from her mouth.

"How do we know that this is even really Hermione's body and not just a trick?" Ron asked.

"Are you willing to take such a risk with your friend?" Hermione replied.

"It's her," Haydrien said before turning back to the dog. He mumbled something to which Fluffy whined. Haydrien smacked the tip of the nose of the middle head and pointed towards the corner. Fluffy whined again but went and sat where he was told.

Haydrien hauled the trap door open and looked to the puppet/witch. Her hand pointed down and he grumbled as he dropped into the whole.

"All of you," Hermione clarified. Neville and Ron followed Haydrien. Black vines encases the lot, pulling them slowly into its depths.

"What is this?" Ron called.

"Devil's Snare," Neville said and then cursed.

"What?"

"We need to get out of here now," Neville pressed on. "It carnivorous."

Neville cast a bright light, the one used to blind the troll, and the vines turned to dust in front of him. He pulled his friends to a door and and out of the room with the floor already growing new Devil's Snare.

"What the hell?" Ron asked once they were safe.

"It's a very rare and man-killing plant," Neville explained.

"What is this doing in Hogwarts?" Ron pressed. Haydrien looked to the still controlled Hermione.

"I'm sure we're going to find out," he said.

~XxXxX~

Torches flickered to life around large room. There was a door at their backs, the one they used to escape the Devil's Snare and another one on the other side of the room. It was otherwise empty. Hermione pointed to the other door with a raised eyebrow.

"Come on then," she said. Neville stepped forward and tried the door.

"It's locked," he answered.

"Are you a wizard or not, boy-who-lived?" His eyes narrowed, but he turned back to the door.

"Alohomora." The change was instantaneous, but not the one they were expecting. Gravity lost it's power and the young wizards and witch began to float in the air. Neville grabbed onto the door handle to stop from drifting away.

"Now what?" Neville shouted at the floating witch.

"Why don't you try something stronger than a child's spell," she hissed.

"Reducto," he said, wand trained on the door. It was not as strong as full grown wizard, but more than any of his classmates could have manage. A pulse went out from the door and each body stiffened. Haydrien and Neville ground their teeth together as the following pulse brought pain. Ron whimpered. Hermione was silent.

"That worked well," Neville spat when the backlash ceased. Ron clinged to one of the torches, stopping his continual movement and hopefully settling his stomach. He was glad that he had yet to have dinner.

Haydrien pushed off the ceiling and launched himself at the door. Neville held out a hand and he gladly grabbed on. Haydrien eyed the door.

"Anyone got a key?" he asked. Neville rolled his eyes and was about to ask how anyone would have the key to this door, when Ron laughed.

"Actually I do," Ron said. "Magicals," he laughed.

"Really?" Neville snapped. "You had the key this whole time?"

"Not exactly," he answered, eyeing the space between him and the door. He swung his body to the torch on the other side, slowly making progress to it. From there, he pushed himself towards the door, both Neville and Haydrien settling him. Ron pulled out two long metal pieces from the inside pocket of his robes and smiled at the boys.

"I have the key to every magical keyhole," he said. Sticking the metal into the lock he started fiddling with the rollers. "Almost, almost," he whispered, then, "hold me still." The wizards at his side complied and Ron drew his wand. Ron placed the tip of his wand between the two metal sticks, touching both.

"Alohomora." There was a click inside the door and the gravity was turned back on. They all fell to the floor as the door opened.

"How did you do that?" Neville asked as he picked himself up. Ron smirked.

"Mixture of muggle and magical means," he said. "Magical doors have magical keys, but they don't protect the inside of the door from an unlocking charm."

"Nice," Haydrien praised, but then shot a glance at the witch behind them. "What are we going to do?"

"Help is on the way," Neville whispered back before stepping through the door.

"The charm?" Haydrien raised an eyebrow. Neville nodded and walked into the next room.

~XxXxX~

In the great hall, Flitwick stopped mid-sentence. The half-goblin's eyes went wide. He slipped out of his seat and went to the Headmaster's side.

"We have a problem," he whispered. Dumbledore's face went pale as he understood the meaning.

That was when Mad-Eye Moody and Mrs. Longbottom entered the great hall.

~XxXxX~

"This isn't good," Haydrien said, eyeing the five stone knights that started to move when they entered. They had drawn their swords and were advancing.

"Maybe we should go back," Ron said, still holding the previous door open. Floating was better than getting crushed in his book.

"No," Hermione snapped. "We go forward." She pointed to an inconspicuous door behind the knights. Haydrien sighed and crouched down.

"Neville?" he said.

"We'll fight the knights. Ron, you get that next door open," Neville commanded, pulling out his wand. Hermione leaned against the wall and watched the boys.

Haydrien sprung from the floor towards the knight, feet meeting the thing's head and pushing off again. The knight stumbled backwards before swing his sword at the boy.

Neville shot explosive spell at two knights, taking chunks off, but not slowing them down. Ron ducked his way around another one and made it to the door. Locked, of course. He started fiddling with it when the fifth knight grabbed him.

"Hey," Ron yelped. Neville and Haydrien exchanged a glance. Neville darted to Ron rescue as Haydrien grabbed Hermione from the wall and pulled her to the where the other were.

"Plan?" Neville asked once he had taken the arm off the knight, leaving both Ron and the hand to fall to the ground.

"I need two minutes," Ron said. "Can you hold them back that long?" The two wizards noded.

~XxXxX~

Dumbledore entered the third floor corridor with his four heads of house as well as Mrs. Longbottom and Moody. No one spoke as Dumbledore traced a complicated pattern on the door before it hissed and opened.

Inside, Fluffy sat in the corner and whined. The trap door was still open.

"How could this have happened, Albus?" Mrs. Longbottom accused.

"I intend to find out," he said, then looked to the Head of Hufflepuff. "Pomona?" Professor Sprout stepped forward and dropped into the hole.

"Come on then," she shouted back. When each had fallen into the soft and restaining plant, she cast a light and the vines retreated. She led the party to door and opened it for them.

The group entered a plain room with nothing but torches lit around the walls and a door on the other side. Professor Flitwick stepped forward. He reached into the neck of his shirt and pulled a necklace out from beneath his clothing. A key dangled from the silk rope that glowed slightly as he slipped it over his head. The key was fitted into the keyhole and the door opened.

~XxXxX~

"Got it," Ron announced. He yanked the door open and they fell through it, shutting it behind them and hearing it lock once more.

They looked severely worn by this point. One of the swords had gotten Haydrien and broke his arm. Neville had an number of scratches and bruises. Ron had twisted his ankle when he fell from the knights clutches and Hermione's hand was still bleeding.

"What now?" Neville complained as torches lit around another empty room.

"Forward," Hermione hissed. Haydrien growled and Ron stepped forward.

Click. Potions spilled into room from holes at the bottom of the two side walls. One side was pouring in blue liquid and the other side was pouring in green.

~XxXxX~

Four wizards and three witches entered a room to see seven stone knights. McGonagall waved her wand and they froze. She pulled her own key from her neck and strode towards the door.

~XxXxX~

The group pulled into the center of the room, the potions steadily make their way to them and each other. Haydrien ripped a corner off of his shirt and threw it into the blue liquid. It floated with no other effect. He repeated it with the green and the same results.

A look passed between the boys before Haydrien bent down and touched each-they were only a couple feet apart at this point. He lifted his hands, bits of the thin potions clinging to his fingertips. He shrugged and wiped it on his pants.

"So it doesn't do anything?" Neville asked. The green and blue potions met in the middle of the room and started steaming around the group. It wasn't hot and it didn't burn. It just filled the room with an aqua fog without limiting vision.

"That's odd," Ron pointed out.

"Keep move-" Hermione started but then was dissolved into a scream.

"Hermione," the boys called and lurched forward. The witch in question pulled her left hand to her chest as tears fell down her face.

"It hurts," she cried. A voice in the corner hissed a curse. The four teens looked up to see a Professor Quirrell flickering into existence.

"Quirrell?" Ron questioned.

"He's the one who was controlling Hermione," Haydrien spat, stepping in front of the girl.

"Why?" The question barely left Ron's lips before pain pulsed in Neville's head.

"The orders haven't changed," Quirrell snapped. "Forward or the girl dies." Neville leveled his wand with the wizard.

"No," he answered. Quirrell sneered and snapped his own wand forward, a purple light leaving the tip and then disappearing.

"What?" the professor cursed. Haydrien began to laugh.

"Magical inhibiting," he said. "Brilliant." The professor tried a few more spells, neither making it through the fog.

Hermione buried deeper into Ron's arms, not able to stop the tears or to think through the sharp pain in her hand. It had been hell being trapped in her own head as that thing used her to threaten her friends. The pain signals from her hand having made it even harder for her to focus on what was happening outside of the small corners of her mind. The pain didn't cease when she was released, rather now she was able to express it.

"Open that door," Quirrell commanded. Next to Ron, Hermione whimpered.

"No," Ron answered, anger coloring his tone. Neville and Haydrien stood between them and the professor.

"Let me see them with my own eyes, fool," a hiss voice called. Quirrell's movements were jerky as his hands pulled his turban away. A hideous face stared at them from the back of the professor's head.

"I am Lord Voldemort," the extra face hissed. "You will obey me or I will make you and your mudblood pay dearly."

"Fuck you," Haydrien said, stepping forward. A growl escaped his lips as his fist connected with the dark lord. Haydrien had been wound tight from the moment he had seen Hermione being controlled. The rage grew when that bastard broke her hand. When Voldemort lost control over her and subsequently any magical options, Haydrien was ready to let loose some of that building rage.

~XxXxX~

The sight of Haydrien punching a clearly possessed professor in the apparitions face and pulling back to repeat the task, brought a smile to Moody's face. Of course there was little time to admire the gall of the boy.

Mrs. Longbottom burst forward and created magical rope that arced around the children and pulled them into the nearest corner. The witch herself then stood in front of the them, wand at the ready, as the mist evaporated. Voldemort started firing hard curses as the staff pouring into the room. Sprout took up guarding the children with Mrs. Longbottom allowing the more offensive McGonagall and Flitwick to press forward. Snape had made himself scarce before they opened the door, in an effort to not create possible problems need he continue to play spy.

The two professors were handling their own well enough, not letting anything get through them to their charges. However, the effort to block all the spells instead of dodging, meant they could not make much progress against the wizard.

There was a slowing to Quirrell movements as sweat dripped down his brow, Voldemort yelling instructions. With Dumbledore and Moody both pressing in, Voldemort let out a scream and then vacated the body. Shields were drawn up to keep the ghost from entering any of them, but little more could be done to the spirit.

The spirit shrieked and then was gone.

"Bloody hell," Ron murmured in the ensuing silence.

"Indeed," Haydrien chuckled. This brought the adult's attention back to the children. Mrs. Longbottom quickly had crushed Neville in a hug. McGonagall and Sprout were taking inventory of the injuries.

"I think it is best to get them up to Poppy and healed. Then we can find out just what happened here," Dumbledore said.

~XxXxX~

Snape had cleared a path for them, herding curious students away and allowing them privacy to the hospital wing. Poppy thought of making a joke to Haydrien about enchanted trees when she saw the broken arm, but the grim faced professors had her too worried about the children in her care.

Hermione's hand was too far broken to be healed as quickly as Haydrien's arm. Poppy gave her a potion for the pain and stopped the flow of blood. That would have to do until they could tell their story. Afterwards the girl would have to have the bones vanished and regrown.

"What happened?" Moody gruffly pulled them to the topic at hand.

"Well…" Neville started, looking at Hermione.

"Perhaps from the beginning?" Sprout suggested. The three teen boys looked at the female among them. She took a deep breath.

"I was on my way to dinner, when…" Hermione paused, configuring her thoughts. "Well it was like one moment I was worried about exams and the next I didn't care about anything. It was like I was floating, I guess, except my feet never left the floor. I remembered-maybe-that I needed to get Neville, that it was very important that he come with me.

"So I walked into dinner and I asked him to come with me." She stopped again and looked at the boys. "Then you told me to stop and Haydrien said there was something wrong with me." She looked to the latter of the two. "I was so confused. I was happy and wanted you to come but then what you were saying wasn't making sense. Then it changed." Her eyes slide close, but Haydrien caught the haunted look hiding there.

"It was like I was roughly shoved aside from the reigns of my own body. It wasn't prompting me, it had taken over." A shiver ran through her body. "I could hear, I could see, but I had no control." Her breath came faster. With her eyes closed it was too easy to return to that place. Hermione's eyes snapped open, fear blazing in the hazel orbs. Haydrien took her uninjured hand and she looked to him.

"It's okay," he whispered. "You're okay."

"I'm so sorry," she said as tears spilled over onto her cheeks. "I tried to stop it. I tried but then it broke my hand and it was too much. I'm so sorry."

"Shh," Haydrien cooed and looked to the adults. He didn't know how else to soothe the hysterical witch. Poppy came to his rescue.

"I think you have had quite the day," the sweet medi-witch said. "And I think it's time we get that hand fixed." Poppy led the witch to the cot furthest from the party and had her lay down.

A calming draught was brought to Hermione's lips and then Skele-grow and a sleeping potion once the bones were vanished. Hermione slid sweetly into rest.

~XxXxX~

"He used her to control you boys?" Moody asked. Ron scowled and Haydrien growled.

"Yes, sir," Neville bit out. "Made us go through that death trap."

"Death trap?" Mrs. Longbottom narrowed her eyes at the headmaster.

"They were simply designed to keep the item safe," Dumbledore answered. "They would prevent one from moving forward, but otherwise hold the person-not kill them."

"Devil's snare," Neville shot back with a raised eyebrow. Sprout looked at her favorite pupil and smiled.

"Actually, that was Lilith's Snare," Sprout said. "It was a version of Devil's Snare that specifically manipulated to restrain, but not kill. It's true that with enough of a fight, one could die as the plant would not willing release." Haydrien snorted.

"Interesting name," he said when the eyes turned to him.

"Anyways," Neville continued. "You saw what it was. A Voldemort possessed Quirrell took control of Hermione and was forcing us to fight our way through. It wasn't until we hit that last room with the mist that Hermione was able to break free." The adults nodded.

"I want that thing out," McGonagall hissed at Dumbledore. He nodded slowly.

"Yes, of course. I will reach out to Flamel in the morning. He will most likely want it destroyed instead of the other possibilities," he replied.

"That should have been done in the first place," she huffed.

Sprout and Flitwick shot each other amused glances behind their fiery friend's back. They understood her argument of the children's safety first. However, could also see the headmaster's point in not destroying great works of magic when it could be helped. Though this incident had shown that they could not have it both ways and the next generation would always come first.

AN: I like the thought of the adults being adults, trying to actually take care of the charges, but that not being enough sometimes. An evil!Dumbledore is fun, but I like the challenge of having him do everything to be the beacon of the Light Side he was originally portrayed as and still failing to fully protect the young in his care. We shall see how it goes.

Let me know if you have any questions. If you are logged in I'll PM you, otherwise I'll answer in chapters if I feel it needs to be said. Thank you and enjoy.