A/N Thank you so much for your support guys! I still get really excited every time I get an email telling me someone favourite/followed this tory. I'd really appreciate it if you found time to tell me what you think about the story. Thanks!
Harry
Draco wouldn't be happy that he had spoken to Hermione but it was for his own good. Harry was really worried about his friend and hoped that Draco would forgive his interfering. Now all he had to do was figure out how to convince Draco to come with him to meet Hermione.
Draco
Almost all the Slytherins had left the common room and it was almost time. He hadn't worked out exactly what he was going to say to Harry yet but he'd figure it out
ooo
Hermione
She had been waiting for ages now. She was about to head back to the common room when she heard a noise. Harry and Draco appeared out of thin air and headed towards the Great Hall. They seemed to be arguing about something.
"Come on Harry" said Draco, clearly frustrated.
"No. We have to stay here."
"Why? Let's go have fun."
Harry glanced around at the shadows, shrugged apologetically, and ran off after Draco.
Hermione was left fuming. Harry knew she was there, she'd risked everything to come and help him and then Draco had just left. How dare he? Without thinking, just wanting to show him she wouldn't be stood up, she followed them.
Harry
Things had gone a little awry but at least Draco seemed to be feeling better. He could explain to Hermione in the morning.
They ran along corridors, up staircases. Draco seemed to know where he was going so Harry followed him.
"Where are we going?" he panted.
"There's this really cool room I wanted to show you, we're nearly there" Draco replied. Suddenly they came to a locked door. Draco pulled out his wand.
"Alohomora"
The door swung open and they crept in. Harry jumped back in shock. There was a huge, three headed dog snoring. In the corner a harp was strumming itself.
"This wasn't here before" muttered Draco. "Quick"
"Draco, I don't think-"
"C'mon"
"Well okay then"
"Draco practically pushed him down the trapdoor.
Hermione
She watched them jump down. They were such idiots. She certainly wasn't going to hang around and get caught. She turned to leave, but as she took a step towards the door she heard a low growl. She froze, her heart pounding. Slowly she turned around. The ginormous dog was waking up. She freaked out, and jumped through the trapdoor.
The sudden jolt of impact cut off her scream, and she shakily whispered "lumos" and a light filled the dark room they were in.
"Mudblood what are you doing here?" Draco snarled, his face pale, his eyes darting around. It was the first time she'd seen him not in control.
"Draco it's fine, I spoke to her, and we were going to see her, and then-" He was cut off as Hermione started to shout and ran towards the door. The two boys tried to struggle up, but they had been caught, entangled in the limbs of some kind of plant. Draco and Harry writhed around shouting. Hermione started to panic.
"It's Devil's Snare. Devil's Snare. What do I do? How do I kill it?"
"Stop. If it's Devil's Snare, it's afraid of heat, light." Said Draco, slightly rational and trying not to struggle.
"So light a fire" shouted Harry.
"Of course. Right" She muttered an incantation and a jet of bluebell fire shot out her wand.
The plant began to shrivel up, letting go of the boys. She was a little embarassed she'd needed Draco to remind her, but at least they were safe.
Draco
Why was she here? He didn't want her to be hurt. Now she was here and he was leading her straight to Him.
"Looks like you have some uses after all Mudblood" Why did he do that? She had just saved his life. He owed Hermione. "I mean, Granger"
"This way" said Harry, pointing to the door, clearly wanting to distance himself from the homicidal plant.
As they went through the door they heard a clinking sound, and in the next room saw what looked like a flock of small birds flitting around a tall room. On closer inspection they saw that the birds were actually winged keys.
"So I guess we just have to get the right key for the lock?" asked Harry.
"How?" Hermione asked
Three broomsticks appeared.
"Up for a game, seeker?" Draco nudged Harry.
Harry
Catching the key was easy. It was slower than a snitch, and once Draco had pointed out which one matched the lock, he snatched it out of the air and ran to the lock.
The silence was the first thing they noticed about the next room. It was dark, and on either side of the room giant chess pieces stood. They saw the door on the far side of the room, behind the white pieces.
"So what, do we just walk across?" As he asked, Harry stepped out onto the chessboard. Immediately one of the white pawns drew his swords.
"Harry" whispered Hermione nervously.
"Yeah, I know. So do we have to play our way across?"
"Harry why would you even want to get across? Maybe we should just wait here for Dumbledore? Draco tell him we should wait here." She turned to Draco, who had not said much recently.
Draco
It was a nightmare, the worst nightmare. He didn't know what to do. There was only one thing he could do. They had to keep going.
"Nah, I think we should keep going. Have a bit of an adventure and all that" He strode up to one of the black knights.
"Do we have to swap places with you?" In answer the knight dismounted, and disappeared into the shadows.
"Right" said Draco, climbing onto the horse. Harry went up to a bishop and tapped him on the shoulder whereupon the bishop also faded into the darkness.
He couldn't do this to her. But worse to abandon her. At least if he was with her he could defend her.
He turned and looked questioningly at Hermione.
"Fine" she huffed. "Where should I go?"
"Umm how about you go where that rook is?"
Draco soon proved he was skilled at chess, darting around the board, capturing pieces, and keeping Harry and Hermione safe.
"This is barbaric!" Gasped Hermione as they watched the other knight get smashed to pieces.
"Oh yeah? Harry, move three places diagonally left."
Harry complied, and then the white knight jumped within one jump of Hermione.
"Draco-" She stuttered in fear. He looked over at her. She was quivering with fear and he wanted to run over to her, but he had to finish this. And then-
He had to think, had to be sure. He wouldn't let her be hurt. One tiny mistake, that's all it would take. Otherwise-. No. he wouldn't think about that. He was a Malfoy. He would not make a mistake. She would be safe.
Draco moved.
"Checkmate" He announced, his voice echoing around the hall. Slowly the white king pulled off his crown and threw it to the floor. It rolled and then hit Draco's foot and fell. The king moved aside.
"Come on"
This time there was no argument. None of them wanted to stay there any longer.
Harry
The smell was overwhelmingly awful. There was a huge mountain troll, far bigger than the one they had fought, lying dead on the floor. It confirmed the secret fear he had had since the keys, someone had been here before them. He needed to know. Why was all this here? Who was ahead of them? And what was waiting for them at the end of all these rooms?
They peered through the doorway into the room. It looked less dangerous than the last few, just a table with 7 bottles on it. They went through. Immediately flames sprung up in the doorway behind them.
What do we do here? Harry asked.
Hermione picked up a scroll lying beside the bottles. "Here. It says-
Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,
Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,
One among us seven will let you move ahead,
Another will transport the drinker back instead,
Two among our number hold only nettle wine,
Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.
Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,
To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:
First, however slyly the poison tries to hide
You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;
Second, different are those who stand 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
"It's a logic puzzle"
"I don't get it" said Harry "How do we know what to do?"
"It's easy" said Hermione. "Give me a second"
She walked up and down the line of potions muttering to herself while Draco watched intently.
"Got it" she said a few moments later. "It's obvious. The smallest bottle-"
"Will get us through the next door and the round bottle on the end leads back the way we came." interrupted Draco.
Hermione
He had interrupted her. But wait, he'd figured it out too? This was muggle logic, no magic involved. Hardly the kind of thing she'd have expected Draco Malfoy to get.\
Harry looked amazed and Draco was smirking slightly.
"But there's only a tiny bit in the small bottle" she said.
"Exactly. Which is why you are going back to get Dumbledore."
She would do nothing of the kind. Who did he think he was to tell her what to do?
Draco
It was perfect. It was almost like his father had tried to help him. She could leave and be safe, and maybe get to Dumbledore in time.
"And why exactly should I go?"
"It's not like you wanted to come, and anyway there's not enough for all of us in either bottle, you said so yourself."
Harry watched them arguing. He knew it was his fault Hermione had come and he didn't want to make it worse.
"Well why don't you wait here then?" Hermione was trying to find a solution which didn't involve her being left out but Draco had seen a way to keep her safe and he wouldn't give up.
"Hermione, there's something wrong. Someone's been through here and we have to find out what happened. There's obviously something down here they're keeping a secret."
"Draco-"
"Hermione, please"
Hermione
He probably only wanted her gone so he and Harry could have fun, but something in his tone and his silvery eyes stopped her. He sounded so emotional, so different from normal. She realised she was staring at him and pulled herself away.
"Okay" she whispered.
"You're sure it's this one?" asked Harry nervously.
"Yes" said Draco and Hermione simultaneously.
He drank half the liquid and passed the bottle to Draco. Hermione threw her arms around Harry.
"Good luck, whatever happens"
She turned to Draco, awkwardly shrugged and then hugged him as well. Was it just her over active imagination or did he hold onto her a little longer than necessary?
"Stay safe" she whispered, and then he looked at Harry and they walked away from her through the flames.