Here it is everyone! Chapter Seventeen has arrived! So who could possibly be down under the trapdoor? Could it be Serverus Snape? Albus Dumbledore? Professor Quirrl? Voldemort? Someone new to the story? Well, you'll have to read on and find out, cause I'm not going to tell you.
Previously…
'-still cant believe him!' Ginny thought. They were on the changing staircases, heading back to the stable, nonmoving shortcut they had found.
'That's just the way he is Ginny. Ron and Dumbledore both. Speaking of Ron, did you…remove that Bat Bogey Hex you sent up their way?"
'What Bat Bogey Hex?" She said with a smile. Then, suddenly, the staircase they were standing on changed. They were headed to a new door. The one leading to the third floor corridor. They were on the right hand side.
'Ginny. Let's find out what Dumbledore's hiding.'
'Agreed.'
And they walked up to the door. They expected it to be charmed to be locked.
'The older students should know Alohamora. I'm guessing that's the only spell Dumbledore put on it.' Rowena said.
'Not as bright as everyone makes him out to be.' Godric agreed.
'Let's find out what's inside.' Salazar said.
'But do be careful/' Helga reminded them.
Harry reached for the knob. It turned easily. The door slid open silently. Before he could take a step, Ginny told him to stop. She pointed to the floor. It looked very dusty. But there was parts where the floor was clean. They took the shapes of human feet. Ginny looked closely at the footprints. Finally she stood and said,
'Someone's in here, right now.'
The Lord and Lady Phoenix: The Stone
Chapter Seventeen
The Trapdoor
They both entered the corridor. Harry was surprised. He expected it to look more…forbidden? There were statues of knights, floating candles, it looked just the same as any other hall. Sure the lights were dimmer, but other than that…Suddenly a cold rush of wind pushed against them. Something was telling him to go back. And so, in response, he and Ginny went forward.
A torch lit up. Ginny calmly raised her hand up towards the flames and they died out. The leftover smoke vanished into thin air.
"We don't want anyone knowing that we've been here. They seem to light up when we've passed them." Ginny said. Harry cast a secrecy charm on them. He then cast a Silencio on the entire chamber. The motion spells now had no chance of detecting them. They might as well have been invisible to Dumbledore's simple spells.
Then, they heard a loud "Meow!" They looked down and saw a dust colored creature with blood red eyes. It was Mrs. Norris, Argus Filch's cat. She often patrolled the halls and whisked off to Filch when anyone broke a rule. Ginny gave a startled yelp. But Harry smiled and crouched down.
"Harry…what are you doing?" Ginny asked.
Harry ignored her and began scratching the cat behind the ear. Mrs. Norris was very happy. Her owner had never given her this type of adoration before. No one had. She began purring and scratching herself. She licked Harry's hand and rolled over. He scratched harder. She was in total bliss. This was heaven.
Harry eventually stopped scratching but that didn't stop Mrs. Norris. She began rubbing herself against Harry's leg. Ginny looked at Harry, shock written all over her face.
"Harry…how…how did you do that?" She stuttered.
"What? All cats like adoration." Harry said with a shrug.
"Yeah…but that's Filch's cat! She's never liked anyone! Not even Filch!"
"Ginny…she's a cat with feelings. The students kick her around and sometimes even torture her. It's no wonder she hates the students and gets them in trouble all the time. They have mistreated her for so long, she thinks all students are the exact same. All she wants is some love and attention. Filch gives her attention, but he loves getting students in trouble more than her, so she gets them in trouble to try and get even the slightest bit of love."
"I…I never thought about it that way before."
"What the students need to realize is she may be a cat…but she has feelings too."
"I…I guess." Ginny said. She bent down and scratched Mrs. Norris under her chin. The cat's purrs rumbled throughout the corridor.
After five minutes of adoration, Harry said, "Sorry Mrs. Norris, but we've got to go." The cat's eyes grew sad. "But we will be back! I promise!" Her eyes lit up at this. One more rub against them and she walked out the door.
"Well…that was interesting." Ginny said.
"Sure was." They started exploring again. They came upon a locked door. Another utter of "Alohamora." The lock clicked open like before and door slid open.
"Why does Dumbledore think a locking charm will keep everyone out?" Harry asked.
"He thinks that cause it's him that cast it, it will be impossible to open ." Ginny answered before looking ahead.
"Don't scream. It'll only provoke it." Harry said seriously. It filled the entire room, from floor to ceiling. It had three pairs of eyes. Three pairs of wet noses. And three drooling mouths. All on the three huge heads of one monstrous dog.
It stood still, all six eyes staring at them. The dog looked confused. Wondering why they were not screaming their minds off.
Harry, very slowly, took out his wand, and conjured up a huge, red, rubber dodge ball.
"See the ball boy? You want the ball? Sit!" The Cerberus looked as surprised as Ginny.
"Sit!" Harry commanded again.
Ginny was thinking that any moment now he'd become the world's dog biscuit.
But then, the dog licked its three sets of lips. He sat straight down. Suddenly, it sounded like a muggle SWAT Team was trying to break down the door.
The dog was wagging its streetlamp sized tail.
"Good boy." Harry said. He threw the dodge ball to the dog. The one in the middle caught it in its mouth. The other two heads started barking at the middle one, trying to play with the new toy.
"Drop it!" Harry shouted. The three heads looked at him. He then dropped the shredded ball, covered in saliva, to Harry's feet. He looked at Ginny.
"Harry…how?" He gave her a look and pointed to the ball. The Cerberus was whimpering. It wanted to play some more. "Alright." She conjured up a new ball, bigger than the one before, and placed an indestructible charm on it so it wouldn't be ripped to shreds by the three mouthfuls of jagged yellow teeth.
She threw it to the back of the room and the dog turned around, looking for his new toy. Ginny saw something, underneath the dog's huge rump. It looked like…a trapdoor.
"Harry. The dog's guarding a trapdoor. Something important is underneath it."
"Okay." Cerberus found the ball and dropped it, ready for them to throw it once more.
Harry cast a bouncy charm on the ball so that it would continually keep the dog entertained. "We have to go for now. We'll visit you again soon." The dog moaned for them to stay.
Ginny said sadly, "I'm sorry. But we need to go. We'll be back again. Okay?" The dog barked in happiness. Harry went over and rubbed his belly. The dog's three tongues panted happily. He rolled onto his side and Ginny saw a small door painted to look just like the wall.
"Wait, Harry…what's that over there?" She pointed to the hidden door.
"Let's check it out. It might have something to do with the trapdoor.
He then went and opened the door. There was a staircase leading to the floors below. They looked at each other, nodded, and walked down. Harry went first and Ginny, still holding the ball, turned around. The dog looked at her. She smiled and threw the ball. It bounced endlessly. She closed the door, and listening to the barks of joy, she knew they had just made a dog very, very happy.
Together, they descended the staircase. They came into a small room with a window. It over looked a room right next to it filled with plants.
"I think that's Devil Snare." Ginny said. Harry nodded in agreement.
"Good thing we didn't fall through the trapdoor. We need to make sure no one knows we were here. If we had used fire or light, the plants would have dried up, and the teachers would know someone had been there."
They walked across the room and went down the next set of stairs. Soon they found themselves in another comfortable room. Once again, there was a window overlooking a chamber. Flying keys fluttered about. The wooden door leading on had a huge, old fashioned lock on it. There was also a really, really old broomstick hovering in midair.
"I think Dumbledore built this place so he could watch over whoever's going through these rooms." Harry said. Ginny nodded.
"He probably wants to test you. I'm not sure for what, but he is controlling. It cant be good what ever it is."
"Yeah, I'm guessing each professor made a test. Professor Sprout with the Devil's Snare. And Flitwick with these flying keys. I wonder what else is down there."
"Let's find out." The went down the third flight of stairs. They came into a room overlooking a giant chessboard."
"McGonagal." They said together. There were both white and black pieces standing in the room. The tallest among them reaching twelve feet high. The white stone figures guarded the next door.
"I'm getting the feeling Dumbledore was planning each of these rooms for a certain, specific student." Salazar said.
"What do you mean?" Harry and Ginny asked together.
"Yes. I agree with Salazar. You, Harry, with the room with the keys and broomstick. Godric proclaimed.
"That idiot Ronald with this chessboard." Rowena commented.
"And the room with the plants was for Hermione." Helga finished.
"He was planning my events at school before I even got here!" Harry said angrily.
"But at least you already know the truth about him. And Hermione isn't adoring him like she used too." Ginny said gently, trying to calm him down.
"You're right Ginny. Sorry."
"Harry, it's not your fault Dumbledore is an arrogant, controlling bastard!" Ginny yelled at him. He laughed.
"I guess so. Now lets see what else the old coot was planning for me." He said. They found themselves plugging their noses. There was a troll sleeping inside this room. The stench was making its way through three inch glass. They quickly hurried out and into the next room, gasping for breath.
"What…were they…thinking?" Ginny stuttered, her eyes watering.
"I…guess the…stench…could…drive away…anyone." Harry gulped down fresh air.
They looked down the next glass window. There, sat a table full of seven differently shaped bottles of potion. There was a card sitting on the table as well.
"Okay, I'm going to summon the card. It'll hit the glass. I want you to read it while I hold it there. Okay?" Harry asked.
"Got it."
"Accio paper!" The card fluttered lazily off the table and zoomed right into the glass. Ginny read the card, memorizing every word.
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 forever more.
To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four.
First however slyly, the poison tries to hide.
You will always find some on nettle wine's left side.
Second, different are those who stand on either end. But if you would move onward, neither is your friend.
Third, as you see clearly, all are different size.
Neither dwarf nor giant hold 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.
"Idiot!" Merlin shouted. "Why would he tell you which one will allow you forward? If it was forbidden and it was guarding something, wouldn't it be best to have them all hold poison?"
Harry waved his wand, and gently set the card back where it originally was.
"That's Dumbledore for you. He'd have Hermione solve it. But the one that lets you go onward is probably only enough for me. Hermione would have to stay behind." Harry said logically.
"I sense flame charms set up here. Once one passes the threshold, they are set to go off." Morgana said. "One could just use a Freeze-flame charm! That's second year magic!"
"But it is based on logic, so only few could proceed." Rowena said. They turned and walked down the steps. They saw that it was the final chamber. Harry cast a bunch of invisibility and illusion charms on himself and Ginny. They silently walked into the final chamber. There was already someone there.
The person, who looked like a man, stood in front of a huge mirror. Harry watched as the person reached into their robes, and pulled out what looked like a blood-red stone. The person pulled out a wand and cast a spell. The blood-red stone floated right into the mirror.
"Perfect." The man said in a familiar voice. "Perfect. It is all set. Nothing can interrupt my plans now." The man turned around.
It was Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.
The headmaster oh Hogwarts stepped up the stairs, and walked towards the staircase Harry and Ginny were in. though they had a Silencing spell cast over them, they still were still deathly quiet. But the Headmaster strolled straight by them. They stood absolutely still until they heard a door slam shut.
"Harry…? She said the same time as Harry.
"Ginny…? He said the same time as Ginny.
"Get a move on you two! Find out what that old codger was doing!" Merlin shouted.
They ran down the stairs and over to the mirror." It looked ancient and stood proud and mighty, looming over them. Etched into the mirror were the words,
Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.
Harry did not understand what the words meant. They sounded like a foreign language. But nonetheless, he stared into the mirror. Inside the glass…he saw something. There, he stood, looking back. It was an older version of himself. But another person was standing next to him. A woman. She had long red hair and was beautiful. A small child stood in between them.
At first, Harry thought he was looking at a portrait of his own family. But then, Harry realized something. The woman did not have the green eyes everyone said he inherited from her. The woman had warm brown eyes. Only one person had those eyes. And then, Harry understood what the mirror did. It showed the viewer their deepest desire.
Harry's deepest desire was to have a family.
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A/N: And bam! This chapter is over! Harry and Ginny have discovered the secret of the trapdoor. What else could lie inside? Harry found what his deepest desire is as well. And what could that stone possibly be? What will Harry and Ginny do with this new knowledge? I'm not telling!
And Dumbledore has a whole bunch of viewing rooms to watch how Harry is going to do in the chambers? He had planned everything from the start? That lying, cheating, $$, ing, $%%$%$! He was there the whole time!
So what could happen now that Harry's found out this itty bitty little tidbit of information early?
You'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out!
Halloween's coming up soon, along with Harry and Ginny's next flying lesson, where they will actually get to fly on a broomstick this time. Do the challenges below. And expect the next chapter soon.
Thanks To…
Comet Jim Nightwing 509 Pokemon-Hogwarts4eva
Moon of starless nights Professor Chris mdauben
Buddygirl004 benperez31 Karl Skywalker
NUDGELOVER Daniel White god of all
..86 Mei fa-chan Mrs Yaya
Arashigan16 The Spiked Dragon
Bragging Rights Go To…
NUDGELOVER-Dumbledore
Buddygirl1004-Dumbledore
Comet Jim-Play with Fluffy
Challenges
1. What will Harry and Ginny do next?
2. What will happen on Halloween?
3. Should Harry and Ginny be on the Quidditch Team? Or should they focus more on their studies?
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See you next chapter!
SuperXBrother