This chapter is quite large (nearly 6k versus my usual 4k). But splitting it into two didn't seem right. So enjoy! Beware, it gets...interesting.
It's also a bit dialogue heavy.

NOTE: I wanted to get this posted before my internet turned off for the night, so I only had time for a light skim. Sorry in advance for any typos! I'll go over it again later and do a more in-depth analysis.

Rose felt dread.

Dread, fear, alarm, and a skyrocketing heartbeat caused her to sway slightly on her feet, nearly toppling backwards down the stairs. The stairs they had just come up from a dead end. How could it be possible to find another when turning back? Did they some how turn down another passage by accident, simply not noticing it in the dark? No, even in the deep shadows of the dungeons, Rose was certain it would have been impossible for them to simply not notice the stairwell split. Was this some sort of horrible prank by James? A quick glance at her cousin's face affirmed that he was feeling as aghast as she was.

Joseph ran his hands up and down the wall. "This doesn't make any sense!" he muttered calmly, though Rose detected a fear behind his voice. She appreciated him trying to defuse the panic setting in. He rapped his knuckle on it. "How can a solid wall just...appear?"

"We are in a magical school," Malfoy reminded them.

"Fair point. A suppose a better question would be why?"

James slowly sunk to the floor. "This is all my fault!" he moaned, burying his head into his hands. "We're going to die trapped deep underground by magical walls, and it's all my fault!"

"Get a hold of yourself," Rose snapped. "Now's not the time for hysterics. While it may have been your idea to come down here initially, we all did it of our own free will." She reached out to feel the blockage; it was too smooth to be natural and nearly flat. But more extraordinary was how icy it was to the touch, far colder than she instinctively knew it should be, even so deep underground. "It's freezing," she murmured aloud to herself.

Malfoy raised an eyebrow at her. "It's a mite bit chilly, but I'd say freezing would be a bit far."

"Not the air, you clodhoft, the wall! It's too cold to be natural." Rose narrowed her eyes, tilting her head slightly as she studied it. "We should try a few spells," she suggested. "There's no harm in trying."

The four of them shuffled back a half-dozen steps, putting some distance between them and the wall. Joe whipped out his blackthorn wand, staring intently at the obstacle before them. "Reducto!"

The spell should have reduced the wall to fine dust on impact. Instead, the wall pulsed a faint blue for a moment.

"I...I think it absorbed it," Joe stuttered.

Rose bit her bottom lip. Her idea seemed a bit on the obvious side, but there was no harm it trying. "Alohomora!"

Nothing happened. She shrugged weakly at James's raised eyebrow. "It was worth a try."

For the next five minutes, the continued to fire a multiple of various spells and curses at the stubborn blockage to no avail. Either they had no effect or were quickly absorbed in the eerie blue glow. The students' morale was dropping with every failed attempt. James had given up completely, sitting on a step to one side while the others kept up the assault. Rose was about ready to abandon the futile effort as well when Malfoy, growing angrier and more desperate, aggressively pointed his wand and shouted "Bombarda!"

A gray jet of light shot from the end of his wand. However, instead of absorbing the spell, the wall deflected it, causing it to ricochet down the stairwell and impact on the masonry behind their heads. It exploded, causing stone dust and small debris to shower them. Rose coughed through the filth, laying low until the sound and dust settled. When the view cleared it revealed a gaping hole in the wall, revealing the rough bedrock behind it.

James stood up, unsuccessfully trying to brush off the stone dust coating him. "Brilliant idea, genius," he sneered mockingly at Malfoy. "Let's just bring the whole roof down while we're at it."

"How was I suppose to know it would rebound that time?" the blond spat back, standing as tall as he could- which was half a head shorter than James. "It never did it before!"

"At least Malfoy was trying," Rose agreed. "All you did was sit on your arse!"

"I've merely accepted the fact that this is hopeless," James snapped. "Our best bet is to wait until morning. Maybe when they'll notice us missing, the teachers will somehow figure out we're down here."

The red-head scoffed, "Somehow, maybe, if! I'm not waiting around for a hope of rescue."

"Then what do you suggest we do, Princess?" he bit back. "Obviously this is a heavily magically fortified barricade. Even the strongest spells we know aren't taking a chip off it."

Rose thought about it for a moment. Clearly, as James pointed out, curses and spells flung haphazardly around the place weren't doing much; they could end up injuring or killing themselves in the process- their recent close call was proof of that. Surely there was some way out of their underground prison? Maybe it was something less obvious than throwing explosives at a wall. "There must be another way out," she muttered.

Malfoy sighed heavily, sitting on a partially-destroyed step. "Like what? This is the way we came. I didn't notice any other entrances, did you?"

His words made something click in Rose's head. "Maybe we aren't suppose to look for entrances. Maybe we're looking for exits."

"Explain?"

"We're trying- or were trying- to find a sealed dungeon, correct? And it stands to reason it's sealed for a reason. It's probably dangerous. This could just be security. Whoever set this up wants to trick us into doubling back from our original mission."

"I think they'd succeeded," Joe muttered.

"What if we doubled back again?" Rose continued, ignoring the interruption. "What if because the wall's here now, the other one is gone?"

Malfoy looked like he was about to argue, but his expression turned thoughtful and gave a slight nod. "Could be possible. Sounds like something this whacked-out place would do."

"Wouldn't that take us deeper, though?" Joseph intervened.

He sounded hesitant, and Rose couldn't blame him. "Yes. But at the same time, it's better than waiting around here. Maybe the answer to getting out is going through."

The trio glanced at James, the unofficial leader of the company. He sighed and ran fingers through his dusty hair. "Alright," he finally agreed. "Worth looking."

"I'm not!" Joe said stubbornly, folding his arms across his chest. "I know I wholeheartedly went along with James when we first devised this plan. But now that I've seen this place, with its traps and fake walls, I doubt going further is the best plan. It could be suicide."

"Fine!" James snapped, "We'll just leave you here, alone in the dark, while you wait for help to come- which could be days. Something tells me Hogwarts won't make it easy for any rescuers. Come on, I'm tired of waiting around." He marched down the stairs, lighting his wand once more with a muttered lumos. Rose shot Joe one more look before she and Malfoy hurried after her cousin, who had already disappeared around the bend.

It hadn't even been thirty seconds before they heard the rapid footfalls and heavy breathing of someone behind them. Rose whirled around in fear, but quickly relaxed when she recognized the dusty third-year. "Alright, alright!" Joe aceded, "I'll come with you. There's no bloody way in hell I'm waiting around in the dark in a magical dungeon. Safety in numbers, right?"

James smirked. "Knew you'd come around."

The group continued their descent once more. Malfoy let out a muffled curse when he missed a step, but otherwise no words were spoken between the students. About five minutes in, James halted. "This is where the wall was before," he whispered.

"How can you tell?" Malfoy asked.

"See that large stone in the wall, with the lump of quartz protruding? I recognize it."

Goosebumps erupted on Rose's arms. So she had been right. The sense of deep unease that she had been trying to bury since they first encounter with the magical barricade returned in full force,

"Looks like you were right, cousin," James whispered in her ear.

"Are we sure we want to keep going?"

"No other way, is there?" he huffed in response, this time loud enough for them all to hear. "As I see it, Hogwarts wants us to keep going. It's ensnared us in its little trap, and now it's pushing us forward. I bet if we went back, we'd find the wall sooner than we did before. It's not going to let us leave by the way we came."

"Joy," the blond muttered, "An ancient magical castle wants us dead."

"I don't know what it wants," James admitted. "The whole situation is odd. Why does Hogwarts want us to press further? Is this some sort of elaborate security system?"

Realization dawned on Rose. "It's a thief's net."

"What?"

"A thief's net. It's insurance in the form of a ambuscade," she explained. "Sort of like a security system, I guess, but more like a challenge to whoever would be brave enough to come down here. It ensures that they must remain dedicated to their goal."

Malfoy snorted. "What good would that do?"

"You know those traps that exterminators use when a squirrel or something gets in a house attic?" She bit her lip at his shake of head. Purebloods! They need to get out more. "They put it over the entrance, and it's designed so that the pest can go in but not back out. Then, sooner or later, their hunger drives them towards the bait and eventually the cage. I think that's what this is like. It's allowing us in, but not out."

"We established that already," James pointed out, sounding irritated. He began slowly climbing down the stairs, and after brief hesitation, the others followed.

"Not quite. Don't you find it off that the way down was blocked first, then the way back up? Whoever set that up wanted to make sure we knew that the way back was blocked. I bet if we had tried to go back sooner we would have found the wall earlier."

Joe scratched his head, sending a shower of dust on his face. "But why?"

Rose shrugged. "It's like I said, exterminators use one-way traps to catch the pest. We now have no choice but to continue. Think about it! Obviously something extremely important is hidden down here- or more like locked away. We're being thought of as the equivalent of treasure hunters breaking into the pyramid. No doubt deadly traps await us. Now we face pressing forward or dying down here. The one-way entrance makes sure we don't come down here at intervals, slowly discerning the pitfalls one at a time. We've thrown in our lot as 'robbers'; we have to work through this all at once."

As if fate decided to punctuate her words with a dramatic flair, the group turned the corner to find the staircase had ended. They face a large, cavernous room, the floor about twelve feet [3.5 m] below the landing they stood on. The only source of light came from a single chandelier in the center of the ceiling, its oxidized brass chain disappearing upwards into the shadows. High up on the walls were stain-glass windows, though they only looked out onto black bedrock.

Her eyes told her the room was empty, devoid of objects or obstacles, but Rose's intellect warned of unforeseen danger. Something was very wrong about the room. Something obvious she hadn't yet picked up on.

Before anyone could saying anything, James turned and started down the ladder before them. "What are you doing?!" Joe hissed at his friend, "What if the room is booby-trapped?"

"Then I'll die," he said flatly. "We won't know until we try."

The third-year paused on the final rung, reaching out with one foot to tentatively touch the stone floor. Nothing happened. He walked out a few paces into the room. Still nothing. "I think you can come down," he said warily. "Reason is dictating that if something were to happen, it would have by now."

Cautiously, they each descended the ladder one at the time. Rose dropped the last few rungs onto the floor- it was ordinary gray stone. Nothing seemed particularly special about it. She reached out to touch is at the same time Malfoy dropped behind her. "Examining the floor now?" he asked; he sounded more exasperated at the thought than he was mocking her actions. "And why are there windows underground?"

The room was about twice as long as the Great Hall, and three times as wide. James stood at the center, looking up. "Check out this chandelier," he called.

Closer inspection revealed it to be grotesque. Intricately cared details on the wide-rim of brass depicted gory war scenes, a dog eating a young child, two demons prancing on the backs of the dead. The creator put special attention into the eyes of each being, which were wide and bulging on the embossed metal. However, their were two things that caught Rose's attention: the fact that the lower half seemed to be highly polished, despite the tarnished upper rim and chain, and that it was only about three feet above her head. Two exceptionally odd features.

That's when she noticed one other thing, too, as she cast a quick glance around. "Where's the way out?"

Malfoy gave a started gasp behind her. "The way we came has vanished!"

James sat down heavily on the cold floor. "Great," he said sarcastically. "So once again, we're trapped."

"And our only clue is a weird-ass chandelier."

Okay, clearly this was some sort of puzzle. What was the point in luring people down into a deep dungeon only to lock them in a room? There had to be some sort of magic switch or key that revealed a hidden door. "This must have something to do with it," she murmured, craning her neck to gaze at the abnormality above her. Hesitantly, she reached out with one hand to touch one of the images on the lower rim, an embossed figure with two swords protruding from the elbows instead of arms, depicted to be carving up a young woman.

The moment her fingers made contact with the metal, the metal figure turned blue and the metal became hot to the touch. Rose pulled away immediately as if burned. "Guys!" she shouted as blue smoke erupted from the center of the chandelier, "Get over here!"

As James scrambled to his feet and Joe came dashing over from where he had been unsuccessfully trying to reach the high windows, the smoke poured to the floor in a curling cloud of blue mist. Gradually a figure began to take shape. Two short legs, a long torso, with arms ending at the elbows and replaced with blades; a diamond shaped head formed on top of broad shoulders. Having completely taken corporeal body, the being let out a roar.

Rose felt frozen with shock. "What the hell?!" she shrieked aloud. This was like a bad muggle horror movie! This was not what she had signed up for when she had gotten out of bed earlier that night.

Her scream caught the creature's immediate attention, and it dashed towards her in a strange gait. Rose fumbled with her wand, barely managing to flick it quick enough with the first spell that came to mind. "Protego!"

To her great relief and surprise, the creature rebounded backwards as it it had hit a solid wall. It took her a few seconds to understand why- the protection spell was meant to reflect jinxes and curses; the monster must have been considered some sort of spell in order for the shield to work.

With a deep growl sounding akin to gravel on a metal slide, the creature instead turned to the nearest person: James. Luckily, he was more prepared than Rose had been. "Bombarda Maxima!" he shouted.

The figure was flung backwards as the spell hit it directly in the chest. Blue smoke emerged from the new wound, and the body began to fold inwards as if melting from the inside. The smoke slowly coiled its way through the air, returning once more to the center of the chandelier. Rose heard a faint click, and the fat candle above the creature's embossed image sunk a few inches. A grinding noise brought the four students' attention to the far side of the room. A section of the wall had lowered, revealing a new recess.

"That was terrifying," Joe commented dryly.

Rose fiddled with her wand. "What was it?"

James had sufficiently recovered from shock enough to stand up and inspect the brass overhanging their heads. "That image you touched on the chandelier took some sort of physical form. What's it suppose to mean? I mean, it wasn't too hard to defeat."

Rose paused her fiddling, looking thoughtfully upwards. "Maybe that's the key," she murmured aloud to herself. "We had to defeat that...that thing to find the door."

"But that's not a door it revealed," Malfoy pointed out, glancing at the new recess. "It's just some sort of revealed niche."

The red-head slowly walked around the circumference of the chandelier. "So maybe it was only part of the key. See three three fat candles? One is above that monster James destroyed. When the smoke returned, the candle lowered in its socket and then the recess was revealed." She bit her lip, studying the other two candles. "Beneath each is a particularly detailed and image larger than the rest on the polished rim. Perhaps we have to fight each of the three to access the door."

Malfoy titled his head. "So they're like some form of guardian, then?"

"Must be." Rose peered at one of the big images; it showed a large snake coiling around a man's head. "Should we give it a try?"

Her cousin appeared hesitate. "I don't suppose there's many other likely ways through this, huh? Sure, give it a go. As I said, that last one wasn't too hard once we overcame shock."

"Hope none of you are afraid of snakes," she murmured, tapping the image with one finger. As before it glowed blue and felt instantly hot to the touch, and blue smoke spiraled out onto the floor. This time, instead of forming a humanoid figure, a familiar reptilian was chosen. However, it became clear this was no ordinary snake: for one, it was far oversize, nearly as thick as Rose's head; and two, its pupils were horizontal and rectangular, with bright, luminescent blue scales. Instead of immediately attacking like the former figure, the snake merely coiled around itself.

"Interessssting," it hissed slowly, "For ssstudentssss for me."

James wasted no time. "Reducto!" he cried.

Unfortunately, the spell bounced off an unseen shield around the snake, ricocheting upwards. The lack of following noise told Rose that the ceiling must have absorbed it. Now we know that we can't blast out way out, she thought.

"Preciousss of you," the snake whispered. "But thatssss not how thisssss workssss."

"How what works?" Malfoy spat back.

The blue reptile swung its head towards him. "But riddlessss of courssse!"

"Riddles?" Rose echoed. "So, what, we have to guess whatever riddle you have for us and we unlock the next part of the door?"

"Not quite," it correctly, voice reminding her of silk over ice. "I am wissssdom itsssself. Tell me a riddle I cannot sssssolve, and you win."

Oh. So not quite like the sphinx she had in mind from old tales. "Do we each get a chance?"

"A chansssse for each of thisss brave delegation."

"And if we fail?"

"Then I get to sssstrangle you!"

The group huddled together, out of earshot of the eerie snake. "Alright, team," James growled, "We're going to have to dig deep into our memories to find something to befuddle that scaled worm. Think carefully before you speak, since we each get only one chance. Use it wisely. I don't like the look of that protective charm around it, and it could end pretty badly."

Rose thought those last words were an understatement.

Joe went first, slowly approaching the serpent. "What grows bigger the more you take from it?"

"Ssssilly boy," it hissed scornfully, "Isss that the besssst you you can do? A hole!"

The red-head had to admit it was a pretty easy riddle. So much for brilliant Joe. Now they were down to three, and Rose didn't have too high of hopes for their chances.

"Okay," James said, stepping forward a few minutes later, "I've got one. If I drink, I die. If I eat, I am fine. What am I?"

This time the stoic serpent took longer to respond. It tapped its chin on its coiled length a few times, as if a habit of thought. Rose began to hope that James had succeeded, but her hope was crushed when it responded. "Fire. Next pleasssse?"

Malfoy seemed pretty deep in thought, pacing a few yards away, seeming to have no intention of taking his chance next. Joe and James were out, so Rose supposed she was next in line. Keep calm Rose. Just say your riddle. It's only the end of your life if it's too easy. She took a deep breath before approaching the snake. "Um...okay..." Facing the strange eyes of the snake, she suddenly lost all confidence in her riddle. It was too simple. Too childish. A joke she had heard in her house as a kid. But she could think of nothing else. "If a blue house is made out of blue bricks, a yellow house is made out of yellow bricks and a pink house is made out of pink bricks, what is a green house made of?"

The snake tilted its head slightly as if studying her. Rose felt her clenched hands grow sweaty.

"Glasssss," it finally answered.

Rose felt deflated. She knew it had been too easy! And yet, it was the hardest one she could think of. She struggled not to bury her head into her hands and weep at her failure. Now their fate rested in the hands of Malfoy.

The blond in question turned around, looking anxious. "Guess it's my turn now," he guessed, taking slow steps towards the snake. "Very well. Answer me this: how much is a dollar-two-ninety-eight worth?"

James frowned from where he stood next to his cousin. "What?" he muttered aloud.

Clearly the snake felt the same way. "Thisss riddle makessss no ssssenssse!" it hissed angrily.

"Sure it does," he argued. "I'll ask again: how much is a dollar-two-ninety-eight worth?"

The formerly calm serpent began twitching uncertainly. "Isss that...no...two dollarsssss and ninety-eight ssssents? No, no, two one dollarssss and ninety-eight ssssents!"

"Is that your final answer?"

"Yessss, yessss!"

Malfoy visibly sagged with relief. "Neither. The amount doesn't exist- there is no such thing, it's the equivalent of a made up number. Nice playing!"

The snake burst into smoke, which slowly returned to the chandelier. The second candle sunk with a click, and another section of the wall in the recess lowerered to deepen the opening.

"Nice job, blondie!" James praised, slapping the younger boy on the shoulder. "Nearly thought we were a gonner there. Ha! As if. Clearly these guardians are no match for us.

Rose wiped the sweat from her brow. "Let's just move onto the next one and get this over wish," she suggested, circling to the other side of the chandelier. The remaining of the three large images showed an armored knight, sword half-sunk in the fallen body of some terrible creature. Soon the smoke was swirling once more, and the figure itself appeared before them. Its armor was bright, as if recently polished, and he held a broadsword loosely in one gauntlet-covered hand. James, Joe, and Malfoy all raised their wands as if to cast a curse.

"Halt!" a deep voice called from behind the visor. "Lower those cursed wands of yours! I shall not harm you."

"Says who?" Rose challenged. "The word of a spell?"

"I am not just a spell," it answered, its sword still lowered in a non-threatening position. "I am Sir Casceneon. I, too, am a guardian, but am not here to harm you."

"Come again?"

"My mission is merely to warn those who wish to proceed in their quest. I have guarded the entrance for centuries, trying to dissuade each comer that death would be better than what awaits beyond this room. None so far have heeded me, preferring to 'take their chances', as they put it."

Rose tilted her head in question. "How many have come before us?"

"Not many. A young woman was first to break the seal on this forgotten chamber. A middle-aged man, next, and later an elderly but powerful wizard. The last before you four was an elderly witch. I am certain more have tried but did not make it past the first two guardians. Believe my words, it is not worth the promises to go forward."

Malfoy frowned. "Promises?"

"Look," James cut in, sounding exasperated, "We don't care about whatever treasure or whatever is 'beyond'. We only want to get out of here. There's no other exit. Is there a way out on the other side of the door?"

"Yes," the ghostly knight confirmed. "But-"

"Good enough for me. Unlock it so we can be on our way."

The knight sheathed his sword. "Very well. As you wish. But I tell you now, if you live at all, you will live to regret." With those ominous words, the knight melted into the blue smoke and vanished. With a click, the third and final candle lowered; across the room, the remaining panel, revealing three steps leading up to an iron door.

The four crossed the room in silence, the only sound the quick patter of their gait. Without pausing, James shoved open the iron door.

Once they had each crossed the threshold, the door slammed shut behind them with finality. The new room was long and slim, with black marble tiles as the floor. A narrow trench of dark and oily water ran on either side. Wall-mounted braziers marked every five feet, providing lights with an eerie glow of blue fire. The very end of the room rounded into a circle, and, on the far side, was a door.

"Come on," James muttered after a few seconds. His words echoed unnaturally.

With every step she took, Rose felt herself grow colder. Was it just her, or was the temperature plummeting in the room? The blue glow of the braziers caused light to dance on the surface of the sludgy water. The ceiling, a great deal lower than it had been in the previous chamber, was impossibly black, as if it were absorbing light. Rose couldn't tell what kind of material it might have been. Some sort of stone, perhaps? The most unnerving thing about the room was the lack of sound. Except for the soft breathing of her companions, the red-head could hear nothing- no crackle of fire, or quiet lap of water.

They were about half-way to the circular end of the room when they all froze.

Cold dread filled every bone is Rose's body. She willed herself to move, to twitch a finger, to move her mouth and call out to her friends, but her body would not respond. It was as if she had lost all control over her body, suspended in the motion of taking a step. Only her eyes could move, rolling to glance at the others; it seemed as if they too were unexpectedly petrified.

From the center of the circular end of the room came movement. For the first time, Rose noticed a hole in the middle- a truly black hole, as if made out of the shadows themselves. Rose felt the hairs on the nape of her neck stand straight as someone, something, began to slowly climb out. It was not quite corporeal, seeming to be made of dense black fog, but unlike the guardians, it did not take on a solid form. It seemed human in figure, judging by the arm-like shapes hauling the body out of the hole. A low moan was uttered from its direction.

Visitors to my domain, a silky voice whispered in Rose's mind. Lovely a surprise, this is.

The young gryffindor tried to run or speak in response, but still her body would not cooperate.

What brings you to this place? I see. A foolhardy plan of simpletons got awry. How amusing. Rose Marie Weasely, allow me to formally welcome you to the Blackwell. My, my, but you are a talented witch, aren't you?

Rose tried to shut down her mind, tried to stop the chilling entity from reading her mind. The body was now almost completely out of the hole she now assumed was called the Blackwell.

Very good, excellent deductions. Unfortunately, few beings could shut me out even if they exerted their will. Now, dear Rose, you seem like a smart young woman. What made you believe any of this venture was a good idea? I see it now; you knew from the beginning it was foolish, but your pride got in the way. What kind of a Gryffindor, after all, turns down adventure? You wish to further prove how you fit into your house. One of your comrades has similar motives, yet does not realize it. You see, Rose, I can read minds, souls, and hearts of mankind. I can be omnipotent, my mind speaking with all four of you at once at my own ease. I am arguably the most powerful of enteties you will ever have the pleasure of meeting.

Or displeasure, Rose thought to herself.

Now now, let's not be rude. You have much potential. Unfortunately, you and others are far too busy worried about expectations to focus on it. Your mother was the brightest witch of her age, and others expected you to be even more brilliant. Imagine everyone's shock when your ingenious was shunted into the house for the arrogant rather than Ravenclaw, house of the cleverest witches and wizards! The disappointment you must have felt. How your professors wondered what may have been wrong about the world's prediction of your mind.

You, of course, most likely have not noticed it until now, but it has hovered in your subconscious since you began your education. You are no more brilliant than the average student; less so, even. You receive mediocre grades and are terrified to tell your parents this. You are terrified that the world no longer thinks you have inherited your mother's talent. Even more so, you are terrified that you will never live up to their name.

The figure was now half-way to Rose, its figure becoming more defined as it moved. It seemed only capable of slow, deliberate steps, reaching out in front to reveal gray, translucent hands.

I can help you. I am potent, ancient power, faded from the knowledge of most of wizardkind. I can teach you, educate you. Let us show the world they are wrong. With my teaching, you can become greater than your parents. You could become the brightest witch in History. No more would people whisper about Rose Weasely, the girl who lacked her mother's wit and her father's bravery, the girl who disappointment society, the girl who let down her legacy.

Rose's mind was hazy. Her thoughts became distorted, overwhelmed by a sudden, intense lust for power. She wanted to destroy those who had ever doubted her intellect. She could become powerful, more powerful than the great Harry Potter, greater than Voldemort or Dumbledore ever was. She could be unstoppable!

Let me help you, Rose Weasely, to become who you wish to be.

"No!"

The strangled cry cleared the haze of Rose's mind, her attention briefly shifting to the source of the voice. To her left, Malfoy had fallen to his knees, hands clamped to his ears as if trying to shut out the supernatural mind. He let out a blood-chilling shriek, fully snapping the red-head from her stupor. The black entity, whom still had no definite shape, was merely feet from her. To her horror, her own arms was reaching out to touch the Blackwell's oustretched one.

With an almighty wrench, as if he were pulling himself from a tight grasp, Malfoy arose and grabbed Rose's hand. "Rose! Get out of here!"

The blond yanking on her arm caused her to stumble, breaking the petrification that had enfolded her. Without a pause, Rose ran past the dark figure and straight for the door.

It's not too late Rose, a voice cooed in her mind, Come back. My deal still stands. I could make you great.

She didn't bother to respond. The hall seemed like it would never end, stretching on for miles. How long had she been running? A few minutes? Half an hour? Her mind felt distorted, and she could feel her legs tripping through the haze. Black was encroaching on her vision.

A quick glance back revealed Joe, James, and Malfoy running behind her- they must have been snapped out of it by Malfoy as well. But would they make it? The black figure was facing them, low moaning chants echoing around the room. Instinctively Rose knew that if they did not make it to the door, they would forever trapped inside.

The black had nearly taken her vision, and Rose felt consciousness beginning to slip. Just a little further! She repeated to herself. Yet within the next step she stumbled and fell, falling face-first on the smooth marble floor. She could taste something metallic in her mouth, and her head pulsed with pain.

Two figures grabbed her arms and threw them around separate shoulders. "Hang on, Rose!" she dimly heard James calling.

The last thing Rose saw before consciousness faded was a yawning dark doorway, a feeling of weightlessness, and then nothing.

I feel like to say "a lot happened in this chapter" would be an understatement. Told 'ya the plot was igniting. There's a lot to take in, I know. From here on out, things are going to be way different for these kiddos.

Next chapter will be a time-skip to third year! In that time we'll get some of the blanks filled in (like what happened immediately falling this chapter) via patchy flashbacks to add some mystery. ;)

REVIEWS MAKE ME UPDATE FASTER. I swear it on my love for Scorose.

Hope you liked it! This chapter was fun to write. Let me know any critiques you may have (or praise)!