The cloak just barely covered them, tucked underneath to cover their dangling feet. As long as neither of them moved too much, making it across the room undiscovered seemed possible.
Harry urged the broom forwards with a gentle nudge, floating them slowly down the stairs, toward the stone floor.
They passed over the threshold and Harry let out a slow breath as the floor remained unmoving. The room was silent and still, and light reflected strangely off the pristine surface, making the room seem more like a photograph than a real place.
They covered the stretch of space between the two doors steadily. Harry's hands were slick with sweat against the polished handle of the broom, but he kept a firm grip.
They almost made it, before the cloak slipped and uncovered their legs.
Harry reacted instinctively, pulling hard to the left as a huge arm shot from the ground.
There was no time for wand work so Harry poured his focus into dodging and weaving, Draco holding onto him with a vice-like grip.
Harry dove as movement flashed from in front. They barrelled through a small gap between the closing teeth of a disembodied jaw. The resulting crunch rained shards of stone on their backs.
They crash landed on the staircase on the far-side, Harry barely able to arrest their speed. Draco let out a groan and Harry urgently checked over his broom for damage, sighing in relief when he found nothing broken.
A grating sound drew his attention.
"Draco, watch out!" Harry called as a lingering construct drew back a giant hand, a huge boulder in it's grasp.
Draco turned, just as the huge rock was catapulted in his direction.
Harry's wand was in his hand, a spell on his lips.
A dark chain collided with the boulder, shattering it into a shower of dust and pebbles.
When a moment passed and he realised he wasn't paste on the ground, Draco un-scrunched his eyes to meet Harry's in a moment of shared silence.
Harry snorted and pulled out the mirror.
"We made it," he announced.
"Good job," said Sirius, peering through the mirror. "Judging by your expressions it didn't go according to plan."
Harry gave a weak chuckle, "The cloak came loose, but we managed."
"Well done."
"You okay, Draco?" Harry asked.
Draco brushed off his robes, eyeing the now silent floor with wary distrust. "Yeah, I think so."
"Now, Harry," said Sirius. "What was the next room?"
Harry took a breath, glancing at the nondescript door behind them. "A troll, but it was dead."
Draco looked confused, but didn't interrupt.
"Right. Well, assuming we're not that lucky, and that following the pattern of the previous rooms, we'll be dealing with something much nastier than a troll. What are our options?"
"I've got the chain spell."
"You can cast it well enough?" Sirius asked.
Harry nodded. "It just saved Draco's life."
Sirius paused. "If you weren't potentially about to face a dragon, we would be celebrating that, Harry." He cleared his throat. "That'll do the job, hopefully. Now, levitate me through and I'll check what we're up against."
"Dragon?" Draco's face was pale.
"He's joking, again." Harry waved dismissively. "Probably."
Harry once again pushed the door slightly ajar before floating Sirius around the door, this time with the invisibility cloak on.
Harry brought the mirror back out and closed the door gently, uncovering the mirror. Sirius looked deep in thought.
"What's in there, Sirius?" Harry questioned.
Sirius shook his head, a look of puzzlement crossing his face. "Well, it wasn't a troll, that's for sure. The room itself appears to be the challenge. A wall of pitch-black water, from floor to ceiling."
"Don't tell me its another stupid puzzle," Harry groaned.
Sirius shrugged. "All I could see was a wall of water."
Draco shrugged. "Maybe we just have to swim through it."
Sirius frowned. "Perhaps. Navigating it will be tricky enough without anything else complicating matters. And who knows where the exit might be."
"Well I suppose there's no harm in taking a closer look first," Harry said.
He opened the door and walked into the room. It was as Sirius described, a huge wall of water, from floor to vaulted ceiling. It stood as an imposing, inky barricade. The air was cold and damp and Harry's skin rose in goosebumps at the chill.
The two of them took cautious steps towards the watery wall, straining their eyes into the darkness.
"I have a spell from my mum's potion books that might help," Harry offered. "The Bubblehead charm."
"That might work," Sirius said, approving.
"I'll give it a try," said Harry. He waved his wand and a bubble grew around his head. The air in the bubble was clear and easy to breathe. Harry did the same for Draco, who gave a thumbs-up.
"I suggest checking the water for traps first. Anything else likely to be in the water should be manageable."
Harry nodded his agreement, he was well versed in dealing with Kappas and Grindylows.
He conjured a snake, and levitated it into the water. A ripple spread across the wall of water as the snake slithered into the darkness.
A moment of tense silence passed before the wriggling creature emerged from the wall of water, hissing unhappily.
Harry apologised, giving it a little pat on the head.
"Oh yeah," Harry said, noticing Draco's gaping mouth. "I can speak Parseltongue."
"Well, there's no time like the present," Sirius said. "Keep a light on your wand, and try to find an exit. There must be one somewhere."
Harry and Draco nodded, eyeing the water with trepidation as they approached. Harry stored the mirror, broom, and cloak back in his bag.
They both stuck their heads through the wall.
It was cold, on par with the Great Lake, and almost pitch-black. The lumos atop his wand only provided a small circle of dim light, barely piercing the inky gloom.
Harry waited for his eyes to adjust, searching for any clue about which direction to start in.
Harry tilted his head as he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to face Draco, to see if he'd noticed; he found him frozen, staring wide-eyed at something ahead. Harry turned back and his vision was immediately swarmed with bubbles as something huge wrapped itself around him and yanked him deeper into the water.
Harry struggled weakly, disorientated by the rush of water around him. The occasional glimpse of Draco's lumos was fading rapidly into the encroaching darkness. He tried to cast something, but his arms were pinned to his side by the speed of his movement through the water. It took all his concentration just to hold onto his bag and wand.
Harry was pulled to an abrupt stop, the crushing hold retreating from his waist. Harry floated in near complete darkness, squirming around, unsure which way was up.
He froze. Something large was moving in the water behind him.
As he turned around he found himself facing the biggest eye he'd ever seen.
Before he could raise his wand, a giant tentacle snaked around him, a bit more gently this time. The eye faded into the darkness as the rushing of water returned. Soon, Harry could see light approaching. Was that the exit?
A moment later the water was gone and Harry was dripping a small river onto the cold stone. A splash announced the arrival of Draco, who was deposited in a similar fashion. Harry reached over and popped the bubble surrounding Draco's head and then did the same to his own.
"You okay?" Harry asked, wringing out his sleeves.
Draco laughed, eyes wide. "That was… that was…"
Harry grinned, pulling out the mirror. "Hello, Sirius."
"That was quick," said Sirius, relief evident in his voice. "So you just swam through?"
"Uh, not quite." Harry answered, heart still racing. He shifted the mirror to capture Draco's wide eyed look. "We got a little help from some tentacles. "
Sirius frowned, "Tentacles? You don't mean the giant squid?"
"It was," said Harry, bemused. "He seemed much friendlier this time."
Sirius looked thoughtful. "That's unexpected. This was meant to be Quirrell's troll room, right?"
Harry nodded, similarly confused "I suppose he brought the squid here after what happened on the lake. That's a bold move."
"I think that's what Professor Snape realised," Draco said, moving over to the mirror. "I talked to him a few weeks ago about the squid and he warned me to stay away from Quirrell. I think he realised that Quirrell was the most likely person to have cursed the squid into attacking Harry."
Draco froze and his tone was dreading. "Oh no."
"What is it?" Harry asked quickly.
"Professor Snape disappeared earlier," said Draco, wringing his hands. "That's why your friends went to Quirrell. You don't think Quirrell's hurt him, do you?"
Harry and Sirius exchanged a look. "I'm sure he's fine," said Sirius, but his tone was uncertain. "He's probably just skulking down in the dungeons somewhere."
Draco seemed to take some comfort in that, and Harry reluctantly turned to the door ahead of them. "Well, just one room left to go, unless they changed that, too."
Draco broke into a sudden shiver. "You don't happen to know a warming charm, do you Harry?"
"Oh, I do, actually." Harry said. He waved his wand, casting a stream of hot air at Draco. When he seemed dry, Harry turned the spell on himself.
"Alright," said Harry. "Let's do this again, then."
After levitating Sirius through once more, and getting the all-okay, Harry and Draco stepped through the door. The space echoed their steps as they entered what looked like an abandoned potions classroom. Desks and shelves were laden with glass bottles of varying shapes, colours, and sizes.
Harry scanned the room. "This was a riddle last time. It gave clues about which potion would take us through the flames. Draco, keep an eye out for any parchment."
Draco nodded and they moved carefully through the room, weaving between the tables filled with countless bottles.
At the far end, black flames danced ominously in a doorway.
"Nothing," Harry said as he stood before the flames.
Draco shook his head in agreement.
Harry sighed, pulling out his wand. "Accio riddle."
But nothing happened. The room remained as still and undisturbed as before.
Harry angled Sirius' mirror so that he could see around the room. "Any ideas, Sirius?"
It was Draco who broke the silence. "Maybe Professor Snape expects us to identify the right potion." He picking up a potion from a table and pulled out the stopper, peering inside and sniffing.
Sirius raised an eyebrow, tone sceptical. "There's hundreds of bottles here."
Draco shrugged, voice confident for the first time that day. "But that's the point, right? We're not meant to get past unless we know what to look for."
A spark jolted Harry's brain, and he was back in Borgin and Burkes. A bottle… but what had it looked like? He squeezed his eyes shut, muttering to himself. "Was it a white stopper? Brown bottle? Or was it green?"
"Harry, are you okay?" Draco asked.
"Shh!" Harry hissed, cutting him off. He remembered clearly the rebuke when they'd left the shop. …do try to survive with your curiosity unsated… The memory started to take shape.
Opening his eyes, he navigated through the maze of tables, eyes peeled for white.
There, a brown bottle with a white stopper. And another, this bottle green. Harry grit his teeth. Why did there have to be both. Harry stalked back and presented them to Draco and Sirius.
"When Snape took me to Diagon Alley, he collected a potion with a white stopper from Borgin and Burkes," he said, trying to further define the vague memory.
"And you think it's one of these two?" Draco asked.
"I'm not certain," Harry admitted, "but I'm confident the stopper was white. There are only two with white stoppers in the room."
"No, It's too risky," Sirius interjected. "There must be a way of narrowing it down or testing it."
Draco took the vials from Harry and gave them both a sniff. He shook his head, "I don't smell anything. We'll have to just try one each."
"Draco, this isn't—" Harry began, but Draco was already reaching for the brown bottle.
"If you get poisoned, this has all been for nothing." Draco said, avoiding Harry's eyes. He patted the top of a jar that Harry hadn't noticed. "Besides, Professor Snape always has bezoars in his classrooms. If it's poison, just give me one. If not, we both go through."
Harry took a beazor from Draco, and watched in shock as he uncorked the stopper and took a sip.
There was a tense moment of nothing… and then Draco staggered, leaning on the table before collapsing on the floor.
"Draco!" Harry cried, managing to catch him before he fully hit the floor. He forced the bezoar in his mouth, pressing against the clammy skin of his throat until he saw the lump go down.
Harry sat in silence as the minutes went by, and they passed in agonizing silence. Draco remained motionless, his breath eerily absent.
Harry stared at Draco's pale face, too shocked to do anything else.
The black flames continued to flicker ominously in the periphery.
"Sirius…" Harry's voice was hoarse, choked with grief he knew he didn't have time to process. "There's nothing else I can do, is there? If I go back now, the others will die."
Sirius' reflection was a picture of pain. "I know, Harry. I'm so sorry."
Harry unhooked his bag from around his neck and laid it gently on the ground, next to Draco's body. Then, he approached the green bottle he had left untouched, body taught with suppressed emotion.
He raised the bottle to his lips, and with a final glance at Draco, he took a sip. The aura of heat from the flames disappeared suddenly. Harry placed the bottle down, and stepped into the fire.
A veil of darkness shrouded his vision until, suddenly, he burst through.
A stone staircase stretched before him, ending with a foreboding doorway arched with gargoyles.
Harry met Sirius' gaze in the mirror.
"I'm with you, Harry," Sirius said softly. "If anything goes wrong, I'll be there in minutes."
A nod was all Harry gave in response before he tucked the mirror back into his robes.
Sirius couldn't help him any more. This was it. His first real test against Voldemort since the graveyard.
Harry just hoped it wouldn't be his last.
His hand tightened around his pale wand, the sense of thrumming power giving him a sliver of comfort.
Harry began his descent, anger coiling in his stomach like a serpent ready to strike. Flashes of Draco's face appeared in his mind, morphing into Cedric's. Harry reached the archway and stepped through, into a cavernous chamber where an all-too familiar figure awaited.
"Hello, Harry." Quirrell's voice echoed from the damp stone walls. Tied up beside him were Neville, Ron, and Hermione. Harry's fingers itched to curl around Quirrell's throat.
Without a second thought Harry unleashed a rattling black chain, which tore through the air towards Quirrell.
With a lazy flick of his wand, Quirrell disintegrated the chain mid-flight and Harry's wand was ripped from his grasp and into Quirrell's outstretched hand.
"Impressive, as always," Quirrell said with an easy smile.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted, voice panicked. "We thought it was Professor Snape!" She turned to Quirrell with a fearful look in her eyes, "Something's not right with him, Harry. There's another voice—"
Quirrell turned and silenced her with a wave of his hand.
"Ah, dear, clever Hermione," Quirrell crooned, an insidious smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, "You got this puzzle wrong, I'm afraid. Severus certainly seems the type, doesn't he? What with all the prowling around in his dungeon lair. It certainly served as a good distraction from the saviour of the first years—everyone's favourite, perfect Professor Quirrell."
His gaze pivoted back to Harry with unnerving intensity.
"But you knew, didn't you, Harry Potter." He lingered on his name in a way that made Harry's skin crawl.
"You, the real luminary. Which, naturally meant that you had to die."
A jolt of pain shot through Harry's scar.
"Let me speak with him… face to face…" A voice hissed, and despite expecting it, Harry's blood ran cold..
"But, master," Quirrell said, turning his head. "You are not strong enough."
"I am strong enough… for this…" the voice hissed again.
"Very well." Quirrell turned around, hands moving to unwrap his turban. Hermione, Ron, and Neville watched, horrified as the grotesque face of Lord Voldemort was revealed. Harry could see both Voldemort's ghoulish smile, and the reflection of Quirrell's unreadable expression in the mirror.
"Harry Potter… The boy who lived…" Voldemort sneered, his face curling in distaste. "All these years, I thought my curse's failure a mere accident… Yet, you are no ordinary child. You remind me of myself…"
Harry remained stony faced. In silence, he stared down the abhorrent shade of the man responsible for the deaths of so many that he loved.
Voldemort let out a twisted laugh. "Even now… you do not cower… I was right to have my servant kill you… if only he was competent."
"I am sorry, master," Quirrell demurred, but his face was void of emotion.
"No matter… you have secured the stone… all is absolved…" Voldemort's face contorted in sick pleasure.
Harry's fists clenched at his sides, "I'm not letting you leave here with the stone."
Voldemort hissed out a cold laugh.
"Do you see my form boy… a mere spectre of what I once was… The stone will render me whole once more… You cannot stop this… Embrace your fate… Join me… Why perish when you can survive…"
"I will never join you," Harry spat, eyes flashing with defiance. "Death is better than the abomination you have become."
Voldemort's hiss echoed through the chamber. "Enough… Quirrell… Kill the boy…"
Quirrell turned and stepped forwards, a gleam in his eye. Harry lunged forwards, hands outstretched, only to come to a lurching halt. Harry tried to rebel against the invisible bonds that held him in place, but it was no use. Quirrell's wand was trained on him.
"Ah, perfect. Just in the right spot, Harry," Quirrell said with a cheerful smile.
"What are you doing… kill him…" Voldemort rasped.
"Do be quiet, abomination," Quirrell shot back in a mocking tone. "A truly apt description, Harry, if ever there was one for this monstrosity.
Harry would have raised his eyebrows if he could move even a single muscle.
"You dare betray me… without me, you will perish… you belong to me…"
"Ah, yes, about that…," Quirrell began, his wand sweeping the floor in a broad arc to reveal an intricate circle of runes around him and Harry. It started to glow, intensifying gradually until it was a beacon of pale blue light.
"What have you done… you dare use this magic against me…" The face of Voldemort writhed in agony, his voice shrill with pain and surprise.
Harry tried to open his mouth to shout, to demand an explanation, but his tongue, too, was frozen.
A Blinding surge of light erupted from the circle around him, and Harry felt a searing pain in his forehead, like a lightning bolt striking.
As quickly as it came, the pain receded, replaced by a creeping numbness. His world turned black. The last sounds he heard were Voldemort's anguished shrieks before darkness consumed his senses completely.