"Are...are those keys?" I asked as I stared at the moving objects flitting about the room we'd just entered.
"Follow up question...why are there flying keys?" Adrian asked as he too stared at the glittering keys above us. I lowered my gaze as Ron approached the door on the opposite side of the room and tried to open it. When it didn't open, he pulled out his wand and muttered.
"Alohomora." and then tried the door again, getting the same result as before as he made his way back over to us, I stared at him incredulously.
"Seriously..." I asked.
"What?" He responded, shoving his wand back into his pocket.
"You seriously thought that that would work? We are in a room god knows how far under the school that is so far protected by a giant three headed dog and Devil's Snare...and you thought Alohomora would open the door?" I crossed my arms as he rolled his eyes.
"Well...I'd say we're looking for an older looking key...probably silver like that lock." Ron said as he scanned the room, trying to locate the key in question
"I think...I think we have use the brooms." Harry said motioning to the broom that were hovering in the middle of the room.
"Oh. Oh, we have to fly after them and catch them...Oh yeah that makes sense." Adrian said as Harry approached one of the brooms. "Oh yeah, yeah the boy who lived gonna just fly-zip around on your...it's not a snitch..." Adrian trailed off as the keys had turned into an angry swarm the second that Harry had mounted a broom and lifted into the air. "Oh...why are they chasing him?" Adrian muttered asI stared wondering just how much damage a flying key could do, or a swarm of them, and then remembered that it was Harry who was on the broom and his perchance for getting himself into particularly dangerous situations.
"No this is fucking stupid," I said and yanked my wand out of my pocket. "locomoto arresto." I said and immediately the key froze in midair. Adrian whirled around to look at me and then glanced back up at the keys.
"Oh...that actually worked..." He said as Harry located the key we needed and landed. "Oh...good yeah, great..." He muttered as Harry, Ron and Hermione approached the door. "I feel like the answer to this is gonna be no, but I'm gonna ask anyway...Is there any chance we can convince you three to not open the door and to turn around and go back and try to find a way out and get a teacher's help?" The three of them turned to look at us.
"No, Adrian. By the time we do all of that, it'll be too late, we have to go on." Harry said firmly.
"No...Mmm'kay. Yep, through the scary door. Let's see what horrors lie behind." Adrian said sadly as I sighed and followed, pulling my wand out just in case. As we entered the next room, light flooded the area, revealing several large stone statues standing around and on the far side, behind one line of said statues was yet another door.
"Great, great a shit ton of statues...what is this Medusa's Garden?" I muttered as I glanced around apprehensively..."
"No..." Ron said as he approached the edge of the line of statues closest to us. "It's a chessboard..." I raised an eyebrow at him.
"A chessboard?" I repeated doubtfully.
"Wizard's chess actually..." He replied, studying the area in front of him.
"Wizard's chess? I can't even play muggle chess..." Adrian said quietly as Harry and Hermione both looked at Ron while Adrian continued. "Is there any chance it's like checkers?" Ron looked at Adrian as if he'd just grown a second head.
"What are checkers?" Ron asked, glancing at Harry and Hermione
"You don't know what checkers are?" Adrian asked
"So, the answers no..." I said, poking one of the statues with my wand gently.
"We're going to have to take the place of five of the chess pieces..." Ron said, mostly to himself as Adrian whirled around to face him.
"Take the place of...uh-uh-huh I'm not taking the place of shit! I've seen you play wizard chess...pieces get destroyed! We will die" Adrian was on the verge of a full-blown panic induced outburst, evident by the tone of his voice and the amount of sass that he produced.
"There's no other way Adrian...what piece do you want me to take?" Hermione said softly as I faced her.
"No Hermione don't g-...you are encouraging him..." I said dejectedly as Hermione took the place of a castle.
"You know...fine. Boy who lived, scooch over you've got a track record for surviving. I'm sitting on the horse with you." Adrian said as he climbed onto the back of the stone horse behind Harry and Ron directed me to take the place of one of the pawns.
"Ron...Imma tell you this now. You kill me, or my brother...Imma haunt your ass and I'm sending spiders." I said glaring at him from my spot as Adrian's panic muttering picked up again. In the meantime, Ron directed us around the board, while he himself darted around the board, taking as many pieces from the white team as they had taken from ours. What felt like an eternity later, we were down to the last few remaining pieces on each side.
"This is the stupidest..." Adrian muttered but was cut off when Ron's piece was taken right in front of him, and Ron was thrown across the room. "Did he...is he...is he..." Hermione made to rush to his side.
"Don't!" Harry cried, stopping her in her tracks. "We're still playing the game!"
"Oh yeah, by all means finish the game, ya know...priorities!" Adrian screamed as Harry moved into place and checked the king, ending the game.
"I will never make fun of Wizard's chess again, but I will continue to maintain that it's a stupid fucking game." I muttered as we the four of us approached the next door amid constant commentary from Adrian.
"Yep, let's move on to the next horrible thing in this godforsaken dungeon...and behind door number two is...fire and bottles...so whoever designed this has a flair for the dramatic...got it, noted." I laughed softly as I looked around.
"Oh, joy there's a note, let's do some reading...oh it's potions." I said after picking up the paper and scanning it.
"What did I say a drama queen designed this...of course it's Snape." Adrian retorted and motioned to the paper.
"Adrian...this one is on you."
"Why?" Harry asked as Hermione looked around in quiet fear.
"Because I fucking hate riddles...Billowy bitch of course it's potions..." I muttered irritably as Adrian laughed.
"Go on then...tell me what it says." Adrian said as he focused on me
"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..."
"Killer-killers! Oh...don't touch...put that down. Put it down!" Adrian interrupted the reading and the scolded Harry who had picked up one of the seven bottles that had been sitting on the table. "Harry, hands in your pockets...pockets, like your at the store, hands in your pockets...Sylvr please continue..." I fought back another laugh and continued reading
"...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 wines 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 hold death in their insides;
Fourth, the second left and the second right
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight." Once I finished reading Adrian began to study the potions and after a moment, he picked up two bottles.
"Um...this one...here." He said passing one bottle to Harry.
"Me?" Harry asked
"Well, you're the boy who lived. Drink up bitch." Harry glared at him and then down the potion quickly. "Alright...you good? Feel dead?" Adrian asked hesitantly as Harry shook his head. "No? How bout froggy?"
"I feel fine." Harry said smiling briefly as Adrian duplicated the bottle in his hand and passed it to me
"Great use that Gryffindor courage and run through the fire, just like the platform. Yep, let's go Hop to it buddy... alright." I said to Harry, and we all watched with bated breath as he stepped through the fire.
"Did you make it?" Adrian asked cautiously.
"Yeah...I made it just fine." Harry called from the other side of the fire.
"Oh? Okay good yeah..."
Adrian...you had no clue if that was gonna work, did you? I asked silently and he gave me an impish side eye that gave me all the answer I needed. Hermione picked up another one of the bottles and looked at Adrian and I.
"I'm going to go for help..." She said with soft determination.
"You're going to go for help...okay um...down the hatch I guess..." I muttered as Adrian and I both tossed the potion back and promptly gagged at the taste.
"Alright...let's..." Adrian and I looked at each other and then ran through the fire quickly. Once we were on the other side both of us immediately began patting ourselves and then stared at each other in disbelief. "We're alive!" Adrian cried and then began cackling happily.
"Alright...let's go Team Potter! Let's do this!" I cried as the three of us turned away from the door and headed down a hallway.