Chapter 18
Hermione turned to Ron after watching Harry continue to the next room, praying that he stayed safe and that she would see him again. Now, she had the rather daunting task of getting out. She checked, and yes, Ron was indeed still breathing, and she let out a sigh of relief. She tried moving him, but he was too heavy.
"Petrificus Totalus," she said, waving her wand and watched as Ron went rigid, just like Neville before him. "Wingardium Leviosa," she cast her second spell and his stiff form levitated into the air. She made her way back to the hall where she found the broomstick they'd left behind from the key room. She looked at it for a moment as she tried to figure out the best way to get them both back to the main floor of the castle. Whatever Oliver thought, she wasnota good flyer.
Thinking about what happened to Harry in the key room, she didn't want to touch the broomstick with the door open when she found it. Sighing, she opened the door and as she thought, the keys had resumed their earlier behaviour of the slow, aimless flight. Seeing the door across from her still open, she headed out with Ron hovering in the air behind her. Making it across the room, she lowered Ron to the ground. "Finite Incantatem," she said, cancelling the spells.
She bit her lip a moment, looking thoughtful. Reaching out, she grabbed the door handle with one hand. "Accio broomstick!" she called, pointing her wand across the hall with the other. The broomstick came whizzing across the room from the other side, and she slammed the door shut before touching it, for fear of the keys coming after them again.
She sighed when she didn't hear anything and put her wand away before hefting Ron onto the broom and kicking off the ground. It was all she could do to keep Ron and herself from falling off as the broom wobbled up the stairway. She struggled a moment and carefully touched down beneath the Devil's Snare, chewing her lip thoughtfully.
"Lumos Solem!" she said, and blasted the Devil's Snare with the light charm again, causing it to go limp. She then used a severing charm and cut some of the vines from it, and transfigured them into a violin and a bow, before charming them to play. Music began to fill the anti-chamber that she and Ron were in. With a smile, she hefted Ron on to the broom again, and this time, placed a sticking charm on him. Getting on behind him, she kicked off hard this time and hovered for a moment, hearing Fluffy growling and snarling in the room above.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" she called, pointing her wand down at the violin. Slowly, she drew the violin closer, until it passed them, and had it hover just below the trapdoor. She waited, straining her ears over the loud music until she couldn't hear the growls any longer. She urged the violin higher, but nothing happened to it when she pushed it beyond the trap door. With a sigh of relief, she urged the wobbly broomstick higher and out of the way of the hole, relieved to see that Fluffy was indeed asleep nearby.
Touching down, she got off and grabbed hold of the broom handle, pulling the broom after her. She paused, noticing the invisibility cloak on the ground and hurried to pick it up, throwing it over Ron and the broomstick. "Alohomora," she whispered, unlocking the door and pulling the broom after her, Ron still stuck upon it. She sighed in relief as the door shut behind them.
Pausing for a moment to let her heart and nerves calm, then hurried on her way toward the hospital wing, tugging Ron's invisible form behind her.
"Ms Granger?" Hermione stopped short in surprise before relief washed over her.
"Professor Dumbledore!" she cried out. "Oh, thankgoodness, you're back!"
"Yes, I arrived a few moments ago," Professor Dumbledore said. "What seems to be the trouble? Why, might I ask, are you out of bed after hours?"
"It's Harry," Hermione began and then hesitated. "And Ron."
Hermione paused and pulled the cloak off of Ron.
"We found out about the Stone," Hermione continued, "and that someone was trying to steal it. Harry thinks it might be Professor Snape, but I don't know, and well, anyway, as you can see, Ron got hurt, and Harry's still down there."
"Hurry, Ms Granger," Dumbledore said urgently, his demeanour changing in an instant. "Take him to Madam Pomfrey and meet me on the third floor. Don't bother explaining what happened to her, tell her I will explain everything when I get back. Go now!"
Hermione nodded and ran off, pulling Ron on the broomstick behind her.
It wasn't long before Hermione found herself outside of Fluffy's room on the third floor once more, this time with Professor Dumbledore.
"Wait, Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said, reaching out to him as he went to enter the room.
"Yes, Ms Granger?" Dumbledore asked, arching a brow.
"Fluffy," Hermione answered.
"Ah, yes," Dumbledore said, and leaned forward. "Is that...music I hear?"
Hermione smiled, relieved that her charm had worked and the music didn't stop even if she hadn't been present. "Yes, sir."
"Well then, I don't think Fluffy will be a problem, do you?"
Hermione shook her head.
"Marvellous!" Dumbledore said, seeing the violin Hermione had left playing hovering in the air over the giant three-headed dog's head, er, heads. "You did that?" he asked, looking at her.
"Yes, sir," Hermione replied, beaming.
"However did you do that? I didn't know you played, but to carry it with you, that was ingenious!"
Hermione blushed. "I don't, sir," she said. "On the way back, I transfigured the vines of the Devil's Snare and levitated it to put Fluffy to sleep so I could get out. I charmed it to play non-stop since I don't fly well and was having a hard time with the broom."
"Absolutely brilliant," Dumbledore said, and Hermione grinned as she followed Dumbledore down the trapdoor.
They both relaxed once the Devil's Snare had begun wrapping them up and had no problem getting past it.
"Hmm," Dumbledore said as they reached the key room. "I'm afraid I only left the one broom here, in hindsight, I should have left a spare. Oh, well, I'm sure we can figure this out."
Hermione nervously stepped forward and looked around. "I see it!" she exclaimed after a moment. "Just there!" she said pointing.
"Ah, right you are," Dumbledore said.
"Now, how to get it," Hermione muttered.
"Indeed. Well, we could always go back for more vines and transfigure them."
Hermione shuttered remembering the swarming keys.
Raising her wand she cried out "Immobulus!" The keys froze in place, the only thing moving was the slow flap of their wings, but it didn't get them anywhere.
"Oh! Wonderful," Dumbledore praised, and clapped his hands. "You are full of surprises, Ms Granger!"
Hermione beamed at him.
"Now, if you'll allow, I believe I know how we can reach it," he said.
Hermione nodded.
"Wingardium Leviosa," he said, pointing his wand at her, and she started slightly as she rose into the air. She didn't panic though, knowing that he wouldn't let anything happen to her, it had just been a surprise to find her feet leaving the floor. She rose higher and was moved left and right as Professor Dumbledore guided her with his wand. Once she was close enough, she grabbed the key, and he carefully brought her back down. "Finite," he said as she touched down, and she was relieved to be on solid ground once more when she handed him the key.
"Oh, no," Hermione said as she entered the next chamber, dreading the game. It was hard enough with three people, now there were only two.
"Whatever is wrong, Ms Granger?" Dumbledore asked.
"This is where Ron got hurt," Hermione told him.
"Really?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes sir," Hermione said. "He directed the moves, while he, Harry and I were playing, taking up the empty squares. In the end, he sacrificed himself so that Harry and I could go on, only Harry sent me back to help Ron get out and contact you with an owl from the Owlery. I'm so grateful that I ran into you in the corridors."
"Ah, well," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. "I suppose one can only take so much stress before the mind refuses to present other alternatives."
"Sir?" Hermione asked.
Dumbledore waved his wand. "Reparo," he said, and the broken pieces mended themselves and took their places on the board. "Come," Dumbledore said, holding out his hand as he led her back to the doorway the way they'd come, off the board. "Watch," he said and winked at her. "Play to win," he said and pointed his wand at the pieces on their side.
Hermione watched wide-eyed as the pieces began to move automatically, without verbal direction from the headmaster, and it wasn't long before the white king dropped his sword again.
"Come, quickly," Dumbledore said, drawing her attention as he strode with purpose across the room.
"Harry!" Hermione cried as they ran down the steps to find him lying on the stairs, the Stone in his hand.
Dumbledore checked him, finding he was just unconscious, and scooped him into his arms. "He should be alright, Ms Granger," he told her. "However, we should get him back to Madam Pomfrey, to let her check him over to be sure."
Hermione nodded and led the way back to the room beneath the Devil's Snare. They could still hear the violin playing so knew that Fluffy was still in a deep sleep, but the vines had once more covered their exit.
"Lumos Solem!" Hermione said, and blasted the vines with light once more, clearing the way. "Now, what sir?" she asked. "We're right back where we were, with no brooms."
"If you'll allow me," Dumbledore told her. "I have a solution."
Hermione nodded and Dumbledore let out a long, low whistle that changed octaves three times, and then waited. Suddenly, there was a burst of fire in the room above them and a trill followed by a flash of red and gold. "Ah, Fawkes," Dumbledore called up. "Down here." He turned and winked at Hermione. "There was another option of course, but this one will save us time."
They looked up as Fawkes trilled again, circling once more and dove down the hole and was at their side the next instant. "Give us a lift?" Dumbledore questioned the phoenix, as Hermione gazed at it in awe and appreciation.
Fawkes dipped his head and flapped his wings, as Dumbledore grasped his tail.
"Will he be able to?" Hermione asked, uncertainly.
"Oh, yes," Dumbledore said. "He is quite strong. Not to worry, Ms Granger. Go ahead and grab hold of my robe and hang on tight."
Hermione nodded and did as she was asked, clinging to the Headmaster's side and closed her eyes as with a great flap of his wings, she felt her feet rise off the floor once more as Fawkes lifted them out of the hole. He settled them back on the ground in Fluffy's room, and trilled again.
"Ah, thank you, my friend," Dumbledore said. "You are quite wonderful." With another trill, and a burst of flame, Fawkes was gone.
Now back in the main castle level, Dumbledore and Hermione hurried off back to the infirmary.
"So," Madam Pomfrey said sometime later when Hermione entered the infirmary again, this time with the Headmaster. "What happened?"
"Well, it seems," Dumbledore said, plucking the Stone from Harry's hand and holding it up. "That Mr Potter and his friends found out about this and that someone was trying to steal it. Young Mr Weasley and Mr Potter were injured during the process of trying to prevent the theft."
"Why didn't theytellsomeone?" Madam Pomfrey asked. "Let someone else handle it?"
"They did," the voice of Professor McGonagall interrupted after the creak of the door opening. They turned to see her approach and Hermione fidgeted nervously, waiting for a reprimand and more points to be lost. "I wish to apologise, Ms Granger," she said, and Hermione blinked in surprise as her Head of House came to a stop before her. "I was mistaken, thinking that no one could possibly get past the protections we had in place for the Stone, but I was wrong." She paused and looked at Madam Pomfrey. "Earlier this afternoon, Ms Granger, Mr Potter and young Mr Weasley came to me looking for Professor Dumbledore. They mentioned the Stone and that it was in danger of being stolen. I am sorry to say that I didn't listen. I am glad they were able to prevent the theft, and that they are safe."
"But who?" Madam Pomfrey asked.
"I am afraid that I must apologise now, Madam Pomfrey, but that is something that can be discussed at another time," Dumbledore said.
"Yes, of course," Madam Pomfrey said, and got to work on the boys.
"Professor McGonagall," Dumbledore asked. "Might I have permission to borrow Ms Granger for a while? I know it's after hours, however I would like to have a few matters cleared up."
"Yes, of course, Professor Dumbledore," McGonagall said.
"Ms Granger?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," she said, and gazed over at her friends a moment before following the Headmaster out.