Chapter 9
Defend your King with honour
Philosopher's Stone
Four people under one cloak. Sounds like an American sitcom, though it is very much the concurrent reality for Harry, Ron, Marley, and Hermione, four friends who were forged into an unbreakable bond over the course of many months and many more fun memories. This wasn't one of them.
"Ow! You stepped on my foot!", the Gryffindor girl scolded Ron, her quiet whisper not lacking even an ounce of sharpness.
"Sorry.", he mumbled in response to this.
"Suppose there's no extension spell we could use on your invisibility cloak. Is there?", Marley suggested, the electronic device she carried on her left not making their spacing issues any better.
"What the bloody hell is that?", Ron finally inquired, cutting off her comment as she looked to the rest of them.
"A boombox.", Marley answered humbly, the Weasley boy of course being the only one not familiar with the muggle item.
"Why did you bring that?"
"Mmm – I don't know.", the Slytherin explained with that rare pinch of sarcasm, "Maybe because we'll have to deal with a three-headed dog that falls to sleep exclusively via music?"
Expecting some reassurance from the other Gryffindors, Marley instead let out an overtly dramatic gasp bevor hysterically continuing in a not-so-quiet whisper.
"Am I seriously the only one who thought to bring something to deal with Fluffy?!"
Serving as her answer, she got nothing but shame-ridden faces, only Hermione having the guts to speak up.
"I did look up some melody spells. Thought that was enough..."
Clearly aggravated, though unable to muster any loud noises under their stuffed invisibility cloak, Marley's punishment for the bunch was handing Ron her boombox, forcing him to carry it while she took out her black wand.
"Alohomora.", she quietly spat out, opening the door to the creature's hideout, stepping in first.
"Unbelievable...", she still mumbled under her breath as the others slowly followed behind, all kids wearing their casual clothing for now.
Inside Fluffy's chamber, ever so slightly illuminated by the moonlight, a golden harp stood off to the side, and it appears the instrument was enchanted in some way or other in order to play itself. This also explained the snoozing mutt.
"Wait a minute. He's...", Ron spoke as he took a few steps off to the side, boombox still held in his hand like a briefcase, "...he's snoring."
"Whoever is trying to steal the stone must've been here already.", Harry announced, gaining him nods and a disappointed sigh from Marley.
"I brought Madonna for nothing."
"Who's Madonna?", Ron asked, causing the girl to frown even harder.
"There really is no hope for you, Ronald."
"Come on – we have to move its paw.", Harry interjected, refocusing their attention to the trapdoor while Ron put away the music machine as to be useful instead. Both boys and Marley latched onto the massive dog's foot, waiting for the boy with glasses to commence the effort.
"Okay – push!"
All three winced for a few seconds, though their combined strength was enough to remove the massive appendage. The trapdoor beneath stared back at them all like an inviting siren of doom.
"Don't follow until I give you a sign.", Harry then declared, "If something bad happens, get yourselves out."
He obviously got pushback for that suggestion, and obviously from Marley the most.
"Are you mental?", the girl cried as the harp suddenly fell silent, a fact only noticed by a wide-eyed Hermione.
"We won't let you go down there alone, mate.", Ron added.
"Do you seriously think that after everything-"
Being the acoustic nerd of the group, Marley noticed next.
"The music stopped.", she announced rather bluntly, and with a clearly fearful note woven into her voice. It didn't help that Harry shared a fearful look with the girl. It didn't help that Hermione's gaze remained glued onto the creature ahead, clearly telling them that the girl was observing live movement. And it especially didn't help Ron that a massive heap of drool bounced onto his shoulder.
"Ew! Yuck...", he complained, always obsessing over the least pressing issue in any scenario.
Slowly, and with care, and with Marley grabbing Harry's hand almost instinctively, the trio got back up on their feet, making their way steadily over to a frozen Hermione. Just as that happened, the three heads attached to one dog all awoke at different intervals, beginning to growl and bark at the intruders, which it could not make out to be innocent children, ones that are trying to help above all.
All hell broke loose as the creature went for the attack, Ron ducking aside and knocking over the boombox, Madonna's cassette falling out of it. Harry successfully dodged a mean bite, though got smacked down right after as the same head jerked to the side, knocking the boy over as well.
"Harry!", a certain Slytherin cried out, after which she grabbed her wand, aiming it at Fluffy.
"Immobi-", is all that jumped over her lips before another twitch from the central head flicked her wand over to the trapdoor. Hermione was dealing with the third head successfully so far, though finally found herself crawling backwards on her butt and towards a corner.
With all of her friends now in immediate peril, her wand outside her reach, and the boombox next to Ron, it seemed as though there was nothing else left to do.
"Like a child..."
The scene took a grinding halt as Fluffy paused his onslaught, not yet calmed but certainly intrigued.
"You whisper softly to me...", Marley continued. While Harry was far from an expert on music, it did sound to him as though the girl was hitting all the right notes, though clearly lacking the confidence to perform in a life-or-death scenario.
"Keep going!", Hermione encouraged her, if only for practical reasons and not artistic expression.
"You're in control. Just like a chiiiiild. Now I'm dancing..."
While Marley's solo kept the beast at bay, Harry and Hermione redirected their attention to Ron and the boombox.
"Put the cassette back in!", Harry commanded in distress, still knocked to the ground.
"What?!", Ron blurted back.
"It's like a dream..."
"The square thing, Ron!", Hermione angrily pointed at Madonna to the side. The Weasley boy clumsily picked it up.
"No end and no beginning..."
"Now what?"
"Put it in!", both Harry and Hermione snarled at him. Ron somehow managed to correctly insert the tape into the empty slot, closing the lid as he glanced back to his friends, Marley's acapella ongoing.
"You're here with me..."
"Hit Play!", Harry yelped.
"It's like a dreeeaaam..."
"Which one is that?!"
"Triangle!", Hermione, ironically, barked at him.
"Let the choir sing!"
By pure happenstance, as Ron pressed the play button, the tape already began on the exact part of the song Marley was performing, allowing Madonna and her to synch up perfectly.
"WHEN YOU CALL MY NAME, IT'S LIKE A LITTLE PRAYER, I'M DOWN ON MY KNEES – I WANNA TAKE YOU THERE..."
The magic of this 1989 hit song showed its full effect on the creature, Fluffy's set of six eyes slowly closing as the beast sunk quietly to the ground, this time conveniently not placing any body parts on the trapdoor. Harry reached it the quickest, jolting to his feet beforehand, and grabbing Marley's wand as he reached it, yanking open the hatch, allowing Ron to hop down first, into what, neither boy could muster, though suppose it wouldn't immediately dissolve tissue on the spot, or else a trapdoor would arguably be very useless.
"Go!", the Boy who lived redundantly called out to Hermione, the girl passing by him as she hopped down as well.
Now only one was left. With a worried glance he looked to his friend Marley, concerned by the fact that she hadn't appeared at the trapdoor yet. Though as he spotted her, it left him speechless with a gaping jaw.
Moonlight acting like headlamps, the girl was beautifully illuminated as her words overlapped with those of an artist whose tune currently sounded from the boombox in the corner.
"Life is a myyysteeery. Everyone must staaand aaalone. I hear you caaall myyy name. And it feeeels like-"
"Marley!", he cut her off, snapping the girl out of her trance-like state, the fear of being eaten three times over apparently having caused tunnel vision of sorts, focused solely on the life-saving performance.
"That was incredible!", he complimented her with the purest of expressions, as if this was the school's talent show or something mundane like that. Though she greatly appreciated the feedback with a short blush, Marley was actually the one to focus on the trapdoor behind him again.
"We need to go.", was all it took to rally Harry back into motion, the boy handing back her wand as they descended onto the next challenge below, their entry closing behind them and cutting off their access to Madonna's heavenly sounds indefinitely.
Both landed rather squishy, and in close proximity to each other. Across from them a more than horrid sight grabbed their attention – a completely still Hermione and a struggling Ron being devoured by a sea of vines, the quartet having landed in a giant bowl of veggie spaghetti (veggetti?).
"Woah!", came from Harry, announcing that the two late arrivals were not to be spared from the rope-like flora engulfing their bodies. At their collective cries of struggles, Hermione opened her eyes again, reacting with the same level of annoyance someone at summer camp would show their bunk mates for keeping them up all night.
"Stop moving – all of you!", the nerdy girl howled, "This is Devil's Snare! You have to relax. Otherwise it will kill you faster."
"Faster?!", Marley winced.
"Oh, now I can relax!", Ron supported the girl's fears.
Hermione managed to squeeze out an annoyed sigh, her body finally relaxing as the vines slowly dragged her further down below, the girl eventually disappearing out of sight.
"Hermione!", the boys and Marley cried after the supposed disappearance of their friend.
"What are we going to do now!?", Ron whimpered as Marley began hyperventilating.
"Just relax!", the Gryffindor girl's non-corporeal voice commanded.
"Where are you?", Harry finally asked, coming off as the most rational of the children.
"Do what I say! Trust me!"
Not getting an answer, he remained with a calm head, recalling memories of his abusive uncle and aunt bursting out in anger as the boy learned to relax on his own. Harry was also the only one able to make out that Hermione's voice came from below, henceforth she was probably pulled to safety.
And so, with his muscles easing up and breaths as calm as a summer's morning, the Devil's Snare dragged the boy towards freedom.
Though to his companions above, this looked anything like it.
"Harry!", both Marley and Ron screamed at the same time, the girl doing it with a bit more spirit. At this turn of events, she tried wriggling herself free, which instead only got a part of greenery to squeeze her right arm more tightly than before, causing the girl to cry out in pain.
"Marley!", the Weasley boy blasted, making things only worse for the both of them.
As Harry dropped onto stone, Marley's scream of pain got him pumped with adrenaline right away.
"Marley!", he too tossed out, though he did it at the ceiling of vines above him and Hermione.
"They're not relaxing, are they?", the girl spoke in a worried tone, only confirming the obvious.
"Help!", sounded from Ron.
"Help!", from Marley.
"We need to do something!", the boy with glasses stated, only heightening the pressure put on Hermione.
"Uh!", she exclaimed after a few seconds and some more yelling from above the weeds, "I remember reading about something in Herbology. Something with Devil's Snare."
"Help-", they heard from Ron, before a nasty vine wrapped itself around his mouth, terrifying Marley alongside it. Harry almost shouted at the girl next to him that she should think faster.
"Um... Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare... it's deadly fun...", her eyes widened as she finally stumbled over a solution, "...but will sulk in the sun! That's it – Devil's Snare hates sunlight!"
Luckily she brought her own wand, which was far pointier compared to those her friends owned.
"Lumos Solem!", acted as the saving grace, producing a bright bulb of sunlight emitted from the tip of her magic tool, making the wild cluster of vines twitch around in a panic, loosening up just in time to allow Ron to smack to the ground while Harry helped soften Marley's fall, the girl probably not in the condition to land on her own. The noise of snake-like plants twisting around subsided as the kids were all finally able to, for lack of a better word, relax.
"Are you two okay?", Harry asked them both, though he still held up the Slytherin girl in his arms like a 1940s dame.
"Yeah.", Ron spoke through gritted teeth, "Luckily we didn't panic."
The obnoxious smile that followed his statement caused Hermione to roll her eyes, though their shared focus shifted over to Marley as the girl winced.
"What's wrong?", Harry asked, their faces not too far apart from one another.
"My arm...", she elaborated, a certain level of ache present in her voice, "I think the vines broke it."
Helping her back up, Harry shared a concerned look with the other Gryffindors.
"You should-"
"No!"
His suggestion was sliced in half by Marley herself, bravely pushing past the pain as she stood on two legs.
"I know what you're going to say. I won't stay behind. I've come this far. I won't let you down."
Though she meant "you" as in the plural version of the word, her eyes were thoroughly glued onto Harry's face as she spoke them.
"Fine.", Hermione answered for the whole group, "But if anything comes up, you go straight back to McGonagall."
"If she hasn't caught up with us already thanks to that boombox.", Ron provided as commentary. Marley briefly recalled the bright expression she got from Harry before, mentally thanking both the boy as well as Madonna.
After a short while the kids found themselves in yet another room, drawn to the tall chamber by the strange sounds emitted from within.
"I've never seen birds like these.", Hermione marvelled, all four heads glued to the alluring movements above them. It seemed as though hundreds of tiny creatures with wings were flapping around, a swarm of insects probably more accurate than birds, Marley thought while trying to ignore the pain emitted from either her ulna or her radius. Perhaps both.
"Those are keys.", Harry figured out for all to stare up in awe, "And I'll bet one of them is supposed to open that door."
He pointed to the portal in question, Ron stomping towards it with a certain level of bravado as his second-hand wand touched the lock.
"Alohomora!", he performed with much enthusiasm. Despite this and the small shiver of light, the door remained shut. "Well... worth a try."
"I'm proud that you thought of it!", Marley encouraged her friend, an honest smile hiding the apparent discomfort from her injury.
"What's this all about?", Hermione inquired for herself and her companions.
"I don't know.", Harry added, similarly overwhelmed.
"Actually...", the Slytherin made herself known, pointing with her healthy arm towards the standard-looking broomstick hovering midair that the gang chose to ignore until now. Giving Harry a glance, the boy understood immediately.
"There must be a thousand keys up there.", Hermione undermined their efforts.
"Probably an old-fashioned one.", Ron spoke, hands akimbo, "Big and rusty like the lock-"
"Got it!", Harry shot out like a pistol, not even acknowledging the fact this was bloody impressive, "Up there! With the broken wing!"
It took all a few seconds to spot the flying item, a smirk growing on Marley as she looked over to the Boy who lived.
"Just don't swallow the thing this time."
Hoping to get him to smile back at her, his eyes instead remained fixated with caution on the broomstick.
"What's wrong, Harry?", Hermione correctly identified his hesitation.
"It's too simple. Isn't it?", he surmised, getting fearful glances from the rest.
"Oh, go on, Harry.", Ron spoke, almost annoyed at his inaction, "If anyone can catch that thing, it's you. You're the youngest Seeker in a century!"
The boy nodded at the much-needed push. Remembering Marley's earlier comment, he does finally gift her a smirk, though a lot cockier than she did.
"I really shouldn't swallow it this time."
Though she smiled for a moment, the Slytherin's expression changed quickly the moment Harry grabbed the broom and hopped onto it – something about this action commanded all keys to suddenly hurl towards him, chasing the boy with the intensity of a WWII dogfight.
"That complicates things.", was, for some reason, what Ron thought was appropriate to add.
In the midst of a storm of sharp objects set on impaling the boy, Harry maneuverer like a Quidditch pro despite the relatively small room offering an uncomfortable lack of spacing. Marley could feel her heartbeat racing with fear, stepping closer to Hermione, the Gryffindor putting her arm around the other girl in a gesture of sympathy.
Then, after a harrowing blitz, the youngest Seeker in a century finally caught the injured object.
"I got it!"
The girls separated again as they raced towards Ronald and the door.
"Catch the key!"
He hurled it down in a swift swing, the Weasley boy possessing the reflexes to actually grab it midair, though Hermione almost caught it as well. As he began tinkering around with the lock, Harry continued keeping the enemy wings distracted.
"Hurry!", Marley whimpered at an annoyed Ron. A cathartic click served as their salvation, the Weasley practically ripping the portal open as the three of them hurried through it, Harry following shortly after, still on top of his broomstick. The door was shut right after, and a metallic barrage of noise told them that this particular challenge was completed.
A dark room presented itself as their final obstacle. Ceramic shrapnel laid all around them, pieces of debris clearly depicting humanoid figures. It made it seem like a cemetery. As if the worst was just about to happen. In her unrest, Marley inched closer towards Harry, a motion no one questioned anymore at this point. Maybe Ron would've made a mean comment about it a few months ago. But they had come too far as a group now.
"I don't like it here.", Hermione sounded, clearly showing that both girls were uncomfortable. "I don't like it here at all."
Before Harry could ask if this was a graveyard, Marley caught his attention as she bowed in a quick jolt, crying out in pain.
"Okay, that's it – you have to go back.", Harry commanded, probably with a bit more authority than he wanted to insert into the statement.
"No!", Marley answered once again, this time showing some tears alongside her response.
"All of you would do the same for me. I know it."
Though no one said it out loud, they did all agree with the sentiment.
"You're my best friends. In fact... you're the only real friends I've ever had. There's no way on Earth I would abandon you now!"
Despite her apparent expression of unease, the girl powered through it, somewhat inspiring the bunch on their final part of the journey. Ron was first to turn away, taking a few steps with his eyes fixated on the floor.
"I know what this is.", he declared, "It's a chessboard."
As if activated by voice command, the massive room lit up with bright flames on the side, confirming Ron's theory and showcasing the intimidating size of all the chess pieces present. They aimed for the door behind the white side, Hermione putting her arm around Marley as they walked towards it. Unfortunately, as the kids reached this point, the pawns, in crouched positions, drew their swords in a show of force, blocking their path and sending a clear signal that this is not how this game is played.
"Now what do we do?", Hermione uttered, clearly the most tired from all this adventuring.
"I could use that explosion spell I read about.", Marley suggested, followed by her grunting at herself, "Darn it Marlene – what was it called again?!"
"I don't think we can solve this with magic.", Ron said with such serious conviction that it somewhat frightened the girls, "It's obvious, isn't it? We've got to win a game of Wizard's Chess."
Seemingly the authority on the subject, he looked back to his own pieces, noticing the absence of three spots, plus an empty horse.
"Right. Harry, you take the empty Bishop's square. Hermione, you'll be the Queen-side castle. Marley..."
The boy paused briefly upon realizing which spot was also blank.
"You... you'll be the King."
The girl looked to her friends as she walked over to the spot, left arm still holding on to her right, wondering how much longer she could power though the pain.
In spite of her struggles, she conjured up a warm smile as she came to a halt.
"Well, I hope my subjects will serve their King adequately."
In that moment Harry was once again reminded just how much he adored that girl.
"As for me...", Ron said in a cold tone as he mounted his ceramic horse, "...I'll be the Knight."
With that, His Holiness Pope Harry, The Fortress Hermione, King Marlene of House Verpe, and Brave Sir Ronald were all set in place, ready to commence this match of fates.
"What happens now?", the Gryffindor girl asked, as she was the least familiar with the game.
"Well...", Sir Ron explained, "...white moves first. Then we play."
His voice, ironically, lacked any bravery at all, his eyes staring intensely at the white pawn making its first move.
"Ron?", Hermione asked with a worried glance, "You don't suppose this is going to be like... real Wizard's Chess. Do you?"
A lump got stuck in his throat as he pointed to one of his pawns.
"You there! D5!"
The massive statue followed his command, sliding forward with an ominous sound, like blocks of marble scraping against one another. Ultimately, his move served as a complete waste, as, in the next turn, the white pawn drew its swords and sliced the black one into pieces, without flinching even once. Not that any of the pieces even had faces. Besides the four made from flesh, of course.
And so, the daring game continued on steadily. Each time a piece was knocked out Marley began to shiver more and more, especially every time either Harry, Ron, or Hermione were used. As King, she herself stood protected, though only for as long as the game was going in their favour.
"Castle to E4!"
A loud bang as the piece is shattered.
"Pawn to C3!"
Yet another burst, more violent this time.
The girl studied Ron's strategy closely, making out rather quickly what his ultimate plan was, casting a worried look over to a confused Hermione. Towards the end of the game, Harry was able to catch onto Sir Ron's plans as well.
"Wait a minute...", he mumbled in distress.
"You understand... right Harry?", the Weasley boy spoke, Marley's heart dropping at the confirmation. Hermione also looked concerned, despite having no idea what was going on.
"Once I make my move, the Queen will take me. Then you're free to check the King."
"No.", Harry protested, "Ron, no!"
"What is it?", Hermione wondered, somehow not able to infer that Ron was about to do something rather dangerous.
"He's going to sacrifice himself.", Marley added quietly before Harry could explain.
"No, you can't!", the Gryffindor girl protested, "There must be another way!"
"Do you want Voldemort to get the stone?", the boy snarled back at her before turning his head towards the Boy who lived, "Harry, it has to be you that goes on. I know it. Not me, not Hermione, not Marley – you!"
Harry gave him his blessings with a nod, though he wasn't particularly keen on witnessing what was to come next.
"Knight to H3.", Sir Ronald spoke. With that same eerie motion, that same haunting noise, his static horse slid two tiles in one direction, then two more in another, coming to grinding halt as the boy gulped. In those last few seconds, he recalled Marley's prior words.
All of you would do the same for me. I know it.
"Check."
In response, the White Queen started moving, ominously closing in on the piece as Ron clutched the marble reins tighter, all of his friends unable to intervene, watching in horror as the game was unfolding, as if no real stakes were attached.
Once in position, she drew her impressive sword, stabbing the horse and causing it to crumble into pieces. Ron howled in fear as he dropped to the ground, an unfortunate fall leading to his head smacking against a piece of broken stone, knocking him unconscious as blood streamed from a small gap on his head.
"RON!", Harry cried out, getting no answer. Hermione was just about to leave her square as Marley stopped her.
"Don't, Hermione! We're still playing!", the Slytherin shouted, clenching her teeth in pain right after.
The Knight's sacrifice having been worth it, Harry finished the game via walking in a diagonal line, now trapping the opposing King with nowhere left to go.
"Checkmate."
The words held little joy, though they served the purpose of disarming his majesty, a mighty sword made from real metal dropping with a loud clank, announcing the white side as defeated and the game as completed.
Rather than celebration, Harry and Hermione arrived at the unconscious Weasley boy, Marley almost limping in pain as she joined them.
"Take care of Ron and Marley. Then go to the Owlery. Send a message to Dumbledore. Ron was right. I have to go on by myself."
"You'll be okay Harry.", Hermione responded, reassuringly, "You're a great wizard. You really are."
He scoffed with humility as Marley nodded, too much in pain to talk for now.
"I'm not as good as you two.", he responded, sounding slightly charismatic, actually.
"Marley and I just like to read books more. Sure, we've got better grades, but that's not all there is to it. Friendship and bravery are what matters. And you have more than enough of the latter."
That final assessment gave him the confidence he needed to persist, a careful hug from Marley acting as the positivity crescendo for such an occasion. She moved away again with her arm still clasping onto her broken one, honestly relieved to hear that she didn't have to keep going, though equally as worried as to what the boy might encounter on his own.
"Just be careful, Harry.", the Slytherin whispered. Before he could depart, a whimsical chirp announced Leaghon's appearance, the little pixie swirling around the boy in a haste before moving back into Marley's pretty necklace.
On their way back, forced to carry Ron by herself, Hermione asked the girl if Harry had blushed at her, Marley shrugging as she answered, not sure herself if it were the case or not. Perhaps it was just the light cast by the chess room's bright torches.