The Philosopher's Stone (A Harry Potter Rewrite)

FROGED IN FLAMES

"Who's there?" he said suddenly as they climbed towards him. He narrowed his wicked black eyes. "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?"
He rose up in the air and floated there, squinting at them. "Should call Filch, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen."

"Peeves," Harry suddenly said in a hoarse whisper, "the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible."

Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock. He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs.

"So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr Baron, sir," he said greasily. "My mistake, my mistake - I didn't see you - of course I didn't, you're invisible - forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir."

"I have business here, Peeves," croaked Harry. "Stay away from this place tonight."

"I will, sir, I most certainly will," said Peeves, rising up in the air again. "Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you."

And he scooted off.

"Brilliant, Harry!" whispered Ron and Ria gave him a smirk.

A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor - and the door was already ajar.

"Let's get this over with", Ria said grimly and pushed the door open.

Fluffy was asleep, a harp beside him, magically playing a simple tune.

"It must wake up the moment the music stops.", Harry whispered.

Immediately, as if his words had triggered it, the harp stopped playing and the giant dog stirred.

"Oh no! What now?", Hermione said in a choked voice.

Ria took a deep breath and started singing. The dog slowly settled back down. Ria motioned with her hand for the others to go ahead as she kept singing.

"I think we'll be able to pull the door open," said Ron, peering over the dog's back. "Want to go first, Hermione?"

"No, I don't!"

"All right." Ron gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog's legs. He bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open.

"What can you see?" Hermione said anxiously.

"Nothing - just black - there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop."

"I'll go first", Harry said.
He climbed over Fluffy and looked down through the trapdoor. He lowered himself through the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips.

Then he looked up at Ron and said, "If anything happens to me, don't follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?"

"Right," said Ron.

"See you in a minute, I hope ..."
And Harry let go.

"It's OK!" he called up after a minute "It's a soft landing, you can jump!"

Ron went in and then Hermione. Ria jumped last keeping the tune going until she was clear of the hole.

She landed on a soft plant and immediately saw Hermione struggling to get rid of the vines clutching at her arms. Ria jumped up and moved away and then her eyes fell on the boys.

Harry and Ron's legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing. Hermione had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her. The two boys fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them.