Finding The Light

Through The Fire (edited)

The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Harry, Hermione and I charged through the door and up the next passageway.

"What if he's -?" Hermione started to ask.

"He'll be all right," said Harry. "What do you reckon's next?"

"We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare; Flitwick must've put charms on the keys; McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive; that leaves Quirrell's spell, and Snape's," I rattled.

We had reached another door, another door with another test. We gulped simultaneously.

"Alright?" Harry whispered.

"Go on," Hermione and I encouraged. Harry pushed it open.

A disgusting smell his my nose, making me gag. Eyes watering, I saw, flat on the floor in front of us, a troll even larger than the one we had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head.

"I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one," Harry whispered as we stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. "Come on, I can't breathe."

I pulled open the next door, there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.

"Snape's," said Harry. "What do we have to do?"

We stepped over the threshold, and immediately a fire sprang up behind us in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either; it was purple. At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. We were trapped.

"Look!"

I jumped at Hermione's yell but she had already lunged forward and seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles.

"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, 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

Will always find some on nettle wine's 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 holds death in their insides;

Fourth, the second left and the second on the right,

Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight."

Hermione let out a great sigh and Harry and I, amazed, saw that she was smiling, the very last thing I felt like doing.

"Brilliant," said Hermione. "This isn't magic - it's logic - a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever."

"But so will we, won't we?" Harry asked.

"Of course not," said Hermione. "Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple."

"But how do we know which to drink?" I asked. "I'm not a great shake with logic."

"Give me a minute."

Hermione read the paper several times. Then she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands.

"Got it," she said. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire - toward the Stone."

"There's only enough there for one of us," he said. "That's hardly one swallow."

"I uh . . ." they looked at me, "I have a way that might get us through the flames, but maybe Hermione should go back, get Ron back up to the castle and get Dumbledore back here? Then again Hermione's the smart one so she should really stay."

"Belle's right," Harry agreed, "Hermione, which one will get you back through the purple flames and up to the school?"

Hermione pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line.

"You drink that," said Harry. "Get back and get Ron. Grab brooms from the flying key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy - go straight to the Owlry and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. Belle and I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but we're no match for him, really."

"But Harry - what if You-Know-Who's with him?"

"I've said it already, Snape is not with Voldemort," I sighed.

"Well if he is - I was lucky once, wasn't I?" said Harry, pointing at his scar. "I might get lucky again."

Hermione's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at Harry and threw her arms around him.

"Hermione!"

"Harry - you're a great wizard, you know."

"I'm not as good as you," said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him.

"Me!" said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things - friendship and bravery and - oh Harry - be careful!"

"Excuse me, I am here, yes?" I asked only to be smothered by Hermione which made Harry laugh. "I didn't want a hug! I just meant he wasn't going alone!"

"You drink first," said Harry. "You are sure which is which, aren't you?"

"Positive," said Hermione.

She took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shuddered. Harry and i watched her curiously.

"It's not poison?" Harry asked anxiously.

"No - but it's like ice."

"Quick, go, before it wears off," I ordered.

"Good luck - take care."

"GO!" We both yelled at her.

Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire. Harry took a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. He turned to face the black flames.

"You sure you can get though?"

"Wait on the other side."

"Here I come," he said, and he drained the little bottle in one gulp.

Harry put the bottle down and walked forward, out of my sight. Taking a deep breath I lifted my wand, mind-set. I had to be able to control this, or I was screwed.

I flicked my wand and a great flaming snake burst forwards, creating a tunnel through the flames for me, I ran through and flicked my wand, getting rid of my snake fire.

However when i looked up at what had Harry shocked i found not Snape, nor Voldemort, but Quirrell.

F*cking Quirrell?!

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