[1] New Beginnings: Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and the Philosopher's Stone

27: challenges of the trapdoor and the truth

Nodding, Harry grabbed onto the broom. Immediately, all the keys in the room rushed him at once and started swarming him. He waved his arms about frantically, keeping them away from his face. He kicked off from the ground and flew after the key.

"This complicates things a bit," Ron said.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "No kidding, Ronald."

Harry swooped in and out of the arches, ahead of the rest of the keys. They were just behind him in a great big cloud of metal. After a few moments, he finally caught up with the one that would unlock the door and grabbed it, flying down towards the others once he had. He threw the key down to Percy yelling, "Catch the key!" Percy caught it and was instantly running up to the door and shoving the key into the keyhole, unlocking it. He pushed open the door and ran through, making room for Ron and Hermione. Harry came flying through the doorway next and Percy closed it just in time; the keys that were chasing Harry had embedded themselves in the wooden door with how fast they were flying at him.

The four Gryffindors cautiously walked on, coming into a room with a life-sized chess set in the middle. As soon as they were all in the room, torches all along the walls lit up dramatically. They walked onto the board, eyeing the pieces warily. Massaging his throat Percy said, "Do you think that we have to play to get across?" The door to the next room was behind the white pieces on the other side of the board. Ron walked forward, intending to pass between two of the pawns and the king and queen. He was stopped, however, by the pawns lifting their swords and crossing them with each other. "Well, I guess that answers that question."

Ron stepped back from the pawns and turned to face the others. "The only way to get to the door," he said, "is if we all take a piece's place and play the game." Being the genius at chess he was, Ron took charge. They took the places of pieces on the black side of the board. "Hermione, you be the right castle. Harry, the left bishop. I'll be the left knight, and Percy, you're the queen."

"Nice," Percy said.

"Why does he get to be the queen?"

"Because I'm better than you, Harry. Isn't it obvious?" Percy then dissolved into a violent coughing fit.

"Ron," Hermione said, "do you think that this will be like real wizards' chess?"

Ron narrowed his eyes at a white pawn that had already moved forward. He then told one of their own pawns, a black one, to move so it was diagonal to the white. Nothing happened for a moment, then the white pawn sprung into action. It drew its sword and sliced across the black pawn, completely destroying it. "Yes, Hermione. I think this is going to be exactly like wizard's chess."

And so they played. Ron was the mastermind behind it all, telling the pieces where to go and making sure that Percy, Harry, and Hermione didn't stray from their spots. Pieces destroyed other pieces, littering the board with shrapnel. Percy had gotten a few cuts from flying chunks of stone as it flew from a white bishop. He did his best to duck out of the way after that.

Finally, there were only a few pieces left on the board, including the four Gryffindors. Ron surveyed the chess board and turned to the others. "You know what has to happen now, don't you?" He intended to sacrifice himself so they could get across.

"Ron, no! There must be another way!"

"There isn't another way, Hermione! Percy, as soon as the queen takes me, you go take that bishop." Percy nodded. "Then Harry, you're free to take the king. Alright? Alright." Ron took a deep breath, steeling his nerves. He told his horse to move and it did. His horse stopped moving and he looked to the king. "Check," he said. They all waited and watched as the white queen slowly turned and faced him, then moved forward, drawing its sword. When the queen was almost upon Ron, it lifted the sword high into the air and brought it down with a mighty crash.