Miss Quinn

16 ~ The Snare, the Keys, and the Statue

Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Emma said goodbye to Venus and mumbled apologies to Neville.

"It's for your own good, you know," Ron said as he passed Neville.

"Ron!" Emma scolded, sending a glare at him. "Sorry, Neville."

Harry threw the cloak onto the others and they quietly made their way to the third floor. When they opened Fluffy's door, Emma immediately saw a harp laying on the ground a few yards away. Emma knew she'd never played a harp before, but she stepped out from under the cloak and lunged for it. Fluffy snapped at her, but she started plucking the harp strings lightly. Emma didn't know how, but she was playing an actual song. The music flowed through the chamber and Fluffy started to drift off. Emma kept playing as Hermione and Ron moved Fluffy's paw from over the trap door. Harry lifted the door and Emma started scooting herself and the harp over to it. The harp wasn't very large, it was more of a hand-held harp that she simply carried over to her friends. It was about two feet high and one foot wide, so about the size of a pillow. Harry was talking with Hermione and Ron, but Emma could hardly hear them. Then Harry turned to her.

"You should be the last one through the door, make sure you keep playing until you're through." Harry said. Then he jumped, followed by Ron and Hermione. Emma sat at the edge of the opening in the floor. Then she levitated the harp away from Fluffy and slid off the floor and into the darkness. She landed in a heap of large, thick vines. Emma saw Harry and Ron struggling against the vines that had wrapped around them. Hermione was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Hermione?" Emma asked.

"Devil's Snare -- went down -- don't know," Harry struggled to say between his ragged breaths. Emma's legs were bound by the Devils Snare by then.
She heard Hermione's voice, telling them to relax. Emma relaxed her muscles and stopped trying to free herself from the vines. The plant lowered her to the ground where Hermione stood, yelling at the boys. A moment after, Harry dropped down too. Ron was screaming for help, he wouldn't stop moving. Emma realized that Hermione had been speaking and tuned in to listen.

"--that's it! Devil's Snare hates sunlight!" Hermione said, "Lumos Solem!" A bright light shot out of her wand and Ron dropped to the floor.

"Phew, lucky we didn't panic." He said when he'd dusted off his clothes and stood up. Emma almost laughed, but figured this was a serious situation and thought better of it.

"Lucky Hermione pays attention in Herbology." Harry said.

Then the four of them started towards the door at the end of the hallway. They entered a room filled with birds. Emma looked closely and saw that the birds were shimmering and were golden in color. Some looked to be silver too.

"Look at those birds," Hermione said.

"They aren't birds, they're keys," Harry said.

"Keys?" Ron looked dumbfounded.

"I bet one fits that door," Harry said.
Emma went over to study the lock on the door, "The key will be large," she said, "probably silver like the handle."

Harry pointed and said, "There, the one with the broken wing." Harry looked over at the broom magically hovering in the air.

"Go on Harry, you're the youngest seeker in the century," Ron said.

"Besides, if Snape could catch the key on that old broomstick, you can too," Emma said.

"It's too simple," Harry mumbled.

"Harry, if you don't do it, I'll do it. And trust me, you do not want me doing it," Emma said.

Harry reached out and grasped the broom handle. The keys swarmed and chased after him. Harry flew around the small chamber, reaching for the right key, while the other keys pecked at him. Harry then flew down, the key in his grasp. He threw it to Emma who caught it and fit it in the lock. The door opened and the three of them rushed through it. Harry just managed to get through the opening when Hermione slammed it closed. Emma heard a sound that sounded like rain, but was really the keys slamming against the door from the other side.

The four of them started walking down the corridor. They opened the door and entered a large room with statues all over.

"Is this a graveyard?" Hermione asked.

Then Ron started walking forward and stopped right after the first two lines of statues.

"No," he said, "it's a chessboard."