𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐄 ¹

16. through the trapdoor

"Lumos Maxima!"

Bright light emitted from their wands, blinding everyone and everything, and moments later, Ron fell on the ground beside them. He scrambled up, sighing in relief.

"It's good I stayed calm."

Harper stared at him in disbelief.

"It's good Hermione and Harper payed attention in Herbology," Harry stated, before looking around. They were in a dark room with only one door. He looked back at Harper and the others and nodded. "Let's go."

They opened the door and came in a lighter room. Lots of things were flying around the room that Harper couldn't immediately identify. There was another door opposite of the one they had just came through and Ron dashed towards it to try and open it.

"It's closed," he said.

"I didn't think it would be that easy," Harry replied.

Harper fixed her eyes on one flying thing and noticed that it was actually a key with wings. She looked at another one and saw that that too was a key.

"It's Professor Flitwick's enchantment," Harper told them. "Look, the flying things are keys!"

The four of them looked up to the keys.

"And how are we supposed to catch one?" Ron asked. "And how do we know which one to catch in the first place?"

Hermione looked at the lock. "The key must be old and silver, just like the lock."

Harper eyes fell on a pair of broomsticks and she grinned, tugging at Harry's sleeve to get his attention.

"We have to catch them," Harry replied eyeing the broomsticks.

They each mounted a broom and kicked off into the air. It was hard to catch a key, Harry and Harper nearly collided with each other while hunting for a key. It was then that she saw an old silver key, it had a broken wing.

Snape must have broken it.

"Harry," Harper squealed while pointed at the key. "I think I found him!"

Harry followed her finger and his eyes lit up.

"We've got to close it in!" he yelled back and Harper took her position. A couple of keys later, Harry had caught the right key. The both of them flew back down and Harry tossed the key towards Hermione who quickly unlocked the door.

The four of them entered the the next room. It was dark but the moment they step foot in it, the lights turned on, revealing a gigantic chessboard.

"Wicked," Harper heard Ron whispered, but she thought it was less wicked.

"What do we do now?" Harry asked.

"Isn't that obvious?" Harper began.

"We play," Ron added.

"Correction, you play," Harper said. "Hermione, Harry and I aren't as good as you are."

"Do you mean we have to be chessmen?" Hermione asked while staring at the chessboard. She looked uncertain.

"Yes," Harper replied and turned to Ron. "Where do you want us?"

Ron scanned the board. "Harry, you'll be bishop. Hermione, you'll be the castle and Harper, you'll be the queen."

Harper narrowed her eyes. "And what about you?"

His eyes fell on the knight. "I'll be the knight."

The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words, a bishop, a castle, a knight and a queen turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving four empty squares we each took.