The entire rest of the year really flew by. The group had nearly forgotten about the stone and spent a lot of time studying. They were all sitting down for breakfast, in the last week of term. There was excited chattering all around. Students couldn't wait to go home for the summer.
Draco smirks. "I'm sure I managed to pass my end term exams." he states, picking at some toast. "They won't tell us till the last day but at least for now the classes are done and over with."
"Yeah I am also glad we got all the learning finished for the year. Now I can focus on getting a little more spell practice in before we head home." faith says. She looks up at the professors table. "Wait... where is dumbledore?"
Harry and draco look at the table up front and realize Faith was right. "That is odd." Snape walks past and Harry stops him. "Excuse me professor."
Snape turns to harry. "What?"
"Well I was only wondering. Where has dumbledore gone?" Harry asks.
Snape nods. "If you were needing to speak to him I'm afraid he isn't here. He received a letter from the mystery urging him to go there. He should be back to see everyone off though. I'm sure your questions can wait." snape turns away and heads up to the teachers table.
Faith smirks. "That means he isn't in the castle. We could go after the stone."
"Snape might have the same idea." Harry nods.
"If we go tonight we can get it before him." faith suggests. "Just think what we could do with something like that."
"I'm not too keen on living forever." Harry mumbles. "We are too young to be worried about something like that."
"Well I'm not." faith replies. "But it isn't for me. My dad is sick. They said he might not get better. But if I had the stone. I could heal him."
"Well that's different." Harry nods. "Healing the sick is far more noble than trying to live forever."
"It'll be dangerous." draco grumbles. "I won't go."
"Ok well we will talk about more in the common room." Harry suggests.
They finish breakfast and head to the common room where they begin packing. It would be nice to have an early start to the packing to make sure nothing gets left behind and to beat out the other students who would no doubt be doing their packing just before hopping on the train.
Somehow faith manages to convince Harry and Draco that she is going to get the stone by herself and that if they didn't join her she wouldn't ever let them live it down. She also explains that she could die doing this and that it would be their fault for not helping her. So it eventually came to be decided that they would all three go try to find the stone.
After nightfall the three krept out under harry's cloak. They made their way down the halls and up the stairs toward the third floor.
They broke into the room with the dog and realized it was asleep. There was a harp nearby playing a peaceful tune.
"Looks like somebody beat us here." Draco mumbles. "We don't stand a chance of getting the stone if somebody is already down there."
"Well maybe it will be like a maze and we could still find it first." Faith says. She leaves the cloak and starts to push the large dogs paw out of the way. "Are you two gonna make me do all the heavy lifting?"
They help her move the paw and she pulls the door open. "Come on, before the dog wakes up." She leaps down through the door.
"You nut case!" Draco hisses. "You are going to get us killed!"
"Do you hear that?" Harry says. "It's quiet."
Draco looks at the harp. "The music stopped."
The two both look at the dog and see it staring back at them. They scream and join faith in the unknown room below.
Faith was already struggling with the cushion of plant life they had landed on. It was wrapping around her as she struggled. "Devil's snare!"
"Hold still! Don't move or it will kill you faster." Draco says.
Harry stops moving as does draco. After a moment both of them get sucked into the plant. Faith starts screaming.
Harry lands next to draco on the floor below. "It worked."
Draco looks up and hears faith screaming. "She isn't relaxing."
"You need to relax." Harry yells. "The trick to getting through is not to move!"
They hear faith stop screaming eventually she drops through the vines. "Oh my gods... i swear if we die down here I will kill you both!?" She stands up and brushes off her robes.
"This was your idea!" Draco growls. "We are only here because you insisted on coming down here to find the stone for your sick dad."
Faith nods. "Right. Let's press on." she moves toward the door to the next room.
"She's completely mental." Draco mumbles to harry. "I'm starting to think this was maybe a bad idea."
"So far we have nearly been killed by a three headed dog, and a plant... so yeah this might have been a bad idea." Harry nods.
Faith moves into the next room. "Hey look at this?"
They follow her. "It's a bunch of keys." draco questions. "They all look new though."
"I imagine we are looking for an older looking key. The door is ancient." faith replies.
"There." Harry says pointing. "There is a short silver key with a broken wing."
"Alright, the youngest seeker in a century." faith says pointing to the broomstick nearby. "Should be no trouble for you."
Harry rolls his eyes and grabs the broomstick. Immediately the keys all begin to swarm him. He hops on the broom and flies after the old key.
Draco looks at faith. "I don't picture Snape doing this."
Faith shrugs. "He must really want the stone."
"Or maybe the devil's snare killed him." draco replies.
Harry grabs hold of the old key and dives for the door. "Here catch it!"
Draco looks up as Harry tosses the key down. He catches it and unlocks the door. They all go through it quickly followed by Harry and they slam the door shut. They stay there for a moment listening to the clatter of hundreds of keys hitting the door on the other side.
"Well that was dangerous." Harry mumbles. "Add enchanted keys to the list of things that could have killed us."
They walk into the next room. As they step across the marble floor the lights come on. Harry realizes they are standing on a huge wizards chess board. "Wizards chess?"
"Wicked." draco says. "I wonder why this is down here?"
"Who cares." faith says pushing her way past them to get through to the doors.
The statues of the pawns come to life and block the way.
"Well that's interesting." draco observes. "I suppose that means the only way across is to play the game."
"Does that mean snape hasn't been through here yet?" Harry asks. "Cause wouldn't the game be already finished if Snape had been in here?"
"There are broken bits in the sidebar." draco says. "And I noticed 3 pieces missing from this side of the board. It looks like the three missing pieces are all broken up over here so maybe we are supposed to take their places?"
"What's missing?" faith asks.
Draco glances over the board. "The queen, the king, and the knight from on that horse." he says pointing.
"Well clearly i'm the queen." faith says laughing. "I will take that space." she moves over to the queen space.
Harry elects to take the king's place. "You don't think this will be like real wizard chess do you? You know like the pieces come alive and destroy each other?"
"That would be dangerous harry." draco mumbles. "But I can check." he looks around. "You there." he points at a pawn and tells it to move.
The pawn slides into position. On the other side of the board a tall piece slides over and destroys the pawn causing it to explode all over the arena.
Harry looks at malfoy worried.
"I think it will be exactly like wizards chess." draco says.
"Well i'm not very good at chess but you two are pretty good. I'm sure we can find a way to get across the board."
Faith pipes up from her queen spot. "I think we should move the rook."
Draco frowns. "We need strategy. If we aren't careful we could die."
Faith pouts.
Harry examons the game. "Alright, I'm ready, let's play."
Draco conducts the pieces from his horse. He tries to keep his friends from entering into any danger. After a few moves faith calls out for a piece to move and draco gets irritated. "You should ask me before you move pieces. I had a plan for that and now it's gone."
She doesn't apologise.
Harry realizes they are nearly finished but to his dismay it seems there is really only one play that doesn't result in them losing another piece.
"Do you understand harry." draco says. "That if I move here the queen will take me but you will be free to take the king."
"There has to be another way." Harry says. "Can we sacrifice another piece?"
Draco shakes his head. "We have to make this move."
Faith crosses her arms. "Well if it means we win then just do it already."
Draco glares at faith for a moment. Then he rolls his eyes. "We should have just let her come alone." he moves his piece. His plan had been to jump off the horse to avoid getting hurt when the queen took the knight but he forgot to account for how scary the moment would be. Instead he watched in terror as the statue drew its blade into his horse.
"MALFOY!" Harry yells.
The horse shatters and draco falls to the ground. He starts to get back up by a piece of debris hits him on the head and he goes unconscious.
Faith starts to move.
"Don't move." Harry says. "We are still playing."
"But i want a turn!" faith stomps her foot.
"I will end the game." Harry replies. He checks the king and once he is sure the game is over he runs over to draco. "Get up." he says, shaking draco a little bit.
Faith walks over. "He's out cold."
"You need to wait here with him until he wakes." Harry says. "I will go on ahead."
"Alright." faith nods. "But make sure you bring me back the stone."
Harry shrugs. "Alright just take care of him alright?"
Faith nods.
Harry moves into the next room. He finds some stairs that go different ways. Down one set he sees a man looking into a mirror. Harry recognized the mirror. He walks down to see Snape and tell him he has been caught but realizes it isn't snape. "Wait, you aren't Snape."
"Harry potter." Quirrel smirks. "Come here."
Harry walks over to the professor. "I thought Snape..."
"He certainly does seem like the type doesn't he." he says. "Next to him who would suspect. Look in the mirror."
Harry looks in the mirror.
"What do you see boy?" he asks.
Harry sees his parents and they give him the stone. He felt his pocket and realized he now had the stone. Somehow.
"Well? What do you see?" he presses.
"My friends. We won the house cup." he says.
A disembodied voice squeals. "Liar! He is lying!" a wall of fire springs up halfway up the steps and all around the room.
Harry's scar burns. "What was that voice?"
"Let me speak to the boy!"
"But my lord you are not strong enough!"
"He needs to hear me!"
The turban on the professor's head slips to the ground as he unwraps it. When Harry sees what was under it he takes a step back. "That can't have been very comfortable." he says looking towards the escape.
"It wasn't." the face grumbles. "Harry potter. Give me the stone."
"I don't have it." harry lies.
"You are a bad liar potter." the face gasps. "Your parents were just as stubborn."
Harry sees the reflection of his parents in the mirror again.
"You want to bring them back. Together we can." The face seems to know what Harry sees in the reflection even though he can't see what Harry sees. "All you have to do is give me the stone."
The reflection suddenly disappears. "You are a liar!" Harry yells. He slips a bit as he turns to run.
"Kill him!" the face screams.
The professor lunges toward Harry, arms outstretched to strangle him to death. Harry falls to the ground and the stone slips from his grip. He reaches for it but it's just a little too far. He grabs the hands trying to pull them off.
Weirdly the professor seems to recoil at the touch. His hands turn to dust. "What sort of magic is this!?"
Harry wastes no time. He places his hands on the professors face. Then he turns to run. Whatever was happening he didn't care he needed to escape. He scooped up the stone but realized there was a wall of fire preventing his escape. He turns to see the professor had become dust on the ground and a wisp floated there. It turned to him and fled the room passing through him.
Harry fell unconscious on the steps, the stone glistening in his hand.
When Harry awoke he found himself in the hospital wing of the school. He sat up slowly and looked around. "What? How did I get here?"
"Harry. You are awake." Dumbledore says. "If I may ask. What was it you were doing looking for the stone?"
Harry frowns. "Faith said her dad was sick. We found out it was down there. We knew, well we thought Snape was trying to steal it, but it turned out to be professor Qurrile."
Dumbeldor nods. "Then you mean to use the stone for faith's father." he seems to be thinking for a moment. "Do you know why you were able to get the stone and he was not?"
"No sir." Harry says, confused.
"Because he wanted it selfishly." Albus replies. "An ingenious idea of mine. Only those who were looking for the stone, To find it but not use it, would be able to get it."
Harry looks at the bed next to him. "Draco. He was unconscious. Is he ok?"
"Malfoy is just fine." Albus nods. "Made a fast recovery. He left just a moment ago."
"And faith?" Harry asks.
"I've not seen miss Spiritwalker in the last few days. I believe she has been in the common room." Albus replies.
"She was acting odd." Harry says. "In the chamber."
"Like a spoiled child." Albus nods. "Yes, I'm aware. She has rich parents and is spoiled by them. That's what happens when you don't have any troubles growing up." he says. "The uncle and aunt we left you in the care of. May not have been very kind, mister potter, but I trust you understand. I was always keeping an eye on you."
"I understand, professor." Harry nods. "But do i have to go back?"
Albus shrugs. "If you like harry. I believe mister malfoy has agreed to let you visit for the summer."
"He has?!" Harry says surprised.
"It was draco's idea." Albus nods. "It's only a few months."
Harry sets up all the way. "Well that sounds wonderful actually!"
Albus sort of nods. "I will see you for good bye supper mister potter."
"Good bye? We still have a week?" he says confused.
"You've been out for a week." Albus says. "It's the day student's go home."
"Oh!" Harry panics slightly. "Luckily I have already packed."