1.9| the queen, the knight, the bishop and the castle
"Have you been getting enough sleep?" Alex asked Harry, as the four of them (Hermione, Ron, Harry and Her) sat under a tree. The day their exams ended has finally crept by. But Harry still looked worried, as if he has to give exams everyday for the rest of his life.
"Oh it must be because of the exam stress! I haven't got enough sleep for seven weeks but atleast it was worth in the end" Hermione said. Alex looked at Harry skeptically.
"Is it the scar? It still hurts?" she asked, and he nodded. She lifted his messy jet black hair up to take a look at it. Nothing, it was normal, she caressed it with her finger.
"Does it hurts when I touch the scar?" She asked.
"No" he replied. He sounded like he was in a lot of pain. Alex sighed. "It hurts out of nowhere"
"Maybe Madam Pomfrey can help?" Ron suggested. Harry shook his head.
"I'm not ill"
"What about the dreams? Are they still frequent?" Alex asked, Harry nodded. He had been having dreams about Voldemort returning. Maybe they were just nightmares but no one else out of the four have them.
"I—" he started. "I feel like there is something we've missed, something we forgot to do"
"In the exams?—" Hermione started but Harry cut her off.
"No—I mean about the stone"
"Harry" Hermione said. "The stone is safe, you are safe as long as Dumbledore's around" Hermione said.
"Wait a minute" Alex said, looking at Hagrid's hut. "Oh my goodness—"
"What happened?—" but before that Alex was already on her feet, a bewildered expression on her face. She looked at Harry.
"The egg—the—one so gave him—fluffy—in the pub—" Alex's mind was spinning, her words weren't coming out right, but Harry understood what she was saying. That's it. That's what they forgot.
"We need to go to Hagrid's right now" Harry said jumping to his feet. And they ran towards his hut.
"But I don't understand why?" Hermione asked.
"Don't you think it's a bit odd" said Harry, scrambling up the grassy
slope, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a
stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many
people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky
they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?"
"What are you talking about?" said Ron, but Harry, sprinting across the grounds toward the forest, didn't answer. Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.
"Hullo" he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"
"No thanks" Alex said before Ron could agree. "We're in a hurry"
"You know that night you won Norberta? What did the stranger you were playing cardswith look like?"
"Dunno" Hagrid said. "He wouldn't take his cloak off"
"What else did you tell him?" Alex asked.
"He asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here... He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I look after... so I told him ....an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon... an' then .... I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks.... Let's see... yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted .... but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home.... So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy"
"And did he—did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
"Well—yeah how many three—headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep—"
Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.
"I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey—where're yeh goin'?
But before he could continue the four of them sprinted towards the castle. They looked around, hoping to find Dumbledore. But he was nowhere in sight.
"What are you four doing here inside?" McGonagall said.
"We need to see Professor Dumbledore" Alex said.
"Why?" She asked. The four of them stared at her in suprise, thinking of what to answer. She looked at them skeptically then said. "He left ten minutes ago" she said. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for Londonat once"
"What!" Alex exclaimed.
"He's gone?" Harry said frantically.
"He is a very great wizard, he has many demands—"
"But this is important" Harry said.
"You have something more important than the ministry of magic?"
"Professor it's about the ph—" Harry started but Alex cut off.
"It's nothing Professor!" Alex said and started dragging the four of them out. "Thank you"
"What?" Harry asked.
"You can't tell her that we know Potter, come on we'd get in trouble. We have to do something ourself anyway he won't be back before tomorrow.
"Are you kidding me?" Hermione said. "How are we suppose to do that?"
"If we don't do anything Snape will steal it!" Alex said.
"She's right!" Harry said. Suddenly, Hermione gasped. They turned around and saw Snape standing there.
"Good evening" he said. They stared at him. "Now what are you four Gryffindor doing here on a day like this?" He asked raising his eyebrows.
"We study here, Professor. Where else would we be?" Alex said, earning a nudge in the guts by Hermione. Snape gave Alex a deathly glare, which she held confidently.
"You should be careful" he suggested and left.
"We need to go through the trapdoor. Tonight"
_
"Let's go" Harry said and the three nodded. But a croaking voice stopped them in their tracks.
"Trevor?" Harry said looking at the toad.
"Trevor shh" Ron said. "Go back you shouldn't be here.
"Neither should you" Neville said appearing.
"Neville!" Alex exclaimed. "Neville we were just—"
"No I won't let you. You will get gryffindor into trouble again" he said, and balled his fist. "I—I'll fight you"
"Neville we don't wanna fight you" Hermione said taking out her wand. "I'm sorry but, petrificus totalus"
Neville fell straight down to the ground, completely still.
"A body binding curse?" Alex said. "Wow! But again I wouldn't expect any less from you 'Mione. You're the brightest with I've ever met"
"Yeah also scary" Ron added. "I mean brilliant, b—but scary"
"What do you expect Ron?" Alex said. "She didn't even hesitate to set a teacher on fire"
"We're really sorry Neville"
_
"Ow Ron that was my foot!" Hermione said, as the four of them struggled to fit under the invisibility cloak together.
"Sorry" he apologized "Look!" He said. "Filch's cat, can we kick it?"
"No" Harry denied. "We don't have time"
They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to thr third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.
"Who's there?" he said suddenly as they climbed toward him. He narrowed his wicked black eyes. "Know you are there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?" He rose up in the air and floated there, squinting at them.
"Should call Filch, I should, if something's a—creeping around unseen"
"Peeves" Harry called out in a hoarse voice. "The bloody Barron has his own reasons for being invisible"
"So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, sir" he said greasily. "My mistake,
my mistake—I didn't see you—of course I didn't, you're invisible—forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir"
"I have business here, Peeves" croaked Harry. "Stay away from this place tonight"
"I will, sir, I most certainly will" said Peeves, rising up in the air again.
"Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you" And he scooted off.
"Impressive" Alex said raising her eyebrows. Harry smiled at her sheepishly, but he was sure she couldn't see him. A few seconds later they were on the third floor corridor. The door was already open.
"Well Snape's already got past fluffy" Alex said. Harry took the cloak off them once they got inside.
"If you wanna go back I won't blame" Harry said.
"Don't be dumb Potter" Alex said rolling her eyes, but still smiled. "I am not leaving you alone"
"Neither am I" Ron said.
"Yeah we're coming" Hermione added.
"Alohmora" Hermione chanted and opened the door slowing, it made a creaking noise.
"Wait a minute, he's sleeping" Ron said.
"Look a harp" Alex said pointing at it.
"Let's get in before it wakes up" Harry said. And the quartet got closer to the dog.
"Come on" Alex said and opened the trap door. "It's pitch black I can't see anything"
"Who's going first"
"I will" Alex volunteered. "I will tell you whether it's safe or not"
"Best of luck" Harry said. Alex smiled at him, and jumped. She landed on some slimy plants (atleast that's what she hoped they are).
"It's fine, you can jump" she said and the rest on them jumped in.
"Lumos" Alex said, a little light shone from her wand.
"We're lucky this plant thing is here"
"LUCKY?" Hermione said. "Look at us" she said and indeed she was right, the vines of the plants wrapped around their hands and legs keeping them from moving.
"Ok stop moving first of all" Alex said, but Hermione wasn't listening she was just trying to get out of it.
"We need fire!" She exclaimed, panicking. "WHAT SHOULD WE DO-THERE'S NO WOOD—" Hermione panicked.
"Are you kidding me?" Ron exclaimed. "Are you a witch or not!"
"Oh right" she said and took out her wand, she did the same spell which she used to set Snape on fire. And felt it loosening its grip and then they all fell down.
"Lucky you pay attention Hermione" Alex said.
"Yeah lucky we didn't lost our heads in the crisis there's no wood" Ron said.
They made their way into another room, it was dimly lit. They could hear clinking noises coming from the room ahead.
"What's the noise?" Alex asked, stopping in her tracks. The three of them nodded.
"What d'you think it is?"
"A ghost?"
"No, I don't think it's a ghost" Hermione said. "Look there is light ahead. I see something" she squinted her eyes trying to take a look at them. They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel- bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.
"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" Ron asked.
"Probably not" Harry said. "They don't look very vicious"
"Well" Alex said looking at the three of them. "The only way to find out" she said and sprinted towards the end of the room. She expected them to attack her, but no. They didn't.
When she reached the end, she tried to open the door but it was locked. She tried alohmora too, but I didn't worked. By that time the rest of of them also reached her.
"Now what?" Harry asked
"These birds, they can't be there just for decoration" Hermione said and squinted her eyes. The glittering birds—they weren't birds. "They're not birds, they're keys!"
"So that must mean" Alex said and started looking around. "Look a broomstick! We've got to catch them!"
"But there's hundreds of them!" Harry said.
"We're looking for a big old fashioned one, probably silver like the handle" Ron said, examining the lock.
"Harry you should do it, you're the seeker of the quidditch team after hall" Hermione said, and with that Harry took flight. After a minute's weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, he noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed roughly into the keyhole.
"That one!" He said pointing at it. "The big one with bright blue wings, the feathers all crumpled on the side." While Ron and Hermione were busy searching for it, looking here and there with hundreds of keys flying around. Alex found it as soon as Harry pointed at it, she took her wand out and pointed at the key.
"Immobulus" Alex said and a blue light shot out of her wand. The key started moving very slowly, it almost looked like it wasn't moving at all. The rest of the were amazed by it too.
"Where d'you learnt that from?" Ron asked, as Harry easily caught the key
"It's an advanced spell for first years" Hermione said.
"Yeah well, I've seen my Godfather do some spells and all, so I sometimes just try them out and they work. This was not my first time with that spell" Alex explained and Harry landed back into the ground with the key.
"You are brilliant" he complimented and they all rushed to the door. Harry put the key in and twisted it. The moment the door clicked open, the key flew back up.
The next chamber they entered was dark, not even Lumos could light it up. But when they stepped inside, they whole entire room lit up. There was a huge chessboard with chess pieces in the room, carved from black pieces and way across the chamber were white pieces. They were carved beautifully designed, and stood taller than the four first years.
"What do we do now?"
"We play of course" Ron said. "It's obvious isn't it?
"How?" Hermione asked, nervousness bracing her tone.
"I think we have to be chessmen" Ron said walking up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's
horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the
knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron.
"Do we, er— have to join you to get across?" He asked, and the knight nodded. Ron turned back to the three of rest.
"I think" Ron started. "I think we need to take place of the missing four of the black pieces"
"So what do we need to do?" Alex asked.
"Um—" Ron started thinking and observing the pieces for a moment. "Harry, you take place of the bishop, Hermione take place of the castle and Alex you, take place of the queen"
"What about you Ron?" Hermione asked.
"I'm going to be the Knight" as he said, the four chess pieces left the chess board. Alex gulped and took her place.
"White always pays first" Ron said, and a white pawn moved two squares forward. The three of them did as Ron told them to, as he was the only one good at chess. Alex was trying to calm her breathing, her hands were sweating. Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Harry, Alex and Hermione were in danger. He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones.
"We're there" Ron said and observed the game, the white queen turned her blank face towards him. "Yes, that's it-I've got to be taken"
"NO!" Hermione and Harry shouted in unison
"RON, THERE—THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY" Alex said.
"It's chess" Ron said. "You've got to make some sacrifices, and I'll make my move and she'll take me—that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"
"But—"
"Do you want to stop Snape or not?"
"Ron—"
"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll have the stone"
Alex sighed, there is no alternative. She wished there was.
"Ready?" Ron called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go—now, don't hang around once you've won"
He stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard
across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor— Hermione screamed but stayed in her square. Alex bit back her sobs. Shaking, Harry moved three spaces to the left. The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear.
"RON!" Alex said, she was the first one to move. He was unconscious, she knelt besides him, teary eyed. Harry was too startled to move. Hermione knelt besides her.
"Hermione" Alex said, to the bushy haired girl. "Take Ron and get some help"
"But—"
"No Hermione" she said. "Look at him, I don't think we should waste time, otherwise—" before she could say anything else, Hermione agreed. And with that Harry and Alex left for the next chamber.