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"Well, there you are," Harry said quietly, "Snape's already got past Fluffy."
They continued there conversation whithout knowing the other trio was standing right beside them, they drank another potion which was the antidote.
They slowly appeared making them shriek in horror.
"Yah, shut up" you hissed at them.
All of them apologized to you and then Harry pushed the door open wider.
They went in and the dog started to sniff at their direction. The lunar trio stayed behind knowing the dog would see them.
"What's that at its feet?" Hermione whispered.
"Looks like a harp," said Ron. "Snape must have left it there."
"It must wake up the moment you stop playing," said Harry. "Well, here goes..."
You took this as a que and brought the flute to my lips. Harry started at the sma etime which contrasted greatly with the soft melody you were playing.
One by one they went down the trapdoor, last one being you.
You heard the dog's growling but luck for you, you already landed on something soft in between Athan and Seff.
"What is this thing?" You asked feeling around the soft surface which you came to a conclusion, was a type of plant. You grimaced, you like nature but didn't know much about it.
"We must be miles under the school," Hermione said.
"Lucky this plant thing's here, really," said Ron.
"Lucky!" shrieked Hermione. "Look at you both!"
She leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around her ankles. As for Harry and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing.
That was when you and your friends also noticed it and started wiggling out of its grip.
However, it was of no use it just got tighter around you.
"Stop moving!" Hermione ordered them. "I know what this is -- it's Devil's Snare!"
"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help," snarled Ron, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck. "Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" said Hermione.
"Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" Harry gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around his chest.
"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare... what did Professor Sprout say? -- it likes the dark and the damp."
"It hates sunlight or light Hermione! Come on, hurry up!" Julius shouted at Hermione helping her with this plant thingy.
"Yes -- of course -- but there's no wood!" Hermione cried, wringing her hands.
"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"
"Oh, right!" said Hermione, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something, and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames .
They all felt the plant cringe away from the light and they wriggled out of its grasps. They went towards Hermione.
"Lucky Hermione and Julius pay attention in herbology." Harry commented, wping the sweat off his forehead.
"Yeah," said Ron, "and lucky Julius doesn't lose his head in a crisis -- 'there's no wood,' honestly."
All this time you were trying to look for a way and when you finally found it, you called out, "this way." Your voice overlapped with Harry who also found the way.
All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward. they traveled insolence when Ron's voice sounded out, "Can you hear something?" Ron whispered.
You listened carefully. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.
"Do you think it's a ghost?"
"I don't know... sounds like wings to me."
"There's light ahead -- I can see something moving."
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 will attack us?" Enzo whispered.
"Probably," said Harry. "They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once... well, there's no other choice... I'll run."
He took a deep breath, covered his face with his arms, and sprinted across the room. He expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at him any second, but nothing happened. He reached the door untouched. He pulled the handle, but it was locked.
The others followed him. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Hermione tried her Alohomora charm and Cordelia with her Aberto charm.
"Now what?" said Enzo
"These birds... they can't be here just for decoration," said Hermione.
They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering -- glittering ?
"They're not birds!" Harry said suddenly. "They're keys! Winged keys -- look carefully. So that must mean... " he looked around the chamber while the other two squinted up at the flock of keys. "... yes -- look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!"
"But there are hundreds of them!"
Ron examined the lock on the door.
"We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one -- probably silver, like the handle."
They each seized a broomstick and kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. They grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one.
Not for nothing, though, was Harry the youngest Seeker in a century. He had a knack for spotting things other people didn't. 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 called to the others. "That big one -- there -- no, there -- with bright blue wings -- the feathers are all crumpled on one side."
Ron went speeding in the direction that Harry was pointing, crashed into the ceiling, and nearly fell off his broom.
"This won't do, we need to surround it. All of you close up on it and Harry you and Enzo try to catch it, rest of us will go all around it and stop it from moving too much." Cordelia shouted making all of them get into their position which none of them had to discuss. It was a silent agreement.
The key dodged them but Harry and Enzo sped towards the key, Harry caught the wing of it which slowed it down and Enzo pinned it to a wall with his broomstick with which a crunching sound accompanied.
They landed quickly, and Harry ran to the door, the key struggling in his hand. He rammed it into the lock and turned - it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice.
"Ready?" Harry asked the other two, his hand on the door handle. They nodded. He pulled the door open.
The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight.
They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces.
"Now what do we do?" Harry whispered.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room."
Behind the white pieces they could see another door.
"How?" said Hermione nervously.
"I think," said Enzo, "we're going to have to be chessmen."
He walked 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?" The black knight nodded. Seeing that, Ron turned to the other four.
"This needs thinking about... " he said. "I suppose we've got to take the place of six of the black pieces..."
They played for some time across the board but then came the hardest part,
"Enzo, Ron, no!" You shouted, already aware of what they will do.
"Yes... " said Ron softly, "It's the only way... I've got to be taken."
"NO!" The others shouted.
"That's chess!" snapped Enzo. Ron continued, "You've got to make some sacrifices! I take one step forward and she'll take me, then Enzo will have to do the same from other side— that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"
"But--"
Ron cut him off and Enzo and him made his moves which left Harry, he took three steps shakily towards the king who threw his crown at his feet.
During all this, you took the chance to observe your surroundings, there was something which was weird. The first thing was that fluffy in which you and Harry played the flute the second thing was solved by Julius and Hermione while the second enchantment were solved by Harry and Enzo, third was Ron and Enzo what else was waiting for them? It was clear that this tested their abilities, everything they exceeded in was here.
Ron and Enzo when fell after sacrificing themselves, you could feel your anger bubbling inside you. You now thought of them as more than just friends. Just friends wouldn't do justice to the bond you had with them.
You all went forward hoping the two boys would be safe. They were met with a troll bigger than the one they fought.
"Wait...something's not right. That night a troll came in and you guys think it was Snape and here a troll is lying in front of us. And this is Quirrell's trap, isn't it?" You heard Julius mumble next to you, making you nod in agreement.
They passed it and Harry opened the next door, there was table with seven differently shaped bottle.
"It's Snape's. What do we have to do?" He asked.
"Look!" Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Harry looked over her shoulder to read it:
Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,
Two of us will help you, which ever you would find,
One among us seven will let you move ahead,
Another will transport the drinker back instead,
Two among our number hold only nettle wine,
Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line.
Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,
To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:
First, however slyly the poison tries to hide
You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;
Second, different are those who stand at either end,
But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;
Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,
Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;
Fourth, the second left and the second on the right
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.
Hermione let out a great sigh and Harry, amazed, saw that she was smiling, the very last thing he felt like doing.
"Brilliant," said Hermione. "This isn't magic -- it's logic -- a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever."
"But so will we, won't we?"
"Of course not," said Hermione. "Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple."
On what Hermione said, you knew this was for her and Jay.
And just like that, Jay stepped forward, gently took the paper from Hermione and read the riddle on repeat. They both started murmuring within themselves trying to find a solution.
You looked at Harry only to find him looking back at you, you wondered what he was thinking.
A series of clapping broke your intense eye contact as you turned you head to find Hermione clapping and Jay grinning.
"We got it," Hermione said. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire -- toward the Stone." Jay continued for her
Harry looked at the tiny bottle.
"There's only enough there for one of us," he said. "That's hardly one swallow."
They looked at each other.
"Which one will get you back through the purple flames?"
Hermione pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line.
"You both drink that," said Harry. "No, listen, get back and get Ron and Enzo. Grab brooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy -- go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him." You continued on for Harry.
"But-- what if You-Know-Who's with him?"
"Well -- we were lucky once, wasn't I?" said Harry, pointing at his scar. "I might get lucky again."
Hermione's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at Harry and threw her arms around him. Jay copied and hugged you which you returned after few moment.
"Hermione!"
"Harry, Cordelia -- you both are great wizards, you know." Jay nodded at her words.
"I'm not as good as you," said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him.
"Me!" said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things -- friendship and bravery and -- oh Harry, Cori -- be careful!"
"You drink first," said Harry. "You both are sure which is which, aren't you?"
"Positive," said Hermione. She took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shuddered.
Jay also took another gulp from it, having the same reaction.
He hugged you and Harry once more while Hermione hugged just you and they both took off.
"Now it's just us, you drink, I will reach there before you." You said looking at Harry.
"How?" Confusion and worry etched upon his face, he asked.
"I have my ways. Don't worry." You stared at Harry.
You all definitely came this far but beyond this, you both could die. You weren't scared, no, you were sad. You regretted not writing to your Papa before this. You could die for all you knew.
"Well, a year, that's how long we know each other but i feel like you know me from before and likewise. But, even if so, I guess, If something were to happen to us." He hugged you all of a sudden.
To Harry, unlike when he hugged Hermione, he felt safe and he felt familiar with your warmth. You were a lot taller than him of course. You hugged him back too, all your memories where you both were always clinging onto each other came rushing back into your mind.
You broke the hug with welled up eyes which you blinked back and gave Harry a firm nod.
He turned around and drank the potion in a gulp but when he turned back around you were gone. He was surprised but shrugged it off and went through the black fire just to get the shock of his life once again, there you were standing in all your glory.
He sighed and shook his head but that's when his eyes landed on your posture and facial expression. You were standing straight, stiffly, your hand were clenched at your sides to the point your knuckles were white and you nails threatened to draw out blood from your hand. Your face was hardened and jaw clenched. You eyes, oh your eye were ice cold and glaring daggers at something in front of you.
He followed your gaze to find,
"Professor Quirrell..." He breathed out, eyes widened in shock.
"You!" gasped Harry.