◤Chapter 17: Fluffy deserves better ◢
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❦ act I ❦
✩‧₊˚*✧･ﾟ:* The Survivor *:･ﾟ✧*˚ ₊ ‧ ✩
'What is it with all of you and wanting us to go outside? Sun? Bad. Bugs? Bad. Humidity? Nightmare.'
- Theo
In years to come, Harry would never quite remember how he had managed to get through his exams when he half expected Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment. Yet the days crept by and there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door.
"Poor Fluffy deserved so much better." Sighed Violet as she remembered how thirsty the dog looked. She made sure to visit him once a day to feed him, give him water and play with him.
"Well, you did make sure he got better." Noted Theo as the dog now lived with them. His dad was Fluffy's favourite after Violet.
It was swelteringly hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anti-Cheating spell.
The Weasley twins smirked along with Violet. They worked together during her third year on how to break the charm. Sure, neither really needed it since Violet knew all the answers and the twins were naturally smart, so they were going to pass either way, but it was a fun thing to do and it also gave them bragging rights.
They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap-dance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuff-box – points were given for how pretty the snuff-box was, but taken away if it had whiskers. Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness Potion.
"I think I was the only when that joked about forgetting how it's done, huh?" Asked Violet.
She loved taking exams. She had tons of fun since she knew everything even without revision, so at the exam she did more complicated things than what was required. The professors weren't technically impressed, but still passed her with perfect scores.
"He's my godfather and I still don't have the nerve." Said Draco and their friends started to laugh. Because yes, even the Weasley twins hadn't made the joke with Snape when they did the exam.
Harry did the best he could, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in his forehead which had been bothering him ever since his trip into the Forest. Neville thought Harry had a bad case of exam nerves because Harry couldn't sleep, but the truth was that Harry kept being woken by his old nightmare, except that it was now worse than ever because there was a hooded figure dripping blood in it.
"That innocent unicorn. It's such a shame it perished. I hope it's in a better place." Said Luna. She wasn't sure if she believed in heaven or anything, but she hoped for it, at least when it came to the deaths of the innocent.
Maybe it was because they hadn't seen what Harry had seen in the Forest, or because they didn't have scars burning on their foreheads, but Ron and Hermione didn't seem as worried about the Stone as Harry. The idea of Voldemort certainly scared them, but he didn't keep visiting them in dreams, and they were so busy with their revision they didn't have much time to fret about what Snape or anyone else might be up to.
Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented self-stirring cauldrons and they'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Harry couldn't help cheering with the rest.
'That was far easier than I thought it would be,' said Hermione, as they joined the crowds flocking out into the sunny grounds. 'I needn't have learnt about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager.'
"That Code of Conduct is barbaric. It shouldn't be legal to demand these things from people." Commented Violet. Everything regarding werewolves in the Wizarding World was terribly sick and cruel. "I'd like to see you, the people who support it go through even half of those demands and then we can talk again about it."
"We aren't beasts like them. We don't have to do anything." Protested the Minister as he threw dirty looks at Remus.
"Give that look to my uncle again and you won't have eyes to glare with." Threatened Violet while holding Padfoot down from biting the Minister of Magic. She wouldn't stand for anyone speaking with her uncle Moony like he wasn't worth ten times more than all of them.
"Professor Lupin is the best professor we ever had!" Most of the students defended their old professor. Even the Slytherins could admit that no one was as good and patient as the man was.
"And his OWL and NEWT students had the highest grades in Defence in fifty years." Added Collin. He loved Moony. The man helped him so much to get better and offered him chocolate.
Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterwards, but Ron said this made him feel ill, so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows.
"Why was that so casually said?" Asked Hannah.
"They do it pretty often and the squid likes it, so it's a win-win situation." Explained Pansy.
'No more revision,' Ron sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. 'You could look more cheerful, Harry, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet.'
Harry was rubbing his forehead. 'I wish I knew what this means!' he burst out angrily. 'My scar keeps hurting – it's happened before, but never as often as this.'
"Before anyone asks, yes my scar hurt the same. No, there's no such thing as twin telepathy. And yes, it is a sign things will go wrong." Said Violet.
'Go to Madam Pomfrey,' Hermione suggested.
"I apreciate your faith in me, Miss Granger, but I can't cure pain behind magical scars." Said Madam Pomfrey.
'I'm not ill,' said Harry. 'I think it's a warning ... it means danger's coming ...'
Ron couldn't get worked up, it was too hot. 'Harry, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down.'
Harry nodded, but he couldn't shake off a lurking feeling that there was something he'd forgotten to do, something important.
When he tried to explain this, Hermione said, 'That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one.'
"That's very unhealthy." Mentioned Ophelia as her friends woke her up to not miss the action. "By now, you wouldn't get any sleep if this is your standard of studying."
"I don't need sleep. I've got potions and coffee for that. What I need is answers and information." Shrugged Hermione.
"No. I won't have it. Come here." Ophelia waved her over. She scooted over on the couch and waited for Hermione to sit next to her. Then, she made a pillow, a pair of headphones and a sleep mask appear and shared her blanket with her. "These are my anti noise headphone which you can set to also play white noise and my sleep mask. Now, I expect you to sleep. I will wake you up if there's something really important that you weren't a part of and take notes." She explained as she prepared Hermione to sleep. She didn't allow her the chance to protest before making her lie down. It took her less than two minutes to fall asleep.
Ophelia charmed a pen to take notes, asked her friends to wake her up when anything important in which Hermione hasn't participated takes place and then lied down as well to continue sleeping.
Harry was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn't have anything to do with work, though. He watched an owl flutter towards the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid was the only one who ever sent him letters. Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy ... never ... but – Harry suddenly jumped to his feet.
'Where're you going?' said Ron sleepily.
'I've just thought of something,' said Harry. He had gone white. 'We've got to go and see Hagrid, now.'
'Why?' panted Hermione, hurrying to keep up.
'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?'
"Reason three for why Harry isn't a Ravenclaw. It took him fifteen business days to realise that." Said Ginny.
"Which is number one?" Asked Fred amused by his sister.
"Choosing Ronald over his sister."
'What are you on about?' said Ron, but Harry, sprinting across the grounds towards 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. Violet, Theo, Blaise and Neville were sitting together and playing poker on a picnic blanket beneath one of the old trees.
"Are you even allowed to play such games?" Asked Mr Nott. He wasn't caught up on what was allowed and what wasn't.
"You aren't supposed to play games that people gamble on." Answered Neville.
"But if you think about it, you can gamble on anything." Reasoned Violet.
'Hullo,' he said, smiling. 'Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?'
'Yes, please,' said Ron, but Harry cut across him.
'No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?'
'Dunno,' said Hagrid casually, 'he wouldn' take his cloak off.' He saw the three of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows. 'It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head – that's one of the pubs down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up.'
Amelia was shaking her head. No wander it took Aurors so long to do their job if people were this ignorant.
They didn't pause their game, but the group did keep more quiet as they tried to listen. They made sure to make a comment or laugh a little on the side to keep up appearances, but they never did it loud enough to disturb what they were hearing.
Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas. 'What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?'
'Mighta come up,' said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. 'Yeah ... 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 ...'
"Does anyone in this school have a brain? A functional one, I mean." Clarified Minerva as she shook her head.
"Based on what happened these past few years, I'd say not." Nodded Filius.
'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'?'
All the competent adults were shaking their head. They'd have to fire half the Hogwarts staff by the end of these books.
Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the Entrance Hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds.
'We've got to go to Dumbledore,' said Harry. 'Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak – it must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him. Where's Dumbledore's office?'
"He talked about it months ago. The stone would've been long gone if it was someone actually smart and competent." Scoffed Violet. Like how can you be a big bad dark lord and not have decent help?
They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.
'We'll just have to –' Harry began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.
'What are you three doing inside?' It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.
"Hiding from the sun." Said Draco. He was pale and had platinum hair, he couldn't afford to get a tan unless he wanted to look ridiculous.
"Playing hide and seek with the ghosts." Answered Ginny at the same time Draco did.
They both turned to look at each other and shared a smile before turning away.
Violet was subtly looking at the interaction and made a note for later since it was clear now that she has made a small mistake in her matches, but it was fine. She'll fix it.
"Gin, lovely, can you switch seats with Pansy. I saw her whispering with Blaise and it's annoying." She asked and gave Pansy a look to move from next to Draco.
"Sure." Nodded Ginny hesitantly as she tried to figure out what she wanted with this.
"Can you do that? Can you play hide and seek with the ghosts?" Asked Hannah.
"I played. They cheat a lot, so it's not as fun as it sounds." Shrugged Ginny.
'We want to see Professor Dumbledore,' said Hermione, rather bravely, Harry and Ron thought.
'See Professor Dumbledore?' Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do. 'Why?'
Harry swallowed – now what? 'It's sort of secret,' he said, but he wished at once he hadn't, because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared.
Fred and George were shaking their heads. They couldn't believe that this one was their business partner for their future joke shop. They should've taken Violet's offer.
'Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago,' she said coldly. 'He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once.'
'He's gone?' said Harry frantically. 'Now?'
'Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time –'
'But this is important.'
'Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?'
"Even what a baby has to say is more important than the Minister, Minnie." Said Violet.
'Look,' said Harry, throwing caution to the winds, 'Professor – it's about the Philosopher's Stone –'
Almost all adults face palmed. What in Merlin's name was wrong with these kids?
Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms but she didn't pick them up. 'How do you know –?' she spluttered.
'Professor, I think – I know – that Sn– that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore.'
She eyed him with a mixture of shock and suspicion. 'Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow,' she said finally. 'I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected.'
"Two eleven year olds already took it, so I highly doubt it." Sighed Amelia.
"So Minnie was beaten in chess by two eleven year olds? Ouch." Thought Sirius.
'But Professor –'
'Potter, I know what I'm talking about,' she said shortly. She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. 'I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine.'
"What is it with all of you and wanting us to go outside?" Complained Theo. "Sun? Bad. Bugs? Bad. Humidity? Nightmare."
But they didn't.
"Of course not." Sighed Minerva.
'It's tonight,' said Harry, once he was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. 'Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up.'
"I did need Dumbledore that day." Said the Minister rather quietly.
Later in the day, they lost sight of Snape and weren't sure how to continue. The teachers didn't believe them, their only suspect couldn't be supervised and Dumbledore was gone.
"If you tell me that you would've believed them, we will both know you're lying through your teeth." Announced Minerva to the room before anyone had the chance to comment.
'Well, that's it then, isn't it?' Harry said. The other two stared at him. He was pale and his eyes were glittering. 'I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first.'
'You're mad!' said Ron.
'You can't!' said Hermione. 'After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!'
'SO WHAT?' Harry shouted. 'Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort's coming back! Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter any more, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor win the House Cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there. It's only dying a bit later than I would have done, because I'm never going over to the Dark Side! I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?' He glared at them.
'You're right, Harry,' said Hermione in a small voice.
'I'll use the Invisibility Cloak,' said Harry. 'It's just lucky I got it back.'
"But I thought you had the cloak?" Lee asked Violet.
"Well yes, but there are other cloaks out there. I just bought one from a lady who didn't truly understand it and its power, so she sold it for really cheap." Explained Violet.
"You gave your brother a cheap cloak instead of his own?" Asked Cho.
Violet sighed and tried to use her willpower to not turn her into a canary. "Our family traditions say that the cloak goes to the oldest child who I am. And the cloak was only cheap because of poor educational sistem, the price is not a reflection of its worth." She said and gave Fred a look.
He immediately understood what she wanted to do and offered Cho a tart. She took a bite and then turned into a canary. Not one person commented, they didn't want to be next.
'But will it cover all three of us?' said Ron.
'All – all three of us?'
'Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you go alone?'
"See? I'm not the only one who stays glued to their friends." Theo told Violet.
"They're about to go steal an one of a kind stone in the middle of the night with no preparation. It would've been bad if they didn't stick together." She pointed out and Theo rolled his eyes.
"Can you not upset him? He gets very whiney when he's hurt." Complained Blaise. He then turned to his boyfriend who was now pouting. "Don't get me wrong, darling. I love you with all my heart and soul, but if I hear you whine about why the world is so cruel to you or why Violet doesn't appreciate you one more time, I'll curse your mouth shut until I'll miss your voice."
'Of course not,' said Hermione briskly. 'How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? I'd better go and look through my books, there might be something useful ...'
'But if we get caught, you two will be expelled, too.'
'Not if I can help it,' said Hermione grimly. 'Flitwick told me in secret that I got a hundred and twelve per cent on his exam. They're not throwing me out after that.'
"She followed me around for the scores for two days. I would've told her that I've got an unicorn in my drawer if it made her leave me alone." Said Filius after his coworkers gave him looks.
*
After dinner the three of them sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered them; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to Harry any more, after all. This was the first night he hadn't been upset by it.
Hermione was skimming through all her notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments they were about to try and break. Harry and Ron didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do.
Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed. 'Better get the Cloak,' Ron muttered, as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning. Harry ran upstairs to their dark dormitory. He pulled out the Cloak and then his eyes fell on the flute Hagrid had given him for Christmas. He pocketed it to use on Fluffy – he didn't feel much like singing.
"That can't sound good." Muttered Ginny.
"It does not." Agreed Violet. "I got one as well and this idiot decided to sing AC/DC with it, you can guess the rest." She said as she pointed at Theo.
"I would've done it as well." Ginny told Theo.
"I knew there was a reason to love you, little red." Theo smiled and ducked as Ginny tried to hit him over the nickname.
He ran back down to the common room. 'We'd better put the Cloak on here, and make sure it covers all three of us – if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own –'
'What are you doing?' said a voice from the corner of the room. Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked much happier now that Neville seemed to learn more on how to properly look after him.
"Merlin! You scared me, Nev." Said Hannah.
"Sorry, sweetheart." He apologised.
'Nothing, Neville, nothing,' said Harry, hurriedly putting the Cloak behind his back.
Neville stared at their guilty faces. 'You're going out again,' he said.
'No, no, no,' said Hermione. 'No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?'
Harry looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn't afford to waste any more time, Snape might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep.
'You can't go out,' said Neville, 'you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble and your sister won't speak with me again.'
"What my idiot brother does won't affect our friendship, Nev." Promised Violet.
"Pinky swear?" Asked Neville, feeling a little silly to ask, but he somehow felt more secure in these promises rather than any other.
"Pinky swear." Nodded Violet.
"Okay." Smiled Neville and hooked their pinkies together. He quickly let go after he saw Theo's glares.
"She's my Vivi. You need to get your own." He announced as Violet rolled her eyes. Leave it to Theo to not get possessive of his boyfriend, but of her.
"There aren't more of Violet. And you can't keep her to yourself." Complained Neville.
"Hell yeah. She can't leave me behind to stay with you." Added Collin.
"Children under the age of three!" Called Violet and the three of them turned to look at her. "At least you're aware." She noted. "I am not an object. Also, you know better than that, Nev." She gave him a look. Neville knew very well that Theo considered hooking their pinkies a thing strictly between her and him.
"Sorry." Apologised Neville like he'd been caught stealing dessert before eating dinner.
Alice, Frank and Snuffles were staring at Remus. They all knew who this reminded them of.
'You don't understand,' said Harry, 'this is important.'
But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate. 'I won't let you do it,' he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. 'I'll – I'll fight you!'
"Nev, you're good at a lot of things, but fighting Muggle style is not one of them." Said Hannah.
'Neville,' Ron exploded, 'get away from that hole and don't be an idiot –'
'Don't you call me an idiot!' said Neville. 'I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!'
"Yes, he did, but he didn't expect it to affect him as well." Commented Adrian. "Never make decisions without thinking them through and while you're in any emotional distress."
'Yes, but not to us,' said Ron in exasperation. 'Neville, you don't know what you're doing.'
He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight. 'Go on then, try and hit me!' said Neville, raising his fists. 'I'm ready!' Harry turned to Hermione.
'Do something,' he said desperately.
Hermione stepped forward. 'Neville,' she said, 'I'm really, really sorry about this.' She raised her wand. 'Petrificus Totalus!' she cried, pointing it at Neville.
Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board. Hermione ran to turn him over. Neville's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror.
"You look like that Muggle painting." Teased Ginny.
'What've you done to him?' Harry whispered.
'It's the full Body-Bind,' said Hermione miserably. 'Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry.'
"Didn't you have to study it for the exams?" Asked Remus.
"We did." Replied Draco and sent Harry a smirk.
'We had to, Neville, no time to explain,' said Harry.
'You'll understand later, Neville,' said Ron, as they stepped over him and pulled on the Invisibility Cloak.
But leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn't feel like a very good omen. In their nervous state, every statue's shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on them. At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs Norris skulking near the top.
'Oh, let's kick her, just this once,' Ron whispered in Harry's ear, but Harry shook his head. As they climbed carefully around her, Mrs Norris turned her lamp-like eyes on them, but didn't do anything.
"There's something unnatural about that cat." Commented George.
They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.
'Who's there?' he said suddenly as they climbed towards him. He narrowed his wicked black eyes. 'Know you're 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 creeping around unseen.'
"How come when we're with Violet you leave us alone?" Asked Ron the poltergeist.
"Lady Violet knows our customs. Every Hogwarts ghost respects her. Nobody would betray her or those who travel with her." Answered Sir Nicholas or mostly known as Nearly Headless Nick.
Both the Minister and Dumbledore looked at Violet as Sir Nicholas continued to speak.
Harry had a sudden idea. 'Peeves,' he said, in a hoarse whisper, 'the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible.'
"You pretended to be me?" Asked the ghost angrily as he watched the screen. These little children had too much nerve. Not only were they behaving badly with his house's students, but they also used them when they needed. "Spoiled little brats with no respect."
Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock. He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs. '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.'
"Thank you for your trust, Peeves." Said the Baron and Peeves looked about to pass out even if ghosts couldn't pass out.
And he scooted off. 'Brilliant, Harry!' whispered Ron.
A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor – and the door was already ajar.
'Well, there you are,' Harry said quietly. 'Snape's already got past Fluffy.' Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon all three of them what was facing them. Underneath the Cloak, Harry turned to the other two. 'If you want to go back, I won't blame you,' he said. 'You can take the Cloak, I won't need it now.'
"Nah. I don't know for sure who exactly did it, since I came later, but you have to be blind to not see the one who's actually behind this." Commented Collin.
He wasn't caught up in the first year drama, because everyone thought he was too little and new to magic at first and then everything went to hell super fast and they had bigger problems than to explain what happened, but he thought it was obvious that the Blabbering Turban Guy was behind it all. He was very good at playing victim, he'd give him that. And the innocent act was superb. He was truly impressed.
Violet looked at him for a few seconds to try and figure out if he caught on to it. Collin's smirk told her all she wanted to know. "Sharp mind on you, huh? Proud of you my little snake." She said and hugged him. He was very touch deprived because of his walrus of a father and she was the only one besides his brother that he allowed to touch him.
'Don't be stupid,' said Ron.
'We're coming,' said Hermione.
Harry pushed the door open. As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them.
'And here I hoped you had better brains than this, Harold.' All three of them let out a yelp as Violet came from the corner of the room.
Those watching also yelped. They didn't expect her to appear.
Harry was the first to recover. He should've expected that Neville talked about their possible adventure to his sister since they're friends and he practically worships her. 'Violet, what on Earth are you doing here? Are you mad?' He whisper-yelled at her. He couldn't believe she'd do this.
"I don't worship Violet." Said Neville and his friends gave him a look.
"Maybe now you see her more as a human, but during first year? You were following her around like a lost puppy. Theo was the only one who was worse." Commented Pansy and the boy rolled his eyes.
Theo dramatically gasped. "How dare you even compare my connection with Vivi flower with whatever she and Neville have!"
"You had to comment." Sighed Blaise as he looked at Pansy who smirked victoriously.
"All is fair in love and drama."
His sister only gave all three of them a look and frowned as she noticed the flute. 'Poor Fluffy's ears don't need to bleed just to pass him.' She said as she approached the dog and started petting him.
'What are you doing? Are you mad?' Asked the trio as they watched her pet the dog.
Violet glared at them. Her look was so cold that each of them started to feel uncomfortable. Hermione and Harry started to feel guilty instantly as they watched Violet straighten herself and stop looking amused. 'I really don't appreciate you calling me mad when I'm here to save your arses.' She said pointedly and continued to pet Fluffy until the dog started to snore louder and seemed harder to wake up.
"We're all mad here." Quoted Luna.
"Exactly, little moon." Laughed Violet.
Alice in Wonderland was Violet's favourite book. Everyone who was close to her heard at least one quote from the book. Theo was leading the way with seventy six quotes and Fred was last with five.
'How did you know to do that?' Asked Hermione after she recovered from the shock of seeing Violet in the room. She then noticed the chew toys and water bawls stuck in the far corner of the room, pretty hidden from view. 'You've been here before.' She theorised and noticed the looks the boys were giving her.
'Dumbledore was hardly fit to properly take care of Fluffy, so I took the matter into my own hands and also found him a home for when his job here at Hogwarts is done.' Explained Violet. She sneered as she said Dumbledore's name, but neither of the others had the guts to point it out, much less question it. Violet petted Fluffy again and then moved him gently off the trapdoor and opened it. 'Should I go first or do either of you want the honour?' She asked and didn't wait for an answer before jumping. 'It's OK!' she called up to the light the size of a postage stamp which was the open trapdoor. 'It's a soft landing, you can jump!'
"And where did you take him?" Asked Remus.
"He lives with Theo. Dad won't stop feeding him bacon. Mum keeps getting him chew toys. He's living the life." Smiled Violet.
Harry jumped first. He figured that his sister wouldn't lie about it or wish them dead.
"The bar is lower than the seventh level of hell." Muttered Collin.
Ron followed straight away. He landed sprawled next to Harry and Harry. 'What's this stuff?' were his first words.
'Dunno, sort of plant thing. I suppose it's here to break the fall. Come on, Hermione!' Called Harry.
Hermione jumped as well and almost fell on Violet who went away last moment. 'We must be miles under the school,' she said.
'Lucky this plant thing's here, really,' said Ron.
"It's really not." Said Pomona. She hoped the children wouldn't get too hurt because of the plant. The plant couldn't kill anyone, but its job was to trap those who stepped on it.
'Lucky!' shrieked Hermione. 'Look at you both!'
She leapt up and struggled towards a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snake-like tendrils around her ankles. As for Harry and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing.
'Stop moving!' Violet ordered them. 'It's Devil's Snare!'
"I knew the extra revising would be helpful." Cheered Neville. It was good to see Herbology being represented as something that was helpful and also dangerous. He was annoyed that everyone thought it was a useless class.
'And how would you know? You suck at Herbology.' Asked Ron.
"I've seen you get a troll three times in a row in Herbology. You really don't have the right to talk." Said Dean.
He thought Violet was cool. He never spoke to her or anything, but he heard first years talk about how much she helped them and how she handed out maps of Hogwarts to them and helped them understand the ghosts and advised them on how to handle the rude portraits or what to do if the forgot the password.
Hermione slapped him around the head. 'Violet is the top student of our year. She might not be the absolute best at Herbology, but Neville always took the time to help her get the best results.' She snapped at him. She had many questions when it came to Violet, but her intelligence was not one of them.
"Thank you. 'Mione." Said Violet. It was good to see someone didn't doubt her.
Hermione had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her. Now she watched in horror as the two boys fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them. Violet couldn't be seen.
"Are you deaf or stupid?" Asked Frank. "She told you not to move."
'Hermione!' Yelled Violet from bellow. 'I'm already down, but my wand remained trapped in the vines. I can't do wandless magic, so you'll have to do it. The Snare hates the sun.'
With Remus' help, she could do wandless magic by the end of her third year.
'Oh, right!' said Hermione, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant.
In a matter of seconds, the two boys felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies and they were able to pull free. They ended up falling on the ground along with Hermione. Violet didn't look at either of them as she took her wand and went ahead.
'Do you think we should apologise?' Asked Harry as he felt guilty over how he must've insulted his sister without even realising it.
"Yes!" Said almost the full Hall.
"Is that even a question?" Said Fred. "You apologise to your twin each and every single time."
'You think?' Hermione gave him a look. 'She looked like we slapped her across the face. The only solution is to tell her we're sorry. She saved us when she could've just left us there.'
Ron wasn't too eager to apologise to Violet. He didn't like Harry's sister one bit. She seemed even more of a know-it-all than Hermione and she was friends with Draco, so she couldn't be anything, but a prat.
"Glad to finally hear what you have against me, Ronald." Said Violet as the boy didn't have the courage to look her in the eye.
"You don't like her because she's smart and has one friend you don't like? Really?" Asked Bill. He thought he did a better job at teaching his siblings about judgement and the benefit of the doubt.
"Bill-" Tried Ron to say an excuse, but was interrupted by his father.
"There's no excuse for it, Ron. You judged her for her house and because she spends more time studying than you do. Both reasons are unreasonable."
Even Charlie, the most relaxed out of all of his siblings seemed dissapointed in him.
The three of them rushed to catch up with Violet. 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. Violet was standing by the furthest wall holding a broom and seemed to inspect it.
'Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Viva,' said Harry as he joined her in the room, wiping sweat off his face. 'I'm sorry if I insulted you,' he said and put a hand on her shoulder. 'I didn't mean to upset you.'
Violet paused what she was doing and turned her attention towards her brother. 'Do you even know why I'm upset?' She asked and noticed how confused he looked. She scoffed as she realised that he had no idea. 'You don't know. Of course you bloody don't know. Who cares about what I've been hearing all year? Who cares that I feel like I'm alone because the one person who was supposed to stand by my side no matter what didn't even bother to talk to me all year?' She rolled her eyes and stopped herself from continuing. It wasn't her job to make her brother realise his mistakes. Plus, it wasn't like people were talking to him about the nasty stuff they were thinking of her or at least she didn't think so.
"You're gorgeous when you're angry, sunshine."
"I will burn you and feed you to the squid." Threatened Violet, but of course all she heard in response was laughter.
'Should we say something?' Asked Ron quietly. He felt uncomfortable and antsy and wasn't sure what exactly they were supposed to do if the twins were fighting.
Hermione only shushed him and continued to watch, with great interest if you asked Ron, as the twins were somewhat fighting.
"She didn't!" Gasped Hannah.
"She definitely did." Said Ron.
'You are way too pleased to watch your friend have a fight with his sister while we're trying to save a mythical stone.' Pointed out Ron, but Hermione paid him no mind since the fight was just getting good.
"I love this. She really said the tea is brewing right next to me, so I'll make sure to watch every second of it." Teased Ginny.
"I didn't realise she enjoyed drama this much." Said Fred.
"She's friends with Harry. There's no other way." Said Seamus.
'It's not my fault I don't want to be seen with you! You're friends with Malfoy! You've got Nott practically glued to your side!' Harry told his sister.
Both, Remus and Snuffles turned to look at Harry. Neither of them knew what to say. It was awful that he wasn't even willing to admit that he was wrong.
"How could you say that to your twin?" Asked Fred. He couldn't even imagine ever doing or saying something to hurt George. He loved him more than anyone on Earth.
"You stick to your twin no matter what, Harry." Added George.
Violet flinched, actually flinched. She couldn't believe that what her brother chose as reasoning to avoid her, her friends. She felt her heart racing, debating what to say, what to do to fix it. She knew it was a bad idea, but she couldn't lose her brother over friends, she couldn't lose him. 'I needed them as my friends. And you're the one who asked me to make connections. That's how it's done. So I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings while trying to help us!' She retorted and threw the broom at him. 'Catch the bloody key, so we can get this over with.' She said, her eyes teary, but not facing anyone.
She did what she had to do to keep her brother. Her friends would understand, they had to.
"We get it." Nodded Daphne. She would've done the same for Astoria. Her sister came first.
"No one's upset or offended." Assured Blaise.
"You did what you had to do." Shrugged Theo.
Violet was glad nobody was hurt, especially Theo.
He was always nervous that she would choose Harry over him if it really came down to the two of them. And maybe for the first few years since they started Hogwarts she might've, but she knew now that she'd choose him.
Ron who couldn't just stand still and hear the fight decided to examine the room thought about how to figure out which key to use. He examined the lock on the door. 'We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one – probably silver, like the handle.' He announced.
"Thank Merlin for the interruption." Muttered Adrian. He saw how Violet could get when she was mad and it was not the time or place for that.
After a minute's weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, Harry noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed roughly into the keyhole. Harry streaked after it; it sped towards the wall, Harry leant forward and with a nasty crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand. Ron and Hermione's cheers echoed around the high chamber. 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.
"Three times." Corrected Theo.
'Ready?' Harry asked the others, 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. Harry, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly – the towering white chessmen had no faces.
"The pieces are beautiful." Smiled Luna. She liked the details they had.
'Now what do we do?' Harry whispered.
"You play," said Collin.
'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 Ron, '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. Ron turned to the other two. 'This wants thinking about ...' he said. 'I suppose we've got to take the place of four of the black pieces ...' Harry and Hermione stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he said, 'Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess and I don't know Violet well enough to know –'
"She's good. She's very logical, so she can come up with unique and well thought strategies. She's one of the best people I played against." Said Minerva to her coworkers.
"You don't have to tell me twice. She's kind of bad when it comes to Herbology. She's good with theory, but she can't keep a plant alive to save her life. Yet, she hasn't only passed my class with one of the the highest grades, but she somehow helped Neville be even better." She finished drinking her cup of coffee. "When I retire, I plan to ask the boy to take my place, you know. He's incredible at Herbology, is a total sweetheart who's nice to all the children and I know he'd do just as much if not more for them than I can." She smiled as she said. She was completely confident that Neville could take her place when she decided to retire.
'We're not offended,' said Harry quickly. 'Just tell us what to do.'
'Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, Hermione, you go there instead of that castle. and Violet, I need you to be the queen.'
"She is always a queen." Said Ginny.
"The queen of hearts." Added Theo.
'What about you?' Asked Harry.
'I'm going to be a knight,' said Ron.
The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a knight, a bishop, a castle and the queen turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board leaving four empty squares which they took.
'White always plays first in chess,' said Ron, peering across the board. 'Yes ... look ...' A white pawn had moved forward two squares.
Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Harry's knees were trembling. What if they lost?
"I made the board trap the ones who lost and put them to sleep. I would also receive an alert." Clarified Minerva.
'Harry – move diagonally four squares to the right.'
Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, face down.
"Looks cozy." Said Draco.
'Had to let that happen,' said Ron, looking shaken.
Violet watched every move and came up with her own plans, but she could see that Ron was indeed very good. Blaise would enjoy playing with him. 'Leaves Hermione free to take the bishop.' She noted and Ron gave her a surprised look.
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 and Violet noticed that Harry and Hermione were in danger and had to come up with solutions. They darted around the board taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones.
"This match is entertaining." Whispered Daphne to Pansy.
'We're nearly there,' he muttered suddenly. 'Let me think – let me think ...' The white queen turned her blank face towards him. 'Yes ...' said Ron softly, 'it's the only way ... I've got to be taken.'
The Weasley's looked at Ron worriedly. They had no idea what happened since they weren't even informed of this incident.
'NO!' Harry and Hermione shouted.
'If we want to win, he has to.' Said Violet and gave Ron a look to see if he wanted to be the one to explain.
"You lost your brain with the Snare? It's chess, not Monopoly." Said Collin.
'That's chess!' snapped Ron. 'You've got to make some sacrifices! I'll make my move and she'll take me – that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!'
'But –'
'Harry, you might suck at chess, but you know there's no other way.' Argued his sister, not wanting to test whether or not there was a time limit for them to make a move.
'Ron –'
"For Merlin's sake." Sighed Draco. Ron was clearly decided on doing it, so he was only making it harder.
'Look, if you don't hurry up, the Stone will be gone!' There was nothing else for it. '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 around the head with her stone arm and he crashed to the floor – Hermione screamed but stayed on her square after Violet told her they'd lose the game otherwise – the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out.
"This is not child apropriate." Mentioned Blaise.
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. With one last look back at Ron, Harry, Hermione and Violet charged through the door and up the next passageway.
The students cheered as the game was finally over.
'What if he's –?'
'He'll be fine, especially since we won. He's most likely just charmed asleep for some time and he'll wake up in an hour or two maximum.' Assured Violet. 'Now, let's think of who we passed.' She changed the subject. She could've been done with everything by now, but she couldn't leave them behind or raise any questions by solving things too fast.
"By the time Hermione came back for me I was half awake." Said Ron.
'We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare – Flitwick must've put charms on the keys – McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive – that leaves Quirrell's spell, and Snape's ...' Said Hermione as she thought of what should be next.
They had reached another door. 'All right?' Harry whispered.
'Go on.' Nodded the girls.
Harry pushed it open. A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making the three of them pull their robes up over their noses. Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head.
"That was disgusting ." Shuddered Hermione. She could still smell it in her nightmares.
'I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one,' Harry whispered, as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. 'Come on, I can't breathe.'
He pulled open the next door, hardly daring to look at what came next – but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.
"I am very sorry to admit it, but this was my favourite task." Said Violet.
'Snape's,' said Harry. 'What do we have to do?'
They stepped over the threshold and immediately a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either; it was purple. At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onwards. They were trapped.
'Look!' Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Harry and Violet looked over her shoulder to read it:
Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,
Two of us will help you, whichever 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 hidden in line.
Choose, unless you wish to stay here for evermore,
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 onwards, 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.
'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 for ever.'
"She didn't-" Gasped Hannah.
"She did." Nodded Violet with a smirk. She had been so proud of Hermione when she first heard her.
'But so will we, won't we?'
'You're doubting our skills, Harry?' Asked Violet a question that would usually be considered teasing, but in that moment it felt like it held more implications.
"It's like the "Do you think I'm pretty?" question all over again." Pointed out some of the boys. They learned the hard way that you will say yes no matter what.
'Of course not,' said Harry.
Violet studied him for a few seconds and started to explain to him the puzzle. '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.'
"Impressive, Miss Potter." Said Snape.
'But how do we know which to drink?'
"The paper. We already established that." Said Pansy.
'Give us a minute.' Hermione read the paper several times. Then she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands. 'Got it,' she said. 'The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire – towards the Stone.'
Harry looked at the tiny bottle. 'There's only enough there for one of us, maybe two,' he said. They all looked at each other. 'Which one will get you back through the purple flames?' Asked Harry.
Violet pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line. 'You drink that, I'll go with Harry' said Violet. Hermione tried to protest, but was shushed by Violet. 'No, listen – get back and get Ron – grab brooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy – go to the Infirmary and ask Poppy to check on Ron. You need to make sure there are no long lasting effects.' She might not be the bloke's biggest fan, but she didn't want him to get hurt.
"The only one responsible, I swear." Muttered Poppy. She was glad that Hermione listened at least and brought the boy to her. She didn't want to think what might've happened if Minerva's game was made to kill and hurt rather than keep at a safe distance.
Harry shook his head. 'No. They have to go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. We might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but we're no match for him really.'
"I understand it, but I also don't. It's kind of in between." Pondered Dean.
'But Harry – what if You-Know-Who's with him?' Chose Hermione to not let this turn into an argument again. She didn't have the time to sit and listen.
'Well – I was lucky once, we were lucky, weren't we?' said Harry, pointing at his scar. 'We might get lucky again.'
"The damn Potter luck." Chuckled Frank, Alice and Remus.
Hermione's lip trembled and she suddenly dashed at Harry and threw her arms around him.
"What in the Indian, Korean, Turkish drama is going on?" Asked Hannah.
'Hermione!'
'Harry – you're a great wizard, you know.'
"Not Hermione with the goodbyes." Laughed Ginny.
'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 – be careful!' She then turned to Violet and hugged her close. 'You're amazing and the best sister anyone could've wished for. He's extremely lucky to have you. Take care.'
"Yes, Harold was very lucky to have her." Said Theo.
"Why the past tense?" Asked Harry.
"She gave up on you, so I have a free pass to kick your arse, so don't push it." Warned Theo.
'You drink first. I want to make sure everything goes well,' said Violet.
'You are sure which is which, aren't you?' asked Harry worriedly.
'Positive,' said Hermione. She took a long drink from the round bottle at the end and shuddered.
'It's not poison?' said Harry anxiously.
'I've got a bezoar just in case,' said Violet as she closely watched Hermione for any sign of poison.
Violet smiled smugly at Snape. She was the best in his class for a reason and they both knew it.
'It's like ice.' Explained Hermione.
'Quick, go, before it wears off.' Nodded Violet and waited for Hermione to move.
Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire.
"She survived." Cheered Ginny. They could all see Hermione, but it was fun to pretend that they had no idea what would be outcome.
Harry took a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. He turned to face the black flames. 'Here we come,' he said and he drained half of the little bottle in one gulp and his sister drank the rest.
It was indeed as though ice was flooding their bodies. Violet put the bottle down and walked forward; they braced themselves, saw the black flames licking their bodies but couldn't feel them – for a moment they could see nothing but dark fire – then they were on the other side, in the last chamber.
There was already someone there – but it wasn't Snape. It wasn't even Voldemort.
"Can we stop with the cliffhangers?" Asked Charlie. He just wanted to know what was going on.
"I like it." Said Tonks.
"That's because you like to be on the edge." Replied Charlie and Tonks scoffed.
"Was that a dirty joke or am I reading into it too much?" Theo asked Violet quietly.
"I'm the wrong person to ask, buddy." She simply said.
"Who wants the last chapter?" Asked Ginny.
"I do." Offered a boy from Gryffindor. "The Man with Two Faces or I knew Dumbledore hates Slytherins"
***
Can I just say something? F you J.K. for making chapters this long and I've got even worse waiting for me in the future.
It should be illegal to write chapter longer than four thousand words and I'm being generous.
I've been thinking about it and if the chapters are about five thousand words or longer I think I will separate them in two parts. They're easier to manage and it takes me less time to finish them.
As to how I imagined the chess pieces, I chose as inspiration a chess set from the Maryhill Museum of Art in Goldendale, Washington.