Okay, but how adorable is Ron?? <3
Edited
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Right now we're in History of Magic, the very last exam. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented self-stirring cauldrons and then we would be free. Free for a whole week. When Professor Binns told us to put down our quills, I couldn't help but cheer with everyone else.
"That was far easier than I thought it would be," I said joining Harry, Ron, and Hermione, on the sunny grounds.
"I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager." Hermione said. Hemione always liked checking our exam papers, but Ron said it made him feel ill, so we wondered to the lake and flopped down under a tree.
"No more studying," 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 Ron did," I said frowning as Harry rubbed his forehead.
"Hey!" Ron snapped, but we ignored him.
"I wish I knew what this means!" Harry angrily burst out. "My scar keeps hurting - it's happened before, but never as often as this."
"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggested.
"I'm not ill, I think it's a warning . . . It means danger's coming. . ."
"Harry, relax, Penny's right, the Stone is 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." Suddenly Harry jumped to his feet.
"Where're you going?" Ron asked sleepily.
"I've just thought of somthing," Harry said as he turned white. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now!"
"Why?" I panted , hurrying to keep up with Harry.
"Don't you think it's a bit odd," Harry said 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 a dragon 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?" Ron said, but we ignored him, sprinting towards the forest. Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house, he was shelling peas into a large bowl.
"Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got Tim fer a drink?"
"Yes, please," Ron said, but Harry cut him off.
"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you somthing. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"
"Dunno, he wouldn' take his cloak off." He said casually. "It's not that unusual, yeh get lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head - that's the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, kept his hood up." 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, yeh. . . 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 really wanted was a dragon . . . An' then . . . I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buying me drinks . . . Lets 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 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 sounding as if he was trying to be 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 strait off ter sleep-" Hagrid suddenly looked horrified. "I shouldn'ta told yeh that! Forget I said it! Hey - where're yeh goin'?"
We didn't speak to each other at all until we came to a halt in the Entrance Hall.
"We've got to go to Dumbledore," Harry said. "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?"
We looked around as if hoping a sighn would pop out and point us where to go. We never had been told where Dumbledore lived.
"We'll just have to-" Harry began but a voice rang across the hall.
"What are you four doing inside?" It was professor McGonagall carrying a large pile of books.
"We want to see Dumbledore," Hermione said bravely.
"See Professor Dumbledore?" She repeated. "Why?"
"It's sort of a secret," I wish Harry didn't say that cause McGonagall's nostrils flared. And boy. . . It was scary.
"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!" Harry said 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 that is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?"
"Look, Professor - it's about the Sorcerer's Stone-"
Whatever Professor McGonagall thought Harry was going to say obviously wasn't that, because all her books fell out of her hand and she didn't pick them up. . . Ha! Dramatic much.
"How do you know-?"
"Professor I think - I know - that Sn - that someone's going to steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore."
"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow, 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."
"But professor-"
"Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she bent down and picked up her fallen books. "I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine."
But we didn't.
"It's tonight," Harry said, once 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."
"But what can we-" I gasped before I could finish. Harry Hermione, and Ron wheeled around. Snape was standing there.
"Good afternoon," he said smoothly. We all stared at him.
"You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he said with an odd twisted smile.
"We were -"Harry began, but I could tell he had no clue in what to say.
"You want to be more careful, hanging around like this, people will think you're up to somthing. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?"
We turned to go outside but Snape called us back.
"Be warned, Potter - any more nighttime wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you." He strode off in the direction of the staffroom.
Once we were on the stone steps, Harry turned to us.
"Right here's what we've got to do," Harry whispered urgently. "One of us has got to keep an eye on Snape - wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it. Hermione, and Penny you guys will do that."
"Why us?" Hermione asked.
"It's obvious," Ron said. "You guys can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick, you know." He put on a high pitch voice, "Oh Professor Flitwick, I'm so worried, I think I got question fourteen B wrong. And my sister thought she got it wrong too. . ."
"I can't tell if you're trying to impersonate me, or yourself," I shot at him.
"Oh,shut up," Ron whined, shoving me softly.
"And we'd better stay outside the third floor corridor," Harry told Ron when Hermione and I agreed to our position. "Come on."
Hermione and I waited outside, but Snape came out.
"What are you two doing?" He asked, his eyes narrowing coldly.
"We are waiting for Flitwick," I said bravely, nodding along with Hermione.
"Then let me go, and get him, then," he nastily responded, striding back into the staff room.
"Oh no, what do we do? Hermione, what do we do?" I asked, frantically jumping up and down as I repeatedly slapped her arm.
"Run? I don't know?" Hermione cried, her eyes wide. The door of the staff room began to open, but before whoever was behind it could exit the two of us bolted.
We didn't stop until we reached the common room where Harry and Ron were.
"I'm sorry, Harry!" I wailed. "Snape came out and asked what we were doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and we've only just got away, I don't know where Snape went."
"Well, that's it then, isn't it?" Harry said, he was pale and his eyes were glittering." I'm going out there tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first."
"You're mad!" Ron cried.
"You can't!" I squeaked.
"After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!" Hermione stressed.
"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 anymore, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins 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, because I'm never going over to the Dark Side! I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you three say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?!" Harry said glaring at us.
"Yeah, and he killed mine to, Remember?" I snapped back glaring at him, but sighed. "You're right," I admitted.
"I'll use the invisibility cloak, it's just lucky I got it back." Harry said.
"But will it cover all four of us?" Ron asked.
"All - all four of us?"
"Oh, come off it, you don't think I - we would let you go alone?" I said, rolling my eyes.
"Of course not," Hermione said 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 three will be expelled too."
"Not if we can help it," I said grimly. "Flitwick told us in secret that we got a hundred and twelve percent on his exam. They're not throwing us out after that." I said referring to Hermione and I.
After dinner the four of us sat nervously in the common room. Nobody bothered us. Hermione was skimming through her notes, Harry and Ron didn't talk much, they were just thinking, I was thinking of a lullaby to sing to Fluffy. Slowly the room emptied as people went off to bed.
"Better get the cloak," Ron muttered, Harry ran up the stairs, a second later he came back down.
"We'd better put the cloak on here, and make sure it covers all four of us - if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own-" Ron started.
"What are you doing?" Neville said from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as though he'd been making another bid for freedom.
"Nothing, Neville, nothing," Harry said frantically putting his cloak behind his back.
"You're going out again," Neville said starring at our guilty faces.
"No, no, no, no, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?" I said, giving him a wide smile.
"You can't go out, you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."
"You don't understand," Harry said. "This is important."
"I won't let you do it," he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll - I'll fight you!" Yo bro, you wanna go? You really want to go? Fight me, MATE!
"Neville," Ron exploded, "Get away from that hole and don't be an idiot-"
"Don't you call me an idiot! 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, but not to us,"Ron said in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing." He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor, who leapt out of sight.
"Go on, try and hit me!" Neville said, raising his fists. "I'm ready!"
Harry turned to me.
"Do something," he said desparately.
I stepped forward.
"Neville," I said. "I'm really, really sorry about this." I pulled my wand from my pocket and gracefully said, "Petrificus totalus!"
Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed a little 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 the only thing moving was his eyes, which were looking at us in horror.
"What have you done to him?" Harry whispered.
"It's the full body-bind," I said miserably. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry."
"We had to Neville, no time to explain," Harry said.
"You'll understand later Neville," Ron said as we stepped over him and pulled the invisibility cloak on.
"I'll make this up to you!" I called back.
At the foot of the first set of stairs, we spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top.
"Oh, let's kick her, just this once," Ron whispered, I snickered quietly. We climbed carefully around her, Mrs. Norris turned her lamp-like eyes on us, but didn't do anything.
Luckily we didn't meet anyone else, that was until we reached the staircase up to the third floor where Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.
"Who's there?" He said suddenly as we climbed toward him. He narrowed his eyes. "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?" He rose in the air squinting at us. "Should call Filch, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen."
"Peeves," Harry said in a hoarse whisper, "The Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible."
Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock, he hovered about a foot off the stairs.
"So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr.Baron, sir, 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," Harry croaked. "Stay away from this place tonight."
"I will, sir, I most certainly will," Peeves said, rising in the air again. "Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you." With that he flew away. . . Again I tried to hold in my laughter.
"Brilliant, Harry!" I whispered.
A few seconds later, we were outside the third-floor corridor - and the door was already ajar.
"Well, there you are," Harry said quietly, "Snape's already got past Fluffy." Underneath the cloak Harry turned to us. "If you want to go back, I won't blame you, you can take the cloak, I won't need it now."
"Are you mad!" Ron said.
"Don't be stupid!" I added.
"We're coming!" Hermione finished.
Harry pushed the door open, the door creaked, low, rumbling growls filled my ears. All three dogs noses sniffed madly in our direction.
"What's at it's feet?" Hermione whispered.
"Looks like a harp, Snape must've left it here." Ron said.
"It must wake up the moment you stop playing," I said back. "Well here goes. . . ." I started to badly sing Twinkle Twinkle , while Harry played the flute. The dog slumped to the ground, fast asleep.
"You, keep singing, and you keep playing," Ron warned as we slipped off the cloak and crept forward to the trapdoor. We could feel the dogs hot, smelly breath as we approached its head.
"I think we'll be able to pull the door open," Ron said peering over the dogs back. "Want to go first, Hermione?"
"No, I don't!"
"All right." Ron gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog's legs. He pulled the right of the trapdoor that swung open.
"What can you see?" I asked anxiously, stopping my singing.
"Nothing - just black - there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop." I turned and saw Harry waving to get our attention then pointed at him.
"You want to go first? Are you sure?" Ron muttered. "I don't know how deep this thing goes. Give the flute to Hermione so she can keep him asleep."
Harry handed the flute to Hermione. In a few seconds silence, the dog growled and twitched, but the moment Hermione began to play, it fell asleep.
Harry climbed over and looked in the hole until he was hanging on by only his fingertips. He then looked up at Ron and I and said. "If anything happens to me, don't follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?"
"Right," we both said, nodding.
"See you in a minute, I hope . . ." Then he let go.
"You're going down whether or not he answers, aren't you?" Ron asked.
"You know me so well," I sighed, giving Ron a glowing look, then stepped back, falling until I landed right on top of Harry.
"I said not to come down, unless I said It was ok," Harry said annoyed.
"I heard you, I just didn't listen," I shrugged, looking around, as Harry told the others to come. Ron landed on one side of Harry, Hermione landed on the other side, and I was still on Harry. . . I would move, but for some strange reason something stopped me from doing so.
"We must be miles under the school," Hermione said.
"Lucky this plant thing is here," Ron sighed.
"Lucky!" She shrieked. "Look at you three!"
She leapt up and struggled toward the damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around her ankles. Ron had his legs trapped. As for Harry and I we had our legs and bodies trapped together. So that's why I couldn't move. . .
Hermione had managed to free herself before the plants got a firm grip on her, she watched in horror as Harry and Ron struggled, I being the good girl did not move, it is obviously Devil's Snare I read about them.
"Stop moving!" I ordered Harry.
"I know what this is - its Devil's Snare!" Hermione added.
"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's great help," Ron snarled, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck.
"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" Hermione said.
"Well, hurry up, we can't breathe!" I gasped as it pushed our bodies together, making it impossible to breathe.
"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare. . . What did Professor Sprout say?" I knew how to kill it, make light cause they hate the light, I just can't tell her cause it wrapped itself around my neck. " it likes the dark and the damp-"
"So light a fire!" Harry choked out.
"Yes - of course - but there's no wood!" Hermione cried. Is she serious?
"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"
"Oh, right!" Hermione said, she whipped out her wand and muttered the spell I used on Snape at the Quidditch match. In a matter of second I could feel it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and the warmth, we finally got free!
"Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione," Harry said as we joined her by the wall.
"Yeah." Ron said. "I hope Pennelope doesn't loose her head in a crisis - 'there's no wood,' honestly."
"This way," Harry said, pointing down a stone passageway, the only way forward. I silently prayed that things wouldn't get worse.
"Can you here something?" Ron whispered.
I heard a soft rustling and clinking coming from ahead of us.
"Do you think it's a ghost?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know. . . Sounds like wings to me." I answered.
"There's light ahead - I can see somthing moving." Harry said.
We reached the end of the passageway and saw before me a brilliantly lit chamber, it was full of small, jewel-bright birds, all fluttering around the room. On the opposite end was a heavy wooden door.
"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" Ron asked, looking around in amazement.
"Probably," Harry said. "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."
Harry took a deep breath, then covered his face with his arms as he sprinted across the room, we quickly followed him. But when we tugged on the door it wouldn't budge, even when Hermione did the 'Alohomora' charm.
"Now what?" Ron said.
"These birds . . . They can't be here for just decortion," I said, we watched the birds fly. But they weren't birds at all, they are keys!
"They're not birds!" I said. "They're keys! Winged keys - look carefully. So that means . . ."
We all looked around the chamber.
"Yes - broomsticks! We've got to match the key to the door!" Harry yelled.
"But there are hundreds of them!" Hermione cried.
Ron and I examined the lock.
"We're looking for a big, old fashion one." I spoke.
"Probably silver, like the handle." Ron finished.
We each grabbed a broomstick and kicked off into the air, after a minute of flying in the air Harry finally found it.
"That one!" He called to us. "That big on - there - no, there - with bright blue wings - the feathers are all crumpled on the side."
Ron speeded in the direction, then he crashed into the ceiling.
"We've got to close in on it!" Harry yelled. "Ron, you come at it from above - Hermione, stay below and stop it from going down - Penny you go opposite of me - and I'll try to catch it. Right, NOW!" We all went speeding, but the key dodged us, then Harry started chasing it. Harry pinned it against the stone wall with one hand. Hermione, Ron, and I cheered from bellow, Harry ran for the door and but the key into the lock, turning it. Once the lock clicked, the key took flight.
"Ready?" Harry asked , his hand on the door handle. We all nodded as he pulled the door open.
The next chamber was so dark I couldn't see anything at all. But as I stepped in, light instantly flooded the room, we were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, the towering white chessmen had no faces.
"Hermione! They're all slender men!" I said terrified.
"I know!" She answered.
"Now what do we do?" I asked, gulping loudly.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Ron said, puffing his chest out. "We've got to play our way across the room."
"How?" I asked a little nervous.
"I think," Ron said. "We're going to have to be chessmen." Ron walked up to the black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse.
At once, the stone sprang to life, the knights head to look at Ron. "Do we - Er - have to join you to get across?" The knight nodded. Ron turned to us.
"This needs thinking about. . ." Ron said. "I suppose we've got to take place of four black pieces. . . "
The three of us stayed quiet, while watching Ron think. Finally he said. "Now, don't be offended or anything, but none of you are that good at chess-"
"We're not offended," Harry said quickly. "Just tell us what we need to do."
"We'll, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go next to him instead of that castle, Penny, you take the place on the other side of Harry, instead of the queen."
"What about you?" I asked.
"I'm going to be a knight," Ron said.
The chessmen must've listened in on our conversation, because the knight, bishop, castle, and queen turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving four empty squares for us.
"White always plays first in chess," said Ron. "Yes. . . Look. . ."
A white pawn had moved forward two squares. I never played chess, only checkers so I had no idea what I was doing. I mean. . . You can't move two squares ahead. Just one ugh. . . But I did as Ron told.
"Harry - move diagonally four squares to the right."
My first real shock came when one of our knights were taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board where he lay quite still.
"Had to let that happen," Ron said shaken. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Penny go on."
Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall.
"We're nearly there," Ron muttered. "Let me think - let me think. . . Yes . . . It's the only way . . . I've got to be taken."
"NO!" The three of us shouted.
"That's chess!" Ron snapped. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I take one step forward 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 already have the Stone!" Ron said. "Ready? Here I go - now, don't hang around once you've won."
Ron stepped forward as the white queen smacked Ron hard across the head with her stone arm- then he crashed to the floor. Hermione screamed, and I started crying, but we stayed on our squares. The white queen dragged Ron to the side, where he lay knocked out. I looked over to Harry and saw the white king throw his crown at Harry's feet. We won! The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving a path to the door. I looked at Ron then charged through the door and up the passageway followed by my sister and Harry.
"What if he's-?" Hermione started.
"He'll be all right," Harry said. "What do you reckon's next?"
"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. . ." I said.
We reached another door.
"All right?" Harry whispered.
"Go on." Hermione said.
Harry pushed the door open.
A disgusting smell filled my nostrils, making us all pull our robes in front of us, a troll even larger than the one Harry tackled in the bathroom, it was out cold with a bloody lump on its head.
"I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one," Harry whispered as we stepped carefully over its massive legs. "Come on, I can't breathe."
Harry pulled the next door open, we didn't even bother to see what was next - but there wasn't anything frightening here, there were seven different bottles standing out in a line.
"Snape's," Harry said. "What do we have to do?"
We stepped over the threshold, immediately fire sprung up in the doorway behind us. It wasn't ordinary fire; it was purple. At the same time, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. We were trapped.
"Look!" I said as I grabbed a roll of paper lying next to the bottles.
'Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,
Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,
One among us seven will help 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 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.
I turned around to the two and smiled.
"Brilliant," I said. "This isn't magic - it's logic - a puzzle. A lot of the great wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever."
"But so will we, wont we?" Harry asked.
"Of course not, you have me," I said smugly. "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 through the purple."
"But how do we know which to drink?" Hermione asked.
"Give me a minute." I replied.
I went to look at the line of bottles, I looked at the bottles examining the amount of liquid in each one, when I looked at the smallest one I saw it was halfway full. That is the one for the black flames, and the little round bottle will get us through the purple.
"Got it," I said. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire - toward the Stone."
"How do you know?" Hermione asked
"It's half empty," I said happily.
"There's only enough there for one of us," Harry said. "That's hardly one swallow."
We all looked at each other.
"Which one will get us through the purple flames?" Hermione asked.
"That one," I said pointing at the round bottle.
"You guys drink that," Harry said.
"No I'm going with yo-" I started ,but Harry interrupted.
"No, listen, get back and go get Ron. Grab the brooms from the key room, they'll get you guys out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy - go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him really." Hermione already drank the wine and went through that just left me and Harry. Alone.
"But Harry - what if Voldemort is with him?" I asked, not moving an inch.
"Well - I was lucky once, wasn't I?" Harry said pointing at his scar. "I might get lucky again."
I was in the verge of tears, I ran at Harry and threw my arms around him.
"Pennelope!" Harry gasped, but hugged he back.
"Harry - you're a great wizard, you know."
"I'm not as good as you," He said, embarrassed, I let go of him and shook my head.
"Me!" I said shocked. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things - friendship and bravery and - oh Harry - be careful!"
"You drink first," Harry said. "You are sure which is which, aren't you?"
"Positive," I said, I took a long drink then shivered it felt like Ice.
"It's not poison?" Harry asked anxiously.
"No - but it's like ice."
"Quick go, before it wears off."
"Good luck," I hugged him, then backed away looking at him. Then something struck me, this might be my last chance of ever seeing Harry. I stepped forward again, stopping until I was in front of him.
I'm only eleven, I've never had any experience with this but hell, I was going to. And so ever so slowly I pressed my lips against his, savouring the feeling of his lips against mine. But I couldn't stay forever, despite the fireworks exploding in my mind I had to break away. I pulled back and hugged him one last time.
"Take care-"
"Go, now before it wears off!" Harry said, pushing me back with a shoved expression. I gave him one last look before rushing through the purple flames, past the troll, only stopping until I reached the key ring where Hermione was putting Ron on a broom.
"I got it," I said as I pulled Ron on with me. "Go to the owlery, I will take Ron to the hospital wing!"
"What took you so long?!" Hermione asked.
"I will tell you later. COME ON!" Together, we kicked off the ground and took off.