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(Y/N)'S P.O.V.
"I don't like this," Hermione says wearily, "I don't like this at all."
"You and me both." I agree. I look around, but it's a bit hard to see things clearly in the dark.
"Where are we? A graveyard?" Harry asks.
"This is no graveyard." Ron says. He steps away from the group and walks ahead. "It's a chessboard."
I walk forward as well, coming to Ron's side. I look around at the large pieces. Suddenly, small fires are lit on the sides of the chessboard and a light is casted down on the checkered pattern. Harry and Hermione walk to stand by us.
"There's the door." Harry says, pointing to a large door on the other side of the room. We all walk towards it, but I have a gut feeling that it won't be that easy. As we're about to pass the white pawn pieces, they pull out their swords and block our path. We all back away startled. They retract their swords and go back to being motionless.
"Now what do we do?" Hermione asks.
"It's obvious, isn't it? We've got to play our way across the room." Ron says. He turns around and faces us, a serious expression on his face. "Alright, Harry, you take the empty bishop square. Hermione, you'll be the queen's side castle. (Y/N), you're the king."
"Oh. The king. The one they want to kill." I say, muttering the last part.
"Don't worry, you won't move much." Ron reassures.
"How about you?" Harry asks Ron. "Which place will you take?"
"As for me," Ron starts, looking bravely to a horse piece with no rider, "I'll be a knight."
We all step onto our respective squares. I look past the pawns nervously and gulp. I look over to Harry nervously. He displays the best smile he can, but we both know how nervous he is.
"What happens now?" Hermione asks Ron cautiously.
"Well, white moves first, and then, we play." Ron replies with determination. One of the white pawns slide forward.
"Ron, you don't suppose that this will be like... well, real wizard's chess, do you?" I ask hesitantly. I fear the answer because I believe I already know it. Ron looks to me, then past my shoulder, pointing to a pawn.
"You there, D-5." He instructs. The piece moves forward and the white pawn pulls out its swords, striking ours hard. Bits and pieces of the pawn go flying everywhere and I cover my face to shield my eyes. We all stare at it speechless, a newfound nervousness added into our systems.
"Yes, (Y/N), I think this is gonna be exactly like wizards chess." Ron says. Hermione, Harry, and I all turn our heads slowly to look at Ron.
"Well, that's swell." I say shakily.
We begin to play our way across the board, Ron doing most of the work. He shouts out directions, and the black pieces oblige silently. I help every once and a while, double checking his decisions and whatnot. More pieces begin to break, rubble piling up in the room. Every now and again, bits of the statues fly my way and give me cuts and scratches, though I bare with it.
The real first real shock comes when the white queen takes down one of our knights. It strikes the horse and the rider falls to the ground. It gets dragged off the board where it lays quite still.
"Had to let it happen." Ron says, sounding a bit shaken. "Leaves you free to take the bishop, Hermione, go on."
Whenever the white pieces take one of ours, they show no mercy whatsoever. I've yet to make any moves, but I can't help the trembling in my legs. What if we don't win? What if Snape has already got to the Stone and is on his way to You-Know-Who. I try not to think about it, but the thought still lingers in the back of my mind.
"We're nearly there." Ron mutters, a look of deep thought on his face. "Let me think — let me think..."
The white queen turns her blank face towards Ron.
"Yes..." Ron says softly. "It's the only way... I've got to be taken."
I feel my heart drop as I recall what happened to the last knight. My eyes sting with tears at the thought of it happening to Ron.
"NO!" Harry, Hermione, and I shout at the same time.
"That's chess!" Ron snaps. "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!"
"Ron, please! We don't know what may happen to you if —" I start, but he interrupts.
"Do you want to stop Snape or not?"
"But —"
"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!" Ron shouts and I get a horrible feeling in my stomach. There is no alternative. "Harry, it's you who has to go on, I know it. Not me, not Hermione, not (Y/N), you."
I look around at all my friends and they're all in deep thought. I let out a shaky breath.
"As much as I hate to admit it... Ron's right." I say quietly. All their heads turn to me. "Sacrifices have to be made so that Harry can... go on."
Harry hesitantly nods his head and I know he isn't particularly keen on the idea. Though, of course, none of us are.
"Ready?" Ron calls, his face pale but determined. "Here I go. Knight to H-3."
His horse slides forward and then to the left. I can't control my breathing as I watch the scene unfold in front of me. I feel panic and worry go up and down my body, springing through my bones as I wait for the queen to make her move.
"Check." Ron says quietly.
The queen turns and begins to make her way towards Ron. He looks at the giant chess piece with fear on his face. With her stone arm, the queen swings violently at the horse, hitting Ron's head in the process. Ron crashes to the floor — Hermione screams but stays on her square while I cover my mouth in shock, tears threatening to spill. He lays on the checkered board and looks as if he's been knocked out.
Shakily, Harry moves three spaces to the left. The white king takes his crown off and throws it at Harry's feet. We've won. The chessmen clear a path and bow, leaving the door ahead free to walk through. However, we pay no attention to the door and run towards Ron. We all crouch down and check on him. I feel his neck for a pulse, and luckily find one. I let out a small sigh of relief.
"Oh, Ronald. What would your mother say." I say, shaking my head. "Actually, she'd be quite proud. Worried out of her mind, but proud." I add.
"Take care of Ron. Then go to the owlery. Send a message to Dumbledore." Harry tells us. I shake my head.
"There are still more defences! Quirrell's, Snape's — you may need help." I reason.
"But it may be dangerous." He says. I laugh.
"Harry, do you even realize what we've done so far?" I ask. He opens his mouth but closes it almost instantly. "And you're right. It may be dangerous. I can't let a friend walk into that alone."
"Okay." He answers giving me a small smile. I look too Hermione.
"You'll be alright, 'Mione?" I ask. She nods her head.
"You'll be okay, Harry. You're a great wizard — you really are." Hermione says. She then looks to me. "And you're a great witch, (Y/N)."
"Not as good as you." Harry and I say at the same time. Hermione smiles at us, giving a small laugh.
"Me? Books and cleverness? There are more important things. Friendship and bravery." Hermione says. She then looks to me a small smirk on her face. "Though, I do believe (Y/N) has mastered both sides."
"W...well. Don't give me too much credit!" I say, my cheeks tinging with pink. They both chuckle at me.
"Just be careful, you two." Hermione says. We both nod and stand, making our way to the door.
THIRD PERSON P.O.V.
Harry and (Y/N) enter their next passageway where yet another door stands before them.
"Alright?" Harry whispers.
"Go on." (Y/N) says with a nod. Harry pushes the door open. A disgusting smell fills their nostrils, making them both cover their noses. Eyes watering, they see, 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.
"I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one." Harry whispers as they carefully step over one of its massive legs.
"Me too. Now come on, I can't breathe." (Y/N) says, holding back a gag.
Harry pulls open the next door, both of them hardly daring to look at what is to come next — but there is nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.
"Snape's. What do we have to do?" Harry asks. The two first years step over the threshold, and immediately a fire springs up behind them in the doorway. It isn't an ordinary fire either; it isn't red and orange, but purple. At the same instant, black flames shoot up in the doorway leading onward. They are trapped.
"Look!" (Y/N) seizes a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Harry looks 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 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.
(Y/N) lets out a great sigh and shakes her head.
"This isn't magic — it's logic — a puzzle." She says. She bites her lip and looks at the purple flames. "This was a mistake! Hermione should have come, not me. We'll never get out of here at this rate."
Harry looks to her with furrowed brows. He is practically certain that (Y/N) is able to get them out of here. He grabs her hand and looks into her eyes with reassurance.
"You heard what Hermione said. You're brave and clever. And frankly, I have to agree with her. I know you can do this." Harry says. And it's the truth. Harry believes in (Y/N) more than he's ever believed in anything.
"I don't know, Harry..." (Y/N) says quite sheepishly.
"(Y/N), you're brilliant, alright? Brilliant. I know you can get us out of here." Harry says, no hint of doubt in his tone. She smiles at him.
"A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic." Her eyes light up and a small smile appears on her face as her eyes scan the paper. "I suppose I do have some logic."
Harry smiles at the girl as she reads over the paper with a newfound determination. She looks back and forth at the paper and the table of bottles.
"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." (Y/N) says.
"But how do we know which one to drink?" Harry questions.
"Give me a minute. Everything we need is on this paper..." The girl mutters.
(Y/N) reads the paper several times, brows furrowing as she stays in a deep thought. Then she walks up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she claps her hands.
"Got it!" She says proudly. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire — toward the Stone."
Harry looks at the tiny bottle.
"There's only enough there for one of us. That's hardly one swallow." Harry says.
The two students look at each other.
"Oh." (Y/N) says simply.
"Which one will get you back through the purple flames?"
(Y/N) points to a rounded bottle at the right end of the line.
"You drink that." Harry says. The girl goes to argue, but Harry shakes his head. "No, listen, go back and find Hermione. See if Ron's okay. And see if Hermione has sent Dumbledore the letter, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him, really."
"But Harry — what if Voldemort's with him?" (Y/N) asks. Harry is a bit taken aback. He's never heard any of his friends say the name before.
"Well — I was lucky once, wasn't I?" Harry says, pointing to his scar. "I might get lucky again."
(Y/N)'s lip trembled and she suddenly dashes at Harry, throwing her arms around him.
"(Y/N)!"
"Hermione's right, you know, you truly are a great wizard."
"Er — thanks, (Y/N). You are too." Harry says, very embarrassed, as she lets go of him.
"Oh Harry — be careful!" (Y/N) says extremely worried.
"You drink first." Harry says. "You are sure which is which, aren't you?"
"Yes. I'm positive." She says. She takes a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shudders.
"It's not poison?" Harry asks anxiously.
"No — it's like ice."
"Quick, go, before it wears off."
"Good luck — take care —"
"GO!"
Though she wants to stay by Harry's side more than anything, (Y/N) reluctantly turns and walks straight through the purple fire. Harry takes a deep breath and picks up the smallest bottle. He turns to face the black flames.
"Here I come." He says, and he drains the little bottle in one gulp.
It is indeed as though ice floods through his body. He puts the bottle down and walks forward; he braces himself, seeing the black flames licking his body, but he doesn't feel it — for a moment he sees nothing but dark fire — then he is on the other side, in the last chamber.
There is already someone there — but it isn't Snape. It isn't even Voldemort.
(∩｀-')⊃━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟa/n .*･｡ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ
Hey everyone!! I hope you liked this chapter. I can't believe how close we are to the end of first year. But I'm so excited to start second year!
Please vote and comment, I'd appreciate it very, very much. :))
Love you all very much! Next chapter out soon <3