Harry has no idea how he manages to do his exams with the threat of Voldemort lurking behind every corner.
Written exams are awful, especially with the heat in the room as they take them, but Harry manages. Apparently, it's not just printed books that accommodate for the readers because it was the professors who wrote every question with their own quill and it's all still in braille for Harry. When he asks Professor McGonagall why, she tells him magical books are printed on the same parchment they use for exams, meaning it's the parchment that realizes Harry needs it to be in braille. Harry decides not to mention this fact to Ron -- just in case the boy decides to stop reading Harry's letters for him. Harry very much enjoys listening to Ron read Harry's letter and no, he doesn't know why, thank you very much.
The practical exams are easier. Harry successfully makes a pineapple tap dance and turns a mouse into a snuff box with ease and later, when they talk about what happened, Ron tells him that Professor McGonagall looked like she might cry when he walked in and he thinks it was because of Harry doing so well. Harry doesn't believe him. Snape's practical exam is horrible, considering he stands right behind them while they attempt to make a Forgetfulness potion. Harry's is especially horrible since Snape has to read him the instructions off the board because Ron isn't next to Harry to do it for him.
Harry does his best, powering through the pains in his forehead as best he can. It's been happening ever since the forest and Harry has no idea why though he figures it has something to do with Voldemort, considering it was Voldemort that made it hurt that night in the forest. Maybe, he still isn't sure what exactly happened that night, but seeing as he's trying to keep it out of his mind because he just gets angry when he thinks about it, he doesn't think he'll ever truly know.
Harry is worried about the Stone, though, something that Hermione and Ron don't seem to share with him. They're worried about Voldemort, of course, but the Stone not so much.
After their last exam -- History of Magic -- the trio heads down to the lake to finally relax. They sit under a tree for some shade and Harry starts rubbing at his scar, a frown etched on his face.
"I wish I knew what this means!" he exclaims, scaring the other two. "My scar keeps hurting — it's happened before, but never as often as this."
"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione says, not sounding concerned in the slightest.
"I'm not ill," Harry shakes his head. "I think it's a warning... it means danger's coming..."
"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," Ron tells him, also not sounding concerned.
Harry doesn't understand why they don't think it's a big deal but he doesn't really feel like arguing with them, so he just nods.
He can't shake the feeling though, the feeling of imminent danger or the feeling like he's forgotten something. He's getting increasingly frustrated and almost wants to march over to Malfoy just to hear what exactly the thing that Firenze saved Harry from was. Or at least what it looked like. He wishes he hadn't let Hagrid go off with Neville and Hermione, he wishes he would've just stayed with Hagird... Hagrid!
Harry jumps up, "We've got to go see Hagrid!"
"What? Harry, no," Ron whines.
Harry huffs and starts to walk, the two scrambling to catch up to make sure he doesn't go the wrong way or hurt himself, "Ron, don't you think it's a bit weird that the one thing Hagrid wants the most is a dragon and a stranger just comes out of nowhere with an egg? Nobody just walks around with a dragon egg, not if it's against the law. He's lucky he found Hagrid. God, how did I not figure this out before?"
"What are you talking about?" Ron sounds exasperated.
Harry doesn't answer, just speeds up. He's going the right way, considering Ron and Hermione haven't pulled him in a different direction.
"Hullo," Hagrid's voice says and Harry lets out a small breath of relief -- he got somewhere on his own! "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"
"No, we're in a hurry," Harry says, getting down to business. "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," Hagrid says, "he wouldn' take his cloak off."
Harry frowns.
"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head — that's one o' the pubs down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."
"What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?" Harry says. How could he have been so stupid? The answer was right in front of his face!
"Mighta come up," Hagrid says. "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..."
"And did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry says, trying to keep his voice level. Of course, of course!
"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 —"
He pauses and Harry runs a hand through his hair, processing the information. It was so obvious, you idiot, you should've known way before this!
"I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" Hagrid blurts. "Forget I said it!"
Harry blinks. Play a bit of music!
He suddenly turns on his heel and starts sprinting up to the castle, this path more familiar and easier to navigate. Ron and Hermione quickly catch up, seeming to have finally come to the same conclusion Harry did.
"We've got to go to Dumbledore," Harry says once they get into the entrance hall. "We've got proof now -- it was Snape or Voldemort under that cloak, I just know it. I hope he believes us. Firenze might back us up but that Bane might not let him. Where's Dumbledore's office?"
Ron and Hermione don't answer.
"Fine then, we'll just have to --"
"What are you three doing inside?" a sharp voice interrupts him. Professor McGonagall.
"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," Hermione says.
"See Professor Dumbledore? Why?"
"It's sort of secret," Harry says, rather stupidly.
"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," Professor McGonagall says, her voice now cold. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."
"He's gone?" Harry runs his hand through his hair again. "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?"
Harry runs his hand down his face, wishing for once people would just listen to him. He's blind but he's not stupid. Well, okay, that's debatable but still.
"Look, Professor, it's about the Philosopher's Stone --"
Harry jumps back when he hears things start hitting the ground. She must've dropped whatever she had been holding.
"How do you know -- ?"
"Professor, somebody is going to try and steal the stone. I've got to speak with Professor Dumbledore."
There's a moments pause before she finally says, "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."
Harry clenches his fists, "Professor --"
"Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she interrupts him and he holds back a frustrated shout. "I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine."
Harry listens to her walk away and when he's sure she's out of earshot, he does let out a frustrated shout, turning to his friends, "It's tonight. Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He knows everything he needs to and I'll bet you anything it was him who sent that note to Dumbledore. The Ministry's gonna be real shocked when he shows up."
"And what do you suggest we do about --"
Hermione interrupts Ron with a gasp.
"Good afternoon."
Harry wheels around. What did he hear?
"You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," Snape says.
Harry opens his mouth but nothing comes out.
"You want to be more careful," Snape drawls. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?"
Harry scowls, words finally forming in his mouth. Ron turns him around, though, before he can get into an argument and they start on their way back outside but Snape calls them back.
"Be warned, Potter — any more nighttime wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you."
Another frustrated shout leaves Harry and he tugs his friends outside, beginning to whisper to them when they get on the steps.
"Okay, here's what needs to happen. Somebody needs to keep an eye on Snape. Wait by the staff room and follow him if he leaves. Hermione, I think you should do that."
"What? Why?"
"You can pretend to be waiting for another professor," Ron says like it's obvious. "Asking about exams or whatever."
Hermione sighs but agrees.
"And then Ron and I -- we stay outside the corridor. Ron can watch out for anybody headed for us and I can listen to make sure nobody is already inside the corridor."
But of course, this doesn't work. Why would it? Almost as soon as they reach the door blocking them from Fluffy, Professor McGonagall appears again, shouting this time.
"I suppose you think you're harder to get past than a pack of enchantments!" Harry tries not to flinch but ultimately fails. "Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you've come anywhere near here again, I'll take another fifty points from Gryffindor!"
Ron and Harry head back to the common room, Harry fuming. As he tries to reassure himself with the fact that Hermione is still on Snape's tail, that falls apart as well. She stumbles into the common room, apologizing and saying that Snape caught her.
Harry huffs, clenching his fists at his side, "Fine then. That settles it. I'm going tonight -- I'll get the Stone before Snape does."
"Harry, no!" Hermione exclaims. "You'll just... you'll hurt yourself! And-and if you get caught, you'll be expelled! Didn't you hear Snape and Professor McGonagall?"
"And?" Harry scoffs. "If Snape gets to the Stone, Voldemort comes back, and what then? Hermione, there won't be a Hogwarts to get expelled from! I'm not too keen on going either but who else is going to? And if I get caught, I'll just head back to the Dursleys to wait it out until he finds me there and kills me. I'm not letting him come back, Hermione, not when I know how to stop him. And if I die, who cares? He killed my parents. I'm not letting him kill anybody else."
The two are quiet for a moment before Hermione says quietly, "You're right."
Harry lets out a breath, "I'll take the Invisibility Cloak. Whoever gave it back -- I'm lucky they did."
"Will it fit all three of us?" Ron asks.
Harry blinks, "What?"
"Oh, come on, you really think we'd let you do this on your own?" Ron says.
"Yeah, how do you expect to get to the Stone without us?" Hermione says, a smile in her voice.
"But you'll be expelled too if we get caught."
"Not if I can help it," Hermione says. "Flitwick told me I got a hundred and twelve percent on my exam. They aren't throwing me out after that."
After dinner, the three sit apart. They don't speak to one another and nobody tries to speak to them -- nobody wants to talk to Harry and Hermione, after all.
When Lee finally heads to bed, Harry rushes upstairs to get his cloak. He suddenly remembers Hagrid's flute and digs around in his trunk until he finds it. He doesn't much feel like singing to Fluffy.
"Let's put it on here," Harry says when he gets back to the common room. "Make sure our feet aren't showing, too, there's no telling what Filch would do if --"
"What are you doing?"
Harry jumps, swinging around and hiding the cloak behind his back, "Nothing, Neville, nothing."
"You're going out again."
"No, no, no," Hermione says quickly. "No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?"
Harry briefly wishes for better patience -- he has a feeling this whole risking his life thing won't stop after this year and if so, his impatience won't help him a bit.
"You can't go out," Neville says, "you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."
"You don't understand," Harry says shortly, "this is important."
"I won't let you do it," his voice moves to a different spot and Harry turns to face it. "I'll fight you!"
"Neville, get away from that hole and don't be an idiot --"
"Don't you call me an idiot!" Neville says. "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 says. "You don't know what you're doing, Neville."
"Go on then, try and hit me!" Neville suddenly says and Harry sighs. "I'm ready!"
"Do something," Harry hisses at Hermione.
"Neville," she says after a pause, "I'm really, really sorry about this. Petrificus Totalus!"
A thump sounds and Harry knows that Neville just fell down.
"What did you do?" he says miserably. He's already going to be risking his life and risking his schooling, he doesn't want to add murder to that list.
"It's a full-body bind."
Well, at least she didn't kill him.
"Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry," Hermione whispers.
"You'll understand later, Neville," Ron says.
Ron and Hermione make sure their feet are covered before they start on their way to the third-floor. When they reach the staircase, Hermione and Ron both throw their arms out across Harry's chest to make him slow down. He hears rustling and assumes somebody is ahead. They start to creep up the stairs slowly.
"Who's there?" Peeves. "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie? Should call Filch, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen."
Harry, too impatient to try and threaten to call for the Baron, just says in a low, hoarse voice, "Peeves, the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible."
It works like a charm.
"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. Stay away from this place tonight."
"I will, sir, I most certainly will. Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you."
Harry hopes that doesn't get back to the Baron, he's not sure he wants to find out what'll happen to him if the ghost finds out somebody was impersonating him.
"That was brilliant, Harry," Ron whispers.
Harry ignores the way his face heats up and starts to walk again.
"The door's already open," Hermione whispers.
Harry curses quietly, "Snape's already in there, then. C'mon, hurry."
They head inside and immediately, the dog (dogs?) starts to growl. Harry raises the flute Hagrid made him to his lips and starts to blow.
"I imagine it wakes up as soon as you stop playing, so don't stop, Harry," Hermione says as she pulls the cloak off of them.
Harry nods, letting the two pull him toward the trapdoor.
Ron pulls it open.
"What can you see?" Hermione asks.
"Nothing, just black. There's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop. Here, I'll go first."
Harry makes a noise of protest in the back of his throat, still playing the flute.
"Harry, no. I'm going first and I'll yell if it's safe. If not, just leave and send Hedwig to Dumbledore. I'm not letting you get hurt... not if I can help it."
Harry, again, ignores the way his face heats up. He nods.
"Okay... here goes nothing. See you in a minute."
A full thirty seconds pass before he yells, "It's safe! It's a soft landing, you can jump!"
Hermione grabs the flute from Harry, beginning to play. Harry jumps down, grimacing at the landing, "What is this?"
"I don't know, some plant thing," Ron mumbles.
Hermione lands a few moments later, saying, "We must be miles under the school."
"Lucky this plant thing's here, really," Ron says.
"Lucky!" Hermione shrieks. "Look at you both!"
Harry would make a joke but seeing as he now can't move his legs or arms, he decides it might not be the best time. Harry immediately begins to panic but that seems to spur the plant on, as it's tendrils start to wrap around him more tightly and more quickly.
"Stop moving!" Hermione shouts. "I know what this is — it's Devil's Snare!"
"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help," Ron snarls.
"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!"
"Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" Harry gasps.
"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare... what did Professor Sprout say? It likes the dark and the damp —"
"So light a fire!" Harry chokes.
"Yes — of course — but there's no wood!" Hermione cries.
"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron yells. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"
"Oh, right!"
Finally, the tendrils fall away and Harry catches his breath as he stands up. Ron pulls him over to Hermione.
"Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione," Harry mumbles. "I mostly just tune Neville out."
"Yeah," Ron says, sounding very bitter, "and lucky Harry doesn't lose his head in a crisis — 'there's no wood,' honestly."
"Just go on," Harry says before an argument can break out.
Ron tugs him through a doorway, leading down a long passageway.
"What's that?" Harry says when he hears something.
"Sounds like wings," Hermione mumbles. "There's light up there."
"I can see something moving," Ron says.
They reach the room and Harry realizes that Hermione was right, it is wings. It sounds like a thousand Snitches are flying around above them.
"It's birds," Ron says. "Think they'll attack if we try to cross?"
"Probably," Harry says.
"Well, there's no other choice, I suppose," Ron lets go of Harry's arm, "I'll run."
"Ron --"
"You'll run face first into the door, stupid, let me go," Ron says and Harry rolls his eyes.
Ron runs ahead and after a beat of silence, tells them it's safe. Hermione takes hold of Harry's arm, now, and leads him over to Ron.
"It's locked," Ron says. "Won't budge."
Hermione's Alohomora charm doesn't do anything either.
"Well, I assume the birds aren't just decoration," Harry says. "And they don't sound like birds, they sound like Snitches."
"Snitches," Hermione mumbles. "Brilliant! They're keys, not birds! But -- oh, Harry, there's hundreds of them, how do you suppose we catch the right one?"
Harry thinks for a moment, "Maybe it looks different. And if Snape's already gone through here, then he'll have caught it already, and I don't think he'd be careful with it either. It's wings are probably all messed up so it might sound different. Are there broomsticks?"
"Yes, over here. We'll all look. It's a big, old fashioned one, Mione, probably silver like the handle," Ron says. He hands a broomstick to Harry and Harry kicks off immediately, straining his ears for a different sort of fluttering noise while Hermione and Ron look for a different type of key.
After a minute of weaving through the other keys, Harry hears it and locks his ears onto the sound. The fluttering is slightly slower and quieter, as if it's wings aren't quite working right. It has to be that one. Luckily, Ron notices it too.
"It's gotta be that one!" he shouts. "It's got blue wings, one's all crumpled. Harry, have you got it?"
"I can hear it," Harry says. "It's not going to be easy to catch, we've got to trap it. Hermione, you stay below it and make sure it can't go down and Ron, you stay above it. I'll try to catch it."
"Be careful, there's a wall a foot behind it," Ron tells him.
"Great," Harry says and means it. He can use the wall to help him catch the key. "Ready?"
"Ready," the two chorus.
"NOW!"
Harry hears Ron dive and Hermione rise upward. He shoots forward and stretches his hand out. By some miracle, he manages to pin the key against the wall with a nasty crunch.
"Spectacular, Harry!" Ron shouts and Harry grins.
They all lower themselves to the ground and Harry hands the key to Ron, who shoves it into the lock and opens the door.
They step into the next room and Ron and Hermione gasp.
"What?" Harry asks.
"It's a giant chessboard," Hermione says miserably.
"It's a giant chessboard!" Ron sounds more excited than her. "Merlin, that's brilliant. We've got to play our way across, of course."
"How?" Harry says, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh," Ron's excitement dies down. "Well... I suppose we'll have to be chessmen."
Harry sighs, "Well, it's you who's good at chess, Ron. Just tell us what to do -- we'll listen."
Ron is silent for a long moment before he says seriously, "Harry, you'll take the place of this bishop, and Hermione, you go there instead of that castle."
"And you?"
"I'm going to be a knight."
Ron directs Harry to the now empty place on the board and then stands in his own spot, "White always goes first. Okay, Harry, hold out your hands."
Harry does so.
"We're gonna get separated, obviously, so I'm making sure you know which way to go when I tell you to."
Harry thinks that's the smartest thing they've done all night because he's absolute rubbish at knowing his right and left.
"If you stay facing this way, this is your right," Ron squeezes his right hand, "and this is your left," he squeezes the other hand. "Now, bishops only move diagonally so it's important you remember that, seeing as you can't go straight at all. When I tell you to move a space to the right, you just turn slightly," Ron turns him, "like that, and then just walk forward however many steps I tell you to. Same with left," Ron turns him again so he can see how far that turn is. "Got it?"
Harry nods, "Got it."
"Alright, ready?"
"Ready," Harry and Hermione say.
Ron starts making orders and the other two stay silent, letting him take the lead.
When their other knight is taken, Hermione tells Harry in a shaky voice that the queen just smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board.
Piece after piece is taken, from both white and black, and Harry thinks this is the most nerve wracking thing he's ever done in his life.
When he hears Ron whisper, "Of course, I've to be taken," fear like no other shoots through him.
"Ron, no!" he shouts, desperation clear in his voice.
"That's chess!" Ron shouts back, not an ounce of fear in his voice. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I make my move and she'll take me — that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"
Harry feels his lip start to tremble, "But --"
"Do you want to get to Snape or not?"
"Ron --"
"If you don't hurry, he'll already have the Stone!"
Harry realizes that he won't win this fight. He takes a deep breath, "Okay. Fine. What do I have to do?"
"Once I'm gone, you just move over three spaces to the left. That'll checkmate the king and then you'll have won. Don't wait around once you have, just go on. I'll survive."
Harry nods.
"Ready?"
No. Harry nods anyway.
Harry hears the smack and the thud of Ron's body. He presses his lips together and Hermione screams. He shakily moves three spaces to the left and hears something hit the ground in front of him.
"The king threw his crown down," Hermione says. "We've done it."
Ron did it, but Harry doesn't say this. He lets Hermione shove him into the next passageway and then pull him into the next room, where a horrible smell fills their noses, cutting their wonder about Ron and whether or not it'll be Quirrell or Snape's enchantment next off.
"A troll," Hermione whispers. "It's already knocked out."
"C'mon, I can't breathe," Harry says.
Hermione doesn't say what the next room is and Harry decides not to ask. He can hears flames behind them and in front of them but Hermione isn't saying anything, meaning she must be thinking.
She finally lets out an awed breath, "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. Brilliant. It's not magic, it's logic. Here, hold on."
"Got it," she says after a long moment of silence. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire — toward the Stone."
She presses said bottle into his hand and Harry feels it.
"There's only enough there for one of us," he says after assessing just how small the bottle is. "That's hardly one swallow. Which one will get you back through the purple flames?"
"This rounded one," she says.
"You drink that," Harry says. "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 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."
"But Harry... what if You-Know-Who is with him?"
"Well, I was lucky once... I might get lucky again," he sends her a small smile in hopes of cheering her.
Suddenly, her arms are around him and he tenses, "Hermione!"
"You're a great wizard, Harry, really," she mumbles.
Harry, of course, knows this but he's honestly no better than her, "So are you, Mione."
She lets go of him, "Me! Books and cleverness! There are more important things — friendship and bravery and... oh, Harry, be careful!"
"You drink first," Harry says. "But, uh... point me in the right direction, please, so I don't walk into the wrong fire."
Hermione laughs despite herself, sniffling as she grabs his shoulders and points him at the right fire.
"Okay, you go," Harry says.
Harry hears her uncap the potion and drink it.
"Not poison?" he says.
"No, but it feels like ice," she mumbles.
"Quick, before it wears off."
"Good luck. Take care --"
"GO!"
Harry listens to her walk away. He takes a deep breath, uncapping the potion in his hand and draining it in one gulp.
He drops the bottle, shuddering at the feeling, before starting to walk forward.
He expects a scream, maybe a shout of his name, but all he is met with when he enters the next room is the cold voice of the person he least expected.