Chapter Eighteen
"The Makings of a Leader"
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. All characters are creations of Joanne K. Rowling, © 2007, to whom I am deeply indebted. I make no money from any of this. I'm just taking her world and tweaking it a bit. ALSO, I used some of the text from the Philosopher's Stone and that most definitely belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Note One: A big thanks to the_scribbler for being my awesomesauce beta/editor!
Note Two: BAM! How do you like this fast update?! This chapter just came to me so easily and I wanted to treat you to another chapter, especially since I had SO MUCH FUN WRITING THIS ONE!!!
Thank you so much for the reviews! I love reading them all - it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling in these cold Canadian falls. It was interesting to see how many people commented on the severity of the detention and plot holes by JKR.
Note Three: I will warn everyone here and now: this chapter will have a LOT of canon in it. I'm sorry if people are put off by it, but it has to happen for the story to progress. I just hope I've done a good enough job making it refreshing reading through Hermione's POV.
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4 June, 1992
Hermione sighed, leaning back on her elbows and lifting her face to the sun, enjoying the warmth. It was a beautiful day, just warm enough without it being unbearably hot and perfectly fitting the mood of the students. They had just taken their last exam and now had a week of relaxation before their results came back.
Hermione, Harry, and Ron were lounging out by the lake, as many other students were. Hermione and Ron were leaning back, enjoying themselves and getting drowsy in the heat. Harry was propped up against the tree, rubbing his scar idly while staring blankly out over the lake. He had begun to act weirdly ever since he and Hermione had returned from their detention in the Forbidden Forest, more quiet and reserved. Not only that, he started complaining that he'd get sharp pains where his scar was and Ron had told Hermione that Harry had started having nightmares.
"I wish I knew what this means!" Harry burst out angrily, making Hermione and Ron jump.
"Is your scar hurting?" Ron asked.
"Yes," Harry nodded, "it's hurt before, but not like this. It's almost constant now."
"Maybe you should go to Madam Pomfrey?" Hermione suggested, sitting up.
"I'm not ill," Harry sighed. "Its… it's a warning - I know it is. Something bad is going to happen."
"Relax, Harry," Ron said, stretching. "Hermione's right - as long as Dumbledore is here, we'll be fine."
Harry huffed and went back to staring out at the lake. Hermione and Ron exchanged looks, both of them lying back down. Hermione could understand why Harry was worried about You-Know-Who and the Stone, she was too, but she did think that he was being a little dramatic.
Hermione didn't know how much had passed when Harry suddenly sprang to his feet. "What are you doing?" she asked, struggling to get up. Ron gave a loud yawn and sat up, his reaction time a lot slower than Hermione's.
"Don't you find it odd that what Hagrid wants more than anything is a dragon egg," Harry began, pacing in front of them, "and a random stranger just happens to show up with a dragon egg in his pocket? Dragons are against wizarding law. Hagrid was either extremely lucky or…"
Harry's eyes widened and he suddenly took off in a full sprint towards Hagrid's hut. Hermione and Ron scrambled up and ran after him.
"What are you getting at, Harry?" Hermione huffed, trying to keep up. Harry didn't reply and kept running toward the hut.
Hagrid was sitting on his step shelling peas when Harry skidded to a halt in front of him. He looked up in surprise as Hermione and Ron caught up to them.
"Hagrid," Harry panted, "that stranger at the pub who gave you Norbert, what did he look like?"
"I don' know," Hagrid replied after a moment, "he wouldn' take his cloak off."
"He wouldn't take his cloak off," Hermione repeated.
"It's not like that's unusual," he defended. "A lot o' people don' want ter be seen at the Hog's Head. Could've been a dragon dealer, couldn' he?"
"What did you talk about with him, Hagrid?" Harry pressed. "Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"
"Mighta come up," Hagrid stroked his beard, trying to remember. "We talked abou' all sorts of things… yeah, he asked what I did an' I told him I was groundskeeper here… he seemed interested in the different creatures I looked after an' kept askin' abou' them. I can' remember much, he kept buyin' me drinks… Let's see… yeah I told him what I really wanted was a dragon an' he said he happened to have an egg in his pocket an' we could play a few cards if I wanted. He wasn' sure if I could handle a dragon so I told him after Fluffy anythin'd be easy."
"And did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked.
"Well, yeah, how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet? I told him Fluffy's a piece of cake, just gotta know how to calm him down - just play him a bit of music and he falls right ter sleep - I shouldn' have told yeh that."
Hermione's eyes widened as she exchanged a horrified look with Harry and Ron. They didn't even bother to answer Hagrid's questions as they bolted back to the castle, not speaking to each other until they were in the Entrance Hall.
"We have to tell Dumbledore," Harry panted. "We've got proof now. Tell him that Hagrid told a stranger how to get past Fluffy and that it was either Snape or Voldemort underneath that cloak. It would've been easy to get all that out of Hagrid once he was drunk."
"Where's Dumbledore's office?" Hermione asked, looking around. They were never told where the Headmaster's office was. Now that Hermione thought about it, they never saw Professor Dumbledore except for in the Great Hall.
"What are you three doing inside?" Professor McGonagall asked, coming up behind Harry and carrying a stack full of books.
"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said, squaring her shoulders.
"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated suspiciously. "Why?"
"It's sort of a secret," Harry said. Hermione groaned, knowing that it was the wrong thing to say to the professor.
"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she replied coldly, her nostrils flaring. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."
"He's gone?" Hermione, Harry, and Ron gasped.
"Professor, this is important," Hermione pleaded.
"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Miss Granger?" Professor McGonagall challenged. Hermione felt herself shrink under the Deputy Headmistress's gaze.
"Professor, it's - it's about the Philosopher's Stone," Harry said quietly.
Professor McGonagall's mouth dropped open as the books tumbled out of her arms. "How - how do you know about that?" she sputtered.
"Professor, I think - no, I know that someone's going to steal it," Harry explained desperately. "We've got to speak to Professor Dumbledore!"
"Professor Dumbledore will return tomorrow," she replied. The shock had evaporated and she was now eyeing the three students suspiciously. "I have no idea how you three found out about it, but I can assure you that the Stone is well protected."
"But Professor-"
"I know what I'm talking about, Potter," Professor McGonagall snapped. "Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow. Now I suggest that you three go outside and enjoy the weather."
Professor McGonagall scooped up the books and turned on her heel. Hermione, Harry, and Ron turned to each other, feeling helpless.
"Now what?" Ron asked. "With Dumbledore gone…"
"Snape's going to steal the Stone tonight," Harry said, glancing around them. "He's found everything that he needs to know and now Dumbledore is out of his way."
Hermione glanced up above Harry's head as he spoke, her eyes widening as she saw Professor Snape himself walking toward them. "Shut up," she hissed. The two of them quietened immediately as Professor Snape sauntered up to them.
"Well, well, well," Professor Snape drawled, looking at them. Harry and Ron paled, turning to look up at him. "What are three young first years doing inside on such a beautiful day?"
"Prof-" Hermione began.
"You should be careful of where you linger," he continued, interrupting her. "People may think you're up to something, and you can't afford to lose any more points."
"We weren't-" Harry started.
"If I hear of anymore night time wonderings, I'll personally see that you're expelled. Have a good day." Professor Snape sneered at them as he walked off.
Harry motioned for Hermione and Ron to follow him. "Here's what we'll do," he whispered urgently, glancing at Professor Snape as he entered the staff room, "one of us will wait outside of the staff room and follow Snape when he leaves it. Hermione, it'd be best if you do that."
"What?" Hermione asked. "Why me?"
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Ron rolled his eyes. "Just pretend to ask for Flitwick or someone. Oh please, Professor -" Ron raised his voice an octave and batted his eyelashes, "-I think I missed a question on the exam."
"Shut up," Hermione flushed, glaring at Ron. She glanced at Harry, who was staring at her, and sighed. "Fine, I'll do it."
"Ron and I will be outside of Fluffy's room," Harry continued, nodding. "Good luck, Hermione."
Hermione wished them good luck as well and walked over to the staff room. She paused, staring at the door and frowned. Where to stand? If she stood right outside of the staff room, she'd be caught right away if Professor Snape exited. But if she stood around a corner…
Glancing around, Hermione hurried down the corridor and around the corner, plastering herself against the wall. She felt tingles of adrenaline spread through her body as she began to wait - she felt like one of the spies she'd read of in her books.
After about fifteen minutes, Hermione heard the door to the staff room open and close. She slowly glanced around the corner to see who it was that had exited and was knocked to the ground as Professor Quirrell came barrelling around the corner.
"S-so sorry, M-M-Miss G-Granger," he stuttered, glancing over his shoulder and rushing off down the corridor. Hermione gaped at the Professor in shock from her place on the ground. He hadn't even stopped to help her up!
"I thought I told you to go outside, Granger."
Hermione gasped and looked up. Professor Snape stood behind her, his arms crossed and lip curled up as he looked down at her.
"I was waiting for Professor Flitwick!" she said automatically. "I had a question about the exam."
Professor Snape raised an eyebrow. "You were waiting for him on the floor?" he asked.
Hermione went red as she scrambled up, straightening her robes. "No! I, um, Professor Quirrell came around the corner and -" she broke off, feeling flustered. "I'm just waiting for Professor Flitwick, that's all."
"I'll go get him for you," Professor Snape drawled. Hermione's protests went unheard and Professor Snape went back into the staff room. He reappeared with Professor Flitwick moments later.
"You had a question about the exam, Miss Granger?" Professor Flitwick asked.
"Yes, I did," Hermione trailed off. Professor Snape walked away, striding quickly in the direction Professor Quirrell had gone.
"Well, what is it?" Professor Flitwick asked.
Hermione jumped, looking back at the tiny professor. "I, um," she wracked her brains, trying to come up with what to say, "I think I got question sixteen-b wrong on the exam."
"Oh," he blinked. Glancing around, he put his hand on Hermione's arm and led her away from the staff room. "I'm not supposed to be saying this, Miss Granger, but you needn't worry about missing a question."
"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked, Professor Snape momentarily forgotten.
"You didn't miss any questions," Professor Flitwick beamed. "You got full marks! Congratulations, Miss Granger!"
"I what?" she gasped, feeling her face heat up. "I got full marks?"
"You even got the bonus questions right," he replied. "You should feel very proud of yourself, Miss Granger. I think we can expect great things from you."
"T-thank you, Professor," she muttered, blushing.
"If that's all, why don't you go find your friends?" Professor Flitwick suggested. "But make sure to keep the fact that I gave your marks back early a secret."
"I will," Hermione said, smiling. Professor Flitwick went back into the staff room and she turned around, hurrying down the corridor Professor Snape had gone down. She stopped when she was met with a set of stairs and two separate corridors.
"Blast!" Hermione groaned, stomping her foot. She had no idea which way he had gone.
Hermione left for the third floor, hoping that Harry and Ron were there. Her heart sank when she didn't see them and she hurried to the Gryffindor common room. She spotted Harry and Ron as soon as she climbed through the portrait hole, sitting on a couch and looking sullen.
"I'm sorry!" she said immediately. No one was in the common room so Hermione didn't worry about keeping her voice down. "Snape came out and saw me and then got Professor Flitwick when I asked for him. By the time I got away, I couldn't find him!"
"McGonagall spotted us near Fluffy's room," Ron grumbled. "She threatened to take away more points if we stuck around."
"That isn't all, Harry," Hermione said. She told them about Professor Quirrell's actions and Professor Snape following him.
"Well that's it then, isn't it?" Harry asked, standing up. Hermione and Ron gave him curious looks. "I'll go out tonight and just get to the Stone first."
"What?" Hermione cried.
"You're mad!" Ron said, standing up.
"You can't!" Hermione said, standing up and going over to Harry. "It's too dangerous! And after everything you've been through - you'll be expelled!"
"If I let Snape just get the Stone there won't be a Hogwarts to be expelled from!" Harry bellowed. Hermione took a step back in surprise. "If I don't try to do something, Snape will get the Stone and Voldemort will be back. You've read the history books, Hermione. You know what it was like when he was in power. If I don't do anything, it'll all come back! Losing points, Gryffindor winning the House Cup - none of that will matter. Hogwarts will be flattened and turned into a school for Dark Arts! If I get caught before I get to the Stone, I'll just go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to finish me off there. It's only dying a little later than I would have done, because I'm never going to the Dark Side!"
Harry finished his rant slightly out of breath. Hermione stared at him, a strange sensation churning in her gut. Looking into Harry's eyes, so filled with passion and determination, Hermione believed that they could get the Stone before Professor Snape. She glanced at Ron, who nodded and turned to Harry.
"Well it's a good thing you have your Invisibility cloak back," he stated. "Don't know if it'll fit all three of us, though."
"All three of us?" Harry repeated.
"We're coming with you," Hermione said briskly with a roll of her eyes. "How do you think you can get the Stone without us? I'll just go grab my notes and look over them until we leave…"
"Hermione. Ron." Harry said softly, look at his two friends. "Thank you."
<><><>
Hermione, Harry, and Ron spent the evening in the common room in a corner. No one bothered them; the Gryffindors were still sore towards them for losing the points and Fay was off with Shae somewhere. Hermione had her notes from the year laid out on the table she was sitting at, going over them in hopes of finding something they could use later that night. Harry and Ron sat quietly by the fire.
Eventually the common room cleared out. Harry quickly went up to his dorm to grab the Invisibility cloak and Hermione quickly gathered her notes up.
"Are you ready?" Harry asked, returning with the cloak draped over his arm. In his other hand was a wooden recorder so they could play music to put Fluffy asleep. "There's still time to back out."
"You're daft if you think we aren't going with you," Ron retorted, not giving Harry a chance to say more.
"We better put the cloak on in here to make sure it covers the three of us," Hermione advised, starting to feel nervous. "If Filch catches us before we get there it'll be a wa-"
"What are you doing?"
Hermione, Harry, and Ron spun around to see Neville emerge from behind an armchair, a struggling Trevor in his hands.
"Nothing, Neville," Harry said quickly. "Go back to bed."
"You're going out again," he accused.
"No, we aren't," Hermione said quickly. "What makes you think that?"
"You can't go out!" Neville replied. "You'll get Gryffindor into more trouble again.
"You don't understand, Neville," Harry pleaded, "this is important."
Hermione could see Neville square his shoulders. "I won't let you!" he declared, dropping Trevor. The toad leapt for freedom as Neville hurried over to the portrait hole. "You'll have to fight me!"
"Don't be an idiot, Neville - get away from the portrait hole!" Ron snapped.
"Don't call me an idiot!" Neville retorted. "You told me to stick up for myself!"
"Not to me!"
"Hermione, do something." Harry whispered, turning to her.
Hermione bit her lip. They didn't have time to be dealing with this. She took a deep breath and withdrew her wand, pointing it at Neville. If there was a chance they could be expelled for what they were about to do, she may as well not hold back. "Neville, I'm really sorry about this," she said. Ron and Neville stopped bickering to stare at Hermione. "Petrificus Totalus!"
Neville's arms and legs snapped together. Hermione could see his eyes widen momentarily before he lost his balance and fell face first onto the floor.
"I'm so sorry, Neville!" Hermione apologized, running over to him and turning him over. Neville's eyes looked between the three of them in horror.
"Sorry Neville," Harry said grimly. "We had to, there's no time to explain."
"You'll understand later," Ron said apologetically.
Although Hermione felt it wasn't a good idea to just leave Neville on the floor, Hermione knew that they were running out of time. She, Harry, and Ron put on the Invisibility cloak out of Neville's range of sight and quickly headed out of the common room. They walked as fast as they dared down to the third floor, trying to hurry to make up for the time they had lost but not make too much noise. The air around them was tense once they hit the third floor. Their footsteps echoed loudly down the corridor as they approached Fluffy's room.
The door was slightly ajar when they reached the room, making what they were about to do seem so much more real. Harry handed the recorder to Hermione, whispering to her that she should play it once they entered the room. Hermione nodded, gripping the recorder tightly to her chest. She remembered the recorder lessons they were forced to take in primary school and hoped she could remember a tune.
"Are you ready?" Harry whispered.
"Let's do this," Ron said, exhaling.
Hermione put the recorder up to her lips as Harry slowly inched the door open. The three heads immediately turned to the open door, unable to see Hermione, Ron, and Harry but sniffing madly in their direction. They began to growl loudly and Ron hit Hermione on the arm, hissing at her to play. She licked her lips and quickly began to play Hot Cross Buns.
Six eyes began to droop immediately as Hermione played. Fluffy slumped to the ground and was fast asleep minutes later. Hermione kept her eyes on the dog as she kept playing, barely allowing herself to take a breath for fear of Fluffy waking up.
"What's that?" Ron asked, pulling the cloak off of them. Hermione could see him point off to the side but didn't allow herself to look, her eyes trained on Fluffy.
"Looks like a harp. Snape must've left it," Harry whispered, tossing the cloak into a corner of the room. He inched closer to Fluffy, eyeing him carefully as he bent down and grabbed one of the rings of the trap door. Ron walked beside Harry as the trap door swung open.
"You can't see anything," Harry said to Hermione, looking over his shoulder. "It's just black, and nothing to climb down on either."
"Looks like we're jumping," Ron whispered. He glanced at Hermione and Harry. "Who wants to go first?"
"I will," Harry said immediately.
Hermione watched fearfully as Harry sat down on the edge of the trap door. Her heart began to pound loudly in her chest. There was no way of knowing what was at the bottom, what if Harry needed a spell to break his fall? Her playing faltered slightly as she watched Harry lower himself until he was gripping the edge with his hands.
"If anything happens to me, go to the Owlery and send a message for Dumbledore," Harry said, gritting his teeth. "Don't come after me until I say it's okay."
Ron agreed and suddenly Harry was gone. Hermione stopped playing the recorder as she tried to listen for a sign that Harry made it to the bottom. As soon as the music stopped, a low grumbling came from the head to her right.
"Keep playing, Hermione!" Ron warned.
Hermione took a deep breath and blew into the recorder, no long bothering with playing a song. The growling ceased and Fluffy went back to sleep just as Harry's voice echoed up through the trap door.
"It's okay! It's a soft landing!"
Ron glanced at Hermione and lowered himself down through the trap door. "See you in a minute," he grunted. Hermione nodded as Ron jumped, slowly walking over to the trap door herself. Her stomach began to churn violently, nerves wracking her body.
"Come on, Hermione!" Harry called.
Hermione sat down on the edge, her heart in her throat as she stared at the darkness below. With a deep breath, she chucked the recorder off to the side and pushed off the edge.
Cold, damp air rushed past her as she fell down into the darkness. Trying to hold back a scream, Hermione squeezed her eyes shut, feeling nauseous until she landed with an `umph' beside Harry. She glanced up to where she had dropped; the light from the room just a tiny speck from where they were sitting. "We must be miles under the school," she breathed, feeling shaky from the fall.
"Lucky this plant thing is here," Ron said.
Hermione glanced at Harry and Ron, her eyes widening. "Lucky!" she shrieked. "Look at you!"
Thin vines had crept their way onto Harry and Ron, binding their legs together. Harry had vines climbing their way up his torso, restraining his arms. In a knee-jerk reaction, Hermione began struggling, looking frantically around for a place to escape. She spotted a door off to her right and began fighting at the vines trying to wrap themselves around her legs. Harry and Ron could be heard struggling behind her as she made it to the wall, the vines giving up on her and going back to the two boys.
She turned back and watched in horror as they struggled against the vines, desperately trying to think of what to do. Suddenly, she realized what the plant was and began jumping up and down. "Stop struggling!" she screamed. "I know what this is! It's the Devil's Snare!"
"I'm so glad you can remember what it's called," Ron snarled, struggling with a vine that was trying to wrap around his neck. "It's a great help that we know what will kill us!"
"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" Hermione growled. "Devil's Snare… Devil's Snare… oh what did Professor Sprout say? It likes dark and damp places -"
"So light a fire!" Harry choked out.
Hermione didn't need to be told twice. She whipped out her wand and sent out a jet of bluebell flames, watching in relief as the vines began to retract themselves. Harry and Ron managed to free themselves and hurried over to where Hermione was by the wall.
"It's a good thing you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione," Harry panted, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"A very good thing," Ron agreed, leaning against the wall.
After taking a moment to regroup, the trio headed through the door and into the next room. A horrible stench greeted them, making Hermione gag and draw her sleeve up to her nose. In front of them was an unconscious mountain troll, almost twice the size of the one they had fought against in the girl's bathroom back on Halloween.
"I'm so glad we don't have to go up against that," Ron moaned, almost green as they passed by.
They went through the next door, which led them down a long, damp corridor. As they got closer to the open door at the end of the corridor, Hermione could hear a soft fluttering and clinking sound.
"What do you think that is?" Hermione asked.
"It sounds like wings to me," Harry muttered. He walked through the doorway and glanced up. At least one hundred brightly coloured birds flew around a high-ceilinged room, fluttering and bumping into each other.
"There's a door at the other end," Harry pointed out. He glanced up at the birds and then took off across the room, his arms shielding his head in case the birds swooped down. Hermione and Ron yelled out to him as he ran across the room. The birds didn't attack Harry, and he made it to the other side of the room. Hermione and Ron ran across and joined Harry as he was yanking on the door. "It's locked," he cursed.
Hermione pointed her wand at the door and cast Alohomora, groaning when the door didn't budge.
"Those aren't birds," Harry said suddenly, gazing up at them. "They're keys! We must have to find the one that unlocks this door. Yes - there are brooms over there."
"How, though?" Hermione asked, glancing up as well. "There must be at least a hundred keys up there."
"We're looking for a big, old fashioned one," Ron said, examining the lock. "Probably silver, like the handle."
They grabbed the broomsticks that were off to the side, lifting up into the cloud of jewelled keys. Hermione tried to stay as low as possible, her flying skills hadn't improved much and she didn't want to risk an unfortunate accident.
There was silence as they tried to find a key that matched Ron's description. Hermione felt herself getting frustrated after only minutes of looking - the keys were moving too fast for Hermione to see them in clear detail.
"There!" Harry shouted suddenly. Hermione and Ron turned to see Harry pointing off in the distance. "That big one there with the bright blue wings! The feathers are all crumbled on one side."
It took Hermione a moment, but she finally saw what Harry was pointing at. She grinned. Harry wasn't the youngest Seeker in a century for nothing. Ron sped up toward the key just as Harry came at it from the side, nearly hitting him. Hermione bit back a scream as Ron nearly hit the ceiling, managing to regain control of the broom just in time.
"We'll have to go at it together," Harry called. "Hermione, circle it from below in case it tries to go down. Ron you come at it from above and I'll come from this side."
They got into position and waited for Harry to give the order to go. He did and he and Ron sped toward the key, Hermione rising slightly just in case the key tried to come her way. The key dodged Ron's attempt to grab it, but wasn't able to escape Harry.
Hermione and Ron cheered as Harry made his way back to the ground. They followed, Hermione jumping off the broom as soon as she could and rushing towards the door. She could see the key struggling viciously in Harry's grasp as he unlocked the door. He swung it open and let the key go, now looking extremely rumpled.
"Ready?" Harry asked, a grin on his face. Hermione and Ron nodded and followed Harry through the door.
The room on the other side was pitch-black. Hermione glanced around, clutching Harry and Ron's arms so she wouldn't lose them in the darkness as they stepped forward. She didn't have to do that, as soon as they took a few steps into the room flames roared from the walls, igniting candles and torches.
They were standing on an enormous, life sized chess board. Black chess pieces were placed in front of them, the pawns as large as Hermione. Facing them on the opposite side were daunting looking white chess pieces, blocking the path to the door.
"I think we have to play our way across the board," Ron surmised, glancing at the two sides.
"How?" Hermione asked nervously.
Ron studied the black pieces, walking up and reaching out to touch the horse of a knight. The horse sprang to life, pawing the ground as the knight turned its helmeted head to face Ron.
"Do we, er, have to join you to get across?" he asked, looking uncomfortable.
The knight nodded. Ron exhaled and turned to look at Hermione and Harry. "I suppose we have to take the place of three black pieces and win," he said slowly, eyeing the two of them. "No offence or anything, but the two of you are rubbish at chess -"
"We're not offended," Harry said quickly. "Just tell us where to go and what to do."
Ron nodded and turned back, surveying the chess board once again. "Right," he finally said, "Harry you take the place of that bishop and Hermione - go next to him instead of that castle. I'll take the place of this knight."
The black pieces Ron mentioned sprang to life immediately, walking off to the side of the chess board. Hermione gingerly stepped into her spot, glancing nervously at Ron as he clambered up onto the horse's back. The Devil's Snare was dangerous, the mountain troll had been unconscious, so it didn't pose a threat to them, and the keys were more of an annoyance than anything. This, however, was dangerous - and had the potential to turn deadly. She had been scared for most of the duration of their adventure, but this task was the first time Hermione felt actual fear of one of them getting injured.
"Don't worry, Hermione," Harry reassured, giving her a smile as he moved into place. "Ron's never lost a game of chess."
Hermione gave a weak smile, turning back to the front as the white side moved a pawn forward. She took a deep breath, knowing that the game had begun.
Ron began to direct the black pieces around the board confidently. Hermione and Harry followed whatever Ron said to them unquestioningly, knowing that the redhead had a plan. That didn't stop Hermione from trembling when their first piece was taken. The white queen was ruthless, smashing the other black knight to the floor and dragging him off the board.
"Had to let that happen," Ron said shakily, paling slightly. "That leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione. Go on."
Ron danced around the chessboard, taking white piece after white piece. There were some narrow misses - he realized just in time that Hermione was about to be taken by a knight and got her out of harm's way. That had been a little too close for Hermione's comfort.
"We're nearly there," Ron muttered, glancing around the board.
"Wait a minute," Harry said suddenly, glancing around. "Ron…"
"I have to," Ron replied, shaking his head solemnly.
"Have to what?" Hermione asked, glancing between the two of them. "What's going on?"
"I have to be taken," Ron said, a slight tremor in his voice.
"No!" Hermione shouted.
"You can't, Ron!" Harry agreed.
"Do you want to stop Snape from getting the Stone or not?" Ron snapped, glaring at the two of them. "It's the only way for us to win the game - it leaves you to checkmate the king, Harry."
"Ron, you can't!" Hermione cried, feeling tears prickle her eyes.
"I have to," he repeated, more to himself than to Hermione and Harry. He turned to look at them. "If we don't hurry, Snape will have the Stone!"
"Fine," Harry said, gritting his teeth.
"Right" Ron nodded, a look of determination on his face. "Once I'm hit, don't stay around - go straight after Snape."
Hermione bit her lip, her hands grasping each other as she watched Ron direct his horse. The queen pounced immediately, striking Ron hard on the head with her arm and sending him flying from his mount. Hermione and Harry screamed as Ron hit the chessboard hard, rubble and pieces of stone hitting him.
"Hurry, Harry!" Hermione shrieked. Ron wasn't moving from where he was lying and she knew she couldn't go see if he was alright until the game was over.
Harry walked over to the king and stared up at him. There was a pause, and Hermione thought for a terrifying moment that Ron had miscalculated. Then, the white king took the crown off his expressionless head and tossed it to Harry's feet. The chess pieces disintegrated into dust moments later, leaving the chessboard empty except for the three Gryffindors.
Hermione made to run for Ron, but Harry intercepted. He grabbed her arm and sprinted across the chessboard, pulling Hermione behind him.
"But what if he's-" Hermione protested, looking back at Ron's limp form.
"He's fine," Harry said shortly, staring straight ahead. "We have to hurry. If Snape got the Stone first then Ron's sacrifice will have been worthless."
"We should be reaching the end soon," Hermione said, trying to keep her mind off of them leaving Ron. "I think we just have Snape's left…"
Harry pushed open the door, still grasping Hermione's arm. As they entered the room, purple flames sprang up behind them, blocking their exit. In front of them was a small table that held seven different shaped bottles. Ahead of them, black flames were blocking the door to the next room. The set up was so simple but looked so intimidating.
Harry dropped Hermione's arm and approached the table, picking up a note that was on the table. Hermione waited as he read it, her stomach sinking as his expression turned to frustration. "What is it?" she asked.
Harry thrust it at her, running a hand through his hair. She took the note and read, relief spreading through her as she got through it. It wasn't magic at all - the last task was a riddle! She let out a laugh and shook her head.
"What's so funny?" Harry asked.
"This isn't magic," she breathed, a huge smile on her face. "It's logic - a puzzle. A lot of great wizards can wave a wand, but they haven't got an ounce of logic to be able to solve this."
"And you can?" Harry asked.
"My father and I used to do puzzles like this all the time!" Hermione grinned. She read over the note, pointing at the different vials and making mental notes to where they were. After about five minutes, she clapped her hand together and picked up the smallest vial. "This one here will lead us through the black fire - toward the Stone."
"There's only enough for one of us to go through," Harry said, taking the small bottle from Hermione and examining it. He looked up at her. "Which one will get you back through the purple flames?"
Hermione picked up a rounded bottle.
"You take this and go back to Ron," he said. "No - listen to me. Go back to Ron. Grab the brooms from the flying-key room. They'll get you through the trapdoor and past Fluffy - then you need to get to the Owlery as fast as you can and send Hedwig to Dumbledore. We need him. I may be able to hold of Snape for a while, but I'm not able to go against an adult."
"But what if You-Know-Who is with him?"
"I was lucky once, wasn't I?" Harry stated, pointing to the scar on his forehead. "I might get lucky again."
Hermione felt her bottom lip tremble as she tried to hold back her tears. It got too much to her and she threw her arms around Harry, giving him a huge hug.
"Hermione!" Harry squeaked, going rigid.
"You're a great wizard, Harry," she whispered, squeezing him.
"Not as good as you," Harry murmured, clearly embarrassed.
"Me - books and cleverness," she gave a shaky laugh, pulling back but not letting go of Harry. "There are more important things like friendship and bravery… oh, Harry - please be careful!"
"I will be," Harry returned her hug and then stepped back. "You go first - you're sure these are the right vials?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Then go."
Hermione nodded and uncorked the vial, tipping it back and gulping it down. She shuddered, feeling her entire insides turning to ice. She reassured Harry that it was the right vial and then turned to the purple flames. "Be careful, Harry," she reiterated.
"Go!" he urged.
Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and ran through the flames. She couldn't feel them and as soon as she was on the other side, the icy sensation wore off. She looked back at the flames, her brow creasing with worry. "Please come back, Harry," she whispered.
With a last fleeting look at the purple flames, Hermione turned on her heel and ran as fast as she could back to the room with the chessboard. Ron was still lying where they had left him and she skidded to his side, moaning when she saw a trickle of dried blood from his hairline.
"Ron," Hermione whispered, scared to touch him. "Ron, wake up. Ron!"
Her heart soared when she saw Ron's eyelids flutter. "S'matter?" he groaned. "Hermione?"
"Ron we have to get out of here," Hermione rushed out, checking the wound on his head. It had stopped bleeding which she took for a good sign. "Harry's gone after Snape alone and we need to get help - now!"
Ron's eyes snapped open and he shot up, groaning and clutching his head. "Are you okay?" Hermione asked, grabbing his shoulders to steady him.
"Fine," he grunted out, blinking furiously. "I'm fine. We have to get out of here!"
Hermione stood up, helping Ron to get up. He was a little unsteady on his feet, having to focus to get his balance. She bit her lip - Ron had to be taken to the Hospital Wing. She knew he had a concussion from the hit he took.
"Let's go!" Ron said, running out the door.
Hermione bolted after him, staying behind him in case he lost his balance. "Harry said to take the brooms up the trap door," she called. "Can you do that?"
"I'm fine, Hermione," Ron bit out. Hermione pursed her lips, she knew he wasn't fine but they had to get help for Harry first. Once they hit the room with the keys, Hermione didn't even hesitate in picking up the broom. She waited for Ron, who took a moment to get steady on his own broom, before kicking off. She pressed her body against the broom to make it go faster, remembering all the tricks Harry talked about while riding. She bolted up through the trap door, Ron right behind her. Fluffy gave a startled bark and began to growl low in his three throats.
The door burst open magically and Hermione was suddenly holding Harry's Invisibility cloak. She didn't question it, and they made it through the door before Fluffy was able to snap at them.
"Go to the Hospital Wing, Ron!" Hermione said, dismounting the broom. She tied the cloak around her waist, making sure that her robe was covering most of it.
"No, I'm going with you to the Owlery," Ron disagreed. He dismounted the broom, swaying a bit before managing to regain his balance.
Hermione groaned, they didn't have time to be arguing about this. In what Hermione would later consider to be one of her more reckless decisions, she turned around and bolted down the stairs. She could hear Ron behind her, panting loudly.
She didn't care about getting caught by Filch or a teacher, nor did she care about losing points or expulsion. All Hermione could think about was getting to the Owlery in time to save Harry. She cursed Hogwarts' elaborate set up, hating the fact that they had to go down to the main floor to get to the other side they needed to be on.
As they hit the Entrance Hall, Hermione heard Ron give a loud grunt. She looked back over his shoulder to see him lose his balance and stumble.
"Ron!" Hermione cried, scrambling back to him. She helped him sit down as he held his head, groaning. "Stay here, Ron. I'll go to the -"
"Miss Granger! Mister Weasley!"
Hermione's blood turned to ice as she turned to see Professor McGonagall striding out of the staff room with a furious expression on her face.
"Professor!" Hermione cried desperately. "We need help! Please!"
"What happened?" As soon as Professor McGonagall took in Hermione's dirty appearance and the blood on Ron's face, her expression turned to shock and she hurried over to them. She bent down, gently wiping the blood from Ron's temple. "Don't tell me you three went down -"
"What's going on?"
Hermione looked as another person emerged from the staff room, her eyes bulging. "You!" she sputtered, staring incredulously as Professor Snape came striding up to them. "No, no, no, no - you're not supposed to be here!"
"I beg your pardon?" Professor Snape asked, sneering. "You remember what I told you, Granger. Any more night time wondering and you're expelled."
"Severus!" Professor McGonagall hissed, helping Ron up. "This isn't the time! We need to get these children to the Hospital Wing."
"No, no, no," Hermione repeated, feeling hysterical. "You aren't supposed to be here! You're supposed to be down there trying to get the Stone!"
"What?" Both Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall gaped at Hermione.
"Harry's down there and if you aren't then that means someone else is," Ron groaned, his eyes unfocused.
"We have to get Professor Dumbledore!" Hermione shrieked, her vision blurring as tears pooled in her eyes. The events of the evening caught up to her and she felt herself begin to hyperventilate - she was having a full blown panic attack. "Harry's down there and - oh Lord - Harry's down there and he needs help!"
"Harry's gone after him, hasn't he?"
Everyone turned in shock to see the Headmaster himself came striding toward them from the staircase opposite to where they were. His blue eyes took in Hermione and Ron. "Take these two the Hospital Wing."
Professor Dumbledore didn't stop as he talked, rushing past them and back up the stairs. Professor McGonagall snapped out of her daze, took out her wand, and waved it. Ron was lifted up in the air on an invisible stretcher as he stared after Professor Dumbledore.
"Severus!" Professor McGonagall hissed. The Potions master cast a glance at Hermione before hurrying after the Headmaster. Professor McGonagall hissed angrily at him and put her arm around Hermione, pulling her into her side. "Come on, dear. We'll get the two of you to the Hospital Wing."
"Harry - h-he'll be alright, r-right?" Hermione stuttered, trying to breath. Sobs wracked her body as visions of what happened that night flashed through her head. The vines wrapping around Harry and Ron, Ron being hit and knocked unconscious, Harry's figure as Hermione left him to go face whoever it was that was after the Stone…
"Professor Dumbledore will be there soon," Professor McGonagall soothed. With her wand in one hand, she led the invisible stretcher Ron was on up the stairs, her other arm rubbing Hermione's own arm soothingly as she took them to the Hospital Wing.
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End Note: And there you have it. I hope you don't think Hermione's reaction over dramatic. You have to remember: she is only twelve and she went through a traumatic experience. It's only natural that she went into shock.
Aside from that, there you go! One more chapter and then we're on book two! I can't believe we're here. I'm so excited!!
As always, I love to hear your feedback. Please leave a review, I read every one of them and try to reply to as many as I can.
Kelci
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