SNARLS, SNARE, SNITCHES, STRATEGY, SUCCESS!

JUNE 1992

1st Year

• • • •

Harry, Annabelle, Ron and Hermione snuck through Hogwarts corridors, hidden under the safety of the Invisibility Cloak

"Ow!" Hermione whispered, glaring at Ron, "You stood on my foot!"

"Sorry." The boy apologised, as they reached the door to where Fluffy was being kept on the third floor corridor, a flame lighting as they stood next to it, allowing the first years to finally fully see what they were doing.

Hermione then proceeded to draw out her wand, pointing it at the door.

"Alohomora."

The door then unlocked, and the Gryffindors walked into the room.

"Wait a minute," Ron said, looking at Fluffy, "... he's...." A blow of air coming from the three-headed dog made the Invisibility cloak flutter off of them, "Sleeping."

"Snape's already been here," Harry said, nodding to the harp playing music next to the dog, "He's put a spell on the harp."

The group then slowly approached the sleeping dog.

"Uh. It's got horrible breath!" Ron exclaimed.

"We have to move its paw." Harry told his friends.

"What?!" Ron questioned.

"Come on!" Harry said, as the all grabbed the paw that was blocking the trap door, "Okay. Push!" The four strained, but were able to move it and they managed to successfully open the door, "I'll go first. Don't follow until I give you a sign. If something bad happens, get yourselves out... Does it seem a bit... quiet?" He asked, realising the silence that had fallen around them.

"The harp," Hermione noted, "It stopped playing."

Drool then dripped down onto Ron's shoulder.

"Ew! Yuck! Ugh." The boy grimaced, making all four children slowly look up and see Fluffy standing there. The dog barked, snarled and growled, thrashing around. It then broke the harp and growled at the four.

"You guys go down, I'll follow you in a moment!" Annabelle yelled at them, standing up, getting between the dog and her friends.

"What?!" Hermione yelled at her.

"Fluffy!" Annabelle yelled, making the dog turn all his heads to her, as she proceeded to put her hand up, slowly walking towards him.

"Anna." Ron whimpered.

"Fluffy, calm down," Annabelle said in calming manner, now standing right in front of him, the girl licked her lips, as Fluffy watched her carefully and her hand further neared him. It was then that the dog allowed her to put her hand on one of his foreheads, nuzzling into her hand, "Go!" The redheaded girl whisper-yelled at them, and Harry pushed Ron and Hermione down the trapdoor, "Good boy, Fluffy." Annabelle said, before slowly backing away and quickly jumping down the trapdoor, the dog too confused after enjoying the attention to follow after her, only growling after realising they had gone down the door.

Annabelle let out a grunt, as she landed beside Harry, looking down at the mushy, black, rope-like vines she, her brother and her friends had landed on.

"How the bloody hell did you do that?" Ron asked the girl.

"I saw it on telly once," Annabelle admitted with a blush, "Thought I'd give it a go."

"Well, thanks." Harry said.

"Yeah," Ron nodded, "And we're lucky this plant-thing is here, really."

"Whoa!" Harry then yelled out, and Annabelle gasped as the plant began to move towards them, "Oh. Ahh!" The boy exclaimed, as the plant started tying them up, trapping the first years in their ropes.

"Stop moving, all of you," Hermione cried to them, Annabelle complying, "This is Devil's Snare. You have to relax. If you don't, it will only kill you faster.

"Kill us faster?!" Ron exclaimed, "Oh, now I can relax!"

Hermione managed a smile as she was sucked down below.

"Hermione!!" The boys cried.

"Listen to her, guys," Annabelle told them, "It's like quick sand." She said, before she was also sucked below, too.

"Annabelle!!"

"Now what are we gonna do?!" Ron yelled, struggling against the plant.

"Just relax!" The girls cried up to them.

"Anna! Hermione! Where are you?!" Harry asked them, shouting.

"Do what I say," Hermione yelled, igniting Harry's question, "Trust me!"

Harry then relaxed and he also was then sucked through.

"Ahh! Harry!" Ron cried out, still struggling against the snare.

Harry fell through and landed by the two girls on the hard ground, as Hermione and his sister moved to stand by him and he stood up.

"Harry!" Ron continued to shout.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked the eldest Potter.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He nodded.

"Help!" Ron exclaimed in fear.

"He's not relaxing, is he?" Hermione asked.

"Apparently not." Harry shook his head.

"Help! Help me!"

"We've got to do something!" Hermione yelled.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Do remember that thing we were reading in Herbology?" Annabelle asked Hermione, making the cogs in the brunette's head turn.

"Oh, yes, um...."

"Help!"

"Um Devil's Snare, Devil's Scare,"

The snare then covered Ron's mouth.

"It's deadly fun... but will sulk in the sun! That's it! Devil's Snare hates sunlight!" Hermione remembered, taking out her wand and pointing it upwards, "Lumus Solem!" A beam of light shout out of the Muggle-Born's wand, which caused the Snare to shriek and recoils from the light, and for Ron to fall below.

"Ahhh!" The boy cried, landing on the hard floor.

"Ron, are you okay?" Harry asked his best friend, helping him up.

"Yeah."

"Okay."

Ron then stood up, "Whew. Lucky we didn't panic!"

The three looked at him.

"Lucky Anna and Hermione pay attention in Herbology."

There was a sound from the behind the door next to them.

"What is that?" Hermione wondered.

"I don't know," Harry told her, "Sounds like wings."

The quartet walked into the room, which was filled with golden keys that had wings attached to them, flapping wildly as they flew around the room.

"Curious. I've never seen birds like these." Hermione said.

"They're not birds," Annabelle shook her head, "They're keys."

"And I'll bet one of them fits that door." Harry added, as they came upon a broomstick, suspended in the air.

"What's this all about?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know. Strange." Harry mumbled.

Ron then crept over to the door and took out his wand, rattling the lock, "Alohomora!"

Nothing happened.

The Weasley boy shrugged, "Well, it was worth a try."

"Ugh! What're we going to do?" A frustrated Hermione cried, "There must be a thousand keys up there!"

"We're looking for a big old fashioned one," Ron told them, "Probably rusty like the handle."

"There! I see it!" Harry pointed at the said key, the other three following his finger with their gaze, "The one with the broken wing!" He looked at the broom, an odd expression resting on his face.

"What's wrong, Harry?" His sister asked.

"It's too simple."

"Oh, go on, Harry!" Ron encouraged, "If Snape can catch it on that old broomstick, you can! You're the youngest seeker in a century!" He reminded.

"Yeah," Annabelle nodded, "Just imagine it's the snitch. Only, try to almost swallow it."

Harry nodded and grabbed the broom. Suddenly, all the keys swiftly turned to a direction, right at Harry. The climbed on, swiping away at them as if they were bees ruining a picnic.

"This complicates things a bit!" Ron cried.

Harry pushed off into the air, flying after the old key, the others follow him. With a lot of trouble, Harry grabbed the key.

"Catch the key!" He yelled down to his friends and sister.

He zoomed by and threw the key to Hermione, who caught it and headed for the lock, while Harry distracted the other keys. 

"Hurry up!" Ron told the brunette, as Hermione put the key in the lock.

The door was then successfully opened, and Hermione, Annabelle and Ron rushed through, followed by Harry. They then shut the door just as the keys slam up against it from the other side.

Creeping foreword, the group all shared worried looks, moving further into the dark room, with broken pieces of what seemed to be stone scattered all around it.

"I don't like this," Hermione stated, "I don't like this at all."

"Where are we?" Harry questioned, "A graveyard."

"This is no graveyard," Ron shook his head, looking at the black and white squares in front of them, "It's a chessboard." He said, walking out onto the marble board, when flames lit around the board, illuminating the board and giant chess pieces, Harry, Annabelle and Hermione coming up with him.

"There's the door." Harry said, pointing to it.

The quartet walked across the board, towards the door. Suddenly, as they reached a line of pawns, the pawns brought up their swords, blocking the children's way, making the four jump and back up.

"Now what do we do?" Hermione asked.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Ron exclaimed, "We've got to play our way across the room. All right. Harry, you take the Bishop's square. Hermione, you'll be the Queen's side castle. Anna, you'll be King's side castle. As for me, I'll be a knight." He instructed, his friends going to their ordered positioning.

"What happens now?" Annabelle asked her fellow redhead.

Ron swallowed thickly from aboard a horse, "Well, white moves first, and then...we play." 

A pawn on the other side moved forward, and Ron studied the game.

"Ron, you don't suppose this is going to be like...real wizard's chess, do you?" Hermione questioned.

"You there! D-5!" The boy yelled, pointing at a black pawn, which moved forward, diagonal to the white pawn. The white pawn then proceeded to raise their swords and smashed the black one, making the three jump. Ron gulped, "Yes, Hermione, I think this is going to be exactly like wizard's chess!"

The game continued, and piece after piece smashed each other.

Boom! Boom!

"Castle to E-4!"

Smash!

"Pawn to C-3!"

Smash! 

Boom! 

The Queen turned, and smashes a piece, making Annabelle, Harry, Ron and Hermione wince. The Queen then turned again and Annabelle, Ron and Harry studied the game.

"Hang on." Annabelle murmured, licking her lips and drawing her eyebrows together.

"Wait a minute." Harry spoke, realising.

"You understand right, Harry?" Ron said, "Once I make my move, the Queen will take me...then you'll be free to check the King!"

"No, Ron! No!" Harry yelled out to him.

"Ron, think about this!" Annabelle cried.

"What is it?" Hermione asked them.

"He's going to sacrifice himself!" Annabelle shouted to her.

"No, Ron, you can't!" She told him, making Ron close his eyes and let out a sigh, "There must be another way!"

Ron then turned to face Hermione, "Do you want to stop Snape or not?" He then turned to the eldest Potter twin, "Harry, it's you that has to go on. I know it. Not me, not Hermione, not Annabelle. You." He told the boy, firmly, making Harry nod, "Knight... to H-3."

Ron's horse moves forward, and his friends watched in anticipation as the knight, with Ron on it, slid and stopped.

"Check."

The Queen turned and advanced, causing Ron's breath to quicken in fear, clutching the steel reins tighter, his knuckles turning white.

 The Queen stopped.

SMASH! 

The blow sent Ron flying off the horse with a cry, landing on the floor. Unconscious.

"RON!" The Potters cried out in worry, as Hermione started walking to him.

"NO!" Annabelle cried out to her, making the brunette jump and freeze, "Don't move, Hermione!"

"Don't forget, we're still playing," Harry reminded the girl, and Hermione moved back with a nod, as Harry took a deep breath before he walked diagonally across the squares, stopping in front of the King, "Checkmate."

The King's sword fell onto the ground.

Victory.

Harry breathed out in relief, and then Harry, Annabelle and Hermione ran to Ron, crouching by his side.

"Take care of Ron," Harry instructed the girls, "Then, go to the owlery. Send a message to Dumbledore. Ron's right...I have to go on."

"You'll be okay, Harry," Hermione told him, "You're a great wizard, you really are."

Harry shook his head, "Not as good as you."

Hermione smiled, "Me? Books and cleverness? There are more important things. Friendship, and bravery." She said.

Harry then turned to Annabelle, "I'm not sure I can do this without you."

"You don't have a choice," Annabelle told him softly, "This is your story, Harry. I'll always be here to help you. But this is your journey. And I can't promise you that it won't be hard. But I can promise you that you'll never have to go through it alone. So I'll meet you on the other side.

Harry nodded, hugging his little sister, before standing up.

"And Harry," Hermione called, making him turn around, "Just be careful." She told him.

Harry nodded again, giving the pair a smile, before walking away and out of sight of the two girls.