Chapter Twelve, Down the Trap Door

Neville twirled his new wand anxiously as Izzy, Ron and Hermione filled him in on what had happened the night before.  Thanks to Izzy informing their Head of House that he had his Dad's old wand, his Gran had gotten him a new wand during Christmas break after Professor McGonagall had spoken to her, which made casting spells so much easier, leading to his grades picking up dramatically.
"There is no way he is going to get you or get that bloody stone!" Neville exclaimed loudly, once they had finished explaining.
"What do we do in the meantime?" Hermione asked.
"There's still some things we're not sure about, so it's better to keep an eye on things for now." Izzy replied.
"Great. We better get some study done then." Hermione exclaimed happily, pulling out schedules she'd made for all of them while Ron and Neville grumbled slightly. Studying was never fun.

***

A few months had gone by and along with it the start of summer and the end of the year examinations. During the last few months the Golden Quartet (as some called them), had kept an eye on things in between studying for their exams and Quidditch practice and games for Izzy. They had just finished the last of their exams and were on their way to the grounds by the lake to enjoy the rest of the afternoon in bright sunshine.
"I always heard end of year exams were frightful. But I found that rather enjoyable." Hermione remarked cheerfully.
"Speak for yourself." Ron and Neville grumbled. "Are you alright Izzy?" They asked, noticing her hair was white and she kept gasping in pain holding her forehead.
"My scar. It keeps burning." Izzy told them, pulling her hand away from her forehead showing a bright red, sore looking scar.

"Do you think you should see Madam Pomfrey?" Ron asked worriedly, looking at the painful scar on his sister. She really had been through too much.
"She won't be able to.. ow!" Izzy cried, clamping her hand to her forehead again.
"It's happened before hasn't it?" Hermione asked, her voice trembling slightly with her concern. She's come a long way since the start of the year.
"Not like this." Izzy hissed painfully. "I think it's a warning. I think danger's coming."
"That's comforting." Neville muttered anxiously, casting a wary look towards the Forest where she'd had a run in with Voldemort.
"Of course." Izzy muttered in realisation, looking over in Hagrid's direction where he was sat on his steps playing the Hogwarts school song on a flute he'd whittled.

"What is it?" The three friends asked curiously and with some trepidation.
"Don't you think it's strange that the one thing Hagrid wants most is a dragon and suddenly a random stranger at a pub happens to have one. How many people walk around with dragon eggs in their pockets?" She asked quickly, as horrifying looks appeared on their faces.
"It could've been a dragon smuggler." Neville protested weakly.
"No. Even dragon smugglers don't carry them around, they arrange meetings first then hand them over." Ron refuted.
"How'd you know?" Izzy and Hermione asked.
"Charlie told me." Ron replied. "You don't think it could've been Snape or... or You-Know-Who do you?" Ron asked worriedly.
"I don't know. It's possible." Izzy replied, before she took off towards Hagrid, the other three struggling to keep up with her.

"Hello, are you all finished with your exams?" Hagrid asked kindly.
"Hagrid, we need to ask you something." Ron stated.
"All right." Hagrid said, sounding very confused.
"The person who gave you Norbert, what did he look like?" Izzy asked in a rush.
"I dunno never saw his face. He kept his hood up. What's the matter?" Hagrid asked, concerned, when he saw the four share worried looks.
"You must have talked to him before he gave you the egg, right?" Hermione asked.
"He wanted to know what creatures I looked after. I told him the trick with any creature is to know how to calm him. Told him about Fluffy and some others I've tended to..." Hagrid replied only to be cut off.
"Did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Neville asked worriedly.

"'Course he was interested in Fluffy. How often do you come across a Cerberus, even if you're in the trade? What was I saying - oh, yes. I told him after Fluffy a dragon would be no problem as long as you know how to calm him, take Fluffy for example; play him a bit of music and he falls straight to sleep." Hagrid told them before he realised what he said as the four of them shared worried looks. "I shouldn't have told you that. Where are you going? Where-" He shouted after them, as the four took off back towards the castle ignoring Fred, George and Lee calling after them when they tore past them. The four took off through the Entrance Hall, up the staircase to the First Floor to the Transfiguration classroom where Professor McGonagall sat at her desk filling out paperwork and marking homework. She seemed a little stressed as she was doing both jobs but thankfully it was the end of the year and after Dumbledore's trial either a new Transfiguration Professor or Headmaster/mistress would be appointed.

"Professor McGonagall! Professor McGonagall!" The four shouted, Izzy pausing to wave to Helena Ravenclaw otherwise known as The Grey Lady who sat at one of the desks, who waved back to her.
"What is it?" Professor McGonagall asked, concerned, looking at the four worried and slightly out of breath students.
"We need to talk to you about the Philosopher's Stone." The four cried together.
"How do you know?" She asked, shocked, dropping the quill.
"Someone's going to steal it!" Izzy cried frantically, wincing as the pain in her scar sparked once again her hair still a stark white.
"I don't know how you four found out about the stone but I assure you it's quite well protected." Professor McGonagall said sternly.
"But -" the four protested.
"Now, I suggest you four, go back to either the grounds or Gryffindor Tower quietly and do not speak about the stone." Professor McGonagall continued sternly.

Sighing, the four left the classroom as they weren't getting anywhere with Professor McGonagall.
"Now, what do we do?" Neville asked.
"I bet that was Snape, Hagrid met in the village and he now knows how to get past Fluffy." Izzy ranted quietly.
"And with McGonagall not believing us-" Ron started only to be cut off.
"Now, what would four young Gryffindors be doing inside on a day like this?" Snape asked from behind them, startling the four of them.
"We were just - we're just..." Hermione stuttered.
"You ought to be careful. Anyone would think you're up to something." Snape sneered, sending them all a look as Izzy glared at him, the white fading rapidly from her hair and becoming a blood red, shocking Professor Snape before he stalked away.
"We're going down the trap door tonight, aren't we?" Ron asked rhetorically.

***

Later that night while everyone was asleep the four quietly changed out of their pyjamas and into some clothes. Ron was wearing khaki coloured jeans, a white t-shirt, black trainers and a black and white plaid t-shirt over the top. Neville was wearing red coloured jeans, a grey roll neck long sleeved t-shirt, black and white trainers and a grey zip-up jumper. Hermione was wearing blue jeans, a black and white striped jumper, purple pumps, a brown bag and she had left her hair down. Izzy was wearing a black top, denim dungaree shorts, a purple plaid shirt, black knee high socks, white kickers, her hair was in a braided ponytail and the bracelet Fred had given her for Christmas.
"Ready?" Hermione whispered.
"Let's go." Izzy replied, grabbing her Invisibility Cloak out of her trunk and following Hermione out of the dorm to meet the boys in the Common Room.

"You don't have to come with me." Izzy whispered, once she and Hermione were beside Ron and Neville.
"We're coming. Now, let's go." Neville said firmly. Smiling softly at her friends, Izzy threw the Cloak over the four of them; her and Hermione at the front as they were the smallest with Ron and Neville behind. As they walked slowly through the corridors they were slightly unnerved when they came across no one: no ghosts, prefects, teachers or even Mr Filch and his cat Mrs Norris. Something didn't feel quite right as they crept closer towards the corridor that held Fluffy, but it was too late to turn back now.
"Ouch Ron. You stepped on my foot." Hermione complained.
"Sorry." Ron apologised.
"Shh." Neville hissed, as Izzy raised her wand and unlocked the door.

As the door swung open they heard music playing and the snores of Fluffy who was fast asleep.
"Oh no." Neville whispered, closing the door, as Hermione took off the cloak and placed it in her bag for safe keeping. "Snape's already been here, he's put a spell on the harp."
"We need to move his paw, but gently. We don't want to wake him up." Izzy whispered, crouching down as the four of them pushed the rather large paw. Once the paw was off the trapdoor Izzy unlocked it and looked down into the deep dark hole not able to see anything.
"If something happens you need to get yourselves out. Get to McGonagall." Izzy told them sternly, her hair grey matching the worry in her eyes as she looked at her brothers and sister.
"We're not leaving you!" Hermione hissed.
"We don't know what's down there, you're my sister there's no way we're leaving you!" Ron said sternly.

"Does it seem a bit quiet to you?" Izzy asked, concerned.
"The harp it's stopped playing." Hermione realised just as Ron and Neville cried out in disgust as drool dripped down their shoulders. Slowly the four looked up to see the three heads of Fluffy standing above them with their teeth bared. Suddenly the four screamed as Fluffy started barking and growling aggressively; they rushed to jump through the trapdoor; barely missing the teeth as one of the heads tore off the trapdoor in an attempt to bite them. They screamed as they fell down the dark tunnel, Fluffy barking above them, one of the heads stuck through the trapdoor. They were not sure what awaited them at the bottom and had no time to figure that out now; when they suddenly landed with a soft thump on a long greyish-green plant.
"That was too close." Ron breathed. "Please tell me we're not in more trouble?" He begged when he noticed his friends' faces.

Looking around Ron vaguely recognised the plant they were all sitting on as it wrapped its tendrils around them but he couldn't place the name of it.
"It's Devil's Snare." Izzy, Hermione and Neville cried, jolting Ron's memory as he looked at the plant in horror and started to struggle to get it off of him but it only wrapped around him quicker and tighter.
"Stop moving, it'll only kill you faster." Hermione ordered.
"Wrong choice of words there Hermione." Izzy winced as Ron started panicking.
"I can reach my wand, one second." Neville said, as he got one arm free as Hermione muttered to herself. "Lumos Solem!" He cried, creating a great burst of light that almost resembled the sun, causing the Devil's Snare to shrink back and release them as they once again fell to the floor below.

"Well done Nev." Izzy praised, groaning as she got up holding her right hand close to her chest. "Is everyone okay?" She asked worriedly. Letting out a breath of relief when they turned out to be okay just a little bruised.
"What is that?" Ron and Hermione asked, hearing a fluttering sound coming behind the large wooden door to their left.
"I don't know. It sounds like wings doesn't it?" Izzy asked.
"Does anybody feel that these protections are too easy and are made for us to get through?" Neville asked with a frown.
"Now, there's a comforting thought." Ron muttered sarcastically, as he opened the door. "But yeah. Look there's a broom." He said, pointing to a school broom in the middle of the room.
"What birds are these, Izzy?" Hermione asked, looking up at the dozen, of weird things fluttering above their heads.

"They're not birds, they're keys." Izzy realised. "And I bet one of them fits that door." Looking determined Ron pulled out his wand and stalked towards the other door and cast Alohomora only for the door to remain locked. "It was worth a try." He said, shrugging his shoulders sheepishly.
"Urgh! What are we going to do? There must be a thousand keys up there!" Hermione complained, throwing her hands up in the air.
"We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one. It's probably rusted like the handle." Ron and Neville said together, as they examined the lock on the door. Nodding her head to say she heard them, Izzy turned her attention to the keys above her: her eyes fluttering as rapidly as the keys as she examined each and every one until she found it.
"Found it! It's the one with the broken wing." Izzy exclaimed, pointing above her as her eyes stayed locked on it, just like they did the Snitch.

"You're right Neville it's too simple." Izzy said reluctantly, her hand hovering over the broom.
"Izzy you're the youngest Seeker in a Century if anyone can do it it's you. You're my sister and a great witch you know. The kindest person I've ever met and you can do it." Ron coached. Taking a deep breath Izzy smiled at Ron and touched the broom causing the keys to start swarming and attacking her. Swinging on to the broom Izzy quickly took off after the key trying to ignore the others tearing into her exposed skin and blood running down from her cheeks and her hands. Five minutes later she caught it and flew towards her friends throwing the key to them; Hermione jumped up to catch it and rushed to open the door while Izzy kept the other keys away from them.
"Hurry up!" Ron said worriedly to Hermione, feeling slightly panicked for his sister. Finally Hermione got the rusted door open, the three of them diving through, waiting by the door as Izzy flew through and slammed it shut just as the keys slammed into it.

"Izzy you're bleeding." Hermione said fretfully.
"I'm okay." Izzy said, wiping the blood away from her eye with her sleeve while looking around the darkened room.
"Where are we?" Neville asked, as they walked further into the room. "A graveyard?" He asked, frightened. That was somewhere he did not want to be.
"This is no graveyard." Ron said, just as fires sprung up all around the room: bringing an orange light to the once pitch black room. "It's a chessboard." He realised, spotting the life sized black and white pieces that towered over them.
"There's the door." Izzy said, spotting it behind the white pieces.
"Let's go. Don't we have to do anything? Like the others." Hermione wondered, as they walked forwards only to be stopped when the white pawn pieces pulled out their swords blocking the way forwards.

"I guess we have to play our way across the room and if we win we can go on to the next room." Ron said, as he turned to look over the black pieces critically. The others kept silent as they knew Ron was the best at Wizards Chess out of the four of them. "Izzy, Mione you two take the places of the Queen side castles; Neville, you take the place of the bishop and I'll be a Knight." Ron ordered. The four walked over to the other side and took their places Ron had given them, Ron climbing up on to a horse. "White moves first and then; we play."
"Ron, you don't think it's going to be like real Wizards Chess, do you?" Hermione asked nervously.
Ron, not having an answer, looked over his pieces as a white pawn moved into position. "You there D5." Ron ordered a pawn besides Neville.

They watched anxiously as the pawn moved into position until it was next to the white pawn, but before the black pawn could withdraw its swords; the white pawn reared up swinging its swords and sliced the black pawn in half.
Ron gulped feeling the fearful gazes of his friends on him as he realised just how much trouble they were in if they lost.
"Yes Hermione. I think it's going to be exactly like Wizards Chess." Ron replied nervously, giving his friends a sheepish smile as they stared at him with wide fearful eyes. Shaking his head he looked over the pieces critically and started ordering them against the white pieces, sometimes having to sacrifice pieces to save his friends. After a while they were taking a lot of white pieces but there was still a large amount of black pieces that had been taken due to the sacrifices Ron had to make until there was only one move left open to them, which ended up with them barely winning but there was a sacrifice to be made. 

A sacrifice that Izzy understood and she didn't like it one bit.
"Ron what are you doing! You can't!" Izzy cried desperately.
"I have to Izzy." Ron said, smiling sadly at her. "Once I make my move the Queen will take me, and then you're free to checkmate the King."
"No! No, Ron!" Izzy shouted.
"What is it?" Hermione and Neville asked anxiously.
"He's going to sacrifice himself." Izzy explained, upset.
"No!" Hermione and Neville shouted.
"There must be another way!" Hermione cried desperately.
"Do you want to stop Snape from getting that stone or not!?" Ron demanded hotly, turning on the horse slightly to stare at Hermione and Neville.

They had no words they could say to contradict that or to stop him they could see Ron had made up his mind but it didn't mean they had to like it.
"Izzy, it's you that has to go on, I know it. Not me, not Hermione, not Neville. You!" Ron said, turning to stare at Izzy. Tears appeared in all of their eyes. They didn't like this, not at all. When no one else said anything Ron faced forwards taking in slow, deep breaths as he tried to calm himself down and summon up his courage to do what he had to do.
Voice shaking, he cried, "Knight to H3." Ron closed his eyes as the horse moved forwards, unable to look back at his friends who he knew were watching him desperately and anxiously. If he looked back he would lose what little courage and will power he had.

"Check." Ron muttered, as the Queen turned towards him, raising her staff and striking a blow into the horse once, then twice causing Ron to fall from the horse with a scream. As he fell he hit his head on the marble floor and the last thing he heard as his head bounced off the floor and a piece of broken horse hit his eye was his friends screaming for him.
"No, don't move!" Izzy shouted to Hermione and Neville who went to run to Ron. "Don't forget we're still playing."
Looking as reluctant as Izzy was, Hermione and Neville nodded, staying put on their square as Izzy made her way quickly towards the King.
"Checkmate!" Izzy cried. With a grinding noise the King released his large sword that fell to the floor with a clatter. As soon as the sword clanged to the floor Izzy, Ron and Neville ran over to Ron checking him over.
"He's okay." Hermione said, pulling her fingers away from Ron's strong pulse; he was just knocked out.

"Look after Ron and get Professor McGonagall. Hopefully she'll believe us this time." Izzy said hopefully.
"I'll get her. Hermione, stay with Ron. Izzy please be careful I don't want to lose my sister too." Neville begged desperately, pulling her into a tight hug knowing she had to go on alone and he hated it. Hopefully this wasn't the last time they saw each other.
"You're a great witch you know, you really are, Izzy. I'm so sorry for how I acted at the start of the year I was jealous and wasted all those months of friendship. But you never stopped trying, you're like a sister to us, Izzy, please be careful. Promise me." Hermione asked as she pulled Izzy into a tight hug.
"None of that matters now, 'Mione. You're a great witch too and Nev, you're a great wizard. I couldn't ask for better siblings. Be careful too." Izzy said, hugging them tightly.

With one last look at her friends Izzy got to her feet and started walking to who knows what lies beyond the last and final door. As she walked through the door she came to a large stone staircase that led down into an underground enchantment hall, with pillars all around the room. At the bottom of the room was the golden gilded mirror she had seen her parents in at Christmas. As she crept closer her scar hurt just like it had that time in the forest and started to bleed once again causing her to let out a little gasp of pain, and in front of the mirror was someone she least expected to run into.