The House(s) of Gryffindor

It was a week before exams were due to start when they finally got their chance to sneak the Stone out, and not a moment too soon as Harry had heard Quirrell finally crack just the day before. They had gotten out of one of the ghosts that Filch was giving someone a detention in the entrance hall at eleven at night, meaning the main opposition would be nowhere near the door at that time.

A group of older students had gone ahead to calm Fluffy, apparently there was a group of them that had grown up in a children's choir together, and once the cerberus was unlikely to pounce on them. When the trapdoor was opened and Ron looked down into the darkness Percy reached out to pull him against his chest. “I think we'll have to drop down,” Ron told them, mostly Percy who was less than pleased that not only had Harry, Ron, and Hermione insisted on coming along, but that Neville had as well. Percy's hold lessened, even if he clearly didn't want to do so.

Harry sat at the edge of the hole and dipped his legs into the darkness. He looked up at his housemates and took a deep breath, “See you in a minute, I hope…”

He pushed himself off the ledge. Cold, damp air rushed past him as he fell, and fell, and fell, and landed on a soft, plant-like substance.

“It's okay to jump,” he called back up the hole.

One by one Percy, Ron, Hermione and Neville joined him, the twins came down at the same time, as expected.

“We must be miles under the school,” Hermione said in a hushed tone.

“Lucky this plant thing's here, really,” said Ron

“Lucky?” Hermione nearly shrieked. “Look at your legs!”

Without either boy noticing, the plant had claimed the use of their legs. The student started to fight the grip the plants had gotten on them, Fred and George moved to help pull Harry free once they were out, but it was no use. Neville had frozen though.

“Fire. Someone light a fire,” the niffler yelled.

Percy stopped his desperate scramble free to yell, “Incendio!”

They group was able to free themselves as the plant pulled away from the flames and regrouped out of its reach.

“How,” Ron gasped as he caught his breath, “did you know fire would work?”

“It was a Devil's Snare, they like dark, damp places,” Neville explained. He looked over to the plant that was just starting to regain its

 bearings, “I hope we didn't scare it too badly.”

“Think about it later,” George whispered. “There is a passageway over here, let's go,” Fred led them forward down the stone passageway that reminded Harry of Gringotts. They wouldn't put a dragon down here like at Gringotts, right?

“Do you guys hear that?” Ron whispered.

A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.

Harry hummed softly, “Do you think it's a ghost?”

“I don't know,” Percy said as they reached the entrance to the brilliantly lit chamber, “it sounds like wings…”

He trailed off as they all looked up at the small, jewel-bright birds that fluttered around.

“Think they'll attack if we go across?” The twins asked in unison.

“Probably, they don't look vicious but… there's only one way to find out,” Harry mused. He made eye contact with the twins, who huddled around him as they ran, all three of them expecting a flurry of beaks to dig into them. They reached the door untouched, but quickly realized it was locked. The rest hurried over, Hermione casting an Alohomora Charm that didn't do anything when she reached them.

“Why didn't that work,” Hermione sputtered, “there must be some way in.”

No amount of tugging and heaving would make the door budge.

“Keys,” Percy gasped.

They all stopped to look at him like he was insane.

“What do you mean,” Harry asked, “‘Keys.’”

“The birds, they are just keys with wings.”

Upon further inspection, they in fact were keys with wings.

“Then there must be- broomsticks!” Harry exclaimed. The three Quidditch players quickly snatched up a broom and took to the air.

“Try looking for a big old-fashioned,  silver one,” Ron called up to them after examining the handle of the door. The keys had little trouble evading Harry and the twins as they flew through the cloud of them. But Harry wasn't the youngest Seeker in a century for no reason, and when a big, old-fashioned, silver key breezed past him he spun to face it.

“That one,” he yelled to the twins, pointing at it, “with the bright, blue wings!”

The twins cheered and moved to corner the flying key. They corralled it toward the wall, where Harry was able to pin it with a saddening crunch of its wings. The key struggled in Harry's hand as he landed and ran to the door. He rammed it into the lock and turned. The lock clicked open and the key broke away, resuming flight despite the hurt wing.

The group walked into the next room and light suddenly flooded it. They were standing on the edge of a chessboard, a giant one. They were standing behind the black pieces, the white pieces facing them on the other side.

“What do we do now?” Neville asked.

“It's obvious, isn't it?” said Ron. “We've got to play our way across to that door over there.”

Ron walked up to the black knight and put his hand out to touch his horse. The stone sprang to life, the knight looking down at Ron.

“Do we, um, have to join you to get across?”

The knight nodded.

Ron turned back to the group, “So..”

Percy smiled, “Well you're the best chess player here.”

A confident light lit up Ron's face as he started instructing them to take certain places and then move them and the rest of the pieces around the board. The first real shock of the night happened when one of their knights, luckily not one of the human pieces was taken, the white queen smashed him into the floor and dragged him off the board.

“It had to happen,” Ron said, shaken. “Leaves Hermione free to take that bishop.”

The game went on at a crawl as Ron carefully made sure only their stone men were taken. Ron himself darted across the board taking out a white piece for every black piece taken.

“We're nearly there,” he muttered suddenly. “Let me think..” The white queen turned to look at him. “Oh.”

“Okay, Harry, I'm going to move and then I want you to checkmate the king.” Ron called over the board. Harry nodded at his friend.

“Ron,” Percy warned, much to the rests’ confusion.

“I have to Perce.”

Ron moved, only to be struck across the head with the queen's stone arm. There was a collective scream and they all struggled to stay in their squares when the queen dragged Ron to the side. He didn't move, but he was still breathing.

Shaking, Harry moved three spaces to the left. The white king surrendered his crown to Harry. They had won. The Chessmaster parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear.

“Fred, George, take Ron to Madam Pomfrey. Tell her he fell down the stairs or something,” Percy said numbly, visibly struggling not to go with them.

The twins nodded and quickly scooped up their fallen brother, hurrying back the way they came as the remaining four entered the next passageway. 

When they reached the next door Harry pushed it open and nearly lost the last remains of his dinner. A troll was sleeping in the room, snoring so loud Harry was surprised they couldn't hear it earlier. They covered their noses and tiptoed across the room, none of them so much as breathed until they were firmly in the next room.

“Thank goodness we didn't have to fight that one,” Harry said, gasping for untainted air.

Their relief was short-lived, a fire sprang up in front of the doorway behind them, a searing purple fire. At the same time black flames shot up in the doorway leading onwards. They were trapped.

“Look!” Hermione seized a roll of paper lying on a table next to seven differently shaped bottles in a line. Neville, Harry, and Percy looked over her shoulder to read it:

Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind, 

Two of us will help you, whichever you would find, 

One amongst us seven will let you move ahead, 

Another will transport the drinker back instead, 

Two among our number hold only nettle wine, Three of us our killers, waiting hidden in line. Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore, 

To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:

First, however slyly the poison tries to hide

You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;

Second, different are those who stand at each end,

But if you would move onward neither is your friend;

Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,

Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;

Fourth, the second left and second on the right

Are twins once you taste them, though not at first sight.

“It's a puzzle?” Neville guessed.

“It is,” Percy muttered, “it might take a bit, but..”

Hermione was squinting at the row and muttering herself. She clapped her hands together.

“Got it,” she said, “The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire and the rounded bottle and the right end will get us through the purple!”

Percy looked at her, back at the bottles, and then to the paper once more.

“Hermione, you're a genius!” He exclaimed.

Harry picked up the tiny bottle, “This is hardly two swallows, who wants to come with me?”

“I'll go with you,” Percy said, “Hermione, Neville, you go meetup with the group in the corridor, we should be able to get four shallows out of the return potion if we're careful.”

The two nodded, taking the bottle and each taking a careful drink to make sure enough was left for Harry and Percy.

“Good luck!” Neville called back as they re-entered the passageway.

Percy drank from the small bottle first and Harry downed the rest of it. They moved through the black fire, Percy wrapping one of his arms around Harry as they waded through the flames. On the other side was a chamber, empty except for a mirror.

“Harry, is that the Mirror of Erised?” Percy asked.

“Yes.”

Harry didn't look at Percy when he said this, instead he was looking at the reflection. He left Percy's side to get closer. His parents weren’t as close as they had been before, they were standing by the door still cloaked in flames, Ron and the twins were next to them, his mom was fussing over Ron's head injury. Percy's reflection was walking up to him, maybe the mirror was honest this time because the real Percy stood next to him at the same time his double did. But then the mirror Percy reached into its pocket and pulled out a blood red stone and put it into the pocket of Harry's reflection.

Harry felt a small weight drop into his pocket.

He pulled the Philosopher's Stone out in front of him and Percy's eyes were drawn to it.

“H-how?” Percy stammered

Harry smiled, “Your reflection gave it to me.”

…….

Percy settled into a pile of pillows and blankets in the common room. All the Gryffindors were in their rooms, with the exception of Ron who was in the infirmary, they may have lost house points for Ron and the twins being caught out of bed so late but Ron was getting medical attention and the injury and scare that went with it was seen as enough of payment for their rule breaking so no detentions were given. Percy would not be getting sleep tonight.

Gentle footsteps caught his attention. Harry came down the stairs and did a visual sweep of the common room.

“Can I join you?” He asked after finding Percy.

Percy nodded, pushing some blankets out of the way to make it easier for the younger dragon. As soon as Harry was next to him he curled into Percy's side.

“Did you send the Stone away?” Harry asked, voice slurred by fatigue.

“Yes, you can rest now, it's over,” Percy ran his fingers through Harry's messy curls as the boy's eyes finally closed.

Harry was wearing his Weasley family sweater, Percy noticed. He looked good in green. So did Percy, and Ron, and George, and Fred. Percy shook his head a bit, forcing the image he had seen in the mirror from his mind. It didn't matter how happy his parents had looked, despite the fact that none of their sons had been wearing red.