Can Things Change

Dinner was a quiet and rushed affair. No one wanted to linger too long, and all conversations were rather stilted. Percy and Teddy had already been fed and were put down to sleep in their respective rooms, with a house elf looking over them.

James, Lily and Sirius were all huddled around Aurora. They knew that she was going to go after the stone, it’s what they would do after all if they knew it was threatened, but they also didn’t want their 11 year old daughter in that kind of danger. They were already rather upset with the future Professor McGonagall for sending the children out into the forest in the middle of the night. 

Aurora was cuddled up into Fred’s side, a happy grin on her face, content in a way that she hadn’t been in years. Yes she knew that the next bit of the book wasn’t the best, and that her years at Hogwarts really only got worse in the amount of danger that she was in, with her 3rd year being the best because the danger wasn’t her fault or her trying to be a hero, but at the moment she was just happy. Right now she was just musing on whether or not to bring George, Bill and Charlie in to read about her second year. She had originally planned to bring George in for the third book, but she wasn’t sure about the other Weasley brothers. At the same time she knew two things for certain. First, they deserved to know what happened to Ginny during her first year, and second, Ginny could probably use the support of her brothers as she had to relive her first year.

Once dinner was done, the group filed back into the reading room, Barty grabbed the book and started reading, not wanting to delay any longer. He was torn on what he wanted to do with his future now that he knew more about Voldemort, and he figured that that was one of the main reasons that he was brought here.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN Through the Trapdoor

James, Lily and Sirius all grumbled incomprehensibly under their breaths. They knew it was coming, and all they could hope for was that Aurora wouldn’t go by herself. 

In years to come, Aurora would never quite remember how she had managed to get through her exams when she half expected Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment. 

“Wait,” Frank started. “How long before your exams was your detention?”

“Five days,” Draco and Hermione said.

“It’s a wonder you got through your exams at all then,” Pandora said.

“Draco was a nervous wreck,” Blaise announced. 

“I was not,” Draco argued.

“Yes you were. You had no idea what it was that you saw in the forest so you had nightmares for weeks.” 

Yet the days crept by, and there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door.

It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written examinations. They had been given special, new quills, which had been bewitched with an Anti-Cheating spell.

“It’s almost as if the Professors don’t trust us,” Fred and all four Marauders said in unison.

Aurora rolled her eyes at the lot of them, while McGonagall and Flitwick shot pointed looks at the five people. 

They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tapdance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox — points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers. 

“Mine squeaked,” Peter muttered. 

Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion.

Lily chuckled at the irony.

Aurora did the best she could, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in her forehead, which had been bothering her ever since her trip into the forest. The ache in her scar only intensified her old nightmare, which was now worse for it included a hooded figure dripping blood in it.

Maybe it was because they hadn’t seen what she had in the forest, or because they didn’t have scars burning on their foreheads, but Ron and Hermione didn’t seem nearly as worried about the Stone as Aurora. 

“Or maybe it was because you left things out of your explanation of what exactly happened in the forest,” Ron grumbled.

“We were very worried,” Hermione argued. “It was just easier to focus on the thing that we could do something about at that time, rather than something that may or may not happen in the future.”

Certainly, the idea of Voldemort scared them, but their dreams were not the ones he visited, night after night. Besides, they were so busy with their studying they didn’t have much time to fret about what Snape, or anyone else, might be up to.

Aurora spent most of her time during exams in the library studying. The ice had thawed a little between herself and Amice after their detention, so she was often joined by both of the Diggory’s. Several times they were even joined by the Weasley twins or Cedric’s girlfriend, Cho.

“That had to have been awkward,” Columba snickered.

“It was,” Amice answered.

“It wasn’t bad when it was just Cho without Cedric or just the twins without Cedric,” Aurora acknowledged. 

These times proved to be filled with awkward silences and glares, although Aurora never could figure out why. She seemed to get along with everyone separately, Cho even helping Aurora with her potions work, as she was the top ranking student for potions in her year. However, an uncomfortable atmosphere settled around them the moment they were all occupying the same space.

Amice and Neville laughed loudly, while James and Sirius looked incredulously at Aurora.

“I was 11,” Aurora defended herself before anyone could comment about her lack of awareness. “I also had no real social skills because of the way I was raised.”

Lily and the Marauders scowled at the reminder that Aurora didn’t get to have a normal childhood.

Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who’d invented self stirring cauldrons, and they’d be free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills, and roll up their parchment, Aurora couldn’t help cheering with the rest.

“That was far easier than I thought it would be,” said Hermione as they joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds. “I needn’t have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager.”

Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterward,

“I always hate it when Lily does that with us,” Marlene moaned.

“Moony is the same way,” Peter whined.

but Ron said this made him feel ill, so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows. “No more studying,” Ron sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. “You could look more cheerful, Aurora, we’ve got a week before we find out how badly we’ve done, there’s no need to worry yet.”

Aurora was rubbing her forehead.

“I wish I knew what this means!” she burst out angrily. “My scar keeps hurting — it’s happened before, but never as often as this.”

“Go to Madam Pomfrey,” Hermione suggested.

“You really should,” Lily moaned.

“It wouldn’t have done any good,” Aurora sighed. There was nothing that she could have done to get rid of the pain afterall. Pain potions never worked because it wasn’t a physical pain, it was the horcrux, and Pomfrey wouldn’t have done a scan for dark magic. Even if she had, the only person other than Dumbledore who might have known what it was was in Egypt at that time, and hadn’t met Aurora yet.

“I’m not ill,” said Aurora. “I think it’s a warning… it means danger’s coming…”

Ron couldn’t get worked up, it was too hot. 

“Aurora, 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.”

Neville snorted in amusement. “Shall I go try out now,” he whispered to Ron.

Aurora scowled at the slight against Neville, but knew that Neville would find it funny, he often made fun of his lack of flying skills after all. She couldn’t shake off a lurking feeling that there was something she’d forgotten to do, something important. When she tried to explain this, Hermione said, “That’s just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we’d done that one.”

Aurora was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn’t have anything to do with work, though. She watched an owl flutter toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth.

Hagrid was the only one who ever sent him letters. Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore.

Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy… never… but… 

Aurora suddenly jumped to her feet.

“What did I miss?” Sirius asked. 

“I have no idea,” James admitted.

“The cloaked figure,” Lily stammered. “The one Hagrid got the dragon egg from.”

Everyone goggled at Lily and Aurora for their thought process. How on earth did an owl in the sky lead to Hagrid and the cloaked figure with a dragon egg.

“Where’re you going?” said Ron sleepily.

“I’ve just thought of something,” said Aurora. She had turned white. “We’ve got to go and see Hagrid, now.”

“Why?” panted Hermione, hurrying to keep up.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit odd,” said Aurora, scrambling up the grassy slope, “that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it’s against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don’t you think? Why didn’t I see it before?”

“That’s…” Remus trailed off. “How did?”

“Don’t ask,” Hermione chuckled. “We will never understand her thought process and we’ve been her best friends for almost 10 years at this point.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to be an Auror there lassie,” Alastor grunted.

“I did a year of the training,” Aurora laughed. “It was way too easy, so I decided to go a different route. My observation and deduction skills are not going to waste though, don’t worry. We just don’t talk about it.” 

Alastor, Kingsley and Amelia all picked up the hint. It was rather amazing, at twenty years old, and she was already an Unspeakable. 

“What are you talking about?” said Ron, but Aurora, sprinting across the grounds toward the forest, didn’t answer.

Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.

“Hullo,” he said, smiling. “Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?”

“Yes, please,” said Ron, but Aurora cut him off.

“Rude,” Ron scowled. “Not everyone can run as fast as you, I was thirsty.”

Aurora chuckled, earning another scowl from Hermione. “I was thirsty too,” Hermione added.

“No, we’re in a hurry. 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,” said Hagrid casually, “he wouldn’ take his cloak off.”

He saw the three of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows.

“I imagine that he went to the Hog’s Head,” Lucius drawled. “Most everyone keeps their cloaks on there. The bar keeper is known for his discretion.”

“We didn’t know about the Hog’s Head yet,” Hermione said.

“Besides,” Aurora added, “Aberforth lets Albus know if anything too bad is happening. Anything that might affect the students or the overall safety of the general populace.”

Lucius, Narcissa, Severus and Regulus all stared from Aurora to Dumbledore. Lucius was starting to put together some of the pieces of how Dumbledore’s little Order was foiling the Dark Lords plans. Many Death Eaters talked openly in the Hog’s Head after all.

Severus and Regulus wondered if that meant the Headmaster knew that they were meant to take the Dark Mark in two days, outside of the room.

“It’s not that unusual, yeh get a lot o’ funny folk in the Hog’s Head — that’s one of the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn’ he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up.”

Aurora sank down next to the bowl of peas. “What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?”

“Mighta come up,” said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. “Yeah… he asked what I did, an’ I told him I was gamekeeper here… He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took 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 — did he seem interested in Fluffy?” Aurora asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

“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 —”

“Oh Hagrid,” The four Professors sighed.

“Are you kidding me!” Lily shouted. “All that effort, and dealing with a dragon, and all anyone had to do was read about Greek mythology.”

“Like we said, there were several books in the library about how to deal with a three-headed dog,” Fred sighed.

Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.

“I shouldn’ta told yeh that!” he blurted out. “Forget I said it! Hey — where’re yeh goin’?”

Aurora, Ron, and Hermione didn’t speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the entrance hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds.

“We’ve got to go to Dumbledore,” said Aurora. “Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak — it must’ve been easy, once he’d got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn’t stop him. Where’s Dumbledore’s office?”

They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.

Fred loudly cleared his throat, “Don’t know anyone who had been sent to see him? What am I, chopped liver?”

Aurora blushed, embarrassed. She had been so focused that she had forgotten about Fred.

“James,” Sirius whimpered.

“I know Padfoot,” James replied.

“It’s a travesty,” Peter sighed dramatically.

“The end of her first year and she still doesn’t know where the Headmasters office is,” Remus said, slumping over as if it was the end of the world.

Lily shook her head, exasperated, “Don’t encourage her.”

“We’ll just have to —” Aurora began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall. 

“What are you three doing inside?”

It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.

Molly sighed, “Good, you can tell her and she’ll help.”

“I don’t think that is what’s going to happen Molly,” Arthur said, looking at McGonagall sadly. 

“We want to see Professor Dumbledore,” said Hermione, rather bravely, Aurora and Ron thought.

“See Professor Dumbledore?” Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do. “Why?”

“Minerva,” Dumbledore scolded lightly, “students are permitted to see me whenever they like, for whatever reason.”

Aurora swallowed — now what?

“It’s sort of secret,” she said, but she wished at once she hadn’t, because Professor McGonagall’s nostrils flared.

“Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago,” she said coldly. “He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once.”

“The owl that Aurora noticed,” Regulus said. Aurora just nodded at him.

“He’s gone?” said Aurora frantically. “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?”

“Yes!” exclaimed all the time travelers. Alastor, Amelia and Kingsley looked at each other worried about the state of the Ministry in the future.

“Look,” said Aurora, throwing caution to the winds, “Professor — it’s about the Sorcerer’s Stone —”

Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn’t that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn’t pick them up.

“How do you know —?” she spluttered.

“Professor, I think — I know — that Sn— that someone’s going to try and steal the Stone. I’ve got to talk to Professor Dumbledore.”

She eyed Aurora with a mixture of shock and suspicion.

“Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow,” she said finally. “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.”

“No it really wasn’t,” Fred and Aurora sighed. 

The parents, and future parents in the room looked at them, wondering what they meant, but neither elaborated. It would all be explained in just a little bit, and then they could yell at Dumbledore and the other Professors about how the protections were obviously made with Aurora and her friend group in mind.

“But Professor —” 

“Potter, I know what I’m talking about,” she said shortly. She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. “I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine.”

“You’re never going to trust a teacher with something important again are you?” Sirius asked. He knew how it felt to be ignored when asking for help.

“We try one more time, next year,” Aurora said.

“But that was an even bigger flop than this,” Ron added, scowling at the reminder of Lockhart and what a fraud he was. Blaise put an arm around Ginny in comfort.

But they didn’t.

“It’s tonight,” said Aurora, once she was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. “Snape’s going through the trapdoor tonight. He’s found out everything he needs, and now he’s got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up.”

“But what can we —”

Hermione gasped. Aurora and Ron wheeled round.

“Severus is right behind you isn’t he,” Regulus laughed. His friend was very good at coming up behind people when they were talking about him and interrupting.

Snape was standing there.

“Good afternoon,” he said smoothly.

They stared at him.

“You shouldn’t be inside on a day like this,” he said, with an odd, twisted smile.

“Why is everyone making a big deal about you being inside,” Lily asked, frustrated. “First McGonagall, now Severus. You are allowed to be inside the castle, even if the weather outside is nice.”

“Yes but everyone seemed to be under the impression that I was like my father and was most likely planning a prank of some sort,” Aurora grumbled. 

“That’s ridiculous,” Sirius barked. “I’ve known you for two days and I can already tell that you are more like Lily then you are James at that age.”

“The astronomy tower incident didn’t help matters,” Hermione admitted.

“But that was one thing,” James said. “Other than that incident, what other time in your first year did you lose points outside of potions class.” He turned his glare to the Professors, they should know better than to judge a child by how their parents acted in school. Aurora seemed to be a wonderful student who did one thing wrong as far as they are aware, and they didn’t even have the full story, and they are almost punishing her for being his daughter.

“We were —” Aurora began, without any idea what she was going to say.

 “You want to be more careful,” said Snape. “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?”

Aurora flushed. They turned to go outside, but Snape called them back.

“Be warned, Potter — any more nighttime wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you.”

Lily glared at Severus, that was uncalled for in her opinion. 

He strode off in the direction of the staffroom.

Out on the stone steps, Aurora turned to the others.

“Right, here’s what we’ve got to do,” she whispered urgently. “One of us has got to keep an eye on Snape — wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it. Hermione, you’d better do that.”

“Why me?” 

“It’s obvious,” said Ron. “You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick, you know.” He put on a high voice, “‘Oh Professor Flitwick, I’m so worried, I think I got question fourteen b wrong… ’”

“Oh, shut up,” said Hermione, but she agreed to go and watch out for Snape.

“And we’d better stay outside the third-floor corridor,” Aurora told Ron. “Come on.”

But that part of the plan didn’t work. No sooner had they reached the door separating Fluffy from the rest of the school than Professor McGonagall turned up again and this time, she lost her temper.

“I suppose you think you’re harder to get past than a pack of enchantments!” she stormed.

“Since everyone third year and up in every house got past them, I would say they would have been a better deterrent,” Fred sneered. 

“What do you mean?” McGonagall demanded.

“You’ll see,” Fred snapped in return. He was not pleased about what had happened that night, especially when he overheard Aurora, Ron and Hermione talking about how it was most likely a test of some sort for Aurora.

“Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you’ve come anywhere near here again, I’ll take another fifty points from Gryffindor! Yes, Weasley, from my own house!”

Aurora and Ron went back to the common room, Aurora had just said, “At least Hermione’s on Snape’s tail,” when the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Hermione came in.

“I’m sorry, Aurora!” she wailed. “Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and I’ve only just got away, I don’t know where Snape went.”

“Well, that’s it then, isn’t it?” Aurora said.

The other two stared at her. She was pale and her eyes were blazing.

“I think I’ve seen that look before,” Alice joked, looking over at Lily. 

“I’m going through the trap door tonight and I’m going to try and get to the Stone first.”

“You’re mad!” said Ron.

“You can’t!” said Hermione. “After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You’ll be expelled!”

“I don’t think that matters to her honestly,” Peter said.

“SO WHAT! '' Aurora shouted. “Don’t you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort’s coming back! Haven’t you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won’t be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He’ll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! 

The shivers of Draco, Neville, Amice, Ginny and Luna were not missed.

Losing points doesn’t matter anymore, can’t you see? D’you think he’ll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the house cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I’ll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there, it’s only dying a bit later than I would have, because I’m never going over to the Dark Side! I’m going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?”

The adults in the room looked at the girl sadly, except for Moody. He couldn’t help but grin at Potter’s words. Even at 11 she got it, where the teenagers in the room with him now, except for maybe the Black brothers, didn’t really understand the truth about this war. 

Most everyone was turning a blind eye or cowering from what was happening, but here she was trying to prevent it from happening again in the future, or at least delaying his return, if he was understanding things correctly. 

She glared at them.

“You’re right Aurora,” said Hermione in a small voice.

“I’ll use the invisibility cloak,” said Aurora. “It’s just lucky I got it back.”

“But will it cover all three of us?” said Ron.

“What about Neville?” Frank asked, knowing that his son would want to be a part of whatever they were doing.

Ron looked down, not wanting to admit to Frank that he had forgotten about Neville until the boy was standing against them.

“All — all three of us?”

“Oh, come off it, you don’t think we’d let you go alone?”

“Of course not,” said Hermione briskly. “How do you think you’d get to the Stone without us? I’d better go and look through my books, there might be something useful…”

“But if we get caught, you two will be expelled, too.”

“Not if I can help it,” said Hermione grimly. “Flitwick told me in secret that I got a hundred and twelve percent on his exam. They’re not throwing me out after that.”

“Seriously, how are you not a Ravenclaw,” Barty asked. Even he didn’t do that well on his exams, he was a straight O student.

After dinner the three of them sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered them; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to Aurora any more, after all. This was the first night she hadn’t been upset by it. Hermione was skimming through all her notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments they were about to try to break. Aurora and Ron didn’t talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do.

Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.

“Better get the cloak,” Ron muttered, as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning. Aurora ran upstairs to their dark dormitory. She pulled out the cloak and then her eyes fell on the flute Hagrid had given her for Christmas. She pocketed it to use on Fluffy — she didn’t feel much like singing.

“You offered yourself to go down first, you never would have even had the chance to sing,” Ron muttered, a little sadly, he always loved hearing Aurora sing.

She ran back down to the common room.

“We’d better put the cloak on here, and make sure it covers all three of us – if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own —” 

“What are you doing?” said a voice from the corner of the room. Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as though he’d been making another bid for freedom.

“Nothing, Neville, nothing,” said Aurora, hurriedly putting the cloak behind her back. She loved Neville, and she hated lying to him, but she needed him to let them go without him. She couldn’t explain it, but she just knew that Neville would end up hurt if he went with them.

Neville looked at Aurora for a moment, before nodding at her in understanding. He could admit to himself and everyone else that his first couple years he was more of a liability than a help to Aurora. That didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt to be left behind, but he also knew that during their seventh year he was the most capable person of protecting the school outside of Aurora herself.

Neville stared at their guilty faces.

“You’re going after the stone,” he said.

“No, no, no,” said Hermione. “No, we’re not. Why don’t you go to bed, Neville?”

Aurora looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn’t afford to waste any more time, Snape might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep.

“You can’t go out,” said Neville, “you’ll be caught again. You could get really hurt.”

“You don’t understand,” said Aurora, “I need you to stay. I can explain later but we have to go.”

But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate.

“I won’t let you do it,” he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. “I’ll — I’ll fight you!”

“That takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your loved ones Mr. Longbottom,” Dumbledore praised.

“Neville, “Ron exploded, “get away from that hole and don’t be an idiot —”

“Don’t you call me an idiot!” said Neville. “You were the one who told me to stand up to people!”

“Yes, but not to us,” said Ron in exasperation. “Neville, you don’t know what you’re doing.”

He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight.

“Go on then, try and hit me!” said Neville, raising his fists. “I’m ready!”

Aurora turned to Hermione.

“Do something,” she said desperately.

Hermione stepped forward.

“Neville,” she said, “I’m really, really sorry about this.”

She raised her wand.

“Petrificus Totalus!” she cried, pointing it at Neville.

Hermione and Aurora let out small whimpers, they hated being reminded of this.

“It’s okay,” Neville assured them. “I understand why you did what you did. You were in a hurry and I wasn’t helping matters.”

Neville’s arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board.

Aurora ran to turn him over. Neville’s jaws were jammed together so he couldn’t speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror.

“What’ve you done to him?” Aurora whispered.

“It’s the full Body-Bind,” said Hermione miserably. “Oh, Neville, I’m so sorry.”

“We had to, Neville, no time to explain,” said Aurora. “Please forgive me,” she added in a whisper.

“Anything,” Neville said, emphatically.

“You’ll understand later, Neville,” said Ron as they stepped over him and pulled on the invisibility cloak.

But leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn’t feel like a very good omen. In their nervous state, every statue’s shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on them. At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top.

“Oh, let’s kick her, just this once,” 

Luna shot Ron a glare.

Ron whispered in Aurora’s ear, but Aurora shook her head. As they climbed carefully around her, Mrs. Norris turned her lamplike eyes on them, but didn’t do anything.

They didn’t meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.

“Who’s there?” he said suddenly as they climbed toward him. He narrowed his wicked black eyes. “Know you’re there, even if I can’t see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?”

He rose up in the air and floated there, squinting at them.

“Should call Filch, I should, if something’s a-creeping around unseen.”

Aurora had a sudden idea. 

“Peeves,” she said, in a hoarse whisper, “the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible.”

“That’s brilliant,” Fabian exclaimed.

“Why didn’t we ever think of that Prongs?” Sirius wondered, while James looked at Aurora in awe.

Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock. He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs.

“So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, Sir,” he said greasily. “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,” croaked Aurora. “Stay away from this place tonight.”

“I will, sir, I most certainly will,” said Peeves, rising up in the air again. “Hope your business goes well, Baron, I’ll not bother you.”

And he scooted off.

“I’m not worthy,” Fred joked, getting up and bowing to Aurora. The Marauders joined in.

“Brilliant, Aurora!” whispered Ron.

A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor — and the door was already ajar.

“Well, there you are,” Aurora said quietly, “Snape’s already got past Fluffy.”

Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon all three of them what was facing them.

Underneath the cloak, Aurora turned to the other two.

“If you want to go back, I won’t blame you,” she said. “You can take the cloak, I won’t need it now.”

“Don’t be stupid,” said Ron.

“We’re coming,” said Hermione.

“Seriously don’t know why you even try,” Hermione grumbled.

Aurora pushed the door open.

As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog’s noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn’t see them.

“What’s that at its feet?” Hermione whispered.

“Looks like a harp,” said Ron. “Snape must have left it there.”

Severus rose an eyebrow at the trio, they really thought that his instrument of choice would be a harp. Even James and Sirius had a laugh at the idea of Severus choosing a harp to lull Fluffy to sleep with.

“It must wake up the moment you stop playing,” said Aurora. “Well, here goes…” 

She put Hagrid’s flute to her lips and blew. It wasn’t really a tune, but from the first note the beast’s eyes began to droop. Aurora hardly drew breath. Slowly, the dog’s growls ceased — it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.

“Keep playing,” Ron warned Aurora as they slipped out of the cloak and crept toward the trapdoor. They could feel the dog’s hot, smelly breath as they approached the giant heads. “I think we’ll be able to pull the door open,” said Ron, peering over the dog’s back. “Want to go first, Hermione?”

“No, I don’t!”

“All right.” Ron gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog’s legs. He bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open.

“What can you see?” Hermione said anxiously.

“Nothing — just black — there’s no way of climbing down, we’ll just have to drop.”

Aurora, who was still playing the flute, waved at Ron to get his attention and pointed at herself.

“Of course you are offering to go first,” Lily moaned, leaning into James.

“You want to go first? Are you sure?” said Ron. “I don’t know how deep this thing goes. Give the flute to Hermione so she can keep him asleep.”

Aurora handed the flute over. In the few seconds’ silence, the dog growled and twitched, but the moment Hermione began to play, it fell back into its deep sleep.

Aurora climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor. There was no sign of the bottom.

Molly let out a soft whimper, clutching Arthur’s hand in a death grip.

She lowered herself through the hole until she was hanging on by her fingertips. Then she looked up at Ron and said, “If anything happens to me, don’t follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?”

“Why didn’t you just do that in the first place?” Molly moaned. She knew they were all right, she could see the three of them all grown up, but she didn’t want any of them getting hurt that night either.

“Right,” said Ron.

“See you in a minute, I hope…”

And Aurora let go. Cold, damp air rushed past her as she fell down, down, down and — 

FLUMP. With a funny, muffled sort of thump she landed on something soft. She sat up and felt around, her eyes not used to the gloom. It felt as though she was sitting on some sort of plant. 

“It’s okay!” she called up to the light the size of a postage stamp, which was the open trapdoor, “it’s a soft landing, you can jump!”

Ron followed right away. He landed, sprawled next to Aurora.

“What’s this stuff?” were his first words.

“Dunno, some sort of plant thing. I suppose it’s here to break the fall. Come on, Hermione!”

Professor Sprout snorted, she doubted that the plant was there just for that reason.

The distant music stopped. There was a loud bark from the dog, but Hermione had already jumped. She landed on Aurora’s other side.

“We must be miles under the school,” she said.

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

“Lucky!” shrieked Hermione. “Look at you both!”

She leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around her ankles. As for Aurora and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing.

Sprout looked confused, there were better plants that she could have used other than Devil’s Snare.

“Devil’s Snare,” Frank questioned. “How to care for and combat that is taught in first year.”

Hermione had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her. Now she watched in horror as the other two fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them.

“Stop moving!” Hermione ordered them. “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,” snarled Ron, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck. 

“Shut up, I’m trying to remember how to kill it!” said Hermione.

“Well, hurry up, I can’t breathe!” Aurora gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around her chest.

“Devil’s Snare, Devil’s Snare… what did Professor Sprout say? — it likes the dark and the damp.”

“So light a fire!” Aurora choked.

“Yes — of course — but there’s no wood!” Hermione cried, wringing her hands.

“Not a word,” Hermione growled at James and Sirius. They held their hands up and tried to look innocent, while they muffled their laughter.

“HAVE YOU GONE MAD?” Ron bellowed. “ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?”

“Oh, right!” said Hermione, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something, and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant. In a matter of seconds, the two felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies, and they were able to pull free.

“Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione,” said Aurora as she joined her by the wall, wiping sweat off her face. 

“You both should have also been able to identify and stop Devil’s Snare,” Sprout scolded. 

Ron looked away guiltily, while Aurora shrugged, she really wasn’t that great at Herbology, she could thank her good grade in that class solely due to Neville.

“Maybe we should have brought Neville with us,” Aurora added, looking at the plant again, thinking that he would have known what to do the second they landed on it.

“Yeah,” said Ron, “and lucky Aurora doesn’t lose her head in a crisis — ‘there’s no wood,’ honestly.”

“This way,” said Aurora, pointing down a stone passageway, which was the only way forward.

“So that was Sprout’s protection,” Remus said.

“You have Flitwick, Snape, McGonagall, and Quirrell’s left, right?” Sirius asked, wanting to make sure he remembered correctly.

The Trio nodded in the affirmative.

All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and Aurora was reminded of Gringotts. With an unpleasant jolt of the heart, she remembered the dragons said to be guarding vaults in the wizards’ bank. If they met a dragon, a fully-grown dragon — Norbert had been bad enough…

“Oh,” Molly and Lily whimpered. “You said you’ve faced multiple dragons,” Lily groaned.

“Not here,” Aurora assured.

“Can you hear something?” Ron whispered.

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

“Do you think it’s a ghost?”

“I don’t know… sounds like wings to me.”

“There’s light ahead — I can see something moving.”

They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.

“I take it this is my protection,” Flitwick asked. At the nods that he received, he then asked, “And they aren’t birds are they?”

“Nope,” Fred answered.

“Do you think they’ll attack us if we cross the room?” said Ron.

“Probably,” said Aurora. “They don’t look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once… well, there’s no other choice… I’ll run.”

She took a deep breath, covered her face with her arms, and sprinted across the room. She expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at her any second, but nothing happened. She reached the door untouched. She pulled the handle, but it was locked.  

The other two followed her. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn’t budge, not even when Hermione tried her Alohomora charm.

“Now what?” said Ron.

“These birds… they can’t be here just for decoration,” said Hermione.

They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering —glittering?

“They’re keys!” Regulus said, figuring it out. Then he looked confused, this was supposed to be a protection? Anyone could fly a broom if they tried hard enough, and could catch the key for the door, let alone Aurora Potter, the youngest seeker in a century.

“They’re not birds!” Aurora said suddenly. “They’re keys! Winged keys — look carefully. So that must mean…” she looked around the chamber while the other two squinted up at the flock of keys. “… yes — look! Broomsticks! We’ve got to catch the key to the door!”

“But there are hundreds of them!”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing that you have the best seeker ever with you,” James exclaimed.

Ron examined the lock on the door.

“We’re looking for a big, old-fashioned one — probably silver, like the handle.”

They each seized a broomstick and kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. They grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one.

Not for nothing, though, was Aurora the youngest Seeker in a century. She had a knack for spotting things other people didn’t. After a minute’s weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, she noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed roughly into the keyhole.

“That one!” she called to the others. “That big one — there — no, there — with bright blue wings — the feathers are all crumpled on one side.”

Ron went speeding in the direction that Aurora was pointing, crashed into the ceiling, and nearly fell off his broom.

Draco chuckled, and started singing under his breath, but still loud enough that Ron could hear him, Weasley is Our King. Ron glared at him and Amice swatted him on the shoulder, giggling. 

“We’ve got to close in on it!” Aurora called, not taking her eyes off the key with the damaged wing. “Ron, you come at it from above — Hermione, stay below and stop it from going down and I’ll try and catch it. Right, NOW!”

Ron dived, Hermione rocketed upward, the key dodged them both, and Aurora streaked after it; it sped toward the wall, Aurora leaned forward and with a nasty, crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand. Ron and Hermione’s cheers echoed around the high chamber.

They landed quickly, and Aurora ran to the door, the key struggling in her hand. She rammed it into the lock and turned – it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice.

“Ready?” Aurora asked the other two, her hand on the door handle. They nodded. She pulled the door open.

The next chamber was so dark they couldn’t see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight.

They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Aurora, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly – the towering white chessmen had no faces.

“Professor Minnie’s turn,” Peter cheered.

“Now what do we do?” Aurora whispered.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” said Ron. “We’ve got to play our way across the room.”

Behind the white pieces they could see another door.

“How?” said Hermione nervously.

“I think,” said Ron, “we’re going to have to be chessmen.”

He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight’s horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron.

“Do we — er — have to join you to get across?” The black knight nodded. Ron turned to the other two.

“This needs thinking about…” he said. “I suppose we’ve got to take the place of three of the black pieces…”

Aurora and Hermione stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he said, “Now, don’t be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess —”

Something seemed to click for Columba and Lily at that moment. “These aren’t protections,” Lily growled, turning to glare at Dumbledore. “These are tests for Aurora.”

“They do seem designed specifically for Aurora and her friends,” Columba added. “Although we haven’t seen Severus’ or Quirrell’s, I'm sure we can assume that they are something thought of with you in mind.” The other’s in the room looked thoughtful for a minute, as if thinking things over.

“The Devil’s Snare would have been no trouble at all for Neville,” Frank said. “And Hermione is an expert at casting those bluebell flames.”

“Rory is the youngest seeker in a century,” James said, disappointment aimed at the Headmaster. “Those winged kings never stood a chance against her.”

“And a giant chess set, when it’s been said that Ron is a wiz at chess,” Andromeda sighed.

McGonagall looked as if she was going back and forth between anger at the Headmaster and wanting to defend him. She finally seemed to settle on defending him and said, “I’m sure that that is not the case. We don’t know what the next two protections are, and I’m sure everything else is just a coincidence.”

Everyone looked to Aurora, Ron and Hermione, who were sitting very stoically. They refused to give anything away, no matter how spot on they were.

“We’re not offended,” said Aurora quickly. “Just tell us what to do.”

“Well, Aurora, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go there instead of that castle.” 

“What about you?”

“I’m going to be a knight,” said Ron.

The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a knight, a bishop, and a castle turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving three empty squares that Aurora, Ron, and Hermione took.

“White always plays first in chess,” said Ron, peering across the board. “Yes… look…”

A white pawn had moved forward two squares.

Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Aurora’s knees were trembling. What if they lost?

“Aurora — move diagonally four squares to the right.”

Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. 

“It’s like actual wizard’s chess isn’t it?” Molly stuttered.

The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown.

“Had to let that happen,” said Ron, looking shaken. “Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on.”

Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Aurora and Hermione were in danger. He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones.

“We’re nearly there,” he muttered suddenly. “Let me think — let me think…”

The white queen turned her blank face toward him.

“Yes…” said Ron softly, “It’s the only way… I’ve got to be taken.”

“NO!” shouted Molly and Arthur. Molly was ash white and had her face hidden in Arthur’s chest, while Arthur was trembling.

“NO!” Aurora and Hermione shouted.

“That’s chess!” snapped Ron. “You’ve got to make some sacrifices! I make my move and she’ll take me — that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Aurora!”

“But —”

“Do you want to stop Snape or not?”

“Ron —”

“Look, if you don’t hurry up, he’ll already have the Stone!”

 There was no alternative.

“Ready?” Ron called, his face pale but determined. “Here I go — now, don’t hang around once you’ve won.”

He stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor — 

Ron went over to where his parents were sitting, and allowed Molly to pull him down between herself and Arthur. Bill and Charlie cuddled up on his lap, wanting to make sure their older, younger, brother was okay.

Hermione screamed but stayed on her square — the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he’d been knocked out.

Shaking, Aurora moved three spaces to the left.

The white king took off his crown and threw it at Aurora’s feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Aurora and Hermione charged through the door and up the next passageway.

“What if he’s —?”

“He’ll be all right,” said Aurora, trying to convince herself. “What do you reckon’s next?”

“We’ve had Sprout’s, that was the Devil’s Snare; Flitwick must’ve put charms on the keys; McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive; that leaves Quirrell’s spell, and Snape’s.”

They had reached another door.

“All right?” Aurora whispered.

“Go on.”

Aurora pushed it open.

A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making both of them pull their robes up over their noses.

Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head.

“A troll,” Kingsley confirmed. At the nods, he added, “Which you have already proven that you can handle, so not that big of a challenge.”

The scowls reappeared on everyone’s faces, replacing the looks of concern for Ron, as they were reminded that this wasn’t protection for the stone but more of a test for Aurora.

“I’m glad we didn’t have to fight that one,” Aurora whispered as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. “Come on, I can’t breathe.” 

She pulled open the next door, both of them hardly daring to look at what came next - but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.

“Snape’s,” said Aurora. “What do we have to do?”

They stepped over the threshold, and immediately a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway.

It wasn’t ordinary fire either; it was purple. At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. They were trapped.

“Look!” Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Aurora looked over her shoulder to read it:

Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,

Two of us will help you, which ever you would find,

One among 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 are killers, waiting bidden 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 either 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 the second on the right

Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.

“That’s rather clever,” Lily said, smiling at Severus.

Hermione let out a great sigh and Aurora, amazed, saw that she was smiling, the very last thing she felt like doing.

“Brilliant,” said Hermione. “This isn’t magic — it’s logic — a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven’t got an ounce of logic, they’d be stuck in here forever.”

“That’s rather rude,” Luna sighed.

“You are right Luna,” Hermione flushed. “I was just thinking that sometimes wizards tend to overlook the easy way of doing things and go for the most complicated route.”

“Oh, okay,” Luna giggled. “That makes sense.”

“But so will we, won’t we?”

“Of course not,” said Hermione. “Everything we need is here on this paper. 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.”

“But how do we know which to drink?”

“Give me a minute.”

Hermione read the paper several times. Then she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands.

“Got it,” she said. “The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire — toward the Stone.”

Aurora looked at the tiny bottle.

“There’s only enough there for one of us,” she said. “That’s hardly one swallow.”

Sirius, James and Lily all let out a resigned sigh, they knew what Aurora was going to do. “You are going to face whoever it is by yourself aren’t you,” James asked rhetorically.

Severus looked at James bewildered, did the man honestly believe that it wasn’t Severus trying to get the stone? Was Potter really not taking the opportunity to blame him for something?

They looked at each other.

“Which one will get you back through the purple flames?”

Hermione pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line.

“You drink that,” said Aurora. “No, listen, get back and get Ron. Grab brooms from the flyingkey 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 Aurora — what if You-Know-Who’s with him?”

“Well — I was lucky once, wasn’t I?” said Aurora, pointing at her scar. “I might get lucky again.”

“That is not the mindset you go into a battle with,” Alastor barked. “That type of thinking will only get you killed.”

Hermione’s lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at Aurora and threw her arms around her.

“Hermione!”

“Aurora — you’re a great witch, you know.”

“I’m not as good as you,” said Aurora, very embarrassed, as she let go of her.

“Me!” said Hermione. “Books! And cleverness! There are more important things — friendship and bravery and — oh Aurora —be careful! ”

“I wouldn’t be half the person I am without my friends,” Aurora admitted. Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna all nodded in agreement, they didn’t know who they would be without their friendships with each other either.

“You drink first,” said Aurora. “You are sure which is which, aren’t you?”

“Positive,” said Hermione. She took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shuddered.

“It’s not poison?” said Aurora anxiously.

“No — but it’s like ice.”

“Quick, go, before it wears off.”

“Good luck — take care.”

“GO!”

Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire.

Aurora took a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. She turned to face the black flames.

“Here I come,” she said, and she drained the little bottle in one gulp.

It was indeed as though ice was flooding her body. She put the bottle down and walked forward; she braced himself, saw the black flames licking her body, but couldn’t feel them — for a moment she could see nothing but dark fire — then she was on the other side, in the last chamber.

There was already someone there — but it wasn’t Snape. It wasn’t even Voldemort. 

“It’s Quirrell,” Alastor grunted.

Everyone looked at Aurora for the answer.

“Who wants to read to confirm,” Aurora asked.

“Give it here,” James exclaimed, making grabbing motions for the book.