Emily Lily Lupin-Black

1. Chapter 14 Chess Part 2

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 a black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry, Ron, Hermione and I shivered slightly – the towering white chessmen had no faces."Now, what do we do?" Harry 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...."Harry and Hermione stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally, he said, "Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you is that good at chess—" I say knowing that I and ron are the best, I'm the only person to win against ron other then Ravenclaws. "We're not offended," said Harry quickly. "Just tell us what to do."Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and I'll take the queenside castle." "What about me?" Hermione asked. I looked back at ron and he nodded. I walked over to Hermione and grabbed her hands in mine. I looked her in the eyes. 'Hermione I have to ask you to stay here, please.' she looked astounded. 'I want to help.' she half yelled. 'Hermione.' I almost had tears in my eyes now. 'i couldn't bear seeing you hurt, please, please I am begging you to stay here, if all goes well then we'll all be able to go to the next level.' she looked me in the eyes. 'okay I'll stay here.' she hugged me and I looked up at ron. "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 Harry, Ron, and I 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. Harry's knees were trembling. What if they lost?"Harry — move diagonally four squares to the right."Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. 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, Emily, 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 Harry and Emily 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!" Harry and Hermione shouted. "That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I take one step forward and she'll take me — that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"But —" Do you want to stop Snape or not?"Ron —" I had tears in my eyes. "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 — Hermione and I screamed but stayed on my square — the white queen dragged Ron to one side.He looked as if he'd been knocked out. Hermione ran to him at once and checked his pulse. Shaking, Harry moved three spaces to the left. The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. Hermione nodded at me, letting me know that she and ron will be okay. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Harry and I charged through the door and up the next passageway."What if he's —?" He'll be all right," said Harry, trying to convince himself. "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?" Harry whispered."Go on."Harry 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."I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one," Harry whispered as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. "Come on, I can't breathe."He 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 Harry. "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!" I seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Harry looked over my shoulder to read it:

Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind, Two of us will help you, whichever 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 a 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 a 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.

I let out a great sigh and Harry, amazed, saw that I was smiling, the very last thing he felt like doing."Brilliant," I said. "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."But so will we, won't we?"Of course not," I said. "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."I read the paper several times. Then walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to myself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands." Got it," she said. "The smallest bottle will get us through the Blackfire — toward the Stone."Harry looked at the tiny bottle."There's only enough there for one of us," he said. "That's hardly one swallow." we looked at each other."Which one will get you back through the purple flames?"I pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line."You drink that," said Harry. "No, listen, get back and get Ron. Grabbrooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and pastFluffy — 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 Harry — what if You-Know-Who's with him?"Well — I was lucky once, wasn't I?" said Harry, pointing at his scar. "I might get lucky again." My lip trembled, 'harry ill go back through the fire and tell Hermione what to do then I'll come back and if your not back in a half an hour I'm going in there.' I say in a serious tone. he nodded his head then took half of the small portion of potion and I have a little portion of the round potion. I run back through the purple fire, and into the chess room. 'Hermione are you there.' I heard a grunt and a sigh. 'were over here Emily what happened to harry.' sh had a worried look on her face. harry has a message for you 'get ron and Grab brooms from the flying-key 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.'' she nodded her head. 'what are you going to do.' 'me and harry agreed that if harry weren't back in half an hour, then I would go help him.' Hermione stop up and hugged me. 'you'll be alright Em, I know you will. and if your not I will kill you.' I chuckled, 'you be safe too.' we parted ways and I went back to where the potions were. Ten minutes later I heard a stream from harry and then something came out of the room. One look at it and I knew what it was. Voldemort. I quickly drank the potion and walked to harry. He was on the ground knocked out with a red stone in his hand. The Philosophers Stone. I walked to him and knew I could lift him easy. I picked him up and slowly walked out of the room, picking up the stone as I went. when I got to the chess room Dumbledore, McGonagall and snape were waiting there for us. when I walked in with harry I heard a loud sigh from Minnie. snape put a levitating spell on harry and I ran and hugged Minnie. 'what happened down there Emily, I am so so sorry I didn't believe you.' 'its okay Minnie.' I heard a snort behind me and I saw snape trying to keep a straight face. I glared daggers at him and he shut up. I hugged her again and said 'thank you, Minnie.'