- GOLD RUSH - h.j.p

- three -

                    "So inviting, I almost jump in."
I couldn't stop thinking about this now. Harry's life is in danger. If we know how to get past Fluffy who else does? Especially considering how Hagrid just kind of spit it out for us. I confided in Hermione with this information. I could tell from then on out that she was worried.

We had to get down to the stone as soon as possible, especially if Snape was planning on taking it soon.
However, we couldn't just go missing. Hagrid would know what we had gone to get. Especially with everything going on lately and Hermione and I'd curious minds.

However, I wasn't sure if we had any other choice. We had to do this. That night at dinner we saw Snape and Quirrell acting quite suspiciously. The four of us all shared a know glance. This had to be done tonight. So when Dumbledore dismissed us from dinner we all began walking up to the third-floor corridor.

We ventured inside and opened the door that led to Fluffy. Hermione pulled out a little music box, wound it up, and set it on the ground. Fluffy growled at us for a while but soon enough he was drifting off to sleep and we could slip through the trapdoor with no worries.
 
Once we got through though, we were faced with another problem. A locked door with no key. We looked around for the key for a bit. When I looked up. Keys were floating around in the air. Hundreds of them. But how do we know which one goes to the door? Harry then realized what I was looking at, he then glanced at the floating broom.

I looked around at my friends, "We need to use that broom to get a key to unlock the door." Ron looked utterly confused, "But how do we know which key opens the door?" Now Hermione was looking up at the ceiling full of keys. "It's that one. The one with the broken wing." She pointed at it and I immediately saw what she was talking about.

I walked over to the broom, threw my leg over it, and immediately flew up toward the keys. Suddenly it seemed the keys came alive and began almost chasing me. I reached out to try to grab the one with the broken wing and just barely grasped it. Pulling it close to my chest for safekeeping.

I flew around while the keys were still following me, I twisted and turned but they still wouldn't get off my tail. I did this for a while when a brilliant idea suddenly popped into my head. I took a nose dive straight for the floor and then flew almost right into the door that was locked.

All the keys hit the door and stopped flying. Thank god. I let out a sigh of relief and lowered myself off the broom and over to the door. The key easily fit in and a click could be heard around the room.

I pulled it open slowly but surely, "After you my dears." Ron let out a snort but the others just gasped as we entered the next room.

It was a life-sized chessboard? Hermione and so shared a completely confused look but Harry and Ron looked like they knew exactly what they were doing so I just let them take the lead. Every chess piece had amazing detail and was taller than all of us combined.

Ron took the lead and climbed on one of the horses. "We need to play chess Harry, it's the only way to get through." They played and it was horrible to watch. Fires began to start with little flames along the floor.

Finally Harry made the final move, Ron came flying off his horse and everything began to fall. The final door unlocked. "Go Harry go! we'll take care of Ron."

He looked at us as though he wouldn't come out of there alive. Like we would never see him ever again. I knew he would, however, not because he was Harry Potter. But because he was Harry, he was among one of the bravest, strongest people I've ever known.

"You'll be okay Harry." He gave a small smile as he looked down at Ron with tears in his eyes, "Sorry Ron." And then he was gone.

Venturing off into that room. I looked over to Hermione, "Grab his legs, and I'll grab his top half." She quirked an eyebrow but did as I asked. I'm quite grateful she just did what I said without me having to give much of a fight.

We carried him all through the castle. All by ourselves and to Madam Pomfrey, she gasped at us but quickly took him under her care. She then shooed us on and we ran to Dumbledore's office as fast as we could. We said the last word and ll but tripped up the stairs.

"Professor Dumbledore it is urgent!" He looked up from the paper he was reading and took in our urgent faces. "Yes, girls?", "Harry is down in the dungeons recovering the philosophers stone from Snape! He needs help!" Dumbledore then took off his glasses and approached us very slowly.

"As much as I do appreciate your concern girls, I have very much confidence that Mr. Potter can handle this on his own. Now in the meantime, why don't you go keep Mr. Weasley company." I couldn't believe he could stand here and say Harry was going to be okay?!

He could die down there. As soon as I was about to protest, Hermione grabbed my hand and pulled me down the stairs of Dumbledore's office. The whole way down she assured me everything was going to be okay. I don't know how she could think that.
-
Harry thankfully did end up being okay. He woke up in one of Madam Pomfrey's cots. I picked him some flowers for when he woke up. He seemed very thankful. My thoughts were correct and Lilies are his favorite.

I couldn't help it, as soon as he sat up I all but tackled him. I was so scared. I don't know what I would've done if Dumbledore wasn't right. Harry could've died down there. Thankfully he didn't.

I couldn't look away as he smelled the lilies and smiled down at them. He held them so close to him as though they were the dearest thing he's ever held. I would pick him a million more lilies if he liked them this much.

I looked at Hermione and Rom, Harry in the bed, and smiled. I had never felt a sense of family like this before. Not until my first year at Hogwarts.