The War Hammer of Hogwarts - Harry Potter

The Trials

Hermione: We must be miles under the school.

As we made our way through the tunnel, all we could hear apart from our footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls, until...

Ron: Can you hear something?

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

Ron: Do you think it's a ghost?

YN: I don't know... sounds like wings to me.

Harry: There's light ahead, I can see something moving.

We 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, bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room.  On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.

Ron: Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?

Harry: Probably.  They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once... well, there's no other choice.

YN: I'll go.  Even if they hurt me, I'll regenerate.

I walked across the room, expecting the birds to dive at me any second, but nothing happened.  I reached the door and pulled the handle, but it was locked.  The other three followed me, pulling at the door as well, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Hermione tried her Alohomora charm.

Ron: Now what?

Hermione: These birds... they can't be here just for decoration.

We watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering...

YN: They're not birds, they're keys!

Harry: He's right!  Winged keys.  Look carefully.  So that must mean...

He looked around the chamber while the rest of us squinted up at the flock of keys.

Harry: Yes, look!  Broomsticks!  We've got to catch the key to the door!

Ron: But there are hundreds of them!

Harry: We're looking for a big, old fashioned one.  Probably silver, like the handle.

We each seized a broomstick and kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys.  We grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible tocatch one.  But Harry was the youngest Seeker in a century.  He had a knack for spotting things other people didn't.  After a minute's weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, he noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed roughly into the keyhole.

Harry: That one!  That big one, with bright blue wings!  The feathers are all crumpled on one side.

Ron went speeding in the direction that Harry was pointing, crashed into the ceiling, and fell off his broom.  I dove after him, catching him and placing him safely on the ground, smacking him in the head.

Ron: Agh, what was that for?

YN: Nearly killing yourself before we find the Stone.

Harry landed with the key in his hand, ran to the door, and rammed it into the lock, turning it.  The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice.

Harry: Ready?

We nodded and he pulled the door open.  The next chamber was so dark we couldn't see anything at all.  But as we stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight.  We were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than we were and carved from what looked like black stone.  Facing us, way across the chamber, were the white pieces.

Harry: Now what do we do?

Ron: It's obvious, isn't it?  We've got to play our way across the room.

Behind the white pieces there was another door.

Hermione: How?

Ron: I think 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.

Ron: Do we... er... have to join you to get across?

The black knight nodded.  Ron turned back to us.

Ron: This needs thinking about.  I suppose we've got to take the place of four of the black pieces.

We stayed quiet, watching Ron think.

Ron: Now, don't be offended or anything, but none of you are that good at chess.

Harry: We're not offended.

YN: I'm well aware that I suck.

Hermione: Just tell us what to do.

Ron: Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you stand next to him instead of that castle.  YN, you be the Queen.

YN: What about you?

Ron: I'm going to be a knight.

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

Ron: White always plays first in chess.  Yes... look.

A white pawn had moved forward two squares. Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them.

Ron: Harry, move diagonally four squares to the right.

Our first real shock came when our other knight was taken.  The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, face down.

Ron: Had to let that happen.

He looked shaken.

Ron: Leaves you free to take that bishop, YN, go on.

Every time one of our 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 Hermione were in danger.  He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as we had lost black ones.

Ron: We're nearly there.  Let me think, let me think...

The white queen turned her blank face toward him.

Ron: Yes... it's the only way... I've got to be taken.

YN / Harry / Hermione: NO!

Ron: That's chess!  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!

YN: Wait!  He could do the same if you sacrifice me.  I'll be fine, let the queen take me instead.

Ron: You're right... alright, take that castle, YN.

I did as he said, and the white queen began walking towards me.

YN: Bring it on, you-

Faster than I could keep up with, the white queen smashed her fist into my face, knocking me out cold.

Sorry to anyone who wanted to see YN in the final confrontation. I couldn't think of a way to realistically have YN there without him just hitting Quirrell in the face with a hammer.