The Traitors [HP6] *EDITING*

Chapter 11

It happened so quickly, Harry could barely see what was going on. He thought the flames started at his head and worked their way down to his feet, but it was so fast, it was impossible to tell. All that Harry knew for sure is that where Neville was a second ago, there was now only a pile of ash.

"Where did he go!?" yelled Ron.

"Did he... die?" asked Hermione.

"Well, that would be the best thing to happen all day," mumbled Ron.

"Oh come on Ron!" said Hermione angrily. "Even if he was evil, he didn't deserve

to die. There was still hope for him."

"Don't worry Hermione," said Harry. "I don't think he's dead."

"What makes you think that?" demanded Ron.

"Remember last year, when we spent the night in Hagrid's cabin after capturing

Wormtail?" questioned Harry.

"Yeah," said Ron, "and then in the morning, he was gone."

"And all we could find of him was a pile of ash," said Harry. "I think the same

thing that just happened to Neville is what happened to Wormtail."

"But what did just happen?" asked Ron.

"That's the question of the day," said Harry. "Any ideas Hermione?"

"Well," she said thoughtfully, "I'm not sure exactly what this spell was, but I've

seen ones like it before. I remember reading about one where someone was frozen in an ice cube suddenly, and then it broke into a million pieces. Everyone thought he was dead, but it turned out that was just the way for his master to summon his minions. Maybe this fire version is just Voldemort's way of doing it."

"That's the best theory so far," said Harry. "But we have to find the Stone before we can do anything else."

"How are we going to find it, though?" asked Ron.

"Hermione, give me your Bracelet again," said Harry. She threw it over to him, and Harry caught it in his hand.

"Nice catch," she grinned. Harry slipped the Bracelet on. It, along with the Ring immediately glowed a bright yellow, and just a few feet in front of them, a small, green light appeared on the ground. It was very dim, compared to the Ring and Bracelet's glow, but there nonetheless.

The three of them walked over to the shining spot and immediately began digging with their hands, clawing at the dirt. Each time they dug further down to it, the glow became more bright and vibrant. It wasn't too long before the Stone was revealed, brighter than the sun. Harry slipped it into his pocket and decided it was time to go. After Ron stepped into his trap again and Harry and Hermione had a good laugh, they headed back to the castle.

"Alright," said Harry, when they finally left the forest. "This time, I'm going to put an even more powerful trap on a different drawer and I'll make sure that-"

"Harry!" interjected Hermione. "I think we need to make the Stone more secure than that. Neville easily took it last time and I don't think we can risk another situation like that ever happening again."

"You're right," admitted Harry. "But where else can we put it?"

"It's not about putting it somewhere more secure, it's about giving it to someone who will make it more secure."

"But Dumbledore's not here, remember?" said Ron.

"Oh for god's sake Ron!" yelled Hermione. "How stupid can you be? Do you think Dumbledore is the only one who is qualified to protect a Stone? Remember in our first year, all the teachers made something to guard it? So all of them are able to watch it."