The Potter Twins and the Philospher's Stone [COMPLETED]

XLIV

I am embarrassed to disclose that Harry and I were still screaming when we landed on something soft and smooth - I'm shaking right now as I recall the memories.

"Hey, guys." Will nudged my arm. "Still alive, yeah?"

"Lucky this plant thing's here to catch us, right?" Ron said, and was answered by a shriek from Hermione. "Lucky?" she yelled. "Look at you!" Apparently, she'd scrambled free of the cushioning plant and was stood on the stone floor next to it. Leathery tendrils had wrapped themselves around all of our limbs, and now one of them was snaking its way round Will's neck.

"This is Devil's Snare," Hermione muttered to herself. "I remember from Herbology-"

"Think faster!" I yelped, as my leg was almost ripped out of its socket by the plant tugging me downwards.

Hermione now had her fingertips to her temples. "Devil's Snare... it's deadly fun, but will sulk in the sun!"

"So light a fire!" Harry choked, and the three of us voiced our agreement.

"Yes — but there's no wood!" Hermione cried, wringing her hands.

"Have you gone mad?!" Ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"

"Oh!" Hermione gasped, and sent a jet of bluebell flames towards the plant's tendrils. It recoiled immediately and we all tumbled out onto the hard stone, breathing hard. "Was close to another broken leg," I panted, dragging myself to my feet.

"Lucky Hermione pays attention in Herbology," Harry added, and Ron snorted. "Lucky Harry keeps his head in a crisis... there's no wood, honestly."

"Oh, calm down," Hermione said, and pushed the door open at the end of the passage.

A fluttering assaulted my ears as we made our way into the next room. "Birds?" I said, perplexed, as Will ran to the next door and tried the unlocking charm. "Nothing doing," he called. Harry looked up to the ceiling and gave a gasp of realisation. "They're not birds," he said, "they're keys. We have to catch them."

"It's old fashioned," Ron said, examining the lock. "Silver."

"That one," Hermione said immediately, pointing to a silver key with bright blue wings. One wing was broken, presumably because it had already been used. "Broomsticks," Will said, simultaneously, and looked towards three old broomsticks (a far cry from the Nimbus) in the corner.

"We have to catch it," Harry repeated. "Sam, you take one and Will the other. Hermione and Ron, we'll try and drive it towards you, ok?" We all nodded, and I jogged across and picked up a broomstick.

The difficulty of this task then changed drastically; the keys then began to flutter and fly around madly, and I lost sight of the one we were looking for. "To the left!" Will yelled, as we flew into the air.

My eyes scanned the room rapidly, and finally I caught sight of it again. The key was trying to keep up with the flock, madly flying to and fro. Harry, Will and I dived towards it, and it flew towards Ron and Hermione... Ron jumped up and missed, we flew round again, Hermione tried this time and then it flapped up and down and up and down until finally Ron closed his fingers around the mad key.

"Got it!" he shrieked, jammed it in the door and the three of us on broomsticks flew through it at full tilt and landed painfully on the next stone floor.

"Ow," I moaned, and then screamed as I caught sight of a troll lying on the floor in front of me. Scrambling backwards, I crashed into Ron and he managed to pull me up onto my feet. "It's knocked out," Hermione said matter-of-factly, and indeed, the huge creature was flat out on the slabs, snoring so loud the whole room was shaking.

"Glad we didn't have to deal with that," I panted, and stepped carefully over the thing's head.

"It's twice the size of the one that broke your leg, Sam," Will said tactlessly.

"Yes, thank you," I muttered, and we stepped into the next chamber.

Ron stopped dead in his tracks.

"Chess," he whispered. "It's chess."