The Girl Who Had No Escape [1]

Year 1- 45

That night Cassiopeia and Amelia were making their way to the Gryffindor common room when they heard Filch's voice. They hid in the shadows.

"You go with Harry and the others, I'll distract him." Amelia said to Cassiopeia.

"You sure?" Cassiopeia asked.

"Yeah. But don't wait for me, I'll go back to the common room and cover for you all." Amelia replied. Cassiopeia pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you, and good luck." Cassiopeia whispered.

"You too." Amelia replied, and with that she ran off in the opposite direction while Cassiopeia went to the Gryffindor entrance. When she arrived, the group was waiting for her.

"Where were you? And where's Amelia?" Hermione asked.

"There was a problem with Flich, Amelia's covering for me. She told us to go on without her and she'll make excuses for us and keep Filch away." Cassiopeia replied. They nodded and together, under the invisibility cloak, they made their way to the Third floor.

As they entered the room, they found Fluffy already asleep.

"He's snoring." Harry said. "Snape's already been here, he placed a spell on the harp."

"Not Snape." Cassiopeia said, but they ignored her. Together they moved Fluffy's paw and opened the trapdoor. They were talking about who would go first when it began to be quiet in the room.

"Does it seem quiet to you?" Harry asked.

"The harp, it's stopped playing." Hermione commented.

"Yuck." Ron commented, when a ball of drool fell on his shoulder, they all looked up to see Fluffy, very much awake. They all jumped down the trapdoor before they were eaten, landing on a soft plant. Everyone noticed that the plant was wrapping around themselves. Harry and Ron were struggling, attempting to get free. Cassiopeia and Hermione just sat still, knowing the plant.

"Stop moving, both of you." Hermione said.

"This is Devil's Snare. You have to relax." Cassiopeia added.

"If not, it'll only kill you faster." Hermione finished.

"Kill us faster? Oh. now we can relax." Ron retorted, struggling against the plan. Hermione and Cassiopeia both sent him a look of annoyance, and they were both pulled beneath the plant.

"HERMIONE! CASSIOPEIA!" Harry and Ron shouted.

"No what do we do?" Ron asked, still struggling.

"Just relax!" Hermione shouted from below the plant.

"Hermione, where are you? Is Cassiopeia with you?" Harry asked.

"Yes, now do what we say. Trust us." Cassiopeia said. With that Harry relaxed and he was also pulled under. He fell onto the floor and Cassiopeia helped him up.

"HARRY!" Ron shouted. "HELP! HELP! HELP!-" Ron shouted, but one of the plants' roots went over his mouth.

"He's not relaxing, is he?" Hermione said.

"Apparently not." Harry replied.

"We've got to do something." Hermione said, while pacing. But Cassiopeia had already figured it out, but was searching for her wand that she had dropped. Hermione began panicking while Cassiopeia just had a thought.

"Harry, give me your wand!" Cassiopeia yelled at him. He handed it over.

"It won't work, my core is a phoenix feather. It has to choose the wizard and it won't work for other ones." Harry said, but Cassiopeia just ignored him as she knew that they had the same cores.

"Lumos Solem!" She shouted, and out of the tip of Harry's wand came sunlight. Which made the plant recoil and release Ron, he landed on the floor. Harry helped him up.

"Lucky we didn't panic." Ron says.

"Lucky Cassiopeia is good with spells." Harry retorted.

"How?" Hermione asked Cassiopeia.

"How what?" She replied.

"How does Harry's wand work for you? He's right, it shouldn't have worked." Hermione declared.

"Oh, that." Cassiopeia replied, she then pointed Harry's wand. "Accio wand" then Cassiopeia's wand came flying through the devil's snare. She caught it in her hand and then turned to give Harry's back. "Don't tell anyone, but-"

"You have the other wand, the third of the three feathers?" Harry said in realisation. Cassiopeia nodded.

"What?" Ron asked.

"The day I went to Ollivander's, he told me that my wand was one of three, that one was given to someone else while another had yet to be sold. He said that the three people would be bounded together by fate." Harry replied. Hermione and Ron stood there in shock.

"As much as I'd love to chat, we need to save the stone." Cassiopeia said, making them snap out of their trances. They nodded and together they made it to the next room. Inside was a bunch of flying keys, and a broomstick in the centre.

Harry climbed on the broomstick and he grabbed the correct key, Hermione unlocked the door and together they went through. When reaching the next room, they were met with a large chessboard. Together, well Ron did the work, they played chess. It became to the end when Harry suddenly realised the situation, they were in.

"Wait a minute." Harry said.

"You understand right, Harry? Once I make my move the Queen'll take me, and then you'll be free to check the King." Ron asked him.

"No, Ron, no" Harry replied.

"What is it?" Hermione and Cassiopeia asked.

"He's going to sacrifice himself." Harry clarified.

"No, there must be another way!" Cassiopeia yelled.

"Do you wanna stop Snape from getting that stone of not?" Ron yelled back. "Harry, it's you that's got to go on. Not me, not Hermione, you. And perhaps Cassiopeia, if what you said about the wand cores is true." Harry nodded and Ron took in a breath. "Knight to H3." He said, and his piece moved into the correct place. "Check"

Then the Queen piece slowly made its way over to Ron, and stabbed his knight with her sword. This sent Ron flying off his horse and he landed on the group unconscious. Hermione went to run after him, but Harry stopped her.

"No, don't move!" He yelled, "Don't forget we're still playing." Harry then began moving across the chessboard and we stood in front of the King. "Check mate." He said, and the King dropped his sword. They had won the game. At once they all ran towards Ron, crouching around him.

"Hermione, Cassiopeia, take care of Ron, then go to the owlery and send a message to Dumbledore. Ron's right, I have to go on." Harry said, looking straight at Hermione.

"You'll be alright, Harry. You're a great wizard." Hermione assured him.

"I'm not as great as you." Harry replied.

"Me? Books and cleverness. There are more important things, friendship and bravery." Hermione replied, Harry smiled and stood up. Cassiopeia stood up next to him. He looked to her.

"No" He said.

"I'm coming, I'll not leave you alone. Harry, I'll go with you no matter what happens to me, as long as you're safe that's all that matters. Please, don't fight me on this." Cassiopeia said.

"Alright, but please don't do anything stupid." He said to her.

"Me?" She asked, faking a hurt expression. "We can do this. Besides I want to be able to say 'I told you so' when it's not Snape." Cassiopeia gave Hermione a hug and then grabbed Harry's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. As they walked through the door, they saw a man standing by the mirror, but it wasn't Snape.

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Thanks for reading

-Zoe