The Boy The Snake and The Stone

Chapter 35: The Tricks and Fog (Part 2)

Severus made it to the first door to find the three-headed mutt awake and growling; he couldn't hold back the sneer that made its way to his face at the sight of the hound before him. He couldn't have this mutt stop him from getting to his son, he was in big trouble already for even thinking about putting his life in danger without telling him. However, if what Levi showed him was true, then he would be in even more trouble. Why did people feel the need to have so many useable pawns?

* * * *

The three young Slytherins stood before the debris of the fallen chess pieces. Draco put up a fight, making sure that he, Harry, and Gemma would not be hurt in the battle that was taking place. Of course, this didn't save them from the flying marble when one of the chess pieces where destroyed, but at least that it was healable and non-life threatening.

"So far, we have had Hagrid with fluffy, Professor Sprout with the Devil Snare, Professor Flitwick must have set up the keys since he is a Head of House, that must have been Professor McGonagall's chess set back there. Then you would have Quirrell with the troll. So, there's left is our own Head of House. At least that is what I am thinking." Harry said, listing it off in his head thinking about what they have faced.

"Why do you think Headmaster put those other teachers down here, such as Hagrid and Quirrell, and not any other teacher? Why not just stick with the Head of Houses?" Harry pondered this thought aloud. Both Gemma and Draco froze in step, causing Harry to run into them. That was a good question; of course, the old coot would do something like that.

They moved off the white and black board, towards the passageway just beyond, following that down to yet another door. The three opened it to find seven different bottled potions before them and a piece of parchment between. Harry moved forward, in doing so black and purple flames sprung up around them closing them in. The students looked around the room, eyes widening in fear. Harry moved forward and picked up the parchment and began to read:

Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,

Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,

One among us seven will let you move ahead,

Another will transport the drinker back instead,

Two among our number hold only nettle-wine,

Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line

Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore

To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:

First, however slyly the poison tries to hide

You will always find some on nettle wine's left side

Second, different are those who stand at either end

But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;

Third as you see clearly, all are different size

Neither dwarf nor giant hold death in their insides;

Fourth, the second left and the second on the right

Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.

"Great, it's a bloody riddle!" Gemma let out a sigh, "This is something I was never good at."

Both Draco and Harry looked at the words, slowly trying to come up with the message hidden in the cryptic words. Harry just smiled, after living with the man he now called Father, he knows how the man works.