After escaping from Peeves, the trio climbed the stairs and soon reached the fourth-floor corridor. To their shock, the previously closed door was now slightly ajar.
"See, Snape's already passed by Fluffy, Professor Eisen!" Harry whispered, glancing around for Eisen.
"Stop talking and hurry inside!" In the stillness of the night, Harry's voice echoed before Eisen's voice responded from behind them.
"Let's go!" Harry, Ron, and Hermione, still hidden under the invisibility cloak, exchanged glances and sighed in relief, knowing Professor Eisen was close by.
Creak—
As they pushed the door open, they were greeted by the low growls of a familiar creature. Fluffy, the three-headed dog, sniffed the air and growled at them.
"That—" Hermione began, noticing something at Fluffy's feet.
"It's a harp," Ron confirmed. "Snape must've left it."
"The music's stopped. Fluffy's waking up!" Harry quickly pulled out the flute Hagrid had given him and began playing, though without any particular tune. Still, the effect was immediate: Fluffy's eyes drooped, and it fell back asleep.
Taking their chance, the trio opened the trapdoor's pull ring and jumped down. Eisen, following close behind, cast a levitation spell on himself as he descended.
"It's Devil's Snare—don't move!" Hermione's panicked voice cut through the darkness.
"So how do we get rid of it? I can't breathe!" Harry gasped as the tightening vines threatened to suffocate him.
"Professor Sprout said—it likes the dark and damp!" Hermione said quickly.
"Use fire!" Eisen's voice was thin but clear in her ear.
"Oh, right!" Hermione, calming down at Eisen's prompt, pulled out her wand. With a flick, blue flames erupted, and the Devil's Snare recoiled, releasing them.
"It's a good thing you paid attention in Herbology," Harry said, wiping sweat from his brow in relief.
As they stepped out of the vines' grasp, a stone corridor stretched ahead.
"This way," Harry urged, and the trio cautiously ventured down the narrow passage. At the end of the corridor, a brightly lit room awaited them. Through the windows, Eisen could see countless winged keys fluttering about, and a locked wooden door on the far side.
Harry cautiously entered the room, surprised when the keys didn't attack him. He examined the wooden door, but it wouldn't budge, even after Hermione attempted a Lockpicking Charm.
"Now what?" Ron muttered, clearly at a loss.
"Those keys aren't just decoration," Hermione mused, glancing upwards.
"One of them's the key to the door," Harry said, spotting a broomstick nearby. "But how do we find it among all these?"
Ron inspected the door's lock closely. "We're looking for a big key, probably silver, like a doorknob."
Under Eisen's watchful eye, Harry took to the broomstick. Being a natural Seeker, he quickly identified and captured the key they needed. With the key in hand, they passed through the door.
When Eisen entered behind them, he saw the trio standing still, gazing in awe. Before them lay a giant chessboard, with massive black and white pieces arranged for a game.
"What now?" Harry asked, his voice shaking slightly.
"Isn't it obvious? We have to play chess to get across," Ron said, eyeing the chess pieces. A door stood behind the opposing white pieces.
"But how?" Hermione stared at the enormous board, unsure where to start.
"We have to take the place of the pieces," Ron said hesitantly, approaching the black knight. "Do we—do we have to join you?"
The black knight nodded, and Ron turned pale.
"We need to replace three pawns, but I'll be honest—you two aren't exactly great at chess," Ron said, trying not to offend Harry and Hermione.
With Ron leading, the game began. White pieces were taken down one by one, and the black side also lost several pieces. As the tension mounted, Ron's face grew anxious.
"I've got it. I have to sacrifice myself, so Harry can checkmate the king," Ron said resolutely.
"No! It's too dangerous!" both Harry and Hermione protested. They'd seen how brutally the white pieces dispatched their opponents.
"But there has to be a sacrifice. If I don't, we can't stop Snape from getting the Philosopher's Stone!" Ron snapped back.
"What about Professor Eisen?" Hermione called out, remembering Eisen's earlier offer. Both she and Harry turned to look for him, hope lighting their faces.
"Just use the cards I gave you. Go ahead with your plan, don't worry about me," Eisen's voice came from behind them.
Ron sighed in relief, quickly pulling out the enchanted card Eisen had given him. With it in hand, he moved forward, and the white queen struck. She raised her stone arm and brought it down hard on Ron.
"Look out!" Hermione screamed.
But the card Ron held transformed into a metal shield, which blocked the blow. Ron was thrown off the board, but to everyone's relief, he stood up, a bit dazed, holding the card, now returned to its original form.
"Ron, are you alright?" Harry called.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Hurry up and finish this!" Ron waved them on, though his face was still pale from the shock.
With Ron safe, Harry moved three squares to the left and checkmated the white king. The white pieces stepped back, clearing a path. Smiling, Ron finally regained his composure as Harry and Hermione crossed the board.
Once the trio had passed through the door, Eisen followed close behind.
I hope your like the chapter 😊.