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HP Chapter 22: An Adventure That Couldn’t Be Avoided
🕑 Added 2025-08-02 17:36:01 +0000 UTCWhen Anne reached the bottom of the stairs, someone suddenly burst out from the corridor. The moment the girl saw Anne, she threw her arms around her and began sobbing into her shoulder.
Anne nearly stumbled from the impact, instinctively catching the person in her arms. A second later, she realized who it was.
Hermione, crying her heart out on Anne’s shoulder.
Anne froze, unsure what to say. She’d never been good at comforting people who were crying. With helpless eyes, she glanced at Fanny, silently begging for help.
Fanny mouthed some words without making a sound: “Comfort her!”
Anne thought for a moment and did her best to follow the advice. She gently patted Hermione’s back and said softly, “It’s okay now. Can you tell me what happened?”
Hermione gradually calmed down, her sobs turning to hiccups. She choked out, “We suspect that Professor Snape is going to steal the Philosopher’s Stone. So Harry asked me to keep an eye on him... But he caught me just now, and I don’t know where he’s gone. We already tried telling Professor McGonagall, but she didn’t believe us... Anne, I’m scared...”
“There, there. I understand...” Anne said, still unsure how to respond. She couldn't bring herself to say something harsh at a time like this.
Fanny noticed Anne’s hesitation and spoke up, “Anne, I think you should help them.”
“I...” Anne opened her mouth to explain.
But Fanny cut her off, her tone serious. “If you won’t help them, then I definitely will. I believe this is the right thing to do.”
Anne was stunned. How had she ended up being cornered by two kids? With a sigh of resignation, she muttered, “Fine, fine. I’ll go.”
Hermione lifted her tear-streaked face, eyes wide. “Anne, will you really help us?”
Anne pulled a white handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to her. “I’ll help,” she said, nodding. There’s no way I could refuse you when you’re crying like that. Not to mention, if Fanny went instead and something happened, the Ministry would probably launch a full investigation into Hogwarts.
Besides, Anne figured the real danger would come from facing Professor Quirrell. The earlier challenges weren’t too risky.
As soon as Anne agreed, Fanny looked excited, clearly intrigued by the prospect of an adventure.
Anne quickly extinguished that flame. “Fanny, please remember your status. Adventures like this really aren’t for you.”
Fanny’s head drooped. But Anne’s next words made her perk right back up.
“But I do have a mission for you. Since Hermione failed to track Professor Snape, I’m passing that task on to you. Think you can handle it? It’s an important job!”
Fanny’s eyes sparkled as she nodded eagerly. Every child that age dreamed of a grand adventure, especially one involving the legendary Philosopher’s Stone.
“But you’re only to observe. When it’s time to sleep, you go back and sleep, understand?” Anne added. “Promise me.”
“Alright, I promise.”
Anne nodded, then turned to Hermione. “Okay, since we’ve decided, let’s go. You can fill me in as we walk.”
Hermione nodded. As they neared the Gryffindor common room, they ran into Harry and Ron at the entrance. It looked like they were just about to set out for the Stone themselves.
Their eyes lit up when they saw Anne.
“Since you’re going, we’d better get moving,” Anne said briskly. “It’s getting dark. If we hurry, we might even make it back in time to sleep. Hermione’s briefed me a bit, but personally, I don’t think it’s Snape trying to steal the Stone. I think it’s Professor Quirrell. We can talk more when we reach the three-headed dog.”
The four of them hurried to the fourth floor. As they got closer, their steps grew more cautious. But at this hour, Filch was probably eating, he didn’t spend all day guarding the place.
Seeing no one around, Anne whispered, “Not a bad start.”
But when they reached the room with the three-headed dog, their optimism vanished. The door was already open.
They rushed inside. Fluffy, the giant three-headed dog, was asleep. At its massive feet, a violin was playing by itself.
“Damn! Snape must’ve gone in!” Harry whispered.
Anne said nothing. Some things had to be seen to be believed. She turned to the others. “From here on out, this gets dangerous. We might have to face a professor. Are you absolutely sure about this?” It was her last attempt to talk them out of it.
All three nodded.
“Alright, Harry, Ron, you two move Fluffy’s paw off the trapdoor. I’m not touching that thing.”
Harry and Ron nodded and got to work. Hermione looked at Anne, waiting for instructions.
“Watch that violin. If it stops, let me know immediately,” Anne said.
Once Fluffy’s paw was removed, Harry opened the trapdoor. Anne walked over, pulled out her wand from inside her robes, and whispered, “Lumos.” A gentle white light shone from her wand. She held it over the trapdoor and peered down. It was pitch-black, and no bottom was in sight.
Pulling her wand back, Anne asked, “This might be a long drop. Who wants to go first?”
“I will,” Harry stepped forward. “This was my idea. If anything happens, go straight to Dumbledore. Don’t follow me.”
Ron fidgeted. “Alright.” Hermione gave Ron a sharp look, then turned to Anne, silently urging her to say something.
“You’ll be fine. Go see what’s down there,” Anne said calmly.
Harry jumped in. After a few seconds, they heard his voice echo up from the depths. “It’s okay! It’s a soft landing, you can come down!”
Anne looked at Ron, who also jumped in. Then she turned to Hermione. “I’ll go next. When you come down, make sure to close the trapdoor behind you, alright?”
After Hermione nodded, Anne jumped. Then Hermione followed.
“What is this stuff?” Ron yelled as he landed.
“No idea. Some kind of plant. Good thing it’s here,” Harry replied.
Anne landed on something soft and springy. But then she felt something strange, two tendrils wrapping around her wand hand.
“Oh no. Lucky? This thing’s Devil’s Snare! Hermione! Fire! Light, anything! It’s wrapped around my hand!”
Hermione whipped out her wand, muttering rapidly. A soft blue flame, like a cluster of glowing bluebells, flared from her wand.
Almost immediately, Anne felt the plant retreating. It clearly hated fire.
Soon all three of them were free and joined Hermione.
“Good thing we’ve got an Herbology whiz and a witch who can make fire,” Ron sighed.
Harry pointed to a stone archway ahead. “A few more challenges ahead.”
They entered a sloping stone corridor. Other than their footsteps, only the faint dripping of water echoed around them. As they neared the end, Ron whispered, “Do you guys hear that?”
They all listened. There was a faint rustling and a clinking sound.
“Could it be a ghost?” Ron asked.
“Not sure... sounds like wings flapping,” Harry replied.
“There’s light up ahead,” Hermione said. “I see movement.”
They reached a well-lit room with a high arched ceiling. Hundreds of dazzling, gem-colored birds flitted through the air. On the far side of the room stood a heavy wooden door.
“If we cross the room, will they attack us?” Ron asked.
Anne glanced around. “No... don’t they look familiar?”
The others looked more closely. Suddenly, Harry exclaimed, “They’re keys! Winged keys!”
“Exactly. Let’s go have a look,” Anne said, crossing the room.
Hermione tried the lock with “Alohomora,” but nothing happened.
Ron peered at the keyhole. “Looks like we need an old-fashioned key.”
Harry scanned the room. In the corner, he spotted three broomsticks. “There! We can use those to catch the key!”
“Alright. Hermione, stay by the door. The rest of us will go up,” Anne instructed.
No one objected. Each grabbed a broom, kicked off, and soared into the sky filled with fluttering keys.
“Let’s figure out which one it is first!” Ron called.
Harry, the youngest Seeker in a century, lived up to his title. He quickly spotted a large silver key with bent wings and frayed feathers, clearly the one that had been shoved into the lock before.
“That’s it!” he shouted. “Big silver one! Light blue wings, all the feathers are bent!”
Ron shot toward it but crashed into the ceiling.
“We need to trap it!” Harry yelled. “Ron, cut it off from above! Anne, guard the bottom! I’ll grab it!”
Ron swooped, Anne surged upward, and the key zipped between them.
Harry chased it down. As it darted toward the wall, he lunged, and with a loud screech, he pinned it against the stone with one hand.
Cheers echoed from below.
They landed quickly. Harry ran to the door, the key squirming in his grasp. He shoved it into the lock and turned.
Click.
The door opened.
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A/N: Ah, meddling friends! We’re almost at the end of this volume, just thinking about it makes me a little excited!
