Desires, Distractions, and Detours
As the group ran through the corridors, Harry kept his eyes fixed on the Marauder's Map, checking if any student was getting close to Fluffy. After all, if something happened to someone… it would be entirely his fault.
Luckily, the only ones wandering around at that hour were a few Gryffindors scattered in other areas. The professors and prefects, on the other hand, all seemed to be heading in the same direction—which made sense, knowing how sharp they could be.
Harry let out a sigh of relief.
The four of them had nearly run a marathon by the time they reached Flitwick's office, and thanks to the map, they knew he was still inside.
Hermione knocked on the door hurriedly.
"Come in," said the professor, completely calm.
When they entered, he simply looked up.
"Did you forget something?" he asked.
"Well… something like that. Actually, we've got a problem. A big one," said Daphne with a forced smile.
Flitwick set his things aside and looked at them intently.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Well… um… how do we put this?" murmured Draco, searching for the right words.
"The giant dog that guarded the third-floor corridor is loose… and walking around the school halls. With Red," Harry said calmly.
Flitwick stared at them, blinking several times as if his brain hadn't quite processed the information.
Then he nodded, almost automatically, as he removed his glasses and set them on the desk… though his hand was shaking so much that the glasses slipped and fell to the floor.
And then, the professor fainted.
"Come on, Professor! This is not the time for that!" exclaimed Daphne, running over to shake him.
"Let me," said Harry, pulling out his wand. "Renervate."
The professor woke up immediately, this time with full awareness.
"What do you mean Hagrid's dog escaped?! Where is it? How did it get out? Who let it out?!" he rattled off, visibly anxious.
"Professor, it's a giant dog in a school full of students. It's better to go catch it first," Harry said firmly.
"You're right… You all, get somewhere safe," Flitwick replied before starting to run off on his short legs.
"Let's follow him. Use the cloaks," Harry said immediately.
"Wait, Harry! It's dangerous!" Hermione protested instantly.
"Hagrid told us how to calm it down, remember? And we don't know if Professor Flitwick does," Harry replied with a serious look.
Hermione frowned but knew he was right.
Each of them put on their own invisibility cloak—they all had one now—and began running, though being separated made them rely on the sounds of each other's steps.
Soon enough, they caught up to Flitwick, who was still running… although not very fast, of course. His legs were short.
A few minutes later, while Harry checked the map, he saw that Red and Fluffy were nearby… just around the corner.
He reached into his bag with undetectable extension and pulled out a small wind-up music box. But when he stopped suddenly, the others crashed into him, and the box fell to the floor.
At that exact moment, Fluffy appeared. Beside him, Red was walking proudly.
Flitwick stopped abruptly and raised his wand.
Harry and the others, still sprawled on the ground, tensed up. Harry pulled out his own wand, ready to act, while the professor prepared to cast a spell.
But the massive dog merely looked at him, wagged its tail happily… and ignored him completely, strolling calmly past. Red followed beside him, strutting like a general on parade.
Everyone froze. The three-headed dog walked past them as if they weren't even there.
Just then, another professor appeared at the end of the corridor, guiding two Gryffindor students back to their dorms. The students were Fred and George Weasley. The professor with them was Sprout.
They also froze as soon as they saw Fluffy. The dog glanced at them indifferently and kept walking.
Sprout looked at Flitwick, somewhere between afraid and confused.
Flitwick let out a long sigh.
"Seems like Hagrid trained him well. We'd better call him to catch the dog. Just in case, let's keep a bit of distance," he said quietly.
"You two, back to your dorms. I don't think you want to get mauled," Sprout ordered the twins, who nodded quickly.
Under their cloaks, Harry and the others let out a sigh. Maybe they had worried too much.
"Hey, Harry… what do we do now?" Draco whispered.
"Let's erase any clues that make it look like Red released Fluffy. Anyway, we weren't the ones who brought a three-headed dog to school," Harry said seriously.
"That's true. We brought something worse," Daphne added with a mocking smile.
"Come on. Let's take advantage of the distraction," said Harry.
…
When they reached the third-floor corridor, they found the door destroyed, covered in unmistakable bite marks from Red.
Harry restored the entrance as if nothing had happened and then physically broke the lock to make it look like it had been forced open—avoiding any magical traces that could be tracked.
Well, actually, it was easy. He used a small hidden grenade, and the lock was completely blown out. Now it would look like someone had let Fluffy out, and that he had just randomly bumped into Red in the halls.
Of course, some portraits had probably seen Red approaching… but without proof, there's no crime.
"This is ridiculously elaborate. You do realize that, right?" Hermione muttered, eyeing him.
"Seriously. I didn't bring Cerberus to Hogwarts. Or hide a stone that grants immortality instead of just giving it to its rightful owner," replied Harry, shrugging.
"Stop being sarcastic," Hermione grumbled, a little annoyed.
Harry just smiled at her.
"Hey. Since we're here… why don't we go through with our plan? After all, we've got a great distraction," Daphne suddenly said.
Harry opened the map and quickly noticed that several professors—including the Headmaster—were headed toward Fluffy and Red.
"We might only have a couple of minutes," said Harry seriously. "We can go in… and then ask Liz or Griss to pull us out. They can't appear unless they have an exact destination, but they can go to wherever we are," he added, thoughtful. It was a plausible strategy.
"What about the surveillance enchantments?" Draco asked cautiously.
Harry gave a small smile and pointed at his glasses.
"Remember: I don't wear these because I need them… they just make it easier to see runes and spells. They were a gift from Mr. Flamel," he said with pride.
"If there's a trap, sensor, or hidden charm, I'll be able to spot it.
Disabling it? Well… that's another matter.
But it's time for an adventure," he added, letting a trace of excitement slip through.
The four of them looked at each other for a moment, tilting their heads slightly, as if silently agreeing to the challenge.
They opened the door that was usually guarded by Fluffy… but of course, the place was now empty.
Only a trapdoor remained on the floor.
Harry stared at it for a few seconds, checking for magical traps.
Nothing.
Then he opened it, and they all peered down.
"Ladies first," said Harry with an exaggerated bow.
Hermione and Daphne looked at him like he couldn't be serious.
"You're the one who can levitate," Hermione pointed out dryly.
"And here I was trying to be a gentleman," Harry sighed before taking a small step backward and dropping straight into the pit.
The two girls turned to Draco.
"Aaah…" he muttered, stepping forward. He drew his wand, ready to slow his fall, and jumped.
Then went Daphne.
And finally, Hermione.
"Aaaaaah!" both girls screamed as they fell—only to see a red light below them.
Harry was already standing calmly at the bottom, holding both hands up, red aura extended, gently catching them mid-air.
Meanwhile, Draco had lit up the area with his wand and was pushing away the Devil's Snare vines.
"Well… looks like this trap is courtesy of Professor Sprout," Harry said plainly.
"Easy to bypass if you're a student. Light or heat does the trick," Draco added as he cleared the last of the vines.
Hermione frowned deeply, visibly offended by how ridiculously simple the trap was.
Was this supposed to stop a dark wizard?
"We don't have much time," said Harry, checking the map and noticing that Hagrid was rushing back to the castle.
He'd clearly been summoned.
The four of them hurried forward.
After passing through a door, they entered a room filled with flying keys and a massive steel door at the far end.
Harry grinned mischievously as he pulled out another of his magical grenades.
"How many did you bring without your mother noticing?" Hermione asked, genuinely surprised.
"That's a secret," Harry replied, tossing the grenade toward the door.
It exploded, blasting open the lower part of the entrance. No need to look for the key now—they simply crouched and slipped through.
The next room held an enormous chessboard.
Carved above the opposite door was a glowing inscription:
"To advance, you must play.
No magic, no tricks.
Victory is the only way."
When they tried to cross the board directly, the chess pieces sprang to life, raising their weapons to block the way.
Harry tried to move a piece using his chaos magic…
but as soon as he did, it slid right back to its original spot, like some field was preventing any cheating.
"Looks like we have to win if we want to get through," Harry said, clearly annoyed.
Destroying the pieces didn't help either—the door stayed firmly shut.
Suddenly, Harry raised a hand, motioning for silence. The others followed him behind a column.
He pointed toward a corner of the room, where a portrait was watching the board.
A person inside the frame walked up, glanced around, didn't see anyone… and left.
"They're watching us through portraits," Harry muttered with a frown. "This has to be a fast match."
"But we're missing pieces," Hermione said, eyeing the board.
Four gaps exactly.
Harry frowned again, more deeply this time.
Four missing spots.
The traps so far had been far too easy to stop a grown dark wizard…
but just hard enough to make things difficult for a bunch of first-years.
Devil's Snare?
Any third-year and up would know how to deal with it.
Flying keys?
There were even brooms conveniently placed nearby.
What kind of trap leaves brooms out in the open?
And now chess.
No…
this wasn't meant for a dark wizard.
This was meant for them.
Harry reached into his bag and pulled out four small golems.
They were club-made, so he didn't care if they were destroyed.
"Each of you control one. Draco, you're not great at fighting, but you are good at chess.
Set up a fast match. You just need to win," Harry said calmly.
Everyone nodded and placed the golems in the empty spaces.
The match began.
Draco's expression hardened as his eyes scanned the board..
Some pieces were taken, including two of the golems, but in the end only a knight and a rook remained.
With those, he delivered checkmate to the opposing king.
"Wasn't even hard.
Not a pro or anything, but my grandfather played better," Draco muttered with a smug smirk.
Harry didn't answer.
He just stared at the board, serious.
Something about all this bothered him… and it wasn't the chess.
The board had adjusted to Draco's level.
And even so… it let him win.
"Let's go," Harry said quickly, hurrying them along.
If the portrait came back, they'd be seen.
As soon as they passed the door, a horrible smell hit them.
A few meters ahead, loud thuds echoed through the hall—
something big was slamming against the walls.
The four of them crept forward in silence, carefully…
and peeked around the corner.
There it was: a massive troll, smashing its wooden club against the stone wall, trying to break free.
Harry watched the scene with a look of pure exasperation.
"Let me guess…
this trap was Quirrell's idea.
Do you realize our headmaster is a senile old man?
The guy who let a troll into the school…
and the first person who saw it sneaking in is somehow still trusted?
That's the most suspicious thing ever," he muttered, increasingly irritated.
With a calm flick of his hands, the troll's club floated upward—
then dropped straight onto the troll's own head.
The creature collapsed instantly, knocked out cold.
"I'm really losing patience. I feel like throwing all my grenades around right now," Harry muttered as he walked forward, frowning in frustration.
The others simply stared at the unconscious troll and followed him.
They soon reached a new room. The moment they entered, a wall of fire flared up, blocking the path. In the center stood a table with several potions and a parchment.
Hermione took the lead and read aloud:
"Danger lies ahead and danger behind,
but only one way out you'll find.
One among us seven will let you move on,
another will send you back where you've gone.
Two of us hold nothing but wine,
three of us are deadly poison by design.
Choose, unless you wish to remain
to help us toast the desperate again."
"Aaah…" Harry sighed in annoyance as he began uncorking the bottles one by one, sniffing them quickly. Some he tossed behind him, where they shattered on the floor.
Draco picked up one and sniffed it.
"Snake venom. Not that deadly," he noted calmly.
"This one," said Harry, pointing at one of the remaining bottles.
Then he reached into his bag and pulled out a small case. When he opened it, it revealed a collection of more useful potions. He selected one that looked similar in color and texture, though slightly lower in quality.
"There's not enough for all of us. You two take the original. Draco and I will use one of mine," he said, tossing a bottle to Draco.
"Why do you two get Harry's?" asked Hermione, raising an eyebrow.
"Snape's potions are better. With mine, you'll feel a nasty tingling for a few seconds," Harry explained seriously before drinking his.
Draco glanced at the bottle, then at the girls, and downed it in one go.
Hermione and Daphne exchanged a glance, smiled, and split theirs evenly.
They all passed through the fire. Draco and Harry rubbed their arms slightly, enduring the tingling. Hermione and Daphne, however, didn't feel a thing.
They advanced until they reached the final room.
A large mirror awaited them.
Harry observed it silently, raising one eyebrow.
The others approached, confused, looking around. There were no doors, no exits, no other clues. Just the mirror.
"Is this the Philosopher's Stone?" Daphne asked, visibly puzzled.
The other three looked at her for a moment.
"It's a valid question," she said quickly in her defense. After all, not many people knew what the Stone actually looked like.
"It's a mirror that reflects the deepest desire of the one who looks into it," Harry explained. Thanks to his glasses, he could see the mirror was linked through multiple enchantments across Hogwarts. The moment they interacted with it, the Headmaster would know.
"Desire?" Daphne asked, intrigued. She rushed up to the mirror, eager to see her reflection.
Of course, the others couldn't see what she saw. But when she started smiling foolishly at her own image, they knew it was something significant.
"What are you seeing?" Hermione asked, curious.
"I'm the queen of the wizarding world. You three bring me everything I ask for while I sit on a golden throne," Daphne answered proudly.
"That's really your desire?" Harry asked, glancing sideways at her.
"Ruling the world isn't a big enough dream for you?" Daphne shot back.
"My turn," Draco said, gently nudging her aside to stand in front of the mirror. He smiled with pride at his reflection.
"And you? What do you see?" Daphne asked.
"The king of the wizarding world," Draco replied without hesitation.
"Seriously? You two don't have any other desires? Are you idiots?" Hermione said, putting a hand to her forehead as if her brain cells were slowly dying in their presence.
"We're supposed to be Slytherins. What did you expect?" Draco said matter-of-factly.
"You're Ravenclaws now," she muttered, pushing Draco aside to take a look at her own reflection.
As she stared into the mirror, she froze. A small smile tried to escape, but she held it in.
"So?" Daphne asked.
"Ahem… nothing. Just… a quiet life with a happy family," Hermione answered, clearly lying.
"Obviously a lie. You probably saw yourself as queen too," Daphne accused.
"Or Minister for Magic," Harry added suddenly.
Hermione blushed on the spot.
He'd hit the nail on the head.
"That's less than a king!" Daphne protested.
"And you two—do you realize one wants to be king and the other queen? Are you planning to get married and rule the world together?" Hermione snapped defensively.
"Absolutely not!" Daphne said, scandalized.
"I'm offended… but also not interested," Draco said with a sigh.
"Then you take half the world and I'll take the other half. I call Europe, Asia… and maybe Antarctica," Daphne declared quickly.
"Antarctica? Why would you want that?" Draco asked, more intrigued by her reasoning than the ridiculous conversation.
"Looks like the kind of place hiding a lot of resources," she replied with a surprisingly shrewd expression.
"And you, Harry? What did you see?" Hermione asked.
Harry turned toward the mirror.
In his reflection, there was nothing… just himself, watching his friends bicker behind him.
But that wasn't the mirror's magic.
It was simply… his current reflection.
"My wish came true a long time ago," he said with a calm smile.
And for a moment, he remembered that day—
the day he opened the Dursleys' front door.
A memory he would always treasure.
Because that was the moment his life—his destiny—began to change.
"Anyway… time to leave a little present for the next intruder," he added quickly, changing the subject.
Then, his smile turned dangerously sharp.
"Liz. Griss."
The two house-elves appeared instantly.
"Get ready to take the entire mirror… and us. Make sure to leave no traces behind.," Harry ordered, turning around to start walking back through the traps.