Hogwarts Reimagined

Content warning for: Tentacles, insects, overlarge insects, self-sacrifice and significant injury.

The six of them linked hands, and together they took a deep breath. There was no ladder, no rope, nothing left behind to ease their way down. Rhiannon stood between Ron and Neville, mentally laying out what they’d face. Snape had had devil’s snare welts – presumably, that would be what they faced next. Mentally she reviewed the properties of the plant, forming almost an internal chant that calmed her. Neville’s lips moved soundlessly and she squeezed his hand, guessing he was probably doing the same.

“How are we gonna get down?” Faye asked, the obvious question. Hermione made a small considering noise, scowling down at the drop. “We could try levitating but the physics...” she muttered, pulling out a notebook and beginning to scribble as she attempted to work out the mathematics of how that would work. “Or... not,” she added, slamming the notebook closed and shoving it back in her pocket in defeat. Faye nodded, clearly coming to a similar conclusion. “Alright then. Budge up.” she said, staring down at the drop. She took a breath and jumped, trailing brown-blonde hair behind her for a moment.

All too quickly she was gone from their vision. They peered into the hole below but could see nothing useful, only faint movement.

“It’s fine! Landed on something soft, you can jump all good!” Faye called up to them from far below. Rhiannon grimaced, the possible scenarios already racing in her head.

Before they could stress themselves out any further, Ron shifted his grip from Rhiannon’s hand to around her waist and stepped over the edge of the hole, pulling Rhiannon with him. Rhi was too startled even to scream and she clung to Ron’s side as they fell. Abruptly their freefall was halted by something and Rhiannon coughed futilely as the wind was knocked from her.

The others followed, Ron pulling Rhiannon out of the way to narrowly avoid being landed on. They all lay on something soft and squishy. Rhiannon put a hand out to inspect it and immediately retracted it, coughing and gagging at the sensation against her hands. Now she was aware of it she could feel the same cold slimy sensation pressing into her neck and her hair, pushing on her clothes, coiling around her legs... wait. That wasn’t just wandering sensation spread.

Whatever they were lying on had swallowed Rhiannon’s pyjama-clad legs, the slimy sensation crowding through the thin fabric. She went to jerk away, disgusted – and she couldn’t. Growing increasingly panicked she clawed at Ron’s sleeve, only to find more cold coils where the wool should have been. The others began to struggle around her too and Rhiannon whimpered, the dark and the clutching sensation making her feel incredibly claustrophobic.

“Well, I suppose we found the Devil’s Snare,” Ron joked – but even his voice was high and brittle with fear. Someone’s flailing hand clocked Rhiannon in the shoulder and she jerked and then lunged for it, feeling familiar rings against her fingers. Hermione’s hand. Rhi clutched it tightly for a moment before it was wrestled away from her and she bit back another yelp of fear. “Stop – struggling!” Hermione managed, her voice strained. Rhiannon tried to relax but she couldn’t, every shift of the plant tendrils had her wanting to jerk away, the urge to kick and flail was a reflex one.

Suddenly, a bright light flared up around them. Rhiannon squeezed her eyes closed a moment too late, and the plant released them as if recoiling. There was only a short drop to the floor below but it still knocked the wind out of them and they lay there coughing and dazed in the brilliant yellow wandlight.

Rhiannon sat up, shaking the remnants of the sensation from her chilled limbs. She flinched away from the bright light and flapped a hand at it, its’ owner lowered it immediately. Now she could see a little better and she stood, leaning over for a moment as she still struggled to breathe evenly. “Of course, Devil’s Snare – sulks in the sun! Lumos solem!” Hermione exclaimed, her voice echoing weirdly in the chamber. “W-who? C-couldn’t hear,” Rhiannon asked, biting her lip. Someone’s small, pudgy fingers closed around her wrist briefly – she went to jerk away, still hypersensitive from the sensation of the Snare, and then relaxed as she realised it was Neville. There was a sort of clinging sparkle sensation to her vision, and Rhiannon doubted her own hearing – it was wobbly at best. Still, that had to have been her shortest episode yet.

“Neville, I didn’t know you could cast that – that was brilliant,” someone else – Parvati – said. The grip on Rhiannon’s wrist jerked, and the wandlight bobbed and quavered. Now Rhiannon understood. She grinned a little shakily, and silently spelled their shorthand thanks against Neville’s wrist.

Being mostly nonverbal, Neville must have had an advantage with the silent casting – at least, that was Rhiannon’s guess. She didn’t really parse what was being said as the others congratulated him. And Herbology was Neville’s best subject – he was the one who’d clued them in to the Snare in the first place. “Y-yeah, that was... r-really cool. Saved us.” she offered, voice a little jerky.

Turned in to a sort of crooked circle as they were, the six hadn’t paid any attention to what was further down the corridor – they had been too concerned with their close call. A disturbing clicking sound drew their attention and they cast around for the source of the sound, Neville’s wand-light still illuminating much of the chamber. Still, they couldn’t see anything useful – some trailing tendrils of the snare and clouds of midgelike insects that must have been attracted to it, and then ancient stone for as far as the wandlight reached.

Then suddenly Ron screamed and pointed upwards, stumbling back behind the rest of the group. He fumbled for his wand, and the rest of them stared up at the ceiling of the chamber in horror.

Enormous and insectoid in shape, it was far bigger than Fluffy had been. If Rhiannon were to compare it to anything she would have suggested a grasshopper, but its’ legs were too long and spiked, and its’ carapace far heavier than any grasshopper she had ever seen.
Without warning it dropped to the floor, and the hallway trembled under its’ weight. The students stumbled backwards, clustered together with their wands raised as they stared at their next adversary. Some small rational part of Rhiannon’s panicked brain started analysing the creature, taking it apart mentally and scrabbling for something, anything they could use.

It hadn’t attacked, it just stood there clicking ominously. But whether it would attack or not, their way forward clearly lay beyond it. Considering something, she signed to Neville to raise his still-lit wand. As he did so, the creature flinched away for a moment before lunging back, closer now and from what little Rhiannon could guess of its’ alien body language, angry.

“Get back!” someone – Faye – yelled, and Rhiannon was caught in the chest by her friend’s arm as the Scottish girl dragged her backwards. Too late she noticed the creature’s foreleg extended, missing Rhiannon only by inches as the group staggered backwards, cowering against the wall beneath the Snare.

“W-www – weak t-to light, b-but not enough to back off... got to w-weaken it enough that it will... could use the light to get past it then...” she mumbled, thinking aloud in her panic. And her analytical brain supplied the how. “Legs. Disable the legs – how... fuck I can’t sssay that one -” she trailed off muttering, the edges of a rash, desperate plan occurring to her. She grabbed Ron’s wrist as he was nearest and mimed dancing, desperately trying to convey what she meant. He just shook his head numbly, staring round-eyed at the over-sized cricket before them. “Too many legs... too many legs...” he whispered. Rhiannon gave up and whirled around, looking for Parvati, again miming dancing in a vain attempt to get her point across. “W-weak at the legs, Parvati – you were best at it in class, r-remember? C-can’t say the incant-tation, tangles,”

Unlike Ron, Parvati understood what Rhiannon meant immediately. “Dancing feet curse, right? It backed off with the light for a sec – hang on, I got you,” she replied, nodding as she figured out what to do. “Huddle back, anyone else who can light a wand do it after I do,” she ordered them, her lips moving soundlessly as she figured out the spell ahead of time.

“TARANTALLEGRA!”

The incantation rang in the still air, and for a brief horrible moment Rhiannon thought it hadn’t worked. The creature staggered towards them, looming over, and then it began to jerk. Its’ overlong limbs twitched and spasmed in some terrible mockery of dancing and it stumbled back, allowing the six some breathing room. “L-lu, no – lumos!” Rhiannon stammered and then managed, lighting her wand a brief moment behind Hermione and Faye.

Already floundering the enormous insect virtually flung itself away from them, clawing at the floor still trapped in the relentless dancing curse. Rhiannon grabbed Ron’s arm and, led by Parvati, the six of them rushed past the giant insect down the hallway. It flattened itself against the wall as they passed, and the six of them flung themselves at the door that marked the end of the hallway, clawing at it and lunging through it disregarding any thought of what could possibly be on the other side.

Breathing heavily, they leaned against the closed door. Rhiannon barely caught Parvati’s muttered counter-curse, and she let her wand-light run out. Helplessly, the six of them fell about laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of it. “It was the size of a shed!” Hermione gasped, wiping hysterical tears from her eyes. “Who makes grasshoppers that big?”

Ron groaned and turned away, covering his ears. “Nooo, stop – don’t wanna think about it,” he moaned, and they relented.

They were in a smaller chamber this time, lit from above and filled with the rustling chatter of what Rhiannon guessed to be birds. Small, jewel-bright and quick, they circled the high-ceilinged room in a flock. “D’ya think they’ll attack us if we try and cross the room?” Faye asked, casting them a dubious glance. “Probably,” Ron replied resentfully.

“We’ll just run for it, c’mon,” Faye decided. She pulled up the hood of her jacket and the other five covered their heads with their hands and ran, eyes down, for the other side of the room. Rhiannon expected to feel sharp beaks tearing, claws in her hair – but there was nothing, and the six of them slammed into the heavy wooden door on the other side of the room with nothing to show for the mad dash it had taken them.

Rhiannon tried the handle – locked. “Alohomora,” Hermione whispered. “Try it now.”

Rhiannon tried again – nothing. She turned her back to the door and slumped against it, staring up at the circling birds in frustration.

“Those birds can’t be here just for decoration...” Hermione mused, considering them too. “So far, everything’s been a puzzle, rather than just impassable.”

“They’re not birds, they’re keys – look!” Parvati chimed in, pointing up at the circling flock. The others squinted upwards doubtfully, but Parvati’s assessment was correct. “M-must be a key for the d-door, up there,” Rhiannon said slowly, frowning at the cluster of keys. “B-but there’s hundreds, and there’s no t-time to-” she stressed, but was cut off by Ron’s interjection. “Don’t have to. Look at the lock, see? Big, silver, black with age. Key’ll be the same.” he said, pointing at the lock again for emphasis.

While the others bandied ideas about, Rhiannon cast about the chamber again, looking for any sort of solution. Three shadows, crooked and elongated, leaned against the wall not far from them and she broke off from her friends to look. Broomsticks. Nothing as nice as her Nimbus, these looked like retired school brooms. She collected them in her arms and strode back to the others, the solution was obvious. “I-i’m not the Sssss – Seeker, for nothing, right?” she asked, offering her friends a wan smile.

Rhiannon left the two spare brooms on the ground and climbed astride the third, feeling its’ shaky energy underneath her with some concern. Still, nothing went abundantly wrong – until she climbed up, into the clamour of keys themselves. Immediately she was overwhelmed. The keys bobbed and wove about, some clipped at her hands and face and she struggled to stay aloft, let alone find the key she wanted.

“Over there, with the bent wing!” Ron yelled from below, but Rhiannon couldn’t see the one he meant. Where the keys previously had simply flown in a circling swarm, now they mobbed Rhiannon personally and she fled from them, climbing higher into the air of the chamber until she saw the grate of the ceiling all too close above her. All her energy was spent on evading the jabbing keys, and she eventually landed beside her friends, giving up.

As soon as Rhiannon hit the ground, the keys backed off as well, and she shook her head as her friends looked at her. “I – hhh, t-there’s n-not normally a hundred Snitches all trying to b-bite me,” she said. “S-sorry, I c-can’t -”

Faye shook her head, and took one of the brooms from Ron. “Ron, you can fly – get up here with me, we’ll draw their attention so Rhi can nab the right one,” she said decisively. Ron looked nervously up at the innocent-looking keys, then he shook his head and stood up, climbing astride the broomstick.

He and Faye pushed off from the ground and immediately the keys swooped after them. Watching now, Rhiannon could make out the one they meant as it trailed at the back of the flock in pursuit of her friends. She clenched her teeth and mounted the broomstick again, circling the chamber below her friends as she tried to focus on the key she needed.

Something about her friends having gone first drew the keys’ enchantment away from Rhiannon, and it was as though she was invisible to them. She trailed behind, squinting at the glinting cluster again trying to pick it out.

“Rhiannon, hurry up!” Faye yelled from above. “They’re murderin’ us up here!”

Spurred to action, Rhiannon homed in on the bent-winged key that lagged behind the flock. Time grew elastic just as it did every time she caught the Snitch, but she hesitated out of fear. Only for a moment, though, before she kicked herself mentally and lunged forward, feeling the key’s edges bite into her palm. “G-got it!” she yelled, descending rapidly from the air.

She dropped to the ground and staggered away from the broomstick, running for the door. She unlocked it with trembling fingers. “G-go, go!” she yelled, hurrying the others through. Ron and Faye dropped from the air and flew through the doorway, collapsing to the ground on the other side. Keys slammed into the wood of the heavy door as Rhiannon slammed it closed behind them, breathing heavily.

Unlike the last, this chamber was dark and the six of them huddled together, wands extended, as they pushed forward into it. As they crossed what must have been a hidden trip point the room was suddenly flooded with light, revealing an imposing sight before them.

The room was an enormous chessboard and before them stood a row of towering chess pieces, all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Between them Rhiannon could see the opposing row of white pieces. All of them shivered – the chess pieces had no faces, giving the sensation of a silent guard.

“N-now what?” Rhiannon whispered, staring helplessly at the impassive row of chess pieces that guarded the way forward.

“I think,” Ron murmured darkly, “We’re going to have to be chess pieces. “

Behind the white chess pieces they could see another door. Ron stepped forward experimentally, but when he tried to pass through the pawns sprang to life and crossed their swords. He nodded, his theory confirmed, and paced down the row to the king-side knight. When he placed his hand upon its’ horse the stone sprang to life and the knight turned its helmeted head to face Ron with an unpleasant sound of grinding stone. Then it stepped down from the horse and left the field to lean against the wall.

Ron nodded once, then turned to face the others. “There’s six of us, so we have to take the places of these pieces. And no offence, but none of you are that good at chess.” he explained. They all hurried to reassure him that they weren’t offended. Ron nodded again, then gestured at them. “Rhiannon, you take that rook over there, Neville the pawn in front. Parvati, you take queen-side bishop, Hermione and Faye in the front row.” he ordered. From his place astride the great stone horse he looked like some kind of general.

As the others obeyed his commands, the stone pieces stepped off their disk-shaped plinths leaving them clear for the Gryffindors. “White always plays first,” said Ron, peering across the giant board. “Yes...”

A white pawn moved forward two spaces. Ron frowned, then began to call out the directions to the remaining pieces. And just as in wizard chess as they had begun to play in the Christmas holidays, the game was brutal. Their first real loss was their other knight – the white queen knocked the stone warrior from its’ horse and threw both across the board to leave them motionless against the wall.

Ron looked shaken, and he covered his eyes with his hands. “Had to let that happen... leaves you free to take that bishop, Faye, budge up.”

Every time they lost a piece, the faceless army of white stone showed no mercy, and soon there was a huddle of black stone pieces slumped slumped against the side wall of the chamber. Twice Ron noticed only just in time that his friends were in danger. He himself was in his element, directing confidently and darting around the board taking almost as many white pieces as they lost black ones.

“We’re nearly there,” he muttered. His gaze darted around the board, before landing on the white queen.
The faceless piece turned its head towards him.
“Yes,” said Ron softly, “you’re right. It’s the only way... I have to be taken.”

“NO!” Hermione yelled, and she was joined by a cluster of protests from the others. Rhiannon just met Ron’s eyes for a moment across the chamber and nodded once, understanding.

“That leaves the king open for you to put him in checkmate, Rhiannon.” Ron said finally. He shook his head and stepped forward.

The white queen pounced, far faster than any charmed stone should have been able to move. It struck Ron hard in the head with its’ stone arm and he crashed to the floor – Parvati screamed, but stayed in her place – and then the queen dragged Ron across the board to lie crumpled with the army of dead black pieces.

Trembling, Rhiannon moved three spaces to the left and stared up at the empty face of the white king. The king took off his crown and let it fall to the floor.

The remaining chesspieces parted and bowed, leaving the way ahead clear. Rhiannon and her friends clustered in the middle, casting worried looks aside at Ron.

“I’ll go back for help. That won’t be a nice head injury, and I can handle the bug and the Snare best.” said Faye grimly. Parvati nodded, and bit her lip. “I’ll stay here with Ron if you help me get him off the board.” she suggested.

Rhiannon didn’t want to split up. Ron’s crumpled body was like a reminder of how hopelessly reckless this all was. But she had no counter to Faye and Parvati’s logic and begrudgingly they parted ways.

“W-what do you think is n-e-ext?” Rhiannon asked, more for the sake of something to break the silence than anything as they reached the next door.

“Well the Snare was Professor Sprout’s and that – bug – thing, had to have been Professor Kettleburn and Hagrid. Flitwick must have charmed the keys, and McGonagall charmed the chessmen – seems more her thing than his, lots of complex interlayering... that leaves, hell, so many it could be but... almost certainly Professor Quirrell and Snape, maybe something from Dumbledore. I can’t imagine how any of the other subjects would be relevant – or I mean I can but they probably didn’t,” Hermione mused, frowning.

Together, the three of them pushed open the heavy door and recoiled at the familiar stink. Rhiannon pulled her jumper up over her nose and mouth, and the others did the same. They tiptoed into the room ahead and saw, lying flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one that had menaced them at Hallowe’en. Rhi squeaked, but Hermione shook her head and nodded to the bloody lump on its head.

“I-I’m really, r-really glad we didn’t have to fight that,” Rhiannon whispered to Neville and Hermione as they crept around the creature’s prone form. She pulled open the next door, hardly daring to think of what came next as she ushered her friends through and let the door fall closed with a ringing thud behind them – but there was nothing strange in here. However as they stepped over the threshold and into the center of the room, a ring of violet flames sprang up, leaving them to huddle together in shock.
They were trapped.