Y/N's POV

"So wizard's chess in real life?" I asked.

"Pretty much." Ron replied.

I then walked up to a black knight and put my hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at me.

"Do we have to join you to get across?"

The black knight nodded. I turned to the others.

"This needs thinking about..." I said, "I suppose we've got to take the place of four of the black pieces..."

Ron started thinking before he said. "Now, don't be offended or anything, but only me and Y/N are good at chess-"

"We're not offended," said Harry quickly, "just tell us what to do."

"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go next to him instead of that castle."

"What about you and Y/N?"

"We're going to be knights." I said.

The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words two knights, a bishop, and a castle turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving four empty squares that we took.

"White always plays first in chess," I said, peering across the board, "yes... look..."

A white pawn had moved forward two squares.

Me and Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever we sent them.

"Harry, move diagonally four squares to the right."

Our first real shock came when our other castle was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he laid quite still, facedown.

"Had to let that happen," said Ron, looking shaken, "leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on."

Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, I only just noticed in time that Harry and Hermione were in danger. I darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as we had lost black ones.

"We're nearly there," I muttered suddenly, "let me think, let me think..."

The white queen turned her blank face toward me.

"Yes..." I said softly, "it's the only way...I've got to be taken."

"NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS Y/N!" Hermione shouted.

"That's chess!" I sighed. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I take one step forward and she'll take me, that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"

"But-"

"Do you want to stop Snape or not?"

"Y/N-"

"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!"

At last they accepted that this was the only option.

"Ready?" I called. "Here I go...now, don't hang around once you've won."

I stepped forward, closing my eyes.

I didn't really remember what happened next.

Hermione's POV

Y/N stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck him hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor, I screamed but stayed on my square. The white queen dragged Y/N to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out.

Shaking, Harry moved three spaces to the left.

The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. We had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear.

We made it to the next room, there was a logic puzzle which I managed to solve. However, the potion only had enough for one to drink.

"Hermione and Ron, listen, get back and get Y/N. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him, really."

"But Harry, what if You-Know-Who's with him?" Ron asked worriedly.

"Well, I was lucky once, wasn't I?" said Harry, pointing at his scar. "I might get lucky again."

"Harry, you're a great wizard, you know." I said, smiling at him.

"I'm not as good as you," said Harry,

"Me!" I said. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things, friendship and bravery and oh Harry be careful!"

"You and Ron drink first," said Harry, "you are sure which is which, aren't you?"

"Positive," I nodded. I took a drink from the bottle and passed it to Ron.

"It's not poison?" said Harry anxiously.

"No, but it's like ice." Ron stated.

"Quick, go, before it wears off."

"Good luck take care."

We walked through the purple fire and I quickly rushed off to Y/N's side. He was still unconscious.

"You go to the owlery." I told Ron and he nodded. "I'll try take Y/N to the Hospital Wing."

He nodded and rushed off.

The next few minutes I just stayed there next to Y/N, looking at him and thinking. I would've been devastated if something worse had happened to him. I really cared about him.

I looked at him and could almost feel a tear trickle down my face, I don't even know why. He wasn't even dead.

"I really care about you Y/N..." I whispered, even though he couldn't even hear me.

Y/N's POV

When I woke up I was in the Hospital Wing, Harry was in the bed next to me.

"Harry, you're ok!" I exclaimed.

He didn't reply as Dumbledore had arrived.

"Tokens from your friends and admirers," said Dumbledore, beaming at me and Harry before just turning to Harry, "what happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows."

"How long have we been in here?" I asked.

"Three days. Mr Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger will be most relieved you two have come round, they have been extremely worried."

"But sir, the Stone..." Harry started.

"I see you are not to be distracted. Very well, the Stone. Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, although you were doing very well on your own, I must say."

We talked with Dumbledore for a while longer before we tried to persuade Madam Pomfrey to let Ron and Hermione in.

"Just five minutes," I pleaded.

"Absolutely not."

"You let Professor Dumbledore in..." Harry said.

"Well, of course, that was the headmaster, quite different. You two need rest."

"I am resting, look, lying down and everything. Oh, go on, Madam Pomfrey..." I begged.

"Oh, very well," she said, "but five minutes only."

And she let Ron and Hermione in.

"Y/N!"

Hermione looked ready to fling her arms around me, but didn't.

She then looked at Harry. "Oh, Harry, we were sure you were going to, Dumbledore was so worried-"

"The whole school's talking about it," said Ron, "what really happened?"

I listened as Harry told them the whole story, it was quite interesting.

"So the Stone's gone?" Said Ron finally. "Flamel's just going to die?"

"That's what I said, but Dumbledore thinks that...what was it Y/N?"

"'To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.'" I answered.

"I always said he was off his rocker," said Ron.

"So what happened to you two?" asked Harry.

"Well, I got back all right," said Hermione, "I told Ron to go to the owlery to contact Dumbledore when he met him in the entrance hall, he already knew, he just said, 'Harry's gone after him, hasn't he?' and hurtled off to the third floor. Then Ron came back to help me take Y/N to the hospital wing."

"Thanks for that 'Mione." I smiled, she blushed a little bit.

"Least I could do after everything you've done for me this year."

We kept on talking before Madam Pomfrey appeared. "Out! You've had nearly fifteen minutes!"

When I arrived at the Great Hall for the feast, people started staring at me and Harry before talking again. I quickly sat next to Hermione at the table before Dumbledore started speaking.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were...you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts...

Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with two hundred and sixty-two points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two."

A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table.

"Yes, Yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore, "however, recent events must be taken into account."

The room went very still.

"Ahem," said Dumbledore, "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes...

First, to Mr Ronald Weasley and also Mr Y/N L/N..."

Ron went purple in the face and I just stared at Dumbledore.

"...for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points to each of them."

The Gryffindor's started cheering. At last, there was silence again.

"Second, to Miss Hermione Granger...for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points.

Hermione buried her face in her arms, I gave her a quick well done and half hugged her. Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves, we were a hundred and fifty points up.

"Third, to Mr Harry Potter..." said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet, "...for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points."

Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points, exactly the same as Slytherin. We had tied for the house cup, if only Dumbledore had given Harry just one more point.

Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent.

"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling, "it takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr Neville Longbottom."

What happened next was a blur, the decorations changed as we cheered and celebrated our house cup victory. It only felt like seconds before the feast was over and I was back at King's Cross ready for summer.

After saying goodbye to both Ron and Harry and making plans to visit the Burrow in the summer, I said goodbye to Hermione.

"Promise you'll write to me?" Hermione asked, looking at me once we were back at King's Cross.

"Of course 'Mione. You can visit my house anytime you want during the holidays." I said the last bit without thinking before adding sheepishly. "If you want of course."

She smiled. "Maybe, I might ask my parents."

"I guess I'll see you next year then." I smiled. She then pulled me in for what seemed to be the biggest hug ever.

"See you soon 'Mione."

"See you Y/N."

And with that, I walked over to my parents and we went home.

My first year was over and I wouldn't change a second of it.