Luck of Nines

37

So... I get the feeling from some comments on the previous chapter that some of you know exactly what is about to happen here, uh, hi, I'm still only kind of sorry, but you did nearly manage to make me change this chapter... just not in a way that would have improved the outcome.

Character death and mild gore(?) warning again.

-T.A.L.A.

      Dumbledore with Snape and Mcgonagall at his side rushed down the hallways and up the staircases to the forbidden floor. He had wondered what the Nott child had been talking about when he had dashed out of breath into Minerva's office babbling about an oversized dog. 

      It was only then had it hit him what with all the commotion surrounding the sorting hat he had never gotten the chance to mention that the third floor corridor which had at one point been a fairly popular dueling place, and before that the room of the long abandoned dueling club, back when there was still a chance of occasionally happening upon a good Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, was now off limits to all students. 

Since it was now an abandoned, out of the way room, without any use, it had come to mind when he needed a place to set up the Philospher's stone. With the trap door leading to several large rooms with dueling rings laid out on the floor, it gave him plenty of space to work with with limited entry points, the only other entry point was through a secret route in the Defense classroom, and he knew Quirrell well, the man was a Ravenclaw through and through, with his change for the cowardly recently, nothing would convince him to step foot in the eerie passage way even if he found it. Just what he needed.

       As soon as he had realized the meaning behind the sudden appearance of the panicked student who stood before him, he was up and out of his seat, Pomona, who had also been at their little meeting, stayed behind seemingly to calm the quite pale and gasping student while Minerva dashed out of the room after him.

     Severus caught up to them in the corridors, quickly surpassing them, another student somehow managing to keep up with the surprisingly spry spy. The Slytherin Head of House reached the doors first, shouting the general unlocking spell after trying to open it to no avail, after a second failed unlocking spell, Dumbeldore finally reached the door himself. He tried three more complex ones himself, with no success, before finally, with a great wave of power that truthfully quite exhausted him, he vanished the door with an echoey, loud bang.

      Minerva shoved past him as he faltered due to being unused to expending quite so much magic- Hogwarts and it's doors were rather magical and took issue with people doing such things.  She stood there frozen though, Snape joining her not even a full second later.

       Hesitantly, and fearing the worse, the headmaster entered as well. The scene seemed to come to him in parts.

      Fluffy lay collapsed, dead, in the very center of the room, a broken chain dangling from its neck- and Dumbeldore very briefly thought that while he wouldn't feel to sorrowful to see it go, he couldn't help but not about having to break the news to Hagrid. The giant was already rather upset about little Harry being sorted into Slytherin.

      The walls and floor were covered in score marks and blood. One of Fluffy's three heads had been thrown clear across the room and lay against the wall. 

     There were two students on one side of the room, one holding the other tightly in a sort of crouch and watching them with tired but gleaming green eyes, the other clung fragilely to them. 

     The ruffled appearance of the first made them look wild and fierce, like a caged beast primed to strike, the ruffled look on the second made them look seconds away from a total collapse on all fronts- physical, mental, and emotional. The second looked at them with shaken, wide grey-blue eyes.