11- the trapdoor

It had been a week since I had found out that I was a pyrokinesis. I had my first lesson with Professor McGonagall today and I couldn't be more nervous. I had to make up an excuse to get away from Harry Ron and Hermione without them expecting anything. I had said that my mother had contacted Dumbledore about something and that I was to be informed. I told them I'd meet them in the common room afterwards. I hate lying to my best friends, but until I learn to control this I can't risk putting them in danger.

"Well Miss Black are you ready for your first lesson." I nodded as she carried on speaking. "Well we already know you can control fire so we don't need to learn about that but what I want you to learn is how to cast a protection force field, although it is pretty hard and it's ok if you don't get it today." She shot a small spell at me to make sure even if it did hit me it wouldn't harm me in any way. I closed my eyes and concentrated really hard and imagined that I was safe and I felt as a shield sort of orb surrounded me as McGonagall's spell rebounded and hit a vase on the table smashing it. I was so excited I had mastered the spell first try. I hadn't realised but we were practicing for over 3 hours and it was dinner. I quickly made my way down to the kitchens when I saw Harry, Hermione and Ron walking past the common room. I called out to them,

"Hey, are you on your way to the great hall."

"Oh yeah, how was the meeting with Dumbledore, how's your mother." Ron questioned. I had completely forgot that was my excuse for my meeting with McGonagall.

"Oh yeah she's fine just spending some more time in France with her friends." I answered trying not to sound unsure.

I could tell Harry didn't believe me as he gave me a confused look but I didn't want look back to him because I didn't want to look suspicious.

When we were at dinner, when Hermione was explaining about all she had learn about the philosophers stone. They told me how they were going down the trapdoor so they could collect the stone before Snape could get a hold of it. I honestly didn't want to go down the trapdoor as I was worried if I got scared and my powers went out of control. But on the other hand I could use them to protect my friends from any harm.

It was midnight, we had decided to go down the trapdoor tonight and I couldn't be more scared. I could feel my hands getting hotter and hotter but I just relaxed so I didn't light something on fire by accident. We had met in the common room, when we were all getting under Harry's cloak a small voice came out from the shadows.

"You're going out again, you can't do that you'll get Gryffindor into trouble, I-I'll fight you." Neville voice slowly spoke.

"Neville you don't understand this is important." I slowly said as I walked up to Neville holding his arm. Although he didn't back down.

"I'm really sorry about this Neville but pertrificus totalus" Hermione spoke those words clearly as Nevilles body stiffened as it fell to the floor. We didn't waste anytime as we all climbed over Nevilles body as we walked towards the portrait apologising to Neville as we passed him. We made our way to the third floor. We'd noticed that fluffy was already asleep which meant that Snape had already been here.

"Alright I'll go first, I'll call up when it's alr..." Harry began to speak before I interrupted him

"No harry, I'll go first." I said as I pushed passed him as I opened the trapdoor. Harry tried to argue with me but honestly I didn't want him going first Incase he got hurt anyway I could protect myself. I leaped down the trapdoor and landed on something as I called up to them that I was alive and it was ok to come down. They were screaming as they fell down the long drop to the floor. Suddenly vines started wrapping around all of us as we struggled to get out. Hermione called out

"Its devils snare, you have to relax and then you'll get out." I immediately stopped moving and so did Harry. We both fell through the vines and onto the floor. But we realised that Ron didn't and he was screaming. I tried to think of a spell or something. And then I had it,

"It's devils snare it hates sunlight we have to light a fire." I called out.

"But we don't have any wood." Hermione called out, she was obviously panicking so I pushed past her and called out 'lumos solem' a bright light came from my wand as Ron fell to the floor.

"Good job we didn't panick," Ron laughed as he got up, we all just rolled our eyes as Harry said

"Luckily Hermione and Holly pay attention in Herbology." We all just laughed as we went towards a door. There was a weird sound that sounded a lot like wings we went into a room where there were loads of keys flying around with wings. We tried alohamora on the locked door but it didn't work. All of a sudden harry rose into the air on this broomstick and was flying around to get a key. Whilst all this was going on I was trying to bat keys out of my hair. Harry grasped this key that looked very old and rusty. We unlocked the door as we clambered into the next room. It was a giant chess board. We had realised we had to play. Ron was obviously excited about this as he loved wizards chess.

We had been playing for a while when Ron shouted,

"There's only one way to win this game, I have to be shot down by the queen."

"No Ron, it's to dangerous, please" I shouted but I knew it was the only way to get across. We were all trying to persuade Ron not to do this but he ignored us and called out

"White night to G4" the queen slid over to Ron as it jabbed the horse as the horse crumbled to the floor as it exploded. We all screamed as Ron fell to the floor, he was unconscious as we all ran to him.

"Right Holly, Hermione stay with Ron, I'm going on." Harry slowly said.

"No harry." I said as I grabbed his arm "I'm going with you. You can't go by yourself." He tried to yank me off but I wouldn't let go. He wasn't going alone. We all hugged each other as me as Harry walked towards the next door. The next level was a collection of potions. I was quite skilled at potions so I held the potions in my hand. Three of them were poison but two of them would allow us to get to the next room. I had spent a while re-reading the instructions. I then held a potion to harry to drink. We both drank the potions as the door to the next room opened.

"Your amazing you know that" harry exclaimed as he held my shoulders. I didn't say anything but I grabbed Harry's hand and walked towards the next level. We didn't let go of eachother as we walked through the door. There was someone else in the room. I was expecting Snape, but it wasn't him at all, it was Quirrell. Harry and I just looked at eachother blankly not knowing what to do. I called out,

"But Snape."

"No dear girl not Snape it was me and I would've been able to kill Harry that day on the quidditch field if you hadn't grabbed him. You really are a stupid girl." He laughed. Harry let go of my hand and stood in front of me. We had noticed that the mirror of eriside was in the room. Quirrell had walked away until he was standing in front of the mirror. He was talking to himself

"Master I can't find it where is the stone." Harry and i just stared at him not knowing what to do. An eerie voice replied like it was talking to Quirrel.

"USE THE CHILDREN."

Quirrel rushed up to me and Harry and grabbed us both by the shoulders and shoved us down to the mirror. He shouted at us saying,

"Well what do you see." I saw my myself stood with my mother, but there was also a man stood next to my mother, could that be my father. I was starting to gather tears in my eyes when I noticed there was another person in the image, it was harry his reflection reached into his pocket and held out the stone. Quirrel called out to me.

"Well what do you see then"

"I see my parents." I was careful not to mention that I had seen Harry with the stone. The eerie voice called out again.

"THEY LIE, LET ME SPEAK TO THEM."

"Master you are not strong enough" Quirrel replied with a slight shake in his voice.

"I have enough for this."

Harry was now in front of me still holding my hand as Professor Quirrel started unwrapping his turban. He revealed this thing on the back of his head. It launched itself at Harry as it forced me out the way. I fell to the floor and was pushed away from harry by a strange force. The thing started strangling Harry. He was choking as his face went purple. He was going to die if I didn't do anything. I closed my eyes and put all of my energy into a force field that would wrap itself round Harry until he was safe. A bright light shot out of my hands and I could no longer see Harry which meant he was safe. Then it turned to me which a shocked look on its face.

"You, you will regret that." The shocked look then turned to pure anger. It flung itself towards me as I was forced back into the wall. I hit my head on the wall. I could feel blood falling from my head and I was feeling faint. But I shot fire at him as he started to burn. Quirrel was dead. This shadow thing came out of him and flew out of the doors. Dumbledore came bursting through the doors as he realised that Harry was still in a protective orb. He collapsed the orb when he noticed a shocked Harry not knowing what had happened. I realised that more blood was coming from my head as everything went black.

-Harry's pov-

I couldn't see anything. All I could see was this bright light surrounding me. It had com from Hollys hands. I was being protected by something. I heard Holly scream as I heard a smash as something hit the wall. I then heard the scream of Professor Quirrel. Then I heard nothing. I was calling out for Holly but getting no reply. I heard footsteps as Dumbledore forced himself into the room. I still had the stone it was safe. The orb collapsed from around me. Holly was on the floor blood gushing from her head. I ran up to her as Dumbledore was picking her up. She wasn't waking up. I'm just praying that she was only unconscious. But then I had realised what Holly had done. She protected me somehow.

"Hey Dumbledore, how did Holly protect me she shot some light from her hands and then I was surrounded and all I could see was a bright light."

"Well Harry, Holly is something called a pyrokinisis, she can force fire from her hands and she can heal but her most powerful trick is the protection orb. I heard you learned all about the pyrokinisis in your defence against the dark lessons." I nodded. How was my best friend a pyrokinisis and why didn't she tell me. She had saved me. I would've died if it wasn't for her. Dumbledore carried Holly out of the room and to the hospital wing. I waited by her side until she woke up. I wasn't leaving this girl ever again.

Hermione and Ron rushed into the hospital wing and came to her bedside.

"She's a pyrokinisis, she saved me. She shot this orb around me and I was protected. But it wasn't Snape it was Quirrel and he had you know who connected to him somehow Dumbledore explained it to me."

"The protection orb." Hermione added "why didn't she tell us what she was."

"Dumbledore told her not to until she could control it as she didn't want to hurt any of us." I slowly said looking down at her.

"Well that's bloody awesome we have a superhero on our side." Ron said laughing but still holding her arm.

"She could've died Ron it's not funny." I said slightly raising my voice.

We all just went silent after that. God I hope she wakes up soon.

Four weeks had passed, and we were all still by her bedside. Everyone knew about her by now and everyone was worried that she may not wake up. Hermione and Ron has gone to bed as it was pretty late. But I wasn't leaving my best friend until I was forced out of the room. She was the only one in the hospital wing. It was all silent when Dumbledore came in the room.

"Ah mister Potter what are you doing up in here." He asked me.

"She saved me sir I can't leave her." Dumbledore nodded like he understood. "I just can't imagine what I'd do if she didn't wake up, I was the one who forced her to go down into the trapdoor." I felt horrible I should've said no to Holly coming along.

"Well mister Potter we all know Miss Black is stubborn she would've gone anyway." I laughed whilst yawning. I had to leave as it was nearly midnight. Please wake up soon Holly. Dumbledore stayed with her for a while when I left. She is truly loved by everyone.