Harry Potter And The Lord Of Darkness - Chapter 27

Arth raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure this is a good idea? I really doubt that the enchantments protecting the sorcerers stone are able to be broken by four first years.”

“Well we can’t sit here and do nothing,” replied Harry, “if Voldemort gets this stone, he is coming back! Haven’t you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over?”

“And the first thing he will do is kill Harry,” Ron added helpfully.

Arth shrugged, “if we get caught, we will lose points, I’m guessing about fifty points a piece. Honestly, I wouldn’t even help you if it weren’t for the added bonus seeing Fluffy. I only see him a couple of times you see, when Hagrid goes into the castle to feed him.”

“So you don’t want to lose points but want to pet a three headed dog in a suicidal manner?” Ron said disbelievingly, “you are absolutely mental.”

“Ron, don’t say that! You are being rude. At least he is trying to help us,” Hermione reprimanded.

“Yeah, and so did Neville. And look what you did to him.”

Arth raised an eyebrow. “You cursed Neville?”

“It’s only a full Body-Bind,” said Hermione miserably, “we were short on time okay?”

“Let’s just get this over with,” said Harry as he pushed the door open.

As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. The dog’s noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn’t see them.

“What’s that at its feet?” Hermione whispered.

“Looks like a harp,” said Ron. “Snape must have left it there.”

“Why do you three believe that Snape is the one who wants to steal the stone? He is a professor for god’s sake.”

“Cause he despises Harry to the point where I wouldn’t be surprised if he stabbed Harry during potions class.”

“Can’t really argue about that. I’ll start playing I guess.”

He put Hagrid’s flute to his lips and started playing the first line from ‘silent night’. From the first note the beast’s eyes began to droop. Slowly, the dog’s growls ceased and tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.

“Keep playing,” Ron warned as they crept toward the trapdoor. “I think we’ll be able to pull the door open, Want to go first, Hermione?”

“No, I don’t!”

“All right.” Ron gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog’s legs. He bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open.”

“What can you see?” Hermione said anxiously.

“Nothing. Just black. There’s no way of climbing down, we’ll just have to drop.”

“I’ll go first then,” Harry volunteered.

“You want to go first? Are you sure?” said Ron. “I don’t know how deep this thing goes.”

Harry climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor.

He lowered himself through the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips. Then he looked up and said, “If anything happens to me, don’t follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?”

“Right,” said Ron.

Arth nodded all the while playing.

“See you in a minute, I hope…”

And Harry let go. There was a moment of silence and- FLUMP.

“It’s okay!” Harry called from below.

Ron proceeded to jump down alongside Hermione with Arth being last.

Cold, damp air rushed past him as he fell down, down, down. With a funny, muffled sort of thump he landed on something soft. He sat up and felt around. It felt as though he was sitting on some sort of plant. Curious, Arth started to analyze the plant.

“What’s this stuff?”

“Dunno, some sort of plant thing. I suppose it’s here to break the fall.”

“We must be miles under the school,” Hermione said.

“Lucky this plant thing’s here, really,” said Ron.

“Lucky!” shrieked Hermione. “Look at you both!” She leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around her ankles. As for Harry and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing.

Hermione had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her. Now she watched in horror as the two boys fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster

the plant wound around them.

“Stop moving!” Hermione ordered them. “I know what this is – it’s Devil’s Snare!”

“Oh, I’m so glad we know what it’s called, that’s a great help,” snarled Ron.

For some reason, Arth was not being attacked. He calmly shook off the dust on his clothes and calmly walked out of the pit.

“Well, hurry up, I can’t breathe!” Harry gasped.

“Devil’s Snare, Devil’s Snare… what did Professor Sprout say? It likes the dark and the damp-”

“So light a fire!” Harry choked.

Arth opened the door that lead to a long hallway that lead downwards.

“Yes, of course. But how do I light a fire? There’s no wood!” Hermione cried, wringing her hands.

“HAVE YOU GONE MAD?” Ron bellowed. “ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?”

Arth walked down the hallway as the voices of Hermione, Ron, and Harry slowly faded away.

A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead. He reached the end of the passageway and saw before him a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small keys with wings fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.

Arth observer the room for a bit before heading back to the room with the Devil’s Snare. When he arrived, the trio was going crazy.

“ARTHUR! SAY SOMETHING! WE CAN’T HELP YOU IF WE DON’T KNOW WHERE YIU ARE!”

“HERMIONE! JUST BURN ALL OF THE PLANTS AWAY!”

“I CAN’T! IF I DO, THEN I MIGHT HURT ARTHUR IN THE PROCESS!”

“THEN WHAT DO WE DO?”

Arth tapped Hermione on the shoulder. “I’m here so let’s just go-”

“ARTHUR! YELL FOR US!”

Arth sighed before kicking Ron in the shin. “Stop talking as though I’m dead. Let’s hurry up and go. We don’t have time.”

“. . . .”

“. . . .”

“. . . . Why did you kick me?”

“Why not?”