Into the Labyrinth - Dramione/Blinny

Ch. 6

Blaise watched the large crystal ball quietly as Draco now lounged in his throne, the blond staring out of the large window into the goblin city surrounding the castle. The two girls were quietly climbing the ladder that led them out of the tunnel system, and while neither of the kings wanted to see the girls complete the labyrinth, Blaise was secretly proud that they found their way back on track.

"Where does this ladder lead them to?" He asked suddenly, turning around to look at Draco as he gestured towards the crystal.

Draco looked back at him just in time to see one of the rungs fall out from Hermione's foot, and he sucked in a deep breath. He didn't let it out until she continued climbing the ladder, letting it out with a heavy sigh. "I'm not sure to be honest."

Blaise raised an eyebrow. "Isn't this your labyrinth?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I know every inch of it," Draco said with a scowl. "Have you seen the size of it?"

Rolling his eyes, Blaise looked back towards the crystal as the girls had stopped with Ginny reaching above her. "Well, I guess we're about to find out."

"This is heavy as hell," Ginny grunted as she pushed upwards with all of her might.

The lid gave way finally, sunlight pouring in through the new opening. She pushed it over to the right and heard a heavy dunk as it landed on the ground, pulling herself upwards.

"Oh, this is different," She said in surprise as she looked around to see greenery surrounding them.

"Different how?" Hermione asked from underneath her, a slight panic to her voice.

"Here, let me get out of the way." Ginny finished pulling herself out of the opening and hopped down, looking around still. "It's not a bad different."

Hermione popped up and looked around as well, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "You weren't kidding, this is definitely different."

"I'm not sure what this place is supposed to be though," Ginny said slowly as she went over to inspect a large sundial that was off to the side. "What is it with these guys and clocks?"

"I guess time is of the essence in the labyrinth," Hermione shrugged as she stepped down from the opening that she had just crawled out of. "The odd statues are definitely a little off-putting, I have to say."

Ginny looked to where Hermione was gesturing and had to agree. But before she could say anything, there was the sound of someone clearing their throat paired with feet slowly dragging across the stone that made them both turn around.

What they saw was possibly one of the weirdest sights either of the girls had ever seen; it was a much older man with a large nose making his way towards an oversized stone chair that had large books carved into it. But what made the man strange wasn't necessarily his appearance: it was the tall bird's head seemingly sprouting out of his own.

Ginny and Hermione glanced at each other as the man pulled himself up into the stone seat. Hermione gestured towards him questioningly and Ginny only shrugged in response, causing Hermione to look back towards the man and step forward slightly.

"Excuse me, please?" Hermione asked hesitantly. "Um, could you help us?"

When the old man focused on her, he leaned forward and let out a surprise noise before saying in a scraggly voice, "Oh, a young girl!"