Harry Riddle || Harry potter

Chapter 28: Muggle Thoughts Come Unbidden

The third floor corridor on the right-hand side was eerily quiet. Four students, three boys, two with black hair and one with bleach blond, and one bushy haired Ravenclaw girl silently stood in front of the door behind which they knew lurked a vicious, three headed dog. No noise could be heard coming from the other side, but Harry wasn't at all sure if that was a good sign or a bad one.

"Everybody ready for this?" Harry asked, carefully masking his slight nervousness, while staring at the jarred third floor corridor door. After the incident with Professor McGonagall, he, Hermione, Draco, and Neville had all went back outside and, after lengthy debate about which course of action would be most judicious, agreed to meet there later that night after curfew. Unfortunately, Harry and Draco had run into Mrs. Norris in one of the dungeon corridors, and Harry had had to resort to stunning her. Nothing was going to keep him from getting to the Stone and finding out what was going on – he didn't care if he even had to Obliviate a teacher or two to do it.

Draco opened his mouth but no sound came out. He shut his lips and cleared his throat before attempting again. "I'm ready, Harry."

Hermione sighed. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Neville just squeaked.

"Who has the musical instrument?"

"Oh! I do." Hermione pulled out a small harmonica from a pocket in her robe. She held it out for Harry with a self-satisfied smile on her face.

Harry just stared at the silver instrument, a slight sneer of disdain on his face. "Do I need to know how to play it?"

"No. Any type of music should put it to sleep, no matter how horrible or out of tune it sounds." The muggleborn girl slightly waved the harmonica at Harry, encouraging him to take it.

Glaring, Harry snatched it from her hand.

"Now, let's go before someone finds us." Harry pushed the door open a bit more, fully expecting to come face to face with a rabid, snarling Cerberus. The Cerberus he found, though, was loudly snoring, deep asleep. He glanced all around the room, finally zeroing in on a rather sizable harp in the corner. Dainty music drifted from its magically moving strings.

"Looks like someone is a few steps ahead of us," Draco whispered. Harry nodded his agreement while going about pushing one of the dog's massive paws off the trap door.

He swung it open, only to find himself staring down into blackness.

"What do you think is down there?" Draco asked, inching up next to the opening. Neville cowered by his side.

Harry tsk-tsk-tsked. "I dunno. It must be some kind of trap." He slowly looked up from the blackness to stare at Draco and Neville, both of whom were still looking down.

In a show of Slytherin self-preservation that would have made even Tom Marvolo Riddle himself proud, Harry shoved both Draco and Neville through the trapdoor and into the abyss below.

"Are you alive?" he inquired once he heard them both hit the bottom.

Neville wailed loudly. Draco spat out, "Yes, you inconsiderate bastard!"

Harry rolled his eyes. Hermione looked slightly flustered by his actions but shook it off and said, "I'll go next." She inched towards the trapdoor, trying - and failing - to summon up enough courage to jump. She made an odd moaning sound and took several steps back. "I can't!"

"What?" Harry snapped. He eyed the still-slumbering Cerberus cautiously. He was well aware that the charm on the harp couldn't last forever, and he, for one, did not want to be in the room when it woke up.

"I'm afraid of heights! I've been like that ever since I was little!"

Harry threw his hands up into the air. "You have to do it! Just close your bloody eyes!"

Hermione shook her head frantically. "I can't! I couldn't even bare to lift my broom more than a few feet off the ground during lessons! I can't - I just ca-a-a-a-a-"

Hermione's last word was cut off mid-syllable as Harry repeated an earlier action - he pushed her backward, sending her stumbling blindly into the trapdoor.

Unlike Hermione, Harry didn't waste any time – muttering about incompetent idiot sidekicks, he strode to the edge and, without a moment's hesitation, stepped into the hole.

His vision was spinning on the way down, effectively blinding him, but as soon as he hit the surprisingly soft ground with a thump, his eyes started to adjust to the darkness and he began to look around. Distantly, he heard the beautiful music stop and the dog begin to stir. He briefly wondered about how they'd go about exiting after this was all over, but found he couldn't really bring himself to care. The teachers would have to come looking for them eventually.

"We must me miles under the school," Hermione breathed.

"Lucky this plant thing's here, really," Draco murmured, swallowing and glancing down at the vegetation in question. His eyes widened. "Oh shit."

Harry's gaze immediately darted downwards. He had to resist the urge to scream some choice words, as well. Tendrils of the plant were lightly twisting around his ankles and quickly moving up his legs.

"Devil's Snare," he began, his eyes widening. "Devil's Snare!"

"Thank you for informing us of what it's called! It's a big help!"

Vaguely recalling a book in his father's library he'd once glanced at that had had a section on Devil's Snare, Harry stilled immediately, and the tendrils began to recede until he was completely free. Jolting, the section of plant beneath him gave way and he fell through to the hard ground below, landing on his backside.

"Ow," he moaned quietly. He staggered to his feet and massaged his stinging bum.

Suddenly, the Devil's Snare began to cave again and Hermione dropped through onto the ground. "Stop moving!" the called to the two boys who remained ensnared by the plant. He watched in annoyance as they just fought to pull the plant off them, but the harder they strained against it, the tighter and faster the tendrils wound around them. He really needed to get lackeys – er – friends – who could keep their cool in difficult situations.

"STOP MOVING, YOU FOOLS!" Harry screamed. "OR DO YOU WANT TO BE STRANGLED TO DEATH BY A PLANT?!"

Harry's voice seemed penetrate the panicked haze around Draco's mind, and he abruptly stilled. The Devil's Snare slowly released him and gave out under his weight. He landed on the ground with a thump.

A wail sounded from above, reminding them that Neville was still trapped.

"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare," Harry murmured to himself. "It – it likes the dark and damp - it hates - it hates - hates light! Sunlight! Fire!"

"Then light a fire!" Hermione shouted, wringing her hands.

"There's no wood!" Harry screamed back.

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?! ARE YOU A WIZARD OR NOT?!" Draco bellowed from his spot on the floor.

Cursing himself for thinking like a muggle, Harry whipped out his wand and shouted, "Incendio!" A jet of light hit the plant and it promptly went up in flames. Neville fell through to the ground.

"Were all alive, then," Harry announced. "Better than I thought it would turn out."

Neville whimpered.

"And here I thought you didn't loose your head in a crisis," Draco muttered, pulling himself up off the floor. "'There's no wood' – honestly."

Harry sent a Death Eater death glare in the blond's direction.

"This way," Hermione announced, pointing down a stone passageway which was the only way forward. Bracing himself, Harry gripped his wand tighter and cast a quick lumos spell, almost dreading what he would find ahead of him.

He mentally went over all the defensive spells he knew, just in case.