Harry Potter and the Girl Who Never Died

Chapter Thirty-Three: Beneath The Trap Door

"Snape's already got past Fluffy." Lavender whispered, though she let out a high pitched scream when she was pushed to the ground by something unknown.

Rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them.

"What's that at its feet?" Dean whispered, helping Lavender to her feet.

"Looks like a harp," said Seamus. "Snape must have left it there." Another one was on the ground. Dean helped Seamus up as well, wondering why they kept falling.

"It must wake up the moment you stop playing," said Harry. "Well, here goes..."

He put Hagrid's flute to his lips and blew. It wasn't really a tune, but from the first note the beast's eyes began to droop. Harry hardly drew breath.

Slowly, the dog's growls ceased, but the moment Harry took a breath, it snapped all six eyes open once more, it's growl fiercer than ever.

Harry, Seamus, Dean and Lavender whimpered, when something brushed past them.

"Fluffy! Who's a good boy! Now there's a good boy!" Peeves had come to the rescue, tickling Fluffy under the neck. Fluffy immediately submitted to the soft touch, wagging it's tail with pure happiness.

As Peeves continued to entertain the Cerberus breed, Harry decided to get a move-on.

"Want to go first, Lavender?"

"No, I don't!"

"All right." Dean 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?" Lavender said anxiously.

"Nothing -- just black -- there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop."

Harry, who was still playing the flute, waved at Dean to get his attention and pointed at himself.

"You want to go first? Are you sure?" said Seamus. "I don't know how deep this thing goes. Give the flute to Lavender so she can keep him asleep."

Harry handed the flute over. In the few seconds' silence, the dog growled and twitched, but the moment Lavender began to play, it fell back into its deep sleep.

Harry climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor. There was no sign of the bottom.

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

"Right," said Seamus.

"See you in a minute, I hope..."

And Harry let go. Cold, damp air rushed past him as he fell down, down, down and-

''OW!! Harry! You fell on my back!'' Hermione let out a strangled yell, pushing Harry off.

''Sorry Hermione, forgot you were there with us...''

He sat up and felt around, his eyes not used to the gloom. It felt as though he was sitting on some sort of plant.

"It's okay!" he called up to the light the size of a postage stamp, which was the open trapdoor, "it's a soft landing, you can jump!"

Dean followed right away. He landed, sprawled next to Harry. Draco grunted, scooting away from the trap door entrance.

"What's this stuff?" were his first words.