Wet!
She automatically tried to pull away from such a thing, spluttering in disgust as she realized she was sunk in water with hands and knees.
Splashing and flailing as Alice tried to get up in protest, she realized there really wasn't anywhere too go that wasn't covered in a thin layer of water.
Heart still thudding painfully in her chest from the last near death experience, she tried to lurch to her feet to find the new chamber. The first realization was how sick she was of the color green. Though it had no visible source, the hue managed to highlight the large stone pillars spaced ever few feet in the shape of yet more snakes, as if she hadn't enough of a fright from those knowing the king of the species was slythering about somewhere.
Still gasping painfully for normal breath, she latched onto a new bit of color with painful glee and quickly hurried to Lily's side. "Oh thank goodness you're okay!"
She just nodded, getting to her feet in the same shaky but hurried way with Alice supporting her elbow. "Potter pulled me out of the way," she muttered, sounding quite like she'd been hit over the head anyways she was in such disbelief. "I, I've never frozen like that-"
"I'm so sorry, I thought you were right behind us!" Alice wasn't even listening, pulling her into a tight hug, nearly sobbing in relief, guilt, and lingering worry.
Lily patted her awkwardly on the back before trying to pull away, and Alice let her with the excuse of rubbing still dripping fingers over her face to brush the strands away clinging to her eyes. Together the two went about to everyone else, rounding their group into a tight circle with no protests. It was no secret that the dangers behind them were only the start of their worries. This was the basilisks layer.
Several heavy moments of silence not even broken by the drips of water anymore persisted before the eldest Black finally spoke up, "can you believe I'm related to such an atrocity? Moony, promise me if I ever start to looking like my ancestors, you'll put me out of my misery."
Regulus turned slowly on the spot from one of the too life-like statues to see Sirius gazing up, and up, at a statue of a brutish man with broad features and a cruel expression. He had to admit, Sirius was right in one regards, there didn't seem much of a family resemblance.
"We're supposed to be looking for the book to get out of here you bloody idiots!" Frank snapped.
"Well I don't see anyone wandering off to go find it," Potter snapped right back, no one even daring to shift their weight, let alone move from each other in pursuit.
"Anyone else going to give summoning it a try?" Pettigrew finally asked in the smallest voice imaginable. None yet had, they were all aware any trace of movement could summon the beast even faster to them, but it was either that or stand here like the most delicious thing this snake would have had in centuries like a waiting bufe'. So taking one last breath of dread, he cautioned, "everyone close your eyes," following his own advice before finishing, "accio book."
His ears had been expecting a splash, but instead the book fell into his outstretched hand perfectly dry. They waited several more agonizingly long moments for anything but surely a beast of this size would have made itself known. Hissing the air, moving about in the pools of water, something. Cracking his eye open just beyond the lashes and letting out the smallest puff of breath in relief, Peter quickly began muttering out Harry's story.
James made a mad attempt at a laugh as his son described Salazar Slytherin as monkyish, giving Sirius a look that promised this would come up later in much better circumstances. For now, they had more important things they had to concentrate.
YOU ARE READING
All in the Family
Fanfiction"The title The Boy Who Lived dominated the chapter, but this meant nothing to anyone, so their eyes skipped down to just below that, which was under the date 1981. Six years from now." A reading the book style fic, except much more loosely based aro...
