Double Double Toil and Trouble // One //

Chapter Sixteen

THUD! I landed inches away from Harry on something soft. I waited for my eyes to adjust to the dark lighting of the room. It felt like we were sitting on some sort of plant. "What's all this about?" Harry wondered aloud. It seemed as if we were on top of a mount of vines. "Probably to cushion the fall, I suppose." I replied, not sure if that was true or not.

I was forced back onto my stomach when a heavy force fell on my back. Ron and Hermione landed near us not long after. A voice groaned from above me, and I quickly recognized it as Nat's. "Sorry Lex." She said, climbing off of me. "Don't worry."

I tried sitting up, but one of the vines wrapped itself around both my wrists and ankles, holding me down. "What the bloody hell?" I wasn't the only one. Vines started coming to life and wrapping themselves around everyone else as well. We all struggled against them.

"Stop moving! All of you!" Hermione commanded. "This is Devil's Snare. You have to relax, otherwise, it'll only kill you faster." "Kill us faster?" Ron yelled, continuing to try to pull himself free. "Oh, now I can relax!" Hermione, who wasn't moving a finger through all of this, started sinking and eventually was out of sight. "Hermione!" We all yelled.

More vines started appearing around me. One tightened itself around my back, and another around my neck, both holding me down, and cutting off my air. I gasped as my lungs started burning, begging for oxygen. I kept pulling on my wrists, knowing I shouldn't have been. I felt the plant tighten on my neck. I started seeing black spots in my vision.

"Just relax!" Hermione yelled from somewhere below us. "Hermione, where are you?" Nat asked. "Do as I say! Trust me!" I loosened my muscles, not because Hermione was telling me to, but because I was losing energy quickly. Just as my sight was starting to become blurry, I felt the vines loosen, and I fell through them.

I landed next to Hermione's feet on a stone floor. Harry fell through as well, landing on his back. I was coughing harshly and gasping, desperate to fill as much oxygen into my lungs as I could in each breath. Harry was at my side in an instant. "Lex! Are you okay?" I nodded, not being able to get any words out.

"Whoa!" Nat's voice shouted before she appeared at my right. With Harry's help, I was able to rise to my feet. "Thanks four-eyes." My voice was a little raspy, and my throat was sore, but that was to be expected. I helped Nat up.

We waited for Ron to fall as well, but he kept screaming for help. "He's not relaxing, is he?" Nat asked. "Apparently not." "Well, if he's gonna die if he doesn't calm down, we need to do something." I said, trying to get my voice working again.

Hermione started pacing. "I remember reading something in Herbology. Uh..."Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare...It's deadly fun..." I could almost see the gears trying to move in her head. Nat perked up. "But will sulk in the sun!" Devil's Snare hates sunlight!" She exclaimed, pulling her wand out of her jeans and pointing it upwards. "Lumos Solemn!"

A bright light shone from the tip of her wand. The vines started shrivelling up and falling off. In no time at all, Ron was falling through them and tumbling onto the floor.

"Ron!" Harry said as he helped the redhead to his feet. He sighed, catching his breath from screaming so much. "Lucky we didn't panic." We all just looked at him with blank stares. He frowned. "What?" I couldn't help myself. I had to chew him out a little bit. "We're lucky Hermione and Nat pay attention in Herbology."

"There's a door." Nat said, pointing across the room and leading the small group towards it. We walked through a long, damp hallway, not knowing what to expect on the other side. "Do you hear that?" Harry asked. I frowned and listened closer. It sounded like the wings of a golden snitch, but thousands of them.