Chapter 215. Thank God, You're Finally Here!
Duncan bent down and pulled open the trapdoor, lowered his head and peered into the entrance, which was bottomless and pitch-black.
"Hermione, do you go first, or shall I?" Duncan lifted his head and asked Hermione, who was standing beside him.
Catching a glimpse of the three-headed dog in the corner baring its mouthful of sharp fangs, Hermione hurriedly said, "I'll go first!"
Compared to the unknown danger beneath the entrance, she found the big dog that could rush over and bite her at any moment even more terrifying.
"All right, be careful." Duncan shifted aside a little to make room for Hermione.
Hermione let out a light breath, pressed her lips together in tension, glanced at the entrance, closed her eyes, and jumped, sliding down with a scream all the way.
"That's it—your task is over. Lie down and sleep in peace; I'll call you when I come out," Duncan said to Fluffy.
"Okay, Duncan, you be careful!" Fluffy nodded obediently, wagging its tail about in happy, messy swipes.
"Mm, got it." Duncan slid along the wet tunnel, then leapt from the edge.
The wind whooshed past his ears as he dropped straight down, and a dull thud sounded moments later.
Something soft caught him.
Where it touched his skin it was a bit cold, and under his hand it felt very smooth, like the outer surface of some kind of vine.
"Hermione, where are you? Are you all right?" Duncan squinted, working to adjust to the dim light, and looked around.
"I—I'm fine," Hermione's voice came from not far away, tinged with fear.
"It's just that these plants seem to move. They've wrapped around my ankles and want to drag me away!"
Duncan had just opened his mouth to answer when Ron's tearful voice sounded from somewhere, cutting him off.
"Duncan, Hermione, is that you? Thank God, you're finally here!"
"Help us, quick! Harry and I are both tangled up by this blasted plant. If you're any later, we'll be strangled!"
"Don't panic. This plant isn't that dangerous, and Professor Sprout covered its weakness in class. You clearly weren't listening properly to our Head of House!"
Duncan twisted his body and drew the wand that was pinned under his backside.
Because he planned to transplant some Devil's Snare into his case after this was over, he only conjured a small flame.
"Professor Sprout covered it in class?" Hermione murmured, then her eyes lit with sudden joy.
"It's Devil's Snare!"
"Brilliant—much better than those two!" Duncan said with a smile.
"Hey, hey, stop complimenting each other, will you? Can you tell us this—right, Devil's Snare's weakness? We're still tied up!"
"Devil's Snare likes dark and damp places, so its weakness is fire!"
Hermione drew her wand and, copying Duncan, flicked it as she incanted.
A jet of Bluebell Flames burst from the tip, quickly spreading around.
The Devil's Snare reacted as if it had met its nemesis; in the blink of an eye it shrank back.
"Merlin's beard, we're finally saved! If you hadn't gotten here in time, Harry and I would've been done for today!"
Ron sighed weakly.
He and Harry, clothes in disarray, lay miserably on the grimy floor, and only after panting for ages did they struggle to their feet.
Looking at the two sorry figures, Duncan asked with a laugh, "You came early and spent the whole time stuck right at the entrance?"
Harry's face burned with shame.
He opened and closed his mouth, coughed lightly, and glanced about in all directions, not knowing how to answer.
He hadn't expected the plant to be so easy to handle—that just a small flame would make it retreat obediently.
To think they had wrestled the vines for so long, ended up utterly exhausted, and had nearly had their necks squeezed by the Devil's Snare.
Seeing the two still not speaking, Hermione stepped forward and asked, "When you came in, did you see the one impersonating Professor Snape?"
Relieved at the change of subject, Harry hurriedly said, "No. By the time we came, that person must have already gone in."
No sooner had he finished than he urged, "Duncan, let's set off—quick. We've already wasted a lot of time. If we delay any longer, I'm afraid that person will have got the Philosopher's Stone. By the time we get there, it'll be too late!"
"All right, I'll take point. You lot follow right behind me." Duncan nodded and led the way down the only passage ahead.
From time to time came the plink of dripping water, like notes struck on a keyboard.
Pity that, apart from Duncan, none of them was in any mood to appreciate it.
Harry and Ron stared nervously all around, their eyes full of panic, and the slightest sound made them jump.
After a minute or two, Duncan led them to the end of the corridor, where there was a brightly lit room.
Clink-clank sounds came from above.
Countless birdlike things as dazzling as gemstones were flapping their wings, flying all over the room.
"Looks like we've got to get the key up there before we can open the door ahead," Ron said loudly, pointing to the tightly locked wooden door.
Harry's gaze swept around, and when he spotted the broomsticks placed in the corner, delight flashed in his eyes.
"I've got a way!"
But just as he lifted his foot, he saw Duncan raise his wand.
A crystal-clear icicle shot from Duncan's wand tip.
It shattered with a crash in mid-air, and fine ice crystals drifted down like a shower, gradually settling onto the wings of those keys.
Their movements grew slower and slower, until they couldn't move at all.
With a clatter, they fell one after another to the floor.
"Right then, Ron, do me a favour and pick up the key by your foot and go open the door."
Satisfied, Duncan put away his wand.
Since he was here, he certainly wasn't going to let Harry fly around on a broomstick, waiting like a fool to grab a key.
"Oh—oh, okay."
Snapping out of the visual shock, Ron nodded at once, bent to pick up the key, and hurried forward to unlock the door.
"What spell did you just use?" Hermione came to Duncan's side, blinking as she asked curiously.
"I learned it on the sly," Duncan said with a smile.
"If you want to learn it, I can teach you later—but it's a bit difficult."
Hermione nodded thoughtfully—
and Ron's astonished shout came from the open doorway:
"Come in and look—there are loads of giant chess pieces in here! They look amazing!"
Enjoyed the story? Support me and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at: Patr*eon*.com/Resium
Free members can read 10+ Chapters Ahead of Release
Paid member can read 150+ Chapters Ahead of Release
Stories Available
Honkai? No, This Is Daily Life
Hogwarts Pet Master
Pokémon: Who Let Him Leave Pallet Town!
Scrolling Yu-Gi-Oh! Shorts