I don't own Harry Potter.
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October 1th 1995
They glance around the room that's deep down in the dungeons of the school. Each year after the first, they keep making plans for it but each year, it just doesn't the right time. Then this year, the Toad is lodged in the school and they knew that this year was the year.
"You guys know what the twins are up to?" Neville asks the Golden Trio. Harry looks up from the book that's he's reading, his hand still bandaged up while Hermione glances from Neville towards where the pair of red heads hanging about a group of first years.
"You mean other then giving experimental candy to impressionable first years? I'm guessing their usual antics." Hermione huffs as she returns to her rusty leather bound book.
"They don't have enough money to make that candy so..." Ron wonders in his usual way. "Wouldn't surprise me if they found a way to get into the potion stores without Snape knowing."
Harry mentally sighs, finding it ironic that his giving of the prize money still remains a secret compared to the usual results of his adventures by the end of the school year. Emerald eyes stay trained upon the twins and the group of first years experiencing various ailments.
"It's not like whatever they're up to is any of our business. After all, our job is to keep our heads low and our mouths shut." Harry remarks in a bitter tone.
Hermione glances up while sporting a concern look upon her face. Hermione bites her lower lip for a few seconds before just shaking her head and sighing. She feels for Harry, she really did, but now wasn't the time to do something stupid.
Ron and Neville look bewildered at Harry's tone. "Mate?" Ron asks.
"It's what our head of house told me to do, so I guess that's what she wants our house to do. She made it sound like an order." Harry spat with a lot of venom as the young teen doesn't feel like saying McGonagall name. "This from somebody who's suppose to supporting us instead of helping other condemn us."
"If you say so, mate, if you say so." Ron says while Neville slowly walks away from the Golden Trio. "I think I got... you know, really should..." Neville says before turning tail and leaving the Common Room area.
October 10th, 1995
It had been a close call as they wait for their few other purchases to arrive viva port key as delivery viva owls are being monitored. They had thought of using house elves to bring in the items but worried about them being force to report such action to the headmaster or the Toad. It had been trying but luck would have it, other birds weren't monitored so they had been able to get hawks and ravens to make the order and for corresponding between themselves and the various business owners.
"So, how was your dreams?" Fred asks Harry as they met in Hagrid's field about the half-giant's hut. George is busy playing sentry for the meeting.
"Dreamless and surprising restful that's to the bracelet you made." Harry says, not mentioning how it seems to cause a small portion of his forehead to feel rather numb. "So, how's the rest of the research ideas coming along?" The fifteen year old asks.
"Fairly well, especially when we saw the other benefits those ideas can spawn. Might take a bit longer to create something to prefect one's eyesight though, even with Hermione helping the research along." Fred says and Harry nods.
"Noticed you two sneaking about the castle at night." Harry says in a casual way. "Not going to ask what you're doing but any trouble using brooms within the castle?"
"Brilliant idea, that was! Nobody has looked up and since we apply those silent spells on our robes, not even the animals or house elves have glanced our way. Imagine, we wasted years of sneaking about on the ground where anyone could catch us." Fred says before adding, "Never thought that the paintings would be ratting us out either. Ghost, ya, but the paintings?" Fred shakes his head ruefully.
"Yea, I know how you feel but it makes sense, don't it? Why else have so many paintings in a castle filled with students? They could be destroyed so easily, but that's why no magic in the corridors." George pipes in causing Fred and Harry to glance in his direction.
"He's right." Fred says supportingly. "I know, trust me, I know." Harry replies.
A minor beeping comes from the muggle looking watches on all three's wrists. Without saying anything, the three head off in different direction.
October 31st 1995
They couldn't suppress a grin, it's time for the open house after all. Everything is in place and all they need now are people. It's a good thing they stole a certain thing that each person will be searching for...
"Have you seen my wand?" Harry hears Ron and Dean ask almost in unison. "Wait, your wand is missing too?" The pair ask each other before answering once again in unison, "Yea!"
Neville sighs while Seamus kneels down to look under his bed. "So nobody can find their wand?" Harry asks after getting on a long sleeve shirt and the other teenage boys all seem to pause in their tasks. "I'll take that as a yes." The currently infamous teen murmurs while heading for the door as there seems to be something happening out there.
"What's going on?" Harry asks upon opening the door. One of the fourth year students pause in returning to their room to answer the question. "The Weasley twins stole our wands and want us to go to the dungeon to get them back!"
Harry blinks as he lets go of the younger year. "They've gone too far!" Harry hears from a pair of girls as he comes to the stair case.
The emerald eye wizard enters into the Common room to find a rather large, black billboard that's flashing brightly colored words and sporting a pad featuring a map leading to some place in the dungeon. Those hanging around the room all seem to be rather certain that the Weasley twins are behind this thief.
"Are we sure they're behind this?" Hermione asks, addressing the assembled masses within the Common room from the stairwell. Silence greets her question and after a few minutes, the various groups of students return to conversing among themselves.
"I don't know Hermione, it seems like something they'd do." Ron says behind the witch. "It'd be like them to do this. I mean, have you seen those fake wands?" The often rude and unthoughtful wizard reminds the female third of the Golden Trio.
"I have to agree with Hermione. They've never gone this far before so why do it now?" Harry asks upon joining the other two.
"See?" Hermione says and Ron rolls his eyes while shaking his head. Hermione merely glowers at the red head while Harry simply sighs.
"So, do we brave the dungeon for our wands and forgo breakfast or go for breakfast and forgo getting our wands? But we kind of need our wands for classes so..." Neville says and the three glance over at the usually reserved teen.
"He's got a good point." Ron remarks and Harry rolls his eyes as Hermione sighs while crossing her arms. They move out of the stairwell to allow the others to move up and down.
"So we're going for our wands then?" Harry asks Ron and the other wizard blinks before frowning, as if it suddenly dawns on Ron that he'll be forgoing a meal. Hermione and Harry watch as Ron struggles to come to a decision.
Students mill outside the room, none felt brave enough to enter, particularly as they feel naked without their wands then the red lettered warning upon the door which reads: Beware! Ye All Who Enter For The Guilty Shall Face Righteous Judgements Before Those Ye Have Wronged! For Lies Shall Wither Within And Be Shed So That Truth Shine Forth!
Just reading the words cause their hair to raise up and a chill to pass through the reader. More and more students arrive, many pushing their way forward only to stop short upon reading the warning. None of those gathered recall anyone entering into the room. Many of those waiting before the door are hungry and highly irritated about all of this but they still stand there, as if waiting for somebody to take charge, preferably a teacher or maybe even a Prefect.
Finally the professors, minus Hagrid, arrive which causes the students and the teachers to regard each other silently. The students, seemingly as one, make room for the teachers to approach the door. As one of the professors read the warning out loud, the Golden Trio arrive as unlike the rest of the students, they stopped off at the Great Hall for breakfast instead of coming directly to this room in the dungeon.
Harry and Hermione had been rather surprised to see so many people forgoing a meal to get their wands back but upon arriving at the site of so many gathered about causes Harry frown and cross his arms over his chest while Hermione merely seems disappointed by the sceptically before them. Harry sends a 'I told you so' look over at Hermione while she sighs.
"What a load of crook is this? It seems that our brave lions are frightened off by a little warning upon a door?" Snape muses out loud while eying those with the Gryffindor's badge upon their robes. Many of those students stiffen while the others shift uncomfortably under the attention from the other three houses, the snakes in particular snicker at the insult.
"Severus, please! Even I can feel that the door has enchantments upon it and it's likely that the room has more within it as well." The head of house of Gryffindor says in defense of her house.
"One can only wonder what students within your house get up to, Minerva. This does seem to have the Weasley twins' prints all over it." Snape replies.
"Now, now. I'm certain that this is just a harmless prank." The headmaster of the school says in his typical way while a certain witch in pink makes a certain sound.
"With all due respect, headmaster, but the stealing of a witch's or wizard's wand is a serious thing. I believe three months worth of detentions are in order." This year's current Defense Against the Dark Arts professor says in her childish sounding voice that is at odds with her toad like appearance.
You'd think they'd get on with it. Harry muses silently while hanging back of the crowd with Hermione. They, along with the rest of the humans of the school, with the exception of a certain caretaker, watch as the teacher squabble before them.
The teachers stop when the bell sounds. Finally, the headmaster says a few words before opening the door. Screams echo through hall as all of the lights suddenly go out and seconds later, purple flames sprout at the top of the torches.
"Such... theatrics." Snape murmurs before walking in behind Dumbledore. Slowly the teachers walk into the room and then, tentatively, followed by the students from all of the houses.
The room the professors and the students enter into seems to have mist hanging about the floor. The smell of rotten eggs is faint but there while glowing white skeleton move about the graveyard that has been painted upon the walls. Images of ghosts appear and fade upon the painting while fluttering bats fly from tree to tree.
Then a neon orange arrow appears with the words, also in neon orange, Through Here If You Dare! Suddenly a creepy laughter seemingly sounds from the door that the sign is pointing to.
At the laughter, the painted skeletons pause in their games to turn to regard those within the room, ghosts also appear and float 'towards' the group along with the skeletons. They seem to grow as they approach, their rattling bones slowly becoming loud enough that all can hear them.
Many of the students took steps away from the walls, causing the majority of them to press into the center of the room. It was hard to tell what the skeletons thought of this action by the younger members of those within the room while the painted ghosts look amuse and a few of the more childish looking ones began making faces at the students.
Then, suddenly, somebody notices something black moving about the floor and when a girl notices it looks like a roach, they scream. This suddenly causes the single roach to begin splitting about and suddenly, more people took note of this and their voices ring out. The swarm of cockroaches begins climbing up the boots and shoes of anyone within the room.
It wasn't longs before the teachers took note and they, in turn, found these cockroaches trying to climb up their own foot wear or onto the edge of their robes. It didn't take long for each person to begin frantically kick their feet about to dislodge the vermin or to try and kill them viva stepping upon them, but that didn't work as the step on cockroach heaves itself up and seeming to shake itself before transforming into another kind of creepy crawly like a black centipede, scorpion, or tarantula and if these were stepped on, they would transform into a black rat, bat, or snake.
And thus, as the painted skeleton and ghosts watch, the group is hurried through the doorway leading deeper into the enchantments that lay within this room. None of the black creatures follow the group out, they merely become still. Without anything to watch, the skeletons and ghosts return to their usual antics.
The professors and students had a tough time fitting into the hallway. All along the hallway, panels would open up and a hand or head would spring out at the fleeing group. Sounds of screams and manic laughter haunt their every step. The only exit is a light and upon passing through, they fall about three feet down into the room.
With each person to fall, they would land upon a mushroom top and then roll off onto another and then onto another until, finally, they land upon the teal colored floor. Slime covers where they came into contact with the floor. Most didn't have time to think about the slime as they're a little too busy getting out of the landing pad as it were.
As the group recovers from their previous frights, they take time to study their new surroundings. They find that it to be rather cave like with what appear to be unidentified, giant snails slowly crawling upon the surfaces of pretty much everything. Flickers of crimson glow upon the sickly pale shells of the snails while the snails' own flesh seem to be a sickly pale green and their slime trails seem to glow blue.
The sources of light within this room seem to be the slime trails, spots upon giant mushrooms tops or stems, and fireflies the size of Hagrid's fists. Students stay tight with each other while the teachers glance about in a wary fashion, none of them knowing just where to go and few seem to want to take point. Every so often, the mushroom tops would shake and spores would drift down.
The students slowly grow nervous as it seems to dawn on the students that their teachers likely were as frightened as they were, which wasn't much of a confidence booster. As if sensing the despair of the students, Dumbledore makes a throaty sound and takes point, heading towards the center of the cave.
It takes the group a few minutes before they follow after. Some felt well enough to begin complaining about all this walking while others commented upon the slime upon their person. All members of the group, teacher or student, weren't in the best of moods and parts of their bodies ache from the rough treatment of falling down upon the mushroom tops and onto the floor.
Then somebody steps on something which clicks softly but nobody really heard it. Then, it begins to rain and the fireflies take cover. Thunder pearls through the room and the rain increases. As the group begin to pick up the pace, heading for a grove of mushrooms for shelter, the landscape begins to alter, the rocks poking out of the ground move down and then the teal stone plates begin to angle themselves towards the center of the room, which now sports a hole.
Thunder pearls through the air and panels of the wall shift to reveal grids. Water begins to flow out of these pipes, the group only begins to notice that water seems to be flowing down, towards the center. Then, lightning bolts from the ceiling and hits this metal rod.
With that rod hit, it takes a second but finally, water rushes out of the pipes into the room. The force of the water causes more then a few of the lighter weight students to fall down but the water doesn't let up, only grows in force. The waves finally grow to be ten feet deep and this finally sweeps them all away towards the hole.
The group lands upon a metal grid with water pouring down for another twenty minutes. Once it's finished, many of those who have glasses found theirs washed away. As the group collect itself, something stirs in the water below and suddenly, a huge reptile launches itself out of the water but doesn't get more then five feet close to the group as another set of bars keep the serpent, its appearance is that of a classic water dragon, from ramming their grid.
With a hiss, the strange dragon like serpent falls back into the pool. It roars loudly ever so often as the group walks for the door leading out of this pit. The group doesn't know what to expect from the new hallway or the room it likely leads to but at this point, they just want to get this over with as their nerves are raw and they doubt it could get worst.
Dumbledore pauses by the hallway doorway as something lights up. The edges of this lip shine brightly, even to his weak eyes and the headmaster checks the grove slot. "Ah..." Albus Dumbledore murmurs as he pulls out his glasses from one of the pocket carved into the stone doorway before continuing.
And so, before passing through the doorway, each person pauses by to see if some they might have lost is within the stone pocket. Most of the items held within the stone pockets are eye glasses with a few being jewelry. There seems to be some kind of charm ensuring that those who own said item would be seen by their owners, keeping certain thieving students from taking what isn't theirs.
The hallway sports glass cases that contain magical animals, some of which only exist in muggle fantasy like jackalopes and devils. Signs stand half a foot before the glass with information about the creature or being behind the glass. Those that have visited muggle zoos could guess how this part is set up.
"Since when are there five types of unicorns?" One of the pureblood students wonders, coming to a stop before a large window featuring a huge meadow and cliff side. The student yelps upon seeing one of the winged unicorns takes flight before their eyes.
More students come to see this exhibit and finds not just the familiar breed that roams the Forbidden Forest but others. The remaining three types on display are kirrins of Asia, black color variety sporting a crimson horn and purple eyes, and, finally, more deer style type who's not only sports soft green fur but a horn that sports branches.
Beyond this point, the group finds more takes upon the species they've known like gryphons. They discover hundreds of different combinations of felines and bird types like a lynx cross with a gray owl or yet another lynx type only this time cross with a bald eagle. One in particular causes a stir and it was a nundu cross with a phoenix. There were a few empty cases featuring tape with the words 'Coming Soon!' The information posts game names of what kind of gryphons that should be held within.
None had even thought that that magical birds could be cross with magical cats to create a gryphon but, it seems that a lot of what they had known could be wrong, very wrong. The next section of this strange zoo features chimeras and that's where they found different types of beings crossed with at minimum of two other creatures and creatures mixed with a minimum of two other creatures too. All are awe inspiring as well as unnerving.
After hours of seeing everything the zoo offers, they come to a room that is a cafeteria. Ghosts of students ranging from seven to twelve years of age are either standing in line to get food or sitting at various tables. Few of the ghosts glance in the group's direction.
Real food is being offered and everyone suddenly becomes very much aware of how hungry they are. The ghost students also seem to be talking but the group doesn't hear anything. Finally a brave few move to stand at the end of the line but the professors move to be right next to the food, only to be flung to this wall and rotten arms move out of the wall to hold them to the wall.
A few seconds pass and the students hurry to stand in line while some of the professors are screaming/demanding/asking for help or to be let go. About ten minutes when the last ghost student has sat down, some unheard action happened to cause those still with ghostly food upon their trays to begin scarfing down the food faster while those with clean trays to take them over to this collection of trays with dirty dishes and what not.
The ghostly residents drift out the way the group came in, vanishing upon reaching the doorway. Once all of the ghosts were gone did the professors get let go. As the students fill their empty stomachs, they relax and a murmur of conversations erupt from them. The topics of conversation is, naturally, their experiences within this enchanted room like the cavern room and, of course, the zoo.
Students would get up and go for seconds, a few complained about having to do this but it didn't stop them from doing so. As the various members of the group fill up, they take a look around and discover that there didn't seem to be another doorway for them to enter, one note worthy thing is that the doors have closed.
Once everyone has eaten their fill, some at least their body weight it seems, they grew nervous about what's to come next. A group of seven year students get up and try to open the door but they won't budge no matter how much weight they throw upon them or they pull. More people would head over and lend their weight to the pushing or pull but the doors refused to budge.
After wasting an hour, one of the lower year students remarks, "You know, I think the kitchen might have a door leading out." Those not by the door move to see into the back and they did spy a door.
It didn't take long to walk through the kitchen, most ignore the heading cages filled up with skeletons of young students or the jars sporting organs. Rodents could be found upon the counters, gnawing upon scattered bones or by a broken jar containing pickled fingers that seem to be rotting. A few jump when another jar falls when a rat scampers upon a shelf.
It didn't take long before all of the rats to run towards the freshly broken jar that contains kidneys. The group picks up its pace as the rather large rodents begin to fight over the contains. The door they walk through leads to a cold room with questionable contents. The room also has a meat grinder and scattered bony skeletons all about the floor.
Then, some how, the room is transformed into a forest with a nice full moon hanging in the night sky. As the group pauses and looks back none can find any hint of the room they had passed through. All around them, sounds of a typical night in a forest can be heard.
Then, as they notice a group of standing stones and a large fire, thunderous cries of, 'Yeah!' Echo and the group, as one, turns to find two riders thundering towards them while riding upon undead horses. The rattle of the bones is rather soft but as the pair come closer. "It's the Wild Hunt! Run!" Someone cries and the group of teachers and students do so.
Suddenly, anthropomorphic beings suddenly seem to raise out of the ground and form a half formed circle about the group. The riders finally arrive and as the group turns to face the riders, the one to the left takes off the metal helmet to reveal Fred Weasely. "Hey! You're here for your wands too?"
The anthropomorphic beings turn and head for the standing stones with the fire burning in the middle of it. Most of the group part to allow those through while Albus Dumbledore addresses the twins as George takes off his own helmet, neither moving to get off their mounts. "Now boys, you've had your fun, while this is very creative, it's time to end it."
The two Weasleys glance at each before something dawns on them. "You think...?" George muses while Fred is busy laughing. "Not our doing! We hurried here when we saw the board! We knew we'd be blamed for it so we thought to enter into this place to get the wands but, well, we can't seem to find a way out of this level."
"We found some stuff over in there and put some of it on. Then, upon blowing this horn, these two skeleton horses showed up in this mist. So, we climbed on and have been riding around since." George adds upon noticing the disbelief of the whole group.
"So, you're lying on top of forcing us through that... that..." A certain she-toad flumes. Many of the professors seem to be in agreement with the she-toad.
"Nobody really forced you in here. You all could have easily gone out and purchased new wands." One of the anthropomorphic beings, this one sporting three antlers says. "Even in that first room, you chose to continue on when all you had to do was run out the way you came in."
Suddenly mist raises up and metal bands appear on many of the group's wrists and necks. The chains attached causes more then a few to be pulled towards the fire ablaze at the center of the standing stones. "And thus, those among you agreed to be judged and sentenced." A second voice chimes in, this one coming sporting a beak instead of a muzzle.
"By who's authority?" One of the Ravenclaws demands, after all, a surprising number of those sporting metal bands and getting dragged towards the fire are professors while the rest being students.
"Magic itself, after all, you all entered into a contract upon entering into this haunted house. After all, a simple confusous charm could force me into tournament for adults, I figured one that accepts entrance into a haunted house would equal signing a magic contract." The antler anthropomorphic being now revealed to be Harry Potter says.
With that, the two turn and head for the fire. "Come and hear what magic has decided or you can follow the twins and goof off for the next few hours. Either way, you have a course of actions that will be memorable." The one with the beak says.
The remaining professors head towards the fire while the students all try to decide what they want to do.
Happy Halloween!