Hogwarts a History – Mazes and Monsters
Chapter 02 – Fire bad
…
Leaving the chimera behind they stepped into an ovoid room filled with sconces, braziers, and candelabra. Hermione gripped Harry's hand nervously.
"Harry" she quivered.
Harry cursed inwardly, wracked again with guilt over what had been done to his friend.
"It's alright Hermione, they're not lit."
None of them were, save for a single torch on the far wall next to the door.
"Look, there's the door, come on."
It was simple leading his friend across the room. She wanted out, so she practically dragged him through the odd collection of fire holding accoutrements. They were almost there when the torch flashed.
"Fire bad!"
Hermione froze in her tracks, abruptly halting Harry and gripping his hand painfully.
That painful grip was the least of his problems.
Little flecks of flame floated from the torch and began igniting wicks at a rapid pace.
Hermione's grip tightened again, and she pressed herself into his side like she was trying to crawl into his kidney.
"Fire bad, fire bad" she chanted as the room grew brighter and brighter.
Harry tried to pull Hermione out of the room but the various flame holders, now all lit, had more in store for the two of them. The torch flashed again, and small streams of flame ran from each tiny fire, coalescing into a man-sized fireball blocking their path.
"Fire bad!"
"I know, I know" said Harry, wrenching his hand free so he could draw his wand, "Aguamenti!"
He may have felt guilty about what had been done to Hermione, but that's not to say he didn't learn anything from her little trip down the fiery path.
His watering charm was good for someone his age. He was understandably proud of his mastery of the spell. The fireball was unimpressed.
The water became a cloud of steam the second it made contact, doing nothing to put the fire out. That's not to say it had no effect however.
The fireball stretched, taking a vaguely feline form it then used to stalk toward the two eleven-year-olds.
"Shite!" Harry cursed.
"Aguamenti!"
The feline hissed at the girl's water spell, but it wasn't aimed at the cat. The spell splashed against a row of candles, snuffing out half a dozen which smoked for a moment before reigniting.
"Bollocks!"
Despite the dire situation Harry had to resist a chuckle at her language, he'd tease her about it later.
The flaming elemental hissed again and lunged. Not trusting her to move on her own in the face of the feline flame, Harry tackled her out of the way.
The elemental was less nimble than its chosen form would suggest, and it splashed down behind them, taking several moments to reform itself from an indistinct blaze on the floor.
Harry took the opportunity to try his watering charm again. He managed to put out nearly half the room only for each one to light up again.
Frustrated he turned to the torch and blasted it with water.
This had a pronounced effect. The entire room dimmed for the few moments it was extinguished. Then it reignited, and the room brightened again.
"So that's it."
He'd figured it out, sort of. Seemed kinda obvious really. Now he just needed a way to keep it out. But how?
"Harry, do that again!"
Not sure what she hoped to gain he blasted the torch again just as the elemental reassumed its bestial shape.
The torch died. The room dimmed. The elemental hissed. Then a flame appeared on the torch. It was blue.
There was a moment of confusion when the room didn't brighten.
"What?"
"The bluebell flame" Hermione explained, "It's not real fire so it can't be overcome by real fire."
Which meant the torch couldn't relight. The elemental appeared to have realized this as well as the assorted small flames began to die. It stalked toward the two, hissing angry sparks with each step.
"Oooh, fire" Hermione moaned.
"Bad, yeah, move!" Harry shouted, grabbing her hand and charging the door.
The elemental gave a furious yowl and raced after them.
Harry hit the door running and charged into the next room dragging Hermione behind him. The elemental followed barely two steps behind.