Author: Well. To be honest, I never planned the second chapter, it was
supposed to be a short piece (I hate sequels because I
usually get bored at the middle), but all you reviewers kept asking
about the continuation. Ok, here it goes (kinda "if you
started to pervert a real story, have enough patience to finish it").
P.S. "Hullo, Azzy?" How came you know my yahoo profile-are you from
this Pokemon gang? Ok, just wondering.
The Old Joke
By Juliss the Severed Snake
Chapter 2
"Bye, Snape, see you at Heavens", chuckled Black, when Whomping Willow
frost, letting me slip under the branches to the dark
hole between its roots.
"If Heavens are the place where you're gonna be I'd rather prefer Hell
as my next abode" hissed I in response and crawled into
the hole.
Tree trunk champed hungrily behind my back and I found myself in complete
darkness. Chilly, humid darkness with remote
noise of dribbling water. Damn. It was so easy to play a hero facing
Black outside, but the place was freezing enough to cool
down even my rage.
"Lumos", muttered I, and pale glow at the end of my wand illuminated dumpy walls of underground passage.
"Well, let's put it straight", continued I gloomily. "You are going
to fight full-grown werewolf with your bare hands. Sounds less
than promising. He'll feast on you, my dear Severus. Of course he would
be expulsed and may be even shot, but it's not a
great consolation for ripped corpse. All right, then I can just seat
here, waiting for dawn to comeÉOr werewolf. Shit"
I searched fervently through my Dark Creatures knowledge. Silver or
fire could kill werewolf. I looked at the rod, still clutched in
my fist.
"Ignificus!" The branch's end burst in red flames, coloring dark walls in color of dried blood.
Then I fingered silver fastening of my cloak. It was made in form of
twisted snake, but it could be transformed into something
else. I picked it and placed on my palm, recollecting incantation.
It must beÉ"Exacuo Spiculum". Little snake straightened, its
head sharpened to become a point of dart, glinting in the light of
my torch. I tucked it under my belt, raised the torch higher
and started for a far end of tunnel, my heart beating like mad clock
and wand ready to stop any attacker.
After what seemed like whole-night travel I had heard a strange echo,
rebounding from the walls of passage. It was a horrible
cross between whining and growling, I could easily imagine the pack
of cursed souls or especially bad-tempered ghosts crying
like that in haunted house.
Ghosts? Haunted house? Some thought dawned in my head, guess that immediately
was replaced by certainty - Shrieking Shack! The passage was leading to
Shrieking Shack, pitiful abandoned ruin at the outskirts of Hogsmead. It
was supposed to be most haunted place in whole EnglandÉ I sniggered despite
of my fear. Of course, Dumbledor wouldn't have permitted werewolf at large,
frisking about at Forbidden Forest. It was really brilliant idea, scare
foolish peasants with fairy-tales about complaining
souls, so on. I smiled again but my smile faded immediately when especially
fierce howl thundered in the dungeon. I stopped
dead on my tracks, but too late- gray shadow slipped from the darkness
at the far end of tunnel, snarling and approaching to
me with horrifying speed.
I raised my wand, pointing at advancing shape, and trying to persuade
my heart to stay where it was. "Stupefy!" Werewolf
dodged easily, with almost beautiful grace, and jumped. I stumbled
and fell onto the floor, rolling over to escape beast's fangs.
Hot smelly breath touched my hair, thing growled maniacally and charged
again - only to be met by flaring branch. Disgusting
stench of smoldered fur hit my nostrils. Beast yelped and jumped back,
and I got a chance to use my silver dart. It swished in
the air and pierced werewolf's side. Werewolf growled again, not taken
aback and ready to kill.
I was ready to kill, too, raising my wand and starting "Avada KeÉ" But
at that moment silvery shape darted from behind,
positioning himself between me and snarling predator. Stag. Little
stag with glittering horns.
"GoÉGo away!" cried I, still grasping my wand. "Let me kill it!"
I don't know why I was sure that the thing would understand. Werewolf
howled something, and I could bet that he had said
almost the same. But stag remained still, moving his glance from me
to the crunching animal. And thenÉthen werewolf
retreated. It retreated slowly, reluctantly, leaving its prey, but
it did it, and soon disappeared in the darkness.
Then the stag turned to me, smilingÉOf course stag cannot smile.
"Potter, you?É" gasped IÉ and waked up .
********
Chill, cloudy dawn of the end of October stole its way in the sky and
now poured a pale, mirthless light over the streets and
parks of giant city. October, 31. I still have time to warn them about
Voldemort's plans, about the treason. I still have enough
time to pay my debt. I still have timeÉ
THE END