CHAPTER 10: THE DOOR IS FOUND

The other Gryffindor fifth-year boys started to wake up. They moved lethargically about, shuffling their feet and rubbing their eyes. Harry got slowly out of bed as well. He changed into his school clothes and robes, and all the while held onto his book. He never let go of it. Harry disguised the book by carrying it in his cauldron to breakfast, among his Potions books and ingredients.

"Hello, Harry," Ron mumbled sleepily. "How was your -" he yawned, "detention?"

"I'll tell you at breakfast," Harry said, sounding just as fatigued.

The two headed off to the Great Hall. Ten minutes into breakfast, Madeline and Hermione still weren't there.

"I wonder where they are," Ron stated thoughtfully, pouring loads of syrup all over his flapjacks.

Harry nodded. He kept glancing over at the door. Finally, Madeline and Hermione came speeding down the corridor outside the Great Hall and skidded to a stop in front of the door. Madeline cleared her throat and gathered composure as Hermione smoothed her robes.

"So sorry we're late." Hermione pronounced smartly, "But we were doing our hair."

Hermione's hair, which had, starting this year, been long and strait, was up in a high ponytail on the top of her head. Her curls, which had before been frizzy, were tight and perfect.

Madeline's long hair was put into a thick braid down the middle of her back. Woven into the braid were red ribbons, matching her shirt.

"That looks - er, very pretty, Madeline," Ron said sheepishly. He grinned shyly.

"Sank you, Ron." Madeline smiled pleasantly.

"Your hair is lovely, Hermione," Harry added.

"Thanks." Hermione nodded. The girls sat down. "How was your detention?"

"Oh… such a story." Harry lowered his voice and leaned in. "There was no house-elf missing."

Everyone gasped.

"What did you do, then?" Ron demanded.

"Hagrid made that up to cover. We were looking for Death-Eaters." Harry told his friends everything that had happened. After he was finished with his story, including opening the book and finding the mystery door, everyone was speechless.

The next words were not spoken for ten minutes. They came from Hermione in a quiet, cheerless voice. "Go talk to Sirius."

"When?" Harry asked.

"Now. Go now." Everyone was standing up to leave breakfast, so when Sirius rose to depart, Harry rushed over to the staff table.

"Sirius!" He hissed. Sirius headed over towards Harry, looking quite curious. Harry repeated his story to Sirius, who also remained silent for a moment.

"I think you should find the door, Harry, and find out where it leads to. But be careful as you go, I don't want you to get hurt."

Harry nodded. "Okay… I'll find it."

Harry continued on to Potions class. He sat next to Hermione and whispered to her, "Sirius thinks I should find the door. I know it's outside, but where? Will you come with me after dinner to find it?"

"Sure, Harry," Hermione replied, "And I'm positive Ron and Madeline will, too."

"Potter! Granger!" Snape barked, stalking over to their desk.

"Y-yes, sir?" Hermione stammered, sinking lower in her chair.

"Two points from Gryffindor for talking, Potter. And Miss Granger, for replying, make that another two. You both should know better than to talk during class."

"But Draco was talking to Crabbe!" Hermione objected.

Snape, who had begun to walk away, whirled around. "Make that ten." He turned around again, but looked over his shoulder. "Each." Snape smiled horribly.

The rest of Potions (and most of the rest of the day) didn't go terribly well. In the hallway heading to Sirius' class, Malfoy knocked into Hermione, causing her to drop her cauldron. This caused quite a ruckus, as the sound of metal hitting stone rang through the corridor. The laughs of the Slytherins only exacerbated the situation. Hermione cheeks turned beet red.

"Malfoy…" Harry growled, "You-" he stopped. Malfoy was walking away. Soon, the four friends were the only ones left in the hallway. There was a sudden scream. Suddenly, Harry's scar on his forehead burned as though someone had placed a hot iron to it.

It was Madeline. She seized Harry's arm and dragged him to the side of the corridor. Malfoy and the Slytherins continued down the way to Defense, and Hermione scooped up her things and followed Harry and Madeline and Ron.

"'Arry! I saw V-Voldemort! Follow me!" Madeline said privately to Harry, moving stealthily down the halls.

Harry followed, not knowing where he was going. He glanced behind him and saw Hermione and Ron, silent, not far behind. They all moved very quickly. Harry was very confused until he caught up with Madeline. She paused to let him pass her. Harry followed the small, cloaked man, who was scurried through the halls in the shadows. The man was crouching as he ran, and he seemed quite nervous.

Harry followed the man through a door which he left opened and up a dimly lit staircase. Harry noticed that he had never been down this part of the school before. He observed, too, that the shadowy figure ahead of them seemed completely unaware that the children were following him.

At the top of the staircase, Harry continued through a door and halted. He found himself outside. The previously sunny sky had become ominously cloudy, and Harry heard the rumble of thunder in the distance. He glanced around frantically for the robed figure, who was nowhere to be found. Ron, Hermione, and Madeline all skidded to a stop behind Harry as they ascended the stairs one by one. It seemed as though the children were on a roof platform, because the ground was far below them. There was a turret to the left, and Madeline scurried to search the surrounding area for Voldemort. The four students wielded their wands in preparation for a fight. Hermione stayed close to Harry. She was breathing quite fast, as though she had exerted herself badly. Harry hadn't noticed how far they'd run; Snape's classroom was all the way on the other side of the school. Ron cried out in anger as the door leading to the staircase slammed behind him. He tried to yank it open, but to no avail. The door was locked.

Hermione ran over to the door. "Alohomora!" she exclaimed, shouting the spell to open a locked door and pointing her wand.

She tried again to open the door, but it was thoroughly stuck. Hermione gazed at Harry desperately. Harry sighed and turned. He headed for the right side of the platform. He turned the corner and saw something that made his heart stop. It was the door from the book. Harry was positive it was the door because it had the same black mark on the left side as the one in the picture.

"Ron! Hermione! Madeline!" Harry finally shouted. "I found it! The door!"

As the sound of his friends' running steps approached, Harry walked slowly toward the door with his hand extended. His friends gasped behind him when they saw the door.

"'Arry! Be careful!" Madeline warned. Hermione clapped her hand over her mouth and squealed as Harry's hand touched the doorknob.

Surprisingly, the door opened without any force. Harry merely touched the doorknob, and the door flew open. Harry whirled around, looking frightened as his friends' eyes widened. Madeline's eyes changed from a deep navy blue to a bright sky blue as she blinked.

Harry turned back around and gently pushed the door open further. He took a cautious step past the door, and whispered, "Lumos," to light his wand. He heard his comrades behind him mutter the same phrase as they faithfully followed him into the chamber.

The four students were in awe as they gazed upon the magnificent sight laid out in front of them.

Several things hit Harry at once. First, the coldness of the air in the room and the slippery floor. Harry realized immediately that the room was made entirely out of ice. The second thing to shock Harry was the lack of light. It was pitch black except for the light from the friends' wands. There was nothing on the walls or the floors, and the room seemed like a large square. The last thing Harry grasp was the slam of the door behind them. The four friends ran toward the door and tried in vain to open it with physical force and spells. They had nothing to do but wait. They were trapped. The four friends pounded on the door and shouted for about 10 minutes until their voices grew hoarse, then sat in desperate silence.

Harry had never felt such cold in his life, not even in the dead of a winter night. It was so bitterly frigid that when Harry attempted to breathe in, the temperature is such a shock that it knocked the wind out of him.

After about 20 minutes of sitting still, the effects of the cold began to set in on Harry. He was beginning to get frostbitten. He couldn't move his hands, his toes, or his face. His jaw must have been frozen, because when he attempted to open his mouth, he found it impossible.

"Thermomis…" he mumbled. The spell to make his wand radiate heat didn't work. Harry repeated the spell, and he heard Hermione do the same thing. It became clear that the wands did not work in the room, yet he did not know why. Harry tried to get up and move around to warm himself, but he discovered that that was not an option. He was immobile. Harry guessed that the temperature had to have been below 0 degrees. Harry sat back down, realizing that this could quite possibly be the place he would die. It was so cold, Harry hardly doubted that it was probable that if the four stayed much longer in the chamber, they would freeze. As Harry continued to sit silently, he pondered the situation. This must have been a trap. Voldemort had to have lured them into the room. He nearly fell asleep. To keep himself awake, Harry counted to himself. He got to 9,489 before Hermione's tiny voice pierced the silence.

"Harry…" Hermione whispered through the dark, "I can hardly stand the cold… I can't move…" Her speech was slow and dull-sounding.

"Keep talking to me, Hermione," Harry said. He had read somewhere that when someone was hypothermic, you should keep talking to them to keep them awake. The two talked for about 40 minutes about things like Snape, the clues in the book, and even the weather. Eventually, Hermione stopped answering.

Harry crawled over to her. He tried to see if she was alive. Hermione was breathing very slowly, but she was at least alive. She appeared to Harry to be sleeping. Harry kept trying to revive her, but to no avail.

"Madeline!" Harry called into the blind darkness, "Are you all right?"

"Yays, I think so… but I'm… so cold… so numb and cold." Madeline seemed to be in better shape than Hermione, but she, too, seemed to be fading. "Ron… 'ee fell asleep a long time ago… zair ees some-seeng een zees cold… eet eesn't normal… I seenk zair ees some-seeng een zee air… We are zee only one's still awake…"

But the two remaining friends couldn't claim that for long, for the cold soon ensnared them, as well. Harry drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.