_.~*~.__.~*~.__.~*~._ Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings_.~*~.__.~*~.__.~*~._
Since there was no rune to be found on the dungeon wall even after a very careful
examination they had to take the only route that was open to them - along the staircase
Hermione had found.
Snape went ahead. Behind him followed Malfoy and the Ron an Hermione. Harry thought it
the best to bring a big as possible distance between himself and his potion teacher
The staircase went steep ahead. The walls were sooty and there was a smell in the air that was
everything but pleasant. Harry was quite sure, that he had never smelled anything like that in
Hogwarts before - a fact, he didn't like at all.
Suddenly there was a strange noise and all five of them stopped dead. Harry gave Ron and
Hermione a puzzled look, but both could only shrug.
Malfoy didn't give a very self assured impression, when he looked around. "What's that,
Professor? Where does it come from?"
"Silence!"
Snapes voice sounded strained - which wasn't a big surprise. After all he was in an unknown
place accompanied by four under aged wizards in a possibly dangerous situation.
"It sounds like… voices!", made Hermione a suggestion.
"I said 'silence', Miss Granger!" Snape looked over the group of students and mumbled
something that sounded suspiciously like 'ten points from Gryffindor' - and by the way
Malfoy was grinning that probably hit the core of the statement.
The noise came nearer. It actually was the sound of voices. Loud calls could be heard over the
sound of steady mumbling, But what they were calling couldn't be made out. Worse - Harry
was almost sure, the shouters weren't speaking English.
"Have your wands at the ready!" Snape overlooked his students again with a piercing stare. "I
suppose each of you knows the stunning spell?"
They nodded. Nobody felt like talking anymore - now that it looked like they would actually
have to defend themselves.
"We'll walk on slowly! This corridor meets another one further ahead. And stay behind a bit.
Is that clear!"
Another four-headed nod was the answer. They followed Snape slowly to the end of the
corridor. They had just come to the point where Snape could have looked around the corner,
but the sound of running feet on the stone floor, grunting, wheezing and single calls kept him
from doing so. It sounded like a crowd would be storming around the corner any moment. At
the same time it was possible to make out the words. It sounded like commands, but - Harry
began to feel sick - they were defiantly not English.
It had been a wise decision not to look around the corner because moments later a crowd
*did* storm past their corridor. Coming from the left they were running - apparently slightly
upwards and passed by heading to the right - wherever that was leading them.
One of them shouted something and then they where out of sight. The noise died away as fast
as it had come closer before.
"What exactly did he shout?" Ron's voice sounded, as if he couldn't decide whether he should
be surprised, completely taken aback or frightened.
Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "It sounded like ush, crush, cruzzum - or something.
Definitely not English!"
"Thank you very much, Miss Granger," Snapes Voice as icy. "That you take the trouble to
enlighten us. Without your help none of us would have figured that out. Maybe you even
know what like 'ush-crush-cruzzum' means?"
Hermione shook her head without a word. Harry could see that Ron put a comforting hand to
her back. In a situation like this Snapes biting comments were even more out of place than
usually.
"Very well - we're not going to solve this riddle if we stay in this corridor and debate. We'll
go on carefully and keep our eyes open. Stay close to one another!"
Snape turned and stepped into the second corridor. He shot a short glance to the left, then
turned to follow the direction of the crowd.
For a while they walked in silence. Harry thought about something that distracted his mind
from the biting smell in the air: Not only, that those people hadn't spoken English - they had
looked pretty strange as well. Somehow… not human. Although they had been running
upright on two legs - still strangely bent forward. And even though he hadn't been able to see
much in the dim light he was sure, that their closing had been pretty strange as well.
The corridor became a little wider and brighter. Almost at the same time they heard noises
again - but this time it sounded a lot different. Like metal hitting on metal. Harry had to think
of the shows on TV Dudley had always liked to watch - about knights. It sounded just like a
battle. And there was not only shouting anymore, but screams. Screams of pain. Harry
shuddered.
This moment Snape stopped. The corridor ended into a small hall - a bit like the entrance hall
at Hogwarts and along a hallway several doors could be made out. The noise could be
identified as a battle for sure now.
Harry noticed, that Snape was sweating. He apparently didn't feel too happy with the situation
- Harry didn't blame him. Only that he got the feeling that a self-assured teacher would have
calmed him down a bit.
Snape turned around. "You'll stay here. Hide in this corridor!"
"And if another group comes up this way?" Hermione's voice was trembling.
Snape gave her a piercing stare. "Why don't you just hope that doesn't happen, Miss Granger!
I'll try to find out what's going on and where we are."
He turned around rather abruptly. Harry was sure he had heard Snape mumbling 'And
hopefully won't die doing so', before his teacher moved along the corridor in his usually
prowling walk, up to the next door.
Apparently it was locked, because Snape raised his wand…
Loud screaming behind Harry made him jump. He nearly fell down, when Draco - who had
been standing behind them in the corridor, probably because he thought it saver - stumbled
forward, still screaming.
Harry looked back and his eyes widened with shock and horror. The most scaring creature he
had ever seen - apart from Aragog, maybe, and the basilisk - stood right behind them.
Along with Hermione and Ron Harry screamed out loud and all four students rushed forward
to catch up with Snape.
_.~*~.__.~*~.__.~*~.__.~*~._to be continued _.~*~.__.~*~.__.~*~.__.~*~._
Since there was no rune to be found on the dungeon wall even after a very careful
examination they had to take the only route that was open to them - along the staircase
Hermione had found.
Snape went ahead. Behind him followed Malfoy and the Ron an Hermione. Harry thought it
the best to bring a big as possible distance between himself and his potion teacher
The staircase went steep ahead. The walls were sooty and there was a smell in the air that was
everything but pleasant. Harry was quite sure, that he had never smelled anything like that in
Hogwarts before - a fact, he didn't like at all.
Suddenly there was a strange noise and all five of them stopped dead. Harry gave Ron and
Hermione a puzzled look, but both could only shrug.
Malfoy didn't give a very self assured impression, when he looked around. "What's that,
Professor? Where does it come from?"
"Silence!"
Snapes voice sounded strained - which wasn't a big surprise. After all he was in an unknown
place accompanied by four under aged wizards in a possibly dangerous situation.
"It sounds like… voices!", made Hermione a suggestion.
"I said 'silence', Miss Granger!" Snape looked over the group of students and mumbled
something that sounded suspiciously like 'ten points from Gryffindor' - and by the way
Malfoy was grinning that probably hit the core of the statement.
The noise came nearer. It actually was the sound of voices. Loud calls could be heard over the
sound of steady mumbling, But what they were calling couldn't be made out. Worse - Harry
was almost sure, the shouters weren't speaking English.
"Have your wands at the ready!" Snape overlooked his students again with a piercing stare. "I
suppose each of you knows the stunning spell?"
They nodded. Nobody felt like talking anymore - now that it looked like they would actually
have to defend themselves.
"We'll walk on slowly! This corridor meets another one further ahead. And stay behind a bit.
Is that clear!"
Another four-headed nod was the answer. They followed Snape slowly to the end of the
corridor. They had just come to the point where Snape could have looked around the corner,
but the sound of running feet on the stone floor, grunting, wheezing and single calls kept him
from doing so. It sounded like a crowd would be storming around the corner any moment. At
the same time it was possible to make out the words. It sounded like commands, but - Harry
began to feel sick - they were defiantly not English.
It had been a wise decision not to look around the corner because moments later a crowd
*did* storm past their corridor. Coming from the left they were running - apparently slightly
upwards and passed by heading to the right - wherever that was leading them.
One of them shouted something and then they where out of sight. The noise died away as fast
as it had come closer before.
"What exactly did he shout?" Ron's voice sounded, as if he couldn't decide whether he should
be surprised, completely taken aback or frightened.
Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "It sounded like ush, crush, cruzzum - or something.
Definitely not English!"
"Thank you very much, Miss Granger," Snapes Voice as icy. "That you take the trouble to
enlighten us. Without your help none of us would have figured that out. Maybe you even
know what like 'ush-crush-cruzzum' means?"
Hermione shook her head without a word. Harry could see that Ron put a comforting hand to
her back. In a situation like this Snapes biting comments were even more out of place than
usually.
"Very well - we're not going to solve this riddle if we stay in this corridor and debate. We'll
go on carefully and keep our eyes open. Stay close to one another!"
Snape turned and stepped into the second corridor. He shot a short glance to the left, then
turned to follow the direction of the crowd.
For a while they walked in silence. Harry thought about something that distracted his mind
from the biting smell in the air: Not only, that those people hadn't spoken English - they had
looked pretty strange as well. Somehow… not human. Although they had been running
upright on two legs - still strangely bent forward. And even though he hadn't been able to see
much in the dim light he was sure, that their closing had been pretty strange as well.
The corridor became a little wider and brighter. Almost at the same time they heard noises
again - but this time it sounded a lot different. Like metal hitting on metal. Harry had to think
of the shows on TV Dudley had always liked to watch - about knights. It sounded just like a
battle. And there was not only shouting anymore, but screams. Screams of pain. Harry
shuddered.
This moment Snape stopped. The corridor ended into a small hall - a bit like the entrance hall
at Hogwarts and along a hallway several doors could be made out. The noise could be
identified as a battle for sure now.
Harry noticed, that Snape was sweating. He apparently didn't feel too happy with the situation
- Harry didn't blame him. Only that he got the feeling that a self-assured teacher would have
calmed him down a bit.
Snape turned around. "You'll stay here. Hide in this corridor!"
"And if another group comes up this way?" Hermione's voice was trembling.
Snape gave her a piercing stare. "Why don't you just hope that doesn't happen, Miss Granger!
I'll try to find out what's going on and where we are."
He turned around rather abruptly. Harry was sure he had heard Snape mumbling 'And
hopefully won't die doing so', before his teacher moved along the corridor in his usually
prowling walk, up to the next door.
Apparently it was locked, because Snape raised his wand…
Loud screaming behind Harry made him jump. He nearly fell down, when Draco - who had
been standing behind them in the corridor, probably because he thought it saver - stumbled
forward, still screaming.
Harry looked back and his eyes widened with shock and horror. The most scaring creature he
had ever seen - apart from Aragog, maybe, and the basilisk - stood right behind them.
Along with Hermione and Ron Harry screamed out loud and all four students rushed forward
to catch up with Snape.
_.~*~.__.~*~.__.~*~.__.~*~._to be continued _.~*~.__.~*~.__.~*~.__.~*~._