Title: The House of Horrors
Author: Babydracky
Translation Author: Lil Nezumi
Disclaimer: Harry Potter-verse and characters belong to J.K. Rowling & WB.
Author's Note: See "INTRODUCTION" for summary and author's notes.
Part II, Chapter I: House of Horrors - Courtesy Visit
"Dear visitors, welcome..." the voice from this man had nothing on his appearance.
Ginny dropped her bag, when the person she saw frightened her and she ran quickly to hide behind Harry. Pansy looked on from her full height filled with non-fearful disdain, as though to show him that his interruption was not welcome and more so, impolite!
"Visitors?" Articulated Draco, with some difficulty.
The small group was observing the gentleman trying to understand the meaning behind his statement, asking themselves the question of 'Welcome where?' when screams resounded from behind them! Everyone jumped startled and turned about quickly towards the tall building behind them and one that they had not paid attention to til now!
A huge sign painted, at first glance, with letters of dripping blood, answered their question:
THE HOUSE of HORRORS.
"Please, young ladies and gentlemen, enter..." once more the icy voice of the gentleman was heard.
The first to find their voice was surprisingly, Malfoy.
"Enter? In there?" He voice was raised, a bit shrill, gulping and slightly trembling.
A large grin found its way onto Harry's face... "Well Malfoy, scared to take a little tour in this tiny "haunted" cabin, eh?" The tone of Harry's voice was dripping with sarcasm.
Malfoy, turned towards him furiously, having re-established his former countenance, well close enough...
"I am absolutely not afraid, Potter!" He spat out. "You'll just have to pardon me, that I unlike you, have an aversion to being around repulsive creatures!" He said this, finally without embarrassing himself, looking pointedly at Ginny, who still was hiding behind Harry's back.
"Take that back, Malfoy!" Harry stood directly in front of Draco.
Pansy, having not lost a moment at the start of this newest argument, planted herself directly between the two boys, ready to send her hand back, if need be, to smack Potter's snout! Once more the screams from within the building resounded and several students came flying out of the House of Horrors. As soon as they reached they reached the road, some of them collapsed solidly onto the ground, their legs no longer able to hold them up, whereas others began to loudly throw up all of the contents in their stomachs.
Everyone was watching them, thoroughly disgusted...
It was then that the gentleman started speaking again.
"It's your turn, please, enter now..."
It was no longer much of a welcome, it was an order! Harry looked at Malfoy and saw that he was discomfited, so he produced a huge self-satisfied grin! Harry was never afraid of the dark, nor afraid of confined spaces... After all, didn't he spend years sleeping in a very dark and gloomy cupboard under the stairs? Anyplace more dismal or gloomy than that did not exist! All of the creatures that he could possibly encounter in the "House of Horrors", would be nothing in comparison to the Dursleys and could never out weigh them in their maliciousness.
He turned towards Ginny and affectionately held out his hand to her.
"Shall we, Ginny? It looks to me like it could be hilarious!" He asked her with a huge, sincere smile.
It's just that Ginny was not at all reassured nor did she absolutely feel the need to see this "House of Horrors" on her own, but she'd feel really bad to refuse such a proposition from Harry... Still knowing that he succeeded in rescuing her from the deadly fangs of the Basilisk and in defeating You-Know-Who, well, she really wasn't risking anything much by entering an attraction at the fairground whose soul purpose was to scare students! Anyway, Harry was a afraid of nothing! He was her hero! Also, Ginny could not deny that this ride would allow her a very good excuse to stay "close" to Harry. So she gave him her hand and sent him a radiant smile.
As they made their way toward the dismal steps which looked as though they had almost been entirely devoured by the grossest looking insects, Harry turned towards the Slytherin couple and sent a questioning glance their way...
"Ah, Malfoy. Are we really that scared?" He asked with a smirk.
Harry was really enjoying this chance to show him up and this was occurring in front of a growing crowd of students, not bad at all, showing them that Malfoy was nothing but a coward.
"Oh, these Slytherins... All talk and no ac..." Harry had begun to say, but before he could finish the phrase, Pansy Parkinson grabbed a hold of Draco by the arm and literally hauled him towards the steps, to stand next to the Gryphondors.
"Don't just spew anything out of your mouth, Potter! Draco is absolutely not afraid! Draco doesn't fear anything and he certainly is not afraid of a little dwarf like you!" She spat out at him.
Harry admittedly acknowledged that Pansy was definitely that much taller than he was, but she was equally that much more taller then Draco and knowing that Draco was smaller still compared to him... Didn't she just insult her "little" darling? Harry was almost certain that he saw the same question reflected in Malfoy's eyes.
"Anyway, what could possibly be worse in this house, other than you scarred face, more Potters?" She added in one of the most malicious voices, obviously proud of herself.
"Maybe your Pekinese face?" Ginny volleyed back, bullseye.
It was when the girls were dangerously close to facial re-arrangement, purely in defense of their "precious" white knights, that the doors of the house clacked open, quite suddenly! Causing all of them to jump...
"Welcome to all of our dear visitors..."
The voice of their "welcoming host" was nothing compared to the other worldly tomb-like voice that riverbirated in their ears... A voice so cold and repulsive that it seemed to be daring anyone to defy it and not enter the house, regardless of the words pronounced, pretending the contrary...
"Good, let's go!" Pansy said against everyone's expectations.
Everyone glanced at her somewhat surprised and they had all noticed when she sent her loving glance to Malfoy, a completely enamored look that seemed to say, 'I will not fear anything as long as my only love, Drackie-poo, is with me!'
Draco felt an overwhelming sense of nausea invade him and the bile was slowly rising dangerously up the narrow path of his slender throat, but he didn't know if the cause of this reaction was due to the voice within the building or from imagining all of the horrors that he'll have to "confront" or if it simply was due to the glance that Pansy had just sent his way.
He wasn't able to reflect long on that question because Pansy was already hauling him into the horrible house that he imagined might contain all of his worst nightmares, but unfortunately for him, he wasn't able to make any kind of protest or flee, since the vile rat that was Potter hadn't stopped looking in his direction, amused and waiting for anything to make him run or worse make him burst into tears! The thought of Potter watching him flee and likely ridiculing him in front of the other Hogwarts' students, who had decided to hang around for a chance to mock him too, helped him make up his mind, as the idea of entering the "house" no longer felt that catastrophic.
He proudly raised his chin and undertook to precede Parkinson, heading into the gloom. Harry smiled and tightened his grip on Ginny, while also breaching the door. Once they had all crossed the doors' threshold, the doors closed with a thunderous clang, quickly accompanied by the legendary noise that doors are prone to make in all of the "good" horror movies, skreaking long and loud.
They all fell into darkness...
They took a bit of time to become accustomed to the near complete lack of light...
Then little by little, whispering was heard all around them and the two Slytherins, including the two Gryphondors, realized the fact that they were not the only students to have entered this dismal looking building...
Small flames began to flicker in the distance and the students, after reflecting for a few seconds, decided to go towards these tiny little blue hearth lights, which seemed to be suspended along a straight corridor. Once on their way the students realized that there were exactly eight of them in total: two Gryphondors, two Slytherins, three Ravenclaws and one lone Hufflepuff! The young, first year, Hufflepuff seemed to have become the number one attraction for the moment, as none of the other students could understand what she was doing there and alone. The worst of it was that she seemed to be the most relaxed person in the group, which shamed all of the "males" from Hogwarts, who had decided to undertake this little adventure...
Now that this "joyous" group was following the bouncing blond curls, that sprang up and down with every step of the young Hufflepuff, who was currently walking in the lead, everyone seemed to be hypnotized by the morbid paintings that were suspended on the walls... On each canvas, the students were able to discover the most abominable blood filled scenes, like the rise of zombies, the copious dinner of a werewolf, a bevy of vampires during a drinking cession, the start of a scene for the macabre seduction of a Rusalka... The more they advanced the more certain that some thought about one unique thing and that was to turn around and go back...
They arrived near the end of the corridor, where the walls were covered with a dubious looking substance and had become much narrower, the ceiling also seemed to have dangerously lowered during their walk. They became aware that the gentleman who had welcomed them outside only a few moments ago was now standing in front of them. He was gesturing with a mannerism that strongly suggested courtesy, welcoming them again this time to enter, what appeared to be an elevator or in any case, what was left of one!
Everyone looked at the elevator with a debatable air, convinced that this elevator was once really luxurious, more than a few decades ago and all that was left for it to do was to collapse beneath their feet while they were all crammed in there. Surprisingly, it was the little Hufflepuff, with her curly hair, who entered first into this, which decidedly should not be called an elevator, though it really appeared to be one! Everyone waited for a couple of seconds for fear that the slightest movement would cause the collapse of any portion of this dismal area, in which they now found themselves...
Seeing that the curls of the little Hufflepuff were still where they were supposed to be, that is on head her living head, and that she still hasn't plummeted ten floors down only to be crushed, the students decided to follow her example one by one...
Once they were all "arranged" in this cage, compacted like sardines pickled in their juices within tin cans, the students simply waited for the next something to happen... Minutes passed, they were becoming a little anxious and feeling that it was far better for something to fall on their heads rather than to wait indefinitely while their uneasiness grew... It was when some individuals amongst them began to say that nothing else was going to happen to them, a light fog began to invade the elevator...
"Young ones, this is where I leave you..." stated their pleasant valet with a large toothy grin.
The doors of the pseudo-elevator closed with a loud clamber, the foggy mist was thickening and becoming near suffocating... An enormous thunderclap rang out within the cabin, followed by a flash of blinding lightning... A few seconds had passed before multiple chains of lightning were release, quickly accompanied by the deafening and crashing sound of thunder! Suddenly the elevator cage was rocking from side to side! The sounds of dragging and rattling chains, piercing screams and ripping sounds were heard, followed by their even more terrifying and very loud echoes!
The students were knocking into one another and for better or worse, had attempted to crowd within the center of the elevator cage, as the bars and the grills that were the walls no longer felt that protective! Shadows appeared in all of the corners, clinging to the sides of the walls and trying to penetrate in the cage. The was light only intermittently available, then there was an explosion of light that was nearly blinding, the students were no longer able to clearly see out and were no longer able to figure out what the creatures were. Which was not reassuring in the least, but on the other hand, they were quite conscious of the fact that the appearance of any creature would be strongly undesirable.
Screams manifested themselves from within the elevator cage, as one of the young Ravenclaws felt something land on their face and she realized that the texture of this mysterious substance smelled and strongly resembled that of blood... All of the students were soon spattered with this moist and odorous "substance"...
Harry was well aware that all of this was a set-up, it so remarkable actually, that he could have truly believed that he was in the heart of a really "good" horror movie! He could have almost been afraid, if he hadn't been confronted with Voldermort ever since his first year! Still, to be perfectly honest, he wasn't feeling totally at ease with this situation or feeling completely within his own element.
Draco, on the other hand, was almost bursting in tears! He abhorred all things that he considered hideous, horrible and ugly, more than he hated Potter and that was saying a lot! More so, this stench and this sticky substance will soon be the end of him, if he didn't get out of here and soon! Draco detested filth and above all he absolutely hated being dirty, which was presently the case! He didn't have any doubt that he was probably whiter than a ghost and that he could, at this very moment, compete in any casting call requiring a zombie and win!
Everyone firmly believed, truthfully hoped, that this situation would not become any worse than it already was, when long skinny arms wormed their way viciously and vigorously between the bars, that were beginning to give way, and were attempting to grab hold of the students with grasping claws that seem peculiarly sharp! Ginny screeched in desperation when she felt a strong grip take hold of one of her ankles! She violently wrenched away from the grasp and abruptly latched onto Harry's arm! It wasn't until she felt the arm startle violently and shove her away that she realized that the person she grabbed onto was Malfoy! He seemed so close to passing out! Seeing his composure rigid and filled with fear, made her want to burst out laughing, but not at this time because this situation really didn't call for laughter and she was not all entirely convinced that she looked any better than he did.
The long knotty arms seemed to multiply and soon the students were able to see really hideous faces pressing against the bars of the elevator cage, they were clean faces and clear of any debris or filth, yet they were very threatening... Their cage was frantically being shaken and everyone could hear the bars give way a little more with each passing second and shake... All of a sudden a sinister crack was heard, as unknown bodies began assaulted the elevator.
The screams and shrieks echoed from everywhere and the students were not able to differentiate the ones from the outside to the ones that came from their very own throats! Meanwhile, Harry had absolutely no trouble discerning Ginny's voice! She was shrieking loud enough to wake the dead and her screams were climbing higher and higher that he could hardly believe it... Harry was suddenly struck with the absurd "thought" that she could certainly throw herself into a career as an Opera singer, once she was done her schooling at Hogwarts! But for the moment, Harry had only one priority, only one idea came to his mind, no actually there were two thoughts: help Ginny and definitely escape, as quickly as possible, this horrifying area...
He didn't wait for one more second before grabbing onto Ginny's hand and forcing her to follow him. While he was forcing their way through these corpses, it looked as though they were trying to follow them, but they were equally tripping over the ocean of bones that were scattered throughout and all over the floor, slowing down their pursuit of these two students.
Harry quickly found himself running out of breath and his heart was beating so hard that it felt like it was about to explode bursting forth from his chest. It wasn't until those monstrous cries and the clacking of those shambling creatures were far behind them and all of those sounds were no longer audible, that Harry accepted to progressively slowing down his pace until finally he stopped. Ginny must have had a hard time following him, her legs must have been frozen in fear, also she was considerably shorter than him and must have had more difficulties following his stride, not to mention overcoming more than a few bony obstacles!
He still held firmly onto her hand and he could feel her trembling... He felt somewhat guilty at having dragged her along and he was beginning to really worry about her, without mentioning the fact that Ron would kill him, if anything were to happen to his dear little sister...
When his heart finally began to beat more or less in it's old steady rhythm, like it was supposed to, Harry finally turned towards Ginny to console her and to see if she was all right... It was then with a horrified shock that Harry realized that the little female red-head that he had dragged for several hundred meters, this same little female red-head that had followed him meekly, was none other then a little blonde male with eyes moist from tears and a trembling lip!
"Malfoy...?"
TBC...