As Harry and Ron ran away down the hall, they had just one thing on their mind! They knew that the only way to outsmart the current specter was to think of a new secret passage.
Suddenly, a new one started to appear. As Ron wheeled around to stare into the dark new rocky passage, Hermione appeared and said, in quite a shocked tone, "Rondal!" which was a somewhat funny name she had thought up for him, even though she wasn't typically so funny. She grabbed his hand and pulled, but she had little affect. She knew that he was about to get sucked into the unspeakable cave of dark stones!
Harry, who hadn't been paying attention stopped short and took note of the new drama! He, too, knew that he'd be forced to act with decisiveness, or his best friends, and let's face it, his only friends, would be turned to stone! Harry snatched his glasses from his face and threw them with the acceleration of an Aston Martin.
They shattered on the dark stone surface causing an explosion of glass shards, each one smaller than the next which glinted and glistened in the dim corridor. The flaming torch nearby flickered like a maniacally chuckling troll. The glass bits did the trick: just then, Ron's attention came back to the present time. And not a moment too late. From within the cave was heard a terrible howling sound, which grew louder with each passing moment.
"Run man!" Harry fairly screeched.
"Ok," Hermione started, "You mustn't be cross with Ron, Harry, you know how easy it is to become 'entrappt' these days, with the unheard of rampantitude of dark forces all running over the castle halls."
Hermione was always careful to point out that things at Hogwarts were not what they had been with Dumbledore in charge. Nowadays, it was quite common for four or five children per week to turn up after an attack, only they were never the same again, much like Neville Longbottom's parents, who survived a dementor attack or something, and lived, but only just barely.
The howling sound grew ever more voluminous, and changed to a growling sound. Harry's mind was racing. He really didn't want to deal with whatever beastly thing came bounding out of the darkness. He readied his wand and tried to stabilize his mind's inner works. Hermione and Ron gave him a glowing glance of support, and they dashed behind him, sort of cowering, if you will.
Harry rehearsed a few good spells in his mind. He was thinking about the kind that you can cast without speaking, but then he was thinking, "What's the point of that? I still totally have a mouth and stuff."
With very little warning a great animal sound burst forth from the dark, stone lined walls. It was a raging pile of fur, barking wildly for what appeared to be no reason. Harry felt Ron and Hermione crouch down just a little lower.
The wild beast fixed its vampire-type eyes on Harry and was about to attack when Harry realized that it looked curiously like a dog. Something of a crazed, wild dog, like the type a giant might keep around, but certainly a dog.
He knew instantly that his suspicions of it's form were correct when he heard, in stereo from behind as Hermione and then Ron both said, "Ohhh, what a Cutie!" An instant later, the crazed animal flew at them. Harry quickly cast the 'accellaramus' spell on himself and dashed aside with blinding quickness. Sadly, that left Ron and Hermione in the path of certain death. The two were both basically petrified.
As the dog finished killing Ron, and it turned on Hermione, Harry couldn't help thinking to himself, "So, you think he's cute now?" But he quickly banished the thought, as he was secretly in love with Hermione, and didn't really think that "Old one-arm" would be a nice nickname for her.
Just as the dastardly pooch reared its head back and roared, nearly about to commence biting her, Harry recalled a rare spell from occulumency class.
"Posterify!" He pointed his wand and spoke with a calm clarity that surprised both Hermione and the dog. Especially the dog though, since it was instantly transformed into a harmless poster of an attacking dog. The poster also has a brilliant frame job, an aged walnut, carved with a few coats of clear lacquer. Harry looked at Hermione and they both knew instantly what the other was thinking. As they rushed into one another's arms, Harry said breathlessly to Herminone, "You know, that dog does look kind of cute now!" Hermione, who couldn't agree more, just giggled and said, "yeah."
Harry thought it would have been better if Ron was still alive, as it seemed like ages since they'd had a chance to really talk, but Harry knew Ron would understand, and he knew that Ron would have approved of the shined dark wood frame memorializing the capable killer.
To be continued...