Chapter Nine - A Fissure in the Wall

Snape emerged from the room a few minutes later, dressed in a black open jacket with the collar turned up, black tailored shirt and trousers.

Bella's top lip curled into a sort-of mocking grin. 'We're ready then?'

Snape raised an eyebrow. 'Looks like it.'

Bellatrix continued, 'Listen,during the tour I saw a corridor diverting off the main hallway, thought we'd better check it out. Unless you want to search separatley? We might get the job done faster that way.'

'No,' Snape said, 'In case we do find it its best we stick together. I don't want you taking all the glory for yourself.'

'That is your reason?' Bellatrix raised an eyebrow.

Snape did not have an answer. He somehow thought that 'In all truth I am hitting on a dead man's wife' did not count as a valid reason.

As they walked down the hallway, they did not notice a small shadow in the shape of a rat ducking into a small crack in the stone wall. Nor did they see it scuttle silently after them as they turned the corner.

It took an hour of heavy expoloring until they found the narrow corridor that Bellatrix was speaking of. To thier dismay, the corridor seemed almost endless, with winding stairs leading downwards and diversions wherever they turned. It seemed, more than once, that they were retracing thier footsteps, and so they had taken to marking the doors they passed to keep track of where they were. After another half-an-hour, at which time it was one thirty am, Bellatrix stamped her foot impatiently.

'We have been searching for nearly two bloody hours and found nothing!' She said. 'We've just been retracing our footsteps. We must have gone down the wrong corridor.'

But as they walked, Snape suddenly saw a large crack in the wall that he had never noticed before.

'Wait.' He said, grabbing Bellatrix by the arm. He pointed to the fissure in the wall with the tip of his wand. 'This looks like it has been recently sealed up. I'll bet anything it's hollow.'

And sure enough, with the tap of his wand, the sound of an echo came bouncing back to meet them.

Snape nodded. 'This is it, the Dark Lord spoke of a crack in a wall in which a tunnle lead down into the depths of the castle's dungeons.'

'But how do we get past?' Bellatrix frowned. 'Surely its not as... as barbaric as the Horcrux in the caves-'

She stopped when she saw Snape nodding; taking his hand from her arm and drawing a long blade from his jacket.

'The door will need blood.' He explained.

Bellatrix sighed and held her arm out.

Snape looked at her quizzically. 'Well actually, uh, I was going to do it.'

'Don't be silly,' Bellatrix replied, 'I've spent thirteen years in Azkaban, this'll be nothing.'

'Sorry Bella,' Snape replied, 'But I can't let you do this.'

'Rudophis would have let me-'

'Fucking hell, woman!' Snape erupted. 'I am not Rudolphis! Nor will I ever be! I suppose it bothers you that I treat you like a human being and not like bloody cattle?'

Bellatrix glared at him. 'Yeah, well, you don't have to act the gentleman all the time, Snape.'

'Oh, so we're back to sirnames now, are we?' Snape spat. 'This is stupid. I've been preparing to do this since I was given instruction. It is the Dark Lord's will, he trusts me to carry it out.'

Then, before Bellatrix could retort, maybe ask why the Dark lord had given Snape instructions that he hadn't given her, Snape slashed the knife across his wrist, once, twice, three times, letting the blood gush over his hand. Droplets fell onto the floor and, barely wincing, Snape wiped the open wound over the rock face. At once, the wall seemed to spring to life. The fissure glowed for a moment, and then the rock fell away.

PR&R/rigamortis.