Chapter 14 - Music in the Night
By: Zero Star (zrostar)
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A huge black marble fireplace burst to life as the two entered the room, followed by a single candle that sprang into action beneath each painting. It illuminated the entire area from wall to wall. There must have been hundreds of paintings. Not all portraits either, some where representing the snake in all it's glory. They hung every which way, and some even floated in the air, within the large circular room.
The hairs on the back of Ron's neck stood on end, instantly. That cold, pressing feeling had returned. It sent shiveres down his spine and made him want to cry out for his mother.
Harry nearly dropped his lantern when his forhead suddenly lit aflame. Falling to one knee he grabbed his face and stiffled a shout of pain. The room grew blury as a strange fridged wind whipped about him.
Then... it was gone. As quickly as it had begun. The fireplace seemed warm and inviting and the dark cold threat had left.
"Strange..." Ron whispered hoarsely. Still wide-eyed with fright.
"Let's get the stash and get out of here!"
Harry's first instinct was to run. But he didn't, and now the danger was passed, so he hoped. Looking around, he tried to make heads or tails out of the brightly lit, glimmering walls before him. Two large green arm chairs sat infront of the fireplace.
It looked as if most of the paintings were asleep. A large portrait above the fireplace must have been Salazar Slytherin himself. It was framed in brilliant Silver and Emeralds, but the painting did not move, yet his eyes glittered, darkly. The two felt as if Slytherin were keeping a very good eye on them.
Flanking either side of the Founder of Slytherin, were two life sized paintings of Severus Snape.
"Vain bugger." Ron smiled, wondering if this could be used as black mail.
Behind them was the painting of a woman sitting in a beautiful garden, black bushy hair sticking out around her head. Her lips pulled back revealing a jaw full of teeth that had been filed to a jagged point.
"Hey! There's a plaque." Ron exclaimed. "'Lady Esmeralda Slytherin, House Head from 1613-1666 and Heir of Founder Salazar Slytherin.'"
"Are you saying, that witch is related to Tom Riddle?" Harry shuddered. "Gross!"
"Oh my god! Look at this one." Ron spied another freakish picture of a young man who had been impaled on his broomstick.
"Where would they have put the goods?" Harry asked aloud. Keeping to the center of the room, as the walls did frighten him a great deal.
"No idea..." Ron murmured. He stepped away from painting with a devilish looking witch in silver robes, her eyes blood red and seemed to drip with that same blood. A large bowl sat on the floor beneath, catching the crimson tears. Next to her stood an equally freakish looking younger man, possibly her son. A remarkable likeness to the Bloody Baron.
"I think I'm going to be sick, if I say in here much longer." Ron stuttered, looking to and fro.
"Here! I think I found it!" Harry shouted with joy. The sooner they find it the sooner they leave.
In a golden frame, no bigger than Ginny, was a classic painting, well known to even muggles. Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, being offered the damning apple by the Serpent.
The two stared. How fitting, fruits of temptation offered to the innocent by a snake.
"There are hinges on this side." Ron observed, pointing to the edge of the frame.
Harry readied himself.
"Alohamora!"
The painting opened slowly, to reveal every student's dream come true. Candy of every kind and flavor, piles and piles of wet start fireworks and panks the two had never even seen before. The horde was in a small tunnel, going back as far as they could see.
"Jack Pot!" Ron jumped for joy.
The two stuffed some of everything they could find into the pillow case, until it was heavy enough it would start ripping the seems.
"I think we've got enough chocolate frogs to last us a while." Ron grinned as widely as he could.
Harry checked the map. No one in sight for miles. "I think I got enough dung bombs to keep Malfoy happy for the rest of the year."
Ron looked around, "We're ready to leave right?"
Harry paused, that was a long walk back. "Maybe just a moment before we hike back to the tower with all this stuff."
Ron frowned wondering if whatever evil in this part of the castle would return, but perhaps some of the chocolate Remus Lupin suggested with the dementors would help. Seating himself in a over-stuffed green arm chair, by the fire side. Harry took the other. At once they noticed how wonderfully comfortable it was.
Ron ripped open a chocolate frog. He nearly stuffing the entire thing into his mouth and pocketed the card. While Harry carefully picked through some Bertie Bott's every flavored beans. They looked about the freakish paintings as they ate. Perhaps, not the wisest thing to do.
Placed directly in front of Ron's seat, was a life sized portrait of the current Potions Master. Snape's disgruntled image towered over the sitting area. He was standing in an ancient laboratory with a cauldron at his feet. His image narrowed it's eyes, clentched and unclentched it's teeth, occationally making a threatening gesture. But every once in a while Snape's likeness would take on an arrogant sneer while he stirred the cauldron painted before him.
Ron tried not to laugh.
The painting that loomed over Harry was a mystery. At first glance it was easily mistaken for Snape. In fact, it appeared to be Professor Snape, only older and grumpier. A slight greying in the pitch black hair.
Harry stood up, to get a better look at it. For some reason he felt as if he'd seen this person before. The man he had mistaken for Snape was dressed from head to toe in shades of midnight. Shoulder length black hair looked ill-groomed and uncared for, but a bit longer than Snape's. A pair of small silver framed glasses decorated the very large nose of Snape's phantom look-a-like.
Harry stepped closer carefully, expecting this painting to suddenly grab at him.
This person didn't share Snape's thin bones. The jaw was much heavier, as were the hands. This one looked quiet strong in body, unlike the sickeningly thin Potions Master.
"Could it be Snape's Father?" Ron asked, ill at the idea.
The painted figure stood in profile, apprearing to be in deep thought, almost as if he were shying away from the artist who painted him, but the background was the same strange laboratory Snape was posing in. This portrait must have been painted by a muggle. It wasn't moving at all.
"I don't know..." He said.
Harry could see the small plaque at the base of the portrait.
" 'Mandragora De Tiganii' " Harry read raising his eye brows in surprise. " 'Former Head of Slytherin House and Hogwarts greatest Potions Master. Transfixus sed non morte.' I bet this is why Snape comes down here! The Head of Slytherin was his former Potions Master! But there's no date..."
"Tiganii? Wasn't that the name of that Ravenclaw?!" Ron thought. "The one Snape was so interested in."
"I think so..." Harry reminded himself to ask Hermione when he got the chance. "I think we should get out of here. Now."
Harry and Ron grabbed their things quickly and rushed out of the room.
"Hang on." Ron whispered, dropping their tressure for one second.
"What?" Harry hissed.
Ron grabbed one of the books on the sliding shelf. Praying to any diety that would listen, that it wouldn't be missed.
They dashed up the hallway and ran the entire length back to the Potions Classroom. That's when they remembered the invisibility cloak.
Peeves had gone, thankfully as their bag seemed to grow heavier with every step. There as a good chance they wouldn't see him again tonight.
As they covered themselves and tried to be as quiet as possible, Ron shushed Harry's whispering. At first he thought he heard a voice, maybe Snape, but then he realized it was a very faint strand of music.
"Do you hear that?" Ron asked.
"No..." Harry listened hard.
The two slowly opened the door to the more familiar part of the dungeons. Careful of the old hinges on the door, this time.
"There! I heard it again!" Ron whispered hoarsely, panick rising in his voice.
Harry heard it this time too, much louder than before. The eeryie sounds of a violin echoing through the corridor. It was not coming from anywhere near Snape's office, it sounded very much like it was right behind them. Harry and Ron looked in every direction. They did not see its source.
The melody was ancient, as old as the walls around them. It told them to sleep, to be calm. There was magic in this music. It whispered to them of sweet thoughts and pleasant places. Told them of warm, soft blankets and shimmering starlight.
Ron's eyes started to droop, it was all he could do to keep from passing out. Harry yawned, and leaned against the wall.
"Ron, we can't go to sleep now. It's to dangerous here, at night." Harry tried to force himself on his feet. He was successful.
"I know Harry, but it's so hard to resist." Ron finally shook himself a bit more, remembering the freakish terror that passed them twice before.
Slowly they made their way from the dungeons, away from Snape, and away from that sweet sleepy music.
About halfway back to the common room, just in front of the library, they started to feel paraniod. Jumping at every shadow, peeking carefully around each corner. Nearly shouting out loud when a voice broke the frightening silence.
"Argh!"
Harry and Ron looked at each other. It was Filch.
"Grr, bad enough students have been wandering the halls all week, but they have to leave their trash behind as well!"
Laying in the middle of the hallway was a colorful sash. Someone had dropped it. Perhaps a student who was sneaking around at night.
The duo swallowed hard. Carefully they inched past Filch as he picked up the small cloth and sniffed it for clues, he turned it this way and that, expecting something to fall out or find a name.
----
When they finally got back to the common room. Hermione was still up. She was reading, as usual. But she was alone.
"It's nearly two in the morning!" Ron shouted. Removing the cloak.
"So, how did it go? Breaking two very serious warnings." She did not look up from her book.
"Great, I think..." Ron wasn't sure if finding Fred and George's cache of goodies made up for being in the Slytherin Portrait Room, or having the wits frightened out of them several times. "I brought you something."
At this Hermione looked up. "What?"
Ron tossed her the green velvet covered book, Great Slytherins in History. "We found an old painting, maybe you could look up some information for us. Since you love to do that kind of thing."
She cocked an eyebrow. "Where did you get this?"
Harry jumped in. "We found it in the secret passage to the Slytherin Portrait Room. We found a clue! 'Mandragora De Tiganii' was the former Head of Slytherin, but we couldn't find a date as to when. I think it was probably the same Mandragora that was sitting outside Hagrid's hut, the one who owns that creepy horse."
"Oy, he look's like Snape's old man. But do you remember that little Ravenclaw, the sorting hat took so long with? We think the two may be related."
Hermione shook her head. "You found all this out on a trip to get candy?" She looked stressed.
"I'm serious!" Ron shouted. "Harry saw it too! If you weren't hung up with all your reading you would have seen it yourself. Since you are in the library all day and night, maybe you can talk to her yourself."
"Go to bed, both of you." She snorted, turn her attentions back to her book. "It's getting late and you two need your rest." She laid a final worried eye on Harry, shewing them both away.
----
Harry and Ron wished each other good night. Harry hoped he had been out late enough the dreams wouldn't haunt him tonight. But deep down, he could feel the familair cold waiting.
Just as Harry closed his eyes, he heard that violin echoing through his mind. The music was wrapped in silk and flowed into him like a warm summer breeze. It washing away the sense of cold death that reached for him at night.
He fell asleep, content and peaceful. Completely oblivious to the shadow that had been lurking beside his bed, lulling him to sleep.
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Here is a drawing of Mandragora's "portrait" just to give you an idea.
Many thanks to my friend Zak who drew it.
http://www.angelfire.com/pr/zrostar/zak_art/drake_in_profile.jpg
11-21-02 - my birthday :)