(I think I may have given too much away with this chapter title. Things
you're not supposed to know until later in the story. If you think you've
figured it out, review me with your answers!)
Harry sprawled back on the floor from the force of the collision, though the person he had run into had barely stumbled. "I'm sorry, I didn't..." he began, and then looked up at Sean and smiled.
"Sean! Thank God! How did you know I was down here? I'm so glad it was you and not..."
Sean nodded quickly in understanding of the unspoken name. Snape. But Sean had not returned Harry's smile. "Harry, you shouldn't be down here. This is the Forbidden Third Corridor! Come on! You're lucky it was me who found you, and not someone else!"
Sean turned around and looked down the hallway, looking for the same door Harry had come through, no doubt. "I saw you, and tried to get you to come to lunch, but you seemed distracted. Not without reason probably," he added with a grim smile, and Harry nodded in response. "Well, I think this is a likely looking door. Alohomora!" he said the incantation, and the lock snapped open. "You'll learn that one a little later," he added with a sardonic smile.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps down the hallway, and a light growing at the end. They exchanged looks, and then through the door open, and ran inside, quickly closing it again as quietly as they could manage.
Harry, dangerously, risked placing his eye to the keyhole and looked out. 'Ew!' Harry thought, looking at a slouching, almost slithering man, who looked raggedly filthy and sick. 'He looks like a gremlin or something! And look there! There some tattery cat following him!'
"That would be Filch," said Sean, leaning against the wall next to the door with his eyes closed, heart beating fast from the narrow escape.
Harry was still peering out the lock, waiting to see if the coast was clear, when he heard Sean breathe in sharply, and grab Harry's arm.
"What's wrong....?" Harry started, but didn't finish. He had already turned around.
Harry would not forget the scene in a hurry, but not for lack of trying. He took it all in, in a quick flash, as though a camera had just snapped the scene into his brain. And while his mind was busy photographing the scene, his eyes and his horror were focused solely on the creature in front of him: a massive beast---canine like--- that filled the whole room, from ceiling to floor. And three large, foaming mouths were now snapping at Harry, trying hard to reach him, but restricted by a small chain, fastening them to the ground, that Harry wished was about ten inches thicker.
"Harry, come on!" yelled Sean, and for the first time, Harry noticed that Sean had been pulling him by the arm toward a now open door. "Even Filch is better than this!"
And, through Sean's efforts and his own semi-consciousness, they managed to fall back into the hallway, and, as soon as they had use of their legs again, slammed the door shut, snapping automatically locked, and ran.
Sean lead the way, straight for a door on the opposite wall about five doors down. Harry had never been more grateful for anything than when he passed through into that empty stairwell with all his limbs intact.
"What was that?" Harry gasped between breaths.
"That," Sean said with an ironic smile, "was Hogwarts in a nut shell."
Harry sprawled back on the floor from the force of the collision, though the person he had run into had barely stumbled. "I'm sorry, I didn't..." he began, and then looked up at Sean and smiled.
"Sean! Thank God! How did you know I was down here? I'm so glad it was you and not..."
Sean nodded quickly in understanding of the unspoken name. Snape. But Sean had not returned Harry's smile. "Harry, you shouldn't be down here. This is the Forbidden Third Corridor! Come on! You're lucky it was me who found you, and not someone else!"
Sean turned around and looked down the hallway, looking for the same door Harry had come through, no doubt. "I saw you, and tried to get you to come to lunch, but you seemed distracted. Not without reason probably," he added with a grim smile, and Harry nodded in response. "Well, I think this is a likely looking door. Alohomora!" he said the incantation, and the lock snapped open. "You'll learn that one a little later," he added with a sardonic smile.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps down the hallway, and a light growing at the end. They exchanged looks, and then through the door open, and ran inside, quickly closing it again as quietly as they could manage.
Harry, dangerously, risked placing his eye to the keyhole and looked out. 'Ew!' Harry thought, looking at a slouching, almost slithering man, who looked raggedly filthy and sick. 'He looks like a gremlin or something! And look there! There some tattery cat following him!'
"That would be Filch," said Sean, leaning against the wall next to the door with his eyes closed, heart beating fast from the narrow escape.
Harry was still peering out the lock, waiting to see if the coast was clear, when he heard Sean breathe in sharply, and grab Harry's arm.
"What's wrong....?" Harry started, but didn't finish. He had already turned around.
Harry would not forget the scene in a hurry, but not for lack of trying. He took it all in, in a quick flash, as though a camera had just snapped the scene into his brain. And while his mind was busy photographing the scene, his eyes and his horror were focused solely on the creature in front of him: a massive beast---canine like--- that filled the whole room, from ceiling to floor. And three large, foaming mouths were now snapping at Harry, trying hard to reach him, but restricted by a small chain, fastening them to the ground, that Harry wished was about ten inches thicker.
"Harry, come on!" yelled Sean, and for the first time, Harry noticed that Sean had been pulling him by the arm toward a now open door. "Even Filch is better than this!"
And, through Sean's efforts and his own semi-consciousness, they managed to fall back into the hallway, and, as soon as they had use of their legs again, slammed the door shut, snapping automatically locked, and ran.
Sean lead the way, straight for a door on the opposite wall about five doors down. Harry had never been more grateful for anything than when he passed through into that empty stairwell with all his limbs intact.
"What was that?" Harry gasped between breaths.
"That," Sean said with an ironic smile, "was Hogwarts in a nut shell."