Harry,
Ron and Hermione all looked at one another with shock written all
over their faces. Harry knelt down and looked at the hole, it was
very small, only big enough for perhaps a child. Harry started to dig
at the dirt around the base of the tree so he could fit.
"Harry,
wait. There is something down there, something powerful. Do you think
we should go down?" Hermione asked
"Hermione, if what you are
telling me is true, then I am almost certain that there is a horocrux
down there, and I want to get it before something happens." Harry
retorted
"Maybe me or Hermione should go down first, you know
in case what you land on kills you, like the devils snare and the
philosophers stone. 'Cos mate, you're the one that has to go on
in the end." Ron said
"Oh, ok, if thats what you want."
Harry replied. It suddenly dawned on him how nervous his friends were
and how much they cared for him.
Ron wriggled his legs in the gap
and slide him self through, Hermione and Harry heard Ron hit a hard
floor.
"What's down there?" Harry asked
"Nothing, just
a small hill, hurry up." Ron shouted back
HIs voice echoed and
sound far away. Hermione slid through first, followed by Harry once
he heard her hit the ground. He looked around the dark hole and saw
that he was standing in a cold stone room. He saw an even darker lump
in the middle of the room that was moving up and down.
"Lumos."
Harry muttered
He heard Hermione stifle a scream. They were
looking at a fully grown Common Welsh Green dragon. It was fast
asleep. Harry, Ron and Hermione were all frozen to the spot, they had
no idea what to do. Harry silently reached into his satchel and
pulled out his cloak and motioned for the others to get underneath
it. Harry wondered weather they could make the dragon fein deafness,
it was worth a try
"muffilato." Harry muttered, but the spell
only hit the dragons shoulder and bounced off.
"Great, just
great, not only is it a dragon, but a magical dragon." Ron said
trying not to panic
"Come on, lets just walk around it and see
what's on the other side." Harry said
They walked as quietly as
they could, all grouped together under the cloak. They walked around
the dragon fully once and saw no sign or trace of a door. The dragon
was still sleeping thankfully.
"At the cave, Dumbledore found a
door in the stone wall, he walked around touching and feeling until
he found a hidden door. Lets walk around once more and Ron, keep an
eye on your watch, ill watch the dragon." Harry said
They
walked around once more, this time much more slowly. When they got
back to the point they started from Harry spoke again
"Ok, is
there anything here, or is it the dragons home?"
"Harry, I
couldn't feel anything different, occasionally there was a bump in
the wall, but the level of magic in here, it is too hard to try and
catagorise it." Hermione said
"Well, somewhere directly
opposite us now, my watch kind of made an arrow." Ron said
"Hermione, was there a bump there, on the other side of the
room?" Harry asked, getting excited again
"Yup, there were
two, quite close together, lets go over." Hermione answered
The
3 walked quietly back over to the other side and Harry looked at Rons
watch. It was like outside the tree; the symbols had formed a cluster
around where the number 7 should have been and the stars were lined
up going across the watch face, spinning extremely fast.
"Ron,
your leg is bleeding from the fall in here, wipe it across the stone
where Hermione feels the bumps." Harry explained
Ron did what
he was told and the stone wall lit up a bright red, thin archway,
Harry pushed on it, and the 3 of them walked through.
On the
other side of the stone wall was another stone room. This one was
dimly lit by a hole in the roof of it letting the sunlight in. The
floor was covered in straw and in the middle of the room was a large
pile of dragon eggs. There had to be over a thousand and all were and
earthy brown colour, speckled with a mossy green colour.
"Ohh,
what?" Harry said
"I think there is a horocrux in here, the
magic feeling is stronger." said Hermione
"But what is with
the dragon eggs?" Ron asked
"I think... that Voldemort has
made it so that we... have to break the eggs open... to find the
horocrux. I think that he sees it as inhumane, so only he would do it
with no remorse." Harry said slowly
"I don't want to smash
open baby dragon eggs." Hermione said. Harry could tell she was
getting distressed
"I think we need to worry about the dragon
more than anything now, I bet its going to get really angry the
minute we touch one of her babies." Ron said
"Right, ok, umm,
lets walk towards the eggs. Hermione, I want you to close your mind
down and listen to the magic, it will tell you what you are looking
for, you just need to focus. Ron, keep an eye on your watch, it might
point us." Harry instructed
Everything went quiet then suddenly
Hermione gasped
"There is more then 1 magic egg, I heard at
least 50."
"Hermione, focus some more, one has to be saying
more then the others." Harry said patiently
"Umm, guys, I
think its right in the middle, at the very bottom." Ron interupted
"How do you know?" asked Hermione
"Well, if you think
about it, the middle at the bottom, is going to really get the dragon
angry, and when ever I change my height, the angle of the funny arrow
in my watch changes." Ron informed Harry and Hermione
"Oh,
right, well, umm, how do you think we should go down there?" Harry
asked
"Well, we will just have to climb up and try not to touch
the eggs." Hermione said as she started to move forwards
"Wait,
we have to figure out how we are going to get out afterwards, I bet
there is an anti-dissaperation charm on here. I know this probably
wont work, but Hermione, do you know the conjunctive curse?" Harry
asked
"Yes..."
"If the dragon comes at us, send as many
of them as you can towards it ok."
Hermione agreed and the 3 of
them started making their way through the pile of eggs. Occasionally
one of them had to make a leap to a blank patch of hay. They were
nearly in the middle when they couldn't go any further without
touching the eggs.
"Ok, this is it, Ron how does your watch
look?" Harry said nervously
"Umm, the symbols and stars have
kind of mixed themselves together, so yeah, I think we are in the
right place." said a very white and sweaty Ron
"Lets start
moving the eggs. Do it quickly and quietly, and try not to break
any." Harry instructed
As soon as their hands touched the eggs,
there was a violent thump against the stone archway which was now
closed. The dragon had woken up. Harry, Ron and Hermione were moving
the eggs as fast as they could. THUMP. The dragon was trying as hard
as she could to get in and the wall was cracking. Chunks of rock
where flying across the room. They had finally reached the bottom and
there were 7 eggs that wouldn't move. These eggs were mossy green
with earthy brown speckles.
"Quick, the only way to get them is
to break them." Harry said urgently
Harry and Ron tried
breaking them with bits of rock, which didn't work.
Hermione then
cried "Reducto" and 3 eggs were blasted open, and out flew 3
middle sized Welsh dragons.
"Reducto." Harry, Ron and
Hermione cried together, breaking open the final 4 eggs and inside
one of them was a cup. A small golden cup with two finely wrought
handles. Harry quickly picked it up and placed it in his satchel. It
was very heavy for the size it was.
"Quick, lets go." Harry
shouted as one of the dragons shot a narrow jet of fire at them. They
reached the place where the archway should have been when suddenly
the wall collapsed and the mother dragon flew in. Harry, Ron and
Hermione ducked under legs and ran into the stone room. The tree
roots that made up the ceiling had suddenly come alive and had taken
on the persona of Devil Snare.
"Hermione, shoot fire!" Ron
yelled
Hermione tried as hard as she could but the fire didn't
work, the Devil Snare roots, were still flying at them and knocking
them over. One got a hold of Harry and started wrapping him up.
"Harry!" Hermione cried as Ron started to get wrapped up by
the roots. Hermione looked up and saw a root that wasn't moving. She
jumped up to grab it, but she was only inches away.
"Hermione,
hurry up!" Ron yelled before his head was covered.
Hermione
jumped again, but missed.
"Please Hermione!" Harry cried
before his throat was covered.
Hermione jumped with all her might
and reached the root. She pulled it and everything stopped moving.
Even the dragons had frozen in mid air. Hermione rushed over and
non-verbally cut Harry and Ron down. Ron hugged Hermione and quickly
let go.
"C'mon, lets get out before it starts up again."
Harry advised
They didn't need telling twice and quickly pulled
themselves up through the hole.
Once the were in fresh air again the hole in the tree closed up. They quickly moved away from the tree, crossed the road and apperated to Grimmauld Place.
