Necromancy – conjuring of the sprits of the dead for purposes of magically revealing the future or influencing the course of events. You'll need to know that for this chapter, and the Bells of Necromancy mentioned, I got the ideas from Garth Nix; writer of Sabriel I don't know if that really is in the study of Necromancy but I used the idea. You don't have to have read the book everything will be explained in this chapter or future chapters.

NOW ON WITH THE STORY!

Chapter Six

The Bells

"WE CHOSE THE WRONG DOOR! WHAT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN!" the news sunk in and Ron realized what she meant and made the fastest response.

"WAIT! EVERYONE REMAIN CALM!" Harry bellowed lighting his wand. Instantly everyone relaxed.

Hermione dropped to her knees, "oh….I feel like such an idiot, I didn't look at the door close enough," she buried her head in her hands, sobbing softly.

"What do you mean, 'Mione?" Ron asked squatting down next to her; "are we….lost?" his voice cracked which caused Hermione to giggle a little.

"Shut up, Hermione," he snapped standing and crossing his arms.

Harry helped her up, "okay Hermione, and explain what we did wrong,"

"Well," she said taking a deep breath, "We took Slytherin and the door had ALL stars, danger, confusion, calmness, home, I should have realized then that when it said calmness it meant we had to be calm in ALL situations. I didn't even think to look at the Gryffindor door which only had confusion, calmness, and home. We should have taken the Gryffindor door because we only had to stay calm in confusion not confusion AND danger."

Harry let the news sink in, "so what are we supposed to do…?"

"Go back, I think that would be easier, Ron?"

"What?"

"How much time do we have?"

Ron glanced at the muggle-magicked watch, "about 3 hours,"

There was silence until Harry took a deep breath, "that should be enough time, don't you think?"

They just nodded turned and with all three wands a light and high in the air went back the way they came.

………

They reached the main entrance in another half an hour, "two and half hours," Ron said as they entered the Gryffindor door.

Unlike Slytherin was at the beginning, Gryffindor was utterly dark except for the lights of their wands, "Everyone cast Lumos Maxima, its stronger light," Hermione said as she switched the spells. It was indeed a lot stronger than just Lumos. After doing so they realized why one of the first stars was confusion. There were three paths in directly in front and one to the right and left. In front of each entry way was a statue.

Hermione walked in front to the biggest entrance, the statue was a dementor, "there is an inscription:

A dementor's kiss will release me.

Answer my riddle and you shall pass…"

"What do you suppose that means?" Harry asked not liking the words Dementor's Kiss.

"I think we have to kiss it…." Hermione said with a stifled giggle, "I am NOT doing it, Ron you go ahead."

"NO WAY! Harry?" Both Hermione and Ron turned to look at Harry an evil grin on their face….

"What…? OH NO! I AM NOT!"

The two didn't respond just kept staring then finally, "oh fine," Hermione huffed and walked over to the five foot statue. Reluctantly she pecked the dark inside of the hood.

For a minute they thought it didn't work, and then it slowly began to rotate and sink into the ground, and what took its place they couldn't name. It looked like a lion's body, but had the head of a large panther and the wings of a Threstal (spelling?), long fangs that went past its chin and large green eyes. It was all black with a horse's tail and it left footprints of fire wherever it stepped. It stood ready in attack-pounce position.

"WHO DARES ENTER MY MASTERS DOMAIN?" He called out in a half roar half hiss, and turned its icy emerald gaze towards the trio. Wind picked up and light blazed sending them flying back a couple steps and forcing them to shield their eyes.

"My…My name is Harry…..Harry Potter," Harry called above the roaring wind forcing himself to step in front of Ron and Hermione.

The cat thing studied him for a minute, "WHY HAVE YOU ENTERED?"

"We wish to reach the end," the wind seemed to die down slightly but still forcing them back and the light dimmed.

"The End?" the thing questioned, "there is no end, just the beginning of something new…."

"Rephrase the statement, Harry," Hermione whispered to him, "tell him we want to go to the Purple Star of Rekorian,"

"We wish to go to the Purple Star of Rekorian,"

All the wind stopped and the trio straightened up but the light remained. The trio put away their wands, "we wish to go to the Purple Star of Rekorian," Harry said more forcefully.

The cat thing sat and through back his head in a laugh that sounded more like a roar, "Well young masters and mistress, first you must answer my riddle. The riddle will tell you where to go next of the three paths, if you get the answer correct. Are you ready?"

The trio nodded and the creature spoke:

We are the bringers and the banishers,

The ringers and the silencers

The wakers and the walkers

We can do all in one

We can banish the dead

And bring to life

We can make you sleep

Or make you die

Ring us once

Or ring us twice

Let us ring or let us cry.

Who are we?

The first thought that came to Harry's mind was wizards, but then the last part came to his mind. Ring us once or ring us twice….

What rings? The only thing that came to mind was bells, but then that didn't make since with the first part….bringers and what?

Ron had the same look of confusion but Hermione seemed to be thinking. She grabbed their arms and forced them into a circle, "what was that thing in Demon History about bells?"

Ron and Harry shrugged, "but bells that doesn't make since…Can you repeat the first part again?" Harry said turning to the cat that was looking at them curiously.

"We are the bringers and the banishers, the ringers and the silencers,"

"Thank you,"

"WAIT!" Ron yelped, "I got it, I don't remember the exact name, but Necromancy, wasn't their some guy who made bells that could do stuff to the dead?"

"The Seven Bells of Necromancy," Hermione said softly, "should we go with it?"

"I think we should," Harry agreed, "Ron?"

"Agreed,"

Harry turned to the cat, "we have an answer,"

"Well…lets here it then,"

"The Seven Bells of Necromancy,"

The cat seemed a little surprise, "Congrats," he said, "Now the next statue you must go to is to your right, the snake," then without as so much of a goodbye the cat disappeared.

"Thank you!" Hermione cried out to empty air.

………

"Well, well, well, Ani," the silver-haired one commented petting the Cat Ghost Demon on the head, "they got that faster then expected, especially that Potter boy, he isn't the brightest crayon in the box,"

"Don't be cruel now," Ani snapped through her fangs, "handling children isn't easy business, you should try it,"

"Remember, Ani, I DO handle children EVERY DAY as a matter of fact,"

………

The snake was very easy to change all they had to do was touch the rattle on the tip and it disappeared and a large snake LIKE creature took its place. It had the long body and slithered like a snake but had the eyes of a cat and the scales were fish scales not snake skin, and the tail was tipped in a dragons whip instead of the normal rattle that the statue had.

"Well, well, we have visssitorssss," is hissed in a deep threatening voice, "I am sssssurprissssed you ansssswered the riddle correctly….that wassss a difficult riddle,"

"Well, it would seem that we did answer it correctly could you please get on with the riddle," Hermione was in no mood for small talk, she wanted to be read of this dreadful place.

"Sssseeing that you do not want my company I sssshall continue:

You know who we are

You were told before

Do you know what we do?

What we have in sssssstore?

Each on of usssss a job

A tasssssk at hand

Pick a bellssss name

And we will give you a stand

A chance to guesssss the job

Of the bell that'sssss in your hand.

Choose a Bell

"I think we have to choose one of the bells of Necromancy," Hermione said, "but it has to be a harmless one, I don't know if they are real or replicas…what?"

Ron and Harry stared at her, "we don't know all of the seven bells, I don't even know one," Harry explained.

"And if you have them memorized then this can't be too hard," Ron added.

Hermione bit her lip, "I don't know the jobs just the names, I didn't have the time to memorize the jobs."

"Okay…list the names,"

"Ranna, Mosrail, Kibeth, Dyrim, Blegaer, Saraneth, and Astarael the Sorrowful,"

"Lets pick a simple name, for one," Ron complained, "like Riani,"

"Ranna," Harry said to the snake.

The snake hissed a little and a small bell sat in front of them, about 3 inches high and silver, "do not touch it…." The snake hissed and slapped and Ron's outstretched hand.

"Fine….geez…slimy git…get on with the riddle,"

The snake hissed again, "

Peace of mind isssss what I bring

Let my quiet tune ring

Calm the nerves of the day

Lisssssten to what I have to sssssay

I may be sssssmall

But my power caresssssessss them all

Heavy lidsssss and quieting mind

Can you guessssss my job in time?

You have two minutessss to come up with an ansssswer….

"Heavy lids," Hermione's head was working at once, "quiet minds, calmness, caress, I am thinking it has something to do with sleep…uh…." She turned to the snake, "The Sleepbringer"

The snake was surprised, "you may proceed," and disappeared.

Hermione only smirked at the stunned looks of Ron and Harry as they glanced in disbelief at each other.

The last statue was a dog and after they scratched him behind the ears he didn't disappear but came to life and shaking a second he sat and turned to them and then in a very sophisticated voice said:

"Along the treacherous road alone

It follows behind

Its presence unknown

Unseen to the eye but known to the mind

It is always waiting for the right time

Lurking silently

As it always does

Unseen and unheard

It will never be called

What is it?"

"Something unwanted apparently," Ron said to the two, "and something dangerous,"

"Something quiet, but it can be sensed, maybe some sort of stalker or something…?" Harry let the question hang in the air. The three were being very casual and a little cocky, they got the other two riddles right with ease, and this one was simple.

"How about….some sort of cat….maybe like a hunter, you would never call a hunter, waits for the right time to kill, uh…follows tries to remain unknown, it works." Hermione said, "is that our guess?"

The two shrugged unworried, "go for it,"

Hermione looked at the dog, "a hunter."

The dog looked at them for a minute than through back his head and howled deeply, "INCORRECT!"

End Chapter Six

A/N If you can't really picture that description, if you watch InuYasha then picture the large Kirara but black and different colored eyes.

TBC