Hermione's POV
I scream
The relatively smooth stone chute came to a rather sudden and abrupt end and I found myself sliding out of it and into open air. I hovered for less than a second - with my arms splayed and a quick intake of breathe - before gravity took its toll and I fell forwards. I hit the ground. Hard. The rough, stony surface grazed my cheek and I hissed at the burn, I propped myself up onto my elbows before brushing myself down. Something sharp stuck into my side, I reached down and pulled whatever it was out from beneath me. Hard, cold, the colour of ivory.
"Oh god!" I gasped, throwing what appeared to be the rib bone of some unfortunate animal away and brushing my fingers on my denim jacket. Ron had been right. As I slowly rose to my feet, I took in the cavern I'd landed in. It was a circular room, shaped like a tall cylinder. The room, however, had no roof. Instead the chamber opened up into the night sky and the rumbling dark clouds. All around my feet were old and decaying bones of all kinds of animals; victims of the Basalisk that hadn't been as lucky as I and the other Half-Bloods. From this one tunnel, dozens other branched off, leading and twisting into darkness.
From the tunnel, I heard Ron's high pitched cry before he came flying out of the end. I tried to catch him or keep him upright but he slammed into me too soon and we went down. I hit the ground, again, hard, again but I couldn't help but laugh a little.
"Ow - Sorry." He mumbled, propping up onto his elbows.
I shook my head, "its fine." I replied, kissing him on the cheek before he hauled himself to his feet and took me along with him. Ron and I made our way through the labyrinth of tunnels. How Harry and Ron had found their way to the Chamber of Secrets itself amazed and confounded me? The tunnels went on for the longest time, the stone hallways and circular pipes seemed to go on forever. It was cold in the tunnels too, and damp and with every step we took, I seemed to stand on the remains of some poor, unfortunate animal that had become the basilisks dinner.
From up above, we could hear the booming of the battle. The distant explosions, the echoes of screaming students and the call of war. I tried to ignore it, tried to forget that the people I loved were up there, fighting for their lives and the lives of those they loved. A part of me wanted to apparate up to them right then and there but I knew that this would never be over unless Voldemort and the Horcruxes were destroyed, and the only way we could destroy them now - without the sword of Gryffindor - was the fangs of the Basilisk. We were the only ones who could get them now.
Ron's wand was lit, a small star of light glowing from the tip, casting harsh shadows against the stone and tiled tunnels. It was so quiet down there; our breathing seemed to echo so far ahead I didn't want to speak in fear of frightening myself. While we walked, I couldn't help but think of the worse. What would happen if there was a cave in or a tunnel collapsed? What if Ron or I got so injured we couldn't apparate out?
What would happen to us? To the others? The War? The thought made me shiver. Ron and I alone down here, cold and hungry and hurt. Trapped in endless darkness. We would never know whether or not Harry found the diadem, whether or not he survived and somehow found a way to destroy the Horcruxes without Ron or I. What would happen if Voldemort sought out Harry too soon and took him from us?
The idea made tears come to my eyes so I blinked them away and kept my mind focuses on Ron and finding the chamber. "How much further?" I asked Ron. My voice sounded croaky, scared and he had heard it. He turned to face me and his eyes met mine; I tried to look away and to portray no sense of fear but his hand came up and caressed my cheek.
"Not much further." He explained. I nodded, raised my wand and followed onwards.
Ten minutes had past and Ron's face lit up. "Just around this corner, c'mon." He took my hand and we begun sprinting down the tunnel, our feet splashing in puddles and echoing around us. The movements of our wand cast shadows on the wall, running along beside us. Here it was. Just around the corner was the entrance to-
We stopped.
The tunnel had caved in. Boulders of stone had collapsed, blocking off the tunnel ahead. Shattered tiles scattered across the floor. As I lifted my light and noticed the fine layer of dust coating them. This had happened a while back.
"No," Ron growled as he pushed as the rock but it didn't move an inch. "No!" He went to raise his wand but I grabbed his wrist and jerked it away.
"Ron, don't. Trying to move them could just cause another cave in and we could get trapped. We just have to try and find another way." My voice was stern, demanding. It took all I had to say those words without my voice breaking.
"What if there is no other way?" He yelled, not at me, no, at the world. He turned and lashed out at a rock, sending it flying down the tunnel.
"There will be." I told him. It had to be the truth. It had to be. I grabbed his arm and didn't let him continue his tantrum. We followed another set of tunnels, trying to keep right, trying to navigate our way around the tunnel. It took another fifteen minutes but we finally left the cramped tunnel and stepped out...into darkness. It was everywhere. The rough, uneven ground beneath us stretched far ahead, as far as our light could reach, but continued on into the darkness. There were no other tunnels or caves, no other doors or steps. Nothing.
An Idea came to mind. I left Ron and took a step forward and lifted my wand, aiming into the distance. "Lumos Maxima!" The light on the end of my wand exploded and broke free. It grew in size, similar to that of a football and then soared through the darkness, through the eternity of shadows, dispersing them as it went. It came to a stop in mid air, but lit up the majority of the path ahead. Still, the shadows around of the room edged on. Who knew how big that cave was?
"You ready?" Ron asked.
I gave my wand a flick and the tip illuminated once more. I stared ahead in the darkness.
"Let's go." And we set off running across the uneven terrain. We ran in silence, the only sound was that of our footsteps against the stone and our panting. We were alone but we ran as if we were running for our lives; there was just something about being in the middle of a sea of shadows that make you shiver uncontrollably, despite the fact you were sweating. Every little flicker of black made you jump. I knew we were alone, there was no one down there other than the two of us, but I couldn't shake the feeling we were being watched.
Ron leapt over a small ravine and kept on running. I followed his lead, hoping that he'd know the way to the Chamber. We were going in the direction of the other tunnel; we could only hope we'd be able to find another way to the entrance.
Something moved in the corner of my eye. "Ron!" I didn't stop running, but he did. Luckily he was strong enough to catch me and stopped the two of us from going rolling across the ground.
"What? What it is?" He asked, panicked. I spun, flicking my hair out of my eyes and pointed my wand to where I had seen the movement. There was nothing there.
"I saw something." I explained, I turned and scanned the shadows, my wand acting as a kind of torchlight.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
"It was probably a rodent or something. A lot of animals find their way into these caves from the Forbidden Forest." He scanned the shadows too. I shook my head. What I had seen passed so quickly that it may have been just a trick of the light but I had moved on its own. I knew that whatever it was, it wasn't human.
"Let's just get out of here." I said, he nodded and we continued running. We made it maybe ten steps before the shape appeared again. Around the size of my knee. Another shot past on my left.
"Stop!" I cried and Ron came to an abrupt halt and turned to me. He didn't even have to ask. He just raised his wand and we stood with our backs to one another. I hadn't imagined it. There was something with us. Actually, as I scanned the shadows, there were dozens of them. Some of the shadows around knee-high, others a lot, lot taller.
"What is it?" Ron gasped. I couldn't tell, not a first but then I heard them.
Clicking. Clicking that began to echo all around us in a circle. Clicking of...pincers.
My free hand shot down to grab Ron's. "Don't scream." I whispered harshly. "Scream and they'll lunge."
"Hermione..." He sounded like he couldn't breathe and it hit me like a punch to the gut. The sound of him not merely scared but petrified. His hand shook violently beneath my own, his whimpers echoing behind me. It hurt. It hurt to see him so scared.
"I won't let them hurt you. I promise. Do you understand, Ron?" He didn't answer. "Ron!" I growled low.
"Okay..." He had to choke the word out.
"Do you remember the spell Harry used all those years ago? He told me about it afterwards. Do you remember?" The shadows got closer, their shapes getting more define.
"Yes." He gasped.
"On the count of three. Use it and run. Got that?" I felt him nod, but heard him whimper.
"Ready? One..." Ahead of me, one them got closer. "Two..." I whispered. It's long legs stepping into the light and it's clicking got higher. I only got a quick look at it. It came to my hip and was covered in thick black hair. It's thorn-like chelicerae snapping, poison dripping from the tips. It's eyes, as smooth and just as dark as obsidian begun to glow in my wand-light. Eight black eyes to match the eight long legs. Ron's worse fear. Acromantula.
"Hermione?" Ron cried.
"Three!" I pointed the tip of my wand into the creatures snarling face and at the same time, Ron and I screamed "Arania Exumai!" A flash of white light as if someone had opened the gates of heaven. It exploded around us, illuminating the eyes of not one, but dozens and dozens of Acromantula of all sizes and shapes. They screeched in pain as the light physically lifted them and carried them back into the darkness, despite their futile attempts at escaping.
Before the light had finished, I'd snatched a hold of Ron's free hand and pulled him along we me as we set off running. Ron was just that little bit ahead of me. This time we really were running for our lives. We heard the surge of the colony; I listened to the beating and the tapping of their legs as they charged after us. Their aggravated cries of hunger! I kept slashing my wand backwards, firing any spell that came to mind. They weren't enough to take them down but were strong and easy enough to give us time.
"We have to find a way out of here!" I cried. Ron gasped and then pulled me slightly to the right. I spotted it then, a cave. An open cave. The Cave!
"Go!" I screamed. We ran, our hearts beating in our ears, my lungs burned and my muscles ached but I couldn't give in! I had to keep running! I had to save Ron!
Something landed on my shoulders. I lost my footing and hit the ground hard, so hard I bust my lip my vision blurred. Clicking and screeching burst my eardrums, the heavy weight of the creature pinning me to the ground, it's poisonous saliva dripping inches from my face.
"Hermione!" Ron's boot flashed and the creature was sent tumbling. Then I was in his arms, a dead weight he carried as he ran. The Cave not far ahead. I shook away my headache, and blinked away my tears. Ron was charging for the cave! I leant over his shoulder and watched as the entire colony of Arcomantula perused.
"Arania Excumai!" I screamed over and over again every time one of them got too closer to Ron's ankles. Just a little further! Just a little further!
The cave swallowed us and I knew what I had to do. I pointed the tip of my wand upwards and yelled "Bombarda Maxima!" The cave exploded around us. The air filled with flying pieces of rock. Smoke and dust covered everything and the booming and thundering of boulders above shook the ground beneath. Ron and I grabbed one another and I willed for the two of us to vanish! The only light in that darkness was from our bodies as we exploded into two white streams of smoke.
As quickly as we vanished, we reappeared. I hit the ground, leaving Ron behind and rolled until I hit the wall. I lay there, listening as the rocks and the stone clashed and finished falling, waiting for the dust to clear. When it did, I finally opened my eyes to see Ron, mostly uninjured, laying across from me. We glanced back towards the entrance to the cave which was now blocked off completely by the cave in I caused. From the other side, I heard the screaming of the creatures as their pray had escaped.
"Are you okay?" I asked, crawling over to him. He sat up and reached for me. He held me in his lap for a moment, the two of us crying softly as we held one another. He clung to my denim jacket and I to the collar of his shirt. His smell hit me and I knew was that he was safe. All that mattered was that Ron was safe.
"I love you." He exclaimed as if he had been holding it in for far too long.
"I love you." I replied, burying my face in his chest and rejoicing in his love.
We followed the cave for only five minutes before we saw it. Built into a flat wall was the entrance to the chamber. Wide and circular, made from black metal and designed to show multiple, intricately designed serpents.
"How do we get in?" I asked. Ron just grinned, stepped forward and begun whispering in parseltongue.
FanWriter's Note: Hey guys! Next chapter is here Sorry it has been a while since I updated. I had finished this chapter but unfortunately it hadn't saved so I had to find time to re-write it. Let me know what you think. Oh, and I had thought about including the famous Kiss in this story but this story is meant to be a kind of behind the scene look at their secret romance, not a re-write of what actually happened.
~FanWriter Asher~