Haylie, Corinne, and Eileen slammed the Muggle Defeaters Encyclopedia shut. It could do no help to them on the journey they were about to embark on. Immediately all three girls hurried out in to the hallway, Corinne gently pulling the door shut behind them. The girl's dorm hallway was unusually cold and got even colder as they approached Hermione's bedroom. Haylie desperately wanted Hermione to join them. With Hermione there with her she would feel safer, more secure. Unfortunately, as Eileen pushed her door open the girls found an empty bed, with the window wide open. The cold air sent a cold chill up Haylie's spine, but this time, she just couldn't make herself go and shut it. A growing fear was beginning to absorb her mind, but she didn't want to believe it. So Haylie said nothing about that fear to her friends, who probably suspected the same scenario as she did. Without even searching around the room Haylie turned to face her two best friends.
"Let's go get Damon."
Without another word Eileen turned around and rushed out the door leaving Corinne and Haylie behind. Corinne stared deep into Haylie's eyes as if she wanted desperately to read their inner meaning. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Haylie grabbed Corinne's arm and pulled her out of the room. They could see Eileen about fifteen feet ahead, waiting for them at the dormitory stairway. Since the Hogwarts had stood upright for thousands of years, the stairwells of the large castle were beginning to crack and crumble with age. The darkness of the night made it difficult for the girls to travel down the steps quietly. Haylie heard a swoosh and then a loud thud come from right in front of her feet. A short whimper followed.
"Eileen is that you?" Haylie hissed, squinting her eyes to see through the pitch black of the congested stairwell. A figure moved in the darkness. Then a warm hand clutched Haylie's wrist and pulled hard, jolting her at first. Haylie pulled back, to prevent herself from falling forward, and helped the wounded figure lift themselves to their feet.
"Thanks," Eileen's voice echoed through the stairwell. Corinne giggled softly but was not left unheard.
"Oh be quiet Corrine!" Eileen scoffed, slapping her friend's arm angrily.
"Ouch," Corinne whined, visibly rubbing her arm. Suddenly Haylie remembered one detail she had forgotten to address from her dream.
"Oh no! I have to go back up to the room and get the necklace!" Haylie whipped around and pushed Corinne out of the way. She stomped up the stairs, but made it to the top of the steps quietly, since Haylie always seemed to be light on her feet.
"Wait! Haylie!" Eileen called but was cut off as Haylie yelled back, "I'll be right back. Stay there!"
Within a few moments Haylie was in her room and searching around her bureau for the key to her lock-box. Finally she felt the cold outline of a metal key, nestled deep beneath the wooden cabinets. She clutched the key in her palm and struggled to fit the edge into the narrow keyhole.
"Come on!" Haylie cursed. It seemed that the box didn't want to be opened. Fortunately, Haylie's anguish and desperation outdid that of the box and she finally heard the small clicking sound of an opened lock. Haylie smiled as she lifted the top of the old box carefully, gazing at the few pieces of jewelry she owned. Right before her, the silver necklace shone brightly from the light of the nearby vanilla candle. Haylie unhooked the necklace from the tiny wooden clasp and shut the box top. As she started for the door, Haylie stopped and looked behind her at the bathroom door. She distantly remembered Corinne and Eileen emerging from the silver store in Hogsmeade, wearing two lovely rings with dark blue sapphires studded on top. All the silver in that store has some sort of special power, but the only way to use that power is to discover the identity and energy fuel of that power. Hermione's words echoed through Haylie's mind, sparking her interest. Haylie ran back to her bureau and lifted the glowing candle from the blistering hot glass holder. With one glance at the sleeping Natalie, Haylie tiptoed to the bathroom door, using the gleaming flame to guide her. The door creaked as she pulled it open. That creaking, along with the eerie glow of the light reflecting off the dark bathroom, gave Haylie a creepy feeling. Corinne's jewelry box stood cornered against the peach colored walls. By pure chance, Haylie knew where the location of Corinne's key was. Haylie had walked in on Corinne hiding the key once but had sincerely promised never to steal anything.
"Sorry Corinne, but I need these rings," Haylie whispered, as if her friend were standing by her side. She lifted the box and turned it over to see a small slip of cloth hooked to the bottom. Under the thin cloth was a tiny compartment where Corinne's key was kept. After retrieving the ring, Haylie closed the bathroom door behind her and hurried to Eileen's bedside. She lowered to her knees and reached underneath the bed, feeling around for a box. Finally, Haylie's fingers touched something hard an square with sharp edges and a cool metal lock. Haylie grabbed the box with both hands and pulled it out into the middle of the floor. From months of watching Eileen retrieve makeup and jewelry from this box, she knew that it was never locked. Eileen was too lazy to lock and unlock it every time she used it. Haylie instantly took the ring, shoved the box back under Eileen's bed and took off running out the door and down the hallway toward the stairwell.
"We're not allowed to go up there!" Corinne snapped, managing to keep her voice soft but harsh at the same time. Haylie glared at her friend as she opened the door to the boys dormitories.
"We need to get Damon. He's coming with us," Haylie told her friends, beginning to walk up the steps.
"Could you at least tell us where we're going?" Eileen grunted, still rubbing her eyes with sleepiness.
"Not yet," Haylie said, "Not till we get Damon." Neither Eileen or Corinne complained about this. Both of them were too busy trying to see where they were headed in the pitch black of the stairwell. Luckily, the boy's dormitory was much lighter than the girls. The horrid smell of sweat and cologne reached the girls' noses and all three hurried as fast as they could to Damon's door. To Haylie's relief, Damon's door was already open and he happened to be awake.
"Hey! What are you girls doing in here?" Damon shouted, turning away from the desk he was sitting at.
"Shhh!" the girl's hissed. Corinne walked to the doorway and gazed down the hall, looking for any stragglers who had heard Damon's shout. When she saw none, Corinne turned and nodded in Haylie's direction. Haylie understood and walked close to where Damon was now standing.
"What are you doing up at this hour?" Eileen asked from behind her. Haylie snapped her neck around to flash a glare at Eileen before turning back to Damon.
"I was finishing Transfiguration homework," Damon answered, now looking at Haylie, "What are you three doing up at this hour standing in the boys dormitories in my room."
"I had a dream," Haylie whispered.
"Really, well I usually do as well…" Damon started, but then stopped once he saw how serious Haylie's face was.
"I know why the cloaked figure kidnapped the Honeyduke children," Haylie told him, glancing at Damon's sleeping roommates before continuing, "And it has something to do with the Defeaters of the Defeaters."
"Okay," Damon whispered. He seemed to know exactly what Haylie planned to do and ran to his bureau to grab a pair of warm pants and his coat. Just as they were about to step out of the room, Haylie heard a small, squeaky voice.
"Damon! Where are you going?"
Haylie looked back into the room and saw Elvin jumping out of his small bed and running over to the group.
"Go back to bed Elvin," Damon ordered, wanting to continue with their journey free from any interruptions.
"Can I go with you to help?" Elvin asked, looking over at Haylie pleadingly. His eyes appeared so gentle and desperate that Haylie breathed a sigh of deep guilt. If she went on without him, she would surely feel bad for leaving behind a close friend.
"Alright, but we need to be quiet and we need to be quick," Haylie told him.
"You're just gonna let him come with us…" Damon cut in, obviously angry with Haylie's decision.
"Yes! Yes we are Damon," Haylie snapped back, glaring loathingly at him. No more words were spoken as they all hurried across the hallway and down the stairs. The Fat Lady did not wake when they opened the Gryffindor Tower door and scampered down the long, dark corridors. Heavy shadows outlined very crack, corner, and object of the large corridors. The candles perched high up on the walls illuminated the darkness enough for the children to se their way, but the small noises of the night followed them wherever they stepped.
"Here it is," Haylie said, crouching next to a large statue. She squinted her eyes to see through the darkness and could finally make out the small writing etched into the very foot of the marble. You are a smart one! Excellent job finding this hidden passage way! You have earned the right to open this hidden door, but I warn you…
The writing stopped. It looked as though it was rubbed, almost completely erased. Luckily, Haylie knew how to open it already.
"Ich bin Äuslander und spreche nicht gut Deutsch," Haylie whispered into the ear of the almost 5 foot statue.
"Was that German?" Corinne asked, looked completely surprised and perplexed at the same time.
"Yeah," Haylie said, watching the statue dissolve into a million tiny specks, "Let's go."