AN: The action is afoot! R&R!

11 - Down the Hole… Again

"Ow, that's my foot!"

The five first-year students barely fit under the large pink cloak. They were stumbling the entire way into the bathroom, and managed to get through to the sinks without getting spotted.

"We may have a problem." Julian said, and the others looked at him.
"Yeah, how do we move the sinks?" Levi asked, and Valerie rolled her eyes.
"You don't seriously think I would bring us here without being prepared, do you?" She scoffed, and pulled a small piece of paper from her pocket. Tossing the pink cloak to the ground, she unfolded the paper.

Reading from the paper, Valerie began to make a low hissing noise. The others stared at her in shock, and the sinks began to move.
"What did you just say?" Sean asked, jaw still dropped.
"Open." She said, as she stepped forward to look down the hole. "Are you guys going to go down?"
"Ladies first." Levi grinned, holding out a hand. Valerie glared at him, before sitting on the edge of the hole.
"I'll let you know when I'm at the bottom." She said, before dropping herself over the edge of the hole and sliding down.

The four boys waited a bit, before they heard a noise.
"You're going to die you know."

Asher looked up, and he was face-to-face with Moaning Myrtle. She was smiling slightly, and had her arms crossed.
"Nice to know you have faith in us." Levi quipped, and Myrtle snapped her head in his direction.
"I would come with you, but I have a terrible fear of snakes now. Good luck. And when you die," She said, pointing at Asher, "you're welcome to share the bathroom."

Asher rolled his eyes, before calling down to Valerie.
"Okay down there?"
"Yeah, I'm good. Come on down!"

Asher looked back at the others, before hoisting himself into the hole for the second time. He slid down the tunnel, making a face at the smell of decay, and popped out the bottom, where Valerie was standing, with her arms crossed.

"Whee!"

Asher turned around just in time to see Levi sliding down the hole, his feet touching ground, and raising his arms.
"And he sticks the landing!"

Valerie rolled her eyes, and the three of them were followed shortly by Julian and Sean.
"Is it just me or is it dirtier down here than it was last time?" Julian asked, smacking dirt off his trousers. "And smellier."

Valerie turned from the group and began making her way through the Chamber, the others following quickly behind.
"So… how are we going to know when we've found it?" Levi asked, tucking his hands into his pockets, whistling.
"Well, I would suggest looking around, but that'll just get us killed. We're going to need to shut up, and listen. If you hear something suspicious, point out your wand and say 'Gallus Vocem'." Valerie explained, and Levi nodded.

They reached the large metal door covered in snakes, and Valerie hissed again. The door shook, and then a metal snake began to slither around the perimeter, pushing back the other snake heads as it passed. When the snake went around once, the door clicked and began to move backward.
Stepping through the door, Valerie gasped.

The inner part of the Chamber was pitch black.

"Does anybody know how to make something light?" She turned, and there was a laugh. Flicking her head back in the direction of the Chamber, she waited. There was a sound of footsteps, and the five first-years snapped their eyes shut.
Julian shot his wand out.
"Gallus Vo-"

But he didn't finish, because his wand went flying out of his hand. He slowly opened his eyes, to get a look at his now wand-less hand. His eyes widened, and he looked up. Standing directly in front of Valerie, was Aubrey, and she was standing in the entrance of the Chamber, holding both her, and Julian's, wands.

"Nice try."

The others snapped their eyes open, and Valerie flinched back. Aubrey only laughed, before pocketing Julian's wand.
"That spell doesn't work anyways, we tested it," Aubrey shrugged, "you really thought we wouldn't know about it? We've been trying to sneak another basilisk into Hogwarts for years."

Valerie frowned, before putting her hands on her hips.
"Where's the snake?" She demanded, and Aubrey only cackled.
"It's not here right now, if that's what you're asking. Landon should be setting it on some teachers right about now." She grinned, before poking Valerie's collarbone. "And there's nothing," she poked again, "you," poke, "can," poke, "do," she poked one last time, and Valerie stumbled backward.

Aubrey's eyes flashed a quick glance at the boys standing with Valerie, before grinning.
"Funny. Looks like you're missing a few people," her smirk grew, and Valerie's glared at her, "where's the bookworm? Or the annoying brunette? Or the fags?"

Valerie flung herself forward, and slapped Aubrey directly across the cheek. Aubrey's smirk disappeared, before she pulled her wand up.
"I think I'm going to enjoy watching you die." Aubrey sneered, before turning around and stepping into the Chamber. Torches lining the walls instantly lit with green fire, and the Chamber was illuminated.

Valerie looked back at Asher and Levi, before nodding. Asher and Valerie drew their wands, before following Aubrey into the Chamber. They stepped carefully down the passage toward the large statue of Salazar Slytherin's head, which was missing chunks of its forehead.

"You don't have to be so careful, you know. It's not here yet." Aubrey said, from where she was standing, facing the statue.

Valerie quickly whispered to Asher, "What kind of spells do you know that we can use on her?" Asher shrugged.
"We've only been taught a couple offensive spells. And you take that class too, I don't have any more knowledge than you…" Asher trailed off, and Valerie muttered curses under hear breath.
"What are you guys doing? She's just going to disarm you." Julian said to Asher and Valerie, who glanced back at him.
"Well then we can hope she does it verbally, because we don't know the incantation for that spell. It's second-year." Valerie said, and Levi brightened up.
"If only Thad was here, he knows them all. He was always practicing them on-"
The three other first-years sent glares in his direction, and he stopped talking.

Aubrey began to hiss at the statue, and the four first-years looked at her nervously.
"Now you should be afraid," she grinned, "I called it here."

There was a large crashing noise, and the body of a forty-foot snake came slithering from behind the statue. It's eyes were a sickening yellow, and its fangs were sharp, like blades.
The four first-years snapped their eyes closed.

"You do know that it's venomous," Landon's voice came ringing from near Aubrey, "it can still bite you. I suggest you run."

Levi didn't need to be told twice.
With his eyes closed, he flung his body to the side, squealing, and landed in the large pit of water by the snake statues lining the side of the Chamber.

Aubrey and Landon just rolled their eyes, ignoring him and setting the snake on the other three.

As the snake drew itself closer, Valerie and Asher began to fling out every spell in their arsenal.
"Vermillious!"

Bright red sparks shot from the end of Asher's wand and into the face of the snake, which hissed, and began to move faster. It went unnoticed, as the two of them were still flinging spells out.
Julian stood there helplessly, and decided to turn around. Briefly opening his eyes, he looked back toward the doorway they had come in. He debated making a run for it, and heard a swishing sound from his right.

Glancing over, he saw Levi's blond head of hair poking out of the water, eyes still snapped shut. He looked through the water, debating whether or not to jump in with him.

THUD

Valerie screamed, and Asher sent out another jinx, which hit the basilisk square in the face, knocking it back toward Landon and Aubrey. They cursed, as the basilisk was now dazed.
"Cast Flippendo, Valerie." Asher whisper-shouted to her, and she nodded.

The two of them began to cast spell after spell in the basilisk's general direction. Landon was shouting, and footsteps were heard.
"You can't just knock it out like that!"

Valerie, Levi and Asher instantly snapped their eyes open, and saw the basilisk lying, knocked out, in a puddle of water by the statue, eyes closed. Valerie let out a sigh of relief, before she caught sight of Aubrey running toward them.

"JULIAN!"

Levi's voice snapped Asher and Valerie to look in his direction, only to see Julian.
Petrified, and lying on the ground.
Levi was flailing his arms in the water, still looking at the petrified body of his best friend.

Their gaze was interrupted, as their wands went flying from their hands. Aubrey caught them, still running in their direction. Asher ducked a punch, and took off down the corridor after Landon, whose smirk fell.

Valerie and Aubrey were fighting, ducking and punching, while Asher and Landon were doing the same.

"I thought that Aubrey and Landon had wands? Why aren't they using them?" Levi asked, still floating in the water. Landon and Aubrey smirked, and Asher and Valerie glared at Levi.
"What?"

Aubrey was the first one to grab her wand, and she pointed it directly at Valerie's throat.
"I'm going to enjoy this," Aubrey smirked, "you've been a nuisance for too long."

"Flippendo!"

There was a bright flash of blue light, and Aubrey went flying sideways, into the water opposite of Levi. Valerie's eyes widened, as she turned to see Levi, still floating in the water, with his wand out.
"You looked like you needed the help."
Valerie sent Levi a grateful smile, and the two of them turned to look at Landon.

He was still fighting Asher, only this time, it looked like Asher was dodging green sparks. Before Landon could use another spell, Levi shouted.
"HEY!"

Landon took his attention away from Asher, who leaned over, panting. Levi waved, and pointed to Aubrey, who was floating belly-up in the water.
"Don't you want to help your sister?"

Landon snarled, and pointed his wand toward Levi.
"You're lucky I don't know any painful spells." Landon glared, and Levi laughed.
"I think a Flippendo was painful enough for your sister."

A spell was shot at Levi, but he raised his wand, and defended it. He raised an eyebrow at Landon, before smiling. Landon sent off another spell, which Levi also defended. Landon snarled again, and shot spell after spell at Levi, who defended each one.

"Expelliarmus," Levi said, before pointing his wand at Landon's outstretched hand. Landon's wand flew up into the air, and Levi caught it, grinning. Valerie looked at him, dumbfounded.

"You knew the spell the entire time, and you didn't say anything?" She stared at him in disbelief, and he only smiled.
"I tried to tell you Thad practiced it on me a bunch of times, but you guys wouldn't listen." Levi grinned, and Valerie glared at him again.

Asher walked over and grabbed Landon, bringing him toward them. Levi walked over to Julian, while Valerie pulled Aubrey from the water and retrieved their wands. Levi pulled the petrified Julian up into a standing position, and leaned on him, pointing his wand at Landon.

"Don't jinx him, we need him." Asher said, and Levi frowned.
"Why?"
"He's the only one who can control the thing, and we need to know how to kill it." Valerie answered, handing Asher his wand back.
"My sister lied," Landon muttered, "the rooster-noise spell works."

Valerie grinned, and stepped over to the knocked out body of the basilisk. Asher and Levi followed behind, dragging Julian.
"Would you like to do the honours?" Valerie asked Levi, "you were the one who got the both of them," she gestured to Landon and Aubrey.

"Sure, why not." Levi pointed his wand in the direction of the basilisk. Valerie and Asher watched, ad Levi stood there and did nothing.
"Well?" Asher asked, and Levi looked back.
"I forgot the spell."

Valerie and Asher looked at him in disbelief.
"You can remember the spell Thad used on you to disarm you, yet you can't remember the spell to kill a forty-foot beast that could wake up and kill us at any second?" Valerie put her hands on her hips, and Levi raised his hands in defence.
"Thad's spells hurt!"

Valerie rolled her eyes, and pulled her wand out.
"Gallus Vocem."

There was a loud rooster noise, and the basilisk squirmed, eyes still shut. When the rooster noise faded away, the basilisk's movements stopped, and Valerie looked back at Levi and Asher.
"Well," she said, "I think we're done here."