Alexandra Potter
Chapter 8
Scene 3/3
"Alright..." Alex said, picking up a good fistful of power. She took a deep breath. Lightning flashed. "Professor Sprout's Office!"
The Floo ejected Alex hard, sending her tumbling into darkness.
"Oof!" she said, the breath knocked out of her. She couldn't see - not at all. Wherever she was, it was pitch black. She could feel grass beneath her hands, but she knew, somehow, that she wasn't outside. It was too warm. Too dark. And there wasn't any wind. She passed her bags to her left hand and drew her wand.
"Lumos!" she said, making an extra sharp flick for more powerful light. The distinctive silver-white glow of wandlight revealed a cavern of jagged black rock. The walls were rough, and stalactites hung from the high roof. The grass under her feet was lush, despite being underground. Definitely a magical place, then.
Alex turned around and almost gasped.
A huge stone circle was behind her, just like the pictures of Stonehenge. Its tall stones cast long shadows in the dark, and Alex was suddenly aware of how alone she was. She felt a tingling on the back of neck, and spun around again. There was nothing there.
Don't panic, she told herself, peering into the dark. Who knows what creatures might live down here. She turned back to the circle.
The circle was made of two rings: an outer circle of huge arches, and an inner circle of smaller standing stones. But where Stonehenge was crumbling and falling apart, this one looked like it would last hundreds of years more. It wasn't new - not by any means. But it was in amazing condition.
Alex held her wand up and walked through one of the arches, into the circle.
Wow.
For a moment, she forgot that she was completely lost. She walked the circle, trailing her hands over the rock. I could be the first person to touch these in a thousand years, she thought.
But when she got to the other side of the circle, she could see that wasn't true. Her light revealed a wooden door, set into the rock. Alex stared. It was so incongruous - a door in a cave. Hanging to one side of the door was a portrait of a man slumped in an armchair. He was fast asleep. To the other side of the door was a low stone plinth, upon which sat a heavy-looking book, like a bible in a church.
"Hello?" said Alex, and her voice echoed through the cave. The man in the portrait stirred sleepily.
"What's that?" he said, standing up. And then he saw Alex. He stared at her for a moment, his mouth open, before - "Students!" he shouted, breaking the quiet of the cave, "students out of bounds!"
"Wait!" Alex said, but too late. The man disappeared from his frame in a hurry.
Well, at least I know I'm still at Hogwarts. But where? I've never heard of anywhere like this.
She tried the door, but it was locked. Maybe the portrait will come back. Maybe he'll fetch a teacher. Even though she was stuck, she felt safer just knowing she was in Hogwarts, so she turned back to the stone circle, now curious. Was it some kind of pagan thing? Was that why it was hidden away? Alex hadn't seen much of anything religious since arriving at Hogwarts, but she knew there was a pagan society - though of course they didn't call themselves that. Every year they sent the Headmaster a letter demanding that Christmas be replaced with the Winter Solstice.
She thought the book might have some answers, but as soon as she flipped it open she knew it wouldn't be telling her anything. It was written, by hand, in some strange language she'd never seen before. Hring stana hér be Wealcyn áræde, said the first sentence. It was nonsense - yet, parts looked almost like English.
"Here be Wealcyn?" she muttered, frowning. Maybe 'Wealcyn' means 'stone circle'.
"A circle of stones, built here by the Celts," said Dumbledore. Alex jumped - she hadn't heard him come in. "That is what it says."
"Oh," said Alex, turning back to the book. "What language is it?"
Dumbledore smiled, walking over the stand next to Alex. "It is, of course, English."
"Old English, you mean?" she said. Alex hadn't realised they were so different. She'd thought Old English was just like modern English with funny spelling.
"Quite. Written by Rowena Ravenclaw's own hand, no less."
Alex looked at the book in newfound awe. Rowena Ravenclaw was famous for her knowledge. If only I could read it.
"It's quite something, isn't it?" said Dumbledore, and he offered her his arm. "Shall we walk together?" Alex nodded, and put her arm through his. Up close, she realised just how tall he was - well over six feet. He towered over her.
Dumbledore led her back into the circle, and they walked around it slowly.
"I must say, Alex: you're full of surprises," he said. "I didn't discover this place until I was a teacher, and I believe I was the first person to step here for a thousand years - there was certainly no sign of anyone else. And now, not a century later, you stumble across it."
Alex smiled weakly, not sure what she should say. She fought back the reflex to apologise. "And where exactly are we?" she said. "I kinda came here by accident." It had to be well hidden for no one else to have found it.
"Few ever realise how large Hogwarts is - how deep into the rock it extends. To descend is to walk through time itself, and we are deep indeed. This is the very foundation of the castle - over a thousand years deep." He paused to place his hand to a stone. Alex wondered what he felt. "The accepted account of Hogwarts' founding claims the founders built the castle here to escape the conflicts of England. And perhaps there is truth to that. But the real reason was this. The circle fascinated the Founders."
"They didn't build it?" Alex asked.
"Oh, no. The Founders were Saxons. Even then, this circle was ancient."
"It's weird," said Alex, looking around, wondering what strange rituals were once performed within the circle. "People a thousand years ago thinking things were ancient."
"It is altogether natural for people to think of the past in such a way," said Dumbledore. "The timescales are hard to imagine. But in fact, the Founders were closer to the modern age than they were to the creation of this circle. It's almost three thousand years old."
"And, um, what was it for, exactly?" said Alex, imagining ancient wizards and witches dancing around the circle naked.
"Until today, that was a mystery," said Dumbledore. They finished their circuit, returning to the book. "Rowena Ravenclaw studied this circle for over sixty years," he said, gesturing at the book, "and yet all she was able to discover was that it is magical in nature, and its age. All of her other experiments - of which there were many - failed."
"But then I appeared here," said Alex, realising what Dumbledore was getting at. "I took the Floo, but appeared here."
"Fascinating, is it not?" said Dumbledore. "Somehow, three thousand years ago, ancient wizards were able to construct a method of transportation which matches anything from the modern world, short of apparition. I dare say the stone circles around Britain are all connected - an ancient Floo network."
Alex looked back at the book. She really wanted to read it.
"I don't suppose..." she began, before trailing off. Could she just ask for it? Dumbledore peered at her over his half-moon spectacles.
"As a priceless one of a kind antique, the book must, of course, stay here," said Dumbledore. "But oh my, I come down here so rarely. If someone stole it, I don't imagine I would find out for years." He looked down at his boots. "Goodness, my laces appear to be undone."
He knelt down, and Alex took the hint. While his back was turned, she stuffed the book into one of her shopping bags. He stood up again, but didn't turn around.
"Shall we go?" he said, and he opened the door. Bright light flooded in, and Alex had to screw up her eyes.
The way back to the main castle was long, dark, and had far too many spiral staircases. The corridors were narrow, low-ceilinged, and slightly damp. Here and there the stone of the castle even gave way to bare rock.
It made Alex wonder how Dumbledore had got down so quickly.
"I seem to recall saying that we should meet again, after our last conversation," Dumbledore said as they paused for a breather. The last spiral staircase had been over a hundred steps. "This was not what I originally had in mind." Alex rubbed her aching legs. "Take this," he instructed, and he passed Alex a thin glass vial. It was filled with a neon blue liquid - about a mouthful of it. Dumbledore produced another vial for himself and drank it in a single swig.
"Disgusting!" he said cheerfully.
Shrugging, Alex copied him. He was right - it was disgusting. But immediately Alex felt the soreness in her legs go away. In fact, she felt like she could run a marathon.
"Nice," she said.
"A useful potion indeed, especially for those of greater years," said Dumbledore. "You can find a good account in Why Quidditch is Stupid, if you're interested." Alex committed the name to memory. Another one for the reading list, she thought. They started walking again.
"Should you be interested, I'm having a small gathering in my office on the thirteenth of October, before the Quidditch match," said Dumbledore.
"A gathering? Of students?" said Alex.
"Some students, yes. The Head Boy and Girl, among others. Some close friends. Some members of the board. A truly eclectic bunch."
"Oh," said Alex. It didn't sound very interesting to her, but she didn't want to offend Dumbledore.
"Of course, were you to arrive to the party early, I would be obligated as your host to entertain you," he continued.
Well, that doesn't sound so bad. I could ask him about stuff, like last time.
"And a friend of your parents will be there. A man called Remus Lupin - he has been wanting to meet you for quite some time now."
Alex didn't need to think.
"I'll be there."