Chapter Eleven
Locked Out
It wasn't long before Jennifer realized she had a problem.
"The guard painting refused to let Griselda in her room last night," Janus reported. "She went to her sister's room in the end, but it's not the only complaint I've been getting from Slytherin students about the new paintings. There have been arguments about everything from their password choices to student attitudes, and I really don't think the Pythers had the disposition of the students in mind when they chose which paintings to put in there."
"Severus, would you be so good as to coordinate with Danny and Aurelius to get those paintings switched with more appropriate ones? Surely you have some idea which paintings would work better in those positions," Jennifer told the Rogue Painting.
"I am certain that I can, but there is a difficulty to that solution," the Rogue Painting signed to them. "The new paintings were specifically designed to work with the new security features. Any paintings we pull from other areas of the castle would not have been created for the same purpose. I can find them and move them, but they would not necessarily understand or even approve of the new security procedures. They will need training."
"How long would that take you?" Janus asked.
"I never said I could train them," the Rogue signed with an even expression.
"Caprica. She's the control for all of the paintings in the castle, from the Headmaster Paintings on down," Jennifer said, and the Rogue nodded. "I suppose we should wake her to handle this, but I really don't know what she's going to think when she's realized just how many paintings we've added since she dozed off two years ago."
"She's used to the castle adding them over time," Janus offered. "Generally, a couple are added every year. Simply tell her that fifty or sixty years have gone by and you're covered."
"Yes, thank you, that's very amusing," Jennifer said with a sigh, getting up. "Janus, do me a favor and ask Hermione to lunch so that we can go over any security changes that need made. Severus, you start working out who might be a potential replacement in the Slytherin rooms. I'll go wake up Caprica."
Jennifer wandered down the stairs, thinking back to the last time Caprica was awake. It was to help Quintin and the other house students with his research, she recalled, to uncover the truth behind Slytherin's death. She had fallen asleep with peace of mind, knowing that the events had been put to rights and that the new house had chosen to honor her living self. Smiling softly at that, Jennifer stepped into the Trophy Room, holding up of one of Radiance's abandoned peacock feathers and tickling Caprica's nose.
Caprica work up with a customary sneeze, blinking a few times to see Jennifer standing there in her Headmaster's robes.
"What did he do this time?" Caprica asked flatly.
"Who?" Jennifer asked.
"Severus, of course. You're in charge again," Caprica pointed out.
"Oh, that! No.. I mean, yes I am, but it's only temporary. He's filling in at the Ministry for a bit, it's nothing to worry about," Jennifer reassured her. "Actually, I woke you up because I need help organizing some paintings. We've redone security, you see, and that involved adding a great many paintings, but now we're running into some problems with..."
"You changed painting security? Why didn't you wake me up to help from the start?" Caprica interrupted.
"Oh.. well... as to that... I just starting filling in two weeks ago," Jennifer explained apologetically.
"In other words, Severus didn't want me woken up. Which painting is giving you trouble that you need me to get in line for you?" Caprica asked.
"Actually there are a fair few, so Janus and I decided that the best course of action was to take some of the paintings you're already acquainted with and train them to be door guards in Slytherin..."
"What happened to the Grinning Grackle?" Caprica wanted to know.
"Oh, he's still there. It's just that we've decided to extend the idea we had for the new house of having individual door guards to all of the dormitories to the entire castle, you see. We may have had to add a painting or two to pull it off," Jennifer said carefully. But it was obvious from Caprica's expression that Jennifer's understatements weren't going over very well.
"Do me a favor. Find me a painting with a large pot of tea and some cake," Caprica suggested evenly.
"Yes, of course. Sorry! Thanks," Jennifer said sincerely, before stepping out of the room.
Caprica sighed and tentatively began to listen to the castle, groaning at the amount of unfamiliar voices she was hearing behind the frame.
"This is going to take more than a pot of tea!" Caprica growled, realizing her work was cut out for her. "And I have every intention of getting even with Severus for not waking me up sooner, mark my words!"
The other paintings in the room peered in her direction for a moment, glancing at one another before settling back in their poses as they decided the best thing to do was to stay out of her way.
Diana and Leu stepped out of the painting, glancing around the lone wizard's cabin that was positioned on a mossy hill. More than likely, anyone without magic saw the area as a densely vegetated jungle so thick that it wasn't worth troubling with. In reality, the hill was relatively clear of trees and they had a good view of the rainforest below.
The cabin itself was dusty and full of cobwebs; only the paintings and the floor had been recently cleaned. A lone kettle sat on a pot-belly stove, long emptied, and abandoned tins of tea and sugar rested on a small wooden shelf hanging on the wall nearby. Very little else was there except for folding tables and chairs and a cot with linens stored in a box at the foot. Clearly it was used temporarily by the original owner for short expeditions exploring the area.
The owner was now known; it was Emil Nimbus Trench, Lockhart's acquaintance now serving time in the Tower for smuggling, and who had only been as cooperative as far as he thought necessary not to delay his getting out of jail.
Harry thought he was clearly hiding something. Emil didn't deny that he had sent them down there, but he had refused any contact with Aurelius, and it was within his rights to refuse having a licensed Truth Seeker present when he wasn't accused of anything. Moody had warned Harry a thousand times during training not to jump to conclusions when a person they were questioning exercised their right to keep things to themselves.
"Still," Moody had gone on, giving Harry a faint wink. "There's no harm in being suspicious of it."
"I believe I see what direction they might have taken," Diana said, pulling Harry out of the memory. "From here it looks like a natural animal path, but I suspect we will find signs of magically-withered or cut brush as we get nearer."
"Lead the way, then," Harry said.
"How are you at detecting traps, Diana?" Charles asked as they started down the hill.
"Excellent. I can sense Ancient Magic traps naturally, and I have been trained by Jennifer to detect all other types of devices."
"Magic traps, sure, but how about non-magical ones?" Charles asked.
"I admit my knowledge doesn't extend past the waterline," Diana replied reluctantly.
"I'll go up front with her just in case," Charles decided, glancing at Leu.
"Fine by me. When it comes to a tiger-filled jungle, I'd rather be free to watch Diana's back," Leu said.
"The likelihood of encountering a tiger is extremely remote. It's the snakes out here we have to worry about most," Jamie informed him. Leu took a moment to inspect his cloak to make sure he had plenty of detox potions. Owain gazed at Leu thoughtfully.
"Would you like me to reanimate your remains if you die?" Owain inquired, earning an arm slap from his wife.
"Stop teasing him," Jamie scolded, earning a laugh from Owain on the way down the hill. Leu, who didn't think it was all that funny, hurried to join Diana near the front.
Vines and brush moved out of Diana's way, but Harry and Chuck didn't miss the state of the vines and branches as they went through of them.
"A lot of these have been cut through by a charmed machete," Chuck reported.
"There are also some signs of using magic to shrivel some of the vines," Harry said, pulling on a dead vine, which easily broke in his hands. "It's been a while since anyone's been through here, though."
"Agreed. Some of this has grown back," Diana confirmed, pushing more leaves and vines out of their path. "I am not familiar enough with the vegetation in this rain forest to estimate how long it's been here."
"I'm betting it's been several weeks, considering that's when the two of them disappeared," Charles said.
"Anyone picking up any magic other than what was used to keep this path clear?" Harry asked, but nobody spoke at first.
"I can report that no humans have died on it recently," Owain offered.
"Look for any signs of magic... and search for non-magical traps and snares as well," Harry advised. "Aurelius may not have been with us when we questioned Mr. Trench, but he didn't seem all that trustworthy when I spoke to him. I think it's more than likely he withheld information from Lockhart and Heron about what sort of protections he put on his cache to keep people from stealing it. In fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he intentionally left out the details in hopes that they would stumble into one the hard way."
"It'll be really slow going if we have to check for traps in this thick vegetation," Charles warned.
"I have yet to find any traps, but I hear rushing water ahead," Diana informed them. "The ground is also getting a bit more slippery..." she added, but it turned out to be a few seconds late as Leu went slipping forward and she had to quickly steady him to keep him from sliding down the hill.
"A bit muddy. The Footprint Spell maybe in order," Leu panted.
"You could try transfiguring your shoes into hiking or football boots," Charles suggested.
"You're right, I should have thought of that before... I'm used to ocean excursions," Leu admitted, getting out his wand.
"Everyone else should fix theirs as well, especially since the path seems to get a great deal steeper after this," Harry observed.
"Much steeper," Diana agreed. "In fact, it is probably best that Leu slipped when he did instead of when we had gone any further down."
"Oh, do the conditions get worse up ahead?" Leu asked curiously, taking a few cautious steps to make sure his boots were gripping properly before working his way down to where she was standing.
He found himself staring at a fast-moving river dropping off the edge of the cliff he was on. Mist dampened his skin as he peered down to the bottom of a narrow but very tall waterfall. There was no sign of a path.
"Yeah, slipping here would have been worse," Leu agreed. The two of them will still staring down at the gorge as the others caught up. They did the same thing.
"Okay... so how do we get across to the other side?" Jamie pondered.
"The question is how did they get across?" Charles asked.
"I read that this area is directly affected by monsoonal flows, which means that his waterfall might be no more than a trickle during some times of the year," Harry suggested. "We could easily broom across if we know exactly where their trail goes beyond this point."
"We can help with that," Leu assured him.
Diana nodded and the two of them turned into seabirds, flying across to the other side and cautiously inspecting the area. But while the seahawk was still inspecting the brush at the top, the northern gannet decided to swoop down past the waterfall to see what it was like at the bottom. It wasn't long before she cried out and came back up to where the rest of them were standing, the osprey flying over when Diana returned to her human-like form.
"I have found something, a hidden rope ladder that is currently covered by the waterfall," Diana reported. "I cannot tell where it ends because of the waterfall."
"You mean it might end before it gets to the bottom? Is the waterfall sheer or is it on an overhang?" Harry asked.
"It overhangs... there is a shallow cavern underneath," Diana confirmed.
"Then let's go take a look," Harry said, taking out his broom, the others doing the same.
Getting far enough from the falls that they weren't in the spray, the team made a steep dive down to the bottom, hovering a moment before finding an opening into the cavern behind the falls. The rocks were slimy and slippery until they stepped further in, and there was a slight echo. The eroded limestone had revealed dark stone underneath; and the light filtered through to shine on a beautifully carved Buddha statue.
"Is that magic?" Jamie wanted to know.
"It doesn't seem to be," Leu replied, stepping over to look at it closer. "Hand-chiseled... probably been here for centuries."
"It's just that it's a strange place for it," Jamie said.
"I don't know... it makes a lot of sense to me," Charles said, sitting down beside it and folding his legs in a similar way. "I can see the appeal of coming into such a protected space and meditating, don't you? The air's fresher in here, and it's less stifling than all of that jungle. They probably came in here for enlightenment," he decided and took a deep breath, letting it back out again.
"If you want enlightenment, you are using the wrong mudra," Diana informed him.
"What's a mudra?" Charles asked curiously.
"Mudras refer to the hand position. They all have different meanings," she explained. "The statue is using Dhyana, a mudra of meditation."
"Oh! Then my theory makes sense then," Charles decided, glancing at the statue to see how the hands were positioned. He put his in a similar fashion, with his fingers and thumb touching and his hands next to each other on his lap, taking a breath as he attempted to contemplate the waterfall in front of them.
There was a strange popping sound, followed by the sound of grinding stone.
"Good job, Chuck. I think you just opened a door somewhere," Harry realized, trying to hone in on it in the echo.
"It came from further back in the cavern. I believe it is deeper than it seems," Diana said.
"Let's go, then," Charles said, brushing himself off as best he could as they worked their way towards the back. Putting their hands out nervously to make sure they weren't making a mistake, they stepped through the cavern wall, immediately seeing a cave made of dripping limestone that wasn't yet eaten through.
"Come on," Harry said.
"Sure you want to lead, Dad?" Jamie asked questioningly.
"You're welcome to play backup wand if you're worried for some reason," Harry replied, the two of them pushing on until they saw the passage that Charles had opened. "Here it is."
"How long do you think this will stay open?" Charles wondered thoughtfully.
"I don't know, which give us even more reason to hurry," Harry said and stepped through, glancing at the door as others came in looking for some clue. "There's a hook here to hang something on, and a depression," he noted. "There must be a specific item that is inserted in that hole that keeps the door from closing."
"It seems to be able the size of a gentlewizard's cane," Owain noted thoughtfully, reaching in his cloak and taking his out. Experimentally he put it inside, pushing it in as far as it would go. "It fits perfectly, but I am not certain if it's going in far enough to keep the door from triggering."
"Still, it's worth a shot," Harry said and lit the end of his wand, the others doing the same. Beautifully carved depictions of buddhas as well as story panels were hewn into the walls, and Harry was aware that some of them were enough to cause Diana and Leu to pause a moment or two to inspect them. Harry kept charging on, forcing the others to keep up until finally finally Diana spoke up.
"I hear echoing voices, as well as running water," she alerted them.
"If they were trapped in here for a long period of time, they'd have no choice but to camp near the water," Harry said.
"Or they're ghosts," Charles pointed out.
"If so, the ghosts are too far away for me to sense them," Owain replied.
"They are not far. Follow," Diana said, taking the lead.
Despite his desire to stay at the lead, Harry was privately grateful that Diana had taken over. The echos were beginning to get confusing, and dark natural tunnels caused by the seeping water were making it difficult to predict what the right path truly was. He had been following the smoothest path, deciding that was the most likely for humans to have traveled, and he was vindicated by that reasoning when Diana chose the direction he had been intending on going.
"I know what this reminds me of," Jamie said when they had to work their way around a tight spot. "The Chamber of Secrets. There's an old passageway that narrows like this just before you get to the door."
"I remember," Harry replied.
"I don't remember that. The way was pretty straight forward when I went down there," Charles said.
"That's because Professor Snape rerouted around that area. He spent a lot of time securing it when he realized he couldn't get curious students from exploring it now that everyone knows it's there," Harry said.
"That's why I know about it," Jamie admitted sheepishly.
"Not much longer. It opens up ahead," Diana reported.
"Is it a hewn chamber like the Chamber of Secrets is?" Jamie asked.
"No... natural... but there are statues," Diana said. She finally climbed through and stepped aside, giving everyone a hand to get out of the tight crawlspace.
As they came out and lifted up a light, they couldn't help but be awestruck by the amount of elaborate carvings on the wall.
"That's interesting... these are no longer Buddha statues. They're Hindu," Leu noted.
"Did you hear a voice just now?" They heard off in the distance. The echo was barely discernible now, and despite being faint, they had heard it clearly.
"It is coming from that lit corridor," Diana said.
"Oh, yes, I see it now," Owain said.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Charles admitted.
"Everything looks dark to me too. If you see something we don't, go for it," Harry said, and the two of them led the others to the right corridor. The sound of bubbling water was more prevalent now, and soon they found themselves in an elaborately carved room that had been made into a wizard's campsite, complete with a wizard's tent that had seen better days. On the far side of the room was carved fountain with a lovely goddess blessing the water that flowed through a channel continuing on through the rock, while stacked between the fountain and the tent were organized and possibly categorized trunks, chests, carved stone boxes, and other treasures. None of them missed the fact that not all of them originated from the area.
Looking rather gaunt but otherwise well dressed and clean shaven were none other than Roy Lockhart and Rhett Heron, standing up in surprise as the other wizards came in.
"It's Harry Potter! He's come to save me!" Roy declared.
"Please tell me you left someone outside by the waterfall," Rhett said sharply without any greeting at all.
"We did not, but I did leave my cane in the hole by the hook," Owain replied.
"I tried that, it doesn't work. How long did it take you to get here? Do you have anyone fast with an Animagus form fast enough to get back to meditate by the statue?" he asked insistently.
Suddenly there was a rumble, and the sound of a rock door sliding into place echoed back through to their chamber. Rhett groaned.
"Apparently not," Harry ventured.
"No worries! I'll just get out a painting. We'll be out of here in no time," Leu decided, and pulled out a painting of Pyther. Strangely enough, it seemed to be dozing. "Wake up, Francis! We could use a ride to get out of here!" he said, then frowned. "Wait, why isn't the painting moving?"
"For the record, I already tried that," Roy Lockhart informed Leu. "I always carry a few miniatures of myself to remind me of how I was in happier times. They are typically in constant contact with all of the paintings of me spread through my house and all of the institutions I have donated them to, as well as a vast number of goblin vaults where many of my fans have stored them for long term appreciation. My paintings have refused to respond to my pleas to ask the other paintings for assistance."
"I've spent days attempting to figure out what might be interfering with them," Rhett informed them. "There are numerous charms Mr. Trench put on this room to safe keep his private stash of items, but I am not entirely convinced this is one of his making. It may have to do with the iconography, or the properties of the cave itself."
"Perhaps a bit of both," Diana said. "Years were spent carving these caves by those dedicated to their gods. It would be not uncommon for priests in those ancient times to have magical abilities, which would have been seen as blessings from their gods. Just like when we create magic items and cast charms in as we work the materials, it would not be surprising if they did the same by blessing them. I also notice that we seem to be standing in an ancient lava tube. The silt that flooded these caves created the limestone, but the rest is igneous rock, mainly basalt, which is long lasting and difficult to breach."
"Is that your way of saying that you can't use your earth-moving ability to get out of it?" Leu said.
"You are correct. I cannot," Diana confirmed.
"I'm afraid I cannot either. This isn't a freshly dug grave, after all, it's a tomb fifteen hundred years old," Owain informed them. Leu smacked himself on the head.
"I should have listened to my mother. She told me to bring Lucky along just in case something went wrong, but I was so sure we had this that I didn't listen to her," Leu confessed.
"Yeah, you're right. You should have listened to her," Harry agreed.
"Wait... why are you so calm, Dad? We're trapped in a deep cave with no way out, and you don't seem bothered by it at all," Jamie noted, squinting at her father.
"Oh, I'm feeling it, I'm just not all that worried. Despite the rock above our heads, there's fresh water and fresh air. It has to be coming in from somewhere," Harry said.
"Yes, the tunnel just there slopes further down the stream, we set up a latrine there. But where the moss grows halfway down the corridor, there's a hole in the basalt that acts as a vent... too small and too thick to traverse through, though. I wasted my one and only beetle transformation potion trying," Rhett explained.
"That's alright. I just need it to send a signal," Harry explained. "Fortunately for all of us, I do happen to listen to Jennifer's advice. Rhett, show us where that vent is. Jamie, come with me. You too, Leu," he added, following Rhett through the narrow chute and over to a cool, damp air drifted in from above them.
Taking their hands, Harry cast the Synchronous Spell, and they all cast their Patronuses a single light shooting up as they combined in an attempt to breach the vent.
"Do you think they made it all the way through?" Jamie asked her father.
"And is there anyone there to see the signal?" Rhett asked.
"Count on it," Harry said. "Is there any food to speak of to pass the time while we wait for a rescue?"
"Transfigured moss and Trench's military rations, which are long past their expiration date," Rhett said solemnly.
"Sounds appetizing," Harry said evenly. "Lead the way," he said. Harry clapped Leu on the shoulder.
"It's a good thing you decided to go along too, Harry. We might never have thought of using the vent as a signal like that," Leu admitted.
"It doesn't surprise me that your mother thought of it, though. That's how the two of us escaped the Forbidden Tomb after it collapsed," Harry explained, glancing to make sure the other two had walked ahead. "Look, I don't know exactly what advice your mother gave you concerning this trip. But I can't help but notice that except for Aurelius, the rest of you Snapes have a tendency to discount your mother's advice when she gives it, thinking that she's overreacting. And that's despite the fact that some of your father's advice goes far beyond most concerns that she brings up. It's almost as if you take her worries for granted."
"She does worry a lot... okay fine, I feel like she worries excessively. But I think it's too far saying that we take her worries for granted," Leu said.
"Have a chat with Eben sometime about his upbringing. Maybe you'll change your mind," Harry suggested. "Even if it doesn't, I think she deserves her advice to be better respected than it is, whether those around her choose to follow it or not. I've found her advice every bit as valuable as any of my other mentors, and sometimes better to be perfectly honest. If there's one thing I would like for you and your siblings to learn, it's to see her for who she is instead of just being a worried mum."
"I won't argue since I obviously should have taken her advice this time, but I don't think she'll ever stop worrying about us," Leu said. Harry sighed, realizing that he missed his point entirely.
"No, she definitely won't, but that doesn't mean you should ignore her concerns," he replied.
"You're right. I shouldn't ignore them," Leu replied.
Deciding that was progress, Harry followed Leu back to the fountain room where there was apparently a contest going on to find unusual metaphors to describe how bad the military ration packs were.
"Maybe I'll just stick with water. It won't be long," Harry said after listening to it for a moment.
"So sure of that, are you?" Rhett said, furrowing his brows.
"I thought I might have heard the door open while the four of you were still in the tunnel," Roy said, Diana nodding at him in confirmation.
"There is no way they could have possibly gotten the door open that fast," Rhett protested.
"Hey!" someone shouted. They all jumped and turned around to see Lucky standing in the other tunnel, holding a cane up. "Who stuck this thing in that hole? The door didn't want to open the whole way because of it."
"It is mine, and I was attempting to use it to keep it from closing," Owain explained.
"Nah, it only works with a specific key that we don't got. My guess is that smuggler hid it somewhere," Lucky said. "Anyhow, how about packing up and getting out of here? Dale may be all enthusiastic about mediating behind a waterfall now, but he's going to get awful bored if he has to do it all night." There was a quick scramble, and Harry had to remind Roy and Rhett more than once how many of the smuggler's chests wouldn't have any hope of getting through the narrowest passage.
"Perhaps we can borrow some of your Chest Cloak space?" Roy asked hopefully.
"We can't risk it on any of the chests we haven't opened yet. We can't run the necessary checks on the items to make sure it is safe to do so," Rhett informed him.
"Rhett's right, that isn't going to work. You're just going to have to leave most of it behind," Harry confirmed.
"But not the medallion, surely!" Roy protested.
"I've already wrapped it for transport," Rhett said briskly, more than a little annoyed that Roy brought it up. But at that point, Harry was too impatient to get out of the cave to care.
"Just bring what you can carry in your pockets and let's go, or we'll simply leave you here to figure it out on your own," Harry said bluntly.
"Coming!" Rhett said, and Roy made one last minute grab before following. Charles waited for Roy, shaking his head with exasperation before bringing up the rear.
"You're gonna get yourself killed one of these days, you know... you and these expeditions of yours," Charles told him as they worked their way down the corridor.
"Yes, yes, I've heard you say that before, and frankly I'm surprised that you're even here after that last exodus," Roy replied.
"Someone's gotta look after you, old man. You're absolutely hopeless," Charles told him critically.
"That I am! Thank you for coming after me anyway, friend," he offered, careful not to get his robes dirty on the mossy rocks. Charles smiled in resignation, privately amused by his valiant attempts at getting through the ever-tightening tunnels without stains.