Black Soul- George Weasley

The One With The Flying Key

"Stop moving!" Hermione ordered them. "I know what this is — it's Devil's Snare!"

"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help," snarled Ron, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck. 

"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" said Hermione.

"Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" Harry gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around his chest.

"If you stop moving you will be free", Astraea yelled looking around at the floor.

"Well do one of your spells", yelled Ron.

"I would if I can find my BLOODY WAND", Astraea yelled back

"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare...what did Professor Sprout say? — it likes the dark and the damp."

"So light a fire!" Harry choked.

"Yes — of course — but there's no wood!" Hermione cried, wringing her hands.

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"

Astraea laughed a bit

"Oh, right!" said Hermione, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something, and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant. In a matter of seconds, the two boys felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies, and they were able to pull free.

"Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione," said Harry as he joined her by the wall, wiping sweat off his face.

"Yeah," said Ron, "and lucky Harry doesn't lose his head in a crisis —'there's no wood,' honestly."

"Does anyone pay attention in Charms?" Astraea asked.

"Why?" asked Harry

"Can't find my wand", she scowled.

"There", pointed Ron and Astraea held her wand close to her heart sighing.

"This way," said Harry, pointing down a stone passageway, which was the only way forward. All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward.

"Can you hear something?" Ron whispered.

Astraea listened. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.

"Do you think it's a ghost?"

"I don't know...sounds like wings to me." 

"There's light ahead — I can see something moving."

They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.

"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" said Ron.

"Probably," said Harry. "They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once...well, there's no other choice...I'll run."

"No, I'll do it. Stay here", Astraea said. She would not forgive herself if something bad happened to any of them.

She took a deep breath, covered her face with one arm, with the other held her wand in front of her and sprinted across the room. She expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at her any second, but nothing happened. She reached the door untouched. She pulled the handle, but it was locked. The others followed her. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Hermione tried the Alohomora charm.

"It won't be that easy", Astraea said. "It's way to advance to succeed with Alohomora"

"Now what?" said Ron.

"These birds...they can't be here just for decoration," said Hermione.

They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering — glittering?

"They're not birds!" Harry said suddenly. "They're keys! Winged keys — look carefully. So that must mean..." he looked around the chamber while the others squinted up at the flock of keys. "...yes — look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!"

"But there are hundreds of them!" Ron examined the lock on the door. "We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one — probably silver, like the handle."

Harry, Ron and Hermione each seized a broomstick and looked at Astraea.

"Sorry kids", she muttered apologetically. "My courage runs out here"

"It's okay", Harry said smiling. Then they kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. They grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one.

Not for nothing, though, was Harry the youngest Seeker in a century. He had a knack for spotting things other people didn't. After a minute's weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, he noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed roughly into the keyhole.

"That one!" he called to the others. "That big one — there — no, there — with bright blue wings — the feathers are all crumpled on one side."

Ron went speeding in the direction that Harry was pointing, crashed into the ceiling, and nearly fell off his broom.

"We've got to close in on it!" Harry called, not taking his eyes off the key with the damaged wing. "Ron, you come at it from above — Hermione, stay below and stop it from going down and I'll try and catch it. Right, NOW!"

Ron dived, Hermione rocketed upward, the key dodged them both, and Harry streaked after it; it sped toward the wall, Harry leaned forward and with a nasty, crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand. Ron and Hermione's cheers echoed around the high chamber. They landed quickly, and Harry ran to the door, the key struggling in his hand. He rammed it into the lock and turned – it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice.

"Why didn't you use one of your charms?" Ron asked.

"There are brooms for a reason", Astraea said. "Some things can't be solved with basic magic".

"Ready?" Harry asked them, his hand on the door handle. They nodded. He pulled the door open.

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Editing!!!

992 words