Of Constellations → 𝘥. 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘧𝘰𝘺

xxxi. a seaside interlude

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chapter thirty one

a seaside interlude

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"HERMIONE!"

"Be quiet!" said another voice that I instantaneously recognized as Harry's. I felt tears of relief prick at the corners of my eyes. "Shut up, Ron, we need to work out a way—"

"HERMIONE! HERMIONE!"

My heart clenched again at Ron's panicked screaming. What was happening to Hermione?

"We need a plan, stop yelling—we need to get these ropes off," Harry said.

"Harry? Ron?" Luna spoke up.

"Luna?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Yes, it's me!" Luna said. "Oh no, I didn't want you to be caught!"

Luna went to get the nail to cut the ropes off of Harry and Ron just as Hermione's screaming pierced all the way through the stone floors. Ron screamed so loud he was already running his voice ragged.

As Luna worked on the ropes, I heard a voice from somewhere upstairs again. It wasn't Hermione's this time. "I'm going to ask you again! Where did you get this sword? Where?"

What sword? The Sword of Gryffindor?

"Ron, please stay still! I can't see what I'm doing—" Luna started to say.

"My pocket! In my pocket, there's a Deluminator, and it's full of light!"

There was silence in the dark for a little while and then a metallic click. Then, from around where Ron's voice was coming from, a few spheres of yellow light burst into the abyss, lighting the entire room in weak, but heavenly light. They floated suspended in the air just below the ceiling like they were small, cold stars.

"Oh, that's much easier, thanks, Ron," said Luna.

I looked back at Harry and Ron again. And then, I saw who else was tied up. One of them was a goblin. And, standing with his back towards me, taller than both Ron and Harry, was Dean.

"Hello, Dean!" Luna said to him.

"Dean!" I said.

"Mars?"

As soon as Luna cut the group free, Dean turned around. His face was bruised and bloody but, overall, he seemed fine. We ran to each other and he threw his arms around me, knocking the air clean out of my lungs. I clung to him, listening to his heart beating with my head against his chest.

"How long have you been here, are you okay?" he asked when he let go of me. He smoothed back my hair and his brown eyes roved my face as if looking for a sign of injury.

"Since the beginning of Christmas holiday," I said. "I'm so happy to see you, I was so worried about you!"

He leaned down to hug me again, but it was cut short by Hermione's shrieks. Soon, Ron was sprinting around the cellar, desperately searching for a way out.

"There's no way out, Ron," Luna said. "The cellar is completely escape-proof. Mars and I tried, at first. Mr. Ollivander has been here for a long time. He's tried everything."

Ron didn't seem to be listening.

"What else did you take, what else? ANSWER ME! CRUCIO!"