People Watching.

Chapter Thirty-Three.

"Bad dog!" (Y/n) shouted through gritted teeth, whimpering as she clutched her ankle. Hermione rushed to her side.

"Ron!" Harry shouted, trying to follow, but a heavy branch whipped lethally through the air and he was forced backward again.
All they could see now was one of Ron's legs, which he had hooked around a root in an effort to stop the dog from pulling him farther underground— but a horrible crack cut the air like a gunshot; Ron's leg had broken, and a moment later, his foot vanished from sight.

"Harry— we've got to go for help—" Hermione gasped; she was bleeding too; the Willow had cut her across the shoulder. (Y/n) was stuck with an injured ankle. How injured would remain unknown. 

"No! That thing's big enough to eat him; we haven't got time—"

"We're never going to get through without help— How can you be eating right now?!" Hermione bellowed as (Y/n) ate a floral shortbread cookie. The girl held a finger up, grimacing as she swallowed the cookie. Then she got up with a perfectly fine ankle.

"Healing components," she said proudly.
They all gave a shout as another branch whipped down at them, twigs clenched like knuckles.

"If that dog can get in, we can," Harry panted, darting here and there, trying to find a way through the vicious, swishing branches, but he couldn't get an inch nearer to the tree roots without being in range of the tree's roots.

"Oh, help, help," Hermione whispered frantically, dancing uncertainly on the spot, "please..."

"There's a weak spot in the roots. It'll paralyze the Willow," (Y/n) said at length. Both Harry and Hermione's heads snapped in her direction. "But..."

"But..?" Harry pressed.

"But the tree's gone into defence mode. I can't get in there even if there was a distraction," (Y/n) said.

"You're an Animagus!" Harry shouted resulting in (Y/n) flinching. "Sorry— It's just— Ron could be dead by now."
Crookshanks suddenly darted forward. He slithered between the battering branches like a snake and placed his front paws upon a knot on the trunk.
Abruptly, as though the tree had been turned to marble, it stopped moving. Not a leaf twitched or shook.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione whispered uncertainly. She now grasped Harry's arm painfully hard. "How did he know—?"

"He's friends with that dog," said Harry grimly. "I've seen them together. Effie too. Come on— and keep your wands out—"
They covered the distance to the trunk in seconds, but before they could reach the gap in the roots, Crookshanks had slid into it with a flick of his tail. Harry went next; he crawled forward, headfirst, and slid down an earthy slope to the bottom of a very low tunnel. Crookshanks was a little way along, his eyes flashing in the light from Harry's wand. Seconds later, Hermione slithered down beside him. (Y/n) went next.

"Hm. That's more fun as an Animagus," (Y/n) said.

"Where's Ron?" Hermione whispered in a terrified voice.

"This way," said Harry, setting off, bent-backed, after Crookshanks and Effie.

"Where does this tunnel come out?" Hermione asked breathlessly.

"I don't know... It's marked on the Marauder's Map but Fred and George said no one's ever gotten into it... It goes off the edge of the map, but it looked like it ends up in Hogsmeade..."

(Y/n) had decided against telling the two where the path ended. They moved as fast as they could, bent almost double; ahead of them, Crookshanks' tail bobbed in and out of view. On and on went the passage.
Then the tunnel began to rise; moments later it twisted, and Crookshanks had gone. Instead, Harry could see a patch of dim light through a small opening.
The three paused, gasping for breath, edging forward. They all raised their wands to see what lay beyond.
Inside was a room that was very disordered and dusty. Paper was peeling from the walls; there were stains all over the floor; every piece of furniture was broken as though somebody had smashed it. The windows were all boarded up.
Harry glanced back at the girls, Hermione, who looked very frightened, hesitantly nodded, and (Y/n), who looked around as though this place was home, nodded as well.
Harry pulled himself out of the hole, staring around. The room was deserted, but a door to their right stood open, leading to a shadowy hallway. Hermione suddenly grabbed (Y/n)'s arm again. Her wide eyes were travelling around the boarded windows.