It's OK To Not Be Ok...Right?

31. Zombie

In the entrance hall, Filch was already standing waiting for Sloane to arrive. He had a sneer on his face. "Ah... Miss Sage, is it?" He smirked. "You are early. Punctuality is a good quality. Now," he smirked again. "Come with me." Sloane followed after him, not exactly sure what she was doing as her punishment. Filch took her down into the dungeons. "You know, detentions used to be cleaning trophies or cauldrons in classrooms. Then we had Professor Umbridge become Headmistress, and her punishment was brilliant—lines with a special quill. Then last year, the Carrows covered detention, and kids were subjected to curses and torture. Those were the days. And now that they are gone, I promised that I would keep up the admirable work they were doing."

"Sounds....interesting," Sloane said, unsure of how to respond.

"It was glorious." He smirked. They walked on down the corridor until they came to a dead end. Sloane turned to look at Filch, who smirked and pressed his hand to a diamond-shaped stone in the wall. For a few seconds, nothing happened until the stone wall ahead of her began to move back and then slide to the lift to reveal a staircase.  "Down!" Filch barked. 

Sloane rolled her eyes at his demanding attitude, but she began descending those stairs. Iron cast stairs that swayed unstably as she took each step. She seemed to spiral down for minutes. She knew she was deep under the castle. Down here, the walls were dripping water, and there was a distinct spell of salt and mould. She knew they were more than likely under the black lake. Finally, she stepped onto a stone surface again, slightly queasy from the constant turning around. She was standing in a small round foyer. Filch hopped off the last step and landed in a heap in front of her, the contents of his dirty brown coat spilling out all over the floor. One such item caught Sloane's attention. It was a stick, like a twig off a branch that looked like it was slowly being cut into a shape. Not just any shape but into the shape of a wand. And in the centre was the name 'Argus Filch'. Sloane knew he was a squib, so he wouldn't have a wand. But he decided to make himself a fake one. Sloane pitied him. 

"Well don't expect me to hold the door open for you," Filch barked at her snatching the fake wand from her and pointing to a door to the left that looked to be covered in moss and grime. Sloane opened the door and held it open for Filch to step through. He sneered as he did, lighting the wall torches to reveal an empty room. Green slime covered the walls and the floor. It smelt of damp and decay. It burned Sloane's nostrils as she looked around and made her want to gag. 

"This classroom was abandoned over a century ago after it was discovered that it was haunted," Filch said, watching Sloane obviously, waiting for a reaction. 

"Haunted? One of the house ghosts lives here?" Sloane asked.

"Oh no, of course not. The house ghosts won't even venture down here." 

"Where is here?"

"I have never found it on any plans I have of the castle. Best bet is that we are deep underground. Further down, maybe than the Chamber of Secrets." Sloane moved and heard a crunching sound under her feet. She was almost afraid to look down. Filch took the torch off the wall and shone it just over Sloane's head. Beneath their feet were bones. Large bones that clearly belonged to an animal. A sheep maybe or a small cow. "They were not here yesterday," Filch said, shaking. 

"Why are we here?" Sloane asked, sensing his fear. 

"One of these rooms down here is a store room filled with extra furniture. We used to use the Room of Requirement, but during the battle, it was burnt down. The room and all the furniture. So I have to find the original store room. It's down here somewhere. We need desks and chairs as well as lamps."

Sloane nodded and then looked around. She could now see better with the light Filch was holding. She could make out the doors on the wall surrounding them. "Have you checked any of them before?"