The Hollow Beneath Hogwarts

33. Hero

After what felt like an eternity descending through darkness, the group finally reached the bottom of the staircase.

The moment Draco stepped off the final iron stair, his stomach twisted.

They had arrived.

The circular foyer stretched before them exactly as Filch had described it. Seven ancient doors lined the curved stone walls.

Torchlight flickered weakly in rusted sconces, casting trembling shadows across the damp floor. Water dripped steadily from somewhere overhead, the sound echoing endlessly around the underground chamber.

And the smell...

Merlin. The smell was unbearable. Mould. Rot. Decay. Something far fouler beneath it all. It coated the back of their throats and settled heavily in their lungs. Ginny immediately turned away, pressing the sleeve of her robe over her nose as her eyes watered violently.

"Bloody hell..." she coughed.

Luna looked equally pale beside her. The Ravenclaw swallowed hard. "I'm very glad I didn't have pudding," she muttered weakly.

Even Blaise looked slightly green.

The only one who seemed remotely comfortable was Filch, though he still looked terrified enough to faint again at any moment.

Draco barely noticed any of it. His eyes stayed fixed on the seven doors. Somewhere behind one of them...

Sloane was trapped. Or hurt.

Or—

He cut the thought off immediately. No. She was alive. She had to be.

"Okay..." Blaise said finally, slightly breathless after the endless staircase descent. "Does anyone know which one?"

Nobody answered. Seven identical doors stared back at them silently.

Harry ran a hand through his messy hair. "Listen against them," he decided quickly. "We might get some clue about what's inside. Everyone take one."

The group split up immediately. Their footsteps echoed softly across the stone as each person approached a different door.

The atmosphere down there felt wrong. Heavy. Like the walls themselves were watching.

Draco chose the nearest door and pressed his ear carefully against the damp wood. Silence. Only faint dripping water somewhere beyond. He slowly pushed the door open anyway.

The hinges groaned loudly.

His wandlight swept across the room. Broken glass glittered across the floor around a gigantic shattered vial. Nothing else moved. "Broken glass," Draco called quietly, stepping back out.

Across the foyer, Blaise had shoved open his own door. A thick curtain of cobwebs immediately collapsed onto his face. "Oh for fuck's sake!" He stumbled backwards violently, flailing while trying to rip webs from his hair. "Nothing," he snapped irritably. "Just spiders and cobwebs."

Ginny opened her door next. The smell of mildew instantly intensified. She grimaced hard. "Hospital beds," she muttered, staring inside. "Looks like some creepy abandoned infirmary." A rat darted across the floor inside. Ginny slammed the door shut immediately. "Nope."

Nearby, Luna had carefully cracked open hers. Cold rain and wind blasted instantly into the foyer. "Oh," Luna said softly. Everyone looked over. The Ravenclaw stood with her head partially outside the doorway, silver hair whipping wildly around her face from the storm beyond. "It's outside." Rainwater dripped down her cheeks as she pulled back inside again.