Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone (rewrite)

Chapter 22

A soft FLUMP sounded from darkness and a few moments later Teddy up. "It's okay!" he called up to the light the size of a postage stamp, which was the open trapdoor, "it's a soft landing, you can jump!" Draco shrugged and jumped down into the darkness, followed by Pansy and Daphnie. Harry turned to make sure Fluffy was still asleep before pocketing the flute and jumping down after his friends.

"What's this stuff?" were his first words. "Dunno, some sort of plant thing. I suppose it's here to break the fall" Draco said, felling the soft plant like substance. "We must be miles under the school", Daphnie said, looking around at the darkness. "Lucky this plant thing's here, really," said Draco. Pansy shirked, "what's happening!" She leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around her ankles. As for Harry and the others, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing. Pansy managed to free herself and wrap herself around a pillar, the others weren't so lucky, however. "Everyone stop moving!" Teddy shouted, "its Devils Snare". At once the first year Slytherins froze. "Fire" Draco whizzed, as a tenderable wrapped tightly around his chest. "I can't reach my wand" Daphnie cried. "Pansy, we need you!" Harry shouted, turning as best he could to see Pansy still wrapped around the pillar. "I...I... I can't" she cried, "I don't know the spell". "Incendio!" Teddy shouted. "Hurry Pansy" Daphnie cried as a vine began to wrap around her throat. Harry's heart dropped as when he saw the pained look on Pansy face. "You can do it" he said encouragely. Harrys words had the effect he hoped as Pansy whipped out her wand and pointed it at the vines. "Incendio" she shouted. A small jet of shot out of the end of her wand, it singed the vines but wasn't powerful enough. "Again" Draco said. Pansy fumbled and nearly lost her footing, but managed to cast spell, nonetheless. In a matter of seconds, the Slytherins felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unravelled itself from their bodies, and they were able to pull free. Daphnie began to cough violently when the vine around her throat loosened and had to be pulled out of the tangle of vines. The group stood on huddled by the pillar, not speaking for several long moments. "Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Teddy," Daphnie joked. "You did great Pansy" Harry said, placing a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "This way," said Daphnie, 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, and Harry was reminded of Gringotts. With an unpleasant jolt of the heart, he remembered the dragons said to be guarding vaults in the wizards' bank. If they met a dragon, a fully-grown dragon -- Norbert had been bad enough...

"Can you hear something?" Draco whispered. Harry 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 Pansy. "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." He took a deep breath, covered his face with his arms, and sprinted across the room. He expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at him any second, but nothing happened. He reached the door untouched. He pulled the handle, but it was locked. The others followed him. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Teddy tried his Alohomora charm. "Now what?" said Pansy. "These birds... they can't be here just for decoration," said Daphnie. 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 other two 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!" Pansy examined the lock on the door. "We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one -- probably silver, like the handle." Draco immediately ran over sized one of the brooms and kicked off before anyone could stop him. "Draco!" Daphnie shouted. Draco was a gifted flier there was no denying it but as soon as he was in the air all the keys either flew straight at him or flew in the opposite direction. "Weve got to help him" Harry said racing over to grab a broom. Daphine grabbed the last remaining broom and was hot on Harrys heels. "Spread out" Draco said, swerving his broom to avoid one of the keys. Harry heard Daphnie swear, "sharp little buggers". The trio grabbed and snatched but to no avail. The keys either went in for an attack or zoomed of to a far corner of the room. 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. "Look" he said, pointing at the key in question. Daphnie was closest to the key and was quick to go zooming after it. She wasn't quick enough though as missed the key but struck the ceiling instead, nearly falling from her broom. Pansy and Teddy were running around down below, as if to try and catch any of the trio should they fall from their brooms. Harry would have found it quite amusing if it wasn't for the severity of the situation.