SECRETS

- CHAPTER 26 -

.

The room where we ended up was really filthy, and judging by the meters we had walked down that muddy slide and the walls now black from the dampness of the water we must have ended up under the Black Lake. Everything on the ground was wet, there must have been at least 20 centimetres of water mixed with small animal bones... this place was really creeping me out.

"Lumos!" Harry turned on his wand asI did the same, Ron dragged the professor who was still whimpering to let him go... if only Hermione could see him now, she would have taken back all the nice words about his charming and wonderful courage, I was more than sure about that.

The room continued for several yards and we remained in stony silence until I stopped abruptly by a crunching sound under my shoe. I lowered my terrified gaze and illuminated what I stepped on; beneath our feet was standing the largest dead skin of a snake I had ever seen, greenish in colour, it must have been at least twenty feet long. I was never particularly frightened at the sight of a snake but now... Merlin only knew how much my legs wanted to have a life of their own and run away.

We heard a thud behind us, I turned immediately to witness Ron struggling with all his might against Lockhart, who was trying hard to wrench the wand out of his hand. Lockhart knocked Ron to the ground and pointed Ron's broken wand at us... that wand hadn't done a spell right since it broke, I just hoped that magic scotch wouldn't make it work just now.

"Game over, boys. But don't be afraid. The world will know our story, I was too late to save the little girl, as the three of you tragically went out of your minds at the sight of her lifeless body" he had such a satisfied smile on his face "So, first you Mr. Potter, say goodbye to your memories... Obliviate!"

Only a strong green light came out of the wand, and Lockhart was thrown hard into the rock wall behind him. The walls around us began to shake, dust and little rocks came down from the ceiling, it was not going well at all... the ceiling was about to... Harry's hand tightened around my wrist and before a large rock could fall on me he pulled me away. Several rocks began to fall, the room shook, Harry and I ran trying to dodge them all and until it stopped we didn't stop for a second.

"T-thanks," I said in a trembling voice to Harry as I turned to look at the big wall of stones in front of us blocking the passage to head back. Only one thing was missing... Ron was not there with us.

"R-Ron? Ron?! Ron!" I approached the mountain of stones again, starting to remove some of them, Ron couldn't be down there, could he? For all we knew Ginny was already... no, I couldn't lose Ron too...

"Lyla!" a distant voice shouted my name; I stopped digging to hear better and the voice returned "Harry? Lyla?!"

"Ron! Are you okay?!" I asked, letting out a sigh of relief...