Harriet Lily Potter

Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Three

“Ron!” Harry yelled; as he Harriet and Hermione ran after Ron who was running after his rat. The sun was starting to set and they should be going back by now, they couldn’t afford to be caught, especially Harry and Harriet.

“Ron! Get the hell back here!” Harriet shrieked; just as Ron started to grab his pet rat.

“I got him!” Ron cried as he tried to keep the rat to stay put “What’s the matter with him?” Ron muttered as Harry, Hermione and Harriet stood next to him. Scabbers kept trying to escape from Ron’s clutches.

Harriet rolled her eyes. She was about to suggest that they start heading back to the castle, when she saw something stinking towards them, his body low to the ground, wide yellow eyes glinting eerily in the darkness – The Grim.

“H- Harry –“ Harriet started,

“What is wrong with you Scabbers?” Ron said irritably as he tried to keep his pet rat still; Harriet was about to try and get their attention; but then Scabbers had gotten away from Ron’s grip once more.

“Scabbers! You stupid rat! Get back here!” Ron shouted as he started running after the rat; at that moment, a jet-black dog came out from the darkness and leaped over Ron. Ron screamed as the dog’s mouth closed on his foot, Harry, Harriet and Hermione ran towards him. Harry dashed forward and grabbed Ron’s hands but the dog had a tight hold on Ron and dragged him like a rag doll.

Harriet was able to grab Ron too, she kept a firm hold on him; as if her life depended on it.

“I’ve got him!” she cried; Hermione and Harry then held onto her and the three of them tried pulling Ron but it was no use. The three of them were then dragged along too, but the dog shook them off; making his dragging of Ron faster.

“Look!” Hermione cried, Harry and Harriet looked to where Hermione was pointing and saw the dog vanish into a gap at the base of the tree that was in front of them. That wasn’t the thing that was bothering Harriet though, it was the tree.

“No! Ron!” Harry shouted as he tried pulling 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 broken, and a moment later, his foot vanished from sight along with the rest of him.

“No, Harry!” Harriet cried; it was no use of course.

“Harry, get out there right now!” Hermione yelled, obviously thinking the same as Harriet. Harry was already trying to get out but it was once again, too late.

WHOMP!

The Whomping Willow swept Harry into the air; next it swept Hermione along with Harriet. It only felt like a split second and – Thump – they were on their backsides against the ground. Harriet cursed as she started sitting up; she looked up at the dusky sky and back to her brother and Hermione who were already getting up; Harriet did the same.

“We need to get in there.” Said Harry; Harriet nodded in agreement

“Harry – We’ve got to go for help – Hermione gasped; she was bleeding from the blow of the Willow, it had cut her across the shoulder.

“If the dog can get in, we can,” Harry panted as he and Harriet started darting here and there, trying to find a way through the vicious, swishing branches, but of course they couldn’t get any nearer the tree without getting hurt.

“This is suicide, we can’t risk it.” Harriet said pulling her brother back when he tried moving towards the tree again.

“There’s no other way –“

“We can get help,” Hermione moaned “Oh help, help,” Hermione whispered frantically; swaying on the spot. As if he were summoned, Crookshanks 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 grasped Harry on the arm and looked confusedly at Harriet who was just as confused as her.

“He’s friends with that dog,” Harry said grimly. “I’ve seen them together. Come on – Keep your wands out –“

Harriet then pulled out her wand. They covered the distance to the trunk in seconds; Hermione was losing quite a great amount of blood from her wound but still kept going. Before they had reached the gap in the roots, Crookshanks had slid into it with a flick of his bottlebrush tail. Harry went next, then Harriet, then Hermione.

Next thing Harriet knew, they were walking through a tunnel; she kept her wand high to get a clear view.

“Harry, this tunnel…. It’s on the Marauder’s Map!” said Harriet; Harry nodded

“It is, but Fred and George said no one’s ever gotten into it… It goes off the edge of the map remember?”

Harriet nodded

“It looked like it was heading for Hogsmeade…”

They moved as fast as they could, bent almost double; ahead of them, Crookshanks’s tail bobbed in and out of view. On and on it went the passage; it felt at least as long as the one to Honeydukes… Harriet was starting to worry about Ron and what the dog could be doing to him right now… She gasped for air, as she ran at a crouch…

And then the tunnel began to rise; moments later it twisted, and Crookshanks had gone. Instead all Harriet could see was a patch of dim light through a small opening. The three of them paused for a breath, and edged forward. They raised their wands, to see what lay beyond.

It was a room, a very disordered, dusty room. 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.

“The Shrieking Shack.” Harriet said aloud; she glanced at Hermione who looked very frightened and to Harry who was looking around

“Ghosts didn’t do that,” said Harry slowly; pointing towards a chair that was ripped apart.

At that moment, there was a creak overheard. Something had moved upstairs. The three of them looked up at the ceiling. Hermione gripped tighter on Harry’s arm; Harriet swore if she gripped tighter Harry’s arm would be torn off.

Quietly as they could, they crept out into the hall and up the crumbling staircase. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust except the floor, where a wide and shiny stripe had been made by something being dragged upstairs.

They reached a dark landing.

“Nox,” they whispered together, and the lights at the end of their wands went out. Only one door was open. As they crept toward it they heard movement from behind it; a low moan and then a deep, loud purring. They each exchanged looks and nodded.

Harriet raised her wand high as she stood next to Harry who had his wand high up too. Harry took a deep breath and kicked the door wide open. On a magnificent four-poster bed with dusty hangings laid Crookshanks, purring loudly at the sight of them. On the floor beside him, clutching his leg, which stuck out at a strange angle was Ron.

Harry, Harriet and Hermione dashed across him.

“Ron! You’re okay –“ said Hermione

“How’s your leg –?” Harriet started, but Harry cut in

“The dog – where’s the dog –“

“Not a dog,” Ron moaned “Harry, it’s a trap. He’s an animagus…”

Harry looked confusedly at Ron; Harriet on the other hand got his point quickly. Ron was staring at something over Harry’s shoulder, Harriet wheeled around. She looked down and followed the paw prints on the floor to a pair of filthy human feet. Harriet looked up slowly at the man standing in the shadows – Sirius Black.