James Potter and the New Marauders ~ A Harry Potter Fan-Fic

Chapter 15: In Which Stalagmites Drip And The Giant Squid Stirs ~ Albus ~

An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.

- G.K. Chesterton

Chapter 15

In Which Stalagmites Drip and the Giant Squid Stirs

~ Albus ~

There was a certain amount of difficulty to planning their excursion below the Black Lake. They went to the oak tree the day after James and Fred had told them about it, concealed in the darkness of the dusk, to verify the passage existed and worked. Indeed the ground had opened up, creating a passage smelling of stale, humid air.

"Not the nicest of smells," Rose commented, turning the other way.

"You're saying this because you don't know what Ignis brought to my bed yesterday morning," Albus shot back. It had been quite unfortunate that the kneazle had found a bat, dead for a few days, and presented it proudly on the foot of his bed. Practically everyone woke up that morning from the stench, almost earning him the title of corpse-breath.

And the whole affair of name-calling had obviously began from Scorpius Malfoy. Albus decided that his make-up gift did not earn him forgiveness.

"We can come when the oldest students go to Hogsmeade. There's less of a crowd then," she offered.

"Okay," he agreed. Three and a half more days, until they went to the nest. It felt like an eternity.

The fated day finally arrived. Albus waited until the boys left the bedroom - which took a while because on Saturday everyone loved sleeping in - and in the most secretive manner he took out Sirius's notebooks and hid them in his leather bag, already swung over his shoulder.

Rose was waiting for him on a sofa closest to the exit of the dormitory, with Ignis on her feet. "You're late, the group from Hogsmeade has left an hour ago!"

"Yes, but Flint was snoozing in his bed still! I didn't want him to see them!"

Rose sighed. Albus's secrecy was almost reaching the limits of paranoia. "Very well, let's go. We need to be back by four if we want to go to Quidditch practice."

"We will. It would be suspicious if we don't."

The sun shone as brightly as it could on that certain February day, indicating the coming of spring. Near the lake, the cracks on the ice were obvious, as the thick cover of it was preparing to melt away, and the snow was less and slushier, soaking Albus's pants and socks. They reached the oak and he pulled out his wand, casting a summoning spell they had learned in Flitwick's class at the root. It hadn't been as easy as Fred had claimed to find it in the first place, half-buried in the snow like the rest of them, but how that the snow was lower, it was obvious.

The ground shook, like a small quake going on beneath their feet and they heard some gravel and snow rumble down the opening. It was as dark as a dragon's mouth as it gaped open, its moldy breath slipping out.

"Who's going first?" Rose asked, noting Albus's hesitation.

The kneazle leapt forward, taking a few steps down and turning to face them, yellow eyes glowing in the dark. "Apparently he is."

They trotted after him, staying close to each other. The light coming from their wands seeped down the corridor made of earth and roots. The passage was better made than they had assumed from the outside. There were compact, even walls and solid ground for them to step on, straight as if it were walls made of bricks and plaster.