Case of the Cintimani Stone: A Hammer Mystery

Chapter 21

Neville turned his head and listened for something, turning back to the two and speaking in a hurried whisper, "Whatever we're doing, we should do it now. I think I heard someone down the hall. We'll get nicked for curfew at this rate." His eyes had that old watery look of a troubled, clumsy child at the mention of breaking the rules again.

The Hammer made an executive decision and started walking toward the third floor corridor, whatever was coming be damned. He was out to get the man so he could figure out the reason behind his actions. Neville followed immediately in his wake, leaving Hermione to take one last look back towards what seemed like an obvious solution to her before chasing after the two.

The evidence hadn't lied - they found the door to the third floor corridor ajar and Fluffy fast asleep in the room. An enchanted harp sat in the corner next to the door still playing a rendition of Bach's Air on G String. Noting the trapdoor had closed behind the intruder, the Hammer pointed to Neville and Hermione to get their attention, pointing to the dog's front paw after to draw their gaze to the fact that it was being held shut.

Harry moved over to the far side of the paw and motioned for his friends to help him move it, sliding the gigantic furry mass aside and opening up the trap door. Below them, the darkness of an uncharted void gaped at them as the open maw of an abyss. Looking up between them, they shared a moment of hesitation. In the corner, the Hammer noticed the harp had gone quiet and the only sound in the room was that of Fluffy's deep, slow breathing becoming shallower by the second.

The Hammer reached out and grabbed Hermione by the collar first, dragging her into the hole before using his other hand to push Neville in after her. Both screamed as he threw them, but within a heartbeat he had jumped in after them. There was no point to solving the mystery if they were going to be mauled by a dog before they could solve the crime. Up above a trio of barks chased him down into the darkness.

He fell for long enough to take notice of the cold, damp air rushing by him - and for a moment the Hammer wondered if this was another place in the castle or if it was an enchanted, magical space that had been created to exist between the darkness of the stones. A moment later his fall was broken by something soft and springy. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Harry's vision came down to Hermione standing with her back against a far wall, eyes wide and staring at the two of them on their padded landing.

"Harry! Neville! Get out of there!" She yelled at them, but they were already caught. The Hammer's arm was pinned to the nest of vines while reaching for his hat, another set of vines wrapping around his chest.

"It's Devil's Snare, Hammer!" Neville called to him from a similar position, vines wrapped over most of his body.

"Hermione, a little help?" The Hammer yelled at her. She murmured a little ditty about the plant that Professor Sprout had taught them.

"It hates-" Neville groaned in pain, "Light and heat" He struggled in the writhing mass of vines encircling him.

"Make it quick with that fire!" Harry said as he disappeared under the grip of vines. Hermione produced her wand and spoke a conjuration for bluebell flames, the glowing orbs coming to rest over where she had seen her friends buried. A few breaths later they had reemerged from inside the plant as it cringed away from the light and heat. The Hammer scrabbled over to the stone platform Hermione was standing on and put on his hat, Neville joining them a moment later.

"I guess that's Professor Sprout's part of the traps. Leave it to her to use this stuff." Harry commented.

"I'm just glad she didn't pick something carnivorous." Neville added with a grimace.

They followed the stairs down against the wall, continuing into the damp darkness of a torchlit corridor that proved to be the only way forward. The passage sloped downward, the chill in the air growing colder as they began to see their breaths condense into small clouds as they made progress. Eventually the floor leveled out and the light of an upcoming chamber called out to them like a beacon in the night.