The Forging of the Bonds

Chapter 29. Dungeon Keepers.

Elizabeth couldn't see anything.

"Are you sure you made the potion right?" Michael asked.

"You were there, you followed the instructions. It should work."

"Well, it--" Michael stopped. Elizabeth saw the room light up--or rather, since there was no source of light, her vision suddenly returned to her.

They were in a small chamber, and right ahead of them was a staircase leading down.

"Let's go," she said.

"I just hope it's not--" Michael began.

"Not what?"

"Nothing," he said. "Watch out!"

"Stupefy!" Elizabeth shouted. "Stupefy!"

Two large bats fell to the floor, but several dozen more rushed them.

"Stupefy!" Michael Stunned the closest bat, but they simply kept coming.

"Aaargh! My wand!" Elizabeth screamed.

"Stupefy! Stupefy!" Michael had to drop to the floor and hide his wand underneath him. "Oh, this isn't working!"

Elizabeth screamed again and buried her face in her hands. "Do something!" she yelled.

"Alto Sonorus!" Michael shouted. The bats seemed to lose control, colliding with walls, ceiling, and each other. A few flew away. The room grew quiet.

Michael helped Elizabeth up. "Are you all right?"

"I think so."

"Accio wand!" Michael caught Elizabeth's wand and handed it to her.

"What was that? I still feel ringing in my ears."

"I know. Bats use ultrasound to navigate. I created a very powerful ultrasonic noise that blanketed out everything else. It's like a very bright light, so bright that you wouldn't be able to see anything but it."

Elizabeth nodded. "Where to now?"

They were standing in a small room with a doorway on each side, one of which they had just entered through. "Well, it's left, right, or forward," Michael said.

"Can't go right," Elizabeth replied. "It'll take us forever to sort out this pile of rocks, and we're already behind."

"You think the others put it there to stop us?" Michael asked.

"Maybe. What's that?"

Michael was putting on a pair of glasses. "Oh. Invisibility detection glasses. Useful things; I should have put them on earlier. I got them for Christmas."

"They are--Michael, no!"

He had been walking towards the forward exit when one of the two statues standing at that door attempted to hit him with its spear.

Michael dodged, but not completely, and even a glancing blow was enough to hurl him to the floor.

"Reducto!" Elizabeth cried. A few small rocks flew off the statue. Michael rolled away from another blow.

"Reducto!" she tried again, with no more effectiveness than before.

"Reducto!" they shouted together. This time, the statue's spear broke in half. That proved to be no use, as it now had a weapon in each hand.

"Stupefy!" Michael tried, but nothing happened.

"Damn, this shouldn't happen!" Elizabeth yelled over the thunder of the statue's footsteps.

The statute hurled one of its spear halves at Elizabeth.

"Protego!" Michael shouted, jumping in front of her. "Ow!" he screamed in pain as the spear shattered on his shield. He dropped his wand.

Elizabeth glanced at Michael, who was now scampering away from the attacking figure. I have no choice, she decided.

"Imperio!" she said, pointing her wand at the second statue, which was still standing at the door.

"Destroy it," she ordered, and motioned at Michael's attacker.

The second statue stepped off its pedestal, lumbered over to the first, and brought its ax down on the other statue's head. The first statue turned towards the new enemy, and the two began fighting each other. Elizabeth rushed up to Michael and pulled him to his feet.

"Hurry," she said. "Accio wand!"

"Thanks," he whispered as they walked through the door where had previously stood.

"Colloportus," Elizabeth said, slamming shut the wrought iron gate.

She took Michael's arm. "You didn't break anything," she said, relieved.

"That's not what it feels like."

"Aww, poor baby. Narcosio! Better?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"Come on. We have a bit of an advantage now."

"What?" He paused, and gave her a look. "The Imperius Curse--Elizabeth, that's--"

"It wasn't sentient, what I did was perfectly legal," she said. "I think the Krums put it on the first statue."

"What?"

"Come on. They teach that sort of stuff in Durmstrang. They didn't want the others to follow them."

"And?"

"And so, they won't expect us to follow. So that's exactly what we do." She walked ahead.

They encountered no obstacles, with the exception of a few frightened, large spiders, whom they easily Stunned. "Good idea... letting the Krums do all the work for us."

"I didn't know you were this lazy," Elizabeth said.

"Elizabeth--"

"Shh!" she whispered and pointed ahead. One of the Krum twins was holding a lit wand above his brother's head, helping him look at the wall.

"Elizabeth, the--"

"Shh!"

"But--"

It was too late. The Krum twins turned and saw them.

"Stupefy!" one of them yelled, hitting Michael.