It's not easy to explain, but . . .

Chapter 63

                                          Chapter 63 : Myrtle's Revenge

Lucius and Duffy had both jumped when Seamus' explosives brought down the wooden bridge.  Then the fireworks on their side of the stone circle lit up the lawn, throwing an eerie glow over the advancing hordes of Inferi.  There were at least one hundred of them, Lucius calculated mentally, which was more than enough to scare the willies out of any Witch or Wizard unlucky enough to come face to face with the shuffling corpses.

The Inferi had made their way out of the lake and were almost to the enchanted rope pen that had been strung across the lawn from the rock base under the castle to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"Ready Duffy?" Lucius asked, glancing down at the House Elf standing next to him.

"Duffy is ready, Master Lucius and the others is waiting on the other side," he added, pointing across the lawn to the four other House Elves who were going to help get the net closed behind the Inferi.

"Right . . . well, let's move out and get in position.  I believe the last ones have emerged from the lake and they'll all soon be in the corral."

Double-checking the now glass smooth surface of the Black Lake, Lucius walked away from the doorway where he and Duffy had been waiting and observing.  The other House Elves emerged from their observation point and took their positions on either side of the tall, blond Wizard.   As soon as the last Inferi had crossed the bottom edge of the netting, the House Elves raised the barrier and secured it into place.  The corpses had run up against the far wall of netting and were searching sideways for a way to continue their journey up the hill.

Lucius turned on the ignition switch of the flamethrower and sticking the nozzle through the netting, aimed it at the Inferi.  Pulling the trigger, he started spraying the fiery liquid over the dead bodies, working methodically back and forth, drenching the Inferi; they became a mass of writhing, burning flesh, their open mouths and flaying arms showing the agony they were enduring.   Fortunately, they made no sound: no screams or cries for help came from the bodies, which were slowly falling, consumed by the flames.

Lucius had long since stopped using the flamethrower and stood watching, as did the House Elves, as the Inferi were consumed and quickly reduced to smoldering plies of ash and bits of bone.

"That's that, then.  Well done, Duffy.  Now, you and I have to go to our next assignment."  Lucius had found his voice, after clearing his throat.  "And thank you also," he added, turning to the other House Elves and bending over, shook  the hand of each little creature.  "Well done!"

"Thank you, Master Malfoy."  "Just doing our duty, sir."  "Thank you, Sir."  "We is glad to be of service, Master Malfoy."

"Let's get this flamethrower stored away, Duffy and then we'll pop over and see how Draco's fairing,"  Lucius remarked, as he and Duffy headed back into the basements of Hogwarts.

"Duffy has heard three shots, so far, Master Lucius," Duffy reported.

"Ah, then the invasion is on!"

X X X

 

Voldemort marched down the corridor, entered Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and walked over to the sinks.  Running his hand over the tap, he stood looking around as if reminiscing about the last time he used this hidden entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.

"Hehsa Hasee Eth," Voldemort whispered, then took a step back as the sinks slid apart, with a bit of scrapping, to reveal the hole in the floor which led to the tunnels below. “Hesha Hasee Eth Kaee,” he hissed. One by one, slabs of stone protruded from the side of the well-like opening, forming a spiral staircase leading down into the darkness.