The Forgotten Twin

Chapter 17

Delilah rose her wand again, blinking blood out of her eyes —

"Lumos!" she whispered.

The wandlight showed the trunk of a thick tree; they had chased Scabbers into the shadow of the Whomping Willow and its branches were creaking as though in a high wind, whipping backward and forward to stop them going nearer.

And there, at the base of the trunk, was the dog, dragging the rag doll — sorry, Ron — backward into a large gap in the roots — Ron was fighting furiously, but his head and torso were slipping out of sight —

"Ron!" Harry shouted, trying to follow, but a branch whipped lethally through the air and he was forced backward again.

All they could see now was 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 had broken, and a moment later, his foot vanished from sight.

"Harry — we've got to go for help —" Hermione gasped; she was bleeding too; the Willow had cut her across the shoulder.

"No, there isn't enough time. That thing is big enough to eat him. Of course that would get rid of one problem but-"

"No! Delilah, we are going after him!" Harry snapped.

Delilah rolled her eyes. If he had only let her finish she was going to say that they should still go after him, but he never fully listened to her, not anymore at least.

"We're never going to get through without help —" Hermione said, but another branch whipped down at them, cutting her off.

"If that dog can get in, we can," Harry said determidly, darting here and there, trying to find a way through the vicious, swishing branches.

Delilah tried to follow his lead, but none of them could get an inch nearer.

"Oh, help, help," Hermione whispered frantically, dancing uncertainly on the spot, "please..."

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 now grasped Delilah's arm. "How did he know —?"

"He's friends with that dog," said Harry grimly. "I've seen them together. Come on — and keep your wands out —"

They covered the distance to the trunk in seconds, but 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 Hermione slithered down. Delilah followed and seconds later slipped down beside them.

"Where's Ron?" Hermione whispered, sounding terrified.

"This way," said Harry, setting off, bent-backed, after Crookshanks.

"Where does this tunnel come out?" Hermione asked breathlessly from behind him.

"I don't know.... It's marked on the Marauders Map but Fred and George said no one's ever gotten into it.... It goes off the edge of the map, but it looked like it ends up in Hogsmeade...."

They moved as fast as they could, bent almost double; ahead of them, Crookshank's tail bobbed in and out of view. On and on went the passage; it felt like they had been walking for at least half an hour.

And then the tunnel finally began to rise; moments later it twisted, and Crookshanks had gone. Instead, Delilah saw a patch of dim light through a small opening.