BEGIN BEFORE THE END | WTM | R.A.B

17

“We have to move its paw.” Ryan said as he noted the trap door under the paw.

“What?” Ron said incredulously.

“Come on!” Harry said as the four of them went over to one side and began to push.  “Okay. Push.”

"Ooh careful." Lily grimaced.

After the paw was pushed aside, Harry grabbed the doors handle and pulled it opening the trap door. The sound of the harp stopped and the heads of the Cerberus awoke.

“I'll go first. Don't follow until I give you a sign.” Harry told the others. “If something bad happens, get yourselves out.”

“Hang on.” Ryan said. “Does it seem a bit quiet to you?”

“The harp.” Hermione noticed. “It's stopped playing--“

“Ugh.” Ron exclaimed in disgust as a silver slime dripped onto his shirt from above. “Yuck!”

"Gross!" James said.

The four of them froze and looked up to see the three-headed dog looking down at them angrily.

“Jump!” Harry shouted.

The Cerberus tried to bite them but they all made it through the trap down before it could get a bite of any of them.

“Whoa.” Ron said as they all landed on some dark vines. “Lucky this plant thing's here, really.”

"That's not just any plant." Alice said.

“Whoa!” Harry freaked out as the vines moved and wrapped and entangled around their bodies. Ron and Harry struggled and resisted against the plant whereas Hermione and Ryan kept still.

“Stop moving, both of you.” Hermione said.

“She’s right. This is Devil's Snare.” Ryan told the two boys. “You have to relax. If you don't, it will only kill you faster.”

“Kill us faster? Oh, now I can relax!” Ron said still fighting against the plant.

Ryan rolled his eyes and he and Hermione seemed to sink and fall deeper into the vines. “Ryan! Hermione!”

“Ow!” Ryan cried out in pain.

“Now what are we gonna do?” Ron questioned.

“Just relax!” Hermione shouted.

“Hermione, where are you?” Harry called out.

“Do what I say! Trust me.”

Harry closed his eyes and stopped resisting against the Devil’s snare. “Harry!” Ron cried as he too sank through the vines.

"Scared little buggers, ain't he?" Regulus said.

Harry fell down and landed on the floor next to Hermione and Ryan who was sitting down and rubbing his foot.

“Are you okay?” Ryan asked.

“Yeah, I'm fine.” Harry said standing up. “What about you?”

Ryan stood up in a wobbly manner and leaned more to his left. “I landed on my foot funny. Think I might have sprained it.”

“He's not relaxing.” Hermione said staring up at the vines moving to the location where Ron was.

"Clearly." Peter said.

“Apparently not.” Ryan agreed.

“We've gotta do something.” Hermione said.