Harry Potter's Coolest Aunt

The Rat And The Dog

"Lumos!" he whispered. The wand light showed him 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 backwards and forward to stop them from going nearer.

"Guys that is the Whomping willow" Aishi said "and...ORION GET AWAY FROM THE TREE IT WILL HURT..."

But Orion was dragging Ron backwards into a large gap in the roots " ORION LET RONALD GO!!" Aishi said as Ron was fighting furiously, but his head and torso were slipping out of sight -- "Ron!" Blaise shouted, trying to follow, but a heavy branch whipped lethally through the air and he was forced backwards again.

All they could see now was one of Ron's legs, which he had hooked around a root 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.

"Guys -- we've got to go for help --" Hermione gasped; she was bleeding
too; the Willow had cut her across the shoulder. "No! That thing's big enough to eat him; we haven't got time --" " Orion is not a wild dog...."

"You named him Orion?" Theo said, " I told you I was caring for a dog...that was the dog!" Aishi said

"Harry -- we're never going to get through without help --" Another branch whipped down at them, twigs clenched like knuckles.
"If that dog can get in, we can," Harry panted, darting here and there, dodging the vicious, swishing branches, but he couldn't get an inch nearer to the tree roots without being in the range of the tree's blows.

"Oh, help, help," Hermione whispered frantically, dancing U._ certainly 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 Sanjiv's arm painfully hard. "How did he know --?"

"He's friends with Orion," said Aishi. "I've seen them together. Come on -- and keep your wand 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; he crawled forward, headfirst, and slid down an earthy slope to the bottom of a very low tunnel.

Crookshanks was a little way along, his eyes flashing in the light from
Harry's wand. Seconds later, the others slithered down beside him.
"Where's Ron?" Hermione whispered in a terrified voice. "This way," said Harry, setting off, bent-backed, after Crookshanks. "Where does this tunnel come out?" Sanjiv asked breathlessly from behind him. "I don't know... It's marked on the Marauder's 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 was heading for Hogsmeade..." Aishi said as she held Harry's hand

They moved as fast as they could, bent almost double; ahead of them,
Crookshanks's tail bobbed in and out of view. On and on went the passage; it felt at least as long as the one to Honeydukes... All Aishi could think of was Ron and what Orion might be doing to him.... she was drawing breath in sharp, painful gasps, running at a crouch...

And then the tunnel began to rise; moments later it twisted, and
Crookshanks had gone. instead, Harry could see a patch of dim light
through a small opening. The group paused, gasping for breath, edging forward. All raised their wands to see what lay beyond.