Hypnotizing Fluffy

"Shh, don't alert Filch."

Charlie quickly covered Hermione's mouth.

"Let's take care of the important stuff first."

Hermione knew what mattered more, so she said no more.

Charlie turned to face the familiar door and took a deep breath.

"Ready, everyone?"

The Weasley Twins exchanged a glance. Fred grinned and pulled out a delicate little harp.

"Everything's ready, sir."

Harry gripped his wand nervously. "I hope this time won't be as hair-raising as last time."

"I think we should reconsider..." Ron swallowed.

"Shut up, Ron."

Hermione glared at him. She was nervous too, but they were already here, so they couldn't turn back now.

Charlie pushed the door open, and a familiar, foul stench hit them.

Inside, Fluffy was lying on the Trapdoor, all three heads warily turning toward the doorway.

Seeing so many uninvited guests, he immediately got to his feet and let out a threatening growl.

"Grrr—"

All three dog heads opened their huge jaws at once, baring their sharp teeth.

Drool dripped onto the floor, making a sound that sent chills down their spines.

Ron's face turned deathly pale.

"I don't think he's very happy to see us."

Even though they'd seen Fluffy before, the terrifying sight of the three-headed dog still frightened them.

"Oh, Ronnie thinks a three-headed dog should be a gracious host," Fred teased.

"Maybe he's expecting a red carpet."

Ron's face flushed. Damn Fred! He really wanted to sew his mouth shut!

Charlie, however, stayed calm. He'd dealt with Fluffy several times already.

"Don't worry, he's actually pretty docile." Charlie took a few steps toward Fluffy.

"Right, big guy?"

All three of Fluffy's heads stared at Charlie, but he didn't lunge at them.

He only put on a fierce look, trying to scare the intruders away.

"See?" Charlie said, glancing back at the others.

"He won't actually attack students. He's just doing his job."

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. "So what do we do now?"

Charlie gave the Weasley Twins a meaningful look. "You're up."

George picked up the harp and cleared his throat. "Ready to enjoy our concert?"

Fred grinned mischievously. "We guarantee you'll remember it for the rest of your lives."

"Are you sure this will work?" Harry asked, worried.

"Books don't lie, Harry," Hermione said confidently.

Soon, the harp began to make a strange sound.

It wasn't a beautiful melody, nor was it a soothing lullaby.

It was... a funeral march?

To make matters worse, the Twins started singing along.

"Oh, our dear Fluffy..." Fred sang in an exaggeratedly mournful voice.

"Please go to sleep in peace..." George continued, even more off-key.

It was a complete disaster.

The others hurriedly covered their ears.

"Is that what you call music?"

"I think I'm going to throw up."

"Who could that possibly put to sleep?!"

"Snore... snore..."

Fluffy toppled over and fell asleep.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Charlie exclaimed, eyes wide.

"He can sleep through that noise?"

"Snore... snore..."

Fluffy's thunderous snoring was his answer.

"Done!" The Twins lifted their chins proudly.

"I feel sorry for this dog's taste in music," Harry said, shaking his head.

Charlie went to the Trapdoor and pulled the heavy door open.

Below was a pitch-black void, so dark they couldn't see their hands in front of them.

"Lumos." Charlie raised his wand, and a bright light appeared at its tip.

The light illuminated the space below. Everyone gasped.

Countless black tentacles writhed beneath them.

"Ugh, those tentacles are disgusting."

Charlie grimaced. The tentacles brought some deeply unpleasant plots and images to mind.

"Ugh—" Ron retched.

"What in the world is that?" Harry asked with a frown.

Hermione leaned over to get a closer look, then realized what it was.

"It's Devil's Snare!"

"We learned about it in Herbology."

"It's a magical plant that wraps around anyone who falls into it," Hermione quickly explained.

"But it's afraid of fire and light."

Charlie nodded. "Then this will be easy."

He raised his wand and shouted, "Flaming Bear!"

A huge fireball flew from the tip of his wand, burst in midair, and turned into a rain of fire.

The moment the flames touched Devil's Snare, the black tentacles writhed wildly and let out piercing shrieks.

Soon, the entire mass of Devil's Snare had been burned to ashes.

"Wingardium Leviosa."

Charlie waved his wand again. His body slowly rose into the air, then descended toward the bottom.

After landing, he called up, "It's safe! You can come down too!"

The others descended one by one in the same way.

When it was Harry and Ron's turn, the two slackers were stumped. They could cast spells just fine, but they'd never tried controlling themselves precisely enough to float.

Seeing their dilemma, Charlie sighed and used his wand to lower them safely to the ground.

It was a long, narrow stone chamber. Glowing crystals embedded in the walls provided dim light.

A passage ahead led deeper in.

"There must be more traps," Harry said warily.

"Let's be careful." Charlie led the way down the passage.

Just after they left, a figure suddenly appeared in Fluffy's room.

Dumbledore stepped out of the shadows and stared helplessly at the open Trapdoor.

Good grief, who could relate? Even a hundred-year-old man still had to work late.

"Young people..."

He shook his head, the blue eyes behind his glasses gleaming with complicated emotions.

He'd planned to have Harry come here at the end of term, to test what choice he'd make when faced with Voldemort.

But now Charlie had led them in to raid the place.

"Still, perhaps it's for the best," Dumbledore murmured.

"What kind of wizard would you be without a spirit of exploration?"

As headmaster, he was actually glad to see his students exploring the unknown.

Even if it had thrown his plans slightly off course.

Dumbledore glanced at the sleeping Fluffy, then followed them down.