Hypnotizing Fluffy

"Shh, don't bring Filch down on us."

Charlie quickly clamped a hand over Hermione's mouth.

"Let's take care of business first."

Hermione knew what mattered most and said no more.

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

"Ready, everyone?"

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

"All set, sir."

Harry gripped his Wand nervously: "Hope this isn't as hairy as last time."

"I think we should reconsider..." Ronnie swallowed hard.

"Shut up, Ronnie."

Hermione shot him a glare. She was nervous too, but since they'd come this far, there was no backing out.

Charlie pushed open the door. A familiar stench of rot hit them.

Inside the room, Fluffy was sprawled over the Trapdoor, all three heads swiveling toward the entrance.

Seeing so many uninvited guests, it rose at once with a menacing growl.

"Grrr—"

All three dog heads bared their fangs at once, jaws gaping wide.

Drool pattered onto the floor in a sickening rhythm.

Ronnie's face went white as a sheet:

"I don't think it likes us."

Even though he'd seen Fluffy before, the Three-headed dog's ferocious look was still terrifying.

"Oh, little Ronnie thinks a Three-headed dog ought to be hospitable," Fred teased.

"Waiting to roll out the red carpet for us."

Ronnie's face flushed red. Damn Fred—he wished he could sew that mouth shut!

Charlie, however, was perfectly calm. He'd dealt with Fluffy several times before.

"Easy now. He's actually pretty gentle." Charlie took a few steps toward Fluffy.

"Right, big fella?"

All three of Fluffy's heads fixed on Charlie, but it didn't lunge. It just put on a fierce show, trying to scare the intruders off.

"See?" Charlie glanced back at the others.

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

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

Charlie shot the Weasley Twins a look: "Your turn."

George picked up the harp and cleared his throat: "Ready for our concert?"

Fred grinned wickedly: "We guarantee you'll never forget it."

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

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

Soon, the harp let out a bizarre sound.

Not a beautiful melody, not a soothing lullaby.

But... a funeral march?

To make matters worse, the Twins started singing along.

"Oh~ our dear Fluffy~" Fred crooned in an absurdly mournful tone.

"Please go to sleep~" George followed, even more off-key.

It was an absolute disaster.

Everyone else clapped their hands over their ears.

"You call this music?"

"I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Who could this put to sleep!"

"Snore... snore..."

Fluffy flopped over and fell asleep.

"Seriously?" Charlie's eyes went wide.

"And it can sleep through that racket?"

"Snore... snore..."

Fluffy's thunderous snoring was his only reply.

"Done!" The Twins raised their heads smugly.

"I have deep sympathy for this dog's taste in music," Harry said, shaking his head.

Charlie walked over to the Trapdoor and heaved the heavy lid open.

Below was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

"Lumos." Charlie raised his Wand, and a bright light flared from its tip.

The light illuminated the space below, and everyone drew in a sharp breath.

Countless black tendrils writhed in the darkness beneath.

"Ugh, disgusting tentacles."

Charlie looked thoroughly grossed out; these tendrils reminded him of some unpleasant plots and scenes.

"Blergh—" Ron let out a dry heave.

"What the hell is this?" Harry frowned.

Hermione leaned in for a closer look, then it clicked:

"This is Devil's Snare!"

"We learned about it in Herbology."

"A magical plant that coils around anyone who falls in," Hermione explained quickly.

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

Charlie nodded. "Simple enough."

He raised his Wand and intoned loudly: "Flaming Bear!"

A massive fireball shot from the Wand tip, exploding midair into a rain of flames.

The moment the fire touched the Devil's Snare, the black tendrils thrashed wildly, letting out piercing shrieks.

Soon, the entire patch of Devil's Snare was burned to ash.

"Wingardium Leviosa."

Charlie waved his Wand again, his body slowly floating up before descending gently to the bottom.

Once on the ground, he called up: "All clear! Come on down!"

The others followed suit using the same method.

When it was Harry and Ron's turn, the two dunces hit a snag—they could manage a spell fine, but precisely controlling themselves to float? They'd never tried that.

Seeing this, Charlie sighed and waved his Wand, landing them both safely.

It was a long, narrow stone chamber, with glowing crystals embedded in the walls providing faint illumination.

A passage ahead led deeper in.

"There's bound to be more traps," Harry said warily.

"Let's tread carefully." Charlie led the way into the passage.

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

Dumbledore stepped out from the shadows, looking helplessly at the open Trapdoor.

Who gets it, really? A centenarian still pulling all-nighters.

"Young people."

He shook his head, a complex glimmer in his blue eyes behind his spectacles.

He'd originally planned for Harry to come here at the end of term, to test what choice he'd make when facing Voldemort.

But now Charlie had led them on a heist.

"Still, it's fine," Dumbledore murmured.

"Without a spirit of exploration, how could one be considered a proper Wizard."

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

Even if it slightly disrupted his plans.

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