Harry was especially happy to see Allen. He knew Allen's strength well. When he saw the half-open door, he had thought they might not have time to wait for Allen. Yet Allen had been waiting here all along!
Harry and the others exchanged glances and pushed the door open.
As the door creaked open, a deep, rumbling bark immediately sounded in their ears. Although the dog could not see them, all three of its noses twitched frantically in their direction, sniffing the air.
"What's that by its feet?" Hermione asked softly.
"It looks like a harp," Ron said. "Snape must have left it there."
Not Professor Snape, Allen thought. But if he revealed what he had seen now, they would surely shout in surprise and bombard him with questions. That would waste far too much time. They would learn the truth soon enough anyway.
Allen raised his wand and made the harp by Fluffy the Three-headed Dog continue playing. He was the first to head toward the trapdoor. As he approached those three enormous heads, he could feel the dog's warm, foul-smelling breath.
Allen pulled open the trapdoor and looked down. It was pitch-black inside. Harry, Ron, and Ginny crept over to his side.
"There isn't even a ladder. How are we supposed to get down?" Ron stared into the bottomless-looking hole, feeling a little afraid.
"Looks like we'll just have to jump," Harry said gravely.
"Who wants to go first? Are we really jumping?" Ron said. "I don't know how deep this hole is."
While they were still discussing it, Allen lifted his robes, braced one hand against the edge of the opening, and jumped down without hesitation.
Cold, damp air roared past Allen's ears. He fell and fell and fell, then—thump. With a strange, muffled impact, Allen landed