Holding On to Devil's Snare

Luo Bin slowly pushed the door open, but the wood still creaked, and low, frenzied barking reached his ears.

Although Fluffy could not see them, its three enormous noses twitched furiously toward the doorway, snuffling and huffing as it scented the air.

Once inside, Luo Bin found that Fluffy was even bigger than he had imagined—and even more disgusting. All three massive heads bared their teeth menacingly. Paws the size of small tables scraped the wooden floor with piercing screeches, while drool mixed with tartar dripped down with a steady patter, giving off a nauseating stench.

"That's disgusting!" Ron said in revulsion.

"Look, there's a harp over there. Snape must have left it. It's stopped playing, so Fluffy woke up!"

As he spoke, Harry took out the Flute, raised it to his lips, and began to play!

His playing had neither a recognizable tune nor any sense of rhythm, but Fluffy reacted as soon as the first note drifted out.

Its three pairs of eyelids began to droop. Slowly, the low barking gave way to faint snores. By the time Harry's cheeks began to ache, Fluffy swayed and collapsed with a thud, fast asleep.

"Harry, keep going. If you stop, Fluffy could wake up at any moment!" Luo Bin warned.

Then they took off the Invisibility Cloak. Harry kept playing while Luo Bin, Ron, and Hermione endured Fluffy's foul-smelling breath and pulled open the Living Wood together.

"Who wants to go down first?"

There was no ladder beside the opening, and it was pitch-black below. Hermione leaned over to peer down as she spoke.

Still playing the Flute, Harry waved vigorously to get the attention of the three beside the Living Wood, then pointed at himself.

"You want to go first, right?"

When Harry nodded, Luo Bin continued, "I wouldn't recommend it. Once the music stops, if Fluffy wakes up, Ron, Hermione, and I could all be in danger."

Ron, who had been about to agree, silently drew his hand back. The hot, stuffy breath alone was enough to make him dizzy. Would they even survive a swipe of those paws or a bite?

"Harry, I agree with Luo Bin!"

Harry nodded, then pointed at his cheeks, urging the three of them to hurry.

"I'll go first. If there's danger down there, I'll call out to warn you!"

Luo Bin swung himself into the opening and gripped the edge of the boards. He signaled with his eyes for the other two to keep watching below, then let go.

Cold, musty air whistled past his ears as he plummeted. More than ten seconds later, he landed with a thump on something soft but tough.

It was too dark to see anything clearly, but he felt the cool surface beneath him. It resembled sweet potato vines dozens of times thicker than normal, with long-stemmed leaves growing from them.

The thing seemed to be alive, however. Its tendrils were unusually active, and looked vaguely ready to... strangle someone.

Luo Bin took a pair of scissors from his cloth pouch, snipped off a handspan of vine, and placed it in a glass bottle. Devil's Snare! You hardly ever get to see this stuff. After coming all the way down here, how could I not take some back to study?

Suddenly, Hermione's concerned voice came from overhead. "Luo Bin! Robin Sear! Are you all right?"

Looking up from below, the opening seemed like a patch of light the size of a Galleon. Luo Bin shouted toward it, "It's safe! There's something down here to cushion your fall. You can jump!"

"All right, Luo Bin. Move aside a little. I don't want to land on you!"

After speaking, Hermione waited three seconds, then jumped. She landed beside Luo Bin with a thump. "What's this?"

"Vines. Professor Sprout probably put them here. Ron, Harry, you can come down too!"

"All right!"

After Ron jumped down, Harry walked to the opening, still playing. The moment he lowered the Flute, he saw Fluffy open its eyes. He managed to jump just as its fangs came within ten centimeters of him.

"Luo Bin, thank goodness I listened to you. Fluffy... is far too vicious!"

They were a long way below the opening, but the low, frenzied barking still carried down without pause. All four agreed that they needed to leave quickly.

"Whew, thank goodness those vines were here. Otherwise, we'd have smashed our backsides!"

"Thank goodness, my foot! Look at your ankles, all three of you!"

Hermione sprang to her feet, pressed her legs together, and struggled toward the wall. Every time she put a foot down, tendrils wound around her ankle. Fortunately, they were fragile and loosely wrapped, allowing her to pull free.

Once Hermione reached the wall and made sure she was safe, she looked back. To her shock, thick, long vines had already bound the three boys tightly. The more Harry and Ron struggled, the tighter the vines gripped them.

"Stop moving. This is Devil's Snare. The more you move, the tighter it gets!" Luo Bin warned.

"Oh, heavens, what is Devil's Snare? Luo Bin, do you know how to deal with these vines... no, you obviously don't. If you did, you wouldn't be tangled up!"

Ron spoke between heavy breaths, straining to crane his neck back for fear that the tendrils would wrap around his throat.

If Devil's Snare could speak, it would surely have replied, Bah! Take a proper look! He's the one holding me here! Ow, that hurts!

Yes, on the surface, Devil's Snare appeared to have the upper hand. If it climbed just a little farther, it could wrap around Luo Bin's neck.

In reality, Luo Bin was clamping his arms and legs shut to keep Devil's Snare from retreating. Half his wand was lodged in the vine, neither too shallow nor too deep. He could feel the vine growing softer and beginning to wilt.

Before the vine could wither and turn yellow, Luo Bin pulled out his wand and discreetly wiped the green sap from its tip.

"Hermione, have you thought of anything? I... I can barely breathe!"

Harry desperately pushed away the tendrils climbing over his chest as he gasped out the words.

"I'm thinking! Devil's Snare—Professor Sprout mentioned it once. It likes shade and dampness, so we should use..."

Before she could finish, flames had already sprung up nearby. She stared at the orange ball of fire in alarm, but the roaring blaze she expected to engulf the vines never came. A protective barrier of magic surrounded the flames.

After "breaking free" of the vines, Luo Bin waved his wand toward Harry and Ron. In less than five seconds, the vines, which feared light and heat, drew in their tendrils and spiraled away. At last, the two boys could breathe deeply again.

"Luo Bin, Hermione, thank you!"

Harry moved over to the wall, wiping away sweat as he thanked them.

"We got through the first obstacle with nothing worse than a scare, though it did take some energy. Here, one sweet each to help you recover!"

Luo Bin began handing out sweets. He made sure each person unwrapped theirs and put the fruit-flavored boiled sweet in their mouth before giving one to the next.

"I've looked around. There's only one way to go: that stone passage sloping downward!" Hermione said, pointing nearby.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

The four of them headed down the slope, occasionally turning their shoulders to dodge drops of water falling from above. After walking for an unknown length of time, they saw light ahead. Rustling and tinkling sounds came from the light, as though something were flying or wind chimes were swaying.

"Harry, what do you think is in that light?" Ron asked.

"I don't know. Whatever it is, we have to get through it. Also, if you keep pinching me, I might lose the use of my arm!"