"Courtroom Ten has been abandoned for years. I really can't understand why they suddenly changed their minds and decided to hold the hearing there."
At last, the lift reached its destination with a heavy rumble.
"Quick! Jerry, you two, keep up!" Mr. Weasley urged anxiously as the lift doors clattered open. They shot down an empty corridor like arrows from a bow.
This corridor was entirely different from those above. It was empty and desolate, its bare walls devoid of doors or windows. Only a solitary black door stood at the far end, looking distinctly out of place.
Harry had thought they would go straight through that door, but Mr. Weasley suddenly grabbed their arms and pulled them toward a staircase on the left.
"We have to go farther down!" Mr. Weasley panted. "They must be mad to hold the hearing somewhere the lift can't even reach!"
They raced to the bottom of the stairs, then sprinted along a dim corridor. It was just like the corridor outside the Potions Classroom at Hogwarts: rough stone walls and flickering torchlight from brackets.
At last, they stopped before a sinister black door. An enormous iron lock hung on it, making it look exceptionally heavy.
Mr. Weasley stumbled against the wall, clutching the front of his clothes and gasping for breath. "Go on in! This is as far as I can take you. Good luck!"
Harry stood at the entrance, his throat so dry that he could barely swallow, his heart pounding like a drum.
Jerry turned the heavy iron handle without hesitation and stepped into the courtroom first.
"Jerry, this place... I think I recognize it..." Harry followed Jerry, looking around with a hint of hesitation and unease in his voice.
The walls were built entirely of black stone, and faint torchlight