The firelight faded. By the light of the phoenix's flames, Su Er had briefly seen what sort of place they had arrived in.
It was a tunnel built primarily of stone, with no telling how far it stretched.
Damp walls covered in dark green moss stood on either side. The spot where they stood was the only patch of ground that could be called dry-or rather, the phoenix had dried up the water that should have pooled there.
"Drip..." A drop fell onto the water's surface. As the firelight went out, the place sank into complete darkness.
A ball of light conjured by one of the professors drifted lazily forward, then suddenly burst a short distance away, lighting the entire passage as brightly as day.
"Are you sure this is the place, Albus?" the familiar Professor Flitwick asked quietly.
"According to the information I have, this is indeed the place." Dumbledore nodded. "Let's go. Our target should be just ahead."
The professors nodded silently.
Fawkes flapped his wings and flew ahead.
"Crack... snap..." The sounds of breaking bones rang out from time to time. Small animal bones lay everywhere, mostly those of rabbits, rats, and the like.
Su Er silently begged forgiveness, only to crush another bone beneath his foot a moment later.
Apart from the cracking and the sharp splashes of boots breaking the water's surface, the tunnel was deathly silent. No other living creatures survived here.
The phoenix led the way, while Professor Flitwick cast spells from time to time to illuminate the path. Before long, the group stopped.
An enormous, coiled shape blocked their way.
The phoenix had given no warning, which meant the thing before them posed no danger. Snape stepped past the others and bent down to examine it.
"It's a snakeskin." In these surroundings,