[122] Silk and Silver

Hall craned his neck, straining to listen. But before the masked man could finish uttering his name, the surrounding space warped.

The ground vanished beneath his feet.

The three of them plunged into darkness.

A feeling of weightlessness washed over him. He swung his wand, trying to grab onto something, but grasped nothing.

"Damn it!" Hall cursed.

He quickly regained his composure. The tip of his wand glowed, illuminating his surroundings. He was in a narrow passage — rough rock walls, damp, reeking of mould. The passage sloped downwards. Hall slid for dozens of metres before crashing into a pile of soft, withered leaves.

He got up and dusted himself off. He was in a vast underground space — stalactites hung from the ceiling, the floor was uneven, littered with scattered rubble and bones.

The air was thick with the stench of decay.

Hall covered his mouth and nose, surveying his surroundings cautiously. Krum and Fleur were nowhere to be seen.

"Is anyone there?"

His voice echoed through the empty space. No response.

Hall gripped his wand and moved forward. The underground space was intricate — a giant maze of forks and dead ends. He walked and stopped, carefully observing, trying to find traces of the others and figure out where he was.

Even someone as composed as Hall was now disoriented. What about Dumbledore and the other professors? And that mysterious man? What was happening? This entire space was wrong. Was he even still at Hogwarts?

He heard a rustling sound ahead.

Hall immediately became alert. He crept slowly toward the sound. Passing through a narrow passage, he came to a wide cave.

In the centre of the cave, a massive black shadow paced back and forth, emitting a low growl.

Hall squinted. In the dim light, he made out the shadow's true form. It was a massive three-headed dog. Each of its three heads had sharp fangs; saliva dripped from its mouths onto the ground, hissing as it landed.

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Hall's heart sank. This Cerberus was completely different from the one he had seen in the castle's forbidden corridor. It made the castle's look like a newborn puppy compared to a fully grown adult.

Cerberus is an extremely dangerous magical creature. They possess immense strength and an acute sense of smell; once targeted, escape is nearly impossible. Even the pup in the castle had bitten Snape.

Hall was currently behind the Cerberus, unnoticed and temporarily safe. He dared not act rashly. He hid behind a boulder, observing the creature's movements.

Just then, he heard a faint cry for help from the depths of the cave. A thought flashed through his mind: Krum and Fleur.

He hesitated for a moment, then decided to risk it.

He bypassed the Cerberus and went deeper into the cave, where he found Krum and Fleur trapped in a huge iron cage. The cage was surrounded by dense runes, radiating powerful magical energy.

"Hall, is that you?" Krum cried out anxiously. "Help us! We're trapped!"

"How did you get here? Who locked you up?"

"It was — it was — never mind that, just get us out!"

Hall ignored him and walked to the cage, carefully examining the runes. These runes were ancient — unlike anything he had ever seen. Judging from the magical fluctuations they emitted, they were not to be trifled with.

He tried various spells to dispel them. All to no avail.

"What do we do? Hall, what should we do?" Fleur panicked, shaking the iron cage frantically but unable to budge it an inch.

"Damn it, these runes are too powerful!" Hall cursed.

His mood became sour. No — this state was wrong. It wasn't like him.

Hall stopped pacing. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The cries for help from Krum and Fleur faded and disappeared.

Hall's heart grew calm and still.

When he opened his eyes, he still saw Fleur and Krum pleading, but the cage they were in was surrounded by an upgraded binding spell. Difficult — but not impossible for him.

Without time to think about what was happening, Hall raised his wand and began to cast.

The three-headed dog outside the cave sensed the power and became restless, growling and pacing. Hall ignored it, aiming at the runes on the iron cage and chanting an incantation. The light on his wand grew brighter and brighter, transforming into a dazzling beam that shot towards the cage.

With a loud bang, the runes shattered into starlight and dissipated into the air.

Krum and Fleur stared blankly. "We're free?" Krum pushed open the cage and stepped out. Fleur followed, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Hall. You saved us."

Hall smiled faintly and said nothing.

"Roar!"

The three-headed dog roared angrily. It sensed the threat and pounced.

Hall's expression changed. He grabbed Krum and Fleur and turned to run.

"Run!"

The three of them sprinted through the maze-like underground space, the three-headed dog's roars hot on their heels. Hall surveyed his surroundings as he ran. This underground space seemed to have no exit.

"There's a way ahead!" Fleur pointed.

Hall looked up and saw a narrow passage ahead. They rushed into it, the three-headed dog close behind. The passage grew narrower and narrower until only one person could pass at a time.

Hall told Krum and Fleur to go first. He would bring up the rear.

He turned, raised his wand, and aimed at the three-headed dog.

"Stupefy!"

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