Chapter 246 - Blood (1/2)

”Department of Mysteries,” said a cool female voice and the grilles slid open again, they stepped out into the corridor where nothing was moving but the nearest torches, flickering in the rush of air from the lift.

”Be ready for anything,” Chris muttered holding her wand tightly.

”This way,” said Harry and led the way down the corridor, Luna right behind him, was gazing around with her mouth slightly open.

As they reached the door it swung open. They entered. They were standing in a large, circular room. Everything in here was black including the floor and ceiling — identical, unmarked, handle-less black doors were set at intervals all around the black walls, interspersed with branches of candles whose flames burned blue, their cool, shimmering light reflected in the shining marble floor so that it looked as though there was dark water underfoot.

”Someone shut the door,” Harry muttered.

”No, don't —” Chris protested, thinking that the door can get locked on its own if they close it. But she a second late. Neville had already closed the door. And the moment he did it, a great rumbling noise came and the candles began to move sideways. The circular wall was rotating.

For a few seconds, the blue flames around them were blurred to resemble neon lines as the wall sped around and then, quite as suddenly as it had started, the rumbling stopped and everything became stationary once again.

”Potter,” growled Jason. ”You just lost our only exit door.”

”We need to go inside not outside,” snapped Harry.

”Yeah, and how are we going to do that, now?” said Jason.

”Quiet down,” said Ginny in a bossy tone. ”Harry, is Tonks and her parents okay?”

”I think so,” said Harry. ”He didn't arrive here yet, and Bellatrix will not kill them till he is here.”

”Good, now which door?” Chris stepped forward.

”In the dreams, I went through the door at the end of the corridor from the lifts into a dark room — that's this one — and then I went through another door into a room that kind of . . . glitters. We should try a few doors,” he said hastily. ”I'll know the right way when I see it. C'mon.”

They checked the first door and saw an enormous glass tank of deep-green water, big enough for all of them to swim in, which contained a number of pearly white objects that were drifting around lazily in the liquid.

”Brains,” whispered Hermione.

”Let's get out of here,” Chris said as she hurried back.

”Wait!” said Hermione sharply, as Luna made to close the door of the brain room behind them. ”Flagrate!”

She drew with her wand in midair and a fiery X appeared on the door. No sooner had the door clicked shut behind them than there was a great rumbling, and once again the wall began to revolve very fast, but now there was a great red-gold blur in amongst the faint blue, and when all became still again, the fiery cross still burned, showing the door they had already tried.

”Good job,” said Jason.

They checked the next door and then another and then another (which didn't open), then another one.

”This is it!” breathed Harry in relief.