There was something in the dungeons... by Jan_AQ
Summary: My attempt at writing a scary story for Halloween. XD Not polished and not complete. Nothing scary in this part.
Categories: Teacher Snape > Professor Snape Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required)
Snape Flavour: Snape is Stern
Genres: Action/Adventure, Horror
Media Type: None
Tags: None
Takes Place: 5th Year
Warnings: None
Prompts: Halloween
Challenges: Halloween
Series: None
Chapters: 1 Completed: No Word count: 3883 Read: 1908 Published: 01 Nov 2005 Updated: 01 Nov 2005
Part the first by Jan_AQ

There was something in the dungeons.

15 year old Harry Potter sat disturbed in the crook of the library, trying to fight the foreboding feeling in his guts. There was something in the dungeons, he knew it. Every time he went down there he had that prickly foreboding feeling just under his skin; it was that same feeling that he had had when Basilisk slithered through the school, hissing for death and blood, promising terror and death.

At first, he had thought he imagined it, but it was growing disquietly stronger with each passing day until he could no longer ignore it. Something was warning him away.

He breathed in, smelling the old paper and glue of the books. He hadn't told anyone how he felt, it had slowly crept up on him, a sense that something bad was there, coming, watching him. It wasn't quite there, but he felt it when he was down there. He didn't know how to tell anyone what was wrong; he had tried to ask Hermione and Ron if they had felt something yesterday but after shifting around a little they said no and just looked at him strangely.

He had to tell them soon though, they had Potions next and he didn't want, no he wouldn't go back down there. Every time he did he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as if something were watching him that he couldn’t see. And the feeling was steadily growing.

"Harry, it's time for class," Hermione said suddenly nearby, startling him. He hadn’t even been aware of his friend approaching, than his preoccupation with this thing was getting out of control and that was something that he couldn’t afford. Hermione looked at him a little worriedly. He had to tell her, he wasn't going to let his best friends go down there, not when something screamed at him that it was wrong.

He decided to just come out with it; he put his arms down and looked at her resolutely. "Hermione, we can't go to Potions, not down there and not today. There's something in the dungeons, something evil. I've been feeling it for days and it's been growing stronger. At first it was just like a sense that something was a little off, but it's been growing and now I can't just ignore it anymore."

“Harry, what are you on about?” Hermione asked, more than a little perturbed and she immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion, that Harry was joking, something that he and Ron had been doing as of late thanks to the twins’ influence, “Is it the test tomorrow? Because if so then forget it, we can’t miss today’s review and material.”

Ron came nearby to listen in, holding his books in his bag over his shoulder.

"No, Hermione, this isn’t about the stupid test and I’m serious. Please, just listen to me Hermione. There’s something down there, haven’t you felt it?"

"Harry, there's nothing down there, and especially not in a classroom at Hogwarts, one of the most safest places in the world-"

"No, there is! Trust me. If we go to potions today, something terrible will happen! I’m sure of it."

“Yeah, just like something terrible happens every class,” Ron said jokingly. “Snape will take a million points off Gryffindor and we’ll end up scrubbing cauldrons over something Malfoy does.”

Hermione rolled her eyes and Harry felt a trifle amused despite himself.

“No, Ron, I’m not talking about that, there’s something else. I’ve got that feeling again just like in second year when the Basilisk was going through the pipes... I’m not going back down there, not until Dumbledore knows about it.”

Ron sat himself on the table nearby, “Basilisk feelings, huh? Well, if Harry’s sure about it then I guess we just can’t go to potions, too bad,” he said easily and Harry was glad for his support no matter how circumspect it was. His friend looked around for Madame Pince before pulling out a roll from his pocket to snack on.

Hermione was less convinced. "No, we have to get to class, we can tell Dumbledore about your feeling afterwards. The teachers wouldn’t let something really bad happen or be let loose in the school-“

“Peeves,” Ron noted with a mouthful of bread.

“The Basilisk,” Harry repeated.

“Moody,” Ron mumbled with acted horror.

“The Whomping Willow,” Harry added knowingly.

Ron winced, “ Aragon- “

“Umbridge!”

The boys shared a crackle of laughter.

“Well, I’m glad that you’re having a good time,” Hermione said pretentiously, “But I have a class to get to. DON’T be expecting to copy my notes.” She left with a huff.

“Well she’s uppity today,” Ron said as he sat back. “She’ll still help us,” he said with a knowing air before sitting back up. “Hey Harry, if there is something down there, shouldn’t we go with her to make sure that she doesn’t get cursed or petrified again? Maybe I ought to go with her, make sure that if there is something down there that she'd be alright..."

That was true... if there really WAS something down there they couldn't let Hermione face it all alone... he'd have to go too. It called his honor. "Alright," Harry swallowed. "I'll come too."

They paused at the entranceway leading down to the dungeons. Harry could feel his senses growing, a feeling that the students in this building were not alone. A lone Ravenclaw passed them to go down, but Harry couldn’t help but note that she paused at the entrance way, only validating his fears.

“Aye, Basilisk feelings,” Ron repeated grimly. “Guess there’s no hope for it,” and they started down the stone stairwell. Harry kept looking around the empty corridor, trying to spot whatever it was that was giving him those warning feelings. Harry really had half expected to meet it, but so far... maybe he had made the whole thing up. Maybe it was just him and his Voldemort sense messing up.

As they got closer to their class, the feeling increased, like a pressure on his neck. But there was nothing there.

“I see what you mean, now,” Ron said as they neared the door. “A feeling that says we really don’t want to be here.”

“Have faith that I feel the same way,” a voice snarled behind them and they quickly turned to see Snape there, as bad tempered as ever. “Get in. You’re late, 10 points from Gryffindor.” He angrily slammed the door shut behind them.

Harry set his jaw, he knew that they were actually a minute early despite their cautious travel, his watch told him so, but there was no use to argue with Snape unless you wanted further deduction of points. They hurried to the back of the classroom, and set their books and cauldrons at a work station behind Hermione.

"So, you've decided to come anyway?" Hermione asked lowly as she bent down over her textbook, rearranging her potions ingredients.

"Yeah, if there is something, we couldn't let you face it all alone," Harry said.

"Silence," Snape warned as he waved at the board and the notes appeared.

Class began, and they worked on copying the notes on the board. At first, Harry was able to put it out of his mind, but as the class wore on, Harry’s sense of unease intensified until it was the only thing he could concentrate on. It was like a huge pair of invisible eyes was staring directly at the back of his head. Looking around, he saw nothing behind him, but he realized that the other people in the class seemed to feel something too. Malfoy seemed to keep playing with his ring, twisting it or some such and glancing around from the corner of his eye, Pansy and Greengrass and the other Slytherin girls were sitting closer together than they usually did and were quieter than normal.

There was suddenly a rustle and a clatter of movement behind him and he turned swiftly, knocking a glass bottle to the floor by accident as he drew his wand to the ready, but nothing was there. Breathing hard, his eyes scanned the area, moving back and forth, trying to spot the disturbance.

Unfortunately, his theatrics had got the attention of the entire class.

"What is it, Potter? Saw your shadow and got scared?" Malfoy pompously asked, to the snickers of the Slytherin side, even if it wasn't funny at all. Their laughter seemed a little forced though, as if maybe they were uncomfortable too. Well they did LIVE in the dungeons. They would have to notice something recently... off...

Harry didn't answer him but put his wand away. His Gryffindor classmates around him were looking at him, waiting for an answer though so he said "Thought I saw something, but it was nothing." But even so, he felt something watching him, something nearby, if not in the room.

Snape whirled around the classroom towards the back, "What is the matter here? Get back to work!! Potter, clean that mess up, 10 points from Gryffindor." He stalked around the back, making sure that every got back to work right away and taking points when they didn’t.

Harry uncomfortably turned his back to the invisible eyes, trying his hardest to try and ignore them and just get through class and up to Dumbledore’s office as quickly as possible. Maybe he could fake an injury or illness and leave class early? But no, this was SNAPE. He’d just have to deal with it and hope that class went by quickly.

But class did not go by quickly, it went by with agonizing slowness, and Harry was distracted for the rest of it, and kept looking back over his shoulder and around the classroom for whatever it was. The rest of the students seemed to do so too, so Harry knew that he was not going crazy.

There were only a couple of minutes to go when Harry heard the noises again, and spun around with his wand drawn once more, he knocked a bottle of liquid and snail guts to the floor in his haste, but he ignored them, focusing on the sound. He wasn’t the only one who had heard it this time. It seemed that everyone had spun around to see what it was, looking at each other with questioning faces, ‘Did you hear that?’

“Potter!” Snape barked. “30 points from Gryffindor for being a disturbance, clean that up! Without magic!” He threw a rag onto the mess on the floor at Harry’s feet.

“Yes, sir,” Harry mumbled as the signal for end of class was heard and the students quickly began packing their bags and gathering their belongings as if it were a Friday on a Hogsmead weekend instead of a Tuesday afternoon.

Harry got down on his hands and knees and started to clean up the broken glass and mess of liquid and gooey insides from the floor as quickly as he could. He’d still be able to leave very soon if he hurried.

"Potter! Stay after," was Snape’s unhurried command as the first students fled from the room. Harry slumped, wondering how this situation could get any worse. Perhaps a detention, he though morosely, looking behind himself once again, at the thing he knew he wouldn’t see.

"Catch up with us on the way to homework hall," Ron said, bending down a little to speak to him, "Hurry, okay?" He seemed at unease. "We'll take your bags for you."

"Yeah," Harry said distractedly as he pushed the rag forward. He watched as his friends’ legs moved away and out of sight. The classroom was soon quiet.

A wet rag was thrown on top of his hands and a trash bin was set roughly in front of him. Snape crossed his arms and looked down. “I expect you to do a better job than you normally put into your chores, Potter, or I’ll have you here all night.”

The rest of the students had left, and Harry wanted nothing more than to leave that place, the dread and awareness that something... something BAD was there was growing, but it seemed that he couldn’t. Stupid Snape. He pushed the rag at the floor roughly, imagining that he was rubbing the git’s face off.

Snape lectured as Harry cleaned, having no choice but to listen, “This is a classroom, not the Quidditch pitch, Potter. Your theatrics won’t be cheered here, nor will they be tolerated! Your father was the same way, thinking that he could get away with anything he pleased-“

Harry grit his teeth and resolutely focused on his task. A chattering of movement was once heard behind him, and this time, with the absence of class and bubbling cauldrons, it was much louder and clearer. Harry put down his rag and breathed out. "Wait- did you hear that?"

Snape was still, eyeing the back.

A stack of crates knocked over, tumbling to the floor, and Harry got up, wand out and ready to confront whatever it was that had been bothering him, not really wanting to, but having to know. He bravely took a step forwards, spells at the tip of his tongue.

Suddenly, another box was pushed off a shelf and from behind it a blur of something rushed out, right at them. It ducked a spell and then sped from the room by going through a wall, leaving behind a stench of decay.

"Augh," Harry said from behind his sleeve, and waving one arm as if to clear the smell. "What was that?"

But Snape's eyes were quiet and for once he didn't answer. He moved carefully, straightening up with wand in hand and stacking the boxes back up where they belonged with a slow swish. "I think that you've learned your lesson for now. Get back up to your tower," he instructed.

"Wait- tell me what that was!" Harry demanded, despite the fact that every inch of himself was screaming that he get out of this area, faster than possible.

"Now, Potter! 50 points from Gryffindor!"

Harry was ready to angrily leave, in that faster than possible way, and get Hermione to try and answer his questions, when the door slammed shut with a BANG! Snape was instantly on alert, and Harry followed suit.

But nothing happened, and after a heartbeat, Snape stalked towards Harry, grabbed his elbow and began pulling him towards out of the classroom, even though Harry was more than willing to leave himself.

Snape was ranting with single minded purpose, "Fine, if you won't just go then I'll march you back if I have to, but I do not have to answer to students, least of all you-" he opened the door with a spell, and after glancing quickly out, pulled Harry after him into the hall, "The Headmaster will be hearing about this insubordination and lack of respect," Snape snarled. He started to pull Harry towards the way to the main hall, but... something moved before them, Harry felt a brush of air across his face, and then Snape was yanking him away in the other direction, away from it with barely a skipped beat in his tirade, "Gryffindors think they're higher than the law of Hogwarts but you'll learn that they most definitely are NOT,"

"Sir-" Harry tried, more than aware that Snape had seen it and had changed their course because of that fact.

"Quiet and keep moving-" But Snape suddenly stopped and Harry bumped into him in the dimly light dungeon corridor.

"Ow- wht-" Snape's arm tightened and Harry had the sudden realization that Snape was afraid, actually afraid.

There was a chattering notice again; echoing off of the walls and Harry spun his head to face it, trying to see. Snape let go of his arm and stood between him and the darkness of the corridor, his wand out and the other one out as if warding Harry off or making sure he didn't move forwards.

Harry felt his indignation grow, why did everyone act like he was some little kid who needed to be protected? But he stayed quiet, hoping that Snape would do something, or something would happen that would answer his questions. He glanced back down the hall, a little startled to see that the end was dark, the torches out perhaps, he couldn't tell, but it was black and he wasn't used to seeing completely dark areas of the castle in the daytime.

Harry looked into the inky blackness, trying to see what was down there, straining his eyes, but the blackness only grew on his senses, like ink from a well growing up the corridor until it seemed as if the space of darkness grew closer to them. He lit his wand with a “Lumos” to try and see better, to perhaps ward off the dark and Snape looked back at him annoyingly.

"Put that light out," Snape instructed him.

Harry ignored him and waved his wand around; focusing on the light it gave out comforted him. He said conversationally, "You know, I've been feeling something down here for weeks-"

"Yes, you would," Snape commented sardonically, but distractedly.

"It’s been growing stronger."

Snape didn't reply but instead said, "PUT that light out," through clenched teeth and Harry decided that maybe it'd be a good idea to obey. He put it out with a “Nox” but kept his wand out. He wondered why Snape had wanted him to do that.

"We'll take the West passage leading up to behind the great Hall," Snape told him, seemingly confident that Harry would follow as he started to walk forward into the darkness. Harry quickly stepped up to follow, glad that Snape had decided not to lead him around anymore, especially because it was easier to keep up with his fast strides with both his arms free and not being pulled sideways.

"Why that way, why not another?"

"That is none of your business, Potter," Snape bit out, “But if you must know, that way is special,” he said sarcastically.

Harry stayed silent, but plodded quickly after the man, determined that it was his business and that Hermione would know if given the right clues. As soon as he got out of this awful place, he'd find her. He never did like the dungeons. He noted curiously that the wall torches seemed to be giving light whenever they neared them, but for some reason, they got dimmer far away, both from behind them as well as in front. Harry shivered a little.

There was the chattering noise again, bouncing off of the walls but Snape seemed to ignore them, keeping his fast pace walking and Harry followed suit, keeping near despite himself.

Quite unexpectedly, the blur of dark motion went right by them again, frightening Harry near into a heart attack. Harry wasn't QUITE sure what it was, but whatever it was bad, very bad. He felt very uncomfortable down here, his sense to get out of there was itching beneath his skin like terror, unable to ignorable.

But then there was crying, a soft crying through the stone.

Snape paused. "Hello?" he called strongly through the darkness. "Is that a student?" But no one answered, and the crying continued. He seemed reassured that it wasn't. Snape began walking slowly forwards again, the crying grew louder. Harry heard his heart beat in his ears.

BANG! CLATTER! Something metal seemed to strike stone somewhere very forcibly, if they sound was anything to go by, and they both jumped. A very loud metal groaning came next, awful sounding and loud enough to drown anything else out.

A girl screamed, her terror filled voice calling for help desperately.

"No, Potter!" Snape yelled but it was too late, Harry ran after the noise, trying to rescue whoever it was. He felt Snape's hands brush against the back of his collar as if the man tried to catch him that way, but Harry moved too fast. He raced down the corridor, his trainers pounding on the stone and his breath and the air pounding through his ears as he raced through the darkness, barely being able to see but moving easily despite it. He skidded to a halt at a three way, almost knocking into a stone statue of a decapitated hero and wondering which way to go, The fearful thought that this wasn't the smart thing to do steadily crept up from his chest. He heard Snape's quick footsteps behind him and he quickly made up his mind, turning to go right and then Snape DID have the collar of his robes, yanking them back angrily. "You foolish, idiotic boy!" he said menacingly. "Do you have any idea-"

"NO! Cause you won't tell me," Harry yelled, struggling to get out of the man's grip.

"It's none of your business!"

"It is if it affects me! Does it affect me, Professor? How about that girl?"

“Forget that girl, you have to reason to go after a disembodied voice-“

"No, she needs to be rescued!"

"You complete idiot! You attention seeking heroic fool! Do you think that everyone needs to be rescued by a Knight in shining armor? She's not real! Why do you never listen to me?" It was then that Harry realized how cold it was down here as Snape's breath was coming out with visible angry puffs of mist.

"Maybe it's because you won't tell me anything!” Harry retorted back angrily, his own breath visibly blowing between their faces as he brought up old grievances.

“You DON’T need to know everything, Potter!” Snape yelled back.

Harry was ready to bellow at him and give him everything he had, but then there were footsteps approaching them, breaking the hold of his anger over him and causing him to stand down for now.

"Professor! Professor Snape!" was shouted, and much closer than Harry had expected, Draco Malfoy came tumbling out of the dark at a run. "Professor, help, come quick-it's Mortwier-" Harry noticed that Malfoy’s ring was glowing with a blue light, catching Harry’s attention as he moved his hands around.

“What?” Snape asked alarmed.

Malfoy glanced at Potter, but ignored him and continued, tinged with desperation, "It was Pansy's idea, right after potions; everyone noticed and she said we had to do something, that it couldn’t go on any longer, and an innocent girl's blood-"

"You foolish-"

"We didn't know it would do that!"

Another groan of metal upon stone, resounded horribly through the halls, and even Malfoy stopped to look fearfully from where it had come before turning back to his errand, “Professor Snape,” he said almost begging, barely scaring a glance at Harry.

Snape shifted his weight before grabbing Harry by the arm again and marching in the opposite direction they had been going, towards the way Draco had come from, “Alright, Potter, you wanted to be in the middle of everything and be responsible so now you can be in this,” he ground out as he stalked down the hall with purpose. “Come along, Mr. Malfoy.”

His pace was fast, and Draco had to hurry to catch up as well. Snape explained sharply as they went, “It recently came to my attention that the Slytherin students did something foolish with dark magic for worthy reasons and they have been trying to get rid of it, steadily for the last week. Unfortunately, their efforts had the opposite affect.”

Harry looked back to try to see Malfoy’s expression, but the other boy did not meet his gaze.

To be continued...


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