After Tyson - Part 2
Harry had barely taken a few steps inside the hole when he completely lost sight of the corridor behind them.
"Lumos."
The tip of his wand lit up, revealing a rather narrow stone tunnel that gradually descended into the depths of the castle.
Percy was a few meters ahead of him.
"Percy. There's a basilisk ahead of us. According to Hermione, it can kill you just by looking at you. I understand you're worried about Tyson, just like I am, but you need to stay calm and be careful," Harry said in a serious tone, paying attention to every step he took and any strange sound that might come from the darkness.
Percy, on the other hand, was walking quickly, wanting to get there as fast as possible and find Tyson.
"Then I won't look at it," Percy immediately replied.
Harry opened his mouth for a moment.
"That's a surprisingly stupid plan, even for us."
Percy didn't answer. He simply kept moving forward, although it was noticeable that he'd slowed down and was now completely alert to everything around him in the cave.
The two continued descending for several seconds until Harry looked at the Marauder's Map again.
"Well, that makes sense. I doubt the Marauders enjoyed walking through this tunnel," Harry said, putting away the map, which was completely useless in places that hadn't been recorded when it was created. "I guess this place isn't part of the map. That's why Tyson disappeared."
"It's not like it's that complicated. We just have to follow the tunnel to the end and we'll find its base, or nest," Percy said confidently.
"You think so?" Harry said as he raised his wand slightly, making its light shine farther ahead.
Then they saw that farther down, that same tunnel split into three.
Percy's eyes widened when he saw it too.
"Me and my big mouth," Percy said, smacking himself on the mouth for a moment, feeling like it would've been better if he'd just kept quiet.
Harry walked up to where the three tunnels split and shone his wand down each one.
"Now what?"
Percy frowned as he looked between the three paths, but before he could answer, something on the ground caught Harry's attention.
"Wait."
Near the entrance of one of the tunnels was a small metallic object. Percy recognized it instantly and crouched down to pick it up.
It was one of those strange compasses Tyson liked to build out of whatever pieces of metal he could find.
The needle spun uselessly in circles, and part of the casing had been crushed.
Percy tightened it between his fingers.
"Tyson."
Harry looked at the object and then at the tunnel beside where it had been found.
"Good job," Harry said with a hint of pride. Tyson had managed to leave them a clue even while he was being dragged away.
Percy didn't need to hear anything else and immediately started down that path.
"Percy!"
"I'm being careful!" he answered without stopping.
Harry rolled his eyes and ran after him.
"That's not being careful!"
…
Outside the cave, Hermione paced back and forth in front of the entrance with a worried expression over Harry and Percy, while at the same time her gaze kept drifting toward Ron, who was sitting on the floor against the wall, breathing slowly as he tried to sort out his thoughts.
"So... a Cyclops?" Ron suddenly asked. "Tyson is a Cyclops. I thought they were just legends. I knew giants and trolls and all that existed, but why does it feel so different with them?" Ron kept asking, as if trying to understand Tyson's existence through his own words.
Hermione wanted to help him understand the new world opening up before his eyes, but she wasn't sure whether her words would help or only make everything harder for him to process. Although, apparently, Ron was taking it surprisingly well. Maybe because he'd grown up in the magical world, where strange things weren't quite so... strange.
"Cyclopes... don't eat people, right?"
Hermione let out a sigh.
"The important thing is that Tyson is Tyson, and Harry and Percy treat him like their little brother, and he saved our lives just a moment ago, no matter whether he has one eye, two, or even three," Hermione said in a serious tone. After all, she got along quite well with the innocent Tyson. It was impossible not to like him.
Ron looked up at Hermione.
"You knew this whole time, didn't you? That was the secret you were always keeping between yourselves," Ron let out with a hint of annoyance, but at the same time, understanding.
"Now isn't the time for that," Hermione said, cutting him off as she tried to steer the conversation away while looking around the empty corridor. "Where are Sirius and Mr. Mark?" she asked in confusion, since several minutes had passed since Harry said Neville had gone to find them. "Neville didn't get lost on the way, did he?" she wondered.
Ron seemed to accept the change in conversation, since thinking about Cyclopes right now seemed mentally exhausting.
"Now that I think about it, after all that noise, why hasn't any professor shown up? Not even the prefects patrolling the corridors," Ron added with a confused expression.
Hearing Ron's words, Hermione also seemed to realize how strange that was.
But just as both of them were beginning to suspect that something strange was going on, slow footsteps began approaching from down the corridor.
"Finally, someone's here," Ron said hopefully, but when he saw the person approaching them, his expression immediately fell in disappointment.
Hermione, on the other hand, seemed to relax the moment she saw who was coming. A smile even appeared on her face, as if someone capable of solving all their problems had finally arrived.
"Finally, you're here," Hermione said hopefully. "Quick, we need your help. Harry, Percy, and Tyson are in danger," she said as she walked toward the professor approaching them.
But she'd barely taken a single step forward when Hermione's eyes suddenly widened as she saw a flash streaking toward her at high speed.
"Watch out!" Ron shouted, moving just in time and shoving Hermione to the side, but the spell struck him directly in the chest and sent him flying several meters backward, making him slam into the wall and forcing all the air from his lungs.
"Ron!" Hermione shouted, watching her friend go flying after protecting her, while at the same time her gaze snapped back toward the professor who had just attacked her. "Professor Lockhart! What are you doing?!" she shouted at the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, who was still wearing his mask, although a slightly contemptuous smile could be seen on his lips as he looked at them. A somewhat cold air seemed to surround him now.
"Ah, yes. It seems my name has finally become known throughout the entire school. Although I'm sure not in the way I wanted," Lockhart said proudly as his smile widened even further, showing off those perfect white teeth and even giving them a wink.
But right now, what Lockhart called his best smile didn't look the same as before.
It didn't reach his eyes.
It was completely fake.
"So... where are Sally Jackson's sons?" he asked, looking toward Hermione and Ron as his smile disappeared, leaving behind a much colder and more dangerous expression. "I have some business to settle with them."