#8: Chillin' Underground

Five hours, a meal, and one magic lesson later, Hannah, Mitch and I found ourselves entrapped in a tomb, lying in wait for the Praying Mantis Baby to come try to steal the Theoretical Physicists’ Stone.

While the castle above had been warmed and lit by fires and kept dry by vigilant house elves (despite all of Hermione’s efforts, they still worked for the school), the catacombs below were quite the opposite: dark, damp, and freezing. Niter covered the corners of the ceiling. I was starting to feel like this would end up like the Cask of Amontillado.

“Guys, I think this is a trap,” I muttered. We must have already been down there for hours.

“Okay, why would they release us from one trap just to stick us in another?” Hannah asked irritably.

“They’re mean?”

She ignored me and said, “I believe Fumblegate. Mrs. Stone is imperiused and the praying mantis baby is coming for the stone. That’s all I need.”

“I agree,” Mitch said. “The force is with us.”

I grumbled something incoherent and dropped it. I contented myself with trying to teach Mitch how to perform the “Dance of the Dragon” (as seen in episode 53 of Avatar: the Last Airbender, “Firebending Masters”).

An hour later, Hannah’s laptop made an alert noise. Hannah exclaimed, “Holy Mullet of Thor!”

‘What?” Mitch and I asked.

“Jon’s back at base!”

We quickly alerted Fumblegate and he sent an imperiused Mrs. Stone to Siberia to retrieve Jon via the floo network. Just as Mrs. Stone disappeared in the fireplace, the castle came under attack. From the catacombs, we could hear a great rumbling as spells were cast and praying mantis babies laid siege. Distantly, I heard a cry of “Charge!” as Professor McGonagall led the desk in a stampede.

In all the chaos, I pondered, it would be easy to slip through.

Hannah, Mitch and I remained in the catacombs, waiting. Stone crumbled on our heads from the battle above. Finally, something burst through the open hatch at the top and scuttled down the walls.

Immediately, the three of us lurched to our feet and donned our weapons. Mitch’s light saber provided the only light. A single pair of yellow eyes glowed at us, yet we heard two sets of feet.

“Show yourselves!” I demanded, lighting my hand on fire as a warning.

“Bugs!” the Praying Mantis Baby cried as it scuttled into the light.

Accompanying it was none other than Gizmo. The sight of her instantly had rage burning in us, making the fire in my hand erupt into a near inferno.

“You traitor!” Mitch cried.

Hannah crackled with electricity.

Gizmo held up her hands in surrender, but took no steps closer. I figured she wasn’t the real threat here, so I shifted my anger down and to the left.

“So we meet again,” I said, eyeing the Praying Mantis Baby. “I haven’t forgotten about the last time! You humiliated me – sent me home in defeat. Well, not again! This time we end this!”

“Wait guys! I can explain!” Gizmo exclaimed.

“The time for explanations has ended!” Mitch yelled, whirling his saber threateningly.

“The praying mantis baby is my brother.”