Hermione drew a line in the air with her wand, and a bright red cross appeared in the door.
As the door clicked shut behind them, there was a sudden, deafening rumble, and the walls began to whirl again.
But there was a huge, vague reddish-gold in the faint blue light, and when everything was still again, the bright red cross was still burning, showing that they had been through the door.
'Well done, 'said Harry.' Now, let's try this one again — '
He strode straight up to the door in front of him and, holding up his wand, pushed it open, while the others followed.
It was larger than the previous one, dimly lit, and square, with a sunken centre that formed a huge stone pit, about twenty feet deep.
Stone steps ran round the room like benches, descending steeply, each step steep.
It was like a lecture hall, or the courtroom where Harry had been questioned by Wesengamos.
They were standing at the top of the stairs.
But there was no chair with chains in the middle of the pit. Instead, there was a raised stone platform with an arched door on it. It looked so old and worn that Harry wondered how it could stand there without falling down.
There were no walls around the arched door. A tattered black curtain or drape hung above it. Although the air here was cold, without a trace of wind, it swayed gently as if it had just been touched by someone.
'Who's there? '
Said Harry, leaping onto the next stool. But no one answered, and the curtain continued to flutter.
'Look out! '
Said Hermione in a low voice.
Harry climbed quickly down the stool to the bottom of the stone pit, and walked slowly towards the platform. His footsteps echoed through the room. The pointed archway looked much higher now than it had looked from above.
The curtain still swayed gently, as if someone had just passed through it.
'Sirius? '
Said Harry again, keeping his voice low because he was so close.
He had a queer feeling that someone must be standing behind the curtain, or on the other side of the archway.
He gripped his wand tightly and cautiously went around to the back of the platform, but there was no one there. He could only see the other side of the tattered black curtain.
"Let's go," cried Hermione, coming down to the middle of the steps. "Neither is this one, Harry. Come on, let's go."
She sounded frightened, more frightened than she had been in the room with the swimming brains, but Harry thought there was a beauty to the archway, old as it was.
The fluttering drapery intrigued him, and he had a strong desire to climb the platform and pass through it.
"Harry, hurry up, will you?"
Hermione's tone became even more anxious.
"I'm coming."
He said, but did not move. He had just heard something. A faint whisper and murmur came from behind the curtain.
"What are you talking about?"
He asked in a loud voice, and his words echoed from the stone bench to the floor.
'Nobody's talking, Harry! '
Hermione said as she walked towards him.
"Someone is whispering behind us."
He moved away from Hermione, still frowning as he stared at the curtain. "Is that you, Ron?"
'I'm here, mate, 'said Ron, coming round the other side of the archway.
"Can't you hear this sound?"
Asked Harry urgently, for the murmur and murmur grew louder, and he found himself standing on the stone platform.
'I can hear it too, 'whispered Luna, coming to stand with them on the other side of the archway. She looked at the fluttering curtain.' There's someone in there! '
'What do you mean, in there? '
Hermione angrily asked as she jumped down from the bottom of the stairs. No one knew where her anger came from.
'There's nothing in there. It's just an archway. There's no place for anyone to be in there. Harry, don't do that again. Get out of this - '
Hermione grabbed him by the arm and tried to pull him out, but he would not listen.
"Harry, we are here to save Sirius!"
She yelled at the top of her voice.
'Sirius, 'repeated Harry, still in a trance, staring at the fluttering curtain.
'Ah... '
He finally came back to his senses. Sirius was caught, tied up, and tortured, and he was staring at the arch … He stepped back and left the stone platform. His eyes suddenly moved away from the curtain.
'Let's go. '
'I've been asking - very well, let's go! '
Said Hermione, going around the platform.
On the other side of the stone platform, Ginny and Neville were also staring at the curtain, clearly fascinated.
Hermione and Ron didn't say anything. Hermione grabbed Ginny's arm, and Ron grabbed Neville's. They strode resolutely to the bottom step and climbed all the way back to the entrance of the room.
'What do you think that archway is? '
Harry asked Hermione when they were back in the round black room.
'I don't know, but whatever it is, it's dangerous. '
Hermione said affirmatively, drawing an X on the door again.
The wall spun around again, and then stopped again.
Harry picked a door at random and gave it a push. It did not budge.
'What's wrong? 'asked Hermione.
"It's … locked."
Harry threw himself at the door as he spoke, but it still didn't move.
'That's it, isn't it? '
Said Ron excitedly, trying to force the door open with Harry. 'That must be it.'
'Get out of the way! '
Said Hermione sharply, pointing her wand at where the lock should be and chanting, 'Open, Araho!'
But the door stayed the same.
'Sirius' knife! '
Said Harry. He took the knife out of his robe and stuck it in the gap between the door and the wall.
The others watched eagerly as he slid the knife from top to bottom. Then he pulled it out and threw his shoulder at the door again.
The door was still shut as before, and not only that, when Harry looked down, he saw that the blade had melted.
'Let's leave this room alone, then. '
Said Hermione decisively.
'But what if it's this one? '
Said Ron, looking at the door with both worry and longing.
'That's impossible. Harry can go through all the doors in his dreams. '
Hermione said, making another mark on the door, while Harry put the broken handle of Sirius' knife back in his pocket.
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