Perthro Manor 3 - Escape from the Dungeons



"Because, Bella, you may not have noticed, but we are in a freaking dungeon, without food or water, or... or, well, anything!" Athene couldn't believe that her friend was giving up so easily. "You know what, maybe your just as bad as the Mudblood filth that we both hate, who have no purpose and are pathetic." Athene glared at Bella. "And here was me thinking that you could actually be something great someday."<i></i>
 
Bellatrix in one swooped movement stood up towering over Athene, pointing the wand at Athene's throat. "Don't you dare insult my that way!" she said in a sharp harsh tone.
 


Athene didn't back down. Instead, she just glared at Bella through narrowed eyes. She was not going to have her own wand used against her.

"Well, stop being bloody pathetic, then," she hissed.<i></i>
 
"Watch your tongue!" she snapped. "Remember, it came from your own lips, I am more powerful than you are!"
 


"Well then, whats with the whole pathetic attitude?" Athene retorted. "This isn't the Bella I know. Or thought I knew."<i></i>
 
Bellatrix rolled her eyes and pointed the wand at the crack in the flooring. Clearly she stated a spell, that slowly sparked and she waited in the dissonant silence as you could softly hear the stone cracking...slowly etching a way out.

ooc: I couldn't find any spells, so I just implied it... :D
 


Suddenly, the stone began to crumble, and fell away. Only, it didn't stop, but the black hole in the floor began to grow, the stone edges falling away at a quickening pace. "Bugger," said Athene softly, her breath hitching in her throat. It didn't look like it was going to stop. They had no choice but to jump down, or to fall.

Athene walked up to Bellatrix and snatched the wand from her hand with a snarl. "Well, I'm off. Have fun wallowing in self pity," she muttered, and closing her eyes, she jumped down into the growing darkness.<i></i>
 
"B1tch..." Bellatrix muttered following Athene. Then keeping stride with her friend she said, "And by the way, I was not the only one wallowing. I recall you begging me to help you, I could have just killed you then....but I didn't..."
 


Athene staggered to her feet (the drop had been pretty high, and she had landed on her knees.) She lit her wand with 'Lumos', ignoring the searing pain and trying not to think of the blood that would prbably stick to her robes when dry.

She had landed in what appeared to be a long, dark chamber. With the light from her wand, she couldn't see either end, and so took off in a random direction, ignoring Bella as she heard her drop down into the chamber too.

"At least I'm not so proud that I'd die than rather ask for help," Athene shot back as Bella caught up to her. "And 'begging' and 'wallowing' are NOT synonyms."<i></i>
 


"Then we're even!" Athene hissed, quickening her pace. She could see a set of stairs ahead, only, unfortunately, they appeared to lead down.

"I thought you wanted to stay there and die. Why're you following me?"<i></i>
 
Bellatrix kept easily in equal stride with her. "No, I was testing you. I wanted to see how truly loyal, and brave you were! Hell no I would never give up and roll over and die. And I am following you because you are my friend and I care about you..." she said letting her though trail off, shocked at what she had just said. Then in a soft tone she added. "Don't you see what your grandfather has done to us....we are fighting and bickering like a mudblood a Death Eater!"
 


"Bullshit," was all Athene said, before grinding her teeth together. It wasn't like her to be proud, but she wasn't going to be manipulated by someone she thought was her friend. She stepped in front of Bellatrix and descended the narrow stairs silently. <i></i>
 


When they reached level ground again, they were in some sort of hall. Statues, mostly broken and weathered down, lined the walls, and a huge stone table stood in the middle, running nearly the entire length of the chamber.

Athene stepped up to a statue, and held up her wand, but jumped back with a gasp of fright. A giant black snake was coiled around it, it's red eyes reflecting the wand light. It hissed in anger, bearing long, yellow fangs.

Breathing hard, Athene stepped away. Something moved under her foot, and she stumbled over. She heard the 'crack' of her heeled shoes, and swore loudly. Taking them off, she left them on the ground next to the half squashed spider. The stone was damp under her bare feet.

She looked at Bella for just a fraction of a second before proceeding around the table, using her wand to scan the area. There were many snakes, all black, most of them sleeping, and they made Athene feel a little more comfortable. A little less alone.

She approached the closest one, which was coiled on the floor, and ducked down next to it.

"Hello?" she asked cautiously in Parseltongue. The snake lifted it's head warily and regarded her.

"Perthro," it hissed back, lifting it's neck so that it's eyes were out of the wand light. "It's been a while since your kind have been down here."

"It appears so," said Athene, relieved that the snake didn't sound hostile. "Can you help us? We're lost." A few other snakes had gathered around her, curious. They all varied in size, but the one she spoke to now was the largest. It was unusual to find so many snakes together, Athene observed. They were usualy solitary creatures.

"It depends," the big snake said. "Where are you trying to get to?"

"Anywhere that leads out?" Athene suggested, hoping like hell that it wouldn't offend the snake, but thankfully, it nodded.

"Humans were not made to live underground." It looked at Bellatrix. "She cannot speak the tongue?" it asked.

"No," Athene replied, biting her bottom lip.

"Then why should we help her?"

"Because... she's my friend." Athene spoke through clenched teeth. Was Bella still her friend?

"Fine," said the snake. "Nessa will take you where you want to go." And with that, he closed his eyes and sunk back down into his coiled body. Another smaller snake came forward.

"Follow me," Nessa said.

Athene couldn't help grinning at Bella as she stood up, but the grin was gone nearly as soon as it was there, and she looked away.

"We're going to follow the snake," she said.<i></i>
 
Bellatrix walked into the room, showing no sign of fear of the snakes. Though she watched curiously as once more Athene used the skill she did not have. After teh long conversation she noticed many of the snakes watched her. Do they know something? she thought. Then once Athene spoke to her, she caught the quick grin but obediently followed her friend and the snake.
 
(I might not be on tomorrow, and as tomorrow is the last day for Home for the Holidays RPs, can we try and get this finished? PM me if the godmoding is too much though, and I'll change it :) )

Athene and Bella followed the small snake through countless passageways and chambers. Sometimes Nessa would vanish out of the wand light, and Athene would panic, thinking that they had been abandoned, but the snake always returned, usually to inform them that they would be taking a new passageway.

Athene hadn't really had the chance to talk to snakes much at Hogwarts. Her own, Artemis, was just a baby, and so wasn't much of a conversationalist. She and Nessa talked a lot as they walked, and Athene began to forget that Bella was even there.

After a few hours, they came across a huge pool, lined with what looked like marble beneath the grime. Athene's wand light couldn't reach the other side. As she drew the light up, she realized that, if you took away the moss and weathered walls, it looked a little like an old bath house. Only, underground.

"Did people actually used to live down here?" Athene asked Nessa in awe, wondering why anyone would want to live underground.

"Oh, yes," Nessa replied with a hiss. "But it was hundreds of years before my time. Story has it that this used to be the home of an old group of Wizarding Dark Lords, long before the Perthro's ever owned the estate. None of them spoke the tongue like you, though."

"What happened to them?" Athene asked.

"They died," said Nessa simply.

"Oh." Athene looked at the water. It was black, and she couldn't see the bottom. She was hoping like hell that they wouldn't have to swim. But, as if Nessa had read her mind, the snake began to sliver up to the very small gap between the wall and the pool. There was less than a foot of space, seperated by moss covered tiles. Athene gulped.

"The Creature lives in there," said Nessa. "You do not want to fall in." Athene nodded, and stepped gingerly onto the tiles and began to walk, hoping that Bella was behind her. She didn't know what kind of creature The Creature was, but her imagine freely made many horrible suggestions.

It took them about half an hour, but they crossed without incident. Athene now envied Bella and her leather boots. Her own feet were numb with cold, but would otherwise be raw from all the chipped marble.

At the other end, they met a big stone door. At least, Athene thought it was supposed to be a door. It was in what looked like a door frame, but was just a giant slab of stone, about twelve feet high. It was huge, and had no handle.

"How are we ever going to get through that!" she exclaimed in English, her face falling. The snake looked up at her quizzically, and Athene repeated the question in Parseltongue.

Nessa laughed. Or at least, Athene thought it was a laugh. A little like a hissed chuckle. "It's an illusion," she said. "It's meant simply to dishearten. You can step right through it. There were once other wards against unwanted visitors, but the magic has since died."

Athene raised an eyebrow, but tentatively stepped up to the 'door'. Like platform 9 3/4? she thought, biting her lip. She closed her eyes, and took another step. When she opened them, she was in another room. It looked like an entrance hall, not unlike hers back at the manor. There was a set of stairs, now fallen down, which would make them imposisble to climb, and three ornate Entrance Doors at the other end.

"Where now?" Athene asked Nessa, as she and Bella followed through. She still didn't feel like talking to Bella. The snake smiled, or was it a smile? She thought it was meant to be.

"We're here," said Nessa. "See those doors?" she nodded towards three doors. "You have to pick one. I can go no further. Only humans can cross the midway point of this room, so while I don't know where the other two doors lead, I know that one leads out. I must leave now." Athene nodded, but her stomach was tightening. They had to guess?

"Thank you," she whispered as the snake slithered away, back through the stone.

"So, Bella," she said, turning to her friend. She gulped. As much as she was angry with Bella right now, she didn't want to leave her in the dark. "We have to pick one of the three doors." She bit her lip harder. "Which one?"

<i></i>
 
Bellatrix obviously followed through all of this keeping sure footing. She then stopped when Athene did so. Not looking at her friend but straight forward, in a confident tone she said harshly, "The left one."

ooc: Thats fine. :D
 


Athene gave Bella a hopeless look, but shrugged. "Whatever," she said, walking across the room. She was nearly expecting something to jump out and stop her, despite what Nessa had said.

How could Bella be so sure of herself without any proof? Athene knew that it shouldn't anger her, but it did. What made Bella think she was so right? She nearly kicked the left door as she stepped up to it.

"I hope your right," she muttered, before taking a deep breath and reaching out to open the door. As it swung inwards, she screamed.

A Thestral stepped out, it's black and scaly skin glistening in the wand light. Athene stepped back, her wand shaking. Another Thestral stepped out, and then another. They paid her little attention, but Athene was terrified.

She had never seen someone die. She had seen her sister fall, but not actually die. She hadn't even seen Loki murder. Which could only mean one thing. Tears fell from her eyes, but she didn't draw her wand from the horse like creatures that were still walking through the door. By now there was nearly a dozen.

"Oh my God, Bella," she whispered insanely. "Are you dead?"



</COLOR><COLOR color="green">((OoC: They're Boggarts, by the way.))
 
Bellatrix stood there, always had been able to see a Thestral, thus this wasin't new to her. She didn't know why Athene had asked such a strange question, she as taken off guard. "W-What...?" she softly said her voice cracking.
 
((Athene hasn't studied Boggarts in class yet, so Bella is going to have to be the one to realize that they're not really Thestrals.))

Athene panicked and fell to her knees. "You must be dead. You must be!" she wailed. How did it happen? Had she fallen in the lake, and come back a ghost? Athene rocked, putting her face in her hands. Sure, she and Bella were arguing, but she didn't want her dead!

For a good minute or so she sat there, unable to organize her emotions. However, as Bella spoke, Athene looked up again. Bella was standing next to her, only just visible in the dim light. And yet, she was solid. Ghosts were not solid.

"But, if you're not dead... who is?" she trailed off with a hiccup.<i></i>
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top