xpect any differently, Malfoy.”

He drew his wand, then reached out with his left hand. He took a deep breath and grabbed the doorknob, wincing as he waited for something to happen. Nothing did, and both he and Malfoy let out a relieved breath. Biting down on his lower lip, he turned the handle and let the door swing open. A set of wooden stairs led down into yet more murky gloom, thicker and darker than anywhere else in the house. The wood was bent and cracked in places, and Harry wondered if it would be stable enough to take his weight. He mentally prepared a quick cushioning charm, just in case he fell through, and lifted his leg to take a step forward.

“Wait, Potter,” Malfoy said, gripping his arm as he looked down at the floor. Harry followed his gaze and saw two words etched into the wood of the doorway.

Brevem Conspectum

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t know,” Malfoy said, his nose wrinkling. “But I think if we step over it, we’re likely to find out.”

Harry glanced down into the yawning black once more, and gritted his teeth. The quicker they got down there, the quicker the suspense would be over.

“Here goes nothing,” he murmured, and then placed his foot firmly on the first step. Nothing happened. He gingerly placed all of his weight onto the step and brought his other foot down onto the next one. The wood creaked ominously beneath him, but he remained miraculously both upright and in one piece.

“Perhaps it really was just residual magic left over from a previous curse,” he heard Malfoy mutter to himself, and then he felt the gap between them close as Malfoy stepped over the threshold behind him. It was about six steps down when it started to happen. The darkness seemed to creep up towards them, enveloping them both despite the lumos that had lit both of their wands. The air was cold around them, and Harry started to feel dizzy. His footsteps faltered beneath him as he took another step down.

“Potter, are you alright?” Harry faintly heard Malfoy ask.

Harry’s knees shook and he felt suddenly very light-headed, and he tried to grab onto the banister to hold himself up. He stumbled back into Malfoy, and the wood beneath his hands gave way at the same time. Harry tried to regain his balance, but he was dizzy and sick and Malfoy was tripping over him. Their legs tangled together as the stairs seemed to disappear, and Harry grabbed on tight to Malfoy as they fell down, down, down…

The first thing Harry became aware of was the sunlight streaming directly into his face. He groaned and shifted, burying his nose into the warmth next to him to shield himself. His head was pounding and his entire body felt as though he’d been kicked down a flight of stairs. He stretched his legs and whimpered slightly at the ache in his lower back. He snuggled further into the warm pillow while he waited; no doubt a healer would being along in a few minutes to administer a blessed pain potion. And then the pillow beneath him spoke.

“Don’t even think about it, Harry

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