Chapter 7 Solving the Puzzle
“It’s a Kappa!” Hermione gasped as she looked at the creature. Her mind reeled with worse case scenarios as she stared at the creature with horror. She looked to Harry, whose face was expressionless. It seemed to Hermione that he had anticipated expected the creature to be there. She knew there was something that he was not telling her, but she could not figure out what it was.
“A what?” Ron questioned blankly.
“It’s a Kappa,” Harry repeated.
“Oh, right, that strange creature that if you feed it a cumber with the persons name carved into it, then the creature won’t hurt you,” Ron answered with a smile. “I think that’s the only fact I remember about it cause it seemed so absurd.”
“Not, to be rude Ron, but we don’t have any cumbers,” Hermione pointed out. Ron shrugged but was stopped mid-shrug.
As Ron was shrugging, the Kappa had climbed up Ron and started biting his already open bleeding shoulder. Ron cried out in pain and fell to the sandy ground. Standing up again, he wiggled his shoulder trying to knock the Kappa off balance and at the same time desperately swing his arms at his shoulder. The Kappa was much more nimble than expected and dodged the oncoming attacks.
Hermione watched distraughtly, as the strange creature with a strange head that looked as though someone had shoved a bowl under its skin over its skull. Looking over her shoulder, Hermione looked to Harry, who was making his way towards them.
“Hermione, how do we defeat it?” Harry called as he came running towards her. He knew that she would have the answer to save them again.
“Give me a second it will come to me,” Hermione replied her face contorted with a mix of worry and deep thought. Her mind racing through the words and passages that she could remember from the books that she had read. With all the stress she was drawling a blank. She kept telling herself to calm down, yet it didn’t work as she saw Ron’s face contorted with pain.
Ron twisted and writhed with pain as he struggled to pull the Kappa's teeth that once again embedded itself into his shoulder. The Kappa did not loosen its grip. Ron face turned to horror as he felt the strangest thing. It was as if the blood was rushing out of him. “It’s drinking my blood!” Ron cried out, his face slowly going pale. With renewed strength from his sudden anger, Ron awkwardly pried open the Kappa’s jaws and threw it on the ground.
The Kappa landed on its butt and a little bit of water trickled down its forehead. Hermione watched the water fall as if it was in slow motion. As the drop of water hit the ground it dawned on her what to do.
“Ron, trick the Kappa into bowing. Remember the Kappa have water in their head. The water will run out of the hollow in its head and remove all its strength,” Hermione yelled to him with urgency and excitement that she remember and could help him.
Ron looked at the Kappa before him. He was sure that Hermione had lost it. Ron could not think why it would lose all its strength if its water was poured out. He thought to himself that at least he had nothing to lose. Hesitantly he bowed with his head slightly up, enough to still see the Kappa in case the creature attacked him again.
Ignoring Ron’s gesture the Kappa once again latched itself onto Ron’s shoulder, slipping through Ron’s defenses. Ron cried out in pain and angrily yelled, “Good advice Hermione.” He danced around waving his arms trying to get the creature away from him . Hermione blushed and then looked to Harry.
“Do something Harry!” Hermione begged. Ron staggered about again almost falling into one of the pools of water.
Harry stood there with his wand pulled, waiting until the Kappa was not on Ron. He didn’t know what else to do. Harry knew the Kappa had been coming, but hoped that even now his dream was wrong. He smarted as he remembered what lie ahead for them all if the dream was true.
Once again, Ron pulled the Kappa’s jaws off his shoulders and threw it away from him to the ground, headfirst. In midair the Kappa flipped up and again landed on its butt with only a few more trickles of water down its forehead. Except this time the Fire Crab was right next to it, and in fear the Fire Crab turned around and shot out a large stream of fire. The Kappa jumped as soon as the fire touched it. A bit of its tail was singed as it quickly made its way back into the pool and went underneath the water.
Harry angrily shoved his wand into his pocket. He didn’t have enough time throw a spell at the creature. But then an idea came to him. He joined Ron next to the pool of water.
“I was hoping that Fire Crab would have killed it,” Ron bitterly answered. He looked at the pool of water waiting for the Kappa to return. Ron gently touched his shoulder that was bleeding again. He tried to tie the loose shredded bandages together, but was unsuccessful.
“Here, let me do it,” Hermione said as she moved forward and began trying to tighten the bandages. She felt guilty that her plan hadn’t work. Hermione realized that knowledge isn’t something that can always be relied upon.
“Well it’s gone now, nothing we can do, but I’d feel better if it was stunned,” Harry grumbled a bit frustrated. He came and stood next to Ron looking down the endless abyss of water.
“Come on let’s get out of here,” Hermione prompted finishing with Ron’s bandages. Her eyes darted nervously around the strange land they were in. She didn’t want to be anywhere near that Kappa, yet she could not think of a place to go or to hide. She also worried that there might be more than one Kappa, especially with all the millions of water holes around them.
“Where do we go?” Harry asked as though repeating Hermione’s own thoughts. His eyes distrustfully watching the water.
“Anywhere but here,” Hermione replied apprehensively.
The Kappa jumped out of the water at Ron. Hermione screamed, and Ron staggered backwards. This time Harry was ready. He leaped forward and caught the Kappa in midair. The Kappa felt slippery in his grasp and though it tried to escape, Harry tightened his grip. In one swift move, Harry turned the Kappa upside down. Water began to pour of the top of the Kappa’s head. With each bit of water gone from the Kappa’s head, the less struggling Harry had to fight against. Finally the Kappa lay motionless in his hands.
“Is it dead?” Ron asked with eyes wide. He was worried it might still be alive, waiting to jump out of Harry’s hands and back on his shoulder. Harry nodded his head at Ron.
“No, just powerless,” Hermione answered. Then she instructed Harry, “Don’t put it in the water, just leave it in the sand. We don't want to it to regain its strength.”
“I know Hermione,” Harry responded and then seeing the hurt look on her face added, “thank you though.”
“So with that solved where do we go?” Ron hopelessly looked around. He wasn’t particularly fond of this place. So far he had been bitten by a Kappa and didn’t really want to stick around to find out if the Kappa had brothers or sisters.
“We could start traveling out a bit further,” Hermione suggested with a doubtful shrug.
“I’d rather not chance meeting another Kappa,” Harry returned, scanning the distance around them. Harry knew this place was a puzzle but he could remember the way out. Its simplicity was all that he could remember. And his own instincts told him something else. “Besides I think the exit is somewhere close around here,” Harry confided.
“Not a usual door then?” Ron ascertained with one eyebrow raised.
“What if…” Hermione began thoughtfully but stop short when nothing came to mind.
Harry then finished, “One of these pools of water will be out way out.”
“But which pool?” Hermione questioned her eyes skimming over the fast endless view of pools.
“How about the one the Kappa came out of?” Ron put forth with a look of “why not” on his face.
“It’s worth a try,” Harry shrugged. The idea rang a bell in Harry’s mind.
“What if there’s more Kappa’s in the pool?” Hermione wondered aloud. Ron was already badly hurt she didn’t want to see Harry the same way. They would never all make it out alive if they did be careful. And yet Hermione worried that if they didn’t hurry they would also die.
“They all would have come out by now,” Ron answered putting Hermione at ease.
“I’ll go first,” Harry bravely told them.
“How will we know if there is a door? Or come after you if you are hurt?” Hermione worriedly inquired. Harry shrugged again. Ron looked very dubiously at the pool of water.
“Good luck mate,” Ron told Harry skeptically.
Harry nodded and climbed into the water. It was warmer than he expected. The temperature was perfect. He took in a deep breath and then submerged himself under the water. Noises of water filled he ears, as he pushed himself deeper and deeper into the water. Harry knew this had to be the exit, there was no where else to go. He was going head first down the hole. His lungs began to burn as his pushed himself on further.
A light shone from a large hole in the bottom. Harry put his arms through it first. His hands felt space. He pushed his head through and breathed deeply as his nose met air. Harry looked around. His head was sticking out of a large pipe that ended into a room that had a door to one side. The water around Harry’s neck did not drip down. It was as though there was unseen barrier that stopped the water from falling. Harry smiled to himself he had found the way out. With another deep breath he returned to his friends.
When he emerged back in the strange paradise land, his two friends looked at him. “I found the way out. Come on follow me.” Harry told them with a grin.
Hermione nodded and started to get into the water. Harry again submerged himself and made his way down the pipe. Hermione was right behind him, and although he could not see Ron, Harry as sure that Ron was right behind Hermione.
Harry hung onto to the sides of the pipe and pulled himself out of the pipe. Flipping himself over he hung with his feet down and then fell to the ground that was only two feet from his dangling feet. He waited and then Hermione’s head popped out of the pipe. Hermione face was full of confusion.
“Here I’ll help you out,” Harry told her and then instructed her how to get out. As her feet hit the floor Ron’s head appeared.
“Bloody hell, this place is strange!” Ron exclaimed. And then pulled himself out the same way Harry had done. Once they all stood on the stone ground. They took in their surroundings.
It was a small room ten feet by ten feet and all the walls, ceiling, and floors made of stone. Two large torched were anchored to wall on either side of them and provided a bright light. The wooden door they had all become familiar with stood in the corner.
“I wonder where we are off to next.” Hermione thought aloud. She looked at Harry hoping to drag his hidden secret from him. Harry was lost deep in thought and didn’t seem to acknowledge her statement.
“Who knows,” Ron replied not noticing anything.
“I do,” Harry answered without thinking.
“Harry what are you talking about?” Hermione asked with curiosity.
Harry looked at his friends and sighed. He really didn’t want to tell them. He had worried about what they would have thought that held him back from explaining. Harry realized that they were all stuck here and the least he could do was give them the bad news that was coming. He knew that if it was him, he would have liked to know. Harry again looked at his friends. Their faces full of wonder. It was time to tell them.
“I’ve had the same dream for a week.”
“Like the one of the Department of Mysteries?” Ron asked interested.
“It could be from Voldermort again,” Hermione warned.
“This is why I thought nothing of it. The dream could be another trap. So I did nothing about it. Well…except for one thing, I warned Ginny to be careful. That could have triggered all of this and maybe not,” Harry sighed as he looked at his two friends.
“This isn’t your fault. You have to stop blaming yourself for what happened even with Sirius’s death. But don’t stop living because others die. Harry you have to move on,” Hermione compassionately tried to help.
“I know! While you two were off together this summer, I spent my days talking with Ginny. She helped me get over my grief and helped me not to blame myself,” Harry said.
Hermione quickly examined her feet and Ron’s face went as red as his hair.
“We didn’t mean to leave to out Mate,” Ron protested.
“I’m so sorry, we just got caught up and all,” Hermione replied embarrassedly.
“Don’t worry about it. Ginny and I became better friends,” Harry answered without malice. “Anyways, I warned Ginny and obviously it didn’t help.”
“Why didn’t you say anything to us?” Ron inquired and looked a bit hurt.
“Well, I didn’t think that it meant anything,” Harry answered not telling the whole truth again. Harry couldn’t even admit it to himself. How could he admit it to his friends? Harry became quiet with worry.
Hermione stood across from him. She knew that he was finally about to tell them what he had been holding back since the beginning, but now he had stopped. Hermione looked to Ron. She didn’t know how to prompt Harry.
“Will you tell us the dream?” Ron pried nervously. He only wanted to steer the conversation away from the happenings of summer.
“Tell us all the details, maybe it will help us get out of here sooner,” Hermione said hopefully.
“Okay, here’s my dream,” Harry began looking at his friends.
A/N I've tried to give it more "flesh" so to speak. I hope that it is better. Let me know how I am doing. Thanks for all the reviews and advice. ;)