"Richie," Potter stared at the weapon in horror, "are you suggesting that I shoot a Cerberus?"
"It's a veterinary pistol," Rich explained. "It uses darts loaded with an elephantine dose of tranquilizer."
"Phew!" Potter breathed a sigh of relief. "Do you think it'll work on Cerberus?"
"It works on an elephant, so it'll knock this dog down too," the young aristocrat shrugged. "Nowhere in the magical literature is it stated that sleeping pills don't work on Cerberuses."
A few seconds later, they stood before an open door. The sight of the open door reminded all three of what lay ahead. Waiting for them were the three enormous, grinning jaws of a gigantic three-headed dog, taller at the withers than any of the boys.
Harry turned first to Richard and then to Ron.
"Guys, I've been thinking," he said. "Why didn't we send soldiers in our place?"
"Because we were going to keep it a secret, Harry," Richie replied, unable to take his frightened gaze off the Cerberus. "Besides, they're not wizards."
"But do Muggles at Hogwarts and secrecy somehow go together?" Weasley asked logically.
"Something like that," Richie replied. "Don't ask me what it took to make a deal with the 'Muggles.' I had to spend the entire short Easter break and make some promises. Harry, what are we waiting for?"
- Oh, yes!
Potter came to his senses, raised his pistol, and took aim...
He expected to hear a loud gunshot, but instead, after pulling the trigger, there was a soft pop and hiss. A small dart had struck the Cerberus in the neck of its central head, which was not pleased by the sting. The dog growled loudly, but Richard's well-timed silencing charms allowed for privacy.
Ron huddled against the wall in fear.
"Um, guys, how long will it last?" he asked. "What if the chain gives out?"
"We'll have to wait a couple of minutes," Richie replied. "It's not poison, and we're not animal abusers. Although..." He glanced sideways at the owl.
"It's Malfoy's!" Ron snapped. "And anyway, you'll thank me for the owl when it saves our lives."
The growling grew quieter and gradually died down. The dog swayed and sank onto his belly, then fell onto his side. There was no doubt he was fast asleep.
The boys slowly moved toward the hatch guarded by the Cerberus. The hot, fetid breath escaping from its three mouths became increasingly noticeable.
"Guys, we need to get that dart," Richard said. "We can't leave any evidence."
"Want to do it yourself, Richie?" Ron asked.
"No, I didn't even think about it," Rich shook his head.
Richie and Harry turned almost simultaneously and looked at the Weasleys.
"Why am I the first choice?!" Weasley said indignantly. "I'm holding an owl!"
"Great excuse, Ron!" Richard said sarcastically, giving his friend a thumbs-up.
"I'll do it," Harry Potter boldly stepped towards the Cerberus.
"Harry, are you destined to use the Summoning Charm?" Richard asked.
"I don't know them," Harry answered honestly, pulling the dart out of the Cerberus's neck and quickly jumping to the side.
Richard leaned over the hatch and pulled the ring.
"What's there?" Ronald whispered excitedly.
Harry Potter also leaned over the hatch and answered first:
- It's dark as Hitler's ass! I don't see any stairs. I'll have to jump.
"Harry, I understand your head hurts, but not so much that you'll fall to your death in the first hole you come across," Richard remarked ironically. "Give me some light."
"Ah, yes, light," Potter slapped his forehead with his palm. He took out his wand: "Lumos!"
A bright light from the ball at the tip of Harry's wand illuminated the darkness below.
"What's there?" Weasley asked again.
"Some kind of fucking wriggling thing," Richard said, his eyes widening.
"Huh?" Weasley looked at him in confusion.
- I'm saying that some kind of plant tentacles started crawling around the corners as soon as Harry turned on the light.
"Richie, don't you know the name of this... um... herb?" Potter said. "You're a genius!"
"Oh, really?!" Richie exclaimed skeptically. "Well, maybe, but it's not proper for an aristocrat to be tinkering with the grass like some kind of gardener or farmer."
"You could have just said you didn't know!" Weasley snorted cheerfully.
"Let's jump," Potter said. "The grass looks thick and will soften our fall."
"Harry, are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Richie grabbed Harry's shoulder. "It's at least fifty meters. Why break bones when you can fly safely?"
Richie quickly pulled the glider out of his pocket, used a stick to bring it back to normal size, and stood on it.
- What are we waiting for? We're flying down!
Harry and Ron stood next to Richard on the glider. Their feet instantly became glued to the artifact's surface-the safety net that protects the flyer from falling activated. The glider slammed into the hatch at an angle, forcing the boys to lean heavily and duck.
The boys flew over the spreading green tentacles toward the single stone passage that led from here. All they could hear, besides their own breathing and the rustling of the grass, were drops of water falling from the walls.