Chapter 98 - Flying Keys
We walked deeper into the underground chamber with Lumos still shining from our wands. The soft white light was enough to light up the surroundings and show us the path ahead.
The stone passage was quiet when we started. But then after a few moments, we could hear a strange buzzing sound.
Buzz... buzz... flutter...
It sounded like hundreds of tiny wings beating together. The sound grew louder with every step we took forward.
Soon we reached another large doorway. As we stepped through it, the room opened before us.
We saw hundreds of winged keys flying all around the chamber. They moved in circles, diving and climbing like a flock of small birds.
On one side of the room we found a couple old broomsticks leaning against the wall.
Harry looked around in wonder and amazement. Hermione was looking at the flying keys while Ron just scratched his head in confusion.
I smiled to myself as I thought about this chamber. This challenge had clearly been made by Professor Flitwick. And it was also clearly meant for a Seeker.
I could easily catch the key myself as my flying was great too, but this was Harry's chance to feel included. He deserved to solve at least some of these challenges himself.
I looked at the three of them and asked, "So, what do you think this challenge is?"
The three gathered together and whispered for a few moments.
Finally Hermione looked up.
"I think it's simple. There must be one key that opens the next door and we have to fly up and catch it."
I nodded in agreement.
"Okay. And have you identified which key it is?"
The three carefully watched the flying swarm again. After nearly a minute, all three pointed together.
"That one!"
I followed their fingers and there it was.
One key was slightly larger than the others. It was old and rusty. One of its wings was also bent, making it fly a little unevenly. It looked exactly like a key that had already been used once.
I smiled.
"Very good. You seem to have found the correct one. So, who is gonna go get it?"
Harry grinned, "I'll get it."
"Go ahead, my youngest seeker."
Harry picked up one of the broomsticks, mounted it and kicked off from the ground.
The old broom rose steadily into the air.
The moment Harry entered the swarm, the flying keys noticed him. Instead of moving away, dozens of them rushed toward him. They bumped against his arms and shoulders and some even pecked at him with their sharp metal noses.
"Ow!"
Harry raised one hand to protect his face.
"They're angry! They're protecting the right key," Hermione called.
Harry nodded and pushed the broom faster. He weaved between the flying keys like he was playing Quidditch.
Ron watched nervously from below.
"Come on, Harry! You've got it!"
The rusty key tried to escape into the middle of the swarm.
Harry leaned forward and the broom shot ahead. He stretched out one hand and his fingers closed around the old key.
"Got it!"
The moment he held the right key, the entire swarm suddenly went wild. Every flying key turned toward Harry at once and attacked together. Hundreds of little metal keys chased him through the room.
Hermione and Ron were horrified and they screamed.
"Harry!"
"Throw the key!"
Harry understood, aimed carefully and tossed the rusty key downward. Ron caught it with both hands.
"I've got it!"
He and Hermione hurried to the locked door.
"Hurry!"
Ron pushed the key into the lock. It fit perfectly. With a loud click, the lock opened.
Meanwhile, Harry was still being chased through the air. Keys flew around him from every direction.
I raised my wand calmly.
"Immobulus."
A wave of magic spread through the room. Instantly, every flying key stopped moving. They froze exactly where they were.
Some remained upside down, some halfway through a turn and a few stopped only inches away from Harry's face. The room suddenly became completely silent.
Harry slowly landed on the floor and looked around in surprise.
Ron blinked in surprise while Hermione stared at me with awe on her face.
I tapped the side of my head.
"Use this. You are witches and wizards and have magic. There were many ways to solve this."
The three looked confused. Harry scratched his head.
"There were?"
"Of course. You could have used a Levitation Charm, or a Summoning Charm, or Slowing Charm, a spell to slow the key. These keys aren't protected against every spell ever created. They were simply enchanted to fly."
The three looked at each other. Slowly, their faces turned red.
Hermione sighed, "I didn't even think of using magic."
Ron groaned, "We're really not very good at this."
Harry laughed awkwardly in agreement, "I suppose not."
I smiled and decided to not discourage them.
"Don't be too hard on yourselves. You still identified the correct key. That was the difficult part. And your teamwork was really good."
I gave them a thumbs-up.
"Well done."
The three smiled in relief. This time they still looked embarrassed, but they were also happy that I appreciated them.
"Thanks," Harry said quietly.
Hermione nodded with a small smile.
Ron looked especially pleased. It was probably the first time I had praised all three of them together.
Harry placed the old broom back where he had found it.
The heavy door in front of us slowly creaked open. Beyond it waited the next challenge.
I looked at the three of them.
"Ready?"
They nodded together.
We again casted Lumos and with our shining wands we stepped through the doorway and continued deeper into the chambers.
As we entered another large chamber, we found ourselves amongst a large number of weird, tall objects.
Hermione and Harry were confused as to what were these thing. But I saw a look of realisation on Ron's face as his eyes seemed to radiate confidence.
She asked, "What are these?"
Ron answered, "This is a chessboard, probably a Magical Chessboard. Its just that they are a little too large."
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End of Chapter 98 - Flying Keys