Shrieking Shack
After dealing those crazy brothers Erik headed back through the Shrieking Shack to Hogwarts it was getting late and he needed to make curfew. He managed to make it the Commons room and go to bed just before lights out.
The rest of the week quickly passed and Erik used his clones to repair and clean up the shack even heading into town to but new furniture.
It was Saturday morning and everyone was in the Great hall eating breakfast.
"So are you going to teach us today" Hermione asked while looking over her text books?
Erik nodded "Yes I'll keep my promise."
"I don't want to waste my weekend learning, don't we do that enough in school" Ron complained
"Trust me, it definitely won't be boring I even found us a secret base."
"A base" Harry seemed intrested
"Yeah, somewhere we can go to avoid other people."
"Where is it" Hermione was curious too?
"I won't tell you yet but, I'll take everyone there after we finish eating."
"If it's such a good place how could you have it so soon after we started school" Ron asked?
"I'm good at finding things I've found at least two other places we could use but, this one is the best" Erik explained.
"So what exactly will you be teaching us" Harry asked?
"You can think of it a special type of magic that only I know."
"Let's hurry up and eat then I'm excited."
After they finnished eating Erik led them outside and to the back of the castle into an area that was technically off limits.
"What is that" Harry and Ron shouted at the same time seeing the Whomping Willow?
"It's the Whomping Willow a rare type of magical plant. It is one of the last of it's kind and was moved to Hogwarts to be protected in 1971." Hermione turned to Erik "why did you bring us here?"
"Because there is a secret passage under the tree's roots" Erik smiled.
"What that's ridiculous we'd be killed before we ever got close!"
"What do you mean" Ron asked confused?
"It's not called the ''Whomping'' Willow for nothing watch this." she bent down and picked up a small rock and threw it at the tree.
Her throw wasn't strong enough to reach the tree that was far from them but, it landed against a nearby boulder and cracked into pieces. The Willow awakened by the sound shook it's leaves violently shook almost sounding like a rattle snake before slamming it's branches to the ground trying to kill whatever made the sound. The boulder was smashed into dust by the tree's immense weight.
Seeing that Ron and Harry went pale.
"I'm not going near that thing!" Harry backed away ready to run
"Bloody hell, this school is dangerous first a giant dog and now this. I'm starting to think I should be home schooled" Ron fell back onto his butt and stared at the tree in fear.
"See nothing gets near it" Hermione glared at Erik.
"Not necessarily, look over there do you see the small knot in the tree" Erik pointed at the base of the Willow?
They all looked at where he was pointing and could barely make out a small bump on the tree.
"So, what does that have to do with anything" Hermione humpfed?
"That knot is the tree's weak spot if you hit it the tree will be paralyzed" Erik explained
"How are we supposed to get close enough to hit it? You saw what that tree can do we'd never make it" Harry shook his head.
"Even though it looks dangerous the tree actually has really slow reactions as long as you are quiet and fast enough there is no problem getting close."
"You go ahead and try you'd look great as a pancake" Ron mocked!
"It's still too dangerous" Harry warned him.
Harry's right Erik it's not worth it. How about we just go to the library or the commons room and you can teach us there" Hermione tried to convince him.
"If you all really think it's too dangerous to get close to it there is another way."
"Really? What?" Hermione asked unconvinced
"Watch this" Erik picked up another rock off the ground and lobbed it at the tree. It sailed threw the air faster than they could see and landed right on the Whomping Willow's knot. The tree violently shook and looked like it wanted to attack but, was unable to controll its body.
Everyone gasped at Eriks throw.
"Wow" Harry praised him!
"You definitely need to join the Quiditch team. With you and Harry we'd sweep through all the other teams" Ron jumped around excited.
"Sorry, Ron but, Quiditch isn't really my thing" Erik shrugged shooting his idea down.
"So that's how you knocked Draco off his broom" Hermione muttered to herself.
"Wait, wait, wait, what did you just say! Erik was the one who knocked Malfoy on his fat arse" Ron exlaimed!
"Did you really make him fall" Harry asked with a complicated look?
"I couldn't help it he needed to be taken down a notch. Besides it isn't my fault he wasn't holding on tight enough."
"Haha, wicked serves him right" Ron almost fell to the ground laughing!
"Anyway now we can go over" Erik walked within the tree's smashing range freaking out the group "See completely safe now so what are you guy's waiting for come on."
They were still scared but, their curiosity eventually won out and they approached the tree.
"So where is this secret passage" Harry tenatively walked over "I don't really like being out in the open like this."
"It's over here under the roots" Erik led the way.
He took out his flashlight and showed them the entrance.
Hermione headed in first an examined the cave "This place can't be natural the Whomping Willow was only put here a couple decades ago and these wall are too smooth. It's definitely man made."
"Good eye, If I had to guess I would say Dumbledore built this after all he was the one who brought the willow here" Erik praised her.
"But, why would Dumbledore build a tunnel here and where does it lead" Harry asked?
"This tunnel leads to a house in Hogsmeade village and as for the why I don't know for sure but, I have a few ideas."
"Wait did you say Hogsmead! That's miles from here I'm not walking that far" Ron loudly complained.
"Relax Ron we don't need to walk that far. There is some kind of spell placed on this tunnel that shortens the distance, look we're already here" Erik shone his flashlight ahead at the ladder.
"Impossible we can't be at Hogsmeade yet like Ron said it's miles from here. Besides magic like that is impossible" Hermione couldn't believe it.
"Really? and do you really think that your qualified to say for sure what Dumbledore is and isn't capable of" Erik questioned her?
"I . . ." Hermione couldn't find any words to say because she knew Erik was right. She and Dumbledore were on completely different levels.
Erik went up first followed by Harry and Ron while Hermione lagged behind a little depressed about being wrong. Everyone was suprised it really was a house and a nice one at that.
"Wow, this is a nice house" Ron looked around admiring it " . . . we didn't break into someone's house did we?"
"No one lives here, the first time I came the place was a complete mess I spent the last couple evening cleaning the place up" Erik assured him.
"Ok, good the last thing we need is to get arrested for breaking and entering" Ron sighed in relief.
As they were talking Harry was already walking around and exploring "How come there aren't any doors or window's" he asked?
"So the monster wouldn't escape" Erik nonchalantly replied.
"Wait, no doors or Windows and in Hogsmeade village a-are we on the Shrieking Shack" Ron stuttered in fear ready to escape at any moment.
"Yep, this is the Shrieking Shack. Good job on figuring it out so quickly" Erik clapped.
"The Shrieking Shack" Hermione asked looking towards Erik as Ron was still having a panic attack.
"You've never heard of the Shrieking Shack it's only the most terrifying place within a thousand miles. It just appeared one day 20 years ago with no entrances and completely indestructable. And on the night of a full moon terrifying screams come out from this place. It's one of the most haunted places in the country how can you have never heard of it?"
"I don't pay attention to that kind of nonsense" Hermione shrugged completely ignoring Ron's fear.
"You say that like we don't see ghosts every single day" Harry looked around anxiously waiting for a monster to jump out at him.
"Thats a fair point" Hermione agreed "but, your right we do see ghosts everyday so what's there to be afraid of?"
"Not all ghosts are nice and I never said it was a ghost. There are plenty of other terrifying monsters in the world?"
"Like what" Harry asked?
"Like werewolves for example" Ron pointed at the deep gashes covering the walls and floor.
"There's no ghosts or any werewolves either . . . well at least not anymore" Erik tried to calm them down.
"So your saying there really was a werewolf here" Hermione was suprised
"A very long time ago" Erik acknowleged
"How can you be sure it won't come back" Run shuddered just think what would happen.
"They won't come back because they already graduated" Erik explained.
"Wait, are you saying that someone at Hogwarts was a werewolf" Hermione asked
"Think about it, it makes sense. A student became a werewolf in somekind of accident and Dumbledore trying to help keep it a secret built this place for him to hide during the full moon."
"That actually does make sense. It would explain the sounds that appear during the full moon and why the building is indestructable Dumbledore cast a spell on it so the werewolf couldn't escape."
"And so no one could get in" Harry added.
"Exactly."
"I wonder who they were" Hermione asked while running her fingers along one of the slash marks. "I've read about werewolves they're not monsters it's just a terrible disease. They lose control of their minds and everyone avoids them, they might hurt their friends and family by accident and are forced to be monitored by the Ministry."
"Sounds horrible" Harry shuddered thinking about what being a werewolf was like.
There was a moment of silence where everyone felt pity for whoever was forced to stay here and even Ron calmed himself down and mourned for the werewolf.
"That's enough of that depressing stuff" Erik tried to cheer them up "I found a way out and went to town to buy some snacks for us." he opened up a cabnet revealing a stack of food he bought from Honeydukes.
"Awesome" Ron ran up completely forgetting he was terrified only a moment ago and dug into the food.
"We just had breakfast it's not healthy to eat all that junk" Hermione scolded Erik.
"Oh relax we're kids why not live a little" Erik blew her off.
"Erik's right Hermione you need to . . . learn t- . . . relax your not an . . . old lady yet" Ron spoke while shoving a candy bar into his mouth.
"Disgusting" Hermione spat "don't talk with your mouth full."
"Well I guess we should get started then" Erik interupted " are you guys ready to learn something even cooler than magic?"