Name: Air Elemental
House: Gryffindor
Challenge: Quarterly challenge, History and Mythology.
Chapter Four: In which the first challenge is completed
The Burrow seemed anxiously silent that night. Mrs Weasley sat on the sofa, shaking fearfully. Mr Weasley sat beside her, his arm around her shoulders. Sitting on the ground beside the fireplace was Ron. His face was gaunt. Hermione sat opposite him, trying to read a book but kept turning back to the previous page in confusion, unable to concentrate. Harry just lent against the sofa, unsure what to do. The living room seemed empty without Ginny, Fred and George.
Harry remembered Mrs Weasley’s reaction to Fred and George’s note. She seemed relaxed at first, but when Dumbledore arrived and explained where Fred and George had gone, she lost her hold on her emotion.
“They’re only sixteen and they’ve gone to find Loki!” she had wailed into Mr Weasley’s arms. “Doesn’t Dumbledore realise how dangerous he is and how young my boys are?”
“Now, now, Molly,” Mr Weasley had said. “If Dumbledore thinks they can do it, well…”
Harry snapped out of his thoughts. The fireplace flared up and George’s head appeared in the flames.
Mrs Weasley shrieked in delight, “George! You’re alive! Is Fred with you?”
“Uh… yeah, Mum. He’s fine,” George replied, deciding against telling her that Fred was now a goat. “I need to speak to Harry, Ron and Hermione. Alone.”
Mrs Weasley made a gesture as though to disagree, but Mr Weasley ushered her away. When the door shut, George breathed a sigh of relief.
“Great, now listen you three, this is very important.”
George told them all about his meeting with Loki and the agreement they came to. The trio listened in mixed horror and excitement.
“So basically,” said Hermione, after George had finished, “we have to complete these tasks in order to save Ginny and Fred and you.”
“You three do, yes,” said George. “Fred and I chose you and Neville.”
“Neville?” Ron and Harry cried out simultaneously.
“Yes, Neville,” George smiled. “Well, it was either him or Draco Malfoy, but if you prefer…”
“No!” said Harry, Ron and Hermione together.
“Thought not,” said George, “anyway, you have to collect your wands, pack some clothes and food and go via Floo to Hogsmeade. Any fireplace will do. Then head towards the house with the pink roof, there will be a man who can give you the first challenge.”
“And Neville?” queried Hermione.
“He’s on his way now.”
A goat noise could be just audible in the background.
“Fred wishes you good luck,” George laughed, seeing the look of confusion on their faces. “I forgot to tell you, Fred’s been turned into a goat.”
“Fred’s a WHAT?” exclaimed Ron, but George’s head had disappeared.
"He didn't give us much choice in the matter, did he?" muttered Harry.
“Trust Fred to be turned into a goat,” groaned Ron, as he got up and stretched. “Mum’s gonna go mental when she finds out!”
*****
It was late at night when the trio of friends stepped out of The Three Broomsticks pub. The clouds overcast the stars like a menacing blanket. Only the moon was visible, a dull orb lighting up the treetops. There was no sound.
“Just as well Madam Rosmerta was asleep,” sighed Hermione, “I don’t think she’d be pleased about us barging in like that.”
“How was I to know we’d landed in the bathroom fireplace?” complained Ron. “Why would someone have a fireplace in their bathroom?”
“You have,” Hermione retorted.
“I…” Ron’s ears went pink, “how do you know about that?”
Harry’s eyes searched the horizon. It was hard to see in the darkness, but he could just make out a pink roof several yards ahead. He smiled.
“Look, over there,” he whispered, pointing to the pink roof. Ron and Hermione stopped bickering.
“Great,” said Ron, whisking out his wand enthusiastically. “Lumos!”
With Ron leading the way, they began walking towards the house. Harry started to wonder what kind of tasks Loki had in store for them. Would it be like the challenges guarding the philosopher’s stone?
He felt gentle droplets of water hit his forehead. It was starting to drizzle.
It took them no less than three minutes to arrive outside the house. As they arrived outside the gate, splattering footstep ran down the street and Neville collided with Hermione.
“Ouch!”
“Oh, sorry Hermione,” he was panting. “Sorry I’m late. Gran nearly didn’t let me go.”
“Well, you’re here now, so let’s go inside,” Hermione unlatched the gate and began walking down the path. She only got halfway towards the door when a large, bulky man flung the door open. Snarling loudly, he began running towards Hermione. She leapt aside just in time, narrowly avoiding the man’s hairy arms.
“Calm down!” she yelled, backing away. “We’ve come to see you.”
The man gargled something and lunged at Hermione again, but he missed and fell to the ground. He didn’t get up.
“What the…?” Ron started to ask, but never finished. A loud crack of thunder echoed above them. The rain began falling.
“Help me drag the man inside,” said Harry, looping his arm around the man’s large waist. His arm strained. The man was very heavy, but with the help of Ron, Hermione and Neville, they managed to drag him as far as the hallway. Neville shut the door behind them.
The hallway was painted bright fuchsia, making the saviours feel calm. The carpet was a soft purple with white spots and a crimson rug lay at the foot of the staircase. The hallway was long and thin, with mirrors on either side giving the illusion of a larger room. There were three doors either side. All of which were made of oak and had a Norse rune carved onto it. A grandfather clock made a homely tick, and the smell of roses was in the air. It made Harry feel relaxed and sleepy.
“Nice place,” commented Ron, inspecting the carpet. Neville nodded in agreement.
The man that had attacked Hermione was still unconscious. His breathing was heavy and he was drooling.
“Is he drunk?” asked Neville nervously.
“He’s drunk something,” whispered Hermione, “but I don’t think its alcohol.”
“A potion gone wrong?” guessed Harry.
Hermione shrugged, “I’m not sure.”
“C’mon!” urged Neville. “We must get going. We need to free Ginny.”
Ron nodded and turned to one of the oak doors, “What do these runes say anyway?”
A grin spread over Hermione’s face. She was the only one out of the four that took Ancient Runes as a lesson.
“This one,” she pointed to the door Ron was staring at, “means fire.”
“Good, what do the others mean?” asked Neville excitedly.
“That means water,” Hermione nodded to the rune on the next door, “and this door over here,” she walked towards it, “means air.”
“Fire, water and air,” Harry repeated to himself. “What are they suppose to mean?”
“I… I think,” whispered Hermione, “we’re supposed to choose one.”
“Which one?” asked Neville, looking fearfully at the ‘fire’ door.
“I reckon sleepy here was meant to tell us,” muttered Ron, poking his shoe at the man on the floor.
“That madman? Loki’s got a strange sense of humour,” said Harry, clinically.
“No,” said Hermione, thoughtfully, “I think someone’s got to him.”
They were silent for a while, looking nervously at each other.
“Who?” asked Harry.
“Someone who wants to stop us,” whispered Hermione anxiously. “We’d better go now!”
“Well, pick one! Pick a door!” cried Ron, pacing up and down between the doors.
“Um…”
“Water!” yelled Neville.
“OK,” Harry took hold of the doorknob and turned it.
The instant the door opened, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville were pulled through the door by an invisible force. All four of them screamed as the fuchsia hallway whizzed out of sight and a dark, black blob came hurtling towards them. Harry closed his eyes as it engulfed them, and they fell.
*****
When Harry opened his eyes, he was lying in mud: horrible, brown, sludgy mud. Thunder rumbled nearby, or at least it sounded like thunder.
Rolling over, he saw the widest river he’d ever seen, which was flowing rapidly towards…
“A waterfall,” Harry heard Neville moan nearby.
That was what was making the thundering noise. Harry stumbled as he stood up and walked along the bank.
The waterfall was huge. The drop looked at least one hundred and fifty feet tall. The spray below just hid the rocks that Harry knew would be there. It was magnificent, yet deadly.
The bank he was standing on was a bit of grass between two mountains. There was no way backwards, forwards or sideways. The only way out of their geographical prison was to cross the waterfall.
“Oh great,” muttered Hermione, who’d just noticed the same problem as Harry.
“How do we get across?” asked Ron, concerned.
“Dunno,” shrugged Harry, “swim?”
“Hey look!” cried Neville, pointing to the waterfall’s edge. “Look at this!”
They hurried over. At first Harry couldn’t see what Neville was pointing at. Then, it jumped out at him.
The rocks jutting out along the edge made up a makeshift bridge. If they were careful and quick, they could make it across safely.
“But that’s really dangerous!” pointed out Hermione.
“Got any better ideas?” jibed Ron. “Who wants to go first?”
“I will,” Harry volunteered.
“Oh, be careful Harry!” Hermione said, as Harry took his position near the first stone. It was horribly near the drop and one slip would send him falling. Taking off his shoes and socks, Harry took a deep breath and stepped onto the first rock.
The surface was slippery, but his feet kept him firm. Behind him, he heard Ron, Hermione and Neville gasp. Daringly, he took another step.
His foot slipped. Harry cried out! His stomach lurched horribly and he heard Hermione scream. With the quick reactions Quidditch gave him, he grabbed onto the rock. It was slimy but his grip was true. Harry felt the horrible sensation of his bare feet being hit by the cascading water and them waving in mid air. Swallowing hard, Harry carefully eased himself back on to the rock and continued. It was then that Harry realised that his shoes had gone.
*****
“Come on, Neville!” called Ron, as Neville began his journey across the waterfall. Luckily Ron and Hermione made it across without losing their shoes or falling off.
“Take your time, Neville,” Hermione said, shooting Ron a disapproving glance.
Neville was halfway across when he too began slipping. Screaming loudly, he panicked and fell.
“NEVILLE NO!” screamed Harry. Please, he thought, not now! Let him live!
Hermione pulled out her wand, “Quick, all of us, levitation spell!”
The trio pointed the wand at Neville’s falling body and yelled: “Wingardium Leviosa!”
Neville’s body froze halfway down. All three of them could feel the struggle of magic against the force of the water. Harry was terrified for Neville.
Slowly, Neville began rising upward, causing an umbrella of water to spray around him. Hermione directed him to them and Neville slowly sunk down beside them. He was shaking violently. Tears fell down his face.
“I… I… Thank you!” Neville stuttered. “I thought I was going to die, but… Thank you!”
He got up and hugged the person nearest to him (a surprised Ron) and began whooping loudly. Harry smiled, but then something caught his eye.
It was a piece of parchment.
Picking it up carefully, he began to read it.
The swamps of earth you must survive
Whoever said rocks were not alive?
Harry showed it to Hermione.
“It means we have to go through a swamp,” she said, squinting into the distance, “and I think I can see one over there.”
“The next challenge can’t be as bad as the waterfall,” groaned Neville, “can it?”