Name: Air Elemental
House: Gryffindor
Challenge: Quarterly challenge, History and Mythology
Chapter Five: In which rocks and berries feature greatly
That night it was total darkness. The stars were completely covered by the clouds and the rain fell heavily. Mud squelched beneath their feet as they made their way across the swamp. Tufts of grass protruded every few feet and puddles collected in their footprints. The smell reminded them of rotten eggs. It made their eyes water.
Harry felt miserable. He was soaked from head to foot and mud oozed between his toes. He regretted losing his shoes at the waterfall. Ron, Hermione and Neville had all offered him their own, but he had declined. Up ahead, Harry could see Hermione leading the way, her wand lit. The night was cold, and Harry shivered. Water droplets ran down his fringe and onto his face.
It wasn’t just that. Harry had a horrible feeling. He kept turning around nervously, only to see Ron and an empty black void behind them. Harry had a feeling that they were being followed.
“Are you sure you don’t want my shoes?” Ron asked for the umpteenth time.
Harry nodded. He didn’t want Ron to feel as cold or miserable as he did.
“Shouldn’t be far now,” Neville called back optimistically.
“Where exactly are we going?” queried Ron.
“Good question,” muttered Harry.
“We’re following this path,” informed Hermione.
“What path?” asked Ron.
Hermione sighed, “The one you’re walking on.”
“Hey!” cried Neville, suddenly stopping. “What’s that?”
They all turned to see what Neville was pointing at. Harry rubbed his eyes and squinted. Just below the horizon, he could see a bright light bobbing up and down eagerly.
“A rescue party!” cried Ron ecstatically.
“Ron, you prat!” groaned Hermione. “That’s a Hinkypunk!”
“Hermione! Don’t ruin my one chance of finding us dry shelter,” and with that, Ron stepped off the path.
The effect was almost instant. Within seconds the vile sludge was up to Ron’s knees. He screamed and tried to struggle, but that only aided his descent.
“Ron! Hold still, don’t struggle!” yelled Hermione.
“Help!” cried Ron.
“I’ve got an idea!” Neville lent forward and wrapped his arms around Ron’s chest. “Harry; Hermione do the same.”
They did.
“Now drag him down at an angle, like a leaver,” ordered Neville.
There was a loud slurping sound and Ron’s legs came free.
“I told you,” said Hermione, “that it was a“ “
“I know,” groaned Ron.
Hermione helped pull Ron up. It was then that Ron noticed…
“My shoes!” he cried desperately. “Where the hell are my shoes?”
“In the bog,” piped up Neville.
“Cheer up, Ron,” chuckled Harry, “We can be shoeless together!”
*****
After another wet and downtrodden two hours, Hermione finally spotted a cave.
“Brilliant!” exclaimed Ron, as they stepped into the dry grotto. Harry guessed that they had finally reached the end of the swamplands. Relieved, he sat down and leant against the rock wall. He still had a horrible nagging feeling that he was being watched. Shaking his head slightly, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
*****
When he woke up again, he was met with a warm fire and the delicious smell of frying eggs. Standing up, he saw Neville bent over the fire; a frying pan in his hand.
“Hi Harry,” he smiled, tossing the eggs over.
“I didn’t know you could cook,” Harry was surprised.
Neville nodded, “My gran’s useless at it, so I do most of the cooking. Mind you, I always seem to burn stuff.”
“Where’s Ron and Hermione?” asked Harry.
Neville nodded to his right. Ron and Hermione were asleep back-to-back. Harry wondered if they knew that they were sleeping like that.
Neville produced four plates and slid the eggs onto them. Harry suddenly realised how hungry he was.
“I found some berries too,” Neville pulled out some juicy purple berries and put some on each plate. Harry placed some in his mouth. They were very sweet.
“D’you think it hurts?” Neville suddenly said.
“What?” Harry asked, his mouth full of berries.
“Being in a coma?”
It took Harry a few seconds to realise that he was talking about Ginny.
“Oh, no I don’t think so,” said Harry, unsure.
“I hope she’s not in pain,” whispered Neville.
Harry felt horribly awkward, but the feeling was soon replaced with the familiar feeling of being watched. Harry wondered if he was just being paranoid.
He looked over to the cave mouth. The sun was rising, casting a shadow over the horizon. Birds began to sing and the air around them warmed up. On his right, he could see the swamp. Harry laughed; he noticed that there was a path after all. The swamp seemed to stretch on for miles. In the distance, Harry could only just hear the sound of the waterfall. That’s when the thought struck him. Hadn’t he, Ron, Hermione and Neville all cast illegal magic? Why hadn’t they received owls stating this? Then Harry, with a gulp, wondered if they were even still in the wizarding world.
A wave of sleep washed over Harry. He yawned loudly, feeling an irresistible urge to close his eyes.
“Are you OK, Harry?” Neville’s voice sounded concerned.
Harry placed his breakfast plate on the ground and, curling up tenderly, let sleep claim him again.
*****
“Harry! Harry, wake up!”
It was Hermione’s voice. Groaning, he opened his eyes.
“What?” he felt warm and sleepy. Why did Hermione want to wake him up?
“Harry! Get up NOW!”
He sat up groggily. Wiping sleep from his eyes, he saw Hermione’s terrified face.
“Ron and Neville… They’ve gone!” she whispered fearfully.
*****
Meanwhile, in Scandinavia, Fred and George gazed lazily at a screen that Loki had conjured on the left wall. Harry and Hermione were sitting in a cave, looking drowsy and confused. Loki was chuckling merrily as he watched.
“Ingenious, don’t you think?” he said. “The sleeping berries and the portkey-eggs are a marvellous idea!”
George sighed, “Really Loki, I was expecting something a bit more impressive than a pile of magic food!”
“Baa!” agreed Fred.
For one moment Loki looked furious, but he quickly switched it to a leering smile.
“Oh, you want impressive, I’ll give you impressive.”
*****
An hour later and Harry and Hermione started walking again. The trail had taken them to rolling, grassy plains that seemed to stretch on and on. Odd boulders was scattered like seeds all over the ground, causing Harry to stub his exposed toe at intervals. The sun was climbing the azure sky and the temperature was rising. Harry felt a bead of sweat trickle down his back. He hoped that they wouldn’t be out here come midday.
“Harry,” Hermione whispered, “I-I think I know how Neville and Ron disappeared.”
“Ow!” Harry winced. His toe had hit another boulder. “Great!”
“I never ate the fried eggs,” continued Hermione, “and neither did you.”
“But Ron and Neville did?” guessed Harry.
They sat down onto the offending boulder, Harry nursing his bleeding toe. He wished his shoes were still here.
“That’s right,” said Hermione, nodding. “So I think there was something in those fried eggs.”
They mused over this for a while. Sighing, Harry closed his eyes and listened to the sounds around him. He could hear the grass shushing the birds as they whistled their tune. Harry smiled; the noise gently tamed the worrying feeling that Ron and Neville were in terrible danger.
“Harry, can I see the piece of paper you found?” Hermione’s voice finally broke the silence.
Harry opened his eyes. Sliding his hand into his pocket, he pulled out the crumpled slip of parchment; its words still clearly visible.
“’The swamps of earth you must survive’,” Hermione read. “’Whoever said rocks were not alive?’”
“The ‘swamp of earth’ must be that marsh we walked through,” realised Harry, now trying to cease the blood flow from his toe.
“’Whoever said rocks were not alive?’” Hermione read again.
She looked from the paper; to the boulder Harry was sitting on; back to the paper and then to her boulder.
“Oh no,” Hermione went pail.
“What?” Harry queried.
Hermione shrieked and leapt onto her feet.
“Hermione… what?” Harry was confused, but then he felt a strange vibrating sensation go through his lower body. He jumped tenderly to his feet (trying not to damage his toe) and stared in horror.
Harry and Hermione’s boulders began shaking violently. They admitted a low groaning noise and began to split the earth around it. Fear curdled in Harry’s stomach and his heart beat in tune to the deep groaning. He was paralysed with fear.
“Harry RUN!” Hermione grabbed his hand and sprinted. All of Harry’s sense returned and he ran beside Hermione, ignoring the stabbing pains from his toe. Shaking, moaning rocks surrounded their senses. The ground jerked violently, causing Harry to trip over.
“KEEP RUNNING!” Hermione screamed at him.
Harry rolled over and came face-to-face with a Granite Warrior.
It was at least eight feet tall and cobalt in colour. Its body was made up of grating rock, with slates for feet and a limestone face. In its clawed hands was a basalt sword raised over its head. All thoughts of escaping fled out of Harry’s head. He screamed as the sword swished downward towards his“
“Charta Totalus!” Hermione shrieked.
The sword plunged into Harry. He expected to feel pain, but instead he felt a crumpling sensation, like paper was pressing against him.
Harry looked and laughed. The Granite Warrior was no more than a large pile of parchment.
“Come on, Harry!” Hermione tugged him upright. “There’s more coming!”
There was a whole army of them. A sea of grey and silver surged towards Harry and Hermione, cutting the air with their swords.
“Do something!” cried Harry, as he and Hermione began running again, the pain in his toe forgotten.
“I can’t transfigure them all!” shrilled Hermione.
“Can’t we hold them up?” Harry suggested, shooting a fearful look at the army.
“Harry look!” Hermione cried ecstatically. As they reached sloping ground, they came to a familiar body of water.
“The river!” Harry cheered. It was still as deep and as wide as it was at the waterfall, and just as torrent.
“Do Granite Warriors like water?” asked Harry.
“No! Come on!” Hermione leapt headfirst and slammed against the surface. Harry raced towards the river, took a deep breath and plunged in.
His toe stung angrily and his whole body tingled with the shock. The water was so murky and muddy that Harry could barely see his hands. A log floated slowly past him and several leaves tickled his face.
Then he felt his lungs call out for oxygen, and he kicked upward.
His face broke the thin water layer and he sucked in the air. Nearby, Hermione was treading water. Along the riverbank, the army of Granite Warriors shook their swords at them angrily. Harry waved at them, smiling.
Hermione swam over to him. She was holding something in her mouth.
“This blew in my face,” she said, spitting it into her hands. Harry picked it up and unrolled it. The ink had run, but the rhyme was still readable.
Time does fly
So touch the sky.