The Forgotten Adventure by Naomi Evans
Chapter 3 Erlking Encounter
Deeper and deeper they went into the forest following the footprints. The forest around them was dark and foreboding which didn’t help their hopes for saving Ginny or making it out alive themselves. A darkness of mist seemed to loom around them making them walk close together. They spent most of their time wondering if Ginny was alright, and why anyone would want to kidnap her. All of them had come up with ideas and voiced them to keep away the creepy feeling of the forest, but mostly as time went on they seemed more and more absurd.
“Maybe Voldermort wanted a girlfriend,” Ron forced himself to laugh trying to ignore the images his imagination was creating the mist around them.
“Voldermort wants a girlfriend. Ron, that’s crazy,” Hermione glared at him. “Be serious. We need a real motive.”
“Hey look,” Harry said and he pointed at the trees ahead of them. There was a door standing strangely in front of them. It was a wooden door with a big golden handle. Harry was sure that this was the strangest thing he had ever seen. He could tell by the looks on his friends faces, that they all shared his thoughts.
“What is this place?” Ron repeated with a worried look around him. “All this time I thought that we have been outside.”
“Although I don’t think that this whole time I’ve heard anything other than us in this forest. No other sounds, no crickets, rabbits, bears, wolves, or anything. I don’t think this is a real forest,” Hermione concluded looking around uncertain.
Harry cleared his voice, his eyes and mind on something in front of him. He stated with apprehension, “I don’t think that we will get through that door until we kill that Erkling.”
“What!?!” Hermione gasped as she turned to look at the Erkling standing menacingly in the doorway.
Harry had only seen pictures of Erklings in his books at school and never in real life. He was sure they were doctored up for the text books. The Erkling was only three feet high with a pointed face. This one in particular was green and fairly ugly. Harry had learned that these creatures have a high-pitched cackle that entrance little children. When the Erklings lure the children away they eat the children. Harry was unsure if it was this that had lured Ginny away, but to see this creature made him worry further for Ginny’s safety.
“What do we do?” Ron asked Hermione without taking his eyes from the creature.
Hermione stood next to Ron visibly shuddering. Her mind was worried for Ginny, Harry, Ron and herself. She could not voice her fears as she started at the creature. Hermione was frightened and all she could do was inch closer to Ron.
The Erkling smiled making his face even more pointed. As it began laughing its high-pitched cackle, its dark green eyes lighted with a fury black.
“Cover you ears!” Harry yelled as he shoved his hand over his ears trying to block out the sound. Harry was unsure if the cackle would affect them or not, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. Looking over to his friends he could see that they had followed his lead. Hermione looked at Harry with a face that said ‘do something’. Harry turned to the Erkling, who had by now stopped its laughter.
“Where is Ginny?” Harry asked taking his hand off his ears put leaving his arms up. The Erkling turned its head to the side and laughed again.
“What’s a ginny?” the Erkling asked. “Is it tasty?”
“Have you seen a girl with red hair come through here?” Hermione questioned trying to ignore the last comment from the Erkling. She thrust away a horrible mental picture that its words invoked. Hermione started hard into its eyes, making sure she wouldn’t break the eye contact it suddenly made with her.
“Yes, red hair girl, went through door,” the Erkling replied sadly. “I wish I could have had meal off of her.”
“Will you let us by?” Harry asked hoping that the Erkling wouldn’t put up a fight. It did seem helpful since it answered their question, but wasn’t too hopeful since it did make some off colored remarks.
The Erkling in reply smiled even larger.
“Where are we?” Ron asked hoping to get something more out of the creature.
The Erkling did nothing but stand like a soldier at his post, but this time he licked his lips with a brown slimy tongue.
“You will let us by,” Harry replied taking out his wand. He knew that Erkling intended to have meal of them and he wasn’t going allow that. Harry decided already that he would do everything he could in order to save Ginny, and that meant killing the Erkling.
The Erkling didn’t wait a moment longer to jump forward and bite Harry’s hand. Harry cried out as he threw the creature with a reflex of swing of his arm. The Erkling hit a tree and rolled on the ground. It jumped to its feet at the last minute and licked the blood off its face. Harry did wait for the Erkling and shouted out, “Rictusempra!” The spell hit a tree as the Erkling dodged it. In a second the Erkling took flight and headed for Hermione.
Ron seeing the path of the creature, jumped in front of her. Without thought he punched the Erkling in mid air. As his first connected with the Erkling, pain shot down his hand as he heard a cracking noise come from the Erkling’s body.
“I don’t think so!” Ron yelled at it as he punched the Erkling. It hit another tree and this time instead of rolling, used the momentum and sprang back at Ron, it’s face bloody with a disfigured nose from the punch. The Erklings teeth sunk into Ron’s arm and he cried out in pain. But a spell from Hermione knocked the Erkling to the ground, paralyzed.
“Why didn’t you do that sooner?” Ron shouted as he turned around holding his shoulder. He didn’t mean to be so harsh with Hermione, but he couldn’t take back his words. Guilty he turned away from her and angered at himself, scanned his wound.
“I would have if you hadn’t got in the way,” Hermione snapped back. She was angry that he couldn’t just thank her and instead just be thankful.
Ron didn’t answer as he stood trying to apply pressure to his wound. He turned to see Hermione watching him with a worried look. Not wanting her sympathy, he walked over to Harry pretending that he was okay. Ron smiled at Harry and then seeing Harry’s hand asked, “You alright mate?”
Harry examined his hand closely. The teeth marks were not too deep but blood still covered his hand. He ripped a piece of cloth off his sleeping robes and tied it around his hand. He looked up to see Hermione examining Ron’s shoulder. The wounds in Ron’s shoulder were deep and with a worried glance from Hermione, Harry knew that they had to find Ginny fast and get out of there.
“Are you alright?” Hermione asked Ron from behind him.
“Yeah, my shoulders a bit keen though,” Ron answered as looked down at his shoulder. “I think I’ll be fine. It hurts quite a bit less than when Siruis broke my leg.”
“Here,” Hermione stated as she ripped her own sleeping robe and began to bind Ron’s wound. “This should help stop the bleeding.”
Ron allowed Hermione to wind the bottom of her robe around his wound tightly. After she finished he quickly said, “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine, we have to find Gin’ first.” She nodded quietly and then turned to Harry as though she was waiting for him to say something.
“He’s right you know, we can’t leave without Ginny,” Harry repeated to Hermione. She determinedly nodded. “Let’s go!” Harry commanded as he ran over to the door. Ron and Hermione on his heels.
Harry’s hand touched the doorknob and he felt a shiver up his spine. He feared this would be the door in his dream, it would be coming soon. Harry now knew with the appearance of the Erkling that his dream was becoming reality. Ignoring the overwhelming emotions, Harry reminded himself that they needed to save Ginny. He gallantly pushed open the door and stepped through.