Three Gryffindors and a Slytherin

13) C.O.P.E. Course

And as soon as I take my first step off the wood platform, my right leg sinks through what I think is a wood ladder that's strung from one platform to another.

I hear a series of gasps and oohs. I quickly grab the rope and pull myself back up, not knowing how high up I actually am. I start using the rope to pull myself across the ladder, trying to be careful of my footing.

Someone bumps into me, and immediately grabs my arm before tossing me aside. I fall onto my back and my arm sinks through the ladder. I hear everyone in the stands laugh as I try to stand myself up.

I continue to drag myself through the ladder, and once I get to the next platform, I find myself stepping on an odd space. One that isn't the same levelling as the rest of the platform. This one is a bit higher, probably no more than a centimetre or two.

Suddenly, I get shot down by what I think is a chain, by the sound of the jingling. I fall to the ground, my legs chained together, and my arms pinned down to my side.

I feel something crawl up my back, over my shoulder, down my arm and into my hand. I shake as I begin to try and shake away whatever bug has landed on me, that is, before I hear a small shriek.

The creature craws back up to my shoulder before jumping up and down a few times and clinging to my neck. I'm so confused, until I hear Fred yell, "TREE!"

I immediately relax. I forgot to give the bowtruckle to Fred when I got here.

The bowtruckle climbs back down my arm and starts picking the lock to the chains. Once my arms are free, I wiggle off the chains on my legs and continue. And I hope that Hagrid isn't somewhere in the audience watching, though, a gut feeling tells me he is.

I walk all around the platform, trying to decide which way to go. There were at least seven different directions I could go from here, at least those were the ones I could find. Four of them staying on this level, two of them being a ladder going up, and one of them being a ladder going down.

I go up. After all, this thing seems to go up forever with at least 200 different levels. I don't know which level I started on, or which one I need to end on, but I do know that going up couldn't possible be a bad thing.

Once I climb the ladder, I grab hold of some ropes and step out off of the platform. My foot goes through a hole. Probably those huge rubber circles I saw before my vision was taken from me. I'm holding onto the ropes with all my might, the rubber circle is getting bigger. Soon, my whole body will fall through. Merlin knows how many levels I'll be falling down before hitting the ground.

I start panting. This isn't good. I can feel my face getting hot, and my breathing is getting messy.

"Breathe, Y/n! Breathe!" I hear Blaise yell from the stands. His voice sounds like it's behind me, which means I changed direction. I turn back around so I face the stands.

I do as he says and take a couple deep breaths, my body's dangling from the ropes, the rubber circle has engulfed my body whole. I pull myself up back through the circle and stand up again. Everyone cheers.

Once I get to the platform, I circle it again, looking for all the possible routes I could continue on from here. Five. Three staying on this level, two going up again, none going back down. I'm about to step out onto one until the bowtruckle starts squealing loudly in my ear.