The Other Witches

14. Spying on Someone Else's Thoughts

"No, you're not," Lauren says.

There are only five objects inside the chest. Five glowing crystals, shaped like flowers. They slowly rise up out of the box, depositing themselves in our hands.

"I am now completely confused," mutters Von.

"Well," Lucy says cheerfully, "now that I am not blind anymore, let's get the fudge out of this forest!"

I examine my flower. It doesn't look like anything is written on it or engraved in the bottom, and it doesn't symbolize anything that I can remember. Ohhhh, they're really testing our minds with this one.

"Point me," I whisper. Then in a louder voice, "Okay people, this might not work, but it's our best shot. Follow the wand."

We walk. For a really long time.

Then there is a red flash, and Von falls to the ground.

Ella and I spin towards the attacker and shout "Stupefy!" in unison.

We hear a cry.

Wait. That voice seems familiar.

A dark head pokes out from behind a bush.

"James Potter! You JERK!" Lucy explodes.

James shrugs. "It was McFleeble who stunned her." He picks up a limp arm from the ground and waves it in our direction.

"How did you and McFleeble get into the forest?" I ask them warily.

"Found a hole in the enchantments, nothing to it," he replies, trying to drag PJ's unconscious body out from the bush. Ella and Lauren are carrying Von towards the group. Von is resisting, since she's awake already. Finally, they drop her onto the dirt. She brushes herself off, then turns to James.

"There's a more important issue. Did you remember the way out of the forest?" Her voice is commanding, but I can sense the underlying desperation.

James crosses his arms playfully and smirks. "And what if I did?"

"Well, I was hoping that you would show us the way and direct us out of this mess of trees." Von's tone grows a little bit more indignant.

"I could, couldn't I?" James' face is smug, like he's got us trapped. I make a split-second decision.

James looks around at the group of us, just standing there in the shadows. The announcer's voice calls, "One hour."

As his eyes flit around the faces of my friends, we make eye contact. Under my breath, I mutter, "Legilimens."

Instantly, I see what he means to do. His memories show a snippet of himself getting yelled at by a red-faced professor, while he holds a little piece of paper behind his back, a paper with a little doodle of an embellished S. W. ....

"Can I talk to Von for a sec?" I ask, snapping out of the memory. I pull her by her arm to a tree several feet away. I say in a whisper, "Von, I know this is going to sound strange, but I think James is going to come up with a proposition in order to take us out of the forest. No matter what happens, I need you to agree to whatever he asks, kay?"

Von's face is set in an expression of exasperation. "I am one-hundred-and-one-percent sure that I am not going to like this."

The two of us rejoin the group.

"Okay, Potter. You've got something up you're sleeve. The suspense is killing us. Spill the blackmail!" Lucy's foot taps the ground.

"I like blackmail!" A voice comes from the bush.

"Da Fleebs" as some people call him, has awoken.

"Well, if you insist," James says with a touch of triumph in his voice. "Here's the deal, Winsleigh. I take you and your friends out of this jungle, you willingly go to the Yule Ball with me as my partner. We got a deal?"

McFleeble shouts, "Oh, and Ella goes with me, or no one goes anywhere."

Ella's face is blushed over, and Von grumbles, "Some blackmail." Lucy is close to laughter, and Lauren just says, "What choice do we have? Better this jerk's date than the last-placers of the First Task."

With a deep sigh, Von turns to James. "You drive a hard deal, Potter. Fine. Take us out of here, pronto."

James' smile of victory is almost enough to make me laugh. "Right this way, ladies!" he shouts. "Come on, Fleeb!"

PJ stumbles out of the bush.

I hang back, a strange thought forming in my head. A plan.

"Hey, McFleeble," I say softly, "you know Scorpius Malfoy?"

"Yeah, the blonde kid who completely obviously likes your friend Lucy, but denies it every time we ask him. Know him pretty well."

As we come to a certain spot, I begin to see the edge of the forest and the end of the First Task.

"You in the mood to arrange some romantic atmosphere for them?"

Hey wattpandas!

Guess who wrote a chapter (finally)! I know this may seem short, but trust me, it's a filler chapter to bridge the story from here to the next chapter. The next one is going to be real good.

-RedV