The missing boys ✔

Part 9: The Fletchers

"There's something glowing up ahead," said Harry quietly. The forest was spooky and dark, and Fletch had only allowed them a dim lantern to work with. They were very careful to stay near the creek, as Fletch had instructed, but the creek had forked off a while back and they were both beginning to wonder if they'd picked the right path.

"That has a greenish glow," Ron reminded him. "Fletch said we were looking for a bluish glow."

"I thought he said greenish-blue-ish," persisted Harry.

Ron shrugged.

"Let's check it out then."

He moved forward and Harry followed him nervously.

Fletch had been true to his word about not messing around. The very day they'd arrived was the day they'd procured their first assignment. As Fletch had put it "if they wanted beds tonight they had to earn them." The target? Kinder Pilz, a kind of brightly colored mushroom that sunk into the ground whenever adults were present but stayed put when kids were around. The top herbologists were still baffled by this reaction and would pay and arm and a leg for a research sample.

Since the boys had to travel without Mundungus, Fletch gave them each an arsenal of magical devices that would supposedly protect them from the dangers of the forest and placed them under a host of protective spells including the Bread Crumbs Charm, and the mortal peril charm. Ron was familiar with the mortal peril charm, it was what connected him to his family clock, but now it connected him to a watch Mundungus wore, so he would know if they were in any serious danger. He couldn't really explain the Bread Crumbs charm though and supposed he never would until he got lost. The most important device of all though was one that reminded Harry of a muggle grenade.

"If anything happens, throw this. It will knock out anything in the vicinity smaller than a dragon and send up a smoke signal," he'd told them.

"What stops us from getting knocked out?" asked Harry.

"Nothin' the man said. That's why no one ever uses these; they knock out everyone. It's useful for your purposes though. If anything goes wrong, Dung can follow the smoke signal, collect you two before anything wakes up, and get you out of there."

Harry frowned, patting the pocket with the grenade in it.

"You don't think there's dragons in this forest?" he asked nervously. "Fletch said these things can't knock out a dragon."

"Nah, the ministry caught all wild ones in Britain and sent em' to reservations," said Ron reassuringly.

The boys approached the glow, but they didn't find mushrooms, as Fletch had hoped, but little glowing creatures that zoomed around, giggling. They were beautiful, winged, men and women about two inches tall. The males emitted a gentle green glow that radiated around their whole body and grew subtly brighter around the wings. The females gave off a soft blue glow but it had a glitter to it that made Harry think of the pictures of Cinderella from Dudley's old fairytale books. Their giggles were musical and Harry could have sworn he heard one sing a few notes of an unfamiliar song.

"What are they?" breathed Harry.

"Fairies," said Ron, examining them. "They look different from the ones I see at home though."