Spit Fire [Charlie Weasley]

Chapter 13: Into the Forest

"How did I get roped into this?" Quinn sobbed as we walked down the beaten muddy path rimmed with chilly ice and drifts of snow. "I didn't sign up for this!" We were finally leaving and the team that had been assigned to us (a team amounts to four people) ended up ironically being Zander and Quin. I suppose it had to do that we were all closer with each other and the will to let any one of die was probably little to none.

"Actually, you did," Zander told him as he kicked a pebble. "You know that availability form? You ticked off the box that said I would like to be considered for travel regarding this line of work should my presence be required,"
"Well, I knew that!" Quinn snapped at him, turning back to sulk at the ground. "I just didn't think it would involve getting murdered by unseen forces in a haunted forest."
"Where have we headed anyways?" I finally spoke up as Charlie gazed at the map in his hand. Of course, the map was laced with a magic compass to point us in the correct direction.
"Cluj-Napoca," Charlie answered.
"Are you kidding, that's like ten times closer than Bucharest, let's just apparate!" I stated angrily, bunching my jacket around me.
"It's too dangerous," Charlie responded back, letting his eyes cut to me for a moment.
"I agree," Zander nodded while Quin merely sobbed to himself at the idea of getting there any faster.
"How? It's not intercontinental apparating like from U.K. to Romania? We get to Bucharest-,"
"It's not about Bucharest and distance, Winnie," Charlie cut me off. I shut my mouth rather quickly, feeling my face fill with heat. Charlie seemed to be thinking very hard about the forest that I don't think he quite noticed my hurt. However, Quinn noticed and gave me a sympathetic look before elaborating.
"It's all right, Winnie, most people don't really know about the magic barrier surrounding Hoia Baciu and Cluj-Napoca," Quinn spoke rather hesitantly. "Zander, Charlie and I have just been here long enough to know. Whatever force there is that radiates from the forest it affects all the nearby cities and villages. It's almost like the area sterilizes magic. Not permanently, though. It's more of a temporary block once it's been introduced through spells and whatnot. Including Apparating. Once one's magic has been introduced they can no longer use it until they have left the area entirely, even if they come back years later you're still handicapped. It's almost like a hidden tattoo or brand...the forest never forgets..."

"What the hell?" I snapped, turning to glare at Charlie. "How the bloody hell was I not informed of that detail!?" He merely hummed in response and I started to withdraw my wand to hex him.
"It's never too late to turn around!" Quin squeaked out as I sent a yellow hex straight past Charlie's face who yelped in surprise.
"What in the name of Merlin-Winnie!"
"How in Godric's name are we supposed to protect ourselves!" I snarled at Charlie, getting ready to wave my wand again. This time, I would aim to hit.
"We watch our backs-!" I managed to hit him with a knockback jinx that sent him flying. He landed in a snowdrift in a very ungraceful clatter.
"How about a more logical answer instead of some bullheaded Gryffindor bull shit!" I yelled at him as our two companions watched our exchange fearfully. Charlie heaved himself out of the deep drift with a groan as he sent a spiteful look at me. "And I'd watch the attitude..." I spoke through my teeth.
"I've got a contact in Cluj-Napoca. He's a squib-,"
"Why does he being a squib matter?" I asked him testily.
"Because no magical folk lives in Cluj-Napoca because of the fear of it sapping away their magic," Charlie answered with more patience than a Gryffindor should have. He clambered his way back onto the path, withdrawing his wand and casting a spell to dry his clothes off. "Have to thank mum for that one," He muttered to himself, giving a slight shiver. "Hoia Baciu will have to be a dip trip, in and out very quickly. In order to do so, we will need muggle transportation. He's agreed to provide. We only need to stay in the forest a maximum of three hours. Somehow time passes faster while inside the forest. We look for clues or suspicious activity and then we leave. If we don't find anything we come back again the next day and repeat the process. The longer we stay in the forest past the set curfew the more strange activity will pick up. And we don't use magic unless extreme emergency."
"Because of the loss of magic?" I asked to clarify. Charlie bent over and picked the map up off the ground and dusted it off.
"Not quite..." Charlie sighed, giving the map a good shake before looking at me once more with seriousness gleaming in his blue eyes. "Witch and wizard encounters in the forest have recalled that once their magic has been introduced it seems to quicken the process of the paranormal activity. Whatever the source of the activity is, it's drawn to magic. And once you're in the forest, there is no Apparating out of the forest."
"This is the worst idea in the history of bad ideas Charlie," I whispered, realizing how in over our heads we were.