Not Again//Harry Potter [2]

22

A little past midnight, the three made their way out of the common room.

They walked through the moonlit path to Hagrid's. They walked into his hut, and Autumn fed Fang his food. Harry left the cloak on the table, having the feeling they may not need it in the pitch black forest.

"Lumos." Harry said, holding his wand in front of him.

"I would do that too, but-" Ron held up his wand. "-I don't want it to explode."

"Aura Conspirco." Autumn said. It must be a spell that Norace put into her brain, she guessed.

 "Where'd you learn that spell?" Harry asked. 

"I'll tell you later."

"Just like you how told us about your hand?" Ron said.

Autumn glared at Ron.

"Yeah, what actually happened?"

"Do you lot really want to do this now? We have to help Hermione." 

"Yes, we want to do this now. You're so secretive, you act like whatever happens to you doesn't affect us. But it does!" Harry whispered loudly.

"I'm trying to make it not affect us anymore than it should have to," Autumn told him.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" Harry whispered. "We're your friends, you can tell us anything!"

"It's hard to talk about it when it hurts, Harry." Autumn whispered. Autumn realized a few tears escaped her eyes, she quickly wiped them away.

"I'll tell you, I promise. Right when we get out of the forest," Autumn said.

The other two nodded, then they walked into the forest.

After about thirty minutes, Fang let out a gigantic bark, it echoed throughout the entire forest, it seemed like.

"What?" Ron asked, holding Autumn's arm very tightly.

"There's something over there." Harry said very quietly. 

"It sounds like, whatever it is, is big." Autumn noted.

They all paused, and Autumn put out the light particles that emitted from her wand.

To their right, the big creature was running into branches, carving a path in the forest.

"Oh, no." Ron said . "Oh, no, oh, no, oh—"

"Shut up." Harry said frantically. "It'll hear you."

"Hear me?" Ron said in a very high pitched voice. "It's already heard Fang!"

There was a strange rumbling noise and then silence.

"What is it doing?" Autumn asked.

"Probably getting ready to pounce," said Ron. 

They waited, shivering, hardly daring to move. 

"D'you think it's gone?" Harry whispered. 

"Dunno—"

Then, to their right, came a sudden blaze of light, so bright in the darkness that both of them flung up their hands to shield their eyes. Fang yelped and tried to run, but got lodged in a tangle of thorns and yelped even louder.

"Harry!" Ron shouted, his voice breaking with relief. "Harry, it's our car!"

"What? Your car?" Autumn asked. "The one that you flew on at the beginning of the year?"

"Come on!" Ron exclaimed, running towards it.

Harry and Autumn were both shocked, but walked towards it slowly.