Dumbledore led them out of the castle and deep inside the Dark Forest. Barnaby had ventured into the Forbidden Forest countless times, so the eerie howls and broken twigs didn't bother him as much as the others, especially with Dumbledore guiding their way. The idea that some monster would come out and attack them on his watch was laughable.
They arrived at a clearing roughly the size of the Slytherin commonroom, though much darker. The only light glimmered from the stars above and Dumbledore's wand.
"I told the remaining competitors that the third task would be personal," said Dumbledore. "The stakes have been raised. This task is a rescue mission."
"You mean they'll have to rescue...us?" asked Tonks.
"Precisely," said Dumbledore.
Barnaby's confidence began to waver. The others huddled closer together, staring wide-eyed through the trees. What would the others be rescuing them from?
"You'll all be perfectly safe, I assure you," said Dumbledore. He waved his wand. A large globule of light appeared above them, giving them enough light to see the slips of parchment that hovered in front of each of them.
"Now, we want to create the feeling that you're in real danger, to invoke a sense of urgency in our competitors. So, starting with Miss Karasu and going down to Mr. Lee, I'd like you all to read your lines, pretending you fear for you lives." He waved his wand again a howler appeared above them, ready to record their message. "Like you're utterly terrified," said Dumbledore.
Tulip looked down at her parchment. "We're trapped!" she yelled.
"Not a dragon!" screamed Charlie.
"Forbidden forest!" screeched Tonks.
Ismelda's acting was probably the best. She uttered each word like her vocal chords were gripped with fear. "Human head...lion body...scorpion tail!"
"Manticore...Manticore!" Barnaby yelled.
He looked up at Dumbledore, puzzled. "Manticore?"
Dumbledore sealed the howler and placed it in the pocket of his robes. "Quite right, Mr. Lee. Now, two more things before I depart. One: there is a thirty foot barrier around this clearing. You will not be able to leave until I remove it. This is for your safety, so that no one runs away and finds something dangerous before we find them. Secondly, I will need to borrow your wands for the time-being."
"What?" they all asked at once.
"To assure you do not interfere with the task, helping or hurting the contestants in any way," said Dumbledore. He held out his hand. "I assure you, I'll take good care of them, and return them to you as soon as the task is complete."
A long pause. Barnaby was the first to hand his wand over to Dumbledore. One by one, the others followed suit, though Ismelda looked on the brink of throwing a tantrum.
"Very good," said Dumbledore. "I shall see you all again shortly." He turned and began walking away.
"You're not really going to set a manticore after us, right?" Tulip called after him.
"You'll all be perfectly safe," said Dumbledore, before he disappeared out of the clearing.
"Professor, wait!" Charlie called. He followed Dumbledore until he ran into the invisible barrier and was knocked on his bottom.
"He wouldn't really set a manticore on us?" asked Tulip again, as they huddled even closer together. "I mean, that'd be mental."
"Lee, you're the creature expert," said Ismelda. "How dangerous are manticores, really?"
YOU ARE READING
Eternal Patience
FanfictionHogwarts Mystery Year 5. From the point of view of Barnaby Lee. Barnaby's grandmother is fed up with her brainless grandson embarrassing the Lee name at school, she she has issued him a threat: pass every one of his OWL exams, or be pulled out of Ho...
