Elysia Riddle [A Harry Potter Fan Fiction]

Chapter Three ~ The Forbidden Forest

However, every encounter with him contradicted this. There was a brutal honesty to my Uncle, an inexorable honesty that was mostly correct about people.

I hated to say it, but I believed that Snape was wrong about the 'Potter Boy' sometimes; I believed that he had stopped talking about Harry and had focused on Snape's own arch nemesis, James Potter. Whilst Harry seemed friendly, I knew that it was no lie that James was a taunting bully.

Curling up tightly, I awaited my rescue. I watched the moon closely as it swum through the sky, indicated the hours that I had waited. Biting my lip and digging my nails in to my palms, I stood up nervously. The fear i felt for the forest had numbed my limbs, as well as my mind as I thought of a way to escape the wretched forest. The silver blood and the warning that I had received from the creature that took it revolved around my head absently, provoking a foreboding feeling within me.

Clenching my eyes together, I held out my palms and recited "Lumos Maxima" and watched as a bright, white light burst from my palms. The light cleared the shadows in my path and gave me some comfort, as I began the treacherous walk back to Hogwarts. I couldn't tell whether I would be praised or in trouble, but knowing my Uncle it would be severe scolding.

My feet travelled gently over the terrain, twigs snapping mercilessly and bugs escaping my wrath. I tried not to cry a little as I yearned for Leon's comfortable weight on my shoulder, Dumbledore was right, I did need company. In the distance, I saw a golden light bursting from a lantern. The lantern was familiar, and I wracked my brains to remember where I had seen it...

Hagrid's hut! Of course! It had been hanging from the door when I had walked down to my detention numerous hours ago. A part of me sighed at the thought that he wasn't searching for me, but the rest rejoiced for my escape from the forest. I felt silly for not leaving sooner, rather than waste my time thinking in the forest, but I could not change the past.

Rather than entering his hut, I continued to walk up to the school, leaving behind me the thick forest and it's frightening inhabitants. I couldn't shake form my mind the look that the centaur had given me when had had told me of my parsel tongue.

It seemed to be a mixture of disgust and admiration.

Keeping my head low, I entered one of the many dark hallways of Hogwarts. I was extremely early in the morning, I could tell. I dreaded the thought of Peeves finding me now, I could only imagine the racket he would make whilst taunting me.

Instead of hearing his ridiculous "whooshing" and general disturbances, I heard footsteps. Footsteps? 

Only one person prowled Hogwarts at this time of day: Filch.

His footsteps were sounding from a nearby hallway, several feet away from me. Slap. Slap. Slap. They drew closer and closer evoking fear throughout my body. Looking around I saw no convenient passageways, just a small statue and rows upon rows of portraits and paintings.

"Psst!" 

I swung my body around, wildly searching for the source of the noise. It sounded again, quieter this time as Filch neared. I searched, bewildered, until I saw a mop of flaming red hair burst from beside the statue. Running silently over, I saw a small hole beside the statue, a hole in which George Weasley's head was poking out of.

Signalling for me to crawl in, I just about dove in after his head disappeared. My fists slammed hard in to George's cheek as I slid inside, face first. He sucked in a quick breath and resisted crying out in pain. Squinting my eyes in embarrassment, I lay my hand over his mouth as Filch's steps finally entered the hallway. 

I could only see the very tip of his old, brown shoes as he paused in the hallway. A loud sniff came from his direction, and I realised that he was smelling the air. I could almost imagine his hooked nose searching for traces of disobedient students.