Magic? || Years 1-5

The First Three Rooms: Year 1

Amisty got to her paws, poking at the fuzzy surface beneath her.

"It's okay!" Harry yelled up, looking up at the window of glowing light above the two. "It's a soft landing, you can jump."

Ron jumped down immediately after, landing sloppily next to Harry, "What's this stuff?"

"Dunno, some sort of plant thing. I suppose it's here to break the fall. Come on, Hermione!" Harry replied.

The music ceased and a booming bark sounded from above them. Thankfully Hermione had jumped before the dog could do anything.

She landed, slightly better than Ron had, on Harry's other side.

"We must be miles under the school," She commented, gazing upwards.

"Lucky this plant thing's here, really," Ron replied.

"Lucky! Look at you all!" Hermione suddenly screeched, jumping up and wrestling to the wall.

Amisty barked loudly as she noticed the thick green vines wrapped tightly around her paws.

She chomped desperately at them, only for them to constrict her movements further. With wide eyes she pulled and jerked her legs even though she knew it would get her nowhere.

"Stop moving! I know what this is -- it's Devil's Snare!" Hermione's brow furrowed with concentration as she struggled to remember.

"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help," Ron growled sarcastically, leaning out of the way of the treacherous vines as they inched closer and closer to his neck.

"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" Hermione retorted harshly, rubbing her temples.

"Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" Harry wheezed, straining against the plant twined around his chest.

Amisty barked again, her voice cracking slightly as the vine grabbed hold of her tail and pulled her further into its leafy grasp.

"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare... what did Professor Sprout say?" Hermione chanted. " -- it likes the dark and the damp."

"So light a fire!" Harry coughed out.

A faint, muffled whine escaped the wolf's throat as the vine wrapped around her muzzle.

"Yes -- of course -- but there's no wood!" She replied, shifting her weight from foot to foot nervously.

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD? ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?" Ron roared.

"Oh, right!" She withdrew her wand out of her robes, murmured a spell, and soon enough a stream of bright blue flames spiraled out from the wand and onto the dreaded plant.

Slowly the vines unraveled, letting its prisoners wiggle and push out of its grasp.

Amisty flicked the last trace of vine off her tail, giving the leaves a long scratch with her claws.

"Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione," Harry grinned, scooping the furious she-wolf into his arms before walking over to the girl's side.

"Yeah, and lucky Harry doesn't lose his head in a crisis -- 'there's no wood,' honestly," Ron added exasperatedly, his head falling into his hands.

"This way," Harry pointed forward, a dark, looming passageway the only path ahead of them.

Amisty squirmed around in Harry's grasp, wanting to feel the cool ground beneath her paws. She felt trapped.

One light tap of her paw on Harry's arm told him her wishes, and he let her down gently.

"Careful, stay at my side. You're almost invisible here," He whispered in her ear as he dropped her.