Emma's POV
"Si vis pacem, para bellum" — "If you want peace, prepare for war." (Vegetius)
…
I had been paired with the worst person possible in the group.
I would have been happy with Hestia, or even Regulus. But I understood the logic: I had little knowledge in practical Herbology beyond theory, and Charlus was proficient in his spells. Meanwhile, Hestia and Regulus made a balanced pair.
I did not despise Charlus; he was annoying most of the time, sure, but he was funny, too. His curiosity was admirable, and he wasn't like those entitled brats from the Pureblood families back home. He and Regulus were different.
I had been a little sceptical yesterday while approaching them, as they were the only other natives of my country in the group. Many of the kids from the British Wizarding community lacked ability, taking pride only in their blood status. Sure, Purebloods were superior in potential, but they had to have the ability to back it up.
Regulus, however, was capable. He could sense danger and was proficient in almost everything. I noticed yesterday that he was the one who found the Dittany first.
He had spotted almost all the magical plants when we were trekking towards the cave. Every time I followed his gaze from the path, there would be a magical plant or animal present. And the Fidelius Charm... we had read about it in school books; it was one of the most complex charms a wizard could perform. Yet, he had cast it with ease. Regulus was a reliable leader.
Charlus, as dumb as he acted sometimes, noticed things too. He was only careless in the presence of Regulus; when we were walking alone, he was surprisingly serious. I knew he wasn't actually a pervert, but it was fun to beat him up a little.
I thought about slapping Charlus this morning, and a chuckle escaped me.
Charlus, ever sharp, noticed it immediately. "What's funny?"
"Nothing. I was just thinking about something else," I answered vaguely, as I did not want to bicker with him in the middle of the forest.
He gave me a weird look but chose not to confront me. Instead, he asked, "How are we going to find the Nettle plant specifically in this huge forest?"
"Nettles grow in swampy places, which are usually dark and damp. We have to find that specific terrain first," I explained. "Swamps are dangerous in a forest like this. They may look similar to solid land, but once you take a step, the bog can drag you under in minutes."
Charlus nodded and picked up a long branch. "Let us use a stick. We can poke the ground before we walk to test the stability."
I had been sprinkling the herbal mixture I brought with me to mark our path since we left the cave. Suddenly, I saw the leaves in a bush a few metres ahead rustle.
I stopped abruptly and readied my wand. Charlus mirrored my action instantly.
A cute bunny popped out of the bush, its nose twitching as it stared at us.
Charlus and I released the breaths we had unconsciously been holding. It was just a—
THWACK.
In an instant, the bunny was impaled. A sharp, rocky spike erupted from the bush behind it, ending the poor creature's life before it could even flee.
" Petrificus Totalus! " Charlus reacted instantly, firing the curse at the bush.
" Protego! " I shouted, casting a shield charm to protect both of us on instinct.
Charlus's spell hit something, but it did little damage as a creature emerged from the side of the bush, shaking off the magic.
I could see it clearly now. It was a Fire Crab.
Despite the name, it looked nothing like a crab. It resembled a large tortoise with a heavily jewelled shell. However, it possessed a nasty temper and could shoot jets of fire from its rear.
It moved surprisingly fast towards us, clicking its claws. I chanted offensive spells and fired rapidly, but they did little damage; most of the magic simply deflected off the gem-encrusted shell.
Charlus, standing beside me, slashed his wand through the air.
"Glacius Maxima!"
A blast of freezing wind hit the Fire Crab, successfully freezing its legs to the ground and halting its charge.
Since it was a Fire Crab, standard fire spells would have done nothing. Ice was the perfect counter.
"Aguamenti!"
I followed up immediately, conjuring a massive sphere of water to entrap the creature. The water encased the crab, filling the gaps in the ice. Unable to breathe or ignite its fire, the creature struggled for a moment before falling still.
Three minutes later, the creature inside the water bubble had stopped moving completely.
Charlus looked at me, panting slightly. "Are you okay, Emma?"
"Yeah, I am okay. That just came out of nowhere."
He nodded and walked towards the carcass. He stared at the gems sparkling on its shell, and I understood his intention immediately. We spent the next few minutes prying the jewels loose. We collected them all and divided the loot equally between us.
It was nothing but a profitable little episode in our journey.
We continued moving East until the afternoon. With no result in our search for the swamp on the ground level, we decided to climb the trees to get a better vantage point.
We scaled a tall tree and looked towards the East. At a distance that would take about an hour to cover on foot, the vegetation changed. I saw the canopy of a huge mangrove tree that overshadowed the surrounding forest. There were Willow trees, too—sure signs of a swamp.
I informed Charlus about it. He wanted to push forward immediately.
I cast a Tempus charm. It was around three in the afternoon.
"It will take an hour to get there," I reasoned. "We would reach the swamp around four. If we explore, we won't get back to the base before the sky begins to darken. We will continue in this direction tomorrow, along with the others. The trees are a sign that a swamp is definitely present. With such a large swamp, there is a higher chance of finding Glumbubles directly. But unknown dangers will be present, too. Let us go back to the base today."
Charlus thought for a few seconds and agreed to my suggestion.
We climbed down the tree and followed our trail back to the base, arriving just as the sky started to turn a bruised purple.
We found that we were the only ones present. Regulus and Hestia were late.
We started preparing dinner. Charlus, feeling safe inside the circle of the Fidelius Charm, unleashed his annoying side immediately. He pestered me with questions about the food and started bragging about the mischief he had done with his buddies back home.
He narrated his encounter with Regulus on the first day of school.
"I'm telling you, Emma, I made him wet himself! He was terrified of me!" Charlus boasted.
I ignored him while chopping herbs. I doubted it happened the way he narrated it. Regulus didn't seem the type to scare easily.
Suddenly, Charlus went silent.
I turned around to find him dozing on the stone bench he had been sitting on, mouth hanging slightly open.
I face-palmed. Looking at him sleeping, I supposed he wasn't quite as annoying as he had been in the morning.
…
Meanwhile, in the West...
Regulus was gripping Hestia's arm, sprinting through the undergrowth.
Behind them, the forest was tearing itself apart. Trees were being uprooted with cracks, and the wind was howling towards them like a storm.
Regulus fired spells over his shoulder blindly as they ran for their lives, an unknown creature hot on their heels.