Bowtruckle and Thestral

Chapter 169: Bowtruckles and Thestrals

The long line shuffled forward a few steps now and then, looking like a slowly wriggling snake from above.

The Harry trio started at the very back, but soon, a dozen or so more people lined up behind them.

"It'll be dinner time soon," Ron said hopefully, looking at the line ahead. "Hopefully everyone will go to eat, and then it'll be our turn right away."

"Trust me, everyone else is thinking the same thing," Harry said.

Hermione nervously bit her finger. "Listen, Michael and them said they might have put some dangerous Fantastic Beasts in there... and plants cultivated by Professor Sprout..."

"I really should have re-read One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them before I came... Why isn't Care of Magical Creatures taught until third year?"

"Probably because we can't handle those dangerous creatures until third year?" Harry said casually.

Hermione visibly grew more anxious.

"Then shouldn't we withdraw from the line first? I don't think my Shield Charm is very good yet..."

"No way, that would be too embarrassing! Look, there are even first-years challenging it!" Ron disagreed.

At that moment, a Hufflepuff student behind them said, "Potter, is this your first time challenging it?"

Harry nodded.

The boy chuckled. "Don't worry. The first level has ordinary animals and plants. As long as you're careful, even ordinary people won't get hurt. It'll definitely be easy for you guys."

"Yo, little Ronnie, and Harry and Hermione! I've been waiting for you guys!"

Suddenly, a voice sounded from above. Before Harry could turn around, he heard Ron say irritably, "I told you not to call me that, Fred!"

"When you can tell that I'm George and not Fred, I'll stop calling you by your nickname," one of the red-haired twins said.

Ron was speechless.

After all these years, even his mother couldn't always tell the twins apart, let alone him.

"George, what's that you're holding?" Hermione asked.

"Good question."

George was carrying a large cage, covered with a green cloth. Strange squeaking sounds came from inside, like a cage full of mice.

Hearing her, he excitedly reached his hand in and then pulled out a slender, root-like green creature with two small brown eyes and long, vine-like fingers.

"A Bowtruckle!" Hermione exclaimed. "I know it's a creature that guards trees, and it loves woodlice."

"Well said, Hermione, but unfortunately, I can't give you extra points."

George winked, pulled out a slip of paper, and scribbled "Hermione Granger" on it, then handed it to the Bowtruckle.

The little creature clutched the paper and then timidly climbed onto Hermione's shoulder to sit down.

Hermione looked at it cautiously. "...?"

The Bowtruckle also looked at her, but its eyes were as small as sesame seeds, so no emotion could be discerned.

"Protect these little guys."

George distributed Bowtruckles to Harry and Ron as well, saying, "They've been bred for generations at Mr. Scamander's estate. They're very intelligent and will be your scorekeepers."

"Scorekeepers?" Harry repeated.

"That's right!" George said. "You can't expect the professors to follow every challenger and keep score for them, can you?"

He was about to leave, but after two steps, he turned back and said:

"Oh, and in case you haven't heard—if your Bowtruckle dies during the challenge, all your points will be reset to zero! Whether you can participate in the challenge again is also unknown!"

"What?" Ron exclaimed in horror, raising his voice. "But it's so weak!"

His Bowtruckle angrily tugged on Ron's hair.

"That's why it's the ultimate challenge!" George waved his hand dismissively. "You understand, right? There aren't an infinite number of these intelligent Bowtruckles!"

He went to distribute Bowtruckles to the other first-time challengers, while Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged glances.

"If we encounter danger, should we cast an Shield Charm on them first?" Hermione suggested.

Harry silently nodded.

Ron looked glum—although Harry was also teaching him the Shield Charm, Ron hadn't mastered it yet.

He thought all the way, and finally, just as they were about to reach the entrance, his eyes suddenly lit up.

Ron picked up a few nut shells from the ground and used a not-yet-mastered Sticking Charm to glue them together, making a "helmet" for the little Bowtruckle.

"I hope it protects you. You also need to protect yourself and not make me worry."

Ron put the "helmet" on the little creature and instructed it carefully.

The Bowtruckle didn't seem to understand, tapping the helmet with its long fingers, as if it found it uncomfortable.

It was finally their turn in line.

Ron entered first, then Harry, and finally Hermione.

When Hermione entered, she found that Harry and Ron, who had entered a few seconds before her, were already gone.

"Alright, I guessed as much. Since we're going in one by one, there's no way we'd all be together."

She murmured to herself, cheering herself on as she explored forward.

"It's only the first layer, it can't be too difficult. Right? Uh… how about I call you Glory? Do you like that name?"

The Bowtruckle, now with a new name, suddenly chirped and pointed a finger to the side.

Hermione was startled and turned to see a pure white little rabbit.

"Oh—"

Hermione's expression softened, and she slowly walked over, wanting to reach out and pet it.

The white rabbit took a step back.

"Squeak—"

Glory suddenly chirped again.

Hermione paused, then suddenly realized. She also wanted to back away, but then found herself surrounded by seven or eight rabbits.

As she turned her head, the white rabbit leaped up and charged straight at Hermione!

Inside the maze, the students' screams rose and fell.

Even the most common animals can be startling when they show aggression.

Wade, temporarily acting as a patrol, rode on the back of a Thestral, circling above the maze, keeping watch.

Ron was chased by a flock of geese, holding his head and scurrying away.

After escaping the rabbits, Hermione was tangled up with monkeys. It wasn't that she couldn't handle them, but her reactions in a pinch were always a bit slow.

Harry, on the other hand, was doing quite well. He had already entered the second circle and was trying to snatch back his glasses from a Niffler.

He couldn't see the path clearly and stumbled several times, looking a bit disheveled all over.

Neville finally found the passage from the outer layer to the second circle, but accidentally fell into a trap and was hung upside down. This little guy's luck was always pretty low.

Wade waited nearby for a while and, seeing that Neville hadn't given up and was still trying to cut the vines holding him with a Cutting Charm, went to check on other students.

Theo had just been sent out by a House-elf, and Ryan was still persevering in the third circle. Several Augureys nearby made tremulous cries, plunging him into a low, sad mood, and he didn't want to move for a long time.

A Red Cap was stealthily approaching Ryan from behind. If he couldn't snap out of it in time, he might be eliminated like this.

Wade saw that a House-elf was already guarding nearby, so he confidently turned around.

Padma had just been eliminated, scared by a Boggart… Rolf had also made it to the third circle. This area was basically all students from third year and above…

Wade then thought that Rolf, with his family's background, might find dealing with these Fantastic Beasts easier than most students.

Some of them even came from the luggage space of their family. Rolf had been feeding them since he was little, so he naturally didn't have to worry about being harmed by these creatures.

If it weren't for the various obstacles Hogwarts itself had set up in the maze, this little guy might have just charged all the way into the seventh circle, right?

Wade observed from above for a while and saw that Rolf was trapped by a puzzle from Professor Snape and couldn't get away for a while, so he continued to check on other students.

"Ahhh—"

Suddenly, several people screamed from inside the maze.

Wade was startled.

Without him needing to command, the Thestral quickly flew towards the direction of the sound.

*BANG!*

Under the terrified gaze of several girls, Harry was violently thrown backward, a spray of blood gushing from his chest!

What no one could see was a Thestral raising its hoof high, about to stomp down on the boy on the ground!

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