Chapter 207
Chapter 207
Forced to “sleep” against the tree trunk all night, Suer woke in the sunlight to a string of chirps.
He had remained in his Animagus form throughout the night, clinging tightly to the branch and drifting in and out of sleep.
It was not cowardice. He merely valued his life.
He had learnt exactly how terrifying the Forbidden Forest became after midnight. Unfamiliar creatures roared from every direction. All manner of things crawled over the ground, while occasional shrieks suggested that something had just been caught and eaten.
The soft rustling never stopped either.
Every sound below the tree startled Suer awake whenever exhaustion dragged him into a shallow sleep.
Only when the sky brightened and dawn replaced the darkness did the noises cease. The nocturnal creatures finally ended their hunts.
Suer could at last sleep without fear, and did not wake again until full daylight, when the Bowtruckles called to him.
He opened his eyes to find a whole circle of Bowtruckles gathered around him, tiny eyes wide as they watched.
The movement startled them. Apart from the marked Bowtruckle that had stayed on top of his head, all the others darted away and hid.
The books were right. They were timid, cautious creatures.
Yet they remained intensely curious about Suer, so countless little heads soon peeped stealthily from cover.
Daylight had restored peace to the Forbidden Forest, and danger had quietly receded. Only then did Suer relax. He released the trunk, and the entire badger “fell” from the tree.
Instinct automatically adjusted his body in mid-air.
Launch! Correct position! Perfect landing! Not a leaf or speck of mud disturbed! Full marks!
Suer returned to human form. Sudden aches flooded his body, draining the colour from his face. He staggered and leaned against the tree until the weakness passed.
The marked Bowtruckle jumped from his head, caught the trunk with all four limbs and tilted its head at him. Suer looked at it seriously.
“Thank you. If you hadn’t saved me and let me stay in your tree, I might never have seen the sun rise today.”
“Chirp, chirp!” The Bowtruckle appeared embarrassed. The leaves atop its head fluttered, and it freed one hand to wave at him.
Suer understood that gesture: No need to thank me, handsome.
What an adorable, understanding creature. No wonder Mr Scamander always kept his Bowtruckle with him.
“I will repay you,” Suer said earnestly. “I need to return to the castle now. Don’t lose this. So long as you have it, I’ll be able to find you.”
As he spoke, Suer removed an object identical to the cylinder he had buried in the meadow on Friday night. The magic packed inside would last for at least several days.
Bowtruckles did have a habit of moving overnight, trees and all.
“Chirp, chirp!” The Bowtruckle bashfully waved the offer away, but Suer’s determined expression eventually persuaded it to accept.
“That’s better.” Suer smiled happily, then gave one last reminder. “Keep it safe. I’ll come back to find you as soon as I can.”
“Chirp!” Hugging the object, the Bowtruckle nodded hard. The corners of its tiny, slender mouth rose into a smile.
Suer assumed his Animagus form again, and the aching in his body miraculously vanished.
He quickly identified the direction from which he had come the night before, set all four paws in motion and disappeared into the forest.
The return journey was uneventful. He emerged safely from the Forbidden Forest and found a secluded corner behind Hagrid’s hut where he could turn human again. Enduring the unbroken ache that returned throughout his body, he swayed towards the castle.
He urgently needed sleep to restore the energy he had spent. He did not need a mirror to imagine his appearance: probably like someone who had battled through a long, exhausting night and finished with his stamina bar flashing red.
Sunday morning was particularly noisy. Once inside the castle, Suer skipped breakfast in the Great Hall and went straight back to the common room. The moment he crawled through the barrel passage, excited chatter flooded his ears.
What had happened? Suer blinked suspiciously.
“Where did you go? You were gone when we woke this morning.” Morn had been discussing something enthusiastically with Justin. When he spotted Suer entering the common room, he waved.
“I went to practise magic by the Black Lake.” Suer lied without changing expression. He had waited for Morn and Justin to fall asleep before leaving the night before.
“Oh, you’re so diligent. Not very Hufflepuff of you.” Morn teased him lightly, then excitedly explained what had caused the uproar.
“It’s our first weekend in Hogsmeade!” He pointed towards the noticeboard on the blank wall near the fireplace, where a new announcement had appeared. “At the end of October, on the day before Halloween.”
Understanding crossed Suer’s face. Having already visited Hogsmeade once, he could no longer match Morn’s excitement.
How to describe it? For students who could only remain in the castle except during the holidays, a visit to Hogsmeade was like a spring outing–no, at this time of year, an autumn outing.
The castle offered little entertainment apart from Quidditch, wizard chess and Gobstones, which sprayed foul liquid into the loser’s face.
No wonder the young wizards were so excited.
“Haa…” Suer yawned. He had no intention of joining Morn and Justin’s conversation. He waved to show that he needed the dormitory and walked away.
Even if the sky fell, nothing would stop him from sleeping!
“Suer’s face looks strange,” Justin muttered. “He looks the way my dad did when he got out of bed one morning.”
“Oh, no need to guess. He must have practised magic too hard. That’s very Suer. Did you know there’s a Zonko’s Joke Shop in Hogsmeade? It sells all sorts of interesting things. An older student told me about it and said we absolutely have to look round when we go.”
“Really? What do they sell?”
The two promptly forgot Suer and huddled together once more, loudly planning their sightseeing route through Hogsmeade.