Hello everyone! This is the result of PartKneazle's Strange Animals Challenge... where you choose a number and in return you get a mythical creature to write about! I really hope you like it, PartKneazle :)
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny go on a vacation. What happens when they meet the local wildlife? (Hint: you'll find out if you read some more :D)
Enjoy!
Ginny pushed her way valiantly through the thick vines and branches, blocking the path to what was hopefully the "nice, peaceful, relaxing campground" Hermione had described. Behind the red-head struggled her brother with two packs - the extra because he hadn't the sense to allow Hermione to carry her own, and consequently was too stubborn to consider giving it back - and Hermione with her nose buried in the travel guide. Harry brought up the rear, ever so often sharing exasperated looks with his girlfriend.
After things had settled down in the wizarding world - Hermione's parents being brought back from Australia, Harry and Ron securing their respective places in the Auror training camp, and attending the unfortunately large amount of funerals - the idea of taking a non-magical vacation had seemed novel and fun to the four of them. Sitting in the Weasley's kitchen Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny had planned their trip extensively. Hermione had researched the kinds of natural wonders they would see, Harry and Ron had taken care of supplies, while Ginny made sure they'd have enough to eat.
Protests had been made (on the Weasley siblings' part mostly) about the lack of magic. But Hermione had been adamant that going about their vacation "the Muggle way" would prove to be more entertaining.
"It'll be a blast," she cajoled Ron. "Ginny's agreed - don't be such a spoilsport!"
So with a destination of the Congo in mind, and saying goodbye to friends and family (as well as taking requests for photos and souvenirs; Luna's had been for the right foot of the Breery-Webbed Congologger, whatever that was) they set off. Catching their flight to Kinshasa had been the easy part; they'd been navigating their way through the jungle for hours and so far had seen no sign of habitation.
"We're almost there," Hermione muttered to herself in the same sort of way as when she prepared for end-of-year exams. "Just another few miles."
"Hermione, it's getting dark out," Harry said, peering with ever-increasing difficulty through the trees. "Can't we just use the Point-Me spell?"
"No," snapped the bookworm. "I said no magic!"
Luckily, they were saved a large debate on the subject when Ginny made to hack through a clump of tall grass and instead stumbled into a clearing. It was divided into several campsites, each one with a large fire-pit and a wooden picnic table. With a cry of relief and exhaustion, Ginny ran to one of the campsites and sprawled across the table, yelping when Harry dumped his pack onto her stomach.
"I still can't see why we chose this place for our vacation," Ron said nervously as he set his and Hermione's packs down. "I mean, the Congo isn't exactly known for its tales of pretty, lighthearted woodland creatures."
"The travel guide said it was really making a mark in the tourist industry these days," Hermione answered loftily, flipping through the book. "Stop worrying, Ron. We're perfectly safe."
"Yeah, if we still had our wands," Ron whispered to Harry and Ginny.
Hermione gave the campsite a critical once-over. "I think it will be best if Harry and I set up the tent. Being raised by Muggles, we'd probably be able to set it up quicker, no offense. Ginny can start preparing supper, and Ron can find us some firewood."
Ron scowled. "Can't I just Accio-"
"No, Ronald."
"Just do as you're told, Ron," Ginny said, giving her brother a mocking grin. "Unless wittle Ronnikins is scared of the big bad boegyman!"
Muttering under his breath and ignoring Hermione's shocked gasp of "Ronald!" the red-headed boy trudged into the forest.
Contrary to what he'd stated, Ron was truly afraid of the darkening woods. After all, they'd meant trouble for him and his friends since first year. He felt like eyes were watching him, tracking his every move, but when Ron turned around, no one was there, and nothing could be heard. It was with a great sense of relief to return to the campsite, firewood in his arms. Supper was served and, after a long evening passed sitting around the campfire - Ron and Ginny were delighted to try the Muggle concoction known as "smores" - sharing jokes and generally unburdening themselves of all the fears and bad thoughts that had built up over the last terrible year, the four of them went to sleep in the wizarding tent Hermione had graciously allowed Ron to bring.
"No funny business, you two," she glared at Harry and Ginny before they went into their part of the tent. "I want to sleep peacefully tonight."
As Harry and Ginny left, Hermione gave a half-hearted glare at her boyfriend. "That goes for you too, Ron. I promised Mrs. Weasley-"
"Yeah, yeah," Ron pouted.
It was with a sleepy groan that Harry awoke early that morning. He'd heard something snuffling around in the night, and all his instincts - forged in traveling under the radar and evading Dark forces - told him to check it out. Unfortunately for him, Hermione had confiscated all their wands until they left the Congo at the end of the week. If anything was out there… well, Ginny had left the cast-iron frying pan near the tent entrance…
Chuckling at his paranoia, the talented Seeker poked his head out of the tent, scanning around for any sign of the disturbance that had bothered him during the night.
Nothing. The clearing was quiet and peaceful, and for some reason that bothered Harry until he realized that he simply wasn't used to such a relaxing atmosphere. Maybe Hermione was right-this vacation would be good for him.
The little voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like his bushy-haired friend said "I told you so!"
Just as Harry was turning around, eager for a warm bed and some more sleep, movement out of the corner of his eye caused the young man to stiffen. He turned around slowly, eyes darting towards the round cooking utensil on the ground just a few feet away from him. Picking it up for reassurance, Harry stepped towards the source of the movement: their ash-filled fire pit. When he inched closer, a tiny puff of the wispy particles burst into the air. As Harry gulped, two blood-red eyes stared balefully up at him from the ashes.
Not even bothering with the frying pan, Harry yelled and darted for the trees.
Ginny found him there, when the sun had just risen above the horizon. She grinned up at him while back in the tent came sounds of Ron and Hermione getting ready for the day.
"Decided you'd try being a monkey?" she asked, grinning up at her boyfriend.
"Gin, seriously. There's some sort of wild animal out there. The trees are safer than where you're standing." Harry gulped in fear, eyes glancing around in case the red-eyed animal was lurking about. "Come on up!"
"You're being foolish," Ginny scoffed, making a big show of looking around her for any signs of life. "Look, there's absolutely nothing-"
A low, angry growl emerged from the bushes next to the Weasley. With a frightened yelp, she scrambled with unusual grace up Harry's tree and fell, panting, on the branch beside him.
"Shut up," she crossly told her laughing boyfriend.
"Check outside for them, Ron, they can't have gone far," Ron mimicked with annoyance as he scoured the clearing. Why had Hermione volunteered him to go looking for his missing best mate and little sister? She knew he hated coming across those two when they were… involved. So why did Hermione torture him like this? It's not like Harry and Ginny ever did anything else when they were alone.
Honestly, thought Ron sourly, I should just lock those two up and throw away the key. In separate cells, of course. He was about to give up and go inside to tell Hermione that their two companions had eloped, when his own name was yelled out.
"Ronald Weasley! You'd better get over here, right now!"
It was Mum! Ron raced across to the location of the voice, then paused. Why would Mum be in the Congo? She'd agreed to let them go on their own.
Wait a minute… Ginny was staring down at him from her perch in a large jungle tree, Harry peering down from beside her. Ron scowled. His little sister resembled their mother way too much these days.
"What the bloody hell d'you think you're doing, going missing like that?" he yelled up at them, peeved. "Hermione was about to go spare, she thought renegade Death-Eaters'd killed you-"
"Calm down, Ron," said Harry. "We were chased up a tree by some sort of wild creature."
"Fine," Ron said, not believing them one bit. "If you don't want to tell me what you two were really doing…" A horrible thought occurred to him. "You two weren't… you know…"
Both Harry and Ginny's faces blanched.
"Eurgh!" the latter yelped. "Ron, don't be such a bloody perv! Like Harry said, we got chased up this tree by one of the locals."
"Alright, alright, I believe you," said Ron hastily. He looked around him. "So where's this blood-thirsty animal?"
Ginny gave a savage grin. "Right behind you."
Another growl, like the one Ginny had heard earlier, sounded from behind the Weasley boy. Ron turned, and squeaked: it was a warthog-like creature, with ash-colored skin and long, curved fangs. Its eyes were blood-red, and currently giving Ron a glare of immense dislike.
"Augh!" he cried as the creature charged. "Save me!"
He leapt for the bottom branch of Harry and Ginny's tree, screaming like a little girl; Ron just barely made it to safety as the creature's tusks grazed the wood right under his feet. He pulled his way up to where Harry and Ginny sat, taking deep breaths.
"What… is that thing?"
They shared a look, and then started yelling for Hermione, who came barreling out of the tent, a breakfast plate of sausages in hand. Seeing what had her friends so scared, Hermione tossed the sausages in the animal's direction. Immediately, it switched focus onto the meat, and after snatching it in its jaws, rumbled into the jungle happily.
Hermione walked up to her treed companions, shaking her head.
"It was just a Tebo," she told them. "Nothing dangerous."
"Well, it sure looked dangerous to me," Ron retorted. "Did you see those tusks?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "They're only dangerous in large groups. Most of the time though, they travel alone and… what, Harry?"
For the green-eyed boy was pointing mutely at something behind Hermione while the Weasleys looked on in fear. Turning around, the witch saw the largest congregation of Tebos she had ever seen; a veritable army, all hungry for meat.
Ron reached down, tugging his girlfriend up into the branches just as the original Tebo led the charge.
"What do we do now, oh brilliant one?" Ginny muttered to a shocked Hermione.
"Well… Mr. and Mrs. Weasley will be here to check on us in a few days… and I do have plenty of sausage left!"
The others face-palmed.
Terminus
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