I Love(d) You (Once)

Chapter Twenty-five: Marsh Beings Part II

"Look down and keep your hands over your eyes," Joe warned. "There is so little known about the Marsh Being, but the stories say you will be cursed if you meet its eyes."

The rustle of leaves and an ominous, woody howl made Draco cringe and he wished he had Hermione here with him instead of some middle-aged village leader. As nice as Joe was, Draco wanted someone he could trust to watch his back and not look as though he was about to faint.

"Don't stray too far," Draco said. The howl made him even more. He turned his head quickly to look behind him, just in case something was there. It felt as though there was a feeling in his gut that made him squirm and with each moment that passed it became more of a get-the-hell-out-of-here kind of feeling.

The slimy bog clung to their clothes as they trudged along, and the pair's boots squelching sounds with each step; the cold mud found a way to seep through their charms. Mud oozed through their boots and socks and sucked their toes. Joe took a step forward as he cursed all the while, and the root of an ancient rotten tree caught his foot. "Ah—!"

"Joe!" Draco whipped his head around just to see the man come down onto all fours.

Joe got back onto his feet. He looked up at Draco and gave a wry chuckle and he froze. "Mr. Malfoy," he stuttered, trying to gather his words.

Draco bit his lip to stop himself from laughing. "Would you like a hand?"

The man shook his head and whispered slowly. "Keep your eyes down."

"Yes, I remember," said Draco. "Are you all right? Your breathing… it's a bit funny." He felt someone tap on his shoulder and he turned around. "Hello?"

"NO! It's the Marsh Being," Joe cried out.

They faced a black swarmy form. Draco felt his lungs burn as the putrid stench overwhelmed him and he gagged. The Being hissed and made low guttural sounds as it swayed with the wind. Draco's legs collapsed beneath him. "Apparate us out of here!"

Crack! The two men disappeared from the marshland and appeared in the front of the village. Draco wobbled on his feet and he held up a finger. "Excuse me," he said and he threw up on the ground.

"That was…" Joe breathed.

"It could have been anything, really," Draco said. "I mean, there are always something lurking at night in magical woods…"

"We've been cursed, we've been cursed!" Joe leaned his weight on the village gate heaving and trying not to gag.

"Mr. Procter, this is horrible." A man rushed to the gates when he saw that the village leader was back. "Half the town has caught sight of the Marsh Being and has been cursed!"

Many villagers were at the gates, shivering and crying. It looked as though a natural disaster had ravaged the township. And it had. The Marsh Being had come and made its deadliest visit to date. They were all marked for death.

Draco had failed. He had utterly failed. Not only was he going to die from some deathly feverish curse, but the whole town was going to be wiped out too. Was there anyone who could fix this?

Who could save the day?

"What?" a new voice exclaimed. And that voice broke through Draco's train of thoughts and he turned his head away from the crowd. He was so cold and tired. At first he had thought he was dreaming. Previously it was just merely his stomach that had felt queasy. Now his head was ringing and he was seeing things…

"Malfoy, are you all right? You look green."

Hermione's hand went to his forehead, and Hermione tutted at how it burned.

"Granger?" He asked, trying to swallow the bouts of nausea. This was the first stage of the curse. He had witnessed it firsthand. "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't find anything to help out with the situation so I decided to come." She was shocked at seeing Draco so dishevelled and almost incoherent (and was that mud all over his trousers?).

"Granger," Draco said, leaning on her for support. He took a deep breath. "You need to get out of here. Two people have died from the curse and I can only assume there will be more to follow. Half the town's been cursed and just, just now… Joe and I have been cursed. The Marsh Being is dangerous. Parley is unlikely to be possible with the Marsh Being. It's much too dangerous. We'll have to kill it. I know you're good at breaking curses, but there appears to be no other way. Head back to the city, it'll be safe there. "

"What? No!"

"Do you want to die? You're asking for a death wish if you stay. Go back home. Tell P&P to send out a red alert, I doubt anyone's going to come to Hullyton for a laugh, but you need to keep people away from coming here!"

"What about you then?"

Draco shook his head. "With the time that's left, I'll find try find out what's happened. I'll have a few hours before I'll lose mobility, but I'll try my best until then— ergggggghhhh!" Hermione reeled backwards as Draco hurled. He leaned against the village walls for support. "Go," he said weakly. "Wouldn't want to wish this curse on anyone."

"And I suppose you expect me to follow your instructions obediently?" (Do you expect me to sit back and watch you die?) Hermione put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "No way, if you think the threat of being cursed is going to stop me from getting to the bottom of this, you've really got to be ill. And look at you; you're not going to be able to get any work done."

"Who's this?" Joe asked Draco, his eyes half-closed with delirium.

"Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself." Hermione grabbed his hand and shook it. "I'm the half of our team with more common sense."