And now, the Timeless Trees dungeon! Maybe not the most fitting name, maybe, but it was what came to mind.

The aesthetic of this level (which has pixel art of its entrance and a couple of rooms posted under my "dungeon 3" and "personal fanart" tags on my ever-mentioned tumblr), is a mixture between the half-drowned and vine-ridden Skyview Temple from Skyward Sword, the churchy vibes of the Temple of Time in its multiple appearances, and the overgrown muckiness of the Forbidden Woods from Wind Waker. The Temple of Time inspiration is why I named it the Timeless Trees.

Everyone arranged themselves as close as they could to the front steps of the white palace among the twisted trees. Red eyed the twitchy blond standing next to him. Even though Malfoy had insisted several times that he could handle going into the temple, the boy kept putting his hands to his neck and taking deep, deliberate breaths. Through Red's magic glasses Malfoy didn't look any closer to teal, but the Slytherin's eyes were greenish yellow and glowing. Red didn't know what that meant, and he wasn't sure whether he should notify someone smarter about it. Glowing eyes wouldn't make the boy any worse at dodging traps, right? And telling someone would only make Malfoy have another nervous breakdown. So, probably best to keep his mouth shut, maybe?

"Group One's going first!" Harry announced, making Malfoy jump and clutch at his scarf. "One my count! Three, two, one!"

Group 1 took off sprinting. Harry first, then Dog and Malfoy, then Red. The Beamoses spun opposite each other, so there was a brief moment when neither of them was watching the stairs. The tricky part was getting past them in that narrow window, then figuring out what to do about the eyes on the front of the temple. Red dashed past them right as they fired their lasers, then continued running up the stairs. His teammates, who had stopped to look at the temple's eyes, yelped in surprise when he blew past them by. Red just poured on more speed.

The golden eyes ahead of him snapped wide open and he felt a crackle in the air as they lit up with a red glow. Right as he dove into the safety of the alcove around the temple's entrance, the eyes released a blinding flash that whited out his vision. Red missed his landing, tumbled across the polished tiles, and stopped upside-down with his butt propped up against the wall next to the doorway. His vision was still swimming with spots, but he didn't feel like he'd lost anything important.

"Woo, made it!" he crowed dizzily, pumping one fist. He pushed away from the wall in a clumsy roll and sprang to his feet. Harry, Draco, and Dog had appeared at some point while he'd been getting his sight back. "Anyone get hit?" he asked. The trailing end of Malfoy's woolen scarf had traded up its fringe for red-hot embers and the reek of burnt hair, he noted. Yet the boy was still stubbornly wearing it. "Er, you might want to put that out," Red advised, pointing at the damage.

"I'm not taking this off until I'm back at my dorm," Malfoy hissed, baring his teeth in an expression slightly too animalistic to describe as a sneer. "Touch it and I'll hex you."

Green and Red shared a baffled look, then shrugged. "Alright. If you get set on fire, Dog can put you out," Green told him, leading the way into the temple. "Just try not to strangle yourself again."

The first room was beautiful. Red didn't usually use that word, but it was the best one for the job. It looked like the inside of an abandoned church, but if people still showed up and whitewashed the walls. Gray-green and purple vines grew everywhere, creeping down from every opening to the outside and covering the floor like a knobbly carpet. Narrow windows near the tall ceiling let in streams of bright sunlight that bounced off of the white walls and pale green tiles. The plants everywhere filled the room with the smell of wood and grass. It was so well-lit and soothing, he could hardly believe it was out to kill him. If he ignored the Skulltulas half-hidden among the vines hanging from the rafters and the bizarre yellow propeller-things flying around, it was a really nice-looking place to start an adventure from. Certainly better than the last temple he'd been in.

Green nudged him in the side. "The temple's giving us a new thing from the start," he said, pointing. Red now noticed that there were four little podiums around the entryway, each bearing a clawed whip made of…wicker? He inspected the nearest one. Its greenish beige, two-meter cord looked like it was made of a thick, incredibly flexible wicker vine. The handle was woven grass, the hilt a pair of glossy dark green leaves, and the three-fingered prong at the end looked like pale hardwood flowing from the wicker cord. Red picked the weapon up and gave it a couple of haphazard swings. It felt completely alien to him.

He heard a series of sharp cracks and glanced over to see Malfoy snapping his whip with practiced skill. "The claws are an odd touch," Malfoy remarked to Dog. The canine hadn't taken a weapon, since he didn't have the thumbs for it. "The prongs would deal more pain, but they'd get stuck on things and they're made of wood, which is a terrible material for a tip. It's difficult to keep it from wearing down, even if it's enchanted."

"What, do you torture people on weekends?" Red asked. "Why do you know that stuff?"

"My great-grandfather left some books about non-magical torture methods in the family library," Malfoy answered. "I came across one about whips when I was little, and I've loved them since then. Before you accuse me of anything, I've only ever practiced on targets, Potters. If I want to make someone bleed, I'll use my wand."

Green claimed a whip of his own and swung it with about as much skill as Red had. "Your family's bonkers. Who even buys books about torture?"

Malfoy coiled his whip and gestured toward Green with it. "It's called having an interest in things other than basic academia, Potter. I'm sure it's a foreign concept to you."

The Potters pursed their lips and thought on that. Red thought Malfoy had made a fair point. Until recently, Harry hadn't had much free time to spend on any special interests of his own. He'd been taught gardening, cooking, and the basics of sewing by his aunt, but he hadn't had any hobbies to himself until he'd come to Hogwarts and discovered Quidditch. Even then, he didn't spend much time reading extra material about it. Ron was still teasing him for not having found a favorite team yet.

"We don't have all day for you to stand around considering hobbies," Malfoy said impatiently. "There's a door up ahead and monsters in front of it. Get to slaying, if you please."

Red jammed his whip in his pocket and pulled out his sword. "Yeah, sure." He left the clean tiles by the entryway and stepped onto the vine-covered floor, his eyes on the yellow propeller-monsters hovering around the two raised platforms in the back of the room. They weren't animal-like or humanoid like the beasties he'd seen around Hogwarts. These things were feathery, blue-eyed orange apples the size of beach-balls flying around on curved, four-bladed yellow rotors. "Adorable nightmare" was the description that came to mind.

One of the flying things took notice of Red and dipped out of its patrol path to dive-bomb him. Red swung his sword in what he thought was a perfectly-timed strike. And yet, somehow, he wound up flat on his back with the wind knocked out of him.

He pushed himself up on his elbows. "What the—?" His eyes grew wide at the sight of the other mystery creature coming at him and he quickly rolled out of the way. "Green, what the hell are these things?" he shouted as he scrambled to his feet. Swinging his sword at the next flying apple to attack him explained how he'd gotten knocked down; the whirling propeller was like a shield circling the monster's body. His sword skidded right off with a spray of sparks and a horrible vibrating ring that made his hands go numb.

A jet of white fire hit the monster he'd just attacked and narrowly missed singeing Red's ear when it bounced off. Red ducked reflexively and then glared in the direction the shot had come from. "Malfoy!"

The Slytherin, who was still standing by the temple entrance, put his hands on his hips. "I was just trying to help! How was I supposed to know it would do that?"

"You read! What are these things?"

"Their article didn't translate in the book!"

Dog dashed by Red and leapt up underneath one of the propeller monsters. He grabbed hold of its soft body with his jaws, making the creature squeal like a bike horn and shed a few slick golden feathers that vanished in the air. It squeaked again when Dog bashed it mercilessly into the ground and then honked a pitiful death cry before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Huh. That works," Red commented. "Dog, you understand me, right?"

Dog nodded.

"You're on flying apple duty until the rest of us figure out how to kill them. You got that?"

"Woof!" Dog took off after the other yellow monster, which had floated back to its patrol circuit.

Red turned around, intending to go after one of the Skulltulas, only to find Green stabbing the last spider in the eyes. Green collected the blue crystal it dropped with a low swing of his sword before sheathing it. It was a smooth, graceful move—not the kind of thing Harry Potter had ever had much success at. Red looked down at his own hands and flexed them. He'd noticed himself getting stronger as Green had been practicing his swordsmanship. Had he been tripping over his feet and fumbling things less often? Damn, he really needed to start paying more attention.

"Just so you know, those orange things were a kind of Peahat," Green said. He surveyed the room with a kind of calm intensity that reminded Red of watching a billiards player plan their next move. "I've never seen anyone take them out like Dog did, but if it works, it works. I think the Vine Whip might jam their blades, but I can't figure out how to aim the stupid thing." He pulled his coiled whip out of his pocket and tried to make it snap. The cord just flailed like a wet noodle.

"What, none of the guys in the beastie-book ever used one?" Red asked, half-teasing and half-curious. He hadn't paid all that much attention to his brothers' study of the book, trusting them to tell him what he needed to know when they felt he needed to know it.

"You'd think so, but no. I didn't see anything about a whip in there," Green said, cramming the coiled wicker vine into his robe pocket. "Not that we'd get any muscle-memory for it. There's a reason why I've had to do sword practice using that journal, you know. Thank Merlin that Ravio kid took better notes than I do."

As they went into the next room, Red wrinkled his nose at the warm, moist, swampy air that hit his nose. The lower level of the room was filled with green water that sat so still it could have been mistaken for a mossy carpet if not for the wet stink. There were no windows here; instead, there were light fixtures in the form of pot-shaped containers holding fat glowing mushrooms. They jutted out of the walls every so often like ugly stone cauldrons, spilling sickly yellow light everywhere. The middle of the room was dominated by two platforms on stilts that rose out of the mucky water. A golden shepherd's crook extended down from the ceiling between the platforms, a second one hanging between the farther platform and the patch of floor supporting a doorway at the end of the wide hall. Red spied a formerly white (but now algae-stained green) set of stairs leading out of the pool and grimaced. It was a relief they'd be able to climb out of the pond if they fell in, but he shuddered at the thought of being swallowed up by that foul water. It looked and smelled like it'd give him ten infections and fifty parasites the moment he touched it.

Green stepped up to the edge of the short stretch of floor in front of them and peered at the nearest hook. His eyes flicked from the hook to the platforms below it. "We have to swing?" he asked with dread. "With this?" Pulling out his whip, he made a face at it. "I really didn't plan on swimming today."

"Swing?" Red asked with interest. "That sounds fun, but how?"

Malfoy huffed and rolled his eyes. "Honestly, it's like you've never heard of curse-breakers. These whips are probably enchanted to help us traverse the temple, like the ones those adventurers use." He pushed Red and Green aside, eyeing the hook hanging above them. Unfurling his whip, he gave it an experimental snap before swinging it up at the shepherd's crook. As he'd said, the whip moved like it wanted to help, lengthening to cross the distance and coiling to get a firm grip with its enlarged claw. He leapt, holding onto the whip two-handed, and the whip releasing the hook and shrinking back to its normal length as he made his dismount. He landed on the other side with a stumble that he quickly straightened from.

"See? That wasn't so difficult," he said, slightly breathless. The greenish undertone of his skin was highlighted by the excited red flush in his cheeks. "Even you dunderheads can do it, I'm sure."

Red laughed at the insult. Being Snape's class pet must have made Malfoy start picking up the professor's mannerisms. He stepped up to the edge of the platform with his whip in hand, looking forward to the challenge set in front of him. Resisting the urge to take a running start, he planted his feet and flung the clawed tip of his whip at the golden hook. A strange sense of connection flowed through him as he sent the weapon out. Suddenly it felt like a third arm. Blinking rapidly at the feeling, he wrapped his new "limb" around the hook and swung across the gap. As soon as he landed, the connection between him and the weapon faded. Now far more curious about it than he'd been before, he gave it an experimental swing.

Malfoy yelped and guarded his face. "How big do you think this platform is, you idiot?"

"Huh? Oh, whoops." Red turned away from him and flailed the whip over the green water instead, keeping a tight grip so he didn't drop the silly thing. It was as noodly and useless as it had been the first time he picked it up. Maybe it only worked on the hooks, then? That was kind of dumb.

He shrugged, aimed the whip at the next hook, and used the limb-sensation to get a good grip. Then he swung across and it was gone again. He frowned at the weapon. It had the potential to be absolutely brilliant, like the magic glasses, if only he could figure out how to make it less of a stupid noodle most of the time. If he could keep that connection going, he could have a whole extra arm!

There was a sound of shoes thudding and nails clicking that signaled the rest of his team landing behind him. Red turned around with the whip in his hands, a look of thoughtful concentration on his face. When he opened his mouth to ask his teammates about how the whips might work, Malfoy cut in with a snide, "Don't try thinking too hard, Potter. You might catch fire."

Red scowled and snapped the whip at the Slytherin's arse. To his surprise, the connection lit up and he actually hit what he was aiming for. Malfoy jumped with a satisfying yip of surprise. Dog huffed and trotted over to Red. He gently closed his huge maw over the hand holding the whip, meeting the boy's broad grin with a very human look of exasperation. It probably should have creeped him out, but Red just found it funny. His cackling drowned out half of Malfoy's following rant. Green and Dog practically pushed them into the next room. And then hastily pulled them back because there was far more water than floor.

The sight and smell of the place were enough to make Malfoy abandon his argument and go quiet. Red couldn't blame him; it was like being in the world's worst church auditorium. The domed ceiling was really pretty, made of violet, lilac, and green glass that cast a mosaic pattern on the water and platforms underneath it. Unfortunately it also turned the whole flooded room into a hot, humid, reeking greenhouse. Every time Red breathed, he wanted to cough on the slime the air left in his throat.

Thick lines of rope crossed the space under the ceiling, each holding up hooks to let them swing between platforms. The room looked like—Red had to mentally search for a word—a hub? That sounded right. It looked like a central hub for the temple, with four doors leading out. Directly across from them was the door to the monster guarding the exit. The golden, eye-shaped keyhole looked really cool in the stained-glass lighting. Dammit, why did this temple have to look so nice and be filled with nasty water at the same time? Red would have loved to wander around for a while, killing monsters and seeing the sights, if it didn't stink like farts and damp leaves.

Flying apples—no, Peahats—floated around here and there. They drifted through the air like wayward party balloons, their propellers producing a low chopping sound that echoed around the big room. He wondered how those curvy propellers worked. It was probably through a lot of math-stuff he wouldn't get. Or maybe just magic?

Green swung from platform to platform until he reached the raised stone circle in the middle of the room. He peered around for a bit, eyes narrowed in the kind of squint that told Red he wasn't seeing much. "I think there's a platform missing!" Green called back. "There's a big space in front of the big door and two hooks."

Red only half-heard what his brother had said, his attention more focused on the Peahats that Green had passed by. They weren't as quick on the uptake as Moblins, but they'd noticed him and they were starting to close in. Which Green didn't notice, of course, because Harry Potter was prone to missing half the details of any given situation. Red would know; he was the worst offender of the four. He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Green, duck!"

"What? Oh crap—" Green shoved his whip in his pocket and pulled out his sword. If it were any other kind of monster he was trying to fight, the weapon switch would have been a good idea. Not here, though.

Red held up his whip. "No, you've gotta—"

Two Peahats swooped. Green took a brave swing, jolted back with a ringing clang, and—Red held his breath.

Sploosh! The water sent up a dark spray that Red was very glad not to get caught up in. Ripples ruffled the thick carpet of algae and rotting leaves.

In the silence that followed, he was torn between cringing in sympathy and dying laughing. He decided on the latter because it hadn't been him who'd fallen in the water, every Harry Potter knew how to swim, and Madam Pomfrey could probably fix his brother up if he got sick. Red clutched his stomach and laughed so hard he had trouble catching his breath. "Ohhh my god, I never thought you'd be the first one to fall in!" he wheezed after Green had surfaced.

As he swam by, Green shot him a poisonous glare that was visible even through all the muck. That just made Red laugh harder. Green looked like a grumpy swamp monster, especially with his lips clamped tight to keep the nastiness out.

Malfoy looked like he was experiencing all the horror that Red had given up on feeling. His face was so green, Red forgot for a moment that he wasn't wearing his magical glasses. "Those monsters are there for the sole purpose of knocking us in! Even the last temple didn't have that!" the aristocrat screeched. "How could anyone create a place like this?" When Green reached the staircase next to them and dragged his slimy, sodden self out of the water, Malfoy half-hid behind Dog. "Stay away," he hissed.

Green dragged a hand down his algae-coated face, revealing a thunderous scowl, and then flicked the muck at Red, who danced away snickering. "What, you don't have any fancy Pureblood cleaning spells to throw at me?" he asked Malfoy in a tone so dry it rivaled Snape's. He spat and wiped his lips.

"They're for common soils and stains, not swamp!"

"Goes to show how useful you are, then," Green sniffed. He turned toward the Peahats that had knocked him into the water, which had returned to innocently floating around. "Revenge," he bit out, taking up his whip.

Red's face lit up and he noodled his weapon in anticipation. "Hell yeah! Let's go!"

Item Get: Vine Whip (temporary copy). Basically the Grappling Hook of this story. Its powers include snatching spoils and weapons off of monsters (an ability that will mainly become useful after the land of Hyrule itself comes into the story), swinging across gaps using certain hooks, and slaying really tiny monsters like Keese.

Notes:

-Those brass laser eyes (inspired by the laser-firing Moblin sculpture in Wind Waker's Forsaken Fortress) would have put a neat fist-sized hole in Red if he'd moved a little slower ;)

-I love the Peahats from Wind Waker! They're adorable little party horns. I know the Golden Feathers you get from them are from their propellers in canon, but I like to headcanon their propellers as metal and their bodies as feathered because of how indestructible those blades are while they're spinning.