Chapter 20 Escaping
Michael and Shawn had walked carefully down the path. Hagrid had found a path at the edge of the forest near the Quidditch Pitch. He said it appeared like something was being dragged.
They had followed the path until it had divided into two. Hagrid followed one while Michael and Shawn had taken the other.
"Do you think we are going in circles?" Michael asked.
"No, I know we are. I didn't think the forest went in this deep." Shawn answered.
Michael slumped down on a rock. "I thought the Aurors would be searching here pretty soon."
"His Uncle Harry at least." Shawn said. "I'm going to mark this direction. The path seems to head into there." He said putting one of the marks onto the tree. He also took a seat on one of the rocks.
"Do you remember Eric telling us about when his Dad went into the forest?" Shawn asked.
"Who would have thought we would end up in here too?" Shawn answered.
"I don't know." Michael asked. "We better get going."
Eric made his way into the second room. It appeared empty he looked around for a door to escape. There was only a crude chair and table set up in the far corner. Eric immediately looked to see if there was a key of some kind. He had to escape and fast.
What he saw was on the table though was better, a wand. His own wand.
Immediately Eric took position behind the chair and waited for Malfoy to appear.
"After I use you to restore my energy I will kill you." Malfoy said coming out. "You can't escape." He was holding his broken wand.
"This is for my Mum. Petrificas Totalus." Eric yelled.
The spell had taken Malfoy completely by surprise. He fell forward from the full body bind.
Eric went over to him and turned him over. "I really should break your nose right now, but I would rather hand you over to Harry."
Eric looked at the room again to see for a way out. The only door that he saw was to the other room he was kept in. There had to be a good blasting spell. Just break his way out.
The body bind would wear off in a while or so. He did not want to be around when that happened.
Eric started looking around the ceiling. Due to the lack of light he figured that he must be underground.
"Here goes nothing." Eric said pointing his wand at a random point in the ceiling. "Alohomora."
There was an odd rumbling from the ceiling. A few pieces of it dropped down. Eric peaked out and saw the night sky. Now he would have to figure on how to get out.
Eric pulled the chair over to give himself some leverage. He stepped on the chair and then jumped grabbing the edge of ceiling. The ground was not very solid. Eric kept grasping as far as he could to get a hold of something steady. He finally grabbed what he thought was a tree root. Eric swung his body upwards to get a better grip. He felt his muscles pulling as he lifted himself up.
Once he was completely free of the cavern he looked around. There was no doubt in his mind that he was in the Forbidden Forest. Eric was just so far in he could not see the high rises of the castle or even the mountains.
Not knowing what else to do Eric looked at the sky picked and out the North Star and started off in the direction. The Forest was south of the castle. He would just head North and hopefully he would see something. He lit the end of his wand and started off.
The entire time that he was walking Eric made sure that he kept his guard. There were a number of creatures in the forest. He knew the ones to be least scared off would be the centaurs do to their beliefs about children. They would also be the least helpful.
A sudden movement turned his attention to the left of him. Eric watched with his wand ready. Something jumped from behind one of the trees. Eric backed up into a tree. From the light he was able to see it was a bugbear. The bugbear made a screaming noise then left off.
Eric leaned against the tree. He knew that those things liked to frighten kids and it had done its job.
He then took notice of the tree. With the way its branches were set it would be easy to climb. Eric lifted himself on one of the branches and grabbed onto another to lift himself up. If he got higher than maybe he could see the castle. As he got a little higher the branch he had his arm on broke. Eric immediately compensated with his other arm and his feet.
That was when he felt a hand go for his face. Eric grabbed at the long fingers trying to pull them away. When they were away from his face he noticed that they looked like twigs. The creature had attached itself to his head.
Eric tried to get down from the tree so he could remove the creature. The creature was relentless. Eric used both of his hands to pull the creature off of his head. Only his feet were holding him steady.
He wobbled around trying to free himself of the creature. That was when he lost his balance.
Eric felt himself fall from the tree and landed with a thud.
The noise seemed to scare the creature away. It ran back into the tree.
"Bloody bowtruckle." Eric said. "I wasn't trying to hurt your tree." Eric tried to stand, but his left ankle had been twisted. He could not stand on it. "Great." Eric said trying to figure out how to stand so he could move.
He grabbed hold of another tree and started hoping forward. It was slow, but it he wanted to get out of there quickly as possible.
Up ahead he saw a light traveling back and forth. Eric stayed ready with his wand. He already had enough of the creatures in the forest. Eric stood against one of the trees for leverage and to hide. He worked on a group of spells in his head. The light continued to move closer very slowly.
The thing started to come into focus.
"Shawn?" Eric said. "Michael?"
Shawn and Michael were stunned as Eric came into view.
"Eric, we have been hunting for you for the last two hours." Shawn said putting down his lit wand.
"The whole castle is on lock down because of you." Michael said.
"Is Christine Lily alright?" Eric asked.
"Christine Lily?" Michael said surprised. "She's in the hospital wing. Nothing's wrong she was just upset about you."
"He said he had her." Eric said. "We better get back to the castle."
"Right." Shawn said. He pointed his wand into the air then said a quick spell. Green sparks shot out of his wand into the sky. He then took his wand flat in his palm. "Castle." The wand circled around until it pointed in the direction that they had just come from. "The castle's this way." He then put his wand up again shooting orange sparks.
"Hagrid told us if we found you to let up green sparks and if we were heading back to the castle orange." Michael explained.
"Good." Eric said. "Can one of you help me?" Eric showed them his ankle.
"Put your arm around my shoulder." Michael said.
Eric hobbled next Michael for support. As they walked he told them about Malfoy and how he had escaped.
Shawn and Michael were both eager audiences.
In front of them they saw something moving towards them. "Not again." Eric said having his wand ready as well.
The figure quickly moved closer. Eric relaxed when he saw that it was his Uncle Harry. The person he had most wanted to see after escaping from Malfoy.
Harry saw his nephew and ran up to him. He immediately put his hand on Eric's shoulder. "I'm glad to see you." Harry said. He could not believe he had been found that fast. "Are you hurt?" He quickly asked noticing the way Eric had balanced himself on Michael.
"Just a twisted ankle." Eric said. "Malfoy is up there a little ways. He's in a cavern. The hole is really small. I hit him with a full body bind."
Harry could tell that Eric wanted to say more, but decided it could wait.
"Can you too get him back to the castle?" Harry asked Michael and Shawn.
"No problem." Michael said. "We got him."
"Hagrid should meet you soon he is over in that direction." Harry told them. "I will go get Malfoy. Make sure he goes to the hospital wing."
Harry headed off in the direction that Eric had pointed.
Michael and Shawn both helped Eric move towards the castle.
Harry had been right about Hagrid. He had shown up just a few moments after Harry had left. Hagrid hugged Eric and walked with them back to the castle. They didn't seem to have a run in with any of the other creatures on the way back. The mere presence of Hagrid seemed to keep them back.
Once they had reached the castle they went immediately to the hospital wing. Hagrid opened the doors for them to enter.
The first thing Eric saw in the far corner was his parents.
"Eric." Hermione said running towards him. Eric removed his arm from Michael and hobbled over to her.
Hermione hugged her with son with reckless abandon. Ron was right behind her. He hugged the both of them. He looked up and caught sight of Hagrid, Shawn and Michael who were creeping towards the door. "Thank you. All of you."
Hagrid nodded for all of them and lead Shawn and Michael out.
"I'm alright," Eric said to his parents. He then got down on his knees to hug his sisters and Christine Lily. "I'm alright." He said to them. He then turned to Christine Lily. "I'm glad you are alright." He said to her.
"May I cut in?" Madam Shawns said. "I am sure you will want to walk on that ankle in the near future."
The twins stepped away with Christine Lily.
Eric jumped up onto the bed. Hermione helped him take off his boot. Eric squinted in pain as it came off.
"It looks like you did more than twist this." Madam Shawns said taping it with her wand. She then found some smelly ointment that she rubbed on it.
Ron got a pillow from another bed and placed it under the ankle.
"It should heal by tomorrow." Madam Shawns said. "But you are staying put. You all may stay with him." She then headed off towards her other patients.
"I'm so glad that Hagrid and them found you." Ron said. "Do you want to tell us what happened?"
"It was Malfoy." Eric said. "I told Uncle Harry where to find him."
"Did he do that to your ankle?" Hermione asked, surprised that a run in with Malfoy would have just a minder injury.
"No, I got that from a bowtruckle. Malfoy didn't get a chance."
"He had you for over two hours." Hermione said. "Are you sure he didn't hit you with anything."
"No. Mum I'm alright." Eric said. "I just want to get some sleep is all." Eric did want to talk about what had happened in that cavern, but not with them for some reason.
The doors to the hospital wing opened and another person entered.
Eric felt himself being saved.
Olivia nearly ran to his bed. "Shawn told me that they found you." She said hugging him.
Eric willingly hugged her back. "You brought my pajamas." Eric said seeing what she had in her hand.
"Michael got them for me." Olivia said placing them on the bed.
"I don't think you met my parents." Eric said remembering his manners. "Mum, Dad you remember Olivia."
"Yes, you invited her over for Christmas." Ron said. "We would enjoy having you over."
Hermione looked down at her son's hand. He was holding Olivia's. She decided it was time for them to step out and take the younger children back to Gryffindor Tower.