Chapter 3
"I will kill them! Do you hear me? KILL them! I'll rip them to shreds and roast them over that huge fireplace in the kitchen and feed them to the giant squid, I will, mark my words! Do you hear me, you thick-headed, obnoxious gits?"
Oliver stared as Angelina shook her fist up at the Slytherins. "Warrington has an impressive growth of nosehair," he commented.
He was awarded with a most icy glare. "Oliver, please. This is no time to be funny."
"They seem to think something's funny." Oliver pointed up at the guffawing Slytherins. "Hmm, that's weird, we can't hear what they're saying."
"Who wants to hear what they're saying anyway? I certainly don't... Gosh, Oliver, I wonder what they're going to do to us..."
"Well whatever it is, we're going to make it out alive," he said firmly.
Suddenly they looked up, startled, as two objects floated down toward them. One approached Angelina, who, after catching it, saw it was the multi-purpose glove. The other object fell into Oliver's hands.
"What was I saying? That we'd make it out of here alive?" Oliver groaned, squeezing the rubber duck angrily. It let out a tiny squeak and changed color.
"Oh look, it's become pink!"
"How adorable." Oliver's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Well this is bloody brilliant. I can only depend on a color-changing rubber duck to save my life."
"Oliver, please, let's be a bit more optimistic-"
"I'M ARMED WITH A BLOODY BATH TOY!"
"Let's roll to see who goes first."
After several rolls of the die, it was determined that Flint would go first, Bole second, then Montague, Draco, Bletchley, Derrick, and Warrington.
"I'm first!" Flint said gleefully, picking up the die.
"You know, it's a pity we can't hear what they're saying," Draco drawled. "It would be amusing to hear whatever Oliver's saying, screaming at Angelina like that. Or what Fred is yelling while he's jumping on top of that giant mushroom."
"They must be in a different dimension or something..." Flint said thoughtfully. "We didn't expect that, did we?... Oh well, no worries. I'm going." He rolled the die onto the table...
...where it landed on the 3.
"Don't raise your voice at me!" Angelina flared up.
"Watch out, Johnson," Oliver said sarcastically, brandishing his rubber duck. "Or I just might hurt you with my pink rubber duck."
"Stop being such prat-"
"Careful, or I'm going to turn Mr. Squirt loose on you!"
"It's not funny, Wood!" Angelina shrieked.
Oliver laughed bitterly. But when he saw the hurt look on her face, he stepped forward , a look of chagrin on his face. "Look, I'm sorry Angelina. I lost it... The Slytherins hurt my pride, and I just blew up at you, and I shouldn't have- BLOODY HELL!"
A look of shock appeared on his face. He was bouncing - bouncing! - three spaces forward. "There goes the last of my pride," he muttered when he had skidded to a stop.
"Oliver!" Angelina shrieked from three spaces behind. "Are you okay?"
"Flint must've rolled a three for me," Oliver called back. "Don't worry."
"You should've seen the way you bounced!"
Normally, Oliver would've glared at her, but now, his eyes were fixed on the square he was standing on. Words became illuminated beneath him.
You have collected a powerful elixir. Fifteen points have been added to your health.
"Aw, that's boring," Flint grumbled as he watched a miniature red bottle floating down to a miniature Oliver Wood. "I was hoping for something more dramatic."
"But he has full health already," said Derrick. "So he gets a hundred fifteen health points in total?"
"I suppose," answered Flint.
"What happens when one of them loses all their health points?" asked Warrington.
They looked at one another blankly. No one had an answer for him.
"Should I drink it?"
"You said it was an elixir, didn't you? Go ahead."
Oliver uncorked the little bottle and swallowed its contents in one gulp. "Blimey, that's strong," he choked.
"Look!" Angelina cried. "There's a little red bar over your head."
Oliver waved his hand above his head. "I don't feel anything."
"Well it's a floating red bar with the number '115' written above it. Hey, it must be your health points!"
"Angelina, a bar appeared over your head just now."
"Funny, I don't feel mine either..." She tilted up her head. "Oh, I can see it now..."
Oliver looked up at his own. "Hey, mine's fading!"
"I wonder how I got mine to appear..." said Angelina, looking thoughtful. "Say the word 'health,' Oliver."
"Health."
"It's back! I guess whenever you say 'health,' you can see how much you've got left."
"Well that's good to know... Hey, you haven't moved yet."
"I guess it's someone else's turn... I wonder who's going now?"
"It's my turn." Bole picked up the die and rolled...
...4
"Bro, you're jumping on top of a mushroom."
"That I am, George. It's got wonderful boingy-ness."
"Boingy-ness?"
"Yeah, like boing, boing!" Fred bounced up and down.
"Have you let out all your anger? You were yelling curses at the Slytherins for ages, and now you're not."
"I'm out of curses, unfortunately. Wonder how everyone else is doing?"
"We should look for them. Maybe explore a little along the way."
"Sounds like a plan!" Fred said cheerfully. He stopped bouncing, only to catch sight of their "weapons" floating down toward them. "Cool, my flame-thrower!" He leaped off the mushroom just in time to catch it.
"Lucky." George looked down at his bubble wand and soap forlornly.
"I'm sorry, mate... How 'bout I let you have a go at this after I give it try? Hmmm, how do you work this thing? Maybe you have to- WHOA!"
Fred looked mildly shocked; it seemed as if an invisible hand had grabbed him and dragged him forward four spaces. The square beneath him lit up; it read:
You think you can handle any challenge... but can you face one with eight legs?
"Finally, something interesting!" Flint cried.
"I have a bad feeling about this..." Bole said nervously. "The monster is twenty times his size!"
"Well it's too late to save him now," Draco replied coolly.
