A/N: The task was to discover the creatures. I am very glad that I broke down and bought "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them".
Chapter Four
Bundimuns
We had been walking for a near day and a half when Weasley's condition began to worsen. The greenish tinge of his skin was becoming more pronounced, and his fever was pitching higher. If this continued, Weasley would soon be dead, and I would more than likely become infected myself, if I wasn't already. We desperately needed a place to rest; somewhere I could set up my potions kit and perhaps relieve some of Weasley's pain, and maybe try and create some kind of potion that would relieve him of his symptoms until we arrived at St. Mungo's. Unfortunately, as this was a new strain, the success of creating such a potion was highly unlikely. Potions Master I may be, but Healer I most certainly am not. My bedside manner alone would prevent me from entering the career, if I ever had an inclination to do so.
I dragged Weasley on for a bit more, looking for clearings with a flat enough surface to lay Weasley and do my work, when luck would have it I spotted an old, wooden house in one of the clearings I was inspecting. I had obviously pleased Fortune in some way, and did not dare pass up the opportunity. If it was occupied, I would kindly stun them before they noticed Weasley's condition and refused us entry. If it was abandoned, then more the better for me.
Thankfully, it was the latter, which was something I soon noticed upon our approach. It was a run-down, old wooden shack that looked like it hadn't seen habitation in quite sometime, and it reeked of decay. But it would do.
I hauled Weasley toward the door, the broom trailing behind us, when I felt a familiar prickly feeling on the back of my neck that only meant one thing.
We were being watched.
I quickly took out my wand, adjusting Weasley on my shoulders as I did so, scanning the area for the spy. It was then that I noticed that there was a pair of small eyes staring at me from one of the cracks in the foundation on the side of the house. Coming a bit closer, I discovered that it was a green sort of fungus. It blinked its eyes at me and promptly scuttled back inside the crack. I suddenly knew where the smell of decay and the house's dilapidated state were coming from.
Bundimuns. Probably an infestation, but something that could easily be remedied. At least it wasn't something like Doxies. I had dealt with Bundimuns enough over the years at my own home when I was younger, seeing as my father was useless, and my mother was never any good at cleaning spells. I laid Weasley down on the ground to peek inside one of the grimy windows. Sure enough, I saw several more Bundimuns on the walls, and others inhabited more cracks in the foundation inside, but nowhere near as many as I had thought. I used a well placed Scourgify on the crack on the outside foundation, where the Bundimun that had run off before had come back to reclaim. I found three more cracks and did the same. I then heaved Weasley and instructed the broom to follow us into the house. Once inside, I did a Scourging charm on a ratty old sofa, ridding it of dust and moths, before laying Weasley down upon it. I then did a thorough search of the house, using Scourging charms on the remaining Bundimuns. Once I was sure the house was clear, I magically repaired a chair and old wooden table and set to work on the potions that would hopefully reduce Weasley's pain and slow the infection long enough to get us to London and the aide that he desperately required.