Ten minutes later Harry was striding towards the edge of the school grounds, Ron struggling to keep up.
"Can't we just stop here?" panted the latter, bent almost double under the weight of the picnic basket.
"Not yet, Ron. We're going to have a picnic in the Forbidden Forest!"
Ron stopped dead, ahast. "No way, Harry. Its forbidden! And its full of wierd creatures that eat people."
"Whatever, Ron," shrugged Harry. "Don't be such a lamo. If we see any monsters we'll just zap them with our wands!" He gave a sly grin. "Unless, of course, you don't want any cake..."
Ron did want cake, and so they were soon traipsing through the Forbidden Forest, which was dark and gloomy even in the middle of the day. A wind sprung up to whisper eerily in the trees, and creatures writhed and wriggled on the edge of hearing but just out of sight.
"Here's good," announced Harry at last, throwing the blanket down at a spot which, to Ron, looked just as dark and terrifying as any other they had passed. "Now let's eat some cake!"
In the darkness of the forest the cakes and pastries glowed spookily. "They look a bit funny," said Ron doubtfully.
"Yeah," said Harry, "well that's because they're magic cakes. They're not going to look like normal cakes, are they? Or you wouldn't know which ones were magic."
Ron felt there was probably a flaw in Harry's logic, but he couldn't quite find it and a grumbling stomach mixed with recollections of previous arguments with the boy wonder told him it would be easier to just eat. He selected a large pink-iced donut, Harry took an apple lattice, and they both munched the sugary snacks contentedly.
No sooner had they brushed the crumbs from their dishevelled uniforms than their hunger returned with a vengeance, and each reached for another treat; a slice of Victoria sponge cake and a battenberg.
"These are bloody good, Harry. Only trouble is, as soon as I've finished one I want another."
Harry nodded, unable to reply due to a slice of treacle tart blocking his mouth. They continued to eat until the cakes were finally gone.
Ron let out a mighty burp, and suddenly felt very full indeed. "I don't feel so good, Harry..."