Chapter 11

I spent the next day in bed, trying not to fall asleep and failing. After I woke up, I stayed awake throughout the entire night, even when Hedgely turned off the light and snored for twelve hours. The next morning I kept yawning and when my eyes grew heavy I closed them, just for a second, but that was all it took.

My stomach felt pleasantly full as I flew across the water towards the craggy island of rocks. When I reached it, I snapped at another beast that was in my favourite resting place. It was smaller than me and meekly hopped off, its head bowed. I folded my wings and curled my feet up beneath me, watching the shoreline and chalk cliffs in the distance...

I woke with a start, breathing heavily. It hadn't been as bad as the previous nightmare, but it was far from happy thoughts. Hedgely's bed lay empty, the blankets rumpled and unmade. I assumed it was still a decent hour, and swung my feet out of bed. I stood up gingerly, not wanting to hurt my bandaged chest but I was pleasantly surprised to feel nothing. I exchanged my pyjama bottoms, that I worryingly didn't remember putting on, for a pair of jeans and I shrugged a shirt over my shoulders, although I left the buttons undone.

After padding the corridors of the enormous house I did not yet know my way around, I eventually heard the voices of Professor Flip and Hedgely floating out of a small sitting room. I stopped in my tracks when I heard Hedgely's low voice say,

"I don't want to take Dudley out again. It would be too dangerous for him, when his only defence is a knife."

This was followed by a slurping sound and the clink of china.

"I quite agree with you, we cannot have that boy die in such a trivial fashion when he is of great importance. I don't even want to send you out again."

"Why not?" Hedgely's voice rose, "Do you think that because Dudley was hurt, I have lost my ability to fight the invisibilis monstrum?"

This was followed by further slurping.

"No, no. I have the utmost faith in you, Hedgely; it is the monsters I do not trust. You see, before this incident you have only encountered one monster at a time and despatched it without much trouble. But this time two of them worked together, one distracted you while the other attempted to kill Dudley. I think they must be evolving, becoming clever enough to develop strategy in their attacks. I fear you picking them off one by one isn't making any difference. We must destroy them in large numbers and put an end to the species once and for all!"

"How are we going to do that?"

"I have no idea."

Without thinking, I stepped out from where I had been standing in the hallway.

"I know what you can do," I blurted out, taking in their shocked faces. I assumed they hadn't expected me to recover so quickly. I noticed two teacups sitting on a coffee table in front of them, Hedgely's was still full of tea but Professor Flip's contained only dregs. I assumed this had been the cause of the slurping.

"Dudley!" Hedgely exclaimed, "I thought you were sleeping-"

"What do you think we should do?" interrupted the Professor.

"I think there is a nest of the monsters, where they all live."

"A nest of invisibilis monstrum?" Hedgely's eyes were as round as the saucer his tea cup sat upon.

"Yes, I think so, I saw it when..." I trailed off, not knowing how to explain when I saw it, but both wizards seemed to believe me.

"Do you know where this 'nest' is?" inquired the Professor.

"It's on a little island, near the white cliffs of Dover."

He smiled faintly.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's take a trip to the seaside!"

I could smell the salt of the ocean as soon as we had Disapparated. I clambered to my feet to find myself on top of the cliffs, looking down at the calm blue water, waves rippling as far as the eye could see. The sea looked calm and peaceful, until my eye found what we had come to see. A dark, jagged rock sat several miles out from the land and although I was not close enough to see them, I could tell this is where the invisible monsters resided when they were not out eating people.

Professor Flip let out a long, low whistle.

"Looks like you were right," he said to me, "Let's go and pay the invisibilis monstrum a visit!"

If I had not known better, I would have thought he was excited about seeing them as I watched Hedgely mount the magical flying broomstick that was required to reach the island, as we couldn't Disparate there when the exact location was unknown.

I perched on the broomstick behind Hedgely, trying to find a comfortable way to sit, as Professor Flip jumped on his own broom and zoomed off.

"Are you ready?" Hedgely asked me. Fear was clearly etched on his normally calm face, which both worried and reassured me that he looked the same way I felt.

My stomach flipped and my eyes snapped shut as the broom shot forward like a bullet. I awkwardly threw my arms around Hedgely to avoid falling off. I couldn't see how close we were to our destination, but judging by the speed we were travelling at, it would not take too long.

When I opened my eyes, we were hovering beside Professor Flip, just above the nest. I looked down at the writhing mass of black, winged bodies, as the monsters fought each other for space on their crowded rock. I couldn't help but gasp at their sheer numbers. There was far more in reality than I had seen in my nightmares. I shuddered and forced myself to look away.

"They can't see us way up here, can they?" I asked Professor Flip, he was looking down in what I could only call admiration.

"I wouldn't have thought so but-"

The Professor's words were lost by a screech. Hedgely wheeled the broom around, and we both saw a monster flying towards us, pounding its great wings, a look of malice in its red eyes.

My scream was muffled as Hedgely pulled the broom upwards and I crashed into him as we started to gain height. I risked a look back over my shoulder at Professor Flip, who was floating in the same place, staring at the oncoming monster in awe.

"Professor!" I shouted, "Run! Or fly! Get out of the way!"

At my shout, Hedgely turned round, just as the monster reached Professor Flip, clawing his jacket with its talons. The material fell away revealing his brightly checked short-sleeved shirt. On one arm, I could see a spiralling black tattoo, but before I could call out another warning I felt the familiar discomfort of Disapparation.

I found myself back outside Professor Flip's house, Hedgely sprawled on the ground beside me.

"Hedgely! What are you doing? We have to help the Professor!"

I reached down to help him up, but he didn't take my hand. I noticed that he was shaking and there were tear tracks running down his face.

"Dudley," he said, his voice thick with emotion, "That tattoo on Professor Flip's arm was the mark of the Death Eaters. He is in league with the Dark Lord!"