Hiya people! Yep, I updated! Let's all cheer and stuff! w00t! :D Ohmygosh, the next chapter in the book is freaking 26 PAGES T_T so please be patient. I've got lotsa stuff for school I have to do (last minute) and I probably wont update as fast as I did this chapter. But it's coming! ONLY TWO LEFT :'( *sob* Anyway, in this chapter, follow Harold, Heidi, Nelson, Snalfoy, and Hagger into the Big Scary Forest for their latest adventure! Yay! Disclaimer: Do I look rich enough to own Harry Potter? HA no! But I DO own the following: Sneeze's paintball gun, the door that hit Harold in the face, Filth's firefly collection, Heidi's vibes (stolen by Harold?), nonexistant mouthwash, Hagger's pink spear, pegasus tears, unicorns, the planet Uranus, and...well actually thats it I think :) HAVE FUN READING!

Chapter 15: The Big Scary Forest

"This sucks," muttered Heidi.

That pretty much summed it up. Harold didn't know how things could get worse, and he didn't want to find out. Filth had taken them down to McGummable's office, pushed them into chairs, and told them to wait. Then he left. Heidi was shaking with fear, and Harold was desperately trying to come up with a cover story, but deep down he knew they were cornered. He couldn't believe they'd been so stupid to forget the blankie.

"How could you forget my blankie?" Harold hissed in Heidi's direction.

"It's your blankie, not mine!" she snapped back. "Therefore it's your responsibility! Do you expect me to act like your mommy and correct you every time you forget something?"

"Of course not! But you could've taken a break with your singing and actually helped me remem-"

"Harold!"

Harold jumped and jerked around. If he had thought things couldn't get any worse, then he was dead wrong. Nelson was being escorted into the office by Professor McGummable.

"Harold, what's going on?" he burst out. "I wanted to warn you guys, I saw Snalfoy boasting to his buddies that he was going to get you in trouble, he said you had a banana-drag-" He stopped short at Harold and Heidi's wild arm motions, but it was too late. Professor McGummable looked about ready to kill them.

"What's the matter with you people? I would've never expected this from any of you - Snalfoy probably, but not you. Filth said he caught you in the Astronomy Tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves."

It was the first time Heidi was at a loss for words. Instead of answering McGummable, she stared at her shoes.

"I think I've figured it all out," McGummable continued, practically seething. "I'm not stupid, you know. You obviously told Snalfoy a crazy story to get him in trouble, just for laughs. And Nelson heard it too and wandered around the castle to find you and warn you. Is that right?"

Harold wanted to tell Nelson that this wasn't true, but there was no way of letting him know without McGummable knowing. Nelson was looking heartbroken.

"How could you, guys?" he wailed, and began to cry. "It's not funny, you know! I ran around all these hallways looking for you, and you know how much I'm afraid of the dark!"

"Nelson -"

"Don't say my name! You're not worthy!" screamed Nelson.

"I'm not worthy?" said Harold incredulously.

"Stop crying, Nelson!" snapped Heidi.

"I hate you guys!"

"You take that back!"

"Shut up, Harold!"

"Heidi, will you stop yelling at everyone -"

"ALL OF YOU, BE QUIET!" roared McGummable, and they fell silent. "You disgust me! All of you! Four first years out of bed! I'm shocked! All of you will get a detention - yes, even you, Wrongbottom, you were out of bed as well - and fifty points will be taken from Diffindor."

"What?" gasped Harold.

McGummable glared at him. "Make that a hundred."

"No, Professor! You can't -" Heidi began.

"I can do whatever I want," snapped McGummable. "Make that a hundred points each."

Heidi made a strange, choking sound, and collapsed in a dead faint. Harold and Nelson had to carry her all the way back up to Diffindor Tower. They left her at the base of the girls' staircase and went to their dormitory.

The next morning, the Diffindors were a bit confused. Why was their hourglass suddenly four hundred points short? Had there been a mistake? And then the news began to spread: Harold Plodder, the Diffindor Quippish hero, was the one who had blew it for them, him and his stupid friends.

From being the most liked/loved/worshipped person in the school, Harold was now the most hated. Not just by the Diffindors, but by the Snufflepuffs and the Gladenstraws too, since they'd all wanted to see Hisserin lose the House Cup for once. People insulted him in the hallways, threw spitballs at him in class, tripped him as he walked around corners, and pushed him down the stairs. Even Sneeze was against him, taking a giant paintball gun, hunting him down between classes and during his free periods, and coating him with rainbow splat-marks. The only person on Harold's side was Don.

"Dude, run, he's gaining on us!" Don gasped, as he and Harold sprinted down the Charms hallway. Sneeze cackled madly and loaded his paintball gun behind them.

"What's…the point?" Harold choked out, gasping for breath. "Everyone…still hates me…dodging Sneeze…won't help…"

"Don't worry about that, they'll forget about it sooner or later!" Don reassured him. "DUCK!" A giant pink paintball whizzed over their heads and exploded on the chandelier. They swerved around the falling droplets and raced through a curtain.

"I…think later…"

"Oh come on! Ed and Gordy have lost zillions of points from Diffindor!"

"Not four hundred…at once!"

"Oh…right…GO LEFT! NO…WAIT!"

"GOTCHA!" squealed Sneeze, launching a blue paintball about the width of the hallway. There was no escape; they got completely doused.

"Fudge," muttered Don. "Go die Sneeze!"

"Never have, never will!" he replied, and zoomed away, snickering.

About a week before exams were supposed to start, Harold was randomly walking by a random classroom thinking about how depressed he was when he heard something. He tiptoed closer and heard a voice. Quiddle's voice.

"No - please, not again - no -"

It sounded like he was being threatened. Harold put his ear by the crack in the door and listened harder.

"But - oh - all right -" he heard Quiddle sniffle. The next second, the door banged open, hitting Harold smack in the face. Quiddle rushed out, sobbing and wiping his eyes with a flowered hanky. The door slowly swung off of Harold's face with a long creeeaaaaak, and Harold stood flattened up against the wall, his mouth wide open.

"Harold? What are you doing here?" said Heidi four hours later. She and Don both took one arm and yanked him off the stone wall. Harold clutched his chest and told them about Quiddle.

"It sounds like Snake was threatening him!" Heidi exclaimed. "Quiddle must've gave in and told him how to break his enchantment!"

"Now all he needs to find out is how to get past Puffy," Don grumbled. "Great."

"We have to tell Dunderbore! He'll know what to do!" Heidi grabbed Harold's arm and began dragging him down the hallway.

"No, Heidi!" yelled Harold, wrenching his arm away. "What's the point of that? We don't have any evidence! And anything we do have will get us in trouble! We could be expelled!"

"Since when did you care about stuff like that?" said Don, staring at him. "Are you channeling Heidi's vibes?"

"Shut up Don," snapped Harold.

"YOU ARE!" cried Heidi. "GIVE ME MY VIBES BACK!"

"I didn't steal your vibes, Heidi!" said Harold, exasperated.

"I don't care! I want them back!" Heidi punched Harold in the nose.

"Aaggowaaaa!" Harold clutched his nose. "FINE! Hold on!" He pulled out a piece of paper and a bright red marker. Using the wall for support, he took the marker and wrote HEIDI'S VIBES on the paper. "Here you go," he said, handing it to her.

"Teehee…thanks Harold." Heidi grinned and clutched the paper to her chest.

"Oh God," said Don, face-palming.

Harold rolled his eyes. "ANYWAY…we're not telling Dunderbore. It's time to stop snooping around." He picked up his bag and led the way back to Diffindor Tower.

The next morning, Harold, Heidi, and Nelson received letters via owl during breakfast. They all read as follows:

You will serve your time tonight at midnight. Meet Mr. Filth in the entrance hall, where he will take you to your assignment. Or else. - Professor M. McGummable

"Fudge," muttered Harold. "I forgot we still had detentions."

"You're an idiot," said Heidi, drinking her orange juice.

"YOU GUYS GOT DETENTIONS, HAHAHAHAHAHA!" yelled Don. Heidi picked up the jug of orange juice, poured it over Don's head, and shoved him off the bench. Everyone within sight of the incident found it quite amusing, despite their new hatred towards Harold and Heidi.

At 11:30 that night, Harold and Heidi left the Diffindor living room and traveled down to the entrance hall, where Filth was waiting with a lantern full of fireflies.

"Hello…delinquents," he wheezed in Harold's face.

"Seriously dude, do you know the meaning of mouthwash?" spluttered Harold, eyes streaming.

"Of courseeee…unfortunately, I do not use it. Any more questions?"

"Actually, yes. Can you start using it?"

"Enough with the wise cracks!" snapped Filth. "I'm going to bring you down to your detention destination -"

"Detention destination," Harold snickered. Filth glared at him.

"As I was saying, I'm going to bring you down to your detention destination as soon as the other two idiots arrive."

"I'm NOT an idiot!" came Nelson's voice, and he tottered into view.

"Yes you are," said Heidi.

"SHUT UP."

"Cat fight! Cat fight!" Snalfoy came skidding into the room. "I wanna watch!"

"Snalfoy? Cat fights are when two girls fight," Harold informed him.

"I know that. And I see two girls fighting right there!"

"HEY!" yelled Nelson.

"ENOUGH!" roared Filth. "Now everyone form a line and follow me! Or die! I don't care which!"

"Wow, you're nice," muttered Harold. They all followed Filth out the doors and down onto the grounds. Harold was wondering if they were going to come back alive when they were led down to Hagger's hut.

"Yay! We're visiting Hagger!" cried Harold with relief.

"Ew, gross," muttered Snalfoy. Heidi punched him.

"Stop it!" growled Filth. "If you think that this sentence is going to be all happy-kinky-dory, then you can think again!"

"Aw, shut up Filth, yeh mangy brute," came a voice. Hagger was coming down the path to meet them.

"Hagger! You're not drunk anymore!" cried Harold happily.

"Eh? What?" Hagger was confused. Heidi glared at him.

"Nothing, Hagger," said Heidi quickly.

"I'll leave them with you, then," Filth wheezed. "I'll be back at dawn - for their remains." He grinned evilly and started to walk away.

"Wait, Filth!" said Harold suddenly. "What's that jar of fireflies for? Why don't you just carry a lantern or something?"

Filth paused, clearly embarrassed. "Well, I - I collect fireflies," he admitted.

Harold, Heidi, Nelson, and Snalfoy all exchanged a look before bursting into hysterical laughter.

"STOP LAUGHING!" roared Filth. "So what if I have a hobby?"

"Oh, you can have a hobby, Filth," Harold snorted. "I just thought it would be a little more manly than this!" Even Hagger joined in on the laughter.

"STOP! STOP! WAAAAA!" Filth let out a wail and ran back up to the castle.

Hagger guffawed and heaved something over his shoulder. Harold looked closer and saw that it was a long, very sharp spear. And it was pink.

"Hagger, why do you have a pink spear?" he asked slowly.

"We're goin' into the forest, Harold! We need some protection!" he answered.

"Yes, I get that, but why is it pink?"

Hagger appeared to not have heard. Snalfoy took advantage of the silence and stepped forward. "I'm not going in there," he stammered. "There's all sorts of rabid animals in there!"

"Well gawsh, yeh should've thought about that when yeh decided to break the rules!" growled Hagger. "We could always kick yeh out instead. I'd like ter see yer dad's reaction to that!"

Snalfoy glared at him, panic in his eyes, but lowered his head in submission.

"Okay then," said Hagger. "Tooth! TOOTH! C'mon yeh lazy dog, we gotta go! Now everyone, keep close behind me," he ordered, as the giant bulldog came trotting out of the hut. The four first years walked in single-file behind Hagger and into the trees of the Big Scary Forest.

"Look there," he whispered, pointing to the ground in front of him. "See that iridescent rainbow stuff on the ground? The little droplets right there? Those are pegasus tears. There's been a pegasus crying in here for days. And everyone knows that it's a sin to make a pegasus cry!"

"I didn't know that," Harold objected.

"Well of course not, what with the Shmuggles yeh were livin' with," snorted Hagger. "Anyway, we're gonna try and find the poor creature and cheer it up. I brought a teddy bear, see?" He held up a bright yellow teddy bear with a pink bow around its neck. Snalfoy rolled his eyes.

"Let's split into two groups. I'll lead the first one and the second can have Tooth."

"I want Tooth," Snalfoy demanded, glancing at the dog's sharp teeth.

"Take 'im, then, but I'm warnin' yeh, he's a coward," grumbled Hagger. "Nelson, go with him, and Harold and Heidi come along with me. Now if anyone's in trouble, use your wand to send up red fireworks. That way I'll be able to find yeh. Ready? Let's go."

Nelson gave Harold a frightened look before setting off with Snalfoy and Tooth. Hagger led Harold and Heidi in the opposite direction.

"So, Hagger…how exactly is a teddy bear going to cheer up a crying pegasus?" asked Harold.

"I read it in this book!" he answered, whipping a tiny book the size of his thumb out of his pocket. Harold and Heidi read the title: Five-Hundred (and then some) Possible Ways to Stop a Pegasus From Crying.

"Are you sure that this is going to wor-"

"GET BEHIND THA' TREE!" roared Hagger. Harold and Heidi dove for the nearest tree and crouched down. The three of them stayed absolutely silent and heard what sounded like a cloak sliding over the dead leaves.

"I knew it," Hagger growled. "There's summat in here that shouldn't be in here."

"Like us?" whispered Heidi, trembling.

"No, no, tha's different," murmured Hagger dismissively. He tensed as a bush a few feet away trembled; something was definitely in there.

"Who goes there?" he called, raising his pink spear. "Come out and show yerself!"

The bush quivered, and then an astonishingly beautiful unicorn emerged from its depths. It's spiral horn had to be at least two feet in length, and it was almost as tall as Hagger. It's coat glistened silver in the moonlight.

"Oh, it's you, Luzio." Hagger breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his spear.

"Good evening, Hagger." Luzio spoke softly and sorrowfully. "About to shoot me, I see."

"No, no, Luzio, I wasn't…just…there's something in here that shouldn't be…never be too careful, right! Oh, this is Harold Plodder and Heidi Grace…students from Pigzits. Luzio's a unicorn, you two."

"I can see that," said Heidi faintly. Harold could tell that she was in awe.

"Uranus is bright tonight," said Luzio, glancing skyward.

"Excuse me?" Hagger choked.

"Yes," the unicorn murmured, gazing intently at the stars.

"Hagger," whispered Heidi, "I think he means the planet."

"I do mean the planet."

"Well then." Hagger yanked on his pants uncomfortably. "Luzio, have you seen a crying pegasus anywhere lately?"

Luzio didn't answer right away, but continued to gaze into space. "The innocent are always victims of evil."

The bush rustled again, and Hagger jumped as another breathtaking unicorn came into view, looking a lot fiercer than the first one.

"Giraldo," said Hagger, nodding to the unicorn.

"Hagger," said Giraldo curtly. "I see that you're doing well."

"Yes, thank you. I was just askin' Luzio, have you seen the crying pegasus anywhere tonight?"

Giraldo padded over next to Luzio and looked to the heavens. "Uranus is bright tonight."

"Eh? Excuse me?" Hagger turned around, trying to look behind him.

"Hagger, he means the planet!" Heidi repeated.

"We do mean the planet," said Luzio and Giraldo at the same time. Harold was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"Yeah, well, we've better get going…gotta find what's makin' the pegasus upset," said Hagger quickly. He grabbed Harold and Heidi and steered them away.

"Never," he growled, stomping his feet, "try ter get a freakin' straight answer outta a unicorn. They're just a bunch o' stargazers, that's what."

"They made me feel uncomfortable," said Harold.

"Tha's normal, Harold, they do that to everyone," Hagger reassured him. "Although they are the most knowledgeable creatures I know."

"Hagger!" cried Heidi suddenly. "Look! Red fireworks! The others are in trouble!"

"Yeh stay here!" yelled Hagger, whipping out his spear. "I'll go get them!" He screwed up his face and ran into the trees, yelling, "AAAAAAAAAAARRRRR!"

"Luzio was hot," Heidi whispered.

"EW, GROSS HEIDI!" groaned Harold, trying to wipe the images out of his head.

Hagger returned a few minutes later with Nelson and Snalfoy, looking extremely pissed off. Apparently Snalfoy had let Nelson know that the whole entire forest was dark and that he was shocked that he hadn't flipped out yet. Nelson had started screaming and sending up fireworks so Hagger could get him out of there.

"Harold!" growled Hagger. "I want yeh to switch with this moron, so we can actually get summat accomplished tonight."

"Okay, Hagger," said Harold, feeling gloomy. He and Snalfoy followed Tooth away from the crying Nelson and deeper into the forest. With every step they took, it seemed to get darker and quieter, until the only sounds Harold could hear were their own footsteps and Tooth's snuffling.

After a few minutes, Harold saw the trees open up into a clearing. He gasped and grabbed Snalfoy's arm to stop him. "Look," he whispered. Tooth whined.

The pegasus was sprawled out on the ground, sobbing terribly. The iridescent rainbow tears had already trickled across the forest floor, making a small pool. Harold had never seen anything so beautiful and heartbreaking. The soft lament of the creature crying actually brought tears to his eyes. Even Snalfoy was sniffling beside him, and Tooth was all-out howling.

Harold took a step towards the pegasus, wanting to help, when a sudden movement made him freeze. A dark, cloaked figure emerged from the opposite side of the clearing and glided towards the creature. Harold, Snalfoy, and Tooth stood transfixed. The figure crouched down beside the pool of tears and began to drink, almost drowning out the crying with its slurping.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Snalfoy shrieked in terror and bolted, Tooth right on his heels. The figure whipped around and stared right at Harold, pegasus tears dribbling down its front. It rose up and glided towards him. Harold was frozen with fear and could not move.

All of a sudden, his scar seared with pain. Harold yelled and clapped his hands to his forehead, sinking to his knees. The pain increased, and it was all Harold could to do stay conscious, but he felt himself slowly losing his control. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was something leap over his head and charge at the figure.

"Harold Plodder? Are you alright?" whispered a voice.

"Uhhhnn…" Harold groaned, struggling to open his eyes. He felt a hoof nudge his shoulder.

"Please, Harold Plodder, awake. It is not safe for you in the forest."

Harold opened his eyes to see another unicorn standing over him. It wasn't Luzio or Giraldo.

"What…happened?" he stammered, getting to his feet. "Was that you that attacked the…whatever it was?"

"Yes," said the unicorn. "Come, come quickly, on my back. We need to get you somewhere safe."

"Hagger's here somewhere," he told the unicorn, getting on his back.

"I will take you to him. Oh, and my name is Lorenzo."

There was a sudden crash and two unicorns exploded from the bushes. It was Luzio and Giraldo.

"Why do you guys keep coming from bushes?" asked Harold. Naturally they ignored him.

"Lorenzo!" roared Giraldo. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I am taking Harold Plodder to safety."

"You're letting a human ride on your back? Are you a donkey, waiting to cater to the needs of humans?"

"Don't you dare call me a donkey!" hissed Lorenzo, shaking with cold fury.

"I'll call you anything I want! Have you decided to become a servant to Harold Plodder?"

"Seriously guys, you can just call me Harold," said Harold uncomfortably.

Lorenzo reared into the air, and Harold had to grab onto his mane to stay on.

"Did you not see the pegasus?" Lorenzo bellowed at Giraldo. "Did you not understand the reason it was reduced to tears? I will set myself against the evil in this world, Giraldo, even if it means letting a human ride on my back." And with that he took off down the path, leaving Harold to cling to his mane the best he could.

"Dude - sorry, I mean Lorenzo - why is Giraldo so mad at you?" gasped Harold, trying to dodge the branches whipping him across the face. "And what was that - thing?"

Lorenzo slowed to a trot, causing Harold to be repeatedly bounced up and down. He didn't answer at first. After a while he said, "Harold Plodder, do you know what pegasus tears are used for?"

Harold was stumped. "No…we've only used the hair in Potions class."

"That's because it is a terrible thing to make a pegasus cry." said Lorenzo. "A pegasus has no worries, no fear, nothing to disrupt it's state of happiness and grace. Even if being hunted by a predator, the pegasus does not panic, only stays calm and determined. After the pegasus cries, this state is shattered forever. It no longer can be, how you say, 'cheered up'. It will never feel the same happiness again, but will wander the earth and sky in misery forever." Lorenzo lowered his head. "Only a being that has nothing to lose would dare break the contentment of this creature. And all that hear its weeping will never forget it."

Harold remembered how he had felt when he heard the pegasus cry. Lorenzo's story had shocked him. Why would anyone do such a thing to an innocent creature?

"But - what do pegasus tears do?" he whispered.

"They will make the drinker immortal - but the drinker will live a cursed life from the moment the tears touch their lips." murmured Lorenzo.

"Well then, what's the point? Wouldn't it be better just to die than to be cursed forever? I mean, who would want that?"

"Harold, do you know what is hidden in the castle at this very moment?"

"Oh…oh yeah! The Alchemist's Rock! The Juice of Life! But really, who -"

Lorenzo's ice blue eyes pierced Harold's green ones with intensity. "Surely you, of all people, would know the one person who has clung to life, waiting for an opportunity like this to regain power?"

It was as though someone had poured an entire bucket of icy water down the back of Harold's shirt. He gulped, suddenly realizing who Lorenzo meant. "Do you seriously mean," he croaked, "that was Mol-"

"HAROLD! Harold, where are you?"

Heidi was sprinting up the path towards them, Hagger puffing along right behind. Harold jumped down from Lorenzo's back and ran to meet them.

"I'm here, right in front of you," he announced unnecessarily. Heidi rolled her eyes. "Oh, and Hagger, the pegasus is back there. It's really crying."

"Poor thing," sighed Hagger. "Luckily, I gots the teddy bear!"

"That won't help, fair Hagger," said Lorenzo quietly. Hagger looked crestfallen. "Harold, you are safe now," he murmured, turning to him. "I will leave you here."

"Okay. And thanks Lorenzo. Very much." Harold said gratefully. Lorenzo nodded and plunged silently into the trees.

Don had fallen asleep in the living room by the time they returned. Nelson staggered through the portrait hole and up the stairs to the dormitory without a single word. Harold and Heidi ran over to Don and shook him awake. His eyes opened at once and he screamed something about Snake dancing in the bathtub before becoming sane. Then Harold started to rant.

"Snake wants the Rock for Moldywart - really guys, the name's not that funny - Moldywart's waiting in the forest and this whole time we thought Snake just wanted to get rich -"

"Stop saying…the name!" choked Don, trying to stifle his laughter.

"Oh, shut up Don," snapped Harold. "As soon as Snake manages to steal the Rock, he'll bring it to Moldywart, and he'll come and kill me to death. I hope Giraldo is happy."

"Harold, stop," said Heidi, looking stricken. "You're in Pigzits, not standing in the middle of a field with no protection. Dunderbore's here. As long as Dunderbore is around, That Guy can't lay a pinky on you. So just calm down and go to bed!" For a moment, she sounded like a tame Aunt Pansy. Harold obeyed.

But the night's surprises were not over. As he yanked back the sheets on his bed, the silvery Invisibility Blankie was folded neatly underneath them, accompanied with a note. Harold opened it up.

Just in case.

So whatcha think? Epic? Lame? LONG? (yes) I still need ideas for the name of the next book! Chamber of Secrets = ? Leave your ideas in the reviews! Please! And that means review! DUH! Review, or I'll send Giraldo after you! Btw, like the names I came up with for the unicorns? I googled "mysterious male names" and I got this whole list. Apparent Luzio means "light" and Giraldo is some warrior thing. And I just liked Lorenzo (and I cant remember what it means xD) So please review!