Upon realizing what had happened, Wentworth and Yukina quickly split up and began searching the area.
At the same time, Nala perked up her ears, listening carefully to every sound in their surroundings.
After a long while, the three exchanged glances. Though reluctant to admit it, they had to face the truth, they had lost Greenbud.
Wentworth spoke through gritted teeth.
"That idiot! Couldn't it just once turn around and check if its master was keeping up?!"
Nala chuckled with a hint of schadenfreude.
"Maybe it never thought of you as its true master? Maybe, to it, you were just a long-term meal ticket. And now, having caught the scent of its real master, it ditched you without hesitation!"
Ignoring Nala's taunt, Wentworth lowered his head in thought. After a moment, he lifted his gaze, peering into the dense fog ahead, and murmured thoughtfully,
"Tell me, if two people got separated in a maze, where would they most likely reunite?"
The question gave both Nala and Yukina pause as they began to ponder it seriously.
Then, turning to Yukina, Wentworth asked gently,
"If you and I were separated in a maze, how would you find me?"
At that, Yukina visibly perked up. Her twin dimples appeared as she smiled brightly.
"I'd definitely wait for you at the exit! It's way too easy to miss someone if you search inside the maze. But at the exit? You'll have to pass through eventually."
Wentworth gave a slight smile and responded with meaning behind his words,
"Exactly. If we treat this island as a maze, where do you suppose the exit is?"
Without hesitation, Yukina and Nala replied in unison:
"The summit of the dormant volcano!"
Wentworth nodded, stood up, and said with renewed purpose:
"Let's go. We'd best not keep Mr. Scamander waiting."
The trio resumed their journey. Having taken anti-somnolence potion, they were no longer susceptible to the fog's hypnotic effect and moved at a significantly faster pace.
With Nala leading the way, they followed the sulfurous scent deeper into the mist.
However, they hadn't gone far before Nala suddenly halted and signaled for caution.
Both Wentworth and Yukina drew their wands immediately, alert.
"What is it?" Wentworth asked warily. "What's happening?"
Nala tilted her head, listening intently.
"There's a sound… something small, like insects."
Wentworth's eyes lit up.
"Could it be Greenbud? Maybe that idiot finally realized it lost me and came back to find me!"
But Nala shook her head firmly, her gaze serious.
"No. It's not. There are far too many of them."
Even as she spoke, a rustling sound—shshshsh—reached the ears of Wentworth and Yukina.
The sound grew denser by the second. Then, in an instant, an overwhelming swarm of tiny, unidentifiable insects burst from the fog like a living tide, surging toward the group.
Wentworth and Yukina exchanged a glance, then Wentworth grabbed Nala by the wrist and took off running.
As he ran, he whipped around and cast a spell behind him:
"Incendio Maxima!"
A roaring column of flame shot skyward, briefly lighting the surrounding fog like day.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the island, Vitaly Vladasovich Grachev from Koldovstoretz was cautiously making his way forward when he too noticed the sudden pillar of fire. He raised an eyebrow and muttered to himself,
"Who's run into trouble now? Hah—this is the Wizarding Schools Potions Championship. Every challenge should be solved with potions. Spells? How amateurish."
But before the sneer could fully form on his lips, he froze.
Beside him, unnoticed until that very moment, a triangular serpent's head emerged from the underbrush.
The serpent's cold, gem-like eyes locked on Vitaly's, unblinking.
And then came the unmistakable shshshsh—a chorus of thousands. The sound closed in from all directions, a clear warning that more creatures were fast approaching.
Moments later, as Wentworth, Nala, and Yukina fled desperately, they caught sight of a new disturbance, another burst of fire and smoke rising from the mist in the distance.
Wentworth and Yukina exchanged another glance. Then, looking to Nala, Wentworth asked,
"Nala, how many of these little darlings are behind us? Can you tell?"
Nala considered the question carefully, then shook her head.
"I can't. The noise is just too overwhelming to get an accurate read."
Wentworth hesitated, wondering if he should unleash a more powerful Fiendfyre spell to incinerate the swarm behind them. But then Nala added,
"I don't know the exact number… but I'm certain they stretch for at least a kilometer."
At that, Wentworth gave up any thought of turning back. The trio could only push forward, fleeing in the other direction as fast as they could.
While Wentworth, Vitaly, and the others found themselves embroiled in chaos, on the southern side of Minami Iwo Jima, Albus Dumbledore was seated, chatting casually with Lakayla Adisa and a few other guests.
Just as he reached for his teacup to moisten his throat, he noticed it was empty.
Minamoto Nagasora, seated nearby, noticed immediately. He clapped his hands, and a young wizard in Mahoutokoro robes approached, wand in hand, several cups of freshly brewed tea floating before him. He moved through the crowd, refilling everyone's drinks with practiced precision.
When he reached Dumbledore and Adisa, he gave a respectful bow.
Adisa smiled warmly and turned to Minamoto.
"Impressive magical control. Your school truly is brimming with talent."
But Minamoto didn't respond with enthusiasm. Instead, he studied the young man in front of him, his brow furrowed slightly. He offered only a perfunctory smile, eyes never leaving the student.
At that moment, Dumbledore lifted the freshly poured tea to his lips.
CRACK!
A sudden spell, a Confringo, struck his cup, shattering it instantly.
The unexpected outburst startled everyone. Several witches and wizards instinctively reached for their wands.
And then they saw where the spell had come from.
To everyone's shock, it was none other than Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master of Hogwarts.
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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]