"The wildness is the preservation of the world." — Henry David Thoreau
Mr Morrow POV
It had been three hours since I started following Charlus Yaxley, Emma Rosier, Hestia Greengrass, and Regulus Black.
Regulus and Charlus had been my students since last year. I personally taught them about the British Wizarding World so they could adjust when they eventually returned home.
Regulus never ceased to astonish me. Our first encounter had been ordinary; I initially thought he was just another regular brat like everyone else. Given his brother's disenrollment from such a fine establishment, I assumed Regulus would return home in a matter of time. Many other instructors shared my point of view.
But he exceeded everyone's expectations, becoming less of a troublemaker and more of an ace student.
When I started shadowing the group for the trial, I was strictly advised not to interfere with the process. It is almost sacred for Mother Magic to test her children in this trial. The intention is to force students to realise they are always at the mercy of magic—to help them rely more on their instincts and power than on the comforts of society.
So far, they have been doing well. I am impressed with Regulus's sharp mind in finding the Dittany.
However, he made a rookie mistake by turning into an Animagus and leaving himself defenceless while taking flight. I almost face-palmed when he returned, clearly shaken by his encounter with the Thunderbird. That brat learned a valuable lesson with almost no consequences.
They have been following the spectral pointer for some time now. What I am curious about is how Regulus is leading them without encountering magical creatures along the way. He also finds herbs on the path almost as if he planted them there himself.
Is he some reincarnated magical entity in the body of a child?
No, he is too dumb to be that.
Anyway, Charlus? Don't eat that!
I mentally screamed and almost fell from my branch when I saw what the boy was holding in his hand.
…
Charlus, who was proficient in Charms and Dark Magic, was placed at the rear of the group, with Regulus leading. They kept an eye on the front and back, while Emma and Hestia covered the left and right flanks. It was a well-formed formation, battle-ready to sense danger from any direction.
While following the group, Charlus spotted a magical plant near his feet.
"Regulus, I have found something," he called out in a hushed tone.
Emma heard him and stopped Regulus. She turned to Charlus, and upon seeing what he was holding, her eyes widened.
Regulus had seen the shrub when he was leading them. Seeing its uselessness for their immediate survival, he had ignored it. But now Charlus was stopping for it, which annoyed him.
"I wonder what it does? Is it a magical or normal shrub?" Charlus mused.
He lifted a leaf, intending to taste it.
Before it could touch his lips, Emma drifted to him in a blur and snatched the plant from his hands, shoving it into her preservation pouch.
"Idiot! Do not taste everything you see," she hissed, whacking Charlus on the back of the head. "This plant is called Alihotsy. Its leaves induce uncontrollable laughter. The noise would easily expose our position to every predator in the forest."
Seeing Charlus get hit, Regulus snickered, covering his mouth with his hand.
"Oh no! Did you already eat one?" Emma asked in panic, seeing Regulus laughing.
Regulus looked speechless at the accusation and decided not to engage verbally with Emma. He swore he saw Hestia smile a little at the encounter, but she covered it up so fast he couldn't prove it.
Suddenly, a loud, piercing noise emanated from the depths of the forest. It sent a chill running down their spines.
They abandoned the spot immediately, advancing towards their destination more rapidly now. The sun would set in a few minutes; then, the true predators of the forest would emerge for the hunt. Regulus stopped for no plants, and the group practically fast-walked through the undergrowth.
They encountered a freshwater pond five minutes later, which looked like it would serve as their water supply for the next six months.
A few metres ahead stood a massive, solitary rock formation.
The safe haven the compass pointed to is this place?
This was the thought everyone had in their minds. The three of them collectively looked at Regulus. Regulus checked the pointer again; it was dead on.
He circled the rock and found a hole just large enough to allow one person to enter at a time. He approached the opening with his lit wand.
What he found inside made his skin crawl.
The hole led inside the rock, which was hollowed out like a natural cave. The space inside was large enough for all four of them to set up a base of operations comfortably.
However, the floor and walls were carpeted with thousands of poisonous centipedes and insects crawling over one another.
Emma, Hestia, and Charlus arrived behind Regulus.
"What did you get, bud—Oh, for fuck's sake! What the hell is that?" Charlus cursed, raising his wand, almost ready to throw several Avada Kedavras into the rock out of sheer disgust.
Hestia stopped him by lowering his arm.
She stepped forward and conjured a huge glass container from thin air. It looked heavy; the size of the container was half of Regulus's height, and its width was enough to fit a person inside. It looked more like a funerary urn than a jar.
Hestia then took out a pouch and approached the hole.
"Is she going to catch them with her bare hands?" asked Charlus, horrified.
Regulus sensed the pouch emanating enchantment magic—likely a product of high-level alchemy. He did not know exactly what it did, only that it was not normal.
"Wait and see," Emma told him.
As Hestia neared the hole, she opened the pouch.
Instantly, a magical vacuum activated. The insects were sucked into the bag at an alarming speed. Crucially, only the insects were sucked in—not the branches, leaves, or dirt found inside the hole. It took only a minute to vacuum up hundreds of insects and centipedes.
It was a creepy sight. Nothing to admire for Regulus and Charlus.
She closed the pouch and walked back to the glass jar. Opening the pouch over the rim, she spewed the writhing mass of insects into the container and immediately sealed the heavy lid.
She turned her head to see Charlus now hugging Regulus in fear. Emma was silently laughing behind her hand. Regulus's face was twitching at the sight.
"All done," Hestia replied calmly.
"Are we going to keep that thing in the camp?" Charlus asked, pointing a shaking finger at the jar.
Hestia explained the process, her eyes gleaming slightly. "The insects inside the jar are deadly. They will now have no choice but to devour each other for consumption. Every insect will fight, and the last remaining one will absorb the poison of all the others combined. Such a creature is incredibly rare to find inside a forest like this; usually, you have to collect the insects one by one. This is a lucky encounter. It is going to be a fine addition to my poison collection."
Hestia was unusually talkative about the process and seemed ready to explain more about the art of poison. However, seeing the look on the others' faces—which practically begged her to stop talking, she fell silent.
She turned back to the cave entrance.
"Incendio."
She threw a couple of fire spells inside the hole, letting the flames burn away the remaining poisonous residue, along with the old branches and leaves that might harbour eggs.
She instructed the others not to inhale the smoke and to wait an hour before entering the cave.
They all settled outside the rock, keeping a safe distance. The shelter was secured. The next challenge was to find food for the night.