The Dare Game

Chapter five

I set off towards the forest just before eight. Scorpius had insisted that he’d come with me to check that I actually went inside. I waved goodbye to him from the edge of the forest and then set off inside. I didn’t intend to go further into the forest than was needed so I stopped walking as soon as Scorpius was out of view. I took my rucksack off my back and began to unpack. I hadn’t packed at lot, just enough to keep me going through the night. I took out and unrolled a mustard yellow hammock. There was no way I was sleeping on the ground; I didn’t know what might be lurking around on there. I strung my hammock between two low trees then unrolled my pink sleeping bag. I took some food out of my rucksack and then rolled the bag up to use it as a pillow. Carefully I took my wand out of my pocket; I had to be on guard. I picked up my cheese and tomato sandwich that I’d got the house elves to make me just before I left and began to eat it. The minutes ticked by and I saw no sign of life,

“Maybe tonight won’t be as hard as I first though,” I said to myself but then I heard a snapping sound!

“Lumos,” I said quietly but clearly. The tip of my wand burst into light. I jumped off the hammock and nervously looked around. There was nothing in sight. Another snapping sound came from behind me. I spun around. Still nobody. I sighed; I must have been imagining things. I hopped back onto my hammock and lay down when something ran under me. I looked over the side of the hammock. Nothing. I knew that I wasn’t imagining things now. I’d felt it run under me. I screamed as my hammock tipped up and I fell into a clump on the floor. There was brown hair on the bottom of my hammock. I hadn’t fallen out somebody, or something, had tipped my hammock up on purpose! I heard another snapping sound and I spun around. Nothing. Again. I turned to get back to my hammock but there was something in my way. A big hairy clump towered over me,

“So what have we here?” It hissed at me, “human flesh, at last,”

“What are you?” I stammered,

“I am Iraton, a cross between an acromantula and a blood-sucking bugbear,” I nodded, “Now enough chat, which part of you should I eat first?” I giggled nervously,

“I don’t know,”

“Shut up! You don’t get a say,” Iraton licked his lips. I slowly reached out to my wand which was lying on the floor just a few centimetres away, the tip was still alight. I closed my fingers around it and then quickly raised my arm and yelled,

“Expelliarmus!” Iraton flew backwards and hit a tree. I scrambled to my feet and ran. I ran as quickly as I could. My life depended on it. It took me less than a minute to reach the edge of the forest. I tripped over a stump and fell over on to the grass behind Hagrid’s hut,

“I made it! I’m alive!” I exclaimed out loud. And then it dawned on me, I’d failed the dare!