The Golden Wand [Harry Potter/Percy Jackson]

Chapter 49: The Nundu

Hermione POV:

I like to pride myself in knowing that I'm a very smart person. The smartest person I knew, in fact, until Annabeth came into my life. I'd even put money on it that I could beat Professor Dumbledore in a pop quiz, should the moment ever arrive. But, deciding to battle the Nundu - the most dangerous creature to ever exist - one on one was really. fucking. stupid. 

I think, perhaps, that the ridiculous side of my personality that I liked to call my Gryffindor-trait worked out that taking the Nundu far away and dying alone would be a much more courageous option than letting all the competitors die. 

So with a flick of my wand the beast and I disapparated, appearing in the Forest of Dean because I hadn't been able to think of anywhere else. I knew instantly that I had made the wrong call, because the animal went from stalkerish to bat shit crazy in under a second. My feet had no sooner than touched down on the leaf covered surface of the forest when the Nundu dived at me. I disapparated again, appearing behind it, but the predator was faster than light itself. It turned, hissed a cloud of greenish air at my face and I knew I would have died if I didn't disapparate again, one-hundred meters from the lion. 

The thing ran faster than Usain Bolt on steroids, quite literally closing the distance between us in 2 seconds. On and on I disapparated, hoping that perhaps I would tire the creature out. But it just became faster, smarter, stronger - predicting where I would appear next and doing everything in its power to kill me. It swiped with its claws, swung its prickly tail, shook its body so that the spikes came out of its iron hide like daggers, and spread its foul breath around the forest. Where the green cloud spread, trees and flowers died instantly against its touch. 

The creature never made a sound. It never growled or roared. And when it hissed, it was easy to mistake the sound as just the whistle of wind blowing through the trees. When it pounced, it landed on the crunchy floor without a sound, and I thanked all the gods I could think of that it was still light outside - for if it was dark and I couldn't see the thing, I was have already died a hundred times over. 

Think, Hermione. What do you know about the beast? It eats humans, its immune to spells, its breath is deadly, it is impossible to tame... unless you're Newt Scamander. But I certainly wasn't Newt Scamander. So, basically, everything I knew wasn't helpful in the least. 

The next time I disapparated I was standing on a grass bank, a couple hundred meters from the outskirts of the forest. The Nundu appeared from the tree line, pouncing towards me with elegance. In any other circumstances it would have been a pretty beautiful creature, but its eyes were wild and thirsty for blood, my blood, and I only saw it as an ugly beast. I stepped backwards, trying to get away from it, and fell into the river behind me. 

When I crashed into the water's depths I really started to panic. My movements were slower, I couldn't tell which way was up or down, and a current was dragging me along. I was vulnerable, only too aware that I had made myself an easy target for the Nundu. I told myself I was about to die. 

And I heard the crash of the beast diving into the water beside me. I felt the water push against me as its body swam nearer. I opened my eyes, seeing only the murky water and the bottom of the river bed. The river was deep, the surface tens of meters above me, and the creature was nowhere to be seen - it hid amongst the shadows. I silently conjured a bubble-head charm. I told myself I was about to die. 

There came a searing pain across my back. I cried out, the noise of my scream reverberating inside the bubble around my head. My vision became blurred, not only because my eyes began to water, but because my own blood was seeping out into the river around me like a dark cloud. When I turned to face the Nundu, it was not there. But I could feel the wound on my back - a long cut, deep and open - and I knew it was the product of the Nundu's poisoned claws. I told myself I was about to die.