The Unknown of the Order (Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery

Terror in the Village

Sarah and Diego were on their feet at once. Barnaby grunted with the effort of picking himself off the couch. "I'm coming too."

"Don't be stupid, you haven't even got a wand," said Diego.

"I can still hit things!" Barnaby's eyes met Sarah's, giving her a silent plea.

"We'll be right back," she told him. "Promise." She grabbed onto Talbott's arm as Diego grabbed the other. "Take us there."

There was a loud crack and then they were gone.

Barnaby flung himself back on the couch, furious. "I might as well be back in Romania for all the good I'm doing here."

Penny joined him on the couch. "I know how you feel," she said. "Ever since we found out I was pregnant, I've been shut away from the world. Once the baby is born, I want to do my part to help fight You-Know-Who too, but Talbott's determined to keep me out of it. He says he doesn't want his child to grow up without parents, like he did."

"At least you can still do stuff," said Barnaby. "You're smart, you can make potions and stuff."

"You can do stuff too, Barnaby. Once you're healed, you can go out and risk your neck to your heart's content."

"I just don't like knowing she's--they're--out there, without me there to protect them."

"Believe me, I know," said Penny. "Why don't we distract ourselves with some television?"

"With what?"

"Television." She pointed to the strange box-thing sitting across from the couch.

"I thought that was some demented, foggy window," said Barnaby.

"No," said Penny, fighting a laugh. "Muggles watch it for news and entertainment. Didn't you learn about it in Muggle Studies?"

"I didn't pay any attention in that class. I only took it to sit with a pretty girl."

She smiled. "Are things back to normal with you and Sarah, then?"

"I think so," said Barnaby. "We haven't really had a chance to talk."

"It'll all work out for the best," said Penny.

"Yeah."

"Penny picked up a rectangular black object with colorful buttons from the coffee table and pointed it at the vele-tision. It sprang to life in a flash of sound and colors.

"Woah!" He nearly rose from his seat.

Penny laughed. "Muggles are just as magical as wizards, in their own way."

***********************************************************************************************Sarah, Diego, and Talbott materialized a hundred yards above the village, near the top of a heather covered mountain.

"They were headed this way when I saw them," said Talbott. "I would have followed them myself but there were five of them."

They made their way around the hill, quickening their pace when they heard voices. Not long after the village had fallen out of sight, they rounded the edge of the hill and saw a sickening sight.

Four wizards and a witch were surrounding three muggle boys. They looked to be around fourteen or fifteen. The wizards cackled as they shot sparks and jinxes at the boys, who couldn't yell because their mouth has been jinxed shut, but they all quivered with fear. Any time one of the boys made a break for it, a wizard or witch would levitate them in the air and shoot them back toward the others, so that they slammed together and fell over like bowling pins.