Chapter 169: Bowtruckles and Thestrals

Words : 1541 Updated : Oct 10th, 2025

The long line shifted forward every few moments, slowly creeping along like a snake from above. Harry, Ron, and Hermione started at the back, but soon, a dozen more people lined up behind them. "It's almost dinnertime," Ron said hopefully, eyeing the line ahead. "Maybe everyone will head to dinner soon, and it'll be our turn right away." "Trust me, everyone else is thinking the same thing," Harry replied. Hermione bit her nails nervously. "Listen, I heard Michael mention they put some dangerous magical creatures in there... and some plants Professor Sprout cultivated..." "I really should've re-read One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi before coming, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them... Why do they have to wait until third year to teach us Care of Magical Creatures?" "Probably because we wouldn't be ready for dangerous creatures until third year?" Harry said offhandedly. Hermione looked visibly more tense. "Maybe we should get out of line for now? I don't think I've mastered the Shield Charm yet..." "Oh, don't be ridiculous! That would be humiliating! Look, even some first-years are lined up to try it," Ron objected. Just then, a Hufflepuff student behind them asked, "Potter, is this your first time trying the maze?" Harry nodded. The boy smiled, "Don't worry. The first level just has regular plants and animals. As long as you're careful, even a Muggle wouldn't get hurt. You three will be fine." "Hey, little Ronnie! And Harry and Hermione! I've been waiting for you lot to show up!" A voice rang out from above. Before Harry could turn around, he heard Ron angrily say: "Stop calling me that, Fred!" "When you finally realize that I'm George and not Fred, I'll stop calling you by your baby name," said one of the red-headed twins. Ron fell silent. After all these years, even our mum can't always tell you guys apart—how can I? "George, what's that you're holding?" Hermione asked. "Good question." George was holding a large cage covered with a green cloth. Strange chittering sounds came from within, almost as if he was carrying a cage full of mice. Hearing Hermione's question, George grinned and reached into the cage, pulling out a thin, twig-like creature that looked like a green tree root. It had two small brown eyes and long, vine-like fingers. "A Bowtruckle!" Hermione exclaimed. "I know they're creatures that guard trees and are particularly fond of woodlice." "Spot on, Hermione, though I can't give you extra points for it." George winked, then scribbled "Hermione Granger" on a small slip of paper and handed it to the Bowtruckle. The little creature clamped onto the paper and timidly climbed up to sit on Hermione's shoulder. Hermione eyed it cautiously. "...?" The Bowtruckle stared back, but its tiny sesame-seed-sized eyes revealed no discernable emotion. "Take good care of these little guys." George said, handing Bowtruckles to Harry and Ron as well. "They have been bred for generations at Mr. Scamander's estate—highly intelligent, and they'll be your scorekeepers." "Scorekeepers?" Harry repeated. "Yep!" George said. "You can't expect a professor to follow each challenger around to keep score, right?" He started to walk away but turned back after a few steps. "Oh, one more thing, in case you haven't heard: if your Bowtruckle dies during the challenge, all your points will be wiped out! And who knows if you'll even get another chance to enter?" "What?" Ron said, alarmed, raising his voice. "But it's so fragile!" His Bowtruckle retaliated by tugging angrily on his hair. "That's why it's called the ultimate challenge!" George waved his hand dismissively. "You get it, right? These clever little Bowtruckles aren't limitless!" He moved on to distribute Bowtruckles to other first-time challengers, leaving Harry, Ron, and Hermione to exchange nervous glances. "If we run into danger, maybe cast a Shield Charm on them first?" Hermione suggested. Harry nodded silently. Ron, however, looked anxious. Harry had been teaching him the Shield Charm, but he still hadn't mastered it. As they neared the entrance, an idea suddenly dawned on Ron. He picked up some nutshells from the ground, used a slightly shaky Sticking Charm, and fashioned a little "armor" for his Bowtruckle. "Hope this keeps you safe," he muttered to it. "And look after yourself, alright? Don't make me worry." Ron carefully fastened the "armor" onto his little Bowtruckle, giving it a solemn pep talk. Whether it understood or not was unclear, but the Bowtruckle tapped on the armor with its long fingers, seemingly uncomfortable. At last, it was their turn in line. Ron entered first, followed by Harry, and finally Hermione. When Hermione stepped in, she realized that Harry and Ron, who had entered just seconds earlier, were already nowhere in sight. "Well, I expected this. Since they're letting us in one by one, they probably don't want everyone sticking together." She encouraged herself as she moved forward, exploring her surroundings. "It's just the first level, so it can't be too hard. Don't you think so? Uh... how about I call you 'Glory'? Do you like that name?" The newly named Bowtruckle suddenly chirped and pointed to the side. Startled, Hermione turned and saw a small, snowy white rabbit. "Oh..." Her expression softened as she slowly moved toward it, reaching out to touch it. The little white rabbit stepped back. "Squeak—" Glory chirped again. Hermione froze, suddenly realizing something. She tried to step back but quickly found herself surrounded by seven or eight rabbits. As she turned, the white rabbit suddenly leapt at her, headbutting her! Throughout the maze, students' startled cries echoed. Even the gentlest animals could be quite startling when they turned aggressive. From above, Wade, temporarily serving as a patrol, circled the maze on a Thestral, keeping watch. Ron was fleeing from a flock of large geese, shielding his head in panic. After escaping the rabbits, Hermione found herself tangled up with some monkeys. She wasn't completely outmatched, but her reactions were just a bit slow in the heat of the moment. Harry, on the other hand, was handling things smoothly. He had already reached the second level and was struggling to retrieve his glasses from a mischievous Niffler. Unable to see the ground clearly, he had tripped several times and was a bit disheveled. Neville had finally located the passage to the second level, only to fall into a trap, and ended up hanging upside down. As usual, his luck was at its lowest. Wade hovered nearby and watched for a moment. Seeing that Neville hadn't given up and was trying to cut through the vine with a Severing Charm, he moved on to check other areas. Theo had just been sent out by the house-elf, while Ryan was still holding on in the third level. Several Augureys (Irish Phoenix) nearby were emitting their shaky, wavering calls, which put him in a downcast and sorrowful mood, leaving him motionless for quite some time. A Redcap was quietly sneaking up on Ryan from behind. If he didn't snap out of it in time, he might end up being eliminated. Wade saw that the house-elf was already stationed nearby, so he relaxed and changed direction. Padma had just been eliminated by a Boggart... and to Wade's surprise, Rolf had made it to the third level as well. This area was mostly populated by third-year students and above... Then Wade remembered that Rolf's background and his family had deep roots in magical creatures, so he probably had an easier time dealing with these creatures than most students. Some of them even came from their family's suitcase. Rolf had been feeding them since he was a child, so he naturally wasn't worried about being harmed by them. If it weren't for the various obstacles set up by Hogwarts itself in the maze, this little guy might have already charged straight into the seventh level! Wade observed from above for a while and saw that Rolf was stuck by a riddle from Professor Snape, and was unable to free himself for the moment. Wade then moved on to check on other students. "Ahhh—!" Suddenly, several screams echoed through the maze. Wade was startled. Without needing any instructions from him, the Thestral swiftly flew toward the direction of the screams. "Bang!" With several girls watching in horror, Harry was suddenly flung backward and a spray of blood bursted from his chest! What no one could see was a Thestral raising its hoof high and stomping down toward the boy on the ground! -------------------------------- ????????Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!! 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Chapter 169: Bowtruckles and Thestrals

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