The three of them stood in the secret passage, clutching their wands tightly. The cold glow of the Lumos spell illuminated their tense expressions.
George and Fred instinctively reached into their pockets but froze almost instantly.
In a situation like this, tossing a Dungbomb would be as good as dooming themselves. No one knew better than them how fast that stench could spread.
Especially in a confined space like this, the suffocating smell would cling to them for at least four or five hours.
A strange sound echoed closer from the shadows, each step tightening the knot in their nerves.
George glanced at Adam, who'd been silent the whole time, and his face changed in an instant. He shouted, "Adam, what are you doing?"
Adam quickly scooped up the parchment from the floor, his face lit with excitement. He raised his wand and bolted toward the front of the passage.
With a whoosh, he sped past them, and soon all they could see was the faint glow of his wand in the distance.
"Blimey, has Adam been hit by some kind of spell?" Fred whispered, his voice laced with worry.
"I reckon it's a curse. That sound—it's like the wail of a banshee, messing with his head. You saw his face, didn't you?" Cedric swallowed hard, managing to get the words out before looking at Fred and George. "Should we go after him?"
George and Fred exchanged complicated looks, their hands hesitating over the items in their pockets.
Finally, they gritted their teeth, stomped their feet, and sprinted after Adam. Before they left, they yelled back at Cedric, "Get out of here and find a professor! Even Filch will do!"
Wands raised, they ran as fast as they could, the passage echoing with their heavy breathing and frantic footsteps. But all they could do was watch as the faint light from Adam's wand grew farther and farther away.
"Merlin's beard, how's he running so fast?" George growled, coughing as the air rushed into his lungs, his face flushed red. He kept close behind Fred.
Suddenly, he noticed a light following them. Turning, he saw Cedric zooming along on a broom, wand raised, his face full of determination.
"What are you doing here?" George's voice carried a mix of emotions he couldn't quite name.
"Hufflepuff never abandons its friends," Cedric said firmly.
He reached out, keeping the broom at a low hover, and with some effort, pulled both George and Fred onto it.
The Nimbus 1500 groaned under the weight but carried the three of them forward.
"Well, we're done for now," George muttered. "You didn't go back to get a professor, so no one's coming to save us."
George and Fred sat awkwardly on the broom, their faces grim with resignation.
Then, with determined looks, they pulled a few round objects from their pockets.
Cedric glanced at them, his face paling as he opened his mouth to stop them.
But ahead, Adam's light suddenly stopped. His silhouette was faintly visible, slowly approaching something in the shadows. Then, his body trembled, and he began performing an odd, jerky dance.
"George!"
"Fred!"
They locked eyes, nodded, and threw the objects in unison.
Adam, meanwhile, was facing off with a creature on the ground. It looked like a ferret but was slightly larger, with sleek, gray-brown fur glinting in the cold light of his wand.
"It's a Jarvey, just as I thought," Adam muttered to himself. "Let's see… I think Professor Newt taught us that dance. This should be right."
He mimicked the Jarvey's upright stance, swaying his hands and body in a strange, dance-like motion.
The Jarvey, which had been crouched warily, looked puzzled. Its bristled fur slowly relaxed, and it stood up, its fluffy tail swaying lightly in response to Adam's movements.
The two danced in the passage, gradually drawing closer.
Finally, Adam reached out and gently touched the Jarvey's head.
The creature nuzzled his hand in return, and Adam let out a relieved sigh.
His face lit up with joy as he carefully picked up the Jarvey, pulling some dried meat from his coin pouch and offering it to the creature.
"Squeak squeak squeak!"
"Eat slowly, no rush. I've got plenty more," Adam said with a smile, rubbing the Jarvey's silky fur. He couldn't resist stroking it a few more times.
The Jarvey, munching on the meat, tilted its head and rolled over, exposing its belly for a scratch.
Suddenly, a whooshing sound came from behind, accompanied by faint shouts.
Adam turned, confused, and when he saw what was flying toward him, his smile froze.
"Adam! Run!" Cedric shouted.
"No need to tell me twice!" Adam yelled back, clutching the Jarvey and sprinting away.
Behind him, a series of sharp cracks rang out as the round objects shattered. An indescribable stench filled the entire passage in an instant.
In Hogsmeade, on the street in front of Honeydukes, four small figures lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath. A powerful stench wafted from them.
A few drunken wizards stumbled out of a nearby pub, looking at them curiously and starting to approach to offer help.
But as they got closer, their noses were assaulted by the smell. One of them gagged, collapsing onto a bench to vomit.
No one dared come near them—except for a Crup that bounded out of a nearby yard, wagging its forked tail excitedly as it circled them.
"Scourgify!"
"Tergeo!"
"Scourgify, Tergeo…" Adam lost count of how many cleaning charms he cast on himself. Only when the smell began to fade did he look up, glaring at George and Fred.
"Couldn't you have looked before you threw those things?"
"How were we supposed to know you were taming a magical creature?" George shot back weakly from the ground, raising a trembling hand to shoo away the Crup that was eagerly licking his face.
Adam pulled him up and chased off the reluctant Crup.
Back in the passage, George had thrown the Dungbombs with such force that he'd fallen off the broom.
Cedric and Fred, who could've escaped, had turned back to drag him out.
"Now I know how it feels to be hit with a Dungbomb," Fred said, supporting George. His head hung low, his expression unreadable.
Just when Cedric thought they might finally learn their lesson, Fred suddenly perked up. "I think this product needs improvement. The initial stench is spot-on, but the mid and after notes—"
Cedric clapped a hand over Fred's mouth. "Shut it! I don't want to relive it!"
The group fell silent, exchanging glances before saying in unison, "No one breathes a word about this when we get back!"
"But I really want to know," a voice suddenly called from nearby, "how did you lot get out of Hogwarts?"