A/N: And now, for a moment of stupidity…I have 104 reviews!!!  Yes, you heard me.  104, count 'em, 104 reviews!  **huggles all her reviewers**  Thank you all so much.  Also, I apologize for not getting this out sooner, but my computer got mad at me and caught a virus, and I am also incurably lazy.  Bleh. 

In Which Ron and Hermione Come Upon Some Trouble

            "Are we almost there, Suz?" Ron asked the lizard anxiously.

            "Yes, almost, almost!" Suz replied, his voice annoyingly cheery for someone who had just traversed what several hundred kilometers.  At least, that's how it seemed to Ron.  "See, there it is!"

            Ron looked up from regarding his aching feet and caught a glimpse of some immense stone palace, but that was all he got.  It was there, and then it was gone.  The boy blinked and rubbed his eyes.

            "What just happened?" questioned Hermione, still clutching the staff tightly in both hands.

            "It likes to move around," Suz explained.  "But not to worry, we'll be there soon!"

            Suddenly, a cold hand slapped over Hermione's mouth, muffling her startled scream.  Ron, who had been a little ahead, whipped around to see a tall man wearing what looked like wizarding robes restraining Hermione and struggling to get the staff from her.

            "Let her go!" Ron shouted, suddenly burning with fury.  Not even stopping to think about his wand, he tackled the man, sending them both sprawling.  Hermione sat on the forest floor, stunned, the staff forgotten beside her. 

            The man pushed Ron off of him and scrambled to his feet, brushing off his robes indignantly.  "How dare you?" he snapped.  "Attacking me like that…you could've at least shown the great Antorell some respect by using some magic!"  He grabbed Ron by the collar of his robes and held him up threateningly.  Ron groped frantically for his wand. "Give me back my staff!"

            Hermione shook her head, having oriented herself, and picked up the staff, then backed away from Ron and the man called Antorell.  Seeing his most prized possession in the girl's hands, Antorell flung Ron to the ground and advanced on Hermione. She cringed and held the staff protectively in front of her face. 

Ron finally got his wands into his hand and pointed at Antorell, shouting, "Leave her alone!"

He was just about to hex him, too, when a mist suddenly enshrouded them so thickly that Ron could hardly see where to throw the curse.  Antorell froze mid-stride, his eyes widening in horror as he realized what was happening. Hermione took this moment to run around him, nearly tripping over Ron in her haste.

"What's happening?" she whispered urgently.

"I was just about to ask you the same," he whispered back.

"Sssssilence!" a voice suddenly hissed, and the two jumped, fearing that the source of the voice was right next to them.  "Antorell, the lady isss not happy with you," it continued, now sounding as if its owner was surrounding them.

"U-unhappy with me?" Antorell stammered.

"Yesssss…"

Daystar suddenly became rigid, immediately attracting the attention of Cimorene.  "Daystar?" she asked, concerned for her son.

He didn't answer right away, his eyes glazed over and unseeing.  After a little while, it seemed like he was being released, and the boy blinked his eyes several times.  "S..something's happening in the Forest," Daystar finally said.

Shiara laughed.  "Something's always happening in the Forest, Daystar; don't be silly."

"Listen to what the boy has to say," Kazul growled, and the fire-witch winced.

"What do you mean, Daystar?" the king asked.

"Something's not right…Near the castle!  Someone's in trouble," said Daystar urgently, jumping to his feet.  "Dad, we have to go help them!"

"Hold your horses, Daystar!" said Mendanbar.  "We don't even know where they are."

Daystar closed his eyes, and a moment later, he opened them again.  "Near the castle.  They're near the castle."

"Allow me," said Telemain, stepping forward.  He twisted one of the many rings on his fingers, and the cavern melted away around them.  Though he had been through it once already, this method of transportation still unsettled Harry somewhat.  Though even more unsettling was what Daystar had just said.  How had he known someone was in trouble, anyway?  Even the king and queen had seemed surprised!  Harry had no more time to ponder this as the world around them solidified, revealing that the group was right in front of the castle.

A scream suddenly pierced the air, and Daystar took off at a run towards it.  "Daystar, wait!" Shiara called, chasing after him.

"That boy," said Morwen, sounding very exasperated as she, then Telemain and the rest, followed the two.  Harry ran after them all, removing his wand from his pocket so it would be ready.  He came to the edge of the forest just in time to see the queen vanishing into it.

However, once Harry broke through into the forest, he found himself surrounded by an impenetrable fog, and he couldn't see or hear anyone.  All he could hear was a chilling voice laughing.  Harry slowed his pace, and cautiously continued into the forest, all his senses on alert, and his wand firmly in his hand.  His foot suddenly hit something soft, and he looked down, then jumped back in shock.  A man with brown hair and a beard lay there, either very unconscious or very dead.  He glanced fervently around for some sign of Daystar or one of the others, but to no avail.

Harry swallowed hard, memories of Cedric assailing his thoughts, and he stepped over the un-moving man.  "Daystar?  Shiara?" he called, sounding very uncertain.  To his surprise, a very familiar voice answered back.

"Harry?  Is that you?"  Harry's eyes widened.  He could almost swear that he had just heard Hermione calling out to him.

"Harry!  Over here!"  The boy shook his head.  Now he was hearing Ron's voice!

"Ssssilence!" another, harsher voice hissed, and there were cries of pain coming from the direction Harry had heard his friends' voices.

"I'm coming!" Harry shouted, and dashed recklessly in that direction.  Suddenly, the mist cleared around him to reveal a giant, black, serpent-like creature coiled around Ron and Hermione, and he was apparently squeezing them to death with his strong body.

Those piercing red eyes then caught sight of Harry and glinted malevolently.  "Ah, the famousss Harry Potter," the snake whispered, appearing to smile in a very terrifying way.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed happily, despite the fact that she was being constricted in a snakes coils.

"It's really you!" said Ron, looking very relieved to see him.  He and Hermione suddenly cried out in pain as the snake tightened himself around the two.

Harry's expression hardened, and he leveled his wand at the creature.  As he did so, the serpent let out a barking laugh.  "Ha!  You would ssseek to vanquish me with your magic, do you?  I tell you now that your effortsss are futile, Potter.  I, Khaosss, am imperviousss to your little ssspellsss!"

The hand holding Harry's wand faltered for a moment, but Harry steeled himself and kept it pointing at the creature called Khaos.  "Let them go," he snapped.

The look in Khaos's eyes changed from malice to shock, and Harry assumed that he had spoken in Parseltongue, as that always seemed to happen when he was addressing a snake.  But that didn't matter to Harry at the moment, because Khaos's surprise had caused him to relax his grip around Ron and Hermione, and they were gasping for air.  Harry darted towards them in an attempt to help them escape, but the serpent chose that time to recover from his shock.

Khaos lunged at the unsuspecting Harry; one blow from the mist snake's venomous fangs would kill the boy.

"AAAAAAH!"  A voice screamed, and Khaos froze.  He whipped around just in time to see Daystar hurtling towards him, a very impressive-looking sword poised above his head.  Daystar slashed downwards with the sword, but Khaos had already disappeared, and with him went the mist.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all stared very curiously at Daystar.  Ron and Hermione because they had no clue who he was, and Harry because of what Daystar had just done.  Daystar lowered the sword awkwardly beneath their stares.

"Er, hi," he mumbled.

"Don't mumble," said Shiara, having just joined them, and she was smirking bemusedly.  "It's not polite."

Daystar's face turned very red and he said something incoherently.  Harry glanced at his friends, very much reminded of their relationship by Daystar and Shiara's.

Just then, Cimorene, Mendanbar, Morwen, Telemain, and Kazul showed up.

"Daystar!" the queen exclaimed.  "There you are…I got so worried when you just took off like that."

"Very unlike you to snatch my sword and run off," Mendanbar added.

"Sorry," Daystar apologized, and then apparently remembered he was still holding the sword.  He held it out to the king repentantly.  "I…just followed my instincts."

"I'll say," said Morwen, straightening her robes.  "And what happened to you, Harry?"

Ron stopped gaping at the ginger-haired witch long enough to ask, "Harry, who is this woman?  And how does she know your name?"

"Is that a dragon?" Hermione asked in a tiny voice, terrified.

"Oh," said Harry, sounding quite abashed.  "Sorry about that.  Er, Ron, Hermione, this is Morwen, next to her is Telemain, that's Queen Cimorene, King Mendanbar, Daystar, Kazul, and Shiara.  She's a fire-witch."

"Is that a d-dragon?" Hermione repeated.  Like Harry, she had seen dragons before, but never this close.  And Kazul was no runt of a dragon, either.

"King of the Dragons," Cimorene corrected her.

"Oh, sorry," Hermione apologized, looking quite flustered.  "Then he's-"

"She's," Cimorene said.

"She's," said Hermione, and blinked.  "She's?"

"Just because my title is king," Kazul rumbled, "doesn't mean that I have to be male."

Hermione squeaked and clung to Ron.  "Did…did she just speak?"

Maybe it was just his imagination, but Harry could've sworn he saw Kazul roll her eyes.

"Of course I did!" said the dragon, exasperated.  "I wouldn't be able to rule very well if I couldn't, now could I?"

"W-well, I suppose not," Hermione stammered.  "I guess it makes sense…"  She appeared to be recovering from the initial shock, though Ron even now looked quite red.  Then again, that could be because Hermione was still holding onto his arm.  Hermione stood and brushed her robe off (as she was wearing her school robe), and Ron visibly relaxed before doing the same.

"I believe you two came from the same place as Harry?" asked Morwen, and Ron and Hermione nodded.  "Well, let's go back to the castle.  There's some explaining to be done."

*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*

Next: In Which Telemain Makes a Discovery

I'm so sorry for not uploading this chapter sooner!  Please forgive me!  And while you're at it, why don't you review, too. ^____^  **cheeky**  Anyway, I thank everyone for your reviews!  Without each and every one of them, I wouldn't have 104 reviews, like I do. =D

Thank you to:

Lady Cinnibar (It's alright that you were forgetting review, because at least you're reviewing now!), DumbOldDork (Am I still doing well on length?), girloz14 (I'm glad you did.  Review this chapter, too, please!!!), Firefox  (Waaah…don't be mad at me!), MeShelly (I love Suz. =) ), Kell Shock, JadeiteZ (Read EFC!  You'll love it, I promise), Katy999, Sarah, and last, but not least, Springrain.

Don't forget to review this chapter, too.