Chapter 377: The Fogstone
Chapter 377: The Fogstone
Kyle and Cedric arrived at The Three Broomsticks, captivated by the playful antics of a dog, only to find that everyone else had already gathered. As they took their seats, Fred pushed two bottles of Butterbeer towards them, curiously asking, "How much did you buy? Why did it take so long?"
"If you had waited a little longer, we were about to come looking for you two," someone replied.
"We didn't buy much," Cedric explained, "but on our way out, we came across an interesting large black dog, which delayed us a bit."
"A black dog..." George frowned and whispered, "Could it be... the Grim?"
"It's probably just a stray dog that wandered in from outside," Cedric suggested, "or maybe a customer's pet from The Hog's Head. The Davis Shop is right next to the pub."
"That's probably it," Fred agreed, nodding. "All sorts of people go there. George and I once saw someone hiding a five-foot-long bone under their robe."
"We guessed it might be a Troll's bone..."
"The smell was so disgusting..."
Fred put down his cup, "We've always wanted to take a look inside, but after that incident, we temporarily abandoned the idea."
"Was it because of the Troll bone?" Qiu asked.
"No, it was because the pub owner kicked us out," George shrugged, "That old guy has a terrible temper..."
As they chatted, they sipped their Butterbeer.
Later, when Kyle passed by the Davis Shop again, the black dog was nowhere to be seen, and it didn't reappear until the end of the tour.
When the designated time arrived, everyone followed Professor McGonagall back to the castle.
Kyle didn't even return to the common room; he headed straight to the Room of Requirement on the eighth floor, with the others following behind.
Everyone was curious after Cedric mentioned the Fogstone, so when Kyle was about to test its effect, they decided to join him.
"I need a large room with a strong wind," Kyle requested.
A door appeared after Kyle walked back and forth in the corridor three times.
As they entered, a gust of wind blew them off their feet.
Conna was almost blown away, but Kyle managed to grab her in time.
"The wind here is too strong... You should have been more specific..." Fred shouted, straining his voice to be heard.
Only then could his voice carry through the wind.
"Since we're here... let's just go with it... And a stronger wind is better..."
Kyle had no intention of proceeding further; he reached into his pocket, took out a Fogstone, and crushed it.
The fragments began to disintegrate, transforming into thick fog that enveloped the air around them.
Within seconds, they found themselves in a hazy white world.
The howling wind seemed to be blocked by the dense fog, no longer audible.
Fred rubbed his eyes; he could only see George, who was closest to him, and a faint shadow of Cedric.
"It's worth twenty Galleons..." George's voice echoed in their ears, "Kyle, where are you?"
"Here," Kyle and Conna approached, followed by Qiu and Cedric.
"It's amazing..." Cedric marveled, "The wind that almost blew me away is now blocked by this fog..."
"You get what you pay for," Fred smiled, "This cost twenty Galleons... If a little wind could blow it away, Kyle could ask for a refund from Davis."
"Let me try again," Kyle said, taking out his wand.
"Swift Whirlwind!"
"Clear Water Spring!"
"Roaring Flame!"
...
Kyle continuously cast various spells, but the thick fog showed no signs of change. Even if there was a slight alteration, it quickly returned to its original state, maintaining a visibility of less than a meter.
George also tried a few spells and curiously asked, "Kyle, how big is this area?"
"I don't know," Kyle shook his head. "The shop owner didn't say."
"Why don't we test it?" Fred suggested.
His idea was met with agreement from everyone.
Without hesitation, Kyle, with nothing better to do, used his wand to create a long rope and tied it to the doorknob. Then, following the pattern on the floor, they walked forward.
Half an hour later, they stopped at a wall.
"Is this the end?"
Kyle touched the wall and changed direction.
But this time, they reached another wall more quickly, in just over ten minutes.
Kyle felt a bit embarrassed, realizing that he might have underestimated the extent of the thick fog.
He had only asked for a large room, but even the largest room must have an end.
The error-free version is available at 69 Book Bar!
"I should have asked for something bigger, like a forest..." Kyle patted his head.
With no other choice, they followed the rope back.
"At least now we can confirm that the Fogstone's range is indeed not small," Fred said. "Although we walked slowly, in half an hour, we could have crossed at least five Quidditch pitches."
"Eight..." Cedric said confidently.
George laughed and said, "Imagine if we threw one onto the Quidditch pitch during a match. What do you think would happen?"
"That would be quite interesting," Fred laughed as well. "You can't see the players or the goals, and as they fly, they might find themselves in Hogsmeade."
"Maybe we can go to Honeydukes and find a raspberry-flavored Golden Snitch."
"Kyle, you can really try it..."
After saying this, they laughed even louder.
"I don't know if Honeydukes has a Golden Snitch, but I know I'll lose twenty Galleons."
Kyle turned back and looked at them, "And we might even get detention from Professor McGonagall."
"That's true..."
Fred sighed, "Detention doesn't matter, but twenty Galleons is too expensive."
He reached out as if to touch the thick fog.
The group returned to the door and waited for a while... A gentle breeze suddenly blew upon them.
The wind grew stronger, and the thick fog gradually dissipated.
"It should be about right now."
When their robes started to flutter, Kyle opened the door and they walked out.
"Exactly two hours," Conna checked the time.
"Two hours, twenty Galleons... This prop is too extravagant," Fred smacked his lips.
"I feel a bit heartache just thinking about it now," George said. "Twenty Galleons can buy ten boxes of Stink Pellets, enough for an entire school year."
"Ten boxes of Stink Pellets for a school year?" Fred exaggerated, "If we really used that much, I guarantee Filch would kill us."
"Then use it for two school years..."
"Wait!" Qiu seemed to suddenly remember something and asked, "What time is it now? Has the Halloween Banquet..."
"Oh no!" Conna reacted and quickly said, "7:10... The banquet started ten minutes ago!"
(End of Chapter)
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