You wrap your fingers around the smooth wood and pull your wand out of the branches. You wand. Back were it belongs.

The bowtruckles are having at the mandrake, which continues to wail, but they are also working down the stick and some have noticed that you have retrieved your wand.

Those few are coming for you. Time to go?

The lilypad sinks as you land on it, and the waves churn, tossing you about. If you have the strength, you can certainly swim to shore.

As you descend through the opening, tendrils grab at your body, wrapping around you. Below the tendrils is nothing but a drop to the ground below. But how to get them to let you go?

If Brielle hadn't of been being watched by the Task Judges she would have sworn like a sailor, but she was, so she didn't

The wrapping vines had her suspended in mid-air. Brielle was use to be held by partner dances, but this was just ridiculous. She stayed calm, the only sure-fire solution she had for not being killed in that very instances. She went limp as well, allowing the vine to take all her weight, which wasn't very much, but it could still have possible worked to her advantage. The plant may think she was already dead and let her fall......what did Devil's Snare do to it's victims anyway? She didn't really want to know

She thought of a risky move, it could potential be fatal, but it was all she had.

Dropping a few fire seeds onto her stomach, Brielle sandwiched the seed between her stomach and the vine, hoping it would burn the plant enough for her to be able to slip out of her green harness. It was lucky that she had a huge leather belt on her hips that was sure to protect her from the heat of the seeds.

Fashion, lifesaver!

Her wand! Her precious, precious wand! Monique finally had her wand back. She would have kissed it, but she had no idea who's hands had been on it.

Now that she had her wand back... what was next? She looked around. The bowtruckles were still occupied with her poor little mandrake friend. Sad... she didn't expect to see death in the first task...

At least it wasn't her face.

It seemed like she lingered there too long because a few of the bowtruckles noticed her with her wand. Whoops. Looks like it was time to get out of there and fast. She thought for a split second of casting a spell on them, but she didn't want to make the bowtruckles angry. They were just trying to protect their tree. So, in theory they would leave her alone as soon as she got out of it.

And with that in mind Monique started swinging down the tree from branch to branch. As soon as she got back down towards the roots she jumped back into the water making sure her jacket was still on her head. She wasn't sure if the mandrake was still yelling.

Not even fighting to stand up straight, once his feet sunk along with the lilypad, Noel fell back with a splash, letting the water surround his face for a moment before coming up for air. The water felt nice against the cuts on his body, but it also stung them. Not because of the contact itself, but because of how the water was moving.

It only took him a moment to know that the water wasn’t calm, and he could have seen that from when the light of his wand landed on it to check on the lilypads. The same light which was now gone. Which way was the shore again? Forward wasn’t it?

"Lumm…" The spell was never spoken, since he was suddenly tossed a different direction, his head going back underwater since he did not have the strength on one side of his body to keep him above water. Using his left side, he kicked his way up, using as much of his strength as possible, an idea forming in his mind. He could get out of here, but he didn’t need to drown in the process.

With his head breaking to air once more, he grabbed the lilypad with his left arm to keep himself up before quickly pointing his wand to his face. "Viseo…Ebullio." It was hard to say the spell, his jaw feeling as if it were turning to stone along with pins and needles being poked into it as far as they would go, but with a counter clockwise circular over his mouth, a small pocket air of bubble appeared, letting him be able to breathe even though the current of the water was forcing him down and around.

Kicking and pulling through the water with the strength of his left side, he used the lilypad to pull himself forward towards the way of the shore. Or the way he thought the shore was. He was starting to be able to touch the ground underneath his feet, so it had to be this way.

Picking his leg harder and using his left arm as a paddle of sort to push against the churning waves, the bubble around his mouth was not lasting as long as he’d like, but it didn’t matter. The added ground beneath his feet was enough for him to push off and move towards the shore. He wouldn’t need the air bubble any longer.

Crawling up onto the shore, he lay flat on his stomach and his head to the side once he was almost completely out of the water, his eyes shutting for a moment. His whole body stung and burned, no doubt the dirt on the cave floor getting into the cuts at the moment. Swallowing a little though, his throat no longer dry because of the water he swallowed from the lake, Noel got rid of the air bubble around his mouth before forcing himself to stand up. Hi right leg was a bit wobbly and he stumbled to the side before regaining his balance and shaking it off. Land was good.

No more tree roots. Just land. Now, where to go? "Lumos."

For half a second Jermaine had thought his scarf was going to do the trick. That is about all it took for the bowtruckles to launch their attack on him... and his scarf.

"NOOOOO, NOT ZE SCARF!" he yelled as he tugged it out of the tree. Bowtruckles still attached to it and shredding it even more he started swinging it around hitting it on the tree trying to knock them off of it. He also used it to swat at the ones that were attacking him. If only he could knock them into the water below then he would still be able to get his wand.

"OUCH!" he shouts as they attack his hands and arms. "GET OFF ME YOU LITTLE CRETINS!" He could feel them on his head and face. He was NOT about to let them get his eyes. Swatting them off his face he feels them tearing into his skin. Hopefully they are landing in the water below.

Yes, he should have just went back and got the bugs but it was a little too late for that now. Now all he could do was try not to get ripped to pieces. If only he could reach his wand then he would be able to use it. Still punching at and swatting the stick bugs off of him he tries to make his way closer to his wand... and the other group of bowtruckles.

Relaxation may have been enough, but the addition of the fireseed directly on the root did it, and the vines release you, dropping down to the floor below.

That's gonna hurt.

But, you're still alive and if you've still got fireseed for light, the next turn in the cave should be visible. The passage narrows somewhat, the light bouncing off what look like fairy eggs nestled in the crevices. But as soon as they're noticed, the passage opens into a huge cavern, the light reflecting upward, if not outward. The gentle sounds of water lapping at the shore can be heard, but not yet seen. Along the back wall of the cavern, near where you stand, plant life of all sorts presses up against the stone. Nascent trees crawling with wood lice. Alihotsy plants mingling with angel's trumpet. Slimy bundles of what look like green rat tails nestle against gurdyroots. Deathcaps press up against their muggle counterparts. All ignorable, so long as you aren't anxious for a snack.

When you finally come to the shore, you can see what appears to be a lake - though the far side if obscured from view by the dark. What is apparent, however, is that the other two sides have no shores - just sheer rock faces. There is nowhere to go but across the lake. Giant lilypads float on the surface, some appearing close enough to leap one to the other. Gravity resistant trees hover above the surface, again appearing to, at least at the start, be close enough to travel one to the other. As for the water, it seems calm if one simply wanted to swim. There's no telling what lies beyond the limit of your sight, but you have to start somewhere.

Once you abandon your root to the savage twigs, there's no way for you to tell if it's safe to remove your earmuffs without removing your earmuffs until you've exited the cave.

The water is cold, but the bowtruckles do not follow.

Wand now in hand, some more light might be in order, so that a quick look around will tell you that you are in the middle of the lake, with the far shore in front of you. That is your destination. That is where you must go.

The lilypads seem to bob in and out of the water as it churns and the trees spread further apart. Skittering among the leaves suggests that the bowtruckles in neighboring treesare anxious to be appeased, as well.

Monique surfaced and was relieved to see the bowtruckles left her alone. Too bad she had to leave her stick and mandrake in the the tree.

"Lumos." She said making her wand light. She held it out over her head. Finally! Now she had a solid source of light too. Now she had to continue her journey.

She looked around. There were more lilypads. But after her first experience with them she wasn't about to try them again. No, she'd have to swim to the far shore.

Once again she straightened the jacket on her head. Then she began swimming toward the shore. She hoped it wouldn't take long. The water was freezing!

Uhf!

Brielle fell onto the rock hard ground of the cave, her eyes welling up with tears of momentary pain. Quickly jumping to her feet, Brielle ran softly on the spot, trying to shake out the pain. Brielle was use to foot injuries, she was after all an accomplished Ballerina, and if there was one thing that Ballerina’s were used to it was constant foot pain.

Moving away from the Snare hole, so to not allow the plants to grab her again, Brielle used the three remain seeds to shine light onto the way ahead. A small turn reveal walls full of what appeared to be fairy eggs, stuffed into wall cervices, however something more foreign stole her attention, the sound of water.

Moving past the eggs Brielle’s eyes widened beyond reckoning, there in front of her was an under-ground sea, stretching far off into the darkness. The shore on which she stood was littered with plants, however having had enough for the moment she gave them very little notice, noting their species but return to the sea.

There was no way but across, that was clear for the girl to see, so with a deep breath, Brielle set off, with an elegant leap she left the shore, aiming right for the centre of the lily-pads. She had selected the perfect one, it had a tree branch just above it, a nice lifeline should the pad sink.

You are making some progress, but the bowstruckles swarm you, tearing at your hands, arms, face, and hair, and pull at the scarf, shredding it even further. Sure, you manage to knock a few off the tree and into the water, but the ones that remain are relentless.

Keep pushing through. You're getting closer. It's only a matter of time, so long as you keep the bowtruckles from scratching out your eyes.

The water jostles you, knocking into your earmuffs and threatening to pull your head under.

The shore approaches, however, and so long as you have enough strength to make it without drowning or some other trick up your sleeve, you'll make it.

When you eventually reach the shore, an onslaught of bouncing bulbs will begin. They do not target you directly, but as they careen off the cavern walls and the grass, they cannot help but pummel you in the process. There is nowhere to run, as the shore bumps up against walls of rock on all sides. If you can look around long enough - not likely until the bulbs are taken care of - one wall only goes so high. But, it is too high to jump and too sheer to climb. An errant bulb knocks a bag from a shelf in the wall, spilling a bean that burrows its way into the sand.

From that bean, green tendrils being to sprout, working their way toward the surface and breaking through.

The lilypad sinks below you soaking your feet as it cannot support you. You'd better reach for that tree branch and pull yourself up or you'll be all wet.

The tree sways above you, it's branches tangling with the one next to it.


Sand sticks to your wet body as you lay on the shore. But no soon have you arrived than an onslaught of bouncing bulbs begins. They do not target you directly, but as they careen off the cavern walls and the grass, they cannot help but pummel you in the process. There is nowhere to run, as the shore bumps up against walls of rock on all sides. If you can look around long enough - not likely until the bulbs are taken care of - one wall only goes so high. But, it is too high to jump and too sheer to climb. An errant bulb knocks a bag from a shelf in the wall, spilling a bean that burrows its way into the sand.

From that bean, green tendrils being to sprout, working their way toward the surface and breaking through.

Monique continued swimming along fighting the waves. A few times she was pulled under, but she continued onwards. She could do it! She could make it.

She saw the shore get closer and closer until she finally made it. She crawled onto the shore and laid on her back. She took deep breaths of air.

After she regained herself she straightened her jacket. It had been knocked slightly askew in the swimming process. Rolling herself up she took a look around. She finally made it to the shore. What now?

As she looked looked around her was hit in the arm with something that bounced. What was this? There were bulbs bouncing all over the place. Using her arm to cover her head she ran around looking for cover.

Except there was none. A bulb soon hit her knocking her over. Rolling so she was face up again she pointed her wand upwards. "Immobulus!" she yelled.

Picking herself up she noticed a bean growing in the sand. What was it doing? No matter, maybe she could hide behind it.

Running toward it she cast a few more freezing charms along the way. Soon she had her back against the bean stalk and would pop out every once in awhile to cast a few more freezing charms at the bouncing bulbs. Once those were taken care of she could figure out what to do from there.

Feeling something hit his tender shoulder, Noel stumbled to the side once again, his eyes adjusting to the light. What in Merlin’s name had just hit him?

Frowning, and looking around to see what it was, taking a few cautionary steps backwards, something suddenly landed right in front of him before disappearing again. With a noise of surprise escaping him, he took several steps back, the splashes of water reaching his ears as his feet pounded through it. Raising his wand up, he finally got to see what it was that he thought was attacking him. Bulbs.

Bouncing bulbs.

The sizes of them he first noticed varied. It didn’t matter to him though. He was getting out of here. Moving towards a side wall, he pointed his wand towards one of the bulbs before casting a quick, "Incendio!" towards it, the orange fire light illuminating in his eyes for a moment as it flew towards its intended target.

As you cast, the bulbs cease their rocketing. The stalk have continued to grow, several tendrils popping out of its sides like rungs.

The bulbs lay on the sand, no longer a threat.

The target bulb burst into flames but kept bouncing like a kid's bouncy ball of death. As it bounced into others, the fire spread, and soon multiple flame balls were rocketing around. Eventually, they burn to ash, but not before they bounce back toward you.

Back against the cave wall, the stalk continues to grow and thicken up the shorter of the walls. It is sturdy, and several tendrils just out of it like little foot rests.

But first, flying fireballs of fear.

Monique peeked around the stalk again. Brilliant!! The bulbs had stopped moving. She walked out of her hiding place and looked around. There were only bulbs on the island. Bulbs and the bean stalk she hid behind.

Wait!! The beanstalk got HUGE!!!!!! And it kind of looked like a ladder.

Which could only mean one possible thing: Monique should have worn more comfortable shoes today.

Looking up at the stalk with her head tilted to the side she wondered how high it went. She'd find out soon enough.

She then began climbing the beanstalk.

The climb is long and hard, but without obstacle. If beanstalks were elevators, this would be your floor. Climb the stalk any higher and there would be no ground to set your feet on. Tread carefully, however, as the path quickly narrows and there are no walls. Instead, perilous drop-offs await on both sides should one slip.

Soon, you come to another fork. From where you stand, the only different you can notice is that one path looks wider, at least as far as you can see, that is. Nothing else betrays what may lie ahead. Which way? Left and narrow or right and wide?

His mind reeled with useless thoughts as the flames around the bouncing bulb seemed to suddenly be a contagious disease. Soon, all the bulbs were lit on fire, and he could not help the amazed chuckle that escaped him, no matter how much it hurt to smile.

Leaning against the wall, he decided to wait for the bouncing bulbs to burn to ash, before trying to find a way out of here, completely oblivious to the stalk vine growing up the walls. He did not need to light his wand, since the fire lit up the cave enough as it was, and the slight rise in temperature warmed his cold skin a bit.

But fire was always deadly, to all those it trapped. The smoke in the air was one thing, but once the bouncing bulbs started coming after him… that was another situation.

Casting a few knockback jinxes towards the bulbs, he quickly ran/limped his way towards the lake water before turning around and...what in the world was he doing? Knockback Jinxes? Why knock them back when..."Immobulus!" he yelled, pointing his wand towards the bulbs.

He was ready to dive into the water just in case but, the sooner the bulbs burned, the faster he could get out of here. If, he could find a way to get out. He hadn't seen any passageways.

Monique kept climbing until she reached more ground. Stepping off she took a few minutes to gather her breath. She needed a nap. And a shower.

But mostly she needed to get out of this cave. She missed daylight. And smelling normal. She missed that too.

Anyway, moving on. Monique set off down the path staying in the middle. There were HUGE drop offs all of which probably would cause her to end up in one of those bowtruckle trees. No thank you!

Soon she came across a fork. To the left the path was about the same size, to the right however the path was wider. She turned her head right and then left before deciding to take the left narrow path.

Why? Because a narrow path meant there wasn't going to be anything large on the path. At least, she hoped that would be the case.

Jermaine continued throwing the stick bugs off him while they continued to tear at his skin. No matter what he did they still attacked his head.

Must. Keep. Them. Away. From. The. Eyes.

Shaking them off the scarf... that was almost shredded to pieces now, he wrapped what was left of it around his left hand and started punching like crazy at the creatures. There was no way he was going to let them stop him from getting his wand. They were litte sticks after all and he was a grown person. He could and he would beat these things.

Hearing a few of them splash into the water he continued his climb up the tree making sure to protect his face as he went. Almost there he reached out for his wand hoping he was close enough to grab it.

"MUST. GET. MY . WAND."

The feeling of gravity that seized her body as the lily pad sunk into the dark water, forced Brielle to think quickly. With all the strength she could muster, the Beauxbatons Student, launched her arms up into the canopy. One hand's grip was successful, however the other grabbed a branch that was sheathed in dead bark.

Crumbling in her hand, the bark gave out, causing Brielle to swing armed on the branch.

With an almighty groan, the Seventh year puller her body up, using only the strength on her one arm. Hooking her arms over the branches, Brielle hang by her armpits, catching her breath.

Pulling herself into the canopy of small trees, Brielle began to swift her weight from one tree to the next, like a possum.

A possum with excellent taste in clothing.

The Immobulus spell does the trick, stopping the flaming bouncing bulbs in their tracks. Hopefully that spell will keep them occupied long enough for them to burn out, if you cast the spell strong enough, that is.

Now that the bulbs are taken care of for the time being, it looks like there's only one way to go -- up the beanstalk.

It may be narrow, but at least it's flat. The only danger, from the terrain at least, lies in the rocky stumbling blocks jutting up from the floor. Watch your step, the rocks down below don't make good cushions.

As you proceed forward, all seems to be quiet until a number of large bushes are nestled in your path. From afar, they look like normal bushes, until you get closer and realize those bushes are actually made out of numerous spikes! As you get even closer, the plant closes to your left proceeds to shoot one of these spikes at you—it misses and shoots off into the darkness and falls over the edge without a sound, but hopefully your reflexes are top notch, because your only way forward is to get past these plants!

The bowtruckles continue to claw at your arms and wrists, even though the punches here and there do send a few of them flying back towards the tree. Even though the punches aren't the most effective way of taking them down, you manage to distract them just long enough to grab your wand. Hurry before they get back on their feet and continue to fight!

While it might not be the most conventional way to tackle the anti-gravity trees, the swinging possum act does the trick, moving the champion across the water and towards the opposite shore.

After crossing the water, you realize that the faint glow you’ve been seeing this whole time is extremely familiar—it’s your wand! It’s nestled safely in a tree, but don't celebrate yet! A number of sticks seem to be standing guard within the branches of the tree. The sticks are moving around and look like tiny little stick figures with very long fingers…they’re clearly Bowtruckles. It’s very obvious that the only way you’re going to get your wand back is to make it past this little army of tree men…but how?

Once the bulbs stopped, he waded out of the water and around the bulbs, holding his wand up just in case he needed to cast another immobulus spell. "Lumos." It never was a bad thing to have a little more light in the cave. After going about an hour with so very little of it, more light was the best thing in the world.

Finally near the walls, he slowly jogged his way around, limping every so often but he never stopped. There were no passageways. No way out! He finally slowed down, stopping with a defeated sigh and expression before he finally came across the beanstalk like thing.

When did this get here? It was not here when he first got onto the shore was it?

Taking a quick glance back to the bulbs and then to the lake, he shook his head before starting to climb the beanstalk. He had no strength to swim in those waters again. At least climbing the beanstalk, he could take his time without worrying about drowning.

Monique continued on her way down the path. Everything seemed to be going smooth... which made her worry.

As if sensing her worry the path became much more dangerous. There were stumbling blocks jutting out of the ground. It was a good thing that Monique was so poised. She easily sidestepped these.

Soon she found herself face to face with a bush. That's odd. What was a bush doing growing here? She took a few steps closer when a spike suddenly shot out at her. She ducked avoiding it. The arm of her robes weren't so fortunate. But, a hole in her clothes was much better than a hole in her skin.

After turning off her wandlight with a quiet "nox" she aimed her wand at the place where the bush was and fired a spell. "Reducto!" she said hoping to blast the bush to bits. She also held her other arm up to her face, in case pieces came flying back at her. She had to protect her precious face after all.

If beanstalks were elevators, this would be your floor. Climb the stalk any higher and there would be no ground to set your feet on. Tread carefully, however, as the path quickly narrows and there are no walls. Instead, perilous drop-offs await on both sides should one slip.

Soon, you come to another fork. From where you stand, the only different you can notice is that one path looks wider, at least as far as you can see, that is. Nothing else betrays what may lie ahead. Which way? Left and narrow or right and wide?

The plant explodes with a brilliant blast, sending spikes everywhere, including a few into the arm of the young champion. OUCH. At least they aren't poisonous!

However, the plant still stands, and now it's just angry and shooting spikes in all directions. Put those reflexes to use to dodge those spikes while you think of something else to get past!

Climbing for a few more moments, his wand suddenly lit up a small path in front of him, though he wasn’t even sure if it was a path at all. Frowning, he raised his wand above him to see if there were any other ways he could take, but he found none.

Looking back to the narrow path, he did not miss that there were no walls on either side of it. Heaving a sigh, sooo ready to be done with this, he held onto the beanstalk for balance as he moved his feet onto the path. He did receive a glimpse of what replaced the walls on either side and, he had to chuckle. Drops just seemed to like him didn’t they?

Slowly and cautiously Noel started to walk along the narrow path, holding his wand in front of him to light the way. It didn’t take long for him to reach what seemed to be the end of the path, but he was not pleased about the idea of another fork ahead of him. Left or right?

Glancing to the right, he held his wand out to that side to shine the light down the path. It was wide. Wider than the path he was walking on now at least. Shining the light to the left, it was obvious that it was a lot narrower then the right, but pretty much the same as the one he was walking on.
Blinking, he went towards the right path. Not being fond of narrow walkways, he at least wanted to feel a little comfortable and secure if he was going to be stuck in a cave.

The path was wider, for sure, but as you travel further down it, the incline grows steeper and the path slick with water. Watch your footing. It's a long way down.

As you proceed forward, the way gets only more difficult to navigate when your path is completely blocked by a large number of plants. At first they seem harmless, but as you get closer, they start moving and snarling, and you realize that they have…teeth? How strange! Unfortunately the only way to get to the end of this tunnel is to get past these little monsters, so hopefully you have some idea of how to pass them up your sleeve!

Noel kept his eyes open for any unwanted creatures or smells that may alert danger as he walked down the wide path. His throat had grown dry once more with each breath he took. He had noticed the path had grown steep, almost to the point where he was about to slip down. Who knows what could be waiting for him at the end of the path!

Moving at a slight angle down the inclined path so he wouldn’t slip, his feet did slide a few times, though he regained his balance seconds after each time. However, that didn’t stop his heart from racing every time he slipped. He may have been able to see most of the area he was in with his lit wand, but who knew what the path up ahead could hold. Perhaps the exit to the cave? Wishful thinking was always fantastic at such times as these.

It did not take long for him to realize that something was indeed in the way of his path. Noel’s blue eyes did widen as what seemed to be plants blocked his path, but not just any plants. They started moving, and…growling? He had thought for a moment that perhaps he finally came across devil’s snare, however the vines of this plant were unlike the snare’s. Not to mention the Snare plant did not growl.

Did he ever mention to anyone that he really didn’t like Herbology? Nature was one thing but these plants were just bizarre. Especially Venomous Tentaculas.

Taking a step back, he held his wand forward to see how many there were. Nasty little monster plants they were. Too big in his opinion.

"Diffindo!" They will be cut! Or at least if that didn't work, then burned.