Fresia Anthony and the Tower of Night

Chapter Four

"What the hell?" Carine gasped as it leaned up against the tree they were hiding in.

"It looks like... a bear?" Dara asked.

"Oh no!" Fresia gasped. "Its a..."

"Katshituashku" Aubrey finished for her.

"What is that?" Dara gasped, horrified.

"A bear with an affinity for human flesh." Fresia said as she walked further out on the branch. "But it can't bend it's legs, so if we knock it over it won't be able to get back up.

"Easier said than done, that thing's the size of an elephant! Besides, I've heard of this brute, it's fur is basically as strong as a protego spell! So stun spells won't work!" Carine hissed.

"Aubrey, you're up." She flicked her wand a couple of times and then a silvery thread appeared in front of the bear to trip it. It snapped as soon as the beast stepped on it.

"It's no use!" The bear stuck it's maw in the air and started to sniff, it caught the scent of the group of people in front of it, and it started to hobble after them.

"Oh no," Fresia muttered and she swung out of the tree.

"Hey big ugly and stupid!" She shouted at the bear. "Yeah you!" She shouted as it turned towards her. With a roar it changed direction.

"Okay patronus don't you fail me now!" She said as she closed her eyes. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" She shouted and from the tip of her wand a silvery smoke started to lazily drift out. They covered basic patronuses last year for dealing with weak lethifolds, but never a corporal patronus for a 15 foot tall human eating bear. "Damn it." She shifted her memories for a happier moment. "Okay, let's try this again. EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Nothing but more smoke. The bear was getting closer, and her friends were shouting for her to get back up in the tree.

"I'm not going to let you eat my classmates, even if they're idiots who are trying to capture me." She muttered as she heard the group of people getting even closer. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" From the tip of her wand exploded a beautiful and lithe leopard, it's rosettes a dark grey against the silvery body. The leopard crouched, it's tail swishing, and then it launched its self at the bear's face, knocking it on its back. The leopard returned to Fresia, rubbing it's head against her legs, it's body cool to the touch, but when she reached her hand out to pet it, it vanished.

"HA! WE FOUND YOU! GUYS WE FOUND HER!"

"Really? After I just saved your miserable asses from being bear food?" She took off sprinting further into the forest.
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"Where the hell am I?" She looked around but couldn't see anything. "Lumos." She held her wand up and looked around. She was at the base of some sort of tower.

"HELLO?" She shouted, but the only answer was her echo. "Great. I'm completely and hopelessly lost." She started to walk around the base of the tower when she heard a stick crack behind her. "H-hello?" She asked hesitantly. She heard a stick crack again, reflexively she whirled around.

"Stupify!"

"Protago." Her red sparks were parried by a golden barrier. "Students aren't allowed out of the castle at this hour of night." An eerie voice said as its master stepped out of the shadows.

"Pr-pr-professor Richards, I-I can explain, I promise, I was just-"

"Playing Paranoia? Yes I know. It still doesn't explain how you found yourself here and at this hour."

"I got lost."

"Well, let's get you un-lost then." He said. "Follow me." She hurried after his departing figure. She saw blue sparks shoot into the sky, and smiled smugly when she realized it meant that Aepa won.
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As she and professor Richards got closer to the Aepa dorms, they could hear the definitive sounds of a party.