Potter! I Wasn't Scared!

Ron thrust out his hand the instant he fell.

His fingertips scraped through the sticky syrup before finally hooking around the railing along the side of the bridge.

His body swung heavily, and the red-and-white candy post bent with it, developing a thin crack.

"Harry! Think of something, quick! This thing's going to break!"

Harry had already rushed to the bank, raising his wand. But before he could utter a spell, Hermione grabbed his arm.

"Harry, stop! Magic will make it soften faster!"

She pointed at the bridge. The transparent sugar crystals were rapidly softening, tiny bubbles rising from within them one after another.

Harry immediately extinguished his wand tip, and the syrup did indeed flow a little more slowly.

"Use those!"

Draco crouched on the bank and pointed at the green ribbons on the decorative posts.

They wound along the sides of the bridge, their ends trailing in the snow, and looked several yards long.

Hermione hurried over to untie the knots, while Draco helped her pull the tangled sections free.

Harry caught a ribbon, looped one end around a stone pillar on the bank, and threw the other to Ron.

"Get it under your arms! Ron, don't just hold it with your hands!"

Ron freed one hand and hastily did as he was told.

The candy railing was still making faint cracking sounds, and with each one, his face grew a little paler.

Pip anxiously clutched his hat and paced in circles nearby.

"The red-haired gentleman's going to fall into the icy river! Pip!"

At last, the ribbon pulled taut.

Harry braced his feet against the stone pillar. Draco and Hermione grabbed the other end too, pulling together at his command.

Ron's body rose inch by inch.

The moment his fingertips touched the bank, he pushed desperately against the ground, scrambling and rolling up over the edge.

A sharp crack rang out behind him. The candy railing snapped completely and fell into the river below.

Water splashed up, then was quickly swallowed by the flowing ice blue, leaving only a faint scent of mint in the air.

Ron slumped in the snow, unable to speak for a long while. Harry crouched beside him and patted his shoulder.

"It's all right. You're safe now."

Hermione examined his hands, and only after confirming that his palms were merely a little scraped and red did she finally put on a stern face.

"Ron, next time, please wait until I've finished reading the instructions. That shouldn't be too much to ask, should it?"

"Sorry, Hermione."

"I just wanted to try it." Ron stared at the river, his voice growing quieter and quieter. "Who knew it would actually turn into syrup?"

Draco let go of the ribbon and lowered her head to rub her fingers, which had been pulled red.

"Now you know. Hopefully you'll remember a little longer this time, Weasley."

Hermione returned to the wooden sign and wiped away the frost with a handkerchief. The previously obscured lettering was finally revealed in full.

"Winter Candy Bridge. Please use magic with caution. Outside magic will soften the sugar crystals."

She read farther down, her brow gradually smoothing.

"Carriers, please follow the red candy stripes."

"It didn't melt this easily before," Pip hurriedly explained. "This is where the House-elves carry Christmas sweets across. The red candy stripes are very sturdy! But now even the magic on the bridge has gone wrong, Pip!"

Draco carefully examined the bridge.

The white sugar crystals had already sagged, but the red stripes still connected the two banks, though thin frost covered a few places.

"Avoid these spots." She pointed at the cracks. "The red parts should still be safe to walk on."

Hermione nodded and told everyone to put their wands away.

Pip tested the edge of the bridge first, carefully picking out a route.

This time, he no longer thumped his chest and gave assurances. Before every step, he lowered his head to check.

The four of them followed him onto the candy stripes. Hermione watched the bridge surface, Draco kept an eye on the tiny cracks, and Harry brought up the rear.

They walked very slowly, only relaxing at last when their feet were back on the opposite bank.

Harry glanced back at the bridge, which still gave off a sweet fragrance, and couldn't help shaking his head.

"Good thing you noticed so quickly, Hermione."

Hermione's face was flushed red by the cold wind, but the corners of her mouth rose.

"Then please finish reading the signs first in future."

"I promise," Ron replied immediately.

Draco glanced at him. "Let's hope the next sign is big enough."

Beyond the river stood an ancient stone corridor.

Holly climbed its stone pillars, and unlit lamps hung beneath the vaulted ceiling.

Twelve suits of silver armor stood in rows on either side. The plumes on their helmets had long since faded, but the intricate emblems on their chests were still clearly visible.

Snowflakes, pine trees, stars, and bells.

Snow lay on their shoulders, making these silent guards look as though they had waited through many winters without a single visitor.

Pip straightened his hat and introduced it to everyone. "Welcome! This is the Knight's Corridor. It used to guard the central Christmas tree. Every time Pip passed through, they would welcome Pip, Pip!"

Ron was just about to step forward when the nearest suit of armor suddenly turned its head.

Its longsword slid out of its scabbard and barred the passage. More metallic sounds followed in quick succession, and sword after sword sealed off the way ahead.

Ron slowly withdrew his foot and turned to Pip.

"This is what you call a welcome?"

The House-elf opened his mouth, his ears slowly drooping.

"It... wasn't like this before, Pip!"

The foremost knight stepped forward, its longsword pressing toward them. Harry immediately raised his wand and spread a shield in front of everyone.

The blade struck the barrier of light with a clear clang, but did not continue its downward swing.

The other suits of armor merely adjusted their positions, remaining inside the corridor.

"Don't go any farther yet." Harry watched the sword's edge. "It looks like they only want to stop us."

Draco pulled Pip back beside a stone pillar.

Sure enough, the nearest knight stopped.

Hermione, however, looked toward the end of the corridor. One suit of armor there had never drawn its sword. A bell was engraved on its chest, and its right hand pointed toward the exit, its posture oddly stiff.

"Harry, wait a moment."

She turned to examine the stone pillar at the entrance. Beneath the snow, part of a relief was exposed: several little figures holding gift boxes followed a knight.

That knight also had a bell engraved on its chest.

Hermione's eyes gradually lit up.

"They're waiting for the signal to guide us through."

"A signal?" Ron looked at the swords before him. "It had better come soon. I don't want to stand here admiring these things forever."

"Some ancient magical constructs repeatedly carry out fixed instructions." Hermione pointed at the armor. "Look, every time they raise their swords, their helmets tilt slightly toward the last suit."

Harry followed her gaze, and sure enough, she was right.

"So the last one's the guide knight?"

"I think so. The other knights are waiting for it, but something's wrong with it."

Beneath the emblem hung a real little silver bell. Thick frost had stuck it to the breastplate, and even its clapper was frozen solid.

Draco immediately raised her wand. "Then we just need to clear the ice?"

"Clear beneath the bell first." Hermione examined it carefully. "Don't touch the little chain beside it. They're frozen together."

Harry adjusted his shield, blocking the blade as it pressed toward them again.

"Draco, it's up to you."

The girl glanced at him, her lips curving slightly.

"Then you'd better keep them back, Potter."

Her wand moved gently, and a small piece of loose ice peeled away from the breastplate.

Draco did not rush to work faster. Instead, she patiently cleared the next section along the edge of the ice.

Ron watched the armor on either side and gave Hermione a timely tug.

"The one on the right's about to raise its sword. Stand over here."

Hermione shifted half a step, her gaze still on the silver bell. "There's a little more underneath, Draco. The piece holding the clapper."

The girl steadied her wrist, and the final thin piece of ice came free at last.

Ding.

Eleven longswords stopped at once, then slid neatly into their scabbards. The suits of armor stepped aside, and the guide knight finally lowered its stiff hand and bowed solemnly to the four of them.

Hermione tentatively returned the bow. The knight turned and walked deeper into the corridor.

Ron's eyes widened. "You really guessed right!"

"Their movements kept repeating." Hermione's face was full of delight. "I thought there had to be a reason."

Harry lowered his shield and nodded at her with a smile.

For once, Draco did not argue either, merely saying earnestly, "Well spotted, Granger."

Pip hurried over to the relief and craned his head up, looking at it over and over.

"Pip will write this down and never forget it again! Pip! Pip!"

They followed the knight toward the exit, their tension finally easing a little. But before they could leave the corridor, a dull rumbling came from the distance.

The silver bell on the guide knight's chest abruptly fell silent.

White frost spread rapidly along its joints, and the hand it had just raised froze in midair once again. Harry jerked his head up and saw the ice on the vaulted ceiling thickening.

"Get out, quickly!" Hermione grabbed Ron and quickened her pace.

Pip hurried after them too. But just then, his hat brim slipped down. He reached up to push it back, completely failing to notice the decorative beam overhead that had already bent.

A sharp crack suddenly rang out.

"Pip!"

Draco thrust out her hand and yanked the House-elf aside. The beam crashed down, grazing the tip of his hat, and shattered ice scattered everywhere. Pip stumbled toward the exit, where Ron caught him in time.

But the pull carried the girl a step backward, right onto the edge of a stair.

The thin ice beneath her feet suddenly broke.

Draco swayed and reached for the stone pillar beside her, but touched only a layer of cold, slippery frost.

"Ah!"

"Draco!"

Harry had already reached out. He caught her around the back and pulled her away from the broken step. Both lost their balance and fell together into the snow-covered flower bed beside the corridor.

Overhead, another sheet of ice crystals fell.

"Protego!"

A barrier of light spread hastily above them.

The shattered ice slammed into the shield, bursting into a cloud of white mist.

Harry instinctively tightened his arms, only catching his breath at last when the final pieces of ice landed beside them.

Hermione and Ron had already taken cover outside the exit, and Pip was sheltered behind a stone pillar too.

Everyone was all right.

Harry lowered his head. "Draco, are you hurt?"

The girl slowly opened her eyes.

His round glasses were a little crooked, those familiar green eyes right in front of her.

He was so close that she could even see the thin mist gathering along the edges of his lenses.

"N-no."

Harry's shoulders finally relaxed. "That's good."

Draco stared at him in a daze. That urgent shout seemed to linger in her ears, suddenly reminding her of the Quidditch Pitch.

Back then, she had stood behind the railing, wishing so much that she could reach out and catch him.

And just now, he really had caught her.

The girl's gaze wavered slightly.

Somehow, she suddenly raised both hands.

Her slender fingers lightly touched Harry's cheek, then carefully took hold of his slightly crooked round glasses.

She straightened the frames for him, then gently brushed aside the untidy black hair beside the arm of his glasses with her fingertips.

Harry froze for a moment, then lowered his eyes to look at the girl so close to him.

Those beautiful gray-green eyes held none of their usual arrogance or provocation now, only an indescribable earnestness.

"Draco?"

"Ah?!"

The girl abruptly came back to her senses.

Only then did she realize that she had actually reached out of her own accord to straighten this idiot's glasses!

And... weren't the two of them a little too close right now?!

Malfoy's fair cheeks instantly turned red.

"Y-your glasses were crooked!" She hastily withdrew her hands and added with feigned fierceness, "I simply couldn't stand that slovenly look of yours!"

"Oh..." Harry blinked, then suddenly smiled. "Thank you."

"Hmph!"

The girl immediately turned her face away.

"Don't be scared. It's stopped." Harry glanced overhead again before lowering his shield.

Draco's face, however, slowly grew even hotter.

She lowered her head and only then noticed that one of her hands was still clutching Harry's school robes tightly.

His arm was still protectively behind her back, too.

"P-Potter!" The girl immediately raised her head, trying to recover her usual air of authority. "I wasn't scared!"

"All right, I know."

The girl pressed her lips together, her voice involuntarily growing a little quieter.

"Since... since everything's fine now..."

"Could you let go of me first?"

Only then did Harry realize, and he hurriedly released his arm.

"Oh, sorry."

Draco hastily sat up, but the hem of his robes tugged along with her. She quickly unclenched her fingers, blushing right to the tips of her ears.

She could only lower her head and straighten her cloak, trying to look less flustered.

"Harry! Malfoy!" Ron poked his head out from behind a stone pillar. "Can you two get up?"

"Of course we can!"

Draco immediately stood and brushed the snow off herself. Ron came over to pull Harry up, while Hermione handed the girl back her displaced scarf.

Pip ran over too, his eyes wet.

"Miss saved Pip, and Mr. Harry caught Miss! Pip! Pip!"

"Weasley, what are you laughing at?!"

"I'm not laughing, Miss Malfoy." Ron immediately raised both hands. "I just wanted to ask whether you really didn't hurt yourselves in that fall."

Hermione could not help smiling, and for a moment Harry actually had no idea what to say.

After they left the covered walkway, Draco gradually slowed her steps, falling back beside Harry.

"Potter, just now... thank you."

"You saved Pip too. If you hadn't pulled him away, that beam would have come crashing down."

Draco touched her cuff. "I saw it, so of course I had to pull him away."

"So... it was the same for me."

The girl's fingers suddenly stilled.

Only after a while did she raise her head and look earnestly at Harry. "Then remember this. If you're the one in danger next time, I'll save you too."

"All right. I'll be counting on you, then."

As the girl gazed into those green eyes, her heart beat a little faster again.

This time, she did not look away, only lifted her chin proudly.

"Hmph. As long as you know."

The woods ahead gradually thinned.

Only a few scattered flakes remained of the snow that had been drifting upward, and they faded and dispersed before rising past the treetops.

Pip listened for a while with his ears pricked up, then suddenly pointed ahead.

"We're here! The central Christmas tree is over there! Pip! Pip!"

The four rounded the last few fir trees, their steps slowing in unison.

An enormous Christmas tree stood in the middle of the clearing.

Its dense crown blotted out the sky, and its thick branches hung heavy with ice and snow.

Most of its lamps had gone out. Only a few old silver bells still gave an occasional faint chime.

Harry tilted his head back and looked toward the very top.

The Star Lantern should have been hanging there, but now only an empty patch of darkness remained. Cold was spreading down along the branches, swallowing the remaining light bit by bit.

Pip ran to the roots and jiggled a little brass bell.

They waited for a while, but the door that usually led to the castle never appeared.

"It still won't open, Pip..."

The House-elf's voice grew quiet. Hermione looked toward the treetop, her expression turning serious too.

"It looks like we need to find the Star Lantern first."

Draco, however, had already spotted something else. She crouched beside the tree and pointed to a trail of marks in the snow.

"Wait. Look, these aren't human footprints."

The marks were narrow and split into two halves. They curved around the roots, then stretched all the way into the forest beyond.

Hermione crouched down beside her. "These look like deer hoofprints."

"Silver-horned Snow Deer!" Pip immediately pricked up his ears. "There are Silver-horned Snow Deer in the garden. Their antlers shine silver, Pip!"

Harry followed the trail with his gaze. Beside one of the hoofprints, a faint speck of golden light was embedded in the snow. The snow nearby had melted, leaving a small hollow.

Hermione moved her hand closer, then looked up in surprise.

"It's still warm."

Pip leaned in, his large eyes suddenly widening into circles.

"The Star Lantern's magic! Pip recognizes this! Pip! Pip!"

Everyone fell silent at once.

Harry looked toward the treetop, then lowered his gaze to the hoofprints again.

The Star Lantern had clearly passed this way, and that snow deer had left tracks in the very same place.

"It's been getting colder and colder over there lately." Pip pointed deep into the forest. "Pip hasn't been there in a long time, Pip!"

White, icy mist shrouded the tree trunks, making it almost impossible to see farther ahead.

Just then, a tiny sound came from within the mist.

Mew...

Draco stopped in her tracks. A moment later, the sound came again, so faint it almost scattered into the wind.

"Potter, did you hear that?"

"I did."

Harry gazed at the icy mist and slowly tightened his grip on his wand. That deer's cry sounded terribly weak, as though it had little strength left.

The four exchanged glances, then continued forward along the tracks.

Their fresh footprints gradually fell alongside the little hoofprints, stretching deep into the mist-shrouded forest.