Feral Den

Chapter 5

The light was so bright, so green.
It blinded me. Cutting my vision off as ropes looped around my limbs and tummy, pinning me to the tombstone behind me.
I grunted as my back met the ridged top of stone.

As the light dimmed, my eyes opened, facing the man I so loath for giving my parents location away.
Wormtail stood there, his cowardly body shuddering continuously. I bared my teeth at him, thrusting myself forward. But the ropes only tightened.

I groaned as my right leg began to numb further, the constant shaking pulling the ropes only tighter as they tried to obstruct all my movement.
Panting, I look down and freeze. Because Cedric is lying at my feet. His body rid of his sunshine tan, his eyes staring unseeingly up at me.

And I know he's dead.

I know the instant I see those dull brown eyes that there is no life in him. Wormtail killed Cedric, Cho's boyfriend.
I remember her saying something about them being school-sweethearts.

Whatever that meant.

Breathing becomes hard as I stare at my friend, my rival on the quidditch pitch. As I think of Cho, of his overbearing father.
The ropes tighter at my chest, pushing the air from my lungs until I'm nothing sort of wheezing.

"Wormtail!" A woman shrieks.

I look up, barely seeing as two new figures prowl into the graveyard. One far taller than the other —both statures hidden behind long hoods and robes. 

The rat jumps, shrinking into himself even more as the two stop beside him with a bit more than a few inches between them.

"We told you to kill no one!" The woman scolds, a scowl harsh in her tone.

Wormtail flinches. "So sorry, my lady. So sorry."
I snarl at the man, making him jump when he dares to look in my direction. The ropes pull further, forcing me to be almost one with the tomb on my back.
I flinch as the ridged stone cuts into my flesh, finally breaking skin.

The two seem to finally turn their attention toward me, the woman again scoffing when she sees what, probably in my imagination, is disdain for what Wormtail has done.
Of course, that was all nonsense seeing as whoever brought Cedric and I here via portkey surely wants me dead.
Would it be the first time? Certainly not.
Was it more fun between the other two, no, three times? No.

"We said bring her here! Not capture her!"
A zap sizzled the air, before I toppled onto the floor. My leg bent unnaturally before my back landed wrongly on the floor.

I flinch as my leg began to shake again, jerky uncontrollably as blood leaked from the spider wound. I gasp at the stale air that plunges into my lungs freely.
Turning, I grasp for my wand and flick it. But before the silent Accio could bring the Triwizard cup to me, the spell was cut off and my wand was yanked from my hand.

"Hey!" I bark, spinning around to painfully sit on my bottom.
The taller of the three held my wand, examining it before looking back down at me. I bare my teeth, fingers twitching with the need to lunge and grab my wand from that man's hand.

"Holly wood, 11 inch and... pheonix feather?" The man inquired, looking back down at the wand. "It seems you don't take very good care of your wand."
"I may not take good care of it but it works better than the hag you call your mother." I spit, flicking my wand hand to summon my wand.
The wand jerked but didn't come to me. I snarl.
"Anyone tell you that you've got a foul mouth girl?"
"Give me my wand."
"Or what?"