the rise

chapter seven

Hello. Just a warning, animals are harmed in this chapter. Harmed like killed. And also some people violence too.

The group broke free from the castle. The dewey grass flicking beads of water onto their shoes.

"You can come out now Carlos" Tom said, his voice splitting the silence of the early night.

Harry watched the space behind them ripple and the familiar blonde boy appeared. He took his cloak back hastily. Malfoy couldn't contain his giggle when Carlos smiled brightly at Tom and Harry. A feral shiver ran down Harry's spine at that sound.

"Shall we?"

"What are we going for?"

"Deer I think. She has been asleep for a long time so perhaps we will try and kill two, and we can all cast the cutting hex which will kill them easily if it is aimed correctly."

They quieted down as they passed the groundskeeper's hut, they would be fucked if they were caught out here now, no amount of Tom's smooth talking would get them out of trouble.

"Soon Carlos will be responsible for feeding Arelies" Tom hissed, the sound of parceltounge made Draco and Carlos shudder.

Harry smirked into the darkness. "How soon do you think?"

"After the first term break, he will have been away from us for a while then. He will be reminded of the muggle world and how unimportant he is without us"

Harry just hummed quietly. They were getting deep into the forest and he was cautious of scaring off any potential prey.

Tom began to murmur a locating spell and Harry glanced at their project. He was quivering in the cold night. Draco stood stonily to the side, Harry guessed he was playing the part of Tom's dangerous and powerful friend who would slowly warm up to Carlos.

Harry wondered breifly if he was just a part of Tom's game, and he was also being manipulated. Ofcourse he was part of Tom's game, but he did not need manipulating.

"Aha. Follow me" Tom whisper-shouted triumphantly.

The four continued through the forest, but slower now, so as not to make more noise than they had to. Harry felt a strange calmness wash over him, he could feel his heartbeat evening out and his mind was clearer than it had ever been. Beside him Carlos was feeling anything but calm. His heart was pounding in his ears and his breating was erratic with a mixture of excitement and fear.

Tom stopped walking. The group could see the herd of deer, grazing on the grass amoungst the trees. Tom and Harry drew their wands in unision, Draco and Carlos followed soon after.

And still noone struck. Carefully, Tom began to move around the deer, the four boys spread in a circle around their prey. Harry rolled his wand between his fingers as the anticipation began to fizz under his skin. The incantation for the cutting hex danced on the tip of his tounge, he raised his wand, aiming directly under the chin of the doe closest to him. Her fawn nibbled at the grass at it's mother's hooves, unaware.

"Now!"

At once, the four slashed their wands and the deer scattered. Harry watched the red light of his hex collide with the doe's hide and her blood began to cascade beautifully from the fresh wound, she kicked and whined but the blood loss was too great and she quickly collapsed into the mossy forest floor. The fawn bleated and sniffed at it's mother's corpse. Harry sent an immobulus at the fawn and moved forward, an alien pang of guilt ringing through him at orphaning the fawn. It was probably best to kill it quickly rather than leave it to the mercy of whatever beasts lurked in this forest; it would be nearly impossible for it to reunite with it's herd now.