SERPENT HEART° TOM RIDDLE

050. IRA FUROR BREVIS EST

"I am curious what a Gryffiindor is sneaking around the Dark Forest alone for." Cassius Avery said. While everyone had their focus on the boy, Astrea's eyes were trained on the trees. She could feel the magic in her body go on high alert. Goosebumps appeared on her arms as the hairs rose. Something was wrong and her body was warning her that danger was imminent.

That was when she saw it — the glow of a wand about to cast a spell.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Astrea exclaimed, reflexively. Her sudden shout startled everyone except for Tom, whose wand was on the Gryffndor as soon as he heard the thud of a body falling into the bushes.

"Stupefy!" Tom said before the Gryffindor boy had a chance to register what happened. Orpheus ran to where Astrea hit the boy while the girl stared forward with wide eyes, wondering if whoever she hit was okay.

Avida stepped up beside Astrea.

"Nice catch," Avida smirked, commending the girl.

Astrea frowned as Orpheus kicked the boy with his foot.

"Who is it?" Jasper asked. He glanced back at the Gryffindor who had been stunned. "Who are they?"

"Does it matter? Perhaps we should just keep going. We can wipe their memories and leave it be." Druella suggested. Astrea agreed with her plan, although she could tell from the looks on Ramsey, Orpheus, and Cassius's faces that they did not agree.

"Let them go," Ramsey repeated incredulously. He guffawed and turned to Tom, staring at him as though he couldn't believe Druella had even suggested the idea. "Is that the message we send to our foes? Showing mercy is a weakness. The other one would have taken us out had Astrea not seen him."

Astrea couldn't argue with Ramsey. The boy had his wand raised, she had seen it. But, she knew what the boys were capable of and the kind of magic they had been messing with as of late. Any fight between them would have been two against nine. Those didn't seem like good odds.

"I agree with Druella," Astrea spoke. The group turned to her curiously. "We came out here for a reason — we shouldn't forget it. Avida does an excellent Confundus Charm."

Tom remained silent as Ramsey shook his head disapprovingly. Tom glanced back at the Gryffindor boy who lay unconscious on the ground. His brows pulled together angrily and Astrea knew what his decision would be.

It was a memory Astrea did not like to dwell too much on. There had been something different that night about Tom. Before then, the Knights had been based on finding the Balthasar Society, but that night marked the beginning of a string of cruel acts done by the group.

"What did you do to them — Calix and his brother?" Rhea asked. Astrea winced as the flash of a memory resurfaced. She could see Calix's brother — Samael Rowan — twitching on the ground while Cassius and Orpheus stood over him, laughing maniacally with their wands raised. Tom made them all watch as they tortured the boy over and over again.

Astrea shook her head, hoping it would keep her from remembering too much.

"His brother was sent to St. Mungo's when he was found, but he was lost in the Dark Forest for days after. We left him there for dead," said Astrea sadly, "Tom didn't want to hurt Calix. He said he wanted to teach him a lesson; to scare him just because he could. It doesn't make sense to me why Tom would want Calix to join the Knights or why he would expect him to after what we did."

"He wants more power. Power comes from numbers." Rhea shrugged. There was a reason why Tom wanted Calix. She knew Tom wouldn't go after someone who considered him an enemy unless there was good reason. But it was probably best not to let Astrea know that information.