The Shadow of Slytherin

Shadows in the night

"I am so sorry"

A relieved smile to his lips, Alec pats you on the shoulder, then rises from his spot. Without another word, he walks out of the hospital wing and along the corridors, back to the common room and into his dorm where Atticus, Akira and Alex, greet him.

***

The body trembling, his clothes wet and covered in blood, Alec stumbled into the dorm, unable to speak as Atticus and Alex tried to console him. Only 8undertsnaindg Salem and blood, as they stared at the red smears on Alec's cheeks.

At once, Atticus stormed off to the hospital wing where Madam Blainey demanded he return another time, but Atticus refused to leave until he was told what had happened. After knowing the story from Ominis, he returned to the dorm where he sent a fire message and rushed outside, into the dark night.

Standing in the dark of the old ruins as Ominis has told him where it all started, Atticus waits, the hood pulled over his head.

Still men gather more spiders, some cussing as they clear out the dead bodies, others chuckling as they watch the spider's legs tremble, the liquid spilling from their abdomen.

"Abominations" A dark figure hisses behind Atticus, the long scar on the right of his face shimmering in the light of fire that the poachers ignore.

On the other side of the cave entrance, another shadow peels from the dark, the face hidden behind the flames, but when a poacher spots them and casts a spell, bright red and yellow light shoots through the night, hitting the poachers until they lay still on the ground.

More men storm out the cave, protecting their liquid gold as one of the poachers has called it, but they too fall to the power of the three dark figures that strike down one man after the other, tearing them limb from limb, just as the poachers have done so some of the spiders.

Growls reach Atticus's ear as a giant wolf emerges from behind, jumping over his back as it attacks a man, the crooked grin vanishing when the giant creature rips into his neck, the walls splattered with blood, staining the stone ground crimson red.

Deeper into the cave they wander, another wolf emerging when one of the poachers strikes at them with a terrible spell, Atticus wincing in pain as he drops to his knees, the fingers gripping the rock he fell onto. His fingers turned white from the force as he jacks up, the hand extended forming runes in the air that turn into a swirl of fire, engulfing the men before him.

Cries of pain, the shouting of men, it echoes from the walls, joined by the screeches of spiders that dropped from their imprisonment and paralysis attack the men as well. Their fangs digging into the backs of poachers too occupied with Atticus and the others to realise the danger behind their backs, the screams erupting as the spiders tear apart their skin, leaving behind a bloody mess that turns into a river of red, rushing along the tunnel, deeper as the path lowers into another hall.

Howling the wolves move forward, through the tunnels, ripping apart the men that attack. Three wolves against a hoard of poachers, but as they reach the plateau, Atticus stares in terror.

The ashes and charred remains of dozens of poachers, a broken wand, scorched walls and ground, at the sight of it all Atticus growls. Amidst it all, a puddle of blood so big it could fill a lake, flaps of skin and muscle, broken bones, charred or still with small flames hissing on top of them swimming in the lake of red, and at the other end of the plateau stand more poachers. And as if not a single of them had been harmed, the cave fills. From all sides more poachers approach, but the three strike them down with such force, it leaves not a single living being behind. The spiders, tortured beyond help, their lifeless bodies dropped all around, the venom and other liquids in bottles stacked to be carried off, the three stroll through the cave, blasting it to pieces.