Slytherin Boys

39

An enormous spider bursts from the side of the maze, the only lighting are the torches that hang high above the ground.

It clashes its pincers together and a spine shaking clattering sound falls from the creature. It sees me and stops running. It's so large the two of its legs are on the left wall, it is too big for the two metre wide pathway.

There is no time for me to think and cast Confringo. Fire barrels for the hairy beast and erupts over its thorax. It screams and it's an almost human sound. I cough as the smell of burning hair and flesh fills my nose and It chitters at me again.

This time it rears back on its back four legs and lunges for me, clearing the space between us. I cast Protego just in time to watch the spell block the two big pincers that would've been around my head.

I am now pinned under a large arachnid and have the wind knocked out of me. Still holding my wand I cast Depulso but the monster is so large that it only sides back, feet trenching the sand. It moves just enough that I can stand and make a very rapid escape.

I run back the way I came but decide after the second turn that if this was a trial set by the Dark Lord himself, then what's the harm with just killing the fucking thing.

I yell, "Fuck." my head turned towards the sky, where I know they're watching and turn where I stand. I wait, using the corner as cover and when the spider comes into view I cast Avada kadavra, the killing curse.

The air around me goes still, the sounds I could hear before stop and I grunt as the spell falls from my wand and races towards the spider.

The green curse splashes all over the spiders skin and it stops in its tracks.

The long legs of the arachnid twitch once. Twice. Then they shorten rapidly. The spiders body shrinks until a woman I have never seen before is laying, dead, in front of me.

The sound of wicked laughter fills the space and I can just hear footsteps round the corner behind me as the Dark Lord speaks between laughs, "A muggle born, filthy, tainted bloodline." My eyes widen as the realisation of what I had done, unwillingly slaps me across the face.

The footsteps behind me stop but I struggle to snap my attention from the woman sprawled out on the sandy ground before me.

"Cerci," The voice is so familiar. Just like the face of the woman I'd killed. Did I know her?

Her name was right there on the tip of my tongue. She was in the year below me.

"Cerci." More urgency int he tone of the man that now held my arm. He turned me to see him but I couldn't being myself to look away. I didn't even know her name...

"Cerci, we have to go!" I was being pulled away. Her body, would it remain here?

Would the maze consume it?

I stumbled towards the person pulling me and tripped over my feet. I landed on my hands and knees, the course sand shredded the skin of my knees and I could see the second rabid beast barrelling towards me.

I scrambled to my feet and took off running. If I won't kill again. I can't.

This time a mangey wolf snapped and growled as it ran after us and that's when I had registered there was someone running in front of me.

Enzo kept turning back to make sure I was following him. The wolf stopped at the corpse of the woman I had killed and in that time, Enzo and I had rounded two corners. The growls of the beast disappearing.

It wouldn't stop. I knew we had limited time to come up with a plan.

"Who was that on the ground?" Enzo gasped for air after running for his life.

"I-I don't..." I stuttered. I truly couldn't remember her name.

"Was she in here with us?" He pulled the bottom of his shirt up and pulled his wand from his pocket.

"She was, that, spider thing" I manage to get the words out even as I sputtered for breath.

"What?" Enzo turned to me, his eyes wide.

"They aren't wild animals, they're people Enzo" I say as I wipe the sweat from my brow. I tuck my wand in my pocket.

"We can't kill them." I say finally. My gaze hardens and I wait for Enzo to show his true colours.

"Kill them?" His eyes go round and his mouth hangs open.

Sweet, sweet Enzo.

"I cast the killing curse on that poor girl, I didn't know." I say walking to the edge of the wall. I peak around but the wolf is nowhere to be seen.

"You cast the killing curse?" He places a hand on my shoulder and I turn to look at him.

"You would if you had to, Enzo," I glance down as his hands, "I know you would."

He looks down at his own hands, flexing his fingers. He nods in agreement but his face is distraught as he comes to the realisation that he really would if he had to.

"We can't kill them, they are people." My gaze hardens and I feel a hair fall in my face as I tense. The growling of the wolf fills the silence.

"So the plan is?" We hold hands and slowly back away from the sound.

I scoff, "You have any ideas?" we shuffle back faster.

"My plan was to maim or kill" He says softly and I don't believe him at all.

"Okay, okay." I turn to look at the wall and notice the torch suddenly coming up with an idea.

"On my signal Enzo, you run." I say with such finality, he doesn't argue.

I cast Leviosa on the large cylindrical torch filled with hot coals and use them to create a ring in the sand.

I stand a few metres back, wand raised and wait.

The wolf rounds the corner and growls at the two of us, its jaws pouring with drool and its red eyes glare at us. I step back slowly but the wolf doesn't move. I raise my arms and try to coax it in to the ring with me. It locks eyes with me and I can almost see a small pleading look in it's eyes.

Would it be mercy to kill it, or keep it alive?

Does the person inside suffer?

I tilt my head to the side and watch as the wolf snaps put of its trance and leaps for me. I stagger backwards and turn to run. The wolf snapping at my heels.

"Cerci!" Enzo screams but I manage to leap the length of coals and scream,

"Run!" Back to him. I watch him round the corner and turn myself around just in time to watch the wolf step into the perfect position.

"Incendo!" I scream, the louder the spell, the more effort, the bigger the flame. The wolf comes to a screeching halt in the ring of fire that now surrounds it.