Slytherin Boys

42

"Theodore!" I yelled after him as he ran past us. He only spared us a glance as his feet continued to push him further away from the corner he had rounded.

Pansy glanced at me nervously but we all picked up the pace a little as we followed after him. The sickening guttural growl that sounded from behind us made my head snap in its direction.

I shoved Pansy behind me and stopped where I stood. It wasn't even a conscious thought, I would protect the people I loved.

"There aren't any torches here, Cerci!" Enzo shouted over the sound of Pany's retreating steps and the gurgling of the creature that rounded the corner finally.

The creature was human in shape but looked sick, its skin was grey and had little to no muscles definition. It's skin was almost dangling from it's bones. The dragging of it's feet was slowing it down but I knew better. This was a Ghoul.

I'd never seen one but the text books and stories had been almost perfect in describing them. His eyes were void of thoughts or feeling but they glowed a vibrant orange. The gurgling increased as it spotted us stopped in front of him as a group.

"Don't let it get too close!" Theo's voice shrieked in very obvious fear. Fear for us.

"He's right," I verify, "When they get close enough hey can sprint faster then most people." I state the fact.

"Let me think..." I trail off, trying desperately to recall any information I could about the creature.

The Ghoul ambled closer to us and it's head tilted back, angling towards Blaise.

"No time for recounting Cerci!" Enzo raised his wand, Blaise was stunned by the glowing eyes as they landed on his.

Okay, okay. Fuck. I remember them being able to speed up the fear response. You feel the emotion faster and more than normal. Okay, that's why Blaise was a statue. Shit.

"Make him look away!" I shout. Wracking my brain for non-lethal spells that would work against the Ghoul. I charge forward and cast Impedimenta, the beast stilled and I heard Enzo choke on his breath as he pulled at Blaise.

If Blaise stared for too long the Ghoul could cause a heart attack, death by true fear.

Now that I held the Ghoul still with my magic, I was expending energy to hold him still. Think dammit, what could I use that wouldn't kill it.

"We have to draw it's attention from us." Theo concluded from beside me. Now that we were facing it and winning more so than losing, I suppose he had the courage to face his fear. I can't really judge, I ran from my beast initially too.

"Just fucking kill it!" Theo shouted next to me. I grunted, my magic waning faintly as I tried to hold the Ghoul.

"I can't" I grunted out through gritted teeth. Theo turned his head towards me slowly, his face told me what he was thinking. That I was crazy.

"You know them!" Pansy shouted, her voice going up an octave as my magic slipped and the Ghoul stepped forwards slightly. I let out a short but loud yell as I pushed myself harder to hold it.

"Like hell I do!" Theo's face gave his outright confusion away. "Kill that thing!"

Blaise was hunched over gasping, Enzo rubbed his back reassuringly, trying to get him to steady his breathing.

When he heard Theo shout to kill the Ghoul a second time, it was like he came to because of the urgency of the situation. He turned and raised his wand, that stark mask of nothingness that him and Draco held so well graced his features.

"No killing curse." His voice was so final that Theo no longer argued.

How do you beat them. Usually they are almost territorial so moving from their possession or place of rest worked a treat. Theodore was what it was after this time and Theodore wasn't a possession. We couldn't leave our friend here to be consumed by fear.

We had to turn it away from us, trap it somehow. "Mind control curse!" I yelled suddenly. Sweat dripped down my back and I could feel the swirling sensation of wanning magic floating in my head.

"That is a difficult one for us younger wizards, Cerci!" Enzo snapped, frustrated at the situation.

"Come on," I scoff, "You lads had no issue casting it to win my fucking hand" My teeth grit together so hard I fear I might shatter them.

Enzo turns to look at me but I am distracted momentarily by Theo's chuckle beside me. "She makes a good point..." He looks at me out of the corner of his eyes for a split second, but I catch it.

Blaise, realising that Draco and Mattheo not being here and me clearly expending my magical energy leaving him as the strongest wizard of the group, steps forward.

"Imperio" The end of his wand explodes with electric green lightning. It shoots across the ground at an alarmingly rapid rate. It strikes the Ghoul in the chest and I watch the bright orange light of it's eyes dull.

Only then do I let myself ease my magic, inhaling and exhaling through my nose. I try not to give away my exhaustion.

The Ghoul remains still but constant, quiet groans fall from its lips. "What the fuck do I do with it?" Blaise sounds strained and I know we have to be quick if we want this to work.

"Trap it!" I move closer to him.

"How?" His wand splutters and the absence of green electrical liquid makes my eyes widen.

"Tell it that it can't move. Like there's a wall or something, be creative Zambini!" The loud rushing of the Imperio curse swallows my voice but I know Blaise heard me when he nods.

"You are stranded on a cliff, you can not move, you can not follow us, you are stuck." The Ghoul streams a few more grunts together and I raise my wand as Blaise frantically looks to me for help.

He doesn't know if it worked. I nod for him to lower his wand, and he does, very slowly.

"How do we know if it worked?" He asks as the Ghoul's aggressive nature returns in full force.

It's eyes burn a hot, red-orange and it goes to charge at Theo, who is still next to me, but it stops.

It's stuck.

"It worked." I huff, my hands on my knees as I catch my breath. I feel hands on my back, some warmer than others.

"How the fuck do you do it, Pretty Girl?" Theo purrs into my ear, clearly happy I helped stop his fear from ripping him apart.

I glare at him as I stand to my full height, I smack at his arm and at his stupidity. He laughs, they all do and I chuckle.