𝑈𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 ☾ 𝐷𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑜 𝑀𝑎𝑙𝑓𝑜𝑦

The Man Behind the Mask ☾ 3-08

"Scabbers!" Ron yelled as the rat jumped from his arms. About to go inside, the group reluctantly ran after their friend's pet, knowing he wouldn't go anywhere without him. The students ran through the hills as they followed the rat, unknowingly toward the dreaded Whomping Willow. Ron dove for Scabbers, holding him tight in his hands. Mumbling and scolding the rat, the rest of the friends stopped a considerable distance away.

"Harry, do you realize what tree this is?" Hermione asked, eyes widening.

"That's not good," Harry replied, his eyes glued to Ron, standing dangerously close. "Ron! Run!" Ron, confused, looked up from Scabbers and his face dropped. He felt his stomach fall as he glanced behind the group.

"Harry, everyone, run!"

Spinning on their heels, the group turned to see a massive black dog standing behind them. He bared his teeth at the young students and growled loudly. He pounced on the group, snarling viciously. In shock, the group stood still and the rabid dog jumped over them. He headed straight for Ron. Trying to dodge the beast, Ron lunged toward his friends with no effect. The dog grabbed the leg of his pants and dragged him closer to the frightening tree as he screamed. Keeping one hand tight on Scabbers, Ron clawed at the ground as his friends chased after them.

"Ron, wait!" Harry yelled.

"Harry!" Ron almost sobbed. His friends knew how much of a scaredy-cat he was, and they did their best to follow the mangy beast. Pulling Ron underneath the Whomping Willow, the dog disappeared into the tunnel. Harry dove after them.

"Ron! Harry!" They yelled. The angry willow tree smacked the group away with its branches. They landed on their backs a few feet away. The tree creaked as it twisted around, guarding the passageway. It whipped branches at them, awaiting their inevitable approach.

"C'mon," Hermione urged, as they ran closer. The young teens dodged the branches every which way, and they kept coming. Thudding on the ground, each branch was lifted for another potential hit. The deadly tree was surprisingly nimble, as the group continued to lunge for the tunnel. As the girls ducked, Draco was struck in the stomach and landed a few feet away. Quick on their feet, the two girls jumped over a branch. Hermione continued to make her way toward the tree roots. Taking one too many seconds to check on Draco, Aurora was plucked from the ground. The tree continued to drop its branches and trunks on the ground, narrowly missing a falling Hermione. Screaming, Aurora held on tight to her branch as it whipped around the cliffside. Being pulled through the branches and leaves, the young Ravenclaw girl swiftly let go and slid into the tunnel. Draco, recovering from his hit, quickly slid in after her. Hermione dove, and at last bypassed the violent plant.

Covered in small cuts and large bruises, the teens groaned and stood up.

"Where do you suppose this goes?" Draco asked Hermione. She shrugged and followed the passage, being led by intuition alone. Aurora didn't mind when it was Hermione's instincts, they were usually right.

Seeing Harry climb out of a trapdoor up ahead, the group quickly caught up. Putting a finger to his lips, Harry motioned for them to follow. Inside the room, Ron was sitting in the corner, moaning in fear. Recognizing the creaking building as the shrieking shack, the small company turned around to see what Ron was so afraid of.

"It's a trap! He's the dog. He's an animagus!" Ron shrieked. Following the mud tracks on the floor, the team looked up. In the corner stood none other than notorious mass murderer, Sirius Black. Aurora stumbled backward, and the group tried to put some distance between themselves and the killer.

He stood brutishly, still wearing his raggedy Azkaban uniform and a tatty old brown trench coat. His shaggy hair fell into his twitching eyes. He looked as he was, a lanky, crazy dark wizard. His hollow eyes bore into the young students, and the backed up as he slowly approached them. One foot in front of the other, he revealed the sweat-covered tattoos on his chest.