The Slytherin Transfer

38: "I can handle a little crazy."

Sirius looks confused, but realization hits me right away.

"Carrow," I say, and I hear a shuffling from the alley. I grab Sirius's hand and duck down, pulling him with me just as a spark of red light hurdles over our heads.

I shoot a spell back blindly before stumbling to my feet, Sirius close at my heels as I dive behind the slide. There's a sudden silence, and I peek behind the playground, seeing a shadow move across the pavement.

"Stupefy!"

"Protego!"

My spell bounds back towards me, and I swear, taking cover once more as Sirius nudges my arm and nods into the direction of the other street that makes the perimeter of the playground. There, a figure is standing in the dark, its wand raised.

"Incendio!" A voice shouts just as Sirius pulls me to the wood-chipped ground. A sudden light appears above us as the playground bursts into flames.

"Cass!" Sirius shouts, and I look up, watching as the wood of the bridge burns quickly and breaks, crashing to the ground just feet away from me. I yelp, running out from underneath and firing a shot behind me as I sprint straight for the garbage cans.

Sirius and I have been separated; I can hear him fending off someone back by the slide. As I run off the wood-chipped ground and behind the trash bins, I look around carefully. The dark is consuming, but I can hear a low whoosh.

"Lumos Maxima!" I shout, and a bright light appears from my wand, floating out into the night and travelling into nearby nooks. I see no one, then suddenly a rattling sounds from behind me, and I turn, my wand still lit, to see who it is.

"Wha—Josh?" I ask in shock, seeing my brother's face from under a black hood, "What the hell are you doing?"

He says nothing, looking expressionless as he raises his wand.

"Expelliarmu—"

"Protego!" I act quickly, and his spell ricochets into the night as I turn and run away, throwing more sparks over my shoulder.

"Stupefy!"

"Expelliarmus!"

"Reducto!"

"Impedimenta!"

I fall to the ground, his last enchantment having hit my shoulder. I feel a weight on my body, keeping me from standing up. My wand is just out of my reach, having left my hand when I made contact with the ground.

"J-Josh," I grunt as I try to even roll over. It's pointless, "What—are you doing?"

His feet appear in my vision, and I look up. There stands my brother, his cheeks hollow, his face pale, and his eyes dark. There stands my brother, but somehow it doesn't feel like him anymore.

And then I look down at his arm and I see it. Just the end of a black tattoo, a snake's head peeking out from under his sleeve.

The Dark Mark.

"No," I whisper, shaking my head as I look back at his face. I see pain, but it's well hidden, "No—Josh, you didn't."

I can't accept it. Not my brother. Not Josh, a Death Eater.

It's like I always knew this day was coming, but now that it's here I couldn't be more shocked.

"You don't have a lot of time, Cass," he says threateningly, although at the same time it seems like somewhat of a warning, "You're a Milton. This is our legacy."