Chapter 54: Foal pt1
'I'm not weak. I don't know why some things are so difficult, I know they shouldn't be. I'm strong, I'm powerful. I'm not weak, I'm not weak. I'm NOT WEAK.'
February concluded without any problems. That was the unspoken surprise.
The paranoia had grown to such a degree, everyone spoke with whispers and bated breaths. Restrictions increased almost daily, and soon every child felt as if they were shackled every second outside the dorms. Eyes were fixed on the Weasley Twins, who much to the surprise of everyone, hung back and were model students. The calm before the storm, and never had anyone wished more than now that the storm would just arrive. The pranks were gone, the playful charms in the corridors were absent, the hallways were silent with the sound of stomping feet. No fires were lit, and the snow melted away.
Headmistress Umbridge was happier, content with her rule as she paraded around with a few select Slytherin students, gifted with authority to freely assign detentions. Daphne Greengrass, Draco Malfoy, a few other arrogant pricks that nobody bothered to recognize. Filch had never been happier.
Adrian hadn't let Lutain out of his sight, constantly checking that he was there by tracing the smooth black scales with the pad of his thumb. Even Lutain was forced to hide, normally hidden under a quick glamour, or tucked close to Adrian's heart during the day.
Adrian was forced to do his assignments, completing them ahead of schedule to avoid Snape's wrath or Umbridge's attention. With deadlines drawing close, and the lack of freedom for any sort of enjoyable activity, Adrian had nothing better to do. Adrian didn't attend the Great Hall meals, finding them far too militaristic for his taste.
(And everyone always just looked at him, like the unspoken begging would cause him to snap, to cause Umbridge's robes to burn.)
The piping that he and Lutain utilized to move around the castle also connected to the school kitchens; the house elves were horrified and alarmed the first time the two had wandered through. After interrogating one helpful elf on the student confidentiality protection rules set in place decades ago, Adrian haunted the counter tops often. The elves always fed him stacks of food when he appeared naturally, otherwise they ignored Lutain or Adrian's snake form whenever they appeared.
The elves were incredibly curious as to Adrian's face, obviously never having seen him before around the castle. Although initially incredibly startled, they warmed up rather quickly. That was a relief, the huge owl eyes and wrinkly skin had startled him a fair bit the first time an elf jumped him.
"So strange," Lutain mused, sitting on one of the wooden tables that the house elves had summoned the instance they saw the two emerge from a pipe near the sinks.
Adrian shrugged, tapping his fingers on the table as he reached for the chalice of grape juice.
"They're nice." Adrian replied simply, ignoring the way the nearest elf nearly squealed when it heard that.
"So small, and willing to serve." Lutain peered at the bustling small bodies, "To live a life serving others, dependent on others. How sad."
"They enjoy it." Adrian responded simply, shrugging as he took a swig of juice and set the glass down, "They have for centuries."
"To not hunt, but provide for others." Lutain flickered his tongue in the air, "Are they the rats?"
"Not everything weaker is considered that, Lutain."
"They provide for others and die if not." Lutain hissed out curiously, "They are weak, they are rats. Rats live to sustain those better."
Adrian almost smiled at how philosophical Lutain unknowingly got.
"I don't know," Adrian replied simply, "I don't know if they would be considered rats."
Something popped into existence nearby, startling Adrian enough he accidentally sent a plate with pastries on it flying. The trey rattled across the floor, flaking crust sprinkling the ground like glitter. Adrian mourned the loss, and the house elf that appeared gawked in horror.
"I…" It squeaked, scrambling and snapping multiple times to summon three platters stacked with pastries, "Is sorry!"
Lutain cackled in good humor, watching as the elf struggled to apologize before looking victorious. It snapped its fingers, and suddenly a large fat rat appeared, dangling by its tail.
The rat looked similar to Wormtail, except it was clearly feral.
"Oh," Lutain perked up, tongue flickering wildly as he noticed the desperately struggling rodent.
The house elf gently tossed it and Lutain struck with glee, curling around the rodent until it stopped twitching.
"And yousies?" The house elf asked politely, looking at Adrian this time.
"I- you mean a rat?"
"Yes sirs!" The house elf nodded, it's oversized ears flapping, "Yousies sometimes a snake so rat-"
"No thank you," Adrian waved his hand, pointing towards the stack of empty plates and newly procured food on the table, "I'll stick to human food."
"Okay!" The house elf chirped, looking incredibly happy, "Say if yousies wants more! Many plates, you've had six!"
Adrian numbly looked at the stack of plates that he had stacked, sure enough there were six. That was...a lot of food.
Admittedly he had noticed that his hunger had increased exponentially a while back- right after Moody had helped him with whatever potion had increased his magic. Amazingly enough, he hadn't increased in weight, if anything calories seemed to slide off his bones, leaving him thinner than he had ever recalled being.
But his magic had increased, exploding outwards with a viciousness and strength unparalleled.
If eating more was all that was needed, well, it was well worth it.
"What would you do? Once you graduated?"
"Would? Are you implying I'm not going to graduate, Luna?"
"You do sleep quite a bit. I think Professor Flitwick thinks you're hibernating."
"I don't sleep that much,"
"Oh, you do, it's quite charming sometimes. Would you sleep after you graduate?"
"Why are you talking like I'm not going to?"
"What would you do, Adrian? What have you always wanted to?"
Easter break was upon them, and very quickly the castle emptied itself of students.A shocking proportion of students actually, eager to flee from under Umbridge's eye. A few people remained- a shocking amount of Slytherins. (The going rumor was something about extra credit, or leniency on assignments.)
Adrian didn't care. He was nervous, anxious and highly strung as the predetermined date became closer and closer. He didn't take more than a glance at the list of staying students- only long enough to spot Skylar Potter's name, as well as Luna.
(He hadn't the foggiest notion why they would stay- perhaps leaving the train put students under Ministry supervision? A new law Adrian didn't know about? Perhaps it was too dangerous with Dumbledore on the 'run'?)
Adalonda had kept Adrian in the dark, assuring him time and time again that everything was fine. She was purposefully leaving out details although she had answered his questions if he bothered to ask. Adrian chalked it up to just another serpent quirk, Lutain sometimes did something similar.
She assisted with finding the strange cauldron stashed away in one small room. Her body was too big to fit through the door, although it took a bit of strength to get it out from the decade old door jam. Dust fluttered through the air, ancient equipment interspersed with modern tools that looked far too out of place. It smelled faintly like mildew.
Likely his father had stashed all of the bottles and scales down there decades back. He would have to come back and look through the objects stashed away, he was certain he could find illegal books in the back corners.
The black and red cauldron that Adalonda instructed him to take, looked bizarre. Adrian had never seen anything like it, it looked incredibly impractical. It must have cost a fortune, or taken months to track down. It was dark stone, heavy and cold interspersed with veins of red, running on a single grain through the bowl. Adrian would have loved to shove some of his miscellaneous teeth and claws into it, it would look beautiful on a shelf.
"What is this?" He had asked when he first found it- the cauldron looked more like a ritualistic bowl. Carved out of one piece of rock, like an elaborate mortar.
"Bloodstone." Adalonda responded, watching him through the doorway with one eye, "take the knife and jars."
Adrian followed her direction, snatching the jars and vials that had been carefully placed next to the bowl. There was a large silver knife next to it, the blade perhaps the length of his forearm although the hilt was weirdly blunt. Like the bowl, it looked more decorative than functional. It was heavier than he expected, he nearly dropped it when gravity grabbed it suddenly. It must have been solid silver.
Adalonda had been vague, although incredibly useful with instructions. She watched lazily, instructing which ingredient to add to the bowl, and teaching him the pronunciations of the few things he didn't recognize.
The potion didn't need any heat, which was unusual. Normally cold potions required much more precision with ingredients, or were laborious in procedure. This was...simple. Adalonda didn't explain what he was sprinkling into the bloodstone bowl towards the end. A few vials and jars were still labeled. The tags yellowed with age, some with a sharp spidery script and other with a store brand watermark on the seals.
Adrian didn't even want to know where the Selkie blood container came from, or why so much of it had been used.
"Take the knife and place it in." Adalonda instructed him calmly, watching everything with a careful eye. "Submerge it under."
Adrian followed suit, expecting a reaction. The blade shimmered in the light, glossy and polished as it was swallowed by the thick viscous potion. Nothing happened, the blade's hilt dipped under the thick black liquid and rested silently on the bottom.
"That's it?" Adrian asked, looking at the mixture with a degree of apprehension.
Adalonda's eyes glowed, "That's it. Return tomorrow, and we will begin."
"Saturday then, and I'll be unconscious until Sunday night? Classes start Monday morning, It'll be done by then, right?"
Adalonda flickered her tongue "It will be done."
"I don't know, Luna. What do you mean by 'what have I always wanted to do?'"
"Would you be an auror? Or would you live somewhere by the ocean?"
"I- no. I don't know."
"I could see you with creatures, you know. Like Newt Scamander and his farm."
"That's ridiculous."
"Why?"
"It's impractical, Luna."
"Why is it?"
"I-..."
'You don't need the cold to feel numb. You don't need water to feel like you're drowning. I'm useful now.'
"Ready?" Adrian asked Lutain, smiling at the curious snake who was all but thrilled.
"Very!" Lutain hissed back, only illuminated by the many candles Adrian had placed around the room. The candlelight flickered off Lutain's scales, making him look as if coated in gold.
"Call Wormtail." Adalonda instructed, coiling herself into one giant mass in an almost statue worthy pose before them, "I shall teach you the incantation."
So it was a spell along with a ritual. Maybe it was a blood ritual? He had certainly poured enough selkie blood to think something along the lines.
"Wormtail!" Adrian shouted, a bit surprised over needing his presence but obliging nonetheless. Adalonda knew the steps, he wasn't right to ask why he had to be around. Adrian didn't even realize Wormtail was still around. Adalonda likely had been watching after the man, keeping him fed in the dark.
A rat scurried from the dark corner, watching them the entire time with beady eyes.
"The spell is useless right now." Adalonda warned him, staring with intensity.
"Once it is in place, you will see your breath. You will take that knife, and divide it." Adalonda shifted her head slightly to where the knife had been soaking in the thick black mixture for a day. Adrian couldn't even see the metal through the congealed top surface.
"Then gift your breath to Lutain."
Adrian blinked in confusion, his jaw clenching slightly. It burned, but he had to ask for clarification. "I thought this was mostly a spell?"
"Without the spell you would not have your breath appear." Adalonda explained carefully, sounding reluctant to share information. The spell or ritual must be very secret. "Without the knife you would not split it."
Adrian nodded, sharply. It was a two part thing then, reliant on the other to work. Adrian knew that old magic generally relied on that concept, although now the codependency wasn't common.
From what he had gathered, the spell would make his...breath, whatever that meant, appear. Breath was likely a word lost in translation, something from eras back that Adalonda had never learned the translation to. Most likely symbolic, Adrian couldn't imagine breathing on Lutain. Once his breath appeared (he hadn't the faintest idea what it would appear as- would it be a tangible manifestation?), he would use the knife to...well, cut it in half.
Maybe breaking this mysterious breath would release something in the air? Somehow gift Lutain with some sort of otherworldly ability?
Adrian still didn't know, yet considering how old this was, would anyone else know?
How thrilling, to be one of the few people in the world to have this knowledge.
(His father would be surprised, his father wouldn't have thought him capable of this. He knew that, and he knew he could.)
Adrian reached into the bowl, digging his fingers through the thick jelly-like mixture for the metal hilt. His fingers closed around it then he was gently lifting the knife from the potion. It stretched like honey, clinging to the metal which shimmered like a polished stone. The liquid refused to adhere to the blade, sliding off with a small shhhnk! It sounded like a sword coming from a sheath.
The silver was cool to the touch, unmarred from its marinade. Adrian's fingertips were stained dark, like he crushed blackberries in his palm.
"Alright, what's the incantation?" Adrian asked, feeling excitement buzz through his chest.
Adalonda told him, Adrian repeated it back until the great basilisk approved.
"Okay, I'm ready." Adrian breathed slowly through his nose to calm his nerves, "What do I do?"
Adalonda's mouth opened, the thick smell of her breath puffed into Adrian's face, caressing his cheeks. "Turn the rat to a man."
Adrian looked over his shoulder towards the outer edge of the candle light. He spotted the rat, huddled and shivering like a molding potato. "Turn back."
The rat paused, obviously thinking things through. After a few seconds, Wormtail shifted back. Adrian was surprised at the differences. The man was thin, obviously he had dropped an immense amount of weight. There were shadows under his eyes, deep bruises on his gaunt skull.
He also had a seething glare on his face, wishing Adrian a long painful death.
It didn't matter to him. Wormtail was beneath him, Wormtail was a rat.
"Good, Cerestes." Adalonda crooned, soothing as she exhaled into the air- hot and heavy.
"You would do anything, for Lutain, right?" Adalonda asked, sounding rhetoric until she looked at him expectantly.
"Of course I would." Adrian frowned, looking at her in growing frustration. He knew that she doubted his ability. He had reassured her enough, why was she so distrusting? Why did she think so little of him?
"Cerestes," Adalonda crooned, lowering her head until it was touching the floor, eye level to Adrian's face, "Kill the man."
Adrian flinched and stumbled one step back, "I- What?"
Adalonda's tongue flicked the air- feathery kisses along Adrian's neck, "Kill the man, or the spell will not work."
Adrian shook his head, "No, no Adalonda. There, there has to be another way. I can't just…"
"It's the only way." Adalonda responded bluntly, pausing before huffing a disappointed noise.
She slowly lifted her head, turning to look away and begin to leave.
"I knew better than to expect so much." She sighed, sounding disappointment, "The other and Nagini had such promise. Nothing you have."
"That's not true!" Adrian shouted, staring at her in disbelief and quickly rising panic, "I- Adalonda no!"
"There's no point to stay here. You're weak." She paused, before very carefully pronouncing, "You're useless."
"I am not useless!" Adrian screamed, tears stinging as his hands shook and clenched. No- no. He was not going to think like that- he was not going to let those thought drag him down to the mud. He wouldn't let some sort of- of insecurities ruin what he had worked so hard to come to terms with. "I- Adalonda I'm not useless!"
His voice didn't waver this time, it only reached a shrieking level of his frustration. Wormtail flinched at the noise, staring silently with a beady hateful expression.
"You can't even kill someone! You can't even strike like a noble kind! You're a rat," She egged, swinging back to peer over her length through the dark at him, "If you were hatchling, I'd leave you to die."
Adrian stumbled back with a wet sounding noise leaving his throat.
No. No he would not think like that.
"I would not be surprised if you are left." Adalonda continued, looking at him with a blank expression, "I would."
No no, he couldn't let- he couldn't think like that-
"No- no…" Adrian was shaking, and oh, how pitiful that looked. Guilt and shame bubbled in his throat like tar. The knife almost slipped from between his fingers, cold to the touch. "...Adalonda no…"
Adalonda barely considered him, perhaps she was just ashamed of him as he was. "So stubborn. So useless, and because of you, Lutain will die."
Adrian's heart stopped.
She wasn't ashamed of him, she was...she was angry. She was disappointed because he had- he had inspired a false hope that perhaps another one she held dear would not die. He had made her hopeful, and his own...his own weakness was ruining that.
Adalonda considered him with disgust, "Your inability to me, is to kill Lutain. You're useless."
He couldn't save his friend.
(He could feel it wiggling through his brain like maggots, feeding on his lobes with munching maws. 'Maybe I am? If I can't help the ones I care about- perhaps I am useless.')
"No I'm not." Adrian whispered, voice inaudible in the chamber, "I...please don't leave me."
Adalonda's scales shifted as she slithered, moving away from where he stood with a knife in his hands. She wasn't coming back.
"Adalonda!" He screamed, waiting, and still she moved further. Lutain was silent nearby, watching and not interrupting. Was he disappointed too? Had Adrian broken his hope also?
'I'm useful. I'm useful. I'm useful.'
The fine tether, constructed of desperation and hysteria snapped.
Adrian's breathing was by no means steady, but at this point it didn't matter.
He didn't matter.
Lutain needed to- Lutain needed to be okay.
Adrian didn't need to be, he didn't need to be. Lutain had to be. Lutain had to be okay.
(What point is all of this, if in the end, Lutain is dead and it's all because of your own weakness?)
'Is it right to do terrible things for someone you care about?'
What did it matter, if in the end the only one left to judge you is yourself?
Adrian was sobbing something messy, hitched and gross as he clutched his wand tightly, palms sweating. His face likely looked disgusting, but his head was clear and his heart throbbed with sorrow.
Wormtail was still pissed, although looking more and more perturbed by second.
"I- A…" Adrian gulped air, his vision blurring.
"I-"
"Master?" Lutain asked quietly, trying to possibly comfort him, "He's just a rat."
A rat.
Just a rat.
'A rat for a snake. A weakling, for the strong.'
Remus would be so sad with him- but didn't Remus have similar problems? Didn't he too struggle with bloodlust, the ability to grab someone by the throat and claw their throat out?
If Remus blamed Adrian for this- and judged it as something irredeemable, then he was a hypocrite.
(Luna would be so sad with him.)
"I- I'm sorry." Adrian choked, words almost entirely unrecognizable around the lump in his throat. He didn't know who he was apologizing to, if it was for the rat before him, or someone unknowing.
"Wha-" Wormtail started, eyes widening as self preservation kicked in.
Adrian knew the spell, he knew it.
He could do it.
He was useful.
(He would prove it.)
"A-Avada Kedavra."
There was a flash, and a twist in Adrian's stomach. Wormtail fell to the ground with a hollow thud. His body bounced, bones rolling with the impact, elastic tendons snapping. He settled after hitting his skull twice on the ground, a strange impulsive gurgle from his diaphragm. Wormtail's eyes were glassy.
Adrian keeled over and hurled.
It was disgustingly thick, chunky; a mixture of everything he had recently eaten. It tasted disgusting, burning his nose and mouth as he sobbed and gagged.
"The spell." Adalonda prompted him, sounding forced calm. She hadn't left then, she had waited.
Right. Adrian stuttered it out, repeating it twice just to make sure it worked. Then his skin prickled, like the summer sun had caused his flesh to sizzle. He felt like he was shedding, some part of him breaking away that he hadn't ever thought of as him.
When he tore out his hair and let it flutter to the ground- was it still him? When blood from his nose splattered on cobblestone, when did he end, and blood begin?
Adrian looked at his chest, watched as something blue dripped out. Blue and hazy, thick like smoke that congealed in a small spinning orb of light, the size of a grapefruit. It seeped from his pores, thick and waxy- evaporating and shaping itself into something new.
His breath, or whatever it was.
It was beautiful, but at the same time there was something wrong with it; parts were tainted and darker in colour, twisted chunks where it looked almost necrotic. Mud that had dried too quickly under the sun, sandstone eroded from a storm.
"The knife."
Right. Right the knife.
Adrian's hand was shaking so hard he had to drop his wand to hold the silver blade with two hands, gripping the hilt to try and steady the shaking.
Split it in half. Give it to Lutain.
"The knife, Cerestes."
Adrian reeled back and stabbed.
It hurt.
It hurt bad enough it felt like Bellatrix had cursed him again.
It felt like his father's stare, his red eyes and disappointed frown as he whispered the curse lovingly.
Crucio through his bones, vibrating and arcing through his bones like Adalonda's venom.
The blue orb had cracked, leaking something clear that dripped over his hands like blood. It sizzled on his skin, tingling like magic.
He stuck the knife in harder, feeling and seeing the crack strain further.
His knees gave out and he dropped; the orb followed his elevation even as he slammed onto the ground. Adrian curled up, seizing as the crack spread, splitting further and further even without his knife's edge.
Adrian had never felt such agony in his life- eternal and overwhelming and he just wanted it to end.
Kill me Kill me Kill me killmekillmekillme
"Give it to Lutain." Adalonda rumbled, somewhere unseen and only felt.
Lutain. Right, Lutain needed- he needed-
Lutain had to live.
Live Lutain Lutain Lutain.
"Lutain." He croaked out, reaching out but not feeling the black coils.
Killmekillmekillmekillme
It reached a crescendo, and there was a sound of something snapping, the clean crack of glass or bone.
(It echoed, the melodic noise of wind chimes, of silver bells.)
Adrian's back arched as something wet spread through his mouth; he vomited blood and whimpered like a dying dog.
His eyes rolled back in his head and at some point between one wave of agony and the next; he passed out.
"Well...I don't know how to explain it, Luna."
"You could try?"
"Creatures don't seem to like me anymore. Like they're scared of me, like I'm...Like I smell like some sort of predator ready to eat them."
"Things that are scared of you can learn to love you. You just need to show them that you're not going to hurt them."
"You don't understand, Luna."
"Hey Hermione, can I ask you a question?" Skylar asked, looking across from his armchair to where Hermione was buried behind stacks of books. Break was almost over, yet she hadn't stopped studying once during the holiday.
She poked her head up, hair secured out of her face by a messy ponytail, "Yes Sky?"
Skylar sighed and thought through the phrasing, "Hypothetical, I mean."
Hermione sensed that something was amiss and slowly set her quil down. She placed a bookmark in her book, closing it gently.
She turned, giving him her full attention.
"Now, I'm not trying to sound…" Skylar's voice was pinched, "I..Okay, I need you to…"
"Skylar?" Hermione asked, her brows pinched with worry, "What is it?"
Skylar lent forward and placed his head in his hands, "Hermione I don't want to think about this but I know I have to."
Hermione reached out to place her hand on his knee, reassuring him, "I'll help however I can. I know that with that… that woman watching our mail we can't reach out, but I'll listen. What's bothering you?"
Skylar looked at her and chewed his lower lip, he looked torn. Hermione noticed how ill his face twisted, as if he had been thinking of something for a long time. "I...It's only because I need someone else's thoughts. And I can't reach my bloody dad or-" Skylar flinched and stared furiously at the wall, stopping his rant then and there. "Dumbledore thinks...he thinks that maybe maybe Adrian was...He thinks that he may try to hurt us."
Hermione straightened and she frowned sharply, that was a serious accusation. She had thought better of Skylar. It was a ridiculous assumption to make on another student. "Skylar, Adrian wouldn't-"
"I know," Skylar agreed, voice a little higher, "but I want to think about this hypothetically. I don't think...I like Adrian, but I want to consider everything."
Hermione obviously wasn't happy with the discussion, it was complete nonsense to her but Skylar looked quite distressed. If anything, she could at least run with his silly theory until he was able to talk to the Order members. Maybe he'd finally get some sleep that way.
She sighed and gave a small nod, already feeling guilty for Adrian."Alright, I'll try to think about what he'd do if that was the case."
She made it very clear she didn't think it was, but Skylar nodded finally at peace. He leaned back on his chair, but his expression shifted again almost instantly. How on Earth had he gotten so worked up over this?
"If...If for some reason, Adrian was working with Voldemort-"
"Sky…" Hermione trailed off warningly, fighting the urge to get up and storm out right then.
"I know, trust me I hate this too," Skylar grumbled, and in truth he did look upset. "But...has there ever been a time where...where he told you something you thought was wrong?"
Hermione bit her lip worriedly, something about this didn't feel right. "Skylar, I don't think-"
"Trust me, 'Mione," Skylar grimaced, "I'm trying to consider every possibility."
Hermione stared at him before she looked down at her hands, fiddling with them.
There was such an instant, she remembered it clearly. It had bothered her quite a bit, but since the topic was a sensitive one now she hadn't dared ever bringing her concerns to light. It was likely nothing, there were trained aurors and adults on the case, it was silly to think that she had anything important to say.
Skylar looked upset, like he was clinging for anything. It wasn't as if what she suspected could possibly be true anyways.
"There was...do you remember our second year? When we used Polyjuice to sneak into the Slytherin Dorms?"
Skylar smiled faintly, "Adrian was furious afterwards."
Hermione nodded, looking off and unsure, "He...You remember Slytherin's monster? How it was never...never found?"
"Yeah," Skylar nodded quietly, pausing and letting the silence fill the gap.
Hermione shifted, chewing on her lip. She hated to be wrong.
"I thought I knew what the monster was, no, I know what the monster is. But...Adrian told me I was wrong- and...I don't know." She trailed off, voice almost warbling, "He...I mean he knows creatures better than I do so I thought that…"
"He convinced you that you were wrong." Skylar felt like he was chewing soap, a bitter taste in his mouth, "and you dropped it."
Hermione nodded slowly, "I...I shouldn't have, but...I don't know. Too many things didn't line up with it."
Skylar entertained the thought; he could see why Hermione had doubted herself if Adrian shut her down. Adrian was a force, an unstoppable object. Talking to him about a few topics- well...If Adrian wanted, Skylar was sure that boy could have persuaded Skylar into thinking a broom was a chair.
"Do you remember the snake? When you were dueling Draco?"
Skylar gave a bark of laughter, "I'd never forget that."
Hermione looked even more unsure, as if she was reaching new levels of conspiracy theories. "Well, we never saw that summoned snake be banished and it just sort of vanished in the crowd-"
Hermione cut herself off quickly, reaching up to undo her hair tie and run her fingers through the messy locks.
"Hermione." Skylar urged, "Please, I just...what's your theory?"
Hermione shook her head, her hair bouncing around chaotically. "It's stupid, Sky."
Skylar waited, and let Hermione gather her thoughts. A second passed, and Hermione blurted words like they would burn her. "Well...I- I don't know for sure but...didn't the snake you fought look a lot like Adrian's familiar."
Skylar gaped, "No, no way."
Hermione looked guilty, "I mean, I don't remember him well and I wasn't that good friends with him, and honestly to me all snakes look the same but...I never wanted to think that...that he'd spread such a rumor but…"
"He'd...he framed me?" Skylar's voice rose a notch, "As the heir?"
Why would he do that?
"I thought about it for a long time too," Hermione muttered sourly, "and...and I couldn't think as to why...except…"
Skylar thought quickly, and back to the list hidden carefully under his textbooks and old Chocolate Frog wrappers. Adrian Selwyn's snake understood English, which was something impressive considering that familiars shouldn't know English. They just...they were assumed to have an inclination for understanding one person. A familiar understanding or even obeying someone else suggested a high level of intelligence impossible for nonverbal communication, far higher than just a normal animal. Astoria Greengrass had panicked the moment they closed the door, screaming about a snake.
"Lutain is an animagus." Skylar spoke out loud, almost chastising himself the second after he said it.
Hermione thankfully didn't scowl but blushed slightly, "I had thought the same, but...but I think that Adrian could...understand it."
Skylar tried to understand what Hermione was suggesting, "Familiar's are connected-"
"No no, I mean…." Hermione looked on the verge of crying. What kind of horrible person was she to say such terrible things? To imply that another student could... "He- don't you think it was a bit strange that you were framed for being a parselmouth?"
'There were hundreds of things you could have been framed for, easier things. Why parseltongue?'
"No- no way." Skylar blinked in alarm, his mouth falling open in surprise, "You think that...that Adrian may be a...a parsel-"
Hermione leaned forward with wide eyes, her face pale and a bit shaken. "I- I want to say that I feel terrible over this, and I'm likely just...just plucking straws out of nowhere, but...I mean, I know that I'm leaping to conclusions but sometimes he knows things that he shouldn't, but that his snake did."
Skylar wanted to instantly argue about Legilimency, that information could have easily have been obtained that way. Hermione didn't know about that, and with how upset she was now, Skylar had no intentions of showing her.
Familiar's didn't communicate with words, more through emotions and sensations. There wouldn't be a way to accurately report back information or anything overheard. Spying through a Familiar would have been impossible, he would have only gotten impressions on people, emotional responses.
'If Adrian was a parselmouth, what would he be able to do that nobody else could?'
He could talk to snakes...was there more?
"Hermione, what do you think the monster is?'
Hermione looked at Skylar in the eyes, "I...I thought that it was this...this legendary beast called a Basilisk."
Skylar frowned as he tried to remember where he had heard the name, "A...the medusa snake?"
Hermione shook her head, straightening unconsciously in preparation to teach. "No, that's a different one, well, there are similarities. Basilisks...they kill everything that they look at. They're the king of serpents, and have a crown on their head and bright red plumes…Sky, Basilisks are said to be horrible monsters."
Skylar's eyebrows furrowed, "Okay this Basilisk- I mean, let's run with it being a Basilisk. If it's a snake monster, running with the parselmouth idea...then… the monster would have killed people by looking at them, but nobody died."
Besides Ginny Weasley.
"I thought of that," Hermione added helpfully, her lower lip beading with blood as her teeth finally broke through. "Every time someone was petrified, they didn't look at it directly. Then, it just…. vanished."
"You think that Adrian opened the chamber," Skylar gasped, his voice going hoarse in horror, "You think that he controlled the monster."
Hermione's eyes widened and she shook her head back and forth, "No! No, Adrian would never- Skylar we're talking about theories, Adrian did not-"
'I left her to starve to death!'
He was so distraught, Skylar could never forget the hysterical shrieking. What if it wasn't just...what if it was guilt?
"What did the wall say." Skylar couldn't breathe, "When Ginny vanished. Hermione, what did the wall say."
"I- Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever. I'd never forget it" Hermione recited with a flinch, "Sky, Sky what's going on. You- you cannot seriously be presuming that-"
Things clicked into place, the final fact that had been biting Skylar's brain ever since he made that list.
The snake- the familiar. He had it since a young age, but having a familiar from such a young age was unheard of. What if Adrian could talk to it? What if he could speak to it and understood each other? That wasn't by any means a stretch then- for all purposes it would have looked like a familiar bond.
The Blood adoption was after being adopted, but the parseltongue was before. Did Adrian...was Adrian related to someone, someone that was supposed to be a secret? Someone that would be obvious?
Why did Bellatrix Lestrange pick him? Why did Bellatrix Lestrange pick him?
(Why would Adrian need to know Occlumency? What if he had something to hide?)
If what Astoria said was true...if what she said was right, then Suzie Forestar went to the same orphanage as Adrian (before he was Adrian?). Astoria wanted to know about him, about Adrian before he was adopted, and Bellatrix killed her only lead. What could Suzie Forestar have known?
(What would a child have displayed in public? What sort of skill would Adrian have done that, in retrospect, would have ruined him? Adrian Selwyn skipped classes, he set trains on fire, he broke Draco's skull, what small tiny thing could he, and Bellatrix Lestrange, want to keep hidden?)
"We have to go." Skylar spoke, leaping to his feet and yanking Hermione to hers, "We- Ron!" He screamed towards the stairwell. They were lucky almost all of Gryffindor bailed for Easter, leaving just the three in the tower.
Seconds later there was a hollow thud, then Ron stuck his head out to look down the stairs in alarm, "Sky?"
"Get the cloak!" Skylar shouted, eyes wide and nostrils flaring, "We've got to go, right now."
'If that's true, if all of that is true, then we need to go right now. It's too dangerous here, nowhere is safe.'
Hermione shook her head frantically, "Skylar we don't know!"
Something pulsed in frustration, and Skylar wanted to punch a wall. Hermione was his friend, but she was so naive. What was the worst that would happen- they'd get expelled? That didn't matter, with what Skylar had figured out, nobody here was safe.
Merlin's beard, a girl- Suzie Forestar, was dead.
"Hermione I love you to death but I need you to trust me." Skylar rushed out, "You have an owl in your room?"
Hermione looked baffled, "Ah- yes. Sky you can't sent an owl outside of-"
"Send one now. Luna Lovegood, please, tell her it's urgent."
"I've got it." Ron hurried down the stairs clutching the invisibility cloak over his head. Hermione bolted up the stairs, looking far too startled to not follow Skylar's request.
Ron blinked in confusion, wrinkling his eyebrows in a weird face, "What's this about?"
"Selwyn," Skylar clipped out, eyes flashing, "Ron, don't. We...we need to get Selwyn out of here- the Shrieking Shack is past the apparition line, we need to get him to headquarters."
Ron looked baffled, "I- mate we can't apparate! Are you barmy?"
"Selwyn can!" Skylar shouted, staring at the steps until Hermione hurried down the staircase, nearly tripping in her haste.
"I- I told her to meet us in the front entrance." Hermione hurried in a hush, "Skylar you don't even know where he is."
"Luna will!" Skylar retorted, flinging the cloak over their shoulders and ushering them towards the stairs and out of the castle.
The cloak was too short for all of them to wear, so Hermione cast the best disillusionment spell she could over their feet and Skylar cast the best muffling charm he knew. Ron was surprisingly helpful, pointing and shoving them to the side whenever one of the Slytherin monitors slipped into sight.
("I live with Fred and George," Ron grinned breathless and proud as he expertly maneuvered them past Filch, "You think I wouldn't know how to sneak around after curfew?")
They hurried to the grand entrance, moonlight from the nearly full moon slid through the windows. Luna was standing near one window, looking incredibly lackluster but almost ethereal when the white light caught her hair. Skylar was momentarily impressed with how swiftly she had gotten their response. Maybe she had snuck out to the owlery?
Luna didn't see or hear them approach/Her face was haunted looking, especially anxious and somber as if she was expecting something truly horrid. Skylar felt guilty, that he had nothing positive to say.
He would apologize later, for now this was more important then just her.
Skylar pulled the cloak off, revealing himself and his friends suddenly. Luna nearly jumped, a small inhale the only noise in the silence of the night.
"Luna," Skylar greeted, and something in his face must have shown because her expression fell slightly.
"Oh no," She stated quietly, like funeral bells, "What has he done now?"
Ron and Hermione exchanged a look, looking incredibly uncomfortable with being out so late in such an exposed area.
"Hopefully nothing. We need to get him out of here, now." Skylar reported with a foreboding expression, "We need to get him out of here, he can apparate but I don't know how many…"
"The thestrals." Luna responded quickly. She had apparently thought about this before then, which had chilling ramifications. "They can fly you wherever you need to go."
"Skylar! We can't just leave!" Hermione hissed quietly, mindful that they were in fact, breaking curfew.
"Then I'll go." Skylar hissed back, "Luna, do you know where he is?"
Luna blinked and looked worried, "I- He was gone all day. I don't know, I'm worried for him."
"Does your dad still have the map?" Ron blurted, looking at Skylar with a slightly unsure expression, "Or, do you have any tracking spells? For the second task?"
Hermione shook her head quickly, "Tracking spells don't work on people! Our magical cores make it imposs-"
"Track Lutain," Luna spoke like a shadow, "Adrian hasn't been letting him leave his side for weeks."
Skylar nodded, looking at Hermione who sighed but held her wand flat on her palm, "Point Me Lutain!"
Skylar wasn't sure if it would actually work until he saw her wand twist, spinning until it pointed in a direction that clearly wasn't the dungeons.
Skylar didn't even pause, he took off at a sprint. The muffling charm was still in effect and thankfully Luna bolted after casting a similar spell at her feet.
Hermione gasped as her wand spun, pointing in another direction. They scrambled to keep up with the random shifts in movement.
Skylar felt a small warmth, that even without knowing the entire situation, his friends were willing to chase him into danger.
"Where is this snake!" Ron grunted, out of breath as he tried to keep up, "It's like its in the bloody walls!"
"Pipes!" Hermione blurted, looking at Skylar horrified, "That's- the basilisk!"
"Basilisk?" Luna echoed, eyes wide in silent horror although still a bit puzzled. She hadn't clued in then. "Oh dear."
"There!" Ron shouted, squinting through the dark. Skylar's eyes focused on something in the shadows, a flash of movement that was too impossible to discern in the shadows. Skylar skidded to a stop, pointed his wand and hoped to Merlin this would work.
Skylar belted out in a strangled yelp. "Accio Lutain!"
There was a second before something long and black flew through the air, it smacked into his outstretched hand. Snake coils were surprisingly warm, dry and writhing.
It was hissing, spitting and flailing like an incredibly agitated animal.
(Well, Lutain was an agitated animal.)
"Mobiliarbus!" Hermione cast, levitating the writhing creature away from Skylar's fleshy fingers.
"Lutain!" Someone yelped, stumbling out of the dark shadows with a swaying walk, looking dazed and very sick. Skylar took one glance before he did a second take in dumbfounded puzzlement. Skylar hadn't ever thought about sounds being used for a description, yet looking at Adrian, all he could think of was untuned piano strings. Off key, a morbid joke of what should be soft and gentle.
Luna made a noise like she was choking, Skylar felt like he had swallowed a bug. Luna took a stumbling step backwards, a violent shiver nearly tripped her and took her to the floor.
"What have you done?" Luna asked, holding her wand out in front of her defensively.
Her arm was shaking as she pointed it directly at Adrian.
Adrian looked feverish, almost baffled where he was standing as if drunken. He swayed slightly, torso shifting back and forth as if undulating.
"Skylar Potter? You!" Adrian asked with a small slur, his mood changing to something furious- his words so similar to a hiss Skylar felt sick.
The whiplash between confused and vindictive was a whirlwind. Luna choked again, reaching out to steady herself on Ron's shoulder. Hermione looked far too unstable, clutching the invisibility cloak to her chest as if a security blanket.
"Adrian." Skylar spoke, his voice deadpan although he was almost trembling. Was it custom to lower oneself to the ground when speaking to a wild animal? Should he hold his arms out to show he was unarmed?
There was something wrong with him. It was too dark to tell, but Skylar felt fairly certain that if he were to cast lumos, Adrian's pupils would be dilated past the normal level. He was inebriated of some sort, not operating at his normal facilities.
Lutain was spitting, hissing a fury as he writhed in the air above them.
"You I…" Adrian suddenly flinched, a whole body movement that almost looked like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on him. He blinked dumbly, completely dismissing Skylar's presence entirely. "I- Luna?"
Suddenly calm, still dazed but simply confused.
Hermione leant over to Skylar's ear, "Something isn't right!"
Skylar knew that, and based on Luna's retching noises she knew also. If it was stolen firewhiskey, Luna wouldn't be so...so ill. It was almost as if she had tasted something rotten, like some bad smelling potion ingredien-
Bubotuber pus.
"Luna, you okay?" Skylar asked her, careful to keep the black snake away from hurting anyone.
Luna was sniffling, shaking on the ground from her kneeling position as she stared at Adrian with wide traumatized eyes, "You...you smell like carrion."
"Well well, look who we have here." Someone said with a slightly amused but high cold voice.
Pristine and polite, a Slytherin girl with long blonde hair walked out with her wand raised high and an expression of amusement at the sight of Adrian, "Headmistress Umbridge is going to be very disappointed, Selwyn."
Adrian blinked once before his facial expression shifted into something savage, "Oh piss off Daphne!"
Daphne Greengrass, Astoria's sister.
Daphne Greengrass was on Umbridge's squad of student officers, she had remained over the holidays. She was essentially Umbridge's right hand helper, obviously assigned a night shift.
Shite shite shite
"I think not, Selwyn." Daphne's face was cold although she held her wand securely, "I was hoping to catch you on your own, surely you'd be expelled then. A group though...a shame."
Luna struggled to get off the floor, still looking pained, "Daphne we need to leave Hogwarts-"
'No! Luna!'
Daphne pointed her wand at Luna without looking at her, her expression no nonsense, "Shut it, Lovegood."
She obviously knew that Adrian was a threat, which was chilling to think of.
(Wasn't he? In this hallway, Adrian Selwyn, even while impaired, was the biggest threat around.)
"Daphne please," Skylar tried, knowing that his voice was strained, "We...we need to get to the forest-"
"Skylar Potter if you say one more word, I'm going to stun all of you and drag you to Filch's office myself." Daphne snapped.
"Astoria's letter!" Skylar blurted, almost panting from how high stress the situation was.
Daphne froze, turning to look at Skylar.
'I'm so sorry Astoria, but if this works you'll be safe.'
"What?" Daphne asked calmly. She wasn't though, her eyes had widened, the whites bright in the dark. Her skin was paling to porcelain in the torchlight.
Just in time, loud recognizable clicking shoes broke the silence. Umbridge emerged from the dark, looking proud and cocky- Daphne must had triggered an alarm the moment she found the group. Daphne must have been trying to find Adrian for a while now- to expel him.
No, no this was very bad. Something was wrong with Adrian, and knowing the boy he would only lash out if they revealed they knew anything. Yet considering how much Adrian was swaying...would calling in an auror team be overkill?
(No. No it wouldn't.)
"Well done Ms. Greengrass!" Umbridge chirped, clapping her hands together in glee, "What was the famous Golden Boy and friends doing out at this time of night," her eyes narrowed although her lips kept a happy smile, "Hmm?"
Skylar hated that noise.
Adrian twitched, spasming uncontrollably down his legs before he glared, unadulterated rage twisting his eyes. He bared his teeth, like something wild.
Daphne didn't blink, and her face didn't change.
'Please Daphne,' Skylar begged in his head. 'Please.'
"I heard them discussing a weapon in the Forbidden Forest, Ma'am."
Umbridge looked pleased, "Ah yes, Dumbledore's weapon."
Daphne locked eyes with Skylar, blank and unreadable. She knew about Astoria's letter, Astoria must have told her what she suspected. That Adrian somehow had something to do with Suzie Forestar's death.
Daphne understood that Skylar was trying to remove Adrian Selwyn, or trying to get him away. If Skylar ever had the opportunity, he would thank that girl with every fiber of his being.
"I'll take things from here, Ms. Greengrass." Umbridge smiled, sacchrine and irritating, "Off you tot."
Daphne walked away with a stiff back, not looking back once. She faded into the dark, away from the danger into security.
"Well then." Umbridge supplied with a vicious grin, "Shall we?"
"If I don't understand, can you try and explain it to me again?"
"It's….Luna it's...magical things, they used to like me. They used to...I don't know, it sounds stupid."
"I don't think it sounds stupid."
"Magical things, they used to like me. They don't anymore."
'I'm so sor- No. I just- I didn't mean to. I didn't know what else to do. I just- I'm so confused. I was confused. I didn't know that would happen- I mean, I knew it would but I just- It didn't seem real. It didn't seem possible. I left you down there in the cold, and the dark. Was that the wrong thing? Was that really the wrong thing to do?'
They exited the hallways, through the corridors of the sleeping castle until the nighttime air chilled their skin and their breaths puffed gently in the air.
Umbridge walked at the head of their chain, keeping her wand poised and pointed at Hermione who grudgingly lead the group; Umbridge finding her the biggest threat at the moment. Of course, Umbridge had stolen their wands, stashing them in her oversized pink pockets.
(Skylar found that the greatest irony, that Umbridge couldn't recognize that Adrian, poor poor Adrian, was likely the biggest threat in the entire castle.)
Umbridge showed only slight uncertainty in her steps as Hermione lead them past Hagrid's hut, sleeping silently in the night. The dew from the grass stuck to Skylar's shoes.
"In there," Hermione pointed coldly into the dark forest. Her face was ticked, barely any fear in her eyes.
Umbridge frowned, "In the forbidden forest? Not near it?"
Of course not you overgrown louse, if it was sitting in the sunlight a secret weapon wouldn't be that secret.
Luna peeked out, keeping her body behind Adrian with her thin arms wrapped around his torso. Skylar hadn't a clue what had gotten into him, but periodically on the path down he had heard the boy whisper to himself almost manic- the large black snake coiling and hissing in rage above their heads in a protective bubble. Had he been sneaking potions? Skylar had heard the rumors, but- but drugs were something impossible to think about.
"Dumbledore didn't want any students stumbling on it." Luna spoke up, her voice wobbly and shaking as if she had been struck.
Oh Hermione was brilliant. Knowing Luna, she likely had swarms of magical creatures ready to pounce on Umbridge, Hermione was smart to take the lead, not that she had much choice. Given how much Umbridge actually knew about her students, she likely thought that Hermione was the mastermind behind everything. Skylar doubted she even knew Luna's name.
"Of course," Umbridge stated, although she sounded a little apprehensive now. "Of course...very well, then...you stay ahead of me."
Skylar and Ron tried to catch Hermione's eye as they neared the first trees. Adrian and Luna stayed in the back, the girl soothing or quieting the occasional incoherent murmurs and (chillingly unnerving) moans and whimpers.. Skylar was beginning to feel uneasy- walking into the Forest without wands seemed to him like one of the worse ideas he'd followed through with. At least there weren't any dragons in the forest anymore.
'Oh but don't forget the probably lethal snake hovering above your head.'
Hermione started a brisk walk, one that had the entire chain struggling to keep up. Although Luna was moving with more ease than all of them combined, she was stuck dragging the unusually clumsy Adrian over roots and branches.
Ron leaned in towards Skylar quietly, "Think he's drugged?"
So Ron had noticed too. It was unlikely to be drugs, Adrian wasn't so stupid to do that in public where he could be found. It had to be something else, but Skylar didn't know what.
Skylar shook his head subtly, watching carefully along the sides of the path for anything to leap out at them. Hermione nearly stamped down the undergrowth. Ron and Skylar exchanged worried looks- they were making quite the racket.
Umbridge tripped over a fallen nearby sapling. The snake, contained by the magical bubble, lunged at her as if it could break through. Nobody paused on the march to help her upright, even as her coat tore on a stray branch.
They walked on for what seemed like a long time, until they were so deep in the Forest that the dense arching tree branches above blocked out the starlight.
Ron gulped and looked around nervously; Skylar felt as if hundreds of eyes were watching him.
"How much further?" demanded Umbridge angrily, and suddenly, Adrian inhaled loudly and harshly, then succumbed to low giggles.
"And what are you-" Umbridge turned, pointing the wand threateningly at the other boy.
No no, don't threaten him-
An arrow flew through the air and landed with a menacing thud in the tree over Umbridge's head. The air was suddenly full of the sound of hooves; Skylar could feel the forest trembling.
Umbridge spun with a scream, grabbing Ron to use him as some sort of shield. Ron kicked out, stumbling away as the group slowly looked at the circle of hooved creatures watching them; at least twenty centaurs were emerging on every side equipped with wooden bows raised and loaded at the group.
Hermione looked alarmed, but distinctly relieved at something. Luna searched for a single centaur in particular, brow furrowed until she relaxed suddenly. Thank Merlin for that, if Skylar had to be lost in the Forbidden Forest with anyone, he'd always pick Luna.
"Who are you?" One centaur demanded, a chestnut-bodied one with his bow cocked. He emerged from the ranks, circling around to point the arrow tip towards Umbridge, "Who are you, human?"
"I am Dolores Umbridge!" said woman spoke in a high-pitched, terrified voice. "Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic and Headmistress and High Inquisitor of Hogwarts!"
Many of the centaurs shifted restlessly, casting looks off into the forest in an opposite direction.
"You are from the Ministry of Magic?" said the centaur, eyes narrowed and nostrils flaring.
"That's right!" she nearly screeched, "So you should-"
One of the centaurs gave a ragged gasp, a stumbling sound as its legs appeared to tremble slightly, "You brought it!"
Skylar wasn't sure what had scared it until a low murmur spread through the centaurs and they shifted their aim towards Luna.
"What?" Umbridge gasped in surprise, "I- are you ignoring me?"
The centaur who was in charge didn't even glance her way, "Your status is insignificant and hence we care naught for you."
Umbridge gaped wordlessly for a few moments, "I...Excuse me?"
"What are you doing in our Forest! Why are you here?" bellowed a hard-faced grey centaur.
"Your Forest?" said Umbridge, shaking from indignation, "I would remind you that you live here only because the Ministry of Magic permits you certain areas of land-"
An arrow flew so close to her head that it nearly sliced her hair; she let out a scream and threw her hands over her head. The centaurs hadn't even spared her a look, still staring at Luna in fright. What had Luna done?
"You are unimportant here, human." One centaur spat, shifting as if Umbridge was little but dirt.
Umbridge flushed in rage but it was too late: Umbridge pointed her wand at the chestnut centaur and screamed, "Incarcerous!"
Ropes flew out of midair like thick snakes, wrapping themselves tightly around the centaur's torso and trapping his arms to his sides. The centaur gave a cry of rage and reared onto his hind legs, attempting to free himself.
Arrows flew and Umbridge cast a hasty shielding charm; Skylar felt smug as he knew that his spell was better.
The centaurs did not seem happy, instead they looked torn between fury and panic.
"Get the parasite away from here!" One hissed, stomping its foot angrily.
"Leave this forest," another one growled, tail swishing in fright, "before the creature…"
There was a wordless cry from something in the woods, and suddenly the centaurs were jostling back and forth skittishly.
The snake of Adrian's was hissing incessantly, loud like rustling wind through branches.
"How dare you!" Umbridge screamed, and sent off a stunner which missed.
Then Adrian started giggling, a strange crackling noise that sounded wet but almost crazed. Skylar had heard Bellatrix Lestrange laugh, surrounded in a field of blood; it was similar.
"Adrian?" Luna asked quietly but urgently, "Adrian- Adrian."
Adrian was giggling, eyes unseeing as he was murmuring something repeatedly.
"Kill it!" One centaur demanded, pointing not at Luna, but at Adrian.
What had Adrian done.
"We do not attack foals!" One centaur defended, "We do not harm the girl!"
They hadn't said anything about Adrian; Skylar felt very bad about the situation.
The snake hadn't stopped hissing, loud and unbroken in its protective bubble.
The centaurs had said a creature- a creature roaming the woods and they were terrified of it and Adrian.
"Oh no." Skylar breathed, locking eyes with Luna. They had to have the same idea, especially with how her arms were trembling where they were wrapped around Adrian's shoulders.
Of course.
The snake was hissing.
"Silence the snake!" Skylar shouted, looking at the baffled Umbridge who was still looking indignant, "silence it!"
"Why you-" Umbridge floundered, and one of the centaurs bolted.
"No," Skylar breathed, looking at Hermione quickly, "The monster…"
She clued in, and paled dramatically. Ron gaped, snapping his head around to look at Skylar in horror. Oh shite, Skylar never really clued in that the monster was real.
"What? What." Umbridge nearly screamed, "What monster?"
Adrian twisted, cocking his head like a bird. He turned his upper body quickly, head pointed towards a very specific direction in the woods. A breathless crooked grin split his face, looking deranged on his features.
"Hello," Adrian almost crooned, swaying where Luna was supporting him, "You took a while."
Skylar had never been so scared in his life.
(More than the dragon. More than Cedric. More than him.)
Umbridge floundered, and the centaurs bolted. Skylar hadn't seen something so fast, in a blur of movement they had vanished.
"Sky?" Ron whispered, voice high pitched as terror leaked into his voice, "You know how you said that this wasn't going to be hard?"
Hermione slunk back, reaching out to grasp both Skylar and Ron's hands in her clammy ones; she was trembling. Skylar squeeze her hand reassuringly, making sure they were there together.
Skylar felt like crying. 'I'm so sorry I dragged you into this, guys.'
Umbridge clued in that something very scary was approaching- she pointed her wand into the dark.
Luna was shaking Adrian slightly, although the boy was still frowning- no, he was pouting into the dark woods.
"No." Adrian protested suddenly, causing everyone to jump, "I could have dealt with this."
Umbridge opened her mouth before Adrian scoffed, "I could have!"
He was talking to himself, but it sounded far too cohesive for it to me another of the strange delusional ramblings. He was talking, in English.
Skylar- Skylar hadn't told his dad and mum that he loved them. The last time he saw them he had shouted at them, over something unimportant. He didn't say goodbye to them.
Luna swallowed and breathed something like a sob. A second, then she composed her expression and looked into the dark, addressing it with a quiet shaking voice, "H-hello. I'm Luna, you must be very beautiful."
The forest was silent, not a single insect scurrying over dead leaves.
Adrian tilted his head back laughed, as if he had heard something very funny. His skull thumped against Luna's shoulder, the arms around his waist tightened.
"Mate," Ron whispered, sounding like he was about to cry, "Mate are we going to die?"
Skylar shook his head, unable to comfort his friend.
'I am so sorry.'
Hermione was shaking although she cleared her throat loudly, "A-Adrian, could you introduce us?"
Hermione, Hermione no.
Adrian looked at them, looking dazed as if concussed. He squinted, forgetting they were there at all. "I…"
"I wouldn't want to be rude." Hermione hurried, "I-I've never met something so great."
There was a low rumble, a snap of something cracking perhaps a hundred feet into the woods. Umbridge paled, her skin looking glassy in the lighting charm. She had just realized that something existed, something unseen watching them in the dark.
Adrian lazily rolled his head back to the dark, then back at Umbridge in a feverish intrigue. "Yeah. You should."
Umbridge had never looked so cowardly before, turning on Adrian in childish fury. "I- stop your insane ramblings."
There was a low hiss, eerily similar to the Vipertooth dragon Skylar had faced before. Low, a deep rumble that permeated the air and through trees and through Skylar's entire body.
Adrian giggled, sagging in Luna's arms.
No. Not a dragon- the basilisk. The basilisk.
"It's a bit dark," Luna admitted, still draped over Adrian's back, "Could you maybe make it a bit brighter so I could introduce myself properly."
Only Umbridge had a wand, nobody else had any wands.
Adrian looked up Luna with a grin, likely his expression more garish up close. "She-"
There was a low noise, and Adrian cocked his head before nodding. Adrian's eyes clouded, a thin trail of blood exited his nose down until it touched his lip. If not for his frantic breathing and twitching cheek, Skylar would have assumed the other just fell comatose.
The ground around them burst aflame, long tongues of lapping flame as long as Skylar's leg. It was stunning, and exuded nearly uncontained power. Far too much, like fiendfyre.
This wasn't the train, this was- this was much worse. This was an arena, a growing fence to keep the cattle in.
Hell, this sort of boundary would have kept a bloody Swedish Shortsnout in.
And Adrian was doing it wandlessly.
Umbridge squealed and stumbled back, lifting her face as if to protect her from the flames. Instead, they stood tall, lapping around them in a bright circle; trapping them in place.
Nowhere to run, nowhere to go.
Adrian swayed and the thin trail of blood thickened slightly, "No you're the stupid one."
"Merlin is he arguing with it?" Ron whispered, voice a high pitched wine. Sweat beaded down the redhead's face, anxiety or from the heat.
Skylar felt his jaw shake, his heart racing in his chest. He had to shift this, try and smooth things over. Adrian was the one in control of the situation, Adrian was the one that commanded the monster.
Adrian hated Skylar, he knew that. Skylar could...Skylar could redirect it, draw its attention.
Keep his friends alive.
"Hello," Skylar croaked, feeling like there was a rock in his throat, "I'm Skylar. I've heard a lot about you,"
Adrian scowled and looked put out, "Yeah, the one-"
There was a rumble, this one higher and lilting and resonating from all around them. Adrian looked shocked, confused even as his brows furrowed.
"What!" Adrian screamed into the woods, straining against Luna's arms, "Adalonda what are you-"
Adalonda? Was that the monster's name?
Another rumble and Adrian shook his head looking pissed, "The- no you-"
Then with a cold sense of dread, Skylar's fears were confirmed when instead of words Adrian's mouth moved and strange almost musical noises were exchanged.
Hermione looked- Skylar couldn't describe it.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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