章 9: Death and Domain - Chapter 9
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Adrenaline pumped through my veins. I knew that look. Seen it in the face of plenty of men thirsty for revenge, petty or otherwise. It made my hackles rise. On instinct, my hand went to my hip where I used to holster my gun. Empty.
"Shit." My hand twitched again, but I stopped it before it could go any lower for my wand. That wouldn't help.
Across the grounds, Cassius and Justin started to bowl past the students. With all the noise around, the few shrieks and yells by students being pushed down and trampled over didn't turn many heads. Built like he was, Justin looked more like a giant boulder than a wizard the way he flung a second year Ravenclaw ten feet away on the grass when the kid accidently got in his way.
I'd been in plenty of brawls before, but it felt different now. Anxiety filled me instead of anticipation. In this world and in this body, I was the rabbit and they the jackals.
I cursed myself for being a careless idiot. With my magical equivalent of impotency occupying my mind the whole night, I hadn't spared a thought toward those two. In my mind, I still thought of them as just a bunch of schoolyard bullies who didn't deserve a second of my attention.
They seemed intent on making me pay for that mistake.
I glanced around me, eyes searching desperately. A group of three giggling Puffs streamed by me, but I ignored them. Fighting here and now would be useless, I knew. So despite the bad taste that rose in my mouth, I tried to find a professor in the midst of the chaos of students.
Snape would be ensconced in his little dungeon moping as he was wont to, but surely McGonagall and the rest of the heads of the houses would be supervising the students' departure. Whether I liked it or not, hopping under the aegis of their protection would see Justin and Cassius backing off.
But it didn't take me longer than a single pass over the grounds to notice. "They're not here," I muttered under my breath. None of them were. Even Hagrid, who was usually helping the firsties and could be easily spotted sticking out their midst like a bear amongst ducklings, was nowhere to be found.
The two Slytherin fifth-years had almost reached the bottom of the stairs, and I knew I couldn't waste anymore time waiting for a rescue that wouldn't come. So when the next group of students tried to pass by me, I pushed off the biggest one and ran toward the train. The boy yelled something at my back, but I wasn't listening.
A morsel of a plan started forming in my mind as I dashed past the trio of giggling Puffs, ran halfway across the platform, and hopped into the first carriage I could find, snapping the door close behind me.
The sudden quiet inside the carriage was jarring. In comparison, my breath was loud in my ears. Clearly, Octavian was no athlete. I could not have run for more than 10 seconds, and my heart thundered in my chest as if I'd run a marathon.
The only sound beside my own breathing was the conversation inside the compartment to my right. The curtains were drawn in both, but I saw glimpses of Gryffindor colors inside each of them. Not here, then.
Without stopping, I moved onto the next carriage. This one had full compartments too, and I swallowed the knot in my throat. I'd be locked in the train with Cassius and Justin for some eight hours, and they would be coming for my head no matter how long it took. I'd seen the result of Slytherin discipline plenty of times and I had no intention of being on the wrong end of their wands.
If they got me, I wouldn't even be able to go to the professors. That was the number one unspoken rule in Slytherin. No matter what happened, you solved your problems in-house. And if you ended up needing to see the healer, well, then clearly you had just fallen down some stairs or slipped on the bathroom.
The one kid who broke the rule while I was in school lasted three days before he had a sudden change of mind and decided to study for his OWLs and NEWTs from home.
The next carriage over was an open-seater with an aisle cutting through the middle and rows of benches on each side. It seemed to be a neutral spot in the train, as students of all houses mingled in eclectic groups despite their colors. They all talked loudly and without reservation, almost like normal school children should without a house-system to separate them.
Unfortunately for me, I doubt I'd find solace with any of them. The only Slytherin in the carriage, an older sixth year, gave me a disdainful look before turning back to his Ravenclaw friends. He would know the rules and stop anyone from helping me, no doubt.
So I darted down the aisle as fast as I could, dodging students moving from one group to the other and stepping over a Gryffindor couple that'd gotten a little too hot. I needed an empty compartment for myself, not this anarchy.
When I was half-way through the carriage, the door I had come through cracked open, and without thinking I dove behind an empty row of benches. The other students went suddenly quiet, startled by my jump. The Slytherin sixth year even took his wand out.
I held my breath for a moment, gripping my wand despite how useless I knew it would be. But no spellfire came.
Laughter did though. Peeking over the bench I'd hidden behind, I had to force down my embarrassment when I saw a second year girl poke her head into the carriage, blush, and turn back around upon seeing all the older students.
Needless to say, I left the carriage in hurried steps under a hail of mocking jeers. My day just kept getting better.
Two other carriages with full compartments and I had almost lost hope when the bathroom door in front of me opened with a soft groan. I stopped cold, but to my surprise Isaac Selwyn stepped out instead of some elaborate ambush.
"Hey—"
"Do you have an empty compartment?" I cut in.
Isaac took it in stride. "Next carriage over, why?"
I strode past him without saying a word, only looking back over my shoulder to make sure no one was bursting through the carriage door.
Footsteps followed behind me. "They are after you, aren't they?"
"Cassius might have mentioned wanting to sell me life insurance." I crossed onto the next carriage.
Isaac paused by the door. "Well, I'm not sure I want to be around when he closes on that deal."
Shaking my head, I turned to give him a dry look. "You're not being very reassuring, you know?"
Isaac shrugged. "I wasn't trying to be."
That was fair. I didn't think he could reassure me even if he tried.
We walked past two occupied compartments before we stopped at an empty one.
"Here," Isaac said.
I didn't waste any time. Kneeling by the door, I studied the doorknob before me. Despite his talent for it, Octavian had never bothered to push his limits in the art of enchanting. His works were all toys and trinkets and little magical utensils. I didn't know why he never thought of shoring off his weaknesses with the only thing he could be considered a genius in.
Still, with his memories, I knew just how useful some of the enchantments used in those pieces could be when applied differently. And while I couldn't just fashion myself a new enchanted item here that would let me beat Cassius' and Justin's asses all the way to the common room, I could just use one of Octavian's best sellers.
I just needed a little help.
"Do you know a locking spell?" I asked, glancing up at Isaac.
"The one I know is not going to stop Cassius for long," he said. He didn't seem to like the idea of being in the same compartment as me when that happened.
I didn't blame him. We weren't quite friends enough to take an ass beating for each other.
"It doesn't have to," I said. "Just buy me some time and lock the door to the carriage."
He paused for a moment, giving me a long considering look. I stared back, and he made his decision quickly enough. Whatever he saw made him nod and run back the way we came, muttering beneath his breath.
When Isaac came back half a minute later, I already had my wand out, the tip pressing against the door handle.
He frowned when he saw me. "What are you doing?"
Octavian with a wand in hand must have had him reconsidering his decision. Instead, I just grinned. "Watch."
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