I was officially having the worst summer ever.
First, I had come home to find that my room had been completely redecorated in my absence and converted it a library. (My parents' excuse: you'll need a place to study before you go back to school!) Second, my boyfriend sent me a hasty letter ending our relationship. (Which I wasn't really that cut up about, it just seemed very impersonal.) Third, I found out that not only was I not Quidditch captain next year, I was not even Head Girl. It was really kind of pathetic, for my family, at least.
You see, the Whitacre family is famous for raising generation after generation of Ravenclaw, each extraordinary in some way. My great aunt was a Seer, my grandfather was an Animagus, my dad was a Metamorphogus, my great-great uncle was Minister of Magic, my brother was one of the best Aurors around... You get the point. So everyone was kind of disappointed when I didn't get anything. Sure, I was still a prefect, an excellent Keeper, and top of my year, but that was so insignificant compared to what I might have been.
I, ever the tempestuous one, rose dramatically from my seat at the dinner table, throwing down the letter in the process. Vaguely, I considered the fact that my Hogwarts letter would now be on display to the entire family, but I continued towards the door. I was in desperate need of a good, long fly, if only to prove to myself that I was certainly good enough to have gotten captain. Besides, the open air would help to clear my mind.
It didn't matter that I wasn't being sensible, like a Ravenclaw should be. I just knew that I wanted to go outside, so I did. The forest behind my house (or mansion, as the case may be) was already dark; we ate dinner particularly late that night. I wasn't concerned, though. Years of living there had taught me the ins and outs of the woods and I was confident I could find my way home.
"Arden!" a voice called from behind me. I barely paused.
"Go away, Tristan," I responded flatly. My older brother, however thoughtful, was not someone I wanted to see right now. I didn't want to listen to him ramble about all of his accomplishments, which was undoubtedly what he would do. Tristan and I may have been close, but it was in our family's nature to brag. Without waiting for a response, I grabbed my broom and headed for the forest.
"Arden, come on, it's no big deal-" Ignoring him, I mounted my broom. "What are you doing?"
"I'm going for a fly," I muttered, finally responding to him. His blue eyes widened.
"What? No- Arden, it could be dangerous," he warned me. "It's too late to go out." I snorted.
"Calm down, Trist. It's our own property, not the Forbidden Forest."
"Still," he argued. "It's not worth the risk- ARDEN!"
I kicked off the ground without waiting for him to finish, soaring towards the sky. The stars twinkled invitingly at me, like they were beckoning me higher. I sighed. Night flying was always my favorite. The world seemed so infinite at nighttime. There was no visible horizon line; the universe was completely and totally limitless. If I flew far enough, maybe I could find some place that thought I was good enough.
Tristan was behind me in an instant. He looked angry, something that was rare for him. Mostly, he just looked terrified. I couldn't imagine what he would be scared of, though. We had been basically raised in the woods, spending our childhood having picnics by the lake. It wasn't like there was a dragon lurking about, waiting to pounce. The only difference was it was dark now.
The fact was, it wasn't logical to be scared just because it was night. The forest stayed the exact same, no matter the hour of day. I would have thought an accomplished Ravenclaw like my brother would have realized that.
Suddenly, a haunting song pierced the night. Never in my life had I heard something sound so pained. The cry was a mix between a scream and a howl, like some kind of demon had just been released. Immediately, my training kicked in. I needed to get out of there, I needed to get home, I needed to get safe. Tristan briefly crossed my mind, but I pushed my worries away. He was an Auror, after all. He would be okay.
I made a sharp turn on my broom, racing back towards home. And that's when I saw it. The full moon. Which could only mean...
The werewolf howled from below us. Adrenaline pounded through my veins, pushing me to act, but I couldn't seem to move. Apparently, there was a reason I wasn't sorted into Gryffindor. I couldn't even bring myself to fly any farther. My grip on the broomstick loosened slowly. A werewolf was in our forest. How could we possibly escape? How could I possibly be so stupid?
Another howl rang through the air. It would seem that the creature had scented us. Almost immediately, Tristan sprang into action.
"We need to hide, Arden. Now," he told me tersely. My eyes widened.
"Hide? As in... In the forest?" I breathed, feeling dizzy. Suddenly I found myself seriously doubting my brother's state of mind. Maybe he had gone insane...
"The more still we are, the better. The werewolf will smell us more if we're being active, like trying to run away. Now land, and stay completely silent."
Despite my reservations, I obeyed. Shakily, I planted my feet on the ground, wrapping my hands around the wand tucked away in my back pocket. I was still sixteen, so the Ministry would have grounds to expel me if I used it, but I decided I'd rather be alive and out of Hogwarts than dead. Tristan reached the forest floor right after me, pushing me protectively into a bush.
"Shh, Arden," he soothed, noticing the silent tears that weaved down my face. "Just wait it out..."
I couldn't help but wonder how long he expected me to stay huddled in a bush for. The werewolf wouldn't be gone until the morning, and that seemed centuries away. How could we possibly survive this? I wasn't brave or courageous like him; I was more a classroom kind of girl. This was leagues out of my element.
Another howl echoed through the trees, causing both of us to jump. Instinctively, I reached for my wand, but Tristan grabbed my hand, raising a finger to his lips.
'Why not?' I mouthed to him. He didn't reply, only squeezing my hand. The ground vibrated with footsteps and I whimpered quietly. The creature was getting closer and closer.
"I have to stop it, Ar," Tristan whispered, already tip-toeing out of our hiding place. I nearly screamed. He slapped his hand over my mouth. "Sorry, Arden. I know you'll hate me for this, but I can't let you get hurt." My eyes widened in question. What was he talking about? "Silencio," he muttered, pointing his own wand at my mouth. I fought against him more wildly than ever. He couldn't expect me to watch him sacrifice himself, could he?
Without another word, he bounded into the light. The beast let out a ferocious roar. My eyes screwed shut of their own accord. I couldn't see this. It didn't change the fact that I heard every scream, though. Every cry of pain and curse. My cheeks burned with shame at my uselessness. Why couldn't I just be better at non-verbal spells? During the school year, I was one of the best in our class at it, but now all my experience seemed to fly away. My brain was muddled with pictures of me and my brother playing in this very forest so carelessly. How could this be the same place?
What seemed like eons later, I heard the werewolf lumbering away, it's hunger satisfied. My brother's screams had diminished to low moans that made my blood run cold. I could feel the Silencing charm wearing off as he grew weaker and weaker. Nearly blinded by my tears, I stumbled out of the bush to crouch beside Tristan. I groped his neck for a pulse, but was horrified to find none. I pulled my hand away, gagging at the stench of blood.
"Please, Tristan, please," I begged, despite knowing he wouldn't hear me. The fact that the charm had completely lost it's affect only solidified the fear that he was dead. "No," I gasped, not caring if that monster heard me. Maybe I could be braver this time, now that I had a death to avenge. A mangled sob gurgled in my throat. "Why did you have to follow me out here? Why?"
Tears leaked out of my eyes even more rapidly as I realized that he had died for me. If I hadn't been so bloody stupid, if I'd just acted like the proper Ravenclaw for once in my life and thought this whole thing through, I wouldn't have lured him into the forest, thrown him to his death. It was my fault even more than it was the werewolf's: I should have known better, the werewolf couldn't have realized what it was doing. I was utterly disgusted with myself and I knew that my parents would be too.
In a horrifying moment of deja vu, the werewolf wailed again. Apparently, I had been wrong; it still yearned for blood. Every bone in my body screamed at me to run, but I couldn't just leave Tristan there for that creature to devour. Nauseously, I wrapped my arms around his limp torso, dragging him with me as I fled. Usually, I could sprint home in a matter of minutes; weighed down by my brother's body it might have taken hours.
Finally, I reached my familiar backyard. The first rays of sun were filtering through the canopy of trees overhead and I couldn't help but think that the werewolf would be changing back right about now. Blood smeared on the grass behind me as I lugged Tristan's corpse to the back door, pounding on it for help. I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted me parents to do about his death; it wasn't like they could bring him back. I just needed to think that there was some way I could right my innumerable wrongs.
Almost as soon as I reached the door, my mother swung it open. Her jaw hung as she beheld her only daughter holding the dead body of her only son. I knew how it most have looked, what with me covered with blood, but I couldn't bring myself to explain the situation more eloquently than, "Werewolf. Forest. Tristan..." In a hollow voice, Mum summoned Dad downstairs. Simultaneously, the two burst into tears. I couldn't help but feel like I was intruding on their moment of mourning; my father would never willingly cry in front of me. On the other hand, it wasn't like I could go quietly sit in my room after the night I had just had.
"I-I'm so sorry," I said lowly, trying to fill the void. Mum raised her eyes slowly, looking at me as if I was some kind of alien. I waited for her reassurance that it wasn't my fault, that it would be okay, but it never came. Instead, she spoke in an unwavering, unsympathetic tone.
"I bet you are."
A/N: Thoughts? I really hope you all like it. Without sounding braggy, I thought it was kinda good... Comment and favorite please! You guys are the best!