Eleven

I sat in the Great Hall the next morning, avoiding all of my classes. Nike had left me in the bed early that morning. She hadn't said anything but I had heard her begin to cry. I had done so many things wrong in the past twenty four hours that I could not bear the thought of looking at Avery, fear that she would find out about Nike.

There was clapping at the doors of the Great Hall. I looked and saw Sam Finnigan.

"Well, what've we got here? A lonely Malfoy without any of his accomplices." He walked over and sat across from me. "That is to say, outside of the Zodiac Alliance."

"You killed Sinistra." I said quietly, forbidding myself to wring his neck.

"So what if I did?"

"You wanted her to stop feeding information to me." Finnigan laughed and slammed his fist down on the table. I winced.

"You're goddamn right I did. I know you think you have control over this situation, but it won't last. I've got things to do that you cannot get in the way of, Malfoy." I stared at him; he looked so much like his father.

"You're nothing like your father." I told him. "You're not brave at all."

"HA!" Finnigan howled. "And he was? Malfoy take a look at your own father before you start comparing-"

"I did. I've forgiven Draco. A son could never forgive you, though. You are as dark as they come and I'd sooner have you fed to a hag than be in any alliance of mine." Finnigan smiled and shook his head.

"When are you going to realize I don't a flying fuck what you'd prefer, Malfoy? I have things to do; none of them involve creating a friendship with you." He stood up and walked out of the Great Hall, the doors slamming behind him.

I returned back to my dorm that night. The place was the cleanest I had seen it since Avery and I had moved in. She didn't come back until late that night and when she did, she didn't look at me, just went straight to her room. I had refused to go to dinner, telling McGonagall that I wasn't able to eat for some reason or another.

I sat up, held my chin against my closed fist, my elbows against my knees. If anything could have changed my mind about Avery, it would have been to have sex with another woman. I valued Nike's company, but I wasn't in love with her like I was with Avery. The loneliness of it all reflected on me like a magnifying glass to an ant on a sunny day.

I slept in my own bed that night.

The days passed on and I soon found myself in Hogsmeade with Dev on Halloween. We were drinking butterbeers. Dacia was there as well, crying to us about how Caine Nott had denied her many advances. I knew why, though. He was falling for Nike and it was apparent she was falling for him, telling Harper that it just wasn't going to work out. I looked at Dev who was trying his hardest not to laugh at his depressed whore of a sister.

"Look, Dasch, it's not your fault." I said to her. "You should go to Salem for Holiday; I heard there are a lot of nice guys in America." Dev burst out laughing and Dacia shot him a look. I had sincerely been trying to cheer her up as she was putting a severe damper on our night.

"Dev shut up!" She yelled, standing up.

"Oh go to hell, Dacia. It's your fault you can't find a man. You brought it upon yourself." Dev said with laughter. I resisted laughing as well. Dacia wiped her eyes.

"You know what, maybe if you had just been nice to me all these years I wouldn't be like this!" She walked away from the table. Dev laughed even harder.

"God bless her withered soul." Dev said as she walked out of the bar. I smiled and gulped the rest of my butterbeer. "So tell me; why aren't you out of with Avery on this fine night." I shook my head and looked down as a butterbeer floated over to me and set down in front of me, the glasses contents floating and swirling around.

"We broke up a couple weeks ago."

"Why? I thought you were meant to be."

"It just wasn't working. I have things that needed to be tended to, and she had her own…things." Dev rolled his eyes.

"You're still in love with her. Where is she tonight?"

"I would imagine at the Gryffindor party with Albus and James."

"Where are they having that? In the tower?" I shook my head.

"No, the Shrieking Shack tonight."

"Well come on, let's go." Dev said, leaving money on the table for the both of us.

"We shouldn't. It's a Gryffindor party."

"Ah, she's not in Gryffindor is she?" I followed him out into the cold and then to the Shrieking Shack where loud music was blaring. I stopped for a moment, looking up at the room where I had spent the night with Nike. I winced at the thought and kept following Dev.

Inside, tons of members from every house lingered, except that of Slytherin. Dev wasted no time in associating himself with a group of Ravenclaw girls. I stalked into the kitchen where Hufflepuff girls were discussing their choice of boys for the night. Meredith Thomas was among them and she was eyeing me, heavily, but not in the way that the others were. I grabbed a drink from one of the four bins which were all filled with alcoholic drinks. I then walked out and found myself in what must have been the dining room at one point. Avery was there, talking to Jackson Wood from Gryffindor. He looked much like his father but was on the rebellious side, giving many of the professors a run for their money.

I narrowed my eyes at the scene, finding Avery smiling at him as he whispered. I cleared my throat, jealousy infesting my bones. Just then, Nike walked in the room with Caine behind her. She shot Avery an instant glare. I laughed and looked at Nike and Caine.

"Well, where are the other eight!" I shouted with a laugh at the end. Avery and Jackson looked over, the latter confused as well as Caine. Nike looked nervous; Avery looked annoyed.

"Don't do this, Scorpius." Nike whispered at me. "Don't make a fool of yourself." She nearly mouthed the last part, just barely audible.

"What're you doing here, Malfoy?" Jackson asked. "Invite only."

"I invited him and if you were smart, you'd stay away from her." Nike warned Jackson. Avery was beginning to get pissed off with Nike, their eyes locking from across the room.

"What would you do if I didn't, Shacklebolt?" Jackson countered. Nike took her wand from her long coat and pointed it at him.

"I won't kill you; I'm not allowed. But you'd be begging for it afterwards."

"Yeah? Because I'd turn my wand on you in a second's time…for good." Jackson said. Caine pulled out his own wand. I witnessed Avery looking down, suddenly becoming ashamed of the scene she had created.

"Are you forgetting who the Minister of Magic is?" Caine asked Jackson.

"No; does he fight his daughter's battles?"

"He could imprison you for the rest of your life if I even mentioned the idea." Nike cautioned. Avery looked at me.

"Look what you've gone and caused." Avery spoke and her words hit me like a thousand knives that had just been sharpened.

"I hardly think he's caused anything." A new voice came. I looked to the doorway opposite of Nike. "You're the one instigating the situation by allowing yourself to become prey to Jackson Wood." It was Meredith Thomas. She had always had a knack for coming to the underdog's rescue. Shortly after her arrival to the scene came Albus Potter. Outstanding, I thought to myself.

But Albus pulled such a move that I wouldn't have recognized his actions if I hadn't seen him enter the room. He walked over to Jackson Wood and grabbed him by the collar, slamming him hard against the wall behind him. Avery stepped back, astonished.

"I advise you to back away from my sister, Jackson. She's not up for the taking."

"Oh yes I am, Al." Avery said bitterly.

"Not under my watch you aren't." Albus warned her, keeping his dark eyes on his classmate. "Wood is ten times the filth Malfoy could ever be." Albus gave Jackson one last shove into the wall before letting him go and turning to Avery. I looked at Nike and then found myself racing out of the house.

I made it halfway back to Hogwarts before I heard my name being called out into the dark night.

"Malfoy!" It was a low and thunderous voice that rocked me. "HEY!" I stopped and looked back, just reaching the Hogwarts gates. Albus Potter had followed me back to Hogwarts. "I stand up for you and you run away like a child!" He bellowed.

"I wasn't running away." I told him.

"Not even appreciative of what I've done for you back there?"

"I am. But the situation is bigger than that." We were face to face the next moment, Albus looking infuriated. He didn't smell of alcohol, though.

"You're going to tell me the situation right now then." He demanded. I hesitated, unsure where he was coming from. "I know about the Zodiac and the rumor is that you are at the head of it."

"I am. Nike Shacklebolt, Caine Nott, Meredith Thomas, Wood, Finnigan…they're all a part of it and they all know."

"But Avery isn't?" I nodded. "So why are you broken up with her then?"

"It's complicated. There's something about her that you don't know…not even your mother knows. And no one can know. I'm only telling you because-"

"You trust me to take care of her." I nodded.

"Have you ever heard of an Abraxus?" He thought for a moment.

"The term sounds familiar but I can't put a finger to it."

"They're rare beings I guess. Long story short, Avery is half of one, her father being full. She has to leave-"

"Twice a month to go up north." I nodded.

"She feeds off of newborn blood when she's away." Albus cringed at the sound.

"And you're sure of this?" I nodded.

"She told me so herself. I freaked out-"

"As would most men. Can't bring a child into this world if you're just going to want to kill them."

"Right. She hasn't talked to me since then." Albus looked like he was thinking.

"If she won't help I will. I know Sam's been up to something; hasn't been right since he was missing." He told me quietly. I looked past him, figures catching my eye as they moved forward.

"Someone's coming." I told him. He turned around taking out his wand. As the figures came closer, it was apparent that it was two girls and a boy; Nike, Meredith, and Caine.

"You have to tell her what's going on…both of them!" Nike shouted.

We rushed back to the school, up the stairs and to Albus' dorm. His roommate was at the party thankfully, and we knew if we had dared to step foot in my dorm, there would be a good chance that Avery would walk in and cause an uncomfortable situation. We sat down, Albus in one of the living chairs, myself in the opposite, and the others on the sofa. Albus had pushed off all of the things on the coffee table and gave me parchment as well as an enchanted quill.

"First off, how did you find out?" I asked Meredith. The quill lifted off the table and began scribbling onto the parchment in my handwriting. Meredith watched it before she began.

"There have been rumors about it ever since the first party in the woods, that there were twelve students who were part of something bigger. I knew that it was likely that you would have something to do with it-"

"So your father doesn't know about it then?" She shook her head. "Go on."

"I knew that you and Sam would play major roles in it. And then I started hearing about Nike, that she was involved. And then I knew once she became involved with Caine that he had to be in the Alliance as well. Somehow I knew I was in it too. I just knew." I nodded.

"You are. I need to know what you can do."

"As far as new power?" Albus asked. Again I nodded. We all concentrated on Meredith as she looked around the room for an example. A vase on top of the fireplace mantel caught her attention. It began to shake on top of the mantel and then it stopped. There was a hissing sound coming from within and then a mass amount of scorpions came crawling out the top and down the sides. When they reached the floor, all of us found ourselves standing on top of the furniture, panicking as we looked down at the monsters.

"Is that all?" I asked, but my question was answered in seconds. A growth in the corners of the room caught my eye; vines were springing where the floor met the walls and from behind the portraits. Within minutes, the room was a jungle, arachnids of all types exploding out of orifices of the room.

"I can make it happen with most small animals but lately it's only been scorpions. That's how I knew."

"Can you make it go away?" Albus asked, eyeing the scorpion that was making its way along the arm of his chair. The arachnids began crawling back to where they came from and the growth went back into the corners of the room.

"Remind me again what you are in the Zodiac, Meredith?" I asked, all of us sitting back down, but checking to make sure none of the critters had gotten left behind.

"Sagittarius, the Archer."

"And I assume you're skilled in the Defense Against the Dark Arts then?"

"Quite so." She replied. "I have a feeling, though, that what I can do now, with the scorpions, will grow." I nodded.

"I think so too."

"What about you, Caine? What can you do?" Albus asked. Caine stood and dug deep into his pockets. As I imagined he would, he pulled out all different stones, including the Resurrection Stone. He poured them onto the table and looked at both Albus and I. Albus was confused.

"What are they?"

"One of them is a Deathly Hallow that was once in your father's possession. The others all have different purposes but they all involve a certain aspect of life. This one," He said picking up a small, flat, and reddish stone. "I crafted to bring factual knowledge into any subject one needs to know. And this one," He held up another stone, this time square and purple. "Can be given to master any skill you seek." He grabbed a third stone, dark gray and circular. "This is possibly the most powerful of them. You could transform yourself into any being you wish."

"Impossible." Albus said, stunned.

"It's not. I've tried it. Once. I wouldn't try it ever again." Albus and I looked at each other. "I've crafted twelve stones, each representing the phrase of a Zodiac sign. Scorpius, yours would be the stone of Desire, the one I just showed you. The purple, is the stone of Knowing for the Aquarius, and the red one is the stone of Seeking for Sagittarius."

"What's mine?" Nike asked. Caine looked at her.

"Taurus," I reminded Nott.

"The stone of Encompassing," He said and picked up an arrowhead shaped stone. "Naturally, one feels like they can trust you." Nike glanced at me. "The stone allows one to be trusted by anyone, gaining any secret they desire."

"So you didn't actually make the stones for the Zodiac to use them." Albus said. Caine shook his head.

"I made them for anyone to possess a quality they don't have that one of the other Zodiac characters has. Nike could use the stone of Desire."

"But surely Scorpius can't shape shift." Albus said.

"Not physically, no. This is what makes the stone of Desire the most powerful, as well as the most dangerous. All twelve of the stones are dangerous and very specific. One would have to use them to understand."

"One of them can surely give you yes or no answers then?" I asked. Nott looked back at me and nodded.

"The stone of Curiosity, representing the Gemini."

"What kind of questions does it answer?" Albus asked.

"Any factual questions, anything that has a certain answer."

"So you couldn't ask it how this Alliance will end up." I said. Caine shook his head.

"I'm not that advanced in Divination or Astronomy, whichever subject you see fit for this situation." I nodded.

"Can I see the stone?" He picked up a stone which was engraved with two lines running parallel to each other.

Where is Avery? I questioned. The answer came to me with no hesitation. I just knew that she was in her bed, tossing and turning. I ached to go to her. I was slowly becoming overwhelmed with all the information Nott was feeding me. I was tired; I needed rest.

"And you?" Albus said, nodding towards Nike. "I assume you have your own power."

"Nike specializes in fire." I said, with no fuel to be there anymore.

"Anyone can specialize in that." Albus said. I looked up from the stone.

"Nike could set the world ablaze if it barely crossed her mind." I told him. "I have to go." I rose and set the stone down. I grabbed the pages of parchment, all with new information scribed on them, and left the room without another word. I knew they were puzzled.

I went back to my dorm and for the first time in many weeks, I had a headache.

I sat down on the couch and the plates slowly came whirring out. I extinguished the fire, fearing Nike might be looking through the flames at me. Somehow I felt that she could do that. I extinguished the rest of the lights on in the dorm and proceeded to lie down. My head felt as if it might explode with all the new things I had learned.

I laid there for hours, listening to the soft song that the plates were playing for me. I dozed off a couple times but could not stay asleep. It was in the early morning when I felt her crawl on top of me, lay her head on my chest, and I stroked her hair, which I could now feel had been cut.

Her face felt swollen and moist with tears as I rested my palm against her warm cheek. She sniffed as I ran my fingers through her now shoulder length hair. As we laid there, I questioned what my own power was. I had nothing special to offer the Alliance. I was skilled in the Dark Arts, but they were as well. They all had something significant they could fight the world with. I was just a brood.

Avery stopped my hand from going through her hair and she wrapped my arm around her back.

"I've never been so in love." I told her.

"I told them." She whispered lifting her head off of my chest. She was crying harder now. She didn't have to go into any further detail. I knew what she meant. She had told the rest of the Alliance that they were a part of the prophecy and she had done so out of demoralizing anger. The two of us sat up and I pinched the bridge of my nose, my eyes burning.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered. I put my hands over my face and let out a heaving exhale. I nodded for the last time that night.

"It'll all be okay, Ave." I said, pulling my face away from my hands and looking at her. "Tell me it will all be okay." She put her hands on my cheeks and nodded with me.

"It will all be okay." She told me; she lied to me. She kissed me and I kissed her back. I knew that the next day would be the dawn of the war. I embraced her for that night.