CHAPTER TWO
Fiery fires burn,
Smoldering ash,
within the air.
Blackened bones,
Broken souls,
Death's enchanting song,
For ever playing.
And yet,
The fire burns.
Hagrid was still several feet away from the spot where Fang stood growling menacingly. He was breathing heavily when he finally reached Fang.
"Wha' are yeh growling at the tree fer? C'mon, we hav tah find Goyle."
Fang wouldn't budge. His teeth bared, Fang looked fixedly at the tree; growling furiously, his saliva dripping from his open mouth.
Hagrid frowned. He finally noticed a pool of black liquid at the root of the tree. He looked up and was taken aback by what he saw. His eyes widened as his face filled with shock.
"Wha' teh hell!"
After a few agonizing minutes, he scribbled a note and placed it on Fangs mouth.
"Fang,yeh teh go straight ter Profes'er Dumble'ore, understood?"
Fang wagged his tail furiously. With a loud bark, he took off, andquickly disappeared into the forest.
At the school grounds, Draco was with a fifth year Slytherin Prefect, looking for Goyle. Their search had yielded nothing.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Draco muttered. He was beginning to think of the worst possible scenario.
Tyrell murmured his agreement. "We've searched totally everywhere." Then he gave a start. "Remember last year, the Weasley twins disappearedand were rumored to be killed by You-Know-Who?" He glanced nervously at Draco. "Do you think something happened to Goyle?"
Draco grunted, he didn't want to imagine anymore what could possibly happen to Goyle. He stopped in his tracks.They have already reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"Why don't we take a look over there?" said Draco, pointing to the path leading to the dome, which was where he had last seen Goyle.
"You're bloody kidding, right?"
Silence.
"Snape told us to look within the school grounds."
Draco flicked him a look of disdain. "I'll go myself." He turned away, his face set, and purposely headed to the path leading to the dome.
Tyrell remained where he was, looking scared.
"Malfoy, you can't go there!"
"Try and stop me."
"What will Dumbledore say?"
"Scared?" taunted Draco. "Why don't you just go back to where you came from," he called out.
Tyrell took a deep breath, and started after Draco, muttering to himself. He quickened his pace to catch up with Draco.
"Malfoy, wait up!"
They took the path Draco suggested. The Forbidden Forest was creepy looking and unnaturally silent. Not a bird twittering could be heard. Just eerie silence.
Tyrell looked around him. He shuddered, apparently uneasy.
"Don't you feel like we're being watched?"
Draco didn't reply, he just continued in silence.
Perspiration trickled down Tyrell's face, his hands have turned cold and clammy.
"Malfoy, let's go back."
He kept glancing behind his back, fearing someone would attack them. His breath was coming in short gasps.
"Malfoy, do you hear me?"
He took three hesitant steps backward; poised to turn around and run back to the castle, when suddenly, a figure rushed past them at such lightning speed that it was merely a blur.
"What the bloody hell was that?"
"It's Fang!" Draco quickly guessed. "He came from that direction. Maybe Hagrid has found something."
He rushed towards the direction where Fang appeared. He heard Tyrell yelling at him to stop. Instead of slowing down, he chose toignore the prefect and quickened his steps, bent on finding Goyle. He stumbled upon Hagrid, who was oddly motionless, like a frozen statue.
"Did you see Goyle?" he asked the half-giant.
Hagrid didn't answer, his gaze glued at what's in front of him.
Draco followed Hagrid's transfixed gaze. What he saw made him turn rigid in shock. His face turned starkly white, and his mind went numb with shock.
"There you are," said Tyrell, gasping for breath. "What are you two looking at?"
He gasped.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," Tyrell said faintly. He fell on his knees, staring aghast at the thing in front of him.
They now knew the reason why Goyle couldn't be found. The discovery shocked them speechless. All the blood drained from their faces as they stared at the macabre sight.
Someone had transfigured Goyle into a horribly grotesque dead tree. His human head protruded above the bark of the tree; with mouth open in a silent scream, and a look of utmost terror on his face. A black tar-like liquid oozed out from the roots of the dead tree which they presumed was Goyle's blood.
Draco wanted to look away but couldn't. He was much too shocked at the sight to do anything but stare at what Goyle had become. It was like a horrible nightmare, he felt completely helpless to do anything but watch.
When Dumbledore, together with McGonagall and Snape, finally arrived on the scene led by Fang, they stopped dead in their tracks.
McGonagall gasped in shock. Snape's face was white with rage. Dumbledore looked pained.
"How could anyone be so evil to do this to a student."
"I don't know, Minerva."
Dumbledore slowly tore his gaze away from the grim specter and went to Hagrid, giving him instructions. Hagrid nodded, walked towards Fang and placed a leash on him.
"Come on, Fang."
Fang growled, seemingly reluctant to move.
"Let's go."
Hagrid had to pull the leash forcefully before Fang finally budged from his spot.
After Hagrid left, Dumbledore scribbled two more notes and handed them to Draco. "Please owl them immediately," he instructed to a very shocked Draco.
Draco, whose face remained chalky white, was still stunned. He just looked distractedly at the notes placed in his frozen hands, not saying anything. His mind was numbed with shock.
"What is your next class, Draco?" Dumbledore asked, his tone gentle.
"Double Potions with Gryffindors," was the slow answer. Draco finally looked up at Dumbledore, folded the notes and put them inside his robe pocket.
Dumbledore produced another note. "Give this to Professor Vector immediately, she will know what to do. Classes will be suspended. As a Prefect, tell your fellow sixth year Slytherins to stay in your common room. And for the mean time, not a word to anyone about this."
Draco nodded slightly and was about to turn away, when Dumbledore placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Steer clear of the Forbidden Forest for a while. You were the last one to talk with Mr. Goyle. I don't want any harm to come upon you. You may go."
Draco nodded and slowly walked away.
Dumbledore turned his attention to the white-faced, trembling Prefect.
"Please instruct the students to stay inside the castle. Nobody will be allowed to go out the school grounds unless accompanied by an instructor. Kindly refrain from telling anyone about this, I will make the announcement to the school later."
"Y-yes, Sir."
"You may go."
Tyrell turned to his heels and hurriedly went after Draco.
Dumbledore grimly faced the two professors.
"Albus, what should we do now?"
"We need to find out who did this."
Snape, still white-faced, remained quiet and was trembling with rage.
Dumbledore told McGonagall Goyle's last words to Draco.
"Malfoy had known all along?" McGonagall bristled furiously. "He should have told us immediately. Goyle needn't have died!"
"Mr. Malfoy is not to blame for Goyle's death," said Dumbledore firmly.
"But Albus," she protested. "Surely, Mr. Malfoy had some idea-"
"There is nothing Malfoy could have done," Snape said defensively."Dumbledore is right, Minerva.Draco had nothing to do with Goyle's murder."
She made an impatient sound.
Snape sighed. "If there is one person to blame, it should be me."
"Severus?" Mcgonagall sounded scandalized. "What are you saying?"
"As Head of the Slytherin House, it falls on my responsibility to make sure nothing happens to any of them."
"Nonsense." Mcgonagall shook her head. "How could you possibly have known?"
She sighed deeply.
"We need to know who Goyle referred to as evil," Snape said fiercely.
"Albus, they're alreadyin Hogwarts!" exclaimed McGonagall, clearly aghast. "Probably posing as students!"
Dumbledore with a grave determined look replied, "We are soon going to find out."
(to be continued
