I'm upping the rating one more time...you'll see why...
5.
Scant leaves clung to the twisted trees; Lucius was used to seeing
all the trees around Malfoy Manor bare by this time of year. Most of the trees were skeletal. The bare branches chittered in the wind.
An angry maelstrom of leaves whirled deeper into the woods.
Above the dark treetops, the stars glittered. He couldn't see the
moon,but he knew that it was full.
His partner leaned against a nearby tree.
"So where are the monsters?" he asked.
"Around," Lucius said.
"They could be watching us?"
"At least they're not under your skin," Lucius said. "You know,I
don't even know your name."
"Hughes," he said. "Charleston Hughes."
"Hughes," Lucius thought for a moment. "I don't know that name."
"We keep to ourselves."
The leaves felt soggy under his feet. They were thick and squishy;
Lucius had to kick a few away from his boots.
Somewhere above him,a bird screeched. The sound echoed all through
the dark forest. Lucius shivered,and then chastised himself. If
that idiot giant Hagrid could come here without fear, surely they
were in no real danger.
"Hughes," Lucius said, "Talk to me."
He could no longer see his feet. A thick mist had settled over the forest floor.
"About what?"
"I don't know," Lucius said. "Have you always been what you are?"
"I wanted to be a pathologist," Hughes said. "I-"
He stopped in his tracks.
"Did you hear that?"
Lucius looked back at him.
"I didn't hear a thing," Lucius said.
Then,ahead of him,a tree branch fell into the mist.
Lucius laughed. A moment later,Charleston started to laugh.
He clapped Lucius on the back,"I'm sorry," he said,trying not to choke on his laughter.
"It's all right," Lucius said.
The wind picked up again.
Above the whistling wind, a nearby tree began to shake.
As they watched, the tree uprooted itself and ascended into the sky.
"Whoa," Charleston said.
"My sentiments exactly."
Another tree,its proximity closer,tore itself away from the ground
and ascended to the stars.
Then,there was silence.
The forest was absolutely still.
"What-"
"Shhhh..." Lucius said.
He stepped into a small treeless glade; a pool of water held
moonlight in its depths. Strange,how he could see the fat full
moon in the water's reflection but not in the sky.
"Lucius?"
Lucius looked back at Charleston.
His eyes grew big as dinner plates.
"Lucius? What is it?"
Too late,he realized Lucius wasn't looking at him. Lucius was staring
at what was behind him. More specifically-
-above him.
"Oh,sh-"
A wave of hot air washed over Charleston.
Lucius raised the Uzi and squeezed the trigger.
A huge glop of thick stuff splooged out of the barrel. It didn't
look exactly liquescent. But it certainly wasn't a hail of hot lead,
either.
Lucius took off running in the other direction.
"Lucius,come back-"
Another wave of burning air swept across his body. This was so
hot that it burned worse than withdrawl; Charleston fell to the ground,landing on his back,writhing and screaming in agony. He could feel skin falling away from his hands,from his face,and then he looked up to see the enormous dragon,an electric-blue Scottish Spiketail as it zeroed in on him,reared its head back and projected a stream of fire at its prey. Charleston Hughes never had a chance. All
the drugs in Charleston's system gave the poor dragon indigestion,but
otherwise,the spiketail ate well.
Lucius ran and ran,crashing through prickly brush and sharp tree
branches,cutting himself a number of times. He tripped over an
exposed tree root,and fell on his face into a muddy pile of leaves.
"Wingardium leviosa..."
Lucius rose into the air. Voldemort offered a clownish smile.
He's supposed to look like John Wayne Gacy,Lucius thought.
Voldemort pointed the Uzi at Lucius,pulled the trigger and splattered
him with custard from head to toe.
"What..." Lucius spluttered,"what is the MEANING-"
Voldemort shrugged. "It was a test. He failed. You're passing."
"How am I going to get out of here?"
"Sorry,Lucius. That's not my problem."
"I have been a devoted servant-"
"Yes,you certainly have," Voldemort said. "So you should know how
paranoid I can be. I don't know who to trust sometimes,Lucius. I
have confidence in you. I'm sure you'll get out of the forest alive."
"What am I going to do when I get to Hogwarts?"
"Improvise."
"IMPROVISE?"
"No need to shout,Lucius. Now excuse me,I'm in the middle of
kill...I mean trick-or-treating."
With a POP,he Disapparated again.
Lucius fell to the ground.
For a moment,he lay flat on his back and stared up at the moon.
5.
Scant leaves clung to the twisted trees; Lucius was used to seeing
all the trees around Malfoy Manor bare by this time of year. Most of the trees were skeletal. The bare branches chittered in the wind.
An angry maelstrom of leaves whirled deeper into the woods.
Above the dark treetops, the stars glittered. He couldn't see the
moon,but he knew that it was full.
His partner leaned against a nearby tree.
"So where are the monsters?" he asked.
"Around," Lucius said.
"They could be watching us?"
"At least they're not under your skin," Lucius said. "You know,I
don't even know your name."
"Hughes," he said. "Charleston Hughes."
"Hughes," Lucius thought for a moment. "I don't know that name."
"We keep to ourselves."
The leaves felt soggy under his feet. They were thick and squishy;
Lucius had to kick a few away from his boots.
Somewhere above him,a bird screeched. The sound echoed all through
the dark forest. Lucius shivered,and then chastised himself. If
that idiot giant Hagrid could come here without fear, surely they
were in no real danger.
"Hughes," Lucius said, "Talk to me."
He could no longer see his feet. A thick mist had settled over the forest floor.
"About what?"
"I don't know," Lucius said. "Have you always been what you are?"
"I wanted to be a pathologist," Hughes said. "I-"
He stopped in his tracks.
"Did you hear that?"
Lucius looked back at him.
"I didn't hear a thing," Lucius said.
Then,ahead of him,a tree branch fell into the mist.
Lucius laughed. A moment later,Charleston started to laugh.
He clapped Lucius on the back,"I'm sorry," he said,trying not to choke on his laughter.
"It's all right," Lucius said.
The wind picked up again.
Above the whistling wind, a nearby tree began to shake.
As they watched, the tree uprooted itself and ascended into the sky.
"Whoa," Charleston said.
"My sentiments exactly."
Another tree,its proximity closer,tore itself away from the ground
and ascended to the stars.
Then,there was silence.
The forest was absolutely still.
"What-"
"Shhhh..." Lucius said.
He stepped into a small treeless glade; a pool of water held
moonlight in its depths. Strange,how he could see the fat full
moon in the water's reflection but not in the sky.
"Lucius?"
Lucius looked back at Charleston.
His eyes grew big as dinner plates.
"Lucius? What is it?"
Too late,he realized Lucius wasn't looking at him. Lucius was staring
at what was behind him. More specifically-
-above him.
"Oh,sh-"
A wave of hot air washed over Charleston.
Lucius raised the Uzi and squeezed the trigger.
A huge glop of thick stuff splooged out of the barrel. It didn't
look exactly liquescent. But it certainly wasn't a hail of hot lead,
either.
Lucius took off running in the other direction.
"Lucius,come back-"
Another wave of burning air swept across his body. This was so
hot that it burned worse than withdrawl; Charleston fell to the ground,landing on his back,writhing and screaming in agony. He could feel skin falling away from his hands,from his face,and then he looked up to see the enormous dragon,an electric-blue Scottish Spiketail as it zeroed in on him,reared its head back and projected a stream of fire at its prey. Charleston Hughes never had a chance. All
the drugs in Charleston's system gave the poor dragon indigestion,but
otherwise,the spiketail ate well.
Lucius ran and ran,crashing through prickly brush and sharp tree
branches,cutting himself a number of times. He tripped over an
exposed tree root,and fell on his face into a muddy pile of leaves.
"Wingardium leviosa..."
Lucius rose into the air. Voldemort offered a clownish smile.
He's supposed to look like John Wayne Gacy,Lucius thought.
Voldemort pointed the Uzi at Lucius,pulled the trigger and splattered
him with custard from head to toe.
"What..." Lucius spluttered,"what is the MEANING-"
Voldemort shrugged. "It was a test. He failed. You're passing."
"How am I going to get out of here?"
"Sorry,Lucius. That's not my problem."
"I have been a devoted servant-"
"Yes,you certainly have," Voldemort said. "So you should know how
paranoid I can be. I don't know who to trust sometimes,Lucius. I
have confidence in you. I'm sure you'll get out of the forest alive."
"What am I going to do when I get to Hogwarts?"
"Improvise."
"IMPROVISE?"
"No need to shout,Lucius. Now excuse me,I'm in the middle of
kill...I mean trick-or-treating."
With a POP,he Disapparated again.
Lucius fell to the ground.
For a moment,he lay flat on his back and stared up at the moon.