Chapter 2: As Pike walked down a grassy field, he stared into the forbidden forest. He sat on the grass, shivering as the early morning dew soaked into his clothes. He wondered how long it would take before his father sent what he called his 'henchmen' to find him. He shook the thought off and decided to enjoy the moment. Laying down in the grass he stared at the sky, and took the freshly rolled joint out of his pocket, and lit it with a sigh. "I'm fucked up." he admitted to himself, and for once though of what his mother would think if she had seen him like this. Looking away from the clouds he took a puff of the joint, taking in the smoke. He could see the Quidditch field from where he was laying, and he took not on how it was quickly being prepared, and he spotted a dark-haired figure from near the top of the stands. Immediately he knew it was his father, but he was too far away to see the anger etched on his face. Pike had gotten so used to seeing it, to him it was a permanent and irremovable feature. He took another drag on the joint and suddenly got the unshakeable feeling that he was being watched. He quickly put the joint out on a damp part of the grass, and took a look around. He stared into the forbidden forest and got the feeling that someone was calling him, drawing him to it. "No! I will not be your Pawn!" he screamed, and birds flocked out of the trees and began to swarm towards him. He got up and began to run, regretting that he had ever lit the joint up, it was slowing him down, making him drag. Or maybe it was something darker than that, he was not sure. Snape looked up from his place in the stands when he heard the scream, and he suddenly ran towards the voice. He knew it was his son, and he knew he needed help. Sweat beaded at Snape's forehead as he struggled to reach his son. Seeing the flock of crows and other various birds made Snape gasp, not even his son, with all his abilities could hold back that many. Terror gripped the both of them as the swarm thickened and closed in, and forced Pike to the ground. Snape noted the grim determination on his son's face and got the feeling of being proud of him for once in his life, and then he too jumped into the thick of it all to save his son. Pike turned his head and noticed his father, and began to use his strength and telekinesis to clear a path. Their strength combined would be no help if it wasn't directed from the same area. Snape immediately noticed the blood streaming from his son's eyebrow and chest, and he wondered how bad his back was. "Comlathia de comentria!" Snape shouted, and almost as abruptly as the flock came, it simply left. Pike collapsed into an exhausted heap on the ground, blood oozing from his wounds. "What in the hell were you doing out here?" Snape screamed, "You could have been killed! I'll take you to the infirmary, but then you have some explaining to do Pike!" Pike merely looked at the ground and shook his head. He had disappointed his father once again, and when his wounds had been taken care of, he knew there would be hell to pay. Groaning as he put his arm around his father, he didn't notice the look of concern etched on his father's face. Snape wondered how one as young and inexperienced as him could have possibly survived the attack, and he wondered how much power his son had that not even Pike discovered yet. After mumbling furiously the whole way to the infirmary, Snape looked his son square in the eyes and said "I have to say I'm rather impressed, very few could have survived that. But don't think that this will get you out of trouble." He sneered, he did not like telling his son that he was even remotely proud of him, "You put yourself in danger and others, after they treat the wounds we will have words about this." "Dad I can explain!" Pike said almost pleading with his father, "It wasn't my fault! Father!" Snape was not having any of it, and he turned around and walked away. Pike collapsed on one of the infirmary beds in his exhaustion and worry, he knew that his father would never be proud of him, or anything he did. He wished desperately that he could be something that his father would be proud of, something that his father could love and treat like his son. He suddenly became extremely angry and swung himself up and punched the walls, and then ran his blood-streaked hands through his hair, and sunk into a small figure crouched in the corner, covering his face with his hands. He began to rock back and forth, and he felt a hand touch his shoulder, "Don't fucking touch me! Everything I touch turns to shit." Pike's voice was on the verge of breaking and he forced the horrible lump in his throat back down. Slowly he forced himself to look up, and he saw Lee standing over him, staring at him with something resembling sympathy, maybe it was sympathy, but could not tell, he was only thankful that Lee was there. "Come on Pike. Something has to be done about your wounds, you're losing too much blood." Lee said quietly, and Pike allowed Lee to lead him over to the nurse, who incredibly enough, already had the needle ready to stitch his wounds.