Harry Potter (Boy 15, Gryffindor) was keeping watch over the front door as Hermione Granger (Girl 8, Gryffindor) took a much needed rest. After the two of them met up, she had practically fainted from exhaustion. He had promised to wake her in time for the morning announcement that would be in about a minute or so. He didn't want to wake her, though. She looked peaceful sleeping, and she had been so tired when she had come in earlier. But she'd be rather angry with him if he didn't, so he gently tried to rouse her from sleep.
"Hermione, wake up." She stirred a little, but didn't wake. "They'll be making the announcement soon."
She began to wake up when Mr. Montgomery's voice boomed cheerfully over the island. "Good morning, my pets! This is your supervisor, Mr. Montgomery! It's now 6 a.m., so wakey wakey."
Hermione's eyes flew open and she sat up straight, glancing to Harry worriedly.
The voice continued, with the same cheerfulness that enraged Harry. "I see you've been busy little beavers last night. You can't imagine how joyful that makes me. Now, then. The dead. First off, Boy 12, Ernie MacMillan."
Harry's stomach lurched. Ernie hadn't been dead when he had left. Someone must have finished him off after Harry left. Or maybe when the school became forbidden his collar blew up. It sickened Harry to know that he was responsible for someone's death, even if it was inadvertent.
"Next, we have Boy 17, Troy Summerby and Boy 18, Dean Thomas. Moving on to the girls we have Girl 6, Tracey Davis; Girl 9, Daphne Greengrass; Girl 12, Morag MacDougal; Girl 14, Diana Moon; and finally Girl 20, Lisa Turpin. Keep it up at this rate, and it's quite possible that we'll have a winner by midnight!"
Harry was stunned. Eight of his classmates were dead. No, nine. Seamus had died before they even left the classroom. Harry exchanged a glance with Hermione, who was crying.
"Now I'll announce the forbidden zones, so take out your maps and mark them, everybody. First off, in one hour's time -- that's 7 a.m. for those who can't tell time or count -- we have sector H-6."
H-6 was where the bulk of the residential section was located, and where Hermione had been hiding out previously.
"At 9 a.m. we have A-4 becoming forbidden, and G-2 will round things out at 11 a.m. You might want to leave these areas as soon as you can, my pets. I'll see some of you at noon!"
With that, the voice stopped. The two exchanged glances, then Hermione stood up, wiping the tears off of her face. "Ron's still alive. We have to find him."
Harry nodded, and got up as well. "We can't just wander around aimlessly, though. All I have is a knife. I don't think I can protect us with just this. Someone out there has a gun..."
Hermione broke down crying again. "They were right next door! I was hiding and they were right next door!" She grabbed onto him for support as he looked at her, stunned.
He remembered hearing the shots earlier. All he had known then was that they came from somewhere in the southeast. He realized than that it must have been from the residential section. Checking his map, he saw how very close they were to there. The assailant might be heading their way right this instant.
"We'll go north. Ron might be hiding in the forest. We'll find him. I promise."
Hermione nodded, wiping her tears once again. "I hope so."
Together, they walked outside.
31 students remaining
September 2 -- 6:12 a.m.
Ron Weasley (Boy 19, Gryffindor) hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. He couldn't quite shake the feeling that if he slept, he wouldn't wake up ever again. Occasionally he'd drift off, but would awaken almost immediately. As such, he was feeling rather grouchy.
He had drifted off when Mr. Montgomery had made the morning announcement. Ron had awakened in time to catch the forbidden zones being listed, but had no idea who had died. He cursed under his breath. He was being careless.
He made sure to mark down the forbidden zones on his map. He wasn't near any of them. Good. Maybe, if he hid in one of the rooms toward the back, he might be able to catch some sleep before the noon announcement was made.
Any thoughts of sleep he might have had were quickly cast aside as his ears picked up the sound of someone moving around outside. Getting down onto the ground, he crawled over to his pack, and slowly took out his flail. He still wasn't sure if he would be able to use it, but he had no choice. He wished that he had explored the clinic more the night before. He might have been able to find a more suitable weapon to defend himself with. Too late now, though.
He was just barely able to enter through the door that led to the doctors' offices before the main door opened, and two boys entered. They were Draco Malfoy (Boy 13, Slytherin) and Gregory Goyle (Boy 9, Slytherin). Ron silently cursed his luck that it would be them, of all people, to show up. Not wasting any time, he looked down the hall he was in to find an exit, or at least somewhere else he could hide. They were certain to look this way eventually. There were many doors, but none were marked as an exit, so he ducked through the first door he could find.
Draco grinned. So whoever was here wanted to play cat and mouse, eh? It didn't really matter. The cat would win anyway. And he was in a rather catty mood, so he'd play along. Gesturing silently for Goyle to follow him, he followed his prey.
Ron wished he had chosen a different room. The one he was in was rather small, and had a strange smell to it. There weren't any windows, so it was completely dark inside. Even if the lights had been working, he still wouldn't have turned them on. Not when there was the risk of someone seeing them. He hoped that they would go away and leave him alone, but knew that he probably wouldn't be so lucky. He wasn't sure how to wield a flail, but he held it with both hands, ready to attack if they opened the door.
After a few minutes had passed, the door opened. Ron swung the flail awkwardly, hitting the doorframe. Damn!
Malfoy had enough foresight to know that he and Goyle should stand back once they opened the door to the supply closet. A good thing, too, as the weapon the mouse held looked rather nasty. But wait, the mouse wasn't a mouse. It was a weasel.
Draco's grin widened, as he stepped into the doorway. "I was hoping it would be you. Well, actually, I was hoping it would be mudblood Granger, but oh well."
Ron knew he wouldn't have enough time to swing the flail again, so he let go of it and grabbed the nearest object he could find, which was a bottle of some sort. Nothing to lose, he threw it at Malfoy.
He was lucky that his aim was slightly off and that it hit the doorframe to the side of Malfoy's head. If it hadn't, it wouldn't have broken, and Malfoy wouldn't have been doused with acid.
Draco screamed, and backed up blindly, dropping the tracker as he brought his hands up to his smoldering face. Goyle took one look at his suffering friend, then fired the flare gun into the closet. Due to the angle he was at, he hadn't gotten a clear shot, but it was enough to graze Ron's left side, and set fire to the room.
Ron doubled over with pain. He wouldn't die here. Not by them, not yet. Summoning all of his remaining strength, he grabbed the handle of the flail while Goyle was reloading, and swung. It hurt like hell, and he was sure his injury would only be worse, but it was better than dying.
By some miracle, his aim was true this time. Goyle fell to the floor, his skull shattered by the heavy spiked ball. Ron wasted no time. He shoved the screaming Malfoy aside and ran out of the burning closet back into the waiting room. Damn! He left his pack behind! But there was no way he was going to go back for it now. He would just have to find a way to get by without it.
So he ran back into the forest. Injured, with no weapon, no food, no water.
And no map.
30 students remaining
September 2 -- 6:21 a.m.
Neville Longbottom (Boy 11, Gryffindor) had been walking north through section G-9 when he had heard screaming coming from the clinic. Since he was passing by anyway, he figured that he might as well investigate. He had nowhere else he had to be.
Upon entering, he noticed that there was smoke coming from the direction the screaming was coming from. Silently, he pushed open the door, and saw things just as Ron Weasley had left them. Flames were emerging from the supply closet, dancing by the fallen body of Gregory Goyle. The once-proud Draco Malfoy was stumbling around blindly, screaming. Neville smirked. It was all rather comical.
For a brief moment, he contemplated whether or not he should just leave them there. But the clinic might come in useful later, and it wouldn't do to have it burn down. He was about to take a step forward when he saw some strange device at his feet. It was Draco's tracker. Neville picked it up, and pondered over it briefly. He had a job to finish first, though.
Aiming his Ingram at Malfoy, he let loose with a fresh spray of bullets. The other boy stopped his screaming and slumped to the floor. One of the dots on the tracker screen went out. Neville smiled, as he realized the implications. First things first, though.
Further down the hall was fire extinguisher. Neville hoped it still worked.
29 students remaining
September 2 -- 6:24 a.m.
Harry stopped in his tracks as he heard the sound of machine gun fire once again. He looked to Hermione, who nodded. It was the same person as before. From the sound of it, the shooter was on the east side of the island, far from where they were. Harry wasn't consoled much by that thought, because it just meant that another classmate had died. He highly doubted that the shooter was just firing into the air. Someone was playing to win. He wondered briefly who it was, but didn't dare voice his thoughts out loud.
Before they could continue their trek, there was a rustling in the bushes. They froze, and turned toward the source. Harry couldn't see anything, but that didn't mean that someone wasn't there. Just as he was going to investigate, a bunch of ravens flew out from the bushes. Harry sighed with relief, then turned to Hermione...
...And froze. Standing about twenty feet away was Zacharias Smith (Boy 16, Hufflepuff).
Hermione followed Harry's gaze and turned around. This didn't look good. Was Zacharias playing or not?
Harry's eyes fell on the hatchet Zacharias was holding. Subconsciously, Harry's hand went toward the knife he had tucked into his belt.
That did it. Zacharias charged toward them, hatchet held high. Harry pushed Hermione into the bushes, then raised his pack to shield himself. The contents tumbled onto the ground as the bag split. The palm of Harry's left hand suddenly hurt. The hatchet was getting through!
"No!" Hermione shouted from the bushes, fresh tears in her eyes.
Zacharias looked at her, pulling back for a second strike. Without warning, he swung at Harry again, who managed to parry the hatchet with his knife. But Zacharias was stronger. He forced Harry to back up while their blades were locked. Harry wasn't going to die that easily, though. He ducked as Zacharias overpowered him and sent the knife flying onto the ground. As the hatchet was raised again, Harry grabbed the boy's arms, trying to twist them enough so the other boy would lose his grip. All the while, he kept going backwards, half-pulling the other boy.
He lost his footing. As they fell down a small cliff (it was only about as high as a one-story house), all Harry could do was hope that Hermione would forgive him for dying and leaving her alone again.
The breath was knocked out of him when he finally landed in a small field. Not a pleasant feeling. It took a few seconds for it to register in his mind that he was still alive. It took a few more seconds to register that he needed to get up before Zacharias did.
Jumping to his feet, he looked around for the other boy. He hadn't gotten up yet. Harry was about to turn to run when he noticed the hatchet sticking out of the other boy's forehead. He felt the sudden urge to vomit. It wasn't so much from the grotesque scene before him, but more the fact that he had killed someone. He had twisted the other boy's arms. He had pulled the boy off the cliff with him. It was all his fault...
"Harry!" Hermione shouted from the forest he had just vacated. She was looking for him...
That's right! He had to protect her! He couldn't just stay here. It sickened him to do so, but he knew he needed a weapon. His had been lost somewhere on the forest floor.
Closing his eyes, he placed his hands on the handle of the hatchet and pulled. There was a disgusting sound as it pulled clear. Harry fell back, the hatchet beside him. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't suppress the urge to vomit any longer.
He wiped his mouth after he had finished expelling the contents of his stomach. Hoping that he would be able to stand, he picked up the hatchet and slowly got up...
...And faced the barrel of a gun.
28 students remaining
September 2 -- 6:26 a.m.
Lavender Brown (Girl 4, Gryffindor) ran through the forest, trying not to make a sound. It was dangerous, but she had to escape. The scene she had just witnessed replayed itself in her mind.
She had been hiding in some bushes that surrounded the outskirts of the field when she saw him. Harry Potter pulling the hatchet out of Zacharias Smith's forehead. Her eyes widened in horror. It took her a few seconds to process the information in her mind, but when she saw the red blood dripping from the hatchet, it finally clicked. Harry had killed Zacharias.
So she ran into the forest, covering her mouth with one hand and carrying her pack with the other. She hoped that she hadn't been noticed, but so far there were no sounds of anyone following her. She couldn't help but wonder how many others he might have killed.
28 students remaining
September 2 -- 6:26 a.m.
Harry locked eyes with Michael Corner (Boy 2, Ravenclaw). Michael's eyes had a crazed look in them, and his hands were trembling. His face was incredibly pale. Before Harry had time to react, the gun went off -- and thankfully missed. Harry wasn't certain he'd be so lucky the next time it went off, and there wasn't anytime to escape, and ducking wouldn't do much good at such close range.
"Drop it!" a voice yelled from the distance. Harry open his eyes to see Blaise Zabini (Boy 20, Slytherin) pointing a shotgun at Michael.
Michael laughed and aimed his gun at Blaise. Before he could fire, though, the shotgun went off, tearing his right arm off in a spray of blood. Michael shrieked, then lunged for his fallen arm, taking the gun into his left hand. Blaise pumped the shotgun.
"I said stop!"
Michael shot at Blaise, who didn't even have to duck to avoid being hit. The shotgun erupted again, and Michael crumbled to the ground, a gaping hole where his stomach should be.
Harry stared at the corpse before him, only breaking out of his trance at the sound of the shotgun being pumped once more. He looked blankly at Blaise, barely registering the fact that there was a shotgun being aimed at him.
"Drop your weapon," Blaise commanded. Harry hadn't even realized that he was holding the hatchet still. He let it fall to the ground.
"Harry!" Hermione appeared on the edge of the cliff. "I--" Blaise aimed his shotgun at her.
"Don't!" Harry shouted. "She's with me! We're not playing!"
Blaise looked to Harry, then to Hermione. Finally, he lowered his gun and gestured to Michael's corpse. "First things first. I had no choice but to shoot him. I told him to stop, and gave him ample chance, and he shot at me. Understand?"
Harry looked down at Michael. If Blaise hadn't been there to intervene, then Harry would be dead now. Looking back up at Blaise, he slowly nodded. "I understand."
Blaise nodded, then bent down and picked the gun out of Michael's hand. He stood up straight and looked at Harry. "How exactly do you figure you're gonna survive this if you can't do what needs to be done?" At Harry's confused look, he continued. "I mean, there's people playing out there. You heard the announcement this morning. People are dying. That means people are playing. Maybe they're scared, maybe they're not." He handed the gun to Harry. "I don't want to get killed because you can't do what needs to be done. Capishe?"
Harry nodded. "Got it."
Blaise smiled. "Then let's get ourselves out of the open."
27 students remaining
September 2 -- 6:37 a.m.
Padma Patil (Girl 16, Ravenclaw) kept vigil over her twin -- Parvati Patil (Girl 17, Gryffindor) -- as she slept. They had heard gunfire earlier, which was rather worrisome. Thankfully, none of it sounded too close.
They were located in a small church in E-8. They had come here after arguing briefly over what course of action to take. Parvati had wanted to call out to as many people as possible, using the megaphone she had been supplied as her weapon. Padma wasn't so sure. From the sound of it, there were people playing out there. She didn't want to alert them to their position. Even though the grenades Padma had received would be more than enough to deal with any attacker, she didn't want to use them. She'd never be able to live with herself knowing that she had killed someone, even in self-defense.
Tired, they had gone into the church for some sleep. They agreed to take turns, having one guard the other while she was sleeping. Parvati's shift was from 6:30 until 9:00. Then Padma would wake her twin, who would guard her as she slept until 11:30. They both wanted to be awake for the announcements.
Padma regretted that they hadn't waited for anyone. She had been friends with Lisa Turpin, who had been one of the dead announced at 6:00. She wondered briefly how her friend had died, but then remembered that Dean Thomas had also been mentioned. The two of them had been dating, so Padma figured that however they died, they must have been together.
Padma wished that she had a boyfriend, even though none of the boys in her class really interested her much. Maybe she was too picky, but she could list at least ten things wrong with every boy in her class. Too short, too stupid, too quiet, too ugly, too much a jerk, and so on. Maybe it was because she of bad experiences. A boy would ask her out, then realize he was talking to the wrong twin. It wasn't Parvati's fault that she was more outgoing, but it still hurt. Padma didn't begrudge her, though. She just became bitter towards boys, and rejected them before they could reject her.
Well, maybe that wasn't entirely true. She did have a crush on a boy in her class, but would never reveal that bit of information to anyone. Not even her sister. She was afraid that if anyone knew, they would laugh at her. He wasn't particularly handsome, or smart, and wasn't considered one of the 'cool kids'. But he was nice, and could always tell the difference between her and her twin, which was a definite bonus.
She doubted that they would meet again, though. And if they did, what then? It wasn't as though there were very many places one could go on a date on the island. That, and it would be rather inappropriate to do so even if there were. And it wouldn't be fair for her to go on a date while her sister was left behind. She refused to leave her sister behind for any reason.
27 students remaining