Harry Potter (Boy 15, Gryffindor) was finding it increasingly harder to hide his injury as the trio moved on north through the forest of E-4. He was hiding his hand within his robes, checking every few minutes to see if the bleeding had stopped, but so far no luck. He was starting to get dizzy from the blood loss.
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. "Hey, Blaise? Do you think that maybe we could take the shorter route after all? I'm not sure how much longer I can go on like this." He held up his hand.
Blaise Zabini (Boy 20, Slytherin) turned around. "Hmm?" He swore when he saw Harry's hand. He went over to check the severity of the wound. "Dammit, you should have said something earlier." He dropped Harry's hand. "Change of plans. We go back to the store and get you stitched up. I saw some stuff that'll help, but don't have it with me." He took off his robes and tore off a strip of fabric. "Wrap this around in the meantime. It won't stop the bleeding, but it'll help. You really should have said something sooner."
Harry looked to the ground. "I just thought it wasn't that important."
Hermione Granger (Girl 8, Gryffindor) looked exasperated. "Really, Harry. If you were hurt all this time, you should have said something. Huh?" Blaise had put his hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. Hermione's features softened, and she turned back to Harry. "Next time, speak up. We're all in this together, right?"
Harry nodded, then looked back up to Blaise. "Wait, stitches?"
Blaise nodded as he led them south. "You'll need them to stop the bleeding. I don't think I'll find any anesthetic, so you'll just have to buckle up and take it like a man. I saw some sewing supplies at the store, along with some whiskey that we can use to disinfect. I'll just say now that it'll probably hurt like hell. Drink some of the whiskey if it makes you feel better, but don't get drunk on us. I don't have anything to sober someone up."
Harry shook his head. "That's not it. I'm just surprised you know so much about Muggle medicine."
Blaise's features tightened. "My uncle's a doctor. Has his own small practice. I've been helping him out since..." He paused, then continued. "Despite what everyone thinks, not all of us Slytherins are purebloods. I'm only half. Dad's a wizard, and my mother was a Muggle." For a moment, Harry thought Blaise was going to continue, but he just left it at that.
Hermione, though, wasn't quite satisfied. "Was a Muggle? Don't you mean is?"
Blaise stiffened. He looked at them and sighed. "After Larissa's class was chosen to play, she took it pretty hard. I was barely five at the time, so I didn't really understand what was going on. I just knew that she was really sad about something. One day my uncle came over to visit. He was playing a game with Cynthia. She's my little sister. I forget what game they were playing, but Mama went upstairs for something. I was getting bored just watching them play, so I followed her..."
Harry's eyes widened as he remembered something. Last year in Care of Magical Creatures, when Hagrid had shown the thestrals to the class, Blaise had been able to see them. And if thestrals could only be seen by someone who had witnessed someone die...
Blaise continued. "I'm not even sure if she knew I was there. Her back was turned to me when she jumped off the chair that she was standing on. All I could do was stare in shock as she dangled there. I'm not sure how long I just stood there before I started screaming." A tear rolled down his cheek. If he noticed, he didn't bother to wipe it away.
They walked on in silence. After a while, Hermione said softly, "How can the Ministry be so cold? How can they just destroy so many lives like this? They're just as bad as Voldemort."
Harry looked to Blaise, who remained silent. Turning back to Hermione, he answered, "They're even worse, because nobody's fighting to stop them."
"You're wrong," Blaise said, not bothering to look at them. "There are people fighting, but they all end up getting labeled terrorists or whatever. They get sent to prison, sometimes killed if they make too big a stink. If people even know about the fighting at all, it's all through the Ministry's filter. Wouldn't surprise me if a number of Death Eaters joined up just to tear the system down. It's about the only organized fighting movement there is, even if that's not their main goal."
Hermione looked down. "It's still just so horrible. Hey, um, back in the classroom, Mr. Montgomery said that one school was chosen from all over the world, right? So it's not just the Ministry, is it?"
There was a pause, then Blaise finally answered. "Every part of the world that has any real magical community has a Ministry of Magic. The name might be different depending on where you go, but the end result was that all the leaders got together and came up with this. I'm not sure how they choose which school gets it. Maybe they draw straws or something."
The three of them walked on, each of them lost in his or her thoughts.
27 students remaining
September 2 -- 8:43 a.m.
Percy Weasley believed that he now knew enough to carry out his plan. He slammed the cover of the book shut, and readied himself for departure. He wasn't sure if his mission would be a success or not, but there was only one way to find out. Holding his wand out, he Apparated back to the school on the island the program was being held.
Gary Montgomery didn't seem the least bit surprised to see Percy return. But before Montgomery could move, Percy hit him with a Petrificus Totalus. A simple spell that a first year could do, but sufficient for what was to come.
Percy's eyes narrowed dangerously, fire burning behind them. "Before I release you, I want you to understand that if you do not do exactly as I say, I am going to kill you in the most horrific fashion I can think of. Listen closely. You are going to deactivate the collars, and make an announcement over the island as such. Then you will help me collect the remaining students, and we will take them back to Hogwarts. And if you try anything stupid, like calling for backup or attempting to detonate the collars, I will turn you inside out and feed your entrails to a pack of hungry dogs. Are we clear?" He partially released the spell, allowing Montgomery the opportunity to speak.
The supervisor's eyes twinkled with amusement. "You really think I care what you do to me? Say that you kill me. You think they'll cancel this on account of that? I'm expendable, just like you. Tsk, tsk. Threats will get you nowhere."
Percy growled at him, then turned to what appeared to be a control panel of sorts. "Fine. Tell me how to deactivate the collars, then."
Montgomery chuckled. "And you would trust me not to lie? You really are naïve, aren't you?"
Sparks flew from Percy's eyes as he wheeled around to face Montgomery. "Crucio!"
Montgomery writhed for a bit, then smiled. "Thank you, sir. May I have another?"
Percy took a step back. Was this guy for real? "Sick bastard," he said as he looked back to the controls. He cursed the fact that the buttons weren't clearly labeled. He didn't want to randomly press buttons and end up detonating a collar. Or even worse, detonate all of the collars. "Son of a bitch!" He pounded a fist against the wall next to the monitor. Montgomery started laughing like a madman. "Shut up," Percy whispered, clenching his fist enough to draw blood. "Just shut up!" he screamed, spinning around to face Montgomery.
"Petrificus totalus!"
Percy's eyes widened as his body went rigid. 'I'm sorry, Ron. I failed my mission,' he thought as he hit the ground.
From the doorway, one of Montgomery's three assistants stood, holding his wand. He muttered an incantation and released his boss from the curse.
Montgomery stretched his limbs. "What took you so long, Sanchez? He might have killed me. Oh, well." He bent over Percy and grinned. "I know you can hear me. I'm sure the aurors are on their way now to arrest you." He pointed to a video camera in one of the corners of the room. "Muggles have such amazing toys, don't they? Did you really think you were the first person to try something like this? This room is constantly monitored and I'm sure there's more than enough evidence to put you away for a very long time."
If it was at all possible, Montgomery's grin grew wider, and a sadistic gleam formed in his eyes. "I could just detonate your brother's collar now. That's what you wanted, wasn't it? No?" He kicked Percy hard in the stomach and his eyes grew cold. "You need to learn some respect for your betters, boy. Maybe you'll finally learn after a nice long stay at Azkaban."
Sanchez moved aside as a group of four aurors came into the room, and dragged Percy up off the ground.
Montgomery smiled. "It's a good thing I'm such a nice guy. I won't detonate his collar. Happy now?"
He waved as the aurors dragged the once-proud Percy Weasley away.
27 students remaining
September 2 -- 8:56 a.m.
Harry had his eyes closed as tightly as possible. The trio had made it back to the store, and Blaise was gathering the items he would need to stitch up Harry's hand. Hermione was looking on, eyes wide.
Blaise returned, sitting next to Harry's left side. "Alright. Needle, thread, whiskey, and some bandages I found in a first aid kit. Should be all set. Hold out your hand."
Harry shook his head vehemently. "No, no, no! Don't want to!"
Blaise sighed and grabbed Harry's hand. "Don't be such a baby." He poured some of the whiskey onto Harry's wound in order to disinfect it.
Harry reflexively tried to pull back his hand, but Blaise's grip prevented him from moving it. "Ow! Stings! I don't want to do this!"
Blaise ignored him. "If it's any consolation, women go through a lot more pain when they give birth. I've seen it in my uncle's practice."
Harry continued to shake his head while trying to pull back his hand. "Don't care! Not a woman!"
Blaise sighed and turned to Hermione. "Little help here?"
She tentatively walked over, eyes still wide. "I'm not sure how much help I can be. I don't have any training or anything."
Blaise nodded. "Just hold his hand steady for me and hand me stuff as I ask for it." He put the bottle of whiskey back onto the ground as Hermione crawled over next to him. He began threading the needle as she grabbed Harry's hand.
Harry's opened his eyes momentarily, but as he saw Blaise coming closer with the needle, he fainted.
"Oh, for God's sake," Blaise sighed. "At least this will make it a little bit easier." Carefully he began to sew up Harry's wound.
During the brief 'surgery' Harry would wake up a few times, then promptly pass out again once he noticed that it was still underway. Occasionally Hermione would pass the whiskey back to Blaise so he could disinfect the wound.
Ten minutes later, Blaise was done stitching Harry's hand. As if sensing that it was over, Harry woke up.
"Just need to disinfect one last time, then wrap it up. You can take a swig of whiskey if you want, but not too much or you'll get drunk." Blaise soaked Harry's hand one last time, then wrapped the bandages around Harry's hand.
Harry nodded, and reached out for the whiskey. It did help dull the pain some, but not completely. "How come I couldn't have this before?"
"Backwash. It's really difficult to drink out of a bottle without some saliva going into it as you put it back down. It'd become useless as a disinfectant." Blaise stood up. "Shall we go, then?"
Hermione stood up, trembling. She didn't think she'd be able to stitch someone up like that, even though she might have the technical knowledge.
Harry slowly got up as well, almost falling back down due to dizziness. "Sorry I acted like such a baby."
Blaise smiled. "I've seen worse. If it were me, I doubt anyone would be able to get anywhere near me." He walked down the aisles of the store and grabbed another bottle of whiskey. "In case we need more disinfectant," he said at the others' questioning looks as he put the bottle into his pack.
After checking to make sure they didn't leave anything behind, the three of them left once again for the clinic.
27 students remaining
September 2 -- 9:15 a.m.
Padma Patil (Girl 16, Ravenclaw) gently shook her sister to rouse her from sleep. Although she was supposed to wake Parvati Patil (Girl 17, Gryffindor) at 9:00 a.m., she had allowed her sister to sleep in for fifteen minutes. "Hey. Wake up," she whispered.
Parvati stirred. "Is it time to get up already?" she asked sleepily, stifling a yawn.
Padma nodded. "Uh huh. My turn."
Parvati sighed and sat up. "Have you thought it over any? What we talked about, I mean? About calling out to someone?"
The Ravenclaw turned away, looking into the distance. "I still don't think it's a very good idea. We have absolutely no idea who out there is killing people." The very thought made her nauseous. "And it's quite possible that there might not be anyone we'd want to find us left. However." She looked at her sister, a serious expression on her face. "However. After they make the noon announcement, if there's anyone left we'd want to join with, we'll call out to them."
Parvati's face lit up, and she hugged her twin. "Oh, thank you! Shall I make a list of people?"
Padma shrugged. "Go for it. My turn to sleep now." She smiled. "Just let me see it when you're done, okay?"
Parvati nodded as her sister laid down to sleep. Taking out the paper and pencil she had been given in class to make her 'kill list', she started writing down the names of those she thought were good people to call out to. She glanced at her sleeping sister and smiled as she wrote down a name. Padma didn't think she knew, but Parvati could tell that there was a boy she had a crush on. The way that Padma looked at him sometimes, the subtle differences in behavior, Parvati had noticed them all. It bothered her a little that Padma felt that she had to keep her crush a secret, but she could understand why, a little.
After she was finished making the list, Parvati sat back and smiled. Things were going to turn out all right after all.
27 students remaining
September 2 -- 9:27 a.m.
Wayne Hopkins (Boy 10, Hufflepuff) sighed as he leaned back against the tree, taking out a menthol cigarette. Nobody understood him. He had waited outside the school for someone, but when Megan Jones (Girl 10, Hufflepuff) had come out, she noticed him and started making derogatory remarks towards him. She was just jealous, though, that he looked better in a dress than she did. Not wanting to listen to her closed-mindedness, he had raised a perfectly manicured hand in her direction and walked away.
He had searched most of the night for his crush, but to no avail. According to the morning announcement, the other boy was still alive, but that was three and a half hours ago. So much could happen in such a short time. Why, Wayne had heard gunshots earlier in the morning. He wasn't worried, though. Other people might view his crush as being fragile and weak, but Wayne could sense a hidden power sleeping deep within. If only the other boy wasn't straight...
He had asked him last year. Just went right up and asked him if he stood a chance. When Wayne wanted to, he could be rather up front. He knew who he was, and to hell with everyone else. Alas, the other boy, after initially looking rather weirded out, told Wayne that he was only interested in girls, so no, he didn't stand a chance. A pity, but then, there was always hope that he was just deep in denial.
Wayne glanced down at his gun. A Derringer .22 with only one bullet. Tragic, really. He had never fired a gun before, so wasn't certain that he could aim one properly, and he'd only get one shot at it, so he would have to make it count.
Wayne brought the cigarette under his nose, wanting to savor its pleasant aroma before he lit it. Few people took the time to savor much of anything anymore. Maybe he was just old-fashioned in that way. He made it a point to never be too busy to enjoy life.
He smiled and let his thoughts wander away. 'Ne. Ville. Dear. Are you enjoying yourself as much as I am?'
27 students remaining
September 2 -- 9:36 a.m.
Ron Weasley (Boy 19, Gryffindor) and Pansy Parkinson (Girl 15, Slytherin) walked side by side in silence. Due to their injuries, they hadn't made much progress in the two hours time they had traveled together. That, and the occasional argument they had. Neither of them trusted the other to walk behind them, so they walked next to one another, keeping a healthy distance between them.
Ron was getting frustrated and checked his map while watching Pansy out of the corner of his eye. She had stopped when he did, watching him warily. Ron knew for a fact that it hadn't taken him this long to run away from the clinic, and he had been weaving randomly around. He blamed Pansy for slowing them down. He glared up at her, and she scowled at him.
"If you've got a problem, just say so," she sneered as she started walking backwards, not taking her eyes off him.
Ron shook his head and put away the map. "No problem. It's just that we should have been at the clinic ages ago. You're just too slow."
Pansy's face twisted in anger. "Well, excuse me for being injured! You didn't have to come along, you know! I never asked you to."
Ron shrugged, and caught up to her. "Yeah, but I wouldn't feel right, just leaving someone who was injured to fend for themselves like that."
"Then quit your bitching!" she screeched, throwing her hands in the air.
Ron muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "you're the one being a bitch," but Pansy left it alone, seething inside.
"So where are we?" she asked after a few minutes had passed and they both had the opportunity to calm down.
"Southeast edge of F-8. See? The trees are starting to grow thinner, and then the clinic will be just up ahead. See?" He pointed up ahead. The clinic was coming into view. "Not far now."
Pansy studied him carefully as they approached. There was something nagging at her. "Why did Neville give you a weapon? What happened to the one you had been issued?"
Ron's face paled ever so slightly. "I, uh, lost it when I was attacked."
"Where were you attacked?"
Ron's ears reddened. He was never a very good liar, and he knew it. "Does it matter? Oh, hey! We made it!" Sure enough, they had reached the doors of the clinic. Before he could enter it for a second time, Pansy blocked his way. He took a step back defensively.
Her eyes were narrowed with suspicion. "Answer me this, then. Why didn't you want us to come here? And if you were so opposed, why insist on coming with me? Why all the secrets? Hmm?" She looked through the glass door, then turned back to Ron. "There's something in here you don't want me to see, isn't there?"
Ron took a few steps back, ready to run away if he had to. "Well, you see. I was attacked. It was in self-defense, so you can't really blame me for what happened. I mean, if Goyle wasn't such a lousy shot, I'd be dead now." He pointed to the injury at his side.
"Oh, God!" Pansy said as she backed against the door. "You killed him?!"
"It's not like that! He tried to kill me!"
Unable to back up any more, Pansy opened the doors to the clinic and ran inside.
"No! Wait!" Ron ran after her, nearly colliding with the door as it was closing. He could hear Pansy scream as he stumbled into the waiting room. He froze where he was as she re-emerged, holding her stun gun. Ron took a step forward, hands held out. "I--"
"Stay away from me!" Pansy screamed. "Just stay away from me!"
"Please, just let me explain!" Ron took another step forward, and Pansy lashed out with the stun gun, missing him by inches.
"Move!" she shouted as she lashed out again. He was blocking the pathway out.
"I just--"
Pansy charged him, stunning him with the stun gun. Ron fell to the floor, and Pansy rushed past him to the exit, tears in her eyes.
27 students remaining
Question & Answer Session #2
1-Did you write a story similar to this called 'Harry Potter and the Killing Game'?
No. *Does quick search* I think that the story you're talking about is by The 18th Angel (User ID #6213), and has been retitled 'Harry Potter and the Island of Death' (Story ID #1707039). Apparently, it wasn't the author who had removed it but rather FanFiction.Net took it down for some reason. Or at least that's the reason they gave in their author notes. I shall read it once I get this uploaded.
2-Where can I get 'Battle Royale'?
It all depends on where you're from and which version you mean. The novel, the manga, or the movie? I'm not 100% certain about any country other than America (where I live). But if you are an American, the novel and manga should be easy to find. There are lots of online stores that carry those. And stores that carry books/manga should have them as well. The movie's harder to find. It hasn't been released in America for some reason. But you probably could find a copy of it on Ebay. Beware, though. There are a lot of bootlegs floating around there.
3-Why did you make Neville the shooter?
Because I already had a general idea of how the story would end. And if I say anything more it would be a massive spoiler.
4-When is the next death?
Chapter 9, which is up next.
5-When's the next chapter going to be posted?
Chapters are usually posted every other day, unless I get lazy.
6-What other stories are you working on?
Three that will probably never be finished, and one that I'm trying to finish before I finish posting this story. The one I'm trying to finish is a romance. Alas, I'm truly bad at writing romance, and I have a horrible case of writer's block at the moment.
And I believe that's it for now. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, and thanks in advance to everyone who hasn't yet but will. And ask more questions, or say things I can turn into questions. I like the Q & A sessions. :)