Fatal Envy
Author's note: Obviously I do not own any characters. There will be no original characters so sadly I cannot claim a thing…but I hope you enjoy!
CHAPTER ONE: THE DISCOVERY
"How dare he!" Ron screamed as he punched his fist against the wall. Pain coursed through his knuckles, but he was too angry to care. His face was hot with rage and his jaw clenched against the waves of fury that shook his body. He needed to lash out, and as the wall was the only solid object near, he struck it again. Over and over he rammed his fist into the stones, staining them with his blood. Tears welled in his eyes as he continued to strike at the wall. Not until his knuckles were bloody and raw did he stop and give way to choking sobs, leaning against the wall and hiding his head in his arms.
" Why…W-why?" he repeated to himself, the sound muffled by his shirtsleeve. Somewhere in the distance a soft mew could be heard, followed by the pattering of paws on wooden stairs. The noise forced Ron to quiet his cries.
"Great," he whispered, " just what I need…Filch coming and finding me, not only out of bed, but blubbering like a useless git too!" Wiping his eyes on his shirt cuff, Ron looked around to see where he was. In his anger, he had been unaware of where his feet were carrying him, and now, as he looked around, he was at a loss. The hall in which he stood was unfamiliar. It was plain, the walls barren except for a few low-burning torches.
He didn't have time to worry about where he was. Filch's footsteps could be heard now. He was only a few steps away from the hall where Ron stood. Quickly, Ron darted down the hall and ducked through a door on his left, closing it silently behind him. Holding his breath, he crouched down in the shadows of the room and waited for Filch to pass.
Soon, the caretaker's voice echoed down the hall.
"Find anything my sweet? A student out of bed?"
Ron remained silent but he could imagine Ms. Norris' eyes scanning the hall and stopping on the door to the room, her tail flicking malevolently behind her. The silence made him uneasy. Slowly, he took a step backwards further into the shadows. As he did, his foot caught the corner of a wooden object hidden in the dark. He fumbled backwards and landed hard on his back, toppling the object as he did. A horrid, loud crash sang through the room. Every muscle in Ron's body went rigid. Clamoring footsteps rushed forward in the hall.
This is officially the worst night of my life, Ron thought. After the incident last week, in which he, Harry, and Hermione had been caught by none other than Professor Snape sneaking out of the kitchen after dark (they had been up half the night studying and needed a refreshment), Snape had sworn the next time any of them were caught out of bed they would be expelled. Hermione objected greatly to this and insisted that Snape did not have the power to do such a thing. Ron had simply smiled at her. He wasn't smiling now.
The thought of his friends caused his face to contort with anger. His brows came together in a sharp scowl and his face turned scarlet, hiding his freckles. Suddenly, he didn't care if Filch caught him and he was expelled right then and there. At least I wouldn't have to see those two…ever again!
He quickly rose to his feet and dusted off his pants, waiting for the door to open. But it didn't. Instead, Ron heard Filch swear and the footsteps stop. Curious, he walked forward and pressed his ear to the door. He didn't have to strain, he could make out the voices clearly.
"What are you doin up here? It's you that's been making all the racket huh?" Filch's voice was laced with anger.
"Well, ain't that just dandy," Peeves could be heard perfectly. He must have appeared right in front of the door where Ron now had his ear smashed against the frame, " all I do is set out for a nightly stroll and along comes filthy Filch, accusing me of performing all sorts of atrocities. Well I'll tell you, I'm innocent!" He blew a loud raspberry and continued, "You should be ashamed of yourself, going around and picking on poor innocent poltergeists. You'd think a squib like you could find something better to do."
"What'd you call me?" unlike Peeves, Filch now spoke in a forced whisper. There was a moment of silence and then…
"SQUIB," Peeves screamed the last word so loudly that Ron had to step back from the door, his ears ringing. There was an angry holler from Filch as Peeves took off down the hall. Filch's footsteps quickly followed and soon the hall was silent.
Slowly, Ron returned to the door and inched it open, peering cautiously through the crack. As he stepped out into the hall, a thin stream of light from a nearby torch was cast into the shadows of the room. Out of the corner of his eye, Ron saw something shimmer on the ground.
He stopped in the doorway and looked down the hall. Filch was long gone. He turned his head over his shoulder and peered into the dark. He could just make out the outline of something on the ground, just beyond the edge of the light. Curiosity grew inside of him and he scanned the hall again. He knew it was late, and Filch wasn't the only one prone to prowling the hall at night these days. It would be best if he returned to the dorms now…That thought settled it for him. He didn't want to go back to his dorm…he didn't want to see Harry, or Hermione. He had nowhere else to go so he turned back and entered the room.
With the light from the hall now sifting through the room, Ron could see what had caused him to fall. In the middle of the room was a large wooden chest, tipped on it's side. The crash Ron heard however, did not come from the chest. Further beyond that, dark glass shards were scattered on the floor. Ron crouched down and picked one of the shards up. It was surprisingly heavy and weighed his hand down. The glass was onyx black and smooth. The edges weren't jagged like he expected, but smooth and rounded.
He remained crouched for a few minutes, turning the piece in the light and staring at it. Finally raising his head he looked further into the room beyond the light. It was still a little further beyond the broken glass where he had seen something lying on the ground. He stood and pocketed the glass, walking further into the room.
On the ground in front of him lay a golden medallion. A thick gold change hung from a large, flat disc. It shone brilliantly but was plain. There was no decoration. No runes or jewels were embedded on it's golden surface. Ron bent down and scooped it up. If it wasn't for it's cold surface, he could have sworn he had missed it. The medallion was lighter than air. There was no pressure in Ron's hand signifying that he held anything. With one finger, he traced the outline of the medallion.
Suddenly the light in the room seemed to grow dim. Ron spun around but the door was still open. Frantic whispering erupted from the shadows on all sides of the room. Ron gasped and searched the room. Once again it was hidden in shadow. He couldn't make out anything, but the whispering grew. A cold sweat erupted across his brow and on his back. He took a step backward and felt something brush against his side. Panicking, he clutched the medallion in his fist and ran for the door.
Just as he reached the doorway, he lost his footing and fell forward into the hallway. The collision with the stone floor shook his bones. His pants tore at the knee and he was bleeding. He didn't take time to notice. He shot up from the ground and sprinted down the hall.