A/N: Sorry for the late update, with college and the onslaught of assignments an all... But, even though it's a little over the promise of making this story a weekly thing, at least you didn't have to wait a month... or a year, after all, gotta think of my readers and put myself in their shoes and all.
"Albus," I hear someone whisper to me, quietly and uncertainly. Slowly I open my eyes, and am greeted with a roaring head ache, the light shining in proves too bright and too much on my sensitive vision. Squinting, I turn to the person whispering my name.
"Scorpius," I croak, coughing through the classroom's fumes, Scorpius narrows his eyes.
"Yes, Albus. It's me. Do you know what happened?" He looks around the classroom in bewilderment, light burns light burns coating the right side of his neck.
"I know as much as you do. There was a big bang, a scream and then everything was clouded in black..."
I look around at the other students, many of who are still unconscious, and I sigh. Why is it that my family always seems to attract trouble? Of course, this could just be one big accident, but due to the recent death, along with everyone else, I'm hesitant to believe.
People start moving slowly, coughing, wheezing and asking what the hell happened. The moment the teacher regains consciousness, he rushes out the classroom to find someone who could help with those who need tending to. Those who were closest to the incident are coated in very light burns which still left them wincing in pain. After only a few mere minutes, Madam Pomfrey arrives along with her apprentice. By this point, nearly everyone is capable of movement and speech.
"Are you alright? That's good. Are you alright? You sure? Those are some pretty nasty burns..." Both mediwitches go around, inspecting the students, as I stare into nowhere.
"Are you alright?" a voice asks me. I look up slowly to find Pomfrey's apprentice, a sweet looking round faced girl with kind grey eyes, her face framed by dark brown curls.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I whisper, smiling vaguely.
"I... think you're in shock... Just... wait here for Madam Pomfrey," the girl says hesitantly. I frown. Shouldn't she just know if I'm in shock or not? After all, she's training to be a trained mediwitch, she needs to know this stuff... But of course, this is most probably her first time treating or helping injured students. She looks like a seventh year, or at least sixth year. She's most probably shocked with how young we all are compared to her...
I hear a gasp, at the other end of the room. I might as well be miles away.
"Shannon, you should come here," the voice of Madam Pomfrey calls. Shannon squeezes my hands apologetically.
Once Shannon has joined with Madam Pomfrey, I hear another gasp, this one half a sob, however. I frown. What are they seeing...? What is so shocking...? My minds starting to get just a little foggy. I feel numb, yet caught between crying for no reason and... not crying... It really is an odd sensation...
"Look at me Shannon; I need you to get me some potions, alright?" Pomfrey asks as I slowly look up at them questioningly. I wonder what's so shocking to make the young witch, Shannon, look so white... They start talking about potions I have never even heard of, to cure shock, nausea, burns and headaches along with light sensitivity. Pomfrey then walks around the room, using her wand to check on each student, most probably for any side effects the accident might have left us tainted with. When Pomfrey reaches me, I looking up at her, and decide to ask the question that haunts the very of my mind.
"Why did you and Shannon gasp? What did you see?" I question the mediwitch, who stiffens, before looking me in the eye.
"That is none of your concern. You are alright, there are no side effects it appears, and you are free to go, once you've taken these potions," The mediwitch hands over three small vials of blue, green and opaque white. I take the potion, but still want my answers.
"Please," I say quietly. She sighs.
"Very well, I'm sure you will find out very soon anyway, one way or another." Her lips twitch, before she settles with a mask of dull emptiness.
"The student who caused the accident... I... There does not appear to be any... signs of..." her bottom lip trembles, pain flooding to her eyes.
"Who was it?" I whisper. This person was in my class, in my year, I might have known them...
"I honestly do not know. He hasn't been in the medical wing this early in the year yet, so I honestly do not know who he was... Perhaps you should ask your teacher, he might know the answer..." I nod, before frowning in thought. I can walk... I'm sure I manage to look for myself. Slowly I get up, despite Pomfrey's lectures on my health. I walk up to the place where Pomfrey and Shannon had stood before. There, lying on his back, lies a Slytherin... It takes me completely by surprise to see his Slytherin robes, after all, most demented killers come from Slytherin themselves, and so Slytherin house is sort of seen as the breeding grounds of serial killers and Dark Lords... But then, I look closer, kneeling down to the Slytherin's face, and then it strikes me like a cobra... Jordan... The little Slytherin jerk everybody's grown to love to hate (or at least the other houses and myself have...) But... he definitely has something dark inside of him, so why the hell would somebody want him dead?! He acts about as pure-blooded as Scorpius does... Unless that's the answer... It's all just an act...
"Well this is a small surprise," someone says from right behind me. I jump, whipping around to find Scorpius smirking, raising his hands like as if I were about to curse his smirking little head off, and I might, after he made me jump like that...
"What's a surprise?" I ask, a little annoyed that he snuck up on me like that.
"Jordan, who I swear must be some rat-snake hybrid with the way he acts... acted..." Scorpius shuffles a little uncomfortably. In the corner, Rus looks shaken, with his knees drawn up to his chest, staring blankly at the pale corpse of the ever irritating Rick Jordan.
"Shame, though," Scorpius mutters as he continues to stare down. "I was beginning to like him." The only thing that gives away Scorpius' true emotions are his slightly widened eyes and his skin, which is paler than usual with just a hint of green in it.
"Yes," I agree, thinking of how the guy didn't deserve this... Yeah, he could've made a brilliant criminal, a small part of my mind says dryly. Internally I glare at the thought. Shut up, the kid's dead! For all you know, you could've chosen to become a businessman...
Yeah... he could've made a brilliant profiteering criminal, my inner voice answers sarcastically. I fight the urge to roll my eyes. These Slytherins seem to be rubbing off on me a little too much, to the point where I'm arguing with this annoyingly Slytherin 'inner voice'... and losing...
Then the situation truly hits home as Rus lets out a soft whimper. Who's next? Can you tell me that one, oh so Slytherin inner voice? I ask, fear starting to coil in my stomach, but the voice remains quiet. After all, it only knows as much as I know, right? Or else that's not 'inner voice-ing', that's plain possession... what if I am possessed... What if the next to die is someone close to me...? They sure do seem to be getting more closer becoming personal... though there's only been two deaths, so it could be nothing... never would I have said 'there's only been two deaths' before now... what's wrong with me?...
We are all let out, our classes cancelled for the day. After a quiet lunch and dinner, all the Slytherins gather in the common room.
"Today, everyone, we had the misfortune of losing a fellow snake... Rick Jordan, first year, and has barely been here for a month" Lykas says mournfully, voice carrying throughout the silence. "Let us each light a candle for the passing of a fellow student... for some of us, he was a friend, but for all of us, he was a brother." Quietly, we all light a candle each, those who were especially close to him, including his year mates, lit an extra candle. "His family will be arranging his funeral. Those who were present have been invited to attend, whether you were close to him or not, he was your year mate, and so it would be polite to attend, in the very least," with this, Lykas turns to look at me. I raise an eyebrow in return, of course I'll go, the kid died! I'd go for me if not for him, simply out of guilt...
"Now," Lykas says after a moment of silence. "Do you all know why Jordan died?" he asks softly, everyone either shrugs, stares into space or shakes their head. "It's because he was half blood." There are a few gasps throughout the room; I just nod my head slowly. I'd already figured that as a possibility. It makes you wonder if this sadistic person was truly trying to 'cleanse' the world of Muggle-borns and half bloods, but personally, since my aunt Hermione herself is a Muggle-born, and yet was still the sharpest witch of her year, I can't see why someone might want them dead...
"Now, it's late and I don't know about you, but this turn of events has tired me, so I suggest we make our way to the dorms. Good night, and I assure you, first years, it's not always this bad. Hogwarts is still the safest place in Britain, and possibly the world, the only thing that's changed is the people who are trying to breech it, and people fighting against them. But I assure you, Clearwater's a bright witch, and many smart and powerful witches and wizards have called Hogwarts their home in the past, so I'm sure that whoever is trying to get to Hogwarts' student will have to make their piece with whatever gods they worship, because they'll have hell to pay and a school full of witches and wizards who will fight for survival, no matter the cost," Lykas says, eyes twinkling with the promise of war, and looking around the room, I can see that none of us are unaffected by Lykas' speech, and we all grin with the promise that no matter what happens, we will be united and strong... A lot like in the Battle of Hogwarts, where so many students and teachers, Aurors and Order members of the old Order of the Phoenix. Let's just hope that if the worst should happen, we will be prepared for it, and will not suffer the way they did...
