Chapter Three

"See what you're exploring has done?" He asked under this breath as he set the tranquil creature on his shoulder as he started up the steps. After going back to the main hall to find Ynid curled up on the bench, Rhys had to sprint back down the corridor towards the staircase in order to catch up to the rest of the first years.

"It has only been a couple of hours but we already have a young Elwyn that has lost his way?"

He stopped immediately at the mention, his expression as composed as ever as he turned around to face the speaker. "Well, this is happening sooner than expected."

The seventh year girl offered him a small smile from the base of the staircase as she leaned against the railing. She had dark green eyes, identical to his, with long and wavy black hair that was pulled back into a loose ponytail. The Head Girl patch seemed to glow from her robes, creating a sharp accent to the Ravenclaw colors.

"I had to keep an eye on you during the sorting or else I would have lost you again," she admitted with a light shrug, her mannerisms seemed so much more relaxed than he remembered.

"Regina, can this wait? I've already lost my group," He explained with a nervous glance up the stairway, still busy with students.

"Can what wait? Is there something wrong with a sister wanting to greet her little brother upon his arrival?" She asked innocently as she made her way up the stairs. "I've been with father for most of the summer and you barely sent me any letters."

"I figured you were too busy to talk to me. And I'm sure you have plenty more to say than that," he grumbled. "Something along the lines of disappointing father and the Elwyn family for not upholding to tradition by being sorted into Gryffindor."

She stopped just two steps below him, her smile becoming weak after what he had said, but he was determined to hold his ground. Without a word she reached out and ruffled his choppy locks, making him whine out loud as he tried to brush her off.

"Crimson and gold suit you better; it's much warmer," she stated softly before continuing her way up the stairs. Before she reached the top she looked back at him, her cheerful smile returning as she added, "Nice owl."

The entire conversation had gone differently than he thought, and only made his stomach feel unsettled. Even though he wanted to break away from his family, he would never be able to shut Regina out; he knew he looked up to her. He felt his chest deflate in agony as she turned the corner, reminding him to hurry up before he lost his classmates altogether. Ynid hopped into his hands as he turned another corner and slipped the rat back into his pocket as he finally reached everyone who was crowding around a prefect in front of a painting.

"Password?" The lady in the painting asked sternly, looking down at the prefect boy.

"Tempus fugit," he answered plainly. With a short wave of her hand the painting swung aside to reveal a dark opening into the Gryffindor common room.

They were ushered in until all of the first years stood in the center of the common room which consisted of with numerous chairs and sofas and a grand fireplace that crackled modestly at the other side of the room. The room itself gave off a satisfying warmth that was altogether soothing and made Rhys feel at ease once again.

"This is the Gryffindor common room. Make sure not to forget the password," the female prefect spoke up, "Girls follow me and I'll lead you upstairs to your dormitory."

"Boys, follow me," the boy called out as he began to walk up another staircase.

It was then that Rhys spotted the two boys that he had been sitting with earlier, feeling relieved to find familiar faces in the crowd. He trailed behind them silently after they said goodnight to Rebecca, who gave him a short wave before she followed the rest of the girls.

As soon as they arrived in the dormitory, he immediately spotted his belongings stacked at the foot of a comfortable looking bed. The thought of sleep seemed outlandish, at the moment, but after such a large meal and feeling so comfortable in the common room, his body seemed to ache for it.

"Talon!"Charlie exclaimed happily as he picked up a small cage, though Rhys couldn't quite tell what it was.

"All of your belongings should be accounted for," the prefect explained almost mechanically. "Since I'm in charge of you lot for the next week or so, if you have any questions, you ask me."

"What's your name?" He found himself blurting out, though he felt as if the introduction was long past due.

This earned him a slightly disgruntled stare before he received a reply. "Stephens. Artie Stephens. Just ask for me."

"All right. Thanks, Artie," Finn added meekly with a tired wave.

After the door had closed, Rhys opened his trunk and began to dig around for his pajamas, feeling his exhaustion begin to nag at his eyes. As he tried to button up his flannel shirt he realized that his fingers were trembling so much that it was almost impossible. It had not, entirely, struck him until then that he was a first year at Hogwarts and he had been making his own way from the very beginning. A life that was beginning without the Elwyn tradition to dictate his every move was something to be excited for. He felt a small smile beginning to curve his lips as he pulled the sheets back and climbed into bed.

However the contented feeling immediately dissipated upon hearing the words, "You should let your owl out."

His eyes shot up to look at Charlie and Finn, who was eyeing a large cage to his right. His muscles went tight as he gripped the sheet of his bed, unable to think of what to do next.

"Let him fly around outside tonight. I bet he's itching for a hunt."

"Don't you dare let that thing out in here!" he demanded coldly with a slight glare, catching the both of them off guard. They were confused; of course they would be. They had not gone through the god awful experience that he had and, with his luck, Finn's bird would turn out to be as homicidal as the rest.

"Why not?" Finn asked, raising a brow in question.

"Just - don't," Rhys finished with a childish huff, pulling the sheet over him and turning his back to them. He felt his knuckled crack after clenching them so tightly upon hearing the movements of the cage and the slight clicking of the owl's beak. Finn had definitely taken that bloody bird out of the cage. Rhys curled in upon himself, closing his eyes as tight as he could in order to find the comfort enough to sleep.

His heart was pounding so hard that it almost hurt to breathe. Minutes began to pass as he tried to remain still and drown out the others' continued conversation about the owl. Even when he covered his ears they had continued, making Rhys roll his eyes in annoyance before attempting sleep once more.

"What would you name an owl if you had one?"

I'd name it Shut-the-Hell-Up!

"Tenley," came Charlie's immediate response.

Actually, that was a good name. It sounded very noble, especially if such a small thing was going to grow into it.

"...When I wanted an owl, I wanted a big Eagle Owl. I love them. And this one time I saw one in the shop, and he was black and copper, and I told mum I wanted him, but we couldn't get him because - "

"Some of us are trying to sleep," he spoke up, irritation clearly detectable in his voice.

Despite that, the two continued to speak in hushed whispers, both sounded excited for the next day which was quickly approaching. He sighed quietly, holding his tongue to refrain from joining their conversation which he probably was not welcomed to at that point. The chatter began to start up as others began to catch on to their enthusiasm; Rhys tossed a pillow across the way and told everyone to "kindly shut up."

At last the talking stopped as the pillow was promptly returned to him. A part of him felt relieved, and yet still unsettled as he realized he had fallen back on old habits. Neither of them seemed to know the value of his name, and it was not often that he came across people who were eager to shake his hand or talk to him because they wanted to. He had been sorted into Gryffindor which meant he needed to cast off his usual off-putting demeanor.

Tomorrow, he would start fresh and not work so hard at pushing them away.

He went tumbling down into the soft sand in a frightened daze. His eyes scanned the area frantically, unable to focus on anything in the darkness that shrouded his vision. Something was moving in the sand, unsettling his balance as the creatures began to surface with threatening hisses.

Snakes?

He staggered to his feet, feeling as if his entire body was made of lead as it dragged across the fine sand, sinking further as the snakes began to circle around him slowly, waiting for him to fall completely.

"Help me!" His voice cracked into nothing more than a hoarse croak, feeling his throat had become too dry to speak. "Some... one..."

A sharp pain shot from his leg as a serpent lurched forward to sink it's fangs into his skin and he let out another strangled cry as he fell to his knees. Fangs like daggers began to pierce him as they finally captured him, their bites burning into his flesh like acid making his scream turn shrill as he continued to try and crawl to safety. He could feel their long bodies coiling around his legs, dragging him further into the sand as he tried vainly to dig his nails into the soft earth.

"PLEASE HELP ME!" He shrieked, the terror in his voice echoing into the emptiness.

Once more he reached his hand out to try and claw his way from their burning clutches, grabbing onto some sort of plant that easily broke away from its roots. Fire surged through his body as if a poison were trying to erode him away from the inside out. His vision blurred, throat too dry to attempt another useless cry. As he was pulled into the darkness below, his eyes trailed to the plant in his hand, a small budding flower, slightly pinkish-purple in color with a stem dotted with small dark berries.

The plant was something he had never seen before, but that quickly became irrelevant as he was pulled even further into the earth, completed engulfed.

Darkness was total.

With a sharp gasp Rhys shot up from his bed, panting heavily as he threw his arms out to ward off any enemies, only to realize that there was merely silence. Slowly, he opened his eyes to the familiar surroundings of his dorm, the other boys sleeping soundly in their beds, undisturbed by his violent awakening. A bead of sweat ran down his brow and he threw his blankets off him in order to let the air cool his burning skin. He rolled up his sleeves and pants, sighing with relief to find that there were no marks or even bruises to be found anywhere.

"Not again..." he whispered despairingly as he ran both hands through his hair to try and clear his head. It was easy to forget about his nightmares when he was so excited and hopeful about the day to come. "That can't happen... Not here..."

He frowned with a glance to the window on his right. The sky was beginning to glow a dark blue, readying itself for the arrival of the sun and he knew that he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep with his heart still hammering in his chest as hard as it was. It was times like these that he cursed himself for his namesake and, at the same time, really wished that he could rest with the thought that Regina could, at least, be close by to comfort him when he awoke like this. She had been fortunate enough to receive her gift to foresee such wonderful and prosperous things while he remained confused about the dark images he was forced to endure each night.

"It doesn't mean anything," he told himself sternly, trying to instill his lost confidence. He slipped out of bed, quietly opening his trunk with a nervous look around to make sure the others were still sleeping. Rhys looked back down with a sigh as he pulled his school robes out and began to undress; he knew too well that trying to go back to sleep would only frustrate him more.

Might as well start his day.