Battling with inner thoughts

[Hayzie]

Talon still wasn't back.

It had been two days since Hayzie had learned of her friend's disappearence, and each day she had waited outside his office, knocked on his door, traveled around the school to find him... and yet there was no sign of her old friend anywhere.

Deciding that the nagging inside her mind as to his whereabouts was too much, Hayzie decided to skip her transfiguration lesson and head to somewhere no one would expect her to be.

The dueling hall

It had been a while since her face had been shown in the room where many victories had been won and lost, but Hayz had a feeling that today she would lose the battle to regain sensible, coherant thought.

Something had to be going on... and the picture had to be a lot wider than immediately met the eye; it had to be.

Luckily, there were no classes in the hall at that particular time of day, and the Prefect had a free period following transfiguration... maybe she could figure out the mystery in the time the two periods took.

As her green eyes traveled around the room, a fond memory caused her lips to curve upwards. Laura and Talon once had their own duel in this very hall with Hayzie and Amy watching on the sidelines. Now the blonde thought on it, another of her friends turned Professor hadn't been seen for a while, and rumours were spreading around of a tall man who had disturbed the Divination lesson her friend was teaching and she hadn't been seen since.

"Coincidence? I think not," the Gryffindor muttered, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her head. It had been there all morning as she tried to deduce some sort of sense from it all. But nothing had come.

And Hayz was beginning to doubt anything would.

ooc: sorry guys. invite only.

[Fenris Fenrir]

"Coincidence; you are correct", came a voice from the entrance of the Dueling Hall; the owner blocking the way in and out of the Hall. Yet the tall figure was disfigured now; he was not the same man that he once was. His left ear was missing, his chest still carried the scars of knife wounds and now there was a thin line about his neck; showing where he had almost lost his life. But now he had something to do; to keep himself occupied; his master had given him a task. To hunt down and bring to him the one that is bound to wheels. And now he found her. The only thing was; was she as amicable as Azrael had told him she was? Well, Fenris Fenrir was about to see.

Slowly striding toward Hayzie, Fenris Fenrir said in his haunting voice; the kind of voice that you never want to hear when you are alone, "Well; Miss Roberts I presume? The Master has wanted to speak with you for some time and now he wishes to see you in person. He has sent me to bring you to him. Normally; I am not his deliverboy; I take people out of commission, but he wills it that I bring you to him so I shall. Yet there is one little matter that we need to take care of."

"How are you to come to him?"

"If you accept peacably; then I will take you to him without anything going wrong. And then you shall see him for yourself; and perhaps see some friends of yours from what I have heard. Master Lightening Mage and Miss Divinations. They were close to you, weren't they? And you will be able to see them again if you come with me." Yet now Fenris towered over Hayzie and leaned forward so that their eyes were level; vile intent now dripping from his voice.

"But if you resist; I will take your wheel chair and wrapped it around you like a shell and take you before him anyway. So take your choice Miss Roberts; our hospitality to your coming will vary on what descsion you make. So consider the offer; do not be a fool like Talon was; he walked in there thinking that the Master was his friend and now he lies there; forever asleep. Choose Miss Roberts."

[Hayzie]

The voice that came from the entrance was one that sent shivers down the Prefect's spine. In a way, she found the words mocking, as though she were a little child again. That was also the way the words made her feel. How she hated feeling vulnerable.

In the time it took Hayzie to even think of spinning her chair around, the man's words were echoing in her mind and he was standing before her, his eyes level with her own scared green ones; a look which she tried to shake off as quickly as possible so he didn't think he had an advantage over her.

"Tell me, Sir," Hayz started, the familiar defiant tone beginning to make itself known and heard in the dueling hall. "How am I to trust what you say?" With some people, the blonde knew instantly who she could trust and who she couldn't, and in this case, gut instinct was telling her this was one person who she should not place her trust in. But the one thing that caught her attention was the fact he knew her name, and the way "Miss Roberts," seemed to be used in respect, but also to make her feel as small as a mouse.

Another thing that had caused her attention to increase further was the mention of Talon and Amy. His master had them? Talon was... "Forever asleep?" the blonde asked, her tone more of a whisper as his eyes were still level with her own. Had he killed Talon? Returning to her usual, Gryffindor-like self, Hayzie's eyes met his.

"Before I make my decision, I have a few questions to ask you, Sir. First, who is you master? Second, why does he wish to speak to me? And third... how do I know you namedropping my friends isn't just a trick? Also, what do you know about Talon? Answer me those, and then I shall answer."

Boy he did not know her well at all. Never before had she simply gone anywhere without questioning first. Almost on impulse, Hayzie placed her hand on her wand waiting for an attack which could occur rather than the answers she hoped shewould get.

[Fenris Fenrir]

"You're not supposed to trust me", leered Fenrir, "If you trusted me so quickly; that would make you a fool to do so. I bear little love for your race, the vile infestation that it is, but I have orders and I have sworn an oath to carry them out. So now; you want your questions to be answered? Well, they will be answered, but not in full for that is what the Master wants to do personally to you Miss Roberts." Stepping back from the wheelchair-bound prefect, Fenrir moved backward till he rested his back against a wall and crossed one leg over the other as he watched Miss Roberts.

"And now question and answer begins; it will work as such; I will answer all of your questions and then you will answer two of mine. One is more for personal benefit; but the other will decide your fate. My master is Angelus Morti; the Angel of Death, and it is his real name; there are no lies hidden there. Why does he want to speak with you? Frankly I am not sure; perhaps he wishes something from you; perhaps he will offer you power, but I am not one to second guess him. And for your last one; I know that your friends are in fact with my master this very moment. For I was the one that stole Miss Stevens from her class; I nearly killed her and one of her students and it was I that brought her to Angelus Morti. As for Windwaltz, perhaps this will convince you that he is with us."

With those words of Windwaltz, Fenris pulled the wand of the History professor and twirled into in his hand like a baton. "Is this proof enough? For from what I have heard, Talon Aquilo Windwaltz has a one of a kind wand and he carried it with him at all times. Inspect it if you doubt me, but that night when the clouds gather over the Graveyard; there was no doubt that Windwaltz confronted my Master and now he lies forever asleep. That night was one I will never forget; Windwaltz resisted Angelus Morti longer than I dreamed possible, but in the end he lost and his mental cry of anguish could be heard by any in the area capable of hearing high pitched sounds, such as myself; being a lycan."

"So Miss Roberts; now for my questions. It was said that you were once a lycan, or at least half-lycan. What made you waste such a gift and cast it off like it was a rag from the street? There was a time where I would have respected one as yourself because of your blood, but you have thrown both away in a descsion. That is my first question; as for the second; I already asked it of you but I shall ask you it again."

"What say you Miss Roberts; will you accept the offer? What say you!"

[Hayzie]

ooc: Sorry for delay...

bic: So, he had almost killed Amy, and knew that Talon was with his "master". Even thinking the word made her feel sickened. How was it that so many seemed to serve one by that title nowadays? What happened to the peaceful days at MH?

Oh yes. They had disappeared into the cloud of darkness that had engulfed the school into a constant state of worry. A time when one should never be by oneself. How stupid had she been?

Taking a deep breath, her bright green eyes swept over the wand that the man held out, one of few instantly recognised to a friend. Why did it have to be Talon?

Nodding in a silent reply to the answers he gave, Hayz's gaze travelled towards the floor and his questions were asked. The first was easy enough to answer. "I didn't wish to become a Lycan, the situations I encountered whilst in the captivity of immortality are ones I wish to forget, and I feel that I made the right desicion when 'casting it off' as you put it." There, simply enough, wasn't it? After all, how many times had that question been asked?

But the second made the blonde's teeth grit together. As much as she didn't ever give in without a fight, Amy had lost to him... Amy had been taken away and almost killed, and Hayz valued her life a lot more than she had six months previous.

Giving a small, defeated sigh, Hayzie's eyes stayed at her feet, watching them intently. How could she be doing this? How?

For a moment, she considered bringing out her own wand and disarming Talon's from him before bringing silver down from somewhere. However, the suddenly tense hand released itself and made a tight fist unseen to the man. How could she be about to say the three words that were about to spill from her?

"Fine, I'll go."

[Fenris Fenrir]

The harsh clapping of Fenrir's hands where accented with only a few words from his maw, "Excellent; most excellent indeed. It is well that you have listened to reason Miss Roberts, even though I am dismayed that you felt that immortality wasn't what it was meant to be. To be wild and free was a wolf is something that I cannot live without now that I have it; I am surprised that the urge to be free of the world didn't take a hold on you, for even the strongest have succumbed to the will. But that is a change that can be fixed..."

"My Master said that I was to bring you to him alive, but he did not say that I had to bring you as a human. I could give you the gift of immortality again; let you see the full benefits of it in a greater scope than ever before. Let me give you that gift again, but...now that I think more on it; you no longer deserve it. No one does that throws it away like that; if it was stripped against your will, then I would return it to you. But you got rid of it on your own will. So now the time for talk is over Miss Roberts, we are leaving now."

The fact that she denouced her heritage made his blood boil and he wanted to grab the wheelchair and throw it against the wall in his rage, but the Master wanted Hayzie Roberts intact. And she would stay that way as long as possible. Moving away from the wall at a leisurely, but tense pace, Fenris Fenrir got behind the wheelchair and made ready to sprint out of the Castle with Miss Roberts, but then something caught his memory just at that moment.

Miss Roberts was a witch and all witches had a wand.

The one thing that could possible assist her if she was to try and turn on him on the way to meeting the Master. Well; she wouldn't be getting away with that one, and Fenris would make sure of it. Leaning his head down so that it hovered right over Miss Roberts' ear, Fenris whispered in a harsh and demanding voice, "you still have your wand, do you not. Miss Roberts? Surrender it to me and all will go easier for you."

[Hayzie]

Easier.

There was that one word again. A few weeks before, her thoughts had run in the direction of exactly how many times she had taken the easy way out, how many times she had put herself before others. Now, Hayzie was being presented with a chance to reverse that, presented with the chance to get rid of one of Morti’s henchmen and protect the school.

As Fenris had been explaining of how he would return to her the curse which was being a member of the immortal world under the title of a Lycan, panic had spread across her face. He was too much like Rikka. The male had that manic look written across his face; the look of one much more insecure than she had been as a Lycan, or at least her sanity had been secure thanks to the goal she had allowed herself.

The goal to get free.

However it was seconds before he ended up behind her, and merely milliseconds before a hushed voice whispered in her ear. It was then the decision came to her. No way was she handing over her wand as easily as she had agreed to go with him. One agreement was bad enough; two would just be plain stupid.

“I think not,” Hayzie whispered, bringing her hand quickly down to her wand and upon pulling out, shouted: “Petrificus Totalus!” followed quickly by “Stupefy!” It wasn’t enough damage to hurt him badly, but it may give her enough time whilst he was incapable of movement to get out of the hall, lock the door and get help from somewhere.

She hoped.

Without looking behind her to see if Fenris was completely immobilised, the wheelchair bound blonde headed towards the door, using “Colloportus” to lock it behind her. Wheeling down the corridor as fast as her arms would let her, the Prefect began calling for help loud enough so everyone in every corridor or room could hear her. Hopefully someone would come to her aid and she could explain where Talon was. And Amy too. She had to help them as quickly as possible.

[Fenris Fenrir]

Damn!

That was the split-second thought that Fenris had time to think of before he was suddenly caught off guard be the wheelchair-bound prefect's retaliation. So, she had been leading him about all this time; she wasn't going to go peacefully; she wasn't just going to let him take her to certain doom. But that was to be expected; what wasn't were the two spells that quickly came at him. One slammed into him and he fell to the floor with a crash and because of his fall; the second spell missed him.

But if Miss Roberts thought that she would be getting away from him that fast; she was more mistaken than she realized. Yet Fenris couldn't move a muscle; he commanded himself to move, yet despite all the mental effort that he put into the commands; he couldn't break free of the spell. Soon the door had locked and the sounds of wheels moving at a high pace reached his ears. She wouldn't get away; he wouldn't fail now; no one escaped the Lord of the Hunt once they had crossed him.

Finally, after 15 minutes, the invisible bonds that held him captive slackened and Fenris broke them with a snarl of distaste. But now Miss Roberts was not as near as he would have like her to be. Striding angrily over to the door, Fenris tried to open it but found it to be locked. In his anger, his grip dented the door handle and Fenris stepped back 15 paces and closed his eyes as wrath and rage began to arm their warrior. And in a matter of seconds, the warrior donned his new armor; of fur and tooth; now Miss Roberts wouldn't get far.

With a howl to the spirit that guided his course, Fenris charged the solid door of the Dueling Hall; only to find that it was of less quality than that of the other rooms he had invaded and it crumbled against his onslaught. Heavily sniffing the air, Fenris soon caught Miss Roberts' scent and with a booming bark, he was on his way after her. His panting filled the hallways and students that were just leaving class who heard the noise; ran swiftly back in them and locked the doors. Today though, Fenris Fenrir wasn't out to cause havoc, or else those doors would have been ripped from their hinges. He had to retrieve Miss Roberts and that was all that mattered.

But it was not long before the behemoth of a wolf caught sight of the fleeing prefect; the wheels of her wheelchair flashing in the light. Once more that famed, feral smile of the Hunter showed forth and with a roar of triumph; he surged forward and bite into the wheelchair itself. Biting the metal wasn't the smartest thing that Fenris could have done, but it did slow the wheelchair down and now Fenris had control of Hayzie for she was dependent on her wheelchair. Clamping harder onto the metal with his canines, Fenris tossed his head to the left and let loose the wheelchair and watched with satisfaction as it hit the wall.

Towering over the wreckage like a colossus, Fenris' voice shattered the silence of anyone's mind if they were near him as he silently said with barely controlled menace, 'You should have handed over your wand Miss Roberts.'

ooc: Will the Brave Miss Roberts receive help from her peers? Or will Fenris Fenrir have his way this day? Next post in...."Battling with Inner Thoughts". Aka; the thread is no longer invite only; enter at your own caution.

[Hayzie]

The howls had caught her ears almost instantly, and unfortunately Hayzie was unable to get as far as she would have done had her legs been in full working order. However hopefully she had managed to gain some attention from nearby rooms, though no one seemed to be coming out of them. No one at all was coming to her aid. Fantastic. Now it looked like she was working alone.

Breathing a sigh of frustration at how slow she was getting up and down stairs, it wasn’t long before the nearest howl reached her, and the jolt which meant she came to a half was completely surprising. How had he caught her that quick? He should have been injured! An almost reluctant cry came from the Gryffindor as her chair was tossed towards the wall. Scrunching her eyes shut just before impact, Hayz knew there was going to be more than one bruise there the next morning.

The words that shattered through her mind sent shivers running down her spine. ‘You should have handed over your wand, Miss Roberts.’

Maybe she should have done. Maybe she should have handed it over and gone willingly, choosing to attack Morti instead. After all, now it looked like there was nothing she was going to be able to do. Now he was towering over her once more. Having been forced into an almost sprawled lying position under the wreckage of her wheelchair, Hayzie’s mind went into overdrive. She had left her wand in her pocket. Though reaching it now was going to be a completely different matter.

Either way, she had to try. Reaching down subtly to her wand pocket, Hayzie’s mock-fearful green eyes never left those dark ones of the wolf. Though before long, she had it and the spell ”Incendio!” was shot at him, causing a tiny patch of fire to light up on his back. Maybe that would keep him distracted until someone decided to hear the loud clattering noise that had come from the corridor she was currently lying in.

ooc: C'mon, guys... please?

[† Cealla †]

Yawning, the pup rolled over and over in the cold, frosty fall grass by the lake. Her stomach was only just filled with a rabbit that hadn't quite managed to get away and now she was content. Somehow, she still hadn't been able to force herself to return to the Tunnels. It just didn't feel right. So she continued to live in the small hole beneath the tree by the lake, passing the days in slumber and the nights out on the prowl. Besides the one day where she'd saved Fenris's life, she hadn't seen her son. Son... the word still felt so odd in her mind. Who was she to consider nearly a full grown male her son? She herself was not even a year yet, though had grown to the approximate size of a young golden retriever.

Boredom began to set in. Her pink tounge lolled lazily out of her mouth and she yawned, trying to think of something to drive away the oncoming slumber. Fenris quickly reentered her thoughts- had she not promised to visit him? After all, those had been the terms of their little agreement. So, for once, she would oblige willingly. Dragging her shaggy body up, she shook her coat a few times and then headed to the edge of the forest.

Her nose was pressed hard to the ground. It seemed as though Fenris had not been back to his home in a few days and his scent headed right off in the direction of... the school. That was certain to spell disaster. Just from what she had seen, he tended to be rather unpredictable. And while she didn't really care all that much about the students at the school, she didn't want to see Fenris be killed by one of the teachers or older students. A growl built in her throat as she suddenly sprinted off towards the school, following the faint scent that the lycan man had left behind in his wake.

The school was alien to her. As soon as she even neared the building she transformed back into a girl, looking like a little beggar in her outfit of rags. But her form was so tiny and lithe that she was hardly noticed among the crowds of people around her. It was easy for her to track Fenris's scent all the way to a large set of doors. From inside, all that she could hear were the sounds of muffled words... what could he be up to? Timidly, she cracked the doors open and entered the dueling hall, completely unknowing to the scene before her eyes.

"Stop." She had hardly even spied her son before the words had come from her mouth, forcing her legs to run over to the strange student and practically throwing herself on top of her. "What do you think you're doing?! We don't belong here, Fenris! You asked me for my help, and yet you go behind my back and make such negitive choices. If you wish to hurt this girl, I would wish that you hurt me as well."

Her blue eyes were like little balls of fire, almost reflecting the flame that burned upon her decendant's back. He had deserved that, she knew, which is why she gave him no help in putting it out. How dare he.....

This would be the first change that he would have to make; but would he be willing?

[Fenris Fenrir]

The fires that swirled about in Fenris' black eyes dulled in power and dimmed in their brilliance as his mother threw herself onto the student that was his target. Her words stung him; reminding him of his want to learn; to be different. Did he still wish to learn that why? Even if he did not, there was one person that he would not harm in this Earth and that was his mother. He didn't want to be ridiculed by her; she didn't understand why he was doing this. He had given his word on the matter and he couldn't simply take it back after being so involved.

But then the fire on his shaggy fur finally burned to a point where he couldn't take it any longer and it spread all across his back. Roaring in agony from the burns and from the choice set before him, Fenris reared up on his hind legs and soon human flesh replaced silver-grey fur. Still the fires burned him, but they only had caught onto his overcoat and with a look of utter confusion, he tossed aside the overcoat and beneath was a new attire that he never had before. The clothing of an army officer; black in it's color with pale, almost like bones, white symbols all over the soliders. Such was one of the things that his Master had given him, and he trusted the Master...he couldn't turn from him that easily.

Staring into the smouldering ruin of his overcoat to avoid the gaze of his mother, Fenrir's voice was barely audiable as he tried to voice to his mother his reasons. "Mother...why did you have to come? Why did you have to see me do this; it is something that I cannot avoid now that I have begun it and I am attached in that respect until the end. I cannot go back on what I have done; I gave my word and I cannot go back on it. You shouldn't have seen this; you were not ment to know about this and yet now you do!"

"You have put me in a spot that I cannot escape from Cealla; either I go back with you to the Forest or accomplish my task. If I go back with you; I break my word and my honor is destroyed. If I take this student where I have been ordered; you will most likely never care about me again. But you must understand why I do this! If I succeed in all this missions; the lycans will be on the same level as humans! We will no longer have to obey their rules, not that we do in the first place, but they too will have to acknowledge that. I just need to carry out tasks and every day I come closer to obtaining the freedom that I seek. You must understand; for you are like me; you want freedom as well."

Tears started to well up in the lycan's eyes as he walked forward in his human form. His mother was too valuable to him; he couldn't bear to lose her, but he had to accomplish this mission. "Mother...please; don't do this to me; let me finish what I have started.", begged Fenris as his tears started to collect in his glasses, "I offered her the chance to come with out a fight, I truely did, and yet she fled from me after giving me her word! It is be default that I hurt her; she ran from me and instinct came in, but you are now in the way. You said if I hurt this girl; I would have to hurt you....I cannot do that, but I cannot fail my Master! Please; for both our sakes; stand aside and let me bring this girl to the Graveyard."

"Please Mother; let me finish with these tasks that I have given, and when that bilge is purged from me; then you can commence the teachings that you promised. But I cannot let you let this girl get away. Please; don't make me...it will destroy me...please Mother...let me do this my way...then teach me the wisdom that you have which is beyond your years."

"Grant your son this one wish; not to have to harm his flesh and blood; that is all I ask of you and ever will from this day forth. Let me do me task; let me gain glory for the Forest; let me give freedom to lycankind."

[Hayzie]

So.

It looked like even the strongest of characters had their weak spots, and the Lycan pup Fenris was calling 'Mother' appeared to be his. Tears had welled up inside his eyes, which looked ready to fall at any moment. Maybe she would be safe. Maybe she would still be able to help Amy and Talon without having to consult Aylen's group....

Aylen's group. How was she supposed to get word to them?!

Surely she should be trying to get rid of Fenris rather than attempt to figure out his weakness, even if they did both turn out to be the same thing in the end. Slowly, a small secret smile formed on her face as she thought of the best spell to use. It was then the picnic of last summer came to mind. Rowan had turned her into a minature donkey... well, a donkey's head anyway.

But surely offspring were usually smaller than their mothers.

Whispering the incantation "Reducio!", Hayziebegan to silently thank listening in Charms that day as she watched Fenris shrink smaller, and smaller, and smaller. Finally, he ended up about ten centimetres in height. Too small for him to do any harm to the Gryffindor girl at all, and hopefully the Lycan pup would be able to talk him out of taking her to Morti before he became normal size again.

[Fenris Fenrir]

The tears on Fenrir's face ceased to exist the minute that the girl had cast her most recent spell on him. That vile creature, that human girl, had used his one moment of weakness to reduce him to the size of an ant! These actions made him hate their kind; the fact that they could do such things disrupted the balance of the way of life. Humans were ment to be food; not to play tricks like this, but nothing could change the fact that he was 10 centimeters high.

Yet he did have a trump card that he could play.

Fenrir's lycan form was always greater than that of his human form; so perhaps.....

Letting out a miniscule scream of rage that sounded like a child's toy running low on power, Fenris started to regain some of his lost height. Yet he grew no bigger than a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, but when a Pembie could be a dangerous foe with the opponent was stuck on the ground like Hayzie Roberts was. Yapping with fury, the corgi-sized Fenris bolted over to Miss Roberts and his teeth sunk into her wand; the wand now had become a new toy for Fenris.

Growling as he pulled on the wand, Fenris Fenrir struggled to break Hayzie's grip on the wand, but the Human still overpowered the corgi-sized lycan in that field. Yet there was still one spot that Fenris could attack and have utter victory over her. Letting go of the wand, Fenris pranced over to Miss Roberts' neck and open his small maw to it's fullest so that it covered the width of Hayzie's neck. Growling in an almost cute way, nothing could have made Fenris enraged more than being shrunk.

'You thought that you won?', yapped Fenris into the mind of Hayzie; his voice changed with the size of his body, 'You dared to do this to me, you wretch! Well; it seems that I am still in charge here and now; you will be coming with me and holding to you r agreement. Because after this point on, any thing you do to me will be considered of vile intent and will be kept "off record". My master doesn't need to know if I teach you a lesson; he just needs you alive.'

[Hayzie]

Oh yes. Fenris Fenrir was most definitely back in charge, and there was nothing Hayzie could do about it.

As the miniscule figure grew a fair bit larger, Hayz had begun to panic, and was about to do all she could to get away. However now, the tiny Fenris stood over her, teeth bared above her neck and now... and now everything was off record. Closing her eyes for a second, Hayzie seemed to shiver under the hot, livid breath that brushed against her neck every now and again.

She still had her wand, this was true. However using it had flown completely out of the blonde's mind. He would bite her... she was sure of it. And there was no way Hayzie was returning to that captivity again even though it appeared she was about to enter a new kind. A kind which could be a lot more difficult to escape from.

Letting a nervous shuddery breath escape her, the Prefect knew she had to do it, she knew she had to give up her wand and keep to her word. She hadn't the courage to do anything else. She could only hope that in the time her courage once again failed her, her friends wouldn't.

Opening her eyes, a terrified glaze suddenly upon them which was very rare for the Prefect, her hand opened to allow her wand to roll away, and a single nod was given; the nod of defeat Hayzie Roberts had hoped never to give. "I'll go."

[Aylen Hawkins]

Grinning, the Gryffindor ran a hand through his bright colored hair, streaking grime across his face. It had rained the night before, and the Quidditch Pitch consisted of more mud than pitch. However, that didn’t stop the boy from practicing some new mid-air maneuvers he had read about recently. Finally, muddy and dirty, he had mastered them. His smile grew wider. There was no question which house was going to win the Quidditch Cup this year. He felt a sudden weight descend upon his head and he reached up to stroke his hawk’s blue-grey feathers. Mercury scolded his owner shrilly for leaving him behind in the air, but Aylen only laughed as he headed back in. Surely nothing could ruin his good mood today.

Oh how wrong he was. Aylen jumped as an enraged howl echoed through the hallways, followed by panicked screaming as students rushed past him in terror. “What the—” He didn’t have time to finish his thought. Another roar interrupted him. He felt his wand hanging heavily in his pocket and knew he couldn’t just run. “Mercury, go get help,” he hissed at the messenger. He lifted him off his head and hurled him into the air, watching him flap for balance and then swooping out the door. Mercury, messenger of the gods; may the gods help them now.

He mounted his broom swifter than he ever thought possible and took off, nearly knocking down several students in the process. The walls were rushing past him in a blur of colors, though Aylen didn’t take the time to notice. Quickly avoiding a chandelier, hair whipping about his face, he followed the roars of anger down near the dueling hall. C’mon, faster! He urged his broom to its limit, leaning forwards to further streamline his speeding figure. The roars seemed to fade away, but the Gryffindor pressed on.

The redhead soon came upon the mangled wheelchair and the source of the problem. “Hayzie!” he bellowed as he dove toward her. Aylen, having the brave stupidity Gryffindors were known for, hadn’t bothered to slow down as he charged. It was too late to stop now. He was only a few meters away and closing fast. Just in time, he leaned hard to the left, executing a precise about-face and sent the hard bristles of the broom into the reduced-size lycan. The exercise effectively swept the lycan away from the prefect’s throat, though the broom had left red marks where it had struck Hayzie’s neck. This accomplished, the momentum of his spin propelled the redhead off his broom. Despite its missing rider, the broom continued on, clattering into the wall. Aylen staggered up, wand out, slightly disoriented from his flight. “Not bad, eh?” he asked grinning weakly.