two rings and bad things

54_ trial

Even with the gloom that filled the castle, the students still looked forward to the Hogsmeade trip that day in late September.

Ed thought they would cancel it, but was proved wrong and planned to go with Lance, Nott, and Zabini.

They went to the usual shops, such as the Three Broomsticks and Zonkos, before deciding to head to the Shrieking Shack.

"Are you sure we should go?" Ed asked.

"Why? Scared?" Nott sniggered.

"No, its almost time to head back," she argued.

"We'll be quick, right Zabini?" Said Lance.

"Yeah," he agreed.

Outnumbered, Ed finally agreed and they made their way to the most haunted building in all of Britain.

"See? Nothing's wrong, Ed," said Nott.

"Unless she just wants to get back to snog Malfoy," Lance muttered under his breath so that only Ed could hear.

He was the only one that knew how serious they were, but didn't quite know all the details of the situation.

"Lance McCoy, shut up!" Ed pushed her friend.

Just then, a pair of strong hands grabbed her aggressively, and it wasn't Lance.

She tried to pull away, but their arms wrapped around her violently and a hand pressed over her mouth before she could cry for help.

"ED!" Lance yelled, immediately noticing what was happening.

Zabini and Nott turned when Lance called her name, all three of them casting whichever curse they could at the captors. There were six of them, some big brutes and others thin and lanky.

Ed, on the other hand, struggled to get out of the man's strong grip. She tried jabbing her elbows into his sides and kicking his shins, but her frantic actions did nothing to help, in fact it only made his hold on her stronger.

She even tried biting the hand that was covering her mouth, but that didn't work, either.

The man punched her hard in the stomach to get her to stop moving. It worked, because she had the wind knocked out of her and was gasping for air. 

She began to panic—what if she couldn't escape? What were they going to do to her?

How did I not even hear them approach? She wondered.

No, I won't give up that easily.

She frantically struggled again, trying to reach her bag with her wand in it.

Lane and the others continued fighting as hard as they could, but they ended up being shoved onto the ground, not being able to fight all the Snatchers at once.

"Stop it!" The one assaulting Ed ordered.

Ed froze, but her friends didn't, and they continued to battle.

"I said stop!" The man repeated, much louder than before.

This time, the only thing that made Lance, Nott, and Zabini stop was a wand to her throat.

Her breathing rapidly increased, not knowing what they were going to do with her next. There was nothing she could do at this point—her hands were tied behind her back and she was still hunched over from the pain in her abdomen.

"Leave them," the leader told the other men.

As the men approached, Ed finally had a good look at them and realized who they were—Snatchers.