Harry Potter and the Legend of the Twelve

Into the Chamber

In the third floor Charms corridor, the New Marauders had just met up. The six students all had a free period, and had been joined outside their classes by Lily and Hugo. They had been there for a few minutes, and they were the only people left in the hallway.

They were discussing going down to the lake to hang out, or just up to the Common Room to do homework. They were talking, laughing, and complaining about their classes. They were behaving as any group of young students would. It was a normal scene that had played out a countless number of times at Hogwarts. What they did not know was that their lives were about to be changed forever.

"So, shall we head down to the lake?" James suggested.

"I've got too much homework I haven't done yet," Danny groaned.

"Me too," said Albus. "I don't know how I'm going to get three essays done by Monday."

"Same way you always do," said Rose with a grin. "You're going to ask me for help."

The group laughed, and decided to head up to Gryffindor Tower, but before they could, a familiar figure ran around the corner and down the hall towards them. Unfortunately, they were too engrossed in their conversations to notice him.

Scorpius Malfoy, who had only minutes earlier murdered his father in the Potions classroom, ran towards the group, still clutching the emerald encrusted dagger, dripping with his father's blood. He was heading for the Headmistress's Office, hoping to Floo away from the castle. As he approached the New Marauders, he remembered how his problems all began when Albus had broken his arm.

The group of students suddenly became aware of Scorpius' approach, and the world seemed to go into slow motion, as Scorpius swung the dagger like a sword at Albus. Carly pushed Albus out of the way, into James, Danny, and Jason, taking all four of them to the ground.

While the dagger missed Albus, it caught Carly in the upper arm, leaving a gash. She screamed as she fell backwards, taking Rose, Lily, and Hugo to the floor with her.

Albus barely knew what happened as he fell, but when he heard Carly scream, he looked and saw her holding her hand on her upper arm, blood trickling from beneath her fingers. Albus leapt to his feet and lunged at Scorpius. Albus caught Scorpius' right wrist with his left hand, preventing him from using the dagger, and grabbed Scorpius by the throat with his right hand.

Albus forced Scorpius back by the throat and the wrist into the wall on the far side of the corridor. Scorpius struck the wall with a sickening crunch, dropping the dagger and falling into a heap on the floor. Albus dropped down on top of him, and without even realizing what he was doing, grabbed the dagger from the floor.

Albus raised the dagger above his head, blade pointed down at the helpless Scorpius beneath him. He brought the dagger down, where it pierced Scorpius' arm. All Albus could feel was rage, and he could hear nothing. He drew back the dagger again lifting it above his head, ready to bring it down and plunge the dagger into Scorpius' chest. He had just begun to move his arm downward towards its target, when he heard something behind him.

"No, Albus! Don't do it!"

As if breaking him out of a trance, Carly's voice brought him crashing back to reality. Albus looked at the dagger in his hand, now dripping with the blood of three people. There was blood on his hand that held the dagger. He looked down at the helpless form beneath him.

"What have I done?" said Albus, barely above a whisper, as he watched the blood that was soaking into Scorpius' robes spreading.

Albus stood up, still holding the dagger in his hand. "What have I done?" said Albus again. He felt as if his blood had turned to ice water. His heart was racing so fast, he was sure it would beat out of his chest, and he had a throbbing pain in the scar on his right palm.