The Shadow of Slytherin

The Hallow eve duels

"Not now, but good luck, Garreth," you say, slipping underneath his arm, and rush up the stairs onto the Gryffindor bleachers where Natty waves for you to have a seat beside her, but Leander Prewett and some others block your path.

Their eyes on you, Leander scoffs. "No entry for Slytherins. Get off our tower."

Anger rises within you. Strange, as it is not accompanied by the usual heat, but the urge to knock Prewett's grin off his face. "You know what? If you want to say something, go ahead. If not, step out of my way," you hiss, the arms crossed, your chest puffed as you stare at Leander, detecting hesitation. Something rumours inside him, but at the laugh of the students around him it disappears.

"You are the problem. After that raging goblin released his powers it would not surprise anyone if Sallow or you took them," one of the students remarks.

"Frost was right to knock you off your high horse. I bet you poisoned Hawthorn and the others. Maybe even Sallow, but he always had a nag for dark arts. So right up your alley."

"Now get off the tower, Slytherin. Before we help you," another student hisses.

Your ears twitch when a smug grin wanders onto your lips and your fingers tingle as you glare at the student "Go ahead."

Glances exchanged, the boys stare at you, still, unsure what to do until one of them draws his wand and casts a spell that shatters against a protection bubble.

Their eyes on one another, the boys form a circle around, casting spells that burst, leaving you unharmed. Tension grows when they attack again, one of them stepping forward, but without any warning, the student flies through the air and drops to the ground, a scream cutting through the crowd that forms around you.

Gryffindors step back when a slender student with auburn spiked hair steps between the others, his wand drawn, its tip pointed toward the other student that still cowers on the ground. "Back off, all of you."

"Found a new friend, Morningstar? Another victim of your dark magic?" one of the students hisses, drawing backward when Wickard straightens up and points the wand at him. "What, are you their guard dog now? I though Gray holds that position."

"You should go now." Natty's voice comes from behind you and when you turn another wand is pointed at you. "Salem, you can sit with Nellie and me."

The light tip of a dark wooded wand pointed at the boys around, Nellie appears beside Natty and nods her head for you to walk with them back to the bench where they have founds great spots to look at the duels.

After another argument, of which you only hear the words cruel and dangerous as well as enemy, the spiky haired student joins you as well, holding out a bag of gummy worms to offer you.

A handful before you, the eyes on the Quidditch field below, you watch as the first duellists enter the Quidditch field and walk towards a number of platforms that hover above the ground. Half of them with green and blue, the other red and yellow stripes to either side.

While the duellists, dressed in their house colours climb onto the platforms and get into position, a cheer comes from the tower to your left where the Slytherins rise to a stand at the sight of Atticus and Imelda stepping onto platforms next to one another.

A smile to your lips, you watch Alex as he jumps up upon spotting Akira, dressed in his original green clothes, step onto the platform opposite to Haley Cohen, a smug grin on her lips as she draws her wand and prepares for her first duel.

Flopping in the wind, banners rise to the top of the towers, hung above the bleachers, held by students that cheer at the sight of their house mates.

At the other end of the Quidditch field, dressed in a bright red robe, Garreth stands opposite a Hufflepuff, students from either house alongside them, prepared for the duel ahead.