Ruinous

six

Professor Sprout had not even mentioned Greene's name, and he was eternally grateful. People had stopped staring at him, making Zach believe that maybe they were becoming doubtful of him actually being Zachariah Greene.

Rowan had not bothered to attend the first class. His new followers were missing, too, which made Zach think they were up to something. What would one expect of a Slytherin, anyway? They were always up to something.

Which made Zachariah feel a rush of heat. He was supposed to be finding a way out of Hogwarts, but all he was doing was enjoying his stay. He was having second thoughts of leaving.

It's only just beginning. The stories I've heard are true. I knew I was getting into Slytherin, and I know what happens to students in Slytherin.

Zachariah scanned his surroundings. A small cottage house was sitting next to a forest of trees; in broad daylight, he could still only see a few feet in, and it was dark from there. An unlit lantern hung besides the cottage's door, seeming to be calling him, waiting to be taken and lit.

What convenience, he thought.

Looking behind him, he took light yet big steps towards the lantern, bringing his wand out to repeat the fire charm he had just learned an hour ago.

"Incendio!" he exclaimed in a shout-whisper, and to his surprise, the candle lit with a large flame. It slowly tamed itself into a small one, but Zach was still careful to make sure it didn't burn him through the glass.

He took a deep breath and stared into the forest. Zachariah Greene knew even before coming to Hogwarts that things would not go so well, and this was the only chance he had before he could develop any feelings for the school.

The minute he stepped into the shadier area, he knew he had started something he was going to regret. Every sound, crack, or animal cry was a predator, just waiting for the right time to pounce on its prey. Zachariah bit the inside of his cheek as he ventured into the Dark Forest, lifting his lantern higher to see where he was going.

A spot of light appeared in the distance, and a spark of hope flickered in Zach's chest. He ran towards it, breathing heavily and not looking back. The closer he approached the light, the farther it seemed. Eventually, he stopped and plopped down on the floor, his back on the trunk of a tree.

"If only—" he began, feeling helpless, but the tree trunk's hair bristled.

Wait. Trees don't have hair...

Zachariah slowly stood up from his resting place and stared up at what he had leant on.

The tree's head was that of an enlarged hawk, and he didn't want to guess at what its body was like. Zach slowly stepped back, gripping the lantern. It stood there, its eyes black as coal.

"Nice birdy, good birdy," he cooed quietly. His footsteps were too loud, bombs in the eerie silence of the forest. He winced at each step. The bird followed his pace, stretching its neck, curious at what creature Zachariah was.

The small noise that came out of its beak was enough to get him to run away like there was no tomorrow. He let go of the lantern, hearing it crack against a rock and the sound of burning leaves. Looking back, he saw the hawk-horse-thing was trekking after him, releasing all kinds of cries.

His hands were sweating like crazy, but the temperature was decreasing as he ventured deeper in the Dark Forest. His heart hurt from running so much, justifying his theory that he had started what he would regret. The light finally grew and grew, offering Zach hope. He didn't hear the creature's shrieks, so he slowed down to a walk. The silence intensified his panting. The young wizard struggled with breathing; he couldn't take more than small, shallow intakes of air without his chest tightening. A trickle of water sounded in front of him. The light grew dimmer the closer he got.