The Other Witches

19. The Coast is Clear

"You... You monster!"

His wand is at my throat before I can even reach for mine. The unknown boy has staggered to his feet, eyes blazing with angry tears. "How...dare...you..." His voice is trembling just as much as his arm, his hand painfully tight on my wrist, his wand inches from my neck.

"No, please... It's not like that... That wasn't me..." My whispers are taut as the guilt and fear from earlier returns all at once. "It wasn't me..."

"Wand down, new guy."

I raise my eyes and take in the rest of the room.

Every other person in the room has their wand raised, pointed at the Ravenclaw boy. Well, except for Al, who's still passed out. It's a new feeling, people that barely know you having your back. With all the tension in the room, I (a bit stupidly) almost get a little emotional. I already have tears stinging the backs of my eyes from the immense pressure on my arm.

"Come on, drop it!" Lucy says evenly. Ella pokes him with her wand between his shoulder blades for good measure.

Reluctantly, he lowers his wand to the floor and releases his grip on my wrist. "Accio," Von flicks her wrist, the rather shiny wand on the floor zooming into her palm. I rub the reddish marks on the inside of my arm with my fingers gingerly, though they aren't that bad. Lucy picks up the book, which had been swept off the desk in her scuffle to stand up. 

"Relax," PJ says to the unknown. "We're not going to hurt you, at least not intentionally. What's your name, man?"

"Schuyler." His voice is a bit raw. "Henry Schuyler."

"Well, Henry Schuyler, it seems you have no choice but to...uhh...face the consequences?" Ella struggles to find a word. Or an idea, I'm not sure. "Forget I said that. One question though." She quickly makes eye contact with a few people, a signal of some sort. "Are you with us?" She tightens her grip on her wand. Lauren, James, Patricia, and Von do the same. "Or are you against us?"

I take my wand out of my dress pocket. "We have little to no reason to trust you." My voice is hoarse as well. "If you are, in fact, on our side, as it were, you're going to have to stay here with the rest of us. If not," I'm surprised at the return of power to my voice, "we're going to ask you to leave. Now, before anybody else gets hurt."

When did I ever get that sense of command, I wonder. Oh, no. I was too harsh, wasn't I?

When were you ever elected the leader? A voice in the back of my mind whispers.

And just like that, my confidence crumples once again. I bite my lower lip nervously. Seriously, Eliza, get it together.

"She's making a good point, bud," Ella says, pretty calm, considering the situation. "So what'll it be? In?"

"Or out?" finishes Lauren, dangerously, pacing by the doorway. 

Henry raises both hands in mock surrender. "I don't have anything against the five of you, or the rest of you in here for that matter. But I have to ask." He turns to face me. "Are you sure you really didn't see anything?"

"Nothing at all. I promise." I feel a lot calmer now that we know he isn't hostile. "That thing that invaded your mind was just a horrible representation of what I would be like turned bad. Low, heartless, and cruel. But I didn't see a single thing."

The desperation in his face is replaced with relief. I guess he really had something to hide.

"Honestly, I think the whole tournament's fallen apart out there." Albus has finally woken up, and joined the rest of us near the group of desks. "The last thing I saw before being knocked out cold was the heads of schools arguing. I think they're taking their delegations back home. Ending the Triwizard as it is. Never been done before, but there's a first time for everything." He grimaces and looks at the floor. "Not to offend anyone, but the five of you have truly jerked around with this Tournament."