The Maze (Harry Potter 4 and the maze runner)

The raids

My wand clattered out of my hand and I sank to the floor groping in the darkness. Just as my fingers closed around something stick like, someone grabbed a fistful of my shirt and pulled me up.

In the distance, the sound of a series of low rhythmic thumps broke the silence.

"Death Eaters" Tonks murmured "ok, Harry stick with Dumbledore, Fred George-"

"Wait!" I turned and saw a pale looking boy darting out of the darkness near the three broomsticks. My heart jumped into my throats masking my words.

Malfoy. He had a splatter of crimson on his face, a shock of pale hair standing stark against the blood

"Not this git!" Fred pulled out his wand sneering, but Dumbledore latched onto his wrist 

"No! Leave him Mr. Weasley...he's not here to harm us" he spoke softly 

"If we're leaving..." Cedric took a few tentative steps backwards

Malfoy stared back through us through haunted enclaves that were his eyes "you can't apparate once the charms been set off. I can help you though. There's a place they don't know about" he whispered frantically. I took in his skeletal figure, smeared in blood, my heart thumping in my chest as in the distance the sounds of voices grew louder.

"Wait a minute, we can't just-"

"You don't have a minute" he spoke, almost beseeches "they're coming" 

I turned and spun to see Dumbledore walk towards Malfoy, I could make out the whites in his eyes

"Lucius and Narcissa?" He asked looking around hastily

"They were exiled into the maze" he whispered. A shot of green punctuated his words, in the distance the thin serpentine mask of death imprinted the clouds. I could make out the twins face in the lurid light, painted with horror and fear.

And then Dumbledore was pulling my arm, and I was following a shock of pale in the darkness.

Cedric turned and muttered a charm just as Bellatrix turned the corner. A thin veil of air encased us, her voice muffled almost as if the words were falling on to a barrier

''That won't hold'' Tonks muttered as Bellatrix prowled the outside of our barrier. I turned to Malfoy

''Where is this place?'' I asked, as we distanced ourselves from the charm, running, as if that's all we knew how to do. Minho would've been proud

''Shrieking shack. Flit-wick charmed it before they got him'' he murmured. Some of the fear had dissipated from his eyes, steadily replaced by a pallid look of nausea

''And they don't know how to get around it?'' I stole a glance behind me panting. The sound of a puff of air broke the silence in the distance, the sound of singing becoming more sinister.

''Not yet know. The old fool knew a bit about magic then'' he barked a humourless laugh as Dumbledore scurried behind us.

''Where are we going?'' Fred panted 

''Shrieking shack'' I told him and Tonks. Dumbledore reached my side quickly

''It's charmed, right?'' I said

''Cursed you mean. The only thing that's stopped them from breaching it is that they can't tell the difference'' he said. He pulled out his wand and blasted a shot of pure gold from his wand, making the air in front of us distort.

''Vanishing charm'' Cedric grimaced. I could make out the Whomping Willow, like a slumbering beast dormant in the darkness

Malfoy pulled out his wand and muttered words, making its branches fall inanimate. A blur of darkness in the distant sky warned us of approaching Death Eaters

''Travis was never one for deft touches'' Dumbledore muttered. He pointed his wand towards the speck of darkness increasing in his wand light and murmured 'reducto'. The speck faltered as if hit by a plane, and sank to the ground.

There was a moment of utter silence before I felt Malfoy's pull on my arm, yanking me in.