The Hogwarts Games (First Draft)

Chapter 22 - The Ultimate Sacrifice

Chapter 22 - The Ultimate Sacrifice

Day three of the Games. How could so much time have gone so fast and so slow at the same time?  

Who would have thought Rose hung out with the likes of him? Then again, no one expected me to be where I am. You know what they say, expect the unexpected. And I did not expect to walk out on people who were willing to take care of me while I was injured. Oh well. Whatever, right?  

I placed the apple I stole from Scorpius in my bag. As I limped further into the thick brush, I found easier and easier to walk on the leg. It wasn't broken like I told Teddy, just too damn sore to withstand at the time. Speak of the devil ... someone called my name incessantly. There was no one else so persistent about helping me. Now this guy was annoying me almost as much as Malfoy. I whirled round and gave him an icicle stare that stopped him dead at his tracks.  

"What, Teddy?!" I snapped. "What?!" 

"I want to come with you." he said almost stuttering at my aggressiveness.  

"No." I spat and turned to leave him. The persistent brat ran in front of me.  

"So your leg's getting better ..." he murmured nonchalantly.  

"Yes." I said curtly. He still eyed my knee with concern which was still dislocated and twisted out of it's normal place. "Stop looking at me like I'm some patient you're treating. I don't need your help."  

"Yeah you do!" he yelled in protest but his face quickly reddened. "Okay, you don't but I want to help."  

"No. I'm not some invalid that needs help walking. This is a fight up to the last man standing. Stick with me and it won't be you."  

"I don't care about winning! Just let me help you."  

"I don't need your help. I don't want your help." I hissed.  

"I don't believe you have a choice."  

My eyes widened at his comment. "I have no choice?" I repeated with venom in my voice.  

I didn't have a choice about anything in my past and just when I thought I did, any opportunity to claim it was gone. I didn't need a reminder from Teddy. I plucked a knife from the jacket I still wore, the biggest one there was. Teddy now looked deathly afraid.  

"W-what are you doing?" he stammered.  

"Leave. Me. Alone!" I yelled as I flung the knife at his direction with great force. It caught onto his sleeve and dragged him back, the knife embedding itself onto a thick tree. He pulled at the knife but I threw it too hard. He wasn't getting away sometime soon. I suddenly felt really really tired.  

"Look," I said wearily. "I don't care about the glory of winning. But there's a hundred Galleons in this and I have a starving family that I want to care for. A starving district. I don't want to have to hurt you to help them. And you're better off without having to worry about me."  

"Sorry, Artemis." he mumbled. "I just don't want to see you hurt so badly."  

"It's the Games and we're the tributes. It's a danger I'm willing to take to get out of here."  

I didn't give him a chance to say anything back. I shrugged off the jacket and placed it at his feet.  

"At least take a few of the knives." he mumbled. 

"Don't follow me." I said firmly as I yanked the knife that held him to the tree. It let go easily and I kept it in my grasp. He slumped to his knees and looked at me with nothing but concern and care in his eyes. I rested an arm on his shoulder then limped away as fast as I could as the sun rose from behind me. Teddy didn't follow me and I wondered if I was going to be able to see him well again.