The Halfwolf (Year 1)

Zach's Promise

Hello again! Now I know it seems like I'm throwing a lot of coincidental twists into the very beginning of the story, but I promise they aren't for nothing! I'm just trying to build up each of the characters a bit. Feedback and suggestions are always appreciated! 

Zach's POV

"Wasn't that spectacular?" Zach shouted as the three first year boys entered their dormitory that evening. Teddy and Matt made noises of agreement as they wandered over to their own bed and started removing their costumes. Teddy tapped the door of Moony's dorm with his foot to open it for her, and she scampered across the floor and up to his bed. He scratched the top of her head and she padded her way up to his pillow and plopped down.

Zach kicked off his shoes and started unbuttoning his vest, humming to himself as he did. He had a great time dancing with Gale and the rest of his friends. The DJ that had been brought it played some of the best Wizarding bands there are all night. And their costumes! Gretchen had outdone herself! So many people had complimented them all on their costumes. Zach's feathers had continuously shimmered all night with how happy he was. He smacked himself in the forehead and jumped off his bed, heading for the door.

"I forgot to thank Gretch! Be right back!" he yelled over his shoulder as he ran out the door to the dorm. He could have sworn he heard one of the guys yell for him, but he just shrugged and kept running down the stairs.

General POV

Teddy's head snapped up as the door slammed shut. He glanced from it, to Matt, who was staring at him with a look of panic edging onto his features, then back to the door.

"Zach, mate, wait a second!" Teddy bellowed. As one, both boys shot to the door, managing to slam into one another as they did, and landing hard on the floor. Clutching his forehead where Matt had smacked into him, he scrambled to his feet.

"We have to stop him, Ted," Matt said shakily as teddy wrenched open the door and they started taking the stairs two at a time, "If he gets down there and Ty is even remotely close to doing what he was doing earlier..."

"I know, Matt." He whispered through his panting. They ran past Tyson's door and were only about a dozen steps from the bottom when they saw Zach. He was standing in the doorway at the bottom of the stairs, fists clenched at this sides. They were almost to the bottom when Zach lunged from the bottom stairs out into the common room, obviously seeing exactly what they didn't want him to.

"Zach! NO!" Teddy yelled as he hit the bottom step, Matt jumping past him and shooting across the common room.

Zach's POV

He stood frozen at the bottom of the stairs. There was Gretchen, her arms wrapped around Tyson's neck, looking up at him with some gooey expression that made Zach want to vomit. But there was Tyson, eating it up, grinning down at her stupidly, talking softly so he couldn't hear what they were saying. He saw his sister messing with the back of his hair. His stomach clenched. This couldn't happen. It couldn't. It wasn't allowed. He promised he'd watch over her, keep her safe, keep her from the hands of others. That was what he father had asked him to do. What he had to do to protect his family. His grandfather had been demanded the same thing many years before, when his father was his age. Now the same was expected of his father. And it was up to him to make sure it happened for all of their sake.

He launched himself off the bottom step and hurled himself onto Tyson's back before anyone had a chance to react. Then it was pure chaos. Gretchen and Teddy were shouting, Matt had grabbed ahold of him from behind, Tyson was trying to fling him off his back without hurting him, and Zach was punching at his head for all he was worth. Finally, Matt managed to get his arms up and around the front of Zach's shoulders and pulled back sharply, forcing his arms back and up so that he lost all leverage he had to swing at Tyson. Matt pulled him backwards away from the older boy, who was sporting a cut lip and the starts of black eye. Zach was still thrashing and kicking out his feet wildly, trying to get free.