Scratches (Fred Weasley)

(153) The Disaster

"Lumos," Florence whispered, the tip of her wand illuminating as soon as they got deep in to the abandoned building, Hadley following suit, trekking a few feet behind her. She could hear her heart slamming wildly against her ribcage, threatening to break free as they crept quietly for a few minutes. Almost instantaneously, the pair picked up a sound of shuffling feet, making them pause in their tracks. Florence looked over at Hadley, who nodded her head, before they continued on, wands raised in alert.

They were just about to send a jinx flying when they came across a panicked looking Nina Argon, one of the two redheads in their batch. She too, breathed out a sigh of relief at the sight of her classmates, a hand clutched evidently to her chest.

"This place is creepy," she whispered, Hadley letting out a quiet chuckle at this statement, before whispering back, "Have you seen anything yet?"

"No, not at all. They didn't even say what kind of obstacles they had placed. Makes me feel jumpy even when I don't need to be."

"We'll keep moving I guess. Did you come in with anyone?" Florence asked, Nina shaking her head no. "I found a portkey myself. By the time I did, lots of people already got out. Probably one of the last ones. My lucky day, eh?"

"Were there a lot that didn't make it?"

"Quite a bit. I think that Reagan Fawley girl didn't make it either. She was still looking for a portkey by the looks of it."

"Serves her right," Hadley chuckled, "She's been such a bloody bitch."

"Do you even know how this is supposed to end?" Florence asked, not remembering any sort of clear instructions from Scrimegeour or Robards. Hadley turned to her, a skeptical look on her face as well. "Now that you mention it, I don't think anyone told us about that."

"Suppose we just have to try to make it to the other side of the building, maybe?" Nina guessed, "It's pretty damn big and you could get lost around here, I bet.

"We just have to move quick... and keep our eye out for things."

The three did just that, sticking together as they blindly wandered the interior of the abandoned building, their eyes and ears sharp for any suspicious movement.

Just as they were turning a corner, a figure in all black and a Death Eater mask popped up several meters away from them. They quickly snatched their wands, Florence's heart beating loudly in her ears. She knew that it was simply a test, but the sight of the death eater made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. 

Seeing Florence semi paralyzed in fear, Nina stepped up, drawing her wand out in an attempt to disarm the person. However the next few words that came out of the stranger's mouth left them in shock, the familiar stream of green light striking the redhead in the chest, her body dropping to the floor with a loud thud.

"Oh my god!" Hadley screamed as she saw the cold dead face of Nina, the stranger pulling away his mask to reveal a rugged looking man with a wild unkept beard. The snarl on his face and his unfamiliarity triggered warnings in Florence's head, grabbing Hadley's arm and making a run for it just as the man raised his wand again. 

"Florence....! Florence, Merlin's sake what's happening?" Hadley tried to ask in between pants, her voice quivering in fear. Florence had no idea where they were going to go, but encouraged Hadley to keep up, the two dashing for their lives as the man was hot in their heels. 

"Avada Kedavra!" he screamed again, the pair ducking just in time, the green jet of light sailing past their heads. Florence swiftly turned around, retaliating with a body binding spell, making the man topple over, which gave the pair the opportunity to put as much distance as they could from him. By this point they could hear chaos all around them, a blood curdling scream making them flinch as they pushed on, Hadley finding a door right around the corner, pulling Florence in and shutting it tight.