Evan Rosier (Harry Potter Fanfic/ Prequel)

5 | 54 | Go Back To Bed

Sunday, September 14

I wake up in the middle of a deep sleep with a cold sweat across my forehead.

A few words are etched into my mind as I wake. I need to get my broom. I hadn't realized that Evan and I forgot our brooms outside, in the Quidditch pitch. They're probably still out there.

I need to get them before they get lost.

Slowly and carefully, I climb out of bed and slip out into the halls. No one heard a thing, so I decide it's safe enough to head out.

I hear the clicking of shoes against the hard floor and I suck in my breath. It must be McGonagall, she always sounds the same.

A glimmer of light emits from her wand as she searches for any lingering students, students like me. Holding my breath, I wait for her to find me and give me a week's detention for sneaking out.

That doesn't happen. She turns and walks into another corridor, so I release my breath. When I turn around, I am greeted by a hand across my mouth and a low, "So I hear you've been sneaking out?"

My gasp is muffled with his hand but I push him away with a slight scowl. Evan suppresses a laugh at my face and asks me where I'm going.

"To get our brooms," I whisper, heading out the door that lies beyond a path on a hill heading to nowhere.

I walk on the path and realize I've gone out the wrong side of the castle.

With a huff, I walk as fast as I can to the Quidditch pitch, while Evan follows with a frown. "What if you get caught?"

"I thought you were the risky one," I remark, looking to where the bright full moon is almost covered by clouds. It will be dawn soon.

He sighs. "You shouldn't be out at night."

"I'm just going to get our brooms."

He starts to speak, but is interrupted with the sound of bones on wood, like a dog chewing on a piece of wood.

Alert, we scan the area for the source of the noise.

"Arabelle," Evan whispers, crouching and pointing at a tree. I carefully walk over there to squint at whatever he's pointing at.

Beside the tree, a rough-looking hound dog is lying down chewing on a stick.

Wait... That's not a stick.

"My broom!" I cry, fiercely. The dog looks up and I step back due to the strange gleam in its eyes. It almost looks like it recognizes me, but I've never seen it in my life. Clearing my throat, I glare at it. "Let go of my broom!"

Instead, it picks up my broom and runs off into the forest. I shout angrily and don't miss a beat chasing after it, even though Evan is calling me back.

He eventually follows me as I chase the ugly dog down the forest. I realize the broom is weighing it down and I yelp in slight satisfaction, trying to scare it.

I almost lose sight of the hound and in just a few seconds, I'm running aimlessly in the center of the Forbidden Forest.

Eventually, I stop in my tracks to catch some breath and I hear Evan almost crash into the tree next to me. He huffs while glaring at me and motions around the dark place.

"Happy? You dragged us into the Forbidden Forest and you don't even have your broom back."

"I never told you to come with me," I snap, calming down.

We fall quiet and gaze around us, alert.

"Do you hear that?" Evan asks, face paling ever so slightly.

Before I can answer, a low growl erupts from behind me and Evan scrambles to get in front of me to protect me. I peer over his shoulder and stare into the eyes a large... Werewolf?

"Oh, Merlin," I breathe, gaping at the size.

We back up ever so slightly and it doesn't make a move. Maybe we can go? Is it letting us go? I can still sense the hostility in its gaze and my breath hitches in my throat.

We step back once more and my foot catches in the root of a tree.

The werewolf throws its head up in the air and howls while we cower at the base of the tree.

It glares down at us and jumps.

I close my eyes but hear the ripping of flesh and multiple growls simultaneously. Evan grips me harder and I open my eyes to see the werewolf on the ground fighting with the hound we saw with my broom.

"We need to go," Evan hisses, not letting go of me. I nod in agreement until I hear the sharp yelp from the hound. Evan notices my hesitation and pushes me along. "We'll die if we stay."

The hound is thrown off the werewolf and I pull away from Evan to crouch by it. "Oh, no," I murmur at the large pool of blood by its neck. I hold it in my arms and hear the low whimper in its throat.

"Arabelle, look out!" Evan scolds and drags me away. The werewolf, momentarily dazed, shakes its pelt and looks around with its eyes in slits.

In a flash, Evan shouts as the werewolf swipes him away. I scream at him, but he lays at the base of a tree, groaning.

I shakily take out my wand and point it at the werewolf. "Stay away."

It's not fazed.

The hound tries to get up, but is too weak so I'm stuck fighting this beast all by myself. It lumbers towards me, baring its teeth and snapping its jaw.

I step back and it jumps forward, but holds back with a howl. I notice the hound is still lying there, so I don't understand what's holding it back.

The werewolf lets out an ear-splitting screech and hunches over as warm light washes over its back. It's dawn, so the werewolf is about to turn into its original person. I slide down to where Evan is now sitting up.

His breath is slow and there's a huge scratch on his back, but it doesn't look so bad. He takes off his shirt so I can wrap it around his torso. "I'm sorry," I murmur, but he doesn't say anything back.

The hound is awake now and trying to crawl over here. I glare at it. "It's your fault we're here, you know."

It whines and I sigh, letting it crawl into my lap.

"We'll have to get help." It gets off my lap at this and heads over to a thicket off debris.

If it wants to be over there and probably die in its own blood, fine with me. Evan's my top priority.

Evan gets up with my help and I let him put his weight on me. I can take it. It's my fault he's hurt, so I deserve it.

Looking around, I realize the werewolf is gone.

The hound is gone, too. Wait, actually, that is not a hound.

I see someone sit up against the tree where the dog was.

A boy, someone in my year, peers up at me with a pained expression and I gape at him.

Sirius Black?!

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Published 7-12-20