The afternoon was cold and the sky was in thin sheets of cloud, casting a slightly gloomy atmosphere in the air — and the forest was even eerier, shadows swallowing up the place despite the sun lighting through the cloud. Layers and layers of clothing didn't help the piercing air from seeping through our skin.
Wrapping the scarf tightly around my neck, I glanced at Tom and Abraxas who seemed to be also struggling with the frosty weather. We trudged through the woods, scanning around the surrounding with wonder at the mystery.
"Why did you want to come here anyway?" Abraxas asked to grumble. He only wore an overcoat for protection from the cold and I could see him shivering under the clothes vigorously.
Noticing this, Tom brought out his wand and cast a charm on his friend. Abraxas let out a sigh of relief and rubbed his arms, voicing a quiet 'thank you'.
"Well, I thought it would be interesting to visit, even though Headmaster Dippet himself warned us not to," I answered half the truth, shrugging my shoulders with a smile.
Abraxas said something under his breath, probably a complaint of some sort.
A ghost of a smile curved on Tom's lips, his usual blank and unreadable face becoming slightly warmer. "I told you to bring something warmer than that," he chided to his friend.
"Haha, very funny," retorted back the platinum blonde, glaring at the other half-heartedly. He turned to me and spoke, "But that can't be the whole truth, Pearce."
"Vivienne," I said, looking him in the eye.
"What?" the platinum blonde replied.
Walking backwards with caution, I crossed my arms behind my back. "Both of you should start calling me Vivienne."
They shared a look as if sharing a silent conversation before looking back at me and nodded once in agreement. Beaming happily, I turned back to my original direction and walked straight forward.
"How are we going to go back to the castle if we get lost, Vivienne?" Tom questioned me suspiciously.
"We have a way so don't worry," I responded vaguely. Glimpsing towards one of the trees, I caught a small movement, an elfish face appearing on the bark. "There's always a way for the clever."
"What do you mean?" he said in confusion.
I didn't say anything else and kept on trekking through the narrow path without any difficulty. A faint rustle made me stop on my track, causing the other two to halt as well. They stared at me questioningly as I glanced around, trying to figure out what was the source of the noise.
"What is it Vivienne?" said Abraxas calmly, although there was panic flashing alarmingly in his eyes.
"I heard something."
As if on cue, something jumped out between the trees. Abraxas and Tom pulled out their wands and pointed at the creatures while I unsheathed Ignis and stood in a defensive position.
I stared wide-eyed when I realized what they were . . .
"Centaurs," Tom breathed out.
As a centaur should be, they were tall in height, their lower half a stallion, and their upper a human. However, instead of a normal human's face, theirs were disoriented and monster-like — they were nothing like I expected. Each held a bow and their bag slung a quiver full of arrows, readying the weapon to fight.
"Younglings," one of the creature's voice boomed. He stepped out through the dark shadows and I realized that they were far larger than I thought them to be. "What are you doing here?"
YOU ARE READING
Slytherin Roar || Tom Riddle's Era
Fanfiction"Aw, did you burn yourself, Pearce?" Abraxas smiled in fake sympathy. Glancing towards his pool of bubbliness, I murmured, "Your potion is over boiling." From the corner of my eye, I saw him fuss over his potion and from the other, I saw Tom smirki...
