Death is Calling

'✭.<Alora Ivory>.*•
Terrible ideas with terrible people.

The loud bells rang from the distance. We didn't move. Mattheo and I hung for the day and when we heard the bells ringing from the school neither of us moved. I saw how the light shimmered bright under the dimming sun. I sat with my shoes that were half-sunken in the dirt, my knees were up to my chests, Mattheo on the other hand was leaned back beside me, his arms stretched behind his head with out any care in the world. The bells rung again from the distance. Both of us looked up. "That's our cue." He muttered, sitting up. "Unfortunately." We stood up in unison, brushing off the dirt. We walked back to castle in silence for majority of our walk back until we walked back to the courtyard, the silence felt like forever like one of us was waiting for each other to say something.

At the steps, Mattheo slowed down making able to catch up with him. "I'll see you down there, Ivory." He said as like it was invitation and not an orders I nodded, "Don't be late or try to get out of it, Riddle." He smirked, hands in pocket "what, and miss the thrill of trudging in a scary forest and scooping up hippogriff shit? Sounds like paradise." I glanced at him, "You seem excited." He rolled his eyes. "Oh, I am. Nothing like starting off my evening with a march down the forbidden forest." I raised a brow. "You aren't fooling anyone, Riddle." He shrugged with a mock of innocence. "I just don't want to miss Golden boy Tristian face when we are stuck like together in a forest." The mention of his name hit me hard, like a stab to the chest. Mattheo laughed, "There it is. That look. This is gonna be one fun detention." I started to walk off, throwing him a lazy wave from behind. "Don't try to miss me too much, ivory." I took a glance behind me to see him standing there. "I'll see you hour."

       The hour passed in a blink of an eye, I wasn't prepared for it to go so fast. My fingers hovered across my wand on the night, I hesitated before tucking in beneath my sleeve. I had changed out of my uniform and into some more practical for what we will be doing for this punishment. This didn't stop the nerves curing tightly in my stomach. The forest was only part of these nerves, but the tension between Alex and Mattheo with Tristen made it all the worst. The castle wall felt a lot more heavier than usual maybe due to the lack of student walking through and the noise of student chatter. Each footstep I made felt louder as I made my way to the classroom. We stood in a line like we are in the military, it was the six of in the line.

Professor McGonngall was standing in front of us, arm crossed across her tartan. Her expression was disappointed, like seeing a parent see a failed report from the child. "You lot." She said shaped, "are because you've all demonstrated the inability to follow school rules and regulation. Given the severity of the incident-" her eyes skimmed between Mattheo and Tristian. "I've arranged a special form of punishment for you to do." Lotenzo groaned under his breath, McGonngall quickly eyed him. "I heard that, Mister Berkshire." Lorenzo shut up immediately. "You will be joining Hagrid in the forbidden forest-tending to the care of several creatures. You will listen. You will follow instructions. And in any circumstance-you will not wander off." Her eye flicked at all of us, eyes like a cat. "Make no mistakes. The forest is not a playground."

"Sounds exciting." Mattheo muttered, I elbowed him. He only grinned. Professor McGonngall straightened, Giving us one final look at each of us. Equal parts stern and equal parts concerned. "Hagrid will be meeting you shortly. I suggest you all behave with more sense than what done thus far." McGonngall cloak snapped from behind her as she turned her heel and walked out, leaving her classroom. None of us said anything after that but heavy footsteps echoed from being as a booming voice broke the silence in the class room. "There you lot are!" Hagrid's large silhouette filled the doorway, lantern in hand and an oversized crossbow strapped against his back. "All right, you lot. Come on. We got a long walk ahead of us." We filed out in a line behind him. The castle walls were quieter, eerie in the way only half-asleep school could be. But even in the silence something felt off.

Theodore had slowed near a Corridor's corner, squinting ahead. "Are those prefects?" Sure enough, there were two Hufflepuff prefect stood near the stairwell, whispering to each other. One of them look at us with narrow eyes. "Why are they watching the halls so late?" Lorenzo asked, keeping his voice low. Hagrid gave a loud grunt. "McGonngall's orders. Too many student sneaking off to that party at the lake-reckon she didn't take kindly to student disappearing for a midnight bonfire."Alex shoulders stiffened ahead of me, but I didn't say anything. Why should I. Hagrid kept walking, unbothered. "Now, they are having patrols at night. Staff, prefects even some ghost keepin' watch. So don't try anything stupid."

"Why does everyone look at me when they say that," Mattheo muttered. "You'd be the one most likely to do that." I said under my breath, He heard what I said, giving me a cocky smirk. "Flattered, ivory." I rolled my eyes and kept walking. We descended down the steps and exited the castle, the air was a lot colder. There was fog that curled across the grass and the forbidden forest loomed ahead.

There was something hugely off about the forest tonight. It was just the feeling of eerie; it felt wrong. Like we were walking into a place that didn't want us there. The shadows clung to the trees. The air pressed to heavy against my chest, every creek of a branch sounded louder than usual. We were between detention a possible death sentence, following hagrid through a root covered path, with the moon to be nowhere seen and the smell of wet bark and smoke. I kept my distance behind the group so that if something did happen I could run out faster. Mattheo was behind me, his loud footsteps were enough to know. It felt like we hadn't not been around each other, since after he lit me a cigarette that we basically shared in the quidditch stands, and the moment beside a lake. The silence wasn't heavy between us but muted.

Tristian had noticed it. He hadn't stopped glancing at back at us the entire walk. Everytime Mattheo got too close or, breathed a little louder for him to hear. Tristian jaw would clench. And, Mattheo knew what he was doing. He bumped my arm lightly with his elbow. "So, is this the exciting detention that you made me make sure not to miss or is this the exact tense detention, I told you about." He whispered low enough for me to only hear, his voice was full of sarcasm. I didn't answer him but I didn't pull away either. I just kept walking. Up further ahead was Alex, shoulder tightened. He still hasn't spoken to me since what happened in the great hall. Not even a glance. Not when Tristian shoved him to the ground, hands around his neck, not when Mattheo stepped in. Not even when I stood frozen like a coward. I knew there was a distance between us now and I knew he wanted me to keep it that away.

"Y'lot stay close now," Hagrid called out, his voice boomed from through the trees. We followed him into a cleared area that was surrounded in a ring of mushrooms. In the center were supposedly young threstrals-tall, thin bony creatures with long wings and pale eyes that glimmered like the moon. One of them let out a low rasping breath that raised goosebumps on my arms. "Right." Hagrid said, setting down his lantern. "Two of 'em tore their wing in some briars earlier. We're patching 'em up. And the third's barely eaten, so we'll be cleaning and feeding." Lorenzo stopped at the edge of the ring and squinted. "You mean the invisible death horses." Hagrid nodded. "You only see 'em if you've seen someone die." He said, matter of fact. "Yeah, of course." Lorenzo muttered, "That fun horrible fact."

We all got to working. I kneeled down with Alex and Lorenzo to start laying out food and water near the threstals. We worked silently, organizing bowls full of bloodied meat and fresh water, even though we couldn't see them I could still hear them-the low weight of their movement in the grass. Theodore didn't say much, but the way he felt them it was only obvious that he could see them. So could Tristian. He was crouched near one, carefully lifting its wing with the help of Hagrid. There was something about the way Tristian moved. Like he already done this before. Mattheo, meanwhile, stayed put by a rotting log just beyond the ring of mushrooms. He watched us with disinterest, crossed arm like what we were doing bored him. He made absolute no help. Hagrid pushed a bowl of raw meat towards him, Mattheo wrinkled his nose, disgusted at the sight and stepped back. "Not a chance." He said flatly. "I'm not touching dead meat, and I don't feel like helping." I shot him a glare across the clearing. "Seriously?" He shrugged like it wasn't even a big deal. "I'm just here so I don't get expelled."

Despite the pettiness and laziness, everything was unusually quiet. Maybe we tired of too distracted with keep our hands steady. We worked in silence but the forest couldn't keep quiet. There was a shift-almost like a hush. It was like the trees were holding its breath all at once then- "y'hear that?" His voice was low and cautious. He raised his lantern and peered through the trees. "Thats enough for tonight. The threstral's will be alright now. Let's go ahead for your next job." No one said anything, we just nodded and followed him. Our footsteps muffled by thick amounts of moss and curling roots. The path narrowed, then widening again spit open in a clearing. And that when we saw it. A house.

I froze near the edge of clearing, the house was bigger than it should be, wider than any other house outside the castle, the odd placement made me concerned. It didn't look like it should be here at all but it looks like it has been forgotten here for decades. It was rejected by time—by nature. Mother Nature took it over. The house was about two floors—maybe three if you count the attic in peeking in the decaying gables. The windows were tall and narrow, most of them were shattered to pieces like they were the sharp teeth of the house. Thick vines claimed the outer walls—crawling over the cracks. Moss bled down crumbling facade, pooling into shattering statues are that are hard to tell what it once was. Balconies dangerously leaned forward, the rotted-worn out wood were tilted or completely ripped apart like it was clawed at. The stone steps lead to the wrap-around porch that were cracked or, with weeds growing inbetween the planks.

And the front door was open. Barely just a sliver. I felt the second I locked eyes with it. That awareness, something inside knew me. Was already listening. Hagrid stopped hard, arm outstretched to block us. "Don't go near it." He voice, stone cold. "Thats not ministry regulated, hell it's not Hogwarts regulated. Thats old, feral magic. The kind that remembers you, that one that calls for you. Hungry." Even Lorenzo didn't have a joke. That was enough to scare me. Hagrid turned slowly, scanning our faces. "Some who went in never came back. Some did...but they weren't right. It feeds off of you." We were all silent for about five seconds, then Alex stepped forward, "We should go in." My head snapped towards him. "Are you insane!" He didn't respond, didn't blink once. He just kept staring at the rotted house. I scoffed under my breath. "Right no words for me, but the creepy house gets your full attention." Mattheo behind me, gave a quiet scoff. "Sibling bonding at its finest." I turned just enough to shoot him a glare, but he wasn't even looking at me.

"Do you ever shut up?" Tristian spat, everyone head flickered to him, he hadn't said a word since we have been out here. Hearing him was a surprise to all of us. "You didn't bother helping with the threstrals, you just stood there like it was beneath you-"

"It was beneath me," Mattheo cut in lazily, "I'm not going to touch bloodied meat, and I definitely don't do chores." Which was not at all surprising. "You don't do anything." He snapped, "You just sit back and wait to say something smug while everyone else pulled their weight. Like your commentary's supposed to be some type of contribution and we are your audience for your stand-up routine." Mattheo gave him a long, slow look. "I didn't realize we were counting points, should I fetch gold stars for your thestral nursing?"

"There it is!" Tristian spat, "Some petty, useless comment, always up your sleeve. Always trying to toss in like you above this!" Mattheo blinked once, slow. "Is that supposed to hurt me?" Tristian looked at him with a laugh, a cold hallow laugh. "No, but maybe someone needs to say it You're not funny, you're not clever. You're just loud, exhausting." That hit something. Mattheo's smile dropped, only for a second. His jaw tightened. He tilted his head, gaze sharp and amused. But before either of them could take another jab at each other, Hagrid's voice boomed shaking the trees. "Enough!" Everyone froze. "That's enough, for the both of you!" Hagrid yelled stomping forward. "I don't care if you hate each other. You can hate each other in silence!" Neither Mattheo nor Tristian look away, the tension was still brewing.

Hagrid's glare flickered to everyone else, "we've got another task ahead, and we're already on a short limit. Now let's get it moving." Reluctantly we all moved. Mattheo had drifted towards the back without another word, hands shoved into his pockets but his jaw was still tight. Tristian walked towards the front, steps stiff and full of anger. As he passed Mattheo, he shouldered into him-shoving past. Not enough to knock him off balance but more to send a message. I knew Mattheo wanted to say something but he didn't he just stood quiet with his eyes narrowed. We walked silently and tensely.