Soldiers and Serpents //Scorbus

27 Soft Touches

Sunday night the twins returned to Hogwarts, immediately showering and retiring to their dorms for sleep. They'd be back to school the next morning. Scorpius was fidgeting in his bed, tossing and turning. The other students were asleep in their own bunks, but he was having trouble with insomnia. It shouldn't be that surprising, considering everything. When he finally did fall asleep, in the early hours of morning, he was swept into a memory he'd rather forget.

The Hogwarts hallway was empty as Scorpius left the Slytherin dungeons. His wand stuck out of his pocket, and his iPod and earbuds were in the other. He was looking for Raven, but the girls dormitories and the common room were empty. Everyone was in class. But his twin wasn't; so he knew something was up. Scorpius walked through the halls but paused when he heard a few different voices. He probably would've kept going had he not recognized Raven's distressed tone. "... your hands off me!"

Scorpius jogged around the corner, where voices snapped more into clarity. "Just want what you're giving everyone else." Daniel's sly and mischievous tone had Scorpius immediately angered. Rage soured through him, and he found the scene. Daniel and two of his friends had Raven cornered, and had clearly grabbed her. Her lipstick was smeared, her shirt unbuttoned. She was trying to push a guy away from touching and removing her bra. Raven's wand was on the floor, her books as well. Clearly they planned this.

"Get away from her!" Scorpius demanded, and watched as the three boys immediately looked up, having not seen or heard him approach. They seemed shocked, almost guilty that they were caught. But they weren't about to drop the act now.

"Mind your business, Deatheater." One of the friends snapped in his direction. Raven was crying, covering herself with her arms. Scorpius walked up to him without hesitation, kneeing him in the groin. The boy howled in pain, bending over. As Scorpius turned, he raised his wand. Daniel had mirrored his actions. Wands pointed at one another.

"What are you going to do?" Daniel taunted. His other uninjured friend grabbed Raven from behind, trapping her in his grasp. Scorpius didn't know what he was going to do. He was so fueled with anger he couldn't think, he could hardly see clearly. He was becoming blind with rage, literally. Raven cried for him to stop, not wanting her twin to get into trouble. Scorpius felt that he was mad enough to kill him, all of them.

"Crucio!" The Cruciatus curse came tumbling out of Scorpius's mouth, and a surge of power came with it. It was an icy cool feeling that went through him, making him feel on top of the world. But he wasn't. Using an unforgivable curse wasn't just forbidden, but it was straight up dark magic. And it took effect immediately. Daniel's wand fell out of his hand and clattered to the floor, he fell to his knees. The veins popping out across his forehead and neck in pain. The boy holding Raven immediately dropped her in shock, running over to Daniel. Scorpius didn't stop, though. The torture curse is what he deserved.

Tears streamed down Daniel's cheeks, and he gasped like he was being set on fire from the inside. Then he began to scream when he couldn't stay silent any longer. The pain was clearly so excruciating that it was breaking him. Scorpius could hear his friend shouting, and Raven was sobbing. But it was like the noises were muffled by a cloud, and only Scorpius existed in that moment; bringing payback to the person who touched his sister. "Scorpius!" Raven grabbed his arm, breaking his concentration. Scorpius snapped back into a reality, lowering his hand. Daniel gasped out, in relief and fear.

He was crying on the floor, curled up into himself. His friend knelt beside him, looking at Scorpius with wide and scared eyes. Clearly he thought that he was next. Scorpius turned to Raven, who hugged him and quietly composed herself.

"Hey. Wake up. You've missed breakfast." Raven yanks the blanket off of Scorpius's body. Immediately cold air hit him and he woke from the dream. His mind was spinning from the memory that he couldn't even register he slept through his alarm. Albus didn't even bother to wake him? Strange. All the other boys were gone by this time, waiting for classes. Scorpius blinked, rubbing his head. He was waking up with a headache. Wonder why. "Scorpius?"