SERPENT HEART° TOM RIDDLE

050. IRA FUROR BREVIS EST

CHAPTER FIFTY
— anger is a brief insanity

          ASTREA RAVENSWOOD WAS AFRAID OF THE DARK. It was something she hated to admit. Orpheus was always making fun of her for it. After all, how was it possible for a fifteen year old girl to still be afraid of the dark? But, she was. Unfortunately, her friends didn't share or sympathize with her fears which explained why Astrea frequently found herself walking through the Dark Forest at the dead of night. She would constantly return to the Ravenclaw girl's dormitory with twigs in her hair or scratches on her knees from the vines scratching at her skin, but nothing was worse than the feeling of walking through the forest at night time.

That night was no different as Astrea trudged slowly behind Druella and Jasper Rosier, the brother and sister pair whispering silently to one another. They spoke in hushed tones and Astrea was too frightened to listen to what they were saying. Astrea's stomach turned as her gaze trailed off into the darkness of the forest where all sorts of creatures lurked, especially at night.

"How much further must we go?" The voice of an exasperated Avida Carrow came from over Astrea's shoulder. Avida had been complaining of the cold weather since they left the castle. However, the chill in the air was the last thing on Astrea's mind.

At the front of the group was Tom, Abraxas, Orpheus, and Cassius. Lupe had been missing that night which was surprising since he was always present whenever Tom demanded the attention of his "Knights of Walpurgis", as they had come to be named. It was not the first time Tom had approached all of them with the order of sneaking out of the castle. It was always difficult — finding a way to get the group out of the castle unnoticed — but Astrea supposed that was why Tom was their leader. He could always find a way.

"Silence," Tom demanded in response to Avida before the group came to a halt. Astrea cast a wary glance into the shadows of the trees as the sounds of leaves crunching underfoot stopped. Astrea swallowed as she listened to the eerie silence and turned her gaze to the sky where the light of the full moon illuminated them within the trees. "Take out your wands."

None of the Slytherins needed to be reminded twice, though Astrea frowned and wondered what Tom had led them into exactly. Hesitantly, she pulled the oak wand from the pocket of her robes and held it in front of her.

"Reveal yourselves," Tom shouted out into the darkness. Astrea frowned, squinting to see who Tom was referring to. Druella glanced at her from over her shoulder, looking equally as apprehensive to a fight as Avida felt. "Come out now or I will make you."

"Make me?" An unfamiliar voice repeated, mimicking the firmness of Tom's tone. There was an amused smile on his face which was slightly crooked and the darkness of his hair reminded Astrea of coal. The boy chuckled, walking out and appearing before the group. Astrea did not recognize him, though the red on his robes gave her a clue as to why. His wand rested between his fingers but he did not point it at them. With a thick Scottish accent he continued, "I wonder what a group of Slytherins is doing walking through the Dark Forest past curfew."

"We could ask the same of you." Abraxas said sharply.

The boy laughed once more and turned his gaze to their group, scanning over all of their faces. When his eyes arrived at Astrea, she chose not to meet his penetrating stare. It was like he was staring into their souls. She could not explain it, but she could sense something about this boy. There was something different about him.

Instead, Astrea continued to stare at the trees to her left, wondering what the shadows were hiding.

"Truth be told, I am not looking for trouble." The boy shrugged, dropping his wand into his pockets. "How about we part ways and pretend we never saw each other?"