Hogwarts’ Beast Tamer

While I watched the match with Draco and his overt cheering with every goal made by our team, he suddenly tapped my shoulder with a confused look on his face. “Is someone using their wands to flash team colors?” He asked, pointing down at the stands. I glanced down, and watched a bright green flash of light burn my eyes. “Father!” I yelled back with no small sense of worry, just seeing the spell sent shivers down my spine for some reason, instinctually I could feel danger in that hue of light.

“Father!” I yelled once again, glancing back to see him scowl at me, silently ordering me to be quiet while he sat at the bar beside Lucius. “Something's wrong in the stands!” I continued to yell, trying to explain my sense of alarm. “Lucas! Enough! Now is not the time to be bothering about with rowdy fans.” His voice was cold, the silencing charm on the box insulating the room from the racket outside, leaving us all in complete silence. 

My mother politely chuckled, trying to ease the tension as she walked over to me. “It’s alright dear, I’m sure Lucas was just excited to-” She froze mid-sentence as her gaze lowered down to the stands, yet another flash of chilling green light erupting from the stands, everyone pushing and shoving one another to escape from the hooded figures slowly waltzing around, creating the light. “Cullen…” She muttered my fathers name, a rare occurrence for her to forgo her usual pet-names she liked to give him.

My father quickly got up from his seat, and rushed over to the window, soon followed by the Malfoys, all of them silent for a few moments of shock before my mother grabbed my arm, yanking me away from the glass. “Fools... We must head towards the floo network.” Lucius directed, removing his wand from the head of his cane. “W-What’s happening?” Draco asked in an anxious whisper, Lucius glaring back at him. “Silence boy! Remain silent and do as I say.”

Draco nodded meekly, before Lucius led the way out of the viewing box, my father right behind him, his own wand drawn just in case. Both Draco’s and my own mother held each of us tight while following our fathers through the halls as they began to get more and more crowded with other families and other VIP viewers of the match rushing towards the exit. With each passing second the small VIP hallways surrounding the field grew more and more congested, everyone's pace quickening in fear as they realized the seriousness of the situation.

As we were continuously shoved and pushed towards the floo network room, with attendants attempting to calm everyone down, and to be orderly in their escape, I heard a scream. A certain scream that resonated with every fiber of my being. I looked back out the glass window, the empty Quidditch field was all I could see past the multitude of people all shoving me further towards the exit. “Lucas! Now’s not the time to linger!” My mother yelled, dragging me.

However, despite my mother’s yelling, I had an overwhelming sense of dread. The back of my mind buzzed as my body tingled, the instinctual warning of danger ringing through my ears. Without a thought, I broke free from my mother’s grip, pushing myself through the waves of oncoming strangers. I could hear my mother cry out my name, only to be broken off, most likely from being thrown into a floo network by the crowd of panicked strangers.

I had no idea why I felt the compulsion, nay, demand of my body to rush outside, but I couldn’t get that singular screaming voice out of my head. “Flipendo!” I screamed, breaking the soundproof glass in a single spell, the sudden blast of frigid air almost pushing me back inside along with the rest of the strangers corralling me away from my destination. Larger and larger people began bounding towards me, fattened by their own greed and lack of restraint. I had no chance of getting past on my own.

“Carpe Retractum!” I yelled, a purple tendril appearing from the tip of my wand, attaching itself just under the broken glass of the window. I grunted while pulling myself against the frenzy of hysterical people, using the tether to help drag myself against the waves.

I barely managed to squeeze past the fattened viewers, and dropped out of the window towards the open field below. “Spongify!” I ordered, creating a soft landing pad for myself. After getting back my balance from the drop, I hurriedly looked towards the strongest feeling of despair I had, and watched as a black hooded man slowly raised his wand, a green hue emitting at the tip. “Avis!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, creating as many ravens as I could, commanding them to swoop as fast as their bodies could handle.

However, they wouldn’t make it in time, the world-ending sense of dread paralyzing my feet as moving would prove to be of no use. ‘There’s nothing… They won’t make it in time, nor will any spell reach that far. I’m too late again…’ In the last moment of despair the last lesson of my first year of Hogwarts under the tutelage of Voldemort came flooding back into my mind. ‘It’s not the spell that is powerful, it’s how the wizard utilizes that spell…’

In a flicker of inspiration, I bet everything on that last glimmer of hope. “Ventus!” I yelled, the blast of wind pulsing from my wand, and hurtling towards the hooded man. However, in its way, were the ravens I had created earlier, and before the spell of rushing air could dissipate, it pushed the birds faster towards their target, slamming into the back of his head before swarming around him.

Running at full speed, I rushed over towards the hooded figure, finally getting within range to disarm him. “Expelliarmus!” However, another voice I was all too familiar with disarmed him first, his wand clattering as it hit the ground, and just as my ravens began disappearing, she casted the stunning spell on the hooded man, throwing him back into the field, his face eating some of the dirt as blood pooled from a presumably broken nose.

I gasped making it to the large hallway for the Irish team to use for huddling. There stood Hermione, viciously pointing her wand towards me, ready to bind me in her confusion of an accomplice to the man, the bright lights covering my body in a silhouette, hiding my features for her to identify. Behind her, stood Chiara shivering, tears slowly running down her cheeks as she sniffled. “Lucas!” She cried, rushing past Hermione’s shocked expression before tackling herself into me.

I was astonished at her sudden action, but her quivering body and warm spot of tears, pooling on my lapel quelled any conflicted feelings of confusion and embarrassment. All that remained now was relief. Before I knew it, I wrapped my arm around Chiara, tightly gripping her shoulders while resting my chin against the top of her head. “I’m so glad…” I muttered, rubbing her arm gently to warm her shivering body. My gaze then moved up to see Hermione, clutching at her shaking wand, confliction written all over her face as she stood frozen. 

With my free arm, I held out my hand to Hermione, no sense of shame or mocking towards her, she had done her best, the best that I had seen before when she helped save my life. “I’m so glad, you’re both safe.” Hermione blinked a few times in silence, finally biting her lip before taking one step closer. She took one more after a pause, each step quicker than the last. Finally walking into me, allowing me to wrap my arm halfway around her back, instead resting my hand on the back of her head, her frazzled hair scrunching under my hand’s weight while I gently pushed her head over my shoulder, enveloping her into a group hug.

“I finally made it in time…” I muttered with bated breath, visions of the unicorn haunting my memory. With overwhelming relief I held both of my closest friends tight, Chiara clutching at my clothes desperately, clearly shaken from this whole event, while Hermione only had a few fingers tugging on my suit jacket, still trying to be strong even now.