We Can't Wake Up

The feast was a yawn-worthy occasion, as per usual. Marcus’ eyes drifted calculatingly around the room until his gaze fell upon Percy Houston. Maria, for once, was correct. The only vaguely appealing virtue he owned was big muscles. Marcus frowned and his eyes turned back to his own plate. There would be ways of getting rid off this ‘Percy’. Simple and easy ways, no-one would ever expect it of a student. He just had to wait for the right moment.

He felt someone watching him. Marcus looked up from his plate and stared at the guilty person. It was Anne. Their eyes held for a long moment, like time had paused. Marcus’ eyes narrowed and his face became like stone. A shadow crossed Anne’s face; she rolled her eyes and looked at her friend who was trying to get her attention.

She rolled her eyes at me. The mere thought infuriated him. A cool rage built up in the pit of his stomach. It spread quickly through his body. Marcus quickly focused on what the headmaster, Professor Pinge, was saying. He was a recent one, only been here a couple of years. Ever since Professor Dumbledore had been murdered, apparently no-one had been able to keep the job for long.

Dumbledore had been murdered by someone who used to teach here. Professor Snape. Good job, Marcus thought viscously. He had been one of those stupid muggle lovers. The Professor stopped speaking at that moment and food appeared on the tables infront of them.

Everyone around him dug in eagerly. Marcus looked again around the hall. Houston was stuffing his face messily with everything in his reach. Marcus looked away in disgust. Poison him. Simple, quick, easy. His eyes drifted over to where Anne was eating, heartily but elegantly. Her dark hair shimmered in the candle-light and her eyes danced as she struggled not to laugh at what her friends had just told her.

“Not hungry Marcus?” Matthew nudged his side, his own mouth full of food.

Marcus turned his cold, dark eyes upon Matthew’s face. Matthew immediately stopped smiling and looked away in haste. Matthew knew that look. Without a word, Marcus stood and left. Not many people noticed, they were too preoccupied with their food. One pair of eyes followed his progress. Just before Marcus left the Great Hall he turned and cast his eyes back to the Slytherin table and saw Matthew conversing nervously with Arnold. His eyes then moved over to the Gryffindor table to see Anne staring intently at him.

No-one stopped him as he walked through the dungeons, everyone was at the feast.

“Spindle-weed.” Marcus uttered darkly. The concealed door slid across soundlessly and Marcus walked in. The common room was the same as it always was – cold and dark. He walked quickly towards the stairs and ran up them two at a time. His truck was by his bed, Onyx sat quietly on the bedpost. Marcus stroked his head softly, and then opened the window. Onyx swooped out into the night, up to the owlery.

The clasps on his trunk opened as he flicked his wand wordlessly at it. Fifteen years old and he had already mastered non-verbal spells. The teachers found it amazing. Marcus did not think anything of it.

With another wordless flick of the wand, the clothes and objects inside moved into the closet beside his bed. These were fairly recent additions to the rooms. Every person had a closet in which to place their things.

Marcus lay back lazily on his bed as his clothes, books and other things moved into the cupboard. Another flick of the wand and a piece of parchment flew into his hands. Something he had picked up when he was nine. He had seen it in some man’s pocket and had slipped it unnoticed into his own.

He tapped it with the tip of his wand. Hogwarts appeared on it in elegant calligraphy. Apparently there had been another one like this. Harry Potter had owned it. It was a map of the entire castle, including all secret passages, and every person in it.

Everyone was in the great hall except the care-taker Mr Filch and one person wandering slowly in the direction of the Slytherin common room. Marcus frowned. Above the footprints was the name Anne Hammond. What does she think she is doing? Marcus thought, his mind was racing, thoughts of cornering her, teasing her, forcing her to do as he told.

Marcus struck out in frustration, his wand pointed angrily at the wall. A large chunk of stone crashed onto the ground.

“Reparo.” Marcus muttered. Anne had paused just around the corner of the Slytherin common room. He knew that she knew it was there. Someone had brought her in last year as a prank.

Quickly Marcus raced down, through the common room and out of the door. Silently, he slid the map into his pocket with his wand. He walked slowly and carefully down the hall and around the corner.