Antares

Chapter Eight ~ Climbing Nightshade

Dark.

That was all Aki saw. She felt like she was walking in nothingness. She didn't want to, but she had to resort to holding onto Marcus' arm so that he could lead her. Aki had no idea where she was, but she did have the assumption that she was now indoors since cold air was no longer blowing over her. The only thing she knew was that there was concrete under her feet, which made a clopping sound with every step she took.

Marcus stopped, and Aki could hear him grappling with a doorknob. He groped at it blindly for what was too long, in Aki's opinion. The darkness and the anticipation of drinking were making her antsy.

"Hurry up," she urged. "Hurry up, goddammit."

Marcus didn't say anything, but Aki kind of got the feeling that he was glaring at her.

He did noisy turn of the knob, and nudged open the door. Aki felt him swing his arm a bit for her to let go.

"Get in," he said.

She heard him move around to hold open the door for her. She took a timid step forward, and was shoved in the rest of the way by Marcus.

"You don't need to push me, Christ sakes."

"D'you wanna seen?!?"

She tutted, to which Marcus added, "God damn it."

Aki heaved in resentment and looked around the room she was in. It was still dark; she could only see large rectangular shapes and the glint of moonlight bouncing off of the tiled floor. The smell of negligence and many sweaty bodies was rampant, however.

Marcus flicked on the light, and Aki blinked at the sudden brightness. Now she could see clearly: lockers, benches, and green Quidditch robes were strewn around the room. The tiled floor beneath her feet had mucky footprints and a few crumpled-up towels on it. A narrow stream of cloudy water trailed its way from the showers to under the lockers. This was where the Slytherin team got ready for their games.

"Ye gonna start drinking or not???" Marcus asked testily.

"Merlin's sake, don't get a fork in your arse."

Aki sat down on one of the benches and began to anxiously tear off the cap of Ogden's. Marcus sat on the next bench, eyeing the bottle. She finally got it open, and took one particularly long drink. When she had brought the bottle down, he saw that her eyes were watering.

"Can't handle as much as you thought, eh?"

"Shut up. I drink this stuff for breakfast."

She took another swig, cringing as she swallowed it down. The cringes would only last a couple of seconds, then be replaced by a satisfied smile. She didn't say anything for a long while, but Marcus had no problem with that. He preferred to keep it conversation-less between them for as long as possible. Waiting for the right time was all Marcus was thinking about.

"You are really something, you know that?" she said, after what must've been a good three minutes of silence.

"Oh I am?"

"Yes."

Marcus wondered if that was all she was going to say. She took another drink; the bottle was already one quarter gone. Marcus didn't bother to ask for a sip; he already knew what the answer would be.

"You couldn't even come out to be at the meeting that you set up!" she said.

"I couldn't--"

"You were too yellow to come out, dammit. Even I came out to meet you!"

"I told you, Snape w--"

"Snape's the head of your house! Why ar'you scared of him?"

"Look! Snape's head of our house, but he still doesn't like us just doing whatever we want!"

"Tch! Could've fooled me."

Another drink. It was as though she needed to drink as often as she breathed.

"Why couldn't you come out? Was he in the damn dormitory or what?"

"Yeah. He came in 'cause he needed to talk to Malfoy about something."

"Who's Malfoy?"

"Some first year."

"What did Snape wanna talk 'bout?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"Just wanna know, goddammit."

"Anyway, I was just about to go out, but Snape leaves first and tells us all to get to bed."

"'Couldn't you just pretend to go to bed and sneak out when he left?"

"He made it clear that he wasn't leaving until all of us had cleared the common room and made our way upstairs."

"Oh."

"Even if I did do what you said, you still would've been caught by Professor Snape."

"Yeah... well... still don't like you just forgetting about me."

The drink bubbled as it left the bottle and rushed into Aki's mouth.

"Goddamn leaving me there to deal with lunatic Snape."

"Oy! That's my head of house you're talking about."

Aki snorted and gulped down some more of the drink.

"Fancy Mister Snape, do ye?"

"Not fancy, god damn it, I just respect him."

"Why?"

"'Cause I'm in his good graces. I'd like to stay in those good graces, thanks."

"Doesn't your precious professor like all th' Slytherins?"

"Not really. There's a few he doesn't care for."

"Reeeeally?" she said, sounding enticed "Like who?"

"There's that one," Marcus pondered, rubbing his chin. "I think the name's... Goyle?"

"Whossat?"

"First year. Dumb as a potato."

"Hmmph! That's surprising. Flitwick seems to like all of us."

"Well, good for Flitwick."

"Why d'you suppose Snape likes you so much?"

"'Cause I'm Quidditch captain."

"So?"

"So it was me who won the Quidditch cup all those years."

"Err... don't you mean your team?"

"Peh!" Marcus scoffed. "Not bloody likely."

Aki did not care for his cockiness one bit, and she snuck a sullen look to him. She tipped her head very far back and let a rush of Firewhiskey burn her tongue. She coughed once as she brought the Ogden's down.

"Polishin' the arses of those s...stupid gargoyles is really nasty, you know that? Lookit my hands!"

She stuck out the hand that wasn't gripping the Firewhiskey. Marcus took an uninterested look at it.

"Look how crumby my nails have gott-un! Bloody hell, I think my skin is peelin' off!"

"Should've worn gloves."

"I didn't get 'ny! Ye precious Professor Snape decided it would be funny if he didn't gimme any!"

"You're over-exaggerating, your hands look fine."

"Could've fah... fallen off th' statues when I was polishin' their heads, you know."

"They're not that tall. People have fallen off them with nothing more than a small bruise."

"Your precious professor had better not come to me t'morrow mornin' and bellyache 'bout how I did a lousy job cleaning 'um."

"He'll probably never check."

"I don't wanna be stuck doin' a second buff b'cause of your damned precious professor--"

"Would you stop calling him 'precious professor' already?!?"

"Sorrrr-ry!" she said sarcastically.

Marcus rolled his eyes. She was really getting on his nerves fast.

"I'm missin' out on a serious bender because of you, did y'know?" she said.

"Err--you're drinking now."

"The one at Hogsmeade! The one all my friends are at now! I could've been having so much fun there righ'now, but instead I had to do a s...stupid detention."

She began to take drinks in the middle of her sentences.

"They're there cele... bratin' Terrence...something's birthday."

"Is that so?" Marcus said, a little bored.

"Yeah. That reminds me, why aren't you there? Terrence is a Sl...Slytherin if I'm not mistaken. Rachel was invited an' everything."

"Hmmph. I wasn't."

"M-maybe the owl delivering y'invitation got blasted out of th' sky!"

"I don't like Terrence that much anyway."

"W...why not? I heard heeza nice bloke."

"He always doesn't do what I say. It's a fucking pain in the arse."

"You're jus' a bully."

Marcus liked the sound of that.

"Why you got t'be so rough wi' people all th' time?" she continued.

"Can't help it. It just comes naturally."

"Pfft! Lil' stubborn, ye are?"

Marcus noticed that her words were becoming gradually slurred. Aki unsteadily jumped to her feet, and began to pace the room.

"Maybe," he said, shrugging. "I just like things done the right way. My way."

Realizing that she was woozy to be wandering, Aki leaned against a couple of the lockers. She stood with her legs apart to give better balance, her pelvis out, and her head flat against the lockers. Marcus could see that she was swaying in her place. His chance was coming up.

"Ye'd be lots better if ye weren't such a goddamn arse all the time, you know."

Marcus took a deep, staggered breath to soothe his rising hostility. If he had taken a drink as well, he would've no doubt been loosened up enough to slap her clear across the face by now.

"It's hard when there's nothing to keep me happy," he said through clenched teeth.

"Whad'ye talkin' 'bout?" said Aki, appearing to get a little heated. "You've got Quee-dick skills... captain, ye are! Ssssouuunds nice t'me!"

"Quidditch skills are great," he boasted, "but what good are they when I'm off the pitch?"

"G...good f--ye immm--age."

"Don't you see?" he said, getting up and strolling over to her. "Quidditch isn't the thing that would make me happy."

"May... make mmmmme happy!"

"And it's not lots of friends, or even vaults of galleons, either."

"Wuh... really?" she said. "Whassit then?"

"The thing that would make me happy," Marcus began, "is right in this room."

Aki's brows shot up and she looked around wildly. She lifted her left foot, then her right, expecting to find something under her shoes.

"Ye mean like... th' towels?"

"Aki, no--"

"T...towels maaake m'happy t-too!"

Marcus shook his head at how much of an idiot the Ogden's had made out of her. He took one step forward, and was now only a foot away from her.

"Aki," he said, tilting her chin up.

Marcus gave a soulful look into the drunken girl's eyes. He actually had to hold her face up because her head kept drooping. He couldn't tell for sure, but Marcus thought he saw that her pupils were dilated.

"The thing that would make me happy is you."

She looked unmoved, and wrapped her lips around the Firewhiskey bottle again.

"Reeeeally?"

"Yes," Marcus said, twitching his nose at the pungent smell of Ogden's wafting off of her. "Slytherin girls make me so sick--"

"'Specially that crap-face Ur-salla, aaay?"

"Heh... yes. See, Aki... you're different from all of them--"

"'Courrrse! I dunt have a crap-face, riiiight?"

"Don't interrupt me. I hate it."

Aki pursed her alcohol-soaked lips and rolled her eyes.

"Like I was saying... yes, but there are so many other reasons though."

"Yerp... I'm a sple-shall one, I say."

Marcus edged closer and trailed his fingers down her unoccupied arm. She didn't seem to mind. Her anger must've gone down as the alcohol consumption went up.

"I've been having my eye on you for quite some time now, Aki."

She didn't answer, and Marcus wasn't surprised at all when she took another drink.

"Since... the beginning of the term," he said.

"When ye saw me oot-side and ye came over w'your Quee-dick chummies, right?"

"Err...exactly."

Marcus' hand lingered over Aki's wrist for a second. He felt like the biggest pansy for what he was going to do next.

"Don't you see, Aki? We should be together."

Marcus engulfed his big hands over Aki's, and started stroking it with his thumb. He couldn't suppress a sneer; he felt like such a dainty. Aki just looked at his hand on hers, then stared blankly at him.

"Everything would just be going my way," he said.

She slowly blinked her glassy eyes.

"Things would just be... right," Marcus added.

She took a sip of Firewhiskey, spilling a drop or two onto her robes. She vulgarly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, in not the most attractive way.

"Don't you think?" said Marcus.

She cracked a very slight smile, and nodded a centimeter.

"Yes they would," he purred. "I'd be looked at differently by everyone, mm-hmm."

He stared off to nowhere in particular and nodded approvingly.

"And you..." he went on, "everybody'd just be talking about you, wouldn't they?"

She did a drunken giggle, no doubt liking the thought of being 'talked about.' His and her idea of being 'talked about' was very, very different.

"Marcus Flint and Aki," he drawled.

He closed up the last of the space between them, easing between her open legs. He was now pressed up against her, and the way her pelvis was stuck out felt damn good to Marcus. She made a short croaking sound in her throat, and crumpled her face. She drew back her hips, not liking the feeling as much as Marcus was. She had downed almost the entire bottle of Ogden's Firewhiskey, and Marcus was wondering why the hell she wasn't passing out yet. He leaned in, nudging away the strands of hair. He had to breathe through his mouth since the smell of alcohol was enough to make anyone's head spin.

"That's all everyone'd be talking abou..."

He trailed off, ending the general thought with magnificent-feeling kisses on her neck. Aki moaned and closed her eyes, completely letting all reasoning drift away. She put quivering fingers, the ones that weren't still holding the Ogden's, onto his chest. She fell back into the lockers behind her, and Marcus' strong body pinned her there. She craned her neck so that he could get easier access. His lips curled into a smile as he kissed her. The neck, Marcus concluded, was the spot on this girl.

He worked his best work, knowing where to spend his time and when. After all, he did have some experience under his belt. A couple of kisses in just the right place could get the knickers off quicker than dogs at the dog track. At least, that's how it was for Marcus with the other girls he'd courted in the past.

He brushed back her robe, letting her dull gray sweater meet his eyes. He moved one hand to her backside, copping a feel of her rear. As if happening so naturally, he swept his hand down her leg and grabbed hold of it, bringing it around him. He rubbed her thigh, letting his fingers penetrate deep into the flesh.

"Wuh... wha' 'er'ya doin'?"

Marcus withdrew from her neck and smirked. She had this doltish expression on her face.

"Your legs feel nice."

She emitted an odd sounding noise and dropped her leg out of his hold.

"Err... legs mmmight be... um... hairy an' junk. Fffforgot to do th-those... hair-rumovin' charms las' night."

Marcus did his best to not cringe. He was utterly turned off right now.

"I don't care."

She seemed a bit self-conscious for a moment, trying to pull her skirt over her knees. Marcus shook his head gently and nudged away her hand.

"I don't care."

He took her leg into his big hand again. She let him this time. Now that she had mentioned it, he could sort of feel the little stubs of hair growing back on her leg. Marcus got the random image of a whole horde of Ravenclaw girls, all with forests of leg hair under those skirts. It sent a gross feeling to course through him. Voices in Marcus' brain were screaming at him to stop picturing such pointless thoughts and to get on with his damn task. He bit on his lower lip seductively, and placed his hand on the bottom of her skirt. He slithered his hand upwards, inching the material to her waist. She swatted his hand away.

"Mar--"

Her utterance was cut short by Marcus' deep kiss on her lips. Marcus fought off the first instinct to gag. She tasted like decade-old whiskey that had been left to spoil under a hot sun. He quickly moved onto her cheek, regretting that he'd kissed her on the mouth. He let his wet lips trail across her skin until he had come to her earlobe. He nibbled on it, and felt a deep breath fill her lungs, making her chest rise. When he heard her make an odd gurgling noise, he went again to slide her skirt up. He managed to get a little farther this time before she squirmed and pulled her skirt down.

"Marcus! Q-quit that..."

He kissed the underside of her chin, having to bend awkwardly to do so. He felt her fingers on his chest tighten into fists, her nails scratching into his robes. She made a piteous moan again. It was quite clear that; yes, she was enjoying was he was doing. The cool glass of the Firewhiskey bottle was driving itself into his front, keeping a three-inch gap between their upper bodies. He wished that she would just drop the damn bottle already. Marcus jerked his arm into hers, hoping the obtrusive bottle would go away. She got the hint, and after a moment, wormed both hands around him so that she held him in a loose embrace. Marcus crept into the free space, barely a sliver of air between them now. She sure didn't smell that great right now, and Marcus was muttering expletives in his mind. He bitterly wondered why he chose to this now, with her reeking of the day's sweat, Firewhiskey, and cleaning fluid. Marcus reminded himself that getting into the mood should've been the last thing on the itinerary.

The mouth of the Ogden's bottle was digging into his back rather uncomfortably. He tried twisting a bit so that it would drop off, but it didn't. He wriggled in closer, and was relieved when she didn't hug him tighter. He smiled at the fact that with her every heaving breath, her chest would slam into his. He could almost feel her heartbeat thumping from within her, quickening with every passing second. He wanted to get this started, and clumsily grabbed at her skirt.

"Marclus... don't... don't b'doin' that..."

Her voice sounded tired, like she wasn't putting a whole lot of effort into her objection. She probably just wanted to play hard-to-get so that she wouldn't seem like a 'loose drunkard,' Marcus thought to himself.

"Marker... s-s-serious..."

"Marcus," he immediately corrected.

"Marcus...I-I meeeeean it..."

Marcus ignored her. She must've been delusional for trying to reject him. His hands moved like a spider and they found their way to the waistband of her underwear. His fingers were trying to sneak under the thin material, wanting to venture dangerously further.

"S-stop!"

"What?!?"

Marcus pulled back from her flushed, sweaty face and stared angrily into her watery eyes. He was getting really annoyed with the drunken girl right now.

"I... I can't..." she said.

"Why not?"

"I jus' can't..."

Marcus attacked her neck with kisses again, hoping to get her in a more amorous mood. Usually, it wouldn't have taken this amount of time, patience, or Firewhiskey.

"Marcus... p-pl-please ssstop..."

"I really want you..."

"P-Please, Marcus... s'not right."

"But it feels good, doesn't it?"

"I... I'm no'ready..."

Marcus lifted his hand, running his coarse fingers through her hair so that she'd raise her head a little. It was unintentional, but he pulled some of the strands out. He braced himself for another kiss on her mouth. He pressed his lips onto hers, parting them gradually to advance deeper. It wasn't as disgusting this time, Marcus noted, but maybe that was because he already had her foul taste on his tongue.

"I... fifteen, god... dammit," she said, after breaking away for a sharp intake of air.

He gave her a look; a very rare one that she had never seen before. His deep eyes penetrated into her, ablaze with nothing more than animal carnality. Marcus tucked a pesky lock of hair behind her ear and rubbed his thumb into her cheek. His scratchy fingers made her skin almost seethe and burn where he touched her. His hot breath stung her face as he breathed in and out heavily.

"Don't fight it," he whispered into her mouth. "It'll be good."

Gazing straight into her eyes, Marcus crushingly pressed his lower body against her. She made a high-pitched, stifled gasp of shock. Marcus closed his eyes and groaned. Things were getting good. There were still trousers, skirts, and underwear between them, but the friction in all the right places put things in a whole new light. It didn't matter now how much she annoyed him, he needed to get those nuisance clothes out of the way at once.

In the blink of an eye, Marcus had flipped up her skirt, and pushed his pelvis against hers so that she couldn't cover herself. He ground his hips suggestively into her, feeling pleased at the stiffening sensation beginning in his trousers.

"No, Marcus..."

She tried getting both hands to the front, but Marcus' strong body pressed on her, not letting her hands settle on his chest again. Still holding the Ogden's bottle in her right hand, she drilled the mouth of it into Marcus' side in an attempt to get him to move away. Some of the remaining Firewhiskey in the bottle dripped onto his robes. Marcus paid no mind at the gouging glass, for he wouldn't budge.

"Marcus... geroff!"

She feebly slapped and clawed at Marcus' arm that was coiled around her waist. Aki could swear she heard Marcus cackle from within his throat. He was beside her face, his tongue gliding slowly down her neck.

"You're gonna like this..."

He made a sharp tug at her knickers. Aki could feel them inch down, and fabric of Marcus' trousers brush against her bare skin. She made a squeamish whine; the fact that her most private area was uncovered in the presence of another made her sick. Marcus was getting scary, more so than usual. He was doing all these things without her permission, acting only on his savage impulses.

"Marcus, no!"

Marcus didn't stop. It was quite clear that he had heard her, and wasn't getting any wrong signals. He knew damn well that she didn't want to, but he still kept on. He was pinning her against the lockers behind her; it was getting hard to breathe.

Aki knew she had to get out of here.

Marcus was between her legs, so a swift knee to the groin was out of the question. She tried as hard as she could to squeeze her hands between their bodies so that she could push on his chest. Marcus was heavy, and didn't have his muscles deadened by the alcohol like she did. The way her hands were whipping out all over the place, big splashes of Firewhiskey were flying from the bottle and hitting the tiled floor with heavy splats; little puddles forming at their feet.

The Ogden's Firewhiskey.

She was still holding the bottle because she intended to finish off whatever liquid was still in it. Most of the Firewhiskey had drizzled onto the floor now, but the bottle was still firmly clenched in her hand. She brought the bottle to his back, using it to smack him in any place that she could reach. The only place she managed to hit him was on his rear. Marcus only laughed, as he seemed to enjoy that. She whimpered as she beat him harder, scared and frustrated that it was having no effect. Aki bent her arm up, and felt the bottle softly connect with the top of Marcus' spine. He grunted, feeling a slight tingle of pain when the glass hit him.

"Mmph! Fuck..."

The light thump bothered him, but it wasn't powerful enough to make him let go. Aki took notice of this weak spot. A solid blow to anywhere in that region would be her only hope. Marcus was already extremely hard in the trouser area, and was reaching for his zipper to unleash that hardness.

Aki gripped the bottle mouth as tightly as she could, knuckles lightening slowly. She gave one final glance to the side of Marcus' despicable face that was so close to hers, gritting her teeth as she did. She took in a deep breath, mustering up all the strength in her, and scrunched her eyes shut. Aki raised and swung the Ogden's Firewhiskey bottle swiftly into Marcus' head.

The bottle shattered with an ear-splitting smash; Firewhiskey slopping all over the both of them and glass bits flying everywhere. Aki felt what must've been at least two pieces of glass cut across her forehead, and tiny shard embed itself into her nose.

"Fuck!"

Marcus stumbled over on his feet, his back crashing into the lockers on the left. He had one hand over the area where she had hit him; his face screwed in half surprise, half pain. Aki let what was left of the Ogden's Firewhiskey bottle, the jagged stub of a mouth, to drop to the tiled floor. It fell with a clink, bouncing once or twice and chipping a bit more. She staggered to the heavy door, almost falling over from the drunkenness. As she ripped it open, Aki saw that Marcus had regained himself and was lurching towards her. He had his fists firmly at his sides, and was gnashing his teeth. She let out a shriek and bolted down the corridor.

The hall was pitch-black, and she kept slamming into the walls. It felt like she was running inside of a black hole. From not too far behind, Aki could hear Marcus throwing open the door.

"Gebback here!"

She let out a fearful scream. She shouldn't have, since it only gave away her position, but she was too terrified to think against it.

A whitish glow began to illuminate itself in the hollow enclosure. Aki saw it; the end of the corridor was coming up, leading back outside. She looked back just once, and saw only the thick blackness in which Marcus was concealed. His footsteps were hard to miss, and Aki concluded that he must've been not far behind.

Aki leapt the last step into the cool night. She was on the Quidditch pitch now, a breeze blowing westward and a half-moon up above. Everything was spinning. She was exhausted from both the running and the Firewhiskey. She forced herself onwards, with no clear direction of where she was going. She only knew that she was running back to the castle. It was a long way, and even more so considering it was a terrible strain just to stand upright. She stumbled once on a groove made in the pitch from when a player must have crashed there. She tried as hard as she could to get herself back on course, but Marcus was gaining on her. He was getting so close. With wobbly legs, she pressed onwards. Not thinking twice about it, Aki dug into her robe, and brought her wand out.

A roar sounded shockingly close behind her, and Marcus closed his hand over her clothes. Aki screeched, feeling his savage touch again. She thrashed wildly and shook her black robe off of herself. Marcus was left with just her robe in hand as she fled. Marcus bellowed with rage and threw the robe down to the grass. The sound thundered through the air, being carried by the wind. Aki felt her insides turn into something likened to jelly.

The Quidditch pitch was no longer beneath her feet; she was now on dull grassland with several old trees scattered about. The castle was getting bigger, yet it was still so far in the distance. Aki realized that she still had her wand in hand, and if she were ever going to get the chance to use it, now would be it. Aki stopped from her faltering run and twisted around. She stuck her wand straight out at him threateningly, eyes burning with intimidation.

"Stunnify!"

Aki awaited the tense anticipation of a powerful curse that would stop Marcus in his tracks. She waited for two painfully long seconds; two seconds more than it would usually take. Marcus was still advancing; clenched hands locked at his sides and a face like a rabid beast. Her brows flew up and she stared at her wand with her mouth open. Aki shook her wand, hoping that maybe it would do something. Perhaps she had said the wrong word; spells were never Aki's strong point. Remembering all the incantations was hard enough; trying to remember them when one was piss drunk was hopeless.

"Ah... Sturm--"

Marcus ripped Aki's wand right out of her hand before she could finish her next attempt at a spell. He chucked it aside like it was the filthiest piece of trash he had ever touched. Aki saw it bounce and disappear into the grass. Her wand was the only thing that could save her and now it was gone, lost.

With lightning speed, Marcus shoved her backwards. Aki shrieked and took a step back to regain her balance, but when she did, she only fell faster.

She had tripped over a gnarled root.

Aki hit the ground hard, the back of her head bouncing off the rocklike earth. She had never fallen to the ground so hard before, and all the air in her had rushed out. Something metallic-tasting was creeping onto her tongue. She coughed desperately, fighting to get air into her jarred lungs. She gripped the throbbing pain at the back of her head; her face all screwed up. Marcus stomped one foot on either side of her, his feet planted next to her ankles.

"Fucking try to use your spells on me?!?"

Aki blinked away the pounding in her skull and forced herself to look up. Marcus was towering victoriously over her; he looked so much bigger from this angle. She felt like a bug to him, and that made her lip tremble. A slight smirk washed over his face.

"Look at yourself," Marcus said harshly. "So bloody pathetic..."

He started to kneel. Aki kicked at the dust, sending grainy dirt to go flying and hang in the air. She flipped herself over and scrambled across the grounds. Marcus bolted upright and gave a look of total resentment, his teeth visibly showing.

"God damn it..."

He only had to take two steps forward to catch up with her. He fiercely took her ankles and pulled on them, hauling her over the various sharp things under her. The pebbles on the ground split open the skin on her leg as it was dragged. She was wailing shrilly at the open wounds, but Marcus didn't care one bit. He never gave one rat's ass for her, and now was no different. Not one damn thing had changed since the beginning of the term.

"Ferkin'... leggo um'me!"

"Shut up!"

He threw both ankles to the ground and fell to his knees quickly so she wouldn't escape so easily. He was between her legs again, in a way that left Aki with only her hands to defend herself. She flailed her arms wildly, hoping to hit anything. After a couple ineffectual smacks to his leg and arm, she managed to get an able slap to Marcus' face. He didn't even pause to register the pain afterwards. He just had this murderous look in his eyes that made it clear that he was not at all amused. He growled something incoherent and fished his hand around, fighting to grab the flailing limbs that kept beating him. He seized one of her hands; his dirty, calloused skin turned her nerves to ice.

"Get'jur hens off me!"

"Don't you fucking talk to me like th--"

Marcus had a grip for several seconds, but then her wrist slipped out of his hold and continued to thrash. He cursed and continued to grab at them, looking like he was attempting to catch a bee in his hand. He finally snatched one of them and mashed it into the ground. Marcus seemed to smile a bit when she winced at her bruising flesh under his crushing hand. Marcus pushed a good part of his weight onto his hand that was pulverizing hers and began to reach for the other one to end her senseless struggling. In a spasm, Aki's free arm forked out and felt around. She could only feel the grainy dirt and rotting wood of the log nearby. She threw her arm out further, and felt a finger brush something cool and smooth. She reached hard for it, and her hand closed on a large rock, a bit larger than her palm. Aki grasped it hard and flung her clenched hand to the side of Marcus' face. He tumbled over with an alarmed grunt, falling away from her body

"Fuckin' 'ell!"

Aki dug her fingernails into the earth to help herself up. Marcus was there on the dirt, rubbing his jaw. She felt a shiver and hastily lumbered on towards the castle, tossing aside the hefty rock that helped her escape. Marcus was shuffling very close behind her, getting to his feet. The rock might've done some damage to his face, but he wasn't about to give up just yet.

"Bloody bitch!"

Aki heard pounding footsteps ensue, twigs crunching under his feet. They were getting faster; Marcus was beginning to run. She didn't dare look over her shoulder. The sight would not have been pleasant in any situation. Aki had that feeling in her dreams where she was running in slow motion, but everything else was moving at normal speed. It was a horrible feeling to have every step dragged out for what was entirely too long.

"Shitty b--!"

Marcus never got to finish his words as he leapt forwards and tackled Aki to the ground. His arms locked around her and they fell together. Aki cried out as Marcus tumbled on top of her, almost using her to cushion his blow. The pebbly stones had caught her on the side of her face, scraping up her cheek. Marcus immediately recovered himself, but Aki did not do so as effortlessly. Her mouth was still hanging open, gulping in oxygen and reeling from the agony of having Marcus' massive body thrown on top of her.

He roughly took her arm and turned her over. He was straddling her now, locking her legs together between his. Marcus took the bottom of her skirt and jerked it up. His fingers were dancing on her waist, about to poke themselves under the hem of her underwear.

She wasn't sure what made her do what she did next. Perhaps it was an acute flash of fear that got a hold of her, or maybe she was just drunk enough. Aki flung her hand out and closed it on Marcus' crotch. She just grabbed it, and grabbed hard, letting whatever fingernails she had to hopefully pierce through his trousers. Marcus' eyes bulged open, not sure of what to do exactly. His jaw unhinged, and a howl escaped his lips, building up with every second her hand remained there.

"Auuuuugh!"

He fell off to the side, his hands over his groin and face crumpled. He was heaving, eyes sealed tight. There he lay, on his back, clutching his crushed bits and pounding a closed fist into the earth. It felt good to see him in some sort of pain for once.

Aki rolled over and pushed herself to her feet. She felt herself teeter as she stood up straight, but waved her arms around to steady herself. She unstably dashed away, the cold night air nipping at her since she was without her robe. Aki ripped her hair away from her face and smiled at the sweet, unobstructed sight of the Hogwarts castle. It was coming closer and closer; it had never looked so good. Just a little more and she'd be in the corridors. The thought of being in the dark yet safe hallways gladdened her.

"Impedimenta!"

The ground was suddenly swept out from under her as Aki's feet were thrown into the air. It felt like she was standing on some sort of invisible carpet, and Marcus' curse had ripped it right out from under her. She dived forwards, her innards convulsing at the unexpected jostle when she hit the grass. Her chin skidded across the unforgiving land, and she inadvertently bit her tongue. There was that alkaline taste of blood in her mouth again. She groaned, her ragged breaths rustling the few wisps of grass in front of her. Aki swallowed her suffering and pushed off on her hands to rise. She immediately fell back down, panting. She may have been drunk and weakened, but her body felt a dozen times heavier than normal. She lifted her arm with the intention of throwing it in front of her to crawl. It sucked most of what little strength left in her just to raise it a couple inches, then more strain and patience to move it ahead. She let it drop hopelessly, whimpering at the sound of Marcus approaching from behind. Aki wriggled, frantically doing anything that would get her to move away quicker. Her limbs would either move at the speed of a slug, or not move at all. It didn't take long for her whole body to become extremely exhausted. It had the feeling that it was weighted down by anchors. Being completely powerless, she shrieked urgent cries to anyone who would hear.

No one came.

Marcus' breathing was vicious as he stood over her, a feral sneer plastered over his face. His eyes were reduced and darkened with bubbling-over wrath. Aki could do nothing but lay there and squirm uselessly. There she was, helpless before him, and he relished the sight. He kneeled down on her, taking his time; she wasn't going anywhere.

"Fucking little bitch," he muttered, grabbing her hair and tossing her over.

She was on her back now, eyes wide and blood starting to peek through the scrape on her chin. The sight of Marcus scowling down from on top of her made her shiver furiously.

"Geh'fuck 'way!"

Marcus didn't say a word to that. He knew that she wouldn't be able to do a damn thing if he didn't comply, so there was no point acknowledging it. Whilst on his knees, he paused to glare at the weak girl under him. He was getting a sick pleasure from all of this. It was apparent when his sneer twitched into a grin. Aki gave an uneasy look, not sure of what was running through his mind. Then, without provocation, Marcus slowly reached out a hand and gave a firm squeeze to one of her breasts, like he was a curious little boy at the zoo.

"Nooooo!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Marcus spat, his grin vanishing in the blink of an eye. "I swear..."

"Geh'fuck 'way! Ye geddamn arse, dun toche me!"

"I'll do whatever I damn well please!"

Feeling the need to prove that point, he threw her legs open and flung her skirt up to her waist. She did her best to squirm and fight, but it was impossibly hard, as if a hundred hands were holding her down. Aki screamed with all the available oxygen in her lungs; a shrill scream that made her throat feel like sandpaper. Marcus gritted his teeth and his expression turned maddeningly enraged beyond the limit.

"Shut the fuck up!"

When he said the word "fuck," Marcus gave a rough slap to Aki's face. His large hand hit her with a horrible smack. Marcus got this incredible feeling shoot through him when his hand connected. It was the feeling of gratification; he had wanted to do that for some time now.

Aki wailed as her head fell to the side, a prominent stinging expanding fiercely on her cheek. She had never felt the pain of being slapped somewhere so sensitive as the face. Tears began to well up as the awful burning flared. It had the feeling of a hot cauldron being pressed against her cheek. Marcus was still above her, clawing at anything and everything. He was muttering various things, but Aki could make out bits of his words:

"So fucking tired of you... wasting my bloody time... bitch..."

Aki rolled her head up. Marcus appeared closer than before, but he was still sneering with abomination. She shook her head gently from side to side, pleading him to stop. Marcus didn't even blink. She choked out a restrained cry, a stream of tears streaking down her face.

"No, Marcan!"

"It's Marcus, fuck you."

"Marcus... please..."

He neglected her plea and yanked her underwear down to mid-thigh level. Aki gasped in shock; she had never felt such an icy breeze against that area of her body.

"Don't, please!" she begged, weeping uncontrollably. "Don't do this..."

"I'll do whatever the hell I want with you," Marcus hissed coldly. "I'll do what I want, and you're gonna fucking like it, won't you, you little whore?"

He took a moment to glower into her watery eyes to show just how sick and tired he was of her shit. For six months he had tried to be nice, much to his exasperation. Writing pansy-ass Valentines to her and not blowing up even though she'd gotten on his last nerve. She was the reason for all his troubles, yet she would be the reason for his reward.

No more shit, Marcus told himself.

He wanted to just do this, and bask in his glory the next day. Without breaking his heartless stare, Marcus slid his hand down.

Aki stared back into his cold and vacant eyes, so devoid of any human sympathy. He could've easily just hit her with a stunning spell to knock her unconscious and do this without a fuss, but Marcus wanted to make this good. He wanted to be able to watch her scream when he entered her. He wanted her to be very much awake when he robbed her of her very soul. That truly would've been the highlight of his night.

She felt his hands softly trail down her hips and thighs. She sobbed convulsively as he fumbled with the zipper on his trousers. Marcus gave this wicked sneering smirk, letting her know of just how much compassion he had for her.

"I know I'm gonna fucking like this..."

"Flint!!!"

Marcus' eyes shot wide open and he pulled up his half-unzipped zipper. He whipped his head around to the sound of the angry voice. Aki looked past Flint's head and could sort of make out a big, dark figure standing a couple feet away.

"Get your damn hands off her!" commanded the voice.

"You!!!"

Marcus jumped up from her body, balled hands at his sides again. He was noticeably shaking with fury, a growl brewing in his throat. Flint started to scream in rage, charging at the figure standing there. He screamed louder than Aki had ever heard.

"You fucking bastard!!!"

The figure took a step back as Marcus bellowed like a rogue elephant. One of its arms stuck out instantly, a wand attached to it.

"Stupefy!"

There was a searing flash of light, causing Aki to squint her eyes shut. After a moment, the brightness faded, as did the accompanying shrill noise that the wand made. There was now no other sound except for her wheezing, the cool oxygen rushing their way into her, refreshing her. She lifted her head, feeling like ages until she got it high enough, and saw Marcus' crumpled body lying on the ground. He was face down, his arms flopped out in front of him. Aki let her head fall back, too exhausted to keep it upright. She winced at the fact that her underwear was still around her thighs, cold air blowing against her. Exhaustion had worked its way into her veins, surging with vicious speed. Lack of energy prevented her from covering up, so she simply lay there, looking to the stars in the sky in a daze.

The figure nudged Marcus with its foot, making sure that he was indeed knocked out. It took a couple steps toward the immobile Aki, albeit cautiously. She twisted to try to get moving, but it proved futile. The figure pointed its wand at Aki and said something strange that she didn't recall hearing before. She then felt this sharp tingling all over; like someone was pricking her with sewing pins. It definitely did not feel good. Maybe it wasn't as bad as it felt, but the alcohol rushing throughout her blood vessels made every inch of her body extremely sensitive. Aki screamed; growing with intensity as the prickling went on.

"Just relax."

"Wha'er you--"

"Don't move!"

"Stop it!"

Aki snapped up in a sitting position, feeling taken aback that she could. She tossed her arms out, and they flew back with ease. The first thing she did was gave a firm yank on her knickers, having to wriggle wildly to get them up. Thankful that her muscles and limbs were mobile once again, she kicked her legs in an attempt to move away.

"Gewway!"

The figure stuck out a big, dark hand that loomed over her. She backed up until her head hit something hard. She looked behind her, and saw a thick, unfriendly-looking tree.

"I just want to--"

"Stay 'way frum me!"

She clawed at the tree bark behind her, and she lifted her body from the dusty ground. Some of her fingernails broke off, and her legs were like jelly, but the mysterious person was taking deliberate steps closer. She had to get away.

Aki braced herself against the tree, hugging the trunk when she felt herself on the verge of falling right back down. She only rested for a second, then hurdled to the safety of the castle. The whole world was churning, and through the overflowing tears she could barely see a thing. With every step, Aki begged to not trip over something, because if she did, she would be too tired to get up. She glanced over her shoulder, but saw no followers.

The monstrous Hogwarts castle was right in front of her now, close enough to smell. Aki darted in through one of the doors, one hand grabbing at the archway to make a swifter turn. As she did, she felt something squish and pop under her torn nails. Still jogging through the empty corridors, Aki inspected her hand with a horrified look.

There, dribbling down Aki's fingertips, was the putrid juice of the Climbing Nightshade berries.