my time has come

“That would be me, in the flesh,” Norwood promised, “Maximillian Norwood, lead of the Old Guard.” He wasn’t sure that would mean much to the boy, and whether it would be bad or good but using his power as a leverage was something Norwood was very good at. The handshake sealed the deal for him. Firm, but not trying too hard. He was legit, at least as legit as a student could be. Anyone who could do this must be, after all. Their hands dropped, Norwood’s encroaching on his wand’s territory again. He was no longer worried about the boy but he knew better than to trust in anyone but himself. That had gotten him burned before, something he would never forget.

The reply to the question about Norwood stopping him simply made Norwood laugh, a rip roaring sound that shook through the halls nearby. “Stop you?” he said, “On the contrary, Dallas, I want to help you.” He let that sink in as the nagas ran around the hallways, wreaking havoc. He wasn’t sure he agreed with the death of innocents for fun but sometimes boys had to be boys. That’s where Norwood would come in, as a helping hand in guiding the young psychopath to his destiny. He could be a powerhouse against those who deserved it, those who stood in their way as Norwood rose the ranks and became the new Minister.

His eyebrows came together in a confused frown as Norwood threw his head back and laughed at his suggestion of stopping him.  The basilisk hissed a soft warning from her position looming above the two; she didn't like the sound of the man's laughter ringing through the halls, and thought Norwood would actually cause them harm.  "Help me?" the boy mused, half under his breath, turning to watch as his nagas scoured the classrooms around them for other students to scare or maim.  Dallas turned his gaze back on Norwood, licking his lips as he listened to the rest of the High Inquisitor's plan to help him.  Once again, his eyes tracked the movement of the man's hands as he brushed at his jacket; even if the man was planning to help him, Dallas wasn't going to risk looking away for even a split second.  

He grinned at the mention of chasing younger years around the castle, knowing it'd been more than just that.  His robes were spattered with the blood of so many students he'd lost count, students his nagas had either maimed or killed, and one student he'd personally killed.  If this man was legit, Dallas wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to keep dirtying his robes.  And getting paid in galleons beyond his wildest dreams?  That was much too good to pass up.  "When can we start?" he asked, crossing his arms and settling back on his heels so he wouldn't seem like a threat anymore.  He even hissed at his basilisk, telling her to back away a few feet.

“Blood is different then dirt.” The words left her lips without thought and without any purpose aside then to argue for the sake of it. After a moment or two of glaring at him and dusting off her robes and skirt to the best of her abilities, she let out a loud sigh. “Fine. I guess you’re right though. Either way my robes will end up dirty by the end of the day. I’m just more excited for blood to stain them instead.” Turning around, she quickly scurried after Dallas. Gail may not like having others in charge and leading her, but she was in a new place and he did technically have the upper hand right now. As she waited for the door to open, she let her memories replay of the day in the library with Spencer. That was the first time she had ever actually drawn blood from someone and it was a huge rush. Now she could feel that same rush ten fold. Adrenaline was already beginning to pump through her veins. 

"Now-" he started, a grin starting to show up on his face, "-this is going to hurt, I won't lie.  But just imagine how powerful you'll be afterwards, with your own little army of nagas."  As he spoke, Dallas reached towards his pocket, drawing the same sharp knife he, Luca, and Quincy had used and gripping it tight.  With that, he lunged forward, grasping her wrist and yanking her towards him.  Once he had her sufficiently off balance, Dallas quickly stepped around behind her, bending the arm he held captive up behind her back and forcing her to lean over the cauldron.  "You see-" he whispered, leaning in close to her ear, "-I lied.  We don't have room for you up here at the top with us.  We never did.  All you are to us, all you've ever been to us, was a sacrifice to keep us in power.  And now, Gail, your time is up.  It's time for us to truly take over the castle."

Maximillian had been walking around the school, the aftermath of the naga invasion evident by the red and black blood on the walls and the barricade of children who were lurking near the common entrance. Maximillian certainly wasn’t the sort who thought death was something you should merely wave around as if it brought you power, but then again he wasn’t sure you shouldn’t. Not if the timing was right. It was clear that whoever had come up with this scheme in the school was smart, had guts, and was exactly the sort of nightmare you did not want on the team of your enemy. The idea of a mind who could concoct such an evil race of beings and the knowledge to put them into effect – it was terrifying. And while Norwood was a little pissed off that he hadn’t thought of it himself, it made him realize something. A leader needed more soldiers and perhaps the type of soldiers he needed were the worthy. He needed great minds as well as bodies and he intended to find the best of the best.

There were a couple of names he’d gotten as he walked through hallways, listening to conversations in classrooms. Nobody was subtle or discreet and it was fairly easy to find out who had started this madness. Apparently it was owed to a couple of boys named Luca and Dallas, as well as some others who Norwood wasn’t sure he deemed important just yet. They’d all be given the same chance, assuming they didn’t do anything stupid in his presence. He was well aware a basilisk was running loose with one of the boys and that was the one he was looking for. The boy with a snake’s tongue. It wasn’t something you saw every day and Maximillian wasn’t about to pass up the potential to have his very own parselmouth to help out with some prospects he saw in the future. Terror often came when least expected and a child who could do great things made him think of his own childhood. Yes, he was going to seek Dallas.

That’s why when he saw a young boy with dark hair up ahead, a huge reptile at his side, he knew he’d found the boy he was looking for. A maniacal grin sat on dark features, his eyes sunken from lack of sleep, his lips moving to speak to the basilisk at his side. For a moment, it was enough to make Maximillian want to step back but he was the heir of the Norwoods and situated to be the actual new Minister of Magic once he helped Sciles find his demise. So instead he watched for a moment, the spark of a grin in his eyes as he watched the boy send off a naga toward a third year girl. She ran down the hall screaming and as of yet, the boy hadn’t noticed he had company.

“Excuse me,” Maximillian said, his voice solid and firm, “Dallas Rolf, yes?” He strode up toward the male, his hand held out. The butt of his wand was against the palm of his other hand. He might have been holding onto hope that the two of them could come together but he wasn’t stupid. If the boy sent one of the creatures after him, Maximillian would just have to teach him some manners before leaving him dead and hanging from the rafters, much like the girl he’d heard was the sacrifice that made this happen.

He knew people were talking about him and Luca; he'd heard some of the whispers as he'd passed some of the braver students.  None of that mattered, though, not with his pet by his side.  Dallas had removed the dirty, bloody head wrap from her eyes, taking care to not look her in the eye as they took the halls by storm.  After all, it wouldn't do him any good to die now, at the beginning of his climb to power.  No, that wouldn't do at all.  He just wanted his pet to watch what she'd been able to help him bring down on the school - the terror and destruction, laced with a good handful of deaths as the icing on the cake.  And she was happy as she hissed back to him, the pair talking amiably as they killed student after student, injuring even more.  Each death sent another shot of intoxicating fire running through the boy, another shot of adrenaline sparking through his body.  

A third year stood in the hall just ahead of the pair, obviously trying to be brave and stand up to the beautiful monstrosities overrunning the halls.  She put on a brave face as Dallas and his basilisk drew closer to her, but when he sent a naga in her direction she ran screaming.  It was enough to have him laughing, a sight that was probably terrifying, with the dark circles underneath his eyes and the already maniacal look on his face.  His hand dropped to the snake at his side, stroking along her scales as he took in everything that was happening around the two of them with a smirk curling his lips.  The whole thing was amazing.

Of all things needed, it was blood. Her thoughts had been way off and she couldn’t help but be slightly relieved. “Blood? But of course.” Raising a brow, she watched as he began to roll back his sleeve. Dallas made it sound so casual, it almost creeped her out. She could understand causing bloodshed from others and the excitement, but the thought of willingly getting her own blood shed, well that thought settled a lot less easily. Her eyes fell to the small, healed up scar on his otherwise pale arm. Letting out a soft sigh, she began to tug at the hem of her sleeve. Knowing that he had done it relaxed her slightly, but the excitement in voice didn’t. Now, she couldn’t help but wonder; why would they need to go in the bathroom? Before she had a chance to ask, they were walking in and standing in front of a sink. A small memory began to tug at the back of her mind, there was something bad about this place. Trying her best to pull that thought forward, she didn’t realize what he was doing until he was speaking to her again. Her eyes widened in amazement as the sink began to move, transforming into an entrance. That’s what was wrong with it. The Chamber of Secrets. “Wonderful? Yea it is.” Her voice became shaky and no matter how many times he tried to reassure her that she wouldn’t regret this, she began to regret it. His words only set her more on edge, but she knew there was no turning back now.

When he landed in the cavern in front of the Chamber's true entrance, only to hear the angry girl's screeching, Dallas' glee dissipated.  He had to stop himself from just dragging her into the room and killing her now; no, she had to come with him willingly.  In there, no one could hear her scream for help, but out here, her screams would definitely be heard up in the bathroom.  Instead, he gave her a half bow and a restrained nod, teeth showing in a grin.  "You might be dirty now, but trust me, that's going to be nothing compared to what you'll be able to do with your own army," he told her, straightening up.  "You'll be covered in blood soon enough, so what's the problem with a little bit of dirt right now?"  That said, he turned on his heel and headed for the massive door to the Chamber, speaking the Parseltongue words to open it as he went.

The redhead’s first reaction was to pull away and run and that she did, or at least tried. His grip was tight and showed no signs of letting her go anytime soon. “Hey, let go you fucking idiot.” She quickly snapped, tugging her arm harder, but his grip still didn’t loosen. Dallas began to walk the direction he had came from and her first few steps were hesitant almost forced, but when he didn’t show any signs of caring about her struggle, she reluctantly began to follow. What came into her sight was something she never expected to see. A small group of naga standing there perfectly still until they came into sight. “You! It was you!” She shouted, panic racing through her body as the group surrounded them. Gail’s steps became more forced as he walked. As if she wasn’t scared enough already. Then he began to talk about an offer. Her steps quickly fell into sync with his own, her curiosity overcoming the uncomfortable feelings of the situation.

"Oh, just a tiny bit of your blood to connect you to them.  They won't obey you without it," he said nonchalantly, rolling back his sleeve as he pushed the door open.  He showed her the small scar on his arm where the cut had healed, before leading the girl to the sink that hid the entrance to his favourite place in the castle.  With a small smirk, he spoke the words that opened it, watching both the girl's reaction and the transforming sink with something akin to pride written across his face.  "Isn't this wonderful?" he mused, glancing over at the red-headed Gryffindor, lips curled in an unpleasant smile.  "Trust me, you won't regret any of this.  And... I get the feeling you'll be instrumental in what we have planned-" he told her, eyes practically shining with pride and mischievousness, "-actually, I know you will."

The way he spoke her name almost made her flinch. So calm, so level. No emotion. Part of her wanted to step back, but she didn’t. Instead, she pressed her wand harder into the younger Slytherin in front of her, almost as if he was the reason Dallas had come up to her. Her eyes never left him for a moment, watching every movement, every muscle twitch and every step. “Dallas.” Gail spoke his name as calm as she could, though she was sure there was at least a small falter in her voice. She clenched her jaw as he pushed her wrist away, but she didn’t fight him. The redhead stood there, letting him hold her wand away from the younger Slytherin, who immediately made a run for it. A small anger rose up in her. How dare he not only interrupt her fun, but also let the kid get away. She almost turned to chase after him, but she was frozen. Almost as if petrified where she stood. Her hazel eyes never left him, her body not moving a single inch. “You’ve heard about me? I’m guessing its safe to say its less than flattering.” 

Then she was ranting at him, and it was all he could do to hold back a laugh.  This girl thought he wanted help protecting himself, him; oh, he couldn't wait until they rounded the corner and she saw his army.  She'd cower then, she'd try and flee, and that's when Dallas would strike.  He could feel the heavy weight of his knife against his leg when he shifted, and couldn't wait until the two of them were in the Chamber, getting ready to prolong the summoning.  "I don't need anyone to protect me but myself, thanks," he said, reaching out and wrapping a firm hand around her bicep.  He wasn't going to let the Gryffindor get away from him, not when they were so close to completely taking over the school.

Gail knew the Slytherins were up to something and even if Elijah didn’t give the quite plotting any attention, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t. He was just, upset lately and she was going to let that and the argument slide. For now, she had other things to tend to that were more important then sulking about a stupid argument. Anyways, new years eve wasn’t too far away and she knew they’d probably end up in his room, ‘celebrating’ at midnight. Sinking further into the Prefects bathtub, her eyes focused on the slowly diminishing bubbles. Something was going to happen and she knew it was going to be soon. Deciding she had spent enough time bathing and thinking, she climbed out of the tub, drying off and sliding back into her uniform. “Well. Here’s to another, fan-fucking-tastic day.” Ruffling up her hair, she made her way down the corridor, listening to the door shut behind her. That’s when she heard it. Quietly at first, then louder. Screams and hissing. What the hell was going on? 

Her steps became rushed, almost panicked. It was almost as if within the time she had spent bathing, the entire school had become a mad house. A deadly mad house. Blood stained the corridors, others running past her. Glancing behind her, Gail saw something out of the corner of her eyes and she couldn’t believe it. The creatures weren’t human, but walked like one. Green scales and a gaze that, for some reason, she felt like she shouldn’t even think about meeting. “What the hell?” she asked out loud, running now. Turning around a corner sharply, she roughly ran into someone, or something. With a loud grunt, both her and the unknown object stumbled apart. “Hey, watch where you’re going!” She growled out at whoever it was, looking up.

The one thing that nagged at the back of his mind was the constant need to find a fresh new victim to supply them with enough blood to completely take over the castle.  The innocent Gryffindor girl's blood was already starting to run low, and while Dallas was thrilled it was working so well, at this rate the entire castle would have to be bled in a week's time.  In any case, he'd taken it upon himself to find himself someone new to use, at least to buy them some more time to find a more permanent method.  Maybe they could get that easily scared Hufflepuff boy to communicate with his basilisk again, seeing how well that had gone the first time.  Dallas knew he wouldn't mind torturing the boy again, anyhow.  

Location: The Chamber of Secrets, mainly

Time: Early in the day, day after Christmas

Notes: Luca and Dallas torture Holden until he gives them information only he can acquire.

Extra Notes: Required reading for main plot