[Hogsmeade] The Hog's Head

[Zachary Daniels]

Zachary let out a loud groan, "That's not fair!" Glaring, he watched as the two sped away, Thom gaining on the dog all too fast.

Then, noticing the already rusted bike wobble dangerously on the ice, Zachary smirked. Pulling out his wand, he aimed it at one of the tires.

"Diffindo!" At once, he watched a large gash appear on the rubber and grinned darkly as all the air deflated from it within seconds. The tires wobbled on the already icy ground, and it was only a matter of time before it toppled over completely.

Breaking off into a run once more, Zachary watched as the bike tried to keep its balanace, slowing down immensely. Just as he passed it, he gave Thom a superior look.

"Oh don't worry, I won't!" He smirked, his head still turned toward Thom. Because of this little detail, he hadn't realized there was an extremely icy patch of snow in front of him and couldn't avoid slipping on it. With wide-eyes, he fell to the ground just beside Thom, finding himself in a tangle of limbs.

The bike at once fell onto the slippery floor, and Zachary hit his head on the deflated tire. With a growl of frustration, he tried to pull himself up, only managing to fall once more. "Bloody ice!" Using the bike's tire to pull himself up, he glared at Thom before looking around, not seeing a sign of the nuisance dog.

"Where did it go?" He asked, panicked.[/color]

[Thom Moen]

'Hey! What did you do that for?!' he yelled angrily as the bike's tires suddenly became distorted and uneven, slowing down to a snail's pace on the thick snow and ice. He glared indignantly a Zachary danced past him, a satisfied grin on his face. Of course, a moment later the Slytherin boy was flat on his stomach, swearing angrily as he continued to flop back down, unable to gain his balance. 'Really, Daniels, you're too kind.' Thom chirped as he threw the bike down and began on foot again.

Within moments he had reached the end of the alley, skidding out into the busy street straight into a large woman dressed in heavy fur robes. She squealed furiously at him, grabbing him by the ear and shaking him vehemently. 'You little commoner!' she bellowed in a deeply upper class accent. 'I should have you arrested for such an assault!' she said, pulling harder and harder on his ear.

'Let go, you fat of hag!' Thom groaned in pain, baring his teeth at the snobby witch. 'Help me!' he hissed to Zachary desperately as he appeared from the alley. Up ahead sounded another bark, but Thom could not turn his head to see how far away it was.

[Zachary Daniels]

Zachary scowled and continued to run after Thom, though too far behind to actually gain any speed on the Hufflepuff. Cursing, he rounded the last corner and spotted the dog just ahead, though there was no sign of Moen. Half-pleased, half-suspicious, Zachary's eyes darted off to the side and he came to an abrupt stop, watching with confused eyes as a large woman held him by the ears.

Then, biting his lip to keep from laughing, he approached them with a grave look on his face. "Quite the trouble maker, isn't he." He said with a shake of his head, looking back at the woman. "I wouldn't be surprised if he were just at the Hog's head trading his mother's rings for a couple of galleons. I've seen him around school you know-- Quite the unlawful child. Suffers from many mental disabilities, I've heard, so better to go easy on him." His lip twitched before he continued, his eyes catching a large cart filled with shopping bags and groceries. "I think the best punishment for such a misguided student is to learn responsibility- Should probably make him pull that heavy cart around for you, he looks strong enough."

Putting on his most charming smile, Zachary patted Thom on the back. "Must be on my way though, my dog's run off! Good day, ma'am!"

Then with one last smirk at Thom, he ran off in the opposite direction, watching the woman regard Thom appraisingly. [/color]

[Thom Moen]

The huge woman gasped. 'His own mother's rings?! What scum!' she hissed disbelievingly, dragging Thom closer to her, making him cry out in pain and humiliation as he was bent double.

'You little piece of dragon dung -' Thom growled snidely at Zachary from his uncomfortable position. 'Just you wait, I'm going to - ow, stop it!' Thom shrieked in shock as his now very sore ear was yanked hard, the woman leading him toward the large wooden cart. Zachary had run off with a impish laugh and was now darting into the crowd with great speed in pursuit of the dog, who gave another sharp bark in the distance.

Before Thom could do anything else, he was mercilessly thrown against the front of the cart, where an equally hefty man appeared next to him, dressed as exquisitely as the woman. He had a steak and kidney pie in one hand, flecks of it flying from his mouth as he addressed Thom. 'Get pulling, imbecile boy!' he commanded coldly.

He was knocked so hard against the cart that it suddenly lurched forward. Several people cried out in surprise as it gave a great groaning noise, rolling forward gently. Thom realised that the street they were on was on a slant, but before he could jump out of its path, it banged into his torso, snagging his coat. He was clearly being taken along for the ride.

Swiftly he bolted up into the piles of vegetables and wrapped meats, his added weight increasing the speed of the cart.

Within moments it was rumbling along the cobbles, cabbages, potatoes and raw ham flying in all directions as he bounced along the uneven street. 'Oy, Daniels, shift!' Thom laughed evilly as he titled the cart to one side, aiming directly for the Slytherin boy.

[Zachary Daniels]

The sound of wheels bumping against rocks and cement reached Zachary's ears. Frowning, he cautiously looked around, eyes darting from side to side. Seeing nothing too suspicious, he looked back ahead, turning a sharp corner behind the dog and scowling at the loud, excited barks that echoed through the busier street.

Then suddenly, shrieks louder than the ones the dog was causing bounced around the markets, and Zachary raised an eyebrow, looking around him. His eyes suddenly widened when he saw food of all sorts being flung into the crowded streets, causing even more women to yell in indignation.

Of course, Thom would be the cause of such a scene, and Zachary let out a terrified yelp as the cart came into view, the loud scraping noises of the cart's wheels growing even more distinct. There was a satisfied, malicious expression on the Hufflepuff's face, and Zachary gulped, spinning around abruptly and running away from the cart and down the streets as fast as he could.

"HE'S RIGHT THERE!--"

Zachary risked a glance behind him and saw the two pudgy owners of the cart chasing Thom, falling behind. However, two wizards continued to run after the cart, and Zachary realized they must have been some sort of security guards.

Sparing another glance at Thom, he steered himself off the roads, letting out a relieved, long breath as Thom's cart sped past him, along with the two wizards who were looking quite stunned.

The only downside was the bloody dog had gotten away as well.

In all the shrieking and bustling, Zachary spotted a Quidditch shop which was crowded with spectators, craning their necks to see the last of the cart's journey. Not taking time to think, he ran inside and snatched the closest broom-- which also happened to be the current display, and also the most expensive-- and ran out the door again.

A man's gruff yells echoed behind him, and he felt his heart beat quicken. Then, jumping onto the broom, he kicked himself off into the air and looked for the cart.

Speeding toward it, he reached Thom and scowled, gliding along beside him. "Well, you've certainly caused a riot." He glanced once more behind him, seeing their pursuers had more than tripled in numbers.[/color]

[Thom Moen]

Thom wailed forlornly as his chosen target quickly skittered out of his path and into the nearest shop doorway. The cart lurched painfully as it hit a hole in the cobbles, and glancing behind him he watched with horror as pursuers joined the hunt from both sides of the street - one carrying a rather sharp looking pitchfork. 'What's that for?!' he shouted indignantly at the toothless old man banishing it.

The Hufflepuff was all but ready to surrender and roll off the cart to receive his punishment, when to his shock a certain Slytherin appeared out of the corner of his eye, gliding gracefully along and without a care in the world on what looked like the newest version of the Firebolt series. 'You!' he shrieked. 'Where'd you get that, you ugly little flobberworm? Let me on!' Thom pushed himself up onto his knees and bravely launched himself from the cart, clearly the six feet of ground between Zachary and the cart.

Looping his arms around the Slytherin's neck, Thom pulled himself on behind the boy, causing them both to sway horribly - barely missing the rear of a rather disgusting horse.

'Jokes on you, Daniels, now get off!' he shouted, grabbing Zachary's hair and yanking it hard, trying to make him let go on the broom handle and fall off.

He stopped abruptly as the crack of a dog's bark whistled through the air. Were they gaining on the hound? 'I hope you know how to steer this bloody thing. It's not like that piece of rubbish you totter about on during Quidditch, you know,' Thom spat nastily, gripping onto Zachary's shoulders. 'Take us higher!' he demanded, stealing a glance over his shoulder at the stomach churningly large crowd racing up behind them.

[Zachary Daniels]

Zachary yelped in surprise, feeling the broom sway dangerously as Thom jumped on. Sending him a half-shocked, half-furious glare, he swung the broom violently to the right, hoping to fling the Hufflepuff off--

Of course, Thom chose that moment to grab onto his hair, seemingly having somewhat of the same idea. The broom lurched forward, and Zachary had to grip it tightly, lifting the handle up and sending them a few feet higher into the air.

"My broom's--" He said in between panting breaths, "Ten times better than that piece of junk you fly on, Moen," He swerved to the left, the direction of another bark, before craning his neck to see the gathering crowd below them. "I can't wait to see your face during our first match, when I grab that snitch from right under your nose."

He smirked slightly to himself, turning back to Thom. His eyes grew wide, however, as a red beam raced toward the broom, missing it by a hair and instead causing Thom's pant leg to catch fire.

Making a face, he looked at Thom, "Too bad it didn't cause any serious damage--"

He was suddenly cut off by another severe shake of the broom, and swivelling his head around, he saw the tail end of their broom roaring in a bright blaze of fire.

Letting out a loud yell, he panicked and stopped the broom all together, positioning it over a roof top. It began to fall heavily, and he swung his leg off of it, jumping onto the old, thatched roof, wobbling slightly and falling forward, skidding his knee and dirtying his already filthy robes.

The broom flew a few more feet, before dropping completely, landing with a clatter on the ground. The dog didn't seem to be anywhere in sight, and Zachary let out a groan, turning around to look at Thom accusingly.

Instead, he found himself facing a huddle of grimy robes and greasy dark hair, which looked like it had once been a dusty brown. Auburn colored eyes with slightly yellowed whites looked back at him challengingly. Even more shocking, a bag of galleons hung loosely from between his teeth.[/color]

[Thom Moen]

'Oh please,' he rolled his eyes. 'You'll be in the hospital wing within the first twenty minutes. Hufflepuff is going to wipe the floor with -' Thom's sentence was cut short as something hot and bright grazed his legs.

'What the hell?' he muttered, looking down. To his complete horror he was on fire - and so was the tail of the broomstick. 'Ahhh! Daniels!' he squealed in a panic. 'The broom! Fire! Help!' he wrapped his arms around Zachary's shoulders in freight, but was forced to let go when the Slytherin boy slipped from the broomstick without so much as a warning. 'You twerp!' he shouted as he spun off into the distance and over the side of the thatched roof.

The last thing he caught sight of was Zachary brushing himself off - and a certain figure standing just behind him.

'Deek Henshaw? What the hell is he - ahh, help!' Thom quickly flapped his arms about in midair, his vision in such a spin that he was unable to determine what was sky and what was snowy ground. His hands slammed upon something smooth and cold, and a moment later Thom skidded to a halt halfway down a drain pipe - right over the enormous crowd of witches and wizards Thom had manage to annoy.

Dangling, Thom looked about to see the splintered remains of the cart, everyone vegetable imaginable scattered around the street - a few of them on fire where the burning broomstick had crashed down onto a small stall of magical wrapping paper. It seemed half of Hogsmede was up in arms - some of them already climbing up the pipe to grab a Thom's ankles.

'Daniels!" Thom pleaded desperately, hoping that the Slytherin boy would suddenly forgive all his past sins and come to his aid.

'Got 'im!' Someone bellowed from below as Thom's ankle was suddenly caught in a vice and yanked painfully.

[Zachary Daniels]

Stunned, Zachary stared at the filthy man for a moment, before Thom's panicked voice trailed off the side of the roof, breaking him from his reverie.

"Deek Henshaw?" He said absentmindedly, still staring at the figure in front of him, focussing on the bag of galleons swinging tauntingly from between barred teeth.

He had never heard the name before, but it was obvious Thom had. Of course, he'd be the type to hang around this sort. Making a face, Zachary pulled out his wand and pointed it down at the ragged robes.

"You- You give me that there, and no one has to get hurt," he said menacingly, wondering how intimidating he looked with dirt smudged across his face and his robes tattered in more than once place.

The man's -- Henshaw's -- striking eyes followed him carefully, watching his every move from behind strands of matted, dirty hair. Then, around the bag of galleons, the man grinned, exposing two rows of unhealthy teeth, with gaps scattered within them.

Leaning back on his legs, he raised an eyebrow and pulled the bag of galleons from his mouth cleanly, dropping them into his robes with long, nimble fingers made for pocket-lifting.

Just as he made to stand up, a cluster of yells and mumbled obscenities reached Henshaw's ears, and he turned back to Zachary with a look of dark amusement.

"Caused quite the riot, haven't yeh?" He said in a gruff voice, one that cracked as if never used. He finally stood up to full height, and Zachary noted that he was at least a head taller than Thom.

His robes were patched down the side, and frayed at the sleeves. He wore black, soft, leathered boots that made no noise as he padded down the rooftop, walking passed Zachary, who stared back at him indignantly.

"Hey-- Get back here--" He was cut off by Thom's wailing voice, and he saw Henshaw leaning over the roof, just out of sight from the crowd, a calculating look in those guarded eyes.

"I have a proposition for yeh," he said dangerously, in a smooth voice that sounded as if it had made many bargains over the years. "See there?" He pointed down at the Ministry officials that were trying to keep a red-faced shop owner from spearing Thom into bits. Then his fingers trailed to another official who was pulling Thom's ankle as the Hufflepuff stared fearfully up at the roof.

Henshaw smirked, turning back to Zachary and leaning casually against the chimney in the stance of a man who had not a worry in the world. "They'd do anything to land my arse in Azkaban," he said mildly, "Along with yeh and that kid there," He obviously meant Thom.

Zachary lowered his wand nervously, as he heard the sound of angry feet scampering up the drain pipe. "What... What is it then?"

Henshaw grinned again, walking along the rooftop quietly, before stepping onto the edge and leaning forward with balanced grace. "I get yeh boys away from here, and yeh take me with yeh.... Back to Hogwarts."

His voice was oddly sinister, and his mischievous eyes flashed. Zachary gulped, looking back at Thom's distressed form. There was no way Thom would let him escape freely if he was caught, and Zachary saw no way out.

As soon as the Slytherin gave a sharp, uneasy nod, the thief grinned and disappeared behind behind the roof's ledge, his robes skittering around him as he made his way to Thom.[/color]

[Thom Moen]

Thom cried in frustration as more hands continued to nip at his trouser leg and ankles. One particularly beefy looking man was even jabbing him in the back of the knee with a blunt butcher's knife, saliva coating his lips from the effort of balancing on the poor heads of those below. Straining to look over his shoulder, Thom saw that the cart had partly gone through the bay window of a grocer's, which the man clearly owned. 'Please just leave me alone!' Thom sobbed pathetically, feeling his fingers becoming loose on the drain pipe...

It was then that a strong, rough-skinned hand latched onto his firmly from above. Thom looked up to see the man whom he'd spied on the roof a moment before - Deek Henshaw.

'You! I should have bloody known that dog was you! I heard the rumors you'd become an Animagus, I just didn't think you were clever enough.' he spat as the man hoisted him up without a word.

Just as Thom had managed to drape his waist over the side of the roof, the rusted pipe finally gave in to the pressure of so many men trying to scramble up it. The nuts and bolts fastening the drain to the wood of little building were pulled from their holds. Thom watched with a grimace as the stack of men clinging to the pipe helplessly swung away from the wall, slowly toppling down onto a thick crowd who cried out simultaneously.

'Get off me, you dirty great idiot!' Thom wrenched his hand from Deek's as he was finally upright on the roof, and quickly stumbled over to Zachary. 'I could have died - why didn't you tell me you were going to jump off?!' he demanded breathlessly, gripping the front of Zachary's robes to steady himself more than anything.

[Zachary Daniels]

Zachary stumbled as Thom grabbed his robes, before scowling and pulling away. "I'd have thought it'd be common sense to jump off a broom that was on fire, Moen," he said, his eyes darting to the grinning thief. "But I should've known that you haven't got an ounce of common sense in that worthless mind of yours."

As soon as the last word left his mouth, an uproar started below them again, screams and yells echoing around the narrow alleyway.

"--Just you wait, you miscreants, the Ministry will get a hold of you soon--"

"--Stole that broom right from my shop, the scoundrel--"

"--Should've known they were in Henshaw's little gang, the thieves--"

Zachary grimaced at Thom, before turning back to Henshaw with the most confident expression he could muster. "We really can't take a criminal back to Hogwarts with us," He started, hesitantly. "But it was nice doing business with you," he said with a ghost of smirk. Then, he pulled out his wand and pointed it at the rugged man, clearly stating if he followed them he wouldn't hesitate to use it, walking slowly toward the edge of the roof.

"Hope you understand."

He looked over the roof top and made a face, turning back to the Hufflepuff. There were a number of rickety old trees leaning against the side of the old manor they were standing on, and he groaned.

"And I hope you know how to climb down trees." He said to Thom, stepping back slightly.
[/color]

[Thom Moen]

Thom gritted his teeth, just about to once more shout in injustice at Zachary when the familiar, gentle roar of mass disapproval rose from the street below. Thom peered over the edge slightly, seeing that the chaos had only grown steadily worse. 'How did it end up like this...?' he mumbled hopelessly to himself, stilling watching the crowd as Zachary made his way to the tree.

He was just about to boldly prove that he could indeed climb trees, when he saw Henshaw looking at them both with an expression that Thom found all too familiar. 'Erm, Daniels...' Thom sighed regretfully, tugging on the Slytherin's robes to stop him. 'Unfortunately for us, Deek doesn't work that way.' he whispered, jabbing a thumb at the mysterious looking man. 'He's not very - er- cooperative when he's double crossed...'

[deek]

Deek grinned wolfishly, his arms crossed over his front and his eyes flashing, as the two boys planned their escape. The indignant roars below them had struck their nerves and both shakily looked around for a moment, the younger one looking back at him with an expression he must've thought threatening.

As soon as Moen, the one he recognized as a regular trader at the Hog's Head, began to warn Daniels, Deek took a slow step forward, leaning down so he was crouched between the two boys.

"He's quite right, you know." He gave another filthy grin, staring down at the trees, before pulling out one of his daggers. Ignoring the frightened look that flittered across the young faces and the quick reach for their wands, Deek pulled out the sac of galleons he had stolen from the students earlier.

"I'm the type that likes to bargain however," he said slowly, cutting open the rope that tied the bag together and pulling out one of the golden coins, staring down at it with a contemplative expression. "You take me with you, and I'll give you all of it." With obvious amusement, he jingled the bag in front of them, holding it with the tips of his fingers, before abruptly pulling it back and tucking it into his patched robes, waiting for their decision.[/font]

[Thom Moen]

A strong gust picked up for a moment, threatening to send the three males off the side of the roof. Thom wondered how they had managed to get from a simple jaunt in the Hog's Head to ending up being black mailed by a rogue thief with half of Hogsmede in ruin, it's residence swarming to claim Thom and Zachary's head. Deek's expression was calm and calculating. He knew he had the two boys right where he wanted them. Who were Thom and Zachary to abandon money they had worked so hard to catch up with...?

'That'll be a job and half,' Thom said doubtfully. 'Sneaking a wreck like you into a school so tight with defense you can't sneeze without the ministry knowing about it...' Thom had never liked Deek. The man was cunning and slimy. No one had ever been able to catch him out, only the other way round.

'This is all you're fault, you little pest...' Thom hissed through his teeth at Zachary.

The tree groaned at the Hufflepuff stepped out onto the nearest branch that looked strong enough. He groaned childishly as he wrapped his arms and legs around the trunk and began to shimming down slowly, whimpering as a splinter dug into the inside of his thigh. 'What are you two just standing there for?' He growled furiously. 'Hurry up!'

[Zachary Daniels]

Zachary narrowed his eyes at Deek before they slowly ventured toward his robe pocket where the galleons lay merrily. Greedy as he was, his rightfully (however unlawfully) earned riches paralysed any logical thought and he lowered his own wand. A sign of defeat and resgination toward Henshaw, and he could almost feel the man's smirk.

Turning swiftly around, he scowled at Moen. "Never should have asked you to come along," he muttered, his fingers trembling as they grabbed hold of a somewhat sturdy branch, before squeezing his eyes shut and releasing his footing from the roof of the building.

It immediately found another branch, and he blinked open his eyes, looking up at Deek.

"Well come on then, you'd better not slow us down!"

And with that, he followed Thom down the trunk, his legs quiverring as they hit each new branch and a queasy grimace on his face.[/color]