The Elementals by Namacub95 (best book club books for discussion .txt) 📕

it all in your head?" Rose asked with a raised eyebrow.

"She said "I've nothing better to do" and using my vast knowledge of the female mind I translated that as "Sure I'll go with you"" Keith answered.

"I thought you two didn't get on." Scorpius pointed out.

"We do get on we just…rub either other the wrong way sometimes." Keith defended.

"She still calls you 'Downes' though." Albus pointed out.

"In an endearing way!" Keith argued. "And what about Alice? Why aren't you quizzing her?"

"Because I'm going with you lot and not with a boy!" Alice declared with her hands on her hips.

"Why am I always the last to know about everything?" Keith scowled.

"You should have asked sooner." Alice said with a shrug at her brother. Keith scowled at Alice's response.

"No one tells me anything!" Keith complained.

"Actually it's everyone with a grain of sense who doesn't tell you." Rose responded. "Because they know you'd take the piss."

Keith grumbled something about people having no faith in him and fell silent. The five friends walked to The Great Hall where the feast would be, the actual party would be outside on the grounds.

Shauna was standing outside the Great Hall looking bored stiff. She was wearing a Hufflepuff Quidditch uniform and oddly a pilot's hat. She caught sight of the group approaching and looked up

"Hey Shauna." Keith said with a large grin.

"Downes." She said with a curt nod.

"I didn't know you played Quidditch." Albus said.

"I don't." Shauna replied "This is Jenna Sparrow's uniform. She let it to me because we're about the same size."

"Oh…right." Albus cringed.

"So are we going or what?" Shauna asked.

The five friends entered the Great Hall and then separated to go to their house tables. The feast was as elaborate as ever but it seemed this year more people were interested in the party than the feast. That didn't however make the students any less hungry or the feast any less delicious.

As soon as the feast had ended the students flooded out into the grounds which were decorated with carved pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns. There was also a huge bonfire near the Lake which most of the students were thoughly excited about. There was also a dance floor that the teachers had set up the previous day.

Soon enough students were crowded in small groups laughing and some were dancing. The older students managed to procure Butterbeer and the seventh years had snuck in several bottles of Firewhiskey intent on becoming as James put it "absolutely smashed".

When the next song came on Scorpius and Rose disappeared onto the dance floor and Keith was trying to persuade Shauna to have at least one dance with him. Alice and Albus stood together by the bonfire sipping bottles of Butterbeer.

"They really went all out this year didn't they?" Alice said.

"Yeah, no kidding." Albus replied.

"Bet you five galleons that brother dearest doesn't get Shauna to dance with him."

"You're on." Albus said with a grin.

"He won't." Alice stated confidently

"How do you know?" Albus asked.

"Because Shauna looks like she's going to murder him in a minute."

"You're right actually…she looks pissed." Albus stated with a glance over his shoulder.

"Of course I'm right! I'm a Ravenclaw." She joked

"But I'm a Slytherin so how do you know I won't cheat?" Albus joked back. Alice smirked and rolled her eyes at him

"You're such a dork you know that?" Alice said

"I know but you still like me."

"Just."

"You wound me Alice dear."

"Oh ha ha Albus honey."

"KEITH DOWNES! FOR THE LAST TIME I DON'T WANT TO BLOODY DANCE!" came the yell that caused Alice and Albus to turn around and stare.

"You owe me five galleons." Alice stated with a grin.

"I'll pay you next Hogsmead visit." Albus said with a frown.

"You know you should never make a bet with me. I always win." Alice stated with a smug smile.

"Some people have all the luck." Albus grumbled. Before Alice could respond Ellesheil dressed like Cleopatra walked up to them and wrapped her arms around Albus's shoulders.

"There you are Al." she said "I was looking everywhere for you."

Alice rolled her eyes at Ellesheil and walked away. It was common knowledge to almost everyone except Albus that Alice and Ellesheil got along like a cat and a dog. Ellesheil seemed to think that Alice was after her boyfriend which was completely untrue. True Alice did have a crush on him once but that was in third year and she was over it.

Alice glanced over her shoulder to find Ellesheil and Albus mid kiss. She might have been over her crush but that still didn't explain why she felt like strangling Ellesheil every time she saw her kissing Albus. She put it down to over protectiveness

"Alice are you alright?" Annabeth dressed as a nun had appeared at her side.

"I'm fine." Alice lied.

"Alice what happened?" Annabeth asked unconvinced by Alice's lie.

"Nothing, I just wish Ellesheil would stop trying to eat Albus's face in public."

"I think someone's a bit jealous." Annabeth stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I'm not! Kissing Albus would be like kissing KEITH!" Alice said motioning wildly at her brother "Annabeth you are the Queen of the Gutter! No one's mind is dirtier than yours!"

"I speak only the truth." Annabeth said raising her hands in surrender.

Alice fumed, she was not jealous of Ellesheil Darrow. How could she be? True Ellesheil was more popular than her but she wasn't a petty person, besides she didn't want to be popular anyway. Ellesheil also had Albus but she wasn't interested in Albus as a boyfriend, he was just her very good friend.

The night drew on and soon the younger population of the school flooded back inside the castle while the older students continued to party.

Alice, Albus, Scorpius, Rose, Keith and Shauna decided to take a short walk in the Forbidden Forest to get away from the chaos of the party. They didn't go very far inside the Forest but far enough that most of the noise was faint.

"That was fun." Rose said with a smile.

"They should really do that every year." Keith agreed.

"Yeah there's nothing the teachers like more than hung-over seventh years." Shauna said with a smirk.

"Serves them right for setting so much homework." Keith said with a shrug.

"I'm sure your mother will be so glad to hear that." Shauna said sarcastically. Keith rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded like "why do I bother with girls" which caused Shauna to slap his arm.

Suddenly there was a snap of a twig to their immediate left and the six froze. Before anyone could say or do anything a deep voice gave the order

"Kill the children or they will expose us!" over ten jets of black flame shot out at them.

Chapter 10: The Five Elements Part 2

The flames shot out from in front of the six friends and they all ducked to the ground with their hands covering their heads.

"RUN!" screamed Alice. The others did not need to be told twice before they scrambled to their feet. Rose and Scorpius however didn't run.

"Get out of here!" Scorpius yelled over his shoulder "Don't worry about us!" Alice turned around to yell something back at Scorpius but Albus grabbed her arm and dragged her with him.

Rose fell into a wide stance and stamped her foot on the ground causing several boulders to fly into the air. Rose punched them at in the direction that the black flames were coming from. The flames stopped as the attackers flung themselves out of the way of Rose's boulders. Scorpius was at Rose's side sending blasts of frigid air at their attackers.

The attackers began shooting blasts of black flames at the two Elementals, Scorpius moved his arms in a quick sweeping motion producing a shield of air. Rose raised several columns of earth under the feet of their attackers before quickly dropping them again causing them to come hurtling back down to earth and land with a sickening crunch.

Several of their attackers tried to run past them, Rose slammed her fists into the earth and tried to raise a wall to stop them. She had been trying to do this move for the best part of a week with little success. Much to her dismay the wall only was a couple of feet high and some of the attackers were able to climb over it and pursue their friends.

Albus, Alice, Keith and Shauna ran as fast as they could before having to stop.

"We have to go back!" Alice exclaimed between gasps.

"Are you crazy?" Keith said "You'll be killed! Scorpius told us to run!"

"Rose and Scorpius need us!" Alice retorted.

"We can't just leave them to die." Shauna agreed.

"If it was Alice wouldn't you go back?" Albus asked. Keith looked at his feet and then gave a jerky nod.

"Then it's settled, we're going back." Alice said turning around and heading back in the direction they came. They ran back through the forest led by Alice with Shauna, Albus and Keith in hot pursuit.

"Find the others! They haven't gone far!" came a high female voice.

"How the hell did they find us?" Keith asked in disbelief.

"Spilt up!" Albus hissed and pointed east "Shauna go that way with Keith. Alice, you stay with me."

"C'mon Downes!" Shauna said as she turned north and began to run with Keith following her.

Albus turned to Alice and saw she was biting back tears. Albus pulled her into a hug.

"I need you with me Alice." He said " If we're all going get out of this alive."

"I'm scared Al." Alice admitted.

"Don't be, we're all going to be fine."

"Al?"

"Yeah?"

"You're such a dork." Albus gave her a small smile but became serious again. He took a step back from Alice and she took a deep breath to calm herself.

"We have to find Rose and Scorpius." Alice said. "And get these wackos off our backs."

"Let's start with leading them away from Keith and Shauna." Albus suggested.

"Good plan."

"Do you have your wand?"

"Why?"

"I left mine in my dorm. I didn't think I'd need it."

"Me too...damn it!"

"We need a distraction…something that'll focus they're attention o us instead of Keith and Shauna."

"Distraction got it." Alice nodded "Gimme your whip Indy." Albus looked confused but handed the whip over to Alice.

"What are you doing?"

"You said we needed a distraction. I'm giving us one."

"Uh…I don't think that'll work."

"We could some pointed sticks and make them look like wands." Alice suggested.

"I don't think that'll work either."

"Then what do you suppose we do?" before Albus could answer Alice's question a black flame was shot at them.

"Only one thing to do now…run!" Albus said grabbing Alice's arm as they both ran west.

Keith and Shauna ran through the forest as fast as they could. They didn't know what had happened to their friends or if they were being pursued. Trees whirred by and Shauna noticed that they were beginning to thin out. They ran on and soon