Trying not to think about the fate of Kenneth Towler, we made our way down to the fourth game when I felt a hand lightly touch the small of my back.

Startled, I glanced back over my shoulder, my heart giving a small flutter as a pair of silver eyes twinkled warmly down at me.

"Sleep well?" Draco murmured quietly, walking close behind me as we continued along the pastel coloured corridors, his hand never leaving my back.

I raised my eyebrows at the absurd question. Did anyone sleep well in this place? But rather than saying so, I found a helpless smile pull at my lips.

Damn. There we were, headed to our very likely deaths, and I was fucking smiling.

But I wasn't the only one, his own lips twitching up at the corners as he kept his hand pressed to my back.

Ahead of us, Nico looked back and smirked. I quickly tried to drop the smile but it was proving to be difficult, the pull of it actually causing the muscles in my face to ache.

"What is that guy's fucking problem?" Draco hissed angrily, and I didn't have to look up to know that his lip was curled into his trademark sneer. "Who is he, anyway? And why are you so chummy with him after wanting to beat his lights out that first day?"

"A friend, if you must know," I said lightly. "And you do know him, he's a fellow Slytherin, after all."

A frown creased his brow as he studied Nico with burning curiosity. "Which year?"

"Yours."

He scoffed just as we approached a corner. "Bullshit. I'd hardly forget someone with whom I shared a dormitory for seven years."

"That's because you didn't. If you want to know more, ask him, not me. It's not my place to tell."

Draco didn't get to respond though, because a horrifying sight greeted us, making us, and everyone else, freeze on the spot.

From the ceiling, four bloodied bodies hung limp, their wrists tied up with rope, looking like some sort of grotesque Halloween display. Three of them were pink guards, and the third, a player. Player 111, to be exact.

"Shit-" Draco muttered, edging himself closer to me, his hand sliding from the small of my back to rest lightly against my hip.

"Oh, my god!" Lavender Brown wailed loudly above the clamour of murmurs, clasping her hands to her face. "They killed Kenny!"

"YOU BASTARDS!" Roger Davies roared, clutching his hair as he sank dramatically to his knees.

"Who the fuck is Kenny?" Nico asked, looking back at me bewilderedly.

"I'd hazard a guess and say the one in the green tracksuit," I muttered dryly.

Turns out, he was killed for harvesting the organs of the dead players in exchange for information about the upcoming games.

They were very apologetic for the cheating that had occurred within the competition. 

"That's nice of them," Luna smiled, earning a baffled look from just about everyone.

*****

We arrived in the same white room we had found ourselves in before the tug-of-war game. This wasn't a good sign. More so when the announcement was made.

"Welcome to your fourth game. This game will be played in teams of two. Find someone you wish to play the game with. With mutual consent, shake hands and you will become partners. Please form teams of two within ten minutes."

Oh, fuck. Not this shit again.

At first, no one moved. And then it quickly occurred to the room that, thanks to Kenneth Towler's little side business, we were an odd number.

All around me, people were grabbing the burliest players they could find, begging to partner up. The likes of me, Luna, Padma and Parvati were being totally ignored.

"We'll go together, won't we, Pads?" Parvati asked.

"Uh-" Padma looked unsure. "Shouldn't we find men?"

"Yeah, good luck with that," I muttered dryly as all the men were practically peeling women off them, some even turning them down quite aggressively, looking disgusted about being approached.

Even Draco, I noticed, had already approached Crabbe, their partnership cemented with a handshake. He threw me an apologetic glance, but I got it: after the tug-of-war game, no one wanted to be lumbered with the weak.

It was a save yourself kind of scenario.

"You're right," Padma sighed, resignedly turning to offer her hand out to Parvati. "Let's just pray it's a game we can rely our wits on."

My sisters shook hands, their fates sealed.

Luna and I looked at one another. "Shall we?" I asked handing my own hand out.

But we found ourselves being interrupted quite rudely by Harry Potter.

"Luna!" He said frantically, pushing me roughly out of the way as he hurriedly wiped the sweat from his brow. "Remember that favour you owed me?"

She blinked, looking quite perplexed. "Favour?"

"Yes," Harry nodded eagerly, pulling his collar away from his neck as though he were struggling to breathe. "When I took you to Slughorn's party, remember? You said you owed me one. Well, now is your chance to redeem that. Be my partner."

"But... why?" Luna whispered, throwing fretful glances at me. "Haven't you got someone else you'd rather-?"

"Ron and Hermione are sticking together." Harry panted, lifting his glasses off his nose. "Neville has already partnered Nico. I'VE GOT NO ONE ELSE!"

Now it was Luna's turn to throw me an apologetic look. "Well... if I did promise-"

"No, don't mind me. It's okay. Really. It's okay," I said at once, just relieved that Luna had a man on her side, even if it was with Potter. "You two will make a great team. I'll find someone else-"

"Alia! Once again, a merry coincidence!"

Ah, fuck. It was Dumbledore. With his addled mind and weakened state, I may as well have self-partnered.

As Luna shook hands with Harry, I desperately took one last look around. Everyone had partnered up. The only other person left was Lavender Brown who was screeching at the top of her lungs that she was going to kill everyone in their sleep.

"You're on, old man," I muttered, holding out my hand to my old headmaster.

Chortling, he took it, his wrinkled skin feeling dry and papery against my own.

"You won't regret this," he wheezed, coughing and spluttering at the end of his sentence.

*****

"In this game, use your ten marbles to compete with the partner next to you. The player who takes all ten marbles from their partner, wins."

Fuck.

*****

A/N: The next following chapters will focus on the below couples as they each experience the Marble game. I just hope I do the deaths justice!

Hermione and Ron

Padma and Parvati

Neville and Nico

Harry and Luna

Crabbe and Draco

Albus and Alia

*****