I know they all ordered us to evacuate, but I didn't want to. I wanted to be with my friends, the only ones who I liked, learning about potions and their inventors. That's why, when every other first year was leaving the school, I snuck off to the library. I went straight to the potions section, to the most fascinating place I knew of. That was in the far back, the last row. I ran back there, silent and dodging through the rows and around the taller tables. Slipping into the row, I couldn't help smiling. I was just like a spy.
I sat down, and looked through the bottom row. I had worked my way through the first column of books; it helped that those two siblings were more concerned with torture than role call these past couple of days. Plus, I read very fast.
Selecting a book with a green felt cover and gold lettering, I sat back and began to read. Who needed to evacuate anyway?
...
Two hours later, I shut the book, keeping my finger on the page. I cocked my head and listened to what sounded like… footsteps. Thousands of them. I also heard cries and shouts. I didn't move. Was it really going to be like this? My sister hadn't been lying? I bit my lip and went back to my book. Of course she was lying. She just wanted me out of the school- 'her' school, as she liked to call it.
...
I had re-opened my book, but now I was crouched against the stone wall. I didn't want to go out, I had heard people sobbing about, '…last moments!' and 'What will her parents say?' and 'He died so…'. They were faint, but I wasn't going to take my chances. I decided not to block the voices out, and opened the book again. Books were good distractions.
...
My head snapped up when I heard footsteps. They were fast, and hard. Different from the rest. I hunched further back into the shadowy corner, hoping they would pass.
They didn't.
They stopped every so often. Are they... searching? I thought. I shook it out. I was just being paranoid, it was probably-
A man stepped around the corner. He was wild looking, dressed in black. Dirt streaked his face, and his hair was long and greasy. He smiled, blackened teeth showing. "Well, well, well." He said, taking a slow step with each word. He stopped only eight feet from me. My heart pounded in my chest and my breaths grew shallow. "They told me no one would be in here. Guess they were wrong." Then he raised a scratched wand, blacker than any I had seen. He held it up, and shouted what sounded like that muggle spell, "Abracadabra," I believe. I wasn't too sure, though, because the next thing I knew was a flash of green. And then nothing but black.