Ok, this is a story i actually wrote for english class, but decided to post because fanfiction is fanfiction! lol. anyways, i luv you guys so can you please reveiw! not to be bribing or anything but i make a habit of reading and reveiwing the people who do that for me! also, read my other stories. now that im done unabashedly advertising myself i'll explain that i dont really like this story but i hope you do! luv ya and enjoy!

p.s. i know the names are weird but i googled british names and these are some.

Zara's body shook and her face glistened with sweat as she grabbed her cloak and threw it over her shoulders. She took one last look around her grubby room in the Leaky Cauldron. Suddenly the doorknob began to rattle. Zara heard a curse. Her face turned white and she disapparated with a loud crack just as the door was blasted open. Death Eaters flooded the room. They glanced around the room.

"She's disapparated." said a gruff voice from the back of the crowd." The Death Eater in front jerked his head to the side, like follow me. The group marched downstairs into the pub, blasting people and tables to the side as they marched forward. Screams filled the air as people ran left and right, trying in vain to hide under tables and behind the bar. They stopped in the middle of the pub and simultaneously turned into wisps of black smoke that flew out of the building and into the night sky.

Zara stumbled down the dark alleyway and collapsed in a heap. She tried to get up but was unable because her body was shaking so hard. C'mon girl she told herself. You've gotta keep going. They aren't going to stop hunting you until you're… dead. She clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from crying out. Zara was terrified. She threw her cloak hood back and pulled up her left sleeve. Pain racked her body and her head jerked back and she bit her lip as yet again she had to fight the urge to cry out. On her arm was the familiar symbol of a skull eating a snake. The Dark Mark. It was burning and searing with pain. Voldemort was calling his followers, but she wasn't going back there, she was never going back there. Sobs shook her body. The longer Zara ignored the mark the more the pain intensified.

"Hello?" a voice called. One of the back doors to a shop was open and light spilled into the alley. And elderly wizard had stuck his head out and was holding his wand at the ready. Zara quickly jerked her sleeve down. She tried to shrink into a corner and hide, but the man kept calling. That idiot! What kind of idiot sticks his head out of his door these days and yells after he has heard something in a dark alleyway? Finally she couldn't take it. Zara took a deep breath and jumped up.

"Shut up!" she hissed through clenched teeth. "Get inside!" the man motioned for her to step in before him. She shook her head violently but the man kept motioning. She kept shaking her head but the man stubbornly held the door open. Zara rolled her eyes and ducked inside.

The inside of the shop was warm and dimly lit. the man glanced around outside before ducking in, slowly shutting the door behind him.

"You idiot!" Zara yanked her hood down, revealing her long dark hair and deep brown eyes. "You can't just yell around like that. Are you crazy?"

"You were the one sitting back there," the man whispered, coming into the light. He was old with white hair and a kind, wrinkled face. "I couldn't just let you sit back there. Death Eaters might have come."

"Oh, they would've." Just then another flash of pain shot through Zara's arm, the worst pain yet. Her body arced and she fell to the floor with a small shriek. The man hurried to pick her up and put her in a chair. She shook as her mark continued to sear with pain.

"Is there anything I can do?" the man asked anxiously.

"No." she said, breathing hard. "Just gotta wait it out." He slowly sank into a chair next to her.

"Why?" he asked. "What is hurting you?" Zara's eyes flashed and she jerked her left sleeve up, revealing her mark. The man started in surprise, but did not draw his wand.

"Why don't you run?" she asked. "Aren't I dangerous? I could kill you, you know." The man shook his head.

"No, I don't think you could. You don't seem dangerous, just… scared."

"You can't trust me." She said. "I'm one of his."

"I trust you." He responded. The pain slowly began to subside.

"You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" Zara looked at him, her dark hair spilling around her face. With the dark makeup on her eyes she really did look scary, but the shopkeeper stood his ground.

"Yes." He responded and then repeated, "I trust you." After a pause he asked "Would you like some tea?" Zara laughed bitterly. She didn't know what at, but she couldn't help it.

"No."

"Now," the man shifted to look at her. "What's your name?"

"Zara." She replied quietly, holding back tears as her defenses went down and tears filled her eyes again.

"I'm Mr. Poynter." He said. "Now Zara, why don't you tell me why you are running?" Zara's head jerked up and she looked at him. "Zara, it would take a fool not to know that you are on the run."

Zara smiled a little.

"Well." She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "I guess I should start from the beginning."

1 year previously

Zara lay in bed, tossing and turning as she tried to fall asleep. She was eighteen and had just left Hogwarts. She was currently staying at the Leaky Cauldron. Diagon Alley was dark and dreary. The whole village was covered in smoke and you could almost smell the fear in the air. The only shop that was still bright and going was the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and even that was dark and silent at times. Work was impossible to find. Zara sighed and rolled to face the door. She squinted and raised her head a little. There was a bluish light glowing through the cracks. Suddenly a flash of green light blasted the door open.

Zara screamed and backed into the corner with a scream. Two Death Eaters came into the room. Zara could faintly see their faces by the wand light. It was Bellatrix Lestrange and another that she didn't recognize. She shook in fear as the two converged upon her. Tears fell fast down her face.

"Please." She choked out. "Please don't kill me."

"Oh, we wouldn't kill you, my dear." Bellatrix whispered, reaching forward and tucking Zara's hair behind her ear. The witch laughed maniacally. "We're here to take you with us."

"What do you want from me?" Zara asked, flinching away from Bellatrix.

"This is what they call 'recruiting'" said the other Death Eater in a low, gruff voice.

"What if I don't want to be a Death Eater?" asked Zara boldly. Bella laughed again.

"Ever heard our recruiting slogan?" Zara shook her head.

"Well, I think you'll find it very… persuasive, and effective, so to say." Bellatrix grinned wickedly. She leaned forward and whispered in Zara's ear. "Join, or die." Zara flinched back again. She nodded frantically as she babbled.

"I'll come with you. I'll come."

"Good." Bellatrix motioned for the other guy to come forward. He grabbed Zara's arm roughly and disapparated.

"And so I was put into the service of you- know- who." Zara told Mr. Poynter. He was leaning forward, listening intently. "I hated every minute of it." She continued. "I killed as few people as I could, but just enough so that I wouldn't be punished, or stand out. This is the worst part." She motioned to her throbbing arm. "Burns every time he wants us. Hurts even more if you ignore it."

"So you ran?" he prompted her. Zara nodded.

"I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't go on killing innocent people. I ran, but they're never going to stop coming after me."

"They might stop." Mr. Poynter said softly. Zara looked up and shook her head sadly. "There is a hope." He pressed on. "Harry Potter. He can save us all." Zara shook her head again.

"He hasn't been heard for months. They've followed me, tracking me, working so hard." She sighed. "If they're putting so much effort in just to find a runaway Death Eater, they're working a hundred times harder to find him. He's got no chance."

"But Voldemort-"

"NO!" shouted Zara, but it was too late. The door blasted open and three Death Eaters crashed in.

"Run!" screamed Zara. She whipped out her wand and began firing spells at her opponents. She managed to hit one with a stunning spell. One of the others converged on her. As she deflected speel after spell she glanced to her left.

Mr. Poynter was battling the other Death Eater.

"I TOLD YOU TO RUN YOU IDIOT!" she screamed at him. A curse nearly hit her arm and she turned back to the battle, cursing under her breath. Was that man trying to get killed? She swore he was trying to get killed! Suddenly there was a flash of green light. Time seemed to slow down as Zara turned her head and saw Mr. Poynter crumple to the ground.

"No!" she cried. Tears filled her eyes. Well, there was nothing she could do now but save her own skin. In the Death Eaters' momentary distraction she stunned the one she was dueling and shouted the first spell that came to mind (Petrificus Totalus!) while pointing her wand at the remaining one. Zara knew that backup would soon come for the Death Eaters, and she had to get out of there. She grabbed her cloak and pulled it around her shoulders. When she glanced at Mr. Poynter for the last time she saw a glint of gold in his pocket.

Squinting, she looked closer and then approached, pulling it out of his pocket. It was a heavy gold locket, adorned with an S. Although she tried hard, she could not open it. Still she shoved it in her pocket, glanced at Mr. Poynter's lifeless form, and disapparated.