A/N: This is my first fanfic, so criticism and comments are encouraged greatly! I hope you all like this first bit – I know it's a bit confusing (at least I think it is), but you will soon understand it all in later chapters. I got this idea a while back, and just now decided to start writing it. So… Voila!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Harry Potter universe, and this is just for entertaining.
Prologue
Quietly, as to not wake my family, I unzipped our tent, and slipped out in the cold air. It was cold enough I could see my breath, but it didn't bother me, even if I was chattering like crazy. I continued to cross the campsite, careful not to make any sudden noises or trip over twigs, as I made my way to the fire pit where my favorite camping chair sat. A small smile spread across my face. I may have just been sitting in the familiar chair two hours ago, but it still felt like ages since the chair had given me any warmness. Even when I'd been sitting by the fire, it just never was warm enough when I had to be anyone but myself around my family of two sisters (or, as most people referred to the three of us as, The Trips; seeing as we were triplets that looked exactly alike, the nickname fit us perfectly), my mom (Erin), and my dad (Ben.) I could never just be me when they were all around me; everyone expected me to be just as sweet, and preppy, and as fashion-aware as they were – which, if you haven't already caught on, isn't anything like me. No, I was completely the opposite – for one, I have a brain (in other words, I know how multiply every number up to thirty by itself, give the answer, and do it all in thirty-two seconds while the two bimbos could barely multiply four by four under ten seconds.
I shook my head. Thinking about the huge differences between us would only make me even more pissed off. So instead, I sat down in my dark blue chair, letting the warmth take me over as I stared up through the trees at the starry night sky. It was beautiful, not mention rare, for me to ever be able to see the stars. Living in the city has its advantages and disadvantages, and this was definitely one of them. Alicia and Emily were idiots for thinking otherwise. It was almost like I could hear them mocking me again when I'd asked them earlier what they thought about the stars.
Flashback:
"Oh, please, Izzy – they're stars!" Emily laughed at me from across the fire pit. "They're just a waste of time to look at."
"Yea, plus they don't even do anything fancy other than take up space in the sky," Alicia added.
My eyes fell to the ground, glaring at the burning coals. "They do not," I muttered. "They're beautiful, and do not take up space – the sky would be boring without stars!"
They just rolled their eyes, and scooted their matching violet chairs closer, talking to each other in hushed voices behind their hands every so often glancing at me with a smirk or with pity. I huffed angrily, and began poking the coals with my marshmallow stick, hoping one of the flying sparks would land on each of them and burn a hole through their matching skirts that they'd just gotten two days before.
End Flashback
Even as I remembered the short exchange between us, the anger from earlier began to burn in my chest, filling me with thoughts of hatred towards my sisters. But I shook my head once again – I would let my sisters ruin this moment for me – and continued looking at the twinkling stars.
I don't know how long or when I'd fallen asleep, but I awoke quickly. I looked around drowsily, seeing that it was still dark, and there was still a small flame in the fire. I must not have been asleep for long. I was just getting up to head back to the tent, when I heard something strange, and whipped around. It was like a really loud whistle, filling the entire state park with its high-pitched screech. My hands flew to my ears as I looked up in wonder, amazement, and, partly, fear. A red streak was heading upwards, red sparks flying in each direction, before it flipped upside down and, faster than before, began falling. I watched, scared to speak and too frightened to move my legs. I was just about to start running, when a large BOOM sounded, and I was hit with airborne rocks and sticks and a gust of strong wind. The rocks scratched my face, and large stickes stabbed me in my arms and stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I fell down slowly, hoping the flying objects would miss me entirely if I stayed down. Eventually, everything stopped, and I looked towards the cause of the commotion and gasped.
Through the thin trees, a bright, orange, flickering light could be seen. If I hadn't felt the warmth from where I was laying, I would not have guessed once that it was a fire that I was staring in horror at. The red spark must have been some kind of bomb, and I had been dumb enough to think it was just a bunch of college students messing around. Immediately, I jumped up and ran towards the tent to wake everyone up when I was knocked back down by another deafening crash. More bombs, I thought in terror. Shrieks and screams and more loud crashes filled my ears, and more sticks and rocks (larger this time) were flying towards me. Scared and confused, I tried to crawl to the tent. That was before the strangest things happened.
Just when I'd thought I was going to make it to the tent unscathed, out of the corner of my eye I saw a large rock flying towards me. It was bigger than my head, and it was going to hit me. I'm not going to make it, I'm not going to make it… I thought, giving up all hope for a chance to live. But then out of the corner of my other eye, I saw a figure appear, a human figure, covered in a black hooded cloak. They could help, they must help!
I cried out in pain, when a small, but still heavy, rock hit me in my side. I looked back towards the objects that were coming at me. Everything was in slow motion – the rock was near, but I knew I still had time. My head turned back to the hooded figure, who now was coming towards me. I stared in amazement as they whipped out what must be a stick, and flick it once. On my left, the side where the rock was looming, a white, transparent screen came between me and the objects. The rock went right through it, however, as soon as it hit the odd screen, it turned to only specks of dust.
A sigh of relief came from me, but I jumped when another bomb went off, and I heard a hiss in my ear.
"Hmm, this must be her… One of three, scent of lavender, under the trees…" the voice whispered, as I lay still on the ground, not trusting myself to move. "But now, to make sure she is alive… Crucio!"
Waves of pain were sent through me, each one more painful than before. I screamed in protest, writhing in agony. Everything blurred before my eyes, but I could make out shapes coming out of the tent – it could only be my family, scared out of their wits, wondering what the hell was going on. I wanted to yell to them to run and find a place to hide, but just when I thought pain would kill me, it stopped, and I lay gasping for air on the hard earth, watching the hooded figure turn menacingly towards my father who was standing in front of the family, shielding them from the stranger with his arms. The figure laughed at him, a cold, empty laugh, and pointed his stick at the family – my family – screaming something at them. Next thing I knew, a green flash of light erupted from the figure's stick, and hit everyone – my dad, my mom, my sisters.
Tears fell from my eyes, making a small puddle beneath my face. I choked on the sobs as the hooded figure turned back to me. I couldn't see their face beneath the hood other than darkness. But I didn't have time to give them a better look because just then they grabbed my arm roughly, and everything disappeared.
I was being sucked into nothingness, every breath of air was being taken out of me like someone had placed a vacuum on my mouth. My eyes would barely stay open, but by the time they had closed, the odd sensation stopped, and my eyes flickered open.
It was dark, and silent except for the lonely dripping of water farther away. As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I was able to make out a pot that looked oddly like a cauldron, and the hooded figure was standing beside it, their stick pointed at me. They said another odd word, and I heard, "Come to me…" Surprisingly, I did as I was told even though my brain was screaming protests to my legs to stop moving. I couldn't stop, I could only keep walking towards him, with an odd feeling of no control.
Another flash of light, and I was screaming in pain once again. But it wasn't the same pain as before, it was different. Like my very flesh was being ripped off me every second, and my bones were disappearing, and everything in me was on fire. I screeched, begging him to stop, to have mercy, but he just laughed cruelly at continued, telling me that it would end when he was ready for it too. Eventually it did, and he left me there laying on the cold, stone ground, gasping and crying. Soon, deprivation of sleep came over me, and I fell under the blackness behind my eyelids, the last thing I think of being the sight of my family lying dead on the ground in front of me, eyes open, their fright still plastered to their faces, frozen in time.
A/N: Like? I hope so! Hopefully, next chapter will be up tomorrow (maybe even tonight if I finish before I fall asleep!). I try not to keep readers waiting because I know how much I hate it myself, but please understand that sometimes it may take me longer than usual because school is starting soon and I'm busy getting ready for it. Anyhoo, hoped you enjoyed this, and will comment!