I pulled my red scarf around my neck. For October, it had been unnaturally cold. I looked at myself in the mirror. I was wearing the black jacket my aunt gave me last Christmas. It had two rows of gold buttons down the front, each bearing the Gryffindor lion, as if she'd known I would be in Gryffindor as well. I grabbed my wand from the nightstand and traipsed down to the Gryffindor common room. I told Becky and Cecelia when I saw them earlier that I would meet them at Hogsmeade. I always enjoyed the walk and it was much easier to enjoy the beauty of the surrounding scenery alone.
Even through my jacket, I began to feel the cold seeping through to me. It was unnaturally cold. I thrust my hands in my pocket and kept going. There wasn't much other noise the wind softly whistling by my ears and the crunch of my feet over the fall leaves. Crack. I turned sharply, looking down the empty path behind me. A yellow leave fluttered down to the road. Had I made it up? I couldn't have. I listened to the silence, waiting for another the crack, the sound of a twig snapping underfoot. I heard nothing. I continued on, occasionally glancing behind me. Over the hill in front of me I could see the tops of the steep pointed roofs of the village. Though in sight, I was still a ways away. I hurried my step. I would feel more relieved once I was around other people. Crack. I heard it again. I turned sharply, my heart skipping a beat. I turned, expecting to face Tom, or one of his minions, but alas, no one. My hurried step turned into a jog as I grew closer and closer to Hogsmeade. I began to relax as my feet met the cobblestone street of the main street. Though it was still early, only four, the town was already teeming with students. I walked towards the Three Broomsticks, the central and most popular pub in Hogsmeade. The warmth that met me as I pushed open the foggy glass door felt incredible. I looked around the pub. I wasn't particularly impressive. It reminded me very much of the Leaky Cauldron, with its worn stairs and ancient bartender. I looked around briefly, feeling relieved Tom wasn't in sight. However, as I walked towards Becky and Cecelia, I noticed Abraxas Malfoy was. He was seated, thankfully, at the table across the room, surrounded by Avery, a thin dark haired boy I did not know, and another particularly trashy friend of Belkry's. He never looked up as I entered, as he continued some conversation with the dark haired boy.
"Hello everyone," I sighed as I plopped down next to Cecelia. Becky pushed a third butter beer towards me.
"You look flushed," Cecelia said, looking me up and down curiously.
"It's cold and I ran," I said, bringing the butter beer towards me and taking a long swig.
"Ah."
We sat there quietly as more students filled the bar.
"So what are you all doing this weekend? Besides this," I asked, still holding my drink tightly.
"Studying. I have an essay for advanced Runes," Cecelia replied.
"I thought only 7th years could take that class," Becky replied, her eyes widening.
"Dippet made an exception for me. Ah, which reminds me," She said clambering off the bench to her feet, pulling her baby blue hat down on her head, "I have to pick up some more parchment and quills. You all coming?"
She gestured towards the door as Becky jumped to her feet.
"Of course! Lizzie?"
I nodded, reluctantly setting my beer down on the table. I would rather brave the cold again than stay alone. I stood up and wrapped my scarf once around my neck.
"After you," I replied, following Cecelia and Becky out the door. If it was even possible, it seemed even colder than before. I pulled my scarf tighter around my neck. We followed Cecelia across the open center of the town which surrounded a large stone statue of a pig on its hind legs holding a mug, towards another block of shops. As we grew closer to the shop, I began to make out the scores of rows of shelves through the foggy window.
"Here we are," Cecelia said, pulling open the gate which led to the cobblestone path to the door, "Grumald's Study. It's one of the few stores you can buy school supplies except Diagon Alley."
Though I been to Diagon Alley many times, especially during my first two years at Hogwarts, I did not remember this shop at all. Now that I thought back on it, I suppose it was because I never had a need for such a shop. I generally had ample supplies and was sent any extra that I needed from my parents. As Cecelia pulled the door open by its brass handle, a particularly large man rushed out, nearly knocking her over miss. He turned back to us, his dark gray speckled hair falling into his beady eyes.
"Sorry ladies," he said slowly, his low gruff voice strongly accented, "Vouldn't vant any vone to get hurt, now vould we?"
He smiled slowly, revealing a set of yellowing teeth.
"No, we wouldn't," Cecelia snapped, opening the door wider and beckoning us in. I moved towards the door, but the man reached out for my arm.
"You look familiar. Have we met before?"
I felt a shiver run down my spine and I was sure it was not from the cold. My arm tensed under his grasped.
"No, I don't believe we have."
I attempted to move towards to again, but he never surrendered my arm.
"Those eyes, dat color, is quite different," he paused, as if thinking, before donning another yellow grin, "You fader, he's vorks with the ministry, no?"
I nodded slowly.
"Hmm," He let go of my arm and step back, nodding cordial, "Good day then miss."
He backed up slowly, his beady eyes still watching me until I had entered the shop and closed the door behind me.
"What was that about?" Cecelia asked, her voice slightly worried.
"No idea."
How had he known my father? He was right, in that I had my father same striking pale gray eyes, but still. He was unlike any colleague or acquaintance of my father I had met. Well he's gone now. I sighed and followed Cecelia towards the shelves. I waited my back against the shelf end as she and Becky began searching through quills. As I watched a bewitched letter fly back and forth across the room, an advertisement for owless message delivery, a hypnotic silken voice which I was all too familiar with, busy conversing with what I presumed to be an employee, floated to me from two aisles over. I waved to get Cecelia's attention.
"What?" She mouthed, still picking up and examining various quills.
"I'-m going outside," I mouthed pointing towards the window.
She nodded setting down the gray quill she was holding and picking up one with an electric blue tip. Becky, who was holding the quills she'd already selected, waved frantically with one arm. I waved back before, rushing back into the cold I'd so dearly sought to escape. I spotted a stone bench peaking out from around the corner. It was barely noticeable from the village, yet it was close enough that I could return easily if my creepy yellow-toothed friend returned. I brushed the yellow leaves covering the bench and sat down. I remained there for a while longer, watching the leaves fall from the graying trees, before standing up and walking back towards the entrance to Hogsmeade, cutting behind the buildings. As I walked, I became aware of how increasingly quiet it had become. I glanced back towards the orange sun behind me. It had already begun to sink behind the mountains, the daylight slipping to twilight. I was nearly a block away from the entrance when I heard the resounding boom of a curse being fired and piercing scream. I stopped in my tracts listening. There was another boom. Screams began to fill the air a more and more curses fired. I walked quickly towards the sound of the noise. As I turned the corner, I saw a sight I couldn't believe.
A group of darkly dressed persons stood at the center of the town, firing curses left and right at nearly anything in their path. I looked towards the cobblestone road to the school, the only path back to Hogwarts, but it was blocked off by two burly men, wands brandished, violently cursing anyone trying to escape. I ducked back behind the building as an angry yellow curse flew past me and ricocheted into the tree behind me with a deafening crack. What the hell was going on? I could feel my heart racing as I looked for a way to get away. Besides the road, the only other way was back to the school was through the forest. With sun setting rapidly it was not a path I particularly intended to take. Who knew what was in there, especially at night. I felt myself shutter as I thought back to the last time I'd been in the forest and it was not a pleasant memory. My thoughts were shattered, as a scream seemed to echo over the rest, more familiar than the rest. Becky. I stood up sharply from my crouch, hurrying towards the scream when someone grabbed my arm and forcefully yanked me back against the back wall of the building. My vision, somewhat fuzzy from the back of my head colliding with the wall, was blurry as I looked towards my assailant. I knew he didn't seem right. I try to yank my arm away but the yellow-toothed man just eyed me beadily shoved me to the ground. Around the corner I heard the reverberating crash of glass shattering.
"Es lebe Grindelwald der Große!" I heard a voice shout, followed by another crack. Long Live Grindelwald the Great!
"Grindelwald," I muttered slowly, repeating the cry. The dark wizard? This was Hogwarts, one of the safest places in the wizarding world. My mind was frozen with shock.
"Your fader teach you that?" The man drawled, laughing darkly. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at me. As my mind finally registering the severity of the situation, I reached in my jacket for my own wand. I was too slow.
"Expelliarmus," he cried as my wand flew out of my hand and towards the woods. He spit on the ground next to me. "Your fader is the type of ministry scum my lord disgusts."
He laughed again, darker than before. He lowered his gaze to mine and smiled a sickly yellow smile.
"The intent vas to incite fear in the hearts of the vizarding community by proving Hogwarts, the safest place known, could vall to Grindelwald. Now that I think on it, one less piece of ministry filth would please him just as much."
He laughed again and my body, my heart, my mind froze.
"Don't worry, it shouldn't hurt."
He raised his wand.
"Avada-"
There was a sickening snap as a scarlet red curse collided with his chest, sending him spiraling backwards. He lay writhing on the ground, a horribly blood curdling scream emanating from his mouth, as if he were being burned alive. I climbed to my feet as a hand closed around my shoulder.
"Come on Lizzie."
I turned back towards Tom, his green eyes nearly black as the stared fixedly at the man writhing violently on the ground behind me.
"What did you do to him?"
"He nearly killed you," he spat, his eyes shining with inhumane hatred. He smiled slowly, as if watching the man was enjoyable. "Does it matter?"
I turned back towards the man, who had stopped screaming but remained writhing violently on the ground, vomiting a sickly jet-black substance that smoked as it touched the ground. Any other time my disgust would have been overwhelming, but right now, caught between shock and fear, I just wanted to leave. I looked up at him. His green eyes softened slightly as he met mine.
"Come on," he repeated, grabbing my hand and leading me away from the village, opposite the direction of the school.
"Tom there's nothing back here except the Forbidden Forest and the cliff. Where are we going?"
He said nothing but kept walking.
"Tom!" I shouted as loud as I dared to avoid drawing attention, "Where are we going?"
I tried to yank my hand from his and get him to look back towards me. He simply tightened his grip, keeping his head forward, and continued to lead me away.