Chapter 3
Elle walked for what seemed like ages, school bag slung over her shoulder. She knew she was lost but didn't care. She was in no hurry to get back to Hogwarts so she continued wondering aimlessly around the village.
She approached a tall, red bricked building and looked up at its dank, dirty windows, shielding her eyes against the morning Sun. She walked over to the door and looked around before entering. "Hello?" She called, her voice echoing around the empty corridor.
She heard a shuffling noise above her head. She looked up at the ceiling with a frown. Dropping her bag on the floor, she made her way over to the staircase and ran her hand along the cold, rusted wrought iron banister. "Wow," she said. "This place is amazing." She heard the shuffling again. "Hello?" She called up the stairs. "Is anyone up there?" She could still hear the shuffling above her head but there was no answer.
Slowly and carefully, she began to move up the staircase. She was on the second stair when there was an enormous crash. Startled by the sudden noise, she stopped moving up and stood there for a second, then began to run the rest of the way. When she was about halfway up, she heard the splintering of wood. One of the stairs had been slowly rotting and she had stuck her foot right through it.
She fell forwards, letting go of the banister without meaning to. Her hands hit the next step up and she managed to regain her balance. She sat on a stair for a moment, trying to catch her breath from the shock of what had just happened, and then she made her way slowly up to the top. She looked around but saw no signs of life. The room was dark and dusty and she was barely able to see.
She ventured further into the room when a smooth but deep voice made her jump. "Where do you think you're going young lady?" It said. The voice sounded strong and male. "Well?" The voice snapped. "I'm sorry," Elle said, hand over her racing heart. "You scared me I didn't expect anyone to be here."
"Answer the question."
"Oh, I was just walking around and I saw this place. I thought it looked great. Well, apart the dust and all."
"Who are you?" the voice demanded. "Excuse me?" she asked, taken aback by the harshness of his voice. "Who are you?" he snapped again. "Well who are you?" Elle asked back. "My name is my own business, not yours little girl."
"Well I could say the same to you. And I'll have you know, I'm not a little girl. I happen to be 16 thank you very much. That's hardly little."
"Don't take the tone with me!" He boomed. She felt him get up angrily and move towards her. She took a couple of steps back and squinted through the darkness to see who it was, but whoever he was, he was good at keeping to the shadows.
She searched around the room, listening to the silence around her. She was trying to determine where he was in the room. Then, a voice behind her whispered in her ear. "Looking for me?" He asked. She spun around but no one was behind her. She heard him laugh somewhere in front of her. She turned around again and said angrily, "Harry, if this is one of your dumb jokes you are so dead."
Suddenly, she felt hands grab the
front of her robes roughly pulling her face to face with him. "Don't you
ever call me that again," he growled.
Elle's eyes opened wide as she realised it was a death-eater. Malfoy to be
exact. She struggled ageist his vice like grip when he threw her to the floor
hard. She hit her arm on something sharp and she winced in pain. "Awwww,
did you hurt yourself?" he asked mockingly. Elle stood up again.
"Don't patronise me," she said angrily. "Or what?"
"Or..... Or...." she didn't know what to say.
"Lost for words are we?" he asked, sounding innocent. He pulled out his wand. "Pity." An evil smile spread across his face as he walked slowly toward her. She backed away from him, eyes not leaving his wand. "What are you going to do?" she asked, sounding scared. He continued to smile and walk towards her. "Cr..." he started, but Elle ran before he could finish the spell. "STUPEFY!" Malfoy yelled, following her with his wand.
Elle ran behind a table before the spell hit her. It hit the table. She felt in her pockets for her wand but couldn't find it. "Damn!" She whispered, remembering her wand was in her bag. He continued firing spells at her and she continued to use various objects to shield herself. She was near the door. The only thing preventing her from running through was Malfoy. She peered over a desk and saw Malfoy coming toward her. She ducked back down again. "C'mon Elle think... think..." She looked up above her head and saw that there was a fairly large object on the table. She grabbed it off the desk, surprised at how light it was, and threw it in the opposite direction. She looked over the desk again and saw that Malfoy's back was turned. This was it. She stood up and ran towards the door, pushing him out of the way and running out of the room and down the stairs. She jumped the last few and grabbed her bag. She could hear Malfoy descending and she ran towards the door.
When she reached the door, it wouldn't open. She tried banging on it a few times but that didn't work. She searched frantically for somewhere to hide but there were no doors to open. She ran down the corridor towards the back of the building. Eventually, she found a door and tried it. Locked. She took her bag off and dropped to her knees, searching for her wand. She couldn't find it. She pulled out school books, mascara, lip gloss, artist's notebook, more mascara, make up brushes. She tipped the whole contents of her bag out onto the floor. "YES!" she whispered loudly, her voice echoing around the building. She grabbed her wand up and pointed it at the lock on the door. "Alohomora," she whispered. She tried the door. It still didn't open. Damn she thought. She could hear Malfoy walking along the corridor.
"Come out come out wherever you are," he said, followed by a cruel laugh. She grabbed her things and threw them back into her bag. She stood up and looked around quickly trying to find a different place to hide. She couldn't find anywhere else. This door was her only hope. She kept on pushing it, putting all her weight against the door until finally, it gave way and she fell through, landing hard on her knees. She stood up and closed the door. "Lumos!" She said. Her wand now lit, she looked around the room. Damn she thought. She had hidden in a closet with no way out.
Harry had tried to get in the house but the door had locked itself. He was angry with everyone. Especially Lucious Malfoy and Voldemort. He then heard a commotion inside the old house. He heard someone speak. He got the door to unlock and opened it slowly and carefully and stepped inside. The floor creaked and he heard someone say "Who's there?" it was a man's voice. He had heard it before but he couldn't place it. "I'm Harry," he said about to say he was Harry Potter but thought better of it. He knew Voldemort and his dumb deatheaters could be anywhere. He got out his wand and heard someone in front of him. He spun to where it was and saw a silhouetted face in front of him. The person stepped forward one more step and he saw it was Lucious Malfoy.
"Well, well, well. Not only do I have some bimbo blonde trapped somewhere but I also have the famous Harry Potter. The Dark Lord will be pleased." "You won't get me or whoever else you have here!" Harry shouted, he thought better then to say her name because he would realise he knew her and then anything could happen. "Oh won't I." Lucious said. Lucious started casting a spell "Avada..." but Harry was quicker he shouted "STUPEFY!" and it hit him. Lucious was stunned, for a while. Harry started screaming "HELLO!! ELLE!" he then thought Bimbo blonde? Elle wasn't a bimbo. He then shouted "ELLE IT'S HARRY WHERE ARE YOU!"
Elle looked up sharply. "HARRY?" she called through the door. She stood up. "HARRY I'M DOWN HERE!" she started banging on the door. "THE DOOR'S STUCK I CAN'T GET OUT. HELP ME." She continued to bang on the door, praying for it to open.
Harry heard her and followed her voice. He saw the door she was banging on and walked up to it "Ok. I think I remember the spell to use. Alomhormora!" he said. He tried the door but it didn't work.
"It's not locked Harry. It's just stuck." she said "Pull the door and I'll push it ready? 1... 2... 3!" she said and she started pushing the door.
Harry was pulling the door and then it suddenly burst open. Harry fell sharply back and landed on his bum "Ow!" he yelled.
As the door suddenly burst open Elle toppled forwards out the door and fell on top of Harry. She struggled to sit up.
Harry looked at her in shock "Get orf me!" he said and pushed her off. "Darren's the one who likes you not me you idiot!" he shouted at her. Darren had told him in the night he fancied Elle. Harry was kind of disappointed but he decided not to say anything, now he had, and he had lied about him not liking her.
"Alright, alright. Don't lose your head!" she shouted back and got up. She brushed the dust off her. "I can hardly help it if the door suddenly burst open and I lost my balance." she protested back to Harry "And Darren likes me," she asked sounding a bit worried, she liked Darren as a friend but that way, no way.
"Fine." he said getting up. He brushed off some dust when he heard a groan "Shit! Malfoy!" he said. Malfoy was stirring more and more and was fully awake again "Bloody kids. I'll kill them all!" Lucious shouted! "Oh great." Harry whispered to Elle "What should we do?" he asked her?
"Never mind what we should do," she whispered, sounding worried. "How the hell do we get out?" There's no other doors down here the only way out is past him!" she said, pointing down the corridor. "It's rude to point," a smooth, cold voice behind them said.
"Oh damn!" he said turning around and seeing Malfoy "Shut up Malfoy!" he shouted at him. Harry then suddenly thought of a spell. A good one as long as he didn't use an unforgivable curse "Protego!" he casted around himself and Elle "Elle when I say, run!" he whispered in her ear. "Ready. RUN!" he shouted and he started running dragging Elle with him towards the door.
She half ran-half got dragged down the corridor. Then she realised summat. "Wait!" she said, pulling free of Harry's grip. She ran a little way back in the direction of Malfoy. "ELLE YOU IDIOT WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!" He yelled. "I forgot my bag." she shouted back. "I aint leavin' mah sketches ands stuff in this dump!"
Harry ran back after her "Stupid girl forget your bag! Your life is more important! You can draw more pictures! Anyway I know you're more worried about your make-up!" he shouted to her. He grabbed her again just before she reached it and dodged a curse Malfoy had just fired at them.
"HARRY YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" she yelled at him as another curse flew over their heads. "I HAVE TO HAVE THE BOOK I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE DAMN MAKE-UP IT'S EASIER TO GET MORE OF THAT!" She broke free and ran back to her bag. She grabbed it properly this time as Harry grabbed her again and dragged her out into the bright sunlight of the London street. The light was so bright after being in the dark so long that she had to shield her eyes.
Harry had got outside with Elle and Malfoy followed them out "You would think he'd melt in sunlight wouldn't ya?" he said to Elle still running. He got to an alley with her and grabbed his invisibility cloak and wrapped it round himself and grabbed Elle's arm as she ran past him. "Put this round you as well." he said and wrapped the cloak round her as well. And sat in the alley waiting.
Malfoy stopped at the entrance to the alley and looked around. "Where'd they go?" he muttered angrily. Elle started to walk slowly backwards, further down the alley. She pulled Harry back with her. Far enough so she could whisper without being heard. "Now what?" she asked.
"We will wait here and wait until he goes past." he said to her. They waited a while and saw him pass. He went around and corner and Harry said to Elle "Ok. He's gone let's keep the cloak on and go back. We supposed to be in Transfiguration. Or at east I Am." he said to her and started walking back to Hogwarts. Elle followed him, keeping close so she didn't get caught.
Harry got down to the bottom of the street, heart pounding when Malfoy rounded the corner nearly hitting them. Harry grabbed Elle and made her dodge in time. They got around the corner and started there way back to Hogwarts.
