The Monster Under the Bed

Lena was like any, normal five year-old girl. This included her fear of the dark. Of course, as she told herself often, she wasn't afraid of the dark, she was afraid of the monsters that hid in the dark. The warm summer evening of August 6th, 1995 was no different.

Lena was trying as hard as she could to fall asleep but her mind just wasn't tired. She sat up on her bed to arrange her pillows when she looked up. And there, was a pair of bright, red eyes.

"MUMMY!!" she screamed.

Her mother ran into the room and turned the light on. Lena heard a loud crack but didn't pay any attention to it.

"What is it, dear?" her mother asked, concerned.

"There--there was a monster in that corner. With bright red eyes..."

Lena's mother walked over to the corner Lena had pointed at. "See, nothing here. Now try to get some sleep. Just remember, monsters don't really exist."

Lena nodded, unbelieving. She had seen those eyes.

Her mother turned the light off and Lena closed her eyes. "Monsters don't exist, monsters don't exist," she said under her breath. She opened her eyes and was relieved to find the red eyes had disappeared. Lena heard a loud crack, presumably some squeaky floor board, and suddenly the red eyes appeared again.

"Mummy?" Lena said, hearing her voice crack.

"Yes, dear?" her mother called from the living room.

"The--the monsters back."

"Monsters don't exist, you know that. Now please try to get some sleep."

Her mother's faint voice from the living room was no comfort for those leering red eyes.

"C-can you just check one more time?" Lena was starting to become very scared.

Her mother gave an exasperated sigh and turned the light back on. Once again, there was a loud crack and no monster. "See? Now don't worry. Just close your eyes and try to sleep."

Lena nodded and closed her eyes tightly. She could see the lack of light that came from her mother turning it off. Lena heard another crack and kept her eyes shut. She was starting to become tired when she decided to open her eyes, just to check, one last time. And there they were, those bright red eyes. Lena heard her sharp intake of air.

"Mummy!"

"Honey, no. I'm not going to check for monsters again."

"O-ok."

Lena stayed still, mesmerized by those red eyes. She wanted to close her eyelids but they didn't seem to be listening. The red eyes were coming closer. Lena heard her gasp and backed into the corner of her bed.

"You're very perceptive for a mudblood girl." Lena's eyes became wide with fear. The monster was talking to her.

"Are--are you going to eat me?" Lena's squeak of a voice came out.

A high, cold laugh echoed through her room, making her hair stand on end. "No, no I don't think I'll eat you."

The monster was closer, much closer now. She could see some more of the monster's feature's in the faint light that spilled from the living room. It looked like a man, only not. It had no nose and a lipless mouth. The skin was the color of paper and the red eyes seemed to gleam with--with hunger.

"It's a shame your mother didn't listen to you. How ignorant muggles are. They fear the unknown and refuse to believe it exists. Those fools."

"But--but I'm not ignorant," Lena could hear her voice shaking. For all the monster had said about not eating her it certainly seemed like it was going to.

"Oh, but you are. Now I'm getting tired of our little chat so I think I'm going to end it. Avada--

"Wait!"

"Yes?" The monsters voice sounded amused, as though it was enjoying this.

"Before--before I die can I ask you something?" in all the stories Lena had read about monsters the main character had only managed to get away if she (or he) had become friends with the monster. The first step was always asking their name.

"You just have but, yes, you may ask me another question," the voice still sounded amused.

"What's your name?"

"Lord Voldemort. Now you have had your one question, so if you'll let me," the voice sounded bored now.

"Th-that's a very nice name," she stuttered out. She was not going to let herself be eaten. She was going to triumph and prove to her mummy that monsters did exist but she had won, so she wasn't afraid anymore. And then her Prince Charming was going to come and whisk her away to a castle, just like in the books.

"I should think so, I chose it myself," the voice held a quality Lena couldn't quite put her finger on. Something like a combination of bored and amused. The voice spoke again. "Now, you've had much longer than you're allotted amount of time to live so goodbye."

Lena opened her mouth to protest but not before she heard him speak the words "Avada Kedavra" and saw a rush of green light.

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Dislcaimer: I do not own Lord Voldemort, or the world he resides in. That honor belongs to J.K. Rowling. The plot of this story and the character Lena do belong to me. though.

A/N: This is just a one-shot thing I felt like writing. Reviews are always appreciated.