Hide and Seek
I panted, crouching in another dark alley, trying to be quiet and not succeeding. There were running footsteps just past the entrance, shouting, so much shouting, and then, suddenly, quiet. Had the search passed?
Ever since I'd fallen asleep in that alley the night before, things had been nothing but chaos. The search was drawing near to the end of the third day, but I was constantly on the run now, because somehow I had been sighted in London, though I had absolutely no idea how they'd figured that out. I hoped, fearfully, that the Order was not in danger, that Verloren hadn't, somehow, traced me back to 12 Grimmauld Place. I crouched again as the footsteps returned, this time peering over the dank porch step of some closed shop to see the dark-scarlet clad figures running past the alley, wands out, every one of them, shouting at passer-by to keep out of the way. I shivered and drew my cloak tighter around me. How long could I survive this game? Would Verloren's resolve hold if I was captured and brought before him?
Silence came again, this time heavier and more ominous than the silence before. I knelt now, bracing my back against the steps, and waited, closing my eyes for a few moments, trying to gather strength, trying to think of some way to get to my next safe haven, a haven that would only be safe for, at the most, an hour or two…
I finally opened my eyes, heaving a soft, and yet heavy sigh, and then peered cautiously around me, tugging the invisibility cloak tighter. From kneeling I rose to a crouch, and from the crouch I got lightly to my feet, turning back toward the mouth of the alley. Then I froze, standing as still as I possibly could. Without any further thought I shrank back into the shadow of the step, trying to control my shaking without success. Dear God, I thought weakly, someone help me.
A Shrakil stood there, its dirty cloak pressing to it, showing where its ribs were, but I knew that its ribs were not its own, that a human's life had been taken to give it shape.
I wracked my brain for the spell that Verloren had told me was the only one that worked on these creatures. Scarl…Scarlet…Scarlot…
I drew my wand when it finally came to me, keeping it at the ready. The Shrakil's face turned toward me, and I knew it saw me when its eyes began to glow hungrily, and its skull-like face jeered even more unpleasantly. Confidently, it began to sweep forward.
I stayed still as long as I could, crouching behind the step in the shadows, hoping against hope that maybe it hadn't seen me, and staring as the monster came nearer and nearer. Now I could only see it from the waist down unless I craned my neck, and then the thigh, and then the knee…Don't scream, don't scream…
Finally, at the last available second, I threw off the invisibility cloak, shot out of the shadows of the steps, and screamed, "Scarlottilare!"
The affect was immediate and rewarding; the creature screamed, an unearthly sound that sent chills racing up and down my spine, and then, slowly, fire began to consume it. I could tell that it was trying to work its magic to ward off the spell, but to no avail; the fire was greedy, it was hungry, and it was all-powerful. Finally, with a last, shrieking, terrible cry, the creature crumpled to the ground, nothing but ash now.
I dusted myself off and threw the invisibility cloak around me once more. Out of the ashes of the Shrakil came the wavering, indistinct figures of what I were assumed all the lives ever taken to create it; they were all children under eight years old, by the looks of it. They cried out happily at being free, their voices blending to create a cacophony like that of songbirds in a rainforest, and then, one by one, they all flickered out and disappeared into thin air, becoming nothing but what they were again.
Sighing, I trekked out to the entrance of the alley, looked cautiously in both directions, and when the street appeared deserted, I darted across it, running as swiftly and silently as I could for a safe base. As I ran, my shoes lightly slapping the pavement, I thought, exhaustedly, how nice it would be to just bunker down in 12 Grimmauld Place and sleep between clean, warm sheets with tea to drink in the morning; then I shook the thoughts away, knowing that the tasks ahead would be a great deal harder if I fantasized about such luxury.
So I sighed and kept running on, the cloak trailing behind me, always invisible; when passer-by felt a gust of wind, they didn't even blink. To them, I was truly invisible. I wished I were that invisible to Verloren and his followers.
"Crucio!" a voice behind me cried, and I ducked, throwing myself forward with another burst of speed; the curse missed, searing into a nearby tree instead. I'd been evading this particular scarlet-clad minion for the past half an hour, darting confusedly through the woods of some park that I'd stumbled upon. Most unfortunately, the snow hadn't penetrated to the layers below the trees yet; although it would have left tracks, at least it would have muted my noise as I ran, while the dead creepers and leaves underfoot gave off a threatening death rattle wherever and now matter how carefully I stepped.
I considered scrambling up a tree, and decided that it would be no use; instead I rushed on, out of breath, panting hard, the enemy able to follow even though I was invisible because of the incredible rustling I made whenever I moved. My wand was clenched in my hand, but I had yet to use it except to block a spell or two. I couldn't risk stopping to turn and duel; they could overwhelm me easily. Even now, I sensed that they were forming a tighter and tighter circle, hoping to trap me in the middle. The helpful thing, really, would have been to fly out.
I struggled to yank out the pack of miniatures that Ginny had thrown together for me. Panting and still running, I dug through it, trying not to lose anything, hoping that she had thought to put in a broom…
There it was, perfect, waiting for me. I put on a burst of speed as the voice shrieked, "Avada –" and another shouted, "No! She must be brought alive!" and when I felt I had gained enough of a lead, I stopped, breathlessly croaked out the Engorgement Charm, and mounted the broom. Quickly, hoping that they wouldn't see the rider less broom take off, I pushed from the ground, shooting up through a narrow gap in the trees.
For the moment, I was safe, but I knew that I would be in desperate need of a place to land soon, for Verloren was sure to have some way to attack by air.
By the end of the fifth day, I had had absolutely enough.
Leaning against a light post and waiting for my breathing and my heart beat to slow and regulate again, I wished, bitterly, that I'd never agreed to spy for the Order. Tactless, Hermione, tactless, my mind scolded me, if you didn't want to get involved, why did you agree in the first place?…
Trying to help. I snorted to myself. Fat lot of good it did me, too.
Footsteps were approaching again. Balking, I drew my wand and waited, gathering my strength to fight one more time.