Foes

That ordeal was bad enough, but there was another one coming, only one day later…

I was shopping when the masked figures reappeared, this time silently, although all in one place, and looking rather dizzy. I didn't even think; I just rammed my shopping trolley into the midst of them as hard as possible. They fell over like skittles, and I was treating the trolley like a scooter, speeding down the aisle. Of course, that was when some little old lady, doing her own shopping, walked out in front of me. I think it was only luck that got me turning the trolley, although I don't know if landing under the tinned tomatoes can count as luck.

The Death Eaters were approaching. I groaned. Why me? What was so special about me? Why kill me?

One of them grabbed my hair, not even bothering to pull me out of the pile of cans, and- well I assume he Disapparated, although I didn't hear any pop or crack.

It is not pleasant to be the subject of Side-Along Apparition when the only way you are attached to the Appartee is by your hair. I'm sure he pulled half my hair out on the journey.

And then I was on my knees in a house that was definitely the worse for wear. I had the distinct impression that it was very big.

I stood up, brushed myself off, and looked around. I still felt shaken by the trip, so the best I could do was pointedly ignore the robed, masked figures around me.

"Petrificus Totalus!" one yelled, and a flash of light hit me. It gave me a sort of light, floaty feeling, as though I couldn't feel my own body, but my arms were stuck to my sides, and my legs wouldn't move. I could roll my eyes and glare at them, but that was about it.

Some Death Eater levitated me through the house, to a large room with a rather scruffy armchair. I couldn't help noticing how the house was really in need of a good clean and general smartening up.

They took the charm off me, and left me alone in the room. Obviously, I tried the door handle, but it gave me a kind of electric shock when I touched it, and I was willing to bet that it was locked magically. And I was four storeys above the ground, so there was no chance of jumping out the window unless I was definitely going to die anyway. I'm generally a disgusting optimist, so of course I didn't jump.

I wandered round the gigantic room, frowning at the tops of the bookshelves, which were covered in three inches of dust. And there were spiders living round the mantelpiece, and wispy cobwebs hanging from the chandelier, which was so filthy that it didn't even glint, and-

Someone was watching me. I stood very still, and glared at the bookshelf in front of me. I could feel the prickle on the back of my neck that meant they were waiting for me to do something – anything.

All the books were on the Dark Arts. The person was moving closer. One particularly thick one was all about magical torture through the ages. I could hear their footsteps. Another one had what looked like… blood… on it. There was a whispering slither too, like a snake would make. A snake!

I whirled around, a scream ready on my lips. I hated snakes! Really hated – not like Lily said she felt about spiders. This was a complete loathing. And there was a snake, and it was slithering across the floor towards me, and it was going to bite me, I knew it, and…

My gaze followed the snake's path, and came across a black robe, and followed the robe upwards, and met, blood-coloured eyes in a face the colour of a vampire's- no, I was being melodramatic. The face was white, and the eyes were red. That was all there was to it.

It was the cold expression that was the problem. And the fact that I knew those eyes. They were the eyes of that person who had cast the pain spell on me, back at the muggle café, and they were the eyes of the person I had attacked with a fish. They had the glint of someone who was mad, who liked killing. When I asked the man's name, I also found out that they were the eyes of Lord Voldemort.