I felt myself flying. Growing up in a world such as I did, weightlessness is a foreign concept. If it isn't the weight of the world that's keeping you down, it's the layers of grime.

I was spinning and turning, and then the silver light gave one last shove and I thud against a wall. I still clutched the tattered book, and my wand fell next to me broken in two. I gasped for air, the force had stolen my breath from me. Almost immediately I felt cold tendrils creeping under my clothes and a wetness that left me shivering.

Oh joy.

Snow.

Because all I needed right now was pneumonia and frostbite.

As I grew accustomed to my surroundings, the general noise of a living populace filtered in. And as I relaxed slightly and lifted my head from where it had be tucked down towards my chest, my breath was once again stolen.

Not only was I pressed against a building, there were many others. No sign of crumbling walls or rotting wood. No pungent smell of burning, no rats crawling beneath the ruins, yellow eyes bright and feral, no matter the light. It was a bustling town. Despite the weather, warmth emanated from each building, as people happily wandered between them, thick coats swirling in a winter wind.

I shivered back against the wall, belatedly realising I was still clutching that damn book as I surveyed the alien landscape before me. The smells began to infiltrate my nose. Sharp spices and sugar were arising from what must have been a shop behind me. Finally gaining control of myself, I scrambled back from the wall, tripping at the loss of feeling of my bare feet in the snow. In garishly bright letters, the word "HONEYDUKES" was spelled out.

Stumbling back once again into the centre of what seemed like a main street, I ducked between the people hurrying past, taking in the names of the various buildings that surrounded me.

"THE THREEBROOMSTICKS"

"ZONKOS"

"TOMES AND SCROLLS"

The fear set in, the same fear that had kept me alive, even on my own for the last 3 years. The old man had sent me somewhere, some place that I had no idea of and no understanding of. Irrationality began to cloud my mind. I could feel my chest begin to heave in panic as I spun in a circle, trying to come to terms with what I was seeing.

Again, I stumbled, but this time I stumbled into someone, who quickly stepped back and let me tumble to the ground. With a sharp in drawn breath at the coldness once again seeping onto my back, I looked up and froze.

The man looking down at me had his face fixed in a sneer as he pointed his wand at himself and muttered a foreign spell. Flying around his face in the wind was long pale blonde hair. He cannot have been much older than I, but the hair…with a shudder I felt the darkness of my upbringing descend on me.

I crouched down, in the dark, pressed into the warmth of my mother as I pressed a hand over the mouth of my noisily struggling little brother, who was being held by my father. Above us was a cloudless sky, but there were no starts. Just the eerie greenness of death that was the Dark Mark. Every small noise made as flinch, and I fought the urge to whimper.

"Stay here" I heard my father whisper, as handed my suddenly quiet brother to my mother. "I'll scout ahead.

Barely had he stepped out beyond the confines of our hide out, before a green jet of light hit him, sending him sprawling out in front of us.

My mother choked back a sob. Tears were already streaming down her face as she Accio-ed my father's wand. Turning to me she pressed it into my hand before hitching my brother further on her hip.

"If we go out, we go out fighting, and we go out together" she said, her eyes shining with determination despite her tears, "And we take as many of the rat bastards with us as possible."

I stood, my diminutive figure shaking in fear and shock.

We stepped out into the night.

Before us stood 3 hooded figures, standing in formation. The one in front tipped back his hood, his Death Eater mask still in place, but a river of pale blonde hair shimmered in the green light of the Dark Mark.

As he raised his wand, I heard the curse, spoke clear and definitively in the cold night green jet of light seemed to move in slow motion as it moved towards my mother. My brother, sensing the doom that faced us all, began to scream.

My father's wand shook in my hand as I did the only thing I knew how to.

I turned and ran.

Jets of light followed me, but I dodged amongst the ruins that had become my home as the thud of my mother's dead body hitting the ground reverberated in my ears and as the vision of the shimmering blonde hair danced behind my eyes.

Gasping for air, I scuttled backwards in the snow, away from the sneering figure with the hair that terrified me. Part of me knew, this was not my parent's murderer. But the panic took over as I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the pain of the cold, cold snow was causing to my nerves and did as I did all those years ago.

I ran.

Away from the buildings, the warmth, but away from the horrors my mind was reliving. Dark trees shepherded my path as I ran. Distantly, part of me noted it was a well-worn path, but no people.

I tripped again, a root covered by snow, and unbalanced by the book that I still held close, I fell onto covered cobbles, my knees aching in protest, as the panic took the chance to take over and I dry heaved. Coughing and gasping I willed away the tears that had begun to form in my eyes, and tried to regain my grasp on rationality.

I needed to find shelter. If I didn't find somewhere, the cold and snow would kill me. I could already feel it tugging at the edges of my consciousness, tempting me to find some warmth in sleep. I pushed up and forwards, my energy drained by my previous adrenalin rush. I stumbled forward, following the path, hoping that somewhere ahead of me, I would be helped.

I know not how long I walked that path, but my last vestiges of hope were dashed as my path lead to large iron gates. My hands burnt at their icy coldness as I dropped the book to shake them. Tears now ran freely. I slid to my knees, and then to the ground.

Wrapping my arms around the book, my last connection to what I knew, no matter how haphazardly it was thrown in my possession, I curled up in the snow.

Shivering and shaking, I accepted my fate as the darkness took over.

I'm really enjoying writing this, and I'm so happy that I've already received a review, and so soon after posting! So thank you, Bookluver1999, it was a fantastic review to receive .

Also to my new followers, Bookluver1999, dorkmaster42 and tomboy4997 I hope you continue to read and enjoy this story!