In The Safety Of Magical World

Chapter 23

I managed to escape death on the Millenium Bridge, but that didn't mean I was safe. After this incident, there were several times when I had to run for my life from attacks that were targeted at me. Every time I escaped by a whisker and I couldn't have done it without the help of Fawkes. The phoenix simply knew when I needed him and never hesitated to come to my aid.

My seemingly calm days were over and I felt like my life was hanging by a thread. That was Voldemort's order – to end me once and for all whatever it takes. Death Eaters mercilessly murdered Muggles around me, anyone who happened to be near me was sentenced to death. However, they never used magic openly, and just like the strike at the Millenium Bridge, all the other attempts were masked by circumstances that could be taken for ordinary criminal activity or accidents.

The first time took place in a library that I visited to get additional literature for my studies. There were several people with me in the particular section and I was going through different books trying to find something that would help with an essay on the most important events in UK history. Suddenly, there was a loud crash, the walls caved in and the building around me started to break. 

I fell to the floor like everyone else, covering my head, trying to avoid the debris that came crashing down from the ceiling. In front of my eyes, people were literally smashed into bloody puddles by the heavy concrete blocks and panels. I coughed from the kicked-up dust as the library was falling apart like a house of cards.

And then, out of nowhere, Fawkes was there. Without delay, the phoenix grabbed me by the shoulder. A flash of dazzling light and when I reorientated, I was back in my room. Dirty, bruised, and scared, but alive.

The authorities claimed this catastrophe to be an unpredictable accident. The library was ancient, built nearly 200 years old and despite annual renovations, the building apparently simply couldn't stand any longer. That's what the government, architects, and investigators unanimously announced. Only I knew the truth. That library would have probably stood for another 200 years if I wasn't there that day.

The Dark Wizards didn't stop. Fueled by their deadly determination, they knew I wasn't dead and each failed attempt apparently angered them more and more. The Death Eaters attacked the cafe I bought coffee from, my old high school when I went to submit the written tests and tasks, the movie theatre I went to see the latest blockbuster, and the new shopping center that opened just at the beginning of the year because I entered to buy flowers for my parents' anniversary.

Each disaster slashed a new wound in my heart. I felt a tremendous amount of shock and guilt. Eventually, I was afraid to set a foot outside my house and I was afraid to stay inside. I worried that the whole town would be destroyed because of me and I worried that they would demolish my home if I didn't come out. The contradictions of whether I should tell my parents what was going on or not were tearing me apart.

Magic appeared to me in an entirely different light. Once charmed by its wonders and unearthly possibilities, now I saw nothing more than death in it. I had never been suicidal before but during that time the possibility of taking my own life and end this before they could often seemed like the best option to me.

For a while, the victims were people I didn't know personally. Then the circle started to enclose, invisibly, but evidently slinking closer and closer to my house. On April 10th, a family of seven was found dead in their house on my block. April 11th brought another grisly news – an elderly couple was found lifeless in their backyard, their house on the street parallel to mine. 

Since none of the bodies had any visible signs of struggle, the police didn't consider it a homicide. According to law enforcement, all the deceased were " just dead ", and assumed it had happened due to natural causes.