He Follows

Chapter 1

CW: Mild Domestic violence in beginning of chapter, will place a  -͟͟͞☆ where the CW starts and ends.

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Angel shoved the sweater she had just folded into the suitcase, running her hands gently over the knitted fabric.

"I'm just not sure you need all these sweaters, dear. We won't be able to fit anything else in your suitcase at this point!" Her mother brushed her graying-brown hair back, her face creasing around the playful smile she adorned. Angel turned to her mother and grinned sheepishly.

"Don't worry Ma, it'll all fit!" Angel stacked the last couple of books she needed on top of the brown sweater she had just placed in the bag. "And I will need all these sweaters. The school is bloody cold in the winter." Ms. Green let out a soft chuckle and shook her head. Angel smiled at her, she'd always enjoyed making her mother laugh. She'd had a rough time, raising Angel all by herself. The stress was beginning to show as she got older too; every year that Angel came home from Hogwarts her mothers hair would be grayer, the bags under her eyes deeper, the worry lines in her forehead harsher. Despite the clear amount of stress she was under, she always remained warm to the people around her. So, Angel appreciated any chance she got to return that warmth back to her mother. Ms. Green wrapped her arms around her daughter and kissed her temple, Angel grinned widely and returned the embrace. Then, there was a knock at the door. Angel and her mother exchanged a curious look and then broke the embrace.

"You finish gathering your stuff. I'll go and see who that is." Ms. Green squeezed her daughter's shoulder, before exiting the room and making her way downstairs, mumbling under her breath. Angel stood for a moment, staring after her mother. Who could be at the door this early in the morning? Angel returned to gathering her belongings, picking up her spare quills and tossing them into the satchel that lay on the hardwood floor beside her desk. She raised her gaze to the window, which faced the back of the house, and noticed that the sky had become overcast. And the clouds were darkening quickly. Angel furrowed her brows and turned back towards her bedroom door. THUD. Angel jumped and her heart dropped as the sound echoed through the house.

"The hell was that?" she mumbled under her breath. Instinctively, she snatched her wand off of the desk and made her way out of her door and into the hallway. The dark clouds rolled in and the light in the house shifted. Long blue shadows crawled over the floor and walls of the hallway as Angel watched the top of the stairs. "Mom?" She called into the stillness of the house. There was no answer. She crept towards the stairs as quietly as she could, her wand gripped so tight in her hand that her knuckles were white. Her heart was beating so hard she could hear it in her ears. She reached the top of the stairs and peered down them. The front door, which was set at the bottom of the staircase, was wide open. Angel gulped and started downstairs, listening intently. The house was eerily silent, even the wind was still, despite the storm clouds looming overhead. "Mom?" This time her voice came out as a whisper, her throat felt dry with fear. She rounded the banister and stared down the hallway of the foyer into the kitchen. The normally inviting yellow of the kitchen walls looked eerie and bone-like in the lighting provided by the sky.

"Bombardo!" Angel was suddenly propelled forward through the foyer, as a sound like a firecracker disrupted the stillness of the house. Angel's face collided with the floor and pain shot through her nose and forehead like hot fire. She gasped as she rolled over herself and landed with a thud against one of the kitchen chairs. Clutching her nose, she looked up and her breath hitched at the sight before her. 

-͟͟͞☆ A man, tall and almost sickly looking, with greasy gray hair and a scruffy beard stood before her. Angel's mother was held tightly in his grasp, Her mouth covered by his hand, his wand pressed against the side of her neck. Ms. Green's face was as pale as his, and her eyes were wide with fright. Ms. Green tried to wrench from his grasp, but the man only smiled. His teeth were blackened and a few were missing. Angel felt her heart drop as she met the man's eyes. They were nearly iridescent blue. Scars covered his long, heavily wrinkled face. His cheeks were sallow and his eyes appeared sunken. She knew who this was. Her stomach lurched, and she felt bile rise in her throat.