Silence is Deafening

Chapter 1

Terrifying. My heart was racing so fast, it felt like the flutter of a humming bird's wings. I was panting, the air in my throat ripping its way up and down. Every breath burned my lungs. My feet were pounding on the ground as I ran. Faster, come on, faster!  My hand once again plunged into my pocket, feeling for the wand I knew wasn't there. Why did I have to lose my wand right now?

They were gaining on me.

I heard the unmistakable cracks of curses flying past my head. Jeering followed me, even louder than my footfalls and panting.

"Come on, darling! Come out and play with us! Just for a little bit! Mummy and Daddy missing you, aren't they? Bet you'd love to see them again, wouldn't ya?" came a cruel and sneering voice behind me.

Anger flooded my veins. As badly as I wanted to stop and punch Bellatrix in her disgusting face, I stood no chance. She had a wand, and she had back up. She was close to me now, and I knew that she was going to kill me, just like she killed my parents. Both of them. The thought of my parents made my stomach flip and my heart ache so badly. They wouldn't want me to be scared. They would want me to face her, stand my ground, and fight to the death.

I wasn't them. I was scared, and I needed to save myself.

My feet were starting to slow down. My body was giving up on me. No! Stupid, stupid, stupid! They'll kill you!

The next thing I knew, the cackles and jeers were right behind me. "Allow me, Yaxley! I've wanted to kill this one since she was itty! Avada Kedav-!"

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I jumped awake, my whole body flooding with panic. My first instinct was to grab my wand, which was always under my pillow when I slept. Sweating, I looked around my dark bedroom. No Bellatrix, no Yaxley. No masked people chasing me. No screaming, no curses, no death. It had all been a dream, a dream I was so used to having by now. I knew that since Mum and Dad's death, the Death Eaters had made it their personal mission to destroy the Clarke family, once and for all. My parents had been integral in bringing them all into Azkaban, the world's most highly protected wizard prison. They locked them up with the Dementors, and left them all for dead.

That is, until they all escaped last year. 

The news that the Death Eaters had escaped from Azkaban and were on the loose was the very thing that prompted my godfather to bring me back to England. I had been attending Ilvermorny school in the United States for my first five years of education. Now, I was to transfer to Hogwarts so that I was safely under protection. My godfather had thought it best to have me under Albus Dumbledore's watchful eye. I protested for weeks, not wanting to leave my friends, but to no avail.

I sat back in my warm bedroom, staring out the window into the darkness. I heard a stifled snore from downstairs, followed by a cough. That meant that my godfather was sleeping soundly, with no knowledge that I sat, shivering, in my bed. I shook my head back and forth, trying to wipe the image of Bellatrix Lestrange out of my brain. I almost muttered Lumos at my wand, before I remembered that I was not in school. I sighed, flicking on a lamp beside my bed. It was one of the few Muggle artifacts that we owned, but I quite liked it. It was like having a wand that could only produce the Lumos charm. Reaching into the drawer of my nightstand, I pulled out my pictures of Mum and Dad, the only thing that could chase away the nightmares I had so frequently.

There they were. As amazing and strong as ever. I ran my finger over Dad's face first, as he beamed and waved at me. His striking black hair looked out of place up against his icy blue eyes. He had a small nose, and teeth that were slightly too large for his mouth. He was already starting to wrinkle in this photo, no doubt the affects of his stressful job. The dark circles under his eyes were a testament to that. He had his arm around Mum, who was beaming at me. She had long curly hair, that was so reddish brown it looked like copper. She was quite freckly on her nose, and had very full lips that always turned up at the corners. Mum looked like she was always in trouble, a mischievous glint in her eye that I found endearing. I watched as Mum turned her attention to the plump baby that sat upon her hip: me. She gave the baby a kiss on the head, and turned back to wave at me. I smiled at the photo. It was obviously taken around Christmas, because I was trying to eat the bow from a package. We stood in front of a Christmas tree, which had gold tinsel wrapped around it. There were presents strewn at my parent's feet, and I could barely make out the name on all of them: Lizzie. They were all for me. I didn't know exactly how many presents a baby needed, but my parents had gone out of their way to buy everything they possibly could.

I wish I could have told the little baby in the picture to enjoy it. To soak it all in. In just a few weeks, they would be dead. I wish I could have told her that this was the one and only Christmas she would get with her parents. They were still celebrating the death of You Know Who, and they looked absolutely jovial. I wish I could tell that baby that in less than a month, they would be hunted down. They would be chased for the information they possessed against dark witches and wizards. They would be tortured by the Cruciatus curse to near death, and ultimately would be killed.

I scanned the baby's face...my face...once again. She drooled on the bow, and giggled as Mummy blew a raspberry into her cheek.

"Enjoy it, Elizabeth." I whispered to my younger self.

I tucked the picture back into my bedside drawer, and huffed in frustration. My nightmare had awoken me so quickly that I lost all desire to sleep. I swung my legs onto the floor, getting up and ignoring the stiffness in my joints. I padded downstairs quietly, hoping to get some water and head back up. As I was pouring it from the pitcher, I heard footsteps behind me and someone yawn "Lumos".

I turned around and peered at my very sleepy godfather. "Why are you awake?" he asked, his eyes barely open. I shrugged, not wanting to tell him about the nightmares. He always worried too much about me, and I didn't like for him to lose sleep over it. "I got thirsty. I'm sorry I woke you, Remus." I said quietly.

Remus stared at me with soft eyes, and then gave a small smile. "No worries. I was awake already." he said kindly. I chuckled mentally at his lie. "Where's Tonks?" I asked nonchalantly. Remus' eyes darkened quickly. "I-er...I'm not sure what you mean, Lizzie. There's nothing going on between Nymphadora and I. We are strictly friends. I am too old for her, I do not wish-" "Relax, Remus. I was only joking. It's alright, you know. If you fancy her. I wouldn't judge." I said, wiggling my eyebrows suggestively at him. "Elizabeth, that's quite enough." Remus said, trying to sound tough but failing. I suppressed a giggle, taking a sip of water instead. "Er- There's a full moon next week, you know." He said quietly, all but hanging his head in shame. "I know. I was thinking we can pick up the potion ingredients tomorrow, in Diagon Alley." I said quickly, my heart hurting at the pained expression he wore. "I suppose that's fine. I also asked Nymphadora-" "I know. She already sent me a letter. I'll be staying at her house that evening. You can collect me the next morning and take me to the train station, right?" I asked, looking hopeful. The last thing I would want to do is have to go to the train for the first time by myself. "Of course I will. I will bring all of your school things with me when I come." He said, yawning quickly. I nodded, turning to go back upstairs.

"Elizabeth?" Remus called after me, and I spun around, my unruly curls flying out around me.

"Are you sure nothing is on your mind?" Remus asked politely, squinting through the light of his wand. Remus was not one to pry, but he was always able to read me rather well. I knew he saw through me when I had nightmares, though I rarely told him about them. This was one of the times that he knew I wasn't myself, but I resorted to lying to him anyway.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a bit...nervous, you know. I'm thinking about...school, and how I'll fit in. What house I'll be in. Just making it a bit- hard for me to sleep." I lied, putting a very convincing smile on my face. Remus didn't look convinced, but gave me a small smile.

"Very well then. Goodnight, Lizzie." he said, turning to retire back to his room. "Goodnight!" I called after him, breathing a sigh of guilt once he had left the kitchen. I hated to lie to him, truly. Remus, however, took my nightmares too seriously. He would spend hours reassuring me on all of the many ways that I am being kept safe from You Know Who and his Death Eaters. He would probably go into a lecture about the Hogwarts defense system, and all of the many ways it was impossible to infiltrate. I trusted Remus, but there was no way I would be able to shake the nightmares. They were always the same one, and they always ended in the exact same way: Bellatrix on the verge of killing me, my thoughts only occupied on my own safety. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't escape her. She was too skilled for me.

I rubbed my temple  hard and retreated back to my small bedroom. I took a long sip of water, and laid back down in my bed. Diagon Alley tomorrow. I hadn't been since I was small, to get my very first wand before my trip overseas to America. 12 1/2 inches, Pine, Dragon Heartstring core. I stroked my fingers over my wand absent-mindedly, feeling it hum under my touch. I thought about the sights and smells of Diagon Alley, a small smile tugging at my lips. I tucked my wand back under my pillow, and closed my eyes again.