The Girl In The Chamber // Draco Malfoy

Chapter 6 - The Man With Four Faces

The smell of burning and cursed flesh hit Serpensi like a deflected spell, almost knocking her off balance. She did not know why, but she had a feeling the compass could not harm her. Using the "Accio" spell to summon it to her hand, before either it or the man had hit the floor. The heavy silver objects flew into her open palm harmlessly. Grasping it for a second longer than would be normal, Serpensi wanted to be sure that object would not treat her the same as it had done the unfortunate owner. Feeling safely satisfied with her new prize, Serpensi looked back to the place where the man had been rolling in pain on the floor. However to her shock, he was nowhere to be found. Panic built in a deep pit in her stomach only made worse by the sudden come down from her small victory with the compass. Scanning the small dark room far beneath the shop for him, to no avail she moved to the street level of the shop as fast as her legs could carry her.

Swinging round off of the banister to reach the bottom of the final flight of stairs, she could see the leg of the man disappearing behind the doorway. Knowing he would be running to exit through the main door, Serpensi knew she could not beat him there on foot, she used her magic cleverly. Waving her wand and screaming "Accio shoes" rather louder than she intended in her panicked state. Instantly a number of loose, and probably cursed - from her best guess - shoes flew towards her, these she avoided easily. Then a second after that, as she neared the top of the staircase, the shoe of the man; then his leg; then his torso; then finally his whole body was reluctantly pulled back round the door frame. As the pull became too much for the man, he flew feet first at Serpensi. The instant before he was about to collide with her, she ducked down narrowly avoiding him as the man flew over her. She quickly swirled around and once again shouted "stupefy". As the man continued on his way, until he slammed into the hard stone wall that surrounded the stairs. As he thudded (what looked like painfully) to the stairs he slid down a couple until he stopped motionless. 

With the adrenaline beginning to leave her system, she was hit with a wave of fear as this was the first man she had ever killed. Thinking on her feet she cast the "Mobilicorpus" spell, as the magic left her wand the body was lifted a few inches into the air - she decided for extra precaution to cast a powerful disillusionment charm on the body. With a flick of her wand the body floated slowly down the stairway until she could no longer see it, upon this she straightened her mind held the compass out and left the shop. 

Turning over the compass, she read the inscription on the back she translated it to mean "The thing you seek is within your grasp. This will not be a lengthy task. Simply say something's name. And the direction I point will be your aim." 

Pulling up the ends of her robes she stepped into the centre of the now busy Diagon Ally, looking down at the compass, she whispered the words "Take me to the House of Gaunt." As the needle of the compass began to spin rapidly, she stared at it with a deep intensity. Then as quickly as it had begun the needle stop and pointed due North. Serpensi grasped the compass tightly in her fingers, checking the compass one more time to ensure she wouldn't make a wrong turn. Then with that she span on her heel and disapparated from the ally way.  A second later, she appeared in the middle of a field surrounded by cows in the pouring rain, she made the decision that this was not her final destination. She continued this process for at least another half an hour. On her thirteenth apparition she appeared at the edge of a lonely forest, just outside of Little Hangleton, at twilight. She didn't know where she was but she knew where she was supposed to be. The compass began to vibrate in her hand to alert her she was close, with this reassurance she strode cautiously into the woods. She walked for no more than 5 minutes, with the last of the sunlight fading behind her. With only here determined breathing and the crunch of the leaves from autumns past to listen to, there was no distractions except for the micro adjustments the compass would make to itself if she even strayed a metre off of the path. She knew here destiny lay just beyond her view. Then suddenly a deathly cold shiver ran down her back, she knew something this cold and dark could not be the wind, only a place rooted deep in the dark arts. Waking her from somewhat of a dream like state of following the directions of the compass, she realised even the light had left her. She continued forward as she casted the 'Lumos' charm to light her way. She was glad she had not cast the spell a moment later, as the moment she did she realised that she was only an inch away from her face hitting a dead snake that hung on an old wooden door. As she looked down at the compass to see it dimly glowing she knew she was were she needed to be .

She pointed her wand at the keyhole on the door to cast the 'Alohomora' spell to unlock it, but noticed it would not be necessary as the the entire door was already hanging off its hinges. With her wand still casting a white-bluish glow she held it up defensively as she slowly pushed the door open. It made a very unpleasant creaking sound as if it had not been opened in many many years. Finding the Shack completely deserted and in great need of repair she started by light all the lamps and candles she could find. Now being able to fully see the state that the place was in "This a shithole." She waved her wand quickly in the air whilst saying "Reparo" this took no longer than 30 seconds as there was almost no change to the shack. Realising the repairs could not be completed with such as simple spell, she started to look around to see if there was anything she could find. Looking round for over an hour she found little of note except for one thing - a gold ring inset with a black stone. Feeling a dark call her finger outstretched to touch the ring, the second the tip of her finger touched the ring her head was filled with flashes of images and thoughts. 

She saw three men crossing a bridge one holding a wand; one holding a stone and one concealed by a cloak. She saw two men dueling one with light hair and one dark hair, a man with dark hair similar to the first rushed in and joined the duel and with a flash of green a little girl in the near distance fell to the floor. A crying girl in a Hogwarts bathroom and a flash of yellow eyes. Two men in a busy street then a loud explosion and 12 on the floor with nothing left of the other man.  A flash of green light a small baby crying, bleeding from his forehead. A boy pulling a sword from the Sorting Hat. A man reaching out turning into dust. A tall wooden house surrounded by a ring of fire. A women with black and grey curls screaming "I killed Sirius Black." A crying man shouting out "My boy! That's my boy!" A man standing in field surrounded by burning tents screaming "Morsmordre"  A flash of green coming from the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts. And the final image was her father's face which then changed into Morfin Gaunt; Tom Riddle; and then her own and she realised that her father is not truly gone as he was The Man With Four Faces. 

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Many months have passed and both the repairs to the shack and her rescue plan were complete. She had everything she needed prepared, her map; her escape and her wand. Preparing herself for the fight of her life.

She pictured the island prison in her mind, spun on the spot and cracked out of the room.