𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲𝐫 | 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲

chapter 1

Pained screams and tortured cries. Blood everywhere. Upside down muggles with the sound of unconscious bodies hitting the floor and bones being forcefully snapped in halves as the background music.

Her breathing was in her ears, muffling all else, all the terror outside. Her legs were covered in dirt and scratches, red spilled from the side of her knee, staining her skin bloody.

She had to get away. It did not matter that the leather of her shoes had rubbed off her first two layers of skin, nor did it matter that all her clothes were still left in the closet in her tent. She just didn't want to die.

One step, two step. As the size of the forest grew larger with each stride, she prayed and prayed and prayed that she could make it in time.

Her heavy breaths finally caught up with her, as her lungs filled and shrunk with air, relief washed over her body despite the sweeping cold. She was in the forest now, the thick trees blocking her from eye's view.

She dropped her shoulder bag onto the prickly grass and walked toward the rocks beside the small pond. Surrounded by trees, she deemed it safe enough to transform.

It was probably safer to encounter any death eater as a panther. The blackness of her fur provided camouflage, letting her blend into the surroundings.

This deep into the forest, the horror that had been happening was muffled despite the thumping of her heart having already stopped.

The moon lit pond provided solace like every other night, when she would stare into puddles outside the Malfoy Manor, or the raindrops on her barricaded window whenever there was a rainstorm.

She sat solemnly atop the rock pile, her paws giving her head a cushioning from the rough texture.

Her hand was torn from Draco's when the crowd ripped through them. She had lost sight of anyone she knew, and she was petrified. She was unaware of the consequences that awaited her just due to her family name. Lestrange.

"Who is that, George?" Fred asked, as he moved his head around, trying to see through the shadows of the trees. He swore he had seen a pair of silvery eyes illuminating the dimmed surroundings.

Without being answered, he creeped closer, and closer; careful not to step on twigs and sticks, not wanting to scare away whatever that was hiding in there.

What met his eyes was a beautiful black panther, about half the size of a hippogriff, a streak of white coated her back; its silvery eyes were not appointed at him, simply glancing down into its own reflection in the body of water, as if pondering the meanings of life and time.

Fred had been slightly behind the panther, he assumed his presence was not known to the animal, lest it would have escaped by now. But for a creature that needs to survive in the harsh and brutal wilderness, its senses sure were dull.

But what he saw next, he would not have guessed. The black panther shifted into a teenage girl, lucky enough to have transformed along with her clothes.

The white layer beneath her black hair was unmistakable, no wonder why those titanium hues had a different feel from them. They belonged to his fellow schoolmate Delphini Lestrange.

Blimey, she was an Animagus? Despite not fully concentrating in lessons, he knew for a fact that her name had not been on the Ministry's registered list of Animagi. She was an illegal Animagus?

He had seen her a few times in the past six years of being in Hogwarts, which wasn't a lot considering the time period.

The first time, of course was the sorting ceremony. She had been in the year below him. She was the hat-staller of her year, albeit him and George weren't paying attention. The sorting hat had mumbled something along the lines of '..are you sure.. is more than enough to place you in Gryffindor.. but.. ah yes.. SLYTHERIN!'