His Final Riddle

30. Zombie eyes

I look around the room taking in the sight in front of me. The large wooden dining table has been shattered into pieces, the thick curtains framing the window are on fire and the portraits on the wall are cowering in fear.

"What happened?" I yell to the closest portrait of a middle aged couple with bright blonde hair, they are wearing Victorian era wizards robes and are holding onto each tightly. I extinguish the fire with my wand and look around the space.

"Our darling Draco's friends were sat in here together" the woman in the portrait says her voice regal and posh "suddenly that heinous man came in and started to attack them. Three of them stayed to fight him whilst one of them ran away as he was ordered to, the fight got so bad and next thing we knew everything was on fire!"

"Where are they now?" I ask as I listen out for any more screams.

"In the downstairs long gallery!" A portrait behind me calls out "I was just there, its really bad."

I nod around at them all "thank you!" I run from the room heading along the hallway and the portraits of Malfoy family members appear to run with me.

"I will go the ministry! I have a portrait there and I will try get a message to dear Lucius!" One of the portraits shouts.

"I will go to Bellatrix's home where my portrait is, she will be able to help!" Another portrait yells out as we begin to approach the long gallery which leads out into the garden.

A loud crash sounds ahead of us and my heart drops, I run into the room and freeze at the sight in front of me. The expensive antiques that were placed around the room all lay on the floor broken and shattered, all of the portrait frames on the wall are empty and some lay on the floor broken and torn.

In the air are two flying, black, smoke like figures, they closely resemble dementor's but these are more ethereal and ghost like. The two figures are flying in the air, moving quickly around the room in haphazard and chaotic ways.

Blaise and Xavier are stood in the middle of the room back to back with their wands pointed at the black, smokey figures. Suddenly one of the flying things swoops down and heads straight for Blaise. Blaise lets out a yell and shoots a spell from his wand, a green light hits the figure in the chest and it dissapears from sight.

"Thank Merlin!" Blaise yells out as he now stands by Xavier's side both of them pointing their wands at the final figure.

"Ang!" A yell from the corner of the room sounds out and I snap my head towards it.

Pansy is knelt on the floor wrestling with what looks like a small wooden box.

I run over to her and join her on the floor "what is it?" I look at the box which rattles menacingly, its lid slides open slightly as I watch.

"No!" Pansy slams the lid back shut by pressing down on it with both hands. She breathes out heavily "Teddy's bloody father turned up and started attacking the four of us, we sent Teddy away and told him to hide but his father was too powerful. He easily beat the three of us and he threw this box into the middle of the room. All these horrible figures started to fly out of it, we successfully got rid of most of them but the box kept making more, I finally got it closed and they stopped coming out at least, but it won't stay bloody closed."

I press my hands against the box and together we both struggle as the box shakes violently.

"Wait hold it by yourself again, I have an idea." I say as I release the box.

Raising my wand I draw it through the air in an intricate shape muttering a complex enchantment, just above my head a thick chain forms made of magic. The chain burns bright gold and is slightly see through, I wrap it around the box and seal it by pressing the two ends together. The chain then turns to solid silver and encases the box tightly, slowly the box stops shaking and it grows still under Pansy's hands.