It's Called Magic

Chapter Ten: The Exchange

"Where do you think Pansy's hiding?" Neville asked, a hint of nervousness peaking in his queasy voice. Luna hung onto his arm like a monkey, her long blone hair trailing behind her.

Draco stepped up to my side, muttering loudly, "And what is she up to?".

I shook my head, sighing quietly to myself. My father was pacing behind me, getting more and more impateint by every minute that we waist. Narcissa was still shaking from the news she received earlier about Pansy, and how she was now a murder who framed her own death. 

I took several spaces forward, spun on the edge of my heel, and narrowed my eyes at the group in front of me. "Now," I said firmly, deciding that I should take charge since nobody else seemed to want to. "Does anyone have any idea where Pansy could be hiding? Any where at all? No idea is stupid." My dad looked at me with widened eyes. "-Besides my father." I added quickly.

'Well," Narcissa piped up for the first time in a long while. "She could be-"

Before Narcissa could finish her sentance, a extremely loud noise urpted from our right, followed by the screams of a few women and the curse words of many men. 

My father cleared his throat loudly. "I-I think we found Pansy." 

*

We slowly and gingerly approached an old broken down cottage that seemed to have been abandoned for quite some time now. The paint was peeling off the rotten walls. The windows were smashed; the wind was making a weird whistling noise as it rushed through the cracks. The cottage was surrounded by sky-scraper-like trees that caused so much shade that it looked like it was night time.

As I made to step on the broken steps, Ginny grabbed my upper arm and pulled me back, saying quietly, "Don't." 

I looked at Ginny with an odd expression, but it flattened when I saw how scared Ginny looked. And to be completely honest, I was very frightened myself; I didn't know what was going to happen, no one did. Someone could get seriously hurt in a few minutes and I wouldn't be able to help them.

I took a deep breath and looked at Ginny once again. "I have to." I whispered unsurely. Ginny bit her lip, but let go of my arm nonetheless. 

With a warming look at Draco, an awkward smile at Narcissa, Neville, and Luna, and then an odd mutual stare at my father, I walked up the broken steps. The wood moaned under my feet. 

Before I could reach the doorknob, the wooden door swung open and there, standing in front of me, was Pansy. But she looked different; she had seemed to lose a lot of hair, and with the amount she had left, it was messy. Her eyes were unnaturally wide with dark bags hanging under them. Her mouth was lopsided, yet slightly open and her lips were extremely dry. All the clothes she was wearing was dirty and ripped.

"Welcome." Pansy said in an unearthy voice that sounded like leaves scrapping the ground. 

Everyone around me was in shock. I could see Draco out of the corner of my eye and he had a mixed expression of anger and amazment. 

After I caught my breath, I narrowed my eyes at Pansy. "Where is my mother?" I asked cooly, my fists by my side.

"Come in," Pansy said happily, not even noticing that I had spoken. Pansy grinned at us, twisted on the balls of her feet, and skipped back into the little cottage.

With everyone quietly agreeing, all of us slowly made our way into the cottage. Fleur was muttering to herself under her breath, "Zis iz crazy."

We all quietly walked through the dark and dirty cottage, listening for any strange sounds. The inside of the cottage was not better than the outside; the floor was noisey under all of our feet, the rooms were cold, and dirty splattered the floors and walls.