Chapter 75.4- Doom Days

She watched as he admired the various statues and paintings that dotted Bones Manor. He was taking his time, enjoying himself like he was an invited guest on a tour and not an intruder who deserved to die. Her nails bit so deeply into her skin that they drew blood as she saw red. This man. This abomination. He wanted them dead, and he didn’t even have the decency to act like it was going to cause him any trouble. And then he turned, almost like he was looking straight at her.

Susan froze, anger abandoning her replaced by fear. How could he see her? The Bones Saferoom was just that— safe. It predated the ministry, a safe house designed for the underage members of their family to tale shelter and succor if the manor was ever attacked. It wasn’t even fully in the manor like Auntie would tell her sometimes. It existed in a realm of its own.

She did not move until you-know-who turned his attention away from her. But while he stared at her, she noticed things about him that his hooded cloak could not hide from so close. There was a network of scars across half his face. Faint burn marks that looked to have long healed. She wondered who could have inflicted such an injury on him of all people. And then there was his nose. Or lack thereof. He just had two slits on his face that moved, almost seeming to simulate breath. Did a creature like this even need to breathe? Was he human?

She had no idea. He turned from her, but now he picked up the pace. Marching straight for the library. How did he even know that Aunty was there so surely. He paused at the door, and to her shock, he looked at the wards that were older than Susan’s grandparents, and with a single thrust of his wand, he blew them apart. What kind of power was this?

Aunty hadn’t been idle since Susan had turned away from her though. You-know-who stepped in and was immediately beset by two bears, one for each side. He slashed his wand from side to side, and both creatures were cut to pieces. A shelf fell upon him straight from above, its mass increasing as it did so, until it was the size of almost a quarter of the library. There was nowhere to run to. But You-know-who did not even consider running. He stabbed his wand straight upwards and the shelf creaked and groaned before turning to dust that fell to the ground. Not a spec of it landed on the hooded Dark Lord.

Instead, he stepped further into the room. The dust seemed to flee his every step. Two more shelves shot at him. This time from the ground, fired by powerful banishing spells. He blasted both into splinters with the same blasting spell. The ground right in front of him opened up a giant badger jumping at him from within. It froze mid air. And then it exploded, blood and innards spraying everywhere like it was— what was that thing Auror Tonks had brought her for her birthday again? Confetti?.

“Confringo maxima” She heard her Aunt’s voice before she saw her poke out from the side of one of the walls she’d created. The undoubtedly powerful spell was slapped away by him like it was a stinging jinx.

“Oh there you are Amelia. I would hate to have missed you”

“Once you do this, there will be no laying low for you, Voldemort. Everyone will know that you have returned.” Susan choked back a tear. Even faced with this Monster, her aunt still sounded so brave. There was no give in her voice, no hesitation, no fear.

“Oh Amelia, you foolish foolish girl. This is my announcement” He hissed.