A Little Girl and Her Saviour

There is a say, every action has its consequences.

It was the time when people started to create new things and experiment things out of curiosity. Unfortunately, the more they create the more they started to get irresponsible, especially with their failed outcomes. They didn't care what happened to their failed experiments, they were just ready to get rid of it. So when an experiment went wrong and created a large amount of poisonous liquid, they threw it away in a small river. They didn't know or they didn't try to know that if there were any people who used that water. That was a mistake. A small village was located at the bank of that small river and the people in the village did use the water of the river. And the moment, they started to drink the poisonous water they started to get sick. No one understood what's wrong and before they could, half of the village was dead. People started to leave the village in panic, no one wanted to die. A ten years old little girl was forgotten in that chaos. Her parents were already dead because of the poisonous water and she was also sick, verge of dying. As she watched people running away, she thought they were being stupid. Nonetheless, her age she understood something the others did not. She understood the people who are sick will be dead soon, no matter how far they ran. Though she desperately wanted to live, she knew even if she follows the crowd and leave the village, the sickness wasn't going to leave her. So she stayed behind. Alone. Curling into her bed, she closed her eyes and waited for death to come. 

She was certain it won't take long. Her parents lasted hardly four days, which meant the next morning will be the end for her. But when the morning light came . . . nothing happened. She was very much alive and almost cured . . . and somewhere else.

She saw a man . . . a very old man in front of her. Half bald, grey hair and beard, wrinkled skin and two bright yellow panther-like-eyes. Though his appearance barely mattered to her, when the man started to speak and told her how he rescued her from her home and made her drink something that cured her sickness, for her he was a god. A god that had saved her. Cured something the doctors of the village could not.

After curing her completely, the man informed her something more surprising. She was a witch. She could do magic. She wasn't certain but when the man, his saviour believed she could do magic, she believed she could. And she did. Under the guidance of the old man and his many other students, she learned magic. Then she became the best among them. The old man, her master wasn't surprised at her accomplishments. He said he knew from the beginning how powerful she was. In fact, it was her own magic that summoned him to rescue her that day. The thought that she was even that powerful as a child, didn't bring arrogance. She believed, no matter how powerful she was, she was nothing in front of her master. And that very day, she swore her loyalty to the person, who saved her years ago, the great master. The master merely smiled at this and told her that she was loyal to him, the moment he saved her, but now, she was ready. Ready to be his second-in-command.

From that day, she did everything and more to fulfil her master's wishes and goals. Even if that means torturing the innocents and killing the people who stand against her master. Twenty years she served and never failed . . . until the last couple of years.

Two years ago, she made her first mistake. She underestimated a thirteen years old witch and because of that, her master's plan failed. And from that again and again, she failed and punished herself. But the recent failure was grave. She believed she deserved nothing but death as punishment, but the master was forgiving and again he forgave her. But she didn't.

Today, even though the Muggles fled, died, panicked like once her entire village did, she wasn't happy. Her revenge was fulfilled but she had failed her master again. The news she had brought for her master was another example of her incompetence.

"Master?" She knocked three times on the door at the end of a long corridor.

The door was locked.

"Master?" she knocked two times, again, slower this time.

The door creaked open on its own and she stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Inside the room, there were people. Four dead lying on the ground and three alive kneeling in front of an armchair, where her master sat intensely watching them.

"We are sorry, master," sobbed one of the alive man. "Give us another chance! We won't disappoint!"

"I have no place for weaklings," said the man on the armchair, Malgino.

And the next second, a whirlpool of colours came out from the sobbing man's chest and plunged into the Malgino's chest. He moaned with satisfaction as the sobbing man dropped dead like the other four bodies. The other two alive men stayed silent looking down. One of them was shaking. Malgino shook his head in disappointment and again another whirlpool of colours came out of the scared man and dissolved into Malgino's chest. The last remaining alive person stayed still. Malgino looked at the girl, who was still standing by the door.

"What do you think, my dear Stormy? Does he is brave enough to live?" Malgino said very casually like he had asked her an opinion about the weather.

Stormy knew better to give her master a vague answer like, "I don't know." So instead she spoke what she thought;

"Graham is brave, master. Also, he is still very useful," she said. "But does he deserves to live or not is . . ."

"Is up to me," Malgino finished looking thoughtful but Stormy knew he had made his mind even before asking her. Finally, Malgino looked down at the man in question, who was still kneeling down without moving. "You live Graham. I hope you use this opportunity to do something very useful."

Graham raised to his feet and bowed in front of Malgino.

"Thank you, master."

Malgino gestured him to leave. Graham moved towards the door and met Stormy's eyes. He gave a subtle nod, his eyes expressed his gratitude to her.

"Do not come back until you have found her, Graham," said Malgino in a chilling voice.

Graham turned around bowed again and then stepped out of the room as fast as he could.

"Oh, what a day, Stormy," Malgino sounded rueful but his face was bright. He still looked the same as Stormy saw him as a child. Half bald, grey hair, yellow eyes and wrinkled skin but today he looked brighter than usual. He didn't look that much sick and old. The reason was the six magical lives sources he just fed on. For years, Malgino had survived on magical life sources. It was the only way he could stay alive after the curse put on him. Borrowing others' magical lives.

"Master, I have news," Stormy said and lowered her head in shame. "Severus Snape arrived at today's meeting and he claims that he knows about the Order of the Phoenix's plan. He says the dark lord will get Harry Potter on the very day he leaves his home."

"Hmm," Malgino closed his eyes and leaned back on the armchair.

"Master, they don't know, but that means, Harry Potter is leaving his magical protection of his mother's blood. This could be his end and if Harry Potter dies even before we find that girl, Christina Norton then -"

"No, no, Stormy, Harry Potter should not die this soon," Malgino looked at Stormy and she understood what her master meant.

"Yes, of course, master," She nodded. "Harry Potter won't die. I will not fail you this time."

"Good. Now, Severus Snape . . . that man has my respect. He amuses me more every time he comes," Malgino smiled. "He makes so easy to find and kill Harry Potter. So easy that if not for Harry Potter's blood protection he must have been dead. But our lovely little girl, Christina? Four weeks and still there is no sign, nothing we can follow to find her. Sometimes I wonder, should I be impressed or disheartened that she doesn't put her protection in others hands. I wish it was easy to capture her but then, it wouldn't be a real fight, would it? A war between me and my four talented teachers. The teachers, who declined to give me the thing only I deserved. Hogwarts and its enormous power source. Pity."

Malgino looked at the fireplace and his smile became chilly.

"And now even Helen have betrayed me. That woman. I had promised her so many things and I could have given her that but small mind. She didn't inherit her mother's wit, you know. If she had seen my vision and understood its value. The world could have mine a long time ago. But no, she had to be stubborn as always. Even as a ghost not only she told everything about us to Christina, she also tricked me with her stupid replica charm."

"Master," Stormy couldn't control herself anymore and kneeled in front of Malgino. There was desperation in her voice. "It was my fault. I didn't check before leaving the grounds. I didn't realize - you should take my life too. I'm useless just like them." She gestured at the dead bodies lying on the floor. "Or at least, you should have told the dark lord my true blood status when he asked. He would have killed me instead. I'm not even worthy of dying for your purpose."

"O my dear girl," Malgino looked down at Stormy and smiled. "My entire plan wouldn't be in place if it wasn't for you. I believe in you, no matter your mud-blood status. You are far more worthy than that . . . You shall kill that stupid little girl Christina when the time comes. I give you the liberty to do it."

Stormy looked up at her master, wonder in her eyes. Her master was truly great.

"It will be an honour, master. An honour."

She touched her forehead to the floor in front of Malgino's feet.

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To be continued. . .