Squib - In the Noble House of Black

1- Explosion on Oxford Street

Maia's plan was almost ready.

It had been just over a year since Maia left the orphanage and now she was living on Iola's sofa. Iola allowed it as long as Maia helped take care of Louis and helped with the rent. Maia earned money by an actual job now, she worked at the bakery down the road. The owners of the bakery were an older couple, Mr and Mrs Davies, they had no kids and were very kind, they helped Maia by offering her a job. Maia would help with anything at the bakery, mostly cleaning or helping customers, but occasionally one of the Davies would bring her in the back and teach her how to make various pastries.

But just because she was now making money not stealing it didn't mean she was done with thieving. A part of her plan required defense against magic. The only way she knew who to defend against magic was with magic. So everyday she would stand by the leaky cauldron in London. What she wanted was to go to diagon alley, find things she needed, but she couldn't access it. So standing outside of the leaky cauldron, she would wait for witches or wizards to exist who had gone through to get to diagon alley and pick pockets or mug them. She never knew what she was gonna get but over the last year she had gotten what she needed.

If she picked something that was no use to her or she didn't want she would leave back at the entrance of the leaky cauldron hoping the owners may come back and find it. What she had got was a bunch of textbooks on various magical subjects, a magical key that seemed to fit in any lock she had and very importantly, a bracelet. Though it wasn't just a normal bracelet, when she touched the top of it, it would expand into a footlong dagger. Honestly she was curious what the people who bought it planned to do with it. But I wasn't also just any dagger, it would absorb magic. She accidentally figured this out when a magical firework she stole went off and the dagger absorbed the magic from it.

The last thing she had was not magical, it was a motorcycle. The only issue was that she didn't have a license, she just decided to drive away with it one night from the shop.

Maia was currently working on that issue. She had documents spread out in front of her. She was in the process of creating a fake motorcycle license, and registration documents. Though creating fake documents was nothing new to her. She had a fake ID card and birth certificate, they both stated she was 18. Maia was only 16 but she often felt older because she had been on her own for a lot of her life and she didn't want anyone to send her back to the orphanage.

As Maia was working on this, Louis was in his crib next to her fast asleep. Iola had returned to school after she gave birth, and nearing the summer she was studying a lot for tests. Maia on the other hand didn't go to school. If she felt in a curious mood she would get to the library and spend hours looks over books in subjects that interested her.

Finalizing her documentation for the bike and her license, she woke up Louis. She put him into a stroller so she could go on a run and still look after him.

It was a nice day on the edge of London, it was sunny but not too warm. Maia pushed the stroller along the road breathing in fresh spring air. Since last year when she moved in with Iola and then Louis she truly felt free. She got to do what she wanted, she had a little family with Iola and Louis, and she wasn't bound by any expectations.

But deep in her gut she was still the hurt little girl crying on the side of the road when her parents left her. Maia had not cried since that day.

She stopped near a park and pulled Louis out of the stroller. Louis had similarities to his mother, mostly in his eye shape because his eyes were a slight brown instead of blue. Louis had golden brown skin and dark brown hair and it was wavy like Iola's. Iola had only described Louis' father as a black British man so it was likely Louis took after many of his looks.

Louis was learning how to walk so he held Maia's hand as he tripped multiple times going a short distance. Louis had been saying a few words including both "Mum" and "Maia".

They were walking side by side around slowly as Louis would point to something, Maia would say what it was and Louis would try to say the word. He mostly failed but Maia was very proud of him.

After a few minutes passed, there was a loud explosion and screams all around them. Louis immediately started crying and grabbed onto Maia's leg. She quickly picked him up and started to run away from the sound. When she looked behind her she recognized it was near where Oxford Street was. She didn't care what was going on, Louis was her priority.

Abruptly she slammed into a man who was in front of her. She turned her head back to apologize and so if they needed help but she didn't expect to see what she saw. The man was facing her with a creepy looking mask that covered his face. And in his right hand he held a wand. A wizard.

Still carrying Louis, she looked around to see there were suddenly three masked witches and wizards stopping people and holding their wands aimed toward the civilians. All at once they pulled up their wands.

Maia knew that motion well from her parents. It was preparation to strike. And as they spoke different incantations Maia tapped the bracelet on her wrist. Now in one hand she held an infant, and in the other way a foot long dagger.

Leaning Louis' face into her chest to keep him from looking she blocked the first spell shot at her. Before the man could react, she spun around on the ground and slashed his legs with the dagger leaving him to fall down in pain. The other two people in the strange masks were now looking at her. They turned their wands on her as well and each shouted spells. Maia had never actually been in a duel with witches and wizards but she knew she had to block or dodge all the spells shot at her. And so that's what she did. They only hoped to overwhelm her.

The first spell she blocked was a bright green color that she hit inches from her chest. She quickly maneuvered so her back was against a tree and the masked wizards were behind her. She caught her breath as she saw spells fly passed her. Suddenly the tree behind her exploded and she was very vulnerable. Turning around, she charged the last two masked wizards. The next two spells they threw she slashed with the dagger. Nearing one, she mocked the wand out of her hands and cut her knees. Maia looked over at the last wizard, unable to see his expression due to the mask. But she did not hesitate as he threw an explosive spell to ground below her. Dropping down quickly she blocked the spell before it hit the ground and rolled over to slash the last wizards legs. Standing up, she saw the masked wizards and witches struggling to try to stand up, but finding themselves incapable of doing so.

The other people who were at the park were looking around absolutely horrified. Maia didn't know what to do, they had just witnessed a magical fight (one that included a squib).

So Maia left. She ran the whole way back to Iola's appartement carrying Louis. The sun was still high above her reminding her day was not close to over. When she got there she collapsed on the sofa and took deep breaths.

I just battled 3 masked wizards and witches. And I won.

Maia was out of breath and sore. She wasn't planning to take on any witches or wizards, but these ones were masked and harming people. She thought they were likely friends of her parents.

It was the biggest fault of witches and wizards: underestimating muggles. They all thought that muggles couldn't hold their own. They may have had magic on their side, but Maia was talented, cunning, strong and willing to prove them all wrong.

She quickly cleaned herself up before Iola got home and saw her. Luckily Louis was not old enough to form many words and as the years passed, he would forget about what had happened.