Fate and Destiny

Chapter 20

“They should have let them apparate or something.”
“It was too far away from land to apparate safely. Imagine getting splinched with the boat moving where your leg is.”
“You'd probably end up apparating into water really.”

Cassie sat looking down at her hands in the meeting room Gellert frequently used. The Titanic was the focus of today’s meeting.

“They could have used the bubble head charm or partial transfiguration or something then.”
“They couldn't.”
“Why not?”
“Statute of Secrecy.” The statue had caused needless deaths and here were more examples of it. They could have even saved the Muggles too but keeping magic secret was more important than saving lives. The muggle survivors could easily have been obliviated.

“I would have left them to die, it was their Muggle contraption and the disregard for people that caused them all to die,” said one. “Why should we save them? Get into trouble with the government just for some Muggles?”
“Even if we saved them, they’d be obliviated,” said the man next to him. “What cover story would explain that? And no doubt we’d just get in trouble for it anyway.”

Cassie listened to the few men talking and frowned. They wouldn’t bother rescuing another human being because they’d get in trouble for using magic?
“What use would it be to save them anyway?”
“They’re people,” said Cassie. All three men turned to look at her and Gellert from the other side of the room was paying a little more attention than before.

“What?”
“They’re people just like you and I,” said Cassie.
“They don’t have magic.”
“So that makes them less human? Less worthy of living?” asked Cassie with a frown. “I wasn’t aware you got to play God because you can make a few sparks with a stick. The whole point of this is so that we don’t have to hide from them. We could have saved most if not all of those people, including our own. But if we did that right now, we’d be hurt and scorned but that’s what we’re fighting against. We’re fighting to be free of that hurt, not to be free to abandon people and let them die.”

One of the men stood up and walked over to Cassie and she also stood up. Gellert now stood to the side.
“They killed us for centuries, it’s about time we have the power to choose who dies as they did with us.”
“It’s disgusting how you can consider letting someone die like that, or worse, actively killing them. Murder and death isn’t our goal,” said Cassie. How could they be better if they just killed random Muggles for not having magic?
“So you don’t want to hurt them for all the pain they’re caused us?”
“Yes, I do,” said Cassie. She’d seen Ariana, and she’d been bullied herself. “But if we act on those stupid ideas of petty revenge, then we’re no better than them. And I’m not stooping to their standards.”

Neither he or his two friends said much for the rest of the meeting. And when they did, they were quiet and spoke as little as possible. Cassie was just glad when it was over and she could retreat to the safety of her home.

“Oh, Cassie,” Gellert said with a grin. “You should do that more often.”
“I'd rather not.” The fury inside of her was slowly dissipating but she was still shaking as she pulled a chair from under her dining table to sit on. Gellert sat opposite her and took her hands to steady them.
“Why? You made good points and you surprised them. I don't know if you saw their faces…” Cassie shook her head. “Well, I don't think they'll bother arguing with you much, if at all.”

Sighing, Cassie pulled her hands free of Gellert's.
“Those people would have let others die, simply because they were Muggles,” she whispered, slowly shaking her head. “Some of them are horrible, sure, and most would probably react badly to us, but we can’t educate them and expect them to respect us if we just leave them to die.”
“I know,” Gellert said softly. “But I have little choice in what others think, though I hope to change it. No matter what I say or do, it’s down to them to choose what they believe.”

“You are very persuasive though,” she said and Gellert smirked. “I just hope that they aren’t doing this as an excuse to kill Muggles.”
“As do I,” said Gellert. “It’ll set our cause back, randoming murdering Muggles or destroying their homes. Like you said, if we do that then we’re no better than them. And we are better than them.” Cassie managed to smiled at him.
“I’m glad you understand.”
“Of course I do,” said Gellert as he leaned forward across the table. “We’re not doing this for purely selfish revenge, we’re doing it to make the world better and that’s not going to happen if we start randomly killing people.”

“You promise you’re not going to do that then? That you’re not going to kill people?” she asked.
“I can’t promise no one will die. People die every day,” he said. “But I won’t kill anyone unless I have to.”
“And what defines that? Having no other choice?” she asked. “No other choice to… escape?”
“If I can’t escape or I’ll die and my only option to live is to kill someone else, I’ll do it,” he said. He said it nonchalantly, as if the thought of killing someone was nothing to him.

Cassie stared at him as a thought came to mind.
“You’ve killed someone before, haven’t you?” she asked quietly.
“Yes.”
“Why?” she asked. What situation had forced him to kill someone else to live?
“You won’t like the answer, and I won’t tell you,” he said honestly. “I don’t care how much you want to know, trust me when I say that you don’t want to know.” She looked away from him and bit her lip. Slowly, she nodded.
“Alright.”