𝐀 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐒 | h. potter

0 | Prologue

PROLOGUE

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"Expelliarmus!" one yelled, and the girl narrowly avoided the beam of light flashing towards her.

"Reducto!" A red spark flew past as she ran on, muscles protesting in red-hot pain with every movement. But she had to keep moving. She had to live.

"Protego!" With a flick of her wand, she managed to create an invisible shield as another spell was directed her way. When would they stop?!

"You can't run away, Riddle! You must pay for your father's crimes —" what kind of logic was that?! She was not her father! "— Crucio!" She ducked.

"That's illegal!"

If anything, that comment made it worse. The spells thrown at the girl intensified as she tore through the forest, white hair flying behind her. Internally, she cursed her useless ability; she was a metamorphmagus, meaning she could change her appearance at will. However, she hadn't quite mastered the skill of changing her physical appearance yet. If she could, she was willing to bet her arm that she'd be hunted down a lot less.

Her hair and eye colour were susceptible to changing according to her emotions, too. White meant fear — which, to be frank, was pretty darn annoying in her perspective because she would forever be an open book until she managed to reign control over the ability.

"Stupefy!" yelled another Auror, whose spell hit the branch just centimetres above her. It fell down. Maya crouched to the leafy ground and rolled out of the way just in time, and in the curtain of dust and leaves, took the chance to get up and hide behind a tree, far from the fallen branch.

"Where did she go?" demanded a gruff voice.

"I don't know!" snapped a woman.

"She was right here before the tree fell," said a more calm voice, though Maya could hear the hate and anger when he referred to her person. "She can't have gone that far. Let's look—"

Someone shushed sharply. "Did you hear that?" It was the woman. "Listen."

Maya paused and strained her ears to listen and realised far too late what was being heard. She could hear the footsteps approaching her little hiding spot as she tried to keep her breathing at a normal, quiet pace, but her lungs burned with every attempt to force them to calm. What if they caught her? They'd kill her before she could even take a step!

Dark eyes darted around desperately, looking for a way out, lamenting at the sight of trees all around. She just had to get caught in a forest, didn't she? Then, she noticed something a few paces ahead. A plan suddenly started to form in her mind, and the sound of the Aurors approaching started to fade as she thought. She knew it was risky. Dangerous. That it might not work at all.

But she had to try.

Without a moment to spare, Maya jumped out of her hiding place and bolted across the forest floor, kicking up dust with every step. From the wordless snarls and the thudding of footsteps, she knew they were following, immediately setting her plan into action. She heard the sparking hiss of spells flying her way, and did her best to avoid them.

There was a log ahead, mossy green and brown and as thick as ten men. In one bound she propelled herself off and over it, turning around just in time to cast, "Confringo!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, the log erupted into red and orange flames, a thick, billowing smoke filling the air.

But in that same moment, a searing pain took hold of her waist. She wanted to double over, clutch her side and cry out in agony — but she had no time.