My Vampire

Yet another boring day. I got down the train and started walking in the platform. I took out my ear phones from my purse and plugged in to adele. I sang 'baby, I have no story to be told' along with her. That's my favorite line. And the truth. I have never had a story to tell people. No crushes. No proposals. No prospects either. Just friendship. I love my friends, no doubt about that. I cannot imagine a life without them. But still love makes a difference, doesnt it? Sigh, okay, you have started grumbling again, stop it Sara. I chided myself. I have gotten bored of complaining too. Is there anything that I am not bored of? Well, I guess no.

I got into the road and walked to the cycle stand. Driving my sister's Maestro was real fun. I still have a bit of trouble with the brakes, but I wasn't bad. Wish I was with her now. Time would fly by when I am with my nephews. I really miss them. I unhooked the key chain and took out my eco-friendly vehicle. Ahem. I mean the cycle. It was a very old one. My sister used it throughout her school life and I did the same, not to  mention the fact that she is six years elder to me. Never mind. Its my best friend. When I am upset, I just love cycling. My cycle has seen more tears than my friends, lol. My brand new Nokia Lumia 520 started singing lucy and aqualung's cold. One if my favorites. Lucy's voice penetrating inside you and riding mindlessly is the greatest joy in this world, at the moment. So, I am about to experience it. I started down the station road. One more lane and I would hit the main road. I love these lanes, because they are always dark with no street lights and filled with houses on both sides. No shops. I was alternating between riding with my eyes closed for a moment and opening them again to check out the road. I dont know what and how it happened, but my cycle jerked to a stop suddenly. I had jumped down out of shock, my cycle balanced between my legs with my feet on the ground. I opened my eyes wide expecting to see a car or bike that I had hit, but my mind was reminding me that I had checked out the road for vehicles and my eyes had responded negative before I had closed my eyes. So what had I hit? Nothing. I saw nothing in front of me. A beam of light hit my eyes and I heard a horn, a bike's. Since I was standing in the middle of the road with my cycle, I moved my cycle to a corner and waited for the bike to pass. The guy on the avenger glared at me while passing. Maybe for making him brake. I looked around to find the cause of my braking. I found nothing and no one. Not even big stones on the road. Okay, now I was getting a little paranoid. Its getting late and mom would be worried. And better to get outta this road. I started cycling again with LP's crawling in my ears. I crossed the station road and was about to come outta the other lane and join the main road when my cycle jerked to a stop again. This time the hit was stronger that I fell out of the cycle onto the road. The thing that had hit me was still standing in the middle of the road holding my cycle's handle bar with one hand. It was not a thing. It was him. The image seemed like that his hand was the thing that I had hit and had caused the fall. Ordinarily, the hit should have pushed him down to the floor too. Right? That would be the normal reaction. Why is my mind recognising all the abnormal things when it is supposed to send me warning signals to run away? I was still on the floor and staring at him. I heard a laughter. It was him. He is laughing? Now, anger replaced my anxiety and I got up from the road, dusting my palms which had taken my body's weight. I am sure I would find bruises there if I looked. But my eyes were now glaring at him. I walked up to him and I wanted to yell at him, 'what the hell?', but when I neared him and the distant lights of the main road fell on his face, I froze. My mind was working properly at least now. All warning bells were ringing loudly. He was glaring at me. Okay, I was glaring at him too, until I saw his face, so what makes his glare special? He was looking scary? No, the look on his face was much more. I have always lived in a city. I have never seen forests in my life. Nor any wild animals. But still, for sure I have seen millions of movies, so I recognized what I saw. The predator look. Okay, time to run, darling. I walked fast avoiding his face and went near my cycle. I caught the handle bar and tried to get my cycle moving backwards to get away from him.

'Scary little rat!'. And he was laughing his head off.

Did he just call me a rat? What is happening? Whatever. Though his predator look has gone and he looked normal, I wasnt ready to face that look again.

'Excuse me! I need to go..' I said and I tried to place my hand on his holding my handle bar and I jerked. Cold. Damn cold.

I looked up at him, now with interest.

'You are a vampire.' I said. Okay, where from did I pick such a thought and gave voice to it, for god's sake, I don't know. People are going to go crazy when I tell them that I spoke this sentence to a complete stranger. But, the fact is I did.

I was still having my eyes glued on his face. There was a very faint sneer.

'You are not bad at all. You seem to be living up to your reputation.'

Now, I was speechless. What on earth is he speaking? Reputation? MY Reputation? I was thinking I was the crazy one here for saying such a thing to him, but now I was sure he was one too. Get your cycle and move on. My brain's instructions to me. But even moving my eyes from his was impossible. Vampires look into your eyes and put you under compulsion spell. The fact that I had read over and over in every vampire novel. Did I think all that was real when I read them? Did I know that they might happen in reality to me when I read them?

No, no. A big no.

'So, shall we move?'. He asked me and took his hand away from the handle bar he was holding till now. Both my hands were holding the handle bar, but they were just numb, out of surprise, anxiety and what not. It was his hand that was holding the weight of the cycle. So when he took his hand away, I wasn't expecting him to do that, so my cycle fell. I hastened to pick it up from the ground. My feet hit a stone on the road and I fell too. My cheeks burnt of embarrassment, but I picked myself from the floor without looking at his face and picked up the cycle. A sane person would have pedalled and sped away, but as I know very well, I wasn't sane. So I stood there still as statue looking at him.

He sighed.

I didn't ask him why. I knew. Clumpsy me! He was tired of waiting for me. But why should he wait for me in the first place?

'Come on, lets go..'. He barked with impatience.

I shivered. This was all getting too much.

'Excuse me Mister. But who the hell are you? Why did you block my path? And where are you asking me to come?'

Okay. That was really very brave Sara. It might have had effect if he had been a mortal human or if they were delivered with right modulation expressing anger. But neither case were happening. I just whispered the above words, almost swallowing the 'the hell' part.

Still, it was very brave. I was sure he can hear me.

He did.

'Off to our world'.

He said that as if that was an obvious answer.

'What?'

'Now, lets not waste time. I need to be with you there in another two hours. The flight would take an hour. So we would be on time. Hurry now.'

'Where?'

Asking mono syllable questions seemed easier.

'I told you, human. Do not make me say again. To our world. Is that clear?' He growled.

So this is how Edward would look when he growls, I wondered. Oh my god! I wanted to see his face and the lights available in the place we were standing were almost nil. So I put a foot in front of another with difficulty and moved outta the lane and joined the main road.

I could sense him behind me. Only sense, not hear. I turned once to make sure he was following. He was. I stopped beneath the first light on the main road and turned to look at his face. That was a mistake. I don't think I would be up for any sane speech for a while. He was gorgeous. Beautiful. Handsome. Cute. He was awesome. I didnt have words to explain how he looked.

And he looked at me too. Straight. Face to face. His mouth turned down in a sarcastic sneer and his eyes showed complete disinterest. I know that all these expressions are due to the fact that I was a mere mortal. But my sensitive heart took it as a wound to my ego. That sneer brought me to my senses. Time to be sane. I looked him straight in the eye and asked him, 'Who the hell are you? And what do you want from me?'. I almost barked.

Sara's adventure Part V

I lay down on the bed placed in the middle of the room that was allotted to me and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes again in the fear that the room would disappear and I would be seeing only my bedroom again. HA! The room did not disappear! So, it’s all true. All that happened from the morning are real happenings of my day. The most memorable and exciting event of my life. I could not believe my luck. When there are thousands of fans of Harry potter all over the world why was I selected? When there are hundreds who are crazy enough to memorize the spells, passionate enough to wait all night outside the book shop to lay their hands on the first edition on the day of release of Harry potter books, why was I chosen? Am I mad at Harry more than anybody else in this world? And well, how much Daniel Radcliffe resembles the real Harry! If Daniel and Harry are made to stand beside each other, they could very well pass out as brothers. Aw… Ron! When I thought of Ron, hot tears ran down my cheeks. I wondered how Harry and Hermoine would have felt seeing Ron killed before their very eyes. And Fred? What about Fred? Was he really killed during the Battle of Hogwarts or was that only a border line to JKR’s writing? JKR. Rowling! She is a witch! Incredible! I wondered what would happen if I were to make this information public. Would people believe me? Probably, I would be called a lunatic. Is she aware of this doomsday charm? Is she part of the war that’s going on to save this world? First of all, would I share all that is happening now with anybody? Mom? Dad? They would laugh out on me. Deepika? Gayathri? They would believe me. I could portray how their faces would look when I tell them all this. I laughed out aloud and got up from the bed.

I walked towards the big window in the center of the room and moved the curtains that had covered the window. Sun rays fell on me and I felt fresh air. Straight before my eyes the dark cover resembling dark clouds were moving towards the direction of the tower we were in. Though Alisis had assured that we have got two days before the dark cover would reach the tower, a shiver ran down my body on seeing the dark cover. Will I be able to save the entire wizarding community from this so called doomsday charm? Am I really capable of it? Do I love the wizarding community so much that I could shed tears and save them all? Will just my tears make this dark charm inactive? A cloud of uncertainty and fear filled my thoughts and I moved away from the window. I sat on the arm chair beside the window and pulled the curtains down. I let out a sigh and closed my eyes. What if I fail? What if all the wizards and witches are enslaved? Killed? What if he conquers the world? Poor muggles would never understand what is going on. What can I do without the wizards’ help? A sudden thought occurred to me. Will I be alive if they are killed? I remembered Hermoine’s words. She had said that I would be the target. I stood up from the chair suddenly and started walking around the room. I started feeling restless and hopeless. What can a poor muggle like me do? All is going to go wrong. He is going to kill everybody and conquer the world.

I stood still. I am not supposed to be afraid like this. I am not supposed to lose confidence and behave like a coward. When Great wizards like Harry, Hermoine and Alisis are beside me to help me and protect me, why should I be afraid? Why should I be scared? Is it not my duty to save my own world, if not this wizarding world from falling into the hands of the evil? Did I not fall in love with Harry’s character for his bravery and selfless love towards the magical community? Today, I have got an opportunity to prove myself and let me grab it.

I took in a deep breath, relaxed myself and sat on the couch. I took an apple kept in the bowl before the couch in my hand and played with it for some time. My stomach started grumbling. Maybe, I should find out where Rosy and Pinkie are.

I stood up and walked towards the door, when the door opened before I could open it. Albus walked in. I was breathless again.

He smiled at me. “Miss! Aren’t you hungry? May I call Rosie to bring you some food?”

I simply nodded my head, staring right at him.

He smiled again and left the room.

Why? Why am I becoming breathless every time I see Albus? Why does my heart pump so fast when ever he is beside me? Why do I gape at him like I have never seen a guy? I shook my head violently to clear off the mist that had formed in my mind. The mist that covers my mind every time Al appears before me. “Sara! Come on, behave yourself! Don’t give him a chance to think you are an uncivilized moron!” I told myself.

I walked back to the window and peeped out. I could hear Rosie walking in. I turned around to smile at her. She carried a tray full of food.  Breads, butter, cheese, salad, biscuits, bananas, oranges, apples and milk. My stomach grumbled more loudly. I walked to sit on the table. Rosie smiled at me and laid the plate and filled it with bread and butter.

“Thank you, Rosie”

“You are welcome, Madam. Please let me know if you need anything more. Madam Hermoine told me that you are a vegetarian. We didn’t know what else you would like.”

“No, thanks, Rosie. I am not sure if I would be able to finish all of these”. I managed to say, with my mouth full.

I could hear some body else walking in, but I kept my eyes on my plate. Albus sat opposite to my chair. He had his face on his hands and started looking at me. I tried to ignore him and concentrated on my food. Rosie walked out, leaving us alone. I raised my eyes once to look at him casually and I saw that he was staring at me with a smile on his face. I looked down to my plate and continued. I did the same after a few minutes and I still found him in the same posture. I started coughing as I gulped down the milk in a hurry. He hurried beside me to offer me the glass of water. I received the glass from him and mumbled a thanks. After ten more minutes, when I found my plate empty, I still found him sitting opposite to me, with his eyes never leaving my face.

“Ahem..!” I stirred uncomfortably on my seat and he stood up suddenly and came beside me. He bowed a little.

“Miss! Is there anything I could get for you?”

“Sara! Call me Sara! No, No thanks”

He smiled. “Please feel at home, Sara. Let me know if there is anything I could do” His voice was soft and soothing. His face reflected the sincerity with which he spoke those words.

“Nah! I I m fine.. No, no thanks” I stuttered.

“Please, take rest, Sara, before we start our journey towards the Little Mount in another hour.”

I loved it when he called my name.

“You are, hmm, you are coming with us?” I questioned him hesitantly.

“Of course!” He smiled. “You are my responsibility. You will never go anywhere without me. My eyes will watch over you all the time. Twenty four hours. My eyes will be on lookout for anything and everything that happens around you. So, do not be afraid of anything, Sara.”

I could feel that he meant them when he said them. “So, was that why your eyes never left my face when I was having food?” I winked.

He laughed out aloud. “Sorry! I must have scared you”

“Nope! You just made me uncomfortable. Nothing else!”

“Oh! Sorry! But why would you feel uncomfortable?”

“This is the first time that a wizard stares at me like this. That is why!”

He laughed again. His laughter was like ringing of bells. I felt warm inside.

“What are you doing?”

“Talking with you…”

It was my turn to laugh.

“Nah! I meant about your job, I mean profession, I mean, have you finished your schooling?”

“Sara…! Do I look like a school boy to you?” He kidded.

“Of course not. “ I denied quickly. “What I meant was…”

“I understand.” He interjected. “I am an auror with the ministry of Magic.” I remembered Alisis saying that he was an auror when he introduced me to him. But I remembered that I had paid little attention to the fact that he was an auror, as I was bemused looking at him.

“Oh, Wow! Auror? That must be a prestigious job, isn’t it? Following your dad?”

“Yep! Though I can never match him”. He smiled modestly.

“Of course, no one can. Hmm… What’s your brother doing? James!”

“He works with the department for Control of Accidental magic. Senior secretary”

“Oh, nice! And Lily?”

“She is in her last year of Hogwarts”

“And your mother?”

“She played for Royal Centurions for a few years. Then she started being with Aunt Hermoine. Anything Aunt is into, mom would be to help her. She loves spending time with Aunt. You see, after after… hmm.. Uncle Ron’s demise, Aunt feels very lonely. So Mom is always with her.”

“Oh!” I felt a lump on my throat. I cleared it before I could speak again.

“So… What do you think are my chances?”

“What?? What the… Oh! What are you talking about? We are winning this war. I am very confident. You could do this.”

“Thanks, Sev.”

He looked up when I called him Sev. His face showed a number of reactions at the same time that I could hardly make out anything out of it. “Sorry! I…”

“No. Why do you apologize?”

“I thought you didn’t like me calling you Sev”

“Why wouldn’t I? No one calls me so except dad. I was surprised when you called me so.”

“Hmmm.. I.. umm. I like Lily, I mean, your grandma calling Professor Snape as Sev. That is why…”

“Yes, I understand”

The room went silent.

I kept meddling with the glass looking down at his reflection on the table. I could see him staring at my face again. I wondered what he was thinking at the moment. My eyes examined every feature of him. His fair complexion, his green eyes, pointed nose, curved pink lips, one hand resting on the table, the other holding his wand tight.

He moved his hand resting on the table and touched my fingers meddling with the glass. A wave of shock and tremor passed through my fingers and I jerked my hands free from his fingers. Nevertheless, I still had my hand near the glass. His hand lengthened again and caught hold of my fingers. Though I struggled to free my fingers from his grasp, I knew my effort was not objective. I could feel my heart thumping faster, blood running down my veins faster than it should. I looked up at him. His green eyes sunk into my black ones and I lost my memory. Nothing but his green eyes was before me and I could feel nothing but his cool fingers on mine. I lost track of time.

He withdrew his eyes from mine suddenly and turned towards the window. I followed him and found a wave of green light flowing towards me with lightning speed. In the next second, a white hand pulled my shoulders and I found myself below the table under Al’s cloak and the chair in which I had been before a moment blasted into pieces. Shards of glasses and wood showered on us, but not even one fell on me, as Al was upon me fully. He moved to the floor in the next moment, pushed me onto the safety of the pillar behind the table, took out his wand and shot out spells one after another. Red sparks came out of his wand and met the green ones half way. One green spark missed him and hit the floor beside me. Hot waves emanated from the place where it hit the floor and flowed towards my right leg. I shuddered and ran out of its reach. Now, I was out of the safety of the pillar and another green spark missed me. I turned to the direction of the green sparks and I found two huge black cloaks outside the window hanging on their broomsticks. I could not see their faces as I was blinded by another green shot, and this time Al jumped on me, pushed me to the ground, rolled with me and took me behind the couch. “Stay!” He ordered and went to fight again. Two black cloaks appeared near the doorway and they joined Al in the fight. I recognized them as Toby and Winnace. Yellow and orange sparks joined Al’s red and the green sparks began to fade.

“Aaa….hhhh!” One fellow fell from the broomstick and the other was stunned. Toby and Winnace ran to the window. Winnace brought thick ropes from nowhere and tied the stunned fellow. He was captured and taken away by Winnace. Toby turned towards Al and both of them walked towards the couch. Al offered his hand to me. I caught his hand and stood up.

“Are you alright?” Toby asked.

“Yes.” I mumbled, my eyes never leaving Al’s.

Toby went to the window, cast some spell and the next moment the windows were shut and secured. He came to us, tapped Al’s shoulder and said, “The tower is being attacked. We got to leave. Get ready.” He walked away giving me a nod.

I turned back to Al, as I realized why the tower was being attacked. “It’s me, isn’t it?”

He turned his face away from me.

“It’s because of me the tower is being attacked, isn’t it? They want me, don’t they?” I whispered.

Al turned to look at me. His face was like a stone.

“Get ready, Sara! I’ll be back in a few minutes to take you to a place more safer.” Al spoke, his voice cold.

He tapped my shoulders and left the room.

I heard the door shut. The room was empty just as my heart was.

Sara's adventure -Part IV

“How can this be stopped? How?” I muttered.

“The dark cover hides the slaves and the perpetrator from the view of ordinary muggles and wizards who are yet to become his slaves.” Madam Bones started explaining me. “Though the King Nortis comes before our very eyes, we won’t be able to see him. Therefore capturing him or killing him becomes impossible! There is only one solution left!”

I looked at her eagerly.

“Alisis has taken lots of effort to find out the counter charm for the deadly doomsday charm! He undertook a world-wide tour to meet the old wizards still alive, counting their days. He had to talk to many wizards and witches who all turned him down telling him that they are not aware of the counter charm. Some of them even refused to say though they knew it well for the fear of being killed by the King. At last Alisis returned yesterday with good news. He managed to retrieve the information he wanted before our life saver was killed by the slaves of the King! Thank Goodness! Alisis somehow managed to escape from the hundreds and hundreds of slaves advancing towards him to kill him… “Madam Bones let out a sigh.

I turned to look at Alisis who was standing there as still as a statue with a simple smile in his face. He appeared so majestic at the moment. I imagined something like Alisis forming a ring of fire like Dumbledore did several years back against the army of Inferi! I smiled at him proudly. He was no less talented than his uncle.

“So, what is the counter charm?”

Madam Bones looked at Alisis. Alisis walked near the chair I was sitting and sat beside me. He put his hands on my shoulder.

“When the wizarding community finds a true lover of the community, one who would be ready to sacrifice his/her life for the community, one whose eyes let out drops of tears for the well being of the community will only be able to stop the dark cover from advancing forward. The tears and his/her good heart create a wall of love beyond which the dark cover cannot proceed. The more tears he/she drops on the ground, stronger the wall becomes.”

“Oh! Again… Again it’s the love!” I turned towards Harry. “Harry’s love for his fellow mates and the wizarding world only served as a shield and protected the wizards and witches from the wrath of Voldemort and the death eaters. Who else other than Harry could do this? Why are you all waiting yet? Why can’t you take Harry and proceed towards the dark cover?” I questioned them nonstop.

Alisis looked at me. His face seemed to be weary all of a sudden. “You have misunderstood the definition of the counter charm I told you now.”

I looked at him confusingly.

“Every person would love his community. The doomsday charm was unleashed to kill every wizard and witch. Therefore one, who is not a wizard or witch, who loves our community, who would sacrifice his/her life would only be able to save the entire wizarding community from the dark cover”.

I stared at him unapprehensively.  “Someone who is not a wizard? Then he must be a muggle… or...” I stopped short in sudden understanding. “You want me to do this? This was the help Harry mentioned earlier? You want me to cry for the well being of the wizarding community? Oh my! “I laughed. “Is this all? I thought he was going to ask me something adventurous, something hard and tough”. I continued laughing.

I stopped my laugh when I looked that none of the faces reflected mine. They were all looking at me as if I had tried a vain attempt in humor.

“What’s wrong?” I looked at everyone surprisingly.

“It is not as easy as you think, Sara.” Harry told me. “You have to feel. You have to worry. You have to feel our loss. Our desperate situation.”

“Of course, I know that! Do you think I would not feel sad and worried when I see a life being lost just in front of my eyes?”

“Exactly. You touched the point yourself.” Hermoine turned to me. “You have to see it by your eyes if you have to feel and cry. It means that we have to keep you close by the danger zone. I mean the zone where wizards are being killed, where wizards are being enslaved, where muggles are slaughtered. Very close for you to witness. This means danger not only for everyone of us, but more importantly to you.”

I began to understand. Still I voiced my doubt. “Why more importantly me?”

“Because, The King is out there watching our movements every minute and by this time, he would have already known that we have chosen the person for effecting the counter curse and he would be dying to kill you by now”. Alisis spoke softly.

I stared at him.

My eyes widened in horror. I was speechless for a moment.

I cleared my throat. “You people will save me... Wont you all?” I could feel my voice shaking.

“Of course, Sara! We will protect you. Without you, the wizarding world would be destroyed.” Harry assured me.

“We told you this only to let you know the dangers you are putting yourself in to protect us all”. Hermione’s voice was soft. It was as if she was about to cry. I looked up at her, but my own tears of fear blurred my vision.

Alisis patted my shoulder. “We are there, Sara! No fear! We would die to save you.”

“Yes.. I know. I know”. I whispered.

“Are you sure you still want to help us, Sara?” Toby asked me. “The counter curse would not work if you are not involved full heartedly.”

“No, No! I am in it” I tried to voice it aloud courageously. But, as usual, my voice betrayed me and all that I could do was only mutter in low voice.

Alisis stood up briskly. “so now, lets discuss Sara’s stay plans”. He said loudly. “Sara! You will be staying in this guest house in the basement. You will be comfortable here and therefore feel at home. As I told you, Rosie and Pinkie will be helping you. This house is protected by four of our best aurors. So rest assured. This house is situated in the far corner of Britain and therefore the dark cover would not reach this place for the next two days. We will intimate you on our plan in the evening.”

I nodded my head silently. Everyone stood up from their seats and I stood up too.

The door opened and the sun rays made their way into the room. I was able to see the silhouette of a wizard who entered the room. He slowly moved away from the sun rays and walked towards us. I was blinded by his beauty the next moment. So lean, majestic, covered in back cloak, having his wand in the left hand, he came near Alisis and nodded his head at him. I could feel his eyes on him. I gave back his stare and I inhaled his sweet scent. My eyes widened on seeing his green eyes. He moved to stand beside Harry and I recognized who he was.

“Now, Sara, this is…” Alisis started to say.

“Al… Albus Severus Harry Potter” I managed to say.

Alisis smiled. “Yes, you are right as always. Al will be responsible for your protection here on. He is one of the best aurors we have got.”

I smiled back,

Al came to me, bowed his head a little and beckoned me to follow him. I moved behind him and almost a dizzy state and we walked out the door.

Sara's Adventure -Part III

I turned to look at Alisis. When my tears blocked him from my view, I blinked and wiped my eyes. I waited for him to explain what he meant.

He took a long breath.

“Sara! The wizarding community has contributed to the growth of another evil wizard of its time.”

“What? Another Voldemort?”

“More powerful and deadly than him. You know that Voldemort made horcruxes by which he split his soul into seven that his destruction could be possible only if you destroyed all seven parts of his soul. The evil wizard of today we are talking about has stolen the invisibility cloak from Harry, and has also discovered the resurrection stone from the forbidden forest.”

My eyes bulged on listening to Alisis. I could imagine the kind of danger the world is in. The resurrection stone could bring back the dead alive. The resurrected dead would serve as the shield protecting the one who had resurrected them. And the invisibility cloak, Harry’s precious possession would allow him to move around the world hidden and protected from all charms and spells.

“But how on earth did he manage to get hold of Harry’s invisibility cloak?”

Harry cleared his throat. “It was my fault entirely”. He replied bitterly.

Alisis looked at Harry piteously. “Don’t condemn yourself for what is no one’s fault. No one could have imagined that someone would steal it”

Harry continued. “I never used my cloak after the Battle of Hogwarts. I had it safely locked. I used to give it for a try, once or twice to my children, but never allowed them to possess though I wanted to. I didn’t want them sneaking around as I  and R….”

I understood that he was about to say Ron, but I could sense how painful it would be for him to think about the past when he enjoyed his school days with his best buddy Ron.

“I mean, as we used to.. I didn’t want them to get into any danger. So it was safe or so I thought, until weird things started happening. Many muggles were killed and we were able to trace those casualties to be wizard’s work. Aurors were in search of the culprit. I went along with them until one day we spotted a muggle family being killed and massacred before our very eyes, but the wizard who was causing the destruction was not visible to our eyes. I got my doubt and hurried back to my home to check it out and I was shocked to find that it was missing.”

“But how come he came to know of your cloak?”

“Rowling’s contribution.” Winnace interjected bitterly.

I turned to look at him. “Oh!”

“Though her books were banned in our world, some how he must have acquired them.” Hermoine offered to say.

“Who is that He you are talking about?” I questioned.

A wave of fear swept through many faces before Alisis answered my question. Harry’s face showed utter disgust.

“The King of the world”

“King??”

“Yes, he is called so by his slaves and he forces people to call him so.”

“What’s his original name?”

“He is called King Nortis. You may recognize him if I use his surname”

I looked at him questioningly.

“The King Nortis. Nortis Grindelwald.”

“Grindelwald? You mean the Grindelwald who was defeated by Dumbledore? The Grindelwald who possessed the Elder wand before Dumbledore won over him and became the master of death?”

“Dumbledore never became the master of death! Here, sitting before us is the Master of death!” Alisis spoke, pointing to Harry.

I turned to look at Harry proudly. Harry was just silent. So humble as usual!

“So, is the the.. King ,the son of Grindelwald?”

“Yes! He had stolen the invisibility cloak long before, we knew not when! We still wonder how he discovered the resurrection stone!”

“How did you all come to know that he had discovered the resurrection stone?”

Harry spoke. “Nortis declared himself. He appeared before a mass on the eve of Christmas and declared himself. He told us who he was. He told us that he had discovered the stone. He proved us, by bringing back his dead friends whom he called as slaves, alive. He made the slaves kill a family of muggles in front of the group of aurors assembled to capture him. The aurors were dumbstruck and frozen on seeing the massacre right before their eyes. Before they could spring into action, he disappeared showing us that he possessed the cloak, and disapparated.”

I stared at him with horror. “How can this wizard be killed? How can the innocent people be saved?” I whispered.

Hermoine walked in. “It is not the lives of the innocent people alone that are at stake. Everybody against him, everybody opposing him and trying to kill or capture him is going to be killed, because he had invoked a powerful charm that no wizard or witch has ever thought of, which is going to end the entire wizarding community along with the poor muggles.”

I could see that her eyes were puffy, but her face was set and stern. She walked in regally. I was stunned by her beauty for a minute, before I could recollect what she had spoken.

“Charm? To kill the entire mankind?”

Hermoine shuddered.

“It is called the Doomsday charm.” Toby told me. I looked up at him and I found his voice sore with grief.

“What does the charm do?”

Alisis stood up from his seat and walked to the window from which the sunlight was flooding the room. He stood before the window and turned to look at me. “Come, Sara. Watch this.”

I moved to stand beside him. I peeped through the window and gasped with surprise.

We were in the tallest tower I could imagine. Multi storied buildings around the tower appeared like small ones. I was able to view the entire city. I could find vehicles on the road which appeared like tiny insects moving around. I could recognize a blue river in the north-west corner. I was able to see the peak of the mountains in the farthest end. The sun appeared to be very close to the place where I stood. The sun rays drenched me and I felt warm. The breeze was so fresh and energizing that I inhaled a deep breath and took in the sweet scent. While the sun rays soaked us all with its warmth, I could see black clouds covering half of the city as if it would rain.

“Do you see there?” Alisis pointed out to the far black clouds.

“Yes. It seems as if it’s gonna rain”

Alisis shook his head in disagreement. “They are not rain clouds. It is the dark cover.”

“Dark cover?”

“The Doomsday charm works out to emanate harmful gases that form the dark cover.”

“Oh! What does the cover do?”

“The area where this cover is emitted passes with the wind and those who inhale become slaves of the executor of the charm.”

“Oh God! Does it mean the people living in those areas have become his slaves already?” My voice shook with fear.

“Yes.” Minister Michelles came to join us. “What you see here is only a part of the city. Eighty percent of Britain has come under his control. He will be conquering Britain in another few days. Once he conquers Britain, he plans to make this the capital country of the world. He would proceed to surmount the rest of the world, once he is finished with Britain.”

“What is his objective? Why is he conquering the entire world?”

“To become the King of the world, obvious. That is why he wants to be called the King.” Madam Bones let out a sigh.

“What happens to the people who become his slaves?”

“He uses them as his army. They forget everything about their lives, their families, their desires, ambitions, friends, everything. They become soul less creatures who obey and perform what their King says.”

“Oh, my pity!” I stared at the dark cover in horror. The cover appeared to be moving with great speed towards us. I realized what would happen to me if the dark cover engulfs this tower. I remembered the poor slaves of Imhotep, moving in mass, chanting his name, to capture and kill Rick and Eveyln in the movie Mummy. I imagined myself, Harry, Hermoine, Alisis, Toby, and every one of us a part of the slave crowd and my eyes bulged in shock.

“Even .. even the wizards become slaves just by inhaling those harmful gases? Not just the muggles?” I spoke softly so that only Alisis standing closely to me could hear.

It seemed everyone heard me. “Poor muggles do not know about this and therefore they stay there, inhale it continuously and become slaves in twenty four hours. The ministry of Magic has informed every wizard about this hazard. We have created awareness among every wizard family on how to escape from this charm.” Minister Michelles told me.

“How do we escape from this dark cover?

“We move away from the place covered with darkness, and stop ourselves from inhaling the harmful gases. That is the only way we could save ourselves.”. I looked at him unbelievingly. “Yes, Sara. This is the only way we could be safe. Every wizard family has been in moving for the past one week. The dark cover was imposed last Thursday, the dark day of the year. Thousands of muggles disappeared the very next day. The event passed out as the after effects of Hurricane. The muggles who became his slaves disappeared from their countries and homes. We presume that the army is being assembled in a secret place, that we are unable to find out. We guessed that only the slaves could identify their secret place. We tried following one or more slaves but they disappeared after a particular distance. The first day we witnessed the dark cover, we refused to believe that it must be the doomsday charm. No one in the history, has ever unleashed this deadly charm. But as the disappearances increased we suspected it to be the art of dooming charm that we made a world wide declaration on the charm being unleashed. The ministry of magic is doing its best to help the wizards in their relocation and protection. The Hogwarts School has been closed and the students have been sent to their parents.”

I was frozen with shock. I turned to look at the dark cover again. I turned back to the group. “Why is he doing this? Why?”

“He wants to become the King of the world. I understand your question as to why would someone want to rule the world that only comprises of his slaves, I mean the soul less creatures? Am I right?” Hermoine spoke my mind; I nodded my head in agreement. She continued. “King Nortis is not making every human in this world as his slave. He wants to make every wizard his slave. His wants no independent wizard in this world who would oppose him. He is targeting at the employees of the ministry of magic, which comprises of the aurors who pose a threat to him. Next, the Hogwarts, where he can kill the next generation of blooming wizards. Next, the Gringotts bank, to loot the wealth of all wizards existing, by which he would become the richest person in this world. Which is why the bank, the school, the ministry have all been closed from operations and have been relocated. Though majority of the wizarding community is on the run, yet casualties are hard to prevent.”

 “After he conquers the entire world, we presume he would kill every wizard who was his slave, as he may see them as a threat anytime. He would be the only wizard existing. He would rule the world happily ever. The King, as he wanted. The King of the world.” Toby spat with disgust.

I had no word to utter. I felt so weak within. Have I come here to see the entire wizarding community being slaughtered in front of my eyes? I slowly walked back to sit near the table. I closed my eyes with exhaustion.

Tied Hands

Why was I feeling sad from the moment I woke up in the morning? Did I fight with my best friend yesterday? No, I didn’t. Did my mom scold me for not studying? No, she did, day before yesterday, but not yesterday. I had already forgotten it, as I kept my promise to study the very next day, and I know my mom was very happy about it. She had even told me that it would be nice if I continue the same routine daily. So, why was I feeling so sad? I wondered.

I wouldn’t call the feeling sad; rather I would name it helplessness. I was desperate to do something, but my hands were tied. That was how I felt. I was sitting on my bed staring through the window, consciously finding out the reason to my vulnerable feeling.

“Oh!” I exclaimed as my mind focused on the sight which my eyes were watching for a very long time, though it failed to send the message to my brain. Now I understood why I felt so frantic. Right in front of my eyes, the giant was falling. He was being slaughtered and I could do nothing. His arms were cut. His trunk was poked, hurt. His entire body was tied with several ropes and his muscles were stretched. A number of on lookers stood by, but nobody raised a voice against the injustice being done. I felt like killing the perpetrator. But, again I was helpless. I was just a poor young gal, whose feelings mattered nothing.

“Sara! Here is your glass of milk.”

I turned my eyes to see my mom. She looked at me questioningly while my eyes dropped a tear or two.

“What happened? Why are you crying, Sara?” She voiced her question when I did not answer her look.

I raised my index finger and pointed to the scene before my eyes through the window. She craned her face to look what I was pointing to and she said. “Oh, Sara! You are becoming unmanageable nowadays. Why would someone cry for a tree being cut?”

“Ma, it’s just not a tree. It’s a living being. It has got life. Look at its plentiful strong branches. Look at the young fresh leaves. Look at its beautiful flowers.  Does it look like a just a tree to you, mom? I don’t look at it as a tree being cut, but a slaughter; a brave warrior who has won thousands of wars, a wise old man who has seen hundreds of our generation is being killed mercilessly.”

“My goodness! Be practical, Sara! Stop all your crazy talks. It’s a tree and it’s just a tree.”

“Mom!” I screamed in resignment. “Mom. Do you remember how we used to sit under it in the evenings and relax? When you women used to chat and discuss about every event that’s happening, we gals, used to play around. We would wait until dad and other men come home from their work and we would get in to resume our work. Do you remember the number of days you used to water the tree, in spite of the fact that the tree belongs to the government? Do you remember what you used to tell me when you pour the water we had used to wash clothes or vessels?”

Mom remembered her own words.

‘Why waste water? Instead of pouring it on the floor, at least the tree would get some food. It is so shady and many passersby relax themselves under its shade. Just a small service from our side.”

Mom’s eyebrows greased a bit on listening to me.

“Now our road is going to be bare with no trees. No shade. We can’t sit under its shade and feel the fresh cool air around us. People who walk on our road are going to feel exhausted under the hot sun and there is going to be no tree for them to relax. You are not going to get the flowers for your pooja. The tree is gone. It is dead.”

I saw the trunk falling to the ground with a big thud. It has taken almost half a day for the men to cut the giant tree. Men at work were tired of their hard work.

“Why would they cut it, mom? Aunt and uncle used to pour buckets of water for it to grow. Why would they cut it all of a sudden?”

“The tree has grown very big. It has overgrown. The branches have grown to hit the walls of their home. They saw it as a threat and decided to cut it off.”

“Why can’t they simply cut those branches alone and leave the tree there?”

“They have been doing that for a long time. Every year this happens that they had to cut the branches off. They are now tired of it and thought they could save money and time but cutting it whole.”

“Doesn’t the tree belong to the government? Was it not planted by the municipality? They had planted the tree only to help the poor animals dying of hot sun and the passersby. How come these people were able to cut it without the municipality’s approval? Or didn’t they go to the municipality at all to seek permission? Or has the municipality given its approval? How could the municipality do that? Can’t the government bring a rule not to cut the trees planted? Or couldn’t they at least insist people to grow five plants in place of a tree cut?”

Mom looked at me. “Ask your dad about all this. I don’t think they would have sought the municipality’s permission. Who sees it as a big issue? It’s just a tree.”

“All of us are watching it happen. Didn’t any of us question them if they had sought the approval? If all of us join hands together, we can stop them.”

“Nobody other than you is going to take this matter serious. Even Appa would not listen to you. Do you think someone would go and start a fight for such a small thing?”

“Ma, it’s not a small thing. Don’t you know the danger our earth is in? For the amount of pollution that is caused, we need to plant more and more trees to save the earth and instead we are killing more of it. Urbanization is causing deforestation and this is leading to global warming. Our earth may end, mom, because of all this.”

She let out a sigh. “Who worries about what is gonna happen to the earth as long as their home is safe? People don’t realize that their home is in the earth.”

She laughed out loud and went to resume her work. I looked out at the fallen tree. I wanted to lay my hands on its trunk and hug it once before the men could clear the place. I moved out of my home. I felt as if I had lost my childhood friend.

Sara's adventure -Part II contd...

Seven of them seated in the table looked at each other unsmilingly. Before Alisis could open his mouth, two short skinny figures appeared through the doorway.

“Elves?” I was shocked.

“Aw, yes. They are Rosie and Pinky. They would help you out in this house while you are here. The delicious food we had some time back were their specialities.”

“What??? Elves are slaves yet?” I turned to Hermoine questioningly. She smiled before she could answer. “No Sara, you are mistaken. Elves are no longer slaves to wizards and witches. They have been given freedom. A law has been passed to protect the interests of elves and any wizard or witch harming or enslaving the elves would be punished. Elves and wizards live in peace now. Rosie and Pinky have offered voluntarily to help you out.”

I understood that she was right as I saw them neatly dressed in short skirts and blouses. They smiled at me, instead of bowing their heads to the wizards in the room.

“Hi, Rosie, Hi Pinky, Thank you.” I gave them a warm smile.

They nodded their heads in acknowledgement before they left the room quietly.

“You have done a great job, Hermoine. You must have struggled a lot to free those poor creatures.”

“Not exactly, Sara. People’s mindset changed a lot after the Battle of Hogwarts. You know how wizards, witches, children, old, elves, goblins, hippogriffs, thestrals, centaurs and every other magical creature joined hands in bringing down Voldemort and his death eaters. Wizards could not have won over the dark lord without the other magical creatures’ help and that fall of the dark forces brought about the change in minds of wizards and paved the way to treat other creatures alike with love and care.”

“Still, you must have played a very important role in enforcing the law to protect their interests. Guess, Harry and Ron would have stood beside you as always. Where is Ron? I have not met him yet.”

The room went silent. No one spoke. I looked at Harry, and then at Hermoine. I was taken aback on seeing her. Tears flowed out of her eyes. She started sobbing, and quickly ran out of the room. I turned to Harry, “What happened, Harry? Did I ask something wrong? Did I hurt her? “

Harry twisted in his seat uncomfortably and he turned to face me. He seemed to reliving a painful moment of his life, before he opened his mouth.

“Ron.. Ron is not here”

“Oh! Oh, where has he gone? But why did Hermoine cry? What’s wrong, Harry?”

“He is no more…..”

“What????”

Harry nodded his head quietly.

“He is not alive, is that what you meant, Harry?”

“Yes.”

I stared at them as I understood Hermoine’s pain on my question. I looked at Harry expecting him to say that he didn’t mean what I had understood. But he remained silent looking at me. Though his eyes were on me, it seemed as if he was recollecting the moment when he lost his best friend of life.

“But how…..?” I whispered.

“He died a gallant death.” Harry’s voice came out proudly. “He sacrificed his own life for saving innocent lives from an evil wizard.”

I gaped at him speechless, wanting him to tell me the entire story.

He understood and went on. “He killed Finnacle Lestrange. He fought with one of the darkest, most cruel wizard after Voldemort’s time. He slayed that monster who was killing innocent muggles for the sake of fun. He destroyed his entire army of ten death eaters before his breath was silenced by Fectis Lestrange, before I could shield him from the advancing death spell, before Hermoine could come running to protect him…….. “

His voice trailed away.

I could feel tears hiding Harry from my view. I could visualize Ron falling, falling amongst ten dead evil ones, could see Hermoine running to save him from his fall, could imagine Harry killing Fectis the very same moment to revenge, Yet. It was all over. Ron is dead. Ronald Weasley is dead.

Tears dropped from my eyes. Alisis, sitting beside me brought his hand forward and caught my tears.

“This is why we need you, Sara. “

Sara's adventure -Part II

“Would you like to accompany us to Britain, Sara?”

“Wha…. What the…? Me??? To Britain? You mean you are taking me to your world????” I was breathless when I spoke this.

Alisis smiled. “Yes, Sara, we see that you are thoroughly excited. Can we make a move?”

“What? Now? You mean you are taking me now? But what for? Harry said he wanted my help. What kinda help? “ I bombarded him with my list of questions. I took my breath on seeing the wink Alisis gave me. 

“Calm yourself, Sara, we will let you know everything you would want to know.”

“But, what about my parents? What will I tell them? What about my friends, my office?”

“Everything has been arranged.” Winnace spoke. I gasped a bit on hearing his harsh tone.

“You tell your parents as soon as they come back that you are leaving to Rajapalayam on audit. You take a medical leave in your office. Here is your ticket. You have got your train tomorrow evening. We will be at the station to pick you up.” Harry described me the plan.

My eyes grew wider and wider as I heard Harry’s plan. I could not believe that I was going to disapparate with them tomorrow. Am I doing the right thing by lying to my parents? I wondered.

“You people know everything about me then?”

Alisis slowly nodded his head in acknowledgement.

Harry gave me a minute before he spoke again. “Can we presume that you are coming with us, Sara?”

“Won’t i? I would love to”. I smiled.

I was so restless the next day waiting that my parents noticed and questioned me about it. Though I passed it out as my office tension, I was excited and worried at the same time.  I was doubtful if all that happened was only a dream, but the ticket in my hand proved me wrong. I patiently sat in my train seat peeping through the window all the time. I got nervous when the train started moving. When I bid farewell to my parents, tears escaped my eyes out of desperation. I felt guilty on how worried my parents would be if I tell them the truth. I relaxed myself closing my eyes. As I closed my eyes, I felt two rough hands holding my both the arms. The moment I opened my eyes, I saw a blur of colors and I realized that we were moving away from the train compartment with unimaginable speed. Before I could realize that I was disapparating with them, I felt dizzy and I closed my eyes shut.

When I opened my eyes, I was lying in a cozy bed in a dark room. Bright light made my eyes glare. It took a minute for me to understand the design of the room. I was in a wide room supported by walls made of hard stone. I was in the far end where I was laid. In the middle of the room was a big window, curtained with light silk material that the sun rays came in through and flooded the entire room.  I turned my head to see a group of people crowded near a long wooden table in the center of the room. I was able to recognize the violet cloaked Alisis and black cloaked Harry seated in the far corner. Winnace was standing beside Alisis’s seat. There were four more people seated, of which one had a bushy hair pulled in a pony tail. I got up and moved my legs to get down from the bed. Though the room was scarcely equipped still I was able to see few things that distinguished the place as a wizard’s residence. In the eastern corner of the room was a dressing table on which was placed a number of colored bottles from the wrapper of which I could hear wizards calling out the effects of using them in a low voice. To the right of it was a picture of a wizard and a witch who were staring at me vividly. They turned their faces to the crowd assembled on seeing that I had noticed them. The witch cleared her throat softly, hearing which the group of wizards talking among themselves in low voices stopped short. Alisis looked at me, got up and came towards me. Slowly, the seven of them moved towards my bed. I noticed the one with a bushy hair and jumped to my feet.

“Her…Hermoine Granger??”

She smiled at me. “Hermoine Weasley. Welcome Sara, pleased to meet you.” She offered her hand. I was so thrilled to give her my hand that I stumbled. She came forward and caught me before I could fall. I stood straight and relaxed myself before I could turn to see her.

“Sorry, I am so excited. Hermoine, one of my friends who is as crazy on Harry Potter as I am, would die of jealous if she happened to know that you offered your hand to me.”

Hermoine laughed. The other wizards smiled too.

“We are perfectly delighted by your amazement and friendly attitude towards us, Sara. Let me introduce you, Mr. Henry Michelles, the Minister of magic.” He pointed to the short, plump wizard standing beside Harry. He bowed his head a little and I smiled at him.

“And this is Ms Marie Bones, the head of the department of Magical Law enforcement.”

“Hello Sara”, said the pale, skinny witch who appeared to be in her eighties.

“Hello, Ma’am! Are you by any chance related to Susan Bones?”

Marie laughed out aloud looking at Alisis. “I am surprised. Now, I believe your word, Alis, she is a natural. Yes, I am, Sara, I am her aunt. Amelia’s sister.”

“Oh, nice to meet you”

“And this is ….” I gasped on looking at the wizard who hid himself behind the others. I looked at his oily greasy hair. “Snn Ss Snape…?”

“Aw, you are amazing, Sara, yes, he is related to Severus. He is Severus’s cousin. Mr Toby Marvin Snape.”

Toby came to the front and winked at me which did not get along with his appearance. I imagined Severus winking at a muggle and I laughed.

“What is so funny, Sara?” Toby asked.

“I was just imagining your uncle winking at a muggle like me and I was unable to control my laughter. You are so different from your uncle. “

“Yes, I am. Because I am a muggle, Sara. My father was born a brother to Severus’s muggle father Tobais.”

“Oh, I see! I am pleased”

“I apologize for your inconvenience while we disapparated, Sara. Now can we have our breakfast? My friends have been waiting patient enough for you to recover. Please.” Alisis led to me to the table. I walked after him and took my seat. I looked at the table to find different food items in golden bowls placed in the center. Different sized silver plates were laid before each seat. My plate had veg noodles, potato chops, apple, banana and tomato sauce. A brass glass filled to its brim with delicious smelling milk was kept beside my plate. My stomach growled with hunger as I had not had food properly the whole day out of excitement and restlessness. I waited for others to settle down before I could lay my hands on my plate.

We all ate in silence. Though I could sense that everyone except one (Alisis) in the table had their eyes on me, I involved myself in eating. As soon as I finished my noodles, hot cheese toast and capsicum appeared. They were followed by another dish which looked very much like chicken, appeared in my plate out of nowhere. I hesitated staring at it.

“They are cauliflower fries, Sara. Rest assured. We know that you are a vegetarian.” Hermoine who was seated beside me smiled at me.

“Oh, thank you. I am surprised at your hospitality.”

As my stomach filled in slowly, I slowed down eating and spent my time glancing at the portraits hanging in the wall and examining the chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

When I finished off with my milk, all plates and vessels disappeared.

“Cool!” I muttered.

“You may rest, Sara. This house belongs to the ministry of magic. Feel at home.” Alisis smiled.

“But, you haven’t told me anything yet. Why have I been brought here? Why only me? Harry said that he wanted my help. What kind of help are you expecting? What kind of help would I be able to offer?”