Chapter One: Running

I brushed back a strand of my blonde hair that had fallen in front of my face as I ran. The alleyway was narrow and littered with trash, and rats scurried about by my feet, attracted to the stench like moths to a light. The brick walls whirred past me in a blur, and I didn't stop to examine the graffiti that covered them.

The wind picked up, and it caused my hair to lash violently back toward my face, the ends stinging the little skin with which they made contact. I shivered but did not stop. I kept running, glancing backwards to see if I was being followed, until I reached a dead end. There was a huge open dumpster, and it was exactly what I had been looking for. I leapt up into the air and landed inside the dumpster. Reaching upward, I pulled the lid down over me until I was in total darkness save for the thin slit of light that came through; I had left it open a crack to let in air.

Inside the dumpster, the smell was even worse. I remained silent, despite the fact that there were a few rats crawling all over me and clawing at my skin with their sharp nails. One of them managed to puncture the skin on my arm, and it was all I could do not to gasp in surprise as I felt a tiny trickle of blood seep out of the wound.

Listening intently, I heard approaching footsteps from somewhere in the distance. I peeked out through the crack and just barely made out the figure of a large, cloaked man. He had just turned into the alleyway. He looked around, craning his neck, and then seemed to decide that I wasn't there. He turned around and went a different way. I silently counted to one hundred before pushing the lid up from on top of me and climbing out.

I was covered in garbage and I felt like I would gag, even though I wasn't surrounded anymore. I wished I could just magic it away, but I knew I couldn't.

I was practically a Squib now.

Brushing off my clothing as best as I could, I slowly made my way back up the alley until I reached the side street that had led me into it. I looked around, hesitant, and then decided to go to the Hog's Head, the pub.

The Hog's Head, as always, was almost empty. I sat down at a table, catching my breath. I didn't know what to do. I was sure the Death Eater would eventually find me here. If only I could just Apparate out...

I heard someone approaching me and looked up. He stopped when he reached my table. I couldn't see his face, because he was wearing a cloak with the hood pulled over as far as it would go, but his body looked young and strong, with a broad build.

He spoke, and his voice, too, sounded young. I guessed that he was a few years older than my eighteen years. "What are you doing here? This isn't a place for young girls like you."

I looked up at him, trying to figure out who he was. His voice sounded vaguely familiar. "You're not so old yourself," I retorted.

He laughed. "Hello, Katie Bell."

My eyes widened in alarm. "How do you know my name? Who are you?" I strained my eyes, trying pointlessly to see, somehow, his face. I sank lower in my seat in the hopes that I would see up his hood from the opening at the bottom, but it was far too dark.

"Relax. You know who I am," he said.

I answered truthfully, "No." But the familiarity in his voice was a good one, not a bad one. I felt like I could trust him. I waited for a second, considering, then answered his first question. "I'm escaping from someone."

"Ah. May I inquire as to who this is?"

"A Death Eater. He was trying to kill me."

The person behind the hood was silent for a moment. I noticed that he seemed somewhat nervous. Then he said, "Where is he right now?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Somewhere in Hogsmeade."

His face was not visible, of course, but his body seemed to jerk back in alarm. "Why don't you Apparate somewhere else?"

I just shook my head. He stood there for a while, as if trying to figure out what I meant by that. Finally, after realizing that he was waiting for me to answer, I admitted that I couldn't Apparate.

I could almost see him, whoever he was, narrowing his eyes. "You haven't passed your test?"

I shook my head. "No, I have."

He seemed confused. "Then why...?"

I lowered my eyes, averting my gaze. I didn't want him to see the tears gathering in them; I didn't even know who he was, or why I seemed to be trusting him. "He–the Death Eater–he killed my parents," I choked. I had meant it to come out smooth and dull, without showing my emotion, but I couldn't keep back the tears now. They fell freely from my green eyes and down my face, and I didn't bother to wipe them away. "They were in the Order, and so was I, and now...he wants to–to kill me too."

The hooded person said nothing.

I looked up at him, ashamed, the tears glistening on my pale skin. "My parents meant so much to me," I whispered. "I'm so weak...I can't stand being without them. I've lost my magic."

The person, whoever he was, reached over and brushed a tear away from my face. He came over to me and said, "I'll take you to safety."

And he held me tightly at his side and Disapparated.