The Murderer

[Xanthe Lynnette Murder]

The dead weight of Servilius Murder was heavy on Xanthe’s right shoulder. Her son was slung over her body, his head bumping against her back at every step she took. He had put up quite a fuss before she was able to stupefy and finally seize him. Surprisingly, Servilius’s blindness was not something that defected his magical abilities at all… and Xanthe had the marks to prove it. Even without her speaking once he was able to figure out her location to nail her with a few curses. Remarkable, in her eyes.
She let out a soft sigh, the Gryffindor common room coming into view as she ascended the second to last flight of stairs that would bring her to the Fat Lady’s portrait. God, she hated doing this. The woman hated herself for what she had allowed herself to become; someone that steals her own son out of his bed and a helpless Gryffindor girl for sacrificial screening. Though, no matter what, Xanthe was willing to do anything to save the girl and Servilius’s lives.
Her free hand curled slightly.
Anything.
“Nnnngghhh…”
Her thin eyes opened wide, shifting to the sleeping raven-haired boy without a second’s hesitation. Her wand was at the ready incase he awoke, but instead her face flushed red.
Servilius’s fingers gripped almost unnoticeably onto her cloak sleeve, wrapping them within the soft, cotton fabric. He nearly seemed to smile, but Xanthe chalked that up to imagination. It reminded her of when he was a baby in her arms, sleeping, and immersing himself in his blankets with a full belly. She remembered holding him tightly to her chest, keeping him warm from the winter’s chill. It was such a hard time in her life… but one of the most sweetest, magical ones at the same time. If only she could go back and change a few things… then maybe neither of them would have had it this hard. Xavier and Cumin included.
I’ve messed so much up…
Xanthe finally approached the Gryffindor common room entrance. She gave her wand a swift, aggressive flick, ripping the portrait and sending the Fat Lady squealing off into another painting. She didn’t care if the drawn woman told everyone in the castle; Xanthe would be sure she would not get caught. She was hooded, her hair tucked in and in a ponytail to her head, and anyway, before leaving, she would give the children an important message after they awoke. That is, unless Kyla too gave her a tough time.
But until then…
The Potions Professor stepped into the room, red and gold engulfing her emerald and silver aura. The trophy cabinet held past Gryffindor successes, a few of them Xanthe hatefully sneered at, for they should have belonged to Slytherin. It really didn’t matter now, since those grudges were stupid schoolgirl jealousies. Passing the burgundy furniture, she found the girl’s dormitory and opened the door. If she was correct, Kyla should be in the dorm a little ways down the hall and to the right.
Her stomach was sick.
Approaching the door, she opened it slowly and peeked inside through a crack she had made by twisting the golden knob. Through the darkness and the silver moonlight she made out Kyla’s face and a fan-shaped form of her curly red hair against the white pillow. She quickly knocked out the three other students with a spell, not wanting to take any more chances than she had to.
Xanthe leaned over Kyla. She frowned sadly as her hand cupped over her tiny shoulder, shaking her gently.
Why… am I doing this?
“Wake up… wake up…”

[Kyla Joy Callaghan]

nfortunately the small, red-headed Gryffindor had only fallen asleep moments ago with an awful lot of work due to a rather annoying cold she had caught that left her sniffling and nearly choking every few seconds. She hardly ever got sick at home. She couldn't even remember the last time she had to deal with this problem before coming to Hogwarts. But, it wasn't all that surprising. Put a bunch of children together, most of whom probably don't take the time to wash their hands after using the bathroom or after wiping snot from their dirty little noses, and eventually everyone is bound to get some kind of sickness. She was just unlucky enough to not be so immune to these types of things, since she hadn't spent much of her young life dealing with it like other students had. It was so bad that for some time before seeing the nurse, Kyla thought that she was actually dying. But the woman had assured her that it was nothing at all, just a little thing that would pass with warm food and lots of rest. Kyla didn't exactly believe her. But she could put up with it. If she could handle not talking and being around parents who seemed to adore the Dark Lord more than their own daughter, then she could put up with a little cold for a few days.

Kyla happened to be a very heavy sleeper, and generally as soon as she drifted off she was out for good until the sunlight pouring into the dormitory woke her up. Dreams overtook her mind almost immediately, and Kyla easily got lost within her dreams. They were more realistic than she would like them to be, even if they weren't nightmares. She didn't exactly like waking up in the morning thinking that she had actually jumped up in one of her classes and casted an unforgivable curse on one of the obnoxious boys that seemed to always be around, even if it was what she wanted. So now, even as someone touched her and shook her, Kyla didn't stir from slumber. Her mind was occupied with the images swirling around in her head.

She was outside, lurking around the edge of what the professors and other students called The Forbidden Forest. It was dark, but Kyla could see the lighter blue off in the distance, a sign of the sun rising on Hogwarts. Why was she out here so late, or so early? Her nose wrinkled in confusion as she turned away from the Forest and glanced curiously around her. "Are you coming?" a voice cut through the thick, black silence and Kyla whipped around to see someone she didn't expect to see in her dreams. That blind boy who was in Potions with her, and a few other classes that she couldn't remember at the moment. What was his name? "Servilius? What? Where would I be going with you?" She didn't want to say it, but her mind was set on how he was an 'icky boy'. It wasn't until she had finished speaking that she realized she was actually speaking! Kyla put her hand over her mouth and furrowed her brow. She wasn't suppose to do that! That was breaking the law of the Dark Lord! Servilius seemed to give her an odd look, then opened his mouth to speak.

"Wake up...wake up.." Kyla could feel her aching body being moved back and forth when she finally was pulled back into consciousness. There was a silent groan before Kyla's eyes slowly fluttered open and moved lazily upward at the figure shaking her. A quiet gasp and Kyla scrambled up onto her feet, staring wide-eyed up at what looked like her Potions professor. Her head shook a bit and she glanced toward the dormitory door, sniffling pathetically.

[Xanthe Lynnette Murder]

“It’s okay, Kyla,” Xanthe cooed, taking a step toward the silent girl. She heaved upwards once to reposition a lagging Servilius, caught so deep in sleep one could swear he was dead. Her green eyes shimmered blue in the moonlight, the shadows painting her face in back and white. Her form looked dark and evil from the way her cloak cast its silhouette. The Potions professor’s expression turned sympathetic, taking note of the sniffling Kyla was making. The poor girl had probably caught a cold, and of course, she wouldn’t be able to tell anyone. What a curse, that damned curse. A nice little girl like the curly-haired Gryffindor did not deserve her voice stolen from her. However, it was much nicer than the next alternative, the one the Dark Lord used most often; death. Yes, Xanthe preferred Kyla losing her voice rather than her life, though, it was still so unfortunate.
The woman’s gaze followed Kyla’s to the dormitory door. She blinked back to her, sadness in her heart reflecting off of her face.
She sighed. “Listen, you’ve got to trust me,” Xanthe said, squatting down to Kyla’s eye level, despite the girl being feet away. “If you don’t come with me, I will get in big trouble, maybe die. Why is this a big deal to you, you ask? Because I will protect you from those that could harm you. You may not believe me, but it’s true. Why else would I kidnap my own son and put him in potential danger unless I had to? Oh-!”
She slapped a hand over her mouth quickly once she realized what she had just said. Her eyes widened and she waved her hand wildly back and forth in front of her, her face flushing red as if to dismiss her words.
“You didn’t hear that…” Xanthe’s voice shook a moment, but she cleared her throat it gradually regained its level.
“I will be taking you to the Malfoy Manor tonight to see the Dark Lord. If you stay close to me, you’ll be fine. I will not let anyone do anything to you, I promise. And if I break it…”
The cloaked woman stood up and walked the short distance over to Kyla, only to crouch down again. She smiled at her and held up her pinky, Servilius still slumped limply across her shoulder.
“If I break my promise to you, you can let everyone know my little secret. No one but you and I in Hogwarts know. I assure you it would ruin my life, believe me. So what do you say?” Xanthe whispered, bending her pinky finger to Kyla. “Is it a promise or what? Let me prove to you I am worth your trust.”