CHAPTER 1

Lord Aquinas, Wizard Slayer, had given many people many reasons why he did not kill her.

He himself did not know which one was the truth. They could all be the truth, yet none of them also.

To some, he told it was because she was an exceptionally talented pureblood. Studying her, would be equal to studying ten of their kind. True, so far, they haven't been able to study her. Hell, the only thing they could do was shadow her movements outside the Manor and she knew it, which kind of beats the purpose.

To some sharper ones, he told that he was thinking strategically. She was a leader, like her nosy father, and would try gather an army. An army of wizards. They were having a lot of trouble tracking their kind out. So why not let the girl do the work? After she had revealed their locations, they could take them out, one by one and raze the army to the ground. Then she would be pissed off, but start all over again; which gave them fresh kill. It had worked perfectly fine with her father anyway.

But again, she had squared him. The only thing her ever saw her do was to go shopping with her disguised house elf and go manage her family account in the internet cafe with her brother.

To the lusty lapdogs, he said that he, Lord Aquinas, had marked her down as his wife and anybody who messes with her will not live to see another day. Some actually whined at that, because she was a ravishingly beautiful girl now and she had an air about her which makes you think that getting her is an achievement in itself.

But he, and only he knew of the real reason which made him take that decision.

It was a warm, summer night. A night people simply can't spend indoors. A night especially tempting to the cooped-up Wizarding kind. An opera night. Where Juliet Edam, the Celestina Warbeck of these times, was going to perform.

The muggles hated the opera. This girl's performance especially. Of course, the wizards had wanted it just so. Though it happened in an out-of-the-way place, they were cautious.

Yes, they had to be. These damn muggles were rather sharp now. Thanks to that traitor Johanne Kathleen. And many more who tried to cash in on their limited knowledge of the Wizarding world to earn their bread. The wizards became really scared, when the muggles started seeking their kind out. They thought it would be like the thirteenth century, with witch hunts and executions left, right and centre.

But this was much worse. The muggles wanted to use them. They wanted easy solutions for their problems. There was suddenly a crazy trend of rich muggles trying to get spouses from the wizarding world. There was a fresh wave of muggle-born children; geniuses who could do impossible things at a tender age. Those who did not want to have contacts with muggles were blackmailed into doing so. The divorce rated tripled. There were a lot of single parents and a lot more people in asylums. And that was always the wizarding kind.

The wizards put their heads together and performed the mass wipeout; erasing in the minds of all the people the fact, even the possibility that there could be wizards. It worked. There would be stray incidents, but it was controlled. Any muggle who married with the intention of using the wizards quit their relationship without knowing why. Of course, the Minister of Magic was fired and the entire Ministry cleaned out; but at least, there was damage control.

But Lord Aquinas, mastermind of this movement, did not want damage control.

He wanted extermination.

And if he could not do it subtly, he was going to go out in the open.

And a warm, summer, opera night was perfect to his plans.

He wanted to use the armored Troiants, a cross of the Troll and Giant species. Put something remotely muggle-like and the wizards would all gang up. But put something even with an ounce of magic in it, they start doubting each other. It was amazing, really.

Only Helios Selwyn escaped right through his fingers. Ah, that man had what the philosophers called the Sight. At the last moment, he pulled his wife out of the Opera Hall. A pity really, since he was the biggest threat. Or so he thought.

But he could not reach his kids.

He could not pull her to safety.

And she, made him re-define his biggest threat.

Within seconds of Helios leaving the Hall, all hell broke loose. Somehow, a stunning spell ricocheted off the walls and hit Helios and his wife and they crumpled to the ground; safe outside, but without the kids. All others were bleating like sheep, running around the place and making it even more difficult for the Aurors.

Aquinas, for he wasn't Lord yet, was concealed in a corner and watching with pride, as if he was Chaos himself, the grandmaster of all confusion.

Then his eyes fell on her. She was backing into a corner, dragging a small unconscious boy along with her. They both looked remarkably like Helios. Ah, Helios was going to die anyway. Because his children certainly were.

He sought her eyes. That was something he never wanted to miss; the look in his victim's eyes: helplessness, fear, pleading; sometimes confusion, or occasionally peace. There will be defiance sometimes; in his enemy's eyes. But looking into a beautiful blue-eyed, nine-year old girl's eyes must be a treat to his soul.

He was shocked to read analysis in them.

She was totally calm, detached; watching those monsters butcher away all the other wizards. She counted them. He did so, along with her. What had started out as twenty Troiants had now dwindled to five. A confident smirk passed her lovely lips for an instant and Aquinas was piqued.

She then assessed them. Her eyes fell on their leader; the biggest, strongest, most aggressive one. She pulled out her wand and tried to move the Troiant, but to no avail. Aquinas grinned. She bit her lip; dislodged a piece of wood from the door frame and nudged the nearest Troiant to hit the ringleader.

As was the case with these brainless beasts, the bigger Troiant slaughtered the other one. She did not wait to see the result of her pairing up, already proceeding with stirring up a fight with two other beasts. There was an all-out war in a few minutes, the Troiants scratching and ripping out each other instead of the wizards, while Aquinas tore at his hair and whipped out his wand. He flicked it at the only beast left standing, the biggest one she had assessed. It got back its wits, smelt her out, and stalked up to her slowly. Aquinas grinned. His beasts had spell-proof hides. And they did not react until hit with at least ten spells. But even if she used one spell, the beast would come rushing up to her and she would be dead in a matter of seconds.

But all she did was put her unconscious brother behind her and pull out her wand.

And at that instant, it suddenly hit upon him that the hides worked only for the Ministry-approved spells.

As though that mattered. It was only a girl.

Helios's clever little girl breathing away her last seconds.

She was making use of it by pointing it at the Troiant's eye.

And she uttered, "Avada Kedavra."

The beast flew back to the wall.

She then walked up to it, cocked her head experimentally. Unaware of his eyes devouring her, she cut a few slashes on his face using a spell he had never heard: "Sectumsepra". She made it look as though he had been killed by the wall collapsing on him rather than by the Killing curse. Satisfied, she hoisted her little brother on her shoulders and left the Hall.

Aquinas stared at her like he was in a trance. The Dark Lord himself, had began using the Killing curse only when he was sixteen. And he knew all of the Dark Lord's spells by heart. And many more. But this . . . . . .was a . . . . . . Mage!

He couldn't help admiring her strategy; pit those creatures against each other and take out only the last one. Less work. And more natural and believable. Who would even dream that a nine-year-old girl had been behind the coup.

She wasn't a bit afraid that these creatures were unfamiliar in her eyes. That was the reason he used those Troiants; because the wizards simply could not adapt to change. But it didn't unhinge her the slightest. It was as though, she knew what to do.

Knowledge in a person was always dangerous.

The right course of action would be to kill her, take her out from his hidden place right now. But he couldn't do it. It was strange, the way his thoughts were running around in his mind, that night.

She is too good to be killed.

After he went back to his lair, he assessed the victims and gnashed his teeth furiously. He had only managed to kill the muggle-borns! Some half-bloods, blood traitors even. But not a single pure blood. Not one.

He wondered what made all the pure bloods to stay at home that evening.

He soon found out.

It was their kids. They all had faked some ailment, some excuse or the other and made the parents stay at home with them.

He found out that they had all done so after they had all received a letter from Selwyn Manor.

From her.

At that second, seven years ago, he made his decision.

He would not kill Selena Rosier Selwyn.

For here was an enemy he would love to have by his side.