"How did you do that?" The biggest one asked, confused and just a little angry.
The smallest, who really wasn't very small at all if one looked at him from a six year old girl's point of view, gave her a little smile. "Could you teach me?"
"Me too!" This came from the unremarkable one that stood in the middle.
Ariana knew that she'd get in very much trouble for talking to these boys. She could hear her father's voice telling her to be careful, that magic was for witches and wizards only. "I can't." She managed to stammer out, feeling guilty.
"Why?" Asked the big one, "You think we're too dumb to do your stupid magic trick?" He marched over to her. "Show me again, it didn't look so hard."
Ariana focussed hard on the flower in her palm, willing it to twirl and dance in the air once more. It barely twitched and she sighed. "I can't do it again, I'm sorry."
"Why?" They all asked, moving in closer.
"The magic isn't working." Ariana said, before realising that as muggles these boys wouldn't have a clue what she meant.
The small one glared at her now. "Magic isn't real! That was just a trick and we want to see."
"You better show us." The unremarkable one stepped forward.
Ariana was beginning to get mad. "Or what?"
With that he kicked her in the shin with his boot-clad foot. With a cry Ariana fell to the ground. "Are you going to show us now?" He questioned.
"I told you I can't. The magic won't work for me properly until I'm older!" Ariana sniffled, clutching her hurt leg. This unremarkable boy was beginning to seem very remarkable, and for all the wrong reasons.
"Magic is just something from stories, you silly little girl." The big one kicked her now.
Ariana held her hand up and forced herself to concentrate, slowly the daisy began to twirl before collapsing back into her hand.
For a moment the boys were silent.
"You're a little freak." The small one snarled and they were upon her.
Kicking and punching they screamed at her. "Magic isn't real."
She curled inwards but the unremarkably remarkable boy grabbed her, tearing open the front of her dress. From his pocket he produced a small knife and brought it to her chest. The pain lanced through her and she screamed and wailed. "Stop! Magic isn't real! I'll never do any tricks again."
The boy paused and Ariana began to relax. "I think you need to remember this. Just in case you ever forget that you're a freak." The agony began again, blood staining the remains of her dress.
"Magic isn't real." She moaned, over and over. The pain was a living entity, chewing her up and spitting her out. She was unwanted. She was disgusting.
"Ari!" A voice cried but she could not tell who. "Get away from her, you bastards! Father! Mother!"
The magic in her body sparked painfully, blending with the pain of her wounds.
"Tergeo." Her mother muttered, letting out a gasp at the words that became visible.
Percival stared at his daughter's mutilated body, where the word 'Freak' had been carved into her skin. He set off in pursuit of the monsters who dared to injure his precious child.
Ariana, gasping through her pain, passed the broken daisy to her brother. "No more magic, Aberforth." She murmured, looking past him. "Magic isn't real."
...
Ariana watched from far away as he father disappeared, then her mother.
She watched as her big brother was led astray by his traitor heart.
She watched as Aberforth kept her safe.
She watched as the green lights soared to her and the magic encompassed her.
The unremarkably remarkable boy was wrong.
Magic was real.
Real enough to kill over.
And real enough to kill.
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