"It was over before it had even begun"

His ice blue eyes followed her around the room as she made her way to the terrified house-elf, the only being in the room she could relate to it would seem. The dancing couples only serving as a barrier from his discomforting gaze for a few seconds at a time. She knew she had to ignore him, she couldn't attract too much attention, but she didn't know how much longer she'd be able to keep up her calm facade. There was only so much she could take, despite being the smartest witch of her age.

He was handsome, she would give him that, but she knew what he was like on the inside. He was a monster, in every sense of the word. Perhaps she had been too naive, trusted too easily. It was all for the greater good they said, and she accepted it all with her pride inflating at the mere thought that they had specifically chosen her for this daunting and difficult task. She was the chosen one now that her best friend, her brother, one of her only true supporters, had passed away at the hands of the snake-faced devil.

She was new to this scene, not truly knowing how to act in such an environment. She always believed the pureblood parties would have an element of fun to them, despite what they were meant to represent, despite who they were trying to ostracise from the wizarding world. Her thoughts were obviously a delusional fantasy.

Whichever way she turned male and females were separated, there was no intermingling. The richest spoke with the richest and the poorest attempting to boast of their assets to the poorest, looking longingly at the groups of the conversing super wealthy. It was sad and pathetic, but she supposed these were the times she lived in now. Money made money after all and unfortunately, knowledge and money was power, power in turn got you places. Social standing was everything to this group of people, something she would never be able to comprehend. As far as she was concerned, her friends and family were all she needed, money was just a bonus. Love, compassion and kindness was power, everything else was meaningless.

Finally, after keeping the disgust she felt for the people surrounding her off her face, she found herself in front of the house elf carrying the expensive champagne flutes. Odd that these pureblood maniacs would drink a muggle drink to refresh themselves. Ignorance was bliss she supposed.

A small smirk graced her lips at the thought but it was quickly wiped away as she heard a crash and scream coming from her right. Twisting her neck around to see what all the commotion was about, she stood there in horror. She had never grown out of her S.P.E.W. days, constantly searching for ways to protect the magical creatures who needed a voice to defend them and deserved equality. She hadn't changed at all, not even when she went back to the year 1951, and definitely not in this very situation. She didn't care if her views were opposed and she was outnumbered, she had to stand up for what she believed in.

The short, rat like man loomed over the tiny house elf, screaming obscenities at the innocent magical being. His elongated buck teeth making the words difficult to understand as he spat them out. Realising his words were getting him no enamoured glances but scathing looks instead from the beautiful ladies watching on, he quickly whipped out his wand and trained it on the defenceless elf standing before him in dirty rags.

"Cruc...", before he could finish casting his spell, he was knocked off his feet and landed on his bum 5 feet away from the elf.

"Perhaps you should pick on someone your own size, Pettigrew", her voice was mocking, her shining eyes matching her tone. She wasn't expecting to pull out her wand but she couldn't stop herself. She wasn't about to let a rat use the torture curse on one of the most caring creatures the wizarding world had to offer.

His black, beady eyes narrowed as he sized her up, determining whether or not he could defeat her in a duel. He obviously reached the wrong conclusion after his poor assessment, standing up and this time, training his wand on her. "Perhaps you shouldn't meddle in business that isn't your own, Miss Burke".

She couldn't help but smile a genuine smile. The name she had hijacked was a prominent one in the wizarding world, and the real Burke family were actually dead, giving her the perfect back story that everyone had fallen for hook, line and sinker. There was no chance someone would come forward and expose her as an impostor. She had convinced them all with ease that the ever quiet Burke family had finally decided to come out of the shadows and contribute openly to their society. Ever since she attended Hogwarts and met her two best friends, she couldn't help but get involved in business that had nothing to do with her. It had become second nature to her now, she couldn't resist. She saw the partygoers separate in anticipation of a duel, her body relaxing slightly too in preparation.

Unfortunately she had plenty of experience and she found she was an extremely gifted witch. She thrived on learning, she thrived in high pressure situations, she had become dependent on it. Many times, too many, it had been a life or death situation. There was no alternative but to learn and continue improving. That, or she'd find herself six feet under, with no-one left to mourn and grieve for her.

He was arrogant, casting a simple 'accio' expecting to take her wand from her just like that. She was faster and had plenty of experience, he should have known it wouldn't have been that easy straight after she sent him flying across the room.

"Is that all you've got?" she said, allowing laughter to seep into her words. Angering him would cause him to make mistakes. It would overshadow any logical thoughts, he would only see red, which would ultimately be his downfall. Not that he had a chance against her anyway. As far as she was concerned, the only real threat in the room was the man who sat on the sidelines, watching with intrigue.

He was a slow caster, his dark spells leaving his wand at a snail's pace, growing weaker as each one left the tip of his plain brown wand. Sidestepping his attempts to disarm and cause damage at a leisurely pace was easy, barely requiring any energy at all. To be honest, she had expected more from him, his future grandson was far better when faced with danger. Although, Peter had probably learned all of what he knew and used to survive from the "friends" he betrayed, Moony, Padfoot and Prongs. At least Peter Pettigrew had the brains to run away when he realised it was losing battle.

After a few minutes of allowing him to think he was making progress in their duel, she grew tired of the pretence. She was never one to stand there doing nothing. Everyone but William Pettigrew saw the shift in her demeanour, everyone knew things were going to take a turn for the worst for the rodent.

She cast several spells in quick succession, none of them considered dark. A rope tightly wound its way around his ankles and his wrists, making him hop around trying to regain his balance with as much dignity as he could muster. His fat cheeks were turning an embarrassing shade of red, comparing him to a tomato was much too kind at this point. His squinted eyes were suddenly blindfolded by her next spell, his breath coming out in ragged puffs, his fear overpowering his every thought now.

It was satisfying to watch she had to admit. She had never considered herself a sadist, and she didn't think she actually was, but there was something so good about seeing the people you detest suffer. The pureblood socialites were laughing at him she realised, the humiliation rolling off him in waves. Deciding she should put him out of his misery sooner rather than later, she had one more thing left to do. Strolling up to him, her long red dress trailing along the wooden floors, her gold high heels clicking as she took each step and her brunette hair crackling with power, she whispered in his ear as she reached him.

"Perhaps next time Pettigrew, it would be wise to follow my advice" pulling away from him, she released him from her spells, watching him fall to the floor in a heap. He scrambled up from the floor, casting a quick look to someone behind her, his face freezing in fear before he turned and ran from the room, faster than she thought possible for the obese man.

She watched him leave, the heavy oak doors slamming behind him as he made his dramatic exit. Stowing her wand back in the sleeve of her dress, she too turned, searching for another house elf with a champagne flute. God knew she needed more after that spectacle, no doubt she'd have to suffer through many conversations regarding it for the rest of the night, defending her views on house elf rights.

However, before she could look much further, chocolate met ice and she knew that was the end. That was the moment she realised she could no longer remain invisible. That was the moment she knew her mission to destroy Lord Voldemort was over. Tom Marvolo Riddle had his sights set firmly on his new interest, Hermione Jean Granger. It was over before it had even begun.

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