Disclaimer: I do not own any of the recognizable characters or pieces of the plot. I am a guest in this world, and give my thanks to its creator.
'Just One Drop'
Once upon a time, many moons ago, a girl with long blonde hair considered everything she believed in. Her father had taught her faith in her own thoughts; her mother had taught her the confidence to give that knowledge to the world. But what was the point to give, the girl thought, if you were really only giving one drop of water to the ocean?
She had sat on the floor, reading one of the many books her parents had provided her with. Fact or fiction, muggle or magic, all stories and tales were welcome in her world, and, for the most part, accepted as reality. Her mother had sat on a stool, examining and recording, measuring and considering. Every afternoon she had come downstairs to the workroom to be with her mother. Who would not want to be with their mentor, their mother, the one they looked up to most of all?
The girl had come to the end of a chapter, and had looked up at her mother, the older woman's blonde hair pinned up in a messy bun as she counted tiny blue baubles being dropped into a beaker.
"Mother, what are you making?" The girl had asked when her mother had finished with the item.
The girl's mother had smiled kindly. Her mother had had the kindest of smiles, the warmest of hearts. "I'm making a potion, darling, but it is nothing of consequence, not yet. It is not nearly finished."
"What else do you have to add to the potion?" The girl had always been curious. Her mother had called it her greatest gift, for every child who wished to know and understand, needed to have the desire to learn.
"I have not figured that out yet. Perhaps one more drop of this," she had gestured to one vial of green gas, "or a piece of that," she had motioned to another jar of something that looked like mushrooms. "I believe that it might be the green one, but these things are not to be rushed, don't you agree?"
The girl had nodded, and had turned back to her book, while her mother had turned back to her mixing. For some while longer they had sat in silence, considering their respective works. However, the girl had left one question unasked.
"Mother, why do you invent things?"
Her mother had considered the inquiry. Slowly, she had said, "I invent so that I may give something back to the world. I have been given a wonderful life and a beautiful daughter, but I want to give something in return."
The girl had thought about this for a second. "I want to give something, too, Mother. What do you think I should give?"
Again, her mother had thought. Smiling and taking her daughter in her arms, she had said "Give everything you can, darling. Even if all you have is just one drop of knowledge or love or bravery or loyalty, then that is what you must give. You are very beautiful, and very smart, and I shall always love you, no matter what. Will you remember that, my darling?"
The girl had nodded and had kissed her mother on the cheek. She had a mission, to give all she could. She had worried that she could not complete her task.
She had taken another look at the book she had been reading: a fairy tale, with a princess and a prince and a pleasant ending. However, if she had so much to learn and complete, she had decided to get a book that could teach her something, not make her wish for a fairy tale ending.
"I'm going to get a different book, Mother." She had called out as she walked to the stairs.
Her mother had called out behind her, "Alright, dear. I think I shall add just one more thing before I follow you."
The girl turned back to see which item her mother had decided to add to her anonymous mixture, and with a flash of blue light, her world had become dark.
Once upon a time, many moons ago, a girl with long blonde hair considered everything she believed in, and she decided that from then on, she would give everything she could: her knowledge to her work, her love to her father, her bravery to her friends, and her loyalty to her mother's dream.
Even if it was only one drop.