Seething anger filled Aileen's every nerve.

How dare they! One day they'll all be sorry! Damn those pitiful muggles!

Every fibre of her body seemed to be calling for revenge. The hate she felt was stronger than anything she had ever felt before. For a moment, it confused her, but once the confusion left only anger remained. She pedalled harder, wanting to hide from the world. . .and plot her revenge.

When she arrived at home, Aileen immediately sensed that something was wrong. The curtains in the kitchen were still drawn, there were no clothes on the line outside, and it looked as if the plants hadn't been watered yet. Slowly, Aileen opened the door, looking around carefully. Something brushed against her legs, and she had to fight hard to keep herself from screaming. When a loud meow revealed the source of the movement, Aileen felt somewhat foolish.

"Hi Lune. . .what are you doing here all alone? Hasn't grandmother let you out yet?" she asked the cat, even though she knew that she would not receive an answer. Lune looked up at her with intelligent eyes, and left the house through the still-open door.

"Grandmother?!?" Worry and fear started creeping up on Aileen. It was very much unlike her grandmother to forget about her chores. . .especially the cat.

"Grandmother!!! Where are you?" Aileen's calls echoed throughout the house, unheard.

"Grandmother!" she called again, an edge of panic in her voice. Aileen ran up the stairs to her grandmother's room. Immediately, she saw the shape of her grandmother, sprawled on the bed. Aileen started approaching her, pleading for her to be alright.

Oh god no! She can't be. . .dead. . .no, no, "NO!" she yelled the last word.

"Grandmother! Please! Wake up!". She said the last few words in a whisper, interrupted by loud sobs.

Slowly, Aileen walked to the phone and called an ambulance. Maybe. . .just maybe. . . a voice in the back of her head hoped. Angrily, she dismissed it. What was the point in dreaming? "Only through action can anything be gained." Her grandmother's words echoed through her head, pushing out all thoughts of "maybe. . ."

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Her grandmother HAD been alive. . .but only just. She died in the hospital the next day, leaving Aileen an orphan. Aileen yelled, cried, used violence - all to no avail: the orphanage was to be her new home.

The day after her grandmother's death, the muggles sent Aileen back to her house in order to pack her things.

As she walked through the now deserted house, Aileen's sadness was once more replaced by anger. She blamed the muggles for her grandmother's death - first for keeping her at school when she should have been at home where she might have been able to help her grandmother, and secondly Aileen was sure that the muggle doctors were incapable and useless. She wished she knew how to call the wizard ambulance - medi-wizards would surely have succeeded where the muggle-doctors had failed.

That cursed day! Aileen swore to herself, I should have never gone to school! Damned muggle boys, damned girl, damned principal, damned barbie-girl, damned WORLD!

Not thinking clearly in her rage, Aileen snatched up her wand, ran down the stairs, grabbed her bike and made her way towards the school. As she had expected, barbie-girl and her fanclub were sitting on the benches, obviously busy bitching about others.

As she ran towards them, Aileen snatched up a few wisps of their conversation.

". . .always knew she was sorta weird. . ."

". . .but she didn't look so bad. . ."

". . .serves her right. . .orphanage. . .got rid of her. . ."

". . .don't think. . .killed her grandmother. . .not smart enough. . ."

Aileen had heard enough.

"Hi girls!" she announced her presence in an overly sweet voice.

Startled, one of barbie-girls friends let out a quick gasp before regaining her composure at a venomous glance from barbie-girl.

"Aileeeen. . .how nice to see you again. I'm reeeally sorry to hear 'bout your granny." The way she said it made it sound insincere and mocking.

STUPID bitch. . .so goddamn FAKE. . .oh well. . .she's about to pay for it. . .

Aileen smiled maliciously as she pulled out her wand. Barbie-girl seemed afraid for a second, but as Aileen's hand produced nothing more than a wooden stick, she burst out laughing. "What are you gonna do? Beat me up with a stick?!?"

By now, all her friends had joined in the laughter as well. Aileen just kept on smiling as she pointed her wand at barbie-girl.

"Furnunculus!" she yelled, and barbie-girl was hit with a blast of light.

Now suddenly afraid, barbie-girl's friends started backing away from Aileen, their eyes wide open.

Barbie-girl was screaming in agony and fear as boils started appearing all over her. Meanwhile, Aileen was laughing madly. It would have been fun to do something more serious, perhaps even kill the girl, but Aileen did not yet know enough magic to perform such a curse. But she was definitely feeling better now that she had released part of her anger.

However, Aileen's revenge was short-lived. Suddenly, witches and wizards started appearing all around the group of girls, and none of them was laughing. While one performed a counter-curse on barbie-girl, several performed a memory-charm on the other girls so that they would forget all about this event. Two more approached Aileen, who had been trying to sneak away.

"Aileen Maeve O'Connor! Stop right there! Drop your wand and keep your hands where we can see them"

Oh great. The wizard version of police. Aileen groaned to herself, but did as she was told.

The two wizards approached her carefully, trying to determine if she would try and run or use any form of violence.

"Aileen?" the older one, a witch of around 40 years started speaking, "My name is Cassandra Wellington. I am from the ministry of magic. We are not here to hurt you, but to help you. It would make things much easier for all of us if you cooperated. I have orders to take you to the ministry, where we will decide about what will happen to you."

Cassandra kept approaching Aileen until she was facing her.

"Let's go" she said in a sympathetic voice, and Aileen couldn't help but like the woman. Without any further protest, Aileen followed Cassandra, who took her back to the ministry using a portkey they had brought with them.

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