She was running "Hey dungbrain! Bet you don't have the bravery to face us" a voice shouted. They were getting closer, and then she suddenly slipped and fell. They stood over her and a boy, Magnus Malfoy pulled his wand out of the sleeve of his cloak. Helga winced, preparing to be hit by a hex.
Magnus had just moved into her town a few years ago, and had been her rival ever since. She wished she could go to school like him, so she wouldn't be such an easy target, but all the good wizarding schools weren't for girls.
"Magnus Malfoy!" A shrill voice screeched, "Get in the house right this instant! Your cousin, Salazar is here."
"Coming, mother." Magnus grumbled, "I'll get you next time, Helga, we'll Crucio you until you lose your mind . Maybe me and Salazar will get you together"
Trembling, Helga got up. Who was this Salazar and what would they do to her? She decided she would stay away from this newcomer. If he was related to Malfoy in any way, he probably meant trouble.
Helga started to head home. She lived with her rich godmother, Eada, but she didn't pay much attention to her. The neighborhood kids bullied her because she was an orphan, who didn't go to school and didn't come from a rich family, like them. Helga didn't want to keep this forever. She didn't like this feeling, and she wanted to change it, change her life and the way that people saw her. But this wasn't something she could change. The only way to change the way people saw her was to do better, making them have nothing bad to say . Although Malfoy insulted Helga about her looks too, since she was fat and ugly. That was something she could never change. Helga decided to cook when she got home. Cooking was her talent, and it always made her feel better. In her own cooking world, there was no noise. There was only herself and the aroma of sweets and freshly baked pumpkin pasties. She liked the feeling of this, being in her special world where there were no hurtful words or worries.
"Eada, I'm going to use the kitchen!" Helga called when she entered the manor.
"Alright, alright," Eada grunted, "But I don't want to see another stain of frosting on my walls, girl, or you'll be cleaning it up."
"Of course I won't, Eada, I promise." Helga assured. She grabbed a wooden rod and took some fire from the chimney. She put the flaming stick in the oven and waited for the fire to spread. Once the fire was big and flickering, she took a large, silver bowl and poured flour into it. She started mixing more ingredients into her bowl and soon enough the kitchen was filled with the smell of cake. Helga dipped a finger into the batter and tasted it. Good, she thought, but definitely not enough .
She stood there staring at the batter for a while, wondering if she should use magic. Eada didn't like it when she used magic in the house, but Helga knew she had a talent when it came to food charms. Looking around to make sure her godmother wasn't nearby, she pointed at the cake batter and a sparks shot from her finger into the mixture. A thrill of excitement ran through her as she felt the magic work. She loved magic, especially when she was using it for cooking. Helga tasted some of the batter again. Perfect , she thought happily. Then turned around to pour the batter into a pan, and almost dropped the bowl.
Sitting next to the stove was a house-elf. Helga stared at the house-elf with her mouth hanging open. She (the house-elf seemed to be female) was sleeping, and was in pitiful condition. One of her long ears was badly burned, and she had bruises all around her neck, as if someone had tried to choke her. Her leg was bent at an awkward angle, so it was likely broken. Helga's heart hurt just from looking at the sleeping figure. When Helga put the bowl on the table the house-elf woke up.
The elf quickly scrambled to her feet. "Miss! Flippy is not meaning to bother you, only Master has freed Flippy accidentally and now Master is searching. I doesn't wish to go back to master, please don't tell anyone I is here."
"Of course I won't tell anyone. Let's heal your ears and leg, then I'll find somewhere to hide you" Helga answered without a second thought. Her blood boiled with rage at the thought of Flippy's cruel master, and although she knew helping the house-elf could put her in deep trouble, she didn't care. She had to help Flippy. She moved closer and reached out to heal Flippy's ear, moving slowly and carefully. Although it took a great deal of her energy, she managed to heal the ear and leg. Suddenly she heard the door open, her aunt was coming home! Helga quickly rushed to her room and hid Flippy in her closet.
"Just stay quiet, my aunt is home" Helga whispered to Flippy. Then Helga rushed back to the kitchen.
She poured the batter of the cake into a pan and quickly stuffed it into the oven to bake. As the kitchen filled with the scent of pumpkin and spices, Helga could feel her fear and worries ebbing away. Maybe this could work out after all , she thought.