Fifteen Minutes in London - Touch And Go

Touch And Go

Gray clouds covered the sky. The rain had finally passed off, but it was still cold. And windy. The cold wind blew harshly around the corners, trying to get hold of hats and stuffed shopping bags.

Most of the people in the busy London street were hurrying along, trying to get in the next store, before the rain started again and trying to finish their shopping as quickly as possible, so they could go home and spend the rest of the day sitting in front of their warm fireplaces, drinking hot chocolate.

Only a little 3-year-old girl, wearing bright green wellingtons and a rain coat the same color, was perfectly content. She happily hopped around, jumping in the water puddles, that had formed in the middle of the precinct, laughing when the water went splashing high in the air. Her parents and her sister were standing in front of a department store, trying to decide where to eat lunch. It seemed to be a difficult decision. Meanwhile, the girl had discovered a little puppy. She played with it for a little while and gave it a few of the sweets she carried in her pocket.

A tall man had just left a shabby pub, most people would never have noticed. He appeared to be just over thirty years old and had a hard, rather mean and determined set to his jaw. He was still preoccupied with the information he had just acquired. He now knew who had been in his way these past weeks. That one, he thought, might try to make trouble. But then, he won't be a problem. The tall man knew how to 'take care' of people who dared to oppose him. A dangerous smirk appeared on his face.

Just then, he bumped into a little girl, that was playing with a puppy. Automatically, his hand grabbed hers, just before she fell and the same instant, he told himself off for being so considerate of the little brat. And what was she staring at him for? The little brat did indeed stare at him, as tough she had been frozen. "Watch where you're playing, Mudblood!" he sneered and went on, forgetting about the incident five seconds later, as his thoughts returned to the person that would soon wish to never ever have even thought of raising its fatuous voice against him. That would be, if the worthless git would be given time to do so. The dangerous smirk reappeared.

The little girl however, did not just forget the incident. As a matter of fact, the icy coldness that had swept over her, as his hand had touched hers, would be her earliest memory. She would remember it, when, at age eleven, on the train to boarding school, a greasy haired kid would call her 'Mudblood' and she would remember it facing the flash of green light. But for now, she was still standing there, frozen. Her mother who had seen the incident came running over, fussing "Are you all right, dear?" she asked, hugging her child, but the child did not react. "Sweetie? Sweetie!" The child's answer came slowly, sounded scared and very serious. "He's evil, Mommy." The mother was shocked. "Surely that's a little to harsh, sweetie? He only bumped into you. I sure he didn't mean to. I mean it could have happened to anyone. This doesn't make him evil." But the little girl had not been thinking about that part of the incident. She only remembered the coldness.

"No, Mom." Lily Evans looked straight in her mothers eyes. "He's evil!"