Stairway to Heaven

Monday passed excruciatingly slowly. Misty tried not to let her growing suspicion and dread get to her, but it was to no avail. She went about her duties with unease, finding it hard to look Lucius in the eye. And she avoided Davina--or whoever she was--at all costs.

Then Tuesday came, and, inevitably, Wednesday. New Year's Eve.

Misty woke much earlier than usual, climbing into her window seat in hopes of finding comfort in the sunrise. Instead, she found her thoughts moving inward. She could not help thinking of her father, and Lucius, and the power she was capable of.

Domination Legilimency was a truly awe-inspiring power. She could control anyone and everyone, could twist their wills to do as she commanded. Her enemies could die by their own hands, and her friends could succeed with the most amazing and best of luck. Misty had the world at her fingertips, and she had only to wish to be the most powerful person of all.

But then Misty remembered what she had read about her ancestor, Owain Tewdwr. He hadn't succumbed to the temptation. He had used his power to ease his conscience, not his greed, and Misty found herself hoping that she could be as pure as he had been.

That was when Misty realized what she really felt. After years of living in her father's house, a Death Eater's house, Misty had molded to the lifestyle. But not because she was born loving it; because she was born loving her father and mother, and she had always striven to please them.

Now Misty had found her independence, here in Malfoy Manor, working and supporting herself. With that independence, Misty was also able to see where her loyalties lay.

Misty did not believe in Good and Bad. A person's actions cannot be truly deemed as Good--every human was made with imperfection. Just as no one could be truly Bad--everyone had family and friends, the least of which they respected, if not loved.

Instead, Misty found herself believing in Moral and Immoral. There were those actions that could be justified, that were made with the best in mind. And then there were actions that could not be explained or excused, those undeniable, unredeemable actions. And these actions, the Immoral ones, were actions that Misty did not support, and she would not want to find herself doing such things.

If Misty could find any justification for her support of the Dark Lord, other than the guidelines that came with her surname, it would be her views toward Immoral actions. After all, the very idea that Muggle-borns should be trained in the magical arts was Immoral in itself.

But can Immorality counter Immoral actions? Misty could not bring herself to deny the ideas she had nursed since infancy, but she did find herself doubting the Dark Lord's actions. They were, after all, nothing but murder, and the full severing of her bond with her father brought her to that realization.

The Dark Lord was a murderer, and his actions were only Immoral ones. For once, Misty found herself glad of the justice he was given, if not for its consequences--the downfall of her family. And she knew then that if her power ever tempted her, she would not use it, because she felt in her heart the dislike for Immoral actions.

So Misty rose to face the New Year, and Lucius Malfoy, and all the actions, Moral or Immoral, that would follow.