The Hated Hero

Rowan Starkiller

It didn't take long. Not as long as Delphi thought it would. One of the pukwudgies was applying a paste made from the Slytherin tree to various burns and bruises she hadn't realized that she had to her body when the screams started.

A single, lone star had shot into the sky-it glowed red for a moment, and then exploded, turning the pitch black night to red, and people began panicking like they had the night Carren Starkiller had regained her powers.

"What's going on?" Delphi asked.

"That's a fire star," one of the pukwudgies said, the one who was called William. "Rare ability, even in the Starkiller family. But he summoned a fire star."

"I don't get it, what's going on?" Delphi asked.

"Fire stars wake dragons from hibernation," William said. "And they tend to summon them from other worlds."

"Other worlds?" Delphi asked.

"What are they teaching you? Yes, other worlds? I'm old and I know that!" William complained. "Oh, great. We're gonna have dragons to deal with. Great."

"How long do we have?" Delphi asked, dragging herself to her feet.

"Kid, no one expects you to fight another dragon," William said, his pudgy hand pushing her back down.

"I have a better idea how to fight one," Delphi retorted. Before the pukwudgie could reply, she bolted out of the hospital wing and ran for her dorm room. After what felt like too long, she opened Tahlia's trunk and pulled out her sword, and then Delphi jumped out the window, trusting her internal magic to catch the fall. It did, surely, although Delphi could've sworn she'd rolled her ankle, and she drew her wand.

"Take me to Carren," she commanded. A portal opened, and Delphi stepped through to a clearing lit in red.

A silver dragon hovered above, blocking out the light briefly, and Delphi looked around quickly. Carren and a man Delphi had never seen before stepped out of the shadows.

"You're not taking my son away from me!" Carren shouted, but the strange man held his hand up, and Carren reluctantly was quiet.

"Relax, daughter," the man said with a lazy ease. "The girl won't be coming to take him. Besides, I believe she has another problem to deal with."

With a flick of his wand, the silver dragon dived, spitting fire, and Delphi barely shielded herself from the flames. When she rose, the man was laughing.

"Ah, young heroes, so bold, only to falter when real danger comes," he remarked. "Now, child, just who do you think you are?"

"Delphini Naga Riddle," Delphi said with a pride she hadn't truly understood until that moment. "The daughter of Lord Voldemort."

"You mean the pale idiot in Britain?" the man laughed. "That's who the Brits call a Dark Lord? You must be joking!"

"Well who are you?" Delphi sneered.

"Well, since you asked," the man drawled. "Rowan Wenlock Starkiller-the greatest Dark Lord of them all, trained by Grindelwald himself. What do they teach children these days?"

"Grindelwald?" Delphi felt a lump rising in her throat.

"Oh, good, so they are teaching children something," he said jovially to Carren, who didn't seem nearly as happy. "You've got one more chance to run, little girl. Because ready or not, here he comes."

Delphi looked up at the dragon, back to Starkiller, and then ran. Fire chased her through the forests as she continued to run as fast as she was able. As her legs began to fail her, she slid under a log and rolled as the dragon continued to barrel past.