“Myles!” pleaded a dark haired woman as she grabbed at the man’s hand; Myles withdrew rapidly from the physical contact. “Myles! Listen to yourself!”
His eyes remained trained on the ground in front of his feet, willing them to move forwards; Myles refused to look back at the woman. He knew what he had to do, but if he looked into the woman’s eyes, he was aware that his determination would falter. His will to walk away would collapse. She would and could never understand the situation he had been placed in. It was between his wants and his needs. Although, not only was it impossible for her to understand, but this all could have been different if he had only been truthful from the beginning. Guilt plagued him.
Why couldn’t I have been good at Quidditch or Muggle Studies? No, I had to be best at Herbology and Potions. Not only best in my class, but among the best in the world, Myles thought regretfully. Maybe if his Hogwarts’ career had been different, he wouldn’t have been in such a predicament.
Myles had long since decided that his fate was a cruel one. He had once believed that he was privileged to come from such an understanding pure-blood family and to be gifted with such a magical talent. When he fell in love with a Muggle woman, his family embraced his decision. His younger brother would continue the pure-blood line, while Myles lived amongst the Muggles, doing his work with Potions in hiding. Even his family had warned him against keeping his identity a secret for too long, but Myles had always believed he had plenty of time. Unfortunately, this had proven to be untrue.
“Leila, you know I have-”
“I’m pregnant, Myles! You can’t leave us,” interrupted Leila as she rubbed at her eyes. She ripped his small suitcase from his grasp, sending it propelling backwards.
Myles faltered and turned at the statement and the loud crash. He quickly ignored the suitcase; it wasn’t a necessary possession, anyway. At the sight of his one true love, he yearned to take her in his arms and never let go, but he knew it was impossible.
“I-I’m sorry, but this is for your protection," insisted Myles, his voice barely above a whisper.
Myles knew that he had not only ruined his life by his decision, but also the life of this innocent Muggle woman’s also. He had nothing to offer her. Nothing. All he ever had was his love for her. But now she had to raise a magical child, who she wouldn’t even know was magical until it was eleven, and she had nothing to her name but a few pounds. “It’s best if you just forget about me... Don’t try to find me, Leila. Just forget everything.”
“Protection from what?” Leila sobbed. “I can’t forget you, Myles. Don’t you see that? You can’t just walk out on us. You can’t!”
But he had already disappeared through the door and was out of sight.
!~!~!~!~!~!
“Myles,” a masculine voice began, “you’ve become a very difficult person to find lately. Don’t doubt the the Dark Lord’s power.”
Myles winced, wondering how long it would take to withdraw his wand from inside his robes. The Death Eater pair, unfortunately, already had their wands drawn. He knew it to be impossible.
“I’ve been busy,” murmured Myles, barely trusting his voice not to betray him.
“Busy hiding from us, that is,” stated the man. Myles could sense him smirking at the accomplishment of finally tracking his victim.
Please don’t say I’ve acted too late. You can’t know about her.
“I’ve had to travel a lot for work. Collecting rare plants and ingredients for new potions,” Myles said defensively.
“The Dark Lord orders you to leave your job for him,” blunted said the Death Eater. “You would be very beneficial to his cause.”
Myles knew it had been coming. He had been tipped off by an Order of the Phoenix member. That fateful day was what had started this entire mess. The day he had left Leila, however, he knew the decision he would make when the time came.
“What exactly is his cause?” questioned Myles, his mind reeling in search of a chance for escape. If I can just get my wand, I can Apparate through a few countries. Maybe camp in the Sahara desert...
“Magical purity,” answered the man easily. “Wizards over Muggles.”
“By force?” Myles already knew the answer.
“That is the only way. The Muggles must learn to recognise their rightful place in the hierarchy.”
“That’s a bunch of guff,”stated Myles. Frustration leaked through is voice. However, the emotion was more with himself than the Death Eaters. How could I have been so stupid to not keep moving? He swallowed hard, realising his mistake too late.
“Guff?” repeated the other Death Eater. Her voice immediately revealed her identity. Bellatrix Lestrange.
“Nonsense,” slowly modified Myles. “His cause is nonsense.”
“Guff?” Bellatrix asked incredulously, as if she hadn’t heard Myles’s explanation. “Hear that, Rudolphus? He thinks it’s a bunch of guff!” She spat, as if the word disgusted her. “Hanging around Muggles, are we? Tut tut, the Dark Lord won’t be pleased, Myles. You don’t want the Dark Lord to be displeased, do you?”
“Join us,” demanded Rudolphus. “I assure you, it’s far from nonsense.”
I’m sorry, Leila. I’m sorry, my soon-to-be child. But this is all for your protection. One day, you’ll recognize my sacrifice.
Myles could only manage a shake of his head. Denial. His voice refused to be of any use.
“Well then, you’re considered an enemy.”
One day you’ll understand... One day...
Green light flooded the atmosphere.
A Father's Sacrifice by FeatherTrader
Chapter Notes: Huge thanks to Ashley for Beta reading this for me!