DISCLAMER: Obviously, any OC's you come across are mine. Any characters that you recognize from the world of Harry Potter? Yeah, those are not mine. They belong to J.K. Rowling

AN: Hello! I do hope that you enjoy this story as much as I am going to enjoy writing it. Ria is a very important voice that's been running around in my head for years. I would also like to request having a beta reader as this is my very precious child. If you are interested, feel free to PM me with some credentials. Or...feel free to leave a review! Regardless, whether or not you read the chapter and choose not to come back or you keep coming back for more, welcome to how I see the world of Harry Potter!

Chapter 1
"We are pleased to inform you…"

Lacria was sitting in her room reading a book when it arrived. At first, she had not wanted to be interrupted while she was reading because it was a book that was of particular interest to her. It was a Muggle book that she had managed to sneak in while her father had been out on business. This book had magical objects that talked and had a mysterious beast that was apparently under a spell. It was amusing to think that there were people who wrote such interesting things and made such attempts at making everyone believe that magic really did exist.

"Mistress…a letter has arrived for you," a timid voice spoke.

Lacria looked up from her book over to the house elf who was carrying a small silver tray and it held a small letter that bore the Hogwarts Crest. In a matter of moments, the book was thrown aside, the letter grabbed, and read.

"Oh, Honey! It is here! My letter! It is here!" Lacria held the letter close to her heart and danced around the room. "I cannot believe it! I am going to Hogwarts!"

"Well, of course Mistress is going. Honey always knew that Mistress would go."

"Oh, Honey, will you please make something wonderful tonight in honor of such an occasion?"

"Mistress knows then that Master will be out tonight."

Lacria smiled and raced to the door. "Not tonight he is not!" Lacria's ran down the flights of stairs leading from her third story bedroom to the library that was on the first floor. She opened the door to the library and found her father sitting at his desk, a pipe in his mouth, pouring over some papers.

"Father! It is here! The letter came! I am going to Hogwarts!"

"Child, didn't I tell you not to bother me while I am working?!"

Lacria ran over to his desk and pulled on his arm. "But Father! This is a momentous occasion! You cannot go out tonight! Honey is going to make a nice supper for us since I got accepted! Oh, please Father! You have to stay!"

"I cannot miss this business appointment, child. We will celebrate another night."

"But Father! This is…"

"Master…Dr. Kleisenberger is here for you."

Linton finally looked up from his work and peered at the door where sure enough a tall gentleman stood behind Honey. "Ah, doctor!" He stood up and by-passed is daughter and walked over to the man at the door. "So good of you to come on short notice."

Dr. Kleisinberger looked down at Lacria and Linton turned as well. "Run along, child. I have business to take care of."

"Come along Mistress. Honey will make you a nice cup of chocolate and you can talk all about your letter."

Lacria slowly walked out of her father's library, her letter clutched in her hands. As Honey closed the door she could overhear the two men talking about her.

"…governess for her. School maybe?"

"Taken care of. That letter just secured it for me. She'll be out of my hair for quite a while."

Lacria followed Honey down to the kitchen, passing the great room where there sat furniture that no one used and a piano that no one played. The paintings in the hallway stared down at her and Lacria felt alone…not for the first time in her young life. The portraits of her ancestors looked cold and domineering. She was glad to be out from their gazes when they reached the kitchen. She sat down on a stool and Honey quickly prepared her a cup of chocolate.

"Mistress should not be sad with her father. Even if Master goes out, Honey will prepare Mistress a nice dinner. All of Mistress's favorites!"

The corner of Lacria's mouth twitched in a partial smile. "Maybe not all of my favorites. I will not be able to eat it all."

"That's the spirit Mistress!" Honey started moving around the kitchen starting preparations for dinner. "What would you like then?"

"I would like fish and chips for dinner tonight, Honey."

"Oh, that was the late Mistress's favorite!"

Lacria's smile faded. "Yes, I know. Apparently she could not enough of them. Not surprising considering she was not from England, huh?"

"No, Mistress. The late Mistress was definitely foreign but she was the prettiest thing this side of the Channel. Aside from yourself."

Lacria laughed. "Do not lie to me. I am nothing like the beauty my mother was." Lacria looked at her reflection in the jar next to her. She had her mother's green eyes and brown hair, but unlike her mother Lacria's eyes had no sparkle or shine and her hair was mousy with no chances of being the abundant soft mass that her mother had. Her mother was beautiful…Lacria would never be like her. "However, I look enough like my mother to make my father hate me."

"Oh, Mistress! Master does not hate his daughter! No!" Honey turned her big eyes to her mistress and then resumed her work.

"Well...he does not think very highly of me that much is for certain." Lacria folded her arms and put her head down. "Oh, Honey! I really thought that my letter would make me a better daughter in his eyes!"

"Oh, Mistress." Honey put down a cup of hot white chocolate which Lacria graciously took. Soon following the cocoa was a plate of white chocolate cookies. "Eat this. You will feel better."

Lacria took a cookie and nibbled on it. Honey was very sensitive to Lacria's chocolate intake. Earlier on, it was noticed that regular milk chocolate would give her a very bad headache. White chocolate was the only chocolate she could have now.

"Does Mistress have any idea of what she wants to study at this fine school?"

Lacria chewed and swallowed before answering. "Well, the schooling is all the same, I believe. There are core classes that everyone takes, but I will not have the opportunity to have extra classes until sometime in my third year, I believe."

"And just what do you think you are doing?!"

Lacria turned, dropping the last remnants of her cookie and spilling the chocolate everywhere. "Patricia! I…I did not know you were home!"
"Obviously! Why aren't you up in your room where you are supposed to be?"

Lacria held out her letter to her step-mother. "I got my letter today."
Patricia's ice cold eyes stared at the parchment. "Well, at least you will be out of my hair while I get to take care of Lukas."

Lacria stuffed the letter in her pocket, trying not to grimace at the mere mention of her step-brother. "Well, Father shares your opinion."

"Your father is a very busy man. He doesn't like for you to disturb him. Where is he anyway?"

"Father is in the library with Dr. Kleisinberger."

"Oh, I had quite forgotten."

Lacria was not even going to bother with some sort of sarcastic remark. Patricia always "forgot" things when she had spent the entire day spending the Donovan fortune.

Lacria looked back up at Patricia and was met with another cold stare.

"Well?!"

Lacria took that as her cue to leave. She made a dash up the stairs that she had so joyously descended only a few short minutes ago. This time however, as she passed her step-brother's bedroom she slammed his bedroom door shut then opened it again. It woke him up from his afternoon nap and he screamed as loud as he possibly could.

"LACRIA ROSE DONOVAN!"

That was her father, but she had already reached the sanctity of her attic bedroom. She locked the door, but she knew it wouldn't matter because he could easily blow open the door if he wanted to. Thankfully, he never wanted to. He chose to remain as far away from her as possible. Everyone did, except for their house elf.

Lacria threw herself onto her twin sized bed and curled up into a tiny ball. Ever since her mother, her real mother, had left, Lacria had lived like this. Matters had only gotten worse when her father had remarried not six months after Lacria's mother had left. For the past six years, there had been nothing but misery and unhappiness. There had never been love, there had never been kindness.

And as Lacria let the tears spill over, she realized that, from her family, there would never be kindness and there would never be love.