Koraleigh sat staring out her window vacantly, the streetlight flickering haphazaradly as if indecisive whether or not it would be better to attempt to light the path, or to simply give up. Koraleigh could identify with its plight. The last half hour had been a blur to her, and she was still unable to comprehend the implications of the Ministry official who had come knocking at their door. Her beloved father was wanted for murder. Murder for none other then Albus Dumbledore, a man whom Koraleigh had thought her father respected above all other. Koraleigh refused to believe it was so, but yet there seemed no denying it. Her father was a Death Eater, and now the most wanted man in England besides You-Know-Who.
Koraleigh's thoughts wandered to that of her sister and mother. Kinelli was in her room across the hall, oblivious to the events that had just changed their lives forever. Their mum had left right away with the official, Auror Shacklebolt,
with a calm look on her face, and only a quiet remark for Koraleigh to watch out for her sister, and to not speak of the recent news.
Koraleigh shook her head. It was to have been her first year to attend Hogwarts this year, though she was nearly 13. But now...now it didn't seem likely that she would be able to, with her father who knows where running from the ministry for killing said school's headmaster. Not the type of circumstances that boded well for a good education. And even if she was allowed to, what would the other students and faculty think of her? Koraleigh sighed. Here her father was, wanted by the ministry for murder, and she was concerned about others' opinions. What a loyal daughter she was.
"But how could he?" she muttered to herself, trying heroically to keep the tears gathering in her eyes from falling down her cheeks. How could her daddy, the one who rocked her when she had bad dreams, the one who had taught her everything he knew, the one who had always been there for her, standing in the shadows so she could shine, how could he kill someone? It didn't seem possible to her. But there had been several eyewitnesses, the main one being none other then the infamous Harry Potter.
Kinelli wandered into Koraleigh's room. "Koraleigh, where's Mum?" she asked innocently.
Koraleigh blinked hard as her throat constricted. "She had to go...out. She'll be home soon, though."
The eight year old stared at her sister. "Are you ok? Where did Mum go?"
"Yeah, yeah... I'm fine." she whispered. " I don't know where Mum went. She'll be back soon. And everything will be ok"
The bitter lie to her words came out as all of Koraleigh's unshed tears began to pour down her face as she sunk slowly to the floor.
"Koraleigh, Koraleigh!" cried Kinelli frantically as she sat down hard next to her sister and wrapped her arms around her. "What's wrong? Where's Mum?"
"Everything will be ok." Koraleigh repeated hollowly, trying in vain to stop her tears.
"Koraleigh! What happened? Did someone...die?"
Koraleigh sighed inwardly. Best to tell her sister something. "It was...Uncle Albus. He was killed by a Death Eater." She blanched to herself as she said the last bit. Kinelli didn't know the half of it, and she wasn't finding out any more from her. But her dad...a Death Eater. It didn't make sense. And then suddenly it did. As much as she didn't want to think, images popped into her head. The way her father would never go without a shirt, even in just the presence of his family. The way he left suddenly at the oddest moments, once even in the middle of Christmas. The way he took secret floo calls at night and no one else was allowed to be within two rooms of him. Things Koraleigh had just taken for granted. But now, as much as she didn't want to, she started thinking...