Disclaimer: I do not own any Harry Potter characters, but any characters you do not recognize belong to me, and only me.
Padfoot's Puppy
Chapter One
'Amber'
The day dawned sunny after a full night of rain. Already, the sun had dried most of the moisture left by the rain.
Though a beautiful day, only one girl was out enjoying it. She was of medium height and quite slender. Her raven-black hair fell a little past her shoulders, complimenting her icy blue eyes nicely.
She was pretty, but her clothes did nothing to show it off. She was wearing all boys' clothes. A sweater so big, it reached her knees and was too long for her arms, she had it folded several times, but still, her hands were covered. Her shirt was almost as long as the sweater and the pants were too long and baggy. The girl had the bottoms folded so her feet could fit out. All the clothes were too big and all were black.
It had taken the girl thirty minutes to hike from the cabins, through the trees, so that she was now sitting on a flat part of a steep, rocky cliff. Trees bordered the cliff, casting it in shadows, while the sunlight fought to get through. Several patches of moss had found places to grow, but there wasn't really anything except rocks.
The girl came here often, to think and to get away from her adopted parents, if you could call them that. Narcrissa and Lucius Malfoy hadn't technically adopted her; they were just taking care of her because of a promise, at least until Voldemort found a use for her.
She shivered at the very thought. She'd met Voldemort only once, just a few months ago. Though it had only been for a few minutes, it had felt like an eternity to her.
"Let me see the girl!" The dark lord hissed. Lucius pushed her forward, holding tightly onto her shoulder, his boney fingers digging into it. Shaking, the girl had tried to hide her fear, but she was unsuccessful.
"You are afraid, that is good child, you know when to abandon bravery…" Voldemort hissed. The girl hadn't said anything; she just stood there, trembling, too scared to move. Voldemort had laughed, sending shivers down the girl's spine.
"Take her away; I'll alert you when I find a use for her." He said.
The girl shook her head, trying to rid her mind of the memory. Instead, she turned her thoughts to others.
Ever since she was five-years-old, Narcrissa and Lucius had raised her, since the night her mother died.
Usually, whenever the girl asked about that night and her mother, she was turned away, given a chore to do. Lately, Lucius had taken to hitting her whenever she asked, and the girl quickly learned that it was an off-limits question.
But one night, two-summers ago, while the girl was doing the laundry and Nacrissa had been supervising, the girl had been able to get Narcrissa to talk.
"I knew your mother while I was in school, we were very close friends, even though I was in Slytherian and she was in Ravenclaw. A brighter witch, I never knew." Narcrissa said with a smile.
"After we graduated, we lost contact. I got married and had Draco. Last I heard, she had some boyfriend and was planning to get married. Then, one night, several years later, she showed up at our doorstep during a storm, with you in tow."
"Amber never told me what happened to her during those years, or whose child you were. She just kept asking me to protect you. I promised her I would, and she calmed down a bit." By now, Narcrissa's eyes had filled with sorrow and regret, even some guilt. The girl had often wondered from that day on, why there would be guilt in Narcrissa's eyes.
"I asked her your name, and she told me. I then asked if the father had named you that. "No," she had said, shaking her head, "no, I did. I promised some." After that, she refused to speak. So I left you with Draco's nanny, and brought her upstairs to a bedroom so she could rest." At this point, Narcrissa's eyes had filled with tears, some trickling down her cheeks.
"In the morning, when I went to wake her, she was already dead." Narcrissa said; her voice barely a whisper. She had been too upset to continue the story, but the girl knew the rest of it.
Her mother had hung herself. When the little girl had awoken, she had immediately asked for her mother.
It had been Lucius who broke the news to her, and confused when she started crying, he had hit her.
Even now, the girl could remember the confusion and hate. Confusion for suddenly having no family and being left with strangers. Hate for the man who had hit her, hate that had steadily increased over the years.
But there was more to the story, more that Narcrissa didn't know.
Before trudging up the walk to the Malfoy's house, her mother had turned to her daughter, putting a chain and crest around her neck.
"Whatever you do, do not let anyone see this, no one. No matter how much you trust them, no one must see this. If they do, they can use it against you, and your father." Her mother had said; her voice dropping down to a hoarse whisper. The little girl had nodded, and tucked the chain inside her shirt.
Now, still sitting upon the rock, the girl played with the chain absentmindedly. She did that often when she thought of her mother. It was the last thing her mother had left, and the only thing she had of her father.
Whenever she thought of her mother, the girl's thoughts often wandered to her father.
She had never met him, never seen a photograph, or even been told his name.
"I'm sure he's just some muggle, though your mother had assured us that he was pureblood." Narcrissa had answered once, when the girl had asked if she had known her father.
When her mother had been alive, the girl had often asked her about her father. Over time, the girl had learned a little bit about him.
"He was an amazing wizard, handsome too. I knew him in school, and I'll love no other like I love him." Her mother had said; a dreamy, faraway look in her eyes.
The girl sighed, pulling her knees to her chest. How she wished she had known her father, and that her mother was still alive.
So lost in thought, Amber, her mother's namesake, didn't notice the big, bear-like dog until he was right beside her.
Author's Note: Here, I hope you guys like this, it just came to me when I was camping…too bored I guess…yeah, please R&R