It was a busy day at Kings Cross Station as wizarding families rushed their children to platform nine and three quarters. Young witches and wizards pushed their way through the flooded sea of muggles with their carts laden with books, suitcases, and their own pets. With excitement in their hearts, the new first years were the least to say ready for the school year to start.

One of these witches was a young girl named Odette Deveraux. Though she was very shy, Odette had a smile planted on her face and a cheery gleam in her eyes as she looked at the Hogwarts express.

"Be sure to write at least once a week," Allison told her daughter while trying to smooth down the girl's brown hair, a trait she had received from her diseased father.

"I will mom," Odette replied, hugging her mother before she had to leave, "I love you."

The woman smiled down at her child as she embraced her. "I love you too, and don't you worry Christmas will be here before you know it!"

Odette rolled her eyes playfully at her mother before going into the train to find her own compartment where she sat by herself for the entire ride. But this didn't matter that much to Odette, she had spent most of her life playing by herself since there weren't any children living in the area she grew up in. Besides, the quiet allowed her the perfect opportunity to finish her book.

It wasn't long until the train finally came to a stop and Odette left the solitude of her compartment into the crowded aisle of the train dressed in her school robes. But just as she was about to make it to where all of the first years were supposed to go, she was jerked back into the shadows. Just as she was about to cry for a sweaty palm clamped over her mouth, muffling her scream as she was dragged away from her peers.

From what Odette could tell, her captor was a man. He muttered under his breath as he quickly pulled her into the forest, careful to avoid the older students who were taking carriages up to the castle. Once the two were deep into the forest, the man threw the young girl to the ground.

"What do you want from me?" Odette asked in a shaky voice. Her blue eyes were wide with fear as adrenaline coursed through her veins. Even in the dark Odette could see the smirk planted on the man's face as he circled her in a predatory motion.

"You're a Deveraux, aren't you?" The man sneered as he watched the girl nod nervously. "I can tell, you look just like Nikolas."

"Y-you knew my father?" Odette questioned cautiously, not daring to move from her spot on the ground.

The man started to chuckle as he crouched down so the he was at eye level with Odette. He was so close that she could smell the stale stench of alcohol on his breath. With an dangerous glint in his eyes he replied in a sinister voice, "I am the man that killed him."

Before Odette could even think to move away he grabbed the first year by the collar of her robes. "Barty Crouch Jr?"

"You should have heard his scream," the man laughed, "It was all good fun until your mother interrupted the fun, and I was sent to Azkaban," the man gripped Odette's collar even tighter, "but that doesn't matter since your mother is dead as well, and I will be done with you too."

"You killed my mother?" She squeaked, her mother was her only living relative and the closest thing she had to a friend.

"Technically, no," he answered, pulling the girl to her feet as he stood up. "I had to call in a favor from Lucius Malfoy, but that doesn't matter right now. " He began to slowly circle the girl once again. "My problem right now is trying to figure out what I am going to do with you."

The girl began to shake as tears welled up in her eyes. "Please don't kill me," She cried.

The Crouch chuckled once again, enjoying the fear swelling up inside of this young first year. "If you insist. But there are ways to be far worse off than dead, just ask the Longbottoms."

"Please," the girl sobbed, "just let me go."

"Well, I can't have you going off and blabbing about everything I just told you to Dumbledore, now can I," the man said darkly."I could make you go insane, but that was already done, and I can't going around copying Lestrange, do you know how pissed she would be if I did that? She would be cursing my ass for weeks!"

Odette didn't answer, but just looked at the man tapping his chin as he determined her fate. After a few moments a cruel smile grew on his face as he raised his wand at the girl.

"Olorina Fieri!" Crouch shouted. He stood there and watched as the witch shrunk down and transformed into a swan. He bent down and stroked her long neck. "I've never been that good at transfiguration," he admitted, "but this will do."

With that Crouch stalked off deeper into the woods leaving Odette all alone. Unfamiliar with her new body, she finally was able to get to the black lake only to see all of the first years already out of their boats and heading into the castle. And it wasn't until this moment that Odette truly felt alone.