"I can't keep him here any longer, Elizaveta. It's too dangerous for Ludwig to stay in Germany. I'm going to send him to live in England, with Arthur."

A young Ludwig Beilschmidt, about five or six years old, had his ear pressed against the wooden door that separated the master bedroom from the main hall of the large house. House was not the correct term, it was more of a mansion, befitting of the Beilschmidt's pure-blood status. They were one of the oldest, noblest, and cruelest of the pure-blood family, the practice of "pruning diseased leaves' off the family tree only having just died out for the dark arts filled line. Ludwig furrowed his blond brows as he listened to his father speak. It was hard to understand, Gilbert was speaking in Hungarian, not their native German, so Ludwig was having to translate bits and pieces, a difficult task for the small child who knew only remedial Hungarian, and what he heard confused him. He was going to send him to England? Why? Had he been a bad boy...?

"Is that really necessary?" asked a hesitant, shaky female voice. That was Auntie Elizaveta. So that was why he was speaking Hungarian. Surely she would be able to talk some sense into Vati, or hit him in the head with her frying pan until he did see sense. She always had her frying pan on her. "Don't you think he'd be safer with us? With his family?"

"Verdammt!" he cursed. It seemed Gilbert had no patience for a debate. "Elizaveta, I wouldn't be sending him away if I thought he'd be safer here. Yes, I am a wizard whose name the entire wizarding world knows, and some fear, but I am in no way shape or form as powerful a wizard as Arthur. He hasn't tainted himself like I have, Elizaveta. In fact, that's a major problem! We couldn't hide anywhere else! Everyone knows my face, the albino Beilschmidt! I'm infamous, Elizaveta, and I once thought that was the most awesome thing in the world. But it's not. It's not, and I can't have my son pay for my mistakes." There was a deep sigh and a sound of pressure being added to the wall, as though someone decided to lean on it.

"And Roderich is still in hiding, where he needs to stay, here, could you imagine if he was discovered? Our parents would murder him, if he didn't get to Roderich first. You know how my parents feel about my brother. He's the purest of us all, and he's hated. It was never his idea to take the mark, our parents pressured him into it... as did I, and I'm disgusted with myself for it... my little brother..." The was a definite pause.

"I'm trying to convince him to go to Dumbledore for hiding, which I might end up doing, or sending you to meet with Roderich at a safe house that Dumbledore could arrange for you too. You're not a Beilschmidt, but you're a mud- muggle-born, and you're Roderich's wife. Our family is dying for an excuse to kill you both, you know this. And you... you're no where as powerful as Arthur, either. On top of all that, Arthur is good friends with Dumbledore." A animated sigh. "If worse came to worse, they could turn to Dumbledore, and I know for sure that man would protect Ludwig. Dumbledore isn't like most of the wizarding world, he doesn't judge the Beilschmidts as harshly. Or perhaps, he just judges us individually. I don't know, I never went to Hogwarts, I went to Durmstrang, as did all of the Beilschmidts. Ludwig will be the first to attend the British school. And interact daily with Dumbledore."

"You hate Dumbledore."

"But I love my son." Ludwig curled up his knees and held tightly, the Lederhosen reaching up to let his exposed knees touch his tucked in chin. Vati was sending him away, and nothing Auntie Liz could say would change his mind. But what if this Arthur thought he was a bad boy, too, and sent him away? Who was this Bumblebee? Was he who Arthur would send him to if he misbehaved? He hoped not. Vati didn't like Bumblebee.

"What danger is he in? And why...? Oh, Gilbert! It's him, isn't it?"

It was silent, a painful silence, as she listened for the answer from her friend. It was the child the three best friends were raising together that was leaving, she demanded to know specific details. She needed to know why. She was losing him to a man she had never met and had no idea who he was, and she demanded to understand why there was no other way.

"It's danger," was the simple answer. "And it's all my fault. What does it matter if it involves the Dark Lord or not? I don't know if I'm going to leave his service, I'm not nearly brave enough, not at the moment. But Ludwig is my son, and if I do, he would be in as much danger as I would be. He'd be killed, along with us, Elizaveta. This is the end of the conversation, you understand? In the morning, Ludwig is departing, going to England, and is going to live with Arthur Kirkland."

A gasp.

"Exactly," was Gilbert's answer. "The Kirklands are a good family, a strong, good, pure wizarding name. It'll be better for Ludwig to grow up there, in a warm environment, full of bright magic, happiness, and love. The Kirklands can give him that. I can't. And I'm a good enough parent to know that I have to give him to someone who will treat him like a son, raise him to be a good man, a good wizard, and to a place that will help him stay away from the fate he'd be subjected to if he stayed and lived with me."

"But how do you know Kirkland will take him?"

"He will." He stated it simply. "He owes me."

There was a pause, then Ludwig heard a jostle of objects and sprung to his feet and scurried to his room, not wanting Gilbert to find him eavesdropping. Vati hated eavesdroppers. They were, "Not awesome." When he got to his room, he threw himself on his bed and curled up, wanting everything to be a bad dream. But it wasn't. Ludwig was awake, and this was reality. A twisted reality. He clung to a pillow on the plush, expensive feeling bed and bit his lip, refusing to let the tears that were threatening to pour from his eyes. Big boys didn't cry, and Ludwig was a big boy. And bog boys were good boys. He'd show Vati, show him that he could be and was a good boy, and that there was no reason to send him away to live with Athur or his Bumblebee friend. No reason at all.

He cried himself to sleep.

In the morning, Gilbert opened the door, a grin on the albino's face. He crouched, a playful smirk pulling into place as he approached his child's bed, looking just like a cat about to pounce on a mouse or a small bird. He always did this when he was feeling edgy, wanting to have a sweet, tender moment with his son before he went off... or, in this case, before Ludwig was being sent away. He bent, his eyes barely above the edge of the bed, and he gave a low cackle, keskeskeskes.. Finally, with a lunge, he screamed, "Guten Morgen, kleine Wundershön!"

Ludwig squeaked, laughing as he was jolted awake, trying to wiggle out of the albino's grasp. As he managed it, he smiled. It was all a bad dream. He was staying right here, with his Vati. Where he belonged. He nuzzled into Gilbert's chest, clinging to the albino as tightly as he could, never wanting to let go of his father. But he wouldn't have to. The entire conversation was a dream, Ludwig was a good boy, and he was staying in his home, in the Beilschmidt manor and was going to be raised right in the home, where the Beilschmidt heir should be raised.

But then, why were there two small bags, and nothing in his room?

"You're going on a trip for a while," explained Gilbert to the horrified looking child. Ludwig quickly wiped the expression off his face and jumped out of the bed, rushing downstairs to the kitchen. He couldn't believe it. This had to be a mistake. There was absolutely no way that he was leaving today, right? Absolutely not, no, Autie Elizaveta would have something to say about this, surely she would. She'd hit Vati with her frying pan as a good morning, he'd grumble about it not being awesome, and then he'd slunk away. Ludwig ran into the kitchen, eyes searching for Elizaveta.

There she stood, a plate of bread roll, soft boiled eggs, and wurst being placed in front of him., with a small blintz with lemon butter and fresh fruit topping it. A glass of milk was waiting for him.

"Why such a big breakfast, auntie?" he asked as he took his seat at the table. He knew the answer, his hopeful face falling. There went his only hope...

She looked away, tears visibly forming in her eyes. "You have a big day ahead of you. Eat up."

Despite the way he was feeling, Ludwig was amazingly hungry. The boy ate the food offered to him heartedly. As soon as he cleared his plate, he looked up to see Gilbert. No... he didn't want to be sent away...

"I sent the bags ahead of us," he explained. "I'm going to need you to hold on really tight, okay? I'm taking you via side-along apparation."

Ludwig shook his head and took a jump back, scurrying to hide behind his chair and knocking off the plates, the glass shattering with the contact to the concrete ground. "I'm sorry, Vati. I won't be a bad boy again. Please don't send me to live with Arthur! He's English and can't cook!" He acted as though the chair would prevent him from being taken, that it was a magical shield that grown ups couldn't penetrate, that required a special password that only Ludwig knew.

Elizaveta burst into tears before clinging to Ludwig, her arms holding him tightly to her bosom in a protective, motherly fashion. "Gilbert, Gilbert, there must be another way!" she pleaded, stroking Ludwig's head and holding him in her vice-grip embrace.

"There isn't!" he shouted at her. "I don't want this life for him, Elizaveta! And I won't be responsible for his death!" It was a hiss from the albino that made Elizaveta jump, her grip slackening for a moment. Ludwig yelped, Gilbert's newly found grip on him arm more likely than not causing a bruise on the small child as he was wrenched away from Elizaveta. She moved her hands in a grabbing motion, but caught nothing but the air, crawling on her knees with outstretched hands. Her body moved through the shattered porcelain, the glass piercing her skin through the friction. "Én gyerekem, az én bébi! Adjátok vissza a gyermekemet!" she cried out in her native tongue. "Ludwig!"

A loud slap echoed through the room, Gilbert's scarlet eyes flashing dangerously. "Lean your place, woman. We've discussed this. I've decided. That is the end of it. You've said your goodbyes." And with an audible pop, they were gone, leaving Elizaveta rocking with the force of her sobs, and bleeding physically from the glass and emotionally from her loss.

The next thing Ludwig knew, he was sitting on a door step, one bag on either side of him, a letter in hand, Gilbert gone, and waiting to be noticed.

A few hours later, the house door opened to reveal a sleepy Arthur. A blink, furrowing of enormous eyebrows, and letter reading later, Ludwig was sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of orange juice and sitting next to Alfred Kirkland, middle-child of the Kirkland family. He looked around to see the others. A boy a year younger than Alfred sat next to him, who had a tanned girl a year young than him sitting next to him. An asian child, about eleven, was sitting there, who had a child a year older than Alfred sitting next to him. A baby was at the high-chair. He gave an awkward smile. "Ah... hallo... I'm Ludvig."

A laugh came from the one named Alfred. "Your accent is wicked. I'm Alfred, and this is me brother, Matthew," he motioned to the curly blond next to him. "Next to him is Seysel, our sister, and the only girl in our troop."

Ludwig gave a soft smile at the three, Alfred and the two he introduced. "Ah... hallo."

The Asian spoke up, his calm voice soothing. "I am Kaoru, the oldest Kirkland child. Father informed me that you will be living with us from now on. I am pleased to be your older brother, and I do hope I will be a good influence on you. Please, feel free to call me brother, in your native tongue, if you so wish. I'll be leaving soon, after the winter break, and I'll be back at Hogwarts. I do hope we have plenty of time to get to know one another, new little brother." He gave Ludwig a warm, welcoming smile, and he felt suddenly at ease.

"We're taking him in?" asked a rough boy, but he couldn't have been more than a year older than Ludwig. He had an auburn color to his hair, and a bandage across his nose. "Ah, right. I'm Dan, and the babe in the chair is Peter." He turned to look at Kaoru. "Whatdya mean he's staying with us, and he's a new brother?"

Alfred was scowling as well.

"I mean that Ludwig Beilschmidt is now a Kirkland, and we will treat him as such." Kaoru's face was in a stern look as he looked to Alfred and Dan. Dan's face lit up with recognition, Alfred stared at Ludwig, and Matthew and Seysel looked uneasy.

"Vat?" demanded Ludwig. "Vat are you staring at?"

"A Beilschmidt." answered Alfred in an awed voice.

"So?"

"So... Beilschmidts are different... I don't know why," Alfred said quickly, "but we're better. Because you're a Beilschmidt."

"Silence!" snapped Kaoru. "They are no better, nor worse, quit harassing our new brother, it is not nice. I will inform father, don't think I won't." And with that final say, the children quietly began their morning meal.

Ludwig had an idea that he should ignore The Daily Prophet the next morning and right he was, because the first article was a nice, long column entitled, "Kirkland Family; Pure or Tainted?"

"Vat does dat say?" he asked, pointing to the article.

Arthur scrunched up his nose. "Oh, just ignore that. Just some of that Regina cow's writing. Ignore her, she's a wicked woman." He smiled at the small child and patted his head. "Why don't you go play with Alfred."

And he did, trying hard to fit in, be part of the family of the man who accepted him with a kind smile and an embrace rather than the one that rejected him and sent him away.