Chapter 1 Burning

"Lucius, you stay." The dark lord hissed as the other death eaters departed the graveyard where their lord had been reborn.

"Yes, My lord," Lucius Malfoy asked, the slightest hint of fear in his voice. He knew what was coming next.

"I would like to know why my daughter was not present tonight; you did follow your orders, did you not?"

"Well, you see, my lord…"

"Lucius, do you mean to tell me that she is still living with the muggles! Why was she not sent to Durmstrang, as planned?"

"My lord, Kakaroff has betrayed us; she was not accepted to Durmstrang."

"And why did you not retrieve her yourself?"

"My lord, I could not find…"

"Enough of this, I can see I was wrong to entrust you with such a responsibility in my absence, a mistake I will not make in the future."

"My lord, please, allow me another chance, let me find her now! I will not fail you again!"

"No, you will not. Find her. We will obviously need to rethink her education,"

"My lord, she could go to Hogwarts, my son Draco…"

"To Hogwarts, right under Dumbledore's nose, are you mad, Lucius, or just stupid?"

"My lord, my son Draco is in her year, along with the sons of Crabbe and Goyle. She would be well protected, and it would give you access to Potter and Dumbledore."

"Very well. She may attend Hogwarts, provided your son watches over her. This is you last chance, Lucius, you would do well to not mess up."

"Yes, my lord, and, my lord, one last thing,"

"What is it?"

"My lord, I do not think you should tell her of her parentage just yet…"

"Explain yourself."

"You see my lord, if she herself does not know herself to be your daughter, then Dumbledore will have a much more difficult time discovering the truth. In time, you may reveal to her the truth, but this would protect her from those who would take her from you."

"I see, alright. She is to stay under your care until the school year begins. Now go and find her. Do not fail me again."

"My lord."

The streets were dark as the rain splashed onto the brick streets in the old part of London. Rain trickled down the window like the tears that Lillian wished she could cry as she watched them slide down the glass. She knew she should be in bed, and it would mean a whipping if the dorm mistress caught her up, but she didn't care. She snorted, Dorm Mistress, as if she was in a school. These weren't dorms; they were prison cells, meant too keep those who were unwanted by the rest of society. Lillian often wondered if she had done something wrong to be deprived of a home, parents, and people who loved her. She had spent her whole life in the orphanage; she had been dumped there on the doorstep fifteen years ago, not even a note. Her whole life had been spent learning that she was alone, abandoned, a burden of the city, unwanted.

She remembered when she was smaller, she had tried to make friends with the other children, but they seemed to possess a natural diversion to her, as if there instinct told them she was dangerous. She never had any friends, and after a while, she just gave up. She became used to being the hated one, the one nobody wanted. Being alone was even scarier to her, at first. She found she could do things, weird things. She could talk to snakes, she could start fires with her mind, and when she got angry at someone, they would get really sick. One girl who threw a rock at her got sick and never got better. Everyone said it was cancer, but Lillian knew better. She had wished the girl would die, and she did. She couldn't tell anyone what she could do, or they might burn her, she'd always thought. After all, she must be a demon or a witch, and Ms Cope and the other nuns, they loved god, so they'd burn her if they knew she was evil. So she found safety in her loneliness. As long as she was alone, no one would find out what she could do.

Her attention focused on movement in the street below. A man she hadn't noticed until just now was walking up the steps to the front door. He rang the bell and waited. He is cloak was soaked, but Lillian could tell it was a dark cloak, with green trim and silver fastenings. How very odd, she thought, why would such a strangely dressed gentleman be visiting an orphanage at midnight? The man rang the bell again, and someone let him in.

Still pondering the strange cloaked man, Lillian noticed a shadow coming down the hall. She quickly made her way to her cot and feigned sleeping, only to feel something sharply strike her on the shoulder.

"Up, now!" The strict voice of the dorm mistress, Ms. Cope, made her fill with dread.

"Get Up!" She said again. Lillian sat up cautiously and peered at the dorm mistress.

"There is someone here who requests to see you," she said, her voice filled with acid. "We told him there are no visitors until the morning, but he insists, so hurry up!"

Lillian got up out of her bed; her bare feet tingled as they touched the cold stone floor. The strange gentleman was here to see her, why would anyone come to see her? She was a nobody, wasn't she?

As Lillian followed Ms Cope's foreboding figure down the hall, her huge hand- me-down pajamas flowed around her in some places and clung to her starved figure in others. Down the rattled old staircase she clung to the wall, there was no handrail. She shivered as she descended into the drafty lobby. The strange man was quietly arguing with Ms. Pince, the nun who owned the orphanage.

"I am telling you, Madame, she is my niece! Her birth certificate is proof, now you will release her to me…" he broke off upon seeing her enter the room.

"What…What's going on here, Ms. Cope, I told you not to fetch her. If the gentleman wishes to see her, he'll have to come back tomorrow…" Ms. Pince began.

"Did you say you're my uncle?" Lillian asked. Could she really have family?

"Hush girl, this doesn't concern you…" Ms Cope began.

"I think this does concern her, Ms Cope. Now why don't you and Ms Pince kindly give us a moment of privacy?"

Lillian expected them to argue or call the police, but strangely, the two ladies left the room.

"How did you do that?" Lillian asked. "It was as if you were controlling them."

"I was. But I would think you would have different questions, Lillian, given the circumstances." The man said.

"Who are you? Are you really my uncle?"

"My name is Lucius Malfoy, and as far as the two ladies in the other room are concerned, yes, I am your uncle. A story I expect you to go along with if you intend on leaving this place. I will explain the truth once you are free."

"Right, okay. But why would you want me? I'm a nobody, nobody wants me."

"Quite the contrary, Lillian, I promise you answers soon, but I can't hold them," he motioned to the other room, "at bay for much longer. Answer me this, Do you wish to leave this place?"

Lillian nodded fiercely.

"Then do as I say. I'm going to let them back in now."

"Sir, I demand you leave this place at once or I will be forced to call the police."

"I will not leave without the girl. I am her uncle, I am her rightful guardian, and I am not leaving unless it is with her in my custody." He stared Ms. Pince straight in the eye. She stood her ground.

"Sir, I am giving you three seconds to leave or else…"

Before she could finish, she was dead. Lillian didn't know what had happened, but she saw a flash of green light and Ms. Pince lay dead on the floor. The man was holding a wand, she assumed, which was now pointed at Ms. Cope.

"Now you will fetch me her custody papers." He gave her no options. Ms. Cope, a sensible lady, reached under the desk and pulled out Lillian's file.

"Sign here." She indicated the spot, but instead of a pen, Mr. Malfoy touched the tip of his wand to the page, and it burst into flames. He then pointed it back at Ms. Cope and uttered the same incantation that killed Ms. Pince. The green light flashed and Mr. Malfoy yelled "Run!"

Lillian didn't need to be told twice. She ran from the burning building into the pouring rain. She watched as the fire spread. She could hear the screams of the other girls as hey awoke to the fiery death that awaited them. Some girls got out, and Lillian hid in an alleyway. Fire trucks made there was to the orphanage, but it was too late. She watched from the shadows as the building crumbled, its supports burned away. She knew she should be scared, but she couldn't help but be concerned for Mr. Malfoy. He had just killed dozens of people, most of them children, but for some reason that didn't seen so bad to her. After all, none of them liked her. Mr. Malfoy on the other hand, was the only person who had ever been kind to her. It was because of him that she was free.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up in shock to see Mr. Malfoy.

"Come, lets get you home."

The world rung in her head. Home. She had a home now. She was going home.