A/N: I'm intrigued by the Blacks (Sirius, Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa). I think it's interesting that blood and family name are important to them, and yet both Sirius and Andromeda were disowned and Bellatrix killed Sirius and wanted to kill Tonks. I've read several stories where Bellatrix has a son or daughter who is sorted into Gryffindor and befriends Harry Potter. This is similar, but instead it is Sirius Black's daughter who is Sorted into Slytherin and friendly with Death Eaters. It is centered around the Malfoys and the Blacks, but other characters from the books will make appearances. The first chapter is introducing Lexi Black and setting the scene before the real story starts. The chapters will be longer after this chapter. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 1

Alexia Black

Dumbledore felt a terrible sense of déjà vu as he walked through the set of iron gates. The orphanage looked and felt exactly the same as it had when he had delivered Tom Riddle's Hogwarts letter. Now, he was there to deliver Alexia Black's Hogwarts letter.

No one at Hogwarts had known about Alexia until Professor McGonagall noticed the all-too-familiar surname as she signed the letters. They still knew very little about Alexia Black. They didn't know which of the infamous Blacks had fathered her – Regulus or Sirius. A deceased Death Eater. Or a man who had been imprisoned for betraying his best friend to Voldemort and then killing Peter Pettigrew and a street full of Muggles. Either way, the girl was a Black and had grown up in a grim Muggle orphanage in London. That was two reasons right there that she would be dark. Dumbledore feared she would be yet another Tom Riddle. It was why he had chosen to deliver her letter personally, instead of sending a member of his staff.

A ginger haired woman introduced herself as Mrs. Hannigan, the matron of the orphanage, and invited Dumbledore into a small office. She sat behind a cluttered desk, and he took the seat opposite her.

"I am here to discuss Alexia Black and-"

"There is no one here by that name," Mrs. Hannigan interrupted him. "There is a girl called Alexia, but her surname isn't Black, it's Williams."

The Hogwarts letters were addressed magically. If Alexia's letter had been addressed to Alexia Black, she was a Black.

Dumbledore furrowed his brow. "What can you tell me of her history?"

"I'm afraid Alexia hasn't been here very long. She lived with her mother until she was eight," Mrs. Hannigan said.

"What was her mother's name?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"Niccole Williams," Mrs. Hannigan said.

"Ah, that explains it," Dumbledore said. "Alexia's father is named Black."

"She has a father?" Mrs. Hannigan asked, startled.

"We all have fathers," Dumbledore said in an amused tone. "I just so happen to know Alexia's father."

Mrs. Hannigan looked at him appraisingly. "And that is why you are here?"

"I am here to discuss arrangements for her future," Dumbledore said. "As I said, I know her father. I am a teacher, and I have come to offer Alexia a place at my school. Before I speak with her, however, I wonder if there is anything else you might tell me about her."

"Well, the police brought Alexia here three years ago. They said her mother had been arrested on drug charges," Mrs. Hannigan said.

"Three years?" Dumbledore said, frowning. "But her mother must have been released since then, and yet she did not come back for the girl?"

"She did," Mrs. Hannigan said, "but she was high. She was acting crazy. She was scaring the other children."

"I'm sorry, but you said the other children," Dumbledore said, looking puzzled. "Was Alexia not scared to see her mother like that?"

"She wasn't scared. She was mad," Mrs. Hannigan said. "She yelled at her mother. Her mother hasn't come back since that."

Alexia Black was sounding more and more like Tom Riddle. Fearless. Angry. And it was clear she disliked her Muggle mother.

Dumbledore's expression was grave. "May I see her?"

Mrs. Hannigan nodded. She led the way upstairs and knocked on one of the bedroom doors before opening it. "Lexi, you have a visitor. This is Mr. Dumbledore."

With that, Mrs. Hannigan left Dumbledore alone with a skinny eleven year old girl. The girl was sitting up on her twin bed reading, but she set the book aside and looked up at Dumbledore through dark, heavy-lidded eyes. She was definitely a Black – long dark hair, dark eyes, and pale skin.

"How do you do, Alexia?" Dumbledore said, walking forward and extending his hand.

"Lexi," Lexi corrected him firmly as she shook his hand.

Dumbledore pulled a hard wooden desk chair over and sat down facing Lexi.

"I am Professor Dumbledore," Dumbledore said.

"It's nice to meet you," Lexi said politely, though she didn't sound as though she really thought it was nice.

In the three years she had been at the orphanage, she'd only had one visitor. Her mother. And she knew Niccole wouldn't be back. She'd never met her father. She had no family. No one to visit. She was alone in the world. She knew she would spend the rest of her childhood in the orphanage. Seven more years. And, to an eleven year old, seven years seemed like a very long time to be stuck in the grim orphanage. It didn't feel like home. No place ever had. She didn't feel like she belonged anywhere or to anyone. She didn't know everything was about to change. She couldn't know what this stranger was about to tell her. If she had, she would have been a bit more interested in hearing what he had to say.

"You, too," Dumbledore smiled pleasantly. "I work at a school called Hogwarts. I have come to offer you a place at my school – your new school, if you would like to come."

"I've never heard of Hogwarts," Lexi said with a haughty look on her face.

"No, you wouldn't have, would you?" Dumbledore said. "You see, Hogwarts is a school for people with special abilities. It is a school of magic."

"Magic?" Lexi repeated, raising her eyebrows.

"That's right," Dumbledore said. "Have you ever made anything odd happen?"

"Yes," Lexi said almost at once.

It had been three years since she'd made something odd happen, three years since she'd needed to. She had needed to when she found her mother passed out on the floor and tried to move her to the bed. She couldn't. She wasn't strong enough. And then, her mother's unconscious body had floated to the bed. She had needed to when she flushed the white powder that made her mother act crazy down the toilet. Her mother had raised her hand to slap her, but then, her mother had fallen backwards. It had been the first time her mother had passed out when she hadn't been high. At first, Lexi thought her mother was dead, but she found a pulse. So, she had moved her mother's unconscious body to the bed. And, the next morning, her mother hadn't remembered anything about Lexi flushing the white powder down the toilet. Lexi couldn't explain it, but she knew she had made those things happen.

Dumbledore could tell Lexi wasn't surprised to hear that she could do magic. It took longer to convince most children who had been raised in the Muggle world that magic was real. There was only one exception. Tom Riddle. But, then, Tom had already begun to use his powers consciously by the time he was accepted to Hogwarts. Had Lexi been using her powers, too?

"What?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

Lexi didn't know Dumbledore. She wasn't going to tell him her deepest, darkest secrets. She narrowed her eyes at him. "You said I already have a place at Hogwarts. Do I have to prove that I can do magic?"

"Oh, no," Dumbledore said pleasantly. "You do have a place at Hogwarts. I was merely curious. Does this mean that you are accepting your place at Hogwarts?"

Lexi flushed. "I haven't got any money."

"There is a fund at Hogwarts for those who require assistance," Dumbledore said, pulling a leather money-pouch from his pocket.

Lexi eyed the money-pouch greedily. She had never had money of her own. Her mother was an addict who had spent all their money on drugs. There was no allowance or pocket money. Sometimes there wasn't money for food.

"I have your list of books and school equipment with me. I can help you find everything," Dumbledore said.

"You don't have to," Lexi said. "I'm used to doing things for myself."

Dumbledore handed Lexi the envelope containing her letter and list of equipment. As he told Lexi how to get to Diagon Alley, Lexi opened the envelope and unfolded her letter. A moment later she noticed the name.

"This isn't mine. It's got someone else's surname on it," Lexi said.

"Black is your father's name," Dumbledore said.

"You know who my father is?" Lexi said, leaning forward and looking up at Dumbledore with interest. Her mother had never been able to give her a straight answer.

"I'm afraid I don't," Dumbledore said gently.

"But you said-"

"I said that Black is your father's name," Dumbledore said. "There were two Black brothers."

"Were?" Lexi repeated in a whisper.

"Yes, were," Dumbledore said. "I know you did not know you father or his family. If you would like, we can address you as 'Williams' at Hogwarts-"

"No," Lexi said without hesitation.

"You dislike the name 'Williams'?" Dumbledore said, frowning.

"I don't know my father, but he can't be any worse than Niccole. I'll take his name over hers any day," Lexi said.

Dumbledore's blue eyes moved curiously over Lexi's face. Her gaze was cold and clear. She had meant what she'd said, and she didn't regret it, not for one minute.

"Goodbye, Lexi," Dumbledore said. "I shall see you at Hogwarts."

His fears had been confirmed. He almost felt like he'd been transported back in time. The meeting with Alexia reminded him of his first meeting with Tom. He felt like he'd delivered a Hogwarts letter to the female version of Tom Riddle. Confident. Secretive. Self-sufficient. Dumbledore was determined to keep an eye on her.