The day of Anna's father funeral the weather was perfect. If you had seen her and family out ( and had heard the stories about them ) then you would have just thought they were just being themselves . The family that wears black most of the time and rarely smiles.

The Strange Family. And they live up to the name.

Anna drifted off every once in while so she could keep herself from crying. But she would be pull out of her fantasy of her and her father together again and face with the cruel reality of him being dead. It had been one week since his death and the nightmares stopped two days ago. But she knew that they would come back. After all seeing your Dad dead isn't something one forgets.

Or something they want to remember.

Her family wasn't doing any better. Today had been the first day her mother had left her room. Colin, her brother, hadn't talked. When he was told that his dad was dead and wasn't coming back. He stopped talking. Her aunt said it's was probably a phase. He was only five and he loved his father dearly. So did Anna, who was eight and yet she was still talking. She had even seen him die.

"How are you doing?" Scorpius, her cousin, asked after. Anna shrugged, "The same I was yesterday. The same I have been all week." She said. Her voice was started to cracked and Anna pushed her tears away. "You can cried." Scorpius said, putting his hand gently on her shoulder. "It's okay if you need too." Anna nodded her head but she still didn't.

Colin stayed at Anna's side the whole time. Clutching her as if he was in fear that Anna would leave him too. "So he still won't talk?" Scorpius asked. Anna nodded her head, holding her little brother close. "You can't blame him, though. He's just sad." Anna said. Unlike her brother there was more fear than sadness inside her. More than fear through was guilt. Anna knew why her dad was dead. She feared thing that killed him.

And she felt guilty because it was her the creature was after. And because of that her dad was dead.

People came up her, said their sorries and gave her hugs before saying about her dad was a great. It wasn't news to Anna. She knew her dad was great but the more they kept telling her the more she wished he was alive. They told her that she looked just like her dad. Same freckled skin, same serene colored eyes, and blenched blonde hair with a black stripe in it. It was something that her dad said make them special but now it was just her.

Just still stay strong, she thought. Anna kept repeating it until she felt like she could fake her way through the day. Then it was Scorpius and his parents' turn, Anna gave her uncle a giant hug. Everyone says horrible things about Uncle Draco but Anna ignore them. Besides her dad, he was her second favorite person in the world. Well, first now, she thought. "It's okay Annabelle," He whisper, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "Be the strong girl I know you are."

She nodded into his chest but didn't say anything. He was right, Anna thought. When Anna pulled away, Draco grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "It's not your fault." He said. "You have to remember that." I don't believe that, She thought but Anna just nodded her head. Her Aunt Astoria hugged her tight and whisper that it was all going to be okay. But Anna didn't believe that either.

Anna stood with her family until everyone was gone and still they continued to stand. They didn't say any for about five minutes until her mother started walking towards the door, "Let's go Annabelle." She said. Her voice hush but was filled with sadness and a hint of anger. "Grab your brother, we're leaving." Anna picked her brother and tried to follow her mother, who was walking a fast pace. Her mother didn't say anything else to her. It scared Anna. She began to think that her mother blamed her for her father's death.

Then again so did she.

When they got home, her mother told her to take her and brother her upstairs and go to their rooms. Anna laid her brother down her bed instead of his own. She just didn't want to be alone. Anna laid next to Colin and held him tight as she heard the sounds of things crashing and her mother crying. "Hey Colin?" Anna whisper to her brother. He didn't say anything. "I love you and I'll never leave you." Still nothing and she sighed. "I hope you don't blame me for dad."

Still nothing and Anna held him tighter as she softly cried.

The next day, the downstairs (which was a shop) was filled with boxes that held everything that was on the shelves. Every magical item the Strange's had was packed into a box. Draco and Astoria came later to talked her mother and Anna couldn't help but listen in. "I don't care what you think!" Her mother shouted, "Magic is the reason Max is dead and they will stay away for it at cost."

"Evelyn, think this through." Astoria said, her voice was calm. "You can't just keep her away from magic that won't make Max come back or save her."

"What about Hogwarts?" Draco suggested. "She'll be safe there." Evelyn let out a long sigh before saying, "I'm right doing the right thing. I'm protecting her, she's already responsible for one death and if Lilith gets her then I'm saving everyone." Anna felt the tears began to stream down her face. She knew that her mother blamed but she never thought that her mother would be willing to let her die. "Anna's your daughter. You have no right to say that." Draco said. "Max's death wasn't her fault nor are you saving the world by keeping her unprotected." Evelyn let out a sarcastic laugh, "Because your family knows everything about saving the world."

Astoria shot Evelyn a nasty look and Draco took a deep breath. "Evelyn, you can think you're doing the right thing by putting Annabelle in danger all you want." He started, trying to keep himself leveled as he spoke. "But when she's gone then don't start crying about because then you'll be responsible with a death." The room went quite after that and Anna ran upstairs to her room. She let the salty tears flow down her face and clutched the pillow tight.

Anna heard the sound of the door opening and screamed, "Go away!" The door closed and was followed by the sounds of little foot steps. "Anna?" Colin asked, looking up at his crying sister. "What do you want Colin?" She asked. "To tell that I don't blame for Daddy's death." Colin said, "And I'll save you when the lady tries to get you." Anna smiled at her brother's words and open her arms to give him a hug. He jumped into her arms onto the bed snuggling close to her. As Anna and Colin laid together in the bed, she began to think maybe her mother was right. Maybe Anna should just let Lilith take her and everything would be easier.

But then Colin snuggled closer and realized that as long as he was safe then Anna would be alright.

Three years went by without magic and there wasn't other attack by Lilith. Evelyn turned the shop into a muggle antique shop. It's turned out to be a big hit in the muggle world. Anna saw Scorpius and her aunt and uncle less. They were traveling a lot but Scorpius still wrote to her every week they were apart. Draco wrote her every once and a while to see if she was okay and Anna told him the truth. That she missed them, her dad, the old shop, and when her mother didn't hate her.

It stayed like that for three years until Anna turned eleven and got her Hogwarts letter.