Chapter Two- In Which There is No Longer a Younger Child
Dazedly Verille stared round himself "what….?"
"I was just thanking you for a fine job checking on my son, I know that it was just a case of cold, but you know how it is. He is my heir, and my only child." Here Lucius smiled winningly "of course I'll have to pay you for your time, here how does 10 galleons sound? Now don't let me take up your time, off you go!" and the door swung shut behind him.
Healer Verille stood blinking, looked down at the gold coins in his hand, then shrugged and apparated away.
In the library Lucius found Draco and Linnea playing on the floor. "Draco! Get away from that brat!"
Shaken the young boy stood up and moved to one of the chairs.
Lucius drew his wand and advanced on the smaller girl who was shaking in fear. Suddenly his wife stepped between them.
"Narcissa step aside, we have to dispose of the wretch." He snapped.
The woman nodded, "I agree, but let me do it please. The ministry may still be monitoring your wand and our home. I'll take her somewhere out of the way and deal with our little problem."
Curtly he nodded and turned to the door, pausing only to bark at the pale boy "Get to your room. Now." Then he was gone.
The boy looked shakily at his mother "what will you do?"
Narcissa Malfoy sighed, dropping the mask she put up around her formidable husband. "Your sister will need to go away Draco, your Father won't let her stay after tonight. You must be brave my little ones, dragon you must ensure that you do not speak about her around your Father, if you must then talk to Dobby or one of the other nursery elves."
Here she turned to her daughter who looked up at her with tear filled eyes and knelt down wrapping her in her arms. "I love you always my little flower, but you must be brave. I won't hurt you, but I will put you somewhere safe. Somewhere where you will be adopted into a family and they will care for you and love you. I'm so sorry my darling"
Steeling herself Narcissa stepped back from her daughter and brushed back her hair.
"Irey" a small female house elf popped up next to the Malfoy matriarch.
"Yes missus Malfoy? What can Irey do for missus?"
"Let the Master know that I will be away for a night on the business we spoke of earlier. After that bring me my travelling bag and coat, that will be all Irey."
"Yes missus, Irey will do that"
With a pop the elf left the room.
"Draco, give your sister a kiss goodbye, you shall not be seeing her again."
Weeping the children wrapped their arms round each other, covering each other's faces in kisses. They had never been without each other since the day they were born and the forced separation seemed cruelly unfair to them, would they want to live without their arm or leg? But it was not their place to question their elders, they had been trained for obedience and they knew their parts well.
"I love you Nea"
"I love you Dragon"
And on that they parted, not to meet again for a long time.
Still sniffling the girl moved to look at the older woman
"Does Father not love me anymore Mother?"
"Your Father is a strange creature my love" Narcissa sighed "I still love you, and Draco loves you. If I could keep you here I would but it would not be safe."
"Because I'm not magic?"
Narcissa stroked her daughters cheeks gently "I'm afraid so Darling."
Once the house elf returned with Narcissa's travelling bag, the elder Malfoy took her daughters hand, and apparated away.
Narcissa took them to the town of Henley on Thames, and booked them into the Royal George inn. The day had been a long one and by the time they got upstairs the small child was asleep on her feet, rubbing her eyes and leaning on her mother's side.
The minute they reached their room, she climbed into bed, and despite the worries and heartache the day had brought she drifted off to sleep. It was a long time before Narcissa could do the same, she sat down beside her sleeping child and just watched her for a while.
There are few things I regret as much as marrying that odious man she thought to herself, gently brushing a piece of hair from Linnea's face I knew it would be an advantageous match… my mother certainly let me know that it was the best that I could hope for. He seemed so loving and charming and everything I could want, I didn't realise how much pain would come with it. Both my children, beaten so much, and knowing no calm or peace that they are small adults at the age of 3… maybe she will have a better life away from it all.
The woman sighed and turned out the light, in the morning everything would be different and there would no longer be a Linnea Malfoy.
Once they woke and had eaten breakfast, Narcissa drew her daughter in front of the mirror and started to brush her hair. As she brushed the hair grew thicker and darker till the hair was black and slightly curling, smirking Narcissa thought about how strange it was that such a simple thing could hide her daughters heritage.
They spent the day shopping in the muggle clothing stores, and if not for the dark cloud looming over them it would have been an enjoyable experience for both mother and daughter. All too soon the night began to draw in on them, and with a heavy heart they packed her new t-shirts and jeans into the brown little suitcase before catching the last train into London. It was but a short time after that when the mother and daughter stood on the steps of Wools Orphanage, hand in hand.
Narcissa knelt and handed her daughter a locket, and a letter.
"You must give the letter to the woman who answers the door my darling, and the locket you must keep secret, and keep it safe. It comes from my family, and is all I can give you. Now, can you remember what your name is?"
"Poppy Daniels?"
She gave a watery smile "That's a good girl" and with a kiss and a whispered profession of love her mother left with the crack of apparation.
Poppy walked up the steps and standing up on her tiptoes pulled the rope, hearing the bell echoing dully through the building within.
Martha Mallard opened the door and looked down, surprised at the small thin girl stood in front of her, but she couldn't help her shudder when she looked into her teary grey eyes. The same feeling of strangeness came from the girl as there did from the Potter boy and the Smyth woman, what on earth caused it? Not another one…I won't have it the same as the Potter boy. She can be put in isolation with him.
Naturally she wasn't foolish enough to word such misgivings to the girl; it wasn't her fault that she felt strange. She just didn't want it spreading to her other charges.
"Well my girl, have you a name or such a thing for me?" she barked, looming over the smaller figure.
Wordlessly Poppy reached up and handed the older woman the letter, she was rather proud that her hand was only slightly shaking.
Ushering the girl inside and shutting the door she motioned to the bench and nodded approvingly when she sat down quickly. Breaking the seal on the letter she began to read.
To whom this may concern.
The girl with the letter is my daughter Poppy Daniels. I leave her in your care because I cannot protect her from my husband any longer. She is 3 years old and was born on the 5th of June 1980, please treat her well and see that she goes to a family who can love her and care for her as she deserves.
It goes against my instinct as a mother to do this, and I do it knowing this is the best thing for her.
Please give her a chance
N.M
Martha snorted to herself. She didn't think much of this woman just leaving her daughter on the steps, and frankly thought it was just laziness. Still it wasn't her job to judge her, it was her job to make sure that the child was kept fed and watered and alive. At least this one had arrived with some clothes by the look of that suitcase.
"Come along Poppy, I will show you to your room. I will put you in isolation room 11 for now. You will find that it has a bed and a wardrobe and you can put away your clothes. Have you any toys or a form of comfort?" here she looked down at the little girl trotting behind her expectantly, once the girl had replied in the negative she nodded and opened the door, ushering her in and shutting it behind her.
Poppy looked round the sparse room, the walls painted a ghastly green, the window so high she couldn't see out. Finally the little girl acted her own age as she put down her suitcase, crawled underneath the bed and began to cry. She cried even harder as she realised that this time there was no brother elf or mother to comfort her this time. She was alone.
It took half an hour for her to reach that stage of crying where you feel silly for having cried for so long, and so she quieted herself.
"Are you ok…?" came a worried voice
She scrambled out from under the bed, thinking that someone had come in, but she found the room as empty as it had been before.
"h…hello?" she said, questioning herself. She visibly jumped when there came an answering voice. Looking round she noticed a little vent in the floor by the cupboard and lent down to it calling back through.
"I'm Harry, what's your name?"
"I'm Poppy" she wiped her face quickly "what's this place like? Are there other children?"
"there are… but not in this bit, it's just us in these rooms. You'll see the others at meal and playtime though!"
"Well… what can we do to play? Do they have a playroom?"
"No they don't have anything like that here. Our social worker is teaching me to read but we don't have any books yet. She's getting me some soon she promised!"
Poppy suddenly smiled and jumped up, running to her little suitcase. She threw her clothes out onto the bed and pulled out a book, sitting back by the vent.
"Would you like me to read to you? I have a book! It's called the Tales of Beedle the Bard!"
Once they had settled comfortably with each of them sitting on a cushion by the vent, she began to read The Wizard and the Hopping Pot… Once there was a kindly old wizard who used his magic generously and wisely…