This one is shorter than the others have been, mostly because it's my anniversary week and my husband and I have been out celebrating. Hope you enjoy it anyway!

Chapter Four

Elaine almost couldn't believe she was standing outside Malfoy Manor for the second time in three days. This time, she had a hood pulled up over her face. And this time, she was going to meet the darkest wizard of her time. Severus glanced over and must have sensed her fear, for he put his hand on her arm. She brushed it off.

"I'll be fine." She took a deep breath. "Let's do this."

"You don't have to," Severus said softly.

Elaine looked straight at him. "He's expecting you to bring me, is he not?" Severus gave a stiff nod. "Then. I repeat. Let's do this." She took a step forward, then another, and before she realized she was standing, again, on the other side of the Malfoy's door, Severus two steps behind her. Taking another deep breath, she knocked, twice, like Severus had before, and they went into the manor. Severus took her arm, leading her down a hall Narcissa had not shown her the last time she'd been there.

He stopped outside a large wooden door. "He's in there," Severus warned her. "Be prepared. Are you ready?" Elaine's voice had quite left her, but she nodded, and Severus pushed open the door, going in ahead of her.

The room was full of people. Death eaters she recognized from "wanted" posters sat in fancy high backed chairs, while other people she didn't recognize milled around, chatting. And there - in a chair that looked remarkably like a throne, sat the man who Elaine knew must be the Dark Lord. He wasn't speaking; he just watched, a smirk on his thin lips. He was bald; with red eyes and slits for a nose. It took everything Elaine had not to bolt out of the room. That, she knew, would be a death sentence for both her and Rowan.

Severus stood behind her now, one hand on her back, gently pushing her towards the dark lord. Elaine's mind was whirling.

Oh Merlin, I wasn't ready. I can't do this, and now Rowan's going to die and I-

"Mrs. Elaine Davies." The cold voice sent chills up her spine, and Elaine did her best to clear her thoughts as the room grew silent, all eyes upon their master and the mudblood newcomer. "I must say, I never expected to see you in my presence."

Elaine dropped into a curtsey. "I am here to join your ranks, my lord, if you shall have me."

"Are you not a mudblood? Raised, I believe, in a muggle orphanage until age eleven, when you found out about your - magic." The pause in between words was full of malice. "There are many here who believe mudbloods steal magic from wizards, creating what we call squibs. There are many who believe mudbloods are not fit to wipe our boots. And you are here, to join these people? Your own husband believed these things."

"I - I am not a mudblood, sir," Elaine managed. She stood up straight, hands behind her back. "After my husband's death, I found out that Dumbledore was keeping my past from me, my history. It was he that stuck me in that muggle orphanage."

The Dark Lord looked curious, if the thinning of his lips was any indication. "Dumbledore, you say?" He sat back in his chair. "Explain."

"I have muggle blood in me, sir, on my mother's side, but she was born a witch. And my father is halfblood himself, but his father is pureblooded,with a family line that goes back many, many generations."

"Is this so?"

"Yes sir."

"Then who, may I ask, are your parents? For if your father is as pure as they say, I shall know his name." It was here Elaine paused, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Severus. He nodded at her to continue. "Severus. Come forward."

The potions master stepped forward. "Yes, my lord?"

"Why is it she looks to you for help?"

"We have begun a friendship, my lord. It was I who informed her of Benjamin's death, and she grew angry when the headmaster told her long forgotten secrets. She indicated that she wished to join you, oppose Dumbledore and his - manipulations."

The dark lord turned back to Elaine. "Your parents' names."

"Remus Lupin and Lily Evans." The room was filled with laughter and more than one scoff.

"Is that so." The Dark Lord leaned forward again, eyeing her. "Yes. You do bare a resemblance to Lily Potter. But perhaps you're her sister? Lily Potter was quite young when she died, not nearly old enough to have a child your age."

"My Lord, if I may speak?" one of the death eaters spoke up.

"Lyall. How kind of you to grace us with your presence." Sniggers filled the room. "Elaine Davies. If what you say is true - meet your grandfather." Elaine turned to see the man in the mask pull it off, and nearly gasped at the resemblance Lyall Lupin held to his son.

He bent down on a knee. "My Lord. My son did indeed have a child while still at school - he wanted to raise his daughter, but I suggested it would be for the best if he did not. The child was, as far as I know, taken to an orphanage, but I never learned her name."

"Apparently, Lyall, it's Elaine," a woman dressed all in black stated, sniggering. Elaine immediately recognized her as Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Well." The Dark Lord rose out of his chair, stepping forward and placing his hand under Elaine's chin, looking directly into her eyes. She made sure to force certain memories to come forward, false ones as well as true ones, intertwining them so there would never be any way to tell the difference between them. After awhile he pulled back, sitting back down in his chair. "Well. Well. Well. Seems the sister of the boy who lived wants to help the man who tried to kill him. So much for the love of families!"

Laughter. The dark lord let out a dry laugh as well, his red gaze baring into Elaine. "What of your son?"

"My Lord?"

"Your son. Rowan, I believe. Named after Rowena Ravenclaw, correct?"

"I - what?" Elaine felt her breath catch in her chest. "What about him?"

"Will you pledge your son to our cause? The Malfoy boy already has, of course, as well as the other children of my loyal followers."

"My son's only two, my lord," Elaine said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I am aware of that." There was a pause, as everybody stood, waiting with bated breath for her answer.

"I will raise him to honor your cause," she said finally. The Dark Lord grinned.

"Good." He looked around. "Shall we feast?"

School was to start in two weeks. Elaine stared at the letter, then looked back up at Minerva. "You want me to go to a children's home and tell a muggleborn she's a witch?" she said finally, after a lengthy silence. The woman nodded. "Why?"

"Do you not recognize the address?" Minerva asked her quietly. Elaine glanced back at the address and let out a small gasp. "I assume you remember the staff there well, and I assumed they would take your presence much better than one of the rest of us, you being so young and all. You could even take Rowan, if you like, and introduce him to the staff as well."

Elaine let out a little laugh. "Mrs. Montenegro would assume I was there to drop him off," she said. "But I'll go, alone. Let me get ready." Minerva gave her a short nod and she stood, stretching her back out. "I'll owl you when I return."

"Thank you," Minerva called as she left. Elaine walked through the halls, her mind drifting back to the children's home, and that last night she'd spent there, during which she'd fought with the head, packed a bag in the middle of the night, and ran off with Ben.

She took a deep breath now, reaching the apparation point and heading off, reaching the Leaky Cauldron in London, which happened to be an hour's walk from the place she'd grown up, clueless about her identity. The walk, which had seemed to take days way back when, now was gone in a moment and before she knew it, she was standing outside the children's home, staring up at the red brick building with a sinking feeling in her chest.

The door opened and an older woman stood in the entrance, arms crossed over her chest. "How can I help you?"

Elaine brushed her hair back. "My name is Elaine, I used to live here. Does Mrs. Montenegro still work here?" The woman shook her head. "Oh. Okay. Who do I speak to in regards to a child? A Missy Dion."

"That would be me." Elaine looked over to see Heather Maltison, who had been the assistant head when Elaine had lived there. "Elaine Evans, wasn't it?"

"Yes, I was." She stood awkwardly on the doorstep. "May I come in?"

"Whatever Missy has done now, I don't see how it concerns you," Heather said coldly. "The child is just like you were; a troublemaker from the start."

Elaine closed her eyes, mentally counting to ten before reopening them. "May I come in and discuss this? I am not comfortable doing so on the doorstep."

"Yes. Well. We do not allow people just randomly in, Elaine, as you well remember. Perspective parents are, of course, as well as school teachers making a home visit-"

"I am a school teacher," Elaine interrupted, trying her hardest not to curse the woman both verbally and magically. They'd butted heads for years before she'd run away, and it seemed as though she hadn't changed. When Heather raised her eyebrows, skeptical, Elaine pulled the letter out of her pocket, passing it over. "I think we should continue this conversation inside."

"My father went to Hogwarts," Heather said quietly, glancing at the seal. She looked over at the older woman, who had up until then stood silently. "Rebeka, I can handle this from here. She's here on official business. If you could just send Missy to my office." She stepped aside, letting Elaine enter, and they walked together to the office that used to belong to Mrs. Montenegro. Sitting behind the desk, she let out a soft sigh. "Millie never let on that that was where you were off to every year. If she had, maybe I would have liked you better."

Elaine let out a laugh. "I didn't know your father was - is? A wizard."

"Was." Heather smiled somewhat sadly. "He was killed when I was young. He was my stepfather, really, but he was the only father I had."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Elaine told her softly, as the door opened and a small girl with dark brown pigtails entered the room. Elaine smiled warmly at her. "Are you Missy?" The girl nodded. "Hi, I'm Professor Davies."

"Hi," the girl said, looking from Elaine to Heather. "Miss, I'm not in trouble am I?"

"No," Heather told her. "Professor... Davies, was it?" Elaine gave a short nod. "Professor Davies is here from a very special school they would like you to attend this upcoming year." Heather handed her the envelope and both women watched as she slowly opened it, read the contents, and then looked back up at them, eyes wide.

"Are you - this is a joke, right? Because I keep getting in trouble? I promise I'll be better, but this isn't really a funny joke."

"It's not a joke, I promise," Elaine reassured her. "I thought it was too, when I was eleven and I sat in this office with Mrs. Montenegro. Do you remember her?" The girl nodded, still wide-eyed. "Do you want to see magic?" The girl nodded again, and Elaine pulled out her wand. She thought for a moment, before casting a simple levitation charm, and a pen on Heather's desk rose in the air, before she released the spell and it fell, hitting the wood with a small thud.

"Wow," Missy whispered. "I can- I can learn that?"

"Yes, you can," Heather informed her. "If you indeed wish to go to the school, that is." Missy nodded eagerly. Heather looked at Elaine, and nodded. "You wish to take her to get her school things today? Or do I do that?"

"I will," Elaine said. "In fact, we can go now, if you wish." Missy nodded frantically. "Okay. Go get dressed to go out." The eleven year old raced off, and Elaine chuckled. "She reminds me of how excited I was when I got my letter."

"What happened to Evans?" Heather asked. "Did you - you married that boy you ran off with?"

Elaine nodded. "I did. Ben. We have a son, Rowan. He's two. I would have brought him today, but he gets flustered in crowds sometimes since -" she stopped speaking, a lump rising in her throat. "We lost Ben two months ago. It's been difficult."

"I'm sorry for your loss," the head said. "I think I remember him, Ben. The night you ran off with him Mrs. Montenegro had kicked him off the premises."

Elaine laughed. "That she did. She never did approve." There was a pause. "Is she still around?"

"She passed, about a year after you left," Heather stated. "A week after Missy arrived, actually. Heart attack."

"Oh," Elaine said softly. "I knew she - I knew about the heart attack, the first one. She had another?" Heather nodded as the door swung open and Missy reentered, beaming. "We'll return in a few hours."

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