AN- Ok, quick thing. I wrote this as background info on a character I play. Unfortunately for me, the single page document I had planned on typing is now...25 pages long. I posted it on ff.net because I had promised I girl that I RP with that I would e-mail all of it to her. Problem- I hadn't saved it, so I had to re-type it all. So sue me, I'm lazy. So I'm posting it here instead. I could care less if you don't like it, this is for my personal info only.

Oh, and 'Kestrel'? Last chapter explained why she was wearing that gray dress for Christmas.... and this one explains why she hates Muggles so much.

I own Ace, Mary, Gabriel, and that's about it. Don't sue me, I have about ten cents to my name.

Ace pouted as Mary dropped her on her new bed.

Simone Lennox, better known as Ace, had been sent to live with her thirteen-year-old cousin, Mary Lennox, after the recent death of her mother. Amaterasu Lennox, a beautiful Japanese woman, had been poisoned just a day ago. Gabriel Lennox, a hard and cold man, had sent his daughter to live with Mary. Mary herself had lived alone since she was six, and knew how to take care of the young heiress of the Lennox Manors.

"I don't like you," Ace announced, as if expecting Mary to fall down and weep because a three-year-old didn't like her. Instead, Mary just shrugged.

"I'm not taking care of you because you like me. I'm taking care of you because I have to. You can like me, or you can hate me. It doesn't make a difference to me," snapped Mary, yanking Ace's Mary Janes off. Sniffling, Ace hit Mary on the head.

"Leave my shoes alone. Father said I had to wear them," whimpered the little girl. Mary rolled her black eyes and continued, causing Ace to start to cry again.

"My mommy gave me these! Leave me alone! Why can't you just go away?" Ace sobbed.

Mary knew that Ace had been through a tragic ordeal. Ace, having come home from her father's work, had gone outside to find her mother. And indeed she had. She had tripped over her body, and- not knowing she was dead- had carried on a conversation with her. It was only after a good five minutes that Ace had realized that her mother was dead. She had broken down completely. But Mary wouldn't just let Ace go on grieving. Cold, harsh, and evil, Mary couldn't stand tears. So she hit Ace on the cheek- lightly.

"Stop your crying. Your mother is dead. You watched as we threw her into the ocean. If you do not stop crying, you will get worse punishment than just a slap on the cheek," snarled Mary.

Ace stopped crying immediately.

Satisfied, Mary tugged Ace's dress off. The coarse, gray material was thrown away, and Mary dressed Ace in a pair of overalls and a white blouse. Ace just stared off into space, her wet blue eyes blank.

"I'm supposed to wear a dress," Ace said suddenly. Mary didn't stop, just started to brush Ace's platinum blond hair.

"It's a rule. Little girls are supposed to wear dresses and Mary Janes," insisted Ace. Mary pulled out her scissors.

"We're also supposed to have waist length hair. It isn't supposed to ever be cut," pleaded Ace, as she saw the scissors. Her own blond hair only came down a little bit past her shoulders, but Gabriel had insisted that Ace continue to grow it.

Mary took pieces of Ace's hair, and began to snap them off. Ace shook and trembled, but did not cry. Mary finished five minutes later, leaving Ace's hair hanging just above her ears.

"There. That looks much better, don't you think?" asked Mary, showing Ace her reflection in a mirror. Ace shook harder than before, and violently shook her head.

"Father will kill me! I wasn't supposed to cut my hair, ever!" she simpered. Mary snarled again and took Ace's chin in her hand.

"Listen to me. While you are in my house, you will obey my rules. You are not to ever cry. You shall not whimper, whine, sob, or tremble. You will be strong. You will be brave. You will not pout. You will obey me and my every command. Do you get that?" snapped the French girl. Ace's eyes suddenly went dark, and she leapt to her feet and looked Mary right in the eyes.

"You listen to me. You have no rights. You are merely taking care of me. You will not tell me what to do, what to believe, or how to act. I shall dress how I wish to dress, and if I desire my hair to stay long, than you shall not touch it with anything sharp. I will obey my own rules, and you must learn to understand that," snapped Ace. Mary smiled.

She was already learning.

****

Mary Lennox's House

Nimes, France

Age Five

Ace sat outside, a mile away from her little home, playing with a doll that her Aunt Avia had given her. The doll, whom Ace had named Amaterasu, had long black hair and dark blue eyes. It looked very much like her mother.

In the past two years, Ace had grown to be a very strong, unafraid five-year-old. Her blond locks she had allowed Mary to keep short, but only because it was nice not to have to spend an hour brushing it. She had also embraced the idea of pants, though she refused to wear overalls. Instead, she opted to wear dress pants and a white blouse. Ace hadn't cried since Mary had told her not to, and now whenever she felt sad, she took it out on one of her toys. The last thing had been a gift from her absentee father, Gabriel. He had sent her a stuffed dog that could talk to her. When Ace had found out that it was just another gift that meant her father wouldn't be seeing her for a long time, she had used a knife to decapitate the dog. It never spoke again.

But today she meant no ill will to her doll. It looked exactly like her mother, whom she had lost two years earlier. It had been a painful encounter, and Ace had never fully recovered from it. And because Mary had ended her mourning period only a day after her mother had died, Ace had a nasty scar on her heart that had never sealed shut. She didn't trust anyone, and she refused to love, fearing she would lose them in the end. Ace had grown bitter, hating everyone and anything. Nothing met her requirements, and so she had no friends.

Mary had gone off to Hogwarts. Her grandmother, the last French woman in her family, had died, and Mary couldn't face Beauxbatons anymore. So instead of seeing Mary at least once a week, she didn't see her cousin until the summer, or until Christmas or Easter. During those times, Mary would teach her flying and dueling.

Ace had a natural talent for both, it seemed, and she already knew as many curses, hexes, and jinxes as a normal first year would. And she flew like a maniac, but with a speed and elegance unheard of for her age.

But since Mary had gone, Ace wasn't allowed to practice. And so she was stuck playing with her doll.

"I miss you, mother," Ace whispered to the doll as she brushed it's hair. The doll turned it's head towards Ace and smiled.

"You brush my hair well," it answered. Ace smiled softly, and wished someone would come along for her to play with. Even though she hated people, they were fun to tease, at least.

And she got her wish. From down the road, she saw about ten Muggle boys heading towards her. Mary had told Ace never to associate or speak to Muggles, but Ace never felt a need to heed this warning. It seemed foolish to her. Muggles were just people who didn't have magic. They were boring.

The first boy, who appeared to be eleven or so, stopped in front of Ace and sneered.

"Little Simone Lennox, cousin of the local freak," the boy teased. Ace blinked, surprised.

"My name is Ace," she said quietly. Looking at the second boy (he was about nine), she smiled. "Would you like to play with my doll? Her name is Amaterasu."

The second boy just stared at her, but the first snatched the doll from her hands.

"Sure, we'd love to play with your dolly. Amaterasu, huh?" With a single twist of his hand, the boy snapped the dolls head off. Ace let out a cry and jumped for her doll.

"Give her back!" she screamed. The boy just laughed, and started to tear the doll's hair out. Screaming with fury and pain, Ace continued to jump for her doll.

"What, can't take a little joke? Just get that witch of a cousin you have to fix her back up," laughed another boy, who started to tug at her doll's limbs. A fourth boy joined in, until the doll's arms came out altogether. Stuffing drifted to the ground in a macabre pattern. Ace was howling now, her pale face turning red.

"Little baby. Wants her dolly," laughed the first boy. By this time, Ace was boiling over with rage. Her eyes flashing red, briefly, she snapped into action. Baring her teeth, she dug them into the first boy's hand. His eyes went wide, and he yanked it away from her. By doing this, he dropped the doll, which Ace scooped up and began to run.

"Get her!" the boy yelled.

Terrified of the Muggles, Ace ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. She was almost a mile from home- she had wandered away, bored. Why couldn't she had just stayed at home.

She heard the boys footsteps behind her, gaining. Increasing her speed, Ace knew she wouldn't get home without them hurting her. And she was right.

One of the boys who had ripped the arm off of her doll grabbed her arm, thus yanking her to the ground. Ace fell, and immediately shielded her face as the boy she had bit started to hit her.

"Stupid little girl! Let's see you summon your powers now! Witch! You'll hang in this town, you dumb Dora! I look forward to watching your soul rot in hell!" the boy screamed in anger. Ace didn't even cry out as he started to kick her, hitting her mostly in the ribs. Finally, he backed away, satisfied with his work.

"That'll teach you, witch," he snarled. Then he gestured to the other boys, and they left.

Ace hadn't cried out at all during the entire encounter. Carefully lifting herself off the ground, Ace dragged her broken and bruised body three fourths of a mile, back to the tiny home.

****

Mary Lennox's Home

Nimes, France

Age Seven

Gabriel stood, looking furiously at a recently graduated Mary.

"You taught my daughter how to fly?" he snapped. Mary looked defiantly at Gabriel, her black eyes glittering coldly.

"Yes. It's a good skill to know," she answered. Gabriel reached out and slapped Mary, hard enough to make her collapse to the floor. A seven-year-old Ace watched from the corner.

"I specifically told you that my daughter had to be trained to be the heiress of Lennox Manor. Instead, you teach her how to fly, how to duel, and how to be defiant to everything I say. I'm taking Simone with me, Mary, and you can't do anything to stop me."

Mary stared at him from the floor, and then turned away, to stare deep into Ace's eyes.

"Ace, come out here. Your father is taking you home again," she called.

Ace instantly came out of the shadows. Her face was bruised, and her hand hung at an awkward angle. She had a slight limp, but she didn't even show any pain on her face.

"Hello father," Ace said softly. Gabriel gawked at her, and then ran forward.

"What happened to you?" he snapped, looking angrily at Mary.

"No, father, Mary did not do this. The Muggles in town did," Ace answered. Gabriel turned to Mary, as if to ask if that were true. Mary nodded.

"They've been attacking her on a regular basis. They didn't do it last year, because Avia stayed here. But this year... Avia had a heart attack, as you know, and I was at school. I didn't even know what was going on... until now," whispered Mary. Ace just shrugged.

"They got the worst of it, in the long run," she said simply. Mary smiled evilly and nodded.

"One of the boys is missing a finger. The other will never see out of his right eye again. And the last one will probably have a cast for about a year."

Gabriel looked at Ace, who showed no remorse about what she had done. Her eyes were hooded, cold, and... there, deep in her eyes, was a glimmer of cockiness. Gabriel was stunned to see all the transformation that had taken place in the five years he had been gone. His wussy daughter had turned into a strong, violent one.

She was going to give him problems.

"Let's go, Simone. We're going to live in our summer home. Far away from any Muggles, and far away from Mary," he sneered, looking at his daughter. She stood her ground.

"I want to stay with Mary," she snapped.

"Well, you're not. You're coming home."

"No, I'm not."

"No, she's not," Mary said, stepping in front of Ace. Gabriel pulled out his wand and pointed it at Mary.

"Stupefy!" he bellowed. Mary collapsed, nearly crushing Ace. But Ace jumped out of the way, and then looked at her father. Hatred was in her eyes, and she pulled out Mary's wand.

"Don't make me use this, father," said Ace coldly. Gabriel laughed bitterly.

"You're my daughter, Simone. You're coming home with me."

"I haven't been your daughter for four years now. When I was three, I was your daughter. When I was first sent to live with Mary, I was your daughter. But on my fourth birthday, when you didn't appear, I became Mary's daughter. Mary has given me all that I ever wanted. Love, affection, peace, everything. I don't even know who you are. I'm staying where I belong," Ace insisted. Gabriel was stunned, but he countered her.

"She didn't give you the care you needed. Look at your face, Simone. You're hideous. You're black and blue. You need to come home," he returned. Ace just looked at him, her expression full of pure hatred.

"I am home. I don't care if I'm hideous. I'm happy. I don't want to go with you. Wherever Mary is, that's where I'll be. Get over it," Ace replied. Gabriel snarled in rage, and raised the wand instantly.

"Stupefy!" he yelled for the second time that day. And, to his immense surprise, Ace blocked it. A seven-year-old had blocked his spell! So Gabriel raised it again.

"Expelliarmus!"

Mary's wand came flying out of Ace's hand, and he instantly shouted stupefy again. Ace collapsed to the ground, the expression of hatred gone- for the time being.

Gabriel glanced around, and then scooped up his daughter, leaving Mary to be found the next day.