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Lilith

An early version prolog that wasn't included in the published version

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Prolog

"Go with blond."

Luna's words were repeating clearly in her mind as she starred at her reflection in the cup of tea that she had been given. Just hours ago she had been a boy by the name of Harry James Potter, but gone was the once short, black, rat's nest of hair and the emerald-green eyes with poor eyesight; in their stead, was now a girl with long, pale-silver hair that was almost white, and blood-red eyes with inhumanly perfect eyesight. She was wrapped from head to toe in warm blankets, having been found outside on a black, rainy day, with only the clothes on her back, and crying. She had been sitting in an alley, with no shelter from the rain, when a man had approached her with an umbrella and a bag of groceries. He was quite tall, and handsome, with the most stunning blue yes she had ever seen, but, what had caught her eye the most was the long, blond hair and the kind smile. He had reached out to her, offering her a roof over her head, and she had remembered Luna's words. Now, she sat in his living room, starring at her cup of tea, while glancing at the man every once in a while, as he cooked. At the time, she hadn't understood what Luna had meant, having come out of the blue and seemingly without context; 'Harry' had been going to Gringotts, not a hair salon.

Then, her entire word had come crashing down.

All 'Harry' had wanted was to get 'his' affairs in order, knowing that, at any moment forward, 'he' could be the next cooling corpse on the ground, especially seeing as he would be facing a dragon in just a week. 'He' hadn't expected to arrive at Gringotts Bank to find that a Will had already been filed on 'his' behalf, without 'his' knowledge or consent. Nor did 'he' expect to be the cause of the complete chaos that followed inside the bank, and within the Goblin Nation. 'His' vaultmanager was executed for theft, taking bribes, not following Bank Procedure, accessory to an attempt of Line Theft, falsifying documents, and a bunch of other crimes and discrepancies towards a member of an Ancient and Noble Wizard Clan, which was also a valuable, long-term client of the bank.

It had all started when 'Harry' mentioned how Neville had informed 'him' of the Standard Procedure the bank had in regards to making Last Wills and Testaments, and asked how a Will could be filed on 'his' behalf without those procedures being performed. The goblin, though remaining calm, had obviously been furious, and told 'Harry' that 'his' Magical Guardian had provided Medical Documents from a Goblin Healer in order to forgo the main procedure. 'Harry' had frowned with growing dread and suspicion, and bluntly told the goblin that he did not remember being examined by anyone other than Madam Pomfrey, the School Nurse, let alone a goblin, then 'he' had asked who his so-called Magical Guardian was, as this was the first time 'he' had ever heard the term.

The goblin had flown out of his chair in rage, thrown open the door to the office they were in and shouted in his native tong. After that, things get blurry. The utter chaos and confusion following a thorough interrogation by the Higher Ranking goblins, and a thorough examination of a Goblin Healer, as well as going through all the procedures 'he' had thought 'he' had prepared for, had thrown 'him' into shock. The revelations were life-changing, and, after 12 hours at the bank, 'Harry' was now Lilith, and wanted nothing more than to disappear. She didn't even remember Apparating, something she must have done as she was currently in some Asian country, she still wasn't sure which, but, somehow, she could now speak and understand the language. She honestly hadn't noticed until she looked up at the TV and realized that the Local News Station was most certainly not British.

She looked back at the man whom Luna obviously trusted enough to tell her to go with. She could feel the darkness and the pure power rolling off of him, but, at the same time, she didn't feel any magic. He felt human, but, at the same time, not. He had introduced himself as Frank Lee, the Chairman of a local High School. She blushed in embarrassment as she remembered the state he had found her in, and the things she had told him in her hysteria. If he didn't already know of the wizard world, she must have sounded like a complete lunatic. He had told her that he had some friends that could help her, but, now, she feared that she might just be sent off for psychiatric evaluation or something. She shook her head, Luna would've never told 'Harry' to go with him, if that was the case. 'Harry' had only met Luna after Ron and Hermione had abandoned 'him' after 'his' name came out of that stupid Goblet, but, it was also because of her that Neville had learned that 'Harry' had never received any of the training he should've as a future Lord of an Ancient and Noble House, something the boy had just assumed 'Harry' had, and 'Harry', now Lilith, trusted Luna for what she had done for her.

"Are you feeling better?" She was asked as the house-owner set a few different dished on the table in front of her.

"I- yes." She stuttered a bit.

"I'm glad." The man said with a warm smile.

They ate in silence for a bit, though Lilith soon had to ask for a fork because she couldn't get a hang on the chopsticks. She also wrinkled her nose a bit at the unfamiliar tastes that she couldn't quite tell if she liked or not.

"Is it not to your liking?" The house-owner asked worried. "I can make something else."

Lilith shook her head. "No, it's not that; it's just…" She started. "I've… never had any kind of Asian food before, so… I'm just not used to it."

"I see." Mr. Lee said looking at her curiously. A lot of Asian food had become popular in the west, so it was a bit strange to meet someone who had never had any.

Lilith shied away from the look. "It's complicated." She said. "My relatives would have take-out on the weekends, but I was never allowed to have any, and I always kept to the food I knew while at school."

Mr. Lee frowned as he remembered the hysterical rambling he had been told earlier. He had unscrambled and puzzled together enough to know who he was dealing with, and what had upset the girl so much; he had enough information about the wizard world to figure that out, but he had also puzzled together enough to send his paternal instincts into a frenzy, and he could feel his darkness raging under his skin, demanding bloodshed.

"You said you were fighting a dragon in a few days." He asked changing the subject.

The girl instantly sagged in her seat. "Yeah." She said in a hopeless tone that made him want to hug her. "Someone wants me dead again, and had my name entered into the Tri-wizard Tournament. My so-called Magical Guardian, whom I had no idea I had until today, did nothing to get me out, despite being the Headmaster of my school, the Head of the Wizengamot and a member of the ICW. I want him out of my life, but I'd need to choose a new Guardian for that and I have no idea who to trust."

Mr. Lee nodded. "I called a lawyer-friend of mine earlier, I'm sure he can help you." He said. "His name is Rhee Ki-han; he's a Squib and former student of mine."

Lilith starred at him in shock then, slowly, she relaxed and smiled "Thank you." She said, holding back a sob of relief.

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