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A/N: Orchid: "Love; beauty; refinement; beautiful lady; Chinese symbol for many children, mature charm". Fem!Harry.

Summary: They could only love her so long as they didn't know her real name. Rabastan and Rodolphus can never know her true face… but someday the dream will end. AU.

Dark Garden

***

Chapter Two:

Up For Adoption

Orchid didn't like being famous, despite what one might think. She had started off just making or altering clothes for her friends, and she'd ended up in the papers because of her interesting style. She had to keep at it now, though. It kept morale up, distracting people from the war and certain military actions, and – and this was far more important to her personally – drew the attention of her parents on occasion.

She had friends, plenty of them – some even real. She had perfect knowledge of tradition and manners. She could play the socialite, the model, the businesswoman, even the student. All the world was her stage and she could play any part.

But she couldn't have her parents.

She didn't want to be the grownup all the time. She didn't want to be raising her siblings with only a house elf for company. Lily was a good friend, and James played the part of her Papa well when he was there, but mostly she was alone. That was why she had as many friends as possible; to take her mind off things. Oh there was political advantage to be sure, but mostly it was loneliness that drove her to do as many things as possible. It would have been nice if Lily had noticed her two week trip to Vienna for a photo shoot, and to talk to James about something besides business (at least he had noticed her trip and had the decency to comment on it). She just wanted to be noticed for who she was and not for what she did. Apparently that was too much to ask for on the parent front, though, but at least she had friends who did. Her parents had raised her when she was little, true, but as she grew older they grew more distant.

At least Barty understood the war taking your family away from you in the non-death sense. His father had always been a sort of distant dictator.

Remus was a parent-like figure. But Remus wasn't always there either, and he wasn't really her father. Sirius was just as childlike as her siblings at times, so he was no help at all. Frank and Alice Longbottom tried to fill in where they could, but it just wasn't the same and she hated to impose on them – they were busy too.

The kids, her siblings, called her Mama. That wasn't any fairer on them than it was on her. Still, she was used to it. It wasn't fair, but Orchid had long learned that life wasn't fair; that's just the way things were. She loved her parents, but that didn't mean she couldn't resent the Hell out of them; she did.

Sometimes, she didn't want to be the grownup.

So, thank the Gods for Regulus; without him she wouldn't have made it. He was a great help with the kids, saw to the Black end of the business things, and generally acted the part of the older brother or uncle. And he was technically family, Sirius being her godfather, so it soothed the ache a bit. He was concerned with more than the war and the roof over her head. He wanted to make sure she was okay mentally, too.

*

Someone highly placed was leaking information, and it wasn't Severus Snape; that was pretty much the extent of the Order's knowledge.

Snow Queen Dazzles with Fashion Sense

Annette Dubois

Snow Queen Orchid Potter has dazzled us yet again with her impeccable fashion sense. The now seventeen-year-old model has always been the epitome of what High Society and breeding should be, but today she wowed us once again. Recently become an Auror in Potter tradition, and straight out of Hogwarts at that, we thought we'd seen the last of her fashion days. Orchid has yet again proven us wrong.

"Not only has she made them more fashionable, but she's made them more comfortable too," says Auror Margaret Hayden, 23. "They're much easier to move in." We are, of course, talking about the female Auror robes. Once only to distinguish the Aurors from civilians, Orchid has now improved them beyond what was thought possible. The Potter Heiress had this to say:

"Field Medics, rare as we are, need to be able to get to our patients quickly or risk their deaths before we can get to them. The robes were hindering my movement, so I improved them." The slits up the sides and lack of sleeves allow for more maneuverability, and use of dragonhide armguards permit for lightweight armor protection. Plus, added cleavage distracts male opponents, according to many female Aurors.

When asked if she would continue to model, Potter said that that was never in question. "Oh sure, Orchid will have to cancel some photo shoots in favor of battles and raids, but that's understandable," said publicist Marcie Ross, 41. "We'll manage to work around it, and anyone who doesn't understand will just have to deal."

Orchid Potter is well-known for not only buying high quality clothing but also for making or altering her clothes to maximum effect. She has made several pieces for her friends and siblings, and her faultless sense of style has had them reaping the benefits.

"Orchid was the reason I started modeling," Gabrielle Delacour, 12, admitted. "She was really great about bringing me into the business, teaching me the ins and outs. She even taught me how to negotiate a contract in my favor. Mama and Papa were concerned that my goals would never reach fruition, but with Orchid Potter behind you, you really can't lose. I'm not surprised that this new venture, improving Auror robes, succeeded."

Bartemius Crouch Jr., the betrothed of Ms. Potter, was unavailable for comment at the time of this article. For more information, please contact Annette Dubois at Daily Prophet Offices either by Floo or owl post.

"Not bad," Barty commented, putting down the paper.

"Annie does good work," Orchid agreed. "Oh, we have another Ministerial Ball, by the way. I'm technically working security, but only unobtrusively."

"The eighteenth?"

She nodded her agreement, sipping her coffee. Barty didn't know how she could stand the stuff, preferring tea himself, but apparently it was standard Auror fare. It was all that kept them up some nights, when they were on guard duty or stakeouts.

"That's going to be attacked. I'll tell the Dark Lord we'll be there."

"I'll subtlety trip them up, then."