Chapter Two

Hortensia didn't know how to feel about Apparition, which made sense due to her background on all things magical.

All she knew was it felt weird, as though she was being sucked through a tube and deposited somewhere else. She also knew she probably was clinging to Mr. Grimm more than she should, but she couldn't help it. His magic that snuggled around her and kept her sheltered assured her everything was going to be okay; she was away from her not real family. She was about to meet those that were her real family, and part of her wanted to pull away from Mr. Grimm before running in the direction of the said family members. She had to wait patiently, which wouldn't take too long.

"Hortensia…open your eyes. Look at your home."

Hortensia slowly opened her eyes and pulled her head away from his chest, turning so she could look at the place that would be her home now.

Her mouth felt open, and a rush of a magical bond cemented itself to her, beckoning her forward and asking her to enter through those intimidating, gothic period inspired iron front gates.

Gates that led into a beautiful three-story white stone manor.

There were many windows that were a part of the manor, along with a few balconies that had iron casted railing. A few chimneys were here and there, which made sense because it was a manor after all so that meant a lot of rooms needed to be warm. There were many plants that were framing the manor, crawling ivy here and there. A large fountain marked the halfway part of the front pathway, with multiple unique flowers that were planted around the fountain. Trees sprinkled the property in the front and the sides, so it was perfect for someone to sit underneath one of them to read or have other types of leisure during a sunny day. One couldn't tell how many acres the property had, and Hortensia wanted to travel throughout the property to see what she could find.

"This is my home?"

"Yes, this is your home now. Your mother's sister and her husband live here. They are the Lord and Lady of the Manor. Lord Lucius and Lady Narcissa Malfoy. They have a son that is around your age, his name is Draco," Mr. Grimm explained, noting how the little girl nibbled on the corner of her lip at the thought of meeting her real cousin…and her mommy's sister and her husband. She hoped they were nothing like the Dursleys.

Mr. Grimm leant his head down and pressed it against the top of her head, giving her a small squeeze to let her know he wasn't going to leave her. "I can hold you, if you want that, still."

"Y-Yes p-please."

She stayed still as he entered through the gates of the property, which had swung open without even needing to be pushed. It was another reminder Hortensia was actually in a magical world! She was a witch! Her mommy and daddy really were a witch and wizard! She just hoped the rest of her family would accept her, and not be upset. She had thought those other people were her parents…she didn't know any better.

They had barely reached the fountain when the front doors of the manor were burst open.

Two people were standing on the front steps of their home.

All Hortensia could see was white and gold, they weren't close enough for her to see any more details, well that and she knew it was a woman and man. They might have been her aunt and uncle. They had shimmering clothes on, or jewelry, she could see little prisms of light from where she was, though she couldn't see that well anyway. There was a reason why she was wearing her daddy–no, wait, that wasn't her daddy's glasses, she was wearing James's glasses.

She knew she was going to have to get used to calling him just James instead of her daddy, but then again, he had always been just a concept in the back of her mind like Lily was. She had been told they were her parents and she had listened without really asking questions, partly because of the fact that questions were not asked or else the whipping stick would come out. The other being she didn't see a reason why to ask.

As the couple came closer, Hortensia heard Mr. Grimm's real name being called out. She didn't know how to feel about it. Maybe he would let her keep calling him her nickname.

"Regulus! She's back! Blessed be Merlin and Morgana!"

It was the woman who had shouted this, as she finally came close enough for Hortensia to study the woman in front of her.

Lady Narcissa Malfoy was a tall and elegant woman, with cream colored skin that dared not have any blemishes upon it. Sharp but artistically and strategically groomed pale blonde eyebrows, large and stunning silver eyes that reminded Hortensia of Mr. Grimm, which were framed by the same color blonde eyelashes, a small and cute button nose and plump lips that were a soft pink. Her cheekbones were sharp in the right places, but still leaving a softness to her. Her blonde hair that matched her pale eyebrows was piled up in a high bun with different hair jewels nestled within the mass of curls. She was wearing a silver long sleeve dress that covered her cleavage, and a skirt that bellowed out in a soft pool around her on the ground. There were even matching silver gloves on her hands, with a single diamond ring on, her marriage ring.

Hortensia stopped studying the woman when a sense of maternal warmth washed through her, cementing her familial bond with her blood aunt. Tears pricked in the corner of her eyes before cascading down, and she sobbed loudly, openly. She reached her arms out for the woman, the woman who would protect her and keep her away from any danger.

"Auntie! I…I missed you."

Hortensia didn't know why she said that, but she felt compelled to.

Perhaps it was because of the fact she never had a proper woman in her family to love and cherish her.

Perhaps deep within her, her magic had cried for her real family, so when their bond was reignited, there was no reason for her to not say she didn't miss her. It would continue to thrive, flourish, and until her real mother would come and fulfill that bond it would temporarily attach itself to the closest female family member.

"I miss you too, Estrella. You've grown so much. Don't worry, you're never going to have to worry about anyone taking you away from us. Come inside."

Hortensia, no, her name was Estrella.

She never felt as though she was a Hortensia.

There was something inside of her, deep within her, that withered up every time she had called that name. Those that had taken her away from her real family had named her Hortensia. They were the reason why she couldn't be with her true family until now. She could be who she was meant to be now, and that just so happened to be Estrella.

Aunt Narcissa picked her up in her arms, an alarmed look in her eyes when she realized how skinny and malnourished, she was, but she didn't say anything. She didn't show anything, but her eyes hardened, and Estrella knew since she wasn't looking at her, she wasn't the one who was in trouble.

The Dursleys were the ones who were in trouble.

They would pay for what they had done for her, all the starving and dehydration, all the beatings that she had done to her in places that no one would be able to pick up on and tell the child services about. She was mistreated for seven years, reduced to this scared young girl.

It wasn't until she was almost to the front doors of the manor that Estrella noted her uncle next to her. Uncle Lucius, if what she remembered was correct.

He had long, almost snow white, blond hair that was straight and fell halfway down his back. He was dressed in masculine white robes with white leather gloves on, and a silver cane that had what looked like a silver snape head at the top of the cane. It wasn't magical but its eyes were the color of emeralds. He shared silver eyes like his wife, but they were a few shades darker than his wife's. His cheekbones were sharp, along with his jaw, his eyebrows were darker than his hair, along with his eyelashes being the same color as his eyebrows.

Uncle Lucius glanced over at her, those hard gray eyes softened immediately, as though she were his long-lost daughter that had returned home. She might as well have been, with how long she had been gone, how long ago she had been kidnapped. She could see why he was peering at her as though she hung the moon in the sky, as if there was a part of him that was being filled in instead of staying open with a gaping hole.

Without thinking, Estrella reached her hand out towards him, and he put one of his gloved hands into her small hand. He frowned at the sight of her thin wrist, at how he could easily wrap his whole hand around her wrist more than once. Her hair was greasy and needed to be washed, along with trimmed. She needed proper sleep, there were dark circles that were under her eyes, evidence she had never gotten the proper sleep she needed back on Privet Drive.

The front doors of the manor seemed to be enchanted and opened on their own, causing Estrella to turn around and look at the foyer of her new home.

Her mouth felt open at the curved marble staircase that went up to the first floor of the manor, with a black marble railing to it. There was a tall, almost cathedral style ceiling with white antique looking wallpaper. Magical oil paintings of ancestors were in gilded frames, the paintings waving and saying hello to Estrella when they saw her. The black iron chandelier hanging in the center of the ceiling, with candles that were enchanted to always be lit but never have wax fall onto people below. A large white marble fireplace was to the left, it was lit, and there were two armchairs that were facing the fireplace with an expensive side table between them. A woven family crest tapestry was hanging above the fireplace, where there were moving peacocks that were traveling throughout the fabric, they were all albinos. There was the family motto in Latin: Sanctimonia Vincet Semper (Purity Will Always Conquer).

"What do you think, little star?"

Estrella tore her attention away from the detailing of the room to the person that had said this. Her eyes fell on Uncle Lucius, and she blushed before she muttered, "it's pretty. It feels like home."

"That's a good thing. It's your magic being recognized as part of the family magic. You are a part of this family, always have been and always will be."

Estrella noticed someone moving in the corner of her eye, and she almost jumped out of her skin when a wrinkled little elf-like creature was coming into the foyer of the house. There was a pillowcase that was covering it, but the knobby creature still looked pretty scary. His ears were pointed and crooked, and his knees and elbows were sharp. His eyes were too big for his face, watery.

She immediately put her head into her aunt's chest, not wanting to see the creature. Part of her would feel bad at it, but she had just arrived, and she didn't know what this creature was! She didn't know if she wanted to know what it was…

"Shush, little one. It's okay, he's what's called a House Elf. His kind, Elves, are in charge of taking care of a person's house. He and his kind work for the lord and lady, or owners of a house. You can consider them as butlers, maids and cooks. You must treat them with respect, they are Mother Morgana's children just like we are her children," Aunt Narcissa explained, slowly but surely, enough for Estrella to nod her head and gently pull her head away from its hiding place.

"Lucius, I need to talk to you in your office. Narcissa, I suggest you take Estrella up to her room and get her changed into more comfortable clothes. She's probably in need of some lunch and a nap. Dobby, Narcissa will call for you when it's time for Estrella to eat," Mr. Grimm commanded, no…Regulus. Estrella had to remember that his name was Regulus.

As though he sensed this, Regulus turned and smiled at the dark-haired young girl and came forward, kissing her on the forehead. In front of them Dobby was bubbling, a nervous wreck but Uncle Lucius was telling the House Elf he needed to control himself. Estrella hoped the House Elf wasn't going to be like this around her, she didn't do good around stressful situations.

"It's okay if you keep calling me Mr. Grimm if you want, Estrella. Regulus is an uncommon name, and if you want to keep calling me Mr. Grimm then you can. I'll come and check on you in a little while, is that okay?"

Estrella nodded her head, before she quickly asked, "how are we related? I know you aren't my mommy and daddy, and Auntie is my mommy's sister."

"I'm your mother's cousin, and that makes me your second cousin. You can call me your uncle instead, if that makes it less confusing. Now, I need to go and talk to your uncle about something. Be the good girl that I know you are."

Mr. Grimm walked away with Uncle Lucius next to him, the both of them so opposite looking. The only thing that was common about them was their upbringing. They were the Lords of their Houses, of course Estrella didn't know Mr. Grimm was the Lord of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. They were family, although through marriage. They were allies.

"Come now, little one. Let's go get you washed up, dressed, and fed. That way you can take a nap. I'll make sure that Draco doesn't wake you up. He'll be excited to have you back, he's always believed that you would return. I just don't want him to know until after you've recovered some. Apparition can take a lot out of someone who is young like you and hasn't had a solid grip on magic," Aunt Narcissa explained as they went up the staircase to the first floor of the manor.

As they went down the left corridor of the manor, which meant the left wing, Estrella's eyes widened when she saw all her ancestors in their paintings. Some were sitting in what looked like the gardens of the manor, others were standing by the fireplace downstairs. There were other places that she didn't know of, they were all in the magical world (obviously). They were all welcoming her home, the prodigal niece, and she was both happy but embarrassed at the same time.

Eventually they arrived at an oak door that had beautiful molding around the doorframe, little carvings of flowers with vines that magically opened the petals every few seconds. Even little bumblebees were traveling up and down the door frame, and the doorknob was a light pink antique glass doorknob. It was quite pretty, and Estrella immediately felt a soft, welcoming aura coming from behind the door. An aura that let her know it had been waiting for her, had been waiting for her for seven years and would welcome her back eagerly no matter how old she would have been.

The bedroom door opened, and Estrella's eyes became even larger in surprise at how soft and pink everything was.

She had always liked the color pink.

The flooring of the bedroom was carpet, a very pale white.

The walls of the bedroom were high, along with the ceiling, though the walls of the bedroom were of almond flower wallpaper. They were moving as though there was some wind that was rustling the leaves and flowers of the tree branches. A whitewashed bed frame had both a headboard and a footboard that were rounded at the top. A canopy curtain was hanging in the center of the ceiling above the bed and draped against the front and bottom headboard with little white twinkling lights hanging around the canopy curtain. The bedspread and other bed fabrics were a light blush pink, and a pink flower-patterned blanket was folded at the bottom of the bed.

The other side of the bedroom had a tea party set, waiting to be used.

All of the cups and pots for the tea were of real fine China, there was a magical signature on it that let her know it must have been a spell for the cups to repair themselves if they broke. There were whitewashed chairs that had pink cushions that were surrounding the round matching colored and wooden table. A whitewashed bookshelf had a multitude of books that were stocked up, ready to be read. A standing wardrobe, this type was of oak wood. There were stuffed animals of creatures she didn't know of, so that meant they were creatures of this world. They were all friendly looking, so Estrella didn't mind that they were kind of odd.

"Do…do you like it? I-"

Estrella hugged her aunt a little tighter than before, which in return made the woman giggle in relief before she sat the girl down. Estrella went around the room, looking at everything and realizing that this was her room. She wasn't going to be stuck in a cupboard anymore. Tears began to fall down her face and she sniffled, reaching her hand up to wipe away the tears.

"Estrella, honey, what's wrong?"

Estrella looked up when she saw her aunt crouch down onto the carpeted floor, before sitting on her knees. Her dress was going to get a bunch of wrinkles in it, but the woman didn't seem as though she cared about that. She was more interested in making sure her niece was going to be okay, and that nothing would hurt her ever again.

"T-This is all for me. You-You're not going to send me back?"

Aunt Narcissa shook her head, "of course not, little one. You're here and you're here to stay. Nothing could ever make us want to send you back to…them. You are a gift; you are to be cherished and loved. Now, come here and give me a hug."

Estrella went over to the woman after she opened her arms and snuggled up against the witch, the sweet scent of perfume that waffled from her neck sent out a relaxing effect to her. It wasn't that stuffy, yucky perfume that Mrs. Dursley (oh how Estrella liked to call her this, instead of having to use the word aunt and Petunia in the same title) would wear.

"Are you ready to take a bath?"

Estrella nodded her head, not realizing that her real aunt would see what her fake aunt had done to her until they were already in an equally beautiful bathroom.

A bathroom made of the finest materials, gold and white marble.

The bathroom which had white marble flooring, simple antique patterned wallpaper that was common in a few centuries ago, tall ceiling with an white wrought iron chandelier with flowers making up the arms of the chandelier, the lightbulbs made up the pollen in the middle of the flowers. A fuzzy sage green round rug that was situated in the center of the bathroom floor. Sink counters that had marble as the countertop, and matching sage green paint as the wooden cabinets of the sinks. Sage green light weight curtains that framed the stain glassed window of a pond.

Aunt Narcissa motioned for the girl to stay where she was and kept the bathroom door open (the bathroom was opposite of where Estrella's bedroom was) and grabbed some new clothes for the girl to wear. She was more than confused when she came back into the bathroom and saw her niece wrapping her arms tightly around herself as though she was trying to keep herself small enough to not be noticed and hold her clothes to herself hard enough, they wouldn't be easy to take off.

"What's wrong, Estrella? I won't hurt you."

Estrella bit her lip before she let her arms fall to her sides again and came forward. She looked off to the side as she explained why she didn't want her to see her without her clothes on. "She would beat me with a whipping stick whenever I wouldn't do what she wanted me to do. Sometimes it would be things like…magic…and other times it was because I wasn't doing something the way she wanted me to do. She made sure to hit me on the back of my arms, my legs and my back."

Silence.

Estrella closed her eyes, expecting to have her aunt tell her she wasn't telling the truth. She stood there, awaiting her new sentence. What kind of punishment when she gets for telling her this, would she have her real aunt beat her for saying things for attention? Would she use magic as her version of a whipping stick, so that even magic would become a painful memory for her?

"Estrella, open your eyes and look at me. You're not in trouble."

Estrella stayed there for a few more seconds, before she gradually loosened her body once again. She tore her attention away from looking at the pretty window and saw her aunt sitting there still. She had tears falling down her face, and not liking how she was crying, Estrella came over and wiped away the tears that were falling from her aunt.

"This must be why Regulus wanted to see Lucius in his office…" the blonde woman mumbled, before she straightened herself up and ran her gloved hand against her niece's cheekbone. She then took off her gloves and stood up, placing them onto the bathroom counters, along with her wedding ring. She didn't need the thing to go down the pipes.

"Thank you for telling me this, Estrella. Are you okay with taking a bath? Or did that woman make sure they were a form of punishment too?"

"N-no. I have never had a bath before. She would make me take showers, cold ones. It would be nice to take a bath. Dudley was always taking baths, using up the hot water. They thought that I was sneaking in baths with hot water or even showers."

Estrella noted how her aunt was now mumbling again, under her breath, a prayer.

A prayer again towards Father Merlin and Mother Morganna.

She remembered her fake uncle's sister, Marge, and how she would beat Estrella with a bible if she even thought to do something that was sinful. She was scary, large and looked just like her brother, and raised bulldogs. Her favorite was her own dog, Ripper, and he always managed to bite Estrella whenever he had the chance to.

Still, Estrella allowed her aunt to come forward and strip her from her large shirt that was originally owned by Dudley, then the shorts and finally her underwear once she had turned on the bathtub faucet and made sure the water wasn't too hot before she closed the drain. She turned Estrella so that her back was facing her, and stared at the scars that were on the back of her arms, her spine, along with the top of the back of her thighs. There were still some yellow bruises that were slowly fading more, and a couple gnarly purple-blue ones.

"She was the only one who hurt me. My fake uncle never did. I wasn't related to him, so I was my fake aunt's problem. She liked to hit me on the spine, and since she never really fed me, it was easy for her to hit it till it bled. She did clean and bandage my cuts; she didn't want to put up with me having infections. It was the only nice thing she ever did."

The entire time that Estrella was telling her aunt this, her voice was calm and composed. It was too calm and composed, something that no child should show no emotion towards. She had merely said this as though she was reading something off a script. They were just facts in her life, there was no need for her to reveal what she really felt about this. She was numb to it all.

"The bathtub should be filled enough. Do you need help getting into the tub?"

Shaking her head, Estrella climbed into the tub, observing her aunt as she stopped the running water. The smooth surface of the clawfoot tub was nice, along with the warm bathwater that would make her feel as though she was swimming in a pool. She watched with intrigue as her aunt lathered up a luffa and motioned for her to duck under the water so she could wash her properly. She did so without hesitation, she wouldn't have even gotten into the bathtub without fighting off her fake aunt if it was her instead of her real one offering a bath.

As she was cleaned and her hair was washed, Estrella decided she did like baths. She didn't have to stand and take showers all the time. Sometimes she would be on the ground of the shower, curled up because her legs were too weak for her to stand too long. Other times she would just stand there and daze off before her fake aunt would come and yank her out of the shower, complaining about water bills, and would beat her with her whipping stick.

Once she was cleaned, Aunt Narcissa didn't hesitate to scoop her up out of the bathtub once Estrella had cleaned herself off and wrapped the towel around her. Aunt Narcissa sat her back down onto the cool marble and went over to the clothes she had picked out for her to wear were sitting. She handed her a pair of pink panties to put on, and when she put them on the little girl couldn't help but gasp when they magically adjusted themselves on her.

The next thing that her aunt did was show her the nightgown she had chosen for her.

A blush pink Victorian frilly nightgown that had a ribbon sewn into the neckline and the sleeves of the nightgown. It slipped over her head and the girl giggled as she spun around, watching as it bellowed around her. She had always wanted a nightgown like princesses and ladies wore. It was a little big on her but with a proper diet she would be able to wear it better.

"Thank you, Auntie!"

"Of course, little one. Let's head back to your bedroom so you can get something to eat. I already had Dobby put some food on your tea set table. I didn't get too much; I don't want your stomach to get upset since you aren't used to eating a lot."

Estrella reached her hand out and put hers in her aunt's, before the both of them left the bathroom and entered the bedroom. There was some food that was sitting on the tea set table, and she went over to it before she sat down. There wasn't much, some bread along with some pieces of deli meat along with some cheese. She ate while her aunt was sitting across from her. She had to fight the urge to giggle because her aunt looked so big compared to the small chair.

Once she was finished with her lunch, she was led over to where her bed was, and the sheets were pulled back. Nestling herself into her proper bed, one she had for the first time in her life, it didn't take too long for her to fall asleep. She could only hope when she woke it, she would learn it was just a dream, she wanted it to be real.


AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

She'll meet Draco next chapter and then there will be a time skip forward in the same chapter.

as always: Harry Potter doesn't belong to me.

-it'semmynotemma

ps: I decided to make her love interest the male version of Lily Moon. Lucca Moon.