The Third Orphan

Prologue

A woman stands trembling on a doorstep, a baby in her arms. There are no tears in her eyes, only the hardened look of one who has experienced so much pain in her life that she has become almost too accustomed to its presence. She places the baby on the doorstep, tucking a letter into its blankets as she does so. She begins to pull her hands away, but the baby grasps her finger with a strength entirely disproportionate to its small size.

The woman pauses for a second as the first and only tear slips down her cheek and onto the letter. For a moment it seems that she might reach down and gather the baby into her arms again, but as suddenly as it left the hardness returns to her face, highlighting the premature wrinkles and fading laugh lines. She wrenches her fingers from the child's grip with unnecessary force. The child hiccups and gives a small wail. The wail pierces her, it is the echo of a memory, her own voice screaming vainly for help. Though the child does not cry again, she turns and runs. Just as the sun crests the horizon she reaches a high bridge. With a sad little smile she pulls a wand from her back pocket and snaps it in two. She flings it over the bridge and, with a sigh of relief, leaps off the edge after it.

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Elizabeth was awakened half an hour after dawn by a baby's thin wails. She groped groggily for the crib beside her bed before remembering that it was no longer ther- it had not been for nearly two years now, her son had received his own room upon his first birthday.

She started to settle back into bed, thinking that the cry had been a flashback from those early months as a parent, or perhaps had been brought on from her excitement about the baby who was growing within her and was due any day now. However, she was startled from her dreamlike state by another wail of even greater intensity. Worried now, she disentangled herself from the quilt and left the room, her sleeping husband's snores echoing behind her. She followed the screams to the back door and, with her wand held like a sword at the ready in front of her, she fearfully opened it.

A baby lay screaming on the doorstep. Shivering from both fear and the early morning chill, Elizabeth glanced around, but there was no one in sight. "Who's out there?" she cried desperately, but there was no answer. Drawn by pity, she picked up the screaming baby, whose cries were soon quieted by the warmth and comfort of her arms. Still glancing over her shoulder, Elizabeth turned and closed the door. She sat down on a comfy rocking chair and used her wand to start a roaring fire in the grate. She looked down at the child who was now whimpering in hunger and sighed; she had nothing with which to feed a baby.

The child shifted and she noticed a dirty white envelope peeking out of its blankets. Pulling it out, she opened it up and began to read it, her face growing increasingly whiter as she did so. Finishing it, she dropped it to the floor and gazed fearfully down at the child upon her lap. "Daniel!" she cried, covering her face with her hands as her husband came running.

Daniel's eyes filled with confusion as he saw his wife holding the baby. As he began questioning Elizabeth, the letter lay on the floor, the firelight reflecting off the shining black ink that formed the words penned upon its surface:

"My dearest Elizabeth,

I cannot even begin to apologize for the pain that I am about to cause you. However, I can no longer stand the pain that I myself feel and you are the only one I can trust. You alone know what He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did to me last fall and what a miracle it was that i even escaped with my life. However, what I did not tell you was that I was pregnant. Please do not hate me for my deceit, but I was too ashamed and afraid to tell anyone, even you.

For nine long months I suffered, at times unable to perform even the simplest spell in my distress. I went into hiding and communicated with no one. Then, two weeks ago my baby girl was born. From the moment I saw her I felt no love, only pain. Every time I looked into her eyes I imaginied that I saw a red glint and the snake flashing behind them. She is not deformed like her father, but I have found no comfort in this; it only makes her all too human for me, makes it impossible for me to abandon her in some lonely place to die.

And so I have kept her and cared for her as best I can. I know that she is but an innocent victim, she did not choose her father, nor did she cause what happened to me. I might have left her at your door the day she was born, but did not wish to put you in such great danger with You-Know-Who on the loose. However, yesterday I learned that a week ago he had met his end and knew that I could be relieved of my burden at last.

And so I leave my daughter to you. Name her what you will, but please make sure she can in no way be connected to me by her name, I wish to put you i no greater danger than I must. She must never know of me, or how she came into being. I want her to have as happy and normal a life as possible. My insides are filled with the poison of guilt knowing that my selfishness has put you in danger, but I can no longer bear the pain. After I leave here tonight it shall all be over. I will go beyond the reach of any of the living. I go to join my deceased parents in their peace.

Your Loving Friend,

Brianna"

Elizabeth anxiously watched Daniel read the letter. When he finished he stared at the baby on her lap with a look of pure revulsion on his face. "We can't keep her," he whispered. "You-Know-Who's daughter..."

"We have to," Elizabeth replied more loudly than she meant to.

"Do you have any idea how much danger we'd be in?" Daniel cried agitatedly as he began to pace. "You-Know-Who died not even three weeks ago. We have no idea how many of his death eaters will evade capture or how many might know of this child's existance. And beyond that, think of You-Know-Who's victims! How many families lost their children to Greyback? How many saw their children tortured to force them to obey? How many were left orphans and widows? Do you think they would leave this child alone? They'd kill her and anyone protecting her given half the chance!"

"They don't have to know," responded Elizabeth. "Brianna told no one of this child, I am sure of it. And You-Know-Who could not possibly have known she was pregnant."

"Then how are we supposed to explain where this child came from? Say it magically appeared on our doorstep? That's not suspicious at all," said Daniel scathingly.

"I'll say I had twins," replied Elizabeth calmly. "The baby is due any day now, and if we don't let anyone see them for a month or so no one will know there is a two week age difference. I'll tell my mother not to come for the birth. She won't be happy, but we have no choice."

"But You-Know-Who's daughter!" Daniel exclaimed in exasperation.

Elizabeth sighed. "You read Brianna's letter. This baby had no choice in her parentage. She has as much right to a happy life as any of us."

Daniel groaned in defeat. "What are you going to name her then?" he asked.

Elizabeth smiled down at the child. "Briella," she replied, "because I will always be able to see the beauty of my best friend in those brown eyes."