Darkness

Myka has been raised by the Weasley family her entire life. She has never known anything different - she doesn't believe what Fred and George, her older brothers, say about her being adopted. Sure, she looks completely different than they do. So what? They're her family...right? But when enrolls at Hogwarts, she is sorted into Slytherin. Intrigued, she wants to know more but is scared to venture into the unknown. Until, for a family project in History of Magic, she starts to write about Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, and her little sister Ginny, but it just doesn't feel right. Instead, she goes on a quest to discover who she is, where she comes from, and why someone has left a note telling her that she has the power to save the entire wizarding world - or destroy it.

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PROLOGUE.

The little girl slept, undisturbed, wrapped in a dark cloak. Narcissa set her down on the ground, and the girl murmured in her sleep. The older woman turned to her husband.

"Lucius, what are we going to do with her? You heard the Dark Lord; we must find a home for the child. She must never know of her past."

Her husband scowled. "Why can't he take care of his own dirty work?"

"You know why, Lucius. These were his last instructions to us before he went for that boy. We need somewhere safe. Somewhere no one would think to look for the most powerful Slytherin alive...the girl with the power to bring the wizarding world to its knees."

"We do need to keep her safe until she is old enough to come into her destiny and inherit her ability. We may be able to tap into it later," Lucius conceded.

"So where is she going to go?" Narcissa looked vaguely exasperated.

Lucius smiled, raising his thin eyebrows. "I think I know somewhere."

* * * *

Molly Weasley heard a faint sound of crying outside her door. It was only five in the morning, but one-year-old Ron and the three year old twins had kept her up all night. Fred and George would poke her awake every time she was almost asleep, and Arthur was on an overnight job at the Ministry. As if that weren't bad enough, stars and owls were swooping through the skies and had excited Percy, Charlie, and Bill (five, eight, and nine respectively). Sleep had been out of the question. Still, the celebration was justified.

Investigating the sound, she stepped outside into the misty morning. A faint wind blew, and she followed the sound of soft whimpering. It led her to...

"What?..."

There was a small bundle in the grass a few yards from the house. It was a small baby, about a year of age. The child was swaddled tightly in a black cloak, pinned with a strange symbol. It was a silver skull, entwined with serpents. The Dark Mark. Removing the pin with disgust, Molly sat back and appraised the situation. There were no parents in sight, and she was one of the only people awake at this time of morning. They were the only family that lived on this hill, after all.

She lifted the little girl and tucked her under her arm, marching back inside to set up a cot for one more.

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CHAPTER ONE - TEN YEARS LATER.

"Pass the marmalade please," Myka said, clattering dishes as she reached for toast. Breakfast at the Weasley house was always a crowded, loud affair, and she seldom managed to be heard in a polite request.

"Can someone hand me the marmalade?" she tried again. But no one could hear her over Bill and Charlie arguing about dragons.

"They're important!" Charlie yelped, face red. He had forgotten to brush his hair- again, and it was sticking up all over his head.

"No they aren't, Char," Bill said, his long hair swinging like a ginger curtain in his face. "They're great overgrown lizards that blow funny stuff when they sneeze. Goblins are much better."

"OI! SOMEONE GIVE ME THE MARMALADE!"

Percy looked up from his O.W.L. study guide long enough to hand her the empty jar. Myka sighed and glared pointedly at Ginny, her younger sister, whose plate was swimming in orange goo.

"Would you like some toast with that marmalade, Ginevra?" She asked, rolling her eyes and crunching on a slice of bacon from Ron's plate instead.

"Oh, for the love of Merlin, T, just let me eat," Ginny snapped back, stealing Myka’s stolen bacon.

"LISTEN UP!" Mrs. Weasley shouted, setting down her fork. "We are going into Diagon Alley today to buy school books for you lot and some robes and wands for Ron and Myka. If you don't behave, you get nothing. And if you slip off..." her gaze slipped now to Fred and George, who were arm wrestling in the butter dish.

"Why can't I get some things?" Ginny whined. She was a year too young for Hogwarts, and she always complained about it.

"You're too young, Squirt," said Fred, slamming George's arm onto the table.

Ginny screwed up her face, and was about to cry. Myka patted her back gently. "Don't worry, Ginny. I've been saving up my pocket money, and we can go and get some ice cream together."

"Florean Fortescue's raspberry fudge with sprinkles?" Ginny perked up.

"Sure." Tama hid a laugh behind her free hand.

* * * *

"I swear, if you don't stick with me, Ronald-"

"Come on, Fred, we've got Dungbombs to buy."

"You boys are going nowhere! We still need to get wands for Ron and Myka, and Percy needs new shoes." Mrs. Weasley had a firm clamp on Ron's arm, and one on George's, assuming that the twins would refuse to separate.

Ginny and Myka walked in front, licking cones of Fortescue's finest fudge and raspberry ice cream. It had taken almost all of her pocket money, but it had made Ginny feel better, so it was worth it. They passed Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, and she looked in the window. There was a pale, blond boy and his pale, blond parents. The father had long hair, and the mother had long curls and a small hat with netting. That was normal enough.

What was strange, however, was their reaction to her waving at them merrily. The man whispered something in the woman's ear, and she pressed a hand to her chest. He grabbed her and kept her from falling, both of them staring at Myka the entire time.

©Jamie Pevensie