This is what you get; this is who I am.
Take me now or leave me, any way you can.
Sometimes I trip and fall, but I know where I stand.
And if you’re thinking of a change in my direction,
don’t mess with imperfection.
--Imperfection by Saving Jane
“Stop fidgeting, Alise!” the matron, Mrs. Pensk hissed.
“You go to an orphanage and get adopted by someone you’ve never met before, and then tell me not to fidget!” I spat back.
The matron rolled her eyes; she was glad to be getting rid of me for one reason: my world renowned mouth. I just sat there wringing my hands and playing with the necklace that I hadn’t once taken off since I received it for my fifth birthday. I always fingered it when I got nervous, kind of like a worry stone.
I tucked the necklace into my shirt as I heard a light knock on the door. The matron stood up quickly, leaving me in her office. The butterflies in my stomach seemed as if they were about to fly out of my throat. I hoped that I wasn’t showing my nervousness, but somehow it seemed inevitable. I heard faint conversation in the hallway and strained my ears so I could hear what was being said.
“Come in,” the matron said politely.
I heard someone stomp their feet on the old floorboards as Mrs. Pensk shut the door. “She’s right in here…and I must warn you, she has one heck of a mouth.”
A laugh echoed through the hall, one decidedly feminine. “I wouldn’t adopt a quiet child,” she replied, still chortling, as if she had adopted me for that very reason.
Their footsteps grew louder as the two women approached Mrs. Pensk’s office. Mrs. Pensk stepped in first and held open the door for my new mother.
I was quite surprised when I first realized that I was being adopted by a Weasley. I knew she was from that clan as soon as I caught sight of her hair”which was the first thing I saw. My father had always spoken ill of the Weasleys, and I was about to say something about him when I realized I didn’t want to screw up my chances. I was in no position to make a smart-aleck comment, not when I had been up for adoption for four months and she had been the only person who wanted me. I was out-spoken, but I knew where to draw the line. I truly wanted to get out of the God-forsaken orphanage, and I was not about to give my new mother a reason not to adopt me by making a wise-ass comment.
As soon as she saw me, she smiled, which was something I hadn’t seen in a long time…from anyone. “You have your brother’s eyes,” she mentioned, but as soon as she had said it, she put her hand over her mouth. Apparently, she had said something she wasn’t supposed to. I looked as Mrs. Pensk, who had seemed not to have heard it.
“Ms. Weasley, this is Alise,” the matron introduced, motioning towards me.
I stared at her, then back down at my feet. This was awkward. I locked eyes with her again, and, like I had done so many times at my parents’ dinner parties, managed a strong, “It’s nice to meet you.”
The woman smiled. She had a soft air about her, and her smile was one of warmth. But when she smiled, I caught sight of a pained expression that hid behind those fierce brown eyes. I knew that expression. It was the same expression I’d had in my eyes since being put up for adoption…even if I never let anyone see it. She looked at me once again and walked over to Mrs. Pensk’s desk to sign the papers.
My hand went to my neck, fumbling for my necklace. The heavy locket felt hot in my palm. This wasn’t an ordinary necklace; I’d figured that out when the Dark Lord requested that my father bring me to one of his meetings and had then proceeded to call me forward. I was terrified, and my father had to give me a small push before I was able to draw myself up to step out from the ranks of Death Eaters. I had grown up with these people: Rosier, Aunt Bellatrix, Avery, Greyback and so many others. I was not afraid of them. The Dark Lord, however, was a different story. This man, if you want to call him a man, had killed thousands of people, all with a single flick of his wand, and there I was, standing two feet from him, looking down respectfully.
He bent down to my level and cupped his pale hand to my chin and lifted my face up to look him in the eye. “There is no need to be afraid. I will not harm you,” he told me. It hadn’t meant much, coming from him, but despite that I softened my expression. He traced one finger down the side of my face, sending chills down my spine, and down my chest to stop at the necklace. As soon as his bony finger touched it, it grew painfully hot, but I did not wince. He smiled to himself and straightened up.
Looking me in the eye, he whispered, so that only I could hear, “You will have a part in this war before it’s all over, Miss Malfoy.” He sent me back to my father, who appeared to be confused, and continued to talk to his followers, and it was all I could do not to look down at my necklace.
The Dark Lord was right. He wasn’t going to harm me. I didn’t know it then, but I soon figured out that it was no ordinary necklace that hung around my neck. I also came to the conclusion that I was an insurance policy meant to protect the necklace. Clearly the necklace was important to him”otherwise, there wouldn’t have been an extremely powerful Permanent Sticking Charm on it. He was using me to protect the necklace, because he knew that to get it off my neck, someone would have to kill me. He didn’t have to worry about his followers: he had to worry about Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Why they would want the necklace, I didn’t know, but obviously Voldemort wanted to keep it safe from them. Of course, he knew that Harry Potter wasn’t going to kill an innocent girl for a necklace. It is a rather ingenious plan, I have to admit, but I don’t like being a pawn in this game called war.
Well, I’m practically going into the Order’s hands now. Great work dad, I thought, smiling to myself. I knew that he was going to be in big trouble. He deserved it. Every minute of whatever the Dark Lord was going to do to him.
“Just sign right here,” Mrs. Pensk said happily.
My new mother stood up and walked over to pick up my bag. “Well, I guess we should get going,” she beamed.
I rose from my chair. “We’ll have to use Floo Powder. You can’t Apparate, and it’s to far to fly,” she explained to me. She turned to Mrs. Pensk before adding, “Do you have a fireplace?”
Mrs. Pensk pointed to the room across the hall without looking up from her papers. “Thanks,” I made a point of saying, as if to prove her wrong.
The rude lady nodded, again not looking up from her desk. I rolled my eyes. “And you wonder why I’m so cheeky,” I added sarcastically.
Mrs. Pensk mechanically smiled, as if she was trying very hard not to yell at me, while Ms. Weasley snorted; apparently, she thought Mrs. Pensk was rude as well. I looked up at her, amazed that she didn’t seem to be planning to condone my mouth. Had my real father heard me say that, I would have gotten in so much trouble.
My new mum led me over to the fireplace and pulled a drawstring bag out of her purse, which I assumed was a small amount of Floo Powder. She threw some in the fireplace, stepped in and called out, “Number twelve, Grimmauld Place!” The green flames engulfed her, and I stepped in shortly afterwards.
I turned around to face the room. “Number twelve, Grimmauld Place,” I exclaimed clearly, knowing all the while that the butterflies in my stomach weren’t fluttering about because I was traveling by Floo Powder.
A/N: Thanks so much to my lovely beta, Hermione Weasley xx, for all her help! the second half of this chapter will come soon, I promise! Did you like it?