New Beginnings

Prologue

Ruth Ellen stood at the front door of her uncle's house, no mansion. She couldn't believe she was there at last. After always hearing about her mother's wonderful brother and his beautiful wife and talented son, she was finally getting to meet them. The only problem was, they didn't know she was there. In fact, they didn't even know she ever existed. She took a breath, and knocked on the door to begin her new life.

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Chapter 1

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A 25 year-old Evans lay sweating in the hospital bed, her legs up and private parts exposed for the entire world to see, well at least those in the room. The pain was unbearable and drowned out all other noises. She knew she had to push, but it was so hard. Her husband was by her head, holding her hand and whispring encouragement in her ear. She tried to focus, but another contraction wracked her body and flung her mind into oblivion once again. She heard her husband far off asking about the birth and then the doctor saying there were some complications. This brought her crashing back to the real world.

"Something's wrong with my baby?" she gasped.

"No, ma'am. Your baby is fine, just upside-down. We need to do an emergency caesarian," her doctor told her. "We just need you permission sir," he said, turning back to her husband.

"Just be careful. I don't want anything to happen to my baby," he said.

Two hours later, the child was born. When they placed the baby in her arms, she was overcome with joy. Looking up from their child into her husband's beautiful eyes, June Evans-Willis said, "Oh, Peter. Let's name her Ruth for your mom, and Ellen for mine." They both looked down at their newborn child.

"Ruth Ellen Willis. I like it," Peter said.

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Ruth Ellen ran shrieking with laughter as her father chased her through the house. Peter Willis scooped up his daughter and hugged her to his chest. She was most definitely daddy's little girl. Her mother walked back in the door from her doctor's appointment with puffy red and blood-shot onyx eyes and disheveled raven hair. Noticing right away, Peter carried their 18 month-old child over to her mother and instantly enveloped his wife, trapping their daughter in between.

"What's wrong, Evans," Peter gently asked, using her old nickname.

June began to cry into her husband's shoulder. "I can't ever have children again. The complications from Ruthie's birth were too great," she sobbed.

Rubbing her back, Peter said, "It's okay baby, we still have Ruth Ellen and she's the only daughter we need." June glanced up at him through teary eyes. "Besides, if you were to have more children, then you couldn't spoil them like we can her!" Peter said. June laughed and took her daughter.

"You're all I need Ruthie. With you and your father, we'll all be just fine," June said, shifting her black eyes back and forth from two sets of sapphire ones.

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At fifteen, Ruth was a lovely young girl. She had the eyes of her father and the figure of her mother. Her silver blond hair however, was something no one could figure out, since her mother's was black, and her father's brown. But Ruth had a secret that none of her friend knew: she was a witch. Not the kind of witch who was evil with warts and ate little children, but a real witch who did magic and flew on broomsticks. She didn't go to public school like everyone else she had grown up with. Instead, every year she took a train to Massachusetts, where she would go to school to earn magic. The American schools weren't quite as advanced as the English, but they were getting there.

Ruth loved magic, and she loved being a witch. In fact, her grandmother had been one, along with her uncle, aunt, and cousin. All of them lived in England though and Ruth had never met them, though she hoped to one day. June knew all about her brother and would tell Ruth how wonderful he was many times. It was a story she knew well but never tired of hearing. Her parents were the most special things she had, and she never let them forget it.

It was now the summer before her sixth year and while her parents were out, Ruth Ellen was at her friend Jenna's house. She had been her best friend before Ruth had gone off to train to be a witch. Jenna was the only one who knew Ruth's secret, outside of her family. Ruth told Jenna everything until she was eleven, and it never stopped. The were the sisters neither had, and even were "blood" sisters from their younger years. Ruth was sprawled on Jenna's waterbed and Jenna sat near her head changing the channel on her T.V. This was a natural scene for the two teenage girls, until the phone rang.

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"Hello?" Jenna said, grabbing her cordless. After a minute she handed it to Ruth.

"What?" Ruth asked. When Jenna didn't answer, she grabbed the phone and said hello herself. After listening for about two minutes, Ruth Ellen's mouth dropped and she fainted dead away.

A tiny voice could be heard from the dropped phone saying, "I am sorry Miss Willis, but the crash was too horrible. Your parents didn't make it..."

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Ruth Ellen Willis stared at the two boxes that held her most beloved possessions. Her black dress was neat and pressed and her face was clear and still. No tears ran from her eyes that were so like her father's. No tears were left to cry. Ruth sat through the whole service, staring at the little white coffins that now held her parents. She was driven to the cemetery and silent the whole way. She watched them being lowered into the ground, and dropped a single red ros into her mother's grave, and a yellow one into her father's. Yellow was always his favorite. On the way back to her house, Ruth Ellen made up her mind. She was leaving.

After the reception, she packed all she owned and left her grandmother a note telling her what to sell, what to send, and to sell the house. She bought a plane ticket and called a cab. Two hours later when she was sitting in her seat, Ruth silently said good-bye to all she knew. She was leaving to go live with her uncle, and she was never looking back. The was nothing left for her except Jenna, but Ruth Ellen needed more than that. Promising herself to stay in touch, Ruth felt the plane start, and cut the ties of her old life. She needed a new life, even if it meant going to England to get it.

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Draco looked up lazily as a booming knock sounded in the front hall. He started down the stairs to greet which ever of his friends had come to visit, after the house elf opened the door of course (as if a Malfoy would ever answer the door). He reached the foot of the stairs, only to see a strange and beautiful young girl, about his age, with silvery blond hair that matchedhis own and deep sapphire eyes on the stoop. His mouth dropped as he drank her beauty in and knew that love at first sight was indeed possible. She noticed him and her giggle caused him to snap his mouth shut. He tried to speak, but his mind just would not work. Just then Lucius walked into the foyer.

"Draco," he said suddenly, "who is this young lady." Still speechless, he turned to his father and shrugged. Narrowing his eyes at this disrespectful gesture, Lucius turned back to the girl in the doorway and drawled, "May I ask you name, girl?"

Seemingly taken aback with his cold tone, she looked at him curiously before cautiously asking, "Are you Lucius Malfoy?"

"I am."

The girl walked in the door way, hand outstretched and said cheerfully, "Nice to meet you, sir. I am your niece, Ruth Ellen Willis." Lucius stood dumbstruck as Draco looked back and forth between his father and the young lady at the door, his heart breaking.

Regaining his power of speech, Draco said plainly, and pleadingly, "That is impossible, my father is an only child."

Lucius looked over at Draco and mumbled, "Not exactly..." Draco stood shocked, staring at the girl who was about to change his life in more ways then he ever knew, the girl he loved, his cousin.