If Blood Weren't Thicker Than Water...

Prologue: An Unhappy Beginning

Prologue: An Unhappy Beginning

Caia Riddle had been born on the 31st July 1980 and left on the doorstep of a little muggle house deep in the Welsh countryside.  The elderly couple whom she had been left with were perplexed at where she had come from but took her in and immediately loved her as their own.  They had been unable to have children themselves and they saw this as a second chance, a chance to have what they had never previously had.  A letter had been left with the baby explaining what her name was and why she had been left, but the letter had only really created more questions for the couple.  A second, smaller letter had also been left in a smaller envelope inside the first one, and the first letter explained that this one was to be left unopened and given to their daughter when she turned 18.

Dear people,

I have left you with the very important task of caring for my daughter.  I have been observing every couple in this little countryside village for the last week, and I deem you to be the most suitable.  I am sorry to just dump this on you, and of course I would understand if you just turned her straight over to the orphanage - she is not yours after all and you do not even know me - but I do not think you will.  I judge you both to be very kind hearted people and I do not think you would condemn anyone to a life of misery, especially not a tiny little infant who has not yet done anyone any harm.

The childs name, should you choose to answer my plea to keep her safe from harm is Caia, Caia Riddle but I would not mind if you chose to use your surname instead.  In fact, I would even encourage it, in the very unlikely event that her father should come searching for her.

You probably think I'm a coward - could I not even come and tell you this myself? But I am not - the longer I stay, the more danger I am putting both her and yourselves in.  Tom, the girls father, will already be looking for me and I cannot risk him finding her...she needs to grow up away from his influence.  I really am trying to do what's best for her, contrary to what others may think...if she grows up under her fathers influence, she does not stand a chance in life.  I really do hope you choose to look after her and that in the future she grows up to be a good person, unlike her ancestors.

Finally, I have left a letter for my baby and I would appreciate it if you would leave this letter unopened and give it to little Caia when she turns 18, as I would hope that by this point, she will have chosen good over evil, or at least made the choice of where she must stand by herself, untouched by the influence of her past.

Eleonora

They had not heard from Eleanora since this day and had, true to her wishes, brought up her daughter who was now aged 11 and going to the local muggle school, St David's.  In the new term, she would be going to the local secondary school.  Mr and Mrs Bowen were worried though - Caia had never fit in well among the other kids and strange things often seemed to happen around her.  There had been the incident with the snake just last week for example.  They were not entirely sure what had happened but the witnesses had insisted that Caia had instructed a snake to bite one of the other children.  They had said of course, that this was completely impossible - after all, how is it possible to talk to snakes - but at the same time, there was that slither of doubt in the back of their minds.  They had known since she had been dropped on their doorstep that she would be special and just a little strange.  Even if conversing with snakes did seem a little far-fetched, there was definitely something very different about their adopted daughter.