A/N: This was all written before I read Deathly Hallows. I still have not finished reading it. So, all this is A/U and before DH. So thanks for all the reviews!

Chapter One: Ashlyn Merope Riddle

A two-month-old baby girl lay peacefully in her cradle, without a care in the world. She slept on, not knowing about any of the hardships of life, or the difficult decisions everyone had to face in their lives. She was just a baby sleeping the night away. She was completely oblivious to the two people fighting in the next room.

"Tom! You can not leave us! Your daughter is only two months old, how can you just leave her? Leave me? How can you do this!?" a middle-aged woman asked her husband, as he packed a half-full bag.

"Ansley, I love you, and I love Ashlyn, but, this is something I have to do. Once I am done, I'll come back to you two, I promise." But the man, Tom's face was not showing love, it looked cold, and hard.

"Tom, the last time you left me, it took you years to come back. I don't want to have to raise this child myself, she'll need a father. And if you won't be her father, I'll have to find someone else!" The woman was on the verge of tears.

Tom went over to his wife and grasped her shoulders, "I promise, it won't be that long this time, I'll be back soon, a few days, a week at the most. I promise. I will come back, and you can count on it. You'll see." He kissed the top of her forehead, but it was quick, and it felt as if it had no meaning. Then he picked up his bag, tucked his wand into his robe pocket and left the house.

"Tom Riddle, if you leave me alone to raise this child alone, I swear, you will pay, and she will not be your child when you return, if you even do." Ansley muttered to herself, wrapping her arms around herself and shivering from the burst of October air that the open door had let in.

As her father left the house, Ashlyn Merope Riddle slept on in her cradle, having no clue as to where her father was going, or that he was even leaving. She made a soft "coo" in her sleep, and rolled over, but continued to sleep. Her mother began to cry in the next room and sat down in an armchair. She pulled her wand out of her robes and set it down on a table beside her, knowing that when she was upset she did things with her wand that she deeply regretted later. She pushed herself out of the armchair and into the room with her daughter; she gently kissed the baby's forehead and then climbed into her own bed, her soft sobs only stopping after two hours.

As Ansley finally fell asleep, her husband was crossing the threshold of a house in Godric's Hollow. A tall man with untidy black hair and glasses stood before Tom, telling his wife to "go upstairs to Harry". Tom took out his wand, muttered two words, and a green light flashed and James Potter fell to the ground. Tom stepped over his lifeless body and went up the stairs to find James Potter's wife and child. A woman with long red hair and bright green eyes was hidden in a room over a crib, holding her one-year-old baby boy in her arms tightly. The door burst open, and she hugged her baby tighter.

"Please, kill me, not Harry, please, spare Harry. Not Harry!" she set her baby down in the crib and turned to plead with Tom.

But before she could say anything else, there was another flash of green light from Tom's wand and Lily Potter fell to the ground, protecting her child. Tom crept over to the crib and peered in. There was a small child, smiling up at him, oblivious to everything.

"So, this is the one with powers I know not. This is my downfall?" Tom laughed a loud, cold laugh, "Well, at least this will be easy."

As Tom lifted his wand to Harry Potter's face, a small baby girl's face appeared in Tom's head, "Ashlyn," he whispered, and a feeling as if someone was stabbing his heart struck him so hard, he was out of breath. He shook his head; he couldn't feel like this, he had to become the most powerful wizard in the world, feeling like this would only cause his downfall, as would this kid in front of him. But nevertheless, a thought crossed his mind, a thought that shocked himself, 'I will come back to be your father, I promise, I won't be able to if this kid lives! I'm doing this for you, Ashlyn!' and with that, Tom shouted the two words he had come so used to saying, and a flash of green light shot out of his wand. But, then, all was black.

Thirteen-year-old Ashlyn Merope Riddle awoke in the middle of the night, sweating and panting loudly. She looked around and saw four other girls sleeping soundly in their beds, not at all disturbed by haunting dreams. She took a deep breath and looked out the window by her bed. The moon was high in the sky and its light shone on her bed. She looked at her fellow Beauxbatons girls and sighed. She missed her mother. Ansley Riddle- Lavell had been so lonely ever since her second husband left her. In some way, Ashlyn felt responsible for Randall leaving. Everyone said she looked remarkably like her father, and for quite a while, she thought that was a good thing, until she saw the way Randall Lavell looked at her. He looked at her as if she were a monster, about to attack him with her wand.

Ashlyn had never met her father; and all her mother had ever told her was that he left when she was only two months old. She didn't miss him, but only because she had never met him, and never known him. In her eyes, he was just a man who didn't want to be a father, and didn't want anything to do with her or her mother. Ansley had taught Ashlyn to be proud of her Half-blood heritage. Her Muggle grand-parents were wonderful people, and just because they had a witch for a daughter and they had no magical blood in them, didn't make them bad people, she loved them very much. Ansley had told Ashlyn to always be proud of being a Half-blood witch, because being Pureblood meant you were arrogant and proud, and these were not good qualities in a young girl.

Her mother spoke of Pureblood witches and wizards with disgust in her voice, and her eyes narrowed. Ashlyn had figured her father had been Pureblood, and that now, Ansley hated any Pureblood witch or wizard. But that wasn't true, because Ansley had told her that her father was Half-blood, but she still couldn't figure out why her mother hated pure-bloods so. But she didn't hate Purebloods. She had never met one, really, to cast judgment upon them. She figured there were the worst types of all kinds of wizards and witches. Randall was a half-blood as well, his mother was a Muggle, but his father was a wizard. That was why Ansley enjoyed having him around. But Randall hated Ashlyn, and right before she left for her third year at Beauxbatons Randall got into a row with her mother, telling her that it was either him or Ashlyn. And, of course, Ansley chose her daughter. Randall had left that night.

Ashlyn had seen her mother at Christmas, and she looked horrible, dark circles under her eyes, very thin. Ashlyn feared her mother would wither away to nothing before she got back. But, the next day, Ashlyn was going home, and would get to see her mother again. She looked forward to it, she missed her mother. Plus, Ashlyn hated Beauxbatons. Sure, the classes were great, and the castle spectacular, but all the girls were arrogant and conceited. She only went to Beauxbatons because it made her mother happy. Ansley had gone to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, herself, but she had wanted Ashlyn to go to Beauxbatons, so they had moved to France and not too long after, Ashlyn had gotten her letter to the all girl French school.

Ashlyn rolled over and closed her eyes, thinking of the wonderful day her and her mother would have the next day when she returned home. She fell asleep quickly and slept peacefully until the sun rose and shone through her window. When she awoke, the four other third year girls were doing some last minute packing and searching frantically around the dorm for random items. Ashlyn sat up and smiled. She was looking forward to going home.

When Ashlyn first saw her mother she thought she was seeing a ghost. Ansley was pale and very thin. She looked much worse than she had at Christmastime. Ashlyn wanted to cry when she saw her, but, instead, she ran over to her and gave her a big hug. Ansley smiled and kissed the top of Ashlyn's head.

"I'm so happy to see you, darling, I've missed you!" Ansley said, grabbing Ashlyn's trunk and pulling it towards their car.

"I've missed you too, Mum, so much! I'm so glad to see you!" Ashlyn smiled and put her arm around her mother as they both walked to the car.

Once Ashlyn's trunk was put away, they climbed into the car and drove off to their small house. The late June air was warm on Ashlyn's arm as she hung it out the window on the drive. The drive was a loud and talkative one. Ashlyn had so much to tell her mother about third year and she was very enthusiastic about everything. She was just so happy to be with her mother again. As they pulled into their house, they saw the door was wide open. They stopped talking immediately and quietly got out of the car. Ansley put her arm around Ashlyn and they slowly and cautiously walked to the door.

When they walked inside there was someone on the couch. A tall, very pale man, with red eyes, and slit-like holes for a nose was sitting there, as if he had lived there all his life. When he saw the two girls walk in he jumped up and walked over to them.

"Ansley!" he cried, his voice anything but excited as he got up and tried to half-heartedly embrace her, but Ansley took a step to the right, getting herself and Ashlyn out of his reach.

"Tom, what have you done to yourself?"

Ashlyn stared at her mom, horror-fixed, her mother knew this man? And why did she call him Tom? That was Ashlyn's father's name. Oh no. Was this Ashlyn's father? She then stared at the man, and her first thought was, i 'I look nothing like this… creature!' /i

"Ansley, I had a slight delay in my plans, but I've come back, just like I promised!" his face was not as warm as his voice sounded, it was just as cold as it was that day thirteen years ago.

"Tom! Thirteen years! Thirteen years! That's how long you were gone. You missed everything! Everything! You told me a few days, a week at the most! How dare you come back now, and act as if nothing has happened! As if you didn't miss thirteen years of mine and your daughter's life!"

"Ansley, I swear, I didn't mean to stay away this long! Something happened…" his face was still cold and unemotional.

"What Tom!? What happened that made you stay away from your family thirteen years?" Ashlyn stared up at her mother, who was getting red in the face and tears were welling up in her eyes. Ashlyn then stared back at the creature who was her father, wanting to hear his answer, as well.

"There are some things I can not tell you, Ansley, no matter how much you want me to." His voice was now cold as well, and it sounded threatening.

A hollow laugh left Ansley's mouth, "Typical Tom Riddle behavior. Leaves without an explanation, then come back, years later, expecting everyone to welcome him back with open arms, not wanting to know anything! I did it last time, but I can't do it again! I just can't! I can't let you back into my- our lives, not knowing if you're going to stay this time!"

"Ansley, let me talk to Ashlyn, please, I want to talk to my daughter. Please, Ansley, let me have one conversation with my daughter, then I will leave both your lives forever. I promise." Tom looked down at Ashlyn, an odd look in his red eyes, different then when he was looking at Ansley.

"Tom, your promises aren't dependable, but I guess it can't hurt to let you talk to her. But you only have twenty minutes. You owe an explanation to her at least, as to why you weren't in her life at all!" and with that, Ansley shut the front door, and stormed off into the next room.

Tom motioned to the couch to Ashlyn and he sat down on it, watching her. Ashlyn stood staring at the doorway where her mother had left, horror-stuck once again. Her mother was leaving her, with this, this creature!? She then looked back at the man that was her father and her curiosity got the best of her. She sat down on the couch beside him, and she heard him let out a sigh.

"Ashlyn, I know I have so much to explain, but just know, that everything I did was for you." he placed one of his long-fingered hands on hers, his face looking as shocked and surprised as hers.

She flinched at his cold touch, "Where did you go?"

"I went to a place I never want to go again, a place where I felt about to die at any moment."

"Then why did you go?" her shaky voice was getting stronger and she flipped her black hair over her shoulder, and stared into his red eyes with her own brown ones.

"I did it so I could be a father to you, but something went wrong. And it took me years to get back to you." The words coming out of his mouth shocked him, and his face looked odd as Ashlyn stared up at him.

"What did you do?"

"That, my daughter, I can not tell you. It is too disturbing of a tale to tell a young girl, maybe when you're older, and I can see you again, I will tell you."

Ashlyn nodded, "But, why didn't you try to get in contact with me, why didn't you try to let me know you still cared, instead of leaving me alone with no clue as to who you were?"

"Didn't your mother tell you anything about me?"

She shook her head, "No, she only told me your name and that you left when I was a baby."

"Did she tell you anything about your grandparents on my side? Did you know about my family?" His odd look gone from his face, and his face was now beginning to look angry.

"No, Mum only taught me about her family, and Half-bloods and Muggles. We never talked of Purebloods. The only thing she ever said about your parents was that your father was a Muggle and your mother was a Pureblood."

Tom stood up, enraged, "So, you know nothing about being a Pureblood? Nothing about p\Purebloods at all?"

Ashlyn stared up at Tom, fear in her eyes, and shook her head.

Tom's fists clenched, "ANSLEY!" he yelled and stuffed a hand into a pocket in his robes.

Ansley appeared in the doorway, looking angry and flustered, "What, Tom?"

"What have you done to my daughter!?"

"Excuse me. i Your /i daughter? I believe you gave up the rights to be her father when you left and didn't come back."

"Ansley, why doesn't she know anything about Purebloods? Why does she only know about Half-bloods and Muggles? What did you do?"

"I told her the truth that all Purebloods are arrogant and proud, and they cared only for themselves."

"So you've raised her as if she was a Mudblood, like you!?" Tom yelled, rage in his voice, his hand clenched around something in his pocket.

Ansley gasped, Ashlyn stared in confusion, she had no idea what a mud-blood was, "How dare you! Come back into my life after thirteen years, and criticize the way I raised our daughter! You have no right! You made no attempt to raise her yourself, Tom!"

"Well, now I am, Ashlyn is coming with me! I am going to teach her all she needs to know about being a Riddle!"

Ansley stood up to her full height and walked closer to Tom, "Oh, no! You gave up the right to be her father long ago. She will not go with you!"

Tom pulled his hand out of his pocket and his wand was pointed at Ansley's chest. Ashlyn screamed and Ansley's face went white.

"I do believe Ashlyn will come with me. I, being her only parent alive."

Both Ansley's and Ashlyn's faces scrunched up in confusion, but before either could say anything, Tom said those two little words once more, and a flash of green light hit Ansley Riddle- Lavell square in the chest. She fell to the ground, lifeless.

"MUM!" Ashlyn screamed and ran around Tom to her mother's body.

Tom grabbed Ashlyn's arm and began to pull her towards the door. Tears ran down Ashlyn's face and she cried out, "MUM! MUM!" and reached out to her lifeless mother as she was pulled away out of the house by her monster of a father. Now she knew why Randall looked at her the way he had, her father was a monster, and she was the spawn of evil. The daughter of the enemy.