Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter, and I won't for the rest of the story.

Prologue

The wind howled through the forest, creating an eerie groan against the manor windows. The clock's chimes rung through the house, masking the boy's quick footsteps as he ran to his little sister's room. As quietly as he could, he opened her heavy bedroom door and dragged his packed trunk inside. After a swift glance to determine he had not been observed behaving so absurdly, he shut the door and moved to her sleeping form. A frown appeared as he assessed the damage done to her, and saw all the blood that had been pooling from her back.

Waking her up as gently as he could, he then pulled from the trunk his school scarf and wrapped it around her wound. Blood seeped through, making it appear as though the scarf was just red and without gold.

"You'll be alright Belles" he supplied to her pained groan.

"Easy for you to say, you get to go to Hogwarts, whilst I have to stay at home with him" she retorted.

"Not anymore. We're leaving here. Come on, can you walk?"

She nodded as he started to toss random clothes from her wardrobe into his trunk. A little scowl appeared on her face as he dumped her nice clothes unceremoniously into the trunk and proceeded to push them down in vicious haste.

"We're really going Jude?" she asked quietly. "What about Teddy?"

The boy stopped and looked at the girl with a grim expression.

"Theodore…he just isn't…he won't care…he doesn't think like us Belles, he thinks like Father. So he'll be right, don't worry about him"

He pulled the lid of his trunk shut and grabbed the girl's hand. Noticing her still bleeding back, he had to think of another exit seeing as she wouldn't be able to go out the window. Pulling her hand and dragging the trunk behind him, they manoeuvred out the room and down the marble stairs.

They made a quick move to the house elf quarters so they could run away out a side door.

"Isabelle" the boy hissed as he yanked her behind a pillar to avoid the house elf named Sunni, who was anything but his name .

Holding her breath, the little girl gripped the boy's hand to the point of pain as the house elf trotted right by them. Once the house elf's muttering of blood traitor children faded away, they escaped out the door and spirited away into the night.

Isabelle stumbled as they ran towards the forest at the edge of the manor grounds. Her back was hurting terribly, but she didn't want to stop her brother or complain. She was so glad he was home. As she was only eight, he'd gone to Hogwarts without her, leaving her no one to play with as Teddy always wanted to follow Father around, and she found Father scary. She had worried about Jude when he'd written home that he'd been sorted into Gryffindor, she'd never seen Father so angry. So when Jude had come home, wearing his red and gold uniform with pride, she had stepped in to share the punishment.

Reaching the forest, the two children rested against the first row of trees, gasping to catch their breath. Jude took this time to examine what to do next. As a boy of eleven, he was certainly the authority on getting out of mischief and tight spots. Glancing up at the sky, he observed a bright, full moon casting light on the gnarled trees and twisted roots, so he could see a path through. He supposed it would be safest to sneak onto the neighbouring property all the way on the other side of the forest, the Potters he remembered, and then head onto the road from there.

As Jude, looked around the moonlit forest, Isabelle took the time to check on her back. She grimaced as she felt the words carved there, a warning placed by her Father that much worse would happen if she followed in Jude's traitorous footsteps. That's exactly what I'm doing she thought wryly.

"To the Potters" Jude whispered as he once again grabbed her hand and lifted the trunk. The moonlight filtered through the leaves and scattered along the children's path as they headed deeper into the forest.

"Why are we going to the Potters?" Isabelle asked, squeezing her brother's hand in order to save herself falling over a tree root.

"Because it's better than trying to dodge Father on the grounds, he'll be furious we've left. And, well, they've always seemed nice so I don't think they'll tell anyone if they catch us"

As they travelled on, Isabelle's thoughts stayed on the Potter's. The family had always seemed nice. She remembered seeing the boy James, who was her age with outrageously messy hair, running about, climbing trees and flying on his broomstick. She was entirely jealous of that broomstick, she'd had hers confiscated when Father discovered that she and Jude had snuck out to see a muggle movie. And the Potter's were always smiling and playing with James. It was when she had come to the conclusion that they were a nice family that she slammed into Jude's back who had stopped without warning.

"Wha-"

"Shhh"

Moonlight shone on Jude's face as he concentrated. The sound of twigs snapping came from their left, making them both jump. Slowly, Jude moved Isabelle behind him and pulled out his wand. A low growl came from the trees. A huge, menacing animal stalked out into the moonlight, snarling at the children.

"Werewolf" breathed Jude.

Then in a rush of movement the werewolf lunged, and Jude pushed Isabelle onto the floor, scraping her hands and legs as she fell onto a tree root. Jude screamed as the werewolf tore and bit down on his right arm. Seeing Jude's wand which had been knocked to the floor, Isabelle scrambled to grab it despite the fact she knew no spells.

Jude was attempting to fight off the wolf, and he was quickly losing blood. Watching this horrible scene, Isabelle remembered her Father's word with perfect clarity, the one which had been used on Jude and her many times. Raising her shaking hand in desperation and with sadness, Isabelle pointed the wand at the beast and squeezed her eyes shut, allowing the panic and fear to overcome her.

"Crucio" she whispered.

A bright light emitted from the wand and illuminated the patch of woods, hitting the werewolf in the chest and blasting it unconscious. Glad that the spell hadn't seemed to work properly, instead knocking the werewolf out, she ran over to Jude, taking off the scarf that was still acting as a bandage for her back and wrapped it around his arm. He'd passed out from the pain, and so Isabelle carefully dragged him on top of the trunk, and then moved behind it and pushed with all her might. She had to get them to the Potter's, and she prayed to the heavens they would look after Jude there.

James Potter squirmed in his seat. He was playing his father in a game of wizard chess, and was about to lose a knight. He made his move and after throwing a mutinous glance at his amused father, he watched the forest outside, preferring not to see the oncoming slaughter.

His attention was captured as he saw movement on the right side of the forest. He kneeled in his seat, craning his head to get a better look. Seeing what emerged from the forest, his mouth dropped open.

A girl, about his age, was pushing a trunk with an unconscious boy lying on top, and she was covered in dried blood.

"Dad!" he pointed at the figures "What are they?"

Following his father outside, they approached the two children.

"What happened?" Harold Potter questioned, checking the pulse on the boy.

"W-we ran away. And th-then a were- a werewolf attacked him and please, please help" the girl gasped out.

"Alright, it's alright. Here I've got him and we'll have a look. James, take the trunk and bring her inside to your mother"

James picked up the trunk and turned to the girl.

"Uhhh, I'm James, uh come inside and my mum will help you" he supplied awkwardly

"I'm Isabelle. Isabelle Archibald" replied the small girl.

"Archibald, as in the Archibald's next door?" James asked shocked as he led her inside. His parents had told him about the Archibald's, they were extremely dark wizards. The girl said nothing as he led her into the drawing room.

Mrs Potter looked up from her book to find her son standing with the girl from next door, who was bruised and bloodied.

"Oh my-"she exclaimed as she stood and strode over to them "What on earth?"

Caroline Potter moved quickly into the study where the boy, Jude she had been told, lay on the couch with her husband, Harold working over him. She had just placed Isabelle in a spare room, insisting that she stay with them, so they could care for her and her brother.

"How is he?" she asked quietly, so as not to disturb the injured boy's fitful sleep.

"Not good" her husband replied "He was bitten"

"So he's a…" Caroline trailed off.

"I'm not sure; we'll have to get the doctor in"

"They should stay with us Harry, you said they ran away? Well I don't blame them. We can't let them go back to Nicholas Archibald."

"I agree. They should stay."

The two Potter's turned back to the boy, and Caroline smoothed his dark hair away from his face.

Isabelle sat on the bed, unable to sleep even though she was exhausted. She was so worried for Jude that he would be permanently hurt, and she was worried that her father might find them.

She heard a soft knock on the door and called "Come in"

James Potter walked hesitantly into the room, stopping halfway.

"You should sleep; my parents are looking after your brother."

"I can't"

"I'll stay with you 'till you do, if you like?"

"…Yes please."

Isabelle lay back as James Potter came and lay next to her "Night Isabelle"

"You can call me Belle" she said sleepily before she promptly fell asleep.