Lillianna is an only child, although her parents tried for a long time to give her a little brother or sister to keep her company. The family was very happy, and often visited her grandparents (Mama and Papa Despereaux) who were both wizards. They made it clear that they weren’t overly happy about their son marrying a Muggle, but they were always kind and polite to Lillianna’s mother.

Everyone was so excited for her when she got the letter inviting her to Hogwarts. Lillianna’s parents took her to visit Mama and Papa before the school year started. It was obvious that her grandparents were proud of their little witch granddaughter. Papa Despereaux even went as far as to give her his ring bearing the family crest, which had been bewitched when made to adjust its size to fit the wearer. He told her about how it had been passed through the generations and that it was good luck, and she should never take it off.

The family began the return trip to their home, happy as can be. None of them suspected what was about to happen. About halfway home, Lillianna’s memory suddenly goes blank. When she wakes up, she is horrified to discover that her parents are dead. She could barely recognize them battered and beaten as they were. She had no time to grieve for them, however. She could smell the smoke of the nearby flames. She manages to drag her own severely pained body (you didn’t think she would make it out unscathed, did you?) far enough away to be safe.

The next thing she remembers is waking up to the sound of her grandmother’s tears. The first thing she sees is her grandfather’s grave face. She is once more in the safety of Mama and Papa’s home, though it is missing the normally happy atmosphere. She listens with tear- filled eyes as Papa tells her of her parents’ death. She now lives with her grandparents, and is still trying to deal with the loss of her parents.

Something her Papa failed to inform her of is that he was the one to hire the Death Eater that killed Lilli's parents and left her scarred. He was furious that his little Lilli had been hurt at all. After all, Lilli had done nothing wrong. It was her parents who were in the wrong for their relationship.

Upon arriving at school she was immediately sorted into Slytherin, much to the approval of Mama and Papa. There she met Lucious Ashford, who learned of her history and took her under his wing. In secret he began teaching her magic she would never learn from any of the teachers at Hogwarts. She was quite crushed when Lucious was arrested, and turned to Elle, a fellow Slytherin, for comfort and support.