Lily Marlene

Prologue: 12 December 1975


Warnings: Character Death; Child Torture/Death; Murder; Violence

Written for the Potter_Place "Anything Goes" challenge, for prompt 72: Life stories: JKR says she has reams of notes on the characters in the Potterverse (ex: Dean Thomas' father was a wizard who abandoned his family). Tell the life story of a character/creature/ inanimate object, incorporating canon as much, or as little, as possible.


The Dark Mark shone above a small cottage in Cramond, its eerie green light throwing the building into sharp relief. Two figures, one belonging to a tall man and the other to a slightly smaller woman, appeared suddenly on the edge of the property. The woman disappeared, and a cat ran into the house as fast as it could. The man had followed too, though not running quite as fast as his companion, but quickened his pace as he heard a heartbroken scream emanate from the cottage.

He found his companion tenderly cradling the body of a woman with rich auburn hair; and he watched her cry.

"She's dead, she's dead, my baby, my only child, she's dead," the woman moaned in grief, rocking the body gently in her arms. Her partner knelt down beside her, wrapping his arms around her as his tears joined hers. She turned a teary, broken-hearted gaze on him.

"How could they do this to her, Albus? How?" The man she had called Albus shook his head, wiping away the few tears that escaped. He stood and made his way upstairs.

As he expected, he saw the body of a man lying stretched out on the landing, obviously caught while rushing downstairs to see what had happened. He continued his way upstairs, pausing before entering the room whose door was ajar.

It was a child's room, decorated in blues and yellows. Numerous toys littered the ground, and books were overflowing from the too-full bookcase. Lying in the small bed was a young boy, no more than three years old. Albus walked up to him and took the boy's wrist between his long fingers, checking for a pulse. Nothing. He made his way downstairs again.

His companion was still sobbing over her daughter's body, and it took Albus quite some time to get her attention.

"Robert and Frederick are dead, as well," he told her sombrely. As much as he wanted to spare her the pain, he knew that he could not, but that did not stop his heart from aching as the woman let out another grieving wail.

"They cannot all be dead, Albus," she said. "They cannot all be dead. It is not fair!"

He picked her up from her spot on the floor, ignoring her protests and attempts to get out of his arms.

"You need to rest, Minerva," he told her. "You need to rest so you can be strong enough to handle the pain."

She burrowed her head into his chest, as though she tried to escape his words. He walked silently to the edge of the property, still holding her in his arms, and Apparated away.