Disclaimer: We own NOTHING!!! NOTHING, you hear!! Just our made up characters...and we think they just might own us at this point. But that's not the point. The point is, we're just a couple of poor college students; we own NOTHING-- especially anything worth sueing over. This is all just for fun-- JKR owns all things Harry Potter, not little ol' us. :)

Summary: Harry and his twin sister Mary are seperated after their parent's deaths and Mary is sent to America with her uncle and aunt, along with Sirius's daughter Cassi, who is given to a muggle foster family. What will happen when Mary and Cassi finally meet again when they finally start at Hogwarts? Chaos, panic, and disorder-- our work here has just begun. Moi-ha-ha-ha!!

Setting: Mary and Harry are born in 1988, they start school in 1999, and they graduate in 2006. The Marauders and Lily were born in 1965-66, started school in 1977, and graduated in 1984.

Spoilers: All HP books. Will be mostly cannon all the way through, but will obviously have some differences. (Our insanity couldn't help but change a few things!)

Notes: Contains OCs. If you don't like, don't read. Also, this chapter contains some direct quotes from Chapter One of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone--sorry, tried to get rid of it, but it couldn't be helped. WE DON'T OWN ANY OF THIS!!

Warning: There will be swearing in later chapters, so if this offends you in any, way, shape, or form, you have been well warned! And again, if you don't like, dn't read!


~ Please Read & Review!! NO FLAMES PLEASE!! ~

The Girl Who Lived

Alex and his family were perfectly normal—for the most part, that is. Taylor and Jordan were a little more troublesome and rambunctious than your average twins, but Alex credited this to the fact that his baby sister Lily was a real-life, full-fledged, honest-to-God witch. Yes, Lily and James Potter were a witch and wizard and Alex was very proud of this fact, though his other younger sister, Petunia, was not. Alex and Ana frequently visited Alex's youngest sister and her family; the Evans, like the Potters, were young and spirited and they did not judge unfairly as the Dursley's did. Vernon and Petunia Dursley refused to admit that they were related to people like the Potters at all; they had missed Lily and James's wedding because of this. Alex and Ana, however, had been there; in fact, the Evans and their baby daughters had actually been in the Potters' wedding.

XXXXXXXX

On that dull, grey Wednesday that began the month of November, Alexander and his family were all packed and ready to move. It was the Evans' last day on Privet Drive and in England, so Alex had been given the day off in order to take care of a few last minute things. He and his wife Ana had taken their twin daughters Taylor and Jordan to visit Alex's youngest sister Lily and her husband James just two days earlier to say goodbye. Lily and James had twins of their own—Mary and Harry—who were two years younger than Jordan and Taylor.

That evening Alex and Ana were having dinner with Alex's other younger sister, Petunia. She and her husband Vernon Dursley had a son, Dudley, who was the same age as Mary and Harry. The Dursleys lived just a few houses down from the Evans on Privet Drive.

As Alex stood in front of his house that afternoon, he thought about what he would be leaving behind as he and his family set off for their new life in the United States. The sign in front of Number One Privet Drive now read "Sold" and a new family would be moving into the house in just a few short days. On a sudden whim, Alex looked down the street towards his sister's house. Everything looked as it always did on the Stepford-like street—except for the strange tabby cat sitting in front of Petunia's house, simply staring at the house's occupants.

As the sapphire-eyed brunette man headed back inside the house, Alex noticed a tawny owl swooping past. He was all too familiar with wizarding customs and culture, so he just figured that the owl was simply delivering something to someone and didn't think anything more of it. Alex simply continued on inside and helped his blonde-haired, blue-eyed wife out with their daughters while they tried to finish up some last minute packing.

After they finished, Ana said to Alex, "Dear, why don't you take the girls to the park for a while. They could do with some fresh air and they're going to be cooped up all day tomorrow."

"Of course, darling." Alex got his little blue-eyed daughters ready and they headed out the door. "We'll be back by five, Ana," he called out to his wife. "Oh, and don't forget, we're having dinner with Petunia and Vernon tonight at six."

"I know dear," replied Ana, giving her husband a kiss. "Have fun! Be good for Daddy," she said to her troublesome twin daughters before giving them each a kiss on their strawberry-blonde heads.

Alex and his three-year-old twin daughters spent a couple of hours at the local park before heading into town. As they were walking through the town, Alex noticed an abnormally large number of people in brightly colored cloaks, similar to the ones Lily, James, and their witch and wizard friends sometimes wore. He also noticed an unusually large number of owls swooping through the sky.

Alex didn't really start to get worried until he happed to overhear some of the cloaked people talking. "The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard—" said a large black man in an emerald green cloak.

"—yes, their daughter Mary and their son Harry—" said an old woman in a yellow and black cloak.

Alex stopped dead. He would bet his life and the lives of his precious daughters that these people were talking about Lily and James and their twins. Fearful that something horrible had happened to his precious baby sister, Alex started to rush the twins home.

As he was rushing with his blue-eyed, strawberry-blonde haired girls, he accidentally bumped into a tiny, old man dressed in a violet cloak. "Sorry, sir," said Alex politely.

"It's no problem at all, my good man. Nothing could upset me today, for You-Know-Who has finally been defeated! Rejoice! Even muggle such as yourself should celebrate on this happiest of days!" Finished babbling, the old man unexpectedly hugged Alex and simply walked off.

"Daddy," asked Jordan, "why did that old man say the name of that scary man?"

"The one Uncle James and Aunt Lily don't like?" added Taylor.

"I don't know, sweethearts," replied Alex worriedly. "That's why we need to get home as quickly as we possibly can." The girls looked crestfallen, making Alex feel bad about cutting their afternoon short. "When we get home we can invite Kitty and Jeff over to play, how does that sound, munchkins?" he said to appease them.

"Thanks, Daddy!" cried the twins happily; their evil scheme of guilt the dad had worked perfectly yet again.

XXXXXXXX

Alex and the twins got back earlier than he had planned. As he walked through the front door, he glanced over at the Dursleys' and saw that the tabby can from earlier was still sitting out by their house. Alex didn't have time to think about the cat, though; he was too preoccupied with his worry about his baby sister.

"Ana! Ana! I think something's happened!" Alex called out as he entered the house, shutting the door behind him.

Ana came running down the stairs. "What's the matter, Alex?" she asked concernedly.

Alex, not wanting the girls to hear this particular conversation, shooed them into the living room and, being reminded of his promise by two very convincing puppy-dog faces, called up Susan Rymes from down at Number Fourteen. A few minutes later Kitty and Jeff arrived and the four toddlers went to play in the backyard.

"Alright, the girls are gone. Now, what's the matter, Alex?" asked Ana.

Alex took a deep breath and explained, "At first I thought it was nothing, with the owls and the cat, but then I started to see all these people in wizard robes. That's when I started to wonder—there were so many more out and about than there usually are—and then I heard it."

"Heard what?"

"Some of them were talking about the Potters, about Mary and Harry. I think something's happened."

"Are you sure? But what could it be?"

"I'm not sure, but I think it has to do with You-Know-Who. There was a wizard who was going up to people and telling them to rejoice because You-Know-Who is gone…I'm worried about Lily and James and their twins, An, I really am. I think something bad's happened to them."

"Well, I'm sure someone will contact us if something really bad happened, so until we know otherwise you just need to calm down and pray that nothing has happened to them, Alex."

"I don't know what I'd do if something happened to Lily," said Alex, still shaken. "She's my baby sister, An!"

"I know, baby, I know," soothed Ana. Once Alex had calmed down a bit she suggested, "Well, to take your mind off of all this, why don't you go get ready for dinner at your other sister's?"

"Okay, I guess I'll do that…" said Alex almost mechanically.

"Good. You do that and I'll take care of the girls. They can still play a bit longer; we have time before we have to leave," said Ana, taking charge of the situation.

"Alright. I'm going upstairs to get ready now," said Alex dully.

"Good, dear. And Alex…"

"Yes?"

"Don't worry so much. I'm sure everything will be just fine, you'll see."

"I hope so," said Alex heading up the stairs. "I really hope so."

XXXXXXXX

Dinner that evening was as awkward as it ever was with the Dursleys. Ever since the Evans had started spending more and more time with the Potters, the Dursleys had been more cold and distant to them. Fortunately for all parties involved, dinner didn't take too long. Once everyone was finished eating, they all said their goodbyes and Alex and Ana each grabbed one of their sleeping toddlers and headed home.

Once they got back home, Ana and Alex put their small daughters to bed on the air mattress that they were using for their last night in England; their flight to New York City left early the next morning. After the girls were safely tucked in bed, Ana and Alex lay down on their own air mattress. Ana fell asleep almost instantly. Alex, however, was having trouble sleeping, his worry about Lily and her family stuck firmly at the forefront of his mind. He eventually managed to drift off to sleep, his worry about Lily and James and their twins growing with every passing second.

Alex may have drifted off to a worried sleep, but the cat that had spent the day watching the Dursleys had no intention of sleeping anytime soon. The cat simply sat there, ignoring the normal night noises and animals.

Suddenly and silently an old man appeared on the corner that the cat had been watching with a loud CRACK. The man was tall and thin with silver hair and a beard, both falling past his waist. He wore long turquoise robes covered by an equally long purple cloak and high-heeled, buckled boots. He had a long, crooked nose and his bright blue eyes twinkled merrily behind half-mood spectacles. To those in the know, this man was Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Albus, seemingly unaware that the only people on this street that would tolerate his presence were set to move halfway across the world come morning, dug through his violently purple cloak, looking for something. Feeling that he was being watched, the old man looked up to see the strange tabby cat watching him. Chuckling to himself as if it were some great joke, only he was in on, Albus muttered to himself, "I should have known."

Albus finally found what he was looking for in his cloak and pulled out what appeared to be a silver lighter. Without a word he flicked it open and clicked it, causing the nearest street lamp to go out with a small pop. He repeated the process twelve times until the street was completely dark, but for the twin pinpricks of light that were the cats eyes watching him. Now no one—not even nosy Petunia Dursley—would be able to see what was going on out on the street had they so wanted to try. Satisfied with his work, Dumbledore returned the Put-Outer to his cloak pocket and made his way down to Number Four Privet Drive, where he sat down on the wall beside the cat.

After sitting in silence for a moment, Dumbledore spoke to the cat, never once glancing at it. "Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."

He turned to smile at the tabby cat, but instead found himself smiling at a rather severe-looking, distinctly ruffled woman wearing a black robe and an emerald cloak. She wore her black hair up in a tight bun and her square glasses were exactly the same as the markings as the markings on the cat. "How did you know it was me?" she asked.

"My dear Professor," chuckled Albus, "I have never seen a cat sit so stiffly."

"You'd be stiff if you were sitting on a brick wall all day," she snapped at him.

"All day?" said Albus, surprised. "When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."

McGonagall sniffed angrily. "Oh yes, everyone's celebrating all night," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no—even muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back to indicate the Dursley's living room. "I heard it. Flocks of owls…shooting stars…Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent—I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."

"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."

"I know that," said McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to loose our heads. People are being downright careless, Albus! Out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in muggle clothes, swapping rumors…" McGonagall threw a sharp glance at Dumbledore, hoping he would tell her something, but he remained silent. "A fine thing it would be, if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Albus?"

"It certainly seems so, Minerva," said Dumbledore cryptically. "We have much to be thankful for." He dug through his cloak again and pulled out a small red-velvet bag, took a small yellow candy out and popped it into his mouth. "Would you care for a lemon drop?" he offered her.

"A what?"

"A lemon drop," said Albus happily. "They're a kind of muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."

"No thank you, Albus," said McGonagall coldly, believing that this was not the time for sweets. "As I was saying, even if You-Know-Who has gone—"

"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense—for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort." McGonagall flinched at the name, but Albus was too busy with his candy to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."

"I know you haven't," said McGonagall, half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different, Albus. Everyone knows that you're the only one You-Know-Who—oh, all right, Voldemort, was ever frightened of."

"You flatter me, Minerva," said Albus calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."

"Only because you're too—well, noble to use them."

"It's lucky its dark, Minerva. I haven't blushed so much since Poppy Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."

McGonagall looked at Albus sharply, determined to get the story out of him, and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying, Albus? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?" McGonagall had finally reached the point that had brought her to spend the day as a cat on this muggle street. She absolutely refused to believe what "everyone" was saying until Dumbledore confirmed it. Dumbledore, however, was still busy with his candy and ignored his Transfiguration professor. "What they're saying," McGonagall pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are-are-that they're dead." Albus bowed his head in affirmation and McGonagall gasped. "Lily and James…I can't believe it…I didn't want to believe it…Oh, Albus…"

Albus reached over and patted McGonagall on the shoulder comfortingly. "I know, Minerva…I know…" he said heavily.

McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all, Albus. They're saying that he tried to kill the Potter twins, but he couldn't. He couldn't kill those little children. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that he couldn't kill Mary and Harry Potter. Voldemort's power somehow broke—and that he's gone." Albus nodded glumly at this. "It's—it's true?" faltered McGonagall. "After all he's done…all the people he's killed…he couldn't kill a little girl and a little boy? It's just astounding…of all the things to stop him…but how in Merlin's name did Mary and Harry survive?"

"We can only guess," said Albus. "We may never know."

McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her chestnut-brown eyes under her spectacles as Dumbledore gave a great sniff and pulled out a strange golden watch that had twelve hands, no numbers, and little planets moving around the edges. After studying it for a second, Albus placed the watch back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"

"Yes," admitted McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places."

"I've come to bring Mary to Lily's brother and Harry to her sister. They're the only family they have left now and it's safer to split them up, for now."

"You don't mean—you can't mean the people who live here?" cried McGonagall, jumping up and pointing at Number Four. "Albus—you can't. I've been watching them all day and you couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son—I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. You'd send Mary or Harry Potter to live here?!"

"Harry," said Albus matter-of-factly. "Mary will go live with Lily's brother Alex and his family down there at Number One," he finished, motioning at the Evans' house.

"Oh, well, that's slightly better. Lily is—was—always raving about her elder brother. He came home quite shaken by something this afternoon—I assume he heard the rumors about his sister," said McGonagall. "But sending Harry to live with these people? Of all people!"

"It's the best place for him," said Albus firmly.

"Why not just send them both with Alexander?" asked McGonagall hopefully.

"It cannot be done," Albus replied firmly. "It is not fair to Alexander and his wife to saddle them with a pair of highly magical twins, especially since they already have slightly magical twins of their own and are, in fact, not magical themselves. Besides," Albus continued, "I believe that Mary Potter is destined to have power beyond what even I can imagine. She is the first girl born to the Potter family in many, many generations and will therefore receive the Heart on her eighth birthday."

McGonagall gasped. "So the legend is true then; it's not just a fairy tale told to eager children—she was real, the Heart was forged. And the rumors of the powers—are those true too?" Albus simply nodded. "Then I can see why it is crucial to split them up since they are not to be raised in our world."

"Precisely," said Albus. "It is not fair to inflict more than one child of James Potter on any one family, especially if said family is non-magical. Their aunts and uncles will be able to explain everything to the twins when they are older—I've written each family a letter saying that, among other things."

"A letter?" repeated McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really Albus, you think you can explain all this in a letter? Alexander may understand Mary in time, but these people will never understand Harry! The twins will be famous—legends—I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Potter Day in the future—there will be books written about them—every child in our world will know their names!"

"Exactly," said Albus, looking very serious. "It would be enough to turn any child's head, let alone a child of James Potter. Famous before they can walk and talk! Famous for something they won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off they'll be growing up away from all that until they're ready to take it?"

McGonagall opened her mouth to say something, but changed her mind, swallowed, and said, "Yes—yes, you're right, of course. But how are the twins getting here, Albus?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though he might be keeping them in his pocket or something.

"Hagrid's bringing them."

"You think it—wise—to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"

"I would trust Hagrid with my life."

"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless, Albus. He does tend to—what was that?!"

A low rumbling sound had broken the silence of the night. It grew louder and louder, but there were no headlights to be spotted coming up or down the street. The sound swelled to a roar and the two old friends looked up at the sky to see a huge motorbike fall out of the air and land on the road in front of them.

Compared to the man riding it, the bike was positively tiny. He looked simply too big to be allowed; he was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked positively wild—his black hair and beard was long and tangled and succeeded in hiding most of his face. His hands could be compared to trash can lids and his feet to baby dolphins. In his huge, muscular arms he held two small (positively miniscule compared to him) bundles of blankets and across his chest was a third bundled, snuggled safely in a sling carrier.

"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorbike?"

"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant man, climbing carefully off the motorbike as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it ter me. I've got th' twins, sir, an' little Cassi as well."

"No problems, were there?"

"No, sir—house was almost destroyed, but I got th' twins out all righ' before th' muggles started swarmin' aroun'. Harry fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol, but I think th' girls are still awake."

Albus and McGonagall both bent forward over the two small bundles. Inside the first blanket (gold colored), just visible, was a baby boy, with a tuft of jet-black hair and a lightning bolt shaped cut on his forehead, fast asleep. In the sling, sucking her tiny thumb as tears streamed silently from her stormy grey eyes, her other hand holding tight to one of her tight ebony-black curls. In the second blanket (red colored), seeming to take everything in with wide hazel eyes, was baby girl with a mop of vibrant red hair and a lightning-bolt shaped cut, identical to the boy's, on her forehead.

"Is that where—?" whispered McGonagall.

"Yes," said Dumbledore sadly. "The twins will have those scars forever."

"Couldn't you do something about them, Albus?"

"For Mary, yes, I can hide it; I know how vain young girls can be in this day and age." Albus waved his hand across Mary's forehead and the scar disappeared from sight. Mary simply watched him calmly with her large hazel eyes. "She will learn that spell when the time is right," Dumbledore explained. "As for Harry, even if I could—that spell only works for females—I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well—give Harry here, Hagrid—we'd better get this over with."

At the sound of her uncle's voice, Cassi held out her chubby little arms for him to pick her up. "Uppy, Unca Bus!" she cried out.

"Not right now, my dear. Uncle Albus is busy at the moment." Albus took Harry in his arms, leaving Hagrid still holding Mary and Cassi, and turned toward the Dursley's house.

"Could I—could I say good-bye ter him, sir?" asked Hagrid. Upon receiving an affirmative from the aged wizard, Hagrid bent his shaggy head over the small boy and gave him a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, he let out a howl like a wounded dog (Fang had been giving him lessons).

"Shhh!" hissed McGonagall, "you'll wake the muggles!"

"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a ginormus spotted hanky and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can' stand it—Lily an James dead—an' poor lil' Mary an' Harry off ter live with muggles—"

"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," McGonagall whispered as she patted the giant man carefully on his massive arm.

Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door of Number Four, closely watched by Mary and Cassi—quite scary, since neither girl was even two yet. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep and took a letter out of his cloak, placing it inside the blanket with the small boy before returning to the other four. For a full minute the five magical beings stood and stared at the small bundle on the porch. Hagrid was sobbing silently, McGonagall was fighting back her own tears, Mary was staring intently at her twin, Cassi waved at Harry, and the ever-present twinkle seemed to have disappeared from Albus's eyes.

"Well," said Albus finally, "it's time to send Mary off now—Cassi as well. Follow me, please." He led the small group down one house and across the street. "Number One, Mary's new home," he said softly.

"Albus," said McGonagall, "the sign in front of the house says 'Sold.'"

"So it does!" said Dumbledore brightly. "All the better. Hmm…I do vaguely recall Lily being rather upset several months ago when she learned that her brother and his family were moving to…America, I believe it was."

"America?!" cried McGonagall. "Surely you can't be serious, Albus."

"Yes, I'm quite serious, Minerva," he said firmly. "All the better to hide her. Cassi is going there as well—it was planned, just in case anything happened to her guardian and since she is here now, I will have Alexander and Ana take her over with them. The girls will be safe there; no one will know who they are—or what they are, for that matter. Besides, perhaps they will get lucky and run into each other sometime before they begin at Hogwarts…but we really should get on with this. Hagrid, if you please," said Albus, holding out his arms to take Mary. Hagrid rather reluctantly handed the tiny redhead to Dumbledore.

The second Albus had Mary in his arms, she began her baby talk. "Unca Bus, Unca Harid an Unca Pafoo no take Mimi a Daddy. Mimi wanna go a Daddy NOW!"

"Daddy had to go away, Mary," said Dumbledore gently.

"NO! Daddy tell Mimi a go seepy-by, but Mimi no wanna go seepy-by, so Mimi no go seepy-by. Where bees Daddy? Daddy take Mimi a get tookies!"

"Daddy had to go bye-bye, Mary," Dumbledore attempted to explain to the one-year-old witch.

"Mimi go a Daddy NOW!!!" Mary yelled, balling her fists demandingly. She started to cry; she didn't really understand what had happened the night before—she was, after all, only one. "MIMI GO A DADDY NOW!!!!!"

"I'm so sorry, Mary. It's time for you to go see Uncle Alex and go on a long trip."

"MIMI NO WANNA GO A UNCA LEX! MIMI WANNA GO A DADDY NOW!!!!" There was simply no comforting the distraught child, so Albus simply gave up trying to explain things to her; she wouldn't have truly understood anyway.

"Could I—could I say good-bye ter her too, sir?" asked Hagrid. Receiving an affirmative, Hagrid bent over the tiny, crying girl and she got her own whiskery, scratchy kiss, causing the emotional girl to laugh rather than cry.

"Poor girl," said McGonagall. "At least she doesn't truly understand what has happened to her family."

Hagrid was sobbing again, so McGonagall attempted to comfort him while Albus walked up the stone path to the front door. He placed Mary on the doorstep and she smiled and cooed at him, causing him to smile back as he placed a letter in her blanket. As he walked away, however, Mary began to call out for "Unca Bus," "Unca Pafoo," Unca Harid," "Aunnie Minnie," "Mumma," and "Daddy," before she gave up and began crying again. Once again they watched the small bundle for a full minute as she stared back at them with tear filled eyes, having much the same reactions as they had with Harry.

"Now its dear Cassiopeia's turn," said Dumbledore as he held out his arms for his great-niece.

Now that she finally had what she wanted, Cass made a pouty face at her uncle. "Tass wan Pafoo!" she demanded. "Where Pafoo? Pafoo take Tass a see Wi! Where Pafoo go?"

"Padfoot isn't here, Cassiopeia. It's time now for you to go on a long trip, my dear."

"NO! TASS WANNA GO A PAFOO!" she yelled as she started to cry again. "UNCA BUS TAKE TASS A PAFOO NOW!!!!" she yelled as she cried.

Dumbledore tried his best to comfort his niece as he dug in his pockets for a small vial. He somehow got the small girl to take a few drops of the potion in the vial. McGonagall gave him an odd look as he put the vial away. "It's a special potion Luna used to use to put her to sleep," he explained sadly. "I just added something extra to keep her powers at bay until she turns eleven. I'd give some to Mary too, but I somehow doubt it would work. Anyway, we should get on with this before I lose my nerve."

Albus conjured some blankets out of thin air and wrapped Cassi up snuggly in them. She reached out sleepily and tugged on his long, white beard—a little game she always played with him. He smiled at her as he set the black-haired baby down next to Mary. He then kissed her softly on her forehead—as did Hagrid—and tucked a letter in her blankets as well. Once more, for a full minute the three adults stood and stared at Cassi, who was already fast asleep, and Mary, who was still wide awake, and their reactions were much the same as before.

"Well," said Albus finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join in the celebrations."

"Yeah," said Hagrid, his voice muffled with tears, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night Professor McGonagall—Professor Dumbledore, sir." Wiping his teary eyes on his sleeve, he swung himself on to the motorbike, kicked the engine on, and took off into the dusky night with a roar.

"I shall see you soon, Minerva," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. McGonagall blew her nose in reply.

Albus turned and walked back up the street. When he had reached the corner he took out the silver Put-Outer and with a single click the light returned to the street lamps, revealing a single tabby cat slinking around the corner of the street up by the Evans home. From his chosen spot, he could only just make out the three bundles at Number One and Number Four.

"Good luck, Mary. Good luck, Harry. Good luck, my dear Cassiopeia," Albus murmured. He then turned on the spot and with a loud CRACK he was gone.

A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of the almost unnaturally normal street that was Privet Drive. No one would ever expect that something so strange had ever taken place on such a street. Over on the doorstep of Number One, Mary Potter rolled over in her red blankets and finally drifted off into an uneasy and troubled sleep, for though she was only a year old she knew that something wasn't quite right in her universe anymore. Unconsciously, one small hand curled around the letter beside her. She slept on, unaware that she was anymore special than the next person, unaware that she was famous, unaware that she would be leaving the country of her birth in just a few short hours, unaware that she would spend the next few weeks moving from place to place as the Evan's searched for the perfect house…She was completely unaware that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Mary and Harry Potter—the twins who lived!"

Alex woke up at two A.M. the next morning. He stretched, got dressed, and woke up his family before heading outside to get their last milk delivery. When he opened the front door and looked down, he saw Mary and Cassi laying there. He picked Mary up first—she was still sound asleep—and found a letter. When he read the letter, his worst fears were confirmed. He then picked up Cassi, whom he instantly recognized as Lily's best friend's daughter, and found a letter in her bundle as well. He took the girls inside, tears streaming down his face, and told Ana what had happened. Unfortunately, the Evans' couldn't stick around for long, even to grieve; they had to drive to London to catch a six A.M. flight to New York City; they were then renting a car and driving up to Michigan.

Once they were on the plane, Alex finally had time to think. He sat there holding Mary, who was still sound asleep. She looked just like Lily, except for her eyes; she had James' eyes. Sitting there on the plane, Alex vowed to love and care for Mary as he did his own daughters. Next to them sat Ana, holding their twin daughters and Cassi. Both Alex and his wife felt sorry for the little girl; she had suffered more loss in her short life than most people did in their entire lifetime, and now she was to be taken to a family that no one—besides Dumbledore and Debbie, who was Alex's best friend—had ever met. He half thought of keeping her—she was like a second daughter to Lily and James—but then he thought of the letter. Her uncle clearly said that she was to be hidden with the muggle family that he had chosen. Alex was to deliver her to them as soon as they were settled in their own home.

On their way to Michigan—their final destination—Alex did as Dumbledore's letter had instructed him too: they stopped in North Carolina and gave Cassi to the family who was to raise her—the Taylors. From there the Evans continued on their way. Weeks later, they were all settled in their new house in Bellaire, Michigan, U.S.A. Alex and Ana considered adopting Mary as their own daughter, but they realized that that would simply complicate things too much in the future. They did, however, unofficially change her last name to Evans in order to better protect her—Dumbledore himself had suggested this in his letter to Alex. Many years would pass before Mary would find out who she really was. It would be many years before Mary learned that she was the girl who lived, the (better, according to some—well, mostly just Mary and her admirers) half of the twins-who-lived.

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