Blanket disclaimer in case I forget: Harry Potter isn't mine, any recognizable characters aren't mine, and soul bonds are an idea I've absorbed from other wonderful fanfic writers, specifically ShayaLonnie's The Debt of Time. Love that fic, love that author. If you want to read it-or anything else by ShayaLonnie- it's linked in my favorites.

July 30, 1987

The willowy lady with long red hair and the tall man with messy black hair walked into the room where the girls played, and Quinn was pulled forward in spite of herself. She didn't crowd around them with the rest of the girls, but she took a step forward so that she was out of the shadows. Normally she took a step back so that she was hiding even more, because she knew that once adults learned how strange she was they wouldn't adopt her.

"Girls, this is Mr. James and Mrs. Lily Potter." Quinn hadn't seen Ms. Emberly walk in, but she was talking to the girls now. "They're here for a tour and they wanted to meet all of you before they talked to me."

"It's so lovely to see all of you," Mrs. Potter said, scooping up a girl with short blonde hair- Quinn recognized her as Ember- and hugging her tightly. "Hopefully we'll be able to take one of you home with us today. Our son Harry, he's seven tomorrow, he's been begging us for a sister since Christmas." She set Ember down and looked up, her eyes landing on Quinn. Quinn smiled shyly at her and Mrs. Potter smiled gently back before she tugged at her husband's sleeve and nodded towards Quinn. Mr. Potter had nodded at her before taking Mrs. Potter's hand and leading her out of the room.

The other girls all went back to what they had been doing when the couple had walked into the room, and Quinn took one look around before sneaking out of the room and following them down the hallway to Ms. Emberly's office. None of them noticed the little girl with brown curls following them. That was good. Quinn liked when people didn't notice her. Especially when those people were other kids that would tease her for being shy or adult-people that wouldn't adopt her because she was strange.

The couple went into Ms. Emberly's office and Ms. Emberly followed them, closing the door behind her. Quinn crept forward to listen at the door, staying pressed against the wall so she could get out of the way if they came out when she wasn't paying attention. "So, did either of you see a child you were interested in adopting?" That was Ms. Emberly, the voice was feminine and familiar.

"There was one little girl I saw, by the back wall in the playroom-"someone made a frustrated sound. "Don't huff James you didn't see her-she had brown curls, olive skin, the most beautiful grey eyes-Siri's going to be jealous-she was very tiny, maybe about 6 or 7?" That had to be Mrs. Potter because Quinn didn't recognize the voice.

"I saw her! For only a brief moment, but I did see her. And you're perfectly right, as always Lily-love. She seems perfect."

"I must warn you, the girl you're talking about-her name is Quinn, Quinn Rae, she's actually 8-she has a tendency to disappear when she's upset. She's shy and the other children tease her for it, but she just seems to vanish. We always find her out back with the animals, she loves them and they love her." Ms. Emberly again, trying to convince the couple not to adopt her, Quinn thought.

"Shy? Well we can deal with that. Maybe she'll calm Harry down, he's a firecracker! She sounds perfect. Jamie please?" Quinn couldn't see anything, but from the way where Mrs. Potter's voice was coming from changed she guessed that the older lady had turned to face her husband.

"Anything you want, love."

"Well, if you would just sign these-I assume you've been cleared for adoption-I'll go get her and her things." Quinn dashed back to the playroom, entering unnoticed by the other girls and settling in the back with a book like she always did. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. After seeing who knows how many other children adopted it was finally her turn. She would have a home. She would have a mother, and a father, and a little brother. She couldn't wait.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter came out after Ms. Emberly and smiled at her. "If it's okay with you, Quinn, we'd like to make you our daughter-to make you a Potter." Quinn could only nod, feeling a slight chill at their words that she ignored.

As they finished signing the last pieces of paperwork to formally adopt Quinn Rae, Lily Evans Potter felt a chill. She looked up at her husband, green eyes wide. "James?"

James looked up at her with a loving smile. "Yes love?"

"Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

". . . Nothing. I suppose I'm just tired. It's been a very exciting day, after all."

"It has at that." James turned to Quinn, who was sitting in a chair between them, and took her hand. "You're our daughter now, and that makes you a Potter," he said seriously.

Quinn smiled up at him before repeating, "I'm your daughter, and that makes me a Potter."

In a house in Godric's Hollow, six-almost seven-year-old Harry Potter lay down for his nap, curled up next to a large black dog with grey eyes. "I hope Mummy and Daddy get me a sister for my birthday," he said sleepily with a shiver. The dog's only response was to curl tighter around the little boy and feel like something big was about to happen, if it hadn't already.

Alright, for once this is NOT a one-shot! I will be trying my hand at a multi-chap, but don't expect super-fast updates. The farthest apart they'll be is a month. This is the beginning, and I have some of the ending written-because Muses-but I have NO idea how to get there. So wish me luck!