(Prologue)
Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower; But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf, So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day
Nothing gold can stay.
She had been thinking about toy snitches, for the Potter boy's birthday. Sirius was buying a toy broomstick, and so she had been talking with him about buying a toy snitch to make a good theme. She had only met Harry once, together with Adam a few weeks back, but one visit had been enough to enchant them both completely. Lily, she had been so happy, she had been glowing. And James, he had been so hopeful and that is saying something, that boy would be the most loved boy in the history of magic, for sure.
"He's up for some life," Adam had said, and that was probably true, so she allowed herself to be filled up with joy for her friends. Allowed herself to be happy, instead of being worried for everyone she loved.
After that visit their friends had been moved to their secret hideout, a location Marlene wasn't allowed to have knowledge of, but that wouldn't stop her from sending the sweet boy a gift for his first birthday. So, she had been thinking about toy snitches, when she heard a desperate cry of warning coming from inside.
"RUN! Run my loves!" In a quarter of a second Marlene prayed that she had heard wrong, for they had already lost the Prewetts and Fenwick, and that voice belonged to her aunt. Her family, all that was left of it, were in that house in front of her, and they were almost all that she had left.
So instead of running, she drew her wand.
And then she was running, towards the house.