AN: Hi guys, this FanFiction has recently been revised, I wanted to add in some more plot points to help the storyline I have planned it will still fold out to the eventual sequence of events I had planned, after this notice I promise to keep all authors notes to the end of a chapter.

Thanks for sticking by this story after all this time and please feel free to leave a review :)

Happy Reading,

~ Thaliarya

Disclaimer: Harry potter remains the property of JK Rowling, the following story is for fan entertainment purposes only.

The Dead of Night.

August 1974

The night of was peaceful and the stars bright in the sky as the outlined two people standing at the edge of the property boundary for potter manor. One of the figures was that of a man, a man who had once been a boy of this house, laughing in its halls, dining at its tables and dancing in its ballrooms. But that was a long time ago, in fact taking another step would set this man onto ground he had not been on in over 30 years. The house of his childhood held many pleasant memories of his brother and the world that he had left long ago, he had left it to be with the woman he loved, where they went they weren't able to return form, that is, until now.

The attack had changed everything and now this house was his only hope left for the safety of his daughter, his wife was dead and soon they would be after him, scourging the country side for him until not one hair was left of him. By that time he would be far away from his daughter, far away from here. There was no stopping what was going to come but at least his daughter would be safe from the horror that was hunting them all down with the last person he trusted in this entire world.

With those final thoughts he stepped over the property boundary and headed towards the manor as fast as his injured body would left him and as fast as his daughter at his side could keep up.

Charlus Potter was a dedicated man, at the age of 54 he was still running the Auror Department at the ministry, but as said being a Auror is physically demanding almost every hour of the day and many people were expecting him to step down within the next few years. However he would not believing anytime soon if he had any say in it and that is exactly what he was putting to the letter he was writing to Avery which was in no short terms inquiring about his status within the department.

That was when the banging on the door started. Picking his wand up from the desk he mutter profanities at the hour to which this call has come and who could possibly be her at this time of the night. As he neared the door Dorea, his wife stood anxiously at the top of the staircase, the noise obviously waking her up. In one swift motion he opened the door and raised his wand ready to strike.

There stood a man who was strikingly similar to himself, brown hair speckled with grey that would never lay flat, hazel eyes and a stall yet slender structure. Despite the many years it had been since he last saw his younger brother, William he knew without a doubt it was him. When his brother moved his arm in a protective manner was when he noticed the girl at his side her hair was long and light brown but even from the light in the house her hair was glinting bronze, her skin slightly tanner then the man but her eyes were the same hazel and he guess that this must be his brothers daughter, his niece.

Seeing his brother for the first time in over 30 years must have been altering his thinking process as it was only when his brother gave a whimper like "Charlus?" did he notice the condition that they were in. William was the worst he had blood, cuts and scratches everywhere, his leg was defiantly broken and a wound on his forehead was particularly worrying.

"William?" then they were hugging each other when we broke apart Dorea had already begun healing the girl. "WERE HAVE YOU BEEN FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS?" I couldn't keep the question inside any longer.

Looking slightly abashed William hand went to the back of his head to ruffle his hair. "It is a very long story, a story I unfortunately don't have the time to tell.." looking over to his daughter we walk just out of hearing range.

"Charlus, I'm sorry I never was the brother you wanted me to be but I had to leave when I did, that girl over there is my daughter Ilyra, she is 14 years old, the same age as you son I believe. Can she stay with you? She is no longer safe with me a..and her m- mother was killed yesterday, I myself will probably dead this time tomorrow, as long as the people that are hunting me know I'm still alive she is in danger, I've probably stayed here too long already. Please, brother, this is the only thing I will ever ask of you." the desperation in his eyes bores into my own, he has excepted what is about to happen, but I've only just been reunited with my brother

"These wards are some of the safest in the magical world we could house you, keep you safe!"

"No brother, as long as I'm alive people are in danger when these being are hunting for me, please" and with that he heads over to his daughter. "Ilyra you're going to be staying here from now on okay, this your Auntie Dorea and Uncle Charlus Potter they will look after you okay, keep you safe. I love you my darling girl and always will" pulling out an envelope from his pocket, "this is to be opened on your 17th birthday when you come of age" with that he turns back to me with a quick but heart filled thanks and hands me an envelope as well before dashing out the door.

Ilyra quickly calls after her father tears streaming down her face but by the time she is out the door her father is already gone.

3 hours later Dorea is sitting in one of potter manor's many bedrooms with a newly cleaned, healed and tucked in niece. A niece she only just discovered she had. Her heart went out to the girl who in such a small space of time had lost her mother, her father and everyone she had ever known. She had spent the last 2 hours prepping a room for the girl and keeping her comfortable and settled into her house as much as she could before the girl had fallen asleep with in the grand bed.

Quietly she left the room and head to Charlus' office where hear was bent over a letter, one she assumed William had handed him not the long ago.

"Well she finally asleep… how could he have left her like that Charlus? His daughter after the night she had been though?" Dorea was flabbergasted at the how a man who seemed so much like her husband could do something like this to his family.

"I don't think my brother had much of a choice sweetheart. There is something hunting him, he didn't even say what is was in this letter. But whatever it is, he must have thought it was powerful, so powerful that even the wards of this house wouldn't be able to hid him for long"

"but what about his daugther then?"

"She would probably be safest somewhere with stronger wards, were more powerful wards are."

"Hogwarts?"

"Yes, I'm going to have to talk to Dumbledore to see if she can be admitted to hogwarts at such a late age."

Dorea and Charlus Potter did not leave that office that night as they started putting affairs in order to house this young girl who has very suddenly become someone they were willing to protect with their lives.