DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Harry Potter universe or any of the characters mentioned in it.
A/N: Hey there! This is the prologue to my fanfic, The Potter Twins! I will update this as soon as possible, either today or tomorrow. Don't worry, the prologue is very short, but the other chapters will be a lot longer!
When Severus Snape was sure he'd heard the rumbling roars of the motorbike Hagrid was riding on fade away, he removed the Disillusionment charm he'd placed upon himself and picked his way around the ruins of the Potter's ground floor.
He had no eyes for the sprawled body of James Potter, his nemesis from his schooldays. No, what really bothered him was Lily.
His heart beating frantically, knowing that there was no way the Dark Lord would've spared her, and yet hoping against hope that she would be sitting in the upstairs bedroom with her green eyes sparkling merrily, he clambered up the unsteady staircase, not bothering to use magic at all. Upstairs, half of the hallway had been destroyed, but one door was still standing. He pushed the door open, his eyes shut tightly, and opened them.
He fell to his knees, shocked at what he saw. He knew it was coming, deep down, but nothing had prepared him for this.
Lily's body lay across the floor, her head leaning against a piece of brightly-painted wood. Her eyes were wide open in shock, yet devastatingly empty. Her face was pale, her mouth open in a scream.
Severus got up and strode across the room, kneeling again next to Lily Potter's limp body. He held her slim frame in his arms, weeping. Tears splashed onto her pale cheeks, dampening the collar of her white blouse.
A muffled wail from behind the mass of broken wood and plastic at the edge of the wall distracted Severus. Shaking slightly, he brushed away some of the rubble, trying to find the source of the cry.
It was a little baby—Lily and James' daughter. She had large blue eyes and a tuft of platinum hair. A few freckles were sprinkled across her nose. In other words, she looked nothing like Lily and James.
Severus made to pick the girl up, but something happened that made him retract his arms quickly. The girl's hair was darkening, becoming a chestnut brown, becoming more curly by the second. Her eyes turned a deep emerald green. Her nose lengthened and the freckles disappeared.
"You're a Metamorphagus," Severus breathed. As if to confirm his statement, the little girl lifted an arm and fingered his long greasy hair.
"Mummy?" the little girl asked, her eyes widening. She spoke clumsily, as if that was one of the few words she knew. It probably was, judging by her age..
"She's coming soon," Severus said quietly, a single tear dripping from the end of his long hooked nose. "I'll take you to Mummy. Okay?"
The little girl nodded, apparently having decided that she could trust this strange man, whoever he was. As she beamed, showing off her large front teeth, her hair changed to a cheerful blonde.
Severus conjured one of those Muggle baby carriers and hung it around his neck. He then placed the little girl carefully into its cotton depths and covered her with a warm blanket that he magicked into existence. He was about to Apparate away, when a thought struck him.
"What's your name, little one?" he whispered. When she didn't answer, he looked down at the floor and knelt to pick up a half-burned plastic plaque that rested at the top of a pile of wood fragments that was probably the girl—or her brother's—cot.
Only one letter was clear; the rest had been burned or blackened away. It was a large red 'S'.
"I don't know what Lily and James named you," he murmured, "But I'm going to call you Scarlet. Scarlet for love. Scarlet for bravery… Scarlet for Lily." Another tear trickled onto the painted letter 'S'.
Scarlet giggled, a cheerful sunny giggle that reminded him of Lily. It seemed like Scarlet liked her new name
Severus' long black robes billowed momentarily in the gust of wind caused by Disapparition, and then they were gone.