Dear Lizzie...

21st November 1964

Sarah looked around herself and couldn't help but admire her clean kitchen and shiny floors. "All in all, a very good day's work," she sighed contentedly to herself. She had just come to the end of a long, tiresome day of housework, frequently distracted by her infant son's antics and displays of affection for her. "I must make the most of these days," she thought, "for I'll soon be regretting the time when James will no longer consider me to be the most important person around him." Little James was curled over on the divan, snoring soundly after an arduous day of jumping around and showing off his newly learnt Quidditch tricks.

"It's getting late," thought Sarah, glancing at the old grandfather's clock opposite her. "Bobby was supposed to be here already; I hope he's not caught up at the Ministry again." Puzzled but not alarmed at her husband's delay, Sarah picked up her son gently and carried him up the two flights of stairs leading to his nursery. Taking care not to leave any fingerprints on the newly polished banisters on her way back down, she sat down on the sofa, crossed her arms and waited.

An hour later she was still there, still equally puzzled but now growing increasingly more alarmed as time passed and her husband didn't show up. Suddenly, the large fireplace in the corner of the room sprang to life in a flurry of dancing flames, followed by the sudden appearances of two gentlemen in long black robes and sombre faces.

The taller of the two, a young, thin gentleman with lines across his face leaving the impression of someone who had aged before him time stepped forward. "Mrs Potter, my name is Jeremiah Springton and this is Francis Caldwell. We're from the Ministry." Sarah's face lost its entire colour. The fat gentleman with a kindly face to his right rushed to her and grabbed her by the hand. "Madam, I think you should sit down."

Sarah's feet gave way as she continued to stare at the two men with an incredulous look on her face. "It's my Bobby isn't it? They've taken him! He's hurt! I know it."

"No, Madam, your husband is fine," Jeremiah said. "We have, however been sent with some bad news," Francis added. "Your husband's brother and his wife were involved in a horrible accident, I'm afraid. Muggle driving in this weather is never to be trusted; their driver ran completely astray and their car crashed into a tree." Francis seemed unsure how to continue delivering his news, so Jeremiah chipped in. "None of them survived."

"Oh dear!" Sarah thought to herself. Having come from a small family with no siblings and no close relations with uncles and cousins, she had never really warmed up to the extravagant family gatherings her husband and his only brother John organised while their parents had been still alive. The news of John and Catherine's death, however, shook her. Less than a month ago they had all gathered here in this very same room to celebrate their daughter's second year of birth; it had been a relaxed evening, and one where Sarah felt herself growing attached to her brother and sister-in-law for the first time in many months.

"The girl!" Sarah exclaimed suddenly! "What about Elizabeth? She was sure to be travelling with them." Jeremiah looked at Francis and shook his head slightly. "We weren't told if there was anyone else in the vehicle, but we have been assured that there are no survivors left in the wreckage. Your husband is identifying the bodies as we speak. I'm sorry Mrs Potter."

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Robert braved the blistering cold and raced as fast as he could on his Nimbus 500. He still couldn't believe the horrible news that was awaiting him when he was called for an urgent meeting at the Minister's office. He glanced behind him and saw the two Ministry officials who were instructed to lead him to wreckage attempting to catch up with him. Like he needed any directions! He and John has spent all their childhood in that countryside, chasing each other from tree to tree; it was his little brother's favourite spot, the one he would visit whenever things troubled him, whenever he wanted to time to himself. "The one he would die in too," Bobby thought bitterly, and he suddenly couldn't avoid the sob that arose in his chest.

Spotting the car wreckage from up above, Bobby signalled to his followers and started his descent. "This won't be easy Bob, but someone's gotta do it, and you're the only Potter left now." He urged himself, landing neatly a couple of yards away from the site he never imagined to lay eyes on so early in his life. The Ministry officials who landed soon after looked at each other awkwardly. Robert sensed their reluctance to move closer to the bodies while he was there, afraid that he would cause a scene or lash out at them just for being there. "If you'd give me a moment please," he said, putting them all out of the misery. "Sure, we understand," they mumbled, visibly relieved.

Robert moved on forward, and within seconds he could see the bodies of his dear brother and his wife laying a few steps away. He moved up slowly and stood peering down at his brother's corpse. It looked alive still, like little John was merely sleeping out there in the cold. "You should have stood here looking over my dead body you know," Robert thought, unable to hold back the tears that suddenly formed in his eyes. He bent down and felt for John's pulse, but there was none to be found. His handsome brother slept on. "I love you so much," Robert thought, "and now I'll never get to tell you." Unable to look at his brother further, Robert walked towards Catherine, who was lying faced down with both her arms cradling her stomach. Though he could not see her face, there was no denying it was actually her, with her long black waves and her ever present headband. Robert grabbed her lightly by the shoulders, and turned her round so she too could sleep with her husband. As he was turning her round though, he realised there was something bundled up in her arms.

"Quick, call the healers!" he yelled at the Ministry officials. "Hurry up! She's alive!"

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Sarah paced up and down the corridor of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, an incredulous look on her face. "Where did you find her Bob?" she asked. Her husband was sitting down on a chair, head held in his hands, trying to clear out his thoughts. "She was bundled up in her mother's arms," he muttered, "Catherine must have used herself to shield Liz from the crash. She was frozen to death, poor girl; the healers reckon they got there just in time."

"Poor girl," Sarah said. "Losing your parents and everything you know at such a young age. We have to make it a point to keep in touch with her as much as we can, and to try to make her transition to a new life as easy as possible."

"Don't be ridiculous, Sarah!" Robert cried out. "She's our niece; we're keeping her. We must."

"We will do no such thing, dear. She's not ours, and we always said that having one child is enough to keep us happy. I'm not ready for another child, and I never will be, and James certainly isn't ready to have a sister. No-one possibly expects us..."

"What anyone expects is not our concern, Sarah, it's what's right. I promised that poor brother of mine that I would be there for him till the end, and if that means taking his daughter in and raising her as my own, then so help me God, that's what will be done."

Looking dejected, Sarah sat down in the chair her husband had vacated and looked down at her hands. Robert crouched down before her and lifted her face so that he could look into her eyes. "I know what this is about, your not being fond of children. But look at James, he absolutely adores you, and Elizabeth will adore you too."

"James is my son!" Sarah exclaimed, tearing around the eyes. "Of course he adores me. But Elizabeth will always see me as a poor replacement to her mother. She doesn't like me."

Robert let out a small laugh. "My love, she's only two. You have all the time in the world to learn how to love her, and how to earn her love. Don't lose hope." Sensing she has lost this battle, Sarah got up and resumed her pacing.

A healer walked up them shortly afterwards. "Mr Potter, your niece is out of danger now. You may see her if you like." Robert and Sarah both heaved a sigh of relief. "I just need you to sign some forms for me please Mr Potter, sir."

Watching her husband walk off behind the healer, Sarah decided to look in on her niece. She walked into her room, which was almost completely in darkness apart from a small window left open in the corner of the room. "She must be asleep then," Sarah thought. "I'll just have a peek." She walked quietly to the cradle in the corner of the room, and to her astonishment was met by two beautiful green eyes staring straight back at her. Her niece was very much awake and alert by the looks of it, and as soon as she recognised Sarah's face, her face broke into the most dazzling smile.

Sarah was unsure what to do for a second. Then she leant forward, picked up the girl's hand in her own, and smiled back. "Everything's going to be fine, Lizzie, you'll see. Everything's going to be just fine."