October 31, 1981

"Lily, take the kids and go! It's him! Go! RUN! I'll hold him off!" shouted James Potter as the Dark Lord's menacing hooded figure slowly approached him, wand in hand, from their front door having blasted it open seconds ago.

The Potter had been taken completely by surprise that night. They had been about to prepare their two small children for bed after a quiet but enjoyable evening of Halloween fun. Lily had insisted they keep traditions alive for the children regardless of the war raging outside and their inability to step out of their home. She had transfigured Harry's daytime outfit into a pumpkin costume, much to James' amusement and horror and had an afternoon of arts and crafts followed by a candy scavenger hunt in the living room with their oldest. They were ending the night together, James conjuring smoke and bubbles for his children's amusement before Lily came to collect them for bed. It had been an enjoyable distraction from the war. But the war had found them, they had been expecting something like this. They had hoped their nightmare would never become a reality. That the Order would defeat the Dark Side before Voldemort personally came after them. That Peter would be stronger than to betray them.

This was the thought in James' mind as he faced Voldemort, wandless having moments ago thrown his wand down on the couch after playing with his children. The surprise attack left him with no time to react. James had sprung to his feet ready to defend his family, Lily, who had collected the children only minutes ago, was now upstairs barricading the nursery.

They had been betrayed. Both wizards stared at each other, an amused sinister grin spreading over Voldemort's skull-like face. The young wizard knew that would be the last face he would see so he thought of his wife and their two children and prayed to whatever superior force that they would escape tonight.

James Potter watched as the Dark Lord raised his wand and in a swift motion came a blast of bright green light followed by darkness.

Lily heard the unmistakable sound of a body hitting the landing downstairs and immediately knew she had just heard her husband die. She couldn't dwell on it. She didn't have much time. He would be making his way upstairs now and the rocking chair and drawer pushed up against the nursery door could only hold him back for so long. Quickly she shook away the thought of James' lifeless body downstairs and grabbed the small, soft hand of her 3-year old daughter. She quickly led her to the closet, hastily slid the door open and tucked the small girl in between their hanging fall coats.

"Stay in here, Rosie." Lily urgently instructed the small red-head. "Whatever you hear, don't come out!" She looked into her daughter's large hazel eyes so like her father's, who would never open his own again. Fear and confusion, that's what Lily saw in her eyes and it broke her heart to feel so helpless. Lily doubted she would survive tonight but her children had to. "I love you so much, Rosie." she choked out, leaning in to give her oldest a parting kiss on her rosy, plump cheek before sliding the door closed. Please don't look.

Lily sprung over to Harry's crib where he sat watching the curious interaction between his mother and sister. As his mother approached, the infant reached out for her with his little arms. Tears ran down her cheeks as she scooped up Harry and held him close to her heart. At that moment the nursery door was blown open. Pieces of rocking chair and drawer flew across the room as the Dark Lord entered. Lily, with her back to the door, had shielded Harry with her body and silently prayed the explosion had not scared Rose out of her hiding place.

Recovering from the blast, Lily kept her back to Voldemort, gently setting Harry down in his crib. She was also wandless. What could she do now? She could only think of one thing left to do. To hell with Gryffindor bravery and pride!

"Step aside, girl" Voldemort snarled as he took a few steps towards the red-headed woman.

Lily turned to face the evil wizard, to come face-to-face with those red eyes. "Please, not Harry." she pleaded, tears falling down her face.

"Step aside, foolish girl!" Voldemort warned viciously. "You need not die tonight!"

No! She couldn't live knowing she had given up her child. "Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead!" She begged desperately. Perhaps if she kept him talking the Order would arrive. "Please!" she pleaded again, feeling Harry's little hands pull at her hair strands behind her.

"This is my last warning..." Voldemort snarled impatiently raising his wand at her chest.

This was it.

"Not Harry! Please...have mercy...have mercy...Not Harry! Please! I'll do anything-" she continued pleading losing all composure.

Voldemort let out a yell of frustration before bringing his wand down in one swift motion followed by a second blast of bright green light. Lily Potter fell to the floor.

Rose Potter silently watched from a gap in the sliding door as her mother fell to the wizard's curse and did not get back up. She watched as the wizard looked down at her mother. "Foolish Mudblood!" he spat angrily. 'He won't like this but perhaps Severus will now direct his affections to someone less daft and unworthy" the Dark Lord thought to himself.

'Is mummy asleep?' Rose asked herself.

"Who's there?" shouted the wizard. He then remembered the Potter's had an older child. "Come out, child!" he ordered.

He had heard her thoughts! Rose had never met anyone else who shared her gift. But this man did, and he was asking to meet her.

But Mummy had made it clear to not step out of the closet but the grown up was telling her to come out and Mummy wasn't getting up from the floor. Rose decided to listen to the strange wizard and slowly slid the closet door open timidly stepping into the Dark Lord's view. She looked up at him taking in his skull-like waxy features and red eyes. He was scary but her parents had taught her to be polite despite what people might look like.

'Is mummy sleeping, sir?' she once again thought, allowing the wizard full access into her mind. The small child refrained from doing the same as her parents had warned her many times that entering another's mind without permission was extremely rude.

The wizard saw all this and smirked wickedly, "Gifted little one, aren't you?" he simply said. "It's refreshing to see the taint in your blood did not hinder your magic. We'll need that for future generations. Yes, it would be a waste to dispose of you." Voldemort looked down at the small child. She strongly resembled her mother but she was a better version, a powerful version and in time possess all the desirability of a woman. "Such a waste." He whispered looking over at the child's mother and thought amusingly of Severus. He'll thank me later.

"Your mother is dead." he finally answered coldly.

The girl didn't react but kept her gaze fixed on him.

"Your father is dead." Voldemort continued, "Your brother will soon be dead. You, little one, will live under my new regime. You'll train to fight for me. I will teach you how to receive the most out of your power. You will marry a worthy suitor and ensure the continuous of our kind." Voldemort stepped over Lily's body, towering over the girl before bending over to be mere inches from her. He brought one long, slender finger to her face and caressed her cheek before coming to her chin and gently tilting her face upwards to his. "If you're ever foolish enough to seek vengeance, I will be waiting for you." With that he allowed the girl to enter his mind, bringing forth all the memories of the lives he ended for her to see. The terror, the screams, the blood filled his thoughts and poured into hers.

Satisfied, Voldemort made his way to Harry's crib where baby Harry say upright playing with a stuffed Hippogriff, completely unaware of the horror that had played out before him. Voldemort looked down at the baby, so this was his great threat. All that trouble of locating this child would finally be put to rest and no one would ever question his invincibility again. Looking over his shoulder to ensure the girl was still watching, he raised his wand, turned to look down at his would-be threat and shouted "Avada Kedavra!"

Green light filled the Potter's house for the third time that night but this time the intended target did not die. Rose was thrown across the room into the closet door where she fell onto the floor. Pain. Rose felt pain, hot pain as if she was being torn apart. She cried out for her mum. She was close by. She could hear Harry crying. Was he badly hurt? She was hurt. She cried out for both her parents one last time before losing consciousness.

...

Harry was still crying. His cries grew louder and louder as Rose opened her eyes. She was on the floor, Harry's crib had been knocked over with him now tangled in his blankets and their mother's body still laid in the middle of the room. The nursery room had been completely destroyed, the wall separating the room from the hallway no longer stood. The strange man was gone. Rose could no longer hear him but he must have been badly hurt. She had felt his pain.

With difficulty, Rose crawled over to Harry and quickly untangled him from his blankets. He was hurt! On his forehead he had a fresh zig-zagging cut where blood was seeping out. Rose grabbed the edge of his blanket and gently wiped away the blood before locating his binky and placing it in his mouth. Harry took the binky finding some comfort and ease. She didn't know what else to do now.

Rose looked over at her mother's lifeless form and inched her way over to her. The man said she was dead, she remembered. He said daddy is dead too. She looked up at the direction of the empty, dark hallway. "Daddy!" she called out too scared to leave the room but no answer came. Daddy always came running when she called for him. She couldn't hear them either. Daddy was always very loud with his thoughts.

They're gone.

The young red head returned her gaze to her mother and quietly lifted one lifeless arm to nestle herself next to her mother's still-warm body before closing her eyes and swiftly drifting off to sleep.