Hey, everyone! I hope you enjoy my version of Harry's 7th year. This chapter is more of a prolouge, just so you know.

Disclaimer- I'm sadly not J.K. Rowling, so therefore I do not own HP. :)

--

July 27th, 1992

Scarlet swore that she would evenually go mad. Out of all of the hiding places she had stayed in along with her sister, this one was the worst. They had found a cellar unoccupied, though it had some slightly revolting furniture, a poor television, some lumpy piles of hay, two dim lights on the wall, and a sink complete with a slab of green lye soap. It was connected to an old farmhouse that was, like the cellar, abandoned. Scarlet begged her godfather to let them stay in the house instead, but he sadly could not fulfill that wish. The adults felt that the cellar would be safer, a better hiding spot since it was underground. To the sisters's dismay, the cellar would have to be their new home for a few weeks until they moved around again. It was rather cold and musty, smelling of old water pipes that had celebrated many birthdays. No windows, barely any privacy, terribly tiny...Scarlet despised it. She missed her real home. The Dunmore Manor was where she laid her head at night during holidays. Scarlet was among the well-to-do, having a lavish, weathly life. She was a heiress of the richest family in the wizarding world. Her grandfather had been the governor of Haunting Hills and the Minister of Magic at one point, along with other important dead relatives that helped earn the Dunmore fortune. Also, her father's side of the family was quite rich.

Scarlet sat dolefully on the couch, her eyes on the needy working television. Loretta laid on the bed that Lupin conjured from one of the farmhouse's bedrooms, rereading a letter from her boyfriend, Boq Cunningham. Loretta was beginning to act very unlike herself, with cranky retorts and a bad attitude most of the time. Scarlet tried hard to tolerate her, feeling scared for her sister. Loretta was in more danger than she was. She was possibly tied with Harry Potter himself.

A Muggle comedy show was playing on the TV, though Scarlet paid no real attention to it at the moment. She usually found the shows quite fascinating really, finding the clever humor that Muggles came up with very enjoyable. But the news would be on shortly she knew. It was making Scarlet anxious.

"Professor, do you how much longer Remus will be?" asked Scarlet from out of the silence.

Severus Snape, who was stationed near the decrepit steps to the cellar door on a wooden chair, ignored Scarlet's question. He was reading the Daily Prophet, thick curtains of greasy dark hair covering most of his bone skinned face. Scarlet let out a sigh, not bothering to say something witty about her professor's behavior. The Potion's Master, on Dumbledore's orders, was to help protect the Dunmore sisters in their time of sudden peril. He was doing so by staying with Loretta and Scarlet in case of an emergency occuring. The girls were as thrilled about this as Snape was. Just the simple thought of spending the entire summer vacation with Snape was torture enough. Loretta and Boq Cunningham along with their other friends were going to visit Argentina for their first summer holiday as graduates. Those plans were quickly cancelled thanks to Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban.

Scarlet, still feeling nervous, was also getting quite hungry. And to add to it even more, she could use good company to socialize with. There wasn't much of talking in the cellar, what with Loretta being irritable and Snape surprisingly taciturn. She always looked forward to when her godfather, Remus Lupin, would have visits in the evening with her and her sister.

"Care to join us, Severus?"

"You already know my answer, Remus. I shall patrol outside."

Coming back to reality, Scarlet blinked as she heard a familiar voice. Scarlet expressioned a surprised smile as she scrambled up from the rotting couch. Remus Lupin had his arms ready for the girls as they both scurried to see him. Loretta and Scarlet took either side of their godfather, hugging him tightly. Lupin chuckled lightly and smiled, his scarred face looking less pained.

"We have guests tonight, girls," he said with a bright tone.

Loretta and Scarlet turned away from Lupin to find that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley along with their sons, Percy and Fred, were in the cellar, their hair still flamming red. Dinner items were placed on the rickety kitchen table stolen from the farmhouse, too.

"Hello, dears," greeted Mrs. Weasley, setting a huge steaming pot of soup on the table. "We brought supper. My goodness, you two have got even thinner since last June!"

"We thought you all might like some company for the evening," said Mr. Weasley as Loretta ran to his side for an embrace.

"I feel terrible that you all have been staying here for weeks," said Percy, giving the cellar a horrid look of disgust.

"Blimey, this place is dour," exclaimed Fred, disgruntled.

He stopped staring at his surroundings, glancing over at Scarlet. Her face pale, the apples of her cheeks the simplest shade of pink. Her short locks of blonde curls were styled like a girl's hair from the 40's. Her eyes were like two pools of the brightest blue water. Fred suddenly looked very much punch drunk, intoxicated by Scarlet's part veela beauty.

Everyone, not including Snape, sat down at the table for the dinner that Mrs. Weasley prepared. Scarlet realized how much she had missed her other mother's cooking, savoring the flavor of everything on her plate. She also became quite garrulous, and Loretta became more like herself. Loretta and Scarlet were eager to learn about the Weasley's trip to Egypt; they had just returned the day prior. Both of the girls were fascinated by stories that the Weasleys had been told by old Egyptian wizards. Fred began to explain in full detail about mutant Muggle skulls in the pyramids, being stopped by Mrs. Weasley, complaining that that wasn't a proper converstation at the dinner table. Loretta and Scarlet were amused at the tale of the twins almost trapping Percy in a pyramid, recieving a look of dislike from the victim himself. They also found out that Percy had been choosen for the position of Head Boy at Hogwarts. After about nearly two hours of cheerful chatting, converstation had a dark edge when the gooseberry and elderflower parfait was served for dessert.

"I could not believe it when I heard," said Mr. Weasley intently to Lupin. "The Ministry has been in a riot since the news came along...honestly, I'm glad I missed the worst of it--"

"Arthur, not in front of the girls," snapped Mrs. Weasley, shaking her head in disagreement. "The poor dears hear enough about it already. You needn't add more onto it."

"Molly is right," agreed Lupin quietly.

"Does the Ministry know anything new, Mr. Weasley?" asked Scarlet, her cheeks burning red with fright. "I missed the news today."

Mr. Weasley shook his head no.

"Unfortunately they do not, Scar. We haven't a clue where he is. My now, this parfait is spiffing, isn't it?"

"Is it true that...that dementors are going to go out into public soon?" questioned Loretta with difficulty. Her beautiful face looked terrified.

"Yeah, I read that last night," said Fred, taking a spoonful of dessert.

"Alright, then," warned Mrs. Weasley sternly to Fred.

"You don't think he would try to break into our home...?" asked Loretta, her pale face becoming whiter.

"We don't know for sure, darling. That's why we're hiding you and Scar, it's simply just a precaution," said Remus smoothly, not wanting to talk about this.

"The rest are really missing out on your dessert, Mother," interjected Percy.

"If---?" began Scarlet timidly.

"Enough!" Mrs. Weasley nearly yelled.

Loretta jumped in her chair, her body slightly trembling. Scarlet bit her lip, knowing that her sister took this situation seriously, though it frightened her very much. Sometimes during the night, Scarlet would wake up to Loretta's shrieks from unknown nightmares. She would start to sob with uncontrolable hysteria. Snape, who was stationed in the cellar at all times, would ignore Loretta's crying. Scarlet, on the other hand, would try her best to calm poor Loretta down. She found it difficult to resist the urge to grab her wand and make Loretta fall back asleep. But students were banned from doing magic outside of school, even if they did have a professor. It angered Scarlet that Snape did not even do anything when this would happen.

Shortly after dessert was done, the Weasleys left the cellar for the Burrow, where the other Weasley children were. The sisters found the farewells arduous, for they only spent a little over two hours with their extended family. Lupin, however, stayed a bit longer with his goddaughters as they prepared for bed.

"Goodness, that's quite a letter, Lorlei," said Remus, pointing at a long scroll of parchment sitting on top of a suitcase by the old bed.

The sisters sat upright in the berth, their godfather sitting on the left edge by Scarlet's tiny feet. Loretta, wearing a blue nightgown garnished with lace trimmings, smiled a little. Lupin used his nickname for her, which came from the angelic name Lurline, the said to be immortal witch goddess (though she had not been seen since the 13th century) and sentry of White magic.

"I wrote it this afternoon, can you send it by owl to Boq?" said Loretta, a slight blush forming on her cheeks.

Lupin gleamed back.

"Of course."

Scarlet evenually was aware that she had surrendered to sleep when she felt her godfather peck her forhead gently. Loretta herself began to feel her eyes droop. Snape, who was down in the celler once again, ignored the tender scene by rereading the newspaper he was scanning through earlier that evening.

"Goodnight, my darlings," whispered Lupin quietly, his wand giving off the only source of light. "I love you both very much."

The two mumbled that they loved him too, though they were very much asleep. Remus chuckled, giving each of his goddaughter's one more kiss. Turning his heel, Lupin headed up the cellar stairs outside, not feeling that tired. The grin that was once on his face slowly turned into a sad frown, a deep cold feeling sinking down to his stomach. Snape could see this by wand-light, and gave Remus a smirk.

"Wishing they were yours, Lupin?" sneered Snape, crossing his legs swiftly.

Lupin suppressed a sigh, forcing himself to lift the tips of his lips to create a smart smile.

"They are mine, Severus," he said politely as he climbed up the decrepit staircase. "Not biologically of course, but they are nonetheless."

---

Love it? Hate it? Suggestions? Please, let me know! Reviews would be quite lovely. :)