An eleven year old girl with flaming red hair pulled her mother through the crowd of wizards. She was eagerly weaving through all of the bustling people and released her mother's hand when she saw it: the Hogwarts Express. Lily had seen it numerous times before, but it was different now. This was going to be her first year at Hogwarts. She remembered seeing it for the first time, four years ago, when James was going into his first year. Almost vibrating with excitement, Lily smiled and rushed to the cart her father was pushing. She tugged on the trunk that had 'Lily' engraved upon its side. Her trunk budged an inch or two, but the she couldn't seem to get it to move any further. Exasperated, she called,

"JAMES!" The tall and handsome fifth year almost immediately appeared at his sister's side. He looked at her fondly. He loved his little sister so much. He was very protective of her and had subconsciously vowed to protect her from any bullies that lie in wait at Hogwarts.

"What do you need, Lils?"

"My trunk is too heavy," she admitted as she blushed.

"No problem!" James lifted the trunk up and loaded it into a compartment that held Rose Weasley and his brother, Albus. Standing on the platform with Ron and Hermione a little ways off, Harry whispered to Ginny.

"Well, love, we must've done something right." He looked at his three children and his niece and nephew with an enormous amount of love in his eyes. All five of them were shuffling off of the train to give their parents a farewell hug and kiss. The children hustled back to the train, still waving goodbye.

James offered Lily a seat in his compartment, but Lily was afraid to sit with many unknown 5th years. So, Lily continued to the one that her trunk, brother, and cousin were located within. She took a seat by the window, practically vibrating with excitement. Albus and Rose were chatting casually about the new classes they signed up for their 3rd year.

"Well," Rose said, "Mum and Dad said they wouldn't allow me to take Divination. Mum suggested Ancient Runes. Dad said if I did that, I'd be smarter than him by the end of the year." Albus laughed along with his cousin.

"I'm going to go for Care of Magical Creatures and Astronomy," Albus said factually.

"You're only going for Magical Creatures because Hagrid teaches it!" Rose teased lightly. Albus shoved his cousin, who was sitting next to him, so she fell across their seat. They laughed as Albus protested. When Scorpious walked into the compartment, the air grew a bit colder. He sat on Rose's other side as Albus got up and sat in the seat across the compartment next to his sister. She was silent as she stared out the window.

"You okay, Lils?" he asked her quietly. She nodded her head and looked back to her brother.

"I just realized," she said slowly, "that if I don't get Gryffindor like you, James, and Mum and Dad, I'll be all alone." She trailed off a bit on the last part, looking back out the window. Albus put his arm around her encouragingly.

"You'll see us no matter what house you're sorted, Lils. None of us could ever be ashamed of you!"

The siblings turned their head when they heard Rose's voice begin to rise.

"You expect me to just forget what you did last year and be friends with you again?" Rose was standing, glaring at Scorpious accusingly. The pale boy looked off to the side a bit, nervous. "You called my mum a mudblood," she said, spitting the last word out, her face twisted in disgust. "You called me mudblood spawn," she practically yelled to her former best friend. He looked into his lap, ashamed.

"I hardly knew what it meant, Rose," he pleaded softly, still unable to look her in the eye. "I just heard it around my family and it slipped out." He finally brought himself to look up to where her face was. He wasn't much taller than her, but knew he would be in a couple months. "I'm sorry, Rose," he said. "I don't know how to make it up to you, but you're my best friend. Those Slytherin guys are fun, but they aren't you."

Rose felt a twinge of something in her chest, but she was too stubborn to acknowledge it. She walked past him and slid the compartment door open.

"Goodbye, Scorpious. I'll see you around." He stood for a minute, hoping she'd change her mind.

At that moment, the train stopped abruptly, sending the pale boy sprawling on the seat next to Albus and Lily. Rose managed to hold herself up by gripping the door. They sat in silence before Lily spoke up.

"That wasn't normal, was it?" The others shook their heads. Heavy footsteps began to echo down the hallway. Their door was still open and through that door a large, greying man stood. He seemed to be a bit younger than Lily, Ablus, and Rose's grandparents. He looked terrifying and angry. He walked toward Albus and stopped.

"Potter's kids?" he grumbled referencing him and Lily. Albus nodded, tightening the arm he had around his sister. The man smiled gleefully, but with malice in his eyes. "Zabini!" he called into the train corridor. A younger adult walked in smoothly before another gigantic man that had a hold of James. James's arms were being held behind his back as he struggled to free himself. Upon seeing him, Albus and Lily felt their eyes grow wide with fear. James's did the same. The older man turned and smiled coldly at the oldest son. Scorpious and Rose sat on either side in stunned silence. Scorpious didn't want to admit it, but he'd met the man before.

"No," James said quietly, looking at his little brother and sister. "No, no, no!" His voice grew louder with each word. "If you want to take me, go for it, but leave them be." James was breathing heavily, panic rising in his chest. The old man kept smiling. Lily felt her cheeks flush with anger. She stood up defiantly.

"I don't believe you will be taking my brother anywhere." She walked over to stand in front of her struggling brother, while Albus tried hopelessly to keep her next to him. She folded her arms and raised one eyebrow as she'd seen her mother do whenever she was extremely angry. The old man smiled and chuckled darkly.

"I was only going to take the oldest," he announced pompously. "I just wanted him to feel the pain of losing one child, as I did." He looked to Albus. "But due to your sister's spunk, I think I can make an exception." Albus began to stand, but the man drew his wand and shot him back into his seat. "Don't try that again," he growled. "Or your parents will have no children left."

Lily tried desperately to run back to Albus, but the man called Zabini scooped her up in his arms, holding the eleven year old tightly in place. The two siblings struggled against their captors to no prevail as they made their way to the front of the train. Students pressed their faces against the doors, unsure of what was happening. The men collected their accomplices that had stopped the train and exited it, dragging their hostages into the surrounding grass. They congregated into a group made of about ten people.

"Behold," the old man sneered, "two children of the great Harry Potter." He spat into the grass after he said the name and apparated away. The jeering people around them began to follow suit. As the man, Zabini, apparated away, Lily used all her effort to hold back her tears.