Hi guys! Here's a new story for you, hopefully something that catches your interest. Let me know what you think please!
Also, if anyone is looking for a beta reader for their story, I'm here to help! Love you all, you little llamas! R&R please :)

Chapter One - 'Children of Fate'

The woman was only protecting her child. Her love for him would not permit that she stand idly by while his life was snatched away from him. It had only been a few short months of bliss before it was all torn away by that fateful night. They had taken all the precautions and prepared for the worst situations, but they had never seen this coming. After so many years with the man, Lily and James had nothing but the utmost trust in Sirius. He had loved Harry like his own son. To think it was him who had been their undoing was madness, and yet who else could have betrayed their location to the Dark Lord?

With dread filling her heart, Lily had one last defense remaining to protect her son; herself. She flung herself in front of the crib as the door flew from its hinges and a man, if that's what you could call him, dressed in dark robes, stepped into the room. Watching him enter, Lily felt a strange sense of calm. She knew that her husband lying dead on the floor, that her friends who had been a part of the resistance were also lost to this world, and she knew that she would be joining them soon. Hope for her own survival was futile, but her son deserved every last chance to live. After all, he was special, her Harry.

It didn't hurt like she thought it would, not the dying part. Knowing that there was nothing else she could do for her son, that was what hurt. The flash of green light blinded her and there was a searing pain in her whole body. And then as fast as it had happened, it was over. Her spirit drifted and she watched from above as her limp body fell aside as Voldemort stepped closer to the crib. She could almost sense his satisfaction and dark pleasure at finally being able to destroy the last thing that threatened him. Just a baby.

Little baby Harry sat up in his crib, startling clear blue eyes gazing up at his mother's killer in absent curiosity. Voldemort raised his wand. As the words were whispered, "Avada Kedavra," and the green light shot out, time seemed to stop and everything changed.

Miles away, in a small abandoned shack, a small baby girl woke from slumber and began to cry.

Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was a man of many talents. He was incredibly intelligent, gifted in the highest forms of magic and had been growing his renowned silvery beard for over one hundred years. As he picked up the wailing child from his crib, he realised that Harry didn't need any of that; not a highly intelligent person, not a person who could perform magic and defeat others in duels, and not even someone with a magnificent beard. All he needed was someone who would love him.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir!" A gravelly, accented voice called from behind him. Thundering footsteps sounded and the large half giant Hagrid appeared in the doorway, peering in anxiously, tears evident in his shining dark eyes. "Is it true?"

Dumbledore turned, baby Harry still in his arms, struggling to grab hold of the older wizards beard.

"Yes, Hagrid. What you've heard is undoubtedly true," Dumbledore answered as Harry tugged painfully. Hagrid broke down into more tears, with great racking sobs that shook the house. "Now now, Hagrid," Dumbledore placed a long fingered hand on the great man's shoulder, "Pull yourself together, I am in need of your services."

Hagrid nodded, his chin wobbling as he used a tablecloth sized handkerchief to wipe the tears from his eyes and wildly tangled beard. "Anythin', sir."

"You must take Harry and meet me at 12 Privet Drive in Surrey, Little Whinging. Do not let anything delay you." Dumbledore had another task to do tonight that could not wait. Harry was too young to apparate and that night was still full of shadows lurking for him to stay in this place for much longer.

Dumbledore gently placed the bundle of blankets into Hagrid's awaiting arms, though Harry would have fit in the palm of his hand easily with room to spare. As he did so, Dumbledore noticed a small scar on his forehead, a lightning bolt. A relic of this night that would stay with him forever.

Hagrid held the child gingerly and looked tenderly down at him. "Leave it ter me, sir." he said and slowly made his way downstairs, moving extra carefully and holding Harry delicately.

Dumbledore looked around the room and gazed down upon the two dead bodies lying on the floor; Lily and James Potter. It was not often Dumbledore felt this kind of deep sadness anymore, but these two had been special. So full of life and potential, a young family starting their journey together.

With a raise of his wand, Dumbledore sent a quick patronus message to alert the authorities of the tragedy that had befallen the Potters. He wished he could spend longer to pay his respects and help with their transportation, but tonight his duties were not done. There was another child, miles away, who would be vital for what was to come.

The second child Dumbledore went to see was in a small village. He apparated just outside the house and wandered inside. He searched for the child, he located a small nursery and walked over to the crib. He expected to find the young baby girl sleeping peacefully, but what he found was not what he expected.

Instead of the little girl, he found a note, addressed to him.

'Tonight, there has been much death. The Dark Lord will return once more, and until such a day, the girl will remain with us. She belongs to the Dark Lord and we are his servants. Leave us be or the girl will not survive to see her next birthday.'

Dumbledore was shocked, which was something of a rarity these days. He decided that he would have to search for her later and apparated to 12 Privet Drive to deliver a letter and a baby to the Dursley family.

"How do you ask a tyrannosaurus out to lunch?"

Ally sighed. "Not another one of your lame jokes, Kitty."

"I know the suspense is killing you so I'll put you out of your misery. The answer is, you ask, 'Tea, Rex?'"

Ally gave me a glare and went back to inspecting her nails.

"Oh come on!" I complained, throwing a pillow at her. "That one was funny!"

Ally rolled her eyes.

For my little sister, she sure was a buzz kill. We'd been cooped up in our house for the past few weeks with nothing but my amazing jokes and her loud complaints to keep us company. Our parents had gone out, yet again, for some job they had to do. They never told us what they did exactly, just a rough estimate for when they would be back. This time, they were over a week late. Unfortunately for us, that meant we had to sit in our shack of a home until they returned, even though we were a few miles away from the closest muggle village.

"Any word from Mum or Dad?" Ally asked me from her spot on the floor of our shared bedroom.

I shook my head no and gave a forlorn look to the parchment stuck on the wall behind my bed. If they wrote a message on the parchment's counterpart, we would see. So far; nothing.

"What do you think they do on these little trips of theirs?"Ally asked me, her dark brown eyes staring up at me innocently. She was only 13 years old, three years my junior. "They never say where or what they're doing. They never come back on time, and even when they are home they're planning their next trip or popping in and out of meetings with mystery people."

I sighed and sat on the edge of my bed, wishing against hope for the thousandth time that mum and dad would come back and I wouldn't have to explain away their absence. I mean, I wanted to know too.

Ally was still looking at me, expecting me to have all the answers. "Honestly, I have no idea what they're doing. And I don't want to know. If they want to conceal it from us, they must have a good reason so I think it's only fair that we let them have their secrets."

Ally looked down at her hands as she fiddled with her hawthorn wand. I knew that look. i knew that look very well in fact.

"Ally..." I started, a note of warning in my voice. "What did you do?"

She tugged on one of her blonde curls self consciously and looked up at me finally. "I followed them." she confessed quietly.

"You did what?" the exclamation burst from my lips. The large tawny owl in the corner of the room gave a flutter of irritation and glared at me balefully. "Oh shut it, Malar," I ordered.

Ally gave me a chagrinned look and tried to explain herself. "I didn't mean to, it just sort of happened. One minute they were about to leave and the next I'd cast a silencing charm on my footsteps and I set off after them."

I rolled my eyes and laid back down on my bed with a huff, trying to work out the cluster of emotions that were battling for attention in my mind. While most of that was along the line of 'she shouldn't have done that', some emotions centered around... curiosity.

I let the silence draw out, probably torturing my little sister to no end.

"Say something!" she demanded desperately after a minute.

"... where did they go?" I asked, giving in to my curiosity.

Ally was visibly relieved to see that I wasn't angry. "They walked to the edge of the muggle town down the road. They opened up some sort of hidden chest and took something, robes maybe, and then disapparated. I didn't want to get too close in case they saw me, but I could hear snippets of their conversation. It sounded like they were arguing about something..." Ally's eyes had a faraway look, "I wish they would tell us what they were doing. Maybe we could help!"

I couldn't deny that I was guiltily glad that Ally had spied on them. Once upon a time when I was her age, the same idea had crossed my mind once or twice. However, having tried to pry once before, I knew better.

"Can you imagine how pissed they would be if they found out?" I asked of Ally. "They would turn you into a frog and stew you for dinner!"

"I know, but I couldn't help-" Ally started.

"No! You don't understand, our parents aren't what they seem. Doing something like that can get you locked up, or worse."

Ally gulped visibly and nodded, eyes downcast.

"Sorry, Ally," I said after a while. She didn't respond.

"Want to hear another joke?"

I racked my brain for another joke of knee-slapping hilarity, but before I got the chance to voice it, the front door in the other room slammed open and one pair of footsteps made their way inside our little cottage.

Ally and I exchanged heavy glances.

"Mum and dad are back!" Ally exclaimed, eyes lighting up.

I shook my head, drew my phoenix feather wand and motioned for her to be quiet.

"That's not mum or dad," I whispered, "There's a stranger in our house."

Thanks for reading! Dinosaurs are cool. R&R