This is our first story (ever), so please be indulgent, yeah? Oh, and we don't own Harry Potter (unfortunately); everything except Em's character belongs to Rowling.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!

Prologue

Mary Macdonald was sitting at the kitchen table. Silence was complete except for the ticking emanating from the clock above the counter.

"Eleven forty two," she thought as she raised an already half-empty cup to her lips. "They'll be here soon."

She hated the lack of noise. There always seemed to be sound and movement in the orphanage these days; with the arrival of the Spencer kids, the empty space seemed to have vanished, taking with it the peace and quiet of the remote countryside. One might have thought that a few hours of silence in a house full of small children would please Mary Macdonald; however, she was so used to noise and movement that the lack thereof made her very anxious: as though life had suddenly gone from the orphanage.

It wasn't always this silent, though. An orphanage at night was quite a strange place; you could normally hear small unidentified sounds, the creaking of the stairs, the wind moving the branches of the old oak tree by the pond, a small child sobbing softly into a pillow. Tonight, nothing came to disturb the unusual silence; almost like the house was holding its breath.

"Tonight must be a very special night," concluded Mary as she drained the cup of the last drops of tea.

At the exact moment the clock struck twelve, someone knocked at the door.

"Perfect timing," thought Mary as she rose from her chair and made her way to the entrance hall. She carefully unlocked the door and, having opened it, quickly let the visitors in before locking it once more and turning to look at the couple.

"Lily, James," she murmured and bent to gaze at the small bundle of covers in Lily's arms, "and little Emily. How are you?"

"Anxious," answered Lily as James picked up the sleeping baby from his wife, "We can't ever thank you enough for this Mary."

"Where's Harry?"

"At his godfather's, hopefully asleep," Lily grimaced as she said the words. "Or more realistically playing on the toy-broom Sirius just bought him."

James grinned at this and suddenly looked away from his daughter's face to stare seriously at Mary.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" he asked her, "No one must know she's here. We've already cast the spell that will make everyone forget she ever existed until she turns seventeen, just in case we can't come back for her."

"We will come back, James," Lily cut in fiercely, "this is only temporary-"

"You don't know that, anything could happen if he finds us-"

"She'll be safe here, I can assure you." Mary murmured. "She'll be like one of my many kids until you come back to get her. I won't reveal her presence to anyone. He will definitely not find her."

"The potion we gave her prevents anyone from doing so with magic, at least until she turns seventeen. Once Harry… Once what's meant to happen happens, we will come back." James said with fake-assurance, as Lily bit her lip and looked down at her daughter's sleeping face with despair. It was impossible to tell who they were trying to convince most, Mary or themselves.

There was nothing else to do than say goodbye. Lily held out her arms to hold Emily and hugged her to her chest, rocking her back and forth. James kissed the baby's forehead softly and gently placed her into Mary's arms. As they left without another word, Mary gazed down at the child's sleeping form. Her short black hair was soft against Mary's skin, and her lips formed a perfect small "o" as her breathing came in and out regularly.

"It's only to keep you safe, honey," Mary said softly as she bent to place a kiss on the baby's tiny cheek. "Mom and dad will be back soon."