Godric's Hollow, October 31, 1981….

"Alright, then, Meri, time for bed." Lily Potter picked up her two year old daughter, Merideth, and began to carry her to her pink princess themed bedroom and tried to set her down in the cradle in a corner, but Meri clung to her mother tightly.

"Mum!!! Wanna sweep wif Harry an sissies!" Meri wailed. A few trinkets on the shelves and dresser began shaking and falling off onto the floor. Lily ignored them and continued trying to wrestle her unruly daughter into her crib.

A tall man with untidy hair and glasses came into the room, smiling at his wife's pathetic attempts to reason with Meri.

"Darling, you'd best do as she says-or would you rather have everything in the house shatter?"

"Oh, you're no help."

James Potter shrugged. "Let her sleep with her brother and sisters…is that such a terrible request?"

Lily straightened up and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "It is if we ever want her to sleep in her own room ever again. Although, I do suppose it's a good thing she loves them so much…perhaps you're right, James."

James smiled and held out his arms and Lily handed Meri over. James looked down at her tear-streaked face. "Aww…okay, Meri, love, we'll put you with the triplets tonight."

A bright smile, showing a few brilliant baby teeth, lit up Meri's face. "Fank you, Daddy! Fank you!"

"But if you rile them up this late at night, it's back to your own room, no excuses!" Lily warned as James disappeared into their room, where another cradle stood.

Inside the cradle were three small bundles, two girls and one boy. All three had black hair, but only the boy had startling green eyes, when they were open. The girls had clear hazel eyes. Meri, on the other hand, was a spitting image of her mother: flowing red hair (usually styled in a Pebbles Flinstone-ish look) and a spotting of freckles along her nose. Yet her eyes were a clear and fiery amber with a few flecks of green here and there. James often joked that when the time came, he would have to be kicking boys off of the porch left and right because of those eyes.

James gently laid Meri down beside her sleeping siblings and gently kissed her on her head. "Good night, my darling little girl. I'll see you in the morning."

If only they had known that morning would never come.

~*~

A loud boom shook the small cottage. James and Lily started up and looked at each other, afraid. James took out his wand and waved Lily back.

"Lily, take Harry and the girls and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off-!"

Lily shook her head wildly. "James, we can't leave you, I can't leave you!" Lily ran to him, and James threw his arms around Lily and kissed her.

"I love you, Lily." He looked into her green eyes for what could be the last time. "Now go, Lily…GO!!!"

Lily stumbled into the bedroom while James faced the door. There was the sound of a wand swooping down and then a huge blast blew the door down. James frowned and began shooting spells at the dark shape that loomed in the doorway, but the shape deflected the spells as if he were a mirror. A cold laugh came from the hooded figure.

"A valiant attempt to save your family, Potter. I value bravery. A shame it must be put to waste."

A flash of green light, and James crumpled, his eyes wide open, yet unseeing. Voldemort stepped over him and continued through the living room.

"Oh, Lily…How I detest these childish games…Show yourself, and give me the child."

Voldemort crossed the threshold of the bedroom and saw Lily standing in front of the cradle, as if trying to protect the sleeping figures inside. Voldemort smiled cruelly.

"Your husband attempted to do the same…a pity, really. Such an unnecessary death, you see. He would have made a fine Death Eater, had he not chosen to taint his blood with your filthy heritage." He twirled his wand between his long fingers and smiled at Lily's tears. "Now, stand aside, girl, and we needn't end your waste of life as well. Give me the boy."

"No," Lily said quietly. Voldemort frowned, his eyes flashing scarlet.

"What was that?"

"Not Harry. Please not Harry! Take me instead! Take me! It's me you hate, not an innocent little boy! What could Harry have done to you?"

"Enough of this! Stand aside, I say! Stand aside!!! Voldemort attempted to move past Lily, but she clung to the cradle. Voldemort got a look inside the cradle.

"Four children? You would die and leave the other three children without a mother? You needn't die, woman, now give me the boy and the rest shall live! The boy!!!"

"No, take me! Take me!! Kill me instead!!"

Voldemort snarled. "Very well, as you wish! AVADA KEDAVRA!!!!"

Lily fell with a soft thud. Voldemort laughed, a high, cold sound that chilled the newly awakened Meri. When her mother fell to the floor, Meri screamed and shouted at Voldemort.

"What you did wif Mum?!! You wake her up! You Wake her up now!!"

Voldemort couldn't help but smile at Meri's infant anger. He looked around at the trinkets moving around him. He nodded. "Impressive…I need someone like you on my team. Here, child, give me your arm." He grabbed Meri's left arm and tapped it with his wand. Meri shrieked at an intense pain that laced up her arm. A skull with a snake for a tongue stuck under her skin like a grotesque tattoo. Yet this Mark was different than others, this one was colorful, emerald green with a silver outline. "This signifies you are of higher rank than my other Death Eaters. You can order them to follow whatever command you desire, and they must follow it."

Voldemort scooped Meri up in his arms and faced the other three children. Harry woke up and rubbed his eyes. Voldemort's eyes flashed. "Now, my dear child," he said to Meri, "you shall see the full power of the Death Eaters." He pointed his wand at Harry and the two little girls. Meri, still a little shaken from the Dark Mark on her arm, could only watch as Voldemort shouted the Killing Curse on her beloved siblings.

Yet, a curious thing happened. Instead of Harry falling like their parents had, a large, light pink colored light seemed to absorb the jet of green and send it hurtling back toward Voldemort, who screamed and dropped Meri to the floor. A shadow sped through the house and out the hole that served as the front door. There was a loud creaking sound and Meri climbed back with her brother and sisters, who were now crying loudly. On Harry's forehead, and on her sisters' left shoulders were lightning shaped scars, all angry red. Meri gingerly took her hand and brushed it across Harry's forehead.

"Hawwy owie?" She did the same for her sisters. "Sissies owie?"

A cracking sound signaled the cave-in of the roof. Dust floated from the ceiling, and Meri patted the triplets.

"'Aright, babies…'aright…" Meri hugged her siblings tightly as the house caved in around them.