Chapter Two: The Vanishing Act

Nearly four years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their niece and nephew on the front step, but the little girl only stayed on Privet Drive for a measly few hours. The Dursley's were shocked to learn about the Potters' deaths, but they were even more horrified to learn they were expected to care for the two children Petunia's sister left behind. Of course, Mr. Dursley was not happy about this. After rereading the letter left behind over and over again, he finally decided there was no reason to keep the girl. He convinced his wife it would be best for their family (him, his wife, and their son; NOT the twins) if they left Haven at an orphanage a few towns over. And so, that evening they left the one-year-old girl on the front step of Cecilia's Home for Girls.

Although Haven Potter's well-being was not at the forefront of the Dursley's minds, the little one could be considered the luckier of the twins. Yes, she was abandoned by the last of her family, but after that day… it wasn't long before the black-haired, green-eyed girl was picked up and hugged by a newlywed couple in their late twenties. Haven was brought to their home where she would spend the next few years being loved by Mr. and Mrs. Clarke.

The Clarke residence was a small, but beautiful white house with a perfectly mowed lawn that was littered with their daughter's outdoor toys. A single tree sapling sat in the center of their yard; underneath, a small girl played with two toy lions. She was giggling to herself and talking for her favorite toys. She wore a pink shirt with slightly dirty overalls – her play clothes – and purple and pink tennis shoes. A few feet away, her mum sat on their wooden steps, reading a novel and glancing up at the girl every few seconds. Haven Potter was now Haven Clarke, happy five-year-old with not a care in the world. Mr. Clarke was at his office job across the town. He would be home in an hour.

Mrs. Clarke craned her head to peer through the screen of her open front door and at the clock on the wall. It was nearly six o'clock.

"Haven, dear. Let's go start dinner," Mrs. Clarke calls to Haven.

She looks up, disappointed. "Oh, alright," She pouts, but obeys. She stands and brushes off some dirt from her clothes before following her mum inside.

"Go wash up, then you can help me with dinner,"

"Okay mummy,"

The Clarke home was very… well, homely. It was warm and welcoming with eggshell walls and beige carpeting. Their living room had a yellow, three seater couch with a brown leather recliner for Mr. Clarke nearby. Across from them was an antique tv stand with their television on it. The Clarkes also happen to be Christians, so they added the beauty of several crosses and Jesus statues, which were also in every room in the house.

At the beginning of every meal, the Clarkes would say grace. Every Sunday, they would go to church where Haven felt the happiest with her friends. Kids at her school could be mean, but at church she had loads of friends so she always looked forward to Sundays.

After quickly switching out her overalls for a blue skirt, Haven hurried to the bathroom and pulled her small stool away from the wall and to the sink. She hummed to herself as she washed up for dinner. It was a daily routine, but this time it was different.

"Hmm hmm hm hmmm," Haven was smiling happily, the day's events running through her head. It was the middle of the summer holidays and Mrs. Clarke had taken Haven to the park around noon. She made a new friend, a boy named Peter who's family is new to the neighborhood. Haven was looking down into the sinking at her soapy hands, then she looked up and screamed.

In the mirror, right beside her own reflection, was another… A brown haired girl that appeared to be around her own age. The image was faded, see-through, but still as clear as day. This reflection was silent, but had looked up as Haven did and screamed too. Now, they stared wide-eyed, mouth open in shock.

"Haven!" Mrs. Clarke came running in and the girl disappeared. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

Haven's lips trembled as she stared up at her mum. "M – Mum! A girl was in the mirror!" She shouted, pointing at the mirror.

Mrs. Clarke couldn't help but chuckled. "You don't say,"

Haven pouted, recognizing the amused look her mum was giving her. "But mummy, I'm serious,"

Mrs. Clarke came over to look in the mirror. "All I see is a mum with her beautiful daughter,"

"But mum!" Haven whined. "I saw her. She had dark hair and was wearing pjs!"

Mrs. Clarke only chuckled again. "Maybe you saw the future," She rubbed Haven's back. "Finish washing up so you can help with dinner. We're having spaghetti and meatballs," With that said, she left her daughter who could only squint at the mirror for a glimpse of that girl again. But she had no such luck.

She sighed, thinking that maybe she did imagine it. Rinsing the soap from her hands and drying them on the hand towel, she went to help her mum.

An hour later, her dad came home and the Clarkes were all sat around the dinner table holding hands with closed eyes.

Mr. Clarke led them in prayer. "Father, thank you for the meal we are about to share in Your Honor…"

"It's not funny!"

Haven's eyes snapped open at the faded sound of a squeaky voice. She looked around at her mum and dad, but their eyes were still closed as her dad said grace. She bit her lip and closed her eyes again, deciding not to mention the voice and instead focused harder on her prayer.

"She was a ghost! I'm telling the truth!"

This time Haven gasped and her small fingers tensed around her parents' hands just as Mr. Clark said Amen. They opened their eyes and looked at her.

"Is everything okay Sweetheart?" Mr. Clarke asked.

For only a second, Haven wanted to tell them exactly what she heard. But she decided it was better to keep this to herself, which was hard. She has never kept anything from them before. After all, no five-year-old should be old enough to keep secrets in the first place.

"Nothing daddy, just hiccups I think,"

Her dad didn't think anything of it, but her mum looked at her strangely. First her daughter screamed about a girl in the mirror and now this strange behavior. Finally she shrugged to herself, settling on her little girl just having a weird day. They spent the rest of dinner sharing what they did throughout the day.

When bedtime came around, Haven spent a good five minutes looking into the mirror like it was another room and she was waiting for the occupant to show herself. She stepped off her stool to peek outside the bathroom. Her parents weren't nearby, so she went back and leaned closer to her reflection.

"Hello?" She whispered. "Are you there?"

"Haven!" Haven jerked in surprise and nearly tumbled off her stool, but caught herself by grabbing the sink's edge.

Haven's heart pounded at being scared by her dad, but instead of being mad like his tone had suggested, he was laughing. He hadn't yelled at Haven for trying to talk to a mysterious person in the mirror, he had yelled because she wasn't paying attention and he thought it was funny to surprise her.

"Daddy!" Haven whined.

"Who are you talking to?"

"I thought I saw another girl in the mirror early, but she's gone now,"

Mr. Clarke only smiled, barely blinking at his daughter's statement. She always had a powerful imagination. "Okay, well did you brush your teeth?"

Haven sighed at being shrugged off again. "Yes,"

"You mean it? Let me smell," He bent down to her level.

She rolled her eyes. She lied a few times about brushing her teeth and now her parents request breath checks.

She opened her mouth and breathed in his face.

"Good girl. Now go to bed. Mum and I will be in to say goodnight soon,"

"Okay," Haven hopped off the stool and went to her room, immediately crawling into her princess bed.

It wasn't long before her parents came in and kissed her goodnight, turning on her nightlight and leaving the door cracked open on their way out. Haven rolled onto her side and felt herself slipping into a peaceful sleep.

Little did she know; peaceful sleep was soon going to be hard to come by.

Haven Clarke loved her life. She was never afraid and never disappointed her parents. But at the same time, she feared them. Not directly, and she herself never voiced it – out loud or even inside her own head – but her parents have always showed their disapproval of most people in the neighborhood. The loud kids next door – Haven wasn't allowed to go near them. The cat lady a few doors down who loved kids – simply crazy, forbidden from petting the cats. In fact, she had made a friend or two at school that she really liked, but when they came over and shared that their families weren't religious and rarely attended church – Haven was forced to end their friendship. So Haven felt she was blessed to have her adoring mum and dad, but she also wished they would be more tolerant of people who are different. Different people made life more interesting.

Mr. and Mrs. Clarke have not yet told Haven that she was actually adopted and her last name used to be Potter. If they had, maybe she would have questioned the skinny, small boy that she sees being chased by that kid named Dudley and his gang of little bullies. Harry Potter, she knew him as. Their classes were across from each other at St. Grogory's Primary School. They never spoke, but he always seemed to be getting into trouble and he never played with other kids during recess. He wore oversized clothes and large, round glasses. The boy had a thin face and knobbly knees; his black hair was unruly and usually covered his forehead. Haven felt a little bad for the boy, but Dudley is scary and the last kid that tried befriending Harry wound up being the gang's main target. So, Haven wisely avoided the kid like everyone else.

"Hhaaven… Hhaaven…"

"Huh!" Haven shot up in her bed, nearly whacking her head against her mum's who fell back in shock.

Haven's heart pounded in her chest. She swallowed hard and looked down at her mum, who was now on her knees beside her bed. "Mummy! You scared me!"

"I'm sorry, Baby. Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?"

"No," She answered honestly. "You were just whispering in my ear… It was creepy,"

"Oh," Mrs. Clarke chuckled in amusement. "Well you have to get up Sweetheart. Your friends from church are coming to play today,"

"Okay mummy," She threw her covers off and her mum went to make breakfast.

Haven has two close friends from church. A girl named Tilly Edwards and a boy named William Green. The three of them quickly became best friends while in Sunday school, and soon their parents all became close too.

The doorbell rang an hour later and Haven, fully dressed and belly full, ran to the door and swung it open excitedly. "Tilly!"

A slightly taller, curly haired blonde practically jumped inside and the two girls hugged. "Hi Haven!" She giggled. Tilly was a little older than Haven, already six and a half years old. She had a pretty, round face and bright blue eyes.

"Haven! Tilly!" The girls faced their friend as William jumped out of his mum's car and jogged to them.

"Hi Will!" They smiled and the three kids hugged each other, making the adults awe over them. William was a short, brown-haired boy only a few days younger than Haven. He was a little overweight and his face was always tinted pink. He was frequently bullied at his and Tilly's school, which is on the other side of town from Haven's, and even by some boys at church. But Tilly and Haven had always stood their ground when it came to being Will's friend because he was a nice boy, unlike the other jerks.

"Let's go to my room," Haven led them in a run to the privacy of her room and shut the door. Their mums stayed in the living room to chat.

Haven wasted no time. "I saw a girl in my mirror," She told them quickly in a hushed voiced.

Of course, Tilly and Will exchanged looks before looking back at Haven and laughing. But Haven fixed them with a stern look of her own that told them she wasn't joking.

"Uhh… Haven," Tilly said delicately, placing a hand on her shoulder and looking into her eyes. "Was it you?"

Haven scowled and slapped her hand away. "No!"

"Okay, okay," William held his hands up in surrender and Tilly took her friend's hands. She pulled her to her bed where the three of them climbed on and sat in a circle.

"So, what happened?" asked Tilly.

Haven took a deep breath before telling them everything from the mirror to the voices at dinner last night. As expected, Will lost his pink face as her story turned him pale with fear. He was the scaredy-cat of the group, after all.

Tilly, on the other, began to laugh.

"Tilly!" Haven whined at her friend, but couldn't help start giggling at her lack of concern compared to Will – who looked ready to cry to his mum. "It's not funny!" She smacked her shoulder playfully.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Tilly said, getting control of her giggles. "Well, have you seen this – this girl in the mirror again?"

"No. I haven't heard her again either,"

"Have you watched a scary movie?"

"No, I'm not allowed,"

"Then maybe you were just imagining things,"

"C – C – Can we just p – play now?" William asked, already getting up from the bed. The girls agreed for his sake.

While Haven played with her friends, she completely let go of the events of last night. Tilly was probably right, and Haven didn't want to keep dwelling on something so impossible. But of course, Haven's own existence is because of an impossibility. And her life was about to change completely.

"Hey, that's mine!" Haven tried snatching her favorite toy from William, who had found it in the toy chest, but he was quick in dodging her.

"Oh please, I really like it," He tried reasoning, but kids will be kids and Haven refused.

"No, it's my favorite," She tried to get it again, but failed again.

"But I'm a guest!" Will argued.

"Give it to me!" Haven kept at it. The toy was one of her lions, the special one with a dark mane.

"No!"

"Guys!" Tilly shouted. She didn't want them to fight.

"Now!" Then, William screamed in shock as the lion disappeared from his hand and into Haven's.

All three of them froze, eyes wide and two sets of eyes watered with confusion. Haven and Will's. Tilly looked between her two friends, back and forth. Not being the one involved, she was completely unsure of what she saw. The toy swap happened in a blink of an eye.

"Uh, guys?"

"MUM!" William suddenly screamed and scrambled to his feet.

It shocked Haven enough to do the same, but tackle the boy to the floor and right in front of Tilly, who scooted back to avoid the boy's flailing arms.

"No, Will! No! Don't tell, Tilly help!" Haven shouted, but tried not to do it loud enough to alert the adults.

"Help what? What happened?" Tilly was no longer calm. She was actually confused and a little scared, not sure if she should help Haven, or Will.

"How'd you do that! Get off me! How'd you do that!"

"I don't know!"

Her door suddenly flew open and the mums hurried in.

"What the heck is going on!" Mrs. Green demanded. She wasn't mad, yet. Just confused by the apparent fighting.

Haven got off Will and all three of them scooted away from one another. The mums were immediately suspicious of their strange behavior.

"Well?" Mrs. Haven demanded.

Will looked behind him at Haven, who's eyes were drawn to his worriedly. He then looked to Tilly, who's eyes went from Haven's to his.

"Tilly?" Mrs. Edwards narrowed her eyes at her daughter.

"Will had Haven's favorite toy and wouldn't give it back,"

Haven bit her lip, fighting a smile at how quickly and casually the blonde covered for her. And she was thankful that Will only nodded and muttered an apology to his mum.

"Haven, I raised you better than that. You can share your favorite toy for a few hours,"

"Yes mum," Haven tossed her lion and it landed in front of Will.

Will made no move to take it.

"Now play nice," The mums leave, but this time the door is left open a crack.

Tilly immediately turns to her. "Haven, what's going on?"

"She made the lion disappear from my hand!" Will cries out.

"Shhh!" Haven hissed at him. "No, I didn't. It's – It's… impossible,"

After a few moments of thought, William seemed to agree that it was indeed impossible.

Tilly and William both agreed they wouldn't tell anyone about the strange experience, and they soon forgot all about it as they resumed playing. Her friends left a few hours later, leaving Haven with her whirling thoughts.

The Clarkes don't celebrate Halloween. Haven's mum and dad think it's an awful holiday dedicated to the Devil himself. And in turn, everything having to do with it… including magic. No, they don't believe in magic, but if it were out there then it was obviously the work of the Devil. Haven has seen her parents berate street magicians, even going as far as calling them devil worshippers. Haven doesn't know if what happened was magic. Maybe she just spaced out and can't remember grabbing her toy; same as William. And Tilly.

But later that night, a similar thing happened.

The Clarkes were sat around the dining table, eating chicken with corn and broccoli potatoes – her least favorite veggie. Haven was already finishing up and was now moving the broccoli around with her fork.

It was just a simple thought. She didn't mean anything by it. All she did was picture the box of cookies that sat upon the refrigerator, waiting for her to finish her veggies so she could dig in. But then, the box appeared in her lap.

Haven gasped, wide-eyed and once again drawing attention to herself.

"Haven, what's wrong?" Her mum asked.

"Uhm, nothing," Haven scooted her chair closer to the table, keeping the box in her lap. "Just hiccups,"

"Drink some water,"

Haven did as suggested, hands shaking with nerves. A thought crossed her mind. Maybe telling her parents wouldn't be a bad thing. They loved her. What could they even do about this when she doesn't even know what's happening.

"HAVEN LILY CLARKE!" Haven jumped in her seat, accidently knocking the cookies to the floor. She looked up at her mum and into disapproving eyes. "Why do you have those cookies?"

"I – I," She didn't know what to say.

Dad grabbed the box from the floor. "How'd you even get these? We were here the whole time,"

"I – I don't know," Mr. and Mrs. Clarke watched as their daughter's eyes filled with tears and her lips trembled before she crumbled into a crying mess.

"Haven!"

Confused, they were by her side in seconds to comfort her, asking and almost begging her to tell them what was wrong. But she was too far gone for the night to say anything. Haven just wanted to disappear. Maybe go to her bedroom closet and not come out for a few years.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Haven gasped for what felt like the hundredth time. She was no longer being hugged by her mum and dad. In fact, she wasn't even in the dining room. She wasn't even sitting in her chair anymore. She was now sitting cross-legged in the dark, her mum's muffled but loud scream echoing in her ears. Haven stopped crying and wiped her eyes free of tears. She sniffled.

She could tell she was in her closet by the sliver of light from the edges of the door, and her clothes lightly brushing her head.

"Haven! Haven!"

"Haven!"

She heard her parents running through the house, calling for her. Screaming on the top of their lungs. Her mum was crying and Haven didn't know what to do. She was only five. She wanted her mummy and daddy, but at the same time… Something inside her made her stay hidden.

Of course it wasn't hard to find her hiding spot. A few moments passed before the closet door was thrown opened and her mum and dad stared down at her curled up body. She cried into her knees with loud sobs, yet neither Mr. Clarke or Mrs. Clarke made a move to hug her.

It felt like forever before her mum spoke in a desperate voice.

"What are you?"

One year later…

Professor McGonagall stood on the doorstep of the Weasley family home. Her eyes were saddened with guilt. She knocked on the door of the burrow and heard the loud running and screaming of children. She did not want to do this. The Weasley's already had seven children to care for, but she felt she couldn't trust anyone more than this family. She would do this herself, but she would never have the time to give Miss Potter a proper life.

The door swung open to reveal a red-haired little girl. "Hi!" She smiled up at the older woman.

"Hello," The professor said, politely smiling down at her.

"Ginny, what did I tell you about opening that door without asking?"

"But mummy!"

The girl was ushered away as Mrs. Weasley appeared in front of McGonagall. "Oh! Professor, how nice it is to see you," The woman smiled. "Come in, come in!"

"Thank you," She entered the cluttered home. "And please, you can call me Minerva,"

"Oh," The woman looked unsure, having been familiar with the professor's strict attitude. "Okay then. Please call me Molly,"

McGonagall nodded, still looking around at the crowded burrow. "Your home is kept up by means of magic?"

"Yes. As our family grew, we added floors. Magic keeps the place from toppling down,"

"How… Nice,"

"Uhm, Professor– I mean, Minerva. What can I do for you today?"

McGonagall sighed. "Is your husband home?"

"Not at the moment. He won't be home until dinner time,"

"Well this cannot wait another moment,"

"What can't wait?"

"You know of Harry Potter?"

"Everyone does. He's the boy who lived,"

"Yes, well, this is about his sister,"

"His sister? Her name is Haven, right?"

"Right. As you know, she is less memorable compared to her brother because she was only a witness. But she is no less important,"

"Of course. I agree. Every child is important,"

"Exactly…"

A silence fell between them and Molly could sense there was something wrong.

"Minerva… Is everything okay with the Potter's twins?"

"Do you know what happened after you-know-who was stopped by Harry Potter? Do you know where we took them?"

"N – No. We all assumed they were taken somewhere safe,"

"And we thought they were. We took them to Lily's muggle sister, but returned not long after to see how they reacted. That's when we discovered they only kept Harry, and sent Haven to an orphanage,"

Molly frowned. "Oh how awful,"

"Not quite. She was almost immediately put with a family who adored her. I watched both Harry and Haven for two years to be sure they would be cared for. While Harry's situation is less than ideal with the muggles, he's not in danger,"

"And Haven?"

Molly could see the hurt in the professor's eyes. "For a time, she was loved… They celebrated every birthday; hugged and kissed her every morning and night; read her bedtime stories…" She looked down into the shorter woman's eyes. "Then I stopped going to see her. I thought she was safe,"

"Professor McGonagall…" Molly stepped forward. "What happened to Haven Potter?"

"There are worse muggles than the Dursley's…"

Haven walked around the humid basement, heated by the hot summer outside. The only light she had came from the small cellar window where she liked watching cars go by or the new neighbors play outside. She lost all hope of her life going back to how it was before her little vanishing act. It took only a few months for her to get used to her new living arrangements… A basement with only a mattress, blanket, and pillow. Every morning they'd wake her up with a yell and set her plate of food down a few feet from her like she was a rabid animal. She'd take her time eating, knowing she would only eat again for dinner.

She was just a kid. She couldn't understand how two people who loved her so much could just turn on her in the darkest ways. And being thrown in a basement wasn't the worst of it…

For the first few weeks of Haven screaming at them to love her again, they hurt her. The details are too painful to describe, but the results were the scars on her back and a few on each arm.

It was a summer night when Haven heard loud banging coming from upstairs. Someone was at the front door. She heard the hurried footsteps of her parents, then a loud slam. And a scream.

"Who are you! We called the cops!" Her dad shouted.

Haven stood from her bed and crept to the bottom of the steps.

"I'm sure they'd be int'rested in hearin' abou' tha' girl in yer basement!" She gasped at the loud, booming deep voice of an unfamiliar man.

"How-"

"Ye people disgus' me!"

"Who are you!"

"Move outta me way! I'm takin' her away from 'ere!"

"You can't!"

"Ye should be ashamed of yerselves!"

Haven heard the man's stomping feet coming toward the basement door and she screamed when it was ripped off it's hinges and she stumbled back onto her bed.

"Fine! Take her! She – She's a demon anyway!" Her mum cried.

M – Mummy. Her heart broke, not for the first time in her life.

Haven coward against the concrete wall as a huge, burly man that resembled a giant came stomping down the stairs slowly. The wood creaked and cracked a little under his weight. She shook in a fear and he stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

He pulled a string linked to the basement lightbulb, but it only flickered before dying. "Oh fer cryin' out loud," He muttered before shuffling around. Haven could only see his shadowy outline. He seemed to pull something from his bulky clothing.

A sudden bright, yellowish-white light temporarily blinded the little girl on her mattress bed.

"Sorry 'bout that. Shoulda warned yeh,"

Haven blinked a few times and squinted as her eyes begun to adjust. She was confused when she saw the scary stranger holding an umbrella with it's tip lit up bright like a flashlight. His voice a softer now. Still deep and a little scratchy, but calmer than she heard up stairs.

He knelt on one knee and spoke softly, not approaching her in case he only made her fear him. "Haven? Are yeh Haven?"

She sniffled and found her voice. "Y – Yes," It broke shakily.

"Me name is Rubeus Hagrid, Haven. An' I came to take yeh away from 'ere,"

She only stared up at him for a few moments.

Hagrid could see the girl still shaking in fear.

"Hey Miss Haven," He spoke kindly. "I know yer mum and dad have been hurtin' yeh, yeah?"

Her lips quivered and she sniffed again before nodding, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Well I'm 'ere to take you somewhere nicer. Where no one will hurt you. An' I'll 'ave yeh know…" He moved forward slight, a glint in his eyes. "It's a magic place,"

"B – But mummy and daddy?"

He held in his anger as to not ruin the progress he made. "Haven, did yeh know you were adopted?"

"Adopted?"

"Yeah. Yer mum and dad saved yeh from bein' alone…" Hagrid said. It was true. As much as he'd love to put the muggles in their place, for a time they loved the little one. " I'm sure they loved yeh, I know they did. But somethin' happened a while ago tha' made 'em afraid. Am I right?"

Haven sighed and nodded. "I'm evil,"

Hagrid's heart broke for the girl and he shook his head. "No, Haven. Yeh a wizard,"

"Huh?"

Hagrid felt she was no longer afraid, so stood and walked over to sit by her.

"Can yeh tell me what happened last year?"

She drew in a shaky breath, looking up at the man. "It – It started with a girl…"

Haven retold that events from all those months ago and Hagrid listened intently. The gamekeeper had been expecting the story about her unintentional magic, but didn't know about the girl in the mirror or the voice in her head. In the end, Hagrid smiled comfortingly at Haven.

"Yer magic isn' evil. It's only strange to yer mum and dad because they never saw it before. It frigh'ens them,"

"So I'm not a demon?"

"Far from it,"

Haven smiled as she thought about what Hagrid said earlier. "S – So… You're taking me away from them?"

"That's right," He stood up and offered her his hand. "I'm takin' yeh somewhere you won't be hurt,"

Haven placed her small hand in his giant ones and he carefully helped her up.

"Are yeh ready, Miss Potter?"