Carlisle opened the door to the sight of an elderly man with an outrageously long beard and a young lady with long midnight black hair standing anxiously on his front step. The old man was dressed strangely in a bright orange pinstriped suit and polished black shoes, but it wasn't the old man that had Carlisle's attention – it was the girl. He could tell by her scent that she was a vampire, but instead of red or amber like most of their kind, her eyes were a stormy grey. The girl tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear and cleared her throat.

"Dr. Cullen?" she asked hesitantly, continuing when he nodded, "My name is Carina Black and this is Albus Dumbledore. May we come in?"

Carlisle nodded and stepped aside to allow them in. She smiled shyly as she and her companion stepped inside.

"My family is in the living room, is it acceptable for them to listen to this conversation?"

The old man opened his mouth, but the girl shot him a sharp look and elbowed him gently. She nodded hurriedly at Carlisle.

"Absolutely. Who hears this conversation is at your discretion."

Carlisle inclined his head.

"Thank you. This way."

Black cocked her head to the side and smiled when she heard the soft notes of Edward's piano carrying through the house.

"You have a pianist in the family?" she asked. Carlisle chuckled warmly.

"My oldest, Edward."

"He plays beautifully."

He nodded.

"He's always had a talent for the piano. He wrote this song for my wife and I several years ago."

"It's beautiful." She told him, awe in her voice. Carlisle beamed with pride.

"My son is very talented."

"Very much so." Carina murmured in agreement, listening to the music quietly. They arrived in the living room and Carlisle gestured for his guests to sit as Edward entered the room.

"Miss Black, Mr. Dumbledore, this is my family: My wife, Esme, and our children, Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice."

Esme smiled.

"Would you like anything to drink?"

Black cut the old man off before he could respond.

"I'm afraid this isn't a social call, Mrs. Cullen." She stated regretfully. Carlisle took a deep breath, Alice shooting him a significant look.

"May I ask why you're here, Miss Black?"

She exchanged a long look with the old man, before finally the old man turned to Carlisle and stated gravely,

"We're here about your son, Dr. Cullen."

Black groaned and dropped her face into her hands.

"Merlin, Lily, why did you leave me to do this?" she asked desperately. Carlisle felt himself tense involuntarily and Esme gripped his shoulder. She knew all about his first wife. Or, everything Carlisle knew, at least.

"How do you know Lily?" he asked quietly. The girl sighed and looked up at him sadly.

"She was my best friend."

"And my son?"

She ran a hand through her hair, looking at him warily.

"Before I can explain about Lily and Harry, I need to explain something else first, which is why I brought Albus. So first thing's first, Dr. Cullen: Do you believe in magic?"

Carlisle stared at her in stunned disbelief and she sighed again, waving a hand at her companion.

"Albus, if you would?" she prompted tiredly, "And no fire, please. Vampires aren't very fond of it." She added warily. The old man nodded, looking slightly put out at the order. A long, polished stick appeared in his hand and he waved it in a complicated pattern. Soon, he and his companion were seated on the back of a ridiculously elongated jaguar. The girl yelped and glared at her companion.

"Albus!" she snapped. He shot her a sheepish look, quickly changing the couch back. She glowered at him.

"A little warning would have been nice!" she reproached. Dumbledore bowed his head, abashed.

"I apologize, my dear, but it was the first thing that popped into my head."

She rolled her eyes.

"Bloody Gryffindors!" she huffed, gaining a chuckle from the old man.

"If I recall correctly, my dear, you were a Gryffindor as well."

She snorted.

"Yes, and look were my impulsiveness has gotten me."

Carlisle cleared his throat and both turned to look at him.

"What was that?" he demanded incredulously. Black smiled apologetically.

"That was transfiguration. That was just a small example of magic."

"And what does magic have to do with my late wife?"

The girl looked startled.

"How did you know she was dead?" she asked suspiciously. Carlisle cocked a brow.

"I was married to her well over three hundred years ago, young lady."

"And she's only been dead for the last fourteen, along with her husband James." She replied slowly. Carlisle stared.

"How?"

She grinned.

"That's where magic comes in. Now, I wasn't there, mind, because Albus was being a prat and wouldn't let me leave the school, but Dorcas Meadows was and she told us the whole story when she got back…"

*Flashback*

It was a simple mission. Get in, get the records before the Death Eaters do, and get out. However, that didn't seem to be possible. Lily bit back a groan when she caught sight of the white-blonde hair of Lucius Malfoy. This was going to be more difficult than she had thought. She turned to Dorcas to tell her to keep quiet, but the other woman had obviously seen something, because her face was contorted in fury. She brushed past Lily, her wand in her hand. The redhead gasped when she heard the hissed 'Crucio!' from her friend. The blonde was going to get them killed. Lily sighed and followed her, dodging the sudden volley of spells. If they lived through this, she was going to kill Dorcas. The room looked as though someone had set off a box of fireworks with the spells flying back and forth between the two groups. Lily jumped out of the way of a sickly green spell only to be hit seconds later by a lavender one. Her green eyes widened in fear as she looked at Dorcas, who then turned and fled the room as the redhead disappeared.

*End Flashback*

Carina growled as she ended the story.

"I nearly killed Dorcas. Luckily for her, Albus managed to restrain me. She also knew who had hit Lily with the spell that had caused her to disappear. It took us two weeks to find her. When we did, Sirius – my brother – took her to the Head of our family, our grandfather, Arcturus. It took him a week to get the information. It was a spell of Bella's own invention. Thankfully, she'd had the foresight to create a counter. It was just severely complicated. Grandfather had to perform the spell because for some reason, Selene Mason warned us not to let Albus be present when we brought her back."

"I'm sorry, but what are Death Eaters? And why would you take her to your grandfather?" the blonde – Rosalie, she thought her name was – demanded. Carina grinned sheepishly.

"Right, sorry. You lot don't know about the war. Um…." she scrubbed a hand down her face in frustration, "Shit…. Okay, I guess the best place to start is with the different classes among wizards. Okay…." She grinned suddenly, "You're about to get a Marauders' Introduction to the War. Starting at the top, we have purebloods, which are basically a bunch of really old, usually wealthy wizarding families that are obsessed with inbreeding and think themselves above everyone. Then we have our blood traitors, purebloods who like to hang out with muggleborns and don't want to annihilate the muggles. Next are half-bloods, who are the offspring of either purebloods and muggleborns, purebloods and muggles, or muggleborns and muggles. After that are muggleborns and Squibs. Muggleborns are witches or wizards born to muggles. Squibs are people born to magical families without magic. Next are creatures: vampires, werewolves, centaurs, goblins, etc. Finally, we have muggles, who are people born without an ounce of magic. Now, on to the war…." She waved her hand and smoky images formed in the air, "Around thirty or so years ago, there was a man named Tom Marvolo Riddle. From what I've gathered from Albus, Tom was the child of squib and a young muggle by the name of, eh, Tom Riddle. Tom Sr. had been put under the influence of love potions by his wife, Merope Gaunt. Merope fell pregnant shortly after she and Tom married, and she, foolishly, believed that her husband may have come to love her on his own, or that he would at least stay for the sake of the baby. She stopped giving him the potions and he left." As she spoke, the story played out in the smoke, the young woman making the potion, the young man leaving, "She gave birth to her son in an orphanage, living only long enough to name him. Tom was a very cruel boy. As with most children born to parents under the influence of Amortentia, the boy was unable to feel certain emotions, such as love, affection, empathy, or compassion. As the boy grew older, he began taking things and tormenting the other orphans. When he was eleven, a teacher from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry stopped by to extend an invitation to his school." A rather tall man with long hair and a beard formed with a letter in hand, "Tom, after much convincing that this wasn't a trick, agreed to go to Hogwarts. The professor gave him a bag of gold and instructions for how to get to Diagon Alley and how to board the train September 1st before taking his leave. Once at school, Tom started making a name for himself, gaining followers. He fashioned himself a new name: Voldemort. Shortly after Tom graduated from Hogwarts, he disappeared. A few years later, the Duck Lord Moldyshorts," a giant duck with razor like teeth and wearing moldy shorts appeared in the smoke, surrounded by heavy-set men eating donuts, "and his Donut Eaters," Albus shot her an amused look and she coughed, "Pardon, the Dark Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters," the Cullens laughed lightly as the image changed to show a snake-faced man surrounded by robed figures, "began terrorizing England, both magical and muggle. The war lasted for eleven years, before, finally, on October 31, 1991, he was defeated. Now, he's back, and he's after your son."

Carlisle bared his teeth in a silent snarl.

"Why?" he demanded through clenched teeth. Carina sighed.

"That's where everything gets complicated." She admitted tiredly. She turned to her companion.

"You can go home, Albus, I've got a portkey."

The old man looked at her unsurely.

"Are you sure, my dear? Your brother will never forgive me if I leave and something happens to you."

She nodded.

"I'm sure, Albus. By the time I finish explaining everything, your presence will only exacerbate the situation. It's better if you leave now."

He bowed his head.

"Of course."

He stood and turned on his heel, disappearing without a sound. Carina sat back on the couch, running a hand down her face.

"Merlin, Lils, you had to make this difficult, didn't you?" she muttered to herself. She straightened abruptly and looked Carlisle in the eye.

"Lily disappeared on a mission for the Order of the Phoenix, an organization founded by the man who just left in an effort to fight Voldemort. She was hit by a spell created by my cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange. She was gone for a month. During that month, we searched high and low for Bella, finally finding her in an old Inn in Wales. Sirius took her to our grandfather, Lord Arcturus Black, in the hopes that he would help us find Lily. It took him a week, but with the help of family magic, he eventually managed to get the information from her. It was a spell that was supposed to send her to where she would be in the most danger. Apparently England in the year you two knew each other in was the most dangerous place Lily could possibly be. He forced her to tell him the counter curse, and, after a word from a friend of ours, agreed to perform it. It took us a week to prepare everything. November 1, 1989, Lily Diana Evans Potter Cullen was forced back to the present, two weeks pregnant and sporting a black eye. She told us her father-in-law had hit her after seeing her do a bit of magic to confirm her pregnancy. She was two seconds away from being burned at the stake when we pulled her back. I dropped out of school to help take care of Lily during her pregnancy while James and the boys figured out a plan to keep anyone from finding out that his wife was pregnant with the child of a man we thought 300 years dead. About a week before Christmas, Lily and I were at the flat the five of us rented in London when a group of vampires attacked. Sirius had given me a necklace for my birthday that year that doubled as a portkey – a form of magical transportation. I put it around Lily's neck and activated it, sending her to our uncle Alphard's home on an Island in Greece. I don't remember what happened after that other than being grabbed by cold hands and bitten. Then three days of fire. Sirius says I begged them to kill me at one point. When I woke up, I started doing research on my new species. I locked myself in the Potter family library and had the others bring me blood. I thought they would use animals." She rolled her eyes, "The idiots bought blood from a blood bank and brought it to me in a wine glass. Nearly a month after I was turned, I found a book talking about different Covens and their members. Then I happened upon the Olympia Coven and found your name. I, of course, showed it to Lily immediately. She finished reading the passage about your coven – and told me that you weren't to find out about your child until he decided he wanted his father in his life. She said she wasn't going to barge back into your life after 300 hundred years and say 'Hey, honey, I'm pregnant!'" she shook her head, "Lily's reasoning never made much sense to me, but I honestly think she was afraid you would reject Harry. I spent a week pointing out all the things that could go wrong and that we were in the middle of a war before she finally sat me and the boys down and agreed to a compromise. So, the five of us created a chain of custody for Harry to go to. First on the list was Sirius, as his godfather, then Alice and Frank Longbottom if something happened to Sirius. If Frank and Alice couldn't take him in, he was to go to Arthur and Molly Weasley. Then to mine and Sirius' cousin Andromeda and her husband Ted. If all of the people on the list were unable to take him in, Remus and I were to approach you. If you wouldn't take him, the two of us were to take him and run. However, several wrenches were thrown in our plans. A prophecy was made – one that Harry didn't even fit – and Lily, James, and Harry had to go into hiding about a year after Harry was born. Then Halloween of that year, Peter sold them out to Voldemort, Sirius was thrown in Azkaban for their betrayal, Alice and Frank were tortured to insanity, Albus had Lily and James' Wills sealed, and Harry was taken to live with Lily's sister Petunia."

"None of that explains why this man is after my son!" Carlisle snapped. Carina sighed.

"I told you, there was a prophecy:
The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…. Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…. And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…. The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…. Voldemort believes that the prophecy refers to Harry. The problem with that being that Harry doesn't fit the criteria. While Lily had indeed faced him thrice and lived to tell the tale, you've never met the bastard. James may have blood adopted him, but Harry wasn't born to him. I don't think Harry is the one the prophecy speaks of, but Albus and Voldemort do, and as long as they think that, Harry isn't safe."

"If you didn't feel Harry was safe in England, why didn't you bring him to me sooner?" Carlisle demanded. Carina snarled.

"You think I didn't want to?! Albus warded Petunia's house against me! I couldn't do anything! I could only watch as he was starved and neglected and forced to be a slave for those bastards! I AM HIS GODMOTHER AND I FAILED HIM! I was supposed to protect him! I promised Lily I would keep her baby safe and I failed! All I could do was offer him sanctuary occasionally and feed him when the Dursleys would go on vacation and leave him behind! If I had tried to take him when he visited, the Ministry for Magic would have found us, burned me, and taken him back to his relatives! Sirius was in prison, Remus had run off to grieve, and I was on my own! No one would go against Albus and I was still trying to build a name for myself in the Wizengamot! I did what I could, damn it!" her voice broke on the word 'could', looking near tears. She buried her face in her hands and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, "That was uncalled for. Just… give me a minute, please."

Alice crossed the room and sat next to her, pulling her into a hug. Carina froze for a moment, but Alice just held her until she relaxed. The rest of the family looked away while the girl pulled herself together. They looked back when they heard a dry chuckled. Carina smiled wanly at Alice and withdrew from the embrace.

"Thank you." She turned back to the others, "I apologize for –"

"You have nothing to apologize for." Carlisle interrupted, "I was upset over the danger my son is in and took my anger out on you. I apologize."

She laughed and shook her head.

"Dr. Cullen, I would have been worried if you hadn't been angry. In fact, I'm surprised you haven't torn me apart yet." She chuckled, "I'm glad you're angry on Harry's behalf. He needs more people that are on his side and not just his side of the war." She looked at him with desperate grey eyes, "He's only fifteen. He shouldn't have this responsibility on his shoulders. He should be hanging out with his friends, chasing girls, and pranking Minerva into retirement. He shouldn't have to worry about a having a megalomaniac after his head and a meddlesome old man trying to mold him into the perfect weapon, willing to die for the 'greater good.' He shouldn't be losing sleep at night wondering what a madman is doing, wondering how he will stop him. He should be acting his age. Lily and James died so that Harry wouldn't live in the same continuous, constant fear they did as teenagers. They died so that Harry could be safe. And Albus is trying to make their sacrifices in vain." She whispered, "Harry needs someone who cares about him. Who will look at him and love him as just Harry. And I think you can do that." She told him confidently. Carlisle stared at her.

"You're not worried about us hurting him."

She snorted.

"Carlisle, I was still a newborn when Harry was born – as a matter of fact, when Harry was born, I was with Lily waiting for James and Sirius to get home so that I could go hunting because I hadn't been able to get away to do so in weeks. I was starving when Harry was born. But I never once thought about hurting him. Hell, Lily forced me to hold him." She snorted again, shaking her head at her friend's foolishness, "I was terrified that I was going to kill him, but I didn't. I took one look into those emerald green eyes and fell head of heels for that little boy." She laughed, "I nearly dropped him from shock when Lily told me I was to be his godmother." She looked around, locking eyes with each member of the coven before finally resting on Carlisle, "If I can restrain myself when I'm starving and he's fresh from the womb, you can handle yourselves when you've fed on animals and go to school. I have no doubt that all of you can restrain yourselves when it comes to feeding on Harry, and I'm sure you all know not to be too rough with him. My concern is – can you stop yourself from inflicting any more mental damage than his blasted relatives. Because if I find out any of you have called him 'freak,' 'boy,' or 'a waste of space,' I'll rip the one who said it to shreds." She told them furiously. Carlisle nodded slowly.

"That sounds more than fair." He agreed. Rosalie stared at him incredulously.

"Carlisle, you can't be serious! She just threatened to kill us if we called her brat names!"

Carina snarled, but Carlisle spoke before she could.

"And considering the fact that this young lady was willing to die for events that were out her control and led to this young man being abused, that is a light punishment considering what she could, and most likely would do to anyone else who wronged the boy." He snapped to his Child. Rosalie's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Light! How is death light?!"

"There are worse things than death, Ms. Cullen." Carina replied hollowly, "Especially for our kind." She tilted her head to the side and raised her hands, creating the smoke figures again, this time, they formed a single vampire standing between a small, hooded figure, and a robed figure with a mask holding a wand, "You've all heard of or felt Jane's gift at one point, have you not?" the hooded figure dropped the hood to reveal an angelic face with a cruel smile. The lone vampire fell to his knees, his mouth opened in a silent scream of agony, then it stopped, and the vampire stood again, Jane taking a step back and raising her hood once more. "But that's nothing compared to the Cruciatus Curse." This time, the robed figure stepped forward, a strange light shooting from the wand in his hand, and the vampire collapsed in pain, writhing on the ground in agony, clawing at his arms, ripping skin from bone in an attempt to make the pain stop. Then the image collapsed, Carina twining her fingers together and staring at them lying harmlessly in her lap.

"The Cruciatus Curse is one of the three Unforgivables. It causes unimaginable pain. It feels as if all the nerve endings in your body are being torn apart, only to be healed and torn, over and over again until the pain stops or you lose your sanity from the pain. It carries an automatic life sentence in Azkaban for casting it. It was used a lot during the war… on both sides. For those who fought against Voldemort, it was pardoned as necessary force. For Death Eaters, it was just another charge against them." Her voice was dead as she spoke. The Cullens stared at her in horror. Esme spoke hesitantly.

"Have you ever…?"

Carina cracked a humorless smile, chuckling darkly.

"Used it? Been under it? Yes to both. We were at war, and desperate measures were sometimes called for. If causing our enemy pain for just a few seconds saved one of my comrades, I did it. Especially if James, Sirius, Lily or Remus were involved. I've done things I'm not proud of, but that's not to say I wouldn't do them again if given the chance. Morals cease to matter when you're fighting for survival. Everything I did is just one more thing to drink to until the memories just… fade away."

Alice reached out and grabbed one of her hands and squeezed it comfortingly.

"You must hate being a vampire." She said quietly. Carina laughed, looking at her with a genuine smile.

"Because I can't get drunk anymore? Not at all. In fact, other than the immortality and the liquid diet, I enjoy what I am, even if my magic is limited now."

Edward snorted from his place leaning against the wall.

"Liquid diet? You make it sound so normal." He murmured. She shrugged.

"I did horrible things both as a human and a vampire. I see no reason for my species to be yet another thing to hate myself for." She stated simply. He frowned, but said nothing. Carina sighed, running a hand over her face tiredly.

"There are a few things I need to tell you about Harry, but first: will you take him in?" she asked seriously. Carlisle nodded.

"Of course."

She smiled wanly and fell back against the couch.

"Thank you." She murmured lowly, "There are several things you need to know about Harry, the first being, if you're angry – leave the room. Do not let him know that you are angry. Especially the men of the house. Angry males always mean pain in Harry's mind. And if he does see you angry, let him know that it's not at him, or that you won't hurt him. He's going to flinch if you hug him for a while, but it's not because you're cold, he's just not used to displays of affection from anyone but me, his friends, Molly Weasley, and now Sirius and Remus. It will take you a while to get added to that list. He also has nightmares and may be suffering from PTSD. I'm not a psychologist so I'm hesitant to make a diagnosis. He usually bottles everything up until it just explodes, but now, he's snapping at everyone for the slightest thing. Harry's not one for lashing out when he's angry, but this summer…. He's different. He's more withdrawn than usual, and he's obsessed with watching the news. He's fifteen and he thinks it's his job to protect the adults!" the pain on her face had the others looking away in discomfort, "You'll have to check on him of a night time because he's learned how to cast wandless silencing charms and he has night terrors. I figured it out the first night he came over to sleep at my house over the summer." She smiled sadly, "After the years of babysitting him when he was younger, checking up on him after he's gone to sleep is a habit. I poked my head through the door and saw him thrashing around on the bed." She sighed, "The best way to wake him up is to just hold him and speak softly to him until he snaps out of it." She ran a hand through her hair, "He also has a regimen of potions he has to take to fix the years of malnutrition he's suffered and his stunted growth. I'll give you the list and enough of the potions to last for a month, along with instructions on which potion is which and when he's supposed to take them and how often." She said, speaking directly to Carlisle. The elder vampire frowned.

"Miss Black?"

"Yes? And call me Carina." She added tiredly. He inclined his head.

"Carlisle. Why does my son have night terrors?" he asked quietly. Carina bit her lip.

"It's not my story to tell, but…. He was forced to watch as a classmate was murdered in front of him and tortured."

"Harry was –"

"Tortured, yes." She made to run her hand through her hair again, but Alice grabbed it and gave it a squeeze, she smiled gratefully, "He saw Lily and James that night. Don't ask me how – Albus never properly explained it and I haven't wanted to push Harry for details. He'll talk about it in his own time. Sometimes it's just nightmares and he sees them blaming him for their deaths, or he's begging Vernon not to hurt him." Her hand was clenched in a tight fist and she was shaking, "He's such a sweet, kind boy. He's so loving and compassionate – he doesn't deserve the hand he's been dealt. He deserves to be happy, with a family that loves him and is willing to protect him."

Carlisle cleared his throat and grey eyes snapped from her hands to his face.

"He will be safe here." He promised her. She smiled.

"Would you like to see a picture of him?" she asked, suddenly cheerful. Carlisle smiled.

"Of course."

She grinned and dug around in her pocket until she pulled out her wallet. A second later, she was holding out a photo for Carlisle to take. He smiled at the sight of a dark-haired, green-eyed version of himself in front of a lake. The boy was being held in a head-lock by a redheaded boy while a bushy haired brunette sat leaning against a tree, laughing while the boys scuffled. What surprised Carlisle was that the picture was moving. He looked up to see Carina chuckling quietly to herself.

"Most wizarding photos do that. It tripped Harry out the first time James' portrait spoke to him." She laughed, "He ran into my room screaming. I could hear James laughing down the hall while Lily scolded him and figured out what had spooked him. It took about an hour to calm him down and explain that it was magic that had the portraits talking."

Rosalie scoffed.

"Talking portraits?"

Carina looked over at her with a raised brow.

"Love, I've been making scenes out of smoke to help explain all of this to you – and you're questioning the talking portraits? That picture is moving. I can't enter my childhood home without my mother's portrait shouting about how ashamed she is of me. If you want, when I bring Harry, I can bring Lily and James around to meet all of you." She suggested. Rosalie sniffed and Carina smirked.

"James and Lily want to see Carlisle anyway." She looked at Carlisle, "You can keep the photo if you want." She stood, "I need to go make sure Molly and Sirius haven't blown up headquarters yet and pack. We'll have Harry here by next Monday." She smiled at everyone, "It was a pleasure meeting you all."

She took a ring box from her pocket and murmured quietly, 'Padfoot rules.' Then, to the shock of the Cullens, she disappeared.