A.N.: Hey. New story. I lost steam with Video Game Character, and then some real life problems got a bit worse. Still, finally managed to write something again. And I actually made an outline of the important events. Hooray for planning! Now let's hope that actually pays off…

Fiona's Light

~Chapter 1~

Two new-born babies were laying with their mother on the bed. It had been a long night for all of them, but now they were here. Their children, a beautiful boy and girl. Tired but satisfied, the woman looked up to the man standing next to them. Her husband was looking at them with a face full of pride. It almost made her forget about the nervous breakdown he had a couple hours earlier when the birth started.

But that was for later. They first had to take good care of the children. Harry James Potter, and his younger sister Fiona Lily Potter. Apparently naming children after their parents was a common tradition in Wizarding Britain.

Smiling tiredly at her husband, she leaned back to try and catch a little sleep, in preparation for the next big step in life. Raising children!

Even at their young age, the first-time parents quickly figured out that both children were quite different in personality. Little Harry was very adventurous, always looking to explore new things, and laughing loudly as he inadvertently made a mess. Small Fiona, on the other hand, while also an explorer, was much more calm and carefull. Harry would jump in first, while his sister would first carefully watch him fumble around before trying herself.

Still, it looked like they were good friends, and it was rare to see one of them without the other being nearby. James and Lily, and all of their friends, were very happy with the lively children. Especially Harry endeared to the Marauders a lot, with his adventurous spirit (and the trouble it landed him in…).

Of course, the times when all of them could be together were starting to come up less and less, what with the ever-increasing threads and attacks from Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Despite that, they tried their best to not let it influence the twins.

But it wouldn't last, for a certain old man was given a prophecy. The prophecy spoke of a child, who would defeat The Dark Lord. But unfortunately, it was not clear which child exactly. Both the Potter twins, as well as Neville Longbottom, were possible candidates.

After much deliberation, it was decided that the children with their families would take shelter using the Fidelius charm. The Potters chose as Secretkeeper their old friend, Peter Pettigrew, while Sirius Black would be a decoy. None of them knew who the Secretkeeper was for the Longbottoms, so that they would not be able to give each other away.

But Peter was no longer the man they thought he was. That Hallowe'en, he exposed himself and betrayed all of them. Whether fortunate or unfortunate, Lily and James were not there, instead having invited James' grandparents to watch over the twins for a night. They tried to fight off Lord Voldemort, but he barely even batted an eye at them before he killed them.

But when he tried to do the same on the children, a little surprise left by Lily activated. Before he could understand what had happened, the green spell bounced back as if by an invisible shield. The beam struck true, but not on the intended targets, instead killing the little bit of him left in that body. The backlash caused some damage, and a piece of wood flying around cut a wound on Harry's forehead. No one, however, noticed the little mark Fiona had gained on her chest when the Killing Curse initially struck the shield.

The Order Of The Phoenix arrived soon after, and by the next morning the good news had spread wide and far. Voldemort was gone! Defeated by no other than little Harry and his parents!

In the weeks that followed, many Death Eaters were apprehended, or killed. Slowly, the Wizards of Britain started to rebuild their lives. Of course, many doubted that Voldemort was truly gone, and Harry was put forth as a beacon of hope and light. Behind him, they would rally when Voldemort finally came back, and this time they would make sure he would stay death.

As life continued, Lily and James, with a little help from the great Dumbledore himself, slowly started training harry to be the hero. The Saviour of Wizarding Britain, the Boy-Who-Lived! He received the best of the best when it came to his education, and even at his young age, he showed remarkable courage and power. But, while everyone was doting on "the golden boy (with black hair)", much less attention was given to his little sister.

Early in her life, Little Fiona quickly learned that her brother was the more important one out of both of them. She did not really complain about it, though. Instead, she was actually quite glad that she could just walk around without anyone bothering her. And walk around she did. A lot. Every nook and cranny of the house she covered. And when the house ran out, she found her way into the garden where there was even more to discover.

Her parents let her wander around, because unlike her brother, she was much less accident prone. Barely a day went by without Harry falling or knocking something down. This did not change the fact that she was the more sneaky of the two. Many times, Fiona made her way into "forbidden" places. Her father's study, for example. Fortunately, she had not yet learned to read, or she may have found some troubling things.

She first had to learn how to talk, in which she was worse than her brother. However, this betrayed how well she could listen. She might not be able to talk about it, but that did not mean she didn't understand what others were saying. And then she learned how to read.

Fiona quickly graduated from the learning books that her brother was struggling with, and started reading more difficult books. Like that book about (magical) plants and animals, or the one about local and far-away myths and stories. Of course, recognizing a plant or an animal she had read about was very exciting, and she started spending more and more time outside the house.

The Potter homestead was located close to a partially magic forest, so there was no shortage of interesting things to discover. As well as dangerous things, supposedly, even though none of the creatures she met were hostile. Most just ignored her, and continued on with their business.

By the time she 8 years old, Fiona and Harry had completely grown apart. Harry was busy training to be a hero, while Fiona was busy exploring every centimetre of the forest. None of the guests even seemed to remember her. Sometimes, she even had the feeling that her own parents were forgetting her!

… They wouldn't forget her, would they? … I know! I'll just stay outside tonight, and see if they come to find me! I know the perfect tree, I just have to grab some blankets and it will be a perfect hiding place!

Her course of action set, she went about setting up her little bed in the tree. She even remembered to take some food with her, so she wouldn't go hungry. Settling in with a book about more obscure (by British Wizard standards) myths from around the world, she prepared for her first night outside. Under the stars, inside a tree.

… … …

Two nights. Two whole nights it had taken for her parents to finally notice that their daughter was missing. And even then, it was mostly because her name was included on a bank statement that arrived that morning.

Of course, her parents tried to admonish her, but that failed quickly when Fiona pointed out that it was them who did not even bother to look for her in the first place. It's not like she had gone out far, nor was she particularly well hidden. They were unable to come up with a proper answer.

The following couple weeks her parents and her brother tried to be more involved with her, but especially Harry just had different interests then her. And after a couple more weeks, their attention once again started to wane, and she was getting forgotten again. She started staying outside more as well, first one night, then two nights, then tree nights. Eventually it was not uncommon for her to not visit the house for a whole week. Reading those books about how to survive in the wild turned out to be a really good idea.

One day, while she was exploring a new forest (though it was barely a kilometre from the one next to her parent's house), she stumbled across… Something?

It looked like a lantern. A square-ish box with glass sides and a grey metal frame. But something about it told her that it was not a normal lantern. Maybe it was the slightly unnatural shine of the glass, maybe it was the cleanliness of the metal parts, but she was sure that the lantern was not a normal lantern.

Several thoughts were fighting inside her head. One of them wanted to leave the thing alone, mark the spot and not visit it again, another one wanted to just keep an eye on it, while another one actually wanted her to just grab it!

This wasn't working, she needed to calm down. Alright, she found a probably magical artifact in the woods. She was completely alone. The cautious decision was to leave it alone, and maybe visit again together with someone else. … No, she wouldn't share this with her parents. And certainly not her brother! That idiot would break it before she could even get it inside!

… Why was she so possessive of the lantern? It was just a magic lantern, laying here, waiting for her…

… It's not like she had much to lose anyway. Barely anyone knew she even existed! Who would miss her if she disappeared? And maybe it would even give her some kind of power! Most magical artifacts did something like that, according to all books that talked about them.

…

*Step*

I wonder what it actually is…

After a couple more steps, she was close enough. Fiona bent down in order to pick up the lantern, but the moment she touched it…

… Something felt different. She was not sure what and how, but the last thing she remembered was… The lantern!

Eyes suddenly wide awake, a quick look at the angle of the shadows told her that about an hour had passed. Looking further, she quickly found her lantern laying next to her. Just seeing it like that made her feel relieved. The flame that was initially startled, was now burning steady.

… Wait, why was the lantern suddenly lit? And why did she think of it as her lantern and flame? … Because… They were? Uncertain where the feeling came from, she nonetheless felt a certain strange connection with both the lantern and flame inside it. As she was thinking, she could see how the flame responded to her thoughts. It turned brighter, dimmer, and she could even see the colour change!

And yet, none of it felt wrong or strange. It felt, almost, normal. Like it was just a… part… of her…

… It was, wasn't it? Concentrating slightly, she could even feel the lantern, and the way it was lying on the ground. The not terribly clean ground. As if it had heard her unspoken, the lantern suddenly started rising up, and came to a stop floating comfortably next to her. Her flame was burning steady, and seemed much happier being upright then laying on the ground.

Fiona had to giggle a little. It was all so strange, but at the same time it felt completely right. Even though she had somehow connected with a magical lantern. That was now a part of her, somehow. While she did not know how that worked, she knew it was true. Concentrating a little more, she found that there were numerous things she just new how to do. Just like walking, or breathing.

But what now? What would she tell her parents? Would she even tell them anything? Why would she even visit them? It's not like they meant much to her. And she meant even less to them. She had the lantern now, all she had to do was follow it. It would lead her right to her destination, even if she wasn't quite sure what that destination was.

She decided. She would visit their house one last time, and leave a farewell message. Then, she would be off into the wide world! Maybe she would even encounter some of those foreign magical creatures!

~End of Chapter 1~

A.N.: If you find any grammar or spelling errors, or have suggestions about the story, let me know!