Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, only the Archard family belongs to me. The French words/phrases will be italicized, as well as the spells. Please review!

Prologue

Third Person POV

The sun was beginning to set over the small hillside, draping the nearby manor in soft evening light. A lone male figure stood near the rail of the second-story balcony, gazing out over the small gardens and beyond the forest-line, to the soft glow of city lights beyond the horizon. The soothing tones of a lullaby danced along with the small breeze, breaking the silence brought with the descent of day into night. Everything was peaceful; yet the man on the balcony felt uneasy, as though a terrible storm was stirring on this Samhain night.

Leaning away from the stone railing he raised his hand, cradling a thin piece of reddish wood resembling a small twig. He whispered, "Cave Inimicum," and a light sparked from the tip of the polished wood, which grew into a hazy shield enveloping the manor before fading unseen.

Satisfied with his work, the man turned and reentered the manor, following the gentle sounds of the lullaby down to the end of the corridor. He stopped beneath the door frame, eyes becoming tender as they gazed upon the room's occupants. Every time he watched her, the man could never completely fathom his luck and Lady Magic's blessing for finding his love.

As the song ended, the lone woman turned in her chair, smiling upon seeing the man. In doing so, she revealed a young girl, no older than two, fast asleep on the small bed before her.

"Come to say goodnight?" she asked gently, her musical voice dancing with happiness.

Despite his loving gaze, the man's face remained neutral as he answered her, "Just a brief visit, ma amour, before I must leave for my trip. I have already reinforced the barrier, and remember, if anything should happen-"

"Do not attempt to reinforce the wards," she interrupted, tone quiet, but firm. "Call for the house-elves to get us out in case of an Anti-Apparition spell. We have gone over it several times, Ashton. Your contingencies, have contingencies, we'll be fine for a few days without you." Despite all that had happened, she held great faith in Ashton's efforts to protect them. The others were all caught off guard or underestimated their attackers.

Ashton tilted his head, hiding his gaze from the woman. "I am just worried about you and the children, Diaspora, that is all; especially with your condition."

Diaspora released a small huff of air. "I am pregnant, not disabled, dear. I am still a capable witch, and these babies are not due for at least another four months. If something, by any chance, were to happen, I will be neither caught unaware nor defenseless. Please, just trust me."

Ashton turned to face her and moved forward into the room to stand next to his lovely wife. "Very well, I shall see you in a few days. This meeting Dumbledore has called should not take long." Moving closer to the sleeping child, he whispered, "Goodnight, ma petite Esme," and leaned down to kiss the small girl on her brow.

He straightened and turned back to his wife, once again, a sense of uneasiness filled his chest. Ashton buried the worry within himself as he leaned down, giving Diaspora a quick kiss. He left without a backwards glance, to say goodnight to his other four children, all of whom were already asleep in their respective beds.

Back in the room, Diaspora smiled lovingly down upon her youngest daughter, brushing her darling girl's bangs away from her forehead. She moved closer to kiss her little girl and whispered, "I love you, my little butterfly. Dream sweet dreams of magic."

Diaspora rose from her chair and left the room, shutting the door softly behind her. She carefully made her way to the sitting room, mindful of her steps because of her midsection's ever-growing size. While walking, Diaspora began to feel a bit queasy.

Almost as soon as she sat down on her favorite settee, a house-elf appeared with a pop next to her, holding a tea set. She set the tray on the table in front of her and said in a cheerful voice, "Mistress, Tipper brings you ginger tea."

"Oh, how lovely! That is exactly what I needed right now. Thank you, Tipper," Diaspora replied gratefully.

Tipper blushed and, while preparing tea for her wonderful Mistress, exclaimed, "Mistress too kind to Tipper! Tipper is happy to serve Mistress!" Diaspora accepted a teacup before she sat back and relaxed, content to simply let her mind wander. Tipper popped away, leaving her Mistress to enjoy her quiet thoughts.

At some point Tipper returned briefly to inform her Mistress that Master Archard had departed for his trip, then left again. Diaspora soon finished her tea and set the cup and sauce on the tray. As she settled further onto the settee, she unknowingly slipped into a gentle, but deep sleep.

Diaspora was unsure how long she had been asleep when she suddenly was awoken by her house-elf's frantic shouts, "Mistress! Mistress! Mistress, wake up! The mansion on fire!" Diaspora could already see and smell the smoke as it filled the sitting room.

She quickly shouted, "Paddy! Honny! Zimpsy! Dimper! Katcher!" The five house-elves all appeared in rapid succession. Despite her fear and worry, Diaspora spoke with a firm voice, "Each of you will gather one of the children and take them to the safe house. Paddy, get Alaric. Honny, Blaire. Dimper, Carlisle. Katcher, Dustin. Zimpsy, Esme. Now go!"

All the house-elves obeyed and simultaneously Disapparated to their respective charges. Diaspora then wrapped her hand around Tipper's, finally allowing the small elf to take her to safety.

Once they were in the safe house, Diaspora addressed Tipper. "Tipper, I need you to go and find my husband. Tell him everything that has happened, but foremost that we are all safe."

Tipper replied in a more subdued voice than usual, "Tipper goes to do what Mistress says. Take care Mistress." The small elf then promptly Disapparated with a soft pop.

Diaspora quieted her voice to speak with a different house-elf. "Paddy, I need you to go alert the aurors of what has happened. Speak only with Head Auror Auguste Dupin. Do you understand?"

Paddy replied in an equally quiet voice, "Paddy understands and will do as Mistress commands," before Disapparating quickly without a sound.

Diaspora gave herself a single deep breath to center herself before moving to reassure her children, all of whom were gathered on the nearby bed. They had awoken either from the smoke or from the house-elves grabbing them, and all five were visibly scared, some trying not to cry while others let their tears fall freely. She huddled with them on the large bed and did all that she could to comfort and keep them calm.

Diaspora, recovered from her own shock, was relieved none of her children were hurt. She was anxious to ask the house-elves about the fire, but she did not want to say anything that might further frighten the children. Soon, the little ones all drifted off to sleep from exhaustion, leaving Diaspora as the last one awake. She had only one thing on her mind; when whomever was responsible realized they had failed, their next attempt was sure to be ever more vicious.

Ma amour = my love

Ma petite = my little

Special thanks to my Beta-Readers: TheSparkler, extramundane epeolatry, evadnekapaneos, and Anonymous!