The storm was getting worse. At first there had only been wind, blowing around the small house in the hills, slamming a shed door open and shut. That had been bad enough, but now it was raining so hard the occupants could barely see out the window. They looked anyway, because they knew something was happening. The lights flickered on and off, which was strange, because they were magically generated. Muggle lighting would have given out long before. This storm wasn't natural, and everyone knew it.
Two children, both ten years old, sat in front of the fireplace, playing at the board game called fox and geese. Everyone knew that the fox always won, so the little boy was extremely confused by that fact that his opponent had not yet lost a game. Lightning flashed outside, followed by the crash of thunder. The boy jumped, glancing at the window. His opponent used the distraction to move an extra white 'goose' to an adjoining square. "Your turn."
The boy looked back at the board and moved his red piece. "I think you're cheating."
"I am not!" The girl had figured out that the real point of the game was to win by cheating, and therefore it wasn't technically cheating, was it? She moved another piece. "I win again!" she announced happily.
"Hush, Tia. Not so loud." said one of the two adults, without turning from the window.
"Sorry." Tia turned her back on her friend, who was cleaning up the game, and wandered over to the window. "Wow, it's raining hard." She leaned forward, her nose a hairsbreadth from the pane, eyes trying to penetrate the darkness outside. "Mother says that bad storms mean dark wizards are trying to hide something."
The adults exchanged glances. "Yes, sometimes," The woman said. "But they can come naturally too." She didn't sound too sure of that, however.
The girl shrugged. "This one's really bad. I bet it's Voldemort himself trying to hide something."
"Don't say that now, Tia…who knows what you might call up at a time like this." The woman shuddered. Tia smiled at the window. She liked saying the name, it sounded cool and got some great reactions.
"Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort…" She chanted, but under her breath, so no one could hear.
Suddenly the door slammed open. The adults spun from the window, wands at the ready. A cloaked figure stood in the doorway, shedding rainwater. "Deborah, Charles…" A woman's voice. The newcomer dropped her hood, wiping a hand across her eyes to adjust to the light inside.
"Mommy!" Tia ran towards the woman, who was leaning against the door jamb, catching her breath. She flung her arms around her, ignoring the water still dripping off her cloak. The woman hugged her daughter for a moment, then pushed her gently aside. Tia backed away, slightly embarrassed. She hadn't said 'mommy' in years.
"We need to get out of here…" her mother said, advancing into the room.
"What's going on?"
She stopped in the center of the room, looking tired. Worn out from more than just her hectic run for the house. "Voldemort is dead."
Silence covered the room. Only the clock on the wall was heard, it's irregular tick suddenly loud as fireworks. "How?" Deborah finally whispered.
"The Potters…that's what everyone is saying…something about the Potters, but there's no doubt about it, he's gone." She looked at the storm, still raging outside the window.
"But that's wonderful! I don't understand…"
"Voldemort is dead! All the dark wizards are going berserk. The Deatheaters are on a rampage, determined to get in what destruction they can before the hierarchy falls apart. Without their leader, they're living on borrowed time and they know it. We have to get out of here…before Seth finds us. He'll check our house first, but then…" She was cut off by another round of lightning and thunder outside. She spun to the window. "They're coming. Take Kerry and get out of here. Make for the forest, then apparate somewhere safe."
"Mara! You can't be planning on keeping Tia with you! Let us take her…"
"No. He won't hurt us so long as I have her with me. By myself I don't have a chance."
"You'd put her in danger to protect yourself? That's…"
Mara's eyes flashed. "Be careful what you say! She is in no danger from Seth. She's his daughter too, after all. Even his fealty to Voldemort can't change that." She pulled Tia close to her. "Get out of here. You have your own child to protect, after all."
Kerry's parents turned to look at their son, still standing by the fireplace, looking confused and frightened. They nodded, slowly. "We'll go. Kerry, get your cloak. Hurry!" The boy ran for the closet. Deborah turned to her friend. "Be careful, Mara. We don't know how far gone he is. He's not the same person he once was."
"I know that. Better than you, I know that. Come, Tia." She caught Tia's hand as the girl finished putting on her own cloak. "We need to talk to your father."
"I don't want to talk to him." Tia started as they left the building in a group. The Madden family headed for the woods at high speed. "Wait! I don't want to…wait! Kerry! Wait!" She tried to pull away.
Mara stopped and gripped her daughter's shoulders. "Tia, listen to me. There is something very important I have to do. Remember what I told you. The more afraid you are, the more powerful the darkness is. Remember?" Tia nodded. "Good. Don't be afraid, I'll protect you. Even if Voldemort himself came to get you. Understand?"
"You said Voldemort was dead." Tia had a feeling there was more to this than she could understand.
Mara looked carefully into her child's eyes. She started to speak, then changed her mind. "That's right, he's dead. So don't worry."
"Okay."
"Good." The pair stood on the lawn, waiting. Suddenly the girl tugged on her mother's cloak. "What is it, honey?"
"I'm not afraid." Tia insisted.
"Of course not."
"I was just worried about Kerry, that's all."
Mara squeezed her hand, and then the sky exploded. Three broomsticks came screaming towards them. Tia stepped back and ducked instinctively. One of the three stopped just above them, it's rider scanning the ground. "The other family must have headed for the woods," he called. "Go after them. I'll take care of this." Two riders nodded and shot off after Kerry and his parents.
The third lowered his broomstick slowly and dismounted, holding the broom next to him like a staff. His robes slid back, revealing the tattoo of snake and skull on his arm, still glowing faintly with borrowed power. He pushed back his hood, ignoring the rain, which slid off a magical barrier that protected him with a faint hissing sound.
"Have you decided to join us at last?" Seth asked.
"Hardly. Voldemort is dead. Without that extra boost, I'm far better than you, and you know it." Her eye flickered derisively to the mark on his arm, already dimmer than it was before. "Give it up now, Seth. You'll never get a better chance. We'll tell the Ministry you were controlled, disappear for a while, and no one will ever be the wiser."
"Voldemort may be temporarily defeated," Seth emphasized carefully. "But he will return. I won't be so foolish as to betray him in an assumed moment of weakness."
"He's not coming back. Don't delude yourself. It's over, we've won. You don't want to be on the wrong side of this. They'll send you to Azkaban, Seth, and not for a short stay."
"I gave my soul to Voldemort a long time ago. The dementors are nothing compared to him."
Mara sighed. "I guess I was wrong. Again." She snatched her wand from beneath her cloak. "Incensor!" A ball of flame sprouted from it and broke against the dark wizard's shield. The shield flickered and died out, taking the fireball with it. Seth looked displeased. He raised his wand, and then hesitated. His eyes drifted to Tia, standing a little behind her mother.
"You would bring her here?" he said, anger showing for the first time on his face. "Use her for a shield?"
"It works, doesn't it? You still can't harm her, can you? Perhaps you're not as loyal to Voldemort as you claim."
"I know Voldemort told me to get rid of you both, but….I think my child will be more valuable raised in the dark arts. I'm sure My Lord will agree, once she is well trained."
Mara moved to stand next to her daughter. "A fine excuse, Seth, but you know it won't happen. Tia's going to Hogwarts next year. I'd hoped we could send her together, but…"
Seth didn't give her a chance to finish. "You think I'll let you send her to that disgrace of a school? To the mockery they make of Salazar Slytherin's name? To Dumbledore? I will follow Lord Voldemort's orders first!" He raised his arm, preparing the final curse. "Avada…"
"Immobilus!" Mara shouted, waving her wand. Strands of magic wrapped around her husband and held him fast before he could complete the phrase. He struggled against the bonds, but the spell didn't waver.
"Are you all right, Tia?" Dropping her wand, she knelt by her daughter, who hadn't moved from the spot. The mother's face was ashen, frightened by what had almost happened. Deborah had been right after all. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." Tia whispered. "I wasn't afraid. He wouldn't really have…I mean…he wouldn't." She looked at her mother.
"Not anymore." Mara looked at her husband's immobilized form. "Not anymore."
There was a loud pop overhead, and suddenly the sky was full of wizards. Several circled down to land next to Tia and her mother. "Mrs. Raven? Are you all right? We came as fast as we could, Mr. Madden told us…" The speaker caught sight of Seth. "Thank goodness." He waved to the others, several of which circled down to the captured Deatheater and began strengthening the enchantment. "Come, we'd better go somewhere else. Others might come looking for him." Mara took hold of Tia's hand, and the whole group teleported at once.
They appeared in a large room in what seemed to be the Ministry headquarters. Tia only got a brief glimpse around before she was distracted by a shout from across the room. "Tia!" Kerry was running towards her. He stopped when he saw her father, under custody of several Aurors, who were arguing about the best way to remove the curse without allowing the captive to escape. "Um…I mean…" he stopped, confused.
"Mother stopped him." Tia said, matter-of-factly. She wasn't about to let Kerry know how frightened she was. "It was so cool. You should have been there." Frightened or not, she was somewhat proud of the fact that she'd been facing a dark wizard and Kerry had been hiding in the woods.
"Tia!" Mara started to reprimand her, but was interrupted again by the return of her husband to motion. He gave an incoherent yell, then stopped, confused.
"Don't try anything, Mr. Raven." One of the Aurors cautioned. "You're surrounded." Seth looked around angrily, his eyes coming to rest on Mara. He didn't say anything, just glared, until the Aurors led him away. Tia's mother looked at the floor.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Raven. You did the right thing." A Ministry official stood before her. "You're safe now, and your daughter, too. I wonder," he added. "Could you tell us exactly what happened?"
Mara nodded, and turned to her daughter. "Go with Kerry for a while, honey. I'm sure his parents want to know what happened. Why don't you tell them about it?" Tia nodded and ran to Kerry as her mother turned away.
"What happened?" he asked, as she caught his arm and dragged him out of the room. They found his parents in the hall.
"Thank goodness," Deborah let out a sigh of relief. "You're all right."
"People keep saying that." Tia commented, back to her normal self. Kerry was still pulling on her sleeve.
"Hey! What happened?"
"Well…" Tia started to explain, but she was distracted by a scrap of conversation drifting over from another group in the hall.
"…Harry Potter…just a baby…"
"…You-Know-Who, gone forever…
"…a miracle…"
"What are they talking about?" Tia asked Kerry's father. He smiled at her.
"Harry Potter, of course."
"Who's he?" Something tugged at her memory. "Oh! Mother said the Potters killed Voldemort, right?"
"Hush, Tia! The Potters didn't kill him, their baby did! A little boy, barely a year old…isn't it amazing?"
"How could a baby kill Vol…I mean, um, You-Know-Who?" Tia felt stupid using that euphemism. It sounded ridiculous.
"We don't know, but he did. You-Know-Who tried to kill him along with his parents and it backfired. Harry Potter is something special, he stopped it without even trying!"
Tia wanted to change the subject. Her own adventure was getting buried under this new topic, and she didn't like it. The Madden family was now deep in discussion about Harry Potter, however, and Tia's attempts to change the conversation had no effect. How could a baby have killed Voldemort? What was so special about this Harry Potter? It didn't make any sense.
"There you are." Tia's mother entered the hallway a few hours later.
"Mara. We heard what happened. I'm sorry." Deborah stood and went to comfort her friend, but Mara shook her head.
"No. I was expecting it. You were right…" she glanced at Tia, who was watching them with that expression that meant she was listening to everything they said, and probably taking notes. "Anyway, it's over now."
"Yes. Really over. You-Know-Who is gone, and the Deatheaters won't have power for very much longer. We've been telling the whole story to Tia."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Voldemort was killed by a baby." Tia was still frustrated.
Mara smiled. "Now Tia, don't sound so jealous, I'm sure you could have done it too, if you were in the same position."
"Don't tell her things like that, Mara, she might actually try something." Charles whispered. "Well," he said, a little louder. "It's been a hard night. I think we should all go celebrate a little, yes?"
"Is that really appropriate?" Deborah interjected. "I mean," she glanced warily at Mara.
"Appropriate?" Mara smiled, a little sadly. "Voldemort, the epitome of evil, is defeated by a baby, the peak of innocence and good. Think about it. We won't have to change residence every three weeks. Tia and Kerry can go to Hogwarts without fear of some monster popping out of the woodwork…." Mara continued her list, but Tia had stopped listening. Her clothes had dried, the hall felt warm and safe, and the whole incident with her father was turning into the kind of memory you don't want to think about very often. In fact, the entire hall was fading, darkening. As the young Tia slipped into sleep she had the strangest feeling that she didn't want to wake up again.