"Run, Lily! Leave now - take Harry and Daisy and get out! Lily, please! You must save yourself, I'll hold him off!" said a young, handsome man. Black hair lay matted around his striking face, sweat slowly dripping down his cheek. His voice was angry and dark, but also laced with a deep fear for his family. This man was duelling with the most powerful dark wizard that the world had ever known - Lord Voldemort. He knew in his heart of hearts that his attempts to save his family would not last for much longer.
"James, I have Harry but Daisy is in the room with you!" Her voice was filled with horror. The realisation that her daughter was in the same room as Lord Voldemort was the worst thing a she could hear at that moment, it was the darkest fear of every mother.
"I'LL SAVE HER, JUST RUN!" screamed James from the adjoining room. The curses and spells shot burning sparks throughout their home, and the deep boom of spells colliding shook the very foundations of the house. They were in a battle, a war zone, and only the bravest could hope to escape with their lives.
The young woman could not move. Like her husband, sweat was beading on her face from the heat of the situation; her flaming read hair was knotted. Her body seemed to be frozen over her one year old son, her mother's instinct holding her firm. Lily's rigid body held Harry close to her pounding chest, enveloping him with her long and shaking arms. A brave and clever witch Lily was, but knowing what was about to happen to their family and their world, she could not help but lose all audacity. Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream pierced through the air as a green glow shot through the adjacent room, illuminating the entire house. Her already pale complexion became white.
"NO!" Lily screamed, finally gaining control of her body. Tears were welling up in her large green eyes, but she couldn't mourn now. No, she could not. The only thing now on her mind was saving her children. Still holding her son, she ran to the room where her husband lay motionless on the ground.
"Lily Potter, we meet again," a silky voice said from the corner of the room. Lilly's head whipped around to find Voldemort, robed in black, standing so close he was almost leaning on their wall. "It is such a shame, such a shame, that one so… pretty, is so defiled by their blood. You see, your husband has met his inevitable fate by standing in my way and you will soon receive yours. If you step aside, however…" The dark wizard looked thoughtful for a moment, examining his wand. "I did not come to harm you. Stand aside, and you shall live."
"DON'T YOU DARE TAKE MY CHILDREN!" She screamed, ignoring what Voldemort said. She raced over to where her daughter lay terrified. She placed Harry gently in the cot next to his sister, which was difficult as her arms were shaking terribly, but she tried to remain brave in front of this monster. She had to remain strong for her children.
"You will not touch my children. You will not harm my daughter or my son." Her composure somewhat regained, she looked directly at the wizard.
Voldemort's eyes glinted in the darkness and he sighed. "Pity. You are a foolish girl, Lily Potter, but brave nonetheless. I do not want your pathetic daughter, but your son is of great interest to me. Put down the child and step aside or I will have little choice but to ensure you meet the same fate as your blood-traitor husband." He started walking towards her, drawing his wand. His face was unreadable, but his terrible eyes were bloodthirsty.
She turned around, drawing her wand out from her dark green robes, her eyes flashing with malice. However, her heroic attempts to avenge her husband and save her family were simply too late.
A sinister laugh followed by a bright green light flew out from Voldemort's wand. Lily's screams penetrated through the house and into the chilly Autumn air as he stepped through the room to the cot.
"Now," he said, smiling, "It is time for you to meet your regrettable end, Harry Potter."
"Daisy! Daisy, sweetheart, please wake up!"
The ten year-old girl woke with a start, her eyes roaming the room wildly. Her pulse was racing, almost uncontrollably so, and she couldn't catch her breath. Lifting herself up to a sitting position, she found that she was soaking with perspiration, along with her pillow and sheets. Trembling, she looked up to the person who roughly shook her awake with wide eyes of concern.
"You were having that nightmare again," Deirdre O'Brian said softly, stroking her adopted daughter's hair.
Daisy suddenly burst into tears. "Mum, I don't understand! Why do I keep having the same bad dream? Please make it stop," she cried, burying her face into her mother's nightgown. "Please..."
"Oh, my darling," Deirdre said, pulling her in closer. "You know I would stop it if I could. I would do it in a heartbeat, of course I would! I truly hate to see you like this, Daisy." Her eyes drifted out of the bedroom window. The night sky was a deep blue-black, with small dots twinkling miles and miles away. It always seemed odd that her daughter had such terrible dreams when the night was so still and glorious.
Still sobbing into her mother's chest, Daisy managed to choke out, "Mum, why do I keep having this dream? What is it about?"
A sad look appeared on the woman's eyes, and she frowned. "Sweetheart," she started slowly, not sure if it was the right time to explain the tragic life of the young girl she was holding. Sighing, she decided that a little white lie was in order to keep their peace a little longer. "I don't know. I wish I did, but this time I do not have a clue."
"B-but you're s-s-supposed t-to know ev-everything!" Daisy chocked out in between her sobs. She clutched her mother so fiercely that crescent-shaped marks were beginning to form on the woman's back. Deirdre sighed, pulling her daughter in to a tight hug once more.
"Try to get back to sleep, okay?" The mother tried, soothingly placing a kiss on Daisy's head. She could feel her shaking within the circle of her arms.
Daisy nodded and released her mother's tight grasp. She lowered herself back down to her bed.
Deirdre tucked her daughter in and kissed her brow once more. "Please try to have sweet dreams. Please," she pleaded, turning the light off in her room so the darkness enveloped the small space.
"I'll try," Daisy whispered as her mother softly shut the door, closing her eyes to try to fall back into a deep slumber. After another restless hour of tossing and turning beneath the sheets, Daisy succumbed to sleep. Again her mind was filed with a dream, but this was a strange, almost pleasant one.
Everything was dark, but the air was filled with a loud noise. Looking towards the sky, there was a small circle of light coming closer and closer to where she was standing. As the light approached her, she realised that it was an extremely oversized motorbike. But how did this motorbike fly? Motorbikes don't fly, she told herself sternly. The Daisy of her dream slowly walked towards the bike and shrieked at what she saw. Riding the motorbike was a huge man, huger than any man she had ever seen. Was it a giant? An odd noise was coming from this man... sobs? What was going on?
"Daisy, wake up! It's time for breakfast dear!"
She was involuntarily jerked from this dream, much to her regret and sense of intrigue. Sitting up in her bed, she tried to understand what this odd dream meant. Shrugging, she decided that it didn't really matter what the dream meant, as long as it wasn't a terrible nightmare.
Getting out of bed, she could smell the wonderful aroma of a large breakfast permeating her bedroom door. She pushed the dream out of her mind and rushed downstairs, her stomach rumbling enthusiastically.
Little did she know, a boy hundred of miles away was having precisely the same dream in a cupboard under a set of very thin, creaky stairs.
Thank you, lovely beta. You make me sound real good. :)