Disclaimer: Anything you may recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling

July 7th, 2007

Harry Potter walked briskly past the streaming line of people exiting the first terminal. Wafts of different smells and languages swarmed his senses as he wove his way through the crowd. Harry had just endured a five hour flight from Romania because of the recent Death Eater attacks. He didn't usually mind muggle travel, but he felt anxious to be leaving his seven year old daughter, Anastasia, at home for so long even though she was safe with Ginny's old friend from the Harpies, Alicia Spinnet. This was the first time Anna had been left this alone since Ginny was attacked four years ago and went into a coma.

Of course, this trip had been of great importance due to the recent attacks led by the Death Eaters, acting for Voldemort, who hadn't been seen since the Battle of Hogwarts. The most recent attack would have completely dislodged the Wizarding World if it weren't for Harry calming everyone down and restoring order.

Harry sighed, stepping away from the baggage claim. He just hoped that Anastasia hadn't gotten into any trouble. The weird happenings had been beginning to show very rarely, but when they did, Anna always got into huge trouble. This would cause her to ask questions which would be poorly answered by her father. He couldn't help it, she was forbidden to know before she was old enough. He knew she would be all right with Alicia, he trusted her. But yet he was stricken with a sense of sadness over her because of the world and life that she had been dragged into.

As Harry descended the long staircase leading to the basement parking lot, he noticed his silver muggle car was the only car on the level. Suddenly he felt the presence of someone. They radiated purpose and power, though not their own.
Harry managed to dodge a blow that would have surely knocked him out. He found his target and kicked hard into the man's stomach which should have taken a normal human's consciousness. He shot a stupefy spell in their general direction. But these were obviously not normal people. These were Death Eaters, most likely doing Voldemorts duties.

These men didn't stand a chance seeing as Harry was experienced in this matter. Harry kept fighting against the Death Eaters until suddenly he felt a great weight pressing him into the asphalt. He heard a cold hissing voice that sent shivers down his spine. "Repress him."

These men were obviously using a force from something much bigger that even Harry couldn't stand a chance against. They were under the comand of the silent master that had appeared behind them for the first time since the Battle.
As the men grinned maliciously down at their success, Harry held onto one last thought of his daughter before slipping into a quiet, seemingly endless darkness.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

August 16th, 2014

Fall had come early this year and it was a cool day on the streets of Beatrix Avenue as I walked down the sidewalk scattered with leaves dancing in the wind. The sidewalk was lined with a black cast-iron fence that kept the children in the yard of the large and old brick manor. The sounds of children mingled with the wind. Although there was no laughter or singing, you could hear them. They were there. I could tell they were plagued by sadness and the desire to leave, kept by their own personal demons and outside forces reining them in. It was as she opened the gate that I saw her.

A group of barefoot children were playing soccer in the small field just beyond the manor. They were what looked like a group of four children between the ages of eight and fourteen. One girl stood apart from the rest to I. She wasn't tall or short, or even the oldest, but it was obvious that this was her game. She handled the ball with such control, flaming red hair whipping behind her in a ponytail as she ran towards her teammate, a little brunette, while dribbling the ball between her dirty bare feet. She whispered something to the girl and the brunette went running off towards a boy that looked about nine. The red haired one began to take the ball towards a makeshift goal that the oldest boy was guarding. She stopped about fifteen yards in front of him before backing up a bit and kicking the ball confidently into the gap between the trees straight out of the goalie's reach. She smiled, her bright green eyes shining. A perfect shot.

I dragged myself up the cobblestone walk, trying to tear my eyes away from the girl that I automatically recognized. Today wasn't a day to get distracted; I had a task to complete. When I reached the shabby, gray door I knocked hesitantly, waiting for a response. I heard a scuffle and the door opened.

"Oh, hello. Are you our visitor for today?" Asked an old withered down woman dressed in a simple beige dress and cloak. She was on the thin side and had a rough voice, like she had been gargling peanut butter before she came to the door.

"Yes, I am."I replied softly. "I'm here for the matter of adopting Anastasia Potter."

The woman's face paled and she opened the door wider and stepped aside to let I pass through. "All right, please follow this way to my office." She spoke much less confident than before. "I have to warn you, we've had very few people interested in Anastasia, and those who were left in the first ten minutes." She said as she led me down a boring gray corridor.

The inside of the manor appeared to have been last renovated over fifty years ago and therefore was faded, very creaky and old. There was hardly any color or decorations in the entranceway or in the woman's office either as I was brought into the room with the door shut behind her. It was a simple gray room with a small wooden desk with a lamp and a nameplate that read "Miss Popkins" and a small picture of tabby cat. I sat down on a chair facing the desk and was offered a cup of tea or coffee.

"No thank you." I declined.

"Okay then, I'll go fetch Anastasia for you then." She said and bustled out of the room.

A couple of seconds later I could hear some voices. "ANASTASIA! Come here there's a visitor to see you!" I sensed irritation from Miss Popkins as she shouted for the girl.

"I'm coming! Don't get your panties in a twist!" She had a warm voice that I instantly recognized as Ginny's, completely bold commenting on Miss Popkin's tone once she heard a door slam. The other children laughed. I heard pounding footsteps up steps and a door thrown open.

"What took you so long?" Snapped Miss Popkins.

"Nothing Miss Popkins." She said in a sing-song voice.

"Don't use that tone with me! I know that's not what you call me behind my back! You don't think I didn't hear what you just said out there, do you!"

"Miss Popkins, do you really think I would say that knowing that you were listening?" The girl was completely calm and nonchalant sounding. "Of course I knew you could hear me, do you really think I'm stupid enough to not realize that?" I was about to go out there and stop what was going on but before I could, footsteps were making their way towards the door, and the girl was thrust into the room.
At a closer inspection of her face, I could see that she looked like an exact human imprint of her parents. She had Ginny's hair and face for the most part, including freckles spattered across her nose and cheeks with Harry's eyes. Her eyes were a vivid green like her father's except a similar shape to her mother's.

"Yes?" she said, quickly covering up her shock at seeing the woman in front of her.

"Well, I'm thinking of adopting you, and thought that I would come and meet with you to finalize things."

"Oh, are you?"She said sounding sarcastic.

"Yes, I don't know if you knew this, but I've been trying hard to gain hold of you for years." I replied calmly.

"Well if it's been 'years' as you say it has, then you must not have been trying too hard, seeing as I'm still here in this god-awf-... never mind." She cut off, hesitant."And anyways, why? There have been plenty of people who haven't wanted me before, and now you think you can just come in and expect me to believe that you have wanted me for years."

"Oh, I know that you don't want to be adopted." I said back.

"Yeah right, you're just making that up!" She very nearly yelled. Her face showed contempt and something close to disgust.

"Because Anna," I said in a whisper, "I'm special, and so are you." I paused as Anna eyed me. "And I think you've known for quite awhile now."
"You don't know me." She said quietly. "If you did, you'd know that those people aren't my friends, and that I can't leave because I have to protect them. And I'm not special."

"Everyone's special Anna. Even those kids who you think need protecting. Now let's sit down and let me talk for a while without interruption." I said

"I want to tell you about your parents. So, first of all I should introduce myself."

I could see the obvious pain emblazoned on her face, but all the same, she said, "I know who you are Aunt Hermione."