A Storm had been raging on. Clouds thundered and started pouring down as never before. A jagged bolt of lightning ripped the sky in half. Thunder rolled and sent a sudden chill down her body. She stood there transfixed for a moment. The little girl in the crib started wailing and broke her stupor. Gently she bent down and tried to soothe her daughter. The wailing continued finally she gave in and picked her up to walk around the house.

Samantha was three months old. Tomorrow would be her first Halloween and Lily wanted to carve all the pumpkins in the world to mark this day for her. Her mind drifted off to nearly a year ago. It had been Harry's first Halloween. They had organized a big feast. James had overdone himself and the house may have put Hogwarts to shame. Sirius had gone overboard and the table was spilling with gifts. Peter had got his mother to make her special pie and even Remus looked cheerful and danced about. Joy was evident in the air. She had been over the moon.

It was just a week later that she found out she was pregnant again. It had been quite a shock for both of them. The war was becoming more and more dangerous and this news may easily make her a soft target. Hence they decided to keep it quiet for a while. As months progressed James had wanted to share the news with his friends and Dumbledore but something made Lily uneasy and she kept putting it off. Four months into the pregnancy Lily decided to go to her Aunt's place in the states. They were prime targets for the death eaters and as such Lily's decision to move out was perceived by others as James being overprotective of his wife and son.

She smiled as she remembered the day she was going, Sirius has laughed his goofy laugh and shouted.

'You won't manage to keep her away for a long time mate. I bet my bike she will be back within a fortnight.'

Remus had taken him on 'O! I don't think it will take that long Prongs will be on his knees begging her to come back within days.'

Peter had laughed away agreeing with both of them. They had hugged her and cooed over Harry and then she had been off.

They had all been wrong she had not returned in days or weeks or even a month. She returned five months later with an infant girl in her arms in the dead of night. It had been a week before Harry's first birthday and fifteen days after the birth of their daughter. James had been getting restless to meet her. One look at her and he was bewitched. The shy little baby who had hardly left her mother's arms for anyone else beamed in at her father. For a moment she had forgotten all about the war and the dangers ahead. All that mattered was right here. Her family was together and complete. It had been bliss.

The wind beat against the window and she came back to the present with a start. She realized that at some point she had sat down on the rocking chair and Samantha was fast asleep in her arms. She got up and placed her in the crib. Deciding to check on Harry and James she went down. She could hear their voice from the stair landing. She just sat down on the steps observing her husband and son. James was teaching Harry how to polish his toy broomstick. Harry observed with all the interest a one-year-old could muster. She smiled and remembered Harry's first birthday. It had been ten days ago. They had decided to skip a big party as explaining Samantha would have been difficult but Sirius, Remus and Peter had come anyway laden with gifts.

They had been surprised to see the little baby and Sirius had joked in his usual manner

'What you guys decided to get a girlfriend as a first birthday present and here I thought the broom from his godfather would be the highlight of the day.'

'Lily is just babysitting for the neighbor mate' James had shouted to lily's surprise. He had always wanted to tell his friends about Samantha. Lily had not questioned him and let the incident pass.

A week later they were informed about the prophecy from Dumbledore and they had been put under the fidelius charm. After a brainstorm, they had made Peter as their secret keeper. She was not very happy about it. Peter would be easy pickings for the death eaters but when James and Sirius had a brain wave there was no convincing them.

That night James had come to her and held her close and then said something which had made her insides coil.

'Lily we should give Samantha up for adoption' He had murmured.

She had removed his hand and slapped him.

'If Samantha is such a burden then I will move out and bring her up myself.' She had shouted and then ran out to the garden. There she had broken down and cried. She did not remember for how long she sat there crying. Later James had picked her up and helped her to bed. She had lain there the whole night not getting a blink of sleep. She knew she had to give up her little angel. Harry was already in danger and they could do little to protect him, giving him up was not an option. Voldermort already knew about his existence and would move heaven and hell to find him but Samantha could still avoid all this completely. No one would find her as no one would look for her. She did not want her daughter's life at risk because of who her parents were.

As dawn broke she had already resolved to find the best of a place for her daughter to grow up. She got up from the bed with conviction and went down. She could hear James in the kitchen. He had not come to bed last night. Probably had been tossing and turning on the living room couch somehow blaming himself for their predicament. She decided to make up to him. She had been unusually harsh last night. It was not like he was having any easy time with all this.

She went into the kitchen to find a pot full of tea. James poured her a cup and then got up to get the toast. She walked to him and murmured softly 'I love you.' He took the cup from her and set it on the table then pulled her into a warm embrace and she knew all that all was right again. Oh all her problems were still there but now she felt she could take on the world. Slowly they had both sat down and enjoyed a silent breakfast, a rarity in a household with two kids.

Later she told James that she would write to her aunt and tell her to make inquiries. She had not had to say anymore James had understood that she would be asking her aunt to look into the adoption possibilities for Samantha.

This had been two days before. Today morning she had received a reply from her Aunt that she had made the arrangements with an orphanage and that they had the best of reputation and all the adoptive parents were very carefully screened and selected. Even for children who did not get adopted right away were properly cared for and educated. The best part was that they did not ask many questions of the birth parents and if the parents so wished they could pay the orphanage a handsome amount for the care of their child. She had already spoken to them and they had agreed to have Samantha. Tomorrow morning she would be going there.

Suddenly there was a shriek of laughter and she was brought back to the present. James was tickling Harry and he seemed to be enjoying himself. She went down to them and seeing her James put Harry down and came up to her.

'Is Samantha asleep?'

'Yes, the storm seemed to have bothered her but now she is back in dreamland.'

He laughed at this but lily noticed the sadness in his eyes and held him quietly.

'You should go off to sleep too. Tomorrow will be a long day.' He said

'I am not sure if I will be able to find any sleep today.' He sat down and pulled her to him.

'I still think you should let me come.'

She sighed. 'James we have had this discussion before. It's not safe. I will be able to apparate with Samantha under the invisibility cloak but with three of us together it will not be possible. Anyways we cannot leave Harry alone.'

'Then why don't you stay with Harry and let me take Samantha.'

They had been arguing about this the whole day. She knew he just wanted to protect her. She took a long breath and turned to look him in the eye.

'There is something I have been meaning to talk to you about. I ..' she stammered not sure how to put her thoughts into words.

'James after I hand Samantha to the adoption agents I am planning to oblivate Aunt Melissa of Samantha's memory.'

Shock etched on James' face as clear as day. He opened his mouth no doubt to argue but she held up her hand.

'Just listen to me. I know it sounds cruel but she is a Muggle and if anyone were to locate her then Samantha's existence will become easy knowledge. I just want to protect my baby.'

'Lily if u oblivate your Aunt then who will look after Samantha in case anything goes wrong. What if she gets adopted by some far away couple before we could get her back?'

'I know I spelled her locket with a locator charm and I will plead with them to let her keep wearing it as a birth mother's only gift. But it is a risk I suppose we will have to take.'

'I don't know Lily. I just don't know anything anymore. My one-year-old son has a life threat. My baby daughter will grow up in an orphanage and both us we are confined to this house. Sometimes I wonder if it was all worth it.' The hopelessness in his voice broke her heart. She reached out and held his face in both of her hands.

'You listen to me James Potter it will always be worth it. Never for a second doubt that. We will get through this.' Then she kissed him lightly and got up to take Harry to bed.

Lying on the bed next to Harry she was thinking about the conversation she had just had with James. She had not told him her whole plan .It was not just oblivating Aunt Melissa that she needed to go out for tomorrow. She also had to send a letter, an anonymous letter. She cannot risk anyone knowing who the sender was. The receiver would know the moment he saw the letter but nobody else, James the least. It was not like he controlled her in any manner but if he knew who she was planning to write He would be furious. She was not sure if she was doing the right thing writing to him but she somehow knew that he would never harm her daughter. She called it instincts; either that or she was going crazy and handing her daughter on a platter to Voldermort. She would not think about that and any more. It was only a contingency plan in case they got killed. She was sure nothing would happen to them as long as they were in this cottage. Dumbledore had put in all his effort to protect them. She turned and kissed Harry. He was already fast asleep. She then got up she had a letter to write.

With quill in hand she stared at the parchment, she was not going to write any kind of salutation. Her address on the envelope would be enough. So she began.

'I am not sure how to word this or whether you will even care about this. I have a month old daughter. I know it is a bombshell. I have placed her in an orphanage. I am mentioning the details at the back of this letter. No one is aware of her existence. She was a surprise child and with the war taking its toll we kept her birth a secret. All I am asking of you is to make sure that she is cared for. You don't have to take her in or even provide for her. Just look after her from afar and protect her from any danger.

I would also like to name you as her godfather if you would accept.'

She folded the letter and placed it in an envelope and charmed it so that it could only be opened after her death. Now she wrote down another small note.

Hi

I know hearing from me is a surprise. Today I found myself hoping that we had parted on better terms. I have something to ask you, a favor in case I do not survive this battle. There is another envelope with this letter charmed to open only on my death. I just hope that you will read this before throwing it away if only to assuage your curiosity.

You're Friend

(At least I hope so)

She then folded this note and with the other envelope placed it in a bigger envelope. On top, she wrote

'The Half-Blood Prince'

She then got up and went to her daughter. James was already sitting beside her. She joined them and just stared at her. Her head full of red hair, her small lips which seemed to be pressed into a thin line, her button-like nose. She was an angel, their angel. Before she realized she had dozed off. The morning arrived too soon for them. Both of them went through their daily chores without any conviction. Neither said a word. Even the atmosphere outside seemed to reflect their pain. The storm had stopped but the general weather was dull and gloomy. She prepared her daughter's bag and placed the charmed necklace around her neck. She wrapped her up in the warmest blanket then went down to the living room to kiss James goodbye. They hugged and then he kissed Samantha and then covered them in the invisibility cloak and disapparated to her Aunts doorsteps. She silently unlocked the door to the house and went in. Once inside she took off the invisibility cloak. She then placed Samantha on the couch and took out her wand and accioed the adoption papers. They came flying to her. She sat down checked them and after confirming everything kept them on the coffee table. She then slowly went to the bedroom and saw her Aunt sleeping there. Muttering a silent sorry she then preceded to oblivate her of all the memories of her daughter.

She then came to the living room picked up her daughter covered themselves with the invisibility cloak and took the adoption papers from the coffee table and apparated to the mentioned address.

A cheerful receptionist greeted here there and cooed at Samantha. She did not seem bothered by the early hour. Lily realized that mothers giving up their children normally did not maintain decent visiting hour. She handed the papers to the girl and was asked to wait for a few minutes. After a few minutes, a woman walked out. She seemed to be in her early forties. Hair auburn was tied back in a neat pony. Her business suit and stilettos gave the air of complete professionalism but something on her face made you feel at ease. When she turned to look at lily she had a smile which made Lily feel that she had been doing this for a long time.

'I am Nancy Sanders your daughter's guardian for her stay in our institution.' She introduced.

The way she spoke made Lily feel as if this was a boarding school and not an orphanage and somehow that erased all doubts from her mind. She smiled at Nancy and tried to hand Samantha over. But Nancy just gave her full blown smile and pointed at a doorway.

'We were expecting you and have prepared your daughter's accommodation. I will guide you to it. You may have a few moments with her before leaving.'

Lily walked through the door with Nancy and was shown a room down the hall. Quietly she entered and was pleasantly surprised to see a nursery right out of a fairytale. It had a soft pink and cream color wall which had different characters painted everywhere. From unicorns to angels to princesses everything was present. It seemed to add a story to the room. The chandelier spread a warm light making it all the more relaxed. There were a few beds with soft blue linens and white blankets young girls of around three to four years were all fast asleep. The side stand had a water jug right out of the Victorian era. Soft toys were strewn everywhere but somehow it did not seem like clutter but gave the room a lived-in feeling. Silver and gold Butterflies and stars hung from the ceiling. Light brown and white curtain hung from the windows and were carefully tied. Dark brown drawers accompanied the bed. The wooden furniture added to the fairy tale ambiance. The fireplace was worth belonging to a princess. Then there were the cribs with high walls and canopy around them in all colors of the rainbow. The room was huge and every bed alternated with a crib. A doll house with pretty dolls and cute decoration could be seen with a small reading place on its side. All in all, everything was perfect. Lily realized that this place was aptly named 'The Princess Den'.

She looked around and spotted a small empty crib against the wall. There was a winged horse painted on the wall behind it, the woodwork reminded her of Hogwarts. There was a neat label attached to it which read Samantha. She had not given her any last name. It would have defied the purpose of her being there. Gently she lowered her taking care to gently place her head on the pillow. Sareadmantha was awake and staring around as if trying to understand the story the walls depicted. Lily knelt down on the floor and placed a hand on her daughter's head and before she realized she was singing Samantha her lullaby and within minutes she was fast asleep. Tears were pouring down her eyes she tried to wipe them by the back of her hand but they just kept flowing. Slowly she got up and with a longing look at her daughter she turned and with hurried steps walked out. She did not turn back. She just could not.

It was only at the reception that she faltered. Nancy was waiting there and moved ahead to help her. This time, she did not have the easy smile but a kind sympathetic look on her face. She helped Lily to a chair. The receptionist came ahead with a glass of water. Slowly she took a sip and then sat there silently sat there for a moment. None of them offered her kind words of compassion and understanding for which she was grateful. She pulled out her bag and rummaged it then pulled out an envelope. She handed it over to Nancy.

'This is an account I have set up in Samantha's name. I have added your institution's name as trustee.

Please make sure that Samantha gets whatever she needs and if she is adopted make sure her adoptive parents understands that this her mother's way of saying that she loves her, the only method she has.'

Before either of them could respond she got up and walked off. As she stood on the other side of the road she realized that the sun had risen. It has been only a few hours that she had left her house but it felt like an eternity. She had another task to accomplish. She took a deep breath looked around and apparated. She appeared the in front of a '24/7 Coffee Joint'. She stepped in and went to the counter and mentioned 'Magical cappuccino'. He smiled and gave her a token and showed her to the inner room. She removed the curtain and stepped inside. The other side was no room but an entrance to a big three story building. The sign read 'Post Office'. She went to the door and tapped her wand. It creaked and then opened. She walked in to find a witch dozing off at the reception. She cleared her throat to make her presence known. The witch opened her eyes and stared at her.

'I would like to send a letter to England, Coke worth.'

'Second Floor.' She said and promptly closed her eyes again.

Lily looked around located the stairs and made her way up.

Owls lined one side of the room. The other side contained more exotic birds. Then there was the fireplace with the stand containing a large amount of floo powder for people who wished to make urgent floo calls. A balding wizard sat on the floor sorting what seemed like bird food. He looked up and said

'Where'

'Umm Coke worth, England'

'Bird or Floo'

'Bird, Owl. A fast one if you don't mind.'

'You pay the express delivery and I don't mind.'

'Sure; No problem.'

'Hand over the letter.'

She placed the letter in his outstretched palm. He waved his wand over it and muttered an incantation. Seeing her watching, he narrowed his eyes

'Can't have you sending hexes or dark objects now. Can I.' He spat rather unkindly.

He then whistled and an owl came perched on his arms and stretched its legs.

He tied the letter and took her to the window to take off.

Abruptly he turned and said '3 gallons and 10 sickles.'

'It's rather expensive' Lily remarked as she took the money out.

'It's an excellent service.' The man replied.

Not wanting to argue any further she handed him and walked off. Once out on the street, she apparated back home.

The moment she appeared James rushed towards her and hugged her. They stood like that for a long time. Both of them drawing comfort from each other. Slowly Lily extricated herself and mumbling something about preparing Harry's breakfast, she went into the kitchen. It was the first time she has hidden something from James and it weighed heavily on her.

The whole day passed away in a blur and before she realized it was already dark. She was just coming down the stairs when James turned from the window pale as a ghost and shouted.

'Lily run away with Harry, he is here'.

All the color drained from her face she hesitated and in that moment a man wearing a black robe with a hood over his face entered the house. Before James could utter a word a green light left his wand and he fell down lifeless. Lily ran upstairs and picked up a crying Harry in her arms. But by then he was already there. In a hoarse voice, he commanded her to move aside.

'Move aside and I will let you live. It's the boy I want.'

In that moment her infant daughter's face flashed in front of her eyes and she knew she had made the right decision.

She placed Harry back in the crib and turned with evident determination in her eyes.

'You will have my son over my dead body.

'So be it.' The man said and almost lazily pointed his wand at her. The green light shot out and Lily fell down her eyes empty. The man once again pointed his wand this time at the kid and said 'Avada Kedarva.' The green light sought from his wand and hit the child on the forehead but something unexpected happened. The light bounced his head and hit the man instead. He let out an ear-piercing screech and his body just fizzled out, emitting a smoky face which just flew out. The force of the spell brought down half the roof.

Harry sat in his crib crying. His life had just turned upside down starting with the new lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.