It's a sleepy morning in Potter Manor when the post arrives. Lord James and Lady Lily each nursing a warm mug, tea and coffee respectively. Their three children sit at the table with them, digging into their porridge and toast. Two small boys, Master Harold and Lord Charlus seem to be wearing their breakfast rather than eating it. The messiness of the twin toddlers is more pronounced by the spotless appearance of their older sister. Even at three, Heiress Dahlia seems to be a prim and proper lady, to the amusement of her parents and godfather.
Their peaceful meal is interrupted by a small 'pop,' the arrival of Cantor, the personal elf of Lord Potter. A golden tray in hand, the house elf presents the morning post to the head of the household.
"Thank you, Cantor." James offers the elf a smile as he takes the proffered mail. The elf nods before disappearing with another soft 'pop.' Harold and Charlus giggle as their friend poofs away, slapping the trays of their high chairs happily.
Lily smiles at her boys, reaching for her wand. A few flicks later and the twins are clean once again. Dahlia looks at her mother expectantly. "No charms for you, my flower. You've made no mess." The little girl seems to preen under her mother's praise.
"Lils." The redhead tears her eyes away from her children, turning her attention to her lord-husband. His tone of voice is grave, a stark difference to how he just addressed their elf.
James sets the newspaper he holds on the table, sliding it over to his lady-wife. Lily casts him a look of confusion before tilting her head down to examine the front page.
LORD AND LADY LONGBOTTOM ATTACKED AND HOSPITALIZED
She inhales sharply, bringing a hand to her mouth. Frank and Alice . Lily is quick to snatch up the copy of the Daily Prophet, reading through the article as fast as she can. The attached photograph of Longbottom Manor with the dark mark floating high in the sky makes her stomach twist.
She almost can't believe it. There's no way their friends have been attacked. And their son ! Neville is the same age as Charlus and Harold. It's as she reaches the end of the article that she is able to breathe a slight sigh of relief. Neville survived without injury and is now in the custody of his grandmother. Her godson is safe. Just as quickly as the relief comes, it flees her and her eyes fill with tears. She looks back up at her husband.
James is frowning as he looks at their children. Their perfect children who just survived their own attack not long ago. The evidence is still clear on their toddlers' skin. Harold has a strange shaped scar on his forehead and Dahlia a still healing gash on her right arm from debris of their former home almost collapsing around them. Then, their tiny Charlus has a rather nasty cut on his left cheek, in the shape of a 'V.' His injury is presumed to have been induced from his rebounding the killing curse back at High Lord Slytherin. It's only by Mother Magic's grace that they and their children survived the night.
"James, how could this have happened? It's supposed to be over. He's gone, Charlus defeated him."
Lily almost thinks that he didn't hear her. James sits in silence for several moments, just continuing to frown as he watches their children babble. It's just as Lily goes to question him again that her lord-husband finally speaks.
"It's not safe for them. Not with us. Not anymore."
Lily is shocked silent herself, blinking at the wizard. What could that possibly mean?
"James, what? Do you mean the children? Of course they are safe with us!"
The bespeckled man finally turns to look at her. "Lily, they will never be safe as long as High Lord Slytherin has sympathizers. Especially now that all of Avalon knows of Charlus' feat. There will be wixen fighting to destroy our children at every corner."
"Then we will protect them!" She realizes she's close to shouting. She's not entirely sure where James is heading with his explanation, but her magic building in her core does not lead her to believe that she will like his answer.
"We can't endanger them." James rips his eyes away from hers, looking back at their sons and daughter. Seeing she has her father's attention, Dahlia slips down from her boosted chair and rounds the table.
"Up Papa!" The little redhead holds her hands up toward the wizard as she makes her demand. James is quick to oblige her, tucking the small witch into lap with a small smile. Lily can't help noticing the sadness in his eyes as he gazes down at their girl.
"What would you have us do, James?" There's fear in her voice. Her husband won't look at her.
"Our world is aware of Charlus' part in that night. No news has been posted of Dahlia or Harold. We can still save them."
"Save them?" Lily feels as if her throat may be closing up.
"We'll say that they didn't survive the altercation. No one will question the validity of our statement, especially with how the cottage looks." Surely her heart has stopped beating in her chest. Lily craves her wand. She wants to rip to shreds anything that would take her children from her. "We can send them away. To somewhere safe. Somewhere no one will think to look for them. We can keep them out of Avalon as long as possible so that no one will be able to hurt them."
"You've lost your mind, James Potter." Her words are hissed. She can feel her magic around her like static. She might start screaming. "If you think for one second that my children are safer away from me-"
"Frank and Alice are surely not the last casualties we'll see, Lily. The Lestranges and Crouch somehow got through their ancestral wards. Who's to say that someone will not break through ours?"
Her breath leaves her. Unwillingly, she can see the point her lord-husband is trying to make. "But, how could we live with ourselves knowingly sending them away?"
"We live knowing that we gave them their best chance. Knowing that we did an honorable thing to protect our children, no matter how painful it may be." James reaches out and grasps her hand. "We survive with our decision as long as it takes to bring them home again one day."
-
Her hands are shaking.
Harold babbles lightly, tugging at her necklace as she and James stand in front of the muggle house. It's very clean. Neat. Ordinary. It's so normal that her bones hurt.
She has seen her sister since the summer she graduated Hogwarts. Three years ago. She attended Tuney's wedding with a glamor to hide the fact that she was eight months pregnant with Dahlia at the time. She hadn't told her sister that she bonded to James while still in school. Petunia would never have understood. She would never have wanted to understand.
James shifts beside her, brushing an errant curl out of Dahlia's face. The little girl glares at the house, as if she knows exactly what is about to happen.
"We should do this before any muggles come by." Lily almost jumps when James speaks.
She stares at the plain house for a moment more before nodding. She looks down at her son and tries to give him a smile. The toddler pats her cheek before replacing his hand with a slobbery kiss. A tear rolls down her face. She hugs Harold to her tightly.
"Mama loves you so much, my darling. Be brave for me. Be nice to your sister. Know that I will never stop thinking of you and my love only grows with every passing moment." She presses a kiss to his forehead, sniffling. The baby offers her a smile, his few teeth shining through.
Her and James trade children and Lily squeezes Dahlia as tightly as the little witch will allow. Her daughter clings to her, short arms tight around her neck. "Mama loves you so much, my flower. You have been my guiding light from the moment I became aware of your existence. Be a brave girl for me. Keep your brother safe. Keep my love in your heart, my girl."
"Love you, Mama." Dahlia pulls back, kissing Lily's cheek. Lily kisses both of her little girl's cheeks before stealing a final hug. With Dahlia's face tucked into her neck, she nods at James.
Her husband taps his wand to their toddler's back and she goes limp. Lily's tears are freefalling now, but she's still managing to hold back her sobs. James takes Dahlia in his arms. He places her on the doorstep beside her little brother. A charmed blanket is wrapped tightly around the children before he tucks a letter into the folds. He steps back, wrapping his arms around his lady-wife as they watch their children sleep for a moment.
"We-we should go." Lily doesn't respond, unable to remove her attention from the children they are abandoning. Surely this isn't the only way? "Before your sister wakes."
Tuney always was an early riser. Lily glances at the sky. The stars are still out by it has started to lighten the slightest bit.
"Fine."
She allows James to tug her back down the front walk, though they both stop at the sidewalk. The couple stare at the bundle sitting on the front steps of number four Privet Drive.
"Tell me everything will be okay." Her voice is hoarse from her repressed sobs.
Silence hangs in the air.
A crack sounds throughout the street and it's suddenly as if there were never visitors on this November night in Little Whinging. On the front steps of the Dursley residence, Dahlia Potter hugs her little brother closer.