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Chapter 1.

The Girl Who Lived. He began.

Violet internally groaned. Such a lovely name, she thought sarcastically.

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.

"Absolutely welcome!" George shouted. His Mother glared at him.

They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.

"Nope, not one bit." Fred said following his twin.

Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills.

"What are drilz?" Arthur asked excitedly looking at Violet and Hermione.

"It's drills and why don't you write down whatever you want to know and I'll answer later? Hermione suggested. She could tell some of the others were already annoyed at the interruptions.

"Alright." Arthur said writing it down on a piece of parchment his wife handed him.

He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors.

Nice to know she hasn't changed one bit Severus thought sarcastically.

The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer child anywhere.

Sirius raised his eyebrow, he could find one. She's sitting right beside him.

The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.

"And what's wrong about the Potters?" Sirius and Remus asked with visible anger.

Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be.

"How could she say that about her own sister?" Molly asked weakly.

"Probably has to do with her not having a heart..." Violet muttered so no one heard.

The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street.

"Probably do that street some good" Ron muttered.

The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small girl, too, but they had never even seen her. This girl was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.

"A child like what?" Sirius growled putting his arm around Violet's shoulders and pulling her close. Remus also grew angry, Violet was an amazing girl.

"They actually thought that about you Violet?"Bill asked.

"Yeah." Violet said lightly. "They still do." Bill scowled and turned to the book.

When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work,

"Why would you pick out something that was boring? You need excitement in your life, if you want it t mean anything." Arthur said wisely. His wife shocked; looked at him with a smile.

and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair. None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window. At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls. "Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house.

"How could he encourage that behavior from a child? That is no way to raise a kid." Minerva lectured with Molly nodding furiously.

He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive. It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar - a cat reading a map. For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen - then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light.

"Why no it was not-" Fred began.

"-a trick of the light." George continued.

"It was Professor Mcgonagall!" The twins shouted together.

Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive - no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs.

"Unless it an Animagus." Mad Eye muttered.

Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day. But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks.

"Stupid Muggle, that's not strange." Draco said. Everyone just rolled their eyes at him.

"It's strange to Muggles, Malfoy. They haven't wore cloaks for at least 100 years." Violet said slowly as if she was talking to a 5 year old.

Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes - the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdoes standing quite close by.

"I love the parts were he calls us weirdoes. Really makes my day." Tonks muttered.

They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt - these people were obviously collecting for something... yes, that would be it. The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.

"One track mind." Severus sneered. Just like famous Potter, her mind always on ways to spark more attention. He thought bitterly.

"Severus." Dumbledore warned.

Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open- mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime.

"Could of exposed us, the dunderheads." Mad Eye growled.

Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more.

"He does love to shout." Violet said.

"Really?" Sirius questioned, narrowing his eyes. That horrible man better had not shouted at her.

"Er..."

He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road

"He actually walked willingly?" Violet asked shocked.

"I remember what he looked like, he wouldn't do it for nothing." Ron said. Hermione smacked him on his arm and glared.

"There is no need to be rude Ronald."

"Oi! That hurt. And he deserved it for being mean." Ron grumbled rubbing his arm. Hermione smiled sheepishly at Violet and shrugged.

to buy himself a bun from the bakery.

"The world is right again." Bill announced raising his arms above his head.

Minerva narrowed her eyes at the children in the room. She crossed her arms and stared at the book in Albus's lap. Even though she wouldn't admit it out loud, she was nervous of what the future held.

He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.

"The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard - yes, their daughter, Violet"

Everyone in the room tried to look away from Violet. They knew she didn't like pity. But it was so hard to not feel it for her. She lost so much for something she couldn't help. Even Draco, who had been silent from the beginning knew not to say anything.

Violet looked at her hands and scooted closer to Sirius while taking Remus's hand. They had lost as much as she did that day.

Mr. Dursley stopped dead.

"If only..." Violet muttered.

Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it. He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking... no, he was being stupid. Potter wasn't such an unusual name.

"It is in the Wizarding World." Luna said dreamily. Ginny shook her head fondly at her strange friend.

He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a daughter called Violet. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his niece was called Violet. He'd never even seen the girl. It might have been Vanessa. Or Valerie.

"He didn't even know your name?" Hermione asked. Sirius and Remus glared at the book while everyone else was waiting for the answer.

"No he didn't." Violet sighed." I still don't think he does."

"But he's your Uncle. How could he not? Charlie asked heatedly. Even Mrs. Weasley 'tutted'.

There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her - if he'd had a sister like that...

"A sister like what?" Sirius growled pulling Violet closer. Remus squeezed his hands into fists. The others glared at the book just as hard.

but all the same, those people in cloaks...

He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.

"Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell.

"He knew the word?" Neville asked but then blushed realsing he spoke out loud. Violet smiled over at him and reached over to pat his arm.

"It surprised me to Nev." Violet said comfortingly.

It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a purple cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"

"They could of exposed us!" Minerva shouted, shocked. How could they be so stupid? Mad Eye and Severus nodded agreeing wholeheartedly.

"You're right Miverva, of course. But you must understand though, it was eleven years of torture for everyone." Dumbledore reasoned. Miverva pursed her lips but nodded.

And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off. Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was.

"It's a p-" Hermione began but was cut of by Fred and George covering her mouth with their hands. She glared and folded her arms across her chest.

Those who knew Hermions very well hurriedly motioned for Dumbledore to continue.

He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.

"How could he-" George began.

"-not approve of imagination?" Fred finished.

"He never has. He's very closed minded and self centered." Violet answered. If only she thought. Why do I still have to live with them. I wish Sirius could take me away and we could be a proper family.

As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw - and it didn't improve his mood - was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.

"How could you possibly be that patient Minerva?" Tonks asked incuriously. She could never stay still for that long.

"It comes with being a Teacher. And dealing with those trouble makers over there." She answered pointing over to Sirius, Remus, Fred, George, Violet, Ron, and Hermione.

Percy who had been staring at the wall pursed his lips.

"Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly. The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look.

"We all know that look well." Sirius mused. He looked down towards Violet and smiled glad that he could finally be here for her.

Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.

"I wonder who wears the pants in that house?" Charlie muttered sarcastically.

Violet smiled slightly. Petunia did of course, but that didn't mean Vernon always listened to her. Violet shuddered.

Sirius looked at her concerned and hugged her closer.

Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!").

"Charming child." Miverva muttered.

Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:

"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"

"Well, Ted,"

"It's my Dad!" Tonks shouted happily. She remembered when he worked for the Muggle news. He had come home that day sad and had told her why. Mrs and Mr Potter had died.

said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early - it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."

Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters...

"The stupid Muggle is actually putting it together." Draco grumbled. Severus gave him a sharp look, they were in a room full of people that hated them both.

"Imagine..." Made Eye growled." If that dunderhead could put it together, who else could?"

"Now Alastor, he had help, he already knew about magic." Albus soothed.

Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er - Petunia, dear - you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"

"Bloody coward.." Ginny said quietly. It wouldn't do her any good if her Mother heard her.

As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.

"How could she be so heartless towards her own sister?" Remus asked angrily.

"It's just the way she is. She's jealous." Violet said. Everyone looked towards her sadly.

"I don't want your pity." She snapped. Everyone had noticed she had been rather silent during the first part of the chapter. She has been a little touchy lately, they added.

"No," she said sharply. "Why?"

"Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls... shooting stars... and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today..."

"So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley.

"Well, I just thought... maybe... it was something to do with... you know... her crowd."

"Her crowd?" Everyone growled. How could someone not care for a member of their family? Especially someone as sweet as Lily Potter.

If this is how they're reacting now, Violet thought. She was beyond scared of what they'll do when they find out about the time she had to live there.

Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their daughter - she'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't she?"

"I suppose so, she's a little younger" said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.

"What's her name again? Vanessa, isn't it?"

"Violet. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."

"Violet isn't common. When do you here-" Fred began.

"-the name Violet in a normal conversation?" George finished scowling.

"Bloody horse." Remus muttered, much to the surprise of Violet who had heard.

The Weasley's were mad, Violet was a member of their family, no matter what blood she had in her. Even Charlie and Bill who hadn't really had the time to know her were upset. Percy on the other hand didn't no what to think, honestly.

"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."

He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something. Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did... if it got out that they were related to a pair of - well, he didn't think he could bear it.

The Dursleys got into bed.

The Twins waggled their eyebrows at Violet suggestively. Sirius laughed loudly at her face, full of disgust. She wasn't the only one, in fact, all around the room people couldn't hide their repulsion.

Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind...

Everyone frowned.

He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on - he yawned and turned over - it couldn't affect them...

How very wrong he was.

"The man jinxed it." Ron said happily. Knowing that whatever mad the Dursleys unhappy, was happy for him. Hermione rolled her eyes, boys.

Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.

"I couldn't never have the patience for that. Maybe that's why I'm not a teacher." Tonks sighed.

"That or you'd nock down the kids walking to your desk." Charlie laughed at his friend.

"I'm sure you'd make a lovely teacher Tonks." Remus answered blushing. Tonks blushed too and looked down. Sirius waggled his eyebrows at his little cousin.

A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.

"Mhhmm, probably the Nargles." Luna said with her pointer finger on her chin, thinking dreamily. That was a word always used with Luna Lovegood. Dreaming.

Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice.

"Dumbledore!" Almost everyone said happily. Most of the teachers - Snape - didn't even look up from the spot they had been staring at on the rug.

This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.

The Twins grinned at Albus and gave a thumbs up. Albus laughed merrily and stood up, putting the book in Minerva's hands, bowed.

Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."

"Even Professor Dumbledore knows it's Professor Mcgonagll." Neville said.

He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop.

"Brilliant!" The Pranksters in the room shouted.

"Can we have one?" The Twins asked.

"Sorry my boys, only one every made, by my own design." Dumbledore said.

He clicked it again - the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him.

"Wicked." Was heard around the room.

If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.

"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."

"Ha! We all knew it." Sirius said proudly.

"No one ever said you were wrong." Minerva said raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah..Uh, well... Carry on Albus." Sirius grumbled.

He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one.

"Why do you were green when your the head of Gryffindor house?" Violet asked.

"Well, I think the color goes better with my complexion."

"Oh I see." Violet nodded. Holding back laughter she looked over towards Hermione and Ron, who were doing the same.

Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.

"Never a day had come, that I had ever seen her quite that ruffled." Albus said.

Minerva glared at him and folded her arms infront of her.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked.

"My dear Professor, I 've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."

Tonks grumbled.

"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.

"No one asked you too." Bill pointed out.

"It was wise of her to do that, boy. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Mad Eye growled.

"Man Mad Eye, give me a heart-attack." Tonks grumbled glaring at him. Mad Eye rolled his 'eye' at his favorite student and motioned for Albus to continue reading.

"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."

Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.

"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no - even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls... shooting stars... Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent - I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."

Everyone laughed. No one could disagree with that.

"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."

The laughter died down as soon as it was mentioned. Everyone back to their somber moods. Violet cuddled more closely into Sirius while Remus patted her arm.

"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."

She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day YouKnow-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?"

Everyone sighed. They really didn't fancy reading about this horrible day. They all looked at Violet with more Pity, lucky that she was looking at her hands then at them. They knew she would have been angry.

"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"

"A what?" Arthur asked excitedly. He had a rapidly growing list infront of him and couldn't wait to find out more.

"It should explain Arthur." Albus said smiling.

"A what?"

Everyone laughed.

"A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of"

Arthur wrote foolishly on his parchment with a fond smile on his face.

"No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone -"

"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You- Know-Who' nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort."

Almost everyone flinched except for Dumbledore, Violet, Sirius, Remus, Hermione, Mad Eye, Tonks, and Severus.

Violet rolled her eyes. "Fear of a name increases fear of a thing itself."

Dumbledore smiled proudly at Violet, glad that she was explaining the foolishness of that fear.

Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name.

"I know you haven 't, said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."

"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."

"Only because you're to noble to use them, Albus." Remus said knowingly.

"You're flattering me Mr. Lupin."

"Only because you're too - well - noble to use them."

Remus blushed and looked away while Sirius laughed at his best friend.

Please, Draco thought with a sneer. That old dustpan wouldn't know true power unless it him in his twinkling face.

"What are you sneering at, you stupid git?" Ron snarled.

"Nothing Weasley, only the fact that I have to sit in a room full of people that are so poor they look like the people my Father pays charity for." He sneered. All the Weasley's blushed while everyone else glared at Malfoy.

"Shut up, Malfoy." Violet said.

"Make me Potter, I can't wait to find out all your dirty little secrets. Maybe you wont be so loved then."

Severus finally nudged Draco sharply. It wouldn't do either of them any good to be called out.

"Shut your ferret face." Ron growled. Draco blushed and looked away. Violet went pale and turned to face the book. Sirius noticed and his eyebrow creased with worry.

"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."

The Twins snickered until Molly through them a sharp look.

Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"

They all looked down and smiled sadly. Violet should still have her parents. Sirius and Remus held on to Violet for her support, but also their own. Lily and James had been their friends.

It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.

"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow.

Everyone went pale and looked anywhere but the three people on the coach. Violet looked at the wall, she couldn't afford to get worked up. She admitted a long time ago that she would never see her parents. She had to be ok with that.

He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are - are - that they're - dead. "

No one said anything. They all put their heads down in a remembrance. Molly and Hermione had tears slowly sliding down their faces. While the others who had to much Pride to cry, closed their eyes.

Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.

"Lily and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it... Oh, Albus..."

"Didn't know you cared so much Professor." Sirius half smiled. Minerva batted at his arm and smiled.

Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know... I know..." he said heavily.

Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's daughter, Violet.

Sirius and Remus growled. How dare he kill their goddaughter/honorary niece. Ron and Hermione looked towards their best friend, Violet doing the same. They all smiled.

But - he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little girl. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Violet Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone.

Dumbledore nodded glumly.

"It's - it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done... all the people he's killed... he couldn't kill a little girl? It's just astounding... of all the things to stop him... but how in the name of heaven did Violet survive?"

"We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."

Violet glared at Dumbledore. He knows, she thought bitterly. But why is he ignoring me?

Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"

"Hagrid..." Everyone sighed happily.

"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"

Sirius glared at nothing and sighed angrily. If he hadn't gone after the damn rat, he could have been there for his goddaughter. He could have helped her.

"I've come to bring Violet to her aunt and uncle. They're the only family she has left now."

Sirius sighed angrily again. Remus on the other hand, sighed sadly. If he wasn't a werewolf he could have looked after her.

"You don't mean - you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore - you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son - I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Violet Potter come and live here!"

"Thank you for trying Professor." Violet said gratefully. If only Dumbledore had listened to her.

"Of course Miss. Potter."

"It's the best place for her," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to her when she's older. I've written them a letter."

"A LETTER?" Molly screeched. He explained everything in a letter?

"Molly... It was the only way." Albus sighed sadly.

"No it couldn't have been. She could have come and lived with us, we would have taken her in with open arms. Just by this chapter I know those awful people won't treat her right." Molly screeched again. All the Weasley's nodded furiously. Violet smiled at their kindness.

Dumbledore knew there was no way to explain why he had to leave her there, hopefully in dew time it would explain.

Sirius growled. "I won't to know how they treated you Violet."

"Nothing bad, I promise." Violet lied through her teeth. Remus noticed and looked worriedly at the book.

"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand her! She'll be famous - a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Violet Potter day

"Oh please no! Tell me there isn't right?" Violet demanded. Snape and Draco raised their eyebrows.

"No I assure you there isn't. The request got lost in the mail." Dumbledore said.

Violet looked faint.

in the future - there will be books written about Violet

Everyone relaxed at once and laughed.

- every child in our world will know her name!"

"Unfortunately..." She muttered.

"Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any girl's head. Famous before she can walk and talk! Famous for something she won't even remember! Can you see how much better off she'll be, growing up away from all that until she's ready to take it?"

"Yeah, she would have probably turned out more like her father." Sirius laughed along with Remus.

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes - yes, you're right, of course. But how is the girl getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Violet underneath it.

"You better not have!" Molly and Hermione grumbled.

"Hagrid's bringing her."

Some around the room looked unsure about that fact.

"You think it - wise - to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"

"I would trust Hagrid with my life." Violet, Ron, and Hermione said.

Dumbledore laughed.

I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.

Violet and Hermione giggled while Ron chuckled, manly of course.

"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to - what was that?"

A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky - and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.

"My beautiful baby!" Sirius said dreamily.

"You'd reckon he'd be related to Luna, wouldn't ya?" Ron whispered to Hermione and Violet. They laughed causing Neville to give them a strange look.

If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild - long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins.

"That makes him sound scary." Charlie said laughing.

"Yeah the complete opposite of him." Violet laughed along.

In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.

All the girls in the room smiled - including Minerva. The Boys smiled too but at Violet instead of the book.

"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"

"Me!" Sirius shouted. Remus rolled his eyes at his best friend.

"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sit," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got her, sir."

"The word young makes me laugh." Violet teased Sirius. He smirked at her and yanked her over so he could tickle her.

"S-stop! S-s-sirius p-please." Violet giggled laughing. He stopped and put his arm around her smiling.

"No problems, were there?"

"No, sir - house was almost destroyed, but I got her out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. She fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."

"Awe!" The women cooed making Violet blush and tuck her head into Sirius's arm.

Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby girl, fast asleep. Under a tuft of dark red hair over her forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.

Violet unknowingly flattened a piece of hair over the scar.

"Is that where -?" whispered Professor McGonagall.

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "She'll have that scar forever."

"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"

"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground.

"Really?" The Twins asked excitedly. Dumbledore chuckled and showed them the scar. He hadn't been exaggerating.

Well - give her here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with."

Dumbledore took Violet in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house.

"Could I - could I say good-bye to her, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Violet and gave her what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.

"I take offence to that!" Sirius protested. Those who knew rolled their eyes while the others looked at him strangely. Violet laughed and shook her head at the crazy man.

"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!"

"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily an' James dead - an' poor little Violet off 'ter live with Muggles -"

Everyone smiled fondly at that. Hagrid was such a nice man.

"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Violet gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Violet's blankets, and then came back to the other two.

"You left her on the doorstep!" Molly yelled at Dumbledore. Sirius and Remus glared at Dumbledore.

"Now Molly I'm sure he put enchantments and spells to help." Arthur soothed his wife. She still didn't look happy but looked back towards the book.

For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.

"That's bad..." The Twins sang.

"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."

"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir."

Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.

"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.

Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.

"Good luck, Violet," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.

"I'm going to need it." Violet muttered. Remus and Sirius heard her and glared harder at Dumbledore.

A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Violet Potter rolled over inside her blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside her and she slept on, not knowing she was special, not knowing she was famous

Everyone smiled slightly at her and some cooed over her being a baby. It was kind of sad to everyone. The savior of the Wizardring world got so little in return.

not knowing she would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that she would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by her cousin Dudley...

The men in the room glared at the book daring the boy to pinch her again.

She couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices:

"To Violet Potter - the girl who lived!"

"That was..." Ginny began but couldn't finish. Everyone nodded in understanding. If the first chapter was this depressing, how were the others going to be?

"I'm a little thirsty. Anyone else?" Percy asked quietly. His family didn't really talk to him any more. Some nodded and he walked in the kitchen to get a bottle of Pumpkin Juice and glasses. He came back and poured some for everyone.

"At least we finally get to here a lot more of Violet." Fred and George said smiling at her fondly. Violet forced a smile.

"Who would like to read next?" Dumbledore asked. Hermione raised her hand and grabbed the book. Violet grimaced, at least it wasn't Sirius or Remus who would be reading next.

The Vanishing Glass. She Began.