Book Smarts [D.M.]

Prologue

The wind howled, blowing the woman's red hair in every direction. It blew in her face, blocking her vision, though she had no time to push it back, her current task far too important. She ran through the forest, ducking under branches and trying to avoid tripping on the roots that lay scattered on the ground. She couldn't drop the bundle that lay still in her arms, keeping it safe was her top priority. It was hazardous to go this way, probably the most dangerous way to get to her destination at that, but it was the quickest way. Of course taking the floo would have been ten times quicker, but with tensions high, suspicions ablaze, she didn't know if it was being tracked or not. She couldn't take that chance.

Finally Rose Lupin arrived at the large house that belonged to her sister. The gate still locked, defensive charms still up. She let out a breath in relief, she wasn't too late after all. The red-head quickly rushed past the spells, knocked on the door and hoped to Merlin that her sister would answer it quickly. A minute passed before a woman almost identical to Rose poked her head out the door, a smile on her face. Though that smile dropped as the saw the sheer panic and terror on her sisters face. That was the thing with them, Rose always knew when Lily was scared or upset, and Lily always knew when Rose was scared or upset. It was just a twin thing.

Rose was ushered inside, the heat from the house's fireplace warming her frigid skin. Though the warmth was nothing compared to the chilling reality that gripped the woman's heart. She looked around, making sure they were completely alone, before opening her mouth to give her sister the message that was so very important. Though right as words were about to leave her open mouth, a wail sounded from the bundle that lay in her arms. Lily Potter looked down at the bundle in her sisters arms, her eyebrow arched in an unspoken question. Rose let out a sigh, guilt filling her as she remembered that she'd never let Lily in on her little secret.

"This is my daughter. Felicity Rose Lupin." Lily looked at the woman before her with a sympathetic and shocked gaze. Of course Rose hadn't told her twin, in a time like this, where having a child was extremely dangerous, especially when you were in the Order, fighting against the darkness. These children were the light, a hope for a new, better world, and everyone knew that the dark wanted to destroy all shreds of light in the world. It was better that these children were kept secret, especially when there were prophecies being made, one of them Rose was sure had been about her child. So she'd made sure to hide every trace of it from everyone but her husband.

A sharp noise reminded Rose of why she was there in the first place. "Lily, he's coming." And that was enough to bring action the previously quiet household, Lily grabbing her husband and her child, Rose standing with her little girl while waiting at the bottom of the stairwell. She was sure this would be the last time she ever saw her child, the girl who already looked so much like her father, with her strawberry blonde hair and her pale complexion, though with eyes that practically mirrored her mother's, shining like little emeralds in her face as she stared up at her mother.

Lily rushed to the bottom of the stairwell just as James appeared, and a loud bang echoed throughout the house. They knew what this meant, Voldemort had arrived, he was there in the house ready to take all of their lives, including those of their children. Rose handed her daughter to Lily, as they heard James' shriek of terror from another room, a loud thump confirming his death. Tears welled up in Lily's eyes, as she stared at her sister who had a look of determination on her face.

"Lily you have to go, you must keep them safe at all costs." Her sister's eyes widened at her sentence, opening her mouth with strangled words.

"But what about you?" It came with tears dripping down both women's faces, both knowing full well that this would be the last time they saw the other alive. Determination cleared most of the sadness out of Rose's shining emerald eyes, as she spoke to her sister for the very last time.