The Girl Who Hid | ✓

prologue (1981)

On Halloween of nineteen eighty-one, life changed for the Potters. A sweet family of four soon became two at the demise of Harry and Maisey Potters' parents.

"Lupin, Sirius is coming for the twins, I'm sorry," Lily smiled up at her longtime friend.

"But I want to watch them!" Remus whined.

"Tomorrow," she laughed, looking down at the giggling infant.

At sixteen months old, Maisey already showed signs of incredible intelligence for she seemed more like a two-year-old.

"James and I will be back a few hours after midnight. You can come over around lunch to pick them up."

James came into the room and spoke with Lupin before sending him off. Walking over to the twins, James bent down and gave them each a kiss on the forehead.

"How did we make such beautiful babies?" James kissed Lily gingerly on the forehead.

Both Harry and Maisey giggled at their parents. Maisey used the crib railing to stand up and coo at her parents. James picked up his daughter and spun her around, laughing as she giggled.

"You're going to make her sick, I just fed her," Lily scolded.

"She'll be fine," James dismissed Lily and passed Maisey to her.

Maisey whined at the motion, reaching for her father from her mother's arms. James expelled his Patronus in hopes of stopping Maisey's cries; it worked. Both children watched as the Stag galloped around the room and disappeared into the wall as James quickly left the room.

"Pra, pra!" Maisey whined. She noticed the absence of her dad and started to complain again. Over the last few weeks, Maisey had learned to call for her dad; instead of Dada like most toddlers, she tried to say Prongs.

"Mai, Mama's here," Lily cooed, placing her down next to Harry.

Maisey and Harry started to have their own little argument in their broken baby language. Harry quickly clasped his arm around Maisey's auburn locks and pulled down, earning a scream from her.

"Harry, no pulling!" Lily quickly picked Maisey up and bounced her, trying to calm her screams.

As Maisey cried, Lily shushed her lovingly. But no use, she wouldn't stop crying. Suddenly a loud blasting sound drowned out Maisey's cries and stopped Lily's heart. The soft smile on her face fell at the noise. Before she could look out the nursery door, James yelled out to her,

"It's him! Lily grab the kids and go! I'll hold—"

James shouts died in his throat as a bright green light shined in the hallway. Lily gasped and put Maisey down in the crib next to Harry. The cries in her throat stopped at the worry of her mother. Maisey pulled herself up to see Lily closing the door and trying to barricade it. Wandless, Lily couldn't Apparate out of the house with her twins. Heavy steps came down the hall and Lily began to panic. The heavy dresser was too weighted for Lily to move on her own.

With tears in her eyes, she turned to her children and kissed them on the head, "I'm so so sorry. I love you two so much. I'm so—"

The door flew open, the half pushed dresser fell down. The barricade was gone and the evil man lurked in the doorway, wand raised at the three.

"Move out of the way you foolish girl," his eyes narrowed at Lily.

"No! P-Please, not my children. T-Take me instead—"

"Stand aside, you silly girl! Stand aside, now!"

"Not Harry, please no, not Maisey! K-Kill me instead—"

Voldemort stepped forward and made his way towards Harry and Maisey.

"Not my children! Please, please— Have mercy, have—" Her cries were silenced with a flick of his wand. The blinding green light filled the room once more and Lily's body fell to the ground, the two children crying.

"Goodbye, little boy," Voldemort sneered, pointing the wand to Harry's head. With a flick of his wand, Harry fell behind his sister and no more noise came from his throat. Maisey cried louder as her brother laid behind her. Voldemort turned his want to Maisey and smirked triumphantly, "Avada Kedavra!"

Another blinding green light shined in the room and out of the windows. No body fell, the only sounds were the wailing of Maisey Potter. The body of James Potter laid in the living room, Lily Potter in the nursery, Harry Potter in the crib, and discarded robes on the ground.

Footsteps ran up the hallway towards the broken doorway and Sirius's eyes laid on the two children. More screams came out of his mouth at the sight of his godchildren; one dead and the other hurt.

"Stop! 'Oo goes 'ere— oh, it's yeh," a heavy voice said through the hall.

"T-they're d-dead a-and H-Harry i-is, t-too," Sirius sobbed.

"No... I'm s'pose t'take Harry 'is aunt and uncle, Sirius. I'm sorry," Hagrid said softly.

"A-And Maisey?" Sirius bent down and picked Harry out of the crib. He gasped, "he's not dead!"

Harry stirred in his arms, his breaths soft and shallow.

"Sirius," another voice called, "hand Hagrid Harry and let me take Maisey— I shall keep her safe."

"B-but I'm their godfather I—"

"Sirius, it is not safe for you to keep Harry nor Maisey," said Dumbledore softly.

Reluctantly, Sirius handed Harry over to Hagrid and allowed Dumbledore to take Maisey. Dumbledore instructed Sirius to run and hide for it was not safe for him to be found at the scene of the crime. Apparating out of the house, Dumbledore stepped onto the steps of the house in front of him. Before knocking on the door, he noticed a Z-shaped mark on her collarbone; it would leave a scar. Knocking on the front door, a sleepy man opened and narrowed his eyes at the intruder.

"Remus Lupin," Dumbledore greeted.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?" Lupin smiled, internally laughing at his formal response. But his smile faltered at the sight of the sleepy child in Dumbledore's arms. "What are you doing with Maisey?"

"It is no pleasure," his voice low and sad. "I regret to inform you that James and Lily Potter—"

"No," Lupin cried.

"—are dead."

"W-What about Harry? W-Where's Harry?" Lupin moaned.

"The boy is safe. He survived Voldemort's Killing Curse—"

"Volde— W-What happened?"

"—as did Maisey. Voldemort is now dead. The curse did no harm to Harry Potter nor Maisey Potter, but Voldemort killed their parents," Dumbledore explained.

"Why have you brought Maisey to me?" Lupin reached out to Maisey and took her out of Dumbledore's arms. Tears continued to fall down his face with the stirring babe in his arms. Maisey curled up in his arms at the familiar feeling of someone she knew.

"There's been a change in the prophecy," Dumbledore said ominously. "Allow me to come in so I may explain."