Scarred

*Prologue*

Albus Dumbledore stepped up to the front door of the house and knocked twice lightly. He frowned slightly as he waited for an answer. Normally, he didn't do things like this, but considering the circumstances...

"Albus!"

He smiled at the woman who had appeared to greet him, petite with dark brown hair, deep brown eyes, and a turned up little button nose which gave her face an innocent, almost child-like quality. But Albus knew what lay behind the innocent face and sparkling brown eyes... Intelligence and wit such as most people had never had the chance to see. Intelligence that had served them well during the war...

She smiled back at him.

"Come on in," she said, with a courteous wave behind her.

"Thank you, Nadia."

He stepped inside and glanced around their beautifully furnished and impeccably clean home.

"Where's Harry?" he asked quietly.

"At work," Nadia answered, wrinkling her nose in displeasure, "The ministry keeps him running at all hours of the day and night," she sniffed, "on those stupid assignments."

"I would hardly call them stupid, my dear," Dumbledore said kindly, "The work Harry does is very important."

"I know," she sighed, leading him into the brightly lit kitchen and flicking her wand in the direction of the cupboards, "but I do worry about him when he's away, we still have a lot of enemies out there... and last night he was called out at four in the morning!" she said incredulously, as two mugs flew from the cupboards and onto the counter.

Dumbledore nodded sympathetically. Nadia levitated the kettle onto the stove, then turned and peered out the kitchen window,

"Yes, she's still in the garden," she said with a nod to Dumbledore.

"Ah, of course. I'll be in for a cup of your excellent tea in a moment," he said, his blue eyes twinkling.

He stepped out onto the patio and looked down into the garden. At the bottom of the emerald lawn, he saw a tiny girl sitting alone on a stone bench. She didn't look up as he approached.

He observed her for a moment before he spoke... her long black hair hanging in dark waves down her back and into her eyes, and her swarthy skin, exactly the same shade as her mother's. There was a lot reminiscent of her father in her face, though, he thought.

Dumbledore wasn't sure what amused him more, her serious little black robes, the solemn expression she was currently sporting, or her little black shoes, which didn't quite touch the ground.

"Hello," he ventured, sitting down next to her on the stone bench.

"Hello," she answered softly, looking up at him with jade green eyes. He was slightly startled; it was unusual to see such light eyes in such a dark face.

"Lillian," he began slowly, "tell me, when will you be eleven?"

"On the twenty-fourth of July," she answered seriously.

"Tomorrow."

"Yes."

"Hmmm," he thought for a moment, "Lillian. Would you like to go to Hogwarts with your brothers and sister?" he asked.

She turned away, suddenly very interested in the tree at the other end of the garden.

"Lillian?"

She looked up at him, her green eyes suddenly filled with tears,

"Yes," she said softly, "but my brothers say I can't... They said I'm a squib." Dumbledore gazed at her, his expression unreadable. She gave a little sniff and turned away,

"But I'm not," she added quickly, wiping her eyes with her sleeve, "I can do magic! I've done it before..." she glanced at him, "but I've never shown anyone."

"Show me," Dumbledore requested quietly.

She didn't reply. Instead, she slipped off the bench and onto the grass, and began examining a nearby plant.

Carefully, she plucked a seed from one of the plants, and digging a small hole, patted it gently into the earth.

Dumbledore watched her intently. She glanced up at him to ensure he was watching before placing a hand over her covered seed. She closed her eyes, an expression of concentration dominating her delicate features.

She removed her hand and stared fixedly at the patch of soil. Dumbledore leaned forward on the bench to look more closely, when suddenly, before their eyes, a shoot burst from the ground.

He watched in wonder as the tiny shoot did not stop growing. Instead, tiny leaves folded out, stretching upwards to the sun which glittered in dappled streaks through the trees above them. He watched, transfixed, as the shoot spiralled upwards, buds sprouting on its little branches.

He looked at the little girl before him in amazement, and she gazed up at him in response, awaiting his reaction.

She turned back to the budding plant and gently touched one of the buds. It burst into flower, dark red petals exploding free from their bud and gently unfolding into a beautiful rose.

"Is that enough?" she asked softly.

*****************************************************************************

Dumbledore stepped back into the kitchen to cries of,

"I'm boiling, I'm boiling! Lift me off! Qu-iiiiii-ck!"

Nadia rushed over and lifted the kettle hurriedly from the stove. She turned to Dumbledore still holding it, and blinked expectantly.

"Well," he said.

"Well?" she repeated.

"You have never seen your daughter show any signs of magic?"

"No," she said, disappointment spreading over her face, "we've never seen her do any of the things her siblings did when they were younger... and she was so...but we didn't really expect... I mean... It's too late now for it to start now."

"It's never too late," Dumbledore corrected her, "As your daughter just proved to me in the garden."

Nadia looked up sharply.

"What?"

Dumbledore smiled at her.

"It seems Lillian will be joining us on September the first."

Nadia beamed, unable to hide her sheer delight,

"Oh my, oh," she brought her hands to her mouth, "oh, Harry will be so pleased, I can't believe it... after all this time..."

She seemed to remember suddenly that she was holding the kettle, perhaps reminded by a shout of,

"What's the point in roasting me half to death and then letting me go cold?!"

Dumbledore noted, as he sipped his tea with a degree of cheerful satisfaction, and Nadia pranced around the kitchen busying her self with the dinner... that her tea seemed even better than usual...

*Chapter one*

Lillian lifted her mattress for the fourth time and hurriedly glanced under it before dropping the dead weight with a thud.

"It's not there!" she cried resignedly.

Kim shook her head in defeat and lightly brushed a lock of red hair out of her eyes,

"Are you sure you haven't already packed it or something, Lil?"

Lillian shook her head forcefully, her black hair falling haphazardly out of the clip that was currently trying to restrain it.

"Did you lend it to someone? Your brothers? A.J?"

"Nope, I would remember if I had..."

Kim shrugged, dismay evident in her expression,

"Not having the invisibility cloak could put a stopper in a few of our ideas for the holidays..." she pointed out, her arms folded across her chest.

"I know," sighed Lillian, "keep looking."

She peered under her four-poster bed, her hair falling into her face. She turned to Kim with a disenchanted look.

"Come on, we'd better go..." Kim muttered quietly.

"Yeah... you're probably right, they'll be wondering where we've got to..."

"Don't forget Werzla,"

"How could I?" she smiled, turning around, "Werzla... here kitty, Werzla!"

The tiny black cat emerged suddenly from nowhere, quickly followed by the appearance of the invisibility cloak.

The girls stood dumbstruck for a moment, before Kim shattered the silence,

"Oh god... she was under it! ... So it became invisible!"

Lillian laughed at Kim's astonished expression and scooped up the cloak, stuffing it into Lillian's case. Lillian lifted Werzla, who mewed loudly in protest at being disturbed.

Together they made their way down the spiral staircase, chatting excitedly of the adventures they were going to have over the summer.

When they reached the entrance hall, a paper airplane suddenly flew at them, wedging itself firmly in Lillian's hair. She rolled her eyes and plucked it out, spinning on her heel just in time to see Peeves whizzing away up the stairs.

"He's sort of losing his touch, isn't he?" Kim commented.

"He is a bit, I suppose," laughed Lillian, "I'm surprised he even knows what a plane is..."

"Is that what it's supposed be?" Kim asked curiously, "What's a plane, by the way?"

Lillian shook her head, "I'll tell you later," she replied exasperatedly.

*******************************************************************

Lillian arrived home during late afternoon, throwing her bags and trunk in the hall. Her brothers immediately veered off into the games room, leaving destruction (In the form of luggage and chocolate frog wrappers) in their wake.

"Hello?" she called, "I'm home!"

Her sister Abigail came bounding suddenly out of a door to her left, startling Werzla.

"LIL!" she cried ecstatically, "Mum, dad, they're home."

Lifting one of Lillian's bags she escorted her little sister into the grand living room, where her parents stood to greet her, and hugs were happily exchanged whilst Werzla weaved her way in and out of people's legs, purring.

"I'm so glad you're back, sweetheart," murmured her mother as she kissed the top of her head, "I do worry about you all when you're at school."

Harry shook his head dismissively,

"Nadia, there's no safer place than Hogwarts, I don't understand why you worry so much..."

Nadia smiled in reply, and hugged her youngest daughter tightly,

"Where are your brothers?"

"The games room," replied Abigail.

"As usual," commented Harry.

"How did you get on this year, Lillian?" asked her mother.

"Not too badly, I'm scrapping an 'A' in Transfiguration," her mother nodded, and wrinkled her nose, "but I'm headed for an 'O' in Potions and Defence against the Dark Arts." Abigail smiled. "Have you thought more about what you want to do when you leave?"

"I'm only in fourth year," Lillian pointed out, sitting down in one of the comfy armchairs. She ran her hands up and down the purple crushed velvet of the arms, savouring the familiarity of it.

"I'm going to make something to eat," Nadia said suddenly, "You must be starving..."

She hurried out before Lillian could point out that she'd eaten on the train; Abigail hot on her heels with cries of, "Let me help!"

"How's Quidditch going?" Harry asked her casually. He had deliberately waited until everyone was out of the room to ask this, but Lillian could tell he'd been bursting to ask.

"Fine," she answered shortly, avoiding his eyes.

"Still happy playing chaser?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked, looking up sharply.

Harry sighed and sat back,

"No reason. If you're happy playing chaser, then you have my full support..." he paused, "but..."

She held his gaze for a moment, waiting for the bombshell.

"In my opinion, you're a better seeker than chaser,"

"But obviously not as good as Kiera Thomas," Lillian quickly pointed out, "She's been seeker since she was in second year."

"Oh come on!" came a voice from behind them. Lillian turned to see Remus in the doorway, "You know you could wipe the floor with Kiera Thomas any day, sis," he said with a smile.

Lillian grinned back; she enjoyed these rare moments in which one of her brothers actually had something complimentary to say.

Remus looked up as their mother came bustling in carrying a tea tray loaded with sandwiches and sweet little cupcakes each iced with a different tiny animal. Lillian always felt a little guilty eating those cakes; the animals squeaked and blinked their big eyes at you, usually just as you were about to bite into the cake with gusto.

Sirius, well known for his uncanny ability to sense food despite the fact that he was in another part of the house, wandered in to join them.

Later, as they sat round the fire, the evening setting in around them and the room slowly darkening, the conversation turned to their father's work.

"Is there any new information, Daddy?" asked Lillian. Remus and Sirius, who had been arguing about something, fell silent and Abigail put down the book she had been engrossed in.

Harry looked around at his expectant family.

"Well, yes," he admitted, "there have been rumours of Dementor rebellions and a reform in the North."

Abigail looked up at him, her eyes wide,

"What is the ministry going to do about it?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing, yet," he replied, "the Ministry can't act until there is solid evidence of a Death Eater presence, and that could take a while,"

"Hmmm," Abigail lifted her book again, losing interest.

"What are you reading, Abbey?" enquired Lillian.

"It's a book on the experimental uses of Bezoars in victims of severe doxy bites," replied Abigail enthusiastically, "really quite fascinating. You can borrow it when I'm done, if you like."

"Um... That's OK, you can keep it,"

Abigail shrugged and went back to her reading.

"I think it's time you were going to bed Lillian," said Nadia softly with a glance at Harry.

"Oh!" Lillian objected. "But Remus and Sirius get to stay up!"

"Yes, well, they're older than you," She looked to her husband for support.

Harry looked up,

"Let her stay up a little while longer. The boys are going soon anyway,"

"We are?" asked Remus, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, you are," replied Harry firmly, "You've all had a tiring day,"

"I think I'll turn in now," Sirius yawned, standing up quickly and knocking over a teacup in the process.

"Whoops..." he said weakly as the tea sank into the rug.

Without removing her eyes from the page she was immersed in, Abigail took out her wand, pointed it in the general direction of the spill and softly muttered,

"Scourgify,"

Immediately the stain vanished.

"Thank you, sweetheart," said Nadia, "Now to bed, you three!"

Grumbling and moaning, the three youngest Potters made their way reluctantly up the lushly carpeted staircase to the second floor. Remus disappeared into his room on the right of the staircase, with a quick, "Goodnight folks," and Sirius turned off into his bedroom with a loud yawn.

Lillian made her way up another staircase, her hand groping for the banister in the darkness, the familiar mahogany cool to the touch. She stepped up to the small landing and with a sigh of relief, opened the only door on the third floor and stepped gratefully into her room.

**************************************************************

Lillian stepped inside out of the beaming sunlight, it was thirsty work, all this sunbathing... She went to the sink and began to fill a glass with water, when she suddenly noticed just how quiet her house was. She listened carefully.

Not a sound but the birds outside and the occasional quiet mutter from the kettle. Putting down her glass, she crept silently into the hallway. She opened the living room door cautiously and looked inside. Nothing. She snuck stealthily into the games room, through the slightly ajar door, again, nothing.

She glanced behind her. Her father's study. Normally nobody but her parents were allowed into the study... she crept closer. Slowly she opened the door and glanced inside.

There was no-one in the room... but there was a piece of parchment lying on the desk. Lillian knew she shouldn't look, she really did, but she also knew she wasn't allowed in the study, and she was feeling a little rebellious.

She lifted the parchment and read the carefully written words upon it. She read the words again, and again, her eyes becoming wider and wider.

"Please, miss" came a squeak from behind her.

Lillian turned, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest.

"Oh, Edna," she gazed at the house-elf in relief, "It's only you,"

"Yes miss," Edna nodded furiously, "T'is only me,"

Edna wiggled her large bat-like ears and looked up adoringly at Lillian,

"Welcome backs, Miss, Edna has been missing yous,"

Lillian gave a weak smile and Edna continued

"Master asked Edna to tell you that the family is being out miss, they has gone to see the Longbottom family,"

"Thank you, Edna," Lillian said quietly. The house-elf scurried away.

Lillian's heart thumped hard as she stood with the parchment crumpled in her clenched fist.

She opened her hand slowly, as though she couldn't quiet believe what she was holding, and read the words once again,

"Die Potter! Die!" the tidy writing screamed, she glanced down the rest of the parchment, the rest of the parchment devoted to descriptive examples of how her family might be dying in the near future. She gripped the desk tightly as the room began to spin. She felt sick with rage, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't move.

She scrunched the parchment up into a tiny ball and threw it furiously across the room, where it bounced off the wall harmlessly. She looked back at the desk. Letters, dozens of them, sat in a disorganised pile on the desk. Lillian sniffed quietly and began to open them...

One by one she opened the letters, and one by one, the threats grew more sinister. One particular letter was enchanted, the words on the parchment kept changing and rearranging to become more malicious.

She sank to the floor beside the desk, still clutching one of the death threats. Her silent tears dripped slowly down, the ink running down the parchment as she quietly sobbed. She gazed into the fireplace as the fire burned gently, flames licking the sides of the chimney. She watched the distorted flames through her tears, flickering slightly.

Quite suddenly, she stood up, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. She gathered up the parchments hastily, her face calm, but her jaw set with steely determination. She walked calmly to the fireplace, one of the threats scrunched in her hand.

She unfolded it carefully and read it once more. Angry tears formed in her eyes and she screamed as she threw each of the parchments into the fireplace with immense satisfaction.

One by one, she watched them smoulder and vanish.

"Burn..." she whispered softly, and yet with venom, "BURN!"

It was sometime later when Harry and the others arrived home. Nadia called for Lillian, wishing to ask her what she would like to eat, but received no answer.

A small search was deployed until Lillian was discovered by Harry, her small form sitting curled up upon the rug before the fire in his study.

"Lillian?" he said quietly.

She looked up.

"Daddy," she replied softly, "Did you know?" she gestured towards the fire where some of the parchments still burned.

Harry looked them in horror, then looked at her. The firelight danced in her green eyes, her eyes that looked so like his own. But now her eyes had something in them that hadn't been there before, pain. The pain of realisation, the pain of terror, and above all the pain of betrayal.

How foolish of him not to see, how silly of him not to realise; all these years he had sheltered his youngest daughter, he had protected her from the horrors that lay outside Hogwarts and her home.

But now she had seen, she had see, and she would probably never forget.

******************************************************************

The sun shone pleasantly down on the three teenagers as they made their way across the grassy fields adorned with summer flowers. It was less than half a mile to the Weasley house from their own, and Lillian's heart skipped a beat every time she glanced up to see the house in the distance.

The Weasley house was home to a great number of memories for every one of the Potter children. Many Christmases, Easters, Halloween's, summer holidays and happy nights by the fireside echoed in its comfortable halls and cosy rooms. Rarely was a social occasion celebrated without sufficient representation from the other family. The two families seemed to almost merge, and few people were daft enough to attempt distinction.

As she neared the house, two identical red headed girls burst from the door and raced to meet them,

"Heya Lil," said Kim, grinding to a halt. "Long time no see." she quipped.

Jen laughed at her sister's joke, and smiled broadly at the Potters.

"Hey Sirius, Remus," she said shyly, peering out at Sirius from under dark red eyelashes, Lillian and Kim exchanged a look, and Remus rolled his eyes.

"Come on, let's go inside. A.J. has hardly stopped talking about you since we left Hogwarts yesterday." she said to Lillian.

Lillian paused, looking rather perplexed.

"Throwing the darts, but they just 'ain't stickin,'" Kim whispered to her twin. Jen nodded with a quiet giggle as they ran up the stairs.

"So how long are you two staying here?" asked Lillian in the kitchen.

"Hmmm, don't know," answered Jen.

"Probably not longer than a week," commented Kim, "Dad and Uncle George need us at the shop."

"And Regina will be bored, and begging us to come back and rescue her," grinned Jen. Kim nodded.

"I didn't think it was possible to get bored in a joke shop," Remus said.

"Oh, it is," Kim assured him, handing out glasses of pumpkin juice.

"Where is everyone?" asked Lillian, glancing around as though she expected A.J. or one of his brothers to burst from one of the kitchen cupboards.

"They're all upstairs, come on,"

They raced upstairs, drinks in hand, spilling more on every stair.

"Where's the fire?" asked Anthony as they motored past his room. The five of them paused in mid run.

"Anthony!" Lillian jumped at the redhead.

"Whoa, Lil, It hasn't been that long!"

"It's been a full year," she retorted, "a full year without your teasing, however did I survive?" she laughed.

"I don't know, but I don't think I'll survive if you don't stop trying to suffocate me!"

She released him from the bear hug and he stood back to look at her,

"My god, you're getting tall," he commented, "our little Lil, all grown up," he wiped a mock tear from his eye.

"Ah shaddap," Lil replied. "Where are A.J and Greg?"

"Um... A.J.'s in his room, but I think Greg went out with Dad,"

"Ron went to work really early this morning," Jen informed them, "there was an emergency at the ministry, but he came back at lunch time and then he and Greg went to Diagon alley,"

"How'd they go?" asked Sirius.

"By Floo," she replied shyly.

"A.J!" roared Kim, "Get down here!"

A.J poked his head over the stair banister,

"Can I help you?"

"The Potters are here,"

"OK, I'll be down in a second,"

Lillian stepped back as A.J came sliding down the banister and landed smoothly... on his backside. He stood up quickly, his face turning a very attractive shade of beetroot.

"Downstairs then?" giggled Jen.

They trooped back down into the kitchen, Kim filling them in on all the schemes she had planned for the next few weeks,

"...But of course we'll have to keep that one really quiet,"

"I know," A.J nodded in agreement, "Imagine if any of the parents found out."

"Found out what?"

They turned to find Ron in the doorway, carting a large box (which was growling sporadically) and smiling. Lillian caught a glimpse of brown hair behind him. Greg stood on tiptoe and looked at them curiously over his father's shoulder, Lillian waved at him, suppressing a giggle.

A.J glanced nervously at his cousins, appealing for help,

"If they found out..." Kim began feebly. She licked her lips. "Um... how foul Snape's been to everyone all year..."

"Ah," Ron nodded in understanding and placing the box on the table. "Yeah, he always was a git."

Greg grinned and followed his father into the kitchen,

"We bought loads of food while we were out," Lillian eyed the now trembling box with trepidation, "Who's up for a picnic?"

********************************************************

An hour later and the small group were to be found meandering slowly through the fields, A.J. lugging a large picnic basket (which was, incidentally, not growling). They came to the tree house and Lillian immediately began to scale the tree, the familiar handholds carrying her to the top. She scrambled over the thick branch and into the wooden house. Glancing around, she breathed in the familiarity of the wooden house the Weasley boys had constructed when she was only eight. At first they had not allowed the girls into their precious tree house, kindly informing the girls that they did not wish to catch their 'cooties'.

Oh how their views on girls had changed in the last few years, Lillian laughed at the thought, earning her an odd look from Kim, who had just clambered over the branch,

"What's so funny?" she asked with a smile.

Lillian just laughed harder. Kim shook her head and glanced down at the others,

"Hurry up! What are you all waiting for?"

It seemed they were debating how to get the picnic basket up into the house; finally A.J. ended the argument by taking out his wand and levitating the basket neatly up into the tree, where Kim grabbed it and handed it to Lillian. Greg and Jen observed A.J enviously,

"I can't wait till we're allowed to use magic outside school," breathed Greg.

"I know," Jen said dreamily.

Once the tree house had easily housed all seven of them, with room for Anthony and Abigail, but now they were older and only four of them could sit comfortably within the house.

Lillian sat on one of the higher branches above the house, happily eating a tuna sandwich as the sunlight streamed through the leaves, causing her glossy black hair to shine. A.J. joined her on the branch.

"Hey there,"

"Hi," she said with a smile.

"What kind of sandwich did you get?" he asked, "Kim gave me this one... she claims it's chicken, but..."

"But what?"

"It doesn't look like chicken,"

Lillian glanced over at his sandwich,

"You're right..." she giggled, "It doesn't really, does it?"

A.J. sniffed it suspiciously before dropping it directly above the hole in the roof of the tree house. A faint "Hey!" was heard below them and Lillian stifled her laughs.

"Did you hear about those Muggles in London?" A.J. asked, suddenly serious.

"No," said Lillian, biting into her sandwich again.

"It was in the Daily Prophet yesterday," he said quietly.

She swallowed. "I didn't read it yesterday, I was too busy unpacking and sleeping."

"Hmmm, well... Apparently, Muggles are going crazy all over the place... loads of them have been locked up, and they reckon it's something magical that's causing it."

"Like what?"

"No idea... I don't think anybody knows really. I heard Dad talking about it to George and Uma the other day when they dropped the twins off. The ministry are offering a reward for information,"

They sat pensively for a few moments in comfortable silence before Lillian finally said,

"I wonder what it could be..."

A.J shrugged, "I haven't got a clue,"

From below them came a laugh,

"Well we all know that mate," came the unmistakable voice of Remus Potter. A.J laughed,

"Oi!" he called down, dropping down from the branch, helping Lillian down. He dived into the tree house and Lillian was reminded powerfully of days gone by, as once again, by the rosy hue of a setting sun, laughter drifted up through the branches of the ancient tree.

To be continued...