Words of encouragement rang out through the sterilized room. A nurse holding onto the soon to be mother's hand while she cried and brought her child into the world. A moment of silence…then a cry rang throughout the room.

The young mother, barely nineteen, had tears of happiness and contentment streaming down her face as she was handed a squirming bundle from the nurse. Her hair was matted with sweat and she was still in pain, but all she could think of was the small child in her hands.

"Congratulations, you have a healthy baby girl," the doctor told her. She nodded, distracted as she stared at her daughter.

The nurse smiled at the young mother.

"Do you have a name picked out?" she asked.

The young mother's eyes turned sad; her smile melancholic. Ellie kissed her daughter's forehead, who was quickly falling asleep. Her mind wandered, thoughts of the past and a future that couldn't be. Though part of her heart broke, she would never regret her decisions. She gave the nurse a shaky smile.

"Nova. Nova Alya Black."

…

Ellie questioned, once again, why she stayed in Britain. The war had not gotten better, no matter what the other side tried. At this point, she just wanted to keep her child safe, but she couldn't take her from her father's homeland. She wanted Nova to stay and go to school here like she and Nova's father planned.

She watched her daughter, now nearly a year old, as she crawled across the living room, chasing after a ball that kept moving away from her. Nova giggled lightly before stopping in front of a mirror, pausing and looking at herself, her eyes startlingly observant.

Nova was a mostly quiet child, Ellie noticed. She spent most of her time watching the world around her. She was rather advanced for a one year old, though Ellie wasn't very concerned about that. She was concerned, though, about the fact Nova's hair and eyes were beginning to change.

Where her hair was just starting to touch her neck, it now grew out past her shoulders, looking incredibly like Ellie's own. Her eyes were mixing between a bright blue and startling silver. Ellie stiffened even as Nova turned back, seeming to look for a reaction. She put on her best smile and picked her daughter up.

"Very pretty," she praised, causing Nova to seem to beam in pleasure. Ellie sighed, objects beginning to float around and arrange themselves together.

She's been meaning to move them again anyways.

…

A week before Halloween and Ellie couldn't help but feel a sense of doom. She couldn't pinpoint why exactly she felt like this, but it made her begin to plan another move. She kept most of Nova's things upstairs locked in her room, making sure there was no evidence she had a child with her. After Nova's powers began acting up, she had searched through most of her old spell books to find a charm to hide the effects. Even with that, she didn't let on to most of her neighbors that she even had a daughter.

She was just packing her photos when she heard a knock on her door. She crept up to the door, looking out the keyhole before relaxing slightly. She opened to the door to let her neighbor, a kind old lady named Gretchen, who watched Nova the few times Ellie couldn't bring her out.

She was short, with feisty personality for someone nearly eighty years old. She always kept her graying hair up in tight bun which contrasted the kindness in her dark brown eyes. Ellie was comfortable around her, surprising considering how paranoid she'd become since she moved.

Ellie smiled as she came inside, carrying a small plate of cookies with her.

"Hello dear," Gretchen ("none of this Ms. Long nonsense, sweetie. Makes me feel much too old.") said as she set her tray down.

"Hi Gretchen," Ellie smiled, still tensed as she closed the door, only marginally relaxing when the wards reactivated.

"Where's your sweet little girl at?" Gretchen asked, looking about the sparse living room before looking back at Ellie, eyebrow raised.

"She's napping," Ellie answered blithely, ignoring the pointed look.

"Going somewhere, dearie?" her neighbor asked, and Ellie grimaced apologetically.

"Yes, I don't like staying in one place too long," Ellie said, trying to sound flighty rather than terrified. By the knowing look in the old lady's eyes, she had a feeling it didn't work all that well.

Gretchen look around the living room a bit before glancing back at Ellie.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the odd gas explosions and missing people would it? Or all those weird men in masks attacking people?" Gretchen asked nonchalantly, ignoring Ellie's choked gasp of reply. Her hands shook as she stared at the lady in front of her, fear and hope warring in her eyes.

"You know about what's happening?" Ellie asked, nearly pleading. Gretchen smiled sadly.

"Not in the way you seem to, dear, but I'm old. I've lived in this area a long time and you see strange things when you've lived as long as I have. Strange people in robes popping in and out of existence in alleys, mutterings of potions and something called a muggle. Why, I saw a fight a few years ago between two men with sticks that had lights bursting out the ends," Gretchen mused to herself, pouring herself a cup of tea from the table.

"Wands," Ellie whispered, letting hers fall into her grasp from her sleeve.

Gretchen made no reaction to the word, though she eyed the stick curiously.

"Well, at my age, you tend to notice odd things, like a baby making their bottle float to them from across the room and eyes that seem to shift in color whenever you look a second time," she said amusedly, looking pointedly upstairs.

Ellie sighed, sitting down next to Gretchen, heating up her now cold tea.

"Technically you're not supposed to know any of this," Ellie mused while taking a sip, "but as our Ministry is barely holding itself together, I suppose it doesn't matter at the moment. The way this war is going, you may need to know all you can to stay safe."

"It seems to be weighing you down," Gretchen observed, "is Nova's father like you?" Ellie smiled wistfully.

"He was, yes," she sighed out, fingering the locket around her neck. Gretchen watched her, eyes understanding.

"Would you like to talk about it? I believe tea and confessions are good for the soul," Gretchen smiled kindly as Ellie let out a light laugh.

Pausing only slightly in indecision, Ellie began to explain her society hidden away from most of the world. She spoke of owls with letters, flying brooms and a castle hidden away in Scotland. She spoke of turning hedgehogs turning into pin cushions and people that can turn into animals. She told stories of unicorns and thestrals, of purebloods and muggleborns. She whispered of a Dark Lord that thrived on death and chaos. Of his followers that were barely more human than he was.

She spoke of the only man she ever loved and his dark past. She cried, tears streaming down as she spoke of his death only a few weeks after learning he would be a father. She told her of his attempt to save them that ended with him not coming back.

By the time she finished talking about going into hiding as best as she could alone, the tea was cold, and it was getting late. Ellie found herself leaning on Gretchen's shoulder, mentally exhausted. Her wards on Nova's room told her she was playing in her crib.

"You have quite the story to tell my dear," Gretchen said, smoothing Ellie's hair down like her mother used to.

Ellie smiled slightly before sighing and sitting up.

"I don't know when the war will end, but it doesn't seem to be getting better. I just don't know…" Ellie didn't finish her sentence as the building shook violently.

She barely managed to produce a shield in time for the windows to break as a blast swept down the street. She ran to the window, glancing down the street and saw black figures blasting doors down, walking into homes followed by heart shattering screams of terror. She turned towards Gretchen, who was looking towards the door warily.

"You need to go," Ellie said frantically, "take Nova with you, please." She begged. Gretchen watched her for a moment.

"What about you?" the old lady asked even as she turned towards the stairs. Ellie felt her throat dry up, trying to take in air.

"Someone has to delay them long enough for help to come," neither commented on her lack of confidence to stop them.

Gretchen made her way up the stairs but stopped when Ellie called out frantically. Ellie grasped her locket, pulling it off her neck and giving it to Gretchen. Her hand shook as she let go, but her words were firm.

"Give this to my daughter. She should know her parents and how much they loved her. It was meant for her," Ellie said, glancing down at the locket, tears streaming down her face.

Gretchen nodded and disappeared up the stairs. Ellie looked at the few photos left on the mantle of Nova and her. Choking on a sob she whirled around towards the door as the wards fell and she ran outside. Nobody would be able to tell a witch lived there.

Shouts rang through the house though Gretchen didn't understand any of the words. She opened the door to find Nova staring out the now shattered window. Luckily, none of the glass seemed to have hit the crib. She put it down to whatever powers Ellie had.

She could hear the young girl's voice out of the street as she went and picked up the small child. Nova looked at her, her eyes solemn as though she could tell something bad was happening. Gretchen smoothed her hair, holding the child close.

"Mommy?" Nova asked curiously, looking at Gretchen expectantly.

"I'm sorry, sweet one, but no. No mommy," Gretchen whispered, tears glistening in her old eyes. Nova sniffed sadly, her lips trembling.

Gretchen could only stare out the window, watching all kinds of colors flashing through the street. A light fell, walls shook. A flash of red and a terrible, horrible scream of pain. A scream of a familiar voice. Gretchen tried to cover Nova's ears from the sound. The scream lasted far shorter than it seemed, though no less haunting.

Pops sounded throughout the street and shouts began anew.

…

The Order responded to yet another small raid, Sirius Black and James Potter on their last detail before Potter went under the Fidelius and Sirius went into hiding.

The apparated onto a street with half the houses torn down. Only half, which was surprising, but they were focused on the screaming woman very obviously under the cruciatus in the street.

Neither paused in their attempts to fight the Death Eaters standing across from the woman. The screams cut off a few seconds after the spell ended and an order member pulled her away from the center of the fight.

Ellie pushed the woman's hands away weakly, pushing herself up and brandishing her wand. The lady looked surprised but didn't stop her from joining the fight.

She didn't speak to the others, though some shot her dubious looks while battling. She didn't say a word until more pops rang out and a mad, high laugh, came from one of the new Death Eaters.

"If it isn't my blood traitor cousin!" Bellatrix Lestrange crowed, waving her wand wildly at Sirius.

Ellie turned towards the man; her eyes widened.

"Sirius Black," she muttered, causing Sirius, who was rather close to her, to glance at her in confusion.

That glance was all it took for Bellatrix to take advantage. Ellie watched as green lit her wand as she focused on Sirius.

"Avada Kedavra!"

"No!"

"Sirius!"

Before anyone else could react, Sirius was tackled just before the light hit him. He grunted as he hit the ground, grasping the woman's shoulders, about to question her before stopping in horrified shock.

The light had hit after all.