Hi everyone! This is a story I've had in my mind for a while, and I figured I would actually try to write it to see how it turns out. Just a heads up—I am a graduate student, so my time is pretty limited. I do plan on seeing this through to the end, but I do want to give you all a heads up that the updates may not be regular if I write full chapters. Also, this story is going to be after PP, just because I thought it would be interesting and I haven't seen anything similar to this idea quite yet. However, PP will not be a major part of the plot (I think). Anyway, read on and let me know what you think! This chapter is just a prologue, with the purpose being to show how Danny ended up with the Fentons.

Prologue

Madeleine Evans Fenton gazed down into the sparkling blue eyes of the baby she held in her arms. The baby was calm and looking at her in interest, and despite the late hour, remained stubbornly awake. Maddie had been attempting to soothe the baby to sleep for a little over half an hour, and her arms were beginning to grow tired from the effort. Maddie's sister, Lily, had just taken the baby's twin upstairs to be placed safely in his crib for the night. Her husband James, was sitting in the front room, reading the newspaper. Despite how similar the two boys looked, they behaved in very different ways, with sleep habits being just one example. The older twin, Harry, tended to be energetic and cheerful, and he quite enjoyed playing with his parents and their friends. He also usually fell asleep quickly. Harry's behavior was reassuring to Maddie; it showed her that the boy felt no sense of danger at home. The younger twin, Danny, tended to be much quieter than his older brother. However, he had the same sense of peace and serenity that could only come from a happy and loving home.

Maddie knew that her sister and brother-in-law were living in danger, which was the reason she had come to visit for Halloween. Maddie did not completely understand the situation or why Lily and James had suddenly decided to increase the security measures of their home. She supposed that she would understand better if she were more immersed in the Wizarding World, but her knowledge was restricted to what her sister had told her and what she experienced during her visits. All she knew was that there was a wizard who had gone bad, so bad in fact that the members of the Wizarding World refused to speak his name. Lily had explained that he was known for being ruthless and harbored hatred for all those who were not considered "pure-blooded", or wizards who came from long lines of wizard families. From what Maddie understood, Lily was considered to be in greater danger since she came from a non-magical family. Maddie could only imagine what this evil man would think of her, since she had no magical abilities to speak of. Maddie supposed that Lily's lack of a magical family is what put her family at a heightened risk of attack from the man and his followers. Once Maddie had heard that her sister was in danger, she flew out to England from the United States to be with her and provide support in any way she could. Right now, that meant convincing the child she held in her arms to fall asleep.

Maddie thought of her own daughter, a young three-year old with bright red hair. Her heart ached at the thought of the thousands of miles that stood between her and her daughter at the moment. She missed her daughter greatly, but had refused to bring her to visit family due to the inherent danger in the trip. She knew her daughter was safe with her deeply loving father and Maddie's husband, Jack. Her daughter Jasmine was her husband's greatest treasure, and Maddie smiled at the thought of her husband's excitement at the idea of spending a week of uninterrupted time with her daughter. He was probably feeding her too much fudge, to be honest. However, Maddie was not the one who would have to deal with a three-year-old with a sugar rush.

Maddie sighed, looking down at the Danny once more. "Still not tired at all, are you?" She asked him, her own fatigue leaking into her voice. Danny made a cooing noise in response, which Maddie took as a no. She began to walk towards the back of the house, away from the brightly lit front room. She turned towards Lily and James' bedroom, which was a bit darker than where she had just been. She hoped that the darkness would help convince the child to fall asleep.

Just then, a loud BANG came from the front of the house. Maddie froze, clutching the baby in her arms tightly to her chest. For a moment, there was a silence so deep that Maddie felt it deep in her core. Then, she heard James bounding up the stairs, yelling, "Lily! Take Harry and go! It's him! I'll hold him off!" Maddie then heard a cold, chilling voice scream words that she couldn't understand, and she saw a bright green light coming from the front of the house.

Maddie felt her blood run cold once she realized she could no longer her James's footsteps trying to make his way to the upstairs nursery to protect his wife and son. Was this it? Was this what Lily and James had been afraid of?

Maddie looked down once more into Danny's face. Her motherly instincts suddenly came to the forefront of her mind, and she knew she needed to protect this child at whatever cost. Panicking, Maddie looked around the bedroom for somewhere to hide or a way to escape. Spotting a window, she walked as quickly as she dared to open the latch. Maddie flinched when the window squeaked while she slowly pulled it open. Bending down in order to fit through the window and keeping the baby close to her chest, Maddie climbed out of the house. Once her feet hit the grass, she ran.

The baby started to cry, one of the few times she had ever heard him do so. Maddie shushed him as calmly as she could, but her heart was beating fast and her breathing was shallow. Maddie was not sure she was capable of providing comfort to him at the moment. Maddie ran around the block, and slowly came to a stop once she felt she could run no longer. Thoughts chased one another in her mind, each one demanding her attention first. Who was that man? What was it that he had said? What was that green light? Was James alright? Were Harry and Lily safe? What should she do now? Did the wizards have some form of 911 or emergency line she should call?

Maddie continued to hold the baby close to her body, sheltering him as much as she could from the chilly Halloween night air. There was only one thing she knew for sure. She had to protect this baby no matter what.

So that's the prologue! Let me know what you think. If you have suggestions or ideas, please leave them in the reviews! I have a general idea of where I want this story to go, but nothing is set in stone. I will probably update soon. I do plan on seeing this story through to the end—this is a form of self-care that I am committing to. Quick question—would you guys prefer regular updates (every Wednesday for example) or just whenever I have a full chapter completed? This chapter is pretty short, but I aim to have the others be between 2,000 to 3,000 words. I can update more often, but the chapters would probably be shorter (around 1,000 words). What do you guys think?