DISCLAIMER

Me: All right, Harry. If I can't own all of you, can I own a little tiny piece of you? An ear? Your nose? You have such a lovely no-

Harry: Get away from me, you stalker.

Me: Fine! Be that way!

Holly

Prologue

The snake followed her master up the steps of the warm cottage. He charmed the door open and stormed up the steps. Someone slept quietly in the room to his immediate left. He slipped in. "My daughter, you silly woman," he gently whispered. The wizard assassinated the sleeping woman in a blinding flash of green light.

Richard Evans rocked his year-old daughter to sleep. He thought he saw a man across the hall by his own bedroom, but dismissed it as a shadow. A shadow, that is, until there was a green flash of lightning from the bedroom. Richard, not being a complete idiotic git, knew this as the killing curse-avada kedavra. He knew that Morgan Evans, his wife was still sleeping inside. He placed his baby girl in her crib.

"Richard Evans and little Holly. What an adorable picture. Too bad I need to kill you. As I did with Lily and James yesterday," the intruder spoke in an all-knowing tone.

"Don't you touch Holly!" Richard moved to grab his wand off of the nightstand, but the stranger accioed it before he could get to it. "All right, so you have my wand. I can fight you." Richard wasn't lying. He had a muscular build and was a little taller than the other man.

"I'll give you one chance to move and let me have the girl, Evans," the stranger seethed.

"Don't kill Holly! Me, kill me! Please! Don't…whoever you are! I'll die, just-just let Holly live!" Richard was in tears. It was the first time since Holly was born, and the first time of sadness since he was a child. Richard Evans was rarely reduced to tears.

"Too late," the intruder mumbled. "Avada Kedavra!" Richard fell to the ground. The snake wrapped herself around the crib bars to peek at the baby. She looked at the little girl's shiny red hair and sparkling green eyes. For the first time in her life, the snake felt piety. She shook it off and slid from the crib. "Now, the child." The stranger stepped forward and pointed his wand at the girl. He began to say the killing curse, but something happened. The stranger disappeared. On the forehead of little Holly Evans was a small, lightning-shaped scar.

Later that evening, a curious man dressed in red velvet robes entered the cottage. He glided up the stairs and into the nursery. He picked up the small redhead. "You poor child. Holly, your fate uncannily matches that of your cousin. How curious. Or, perhaps not. It seems there is a prophecy; did you know that, Holly?" The new man stroked the crimson locks on Holly's head. She giggled and reached for the man's cheek. He smiled in response. "You'll have to be kept away from your cousin. You'll receive too much attention if you two are together."

"Albus," a mildly wrinkly woman softly interrupted. "I've found a squib couple in Massachusetts, near Fitchburg. They'd be happy to have her." Albus smiled once more at the baby, and passed her to the woman behind him.

"Yes. Of course. Good luck, Holly." Albus patted the little girl's head. The woman took Holly from the nursery. A single tear shed from his eye. "Good luck."

Yes, it's a tad short, but it's only a prologue. There's more to come.

Oh, and reviews make me a very happy author.