Stolen • Ilvermorny & Harry Potter Next Generation

Prologue: Gone Away

"You can love someone so much...But you can never love people as much as you can miss them."
― John Green

Nearly 30 years after Peter Pettigrew betrayed James Potter, Ron Weasley is living his version of Halloween 1981. In front of him, Ernie Macmillan's house is ablaze, not a soul in sight. They had a daughter who is just 5 years old, the same age as his nephew James. Ron nearly doesn't breathe as he runs towards the house, praying that by some miracle the family is still alive.

Before Ron is even close enough to cast a spell, Ernie and Indah burst through the front door, holding a bundle which Ron can only assume is Amira. Ron breathes a loud sigh of relief.

Ernie gives Ron a look before turning to his wife. "Indah you need to take Amira and leave. Now."

Ron gives Ernie a look back before turning to reach into the bag attached to his belt. He rummages around in the sac for a moment before pulling out a small backpack that had been transformed into a portkey before Ron apparated to the house. "Ernie this was supposed to be for all of you, you know that."

"I need to finish what I started."

Indah looked at Ernie with tears in her eyes. "I can't leave you Ernie," she said. "Amira needs you. I need you." A single tear started to make its way down her cheek.

"It's too dangerous, Indah. You know that." Ernie passes Amira to her mother. The little girl is staring at her parents with wide eyes, her burning house already forgotten.

"Daddy? Are you going away?" she asked.

"Just for a little while, sweet pea. I will be back very soon I promise." Ernie's lip quivers but he smiles as he says "and while I'm gone you and Mummy are going on a trip to see a beautiful place called California."

"Okay Daddy," Amira sniffles. The sight of her mom crying made the little girl cry, even though she had little clue as to what was happening.

Ernie turned to Ron again. "Take my family to California Ron," he said. "Please. Make sure they are safe."

The group was suddenly startled by a loud crack behind them as a man with green eyes and messy black hair appeared. "Harry, keep my husband safe, will you," said Indah. She turned to her husband. "You better come back to me," she said, her voice cracking. Indah pulled her husband into a tight hug before turning to face Ron.

The backpack in Ron's hand was beginning to glow. Indah grabbed it tightly. She had stopped crying, and she gazed at her husband until the portkey fatefully took them away. The last thing they heard before arriving in California was Ernie's voice whispering "goodbye my loves," and then the world flipped upside down turning the vicious orange of the fiery house into the beautiful orange of the California sunset.

Ron never saw Ernie Macmillan again and Amira and Indah never came back from their "vacation."