Karina Potter, Aunt Marauder

Chapter 8

The Christmas season came and went, and life went on in the Potter House.

Harry was getting bigger every day, and was able to talk more and more. His language had moved from Moo-ey, Paddy, Dada, Mama, Wormy and Reena, to constant babbling. He could fully say Moony now, and Remus had been attempting at trying to get teach him to say "Remus". Karina herself accepted that she was "Mommy" to Harry, and always would be. She was already planning on telling him that his daddy would come home to him someday, which she hoped was true in Sirius's case.

One day, Karina was looking in the mail finding an advertisement in the Prophet about little league Quidditch. Perhaps when Harry was older, she would sign him up for it. He was already good at riding his little broom, even though the high flying enchantment Karina had put on it had worn off and he was only able to fly about two feet off the ground.

That was when her owl, Blackwing, returned with a letter from the Head of Magical Law Enforcement. He was saying that Karina needed to come into work right now. There was a gang of Death Eaters spotted at Diagon Alley, terrorising families who were already preparing for their kids to head off to Hogwarts in a month.

Karina chewed her nails. She couldn't get a babysitter on such short notice! It was time for Remus to be handling his "furry little problem", and she wouldn't dream of dropping another baby at Molly's, especially since she was readying for Bill to head off to Hogwarts and had her hands absolutely full, especially with the new baby coming. And everyone else had work. So that meant...

"Come on, Harry!" Karina magicked herself up a baby carrier that strapped onto her back and lifted Harry into it. "You'll have to come with me." Then she apparated to Diagon Alley, where she found five different Aurors battling at least ten Death Eaters. The civilians were hiding out in shops with the doors bolted shut.

Karina hurriedly ran into a side alley and put Harry down in it. "Stay here, Harry." She told him. "I don't want you to get hurt. Just, stay here and stay quiet." Harry put his little hand on her knee.

"Mummy."

"Potter!" Came Mad-Eye's loud voice. "We'll be needing assistance out here!" Karina jumped.

"Stay, Harry." She told him one last time, then hurried out into the fray, just barely saving Kingsley before he was hit with Reducto, sending herself flying over him and landing with flourish in front of him, blocking the spell just as she landed.

"Thank you, Karina!" He told her, then shot a Stunning spell over her shoulder. "I've got your back!"

"And I your's!" She told him, before shooting Petrificus Totalus at one behind him. "Two down, more to go!"

"Potter!" Shouted one of the other Aurors as she stopped a Death Eater in front of her. "Isn't that your son?" Karina flipped around to see Harry had indeed not stayed put, but was toddling after one of the fallen Death Eaters.

"Harry! No!" She cried out, running for him, but being stopped by a huge, blonde Death Eater.

"Why don't we let someone take care of him for a while?" He growled, chuckling as he stepped closer. Karina aimed her wand at him, about ready to blow this guy to pieces, when she heard the smallest voice behind him.

"Ex-spell-armus!" And the man's wand flew from his hand and behind him. He was in shock just long enough for Karina to Petrify him, sending him to the ground, revealing Harry holding a wand!

"Harry!" Karina ran to her nephew- no, her son, and hugged him close to her.

"Mama!" He cheered, hugging her back. "I got him! I got him!" Karina smiled and held up her hand for a high five.

"That was wonderful, Harry! Good job!" That was when she found herself faced with two Death Eaters on her, and smiled at Harry. "Ready, Hairy Harry?" The little boy smiled confidently, and together, the pair fought off the Death Eaters, Harry not really using spells, but trying to and getting his wand taken away after he poked Karina in the eye with it.

Soon, the Death Eaters had been rounded up, and Mad-Eye was having them all Side-Along Apparated to Azkaban.

As they did this, he limped over to Karina. "You know, your boy there did a pretty good job, fighting there. Perhaps that's his calling, being an Auror. Like his mum." Karina smiled at Mad-Eye's kind words.

"Oh, Alastor. I'm actually planning on signing him up for little league Quidditch. He his father's son, after all. I'm certain that he will be as good a Seeker as James was!"

"Wait! They called you Potter!" Shouted one of the Death Eaters. "And the boy! He was there!" Karina hugged Harry tighter, Mad-Eye standing before her protectively as Kingsley tightened his grip on the man's binds.

"He was... Where?" She asked him wearily.

"Th-that night!" He told her. "The night the Dark Lord was stripped of his power! That boy was meant to die!" Karina jumped backwards, her and Mad-Eye pointing their wands at the man.

"Stay away from my son!" She shouted as the man struggled to get away from Kingsley.

"That boy brought the end of Lord Voldemort! He must be destroyed!"

"Preposterous!" Mad-Eye told him. "The boy wasn't in the house that night!"

"Leave my son alone." Karina growled.

"He's not even your son!" And the Death Eater was apparated away, Karina feeling like collapsing, but standing hard, when Mad-Eye turned around to face her.

"Potter, he was at your house, wasn't he? That was what you told me before. Me, and the rest of the wizarding community." Karina looked around, then took Mad-Eye by the hand and dragged him into Ollivander's, the one place where she knew it would be quiet as people leaked back out into the street.

"Harry was there the night James and Lily were killed." She admitted. "I didn't want anyone to know because if word got out, it could put Harry in danger. Death Eaters would banging down our door day after day, always wanting to kill Harry. I don't want him to be hurt." Mad-Eye nodded.

"Fair dos. Don't worry, Potter, I'll keep it quiet." But no one knew of the listener hiding in the shelves.