Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Labyrinth.

--&--

Rose Evans, wife of Harold Evans (Harry to his friends) stood alone on the balcony gazing up at the night sky tuning out the sounds of her sister-in-law's costume ball behind her as she slowly sipped her fourth glass of champagne. It was a surprisingly warm night towards the end of April, and the pale moon that hung in the glittering star strewn sky bathed the gardens of the Andrews manor with a soft, ethereal, silvery light. Neither the revelry that was taking place in the ballroom behind her nor the almost otherworldly vista before her could tame the dark thoughts that ran wild and unchecked across her mind.

Louise Andrews, nee Evans had married well. Her charm, grace, beauty, and talent on the stage had brought her a great distance from the lowly station in which her life had begun. Throughout it all, Louise had never forgotten her brother Harry and had tried to include him in her new life as much as possible. The solid and and rather horsefaced Harold Evans attended all of the events his sister invited him to out of a feeling of obligation toward her, and had never felt comfortable in this strange new world of money and power where he was looked down upon for being a worker in the mill near Spinner's End rather than admired for his strength and ability to outdrink all who challenged him. His wife Rose naturally accompanied him, her eyes jealously taking in the glittering, alien world of wealth and privilege that surrounded her.

To the red haired and green eyed Rose who had fled her unstable and rather miserable life in New York at the opportunity, Harold Evans had been the solid rock upon which she built a new one. Their daughter Petunia (who greatly resembled her father) had been born a year after the wedding. It was very soon after Petunia's birth that Rose's rock began to crumble. Petunia was a rather sickly child who constantly needed attention. Twice she had become so ill that it had been feared that she wouldn't make it through the night. In the two years since her birth, Harry had become unable to handle the stress of a mortgage, a sick child, and a demanding job. He had gone from spending just a little more time than necessary at the pub to spending his evenings at the Widow McKinnon's house to "Comfort her". In just three years, a marriage that should've lasted a lifetime was essentially over. The only reason that she and Harry hadn't yet divorced was Petunia.

With a sigh, Rose turned her gaze away from the stars and moved to return to the party she had previously abandoned. It was then that she realized that she wasn't alone. Standing before her gazing intently at the sky she had just been looking at, was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. The man's wild blond hair framed an incredibly handsome face with mismatched eyes which oddly enough reminded her of the stories of the Faerie that her Irish grandmother had entertained her with before the illness and infirmities that were the result of a life of hardship claimed her. The costume that the man wore was exceedingly flamboyant. The tight breeches beneath the open fronted shirt left very little to the imagination. She noticed that he had rather real looking pointed ears and sharp teeth when, upon sensing her gaze, he turned to her and grinned. He had clearly gone all out on his costume for the evening.

The way his eyes drifted over her, taking her in and practically undressing her, sent shivers down her spine. Smiling, she asked if he would like to dance.

If her dear solid Harry could cheat, then she could do the same.

--&--

Harold Evans paced across a rather drab hospital waiting room, stopping each time he reached one of the rather uncomfortable chairs that were pushed against the puke green walls. He would soon be welcoming a child that was not his into the world. Eight months ago, his wife Rose had discovered she was pregnant. She had immediately gone to him with her discovery and tearfully confessed what she had done. He had understandably been stunned and extremely upset.

It was on the night she confessed that something else had happened as well. For the first time in a long while, he and his wife had really talked to each other. There hadn't been any arguments, accusations, or false pleasantries. They had just talked, telling each other what had been in their hearts and on their minds. Harold found it in himself to forgive his wife, since he himself wasn't entirely innocent in matters of adultery. Rose had found it within herself to forgive him as well. Slowly, their nearly irreparably damaged marriage had begun to heal itself. The one sin that should've doomed their nearly destroyed marriage had paradoxically made it stronger.

The nurse came into the room and informed him that the child had been born. It was a healthy girl that weighed just a little over three and a half kilograms. It was finally time for him to meet little Lily Rose.

--&--

Harold Evans turned away from Platform 9 3/4. His little Lily had gone on to even bigger and better things than he could imagine in his plain existence. Over the past eleven years, he had given Lily a great deal of love and support to counter the cruel whispers and taunts from the cruel and mean-spirited people in the neighborhood. In everything but blood, the child who was now going to a place where almost nobody knew her past and couldn't base their opinions of her on it, was his daughter. As he saw his Petunia's pinched and jealous face, he realized that in his quest to make Lily feel loved and wanted, he hadn't given the same regard to his own child.

--&--

Author's Note: 10-9-2008: I've decided to make some cosmetic changes to the first chapters of the story, improving wording, correcting typos and misspellings, things of that nature.