Chapter 1

~ Unexpected ~

Who ever said that one should simply turn on the light to find happiness in the darkest of times, never had to live Rose-Lynn's life. It was a bright summer day in the middle of August. Once again Rose-Lynn Midnight had fled the house. Mum and dad were at it again. She always wondered how there were still pieces of china left unharmed whenever she trusted herself to come home again after one of their outbursts. This one was particularly bad. She sighed as she untied her shoes, pulled off her socks (one of them had a hole where moments before her big toe had been sticking out) and carefully dipped her feet in the lake beneath the small, dilapidated wooden pier. The water had gotten a mucky greenish tinge during the unlikely stifling British summer.

"Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me", she sang to herself under her breath.

She had quite gotten used to being on her own her entire life. No siblings, no family and no neighbours in at least a five mile radius. Right about now, she would have given anything to make her parents stop fighting. Why did they have to have an argument on her eleventh birthday of all days? Her brows furrowed deep in thought as she let her mind wander to a happier place. After a few moments – when she realised she had no happy thoughts to begin with – a single silent tear escaped the corner of her left eye.

"Why are you crying?" she heard a young boy's voice ask. Rose-Lynn turned around so quickly, she lost her balance and fell off the pier into the lake with a loud splash. As she resurfaced she coughed up a large gulp of algae-rich water and hoisted herself back up on the pier, where she untangled some vivid green water plants out of her chestnut curls. The boy stood there, still as a statue, his eyes wide with horror. His immaculate clothes seemed to be part of a rather expensive boarding school uniform. Though why one would wear them while they were on their summer break was beyond her. He looked well-groomed all over. His hair had definitely seen the inside of a barbershop, his eyes were dark brown, as was his hair.

That's it! she thought, her lips pursed in a grim line.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" she demanded to know. "I – I – I'm so sorry", he stuttered, his face all eyes and pale skin. In the meantime she had scrambled back to her feet and crossed her arms. "Well? Who are you?" she almost shouted. The boy gulped visibly. "I demand you tell me who you are, and where did you come from?" Rose-Lynn registered her own voice was bordering on insane, but she chose to ignore it. The boy gulped again and then finally opened his mouth to speak.

"My name is Toby. Toby Pax. I came here with my father. He is up in the house over there", he explained while he waved with his arm in the direction of her home. Rose-Lynn's grey eyed gaze darkened in thought. "That's not possible. The only road to my house goes right by this lake. I would have heard people arriving." Apparently Toby had recuperated from his first moments of shock, for he simply shrugged and turned on his heels.

"Wait a minute, I hadn't finished with you!" she cried out, as she went after him – her shoes and socks scooped up in one hand. "It doesn't matter whether or not you had finished with me", he replied softly, "since you already have made up your mind my father and I can't have come over to your house." Rose-Lynn bit her lip. Obviously her one-and-a-half-month seclusion from the world (since she was currently having her summer holidays) had not done her any good so far. She sighed heavily and followed in Toby's tracks. Well, she supposed it meant one thing; the house would be safe to return to, since they seemed to have two visitors.

"We are not happy with the Ministry interfering with our private business," Marlow Midnight growled to his unwelcome visitor. Rodolphus Pax raised up his full length and straightened his muggle jacket. He threw a pleading look at Oleander Midnight. "Please, you have to understand. Since the Hogwarts Battle twenty years ago, we encourage all children of magical families – as well as Muggle-borns – to come to Hogwarts. Time has not stood still, there are perfect programmes for Squibs as well nowadays. It would be a heck of a lot safer for her at Hogwarts than anywhere else in the UK." He studied the looks on the faces of Rose-Lynn's parents. They were proving to be a tough cookie to crack. If it weren't for Harry Potter's direct request, the Minister for Magical Education would not have come here. Though now he had seen how secluded and – not entirely unimportant – poorly the Midnights' living conditions had proven to be, he felt there was more at stake than trying to get a Squib girl to enter Hogwarts. He shrewdly started to head the conversation in another direction. "I take it you haven't enlightened your daughter about her being a witch?" he inquired. Marlow opened his mouth, but was silenced by a dirty look from his wife. Oleander then directed her gaze upon Rodolphus.

"The last time I checked, it most certainly was the parents' decision whether or not they inform their offspring about their past – or maybe future. It is also our decision, not the Ministry's, whether or not we send our offspring to Hogwarts. I must therefore wonder whether there perhaps is more at stake than Rose-Lynn's going to Hogwarts", she spoke quietly and composed, her eyes staring intently into his. Rodolphus pursed his lips and by the hint of a smile on Oleander's lips, she noticed. Well, no escaping the entire truth now, he thought.

"Harry sent me", he started of bluntly. He looked her straight in the eyes. We need you back in the Auror office, Ollie." Using her nickname and dropping all pretences at the same second. Oleander's eyes widened slightly, but otherwise she was completely composed. "May I inquire why so? Or is that information classified?" Rodolphus smiled sardonically. "It's on a need to know basis. You need to know. I have full authority to indulge you in this top secret information." Oleander now started to smile as well. "Then I suggest you make it quick, since Rose-Lynn is probably on her way back to the house now." Marlow raised to his feet. "I'll leave you to it, Oleander." He slightly bowed his head to their unwanted guest. "Rodolphus." As soon as he closed the door behind him, he heard the lock sealing itself and a muffled Muffliato! before all went silent.

"Dad!" Rose-Lynn yelled, as soon as she had entered the gravelled driveway. Good griefs, her house looked like it was about to fall apart, she begrudgingly realised as she looked upon the once-white cottage with dark wooden roof panels. The garden was wild with roses, herbs and – mostly knee high weeds. Between the stained beige gravel there were the odd summer flowers in all sorts of bright colours. For a brief moments she felt ashamed of her poor conditions and her home. Then she decided she didn't give a toss what somebody else thought. "Dad!" she called out again. Her father appeared in the doorway. "Ah, there you are, princess", he started. Then, after taking a good look; "Merlin's beard, what happened to you?" Toby, whom Rose-Lynn had forgotten about for a minute, stepped in front of her as though he wanted to defend her honour like a knight in shining armour. "Excuse me sir, my name is Toby. I believe my father is inside this house. I wandered off as he explained to me he had business to attend to. When I found your daughter, I startled her and she fell in the lake nearby. So it was really my fault," he explained in one long breath.

Rose-Lynn shivered as her soaked clothed had managed in some way to chill her although it was unusually hot today. She wondered if Toby and his father might have heard the rather loud argument her parents were having before. Would Toby have concluded her parents would yell and scream to her as they did to each other? Because they didn't. They never had. "Go change, Rose-Lynn", her father demanded softly. "Toby, would you care for a cool drink in the kitchen?" he politely asked. "Rosey-dear, you can join us as soon as you're clean again", he added.

"Again, I will give it some serious thoughts", Oleander stressed, "but I cannot guarantee anything just yet. Marlow and I first have to talk about it. And when we've decided on telling her, then perhaps I will oblige. Please send my regards to Harry." Rodolphus nods. As the odd couple enters the kitchen, they find Toby and Rose-Lynn in an animated conversation whilst Marlow has taken it upon him to cook supper. "Toby, we're off", Rodolphus beckons his son. Toby jumps to his feet and waves a quick goodbye to Rose-Lynn.

As they walk past the fence Rodolphus breaks the silence. "I take it you took great care with your words?" he sternly inquires. Toby nods. "Yes father, not a word about magic. It was more difficult than I had expected. Especially because we Apparated here."