The night was calm, too calm for the taste of the woman watching it. Something about the stillness unnerved her as she stared out the window of her tiny cottage. To anyone who passed by it was a humble little house to a woman who kept to herself and was rarely seen outside the walls of her home, those who entered the house found a whole different world. Once inside the door one would think they had been magically transported to a majestic manor rather than a shabby little cottage, for in a way, they had. It was the beauty of magic, the outside of the house charmed to appear simple and nondescript while the inside could house dozens of people at any given moment. She was the only person who never left, for it was her job to protect it and its occupants.
When someone was forced to run from the dangers chasing them, they would come here until arrangements were made to move them somewhere beyond the edges of the darkness. It was a safe house, the only of it's kind, and the woman who ran it took her job very seriously for she knew too many who had passed through these walls and knew there were more to come. Until just over a year prior to this night she had held a real job as an Unspeakable at the Ministry of Magic which meant she was very good at keeping secrets which was necessary now that she was the keeper of this little safe house.
She continued to stare out the window until a knock sounded on the front door. Rising quickly she rushed over and tapped the door with her wand to activate the charm that allowed her to see who was waiting on the other side. Only one person was waiting there and the woman sighed before tapping the door a second time to activate yet another security charm.
"State your name and business."
"I am Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore and I have come to speak with Rose Lily Evans concerning the Potters and Lord Voldemort."
Rose cursed under her breath and tapped the door a third and final time deactivating the first two charms and releasing the locks. She opened the door and motioned the man inside; scanning the landscape to make sure that no one else was lying in wait. Closing the door automatically reset the locks and allowed Rose to turn her attention to her visitor.
"What's happened?"
"Lily and James are dead at Lord Voldemort's hand. It appears Sirius was working for him all along."
Rose's eyes drifted shut and she swallowed against the tears that threatened. "Harry?"
Albus Dumbledore turned to face her, revealing the boy he held. "Lives."
Rose nearly sobbed in relief as she took the boy and cuddled him close. "Voldemort?"
"Is gone, destroyed in his attempt to kill young Harry."
Rose nodded and sighed heavily. "So what now?"
"Are you willing to take Harry? If not I will need to take him to your sister as she is his only other family."
"My ass! Petunia is not going to lay a finger on him. Even if it weren't for the fact that she's a bitter brat, I wouldn't let Harry within ten kilometers of that walrus she married. No, I'll take him."
"Excellent. I'm sorry for your loss Rose."
"So am I Albus, so am I. Does this mean I'm not needed here anymore?"
"I doubt the safe house will be needed again."
Rose nodded and looked down at the sleeping boy in her arms. She kissed him on the forehead and smiled as he stirred slightly but didn't wake. "Then I'm taking him away. The Death Eaters will be after us once they know he's still alive and I'm not taking any chances. I'll send word when I can and please tell Remus I'm sorry."
"Where will you go?"
"That I can't say. No one can know Albus, not even you. I don't even plan on telling Harry about our world until his Hogwarts letter arrives. We're going to be ordinary muggles now, it's the only way."
Albus regarded the woman before him and nodded. He could remember her as a girl, excited to learn magic and inseparable from her twin. Now the two were forced apart in the worst way and he knew that she was doing not only what was best for her nephew but best for herself as well.
"You'll keep in touch?"
"Yes. I'll send you an owl at least a couple times a year but you've got to promise not to try and find us. The less Harry knows about our world the better, at least until it's time for him to join it."
"As you wish my dear. You're his guardian now which means it is up to you to decide what's best for him."
Rose smiled at the man and inclined her head. "Thank you. Well, I think this is goodbye Albus, at least for now."
"Goodbye Rose, take care and stay safe and I shall see you and Harry soon enough."
And with that the man was gone, leaving Rose Evans and Harry Potter to begin their new lives, somewhere far away from their past, where their futures could begin.
~RR~
"Aunt Rose, where are my trainers?"
"In the kitchen where you left them now get your butt down here, breakfast is ready."
Rose laughed as she heard her beloved nephew run down the stairs in his haste to reach the food. Rose was never surprised by how much the boy could eat or how often he wanted to she had known his father after all. James could pack away food like no one she knew, well, except maybe Sirius but she didn't like to think of him.
"Aunt Rose, is there any more bacon?"
Rose laughed and turned to the table, setting another plate of bacon on it. "It appears there is."
"Cool. Are you gonna have any?"
Rose sat down and began to fill her plate with eggs, sausage, bacon and toast. "Yeah, I am."
They began to eat in silence and Rose had to bite her lip several times to keep from laughing at Harry as he practically inhaled the food.
"Slow down before you choke yourself."
"Owl."
Rose frowned, taken aback by the word. "What?"
"There's an owl at the window and it's staring at you."
Rose turned and looked at the bird, wondering how it had found them. Ten years had gone by and the only time she'd even seen the birds was twice a year in Diagon Alley when she sent Albus an update. She always made the trip while Harry was either at a friend's or at school so that he never knew what was going on outside their little home. Worried about their safety she walked over and opened the window. The bird quietly dropped en envelope into her hand and took off, leaving her to stare after it in shock. She glanced down at the envelope and smiled, it was time.
Turning she tossed the letter to Harry and poured herself a cup of tea while she waited for his reaction.
"Is this some kind of joke?"
"Nope. You're a wizard, I'm a witch and you're finally headed for Hogwarts."
"I don't believe you."
Rose sighed and pulled out her wand, flicking it to send their finished breakfast plates into the sink where they began washing themselves. "Merlin but I've missed that. I am so tired of cleaning the Muggle way."
"Muggle?"
"Non-magical people, like your Aunt Petunia."
"Aunt Petunia?"
"Oh snap, that's right, I never told you did I? Well, it's pretty basic, you mum and I were twins but we had an older sister named Petunia. Our parents were Muggles like Petunia and she thought that Lily and I were freaks for what we could do while our parents thought it was amazing. It created a major rift between the three of us, a rift that never healed. When your parents died you were brought to me first though you would have been sent to live with Petunia if I couldn't take you. Obviously that didn't happen."
"So I have more family?"
"No one you want to know. Petunia and her husband proclaimed your mother and I freaks, filth, and told us never to contact them again. There was no way I was letting Petunia take you Lily wouldn't have wanted it that way."
"So Hogwarts is some kind of magic school?"
"Yep. Your mum and I went there, your dad went there and now you get to go, that is, if you want to."
"Yeah I want to go! But why didn't you tell me about all this before?"
Sighing heavily, Rose took her seat at the table and told Harry everything. She started with Voldemort and worked her way forward. It took time, telling the whole story, answering his questions along the way. Finally she arrived at the fateful night that had changed both their lives. Taking a deep breath she told him about Albus Dumbledore and how he had brought Harry to her. She told him about the house where she'd lived and why she had been there. Finally she told him about her final requests before taking Harry and leaving.
"I made him promise not to contact us, or come looking for us. Twice a year for the past ten years I've gone to a place called Diagon Alley and sent him a letter, telling him how we were. I always made sure to go while you were at school or over at a friend's that way I wouldn't have to explain where I was going. When I left I told Albus that I would keep this from you until you got your Hogwarts letter and I have. I know you probably think it was awful of me to do that but I had a hard decision to make and I hope you understand."
Harry thought about this for a minute, deciding how he felt about the secrets his aunt had been keeping from him. After thinking it all over he just nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.
"I understand. You did what you had to do to keep me safe so I guess it's okay. But we get to go back now right?"
Rose smiled and reached over to ruffle her nephew's hair. "Yes and no. We're not leaving our home but we are going to become a part of the wizard world again, which means you'll only have to wash the dishes when you're in trouble."
"Cool!"
Rose laughed and swatted at the boy which resulted in him falling out of his chair as he ducked and the pair dissolved into giggles. Laughing this way wasn't a rarity in their home and it was part of what made their lives so great. Their house was plastered with pictures of the two of them smiling and having the time of their lives. The only place in the house that didn't hold pictures of just them was the mantle over the fireplace, which held picture of Harry, his parents, Rose and others. She had long ago frozen them but now they could finally move free again.
"Come here babe, I'll show you one of the many wonders of the wizard world."
She took him into the living room and waved her wand at the mantle, setting everyone into motion once more.
"Wicked!"
"Yep. Now these are the only photos we have that'll move, the rest are muggle photos, but we'll take more like these from now on."
"Cool, what else? I mean, there's got to be more to this right?"
Rose laughed and ruffled the boy's hair. His eyes were sparkling just like Lily's had when she and Rose had gotten their letters. It was true that it had taken a visit from Dumbledore before they really believed it but once they were sure, the two had been on a perpetual, no sugar added, sugar high.
"Yes there is. Go get your shoes on, we need to go to the bank and the post office and we can get your school supplies while we're out since we'll be right there."
"Ok!"
Rose laughed even harder as Harry sprinted back into the kitchen to find his shoes. She shook her head and walked over to the hall closet to get her purse, waiting by the door for Harry to show up.
"Let's go, let's go, let's go."
"Okay, okay, okay."
Rose locked the house and warded it, grateful that she didn't have to waste energy on wandless magic now that Harry knew. She took him around to the side of the house and smiled at his confused expression.
"Grab my arm and hold on tight, we're going to do what's called Apparation. I need you to not think about anything so that I can get us there easier and whatever you do, don't let go."
"Is it going to hurt?"
"No but it's definitely going to feel weird."
"'Kay."
Rose smiled as his grip tightened slightly and she concentrated on the alley behind the Leaky Cauldron. With a deep breath she turned on the spot and braced herself against the sensation of Apparation. She smiled broadly as they arrived and looked down to see how Harry had come though the ordeal. She checked him over for splinching and once she determined that he was fine, she winked at him.
"Feeling ok?"
"Yeah but boy was that weird."
"I know, my first time was pretty disconcerting too. Come on, time to shop."
Rose led him through the Leaky Cauldron and out to the back where she quickly tapped the bricks with her wand and watched Harry's eyes widen as the archway appeared.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley."
