Ofelia Rosier was a rather infuriating woman to say the least. She seldom bit her tongue and spoke her mind at all times which got her into a fair bit of trouble. If a stranger were to ask why she acted this way she would place the blame on fate. Fate was a cruel bitter old man. Yes, a man it was decided. For you see men have a very different perception of what is acceptable in civilised society than females do, if fate were gentle and loving it would be female. Sirius Black told her that useless piece of information in their sixth year at school right before he dropped a balloon stuffed with unknown sticky green liquid over her. At least it was her house colours. She never imagined Sirius being the philosophic type of man then again she never imagined him killing his best friend James Potter, Evans perhaps because she was an annoying nosey girl but not Potter, they were as thick as thieves, strong emphasis placed on the word 'thick'. The war changed everyone. She herself had to decide between siding with her husband and joining the Dark Lord or remaining supportive but an outsider like so many other pureblood wives, she chose the second option not out of fear but loathing. It was no secret that she did not support the Dark Lord or the war. Her moral conscience would not allow her to support a monster like Voldemort and let innocent people die because of a belief. She worked in liaisons with the order and passed information on to them which she skilfully retrieved from her oblivious husband. It seemed like only yesterday the news came through that Voldemort had been defeated. The memory was so clear in her mind yet it had been four years. Four years from tonight the Potters were murdered, Sirius Black sold his soul to the Dark Lord and her husband met his match in Mad-Eye Moody. The memory was fresh in her mind. She mourned the deaths of the innocent and not her husband. In her mind their marriage was over long before the war. The only good thing to ever come of their relationship was the birth of her beautiful little daughter who would be turning four this year.
She fell pregnant just one year into their marriage. Their mutual joy over the pregnancy could have brought them closer together but the war seemed to be driving them further apart. If she loved him perhaps it would not have been so difficult but she did not. It is foolish to believe that pureblood wizards and witches have the luxury of marrying the ones they love. Marriage is a duty. Her marriage to Evan Rosier was no different than any other. To the outside world they would appear united and very much in love. Behind closed doors they could vent their hatred and anger for one another. It was the perfect little façade performed magnificently by two complete opposites. When she gave birth to their daughter; Evan was the happiest she ever seen him at least for a second. They named their little angel Aurora Concordia Rosier, Ofelia would have been happy with just Aurora. She did not inherit Evan's dark looks nor did she inherit Ofelia's for that matter. She was blessed with her own beauty. Her bright green eyes and smile brought light into Ofelia's life when darkness seemed to suffocate it. The past four years with her daughter had been the best years of her life and she would not give them up for the world.
Ofelia looked up at the clock noticing it was already nine o'clock. She closed her book and stood up from the armchair making her way upstairs quietly to get her daughter ready for bed. Knocking two times on the door she opened it slowly and popped her head in to find Aurora sitting in the little chair beside her bed waiting for her mother to come tuck her into bed. Ofelia stepped into the room and walked over to where her daughter was sitting and scooped her up into her arms setting her on the bed. She picked up a hair brush and began to comb through the strands of silky long blonde hair. When she was finished she wrapped her arms around the little girl's waist picking her up with ease and laying her in the bed. She kissed her on the head and sat down on the armchair beside the bed opening a book of memoirs.
'Now my sweetest angel tonight is Halloween so how about I tell you a very special story to celebrate the occasion. We will continue with our other stories tomorrow night as normal' Ofelia said gently closing the book and setting it down. She stood up and pulled the covers up and over her daughter tucking her in before sitting on the edge of the bed looking out the window at the fireworks for a few seconds 'Will it be Mr Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot or Prongs this evening darling?' she asked tiredly.
Aurora looked up at her mother with big green eyes and smiled happily 'Mommy, you know Mister Padfoot is my favourite' she said softly just as Ofelia predicted. She was not sure why tales of the mischievous Sirius Black seemed to amuse her daughter. Aurora knew Mister Padfoot was not just a character in a story her mother made up to put her to sleep, unfortunately. She loved hearing stories about her school life and had already decided that "He who shall not named" was terrifying, Mister Malfoy was a creep and felt extremely sorry for poor Mister Snape and would offer him her shampoo if she ever met him.
'Did I ever tell you about the time I got revenge on Mister Padfoot?' Ofelia asked excitedly. 'Your father and I had just announced our engagement you see and the news spread like wildfire. My friends and I were sitting outside on the Hogwarts grounds when Mister Padfoot dropped the most disgusting balloon of green sticky goo on top of me and congratulated me on my engagement. Everyone was horrified; it was not the first time he had chose to prank me of course. I was so upset; I stormed past him and called him names. I tried really hard not to cry that day. I was really embarrassed and sick of Mister Padfoot. The next day I swore to myself that Siri … um Mister Black would feel humiliation. I wanted to hurt him for everything he done to me, to get revenge and make him stop. Mister Snape brewed me a potion to make Mister Padfoot sleep for hours and we slipped it into his morning pumpkin juice. When he was out cold we undressed him and put him in ladies undergarments and covered him in make-up. We wrote on his chest "I want to be a girl" and took some photographs of him. I thought that was punishment enough but your father had other ideas. He posted the photographs in the school newspaper which made Mister Padfoot hate me. Nevertheless he stopped picking on me and I had my revenge on the wicked Mister Padfoot, the End' she said happily.
The little blonde girl looked horrified 'Mommy, you and daddy hurt Mister Padfoot?' she whispered softly. Oh no. Ofelia had let her earlier thoughts cloud her judgement and now she had startled her daughter by hurting her hero. How could she put this right? She could not lie to the child. 'Aurora, I know you like hearing stories about Mister Padfoot but he was not always a nice person. He hurt a lot of people. He may have been a very funny boy at school but Mister Padfoot turned into a very bad …' she cut herself off. How could she tell her daughter that Sirius Black was a murderer? The answer was simple, she couldn't. No matter how much she hated Sirius Black to her daughter he was a tragic hero.
'My angel I am sorry, I know you adore Mister Padfoot. If it makes you feel any better I apologised to him the next day for what I done, not that it helped matters' Ofelia said gently and then smiled knowingly 'Come now sweetheart, you must be tired. I will tell you one last story before you go to sleep and dream of a magical world far greater than ours. Would you like another story my darling?' she asked gently.
Aurora bit on her bottom lip thoughtfully 'Mommy, do you remember the story about Mister Moony kissing the princess?' she whispered tiredly looking out the window at the fireworks. Ofelia sat in silence for a few moments listening to the cheers and celebrations outside. She felt the small child shift in the bed beside her and snapped out of her day-dream. Ah yes, Mister Moony.
'Yes my sweet I remember it well' Ofelia replied light-heartedly and thought back to that night 'Mister Moony was very sick. He was always sick around certain times of the month but it was nothing chocolate and sleep could not cure. He was walking towards the astronomy tower; he liked to fall asleep there sometimes. On his way up there he heard the sound of a girl sobbing and cautiously entered the tower. You see Aurora, he had a crush on a girl but she was not like him. Her parents would never have allowed him to go near her. It was the law. I guess she was what you would call a storybook princess and he would be a peasant. They were sworn enemies. He was in Gryffindor house and she was Slytherin. It was just unthinkable. Anyway back to the story, Mister Moony found the girl in the tower crying and noticed she was hurt. It angered him to think that someone hurt the princess and in his mind she was his princess. He sat beside her and took her hand in his comfortingly. She stopped crying and neither of them said another word. They watched the stars for what seemed like an eternity before he whispered in a low and wolfish voice "I am not like him. I would never hurt you. You look at me like I am prejudice man, like I am worthless. I am not prejudice but I am forever a man in love with you" and he kissed the princess' Ofelia whispered hoarsely.
Aurora stared at her mother thoughtfully 'Mommy, did you kiss him back?' she asked softly, her face lighting up. It was impossible to lie to this child. It was no bloody wonder Mister Padfoot was her favourite bedtime story enthusiast, they fell off the same mischievous tree. She heard the story hundreds of times and knew the princess told the sick boy she loved him too but they could not be together. Fate once again was cruel. Great, she thought. Now her daughter knew she loved another man and not her father.
'It is way past your bedtime Missy' Ofelia said firmly trying to hide her smile. She kissed her daughter on the forehead and stood up from the bed walking towards the door 'My sweet, you make me the happiest woman in this world. You never fail to amaze me or bring a smile to my face even if you are way too smart for a child your age; you get that from me you know. Goodnight my little angel, sweet dreams and of course goodnight Misters Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs' she added quietly
Ofelia walked downstairs quietly and sat back in the armchair. She opened her book and began to read from it again until she drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Several hours later Ofelia woke to the sounds of screams and explosions. She sat in her chair for a few moments wondering if she was dreaming. She heard a woman scream 'death eaters' and jumped up from her chair running towards the window. Flashes of green soared from all directions and the chaos seemed to be getting closer to her home. She rushed over to the cabinet to grab her wand and desperately cast a patronus to alert Professor Dumbledore and the order of the attack before rushing upstairs towards Aurora's bedroom. She glanced out the upstairs window noticing the death eaters were making their way towards her house and panicked hoping the protection spells would at least stall them until she got to safety. Ofelia pushed the bedroom door open and gasped in horror when Aurora was not in her bed. In the corner of the room a tall figure stood dressed in death eater robes covering the terrified little girl's mouth with one hand and his wand pointed at Ofelia with the other. Ofelia dropped to her knees quickly not willing to put her daughter's life at risk. She set her wand on the ground gently
'It is ok mommy is here' Ofelia said calmly faking a smile to keep the terrified child calm. 'Please loosen your grip on her, you are hurting her. She is just a child. She can do harm, she is innocent, please let her go' she begged holding back the tears. The sound of smashing downstairs and footsteps made her heart beat faster in the knowledge that revenge was on the mind of the death eaters.
A sinister laugh sent shivers down Ofelia's spine 'What do we have here?' a cold silkily voice that could only belong to Lucius Malfoy taunted. The death eater stepped further into the room as several surrounded Ofelia wands pointed at her. Ofelia kept her eyes on Lucius, hatred burning in them. 'Ofelia, my friends and I have been waiting a very long time to catch up with you. It has been too long. Strange how time can reveal things, we should have known it was you all along. Rodolphus warned us that you had means of manipulating Evan to do whatever you want. You thought you were free, a serious miscalculation'. Lucius asked coldly.
'Take her into the other room' he added darkly as the order death eaters dragging Ofelia to her feet and out of the room. She screamed for them to let her daughter go and struggled to escape but was overpowered by her capturers. The sound of the other door locking echoed throughout the halls. Lucius turned to observe the little girl in the corner. Her terrified green eyes were filled with tears and her pale cheeks soaked with them. She was frozen with fear and did not struggle like her foolish mother. Her pale blonde hair was messy where the death eater had obviously grabbed the child by the hair.
Lucius stepped closer to Aurora kneeling down in front of her 'What a beautiful little angel' he said smoothly looking into her eyes. He reached up and stroked her cheek with his leather-glove covered hand, wiping the tears away. She tried to pull away from him petrified. 'Shh, no need to be afraid my dear, I will not harm you, I am going to help you' he said smoothly running his thumb over a red mark on the girl's face where the death eater must have slapped her. He looked up at the other man with disgust 'If you lay your hands on this girl again I will kill you, do you understand? She is the descendent of one of the most prestigious pureblood families in the wizarding world and you will treat her as such' he threatened.
'There is no need to fear me my dear, I am a friend of your father's and I have come to free you. Your father loved you more than anything in this world. He died fighting for you, Aurora' he rolled the name of his tongue with skill. 'A beautiful name for a beautiful little girl' Lucius said silkily and took her by the hand gently taking her away from the other death eater 'Tell me my dear, do you know how to play a little game called hide and seek?' Lucius asked intrigued and smirked when the little girl nodded slightly 'Excellent, well my friend and I are going to count to one thousand and try and find you. I want you to find a good hiding space and cover your ears. Do not come out until you are found or told to do so, do you understand?' he said firmly.
Aurora nodded slightly trying to hold back the tears. Lucius stood up looking down at the little girl and started to count. She ran out of the room and downstairs as fast as her little feet could carry her. Once she was out of sight Lucius stopped counting and glided out of the little girl's bedroom. The other death eater knocked on the door of the other bedroom demanding that they open it. Lucius entered the room to see Ofelia shaking in fear with tears streaming down her face. She brought this on herself. When he was arrested shortly after the Dark Lord was defeated four years ago, Ofelia had gave evidence at his trial to persuade the ministry that he was a death eater by choice and was not under any spells or illusions. She could have ruined him. She gave evidence at the Lestranges trial and got them sent away. It was unacceptable to let this woman live knowing what she did. Death eaters had held a secret meeting to attack the unsuspecting wizarding world and show that allow their master was gone, they remained loyal. Tonight they had killed dozens of innocent victims but Ofelia Rosier was not innocent in their minds. She needed to pay. Lucius turned to one of the smaller death eaters and gestured for them to proceed. No blood would be on his hands tonight. He turned and walked out of the bedroom slamming the door. She was at the mercy of the merciless. The death eater stepped forward twirling a very sharp knife in their hands. In one swift and quick motion the death eater stabbed the knife into Ofelia's leg slicing her. Ofelia screamed in agony tears streaming down her face and blood pouring from her leg. The room began to spin around her making vision difficult. She could hear laughter and feel the knife dig into her arm. Ofelia considered begging for death. A spell would put her out of her misery but these death eaters wanted her to pay. The deadly poison running through her veins was slowly killing her from the inside suffocating her senses. The next few moments' vision disappeared. She could hear the faint sound of voices in the distance and felt the knife plunge into her sternum. They were gone.
'Oh sweet Merlin, Ofelia' a voice shouted in the distance. It was getting closer. She opened her eyes and still the room spun around her. The poison was spreading and in a matter of minutes she could be dead. She felt someone pick her up from the floor and cradle her in their arms. She could not make out their face, she was too far gone. If only the killing curse was legal to put her out of her misery.
Professor Dumbledore cradled the young woman in his arms. Her once beautiful sun-kissed skin was now a ghostly white colour and her hair soaked in her own blood. 'No ...' she heard a familiar voice shout. She tried to lift her head and look towards the doorway but it felt too heavy. Dumbledore placed the young woman into the arms of another and tried to tend to the wounds.
'Ofelia, try not to move' Remus Lupin whispered concerned. He cradled the young woman tightly in his arms and waited for Dumbledore to stop the bleeding. It did not seem to stop. Albus shook his head and looked at the young woman helplessly. Remus swallowed hard stroking Ofelia's cheek. She was freezing. The woman he fell in love with was finally in his arms again but for the last time.
Crying out in pain Ofelia tried hard to sit up 'My baby. What did he do to my baby?' she screamed frantically causing her body to tense up. Professor Dumbledore assured her that her daughter was absolutely fine and was in safe hands. He looked at Remus worriedly and hurried out of the room to find the little girl. He did not have the heart to tell the dying woman that they had not found her yet.
'Remus' Ofelia whispered quietly 'I am so sorry … for everything' she cried stroking his cheek, wiping away the tears 'I am a prejudice woman Remus but no matter how much I have denied it, I am a prejudice woman forever in love with you' she said quietly, her breaths getting shorter. Remus pressed his lips against her and resided word for word the same thing he did at the age of sixteen in the astronomy tower.
Ofelia screamed in agony and gripped Remus tightly as pain took over her body 'Aurora' she cried worried for her little angel. The tearful young man held Ofelia tightly in his arms 'It is ok Ofelia; I will look out for her I promise. She will always be safe and protected' he swore. Ofelia smiled through the pain and mouthed the words 'Thank You' before screaming out in agony once more as she drew her last breath
'Merlin, please no. Bring her back to me. Bring her back' Remus shouted out in agony. He cradled the young woman in his arms, rocking back and forth. Professor Dumbledore stood at the door looking down at Remus feeling helpless. He entered the room and placed a hand on Remus shoulder, squeezing it gently to let him know that there was nothing more he could have done.
Downstairs the Order of the Phoenix searched frantically for Ofelia's daughter. Molly Weasley was searching the kitchen for the third time when she heard a quiet whimper. The sound was coming from underneath her. She pulled back the red carpet in the kitchen to find a trap door in the ground. She gestured for her husband to come into the kitchen and cautiously pulled open the door. Inside, Aurora sat covering her eyes waiting to be found. Arthur rushed to tell the rest of the order members they had found the girl. Professor Dumbledore left Remus to say his goodbyes and rushed downstairs into the kitchen. He reached down and picked up the little girl causing her to jump. She did not remove her hands from her eyes and her cheeks were stained with fresh tears. Molly went to get some blankets to warm the little girl up.
'Aurora, you are safe now' Professor Dumbledore said comfortingly. The little girl peeked through her fingers and noticed all the faces looking at her and stepped back somewhat frightened. She was especially afraid of the tall and thin man with greasy black hair who was staring at her. She wiped away her tears and refused to cry anymore in front of these strangers. 'You are safe now little one, no need to be afraid' he added.
Biting on her bottom lip Aurora stared at the strangers 'Is mommy safe too?' she asked quietly. Dumbledore took her by the hand placing his large hand over hers and nodded 'She is safe my dear. No one can hurt her anymore. She is with your father now' he said sadly. Molly struggled to hold back the tears as she handed Professor Dumbledore some warm blankets. Aurora nodded slightly and said no more. She had nothing else to say. She understood what happened and did not need to question it after all; she got her brains from her mother. Albus scooped her up in his arms and carried her out of the kitchen. Remus met them at the bottom of the stairs; his face was very pale and his eyes bloodshot from crying. He stared at the terrified girl.
It was the first time he set eyes on Ofelia's little one. Over the past few years he dreaded seeing her with her mother because it would remind him of what he wanted more than anything. He thought Aurora would look like Evan and resented that fact but now that he saw her for the first time he realised what a fool he had been. She did not resemble Evan Rosier in any way, shape or form. Nor did she resemble Ofelia. Whilst he drowned his sorrows over losing the woman he loved this girl had lost the only person she ever knew in the world. He remembered the promise he made to her dying mother. He would ensure she found a safe home and would always be protected. Aurora did not look at him. She kept her head on Professor Dumbledore's shoulder and closed her eyes tightly. That was the longest game of hide and seek she ever played.
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Authors Note: //
I considered writing a story based on Remus and Ofelia for all the Remus fans out there but I just could not get my head focused on it. I also contemplated keeping Ofelia alive but what use would that be when Remus marries Nymphadora and I don't plan to spend too much time in this year. This is the opening chapter for my main story which is based around Aurora. I used the Rosier family because very few people know their story and they could have been a very influential family during that time period and may very well still exist but we still do not know. Do not worry by the way; Aurora is not a Mary Sue. She is a very beautiful pureblood witch no doubt, but she has to be to attract the attention of a deliciously handsome wizard, the crème de la crème of society after all. She is not perfect and has many flaws. She is perfectly imperfect. I will admit that this is a very tragic chapter to begin the story with but I would like my readers to remember there was a war going on at the time and Harry Potter was not the only one affected by the war. There were many losses, many tragic stories during the war that just were not told. Anyway, thank you very much for reading the first chapter of my story I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. Please comment and I will get the next chapter up ASAP. It will probably be set sixteen years later ... I am also open to pairing ideas :)