For the first seventeen years of my life, I had thought that I was destined to be average. I'd always been mediocre, at most of the things I did. People expected to finish high school, like every other kid, and get into some crappy college in a city far away from here. I was supposed to be normal.
But when I turned eighteen, I found out that my life was destined to be anything but mediocre. Suddenly, I was somebody. When I walked, people stared at me with awe. Suddenly, my peers respected and feared me. They realised that I was crucial for their survival.
I'd been in hiding for over a decade, learning what I could from books and whoever was willing to teach me magic. But the time had come to emerge from the underground and seek the "real" world. A world I'd never felt a part of.
The Eevanson family are one of the most feared families in the entire world. Wizarding and Muggle families alike feared the wrath of this notorious family. They even expected evil from me, even though I'm the youngest in the family.
We've been hiding with the werewolves underground for years, hoping that no one knew where to find us. I always thought that we were the misunderstood side of good. But after witnessing the kind of work that my parents did every day for years, I decided that I didn't want to be a part of that.
Now they're planning something terrible. Somehow, I managed to escape and get into the outside world, but I cannot enjoy my temporary visit. I have to get help and quickly. And I know exactly who to go to:
Albus Dumbledore.
He wouldn't judge me by my name. He had a reputation for believing the best in people, which I could only hope was true. I needed someone to believe me. The entire world was in danger from the people I was supposed to trust. The things I've seen…I don't want to think about.
I've just got to hope for the best and find a way to convince Dumbledore that this is really happening and that the world is in terrible danger.
He'd courteously agreed to meet me in the Hog's Head pub. I sat in a dark corner, hoping not to be recognised by my trademark Eevanson features.
After a half hour of waiting, in the cold and dusty pub, gripping nervously onto my Firewhiskey, he emerged from the shadows. He did not look at all afraid of me, which was a start. Everyone I'd ever met had been frightened of me.
He didn't look scary or powerful. He merely had an intelligent look about him. Perhaps it was the beard, which I always associated with wisdom.
He sat opposite me, obviously being careful not to draw attention to the two of us. After looking around, to make sure that no one was staring at us, he spoke.
"I never believed I'd see the day when a child of the Eevanson family would request my help."
"Yeah, well…" I grumbled.
"Especially not you – Rose Eevanson – the favourite of four children." He continued.
"Is it so hard to believe that I'm different from them?"
"To tell you the truth, Rose, my answer is yes. For a start, you look exactly the way an Eevanson should. You have the rumoured messy black hair and icy blue eyes. Even the way you carry yourself suggests something treacherous. The way you speak signifies no respect for authority. You seem to be your father, inside and out." Dumbledore surveyed me over his half-moon spectacles.
"But…" I prompted, hoping that he saw some redemption for my family's sins.
Dumbledore smiled a little. "But the fact that you have approached me, begging for help, suggests that you don't have as much in common with Vitali and Kira as your appearance suggests. Though I do wonder whether your brothers will notice where you've gone."
My brothers were nearly as infamous for their crimes as my parents were. I had three of them and they were all older than me. Rolf, the eldest, was currently residing in Azkaban, for the murder of six Muggles in a public place. Memories had been modified, but those bodies would never be conscious again. I remembered hearing of Rolf's act and being sick to my stomach, forcing my mother to banish me to my bed for several days.
The other three, Gabriel, Murphy and Roman, were all safe in hiding, but they'd all committed crimes as heinous as Rolf's and they were proud of themselves for it. They considered Rolf some sort of tragic hero, who had been jailed for the greater good. He certainly acted the part when we visited him in his cell.
"They will." I nodded knowingly. "But they won't look for me. After I leave the underground without notice, I am a traitor and I may not go back."
"And why risk your entire life…your future…your family for this one chance?" Dumbledore asked carefully.
"Because…they're monsters." I whispered. I hadn't ever said it out loud, and even now it pained me. My brothers loved me and they had always looked out for me, the way a family should. Going against them was the highest form of betrayal I could muster.
Dumbledore surveyed me carefully. "I believe I can help you, Rose. But I am worried. I can see darkness in your eyes that will not disappear easily. It is because you know no other way of life. You must be careful not to let that darkness consume you."
I nodded. "Sir," I hesitated. "I need…somewhere to stay. Temporarily of course, but I don't want to be somewhere unprotected while I'm here."
"Of course." Dumbledore replied. "You will stay at the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. You will be safe there."
"Thank you." I was incredibly grateful. And though I didn't smile, I think that he believed me.
