The Briar and the Rose: A Huffelpuff story
1.
The round little cottage was a respectable witch's house. It stood for centuries and contained with in it all the ordinary mysteries of the magical world. Outside of the round cottage lay a wild messy garden that never chocked with weeds and seemed to grown as if by magic. No matter how foul the weather, the garden always stayed lush and green.
All the muggle ladies of the village would marvel at how well this strange Fiona Thorn's garden seemed to grow despite the snow or chill. This strange Fiona Thorn was an oddity in the village. Someone who the muggles stayed clear of. She was a curious sight. Traversing the charming cobbled streets in flouncy hats and parasols. Always smiling and waving at the muggle women as she bought strange objects such and broken light bulbs, iron nails and no food or sundries. No one was sure why, but this woman made the towns people very uneasy.
Unknown to the muggles of this quite little village, Fiona Thorn was a witch. A witch who had completed her education, along with her twin brother Robert, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her appearance, while odd to the non magical world, was perfectly normal to the world she belong to.
Fiona Thorn lived with her brother Robert, her cat Rasputin, and her young niece Rose.
For the past few years, the Thorn family had to stay hidden in the round cottage. Round homes, such as towers and the like, were always safest in such dangerous times. A charm or enchantment could easily be cast to protect the dwelling form being plotted and intruded upon.
You-Know-Who was gaining power. It was a dangerous time for any witch or wizard who was not in his allegiance. Robert Thorn was a proud alumni of Griffindor, while Fiona was a sensible and intelligent Ravenclaw.
The Round Cottage lay on the outskirts of the village. Well away from the muggles and on the very edge of an expansive property that belonged to a great house and a great family. The Towns people talked more about this great family in there big creepy house then the odd Thorn family. The inhabitants there never went into the village. Never invited guests. Only stayed cloistered in there large frightful house at the center of an impressive hedge maze.
~ As Fiona returned to her family home, she casually flicked out her wand and cast a silent spell that allowed her entrance. It was always a relief to see the cottage free of the dark mark. There was always the fear of returning to her family home to find her brother and young niece dead or... worse. The cottage was one that her family had lived in for 300 years. Just as old at the great house beyond the hedge maze.
In fact, it had once belonged to the great house, but that is a story for another time.
Inside, the round cottage was warm and happy. Complete with seven fire places, four bedrooms, an astronomy tower, and a large library. It was difficult to imagine that the small cottage, when looking at it on the outside, was so large and impressive on the inside. Almost as if it were made larger by magic.
The wood on the staircase was mysterious. It never needed polishing and shown brightly with the hands of many generations of the Thorn family. The bookshelves were overflowing with books haphazardly stashed with parchment rolls tucked into every available corner. The large fire places in the kitchen and sitting room, were big enough for a wide cauldron to smolder on the fire, and tall enough for a person to walk inside it. Although why anyone would wish to step inside a fireplace was a mystery to muggles.
All around the cottage were impressive old portraits. Of venerable looking ancestors painted with skill. These odd and creepy subjects seemed to move sometimes of their own accord. As anyone will tell you, such things were impossible.
As the witch opened her front door she saw her beloved niece Rose coloring at the well worn wooden table in the kitchen. A fire bringing her cauldron to a boil as the portrait of Wisteria Thorn watched over the child.
"Go down to that village again, have you?" The portrait of an old and cranky witch cackled at her great-great-great-great grand niece.
"You'll do well to remember that these were the same people who burned me at the stake!" Wisteria said. Her white hair escaping from her cap. Giving her a wild look.
Fiona hit the portrait as Wisteria hissed at her.
"Your the one who kept getting caught. Forcing all those men to fall in love with you, of course their wives would burn you! As I recall, you were burned, and hanged more then once. Never learn." Fiona sighed.
"Mind that caldron!" Wisteria shouted as Fiona dropped the iron nails into the brew.
"What are you doing child?" Fiona asked ignoring the portrait.
"Coloring." Rose said. Her long, bright red hair shining beautiful in the sunlight that streamed in the old glass window pane. Rose was only three and kept well by herself since her mother's sudden death.
A sound like huffing and of someone being out of breath came into the room. Wisteria shouted angrily as a harassed looking man stumbled into her portrait.
"Fiona! Oh Fiona! So glad your here, I have news! Most shocking news!" The Old Wizard gasped.
"Wicker!" Shouted Fiona looked startled as Wisteria hit the intruder into her portrait with her cane. "Well, what is it?" She asked as the Old Wizard to a blow from their mutual ancestor.
"You-know-who, they say... well dear me!" He gasped nervously.
"Out with it man!" Fiona shouted feeling scared. Someone else must have been killed. Someone of consequence, but who?
"He's gone." Wicker said before covering his mouth. "They are saying at the ministry that You-Know-Who is gone!"
"What are you talking about?" Fiona said not believing for an instant what her great cousin Wicker Thorn was telling her. Wicker had been Minister ages ago and still had his portrait hung up at the ministry. He often relayed information back tot he family long before it made it to the Daily Profit.
"You-Know-Who, he went to Godric's Hollow last night. Attempted to kill the Potters. Well, he finished them off right enough, but when he tried to kill the baby, their son... what was his name?"
"Harry." Fiona said softly as she felt her body grown weak. Lilly was an old friend of hers from school. Smartest witch she had ever known.
"Right, Harry. Well, seems he couldn't do it. House was destroyed and the baby survived." Wicker told her.
"Well, what of you-Know-Who?" Fiona asked.
"Gone!" Wicker said. "All the Death Eaters, they have their marks stopped moving and everything. Fiona, He's really gone!"
~ It took days for the news to fully be accepted. In which time Fiona made frantic posts to her old school friends in any attempt to find the truth. How could Lilly and James be gone? That monster tried to kill that poor baby.
"Word is that the baby will live with muggle relatives." Fiona told her brother Robert as they shared a bottle of fire whiskey.
"Perhaps that is for the best." He said stroking his beard and looking sad. His beloved wife, Rose's mother, was killed just last year by an unknown Death Eater. She had been an innocent in the wrong place at the wrong time. Her body was never found.
"Robert, that's not all." Fiona sighed. Her hands warming by the fire. Wisteria was sleeping soundly over the hearth as the hour was very late.
"What is it?" her twin asked.
"Well, I've had a letter from Remus Lupin. Seems Sirius Black was arrested the other day." She said softly.
"What?" Robert asked looked angry. Robert Thorn was friends with Sirius, James and Lupin. Even though he was a few years older, they had stayed friendly during school and after.
"Seems that Sirius was working for you-Know-Who this whole time. They say he killed Peter Pettigrew. They say Sirius told you-Know-Who where to find the Potters." Fiona said worriedly.
"I can't believe that." Robert said. "I can never believe that."
"I know, but I think it might be true. You always say we can't trust anyone during times like these." Fiona told him.
Robert sighed and shook his head. They sat in silence for a long time before he raised a glass of fire whiskey and toasted with his sister.
"To Harry Potter, the boy who lived."