Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I just like to play with the characters. :)
Chapter 1: The Fair Maiden
She stood with her back straight and shoulders back thrusting her chest out in pride as she surveyed the Scotland hills from her balcony. Her hair was fiery red and in a riot of unruly curls all down her back to the curve of her pert bottom. Her brows, a dark auburn, were slanted down in concentration over her deep midnight blue eyes. Her full lips were tilted in a slight frown.
Rose was not happy.
Two weeks from now was to be her 17th birthday. And instead of planning a celebration in her dorm at Hogwarts or throwing an even more extravagant party in the abandoned classroom everyone knew of beyond the Gryffindor tower, she was here.
Here being the ancient Prewett Manor that some obscure great great great grandfather of hers had built in the highlands of Scotland. It was enormous. Situated on over 5 acres of land the house stood 4 stories high and spanned at least a full acre. It hasn't been lived in for 49 years. Disrepair was surprisingly quick to be fixed considering her fully magical expansive family. So after only inhabiting the place for 2 months it was already looking like a working stronghold with life and color everywhere you look.
Alright. Time to explain.
Great Great Grandpa Magnus Prewett, her Grandma Molly's grandfather, had been furious when Molly Prewett had run off with Arthur Weasley at the age of 20. The impoverished Weasleys. He'd had her father William cut her out of her inheritance and sever all ties with her and her "family". Whom they never acknowledged as now being their family as well. When William died 5 years after Molly had married, the Weasley's hadn't known that he had had a change of heart. He'd kept it a close guarded secret all the way to his grave. From everyone except for Molly's former maid Agnes, whom he only told a week before his death. An older woman aged 65 and slowing in her duties, she was fired and kicked out of the Prewett Manor shortly after his burial before she could impart her knowledge to anyone else in the family. And when she later tried to get in to speak to them, no one would hear her.
Being a squib, Agnes had no way to get a quick message to Molly of the change of heart her father had had. And anger at the family's treatment of her had made her hold her tongue. Another 6 years had passed and Molly's family had grown, with six boys and another pregnancy. Agnes, afraid she had waited too long, did not come forth with her tale, lest no one believe her and she be punished. Her aged mind left her addled and confused.
Her great grand-daughter, Tula, a 16 year old impetuous girl, was the one told of the tale and entrusted with the secret on Agnes' death bed a few months later.
The girl did not care for the news, nor did she want the responsibility of passing it on to Molly or her family and lived her life as she pleased for 42 years. And only when HER grand-daughter came speaking of Rose Weasley, the 16 year old prefect at her school did Tula remember the tale her Great grandma Agnes had told her.
So she finally took it upon herself and came and told them.
There was a will. Hidden in the walls of the Prewett Manor, in Molly's old room, the will re-instated her as a Prewett, and gave her sole possession of the Prewett Manor by means of a binding ancient spell. And only when a daughter of the Weasley line, upon reaching the age of maturity, participated in the highland games and the outcome of those games would the spell be broken.
Every Prewett since the death of Molly's father William had not known what had made them wish to leave the mansion and never return, but they never suspected it was due to a spell.
And with the deaths of Molly's brothers, Gideon and Fabian, in the first wizarding war, there was no one left to claim it.
Hence why the mansion was unclaimed and uninhabited for the past 49 years.
And here was finally a Weasley daughter who was eligible to reach the age of maturity and participate in the highland games and all that it entails. Rose Weasley.
What does it entail you ask? And why Rose specifically when her family was so extensively full of Weasley girls?
Well it was simple. The highland games was when the Prewett clan (yes clan) invited all eligible sons of the noble Wizards to their home for a week of skill testing games at the end of which, the winning son would gain the daughters' hand and they would be betrothed before the eyes of their families and all the other visiting clans.
It was ROSE who had to do it because Victoire was already married to Teddy. Dominique was engaged to a French wizard by the name of Jean Clouseau. Roxanne was a lesbian and had immediately announced her secret marriage to what they all thought had been her girlfriend Leslie Winkle when the will was read. And Molly II Weasley, at the age of 17 (almost 18), was 3 months pregnant with Lorcan Scamander's baby and due in September.
Next came Rose. At 16 (almost 17) she was the perfect age. Single. Not a lesbian. And older than Lucy and Lily who were the only other Weasley girls in their family.
It just wasn't fair.
If she had been given fair warning a few months earlier, she would have gotten knocked up like Molly and took herself out of it.
And left it all on Lucy's shoulders, she though bitterly. It wasn't fair to any of them, and definitely not fair to put it on one of her younger cousins to do it.
No.
She was going to have to step up.
She glanced one more time at the sun shining off the greenest grass, the budding trees, the crystal water of Loch Venachar and sighed. She felt her freedom slip away from her as she turned her head and walked back into her appointed room.
It was time to send out the invitations.
A/N - I hope you enjoy this story. It's not completed, so I'm doing my best to work on it a little at a time. I have about 4 chapters written so far. I'll try to update once a week hopefully. Please let me know what you think of it, or if I should continue it or what.
Slight update to Roxanne's reason for not being eligible since it was pointed out that simply being a lesbian would not deter the strong magic of the will.
Now here's some background/explaination of the story:
#1) The timeline fits according to what I could best discern from the Harry Potter books and any information given by J.K Rowling.
I took special license with Molly's story since it wasn't specifically told and seemed to fit.
She was born in 1949, had Bill in 1970 which would make her 21. So I had her run away at 20, married and pregnant all in that year. Charlie born in 1972, Percy in 1976, the twins in 1978, Ron in 1980, and Ginny in 1981. Her father (who I named William since no name was given and it would fit that she'd name her first son after him) died when she was 25. She would have been nearly 32 (6 years plus a few months) when Agnes died and told Tula. 42 years later, Molly is 74 and it's the year 2023. From 25 years old to 74 years old is 49 years with the house unoccupied. Tula told them in January of 2023. That would be the year Rose turns 17.
#2) Ages and birthdays I made up for Weasley children:
5 years graduated
Victoire (Bill and Fleur – married to Teddy Lupin who is age 25) – Born May 2000, age 22 in March, turning 23
2 years graduated
Fred (George and Angelina) – Born December 2002, age 20
Dominique (Bill and Fleur – engaged to Jean Clouseau who is age 23) – Born May 2003, age 19 in March, turning 20
1 year graduated
Roxanne (George and Angelina) – Born May 2004, age 18 in March, turning 19
7th year
James (Harry and Ginny) – Born October 2004, age 18
Louis (Bill and Fleur) – Born November 2004, age 18
Molly (Percy and Audrey – 3 months pregnant out of wed-lock with Lorcan's baby, due in September) – Born April 2005, age 17 in March, turning 18
6th year
Rose (Ron and Hermione) – Born March 2006, age 16, turning 17 in 2 weeks
Albus (Harry and Ginny) – Born June 2006, age 16 in March, turning 17
5th year
Lucy (Percy and Audrey) – Born August 2007, age 15 in March, turning 16
4th year
Hugo (Ron and Hermione) – Born February 2008, age 15
3rd year
Lily (Harry and Ginny) – Born December 2008, age 14 in March, turning 15
#3) Loch Venachar is a real loch in Scotland near Callander.
