A Great Riddle

Chapter 1: Old Friends & New Friends

Rogue stared out the window of the train, feeling nervous and very worried. She already missed her adoptive family in the United States and she was nervous because Voldemort lived here in England. She sighed and looked up at the ceiling of the compartment.

'You just have to get to Daigon Alley and get your school supplies, then find someplace to stay,' she told herself silently.

It had been six years since she had been to Daigon Alley, let alone England. In fact, six years ago, her father had found her again and threatened to kill her friend's family if she did not leave. She had fled to the United States and was adopted immediately (she assumed it was arranged). Now she was going back because it wasn't safe to be in the U.S. anymore and was being forced to go to Hogwarts.

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. She began dreaming about her mother. She had died when Rogue was three days old, but she still knew her face, her voice, everything. She was half vampire after all, so her memory was better than a human's. Her mother's death had upset her father greatly and had caused him to go on a killing spree, spreading death and terror everywhere he went, until he was stopped by a boy not much older than herself. She liked dreaming about her mother because she could make believe that she was alive and she had a happy family, not one that was torn apart and trying to destroy each other.

When she opened her eyes, the train had stopped in London. Rogue grabbed her suitcase, got off the train, and ran to the Leaky Cauldron. When she entered, her heart sank. A man with long, greasy black hair and wearing long black robes sat at one of the tables. It was her godfather.

"Disappointed to see me?" he sneered. Rogue shook her head, taking the seat across from him.

"No," she answered innocently. "Just surprised to see you here." He snorted in disdain.

"You have your letter?" he asked, seeming not to care. Rogue nodded. "You know what you need for school?" She nodded again. "Then go."

"Where am I supposed to stay?" she asked him. Her godfather shrugged.

"Ask Dumbledore," was his reply. Rogue sighed and closed her eyes, clearing her mind. She focused on the picture of Dumbledore (the headmaster at Hogwarts) she had created in her mind until she could feel the presence of his mind with hers.

"Professor, where am I to stay until school begins in a week?" she asked him telepathically.

"With the Weasleys of course," he told her gently. "Molly and Arthur already know and are expecting you. They will know you the moment they see you in Daigon Alley. You had better hurry and buy your things for school before it's too late." His mind's presence drifted away. Rogue opened her eyes. Her godfather had a sneer on his face. He hated it when she used her special powers in front of him.

"He said I'm to stay with the Weasleys," she told him. He nodded and stood, turning to leave, but Rogue grabbed his arm.

"Are you still with him?" she asked him telepathically so no one else would hear. "Are you still a servant of my father's, Severus?" His sneer deepened. He wrenched his arm away and Disapperated out of the Leaky Cauldron. Rogue sighed and stood, taking her suitcase with her as she entered Daigon Alley.

"Rogue!" shouted a woman. "Rogue dear!" The woman ran over to her, a warm smile on her face. "I'm Molly Weasley. Dumbledore requested that I assist you with your shopping." Rogue smiled faintly.

"Thank you," she said gratefully. A tall man with bright red hair took her suitcase and introduced himself as Arthur Weasley.

"Mum!" someone shouted. "Mum!" Rogue turned around to see a girl with bright red hair, like Mr. Weasley's. "May I go with Hermione to the book shop?"

"Of course Ginny, but take Rogue with you," Mrs. Weasley told the girl, waving a hand towards Rogue. "She needs to buy her books for school." Ginny looked her up and down. Rogue felt very self conscious about her long curly brown hair, pale skin, gothic attire, and unusually violet eyes, rimmed with midnight blue and flecks of gold around the pupils.

"All right," said Ginny at last. "Follow me. You do have money don't you?" Rogue nodded. (Severus had sent some money from her vault in Gringotts to her a month earlier.) She followed Ginny down the crowded streets into the book shop and led her to a small group consisting of one girl and two boys, one of whom she assumed to be Ginny's brother because of his red hair.

"Hello Ginny," said the girl, her bushy brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. "Is this the foreign exchange student your parents are housing until school starts?"

"My name is Rogue," Rogue told them, staring at her boots. She was well aware of the stares she was receiving.

"I'm Hermione, and these two are Harry and Ron," said the girl, nodding at the two boys. Rogue looked up and felt that there was something very familiar about the boy named Harry.

"Have we met before?" she asked him.

"No, but I'm famous because I survived one of Voldemort's attacks as a baby," he explained. Rogue stared at him in disbelief.

"You're the one who stopped him?!" she cried in alarm. Harry nodded. "Wow! I never thought I'd meet you in person!" She reached out to shake his hand, but as soon as she touched him, she saw a woman with red hair being hit with the Avada Kadavra curse. She blinked until the image went away. She looked at Harry and saw that he was frowning and rubbing his forehead, no, the strangely shaped scar on his forehead.

"Sorry about that," Rogue apologized. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" Harry shook his head, lowering his hand.

"What did you do?" he asked curiously.

"I can see things from people's past, but only if they're linked to Voldemort," she said quietly.

"Why only him?" Ron asked. Rogue shrugged, not wanting to tell them the truth just yet.

"Maybe it's because I'm part dark entity myself," she said with a shrug. The four of them stared at her blankly. "I'm half vampire." Their expressions went from blank to shocked.

"Vampire?!" Ron shouted, jumping back about a foot. Rogue nodded.

"I don't need the blood of humans to survive," she said quickly. "Just animal blood once a year on my birthday."

'Except on the night of the Harvest Moon,' she thought, deciding it would be unwise to tell him this.

"After that, I don't need any more until my next birthday," Rogue assured them. Ron looked relieved, but still on edge.

"Well, let me see your book list and we'll help you find everything you need," said Hermione. Rogue smiled and handed her the list.

Things were going quite well with her new friends until they reached Madam Malkins' for robes. Inside the shop she saw a boy she recognized from when she was a child.

"Draco," she whispered. Her friends turned to face her, and then followed her gaze. Their eyes fell on the boy with the white-blond hair.

"You know that git?" Ron snarled. Rogue nodded.

"I lived with him and his family for six years," she said softly. "He was my friend. He doesn't remember me though." Ron snorted.

"Sounds like Malfoy," he retorted. "If you're not a Pure Blood, he doesn't bother remembering you." Rogue shook her head.

"That's not it," she said sadly. "I had to make him forget. I had to replace his memories of me to protect him. That's why he doesn't remember me. It's best that he not remember me. Is there anywhere else I need to go for school supplies?" Hermione shook her head.

"We can wait until he's gone," Ginny suggested. Rogue shook her head.

"No," she said firmly. "I'm going to have to face him again at Hogwarts anyway." She walked into the shop, followed by Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny. Draco Malfoy, done with his fitting, looked over his shoulder and sneered.

"Well if it isn't Potter and his friends," he said snidely. His eyes fell on Rogue and for just a second, she thought she saw a glint of recognition in his gray eyes. He walked up to her and looked down at her, being about a half head taller than her, and cupped a pale hand under her chin, forcing her to look up. "I haven't seen you before, have I?" he drawled. Rogue focused her vision on his shoulder. "Look at me." It was an order, but it was spoken gently. Rogue slowly raised her eyes. Draco's eyes widened in surprise. "You look familiar, but I don't know why."

"I believe you're mistaken," said Rogue, gently pulling his hand away from her chin.

"No," Draco said firmly. "You're eyes…I can't mistake those eyes. They're unusual and beautiful. I could never forget eyes like that. I've met you somewhere, I just don't remember where." Rogue leaned close to him, her face an inch from his, and whispered, "It's best that you not remember for your own safety." She slipped past him and stood on the stool in front of the mirrors, waiting to be fitted. She could see from their reflections in the mirrors how furious her friends were with Draco, but she could also see that Draco seemed very confused, but must have made up his mind not to pry. He left the shop without another word. Rogue let out a sigh of relief.

* * * *

The remainder of her summer vacation with the Weasleys was more fun than she had thought it would be. Mrs. Weasley made sure that she ate plenty of food and Fred and George were constantly playing pranks on her and the other residents. She also played Quidditch with Fred, George, Harry, Ron, and occasionally Ginny.

Now it was time to go to Hogwarts. After a large breakfast, the car was loaded and they all climbed into the back, having been stretched with magic so they could all fit comfortably. Rogue focused on the sky to prevent herself from going to sleep. Lately she had been having nightmares. She assumed it was from her anxiety of being back in England, going to a new school, and on top of that being paranoid about her father finding her again... and Draco Malfoy. Despite her special memory charm, he still remembered her deep down. It flattered her, but at the same time it worried her because he could be used as a tool by Voldemort to get to her.

Rogue was relieved when they arrived at the train station. She ran through the barrier after everyone else and loaded her trunk onto the train, along with her large suitcase. Her back-pack slung over one shoulder, she made her way onto the train, searching for the compartment that Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione were supposed to be occupying. She found them near the back of the train and sat beside a girl with long blond hair and odd glasses and across from a boy with a round face.

"These two are Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood," Ginny introduced. "This is Rogue, a foreign exchange student from the United States."

Rogue found Neville to be sweet and rather shy, but Luna was very odd and entertaining. Rogue felt her stomach turn to ice when she saw the compartment door open and a boy with pale blond hair stood in the doorway. His cool gray eyes rested on her and a playful smile formed on his face.

"I thought I'd find you here," he drawled. "You're Rogue Riddle."

"How do you know my name?" Rogue demanded. Draco pulled out a picture taken from a Muggle picture booth. Rogue stared at the picture in awe. It was a picture of her and Draco when they were both eleven years old, just before she had to erase his memories.

"You used to live with me," he continued. "Then you had to be sent away to America for your own safety and for the safety of my family. Something about your father threatening to kill us if we didn't let you go." Rogue felt her stomach drop. He had no idea how dangerous that information was. "Your father really hates you, doesn't he? I mean, he wants you dead. What'd you do to piss him off?"

"I was born," Rogue answered so firmly it caused him to stare at her for a long time. "And don't make it known that you remember anything about me. Those memories are dangerous and will probably get you killed." Draco stared at her curiously before taking back his picture and returning to his own compartment.