Family Ties

Chapter One

The Start


I always knew I was adopted and I'll always remember the day I found out. It was the day my Mother brought Conrad back from the hospital, I was about five years old. Of course I'd been told I would soon be getting a little brother but I still didn't quite understand. That day though, my mother sat me down in the kitchen and told me that I was special like Conrad. Mummy had chosen me because I was special just like she had chosen Conrad. There was never any fuss made out of it. A year later she came home and I had a little sister too named Holly.

There was a sort of unity amongst the three of us. As though the fact that three of us were all adopted bound us together more. I never saw being adopted as a disadvantage. Not until I was about thirteen and quite frankly anything could have been a disadvantage by the then. I had a mother and father and two annoying little siblings. Nothing much separated me from other children and it wasn't often that I lost sleep over it.

At least not until I found out the truth.

Extract Biography of Rosemary Sylvia------nee O'Shea 2010 (Chapter One, pg 4)


"I don't…I don't want to go…" Sniffled the little girl.

The very early hours of September the 1st t were a bleak and miserable. Drab grey shrouds of mist roamed the rolling green hills, creeping up unaware on the forests and homes bringing with it bitterly cold winds and clouds of heavy rain. This unseasonable turn in the weather was only the foreshadow of the true nature behind it's origins and indeed it seemed as though the sky itself was rueing the fate of the Wizarding world.

Inside the warm bedroom however, the light shone brightly as though to combat the misery lurking outside the windows. The baby pink wall's were covered with posters all displaying a moving image of some kind - frolicking unicorns, waving band members and even a few photographs. The gauzy purple curtain were drawn over the window blocking out the darkness while tucked into a soft double bed were two girls.

"It'll be fine," The older girl assured soothingly. "It's never as bad as you think. Honestly Holly. Look I've survived and you'll have me to look after you." A younger child no older than ten snivelled looking utterly desolate in her blue pinstripe pyjamas. Messy strands of fluffy flaxen blond hair curled around the pillows mingling with much darker auburn locks.

"W-What if something happens? What if Mummy gets ill? I-I don't want to go…I want to stay here…" Sobbed Holly as hot tears spilled down her round cheeks. The larger figure instinctively put her arms around her younger sibling and drew her in closely. Moments later she nearly regretted this decision as she felt the material of her red night gown grow damp; she sighed trying to recall some way of pacifying her little sister's fears.

"You were all for it this morning, you and Claire Boot rampaging through the house. What's changed?" Rosemary O'Shea asked gently although her voice may have betrayed how tired she was truly feeling. It was past one o'clock in the morning and in less than five hours she would be awoken so she could finish packing and make it down to London in time for the train. Her body was craving sleep, her eyes were growing heavy and she was constantly having to rouse herself so she could straighten out her sister's fears.

"C-Claire told me that if I go away bad things might happen to Mum. She says that her Mum got ill and was rushed to St Mungo's. I read the paper too…it keeps saying that all this bad stuff is going to happen. I don't want to go…I want to stay." Cried Holly. Rosemary clenched her jaw to suppress a yawn as she hugged Holly closer. Why couldn't Claire Boot have kept her mouth shut? The last thing Holly needed was to be fed some sort of horror story by that little drama queen.

Rosemary had never liked Claire very much - the way she paraded around the place like she was better than everyone else, the way she was best friends with Holly one week and then abruptly a horrible little monster the next. Holly had been really excited about going ever since she got her letter; perhaps a little nervous and afraid of leaving home but nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe it was a good thing Holly was going to Hogwarts so she could make some new friends other than that little parasite.

"Claire's mum got bitten by a Doxy Hol," Rosemary said firmly. "Look I'm not saying nothing won't happen but the chances are one in a million. Dad comes back next week and everything will be fine. As for the papers…well there's nowhere safer than Hogwarts. It'll pass…it'll be fine."

Rosemary didn't know who she was trying to convince anymore. Holly or herself? The fears haunting her little sister had also lingered like ghosts in her own mind. Every issue of the Daily Prophet seemed to herald some sort of new doom and the trip down Diagon Alley had been dismal. Half of the shops she remember visiting when she was Holly's age were all boarded up - even the wand maker's Olivanders. It was like walking in a graveyard seeing all the boarded up windows and doors.

"How do you know?" Persisted Holly desperately. "Claire says-"

"Claire can go jump off a broomstick for all I care," Snapped Rosemary finally. "She isn't the be all and end all Holly. She's a vindictive piece of work and the sooner you move away from that brat the better. It will be fine Holly, I promise. Nothing is going to happen. Now turn over and try to get some sleep."

Reluctantly Holly flipped over and in a matter of minutes she was asleep snoring gently. Rosemary lay awake listening to the peaceful sound of gentle breaths as she mused her own thoughts. You-Know-Who had returned - that was now a solid undeniable fact. The shadow that had lurked in the past was now back and once again hunting with monsters at his side. She'd seen and read the leaflets and had treated them with sarcastic disdain. How very helpful of them to keep the public in a state of calm. How to recognise a Dementor had been her favourite one - by the time you had followed the ten helpful tips you would probably have already lost your soul or caused the Dementor to spontaneously die of boredom waiting for you to recognise it.

All humour aside though and Rosemary was afraid. She had been afraid from the moment she had stepped through the door two months ago to find her mother weeping over a cup of coffee. Apparently one of her riding pupils cousin had been in a car on the day the bridge collapsed. It might seem silly but it was enough for her mother to be shaken as old demons came back. Everybody had lost somebody and her family had also endured it's share of casualties - her mother in particular had lost her best friend. Mary was now treating this second return with such an excess of caution that Rosemary was finding it suffocating. She wasn't even allowed to go to the village unless Mary was with her. It was as if she had reverted back to being five all over again.

It was also dawning on her that her time at Hogwarts was rapidly running out. Last year had been one long stressful blur of exams and social tension. Suddenly she was being propelled into her sixth year and now she was legally of age. She hadn't succeeded in gaining some sort of maturity over night. She'd went to sleep Rosemary O'Shea and had woken up feeling more or less the same.

Still something was going to change. There was an ominous feel to the air recently. Everything seemed to be building up like static before a storm. The world around her was changing, war was ahead and soon she wouldn't have Hogwarts as her sanctuary. Of course she was from a pure-blood family and she did know that at least one of her parents had been a witch but some of her friends weren't as fortunate. At the end of the day if a side had to be picked Rosemary knew deep down that some members of her family wouldn't make the cut off.

Closing her eyes, Rosemary rolled over and dragged the duvet above her head.

All she wanted right now was to sleep and let the world struggle onwards for one more night. A mild feeling of excitement and anticipation stirred within her and she smiled briefly. At least Hogwarts was safe for now and tomorrow she'd be going back. Everything would be fine somehow, things always worked out. You-Know-Who had been beaten once before so surely something would happen to triumph him again?

By the end of the year Rosemary would later come to scorn this naivety.


"Hey!"

"Come on in Sabrina." Ushered Mrs O'Shea. "Rose is just upstairs finishing off her packing. Hello Charlotte! How's Richard getting on at the Ministry?" Snatches of conversation drifted up the stairs from the bottom landing. Rosemary swore regally as she attempted to cram another book into her overflowing suitcase. Every year she always had this problem and she somehow always seemed to forget something. No matter how much meticulous planning went into packing something always went astray be it a pair of socks or a Potions textbook.

"Honestly," Came a condescending voice. "What is it with you? I bet even Conrad's packed by now." Recognising the familiar tones Rosemary didn't even bother to turn around. Pulling out her wand she uttered a swift spell watching as her luggage case snapped shut of it's own accord. Waving the wand again she caused her accumulation of various bags and cases to levitate narrowly past the person behind her.

"Sorry," Rosemary said sardonically. She turned around and folded her arms, rolling her eyes at the person. "I can't help that the luggage is out to get me. How are you anyway? All packed and rearing for another joyous year?" The girl smiled knowingly and leaned back against the banister. Sabrina Fawcett was not only her life long friend but in fact her cousin being the daughter of Mary's older sister Charlotte.

"Can't be worse than last year." Sabrina mused before she smiled strengthening the resemblance between herself and her Aunt. "I'm looking forward to it. It's funny after all these years you'd think I'd be used to it but I still get excited. I bet Holly's been as high as a kite." Rosemary nodded and began to amble towards the stairs along with her cousin allowing the luggage to float behind them.

Growing up Sabrina had been her closest cousin with only weeks between them in age. Rosemary was the older by about ten days but somehow in their strange little relationship it was always Sabrina that assumed that role. Perhaps simply because Sabrina was already the oldest of five children, including a set of twins and had simply developed the maternal trait from a younger age. Sometimes though Rosemary was jealous of her friend simply because Sabrina was so similar to her mother. The same chocolate eye colour and the same coal black hair that hung down her back like a curtain. Sabrina had freckles though - lots of freckles and she was much taller than Mary.

"She was until that little cow started filling her head up with junk." Rosemary muttered sourly. "I was up until past midnight trying to assure her that the Dementors weren't going to burst through the windows. The worst thing was the more I talked about it the more I felt that they were. That and Claire's convinced her that nobody will like her if she's not in Gryffindor!"

"What?" Sabrina remarked incredulously. "Wait until I see her! The sooner she gets away from that brat the better. I hope for Holly's sake she's not in Gryffindor and then she can find her own friends. What about you? Reckon she's Raven material or not?"

Rosemary shrugged. Most of her relatives had been in Ravenclaw but Conrad had still surprised them being sorted into Gryffindor. The scale could tip either way but privately Rosemary was naturally cheering for her younger sister to join her in Ravenclaw. Holly was certainly clever enough anyway - she wandered around with her nose glued in a book most of the time.

"I hope so," Rosemary confessed treading on the creaky bottom step.. "I bet you ten sickles she's in Ravenclaw."

"Deal." Affirmed Sabrina as the two turned towards the kitchen.

The large farmhouse was ancient and every floorboard had it's creak, every window it's whine and every surface it's coat of dust despite hours of rigorous cleaning on her mother's behalf. The old attic upstairs was so littered with boxes of junk and memorabilia that there was hardly any room to move yet alone breath the dusty air. It had belonged to her family for centuries and her mother had came to inherit it after the death of her grandfather.

Mary now spent the vast majority of her life trying to convert and update the house to something more modern. The kitchen for example now bore shiny sleek surfaces and sparkling sinks. There was a long breakfast bar with high stools and even a brand new dishwasher. Freshly painted white walls were immaculate to match the black and white tiled floor which gleamed in the sunlight.

"Right we are then," Grinned Auntie Charlotte - a petite woman with elbow length chestnut hair and glasses. "That's the lot of us I think."

Mary nodded solemnly clinging to her youngest daughters hand. Holly looked slightly happier than she had done that night but there was still an etch of fear around her soft features. Next to her Conrad huffed impatiently looking eager to leave and return to the company of his friends. His tousled sandy brown hair was ruffled and his pale blue eyes were alight with excitement.

Auntie Charlotte held baby Marion in her arms while her twin son's Mark and Julian leaned languidly against the counters. Both had long shoulder length shaggy chestnut hair and hazel eyes that radiated a casual elegance that most fifteen year old boys could only dream of having. The rest of Auntie Charlotte's mob were probably at her house under the strict supervision of her house elf Dory; Sarah-Jane and Elliot were both too young to attend Hogwarts.

Rosemary nodded in agreement as her luggage landed lightly on the floor. Taking a handful of floo powder she shot one last look at her kitchen before disappearing into the crackling emerald flames of the fireplace. The next time she returned it would not be alone and she would never guess precisely what was waiting to be unearthed in the boxes in the attic.


"Right-o," Sabrina declared as she pushed open the compartment door. It was one of the few remaining vacant compartments left at the back of the train and the two of them wasted no time in claiming it as their own. Conrad had left them the instant he had stepped foot on the train determined to find his friends amongst the pandemonium of first years. Holly had been far more reluctant to leave them but she had soon perked up after she had caught sight of Anita Robins and had left to join her friends as well. The goodbye's on the platform had been tearful on her mother's part as she bid farewell to her youngest child calling words of caution after them. Rosemary now realised she had the joint responsibility of keeping both her siblings in check - not a task she in anyway envied or wanted. As the engines of the train began to rumble into life she pulled out a copy of Witch Weekly and flipped to the horoscope section.

Presently the door slid open again to reveal three new sixth years. The tallest had fluffy chin length mahogany blond hair and expressive almond shaped eyes. This was Lisa Turnip, a fellow Ravenclaw with the prestigious reputation for being the smartest in their house group having scored the highly sought after 'Outstanding' in all of her exams except Astronomy and Potions in which she received a meagre Acceptable. Behind her lingered the much smaller frame of Sally-Ann Sawyers - a Hufflepuff with a strawberry-blond bob and bright blue eyes. Finally there was the ringleader and Hufflepuff named Sunita Richards. An olive skinned girl with glossy raven hair and light hazel eyes.

There was the usual round of greetings as each girl took their seat. Of course Rosemary had seen them all only a few days ago at her party so there was unfortunately not much small talk to go around. Various subjects flickered and evolved until eventually a steady game of Broomsticks and Wands was started. As the journey continued the weather seemed to grown continually bleaker until finally the rain started to bounce off the windows in strong gusts of wind. Rosemary sighed leaning her head against the cold glass as she eyed the latest issue of the Daily Prophet. She rolled her eyes - the same headlines again, the same speculation games.

"They've arrested Stan Shunpike," Rosemary noted as she rolled the dice.

"That guy could hardly point his wand in the right direction let alone curse anyone," Snorted Sunita derisively. "Dad thinks Rufus is going neurotic. I mean look what they're publishing about Potter now - the chosen one? Dear Merlin they must be getting desperate."

"You don't think it's true then?" Sally-Ann asked curiously as she pushed her counter across the board. "I mean I hope it is. I'd like to think somebody could finally beat him for once and he managed it last time."

"Beginner luck," Sunita said reasonably. "I mean I don't trust a word of the Prophet. They're probably trying to make up for all the crap they had out about him last year. It's ridiculous to think a sixteen year old could take on You-Know-Who. If anyone will beat him Daddy thinks it'll be the ministry. We're much more prepared than last time."

"Well how do you explain a baby beating him then?" Rosemary quizzed. "I mean Merlin knows I'd hate to be him with his life but what's to say it's not true? He is the Boy-who-lived." The thought of being told to go one on one with evil incarnate hardly thrilled her and truthfully if she was saddled with Potter's life she would have probably suffered at least five serious meltdowns. However if it was true then she imagined that Potter might be in with a chance - considering he had now avoided death at least four times and had miraculously survived the killing curse. The whole enigma made an interesting debate and Rosemary enjoyed taking turns to advocate each side rationalising it out in her head by playing on duplicity.

"Oh come off it Rosie. Potter might be good at Defence Against the Dark Arts and Quidditch but that isn't going to get him far in the long run. Even if he is the 'Chosen One' then his odds are still slim." Sunita argued mockingly. Rosemary shrugged and dealt her card down on the table. Personally she thought Sunita might still be feeling a bit insulted by falling for the Prophets gossip and failing her own Defence Against the Dark Arts exam. Her father was exceedingly rich and held a handsome position on the Wizengamot as well as being the Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes.

"Yeah but even if Potter isn't I'm betting they'll be another war," Sabrina confided in a hushed whisper. "I mean there's only so much the Ministry can do and more people keep going missing. I'm giving it three years before You-Know-Who makes a move again because it's not like he's going to stay in the background. Not with all the Dementors and-

"Don't!" Lisa pleaded as she shuddered. "Who do you think he'll go after first? My Dad's a policeman and my Mum's a nurse. What chance do we have? Whenever I try to talk to them about it they keep thinking about buying shot guns or installing alarms. I don't want to talk about it anymore. It keeps scaring me. It's alright for you lot!"

Rosemary looked sympathetically at her muggle-born friend. The potential fate of Lisa had crossed her mind more than once ever since the rumours last year. If You-Know-Who did make a bid for power then what chance would Lisa stand? She couldn't imagine her one the run but the thought of her being left to the mercy of the Death Eaters made her feel sick. It was like reading the Diary of Anne Frank and then learning about the Nazi's final 'solution.' Many of her Aunts and Uncles were muggles and they taught mostly muggle children how to ride horses on her estate.

Yet in the same sickening way she could also see how easy it would be to fall into the lure of the Death Eaters twisted beliefs. Sometimes you did feel superior to muggles because it felt like they were thicker than you for not having wands. It was easy to see where the seeds of prejudiced had been sown but Rosemary could never contemplate torturing them. She wouldn't really want to torture anyone muggle or otherwise. The Death Eaters ideologies did seem a lot like the Nazi ones but at the end of the day what did it achieve? Not a lot except for families being ripped apart and a mass of death wherever they left.

"Sorry Lisa," Apologised Rosemary. "You'll be fine. I'm sure somebody will do something and even if they don't I've got enough relatives who you could pass for. Ten Aunts and Uncles in total and more than thirty cousins. I'll bring over my photo album and you can take your pick."

"Yeah. You could be cousin Beatrice from France." Agreed Sabrina with a twinkle in her eyes. "Remember her Rose? She arrived on our doorstep last winter and Mum hadn't spoken to her for fifteen years. She smoked this weird tobacco that made the house reek for days. Well glad to see the back of her we were."

"Dear Lord don't get me started," Rosemary groaned remembering her overzealous French cousin. Beatrice Juan had been snobby, haughty and extremely fussy. Needless to say nobody had exactly warmed to her and Rosemary could still remember the smug comments made after she'd came into the house from riding Jasper - her thoroughbred chestnut who was a good fourteen hands. The look she'd received before promptly being told she smelled like the wrong end of a dung heap and could she not at least come in via the back door had left Rosemary feeling more than a bit aggravated. "Maybe not. I don't think Lisa's desperate enough hot pretend to be that hag."

"Yeah well this year should be better than last," Lisa said more optimistically. "We get free periods this years and we don't have OWLS to set. Last year was hell. I still can't believe I only scraped an A for Potions! I worked so hard on that draught and I was finished five minutes before everyone else!"

"I got an E," Sunita said triumphantly. "But I'm still dropping it. I can't be bothered having cauldrons blowing up in my face or having that greasy bat hovering over my shoulder." Rosemary rolled her eyes. Sunita was probably the least favourite of all her friends for the simple reason that she thought she was the centre of the universe. If everyone else had a problem it came second to her dramas which usually concluded with her crying over being dumped for 'accidentally' cheating on one of her boyfriends.

"No we wouldn't want that would we?" Rosemary muttered sarcastically under her breath before smirking and saying in a louder voice. "Aw Sunita now who will I take potions with? I really hoped you'd get an O so we could be together. Oh well I'll just have to endure it alone." Sunita's smug expression was wiped off her face and she scowled rolling the dice. She was a sore loser and the fact that Rose had achieved an Outstanding in Potions still hurt her ego.

Oh well it gave Rosemary something to hold above the snobby witch. No doubt it would earn her a lifetime spot in Sunita's bitch-behind-back conversations but In the immortal words of Rhett Butler - "Frankly my dear I don't give a damn."


"She looks nervous…"

"Well what were you expecting?" Sabrina asked rhetorically. Rosemary bit her lower lip and fidgeted nervously as she eyed the line of first years spotting out her sisters face amongst them. They all seemed so small in their oversized black robes yet to don the colours of the school. Had it really been only six years since Rosemary had arrived in such a state? It seemed almost longer yet also like not time at all. She could remember every single detail of that nerve-wrecking ordeal.

She could remember feeling hyperactive and full of impatient adrenaline but then queasy with sudden terror. What if she put the hat on and it sent her home because she didn't fit in anywhere? She wasn't particularly brave or clever or anything else. Perhaps if there was a house for the queasy and fearful then she might have earned a place. With a racing heart and horrible fluttery gigantism moths floating about in her stomach she had mounted the three legged stool. All those faces looking at her had only served to intimidate her even more. Couldn't they have looked away for a few minutes? And the hat had taken so bloody long to decide that she could spy several people laughing at her.

"Hmm…very loyal," The hat had said pensively. Rosemary remembered feeling dread. She didn't want to be in Hufflepuff. People said that people only went there because they had nowhere else to go. "Not Hufflepuff? Many great people have came from Hufflepuff…but perhaps not. Courage? You know the difference between right and wrong just like your mother. No…maybe not. Slytherin? Ah a manipulative streak…you would do well in Slytherin but no I don't think you would quite fit in. Where to put you? Ah what a mind. A girl with a thirst for knowledge can only go to….RAVENCLAW!"

To say Rosemary had been relieved would be an understatement. From the moment she'd seen Sabrina sorted into Ravenclaw she had wanted to join her cousin. Lots of people in her family had gone into Ravenclaw and Rosemary had wanted to go there because Ravenclaw sounded the best. Now six years later she sat feeling the same flicker of trepidation as she watched line file thinner. There was a new teacher at the high table - a fat walrus like man with a moustache. Another Defence teacher no doubt - poor bugger wouldn't last the year.

"Holly O'Shea!" Professor McGonagall called. Rosemary watched anxiously as her little sister trotted forward with a flushed face. Conrad hadn't been so nervous although he had almost tripped over his robes. Rosemary eyes her brother spotting him at the Gryffindor table with his attention avidly focused also on his younger sister. For several long painful moments Holly sat there gripping the edge of the stool and closing her eyes. What was the hat telling her? It had better be telling her good things because if it shoved her in Slytherin so help Rosemary she'd rip the thing to shreds.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Rosemary felt relief flow through her body like a tidal wave as she relaxed into her seat. There was an enthusiastic round of applause as Holly took her with an embarrassed smile as Mark clapped her on the back. Rosemary beamed wishing she was far enough down the table to speak properly to her sister. Instead she contended with a thumbs up and a smile before turning back to Sabrina.

"You owe me. Ten sickles."

"I'll give it to you tomorrow." Sabrina said carelessly. Rosemary shook her head knowing that she'd never see that ten sickles again in her life, however as the golden plates in front of them abruptly filled with delicious meals of all varieties sickles were the last thing on her mind. Platters of piping hot Sheppard's pie and plates filled with crispy roast potatoes soon occupied her mind and stomach. Taking a generous helping of each she tucked into her meal trying to ease the empty feeling in her stomach. She shouldn't have skipped lunch - it felt like her stomach thought her throat must have died and had gone into mourning.

Every now and then she would looked up from her dinner and her gaze would flicker assertively towards Holly and then Conrad. Certain both her siblings appeared to be quite content she would relax and join in some of the light banter floating around the table. Most of which concerned exam results and the new member at the staff table. By the time the bowls of steaming hot chicken soup had faded into dishes of mouth-watering sticky toffee pudding Rosemary became aware of some general commotion. Heads began to turn and there was a ripple of whispers and murmurs. Craning her neck so she could see over the shoulder of a particularly tall Gryffindor behind her she spied the source of the hubbub.

Messy black hair gave away his identity instantly and paired with the muggle clothing Harry Potter's entrance was nothing short of enigmatic. Especially coupled with the amount of dried blood surrounding his nose. Rosemary frowned feeling a prickle of unease; had there been something on the train? Another Death Eater attack? Or was Sunita simply right and this was another stunt for attention?

"Please tell me that isn't blood on his face?" Rosemary muttered to Lisa as everyone gradually turned around back to their meals. Lisa looked mildly troubled by this development as she stabbed her spoon ruefully into her helpings of strawberry and raspberry ice cream.

"I think so…you don't think?"

"Nah," Rosemary said taking in a mouthful of her favourite black forest gateau. "Not on the train. We'd all have known if there was something on the train. Maybe he just bashed himself or got into a fight. There's no need to jump to conclusions." She said this purely for the benefit of keeping Lisa calm because her own mind was already conjuring several theatrical battles with a squad of Death Eaters and a few Dementors.

The next moment of drama came after pudding when Professor Dumbledore stood up to make his usual speech. Rosemary promptly adapted an expression of intense interest while allowing her mind to wander over the familiar words. It wasn't until he got around to announcing the title of the latest Professor that Rosemary did the equivalent of a mental stumble as she blinked slamming back into reality with a bump. Professor Slughorn? Her mum had mentioned him a few times and he didn't teach Defence he taught…

"to resume his old post as Potions Master," Dumbledore continued steadily. There was a sudden inrush of chatter bubbling above the headmasters voice. Rosemary's eyes widened as she eyed her mothers former teacher and his amble stomach and thick silver moustache. Potions? Slughorn had been in retirement for years so why would they take him back out to teach potions unless…

"Professor Snape meanwhile," Dumbledore said, raising his voice above that of his students. "Will be taking over the position of Defence and Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Rosemary felt her insides drop as the giant butterflies promptly reverted back to the caterpillars crawling over her insides. Snape? Snape in Defence? Snape shooting hexes at them? She'd be dead within the year. Rosemary groaned; it had been bad enough in potions. Not that she had earned his wrath in any particular way because she had quite a natural aptitude for the subject but he had always terrified her. Never in her life had she been late for Potions and never in her life had she done anything out of question in that class half petrified the man might poison her. The idea of him shooting jinxes at her made her feel that she'd probably have a better chance going one on one with a Dragon.

"Snape in Defence?" Rosemary moaned. "Why didn't they just hire another psychopath?"

"He can't be as bad as Umbrige," Sabrina reasoned with distaste. "She was a cow. At least we might stand a chance of passing this year."

Sabrina had a point. Rosemary had openly despised that simpering idiot and as soon as the skiving snack boxes had became purchasable Rosemary had delighted in taking fever fudge. There was no point wasting her time in a lesson where she wouldn't learn anything. That and the old hag had given her little brother a detention - no that this was exceptionally bad but Conrad had came back with scars on the back of his hand and tears in his eyes.

Umbrige had earned herself an enemy for life.

"Let's see," Rosemary counted. "One of our teachers died, the next one was an arrogant fraud, the third was a werewolf, the fourth a psychopathically nutcase in disguise, the fifth a complete bitch and now we've got batman. Snape must be suicidal. Nobody lasts more than a year." Maybe that's why they'd gone for somebody who was already a member of staff. Perhaps they hoped to buck the trend this year or simply everybody else had outright refused. They should have brought Lupin back - he'd been alright even if he did morph into a monster at every full moon.

"Not a good track record," Sabrina agreed as everyone began to stand up. "You never know. Maybe this year things will change."

Somehow Rosemary sincerely doubted it.


I honest to God di not mean this chapter to be so long! The next chapters are fairly concise with about 4000-4500 words but somehow this one turmed out to be mammoth! This story is quite evenly paced and I'm predicting about twenty-five chapters. The golden trio will probably be featured by about the fourth chapter but most of this story will be from Rose's point of view although other people will come into it later. I hope you all enjoyed and reviewed to let me know what you think of Rosemary. I've asked my Devintart artist if she'll draw Rose for me and I'm waiting to hear back.

Anyway in the next chapter Rosemary works her way through her first week of term which includes keeping a watchful eye on her rebellious brother and timid sister while also trying to achieve high in her new classes.

R&R

Daydreamer!x