Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, only most of the plot and the OC, and I am not making any money from this story
Summary: Prequel to the Black Riddle. Follow the journey of Rosanna Alison White as she travels into the World of Harry Potter, but there are dark times ahead of her. Can she overcome them with her new friends, the Marauders? SB/OC
'Thoughts'
"Speech"
Chapter 8
One month had passed since she had come back from Diagon Alley. So much had happened in that time. Looking at her room and new trunk on the floor beside her bed, which was now full of the things that she would be taking to Hogwarts. Smiling to herself, she couldn't believe that she was going to Hogwarts. In just a few hours she would be on the train, on her way to the school she had been reading about for years.
To think, just a few weeks ago, she was in her own world. But what a boring life it was, as she barely had any friends and even though she loved her family, they were hardly ever around. Now, everything had changed, by someone asking her one question.
Flashback
Charlus had called her to his office, which was quite unusual in and of itself, as he only used his office for official business. When she stepped into the room, she everyone gathered there. Charlus, Dorea, James and Sirius. But this confused her more than ever.
"What going on here guys?" she asked
Dorea stepped up to her and took her hands in her own. "Even though we've only known you a short time, we all feel like you're a part of this family. What we want to ask is can we make it official?"
Rosanna looked up at Dorea confused "What are you asking?"
"Can we adopt you?"
End Flashback
It was then, everything came together. Later, on the same day, Rosanna had found herself at Gringotts, performing the blood adoption ritual.
Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she sighed. Glancing at herself in mirror beside her, she could see the changes the ritual had caused. Her hair had darkened until it had turned black, and had grown to the middle of her back. Her eyes had changed from teal to hazel and she found that she didn't need glasses at all. Her body became more developed and she even grew and inch or two. But her change was not yet complete. With the advice of Dorea and Charlus, she had decided to have herself deaged, so she could be in the same year as James and Sirius. Even though the deaging potion was left till the last minute, she had been working and studying everyday for the last month, so she could be up to the same level as James and Sirius. For her electives, she had chosen Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, as well as all the core subjects. For most of the core subjects as well as Ancient Runes, Charlus and Dorea tutored her. For the rest, Charlus had a ministry tutor come every other day. It was hard work, but the tutoring and studying paid off, as she reached the level she needed.
But there was something plaguing her throughout this whole time. What got to her was the reaction of James when she had finished telling him the story of how he died. Closing her eyes, she doubted that she would ever forget the look on his face, the look of fear, anger, pleading, sadness and pure pain. Sirius's face had mirrored his almost exactly, though, his looked more painful, as she had just told him, that he would be losing his best friend and brother in just six and half years. She hadn't waited for their reactions; she had just left them there, just so it could sink in.
Knowing all the things she knew about their lives in the future was both a blessing and a curse. To see that pain on their faces was like a knife to her heart. Others may think that she had gotten too close to these people in such a short time, but it was just meant to be. She had a connection with them, which had formed after only a few days of knowing them. But one thing she did know was that no matter what, she would try and change what she knew, or die trying.
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The morning couldn't have come quick enough in Rosanna's opinion. Even though she loved and would miss her new parents very much, she was excited to finally go to Hogwarts. Lugging her trunk out of her room, she frowned down at her younger body. She had taken the deaging potion the night before. Unfortunately she had gotten used to she had after the adoption, but now the deaging potion had caused her to shrink, so she was even smaller than before.
Shrugging she took her trunk down stairs and into the foyer where the others were waiting for her.
"How long does it take you to pack everything?" asked James
Rosanna raised an eyebrow in response.
"Well dear brother, some of us have a lot of stuff to pack, unlike some people"
James smirked, but before he could reply, a voice interrupted them.
"Come on you two or you're going to miss the train"
"Yes Mom" they both said simultaneously
Grabbing their trunks, James, Rosanna and Sirius all headed for the fire place.
As she stumbled out of the fire place at Platform 9 ¾, Rosanna mumbled "I'll never get the hang of this"
She gave each Charlus and Dorea a hug, but not before asking them to shrink her trunk for her.
'Saves me lugging it around' she thought
But as soon as she finished that thought, she felt a pull on both her arms and someone dragging her along.
"Oi! Are you both tryin' to pull my arms out of their sockets?"
James and Sirius both looked at each other with a smirk and simple replied "Yes"
Rolling her eyes at them, she yanked her arms out of their grips causing them to fall back slightly. This earned her a glare from both the raven haired boys, but before they could reply a voice was heard.
"Hey, James, Sirius, over here!"
Pushing their way through the crowds of people that had gathered around the platform, they followed the direction of the voice and came across one Remus Lupin.
"Hey, guys! Have a good summer?"
"Yeah it was great. Though we didn't expect this one to be dropping in on us" he gestured back towards Rosanna.
Before Remus could reply, Rosanna smacked James upside the head.
"Hey, what was that for?" he asked rubbing the back of his head.
"That was for being inconsiderate prick. We both know the reasons of why I came to your family"
Remus looked over in sympathy. He had got a letter from James half way through the summer, saying that some distant family member was coming to stay with them, as she had lost her family to a Death Eater attack.
"So you must be Rosanna. My name is Remus Lupin" he said, holding out his hand to her.
Taking his hand Rosanna replied "Yes, I am. It's a pleasure to meet you"
"Oi! Stop being so formal you two!" said Sirius, while grinning like a mad man.
Turning to him and sighing in slight annoyance and amusement, Rosanna replied "Well, how would you like us to act, dear Siri? I'm certainly not going to act like a deranged baboon on a broomstick, as you do most of the time"
Placing his hand on his chest, Sirius feigned a wounded look.
"You wound me Rosie. I assure you that I never act in that manner"
With that he strutted off, with his nose in the air, in such a way that would have made a pureblood proud.
Rosanna and Remus glanced at each other for a second or two before bursting into giggles.
"Does he always act like this at school?" asked Rosanna
"No. Unfortunately for us, he's worse"
"Oh Merlin, save me!"
They both then decided to get on the train to find an empty compartment. They ended up finding one at the back of the train, so they made themselves comfortable. Just as they had sat down they heard the whistle for the train and it started to move, pulling away from Platform 9 and ¾ and off to Hogwarts. They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Rosanna got bored and pulled her trunk from her pocket, placed it on the seat next to her and enlarged it. She then began riffling through her things, so as to find a book to read. She eventually found one and, like Remus, who was sitting back reading a copy of Hogwarts: A History, sat back and started reading a book on Mind Magic.
It was an hour before they were interrupted, and it ended up being by Sirius and James.
"Hey, there you guys are, we've been looking for you for ages" said James, while sitting himself down in the empty seat beside Remus. Sirius on the other hand decided that he wanted to sit next to Rosanna and was trying to shift her trunk on the rack above him, but was not having the greatest luck.
"Would you guys mind giving me hand here?"
Folding her arms and leaning casually against the window of the compartment, Rosanna said "Sirius, you are a wizard are you not?"
"Yeah, I thought you had realised that by now?"
"Of course I had you idiot! I merely thought that I could remind of that thing in your pocket called a wand that could be used for, oh I don't know, levitating things"
Sirius looked like he wanted to slap himself for his mistake, but he just did what Rosanna said and levitated her trunk up onto the rack. He then sat himself down beside Rosanna, before swinging his legs up onto the seat and across Rosanna's lap.
"Hey! Get off me you big oaf, I'm trying to read here!"
Sirius just clasped his hands behind his head and said "I'm comfortable, thanks"
Rosanna just rolled her eyes and went back to her book. But before she could read more than a few sentences, she was disturbed by a knock on the door and to her great displeasure, it was Peter Pettigrew.
"Hiya guys! Just had trouble with some of the Slytherins. They got me in a body bind and it only wore off a few minutes ago."
"Oh, no worries Petey boy. We'll get 'em back for you. It sounds like a good time for a prank planning session"
Rosanna hid her smirk behind her book, with one thought crossing her mind, 'Here we go'
"Who's that?"
Looking up from her book, Rosanna raised her confused eyes in the direction of the voice and ended up on Peter. Realisation spread through her instantly and she turned her gaze to James who looked quite sheepish.
"James, did you forget to send that letter to Peter?"
"Er…I might have"
Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, she replied "Only you would do that wouldn't you?"
But before James could reply a small voice interrupted him.
"But…who is she?"
"Rosanna Potter. I'm a distant cousin of James's. I moved in with James recently when I lost my family to a Death Eater attack"
A sad look came over her face at the last bit, which was actually genuine.
"Oh…ok"
The rest of the train ride past without anything else happening and before she knew it, Rosanna was getting off the train and heading towards the carriages. She got into one of the carriages with all of the guys and it starting pulling.
"Hey, did you know that these carriages are pulled by thestrals?"
"What?" said all the guys simultaneously
Shrugging in response and without looking up from her book she replied "They always have"
Frowning in her direction with slight suspicion, "How do you know that?"
Looking him in the eye, "I read it in a book before coming here"
"But, there's nothing pulling the carriages, you can't see anything" said Peter
"You can only see them if you've seen someone die"
This silenced the carriage, though for different reasons. Remus and Peter because they thought it were because she had seen her family die and wanted to show their sympathy.
James and Sirius, though, were slightly confused, as they both knew that she didn't see her family die. So they were wondering, who did she see die?
That topic caused silence to spread across the whole carriage, just the sound of the wheels turning as they rode through Hogsmede village. Suddenly, a smile spread across Rosanna's face. There, just as they turned the corner, was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. All the guys looked at Rosanna and shook their heads at her reaction.
Turning her head in their direction she asked "What?"
"You look like a kid at Christmas"
She just grinned in response.
As soon as the carriage stopped, Rosanna jumped out before anyone else, eager to get up to the school.
"Hey, slow down Rosanna" shouted Sirius, while grinning.
"No chance" she replied with a smile and with that she dashed up the front steps. But as soon as she got to the top on them, she stopped and looked around in awe. It was just magnificent. It was better than she could ever have dreamed of and she couldn't believe that she was actually part of it. Then confusion started to creep in. What was she supposed to do now? Was she supposed to wait for the first year to come and go in with them, or should she go in with James and Sirius? He unasked question was answered when Professor Mcgonagall walked out into the entrance hall and headed in Rosanna's direction. This was just as Sirius and James came up beside her and were about to drag her into the Great Hall.
"Mr Potter, Mr Black, would you kindly go and take your seats in the Great Hall. Miss Potter, you are to remain with myself as you will be sorted just after the first years.
Taking one glance back at Rosanna, James and Sirius made their way into the Great Hall, with Peter following along behind them. As she and the guys were the last to get out of the carriages, she didn't have to wait long for the first years to arrive. E
Even though she hadn't been to Hogwarts when she was 11, she couldn't help thinking 'Was I that small once?'
"Follow me" said Professor Mcgonagall to the first years and Rosanna and for the first time, Rosanna and the new first years had their first glimpses of the legendary Hogwarts. They all crossed numerous corridors, climbing many flights of stairs, before they came before the two enormous wooden doors of the Great Hall.
A/N: Most of this next speech is from the first HP book and film
Turning to her students at the top of the staircase, Professor Mcgonagall said "Welcome to Hogwarts. In a few moments you may go through these doors and join your classmate, but before that you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Throughout the year, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points, any rule breaking and you will loose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the house cup."
She paused before she continued "The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily" With that she turned swiftly towards the Great Hall and disappeared through the doors. 'Probably so she can check whether everyone is ready or not' Rosanna thought. So as to amuse herself, she looked around at the first years surrounding her. Almost immediately, she could see who was muggleborn and who was not. The muggleborns were all huddled up together, staring around them as if they had never seen anything so beautiful before, and they probably hadn't. The half-bloods had the same look, though they had all heard of Hogwarts as a child and the Pure-bloods, most of them were an almost emotionless mask, but they were only 11.
'They're probably destined for Slytherin'
As she was looking around at them, she noticed that some of them were staring at her.
'Fair enough. I do look older than them, so they are wondering why I'm here and not in there'
But before she could continue that train of thought, the doors of the Great Hall opened to reveal Professor Mcgonagall.
"We're ready for you now. Follow me"
With that, Rosanna took her first step into her life at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
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So sorry for the long wait guys. Uni has been so hectic, I haven't had time to think let alone write. But here it is and I hope you enjoy it.
Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome.
