Every story has to start somewhere, though there will always be an earlier beginning, one more past event which directly led to where things stand today. The story of Rose Aurum and Savin Silther began when they both stepped onto the Hogwarts Express in the fall of 1983, and found themselves seated in the same compartment for the duration of the train ride. But while that September day heralded the start of their story together, a major turning point in their lives and the lives of those around them, their individual stories had begun a little more than 11 years previously, when two babies were born less than a month apart, into families that could hardly seem more different.
Savin was born first, halfway through April of 1972, on a day which felt more reminiscent of the heart of winter than of the upcoming spring. His father, Lord Ancelin, was the patriarch of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Silther, long considered one of the greatest and wealthiest pureblood wizarding houses. His mother, Lady Linette, was from an equally old, if slightly less rich, family, and was considered one of the leading ladies of society at the time. Lady Linette gave birth at home, attended at Silther Manor by the Dowager Lady Silther, her own mother, two family house elves, and the best midwife-healer in wizarding Britain. Lord Ancelin was not present in the room, instead electing to stay in the parlor with his father-in-law to await the news. Aided by magic, the birth went quickly and easily, and it was not long before the men were informed that Lady Linette had given birth to a son, the new heir to the House of Silther. Savin was born with tufts of reddish-brown hair on his head, the exact same color as his father and late grandfather – "Silther auburn," the Dowager called it – and bright blue eyes.
The birth of baby Savin was celebrated not only by the family, but by wizarding high society as well, at a ball held in his honor at Silther Manor. The event was, of course, attended primarily by the other old pureblood families, though not only ones aligned with the Dark. While the House of Silther did place an emphasis on blood purity, and claimed to never have married anyone less than a pureblood, they were not considered quite as extreme about it as some of the other pureblood families, and did occasionally drift towards Neutral politics from their more usual Dark alignment. At the time of Savin's birth, while some of the older families were declaring support for the rising Dark Lord with varying degrees of openness, the Silthers remained aloof from the issue. They continued to support pureblood legislation, associated with families which had aligned themselves with the Dark, but never made that step to join the Death Eaters, however much they may have agreed with their ideals behind closed doors, allowing them more leeway in society than some of their peers. So, the ball celebrating the birth of the Silther heir was an elaborate affair, attended by pureblood gentry across the political spectrum, and even a few of the better placed half-blood dynasties. Savin, as a newborn babe, was unaware of any of the commotion, or its possible political ramifications, or the fact that he stood as the primary heir for one of the greatest wizarding houses in Britain.
The birth of Rose could hardly have been more different. She was born only a few weeks later than Savin, at the beginning of May, on a day as warm and bright as his birthday had been cool and dreary. Unlike Lord Ancelin and Lady Linette, Dan and Maggie Aurum were simple, regular folks. They had no magic, no extended family, and not much money. Dan worked as a teacher at a high school, and Maggie as a librarian. After years of saving up, they bought a little house with a peeling white picket fence and a cheerful, though faded, blue door, and decided it was time to start a family. Their daughter was born at the local hospital, after a call from one of Maggie's coworkers brought a frantic Dan rushing to pick up his wife in the middle of the morning to drive her there. He stayed with Maggie throughout her hours of labor, holding her hand the whole time. When Rose was finally born in the late afternoon, a tiny little girl with wisps of dark hair and golden-brown eyes, both parents were delighted. She was not a long-awaited heir to any sort of dynasty, but the Aurums were no less thrilled by their daughter's birth than the Silthers were by their son's. There was no ball to celebrate Rose's birth, no engraved silver spoons or monogrammed diapers. Dan and Maggie's coworkers threw them small celebrations, and the neighbors on the block brought over food so the new parents didn't need to cook while juggling a day-old baby, and that was about it. Within a few days, and certainly a few weeks, the new parents fell into a new rhythm with Rose, and continued on with their lives, much more tired, but quite happy with the new state of affairs.