A little idea I had that never really amounted to anything. It made for a fun one-shot to write and experiment with, though. If you give it a try, I hope you have fun reading it, too. Harry Potter isn't mine.

Roses are red, Rubies are red, and after I kill you, you will be dead

Hi, there. Yes, you. Hi. Nice to meet you. I'm Rose. Rose Azalea Potter, by full name. But most people just call me Ruby, for my ruby red hair, eyes and nails. I'm the older twin-sister of the Thomas Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. And I'm a squib. Though not really. But that's what everybody thinks.

You see, before I was born, my mother was hit with a dark curse that was supposed to kill her children during birth and make her barren. My mum, brilliant witch that she is, managed to counteract the curse partially. My brother got away scot-free. I, being the first born, was attacked by the part of the curse my mother wasn't able to dispel. I survived, obviously, but the curse left me with my ruby colouring and a body and magical core completely saturated with dark magic.

Now, if you've ever seen a dark witch or wizard, you can probably imagine that being completely filled with dark magic isn't particularly conductive for a child's mental health. Fearing that I might go insane, like a child version of Bellatrix Lestrange, my parents decided to bind my magic. It probably would've worked, too, if not for Mister Dark Lord trying to kill me a year or so later. Who knew that Avada Kedavra can be used to dispel magic, like a really powerful version of finite incantatem. One that works on irreversible ritual effects, like magical bindings. Granted, usually that's not too helpful, with the person also being dead and all. But it's still nice to know, don't you think?

Where was I? Ah, yes. So, the Dark Lord tried to kill me and the binding on my magic was dispelled. Now, you might wonder why everyone still thinks I'm a squib. Magic is a wonderful thing, both light and dark. It will always try to protect itself and its wielder. If you have a strong enough connection to it, it can strengthen your instincts, warn you from danger and even give you intuitive knowledge of how to use it. It's a bit like that 'force' thing in those Star Wars movies.

Anyway, considering the circumstances of my birth, you won't be surprised to hear that my connection to magic, especially dark magic, is pretty damn strong. So needless to say, my instinctual control was such that accidental magic wasn't a worry. Neither were magical detectors like the Ministry uses or even ancient spells like the ones updating the Hogwarts student lists. Magic itself hid me from them.

It also hid itself from me. Though now I can clearly remember using magic consciously since I have been little, at the time I never realised what it was. It's like there was a natural block on my realising what I was doing until I was able to understand that it should be a secret. Like there was a fidelius cast over the secret that I possess magic, you know? It's kinda hard to explain. I don't think anyone else was affected, though I can't say for sure. I just cannot remember ever actually using magic in front of others, even back then. One way or the other, the fact is that even today only very few people know. My family are not among them.

So that's that. Don't worry though, I'm not insane like my parents feared. At least I don't think I am. I mean, just because I feel like going on a murder spree every now and again, doesn't make me insane. If that's what you think, you clearly have never dealt with bureaucrats, lawyers or insurance people before. Or with pure blood bigots, for that matter. Besides, I've never actually gone on any murder sprees. In fact, even though I have been alive for a little over sixteen years now, I've only killed one or two people. Okay, okay, you got me. Three. But all of those were completely justified. Even called for. I promise. I'm sure we can agree that three people in sixteen years is a completely reasonable number. I bet many aurors have higher kill counts than that.

What? You want to know whom I killed and why? Hmm… well, I would tell you. But I'm afraid I'm a little busy right now. It's a bit embarrassing, to tell you the truth, but I was kind of kidnapped by Death Eaters earlier today and apparently I'm about to be brought before the Dark Lord himself. So, yeah, scary stuff that. Okay, compromise. I might have just enough time to tell you about my first kill. But then you won't ask about any others till our business with his Dark Lordiness is finished. Deal?

Right, so technically I didn't actually kill Professor Quirrel. I imperiused my brother to do it. Yeah, yeah, I know, don't look at me like that. If it hadn't been for me, my idiot brother would've gotten himself and his two best friends killed. So a little imperius here and there really shouldn't be that big of a deal if you ask me.

That night, magic warned me that my brother was in danger, so I apparated to Hogwarts to protect him. I am his big sis after all, ain't I? I had been reading quite a good book that evening, so I was a little put out when I realised he was only in danger because he decided to put himself there. But magnanimous big sis that I am, I helped him out regardless. First, I dove into Granger's mind to help her remember what she learned about devil snares. Don't get me wrong, Granger's really clever and you only need to look at her to see everything that's wrong with pure blood supremacy. But back then she really didn't do well under pressure. She's gotten a lot better in recent years though, from what I can tell.

Anyway, I really hoped my brother wouldn't find the right key to the door, but alas. Curse his seeker training. Would it really have hurt Professor Flitwick to charm the wings self-healing? But be that as it may, I did manage to react fast enough to slow down the keys so none of our favourite Gryffindor trio got stabbed in the back while trying to get through the door.

The chess game was interesting. Ron Weasley has plenty of flaws, but being a bad chess player really wasn't one of them. Which is why he managed to nearly win a game that wasn't supposed to be won. Sacrificing himself was a stupid idea though. Luckily I managed to weaken the blow dealt by the opponent Queen or Weasley would've been in big trouble. Well, or wouldn't have been anymore, if that's the way you want to see it.

I really would've liked to spar with the troll in the next room, but Quirrel had already taken that one out. Snape's little riddle was fun and Granger didn't even need me to help her out that time. I was quite impressed with her logic. Personally, magic had let me know which one the right bottle was and I had already drunk a little before Granger and my brother entered the room. That was why there was only one dose left.

And that's how we got to Quirrel. I wasn't particularly keen for Mister Dark Lord of all people to find out my secret, so I stayed invisible, imperiused my brother and had him fight under my instruction. That spell to make one's hands burn one's enemies with but a touch is really useful, by the way. It's not even all that dark. Found it in the Potter library. In the dark section. But still. Long story short: Quirrel died, I stunned my brother, altered his memories and left just before Professor Dumbledore showed up. When I got home, I even still managed to finish my book, too. Ah, good times.

Back to the present, though. We had a deal, after all. I think we should be nearly there now, too, judging by the fear I can feel rolling off of the Death Eater who's supposed to take me. Ah, yes, there it is. The big, ornate double doors that scream 'Careful: Final Boss behind these doors'. The only thing missing is a save point right in front of it. Yes, I do like computer games. Officially I'm a squib, remember?

"I'm here with the prisoner the Dark Lord wanted." The one leading me by the arm tells the guy standing in front of the door. He shoves me towards the door, as if expecting the new guy to take over responsibility for leading me through them.

"Well then, take her in already." The other one says, not making any move to take over my currently relatively un-imprisoned prisoner self. "The Dark Lord is already impatient because of all the waiting."

"I'm not taking her inside." The guy who brought me protests immediately after hearing about his Master's state of mind.

"I'm not taking her either." The other guy asserts. "I don't want anything to do with that."

"You Death Eaters really have a way to make a girl feel wanted, I'll tell you that." Sorry, couldn't resist. Seems to have done the trick though, since instead of bickering the two idiots now are busy gaping at me instead. "Or is it that you aren't into girls? Not that I'm judging. I'm perfectly fine with that kind of thing, promise. In fact, I like to experiment every now and then myself." More gaping. Hmm… I must confess, this is more fun than I imagined it would be.

However, one thing you need to know about myself, I tend to get impatient. But I guess we can give the two morons another ten seconds to get it together. Twenty-one. Twenty-two. Twenty-three. Oh, screw this. I'll just continue on my own. Although, let's make a mental note to give the Death Eaters a bad feedback on their next customer service poll. Really, having the prisoner walk herself to her presumed doom. Next thing you know, they're going to ask me to torture myself, too. What is the world coming to?

"So I just go through here?" I ask with some faux-curiosity in my voice, looking from moron number one to moron number two and back. Still, neither seems to react. Yeah, they are definitely getting a bad review card. For the moment, I just frown in their direction to show them I am not impressed, knock on the door twice before opening it and strolling into the room.

There are three people inside, all of whom I actually recognise. Peter Pettigrew, Bellatix Lestrange, and the Dark Lord himself. Cool. "Hi!" I wave my hand. "Sorry if I'm interrupting anything. The guys outside said I should just let myself in."

Lestrange fixes me with a stare somewhere between deranged and angry. Which is her default facial expression, I'm told. Pettigrew looks kinda constipated, as if he's feeling sorry for me and trying not to show it. The Dark Lord is the funniest of the three. He blinks at me, like he can't believe I just walked in greeting everyone like this was some sort of usual business appointment. I playfully cock my head. "Are you discussing something top-secret? Should I step out again?"

To the Dark Lord's credit, he recovered faster than the two morons outside. "Ah, Rose Potter. Just the girl I wanted to talk to."

I can't quite resist the urge to roll my eyes. Didn't try very hard, to be honest. I mean, really? Is that the best he can come up with? For all the whining my dear brother heaped on me over the years about how scary and evil the Dark Lord is supposed to be, that is a pretty weak opening for what I'm sure is supposed to be some sort of menacing speech.

"What can I do for you, Tom? I really would've appreciated if you made an appointment. I had several other commitments today, you know?"

Anyway, Mister Dark Lord briefly narrows his eyes when I address him by his real name, but then a menacing smile spreads on his lips. "Quite the mouth you have there, Miss Potter." He drawls. "But I think once we finish our conversation, it'll call me something much more appropriate."

I raise my eyebrows. "Such as?"

"I think 'Master' has a nice ring to it."

"Oh, kinky." I grin at him, which I can tell wasn't exactly the reaction he had been hoping for. "This I've got to hear."

"Tell me, Miss Potter…"

"You can call me 'Ruby', if you like."

His Dark Lordiness briefly pauses, before he starts speaking again. "Very well then. Ruby, have you ever wondered, why your appearance has such obviously magical traits when you are a squib?"

"Of course I have. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together would. Even my brother managed to ask that question and as you should well know, Thomas isn't the brightest candle in the lighter."

"Well, Ruby, I can tell you the answer to that question."

"I know the answer. My mother was hit with a curse when I was still unborn. It was supposed to kill her children at birth. However, she managed to partially counteract the curse. Being the first born, I ended up taking the brunt of the dark magic. It left me with my ruby colouring and without magic." I give Mister Dark Lord an innocent look. "Was that all you wanted to talk about?"

"You are wrong, Ruby. Or more accurately, you have been lied to."

"My mother told me that story."

"They bound your magic. They were afraid of you. A child whose body was completely saturated with dark magic, due to the curse you survived. They knew you'd be too powerful and that they'd never be able to control you."

Hmm… I have to admit, the way he tells it does make it sound quite bad. Still "That seems fair enough to me."

This time, Tommy and his two servants definitely blink at me in confusion. "Did you hear me when I said they bound your magic?"

"Definitely." I agree. "So where are you going with this?"

"Right…" *Cough* *Cough* I know how to remove the binding from your magic. And all I require in return is an oath of loyalty from you to serve me for the rest of your life."

"I see." I nod my head in understanding. "So I swear to serve you faithfully for the rest of my life and you give me back my magic."

"Indeed."

"Hmm… just out of curiosity, what happens if I refuse?"

"I will get to slowly torture you to the brink of insanity and then kill you in the most painful way possible." Bellatrix explains gleefully. I can relate. It does sound like it would be a lot of fun, the way she said it.

I put my finger to my chin in pretend thought. "Can I have some time to consider it?" I finally ask. Mostly just to see what his Dark Lordiness will say. As we established, I already have magic and I'm definitely not planning on serving anyone. Well, other than maybe as a bedroom fantasy. I do have a kick-ass genie outfit in my closet at home.

"What's there to consider, Ruby Potter?" The Dark Lord asks airily. "Your family has betrayed you and lied to you all your life. I can give you that which you have desired more than anything in the world. Swear yourself to me, and you can rein the world by my side. Or don't, and die like the dirty squib everyone believes you to be."

I wait for a moment to see whether his Dark Lordiness has finished his pitch. Gotta be polite, right? After all, we are both dark mages, so we should observe professional courtesy at least, if nothing else. When I'm sure he's done, I reply "I see… well, you know, Tom, this is kinda awkward." I play it up a little, by pretending to fidget. I should've been an actress. Then again, I really like being a dark witch. But it is fun to consider the road not taken every now and then.

"What is awkward?" His Dark Lordiness hisses. His patience appears to be wearing thin. Something else we got in common, I gather.

With a dramatic gesture, I raise my palm and make a small flame appear above it. "You see, you kinda already gave me back my magic when you tried to kill me all those years ago." I tell him. I wait for a moment before snuffing out the flame. "Turns out the Avada can actually break unbreakable spells. Did you know that? I figure you're probably the leading expert on that spell." Tom looks at me with wide eyes. "Okay, so I take that as a no. Anyway, since I already have my magic, I really have no reason to swear an oath. I like my freedom, thank you for your consideration though."

I'm not sure about you, but I think my overall attitude in this conversation has been quite conciliatory, especially considering how I was so rudely kidnapped and all. I haven't even knocked out Peter yet, which I really should've done out of principle alone. Come to think of it.

"Urgh!" Peter crumbles to the floor.

"What did you do!?" His Dark Lordiness hisses at me.

"Sorry, I really don't like him very much." I quickly explain. "I do still hope we can bring this discussion to a peaceful solution." You see, I can be totally reasonable if I want to. "How about this: you let me go, and I promise to leave your base and any minions I come across on my way outside mostly intact?"

Tom is back to blinking at me. I wonder if all his soulsplitting has left him a little slow in the head. He really doesn't seem like top-student material, does he? Finally, he begins to chuckle, which, let's be honest, doesn't fill one with confidence that he has quite grasped his situation.

"Ah, Ruby Potter, I confess you are an amusing girl, if nothing else. But I'm afraid I cannot let you go. How about you join me without the oath, as one of my regular Death Eaters? Your family still lied to you, did they not?"

I nod my head. He does have a point after all. "I suppose, but I lied to them, too. So that kinda makes it equal, don't you think?"

"I can give you power, money, and fame." His Dark Lordiness offers next. This is so predictable. It's like he hasn't even put any effort into thinking about what else to offer if his pitch about magic and revenge on my 'deceitful family' failed. I actually feel kind of undervalued, if I may say so.

I just shrug. "Meh. I have power, my family has money, and you just need to look as far as my brother to realise that fame is terribly overrated."

"What is it that you want, then?" Tom asks, leaning forward in his throne.

"Anything?"

Proving not to be a complete idiot, his Dark Lordiness gives me a calculating look. "Ask, and we will see."

"I wanna kill Bellatrix. If I'm going to serve you, I'm not going to be the beta bitch." I claim, again, mostly to see what Tom will do. If I have to get kidnapped I want to have at least some fun with it. Although, truth be told, I'm getting a little impatient with all this talking.

After a few moments, Tom starts laughing loudly at my suggestion. I'm unsure how to take that, so I just wait for him to finish. "Ah, truly, you are a very amusing girl, Ruby Potter." Yeah, yeah, we already had that. Get on with it. It's times like these where you realise the oh so scary dark lord is more like a grandfather than an equal. "Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to kill Bellatrix just like that. She is a very valuable follower."

I roll my eyes. Being unable to get anyone better than Bellatrix is exactly why ol' Tom's campaign of terror is not really getting off the ground. Well, that, and because his Death Eater's may have found themselves facing some unexpected resistance at crucial times. Namely yours truly. I'm getting quite proficient using the Imperius on my brother and his friends, let me tell you. It's not that I want to, but they do keep on insisting to get themselves in danger, so what's a big sis to do? It's a bit sad that my controlling five of them simultaneously still has us ending up doing better than when they are left to their own devices. But I suppose not everyone can be pretty, powerful, and a genius, all wrapped into one, can they?

Shaking my wandering thoughts out of my head, I look back to Tom. "I'm afraid we're at a bit of an impasse then." I observe. "That leaves us with either Bellatrix' idea or mine: you try to torture me and then kill me slowly, while I try to fight my way out, or let me leave, and I won't do too much damage on my way out. I know which one I would prefer." If I'm honest, I really don't. But claiming I knew which one sounds cooler and more decisive.

In truth, a fight does sound very enticing right now. I haven't gotten to burn down one of these pretentious manor homes since I killed Lucius Malfoy after my brother finished his second year. It was such a good time. Well, for me. Not so much for him, I assume. Why he was so surprised that someone could penetrate his wards without him noticing, I will never know. Everyone knows that Goblin wards are the best and Voldemort still managed to get in and out of Gringott's without anybody noticing until later. So why wouldn't someone resourceful enough manage to get through those Malfoy wards? Idiots. How could the Dark Lord nearly take over the country with all this incompetence in his ranks? Oh, right, because the Ministry is just as incompetent as the Death Eaters. Anyway, if I ever start an evil organisation to take over the world, there will be an entrance exam to ensure at least basic abilities in all necessary skills.

What? Yes, of course I made sure Narcissa and Draco weren't at the manor when I burned it down. I'm not a monster, you know. Well… alright, I grant you, technically I'm sure you could find a definition of 'monster' that I would fit. Being basically the avatar of dark magic and all. But I still made sure that those two were gone. Holidaying in France, actually. They now live with my Uncle Sirius, as wards of the black family. If Sirius knew that was because of me, he'd probably kill me. Or congratulate me on the best prank ever played. You really never completely know with him. Many people find that worrying, I find it refreshing.

Oh, and before you ask, Lucius was the second of my three kills. Really, letting lose a Basilisk in a school full of children. I'm sure we can agree that my reaction was completely justified. It did have the benefit of letting me search through the manor for any dark books or items to take possession of. It wasn't like after the fiendfyre anybody would notice something missing. Convenient, that. Huh. Maybe I should check the library in this place before I leave.

Yeah, I know I said I wouldn't tell you about my other kills until after this business with his Dark Lordiness was finished, but what can I say, I'm bored. Tom is not nearly as impressive as my brother makes him out to be. If he takes any longer to come to decide what to do next, I'm going to go with option one. And I'm going to take the library with me, just out of spite. It's lucky that Tommy decided to take residence in Parkinson Manor, rather than say Crabbe or Goyle. I really don't want to know what sort of books would be found in those places. Probably ones that make you stupider from reading them.

You know what, fuck waiting. "Actually Tom, I think I like option one so much, that I'm retracting my offer to leave peacefully. Avada Kedavra."

Bellatrix is dead before the two conscious opponents in the room manage to shake of their renewed surprise. Four kills. Not quite as magical a number as three. But then again, I have no doubt I'll manage to make it to seven before the day is out, so that's not really a concern. Bellatrix shouldn't have tortured that hunk Neville's parents into insanity. I wonder if Neville would like to be called 'Master' in the bedroom. Maybe that's a thought for later.

After a moment, Tom pulls his wand and shoots an Avada back at me. I just roll my eyes, and let the spell hit me, enjoying his Dark Lordiness' surprise when it's simply absorbed into my body. You see, when I said I'm the avatar of dark magic, I wasn't exaggerating. Well, I'm not sure if there's actually such a thing, so maybe I was. But one way or the other, dark magic won't harm me unless I tell it to. Which means if Tom wants to defeat me, he'll need to use light or at least neutral magic to do so. Which is precisely why I've been so confident all along.

On the other hand, I also know I can't defeat Tom until his soul splitters are destroyed. I suppose I could destroy his body, but that just seems tedious, don't you think? Nah, I'll leave him be for now. On the other hand, did you hear that just now? Yes, that. The hissing. Yeah. I quickly fire a dark cutting curse and behead Nagini the snake in mid jump. A black vapour escapes from her mouth with a high pitched scream after she's dead. That's one horcrux down.

"Crucio!"

I turn back to Tom just in time for his next curse to hit me. I yawn. This is boring. Spreading my arms I incant "Fiendfyre!"

Within seconds the room is ablaze. His Dark Lordiness will probably escape, but that's immaterial. The important question is, where in this place is the library, and why in the name of Morgana Le Fay do all these pureblood supremacists have to live in such humongous mansions.

Ah, there it is. With a pop, I apparate into the room and quickly start shrinking down the books and placing them in bookbags conveniently hung from a coat rack at the entrance to the room. The poor darlings probably would be abandoned to the fire if I left it to those Death Eater barbarians. If you hadn't noticed, I'm kind of a bibliophile, so that's a big no-no. It takes me five minutes, during which I feel my fire slowly spreading through the master-wing of the manor. There are a variety of screams getting louder, closer and more frequent.

Once I'm done, I apparate out and cast four more fiendfyres, one from each side of the manor. Soon, the whole place is completely in flames. So beautiful. With a final smile, I apparate away, close to my family's home.

See, I told you, seven kills. Yeah, I know we don't know how many actually died, but that's the beauty. I can just claim it's seven in total, and nobody can contradict me. Unless, of course, you guys want me to silence you, just to make sure that nobody will. Yeah, I thought so.

Anyway, all in all, I think for an average shopping trip to Diagon Alley, coming home with a complete library, free of charge no less, can be counted as success. I'm still a bit embarrassed that I let myself be kidnapped in the first place, but it was the best way to avoid any unnecessary casualties in the alley. So we'll just say it was all part of the plan. Again, unless you want me to silence you, to make sure you can't tell anything else? See, I knew I liked you for a reason.

Now, however, I think it may be time for me to take a more… active role in the war. The Ministry, Dumbledore, and the Order of the Phoenix are just not cutting it, apparently. More often than not I already end up having to baby-sit people in order to make sure they don't get themselves killed. No, it will be far easier to help out directly. Of course, that means I will have to tell my family about my not-quite-so-bound magic. But that's alright. It's not like there's a danger of anyone trying to re-bind my magic or anything. Well, at least there is no danger of them being alive long enough to complete their attempt. Still, this will be a little awkward.

Slowly, I make my way up to my family's manor home. I never said that non-pureblood-supremacist couldn't live in humongous mansions. Once I'm at the door, I let myself in.

"Mum, Dad, I'm home!" I call out.

"Ruby!" I hear my mum cry and then I hear several sets of feet run towards me from the living room. A moment later, my whole family appears at the other side of our entrance hall. "Ruby!" My mum cries again and tackles me with a big hug.

I pat her back as she hugs me tight. We may have some secrets in this family, but we really do love each other.

"We heard there was an attack in the alley and that someone was kidnapped. My father explains my mother's behaviour. "So when you didn't come home…."

I nod my head, and briefly tighten the hold on my mother, before grabbing her shoulders and pushing her away. My mother looks at me questioningly, but I smile at her.

"Mum, Dad, little brother…" I smirk when I see Thomas twitch at my stressing the little, but he can't very well berate me when I just returned from a life and dead situation. You gotta use these advantages when they are given to you. It's kind of sad I never went to Hogwarts, I would've made an awesome Slytherin. Hmm… maybe now that everyone will know about my magic, I can go for NEWT classes. That sounds kinda fun. But first things first.

"…there is something I need to tell you."

The End.

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Hmm…? What are you still doing here? Didn't you listen when I said it was 'The End'. Oh, right, I nearly forgot. I guess, I did promise to tell you about my third kill once the kidnapping business was over, didn't I? I really should talk to my family, but fine. I suppose I can quickly tell you while I follow my parents into the sitting room. Wait, I know. You guys wanna guess who it was? Come on, guess. You've got nothing to lose, do you? I'll even give you a hint: he used to use far too much hair product, and he was not Draco Malfoy. That's right! It was Gilderoy Lockheart! Everyone who guessed Gilderoy Lockheart gets one point. Not that you can do anything with that point, but isn't it nice to know that I, who gave you the point, can't do anything with it, either?

I know, killing Lockheart may have been a bit redundant, after he was already reduced to needing directions for doing as much as drooling onto himself. But what can I say. I'm a vindictive bitch (big surprise, I know) and nobody gets away with trying to turn my brother into a mindless vegetable. Funnily, getting into Saint Mungos unnoticed was actually harder than getting into Malfoy Manor. Once I was in, engineering an accident was child's play though. Couldn't very well burn the place down, either, so it actually ended up a little underwhelming for a third kill. Ah, well, I suppose you can't have everything.

Anyway, that's everything I have to say right now. You can scamper off. There's nothing more. I now have to deal with my family, and then maybe set it up so I can go to Hogwarts next year. Think about all the fun things I could do to the current Slytherins. No, wait, with! I meant with the current Slytherins, promise. Well, if anything interesting happens, I suppose I could see my way to inviting you along for the ride. It was kinda fun having someone to talk to. So, see you. Maybe.

Thanks for reading. If you made it this far, I hope you enjoyed yourself.