Hello! I am back with another chapter! OMG it's been so long, right? Funny story about that -

I may have written two chapters in July for Nanowrimo...and promptly forgotten about it. UGH, it's been a rough couple of months. Thankfully, I opened the doc and there were the two boons right there!

So I'm just gonna throw them at you so I can go weep in peace whoops.


Reviews:

iRedeem - Thank you and yes! IKR! lol, a Tom POV in every chapter might just be a cause for spoilers (can't have that) but yep, things will be picking up!


A sneeze escaped me as soon as I stepped foot onto the ice cold flagstone. Then another and another until the handkerchief I held to my nose rubbed the skin raw.

I was in agony.

Changing seasons were usually hard on my health, and with the temperature of the Slytherin dorms, it was only making it worse. Sure, there were roaring fires on each end, but the lake made up well for it, frosting the windows that peered into the depths of the Great Lake.

I padded over groggily to the fire, letting the heat bask into my palms. Over my shoulder, I could still see that Lila and the other girls were fast asleep. Even Olive's curtains were drawn, and she usually left quite early for her patrol with Riddle.

It still struck me strange that Olive Hornby was a Prefect, but then so was Voldemort…so was Draco Malfoy. I shuddered before deciding that upstairs would be a lot warmer than down here.

I changed quickly, leaving a note for Lila on her bed stand and then sneaking out of the dormitory.


Back in my time, it had become common knowledge that the last three months of winter would result into a red nosed, snotty, grumpy and groggy Rose Alton. My friends knew to stay out of my way, sometimes sneaking warm treats onto my nightstand to help soothe me. My teachers, minus Snape of course, usually went a little easier on me, having seen the way my eyes would tear up simply from staring at the chalkboard. The times I went home for Christmas, mother and Pam would be extra generous if my cold persisted, although it didn't in the confines of the Alton manor. Maybe mother had spelled the grounds – I didn't know.

One time, during my fourth year, I had been caught sneaking out of bed by Dumbledore himself, who took pity on me and took me to the kitchens for hot chocolate.

Here, of course, I dared not reach further than I could. While all my new friends were being very kind about it, with Fawley sniffling silently too – I wasn't about to ask for butter beer in the night from them.

The professors had taken notice of course. Dumbledore during one of the night time conversations hummed a tune absently while I sniffled into my handkerchief. Dippet had approached me one time to ask how I was getting along, when he had seen with quickly widening but sympathetic eyes my state of blotchiness. Slughorn…well, I'd sneezed at him so loudly when he came to check on my potion that he had stepped back in alarm.

All of them had suggested the hospital wing.

Naturally, I had been well acquainted with the hospital wing of Hogwarts. I was almost always in for cuts and bruises from going against Slytherins and Madam Pomfrey knew to keep a steady supply of pepper-up potion for moments like these. After all, I wasn't the only student getting sick during the cold weathers.


The Hospital wing door creaked when I pushed on it, sneaking into a crack in the wooden doors. The front office of the wing was chilly – and empty. I could spy some beds from where I stood, catching sight of the one three down. It was the same I'd been in but there were curtains around it now – occupied.

I wondered if the student in it could feel the terror that had seeped in to the mattress, the stress, and the jilting nerves that had made me almost beg for the ease of death again. I had spent awful nights in that bed, surely the spirit of it lingered.

I shivered, before wrapping my arms around myself and knocking on the inside door, gingerly.

The silence within was only ruffled when I knocked a third time, slow and soft before the door swung inwards, just a bit, revealing Madam Blishen's sleepy but annoyed face.

"What is it? What is it? Is it one of the students? Someone is dead?"

I blinked. "Not quite, Madam Blishen…it's just me."

It was her turn to blink down at me, staring before she made sense of who she was looking at. "Miss Revel isn't it?" she asked in a tone that implied she was already thinking about the time she'd seen me first. I nodded.

"Do you know what time it is, Miss Revel?"

"I'm sorry, Madam Blishen but do you have any pepper-up potion? It's urgent." I made a show of blowing my nose but only made a dull wet sound. Unfortunate clogged noses and the problems they cause.

She huffed. "I have some in the cabinet there." She jerked her head. "Mind you, take only what you asked for. I will check later and if something else is missing, I will go straight to the headmaster." She waited till I was moving to the cabinet and watched me fetch a small bottle of potion before she shut her door.

I made a face at the door before taking a small sip. The potion rested spicy on my tongue, searing its way from my taste buds right to my throat. Heat spread immediately through my veins and the scarf I'd wound around my neck was almost stuffy. I plugged the cork back in, stuffing it into my robes.

At least now I'd be able to go to Hogsmeade.


The occasional trip to Hogsmeade had and perhaps always will be a topic of conversation as it swept closer with the coming of October. Students passed notes, muttered in class, had hushed words about what all they would potentially do in one of the most renowned magical settlements in the European Wizarding world.

The same held true for the 1940s. Lila led the talks with utmost calm, despite the blatant excitement of Fawley and Alphard. While the boys talked about Zonko's and butter beers, Lila wanted to go shopping, visit the curio shops, and replenish her stationary supplies. It was then, that once again I was struck by how time had evolved wizards. Had it been my time, I could always rely on Ginny to accompany me and the twins to Zonko's and it was ridiculously easy to drag Harry, Hermione and a reluctant Ron to the supposed haunted areas of the Hogsmeade woods.

Unfortunately, we never encountered any violent spirits.

Looking at the boys now, with Alphard resembling Sirius so strongly, the strange bout of insignificance swept through me yet again. They were dead. And so was I…

So I went looking for another dead person…

The stone courtyard wasn't nearly as dilapidated as I was used to. The trail of smoke from the potion followed for a good distance as I passed familiar stone pillars, entering through the archway which usually was a signal to Helena Ravenclaw of the arrival of a guest in her haunt.

It was at this moment when she would usually decide if she would show up or not.

And more often than not – just like now – she decided not to.

I returned back to the main area, disappointed but not surprised.

I returned twice more to the courtyard, only to sit alone for many minutes until I had to return. The loneliness wasn't what bothered me. It was the fact that unlike a ghost I couldn't simply choose to not show up. I still had to maintain appearance, but these moments, sitting on the stone slabs, waiting for a ghost that might never come; I was free to run through the barren pain that was now in my head.

Doubts swirled in my mind, doubt against me, and doubt against the Dumbledore I knew, doubts against my friends…

Did they know there was a way to live again? Why was I the only one here? Surely there must have been others Dumbledore offered the job to, better than me?

Even though I knew the answer, the bitter bile never seeped away.

A branch snapped somewhere to my side.

My head whipped around, facing the wall of green tree line. Slipping off my seat, I faced the direction the sound came from, slowly backing towards the corridor.

"Who's there?" I called, wand rising against anyone who might be lurking there. I wondered if it was a centaur, come to watch some witch sit by herself in an empty courtyard.

Another snap had me whirling again and this time an impulsive spell shot out of my wand, nothing too explosive, a simple incapacitating jinx that was soon accompanied by –

"Whoa, watch yerself there!"

That voice…

I looked closer, wand still up when a boy snuck around one of the courtyard pillars, watching me apprehensively. He was big, bigger than any child here. Tall, stout – thick like a tree – and lumbering, he crept nearer when I didn't fire another spell. He couldn't be more than a third-year, with smooth skin that was unmarred by shaggy hair but those warm black eyes were unmistakable.

"Hagrid?"

The boy blinked, huge hands clasped together as he eyed me in worry. "Are yeh gonna hurt me?" he asked in a timid voice, not questioning how I knew his name. I lowered my wand slowly, shock coursing through my veins at the sight of a younger Hagrid. Though much, much taller than me, he still looked like he was about to cry.

"Of course not," I pocketed my wand. "Why would you even think that?"

"Yeh tried teh jinx me."

"I -," I stopped the argument midway. "Okay, I don't have an excuse for that. I thought you were going to attack me and it was in self defense." I explained.

"Why would anyone try and hurt yeh?"

I smiled. "No reason. Were you just coming from the forest?"

He didn't answer. "Are yeh going to tell Riddle?"

I frowned. "No. Why would I tell Riddle?"

"He's always watching me. It makes me nervous. I think he knows I sneak into the forest for me creatures. You're in Slytherin with him." he muttered under his breath.

My fists clenched. So Hagrid knew about Riddle watching him.

"Well, between you and me, Hagrid. I think Riddle's a right prat."

He gasped wetly, head jerking up to stare at me in shock as I grinned and patted his dustbin lid hands. "Don't you worry, Hagrid. Come on, let's head back."

Maybe Helena might never talk to me again. But I couldn't be more grateful. I finally had an old friend back, and nothing was going to hurt him this time.


That weekend, students of Hogwarts, third year and up wrapped up and took to the walkway leading towards Hogsmeade. Some of the students whistled for the thestral carriages even. While I was one of the walking students in my time, this time Lila raised her hand, encased in pretty pink gloves and a carriage made its way steadily over to where our group stood.

"It's too cold to walk. Also, Lila is wearing her new shoes." Fawley explained, pointing to matching pink buckled shoes on Lila's feet. My friend flicked her hair behind her shoulder, arching her elegant neck. "They were a gift from father and that's rare. I'm trying to protect them as long as I can."

So I climbed into the rickety carriage and off we were.

I had almost forgotten how pretty Hogsmeade was. Though frosted, it looked like a little Wizarding snow globe. The sloping roofs dripped with glittering snowflakes, and candles lit the trees and fences. Once off the carriage, Lila tapped her shoes with a charm to ward off the elements.

Students crowded the little streets of the village, mingled with the citizens, flooding in and out of the shops. I patted my pockets, ready to slip away to take care of the little errand I had planned.

"So, where do we go first? We have to give Ro a proper tour!" Alphard began and Lila immediately brightened.

"We absolutely do. Where do you want to start?"


We started at Zonko's. Fawley and Alphard loaded up on dung bombs, fanged Frisbees and stink pellets while Lila only picked out a toy sneak-o-scope for herself. I stopped thoughtfully at one of the counters before carrying a single packet to the counter.

"Darkness powder?" Fawley asked curiously.

"Yep," I popped the P. Peruvian instant darkness had been all the rage at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes but these weren't as fast. It would take a couple moments but soon they would be spreading pitch black. I needed a pack just in case I needed to escape…or commit murder.

Next up was Honeydukes.

I spent a little extra time there, unable to stop myself from sugar quills, chocolate frogs and snapping licorice. Piling up the goodies to be shared later, we finally decided to spread out.

The boys would visit the quidditch supply stores and the Shrieking shack which I lied and said I was too scared to go to and maybe next time. Lila headed for Gladrags and I decided to buy the trunk. We'd meet later at the Three Broomsticks.

Once my new friends had separated, I put up my hood, fact pacing to look for the equipment store.

Dervish and Banges' sign was faded but the inside looked lively enough. My entrance caused a little bell to ring and a smiling clerk called out for my attention.

"Hello, what may I help you with today?"

I moved to his counter.

"Hi, I need a trunk? Something fit for a fifth year student."

"Ah, Hogwarts kid, are you?"

At my helpful nod, the freckled boy ran inside for a few pieces while I looked around the store, studying the people whose descendants I probably knew.

Amidst them, a figure stood out. He stood way far back, as if avoiding the crowd that had gathered in the store. Tall, auburn haired with gaunt, keen blue eyes, he held up a set of glasses as he peered closely at the goods. Stunningly resembling his brother, Aberforth Dumbledore, studied a set of decanters.

My smile faded.

The hammock swayed left and right, the air stagnant and reeking of dried blood and wet cloth. I sighed.

I wish it smelled a little better. The words passed in your mind almost like an afterthought, the numbness in my arm making everything seem…slow…still.

The air changed in the room – or I thought so. It almost smelled like the breeze of lilac scented gardens. My eyes closed.

Beside me, Lavender huffed. "Ok, I give up. This isn't something I can heal. You need to go to Madam Pomfrey." The harshness of her voice barely masked the shake in her tenor, her eyes glinting with something as she tried not to look at my dangling arm.

"I can't walk." I mumbled reasonably.

"Neville!"

I turned my head back to stare at the ceiling, eyeing the beautiful molded designs. It wasn't a bad sight to be honest. It was a right sight better than having Alecto's crowing face in my eyes as she dug her knife into my forearm, trying to make me scream.

It was rare that either death eater resorted to the use of their hands but when she'd grabbed her knife during our one on one detention, I knew I was in for some hurt. She wanted to be personal about it.

When she'd let me go after an hour, unable to feel my arm and dripping over the flagstones, I'd staggered my way back to the room of requirement, collapsing into one of the hammocks and trying to fetch my wand from my robes. Lavender had seen my struggle before she limped over (she'd had a detention with Alecto not a week ago) and pulled her own out, basic healing spells tapping into my skin. They weren't perfect, but they stopped some of the bleeding. A steady trickle of blood still pooled out of one of the deeper gashes.

There was no way anyone would be able to come here and fix this. And I couldn't get back to my feet.

"Run amok of death eaters, have you girl?"

I hummed in the following silence, looking about. Long silvery hair and beard…a striking set of blue eyes that watched me carefully…

"Professor Dumbledore?"

He grunted at that. "Not quite a professor; that was always my brother."

I stared at the blurry figure as he pressed the rim of a bottle to my lips. "Drink," he ordered, coaxing the bitter liquid through. I flinched at the first taste, before recognizing it - A blood replenishing potion.

There was a murmur as the bottle was taken from me and sensation flooded from my left shoulder down. I flexed my fingertips, vision returning and I sat up on the hammock.

I was surrounded. Neville and Seamus stood to my right, Neville had an arm around Lavender who still looked worse for wear. And right in front of me…

"Who…I mean…Dumbledore…?" I tried again, remembering what he'd said about a brother.

"Aberforth," He said simply, pushing the cork of the potion bottle back in. "Don't suppose my brother spoke of me."

"Your brother…professor Dumbledore?"

"Aye."

"We couldn't think of what to do for you!" Lavender spoke up suddenly, making us all look at her. "I told Neville to fetch madam Pomfrey and that we needed blood replenishing potion and the portrait over there just nodded and went off. I didn't think anything of it until the frame swung open and mister…mister Dumbledore was there."

I looked back at Albus Dumbledore's brother.

He looked about the room of requirement with a keen gaze not unlike his brother's, studying the hammocks, stacks of food and water and dirty clothes strewn about.

"I think…I think he is supposed to help." Neville said quietly.

As if he could feel my gaze, the now much younger man turned about, meeting my eyes with an eyebrow raised in defiance. I quickly ducked down looking at the selection the clerk was now pushing out of the backroom before hastily selecting one of the bigger ones.

A simple oak with brass latching, I paid for the trunk, the clerk shrinking it into travel sized for me. Without looking at Aberforth again, I hurried out of the shop.


I bet some of you guys were wondering when we'd see the cast expand to some of our beloved face, right? Well, like I said...things are picking up!

Until next time, which will be sooner rather than later !

Do tell me how you liked it!