"She looks just like her mother. I never believed it would come to this. You promised you would keep her safe!"
"They placed their faith in the wrong person, Severus. Son, I've done all that was possible… Right now, this child remains. Rose Potter."
"Behold that mark…" the other began with mere disgust and shock.
"What made you bring her out of that house, may I ask?"
There was an overwhelming silence.
"I see. Something had come over you, Severus. The very first moment you laid eyes on her. She is bound to you, by Lily's word."
"Why…?"
"After everything that had happened, Lily still had you in her heart. There is a way, dear boy. Have her close now. This is one promise I intend to keep, permanently. You cut yourself short, too often."
10 long years had gone painfully by, for one.
For the girl who lived through that awful night, she awoke with a jolt, after having to dream again. It wasn't so much a nightmare, but she knew at least one voice. Yet every time, her arm would burn bloody murder as she remembered this green flash of dazzling light.
Rose Potter.
A young witch who had a flush of messy red hair that never obeyed her, but her eyes were as green and bright like emeralds, rivaling that of her mother's, supposedly. Her face was a mess with freckles, but she had one odd birthmark over her right arm. It used to look like a burn, but it sure felt like one often times. She did not remember much of her early years but she was never alone. A storm had blew over Spinner's End again, with rain rapping against the window, had proved more than once to be her daily wake up call lately. Again, she was looking forward to another long, boring day, full of reading and lessons.
Rose. Rose Potter was her natural name, but it left a sour taste in her mouth for some reason, so she preferred to just be called Rosie. Part of why was that didn't know much about her real father, but she knew a bit about her real mother.
Of course, even with that sadly known fact, she was not alone. She did have someone. Two, actually, if Elves counted. She called her LouLou, a name she chose at a young age much to her Sire's dismay and annoyance.
Already frustrated with another boring day, Rosie found that her blankets were magically blown away by LouLou herself.
"Prince's orders, girl! Up, up and up!"
"He's not here to boss me around today, shoo!" Rosie grunted, stuffing her head beneath her pillow with a loud huff! "Go clean the loo, just leave me alone~"
"He gave me permission, Miss." LouLou huffed back, climbing up onto the bed. Using all her strength, she shoved the girl right off of it, having her land with a thud on the wood flooring.
"FINE, FINE THEN, I'm up!" Rosie barked, throwing the blanket off her head.
LouLou was a House Elf, having been new and young, with Prince being her first Master since Rose was brought into his life. She was a great blessing to have when the girl was small. Of course, she was a blessing now that Rose was at the end of her tenth year, with her birthday fast approaching.
"Can you leave now…?" Rosie joked, finally have gotten freshened for the day. The Elf was practically her shadow.
"Want me to change into a puff of smoke for you? Surely I would be just as annoying. Come, breakfast is served," LouLou replied as Rosie went into the kitchen where a kettle kept whistling.
Prince had a study that they had to walk through in order to get to the kitchen. Books paved the floor and scaled the wall around the fireplace. Some were stacked high and the room spelled of fresh parchment and soil. Rosie had many memories in here though, as bland as the room was. Prince was her guardian for as long as she could remember, besides the strange flashbacks in the forms of dreams were every night. This home had been in his family for years, so the wear and tear was obvious, but it was home to her. A wizard who took her in as a baby was a fairly strict, yet a nurturing man. Sad at times, but never cruel. Orpheus Prince was a common name said in this household, yet these days, he was seldom seen. Prince left at first light for work and would return late into the night, often exhausted. It began only a couple years ago, so often Rosie was left alone with LouLou. She worried that she was going to spend her birthday here, doing the same thing as today.
"He will be changing the Portkey's again," LouLou's high pitched voice broke through the young witch's thoughts. Rosie blinked at her tea with the leaves spinning round in it.
Most times, Rosie never fully knew what her Sire really did for a living, but she was told that it was something very important and it kept things as they should. Hearing that made her even more irritable.
"But… I just got used to the park nearby. Whatever, he never lets me go anywhere anyway…" Rosie sighed. LouLou looked a bit sympathetic, placing a couple strips of bacon on her plate.
"Y'know he does a lot for you, Miss. He really means well for you."
"I know."
"If it helps, Miss, the lesson he set up for you might be a bit of fun."
"Yeah, sure. His lessons are never such, LouLou. Or he might have cracked."
"He assigned me to test you. If you can sharpen your Legilimency by a notch. You must figure out where I hid your snowglobes~"
"Why you little cheat!" Rosie gasped at the House Elf, pouncing after her as she scurried away into the library, causing a stack or two to fall over during the fray. The two laughed and played, not caring for the mess for a moment before there was the sharp snap of a rushing sound that Rosie knew all too well. The two stopped and looked up, still sitting on the floor, as someone dark and tall had entered from the hall.
Time stopped when Rose was glared down by no other than Prince himself. A rather stern man with a nearly permanent furrow on his brow, a set of tired black eyes, yet they would light up slightly whenever he saw or heard her. His face was curtained with black hair that barely touched above his tense shoulders. He was nearly a towering man who wore a buttoned long sleeve coat over a white shirt, with long black pants. Behind him billowed a cloak of sorts. One that flew off and hung itself onto an old rack by the front door. Right after that though, he glowered at the girl, a severe gleam in his black eyes sharpening like a candle's flame in the dark of night.
"In a merry mood today, Miss Rose?"
Rosie instantly stood up, obediently, swiping dust off of her pajamas.
"Um, g-good- *ahem!* … Good morning, sir." she lowered her head at first, peeking up at him, shyly sharing a tiny smile. "You're home,"
"A fair deduction, lass. Care to explain the reason behind the disarray of my study?"
Rosie winced a little and looked at all the fallen books. "We were frolicking, sir. It was my fault. Not LouLou's."
The dark guardian flicked his wrist, quickly, with his dark wand in hand, and the entire room became animated upon a sudden. Each book and paper all flew in a heap and danced around them until everything was put in place, in a manner of seconds.
"Were you permitted to frolic in the study?"
"No, sir…"
He rose a brow, glancing at both her and the elf before heading towards the stairway.
"I expect better performance from you," he aimed his low tone at the elf who obediently followed. "Rose, come with me."
As he swept off, she mentally kicked herself for being so foolish. Prince was gone all day, how was she to know of his return when this late into the morning. He never forgets things… But she knew she had to pay for the mess she made, she supposed.
This wizard gave a lot for her, but he was as firm as cold stone when getting a point across. Obediently, she followed him up to the second floor that was close to the front door. The narrow hall outside her own bedroom was his own bedroom directly across from hers. He had a desk where he often sat at, endlessly writing letters. There was something on there with green ink written on the front of it, but a pile of envelopes was suddenly dumped on it. Rose swallowed, knowing she was seldom let inside here. Hope fluttered in her heart though when he began scribbling down something fast. It took courage to say…
"Sir, um… I was wondering, s-since it's almost my birthday… Do you think, if you're not too busy," she struggled to talk, noticing him hesitate for a moment as if he was listening. "… if we can go to the park together one more time? Before we move again…? As a birthday gift…?"
She was alone for so much, as he would leave so often, so this was worth the nerves or firm talking to. After a moment, he gave a low hum as he sealed a letter and tucked it in the beak of his owl, who flew off out the open window. There was a hint. A sign of sorrow in his eyes before he glanced at her again, rising from the chair. Rose knew he had to leave again, and her tears were showing again. Feeling foolish, she averted her eyes as he came, taking something else off his desk, and then kneeling low to her level. He was the only fatherly figure in her life and his nurture had molded her to be this respectful. The need to be out in the air was screaming in her eyes.
"Rose. Look at me." he humbled his voice to be as soft as silk as he lifted her chin a little. Deep in his black eyes came a warmth, ever watchful and strong. A warmth she always saw since she was very little.
"You have grown very resilient during your time here. I cannot express how proud I am of you. I've kept you with me, to keep you protected. You know why I must depart at first light. However, based on this desperate request of yours and considering that you are fast approaching proper age, I believe this is most opportune…"
Prince held a letter up. The one with ornate green handwriting on the front of it. It had her name on it and everything~
Miss Rose Evans Potter
The Room on the Right, Second Floor
287 Spinner's End
Cokeworth
Her green eyes went wide and moistened. Honestly, she had never had gotten any mail before. The moment was broken by some dry wit, for one.
"Of course, I probably should not even allow you to open it for making fantastic work out of my study," he drawled, bringing her back to the present.
"Oh! R-right, a-about that, LouLou said you wanted me to practice today. She hid my snowglobes somewhere. So I kind of strangled her…"
"That was not how I planned the lesson," he nearly smirked as they both left the room. "Is it so, Lady?" he glared sternly at the fidgety elf. He waved his wand, shutting the door. "Go organize my books, as I told you to do so last night?"
"Yes, certainly, sire!" LouLou sprinted before them, back downstairs, leaving the two with their own.
"Clearly, your little collection is just under the floorboards under the pantry," he mentioned, out of the blue, before patting her on the shoulder. "Come, I take it you haven't had your breakfast yet." there was a small smile in the corner of his mouth.
"Didn't feel like eating really," she said, concerning him.
"No. We're not having any of that. Once you're well-nourished, we will test if you have been practicing. Then we will see what is in that letter, hm?"
Rosie sat back into her chair in the kitchen where her porridge was waiting. "Thanks, LouLou…"
