Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in the Harry Potter universe J.K. Rowling does. The title "Waking the Witch" is inspired by the Kate Bush song of the same name. I do not own the song either. It can be found on Kate Bush's album The Hounds of Love. The name Rosaleen was inspired by the Neil Jordan film The Company of Wolves. I don't own any of the characters in that film, either! I do, however, own my Rosaleen MacDuff Jasper, who is of no relation or incarnation of Neil Jordan's character in his film.
Waking the Witch
by Leah Pensotti
Chapter Two: In the Company of Wolves
Rosaleen stuck her wand in the inner pocket of her light cloak to test if it would fit. She had changed into clothes that were more suitable in the wizarding world; a nineteenth century, high collared black-fitted waistcoat and a deep charcoal, laced dress beneath it. She folded Father McCarthy's rosary in the handkerchief and stuck it in her shoulder bag. Rosaleen charmed her unruly hair into tumbling waves and pulled the front away from her face and then glanced at the clock. It was 6:30 and would be 11:30 according to London time. In his letter, Albus Dumbledore told her to meet Remus Lupin at midnight, where he would then lead her to the enigmatic wizard.
She pulled out her wand and tapped it against her luggage.
"Reducio."
The trunk began to shrink in size and finally stopped when it reached the size of a lighter. Rosaleen did the same to her shoulder bag and then placed them both in her pocket and prepared to apparate to the Leaky Cauldron.
The Leaky Cauldron in London, England; July 30, 1996
Rosaleen found herself in what seemed to be a ramshackle of a pub. Though she appeared out of thin air, no one batted an eyelash her way or gave her a sideways glance. She had known precious few wizards and witches besides her father or her aunt; her mother as it were was a muggle. Her parents' marriage came as a hard blow to her father's distinctively purebred family and their hatred was ultimately the reason that her parents had fled Scotland, to find a new life in the Colonies.
She made her way to an isolated table and observed the motley crew that had assembled there. At ten minutes prior to midnight, the door to the pub opened and she took notice of a wizard in a tattered, brown coat who stepped in. The man behind the counter welcomed him a little hesitantly.
"Hello Remus."
Rosaleen sat up straight, finding confirmation that this was the man she was supposed to meet. Remus J. Lupin nodded to the man and gave a bit of an exhausted smile. Rosaleen watched intently, it had been a long time since she had spoken to anyone outside of the monastery or on missions that she was sent on; none of those people had been wizards.
"Hello Tom." Lupin said kindly to the man.
"What brings you out at this hour?"
"I am meeting a witch here, the new professor at Hogwarts. She's young and American, I think." Rosaleen tried not to look too anxious as Lupin spoke with the man. Young. She wanted to laugh out loud at that statement. Tom scanned the customers and his gaze fell on her. He pointed a little unceremoniously in her direction and her expression darkened a bit. Did she stick out that much?
"How about her? She's unfamiliar and she didn't order anything, either."
Lupin followed the landlord's finger and his eyes fell upon a young witch sitting alone in the dark. Her skin was pale and she looked like someone had petrified her. Lupin thanked Tom and made his way to where the unfamiliar witch sat.
Rosaleen relaxed her expression a bit, seeing that he was approaching. She met his eyes briefly and took a deep breath before he came to a halt by her side.
"Miss Jasper?"
"Please, I'm just Rosaleen." She stood up to meet him and wore a careful smile.
"Rosaleen. I'm Remus Lupin. I'm here to escort you to meet with the headmaster." Lupin took notice of how young she looked, no more than twenty- five. She had a cherub's face that was framed by long, near-brown blonde hair with shocking streaks of white mingling between. Rosaleen's eyes seemed to be green, but they were lauded with a thick rim of yellow.
He reached his hand out to her in greeting and she merely stared at it for a moment. Remus Lupin looked weary and his brown hair was flecked with gray, but he had a kind face. Rosaleen had become quite a good judge of character after the summer night in 1692 and the years of torture in the 1800's. However, there was something about this wizard that didn't quite fit.
Rosaleen slid her graceful fingers in his and shook gently. It was then that she felt it.
Wolf.
Remus Lupin was a werewolf.
He arched an eyebrow at her curiously, her cold fingers still rested in his palm. Lupin took in her scent; fear, pain, abuse, death, blood and vampire. So they had something in common, something which they both were feared for. She would've fooled him, passing as an ordinary witch, if it had not been for his extraordinary sense of smell. This was the witch that Dumbledore had so much faith in. Because of this Rosaleen Jasper must be trustworthy and have shown some mettle.
Rosaleen detracted her hand gently and they both sat at the table in silence, not really knowing what to say to each other.
"May I buy you a drink, Rosaleen?" Lupin offered warmly.
"Um, no thank you Remus. Sorry; is it all right if I call you that?" Rosaleen bit her lip in a nervous fashion and Lupin thought her to resemble a grown-up version of Hermione Granger.
"Remus is fine. So is this your first trip to London?" Rosaleen shook her head. No, she had been there before in the mid-nineteenth century, tracking the vampire that murdered her parents and sentenced her to a life of darkness and guilt.
"You're on the quiet side, aren't you?" Lupin looked at her a little intently and gave her a lopsided grin.
"I suppose you could say that. It's just that it has been awhile since I have been around others like me. I worked in Boston with a group of muggle priests; they pretty much left the magic up to me. That sort of thing was a conflict of interests for them. So, as you could imagine, I have lived a solitary life." Rosaleen trailed off quietly and fingered the polished stone on her wrist.
Lupin knew that it was more than a solitary life. He could see it in her eyes and smell it on her skin. Some say that vampires held no emotion; and if this was true then Rosaleen was every bit of the exception.
"Well, with what Dumbledore has in store for you, I fear that you'll need to be broken of that quickly." Rosaleen turned to Lupin in an interested way, as if he had piqued her curiosity.
"And what, pray tell, would he have me to do?"
"Teach 11 to 17-year-olds for an entire year." Lupin chuckled and Rosaleen could not help but join in with him. He saw a row of white teeth punctuated with two longer, delicately pointed canines. The witch straightened up and continued to look at him with interest.
"And when shall I meet this Dumbledore?"
"Whenever you'd like. He and Professor McGonagall should have apparated upstairs five minutes ago." Rosaleen's eyebrows raised and Lupin rose from his chair and offered her his arm. She accepted it with a feather-light touch and he led her quietly upstairs.
"I still think that this is a bad idea, Albus. She's a vigilante and has never sought proper schooling."
Albus Dumbledore winked at his second in command. He knew that Professor McGonagall would have to warm to the idea of having someone like Rosaleen Jasper in a high position of authority at Hogwarts. In such dark times, new friends were hard to find. However, he believed that the American witch held much in their advantage for their cause.
"Minerva, she has much experience in situations like the one we are currently going through. Father McCarthy and his monastery kept her in their service for many, many years. Almost two hundred, to be exact. She can be trusted. She has gone through much in her long life. Everything she does, to quote the priest, is to her an act of redemption." The headmaster straightened his half-moon glasses and looked at his counterpart hopefully.
"You and your second-chances." Professor McGonagall sighed in relinquishment, "But Albus, she's a vampire!"
"No one is to know about that Minerva." He whispered thickly. Suddenly, Remus Lupin opened the door and led the young-looking witch in by his arm.
"Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall, may I present Rosaleen Jasper." If she was the girl she was more than 300 years ago, she would have felt the tinge of blush on her cheeks. However, only the memory remained. She smiled and shook both of their hands in the most outgoing manner she could muster.
"Miss Jasper, please, make yourself comfortable. I am sorry that the room is not more inviting." The headmaster stated in a warm and genuine manner. Rosaleen looked about the room and shrugged.
"I've seen much, much worse professor." Lupin looked at her and saw that she told the truth, then he began to wonder what exactly she had seen in her lifetime.
"Excuse me, Professor. But has the room been secured?" Lupin questioned in hopes to divert the running thoughts he had on the American witch.
"There has been a thorough sweep of the room, Remus. It is clean." Professor McGonagall answered politely. Professor Dumbledore turned his attention to the new witch again and offered her a lemon drop, from which she kindly declined.
"You must be wondering, my dear, what exactly you will be doing at Hogwarts?" Rosaleen nodded affirmatively and Dumbledore continued, "Our organization has asked our Charms professor, Professor Filtwick to preform a task. To the students, however, it will be known as a year of sabbatical. You will take over his classes in Charms, but we also want you to teach one of our most challenging classes, Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"The Dark Arts? But Professor, I fear I am a bad example of how to defend yourself in such circumstances." Dumbledore smiled and waved his hand at her.
"Ah, I say you're one of the best examples. You have spent most of your life fighting evil, have you not?" Rosaleen nodded again and Dumbledore went on, "And have you been nothing but successful while working at the monastery?"
Rosaleen reflected quietly and nodded yet again.
"Yes, I suppose I have. But the students, I fear, will be terrified of me." Rosaleen heard Lupin chuckling behind her and all eyes fell on him.
"I was just thinking that the position of most terrifying professor has already been filled by one Severus Snape." Lupin stifled his chuckle and both Dumbledore and McGonagall cracked wry smiles almost in spite of themselves. Rosaleen looked confused, clearly it must have been an inside joke. Professor Dumbledore turned to her once more and sighed.
"There is one more thing, Professor Jasper. Professor Filtwick is the head of one of Hogwarts' four houses; Ravenclaw. Both Professor McGonagall and I believe that you would be the most adequate to fill his position until he returns next year."
"But why?" Rosaleen looked up at the old wizard with the twinkling eyes with wonder. What has she done to earn so much trust and good graces?
"Because we feel that were anything to happen, you would be the most able to lead them and protect them."
Rosaleen felt a pull in her heart; for what she had been entrusted in so much faith; she would gladly die for her students if it meant that she did not disappoint Albus Dumbledore. She looked up at him and nodded in acceptance.
"Good. The term begins in one month. I will have Remus take you to where our organization calls home. You can stay there for the time being. There are many witches and wizards who pass through, so do not be alarmed. Perhaps Remus would be so kind as to inform you about our fine school. He was the Defense Against Dark Arts Teacher three years ago." Rosaleen turned away from Dumbledore and looked at Lupin with great interest.
A/N: Next up Rosaleen stays at Number 12 Grimmauld Place and gains confidence under Lupin's tutelage. She also meets Tonks, Hermione, and the Weasleys.
Please Read and Review!
To Angel of Harlem: Thanks for the review! I needed a new challenge. I've been reading the Harry Potter books for 6 years--each of them at least twice. I needed a bit of a challenge, and after seeing the third film in accordance with listening to a lot of Kate Bush and watching the film The Company of Wolves--inspiration came along with it! Love you much!