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 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 Four: Constellation of the Heart
Rosaleen did not sleep for the rest of the night, so instead she laid awake and wondered how the first day at Hogwarts would be and how her students and fellow teachers would perceive her. What advice could she give them about defending themselves from the dark arts? Oh well, perhaps first and foremost: Don't allow yourself to be tricked by a handsome vampire.
Yes, that would be a very valuable lesson indeed.
When she glanced at the clock, she saw that it read seven o'clock. Rosaleen pulled herself out of bed and to her luggage, which she had enlarged but not bothered to unpack. She hung her clothes in the closet and placed her books from her shoulder bag on the desk that lined the wall. Carefully, she placed Father McCarthy's rosary (which was still wrapped in the handkerchief) and set it on her bedside table.
Rosaleen dressed herself in a pair of slacks with pinstripes, a starched and fitted white oxford shirt with a snug black sweater-vest over it. She tied her hair away from her face in a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck. Unconsciously, Rosaleen ran her tongue over her teeth. Lupin had said that members of the organization would be arriving that morning. She picked up her wand and charmed her teeth so that they would not concern whoever she was to meet that day.
After securing her wand in her pants pocket, she made her way down the stairs to the ground floor and tip-toed past the portrait of Mrs. Black and into the kitchen. Before entering, she could feel the stinging warmth of the rising sun. Rosaleen brandished her wand yet again and recited the charm that shielded the sun from harming her. She walked towards the kitchen and saw Lupin with a cup of tea and some toast, slumped over a stack of books.
"Doing important research, Remus?" She called to him from the doorway. He looked up and saw her smiling at him. Lupin rose from his chair and pulled out the other one that was next to his and motioned for her to sit down.
"I found some books that may be beneficial for you before you depart for Hogwarts. First of all, Hogwarts: A History. Miss Granger finds this to be a very helpful text." Rosaleen wrinkled her nose at him and he raised his eyebrows.
"Who is this Granger I've heard so much about?" Rosaleen flipped through the text and Lupin laughed out loud.
"A very bright young witch. She'll be in her sixth year at Hogwarts. She'll surely be head girl," Lupin explained, "She'll be arriving with the Weasley's in a little over an hour."
"Students are coming here?" Rosaleen felt her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach in a nervous response.
"Yes, three today and Harry Potter should be arriving within the week," Lupin watched as she fought warring emotions on her young face, "they are wonderful students, Rosaleen. They'll be really excited to meet you. Would you like something to eat?
Rosaleen nodded, knowing that if she didn't eat something then suspicions would arise. She had a small supply of blood upstairs and Father McCarthy told her he would write her once he found a contact in England.
"Toast and tea would be lovely."
Lupin smiled as Rosaleen turned back to her book; her long pre-Raphaelite waves hanging down her back. She was putting on a brave exterior; he knew that she no longer craved food
An hour later, Lupin was explaining the start of term events at Hogwarts. He told her of the sorting hat and the four houses, their founders and the current staff at school. During the explanation, Rosaleen could hear voices approaching the house.
"Ronald, leave Hermione alone! Ginny please keep up! You all know the drill, be very quiet in the hall."
The door opened and five shadowed figures moved silently down the entrance hall and into the kitchen. Lupin stood up and smiled to greet them.
"Hello Weasleys; Hermione! Did you all have any trouble on the way here?" Four of them had blazing red hair and Rosaleen figured them to be the Weasleys. The older man stepped forward and shook Lupin's hand.
"Everything went relatively smoothly, Remus. For once." Mrs. Weasley took notice of Rosaleen and smiled.
"Remus, won't you properly introduce us?" The older woman smiled at her and Rosaleen rose to stand beside Lupin.
"Oh, yes. Rosaleen, may I introduce you to Arthur Weasley, his wife Molly, his son Ron and his daughter Ginny and finally Hermione Granger. Everyone, this is Professor Rosaleen Jasper. She'll be taking over for Professor Filtwick as he is taking his year of sabbatical. Professor Dumbledore has also enlisted her to do some work for the Order." Lupin saw the look on Rosaleen's face and could not help but grin.
Molly Weasley stepped forward and patted Rosaleen on the cheek.
"My, you're a lovely sight! Such a pretty young woman to be taking over such responsibility. Dumbledore has kept you quite a mystery! I hope to hear all about you over lunch. Why Rosaleen! You're freezing, love! Remus start a fire this minute! The girl is an icicle!" Rosaleen opened her mouth to speak, but Mrs. Weasley was already bustling about the kitchen.
Lupin gave her a lopsided grin and left to start the fire that Mrs. Weasley had requested. Rosaleen felt four intense pairs of eyes on her; the most intense of the bunch coming from Hermione Granger.
"So you'll be teaching charms?" Hermione asked with great interest. Rosaleen nodded and managed to answer without a hint of reservation.
"Yes, charms and one other subject; Defense Against the Dark Arts." Rosaleen saw the looks on the teenagers faces and raised an eyebrow to them, "What are those faces for?"
"You're so young!" Ginny Weasley cried.
"Thank Merlin! Snape didn't get the job again! Bloody hell, I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees you!" Ron Weasley grinned from ear to ear.
"You're American! Not there's anything wrong with that, but it has to be a first at Hogwarts!" Hermione stated in an impressed tone.
"Now children, I'm sure Professor Jasper has a lot to do. Why don't you all go to your rooms and unpack? We all can talk more over lunch." Arthur Weasley patted Rosaleen on the shoulder and watched as the three teenagers shuffled off to their rooms.
Ron followed Hermione and Ginny to their first floor room to discuss the new professor. Ron sat on Ginny's bed as she and Hermione began to unpack.
"Well, things are looking up this year! We'll have Professor Jasper twice. I should think that it will be very easy to pay attention to her!" Ron smirked and Hermione groaned.
"Ronald Weasley, she's a professor! She must be extremely capable if Dumbledore handpicked her for the positions. I wonder how she'll be helping out the Order?" Hermione unpacked fifteen different books and then unpacked ten more.
Ginny smiled a smile and shrugged. Her smile could only be categorized as mischievous.
"Did you see how Professor Lupin looked at her?" Ron and Hermione shook their head and Ginny continued, "Well, I have a feeling that he fancies her. Watch them at lunch. She is quite pretty. I do hope to look a bit like her when I get older."
Hermione sighed thickly and pulled her cat, Crookshanks, out of his traveling case. Yes, Professor Jasper was pretty, but Hermione wanted to know why Dumbledore brought her all the way from America. What made her stand out amongst other witches and wizards? How can she help with the Order of the Phoenix?
"Rosaleen, dear, won't you tell us about yourself?" Molly Weasley asked while serving lunch a few hours later. Rosaleen looked around the table and she saw the curious faces of the teenagers looking eagerly back at her.
"Well, I live in Boston, but I originally came from Salem. My family immigrated there from Britain just before I was born." Rosaleen looked down at the bowl of tomato soup infront of her and ate a spoonful though she did not desire it at all.
"How old are you?" Ron questioned. Hermione pushed him a little with an indignant look on her face.
"Ron, you never ask a woman her age! That is terribly rude!" Rosaleen smiled and waved her hand at the pair. Of course, she would have to lie to answer the question. 328 years old was a bit odd.
"It's okay, Miss Granger. I have no qualms in answering. I am 25 years old, Mr. Weasley." Ron smiled at his new professor's good nature. Arthur Weasley chuckled and ate the bite of his sandwich.
"Twenty-five years of age, teaching charms and the Defense Against the Dark Arts! Remus tells us that you'll also head Ravenclaw as well! You have your work cut out for you, my girl!" Rosaleen looked beside her to Lupin and he merely smiled in return.
"Head of Ravenclaw!" Hermione exclaimed. Dumbledore had indeed trusted Professor Jasper very greatly if he hired her over other staff that had been at the school for years.
"Just until Professor Filtwick returns. I am merely a substitute," Rosaleen smiled and questioned, "May I ask what houses you three are in?"
"We're all in Gryffindor." Ron said with his mouth full. Rosaleen smiled; she found that it was coming more natural for her to smile. Molly Weasley chimed in with a happy tone.
"One Mr. Remus Lupin also came out of Gryffindor." Rosaleen turned to Lupin and smiled brightly, "So you all are very brave, then." Lupin held her gaze briefly and thought about how it would be if she smiled all of the time.
"Professor Jasper? Did you teach in the States? Hermione asked as she picked up her soup spoon. Rosaleen directed her attention to the young woman and away from Lupin.
"No, Miss Granger. I worked for a monastery in with a group of muggle priests. I helped them locate evil and then put an end to it." Rosaleen felt three confused looks sent into her direction.
"So you were an auror?" Ginny asked. Rosaleen felt herself answer internally. No a vigilante is more like it. Rosaleen nodded at Ginny and smiled.
"I suppose you could relate it to the work of an auror, Miss Weasley."
She watched as Ron, Hermione and Ginny looked satisfied with the answer and turned back to their lunches. Rosaleen followed suit and took a bite of the sandwich infront of her and couldn't help but think about going upstairs to her room and taking a swig of her bottle of blood. She pushed the idea out of her mind just as Mrs. Weasley began to clear the table.
"Rosaleen, dear, you hardly ate a thing! Could I make you something else to eat?" Mrs. Weasley asked with rapid-fire succession.
"No thank you, Mrs. Weasley. I'm fine. I am too excited to talk with company. It has been sometime since I was around other wizards." Rosaleen smiled at Mrs. Weasley and she patted the young woman gently on the cheek.
"It's quite alright, dear. Why don't you all go sit beside the fire and I'll bring down some tea." Mrs. Weasley nudged her toward the sitting room and the others followed suit.
Rosaleen retreated to her quarters before the rest of Number 12 Grimmauld place sat down for their evening meal. For the past five hours, she had sat with the Weasleys, Miss Granger and Remus Lupin as they continued to get to know her. Arthur Weasley prodded her about the monastery, life around muggle priests and life in muggle Boston. She explained as much as she could about it, citing that she spent most of her time researching and tracking outside of the monastery late at night.
Lupin interjected for her when she announced that she would be turning in for the evening. He told Mrs. Weasley that they had not arrived at the house until well after two in the morning and that they had risen early. Rosaleen was grateful for this and planned on telling him in the morning.
Rosaleen donned her nightdress and sat in her bed and read the book that Lupin had given her, taking sips from her bottle of blood in between. She looked forward to her first day at Hogwarts and hoped that everyone was like Lupin, the Weasleys and Hermione Granger. However, she knew that this was an unreasonable expectation.
She spent the rest of the night reading and happily avoiding sleep. Around midnight, a knock came upon her door and Rosaleen hid her bottle of blood and wiped her lips with her hand, the edge of her fangs clipping her skin.
"Come in."
As the door swung open, Rosaleen saw Lupin hovering in the doorway. She smiled and held up the book for him to see.
"I'm progressing very well. It's actually a very interesting book."
"I'm sure Hermione Granger would love to discuss it with you. She inundated me with questions about you all throughout supper. Everyone seems to be quite taken with you." Lupin smiled and Rosaleen took notice of how ill he looked.
"I am glad to hear it. You're right, they are wonderful students and the Weasleys made me feel very comfortable. Are you ill, Remus? You look absolutely exhausted," Rosaleen wore a concerned look and motioned for him to sit in the chair beside her desk, "Come in and sit down. Can't you sleep?"
Lupin nodded and sat in the chair. Rosaleen pulled herself up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed to sit before him. Her hair hung wildly around her shoulders and she folded her hands in her lap.
"I should be asking you the same thing. Your nightmare last night. You said that you are prone to them. You were so frightened, Rosaleen. You were in so much pain. What brings them?" She saw the look in his eye and looked away.
"Why do you wear that piece of Jasper so faithfully if it is indeed merely an old wives tale?" Lupin watched her intently as she instinctively played with the stone on her wrist. Rosaleen kept her eyes on the floor, but answered him.
"My mother gave me this when I was twelve. Even then I could not sleep. It's doesn't aid with my nightmares, but I wear it in memory of her and my father."
"So your parents are gone?" He asked, though he did not mean to pry.
"They were murdered. Their throats were ripped out by a vampire. He came for me, but found them. I came too late." Rosaleen stumbled over her words and Lupin could see her guilt.
"So you dream about this?" Rosaleen shrugged vacantly.
"Sometimes. Remus, there is something you have to know about me. I've been hunting that same vampire ever since that night. I've been all over the world tracking him, but he has alluded me." Rosaleen finally looked at him; her eyes full of grief.
"I didn't come here to upset you, Rosaleen. If you need me to, I can have a sleeping draught made for you. It will produce a dreamless slumber." Lupin back-pedaled out of her personal affairs. He was in no position to interrogate her. If she wanted to tell him her story, he would have her do it freely.
"That would help, Remus. Thank you for your kindness." She gave him a weak smile and placed her hand over his. Lupin marveled at the feel of her touch; so cold but very tender. He nodded in response, stood up and walked to the door.
"Goodnight, Rosaleen. I am to tell you that the Order will be gathering tomorrow night. Dumbledore wishes for you to be there. He wants to properly introduce you to everyone." Rosaleen nodded to him and smiled.
"I should like that very much, Remus. Goodnight." With that, Lupin gave her a weary smile and shut the door behind him.
A/N: Next up: The order gathers, Rosaleen and Lupin grow closer. However, sparks fly between Snape and Rosaleen in a way that no others can understand. Harry Potter arrives and Rosaleen learns of her connection to Voldemort and why she was called to Britain.
To Angel of Harlem: Yes, it is going where you think. But Snape comes in and complicates things for Remus and Rosaleen. I have seven chapters of this written. I wrote it on the 10 hour flight back from Europe. I haven't forgotten about Halla chapter six of her story should be up in the next few days. Halla's my girl and I could never neglect her, yet I am glad that you care for her so strongly! Stay tuned and review!
To Kimipeli R. Lupin: I am so glad that you liked the story so! You pay such lovely compliments concerning my style. So here is the next chapter for you. The Fifth will be much darker and filled with feeling! Enjoy and please leave me a review!
To Fallen Angel of Hell: Thanks for the note, I hope that you continue to read and let me know how I am doing!