Rose and Severus arrived outside the entrance to the leaky cauldron with another loud crack.
Rose looked at her surroundings and found this looked like a perfectly ordinary street, except for the building in front of them that looked a lot more old fashioned than the rest around.
Rose could not go there with her current appearance. She would more than likely be recognised and she had no doubt they would deliver her right back to the old man given the chance. "Sev, I need to change my body but I'm sure the old man has some way to track when I do magic; cast any and all spells you know to prevent that."
Severus nodded and shot a rainbow of spells towards Rose, then went back to blankly staring at her. She glowed for a second then returned back to normal, looking as if nothing had changed.
"Now, let's get myself a temporary disguise. If anyone asks you about me then I am Bertha Shanks, your half sister. Come up with the details yourself." She said, and started changing her body.
Her hair changed from redhead orange to deep black, her eyes converted back into brown and then deepened even more, matching Severus' own. Her height now matched his too. Then, she used her magic to transfigure her clothes; the previously ordinary muggle clothes now looked similar to the plain dark robes Severus always wore.
"Alright, let's not waste more time, the old man is bound to figure out I'm missing sooner or later. Take me to the wand shop Sev; You're paying for me because I have no wizard money with me." They walked through the door. Rose was slightly confused. Why would they sell wands at a pub? She mentally facepalmed at how stupid that question was. Of course they didn't sell wands here, this is just the entrance separating the normal streets from the magical streets!
Tom the bartender did not fail to notice the new arrivals. He recognised the man as Severus Snape but he had no idea who the woman next to him was. She looked a lot like him and around the same age too. "Severus! Who's the lovely lady you've brought with you?" He asked him as he passed by the counter.
"It is none of your business but I'll have you know this is my half-sister Bertha Shanks. She contacted me after finding me through a family ritual. We are heading to get her a new wand." Severus replied to the nosy bartender.
Severus Snape had a sister? How come nobody had heard of her before? He had to admit though, the similarities were very striking though Bertha was a lot better looking than Severus. She could even be called beautiful by some.
Severus and Rose got a few curious looks at the mention of Bertha as they walked to the back of the pub stopping in front of a brick wall.
Severus pulled his wand out and touched the bricks in a pattern of sorts. The bricks started rearranging themselves and there was now an opening from which Rose got her first look at Diagon Alley.
The alley was crowded by robe wearing men and women, many women wearing pointed hats. What did they find so appealing about pointed hats anyway? In Rose's opinion, pointed hats were quite hideous.
As they made their way through the alley, Rose observed the storefronts. All the shops looked just as old fashioned as the front of the pub leading to it. At some point, she noticed a shop selling flying brooms. Just how more generic can the magical society get? First the pointed hats and now the flying brooms? They could have made a flying suit instead and it would be far more practical. At least the tales told about them were true. No wonder why they call witches evil! Anyone wearing a pointed hat would look shady anywhere other than here.
They stopped in front of a shop called Ollivander's and walked into it. There was an old man with long white hair sitting behind the counter that stood up to welcome them. "Ah, Mr. Snape. How may I help you today?"
"I'm here to buy my sister a new wand, she lost her last one in an unfortunate incident." Severus replied casually.
"Bertha Shanks, pleased to meet you Mr. Ollivander. I have heard much about you and you wands, word on the streets is that your shop sells only the best." Rose said.
"I do try my best, now why don't you come and test some of these?" Ollivander made Rose test a number of wands without much success. Most felt completely wrong, while others made a mess. The previously tidy shop now looked like the aftermath of a vicious battle. "Very tricky customer miss Shanks, very tricky indeed. I do believe there is a rather unusual combination that we have yet to test, give me a moment." He walked towards the back of the shop and came back with yet another box, this one looking old and dusty. He opened the box and pulled out a long black stick.
"Veela hair, holly wood, 12 and a half inches, it usually only answers to other Veela but there are some other traits that tend to bond well with it. One with the metamorphmagus gift can be chosen but one that has engaged in intimate acts for an extended period of time can be accepted too; the reason being that one can become near identical to a Veela while the other acts like one." Ollivander finished his speech and handed the wand over to Rose.
As Rose's palm took hold of the wand, it was engulfed with warmth and bright red smoke shot out of the wand. Rose felt as if she had just found a part her body she had always been missing; as if a once bottomless hole was now gone and in its place was a well overflowing with water.
Ollivander seemed to be very intrigued by the bond the wand had forged with her. "My, my, I have never seen a bond with a wand of such intensity! How curious! Could it be... No, surely not. But what if..."
Ollivander's monologue seemed to awaken Rose's curiosity. "Might I ask what you find so curious Mr. Ollivander?" Rose asked the still lost in thought wandmaker.
"But of course! It would appear you and your wand have forged a perfect bond! What that means is that you satisfy all the requirements that the wand would demand perfectly. In short, you happen to be part Veela, a metamorphmagus and tend to engage in intimate acts frequently! But worry not; any and all sensitive information about my customers will not be shared." Ollivander explained.
Part Veela? What is a Veela anyway? She would have to ask Severus about it later. "Thank you Mr. Ollivander, I believe that will be all we will need." Rose motioned to Severus who paid the wandmaker for the wand.
Rose suddenly thought of something she really wanted to try. "Hold onto me Sev." She ordered, and as soon as Severus held onto her hand, Rose pictured the inside of her apartment. She guided her magic into the imaginary picture and all of a sudden what used to be an imaginary image turned into reality and she heard the familiar crack she had when Severus had teleported her away from Hogwarts.
Rose, after performing the feat of magic, burst with excitement. 'I can teleport! I can TELEPORT!' Was the thought running through her head, whilst a very shocked and confused Ollivander wondered how she was able to get through the still intact anti-apparation wards of his shop. He eventually came to the conclusion that this was the power of a perfectly forged wand bond.
She hadn't realised just how much she missed her apartment. It wasn't about the apartment itself, but the meaning it held to her; It was the first place where she could finally feel at home. They walked towards the kitchen and Rose prepared dinner for both of them after shapeshifting back to her previous form.
After a session in bed with a still controlled Severus and a good amount of time to relax, Rose decided to get some long awaited answers. "Hey Sev, why does the old man want me to kill Voldemort so badly?"
"There is a prophecy about you and him." Severus replied.
A prophecy? Magic sure is amazing but predicting the future was something she had thought impossible. Well, turns out she was wrong. But if there is such a prophecy, doesn't that mean all the old man had to do was sit back and wait for it to happen?
Maybe the fool thought that if he interfered with it he could kill him instead; who knows? But one thing is for certain: she was not going to follow through and kill the man if she could negotiate a deal with him instead prophecy or not.
"Hmm, do you know how to get me to him? To the Dark Lord." Asked Rose. "Yes. I am one of his followers." Severus answered. One if his followers? Either the old man's forces had a spy in them or the Dark Lord's forces did.
"Take me to him. I will be disguised as Bertha Shanks until I can tell whether or not I can reason with him." She shapeshifted back into the form of Bertha Shanks and took hold of Severus. With a loud crack, they were both gone once more.
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It was finally Remus' turn to bring Rose food. He already knew what to expect. Unlike Sirius, who seemed to currently be terrified of sharing a room with her, Remus had already accepted that Rose was a whore no matter who tried to say otherwise. What mattered to him was not her profession. What mattered to him was that this was his best friend's daughter and he would do his best to support her in any way possible.
The wooden door was now in sight. This was a door that has come to now intimidate others, but all Remus could see the door being was a link connecting him with a chance to honour his best friend's memory.
He opened the door. He was already certain that Rose was not standing beside it because of his enhanced sense of smell. Actually, the smell he was expecting was weaker than it should have been.
He looked around the very limited space of the room. The only indication of anyone actually being in this room was the bed covers. "Rose? Are you still sleeping?" He put the food tray down and reached for the covers. The only thing hiding beneath them was a life sized doll wearing a silver bracelet.
Instead of shock and panic, a grin replaced the previous expression on his face. So she escaped. She really is James' daughter.
Much to his displeasure, Remus would have to inform Dumbledore of her escape otherwise the old man would somehow find a way to blame it all on him.
He headed out of the room and towards the headmaster.
"Remus, has Rose been reading any of the books Severus has brought her?" Dumbledore asked when Remus walked into his office.
"I wouldn't know headmaster, since Rose was nowhere to be seen when I entered her room." Remus replied with a casual tone.
Rose was gone? How did she manage to slip out of the castle without using any magic right under their noses? How long has she been gone? He could not waste time thinking about it now, he would have to get the memories from Rose when he captures her again.
"Remus, stay here, I will call the others. Rose must be kept safe here even if against her will." Dumbledore said as he walked towards the fireplace.
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Rose and Severus landed in front a very expensive looking mansion. It looked old fashioned, just like any other wizarding building she had seen to far but if the Dark Lord himself was residing there then it had to be a lot greater than it looked. Don't judge a book by its cover and all.
They walked towards the entrance but before they could open the door, it was opened by someone else. Said man had a tall slim figure, long blonde hair and wore some very expensive robes.
"Severus, who is it you brought here? I don't believe I've ever met the lady beside you." Lucius Malfoy asked.
"She is Bertha Shanks and it turns out she is a half-sister of mine. She found me through a family ritual. She wishes to join the Dark Lord." Severus replied.
"Oh? And what art is Bertha here proficient in? The Dark Lord would have great interest in a potions mistress on a similar level to yours Severus." Lucius said curiously.
"Tell him I'm a formidable duelist." Rose whispered only loud enough for Severus to hear.
"No Lucius, she does not wield the skill of a potion mistress. Though I'm certain the Dark Lord would have great interest in a duelist as formidable as herself. Even I am no match against her and I would wager the only wizards that can be victorious against her are Dumbledore and the Dark Lord himself." Severus finished his monologue.
Lucius could not argue with that. He could feel the raw power coming from the woman stood next to Severus and he was glad she would be on their side. Under no circumstances would he want to cross wands with her. "Well then why don't you come in? I've left you standing here long enough. The Dark Lord is currently in the study."
They followed Lucius inside, and Rose now fully understood why the Dark Lord would want to use this as his headquarters. The inside had far more space than the outside showed and there were rooms left and right; every single item she gazed at looked expensive enough to buy a new car by itself. If she didn't know better, she would have mistaked this place with a high class rich people only school.
As they were walking through a corridor on the second floor Rose heard a hissing voice near a very distinctive door they were heading towards. She vaguely understood a portion of what was spoken. "The damage is beyond repair Nagini... I cannot keep on fooling them with my act forever"
Nagini? Was someone speaking to the Dark Lord? Is she the only one that heard that? Hmm. A Dark Lord would never reveal his secrets to his followers... What if Nagini isn't a follower? But of course! She could speak to snakes, but she had never heard anyone else speak to them! This must have been a conversation between the Dark Lord and a snake.
This was very interesting information. The Dark Lord is putting up an act? Is he not as tough as he looks? Or maybe... He messed up his resurrection? She would have to force the man to speak. She will not be fooled now that she has accidentally learned his secret.
They stopped before a large door and Lucius knocked on it three times. "Enter." A rough voice responded to the knocking. The man this voice belonged to could not be described as human. His skin was paler than a vampire; with not a single hair in sight. His face resembled a snake due to the lack of an actual nose and his eyes were a dim shade of red.
"What would be of such importance that you find it justified to interrupt my research?" Voldermort said trying his best to sound intimidating. The act failed to work on Severus or Rose but did a number on a now slightly trembling Lucius. "M- My lord. Sev- rus wishes to introduce you to his half s- sister. She wants to join us."
Voldemort cast a calculating look at Rose, looking up and down until what Rose could swear was a fit of panic momentarily appeared in his eyes. "Lucius, leave us. Severus, you and your sister stay here." Lucius did not need to be asked twice and left as soon as he was dismissed.
A few seconds after Lucius left, Voldemort let out a long sigh of frustration and looked up at Rose. "Did the old man put you up to this? If he did, then I guess he thinks you are sufficiently trained to defeat me. I will be honest with you, Rose Potter. I made a big mistake that cost me most of my power; I surrender. Severu-"
Rose was shocked by what she was hearing. Wasn't this the great Dark Lord that murdered her parents? For him to surrender it would mean the man truly thinks himself powerless yet still has everyone fooled. She interrupted him as he was about to mention Severus and shapeshifted back to her Rose Potter body. "Don't bother, Sev is completely under my control. Also, if you think I am under that old man's control you are deeply mistaken. The old fuck kidnapped me from my apartment and held me in some room for a few days before I escaped using Sev here. I had originally come here to forge a truce between us but after overhearing your conversation with Nagini and hearing your confession I have a better offer for you."
"So you truly weren't sent by him? How did you survive on the streets as a 9 year old I wonder?" Voldemort asked.
Rose smirked. "I was recently informed that I happen to be part Veela. Add that to the mix with my metmorphmagus ability and I think you've got your answer."
Voldemort put a hand on his chin and then nodded in understanding. "You're a Parselmouth?" He suddenly asked.
"A what?" She asked.
"A parselmouth is one with the ability to speak to snakes. I thought that I myself was the last with the gift." Voldemort explained.
"I guess you could say that. I could always speak to snakes; I thought it was a normal thing after the old man said I'm a witch but I guess there's more to it." Rose said.
There was silence for a few seconds until Voldemort turned to look at Rose again. "So, you said you had a better offer for me than a truce. Care to share?"
Rose lightly giggled. "Oh, yes. It will get the old man off both our backs. Then, I'll focus on getting him locked up for kidnapping, but that's for later. Anyway, what I thought we could do is..."
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After an hour of planning, Rose who was now back as Bertha Shanks and Severus walked out of the Dark Lord's study heading back to the exit. As Lucius saw them both come back unharmed the stressed look on his face was replaced with a curious one. "Did the Dark Lord accept her?"
Rose was the one to reply this time. "Yes, I will be joining Sev to spy in the order with him. We are heading to Hogwarts because apparently the old man has called to a meeting."
Lucius nodded. "I wish you the best of luck. I assume that is the reason behind the lack of the mark?"
"Yes, we decided it would be too suspicious if I was a death eater right after meeting with Sev." Rose explained. They walked through the doors of the manor and Rose took hold of Severus; a loud crack after and both of them disappeared from sight, leaving yet another looking dumbstruck at the casual display of power that is required to pass straight through anti-apparation wards.
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A/N: I made Voldemort weak because 5 of his Horcruxes are gone and took the power they provided him with them. Voldemort is now slightly weaker than an average wizard.