Chapter 3
~ Concealed ~
Rose-Lynn eagerly scrambled to her feet. Toby followed, slightly amused. "Come on, I want to see everything. And we only have two days", she exclaimed. Marlow and Oleander looked at the two youthful teenagers with a smile. They could only hope other witches and wizards would accept their daughter as soon as the Pax boy had. Before she knew it, Rose-Lynn found herself staring at the rather magnificent shop window of Madame Malkin's Robe Shop. Toby, feeling her hesitation, took her by the hand and opened the door with the other. "Aunt Bella", he yelled. "I'm back and I've brought you a customer!" Through a concealed door at the back of the shop a beautiful, long haired witch entered the shop. Rose-Lynn stared at her in utmost admiration. Belladonna Malfoy smiled at her all knowingly. "Toby, please try to conceal your excitement a bit. What would other customers think of you shouting through the shop, dear?" she quietly explained. Toby grinned. "Sorry, auntie Bella." He pulled Rose-Lynn into her view. "This is my friend, Rose-Lynn. She'll be attending Hogwarts as well. She needs robes," he introduced Rose-Lynn. Belladonna shook Rose-Lynn's hand in a calm and soothing manner. Rose-Lynn immediately felt herself relax. Toby noticed and grinned again. "Yeah, aunt Bella has that effect on others. Although I never saw someone react to her as much as you did." Rose-Lynn blushed under the attention she was getting from everyone. "That'll be enough, Toby. Please wait at the back until I have finished with Rose-Lynn's robes, please." Without hesitation Toby steered towards the backdoor and disappeared through it after a quick consoling wave at Rose-Lynn.
She half-heartedly returned it and focussed on Belladonna again, who had started an animated conversation with her parents. The witch was undoubtedly the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Her long silver blonde hair seemed to radiate, her porcelain skin was positively glowing and her blue eyes had a warmth and depth in them one usually only finds in brown eyes. "I'll be off, mother", a boy informed her and Belladonna's eyes travelled towards her son. "Yes, Scorpio. Please try and stay out of trouble," she sighed, as she stroked his hair. "I'll try, but trouble usually has a knack of finding me," he half-earnestly replied. Rose-Lynn sighed. It seemed the boy definitely had inherited his mother's good looks, though he did not seem to be radiating the way his mother did.
All the while Belladonna had been working on Rose-Lynn's robes, without her even noticing it. "There, that's that then." Belladonna handed over three sets of neatly folded black robes, a pointy, black hat and a pair of thick, brown, dragonhide gloves. "Toby, she is ready, dear. You can come back out now," she almost seemed to sing. Toby appeared within mere seconds and glanced at Rose-Lynn, who still seemed to be very much impressed by both Belladonna's appearance as well as her manners. He chuckled. "Rose-Lynn, I know you can't help it, she is part Veela." He turned to his aunt. "You've charmed her, auntie." Belladonna gave Rose-Lynn an appraising look. "No love, I haven't. There is something special about this young girl." She then eyed the parents with a questioning look. "I'm a squib", Rose-Lynn whispered, her head down in shame. For in the last few hours it became painstakingly clear that there was nothing to be proud of being a squib. She was a born failure in the magical community.
Belladonna raised Rose-Lynn's head by gently cupping her chin. "Honey, I would like you to come visit me tomorrow. Toby was right, I am part Veela, and therefore sometimes can see beyond the 'ordinary' wizarding stuff. I would like you to join me for a cup of tea tomorrow so we can discuss this further, but trust me when I say you are most certainly NOT a squib, nor a failure – as you seem to think of yourself. You have a hidden power, you just need to find it and tap into it. Rose-Lynn blinked at her, looking perplexed. Oleander threw Belladonna an interested look. "She'll be here", she softly complied. "Is two a good time?" Belladonna nodded. "I will see you tomorrow, young lady. Toby, take good care of her." She waved them goodbye.
"Mum, dad, I have been thinking. Toby explained to me how you procure a wand. If I don't have any magical capabilities, how can the wand choose me? Or is that the reason we haven't done any wandshopping today? I mean, we walked right past Olivanders several times." Rose-Lynn didn't trust herself to look her parents in the eye and kept her gaze straight at the stew on her plate, fidgeting her cutlery around in it without taking a bite. Her father laid his hand over one of hers, stilling her motions. "Rosey, we love you so much. We don't care that you're probably a squib. We chose to leave the magical community behind on our own accord, so that you would have the fairest chance of a normal life. Therefore we cut all the tires. Your mum and I have been wondering lately if that has been such a good idea. And now we find ourselves back at our starting point. Only with you by our side. And we told you; your mother was a Muggle-born, so we were easy at adapting to a muggle lifestyle. Don't fret about your wand. You heard what Belladonna said. Have faith in yourself. Maybe if we had had more faith in your capability to handle things, we wouldn't have left the magical community at all. This experience is as much an eye opener for us as it is for you. We will see what happens tomorrow. And I am positive you will find your perfect wand. I'm sure of it!"
Rose-Lynn lifted her eyes to look at her father. He gave her an encouraging smile which she weakly reciprocated. "Okay", she sighed. "I think I'm off to bed now, I feel rather exhausted", she admitted shyly. Her mother now smiled as well. "We understand. It has been a busy week for all of us, so many new experiences for you and you coped with it brilliantly, dear. Go, we'll see you at breakfast."
As Rose-Lynn got ready for bed, she heard a silent tapping on her window. Curiously she parted the heavy, emerald green curtains, to find a rather intimidating owl on the perch of her windowsill. Oh dear, my first owl post. What am I supposed to do? She started to panic slightly at the sheer size of the owl, but it seemed to feel her discomfort and stuck out its leg as if to say 'please, take this letter off. I don't mean any harm' so she carefully opened the window and slowly reached for the letter attached to its talon. As soon as she had taken the letter off, the owl gave a soft hoot. She had expected it to fly away immediately, but it stayed on the windowsill. "Oh", she exclaimed out loud. "I bought some owl biscuits at Eeylops Owl Imperium today, so I'd be able to give the school owls some treats. Would you like one?" she asked. O dear, I must be losing my mind. I'm talking to an owl… Much to her amazement though, the owl hooted a happy answer. Rose-Lynn rummaged through her new trunk and quickly found the thing she had been looking for. She carefully placed the treat on her flat palm and stuck out her arm towards the owl. The owl in return, took a look at the treat and picked it up in its beak without so much as touching her. Rose-Lynn let out her breath she had no idea she had been holding and shifted her attention to the letter. Strange, who knew she was here? She shrugged and ripped open the sealed letter.
Dear Rosey,
Can I call you Rosey? Your parents do. I totally forgot to explain about owl post. And I
doubt your parents will have thought about it. This is my barn owl, her name is Liza.
She's really gentle, so I hope you have gotten this letter off her without problems. She'll
stay with you until you tie a letter to me unto her talon, just like the one you just took
off. Please write a note back to me, so I know you're ok. I can't imagine how
complicated things must be for you now, but aunt Belladonna urged me to make sure
you're ok. If you like, we could meet for breakfast. Just reply what time I should be
there if you want. I know you're staying at the Leaky Cauldron, but even if I wouldn't
know where you are, an owl will almost always be able to find you. Cool, huh? Hope to
see you tomorrow morning!
Sleep tight.
Toby
Rose-Lynn read the letter twice. Well, that explained why Liza hadn't left. She had instructions to bring a letter back to her owner. Better get started on that letter then… She once again went through the content of her trunk and quickly came across a bottle of violet ink (school required black, but she fell in love with the violet colour and had bought it for personal correspondence), a piece of parchment and a brand new quill. She sat down at het tattered wooden desk and rolled out the parchment. She swallowed. Her teachers at primary school had always complimented her on her handwriting, but to be fair; a quill was something different than a ballpoint. She carefully dipped her quill in the ink and started scribbling a short note back.
Dear Toby,
If you want to, you can call me Rosey.
Liza was very patient and careful. I gave her a treat.
I would like to have breakfast together. My parents and I will be down at 9 o'clock.
See you tomorrow.
Sweet dreams,
Rosey
She pushed back her chair, rolled up the piece of parchment and headed over to Liza. She saw the owl was dozing on the spot and softly called her name to wake her. Immediately Liza opened her eyes. "I have a message for Toby. Will you deliver it for me?" Rose-Lynn asked. She had the strange feeling the owl could understand her perfectly. Liza stuck out her clawed foot and, with slightly trembling hands, Rose-Lynn attached the parchment scroll to Liza's foot. "Off you go", she whispered as she stroked Liza's soft, brown feathered coat. Liza hooted softly and reassuringly once again, before lifting off. Within seconds the dark, clear sky had swallowed her. Rose-Lynn closed the window and straightened the curtains before sliding between the cool and crisp white bedlinen.
"Good morning, have you slept well?" her mum inquired the day after at the breakfast table. Rose-Lynn nodded. "Toby will be here any minute. He owled me if he could come over for breakfast", she informed both her parents. They seemed to have gotten used to Toby very fast and accepted him with the greatest ease when he arrived a few minutes before nine. After breakfast their party broke up. Toby and Rose-Lynn wanted to check out Weasley's Joke Shop and stock up on some sweets at Honeydukes. Oleander apparated to the Ministry to receive information on her first assignment, whereas Marlow left their company altogether to go to mainland Europe for the remainder of the week where he had been offered a job by the Ministry of Magic in Germany.
During a quick lunch with Toby and her mum, she let her mind wander. The house she had grown up in had sold to a farmer nearby, and behind her back her parents had arranged for their scarce belongings to be transported to a small two beds, one bath apartment near the Ministry for Magic in London. Rose-Lynn pretended she didn't care, since she would only be home for some of the summer holidays, and perhaps the odd week here and there, but she felt the entire foundation of her life had turned upside down, and she felt anxious. Not the least for her appointment with Belladonna AND her procuring a wand afterwards.
Before she knew it, it was nearly two and Toby took her to see his aunt. "I'll be upstairs if you need me. Don't worry, Rosey, you'll be fine!" he assured her. She gave him a pale nod and a wave. "Ah, there you are, dear. I've set up a small afternoon tea in the kitchen and made sure my assistant will take care of any customers while we talk. Don't be nervous." As soon as Belladonna had started to speak, Rose-Lynn felt herself calm down and the knot in her stomach loosened a little. Belladonna laid her hand on the small of Rose-Lynn's back and steered her into the kitchen.
The kitchen behind the shop was both small and immaculate. Rose-Lynn felt at home straight away and set herself down on one of the small coated benches. The petite dinner table was laden with both familiar and unfamiliar things. "I must excuse myself, Rose-Lynn, I was rather excited to have you here, so I have gone all out on the eatables today. Also, there is butterbeer. Toby told me you never had any. Or do you prefer the tea?" Rose-Lynn smiled shyly and shrugged. "I'd love to try the butterbeer, ma'am", she whispered. Belladonna smiled and poured a glass of butterbeer for her. "I know you're quite nervous, Rosey, but there is no need", Belladonna started.
Before she could finish what she had wanted to say, the boy from yesterday – Scorpio? – came stumbling in. "Mum, I need some more money", he blurted out, oblivious to their guest. Belladonna shook her head. "Scorpio, I am busy right now, as you can see", she gave a tiny nod in Rose-Lynn's direction. "And I know for a fact your father already gave you an advance on your allowance. I will not have it, Scorpio. You will have to learn how to spend your money more wisely", she explained in a stern voice. Scorpio's pale skin quickly reddened. "Mother!" he started with a whiney voice. "Don't say stuff like that in front of strangers!" His mother smiled slightly. "Well, I wouldn't have, if you hadn't barged in here unannounced in the first place, young man. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to continue my conversation", she continued in a calm manner. Rose-Lynn bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. She had never had pocket money until yesterday. Last night happened to be a revelation in more than one way, as it seemed her parents weren't poor at all, but decided against using any of their magically earned money in the muggle world. Although she had tried to remain a blank face, Scorpio had noticed the hint of a smile on her lips and turned his cold stare towards her. "I hope you find this funny. Toby told me all about you, little squib!" "SCORPIO MALFOY! That is quite unnecessary. Of course someone is bound to laugh at your childish behaviour. You will have no need for extra money today, since you will be spending the remainder of it in your room. NOW!"
Scorpio didn't go quietly, but at least he went. Rose-Lynn had turned rather pale at his outburst. "I'm sorry dear. I know you have an appointment at Olivanders, but I need to talk to you about yourself." Rose-Lynn lifted her head and gazed impassively at Belladonna. "What about?" she inquired indifferently. Belladonna sighed. "Will you please keep an open mind, and try to trust me?" Rose-Lynn nodded. "There is much more magic in the world than most of the magical community realises. I can feel the magic inside you. It's there, but it's different from any other magic I have ever encountered. How are you with animals?" Belladonna suddenly asked. Rose-Lynn pursed her lips in thought. "I don't really know. I suppose that some animals scare me a little, but they never harm me. I haven't even been stung by a mosquito. And sometimes I get the feeling they understand me when I talk to them, or they simply understand how I feel. Like for instance last night. I had never encountered an owl from that close, and it scared me a little, but Liza was so quiet. And when I gazed into her eyes, she calmed me down. I knew she wouldn't hurt me."
Rose-Lynn stopped talking, thinking about what she had just divulged. Belladonna waited. She knew instinctively there was more. "I can't kill spiders, or step on a bug. I just can't. But what does that all mean. Sure there are other people sensitive towards animals?" Belladonna smiled. "Of course, and I take it you'd rather not eat meat or drink milk?" Rose-Lynn sighed. "That had been a problem with my parents. They caved in on the milk, but they eat meat, so they cook it and expect me to eat it. I'd rather not. That will definitely be a perk of living at Hogwarts", she grinned.
"I have one last question for you to think about, and then we'll leave it there. I do hope you will visit me during your holidays. If not here then at Malfoy Manor. I will make sure my son will be on his best behaviour." Rose-Lynn nodded. "I'd be delighted to." Belladonna smiled. "Good. So my last question for today is: if you dream, do you sometimes become an animal in your dream? If so, what kind?" Rose-Lynn opens her mouth to answer, but Belladonna raises her hand. "I don't want you to answer this now, but I'd like you to keep a dream journal. Well, actually, a journal in which you do not only to record your dreams, but also your interactions with any creatures from nature. You'll find that there are more creatures of nature than your average bugs and mammals. Especially at Hogwarts." Belladonna got to her feet and grabbed a brown, wrapped package off the counter. "I want you to have this. You can write everything down in this." Their hands touched as Rose-Lynn took over the gift. Once again she felt herself calm down immediately and couldn't help but smile at Belladonna. "Thank you, I'll be off now, though. I have a wand to find." Belladonna laughed out loud and Rose-Lynn reminded herself she needed to make Belladonna do that during her next visit as well.
Her mother had wanted to accompany her to the wand shop, but Rose-Lynn had decided against it. She went in there, hand in hand with Toby, whom actually seemed more nervous than she was. The talk with Belladonna had helped. With every stride she felt she did have some sort of magic inside of her, just not the ordinary kind. "Ah, young Pax", a quivering voice on their left greeted them. Rose-Lynn turned around to see who the voice belonged to. A very, very old man stood there, in raggedy dark brown robes, his dirty grey hair frizzing in all directions. His piercing eyes fixated on Rose-Lynn. She gave him a feeble smile. Out of the corner of her eye she saw another man – about the age of her parents – approach. "I will take care of this young lady myself, Buttons. There is no need to linger", the old man said, dismissing the other.
Again he threw her a piercing look before starting to measure her underarm and simultaneously asking her name. "My name's Rose-Lynn Midnight, sir." He nodded approvingly. "Yes, your father's Marlow Midnight and your mum's a muggle-born. I can't quite remember her name", he stated with a croaking voice. "It's Oleander, sir", she filled in the gaps, but the man had already lost interest in their conversation, roaming around the small beige paper boxes, Rose-Lynn assumed contained wands. "Give me your hand, dear", he commanded. She quickly obliged. When she felt the energy exchange between them, her eyes met his piercing look. He let go and mumbled something about it being curious. Rose-Lynn threw a questioning look at Toby, who shrugged.
Moments later the man returned with only a single beige paper box. Rose-Lynn felt her hands getting sweaty. This was it, she thought. He took the wand out of the box. It was rather beautiful, made of a very dark wood – almost black, but with a red-golden tinge to it. Rose-Lynn stared at it completely mesmerized. The man coughed and started to explain about the wand. "This wand is very special to me. It's made of a remarkable wood, called Iroko. It won't float and is very hard to process. This wand contains a Phoenix feather entwined with a Unicorn hair in the core. It has never been done before, and I doubt it ever will again. You are a special young lady, requiring a special wand. But remember one thing, even if this wand chooses you, it is not one for the faint-hearted. It will need training before it will yield to your will.
Great, now she had become anxious. She felt she needed to explain she was a squib, that there would be no reason whatsoever to entrust her with such a special kind of wand, but the words seemed to be stuck in her throat. The old man beckoned her and when she didn't move, Toby pushed her gently in the right direction. "Careful now", the man warned as Rose-Lynn took hold of the wand. The wood felt warm and comforting in her hands, and as soon as she clasped her hand around it, the wand started vibrating softly. The man's eyes widened slightly as he took in the scene unfolding before his eyes. "You have to give it a short wave", his voice rasped. Rose-Lynn obliged and sparks came flying out the end of the wand. She shot a questioning look at Toby – who stuck up both thumbs – before laying her eyes on the old man in front of her. "Victorious", she heard him whisper. Rose-Lynn frowned. "Excuse me, sir?" she politely asked. "Up to now, there has not been a single witch or wizard that could make the wand do anything at all. I almost gave up and thought I had failed in my mission. But you have proven me right all along. You have made an old man very happy", he explained. "Uh, you're welcome, I guess", she stuttered as she procured her brown leather pouch. The old man waved away her money. "No, you beautiful girl, this one's on the house."
Outside Toby and Rose-Lynn looked at each other quizzically. "What the heck was that all about? Was he this weird when you were getting your wand?" she asked him. Toby chuckled. "No way, I know Mr. Olivander has always been a bit peculiar, but had I known he would treat you this strange, I would have given you a head's up." He now started laughing out loud and Rose-Lynn soon joined in. The rest of the day they spent eating ice cream and skimming through several of their new schoolbooks. Toby wouldn't have bothered, but he was charmed by Rose-Lynn interest in all things magical and even made him look at his own life anew.