The Hidden Countries

Chapter Nineteen

Memory Lane

Rose woke up to the sounds of yelling. The whole of Hogwarts could have been thrown in the air with the amount of painful screams coming from Mrs Weasley. Or maybe the loudest parts were Ron's shouts of disbelief. Rose remained still though; she wanted to wait until the perfect moment to strike. It was hindered by the fact that her eyes were closed and everyone was yelling but…

"Silence!" Voldemort's cruel, high voice shouted. The mourners went quiet, but Rose wasn't entirely convinced that he hadn't used a silencing charm on them all. He was powerful enough to make them all keep silent. "You're Chosen One has failed. She is dead. Surrender now and it won't be forgotten. A waste of magical blood is exactly that – a waste. Surrender now and you will be spared."

There was no noise on the room and Rose had to open one of her eyes slowly, just to see what was going on. The whole not being a sound in the whole room thing really freaked Rose out. Slowly Rose opened her eye that was closest to the floor open only enough to see though her lashes. What she saw shocked her. She could see that people had circled her and Voldemort, both sides mixed into the crowed, but it was easy to pick out her fighters.

Why? Because they still had conviction on their faces and a little grief on their faces as well. They still weren't ready to back down, and for that, Rose was glad. Rose concentrated while the prolonged silence continued on, and tried to access her magic but she found that it wasn't working. Her magic wasn't agreeing to being used, at all. Rose panicked. What would she do if she couldn't use her magic!?

He was mortal now, so in theory anyone could take him down, but Rose had always believed that she would do it. Rose hadn't really wanted to murder anyone, but she wanted him dead. But now she wouldn't get a chance – she had no idea where her wand even was at this point. She'd abandoned very early on in the fight. Rose scanned the crowed, upon realising that she only had one choice. She did have a second one, but she wasn't fond of taking another killing curse really. She wasn't too sure if she could take another one of those and not die…

Rose scanned the crowed, trying not to let anyone know that she wasn't really dead. They'd scream, and then everything would be ruined. The first ninja that Rose saw was Haku, he looked confused, and Rose had hoped that Kakashi or Jiraiya would be the ones she could get the attention of… But, she couldn't see either of them. Rose waited, while there was disagreement between Voldemort and the Order got more out of hand.

Suddenly, Haku's eyes flicked to Rose, and Rose twitched her hand. Haku's eyes widened, and his face went completely blank. Rose opened one of her eyes completely – hoping to Merlin that no one saw her doing this. Haku stiffened. Rose didn't want to ask Haku what she was going to, he was young, too young. But…He was their only hope.

Chaos erupted. Rose saw feet running around her body, the silence was shattered and the fight was back on – with even more gusto. Rose felt her body get dragged back and out of the room. Rose would have struggled until she realised it was Haku and they were alone.

"Rose-Sama, are you alright?" Haku asked his voice soft, and concerned.

Rose opened both of her eyes, and saw that they were in a hidden passageway; Haku had taken her away from the fight. Rose smiled before painfully standing up with Haku's help. Rose nodded her head. "Yeah, they all think I'm dead, and I need your help."

"Anything, Rose-Sama," Haku promised.

Rose frowned and leaned against one of the walls, trying to ignore her muscles that were practically on fire. "Okay, so I'm going out there and I'm going to distract them all and I need you to stab him in the back… Can you do that? I don't want to ask you but my powers aren't… Well, working at the moment."

Haku didn't bat an eyelash at the fact that she just asked him to kill someone, this made Rose feel even more terrible. "Of course I will," Haku said like it was nothing, before he hesitated. "Can I ask you a question, Rose-Sama?"

Rose nodded her head with a confused look. "Make it quick."

Haku nodded, his serious expression never fading. "I – you told me that that spell, it killed you with no exceptions, everyone was acting like you were dead. How…?"

"Am I alive?" Rose cut in grimly. "I have no clue. When I know I'll be sure to tell you… Now, you need to go first. I'll distract him with being alive and… do what you have to?"

Haku nodded and disappeared from the crammed hallway. Rose waited for a brief amount of time for him to be far away from where she was. Rose wanted to know how the hell she was alive, and why she hadn't died. The other curious thing was talking to Dumbledore in her blacked-out haze. Were all the answers she needed really in his memories stored in his office? Well, if she didn't die again then she would be sure to go and find out.

Rose pushed herself off the wall and stumbled slightly, feeling slightly dizzy. Taking that curse really had done a number on her. Rose pushed the door opened again, and slipped into the room, no one taking any notice of her; they were all too busy fighting. Her eye glanced over to Hermione, Ron and Kakashi who were all trying to team up against Voldemort. They weren't doing as well as Rose hoped they would – Rose's eyes connected with Haku's, he gave her a nod.

Rose sucked in a deep breath, and then she shouted. "Hey, I'm not dead!?"

Everyone froze; literally everyone stopped moving one by one upon realising who she was. Voldemort's eyes flashed angrily and in disbelief. Rose saw that everyone – even people on her side, didn't look like they believed it. Rose smiled, walking forward slowly, trying to hide her limp – she was too tired to deal with this, really.

"Come on," Rose said loudly, clearly, and slightly mockingly. "How many times have you failed to kill me now? That curse really doesn't work on me."

Rose was bluffing of course, she wasn't too sure that she could take another one of those things. But if everyone else thought that she could than maybe, they wouldn't try to use it on her. It was genius.

"She's alive?"

"Can she even die?"

"That's the second time this has happened…"

The mutterings around the crowd of people were loud to Rose's ears, but she was on her last legs so to speak. Voldemort made his way forward slowly. "Rosemary Potter, you-"

Suddenly he stopped his face horrified. There was a sword sitting though his chest, Rose had to wonder where the boy got that thing from… Then he burst into a million little particles, settling into the floor – letting the piece of metal fall harmlessly to the floor with his robes. To reveal Haku standing behind him, a blank look on his face.

Rose smiled weakly. "Thanks Haku."

Thus Rose promptly fainted for the second time that day, but this time, she did so with a smile.

~*THC~*

Rose opened her eyes to a sunny, clean room that she knew all too well. She was in the hospital wing again. Rose never thought that she would miss it here, and she was right. She hated this place. Without a second thought she pushed the pristine blankets back, to realise that she had been changed into a fresh Gryffindor uniform. Rose realised that this was most likely because they had nothing else for her to wear.

Rolling her neck, and stretching her arms, Rose felt the best she had in months. She felt free. But with her newfound freedom, she realised that she didn't know what to do anymore. Well, except going to find out all the answers to everything. With that in mind Rose looked around, and seeing no one around to stop her she walked straight out of the room. She was a bit tipsy, almost like she was drunk and this had Rose questioning how long she was out for.

"I do hope you're not trying to be sneaky, it's getting quite bad…"

Rose huffed with annoyance, looking around trying to pinpoint the source of the sound, only to realise that it was next to her. He was looking down at her with an amused look, and his small orange book clasped in his hands. "Don't you try to hide that book whenever I'm around?" Rose asked dryly, ignoring his comment and kept on her way to the Headmasters office.

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders, easily keeping pace with her, and slipping the book into one of his many pockets. "I don't know why I bother…" he muttered, eyeing Rose strangely from the corner of his eye.

"What's with the look?" Rose asked sourly.

"Three things actually," Kakashi commented, sounding the most serious she had heard. And that was saying something.

"Alright, shoot," Rose allowed, swerving around a fallen statue. She wondered where everyone was? "Where is everyone?"

"Repairing the damage. I thought you'd died, everyone thought you died. How…?"

"Am I alive? Well, we're going to go and find that out aren't we?" Rose countered.

"That answers question two I guess," Kakashi muttered.

"What's question three?" Rose asked, with a raised eyebrow, spotting Flitwick repairing some of the stone pieces and sending him a cheerful wave, which he returned.

Kakashi gave her an intense stare. "What are you wearing?"

Rose looked down, and saw the normal Hogwarts uniform of a white suit shirt, and a gray school skirt. "A uniform? I assume I'm wearing it because there were no other clothes to wear…"

Before Kakashi could make a remark, they had reached the statue that hid the Headmaster's office. Rose blanked for a second, wondering what on earth the password could be. "Can we go through?"

Everything was still for a second and Kakashi was looking at her like she had finally lost it, before the statue nodded. "Why not?" it asked, the stone mouth moving of its own accord, before moving out of their way, much to Kakashi's amazement. Rose looked back at him and grinned, happy that it had actually worked.

Rose walked through the door and started her way up the stairs without much of any words to Kakashi. She didn't even know why he was there. Although, Rose knew that he would follow her up, because he always did. It made Rose smile, but then frown and feel confused, only to end up smiling again.

"What are we doing?" Kakashi asked his voice near her ear.

"Finding out the answers for everything," Rose muttered back, pushing the end door open to reveal McGonagall sitting behind the massive desk doing paperwork.

"Miss Potter..? And…?" McGonagall asked with confusion as the two stepped into the office.

"Hatake Kakashi, Madam," Kakashi responded politely.

"Professor, we just need the office for a moment, we just need to look at something that Professor Dumbledore left for me," Rose explained. McGonagall's face was wary and exhausted.

"Of course Miss Potter, do try and not destroy the office this time?" She asked with a wryly voice.

Rose winked and grinned as the Professor stood up. "I can try."

McGonagall smiled and bowed her head. "Thank you for your work, Miss Potter, to you and your ninja friends." The way she said that was disapproving, and it made Rose smile sheepishly. McGonagall walked out of the room with a flourish.

"You've destroyed this office before?" Kakashi asked with amusement, as Rose went through the cupboard that Dumbledore kept his pensieve in.

Rose shrugged her shoulders. "It wasn't my fault; they gave me bad news in here." Rose then came across the basin and pulled it out and set it onto the desk, and she saw Kakashi eye the thing carefully.

Rose paused for a second wondering how she would manage to pin-point all of the memories that he wanted her to see, that would explain everything. Rose glanced back to the cupboard to see a dusty piece of paper sitting there innocently. "What is that?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"A pensieve? You can see other people's memories though it," Rose explained walking back to grab the paper. To her disappointment it said nothing. She flipped it over and it just had the word name inscribed on it.

"Handy," Kakashi commented, moving next to her to look at the paper.

Rose nodded her head, and focused a bit of magic into the paper, finding that it was harder then she remembered it. Before it was like breathing and now it was like she was forcing it to. "Rosemary Potter."

Nothing happened. "Rose Potter?" Rose tried, and to her amazement the piece of paper started to unfold and write a small message. The desk, first draw on the left, under the papers and use the unlocking spell.

Rose handed the paper to Kakashi, how took it, looking a bit confused. Rose moved over to the desk, and opened the first draw on the left to see a stack of papers. She picked them up and dumped the, on top of the desk, to see that nothing was there. "Alohomora," Rose muttered, but the simple spell made her tired. Maybe she wasn't all that much better yet.

The bottom of the draw opened up like the Marauder map used to, to reveal a small vial filled with memories. She assumed that was the one's she was meant to see. Carefully Rose picked up the vial and walked around the desk, so she could stand in front of the pensieve properly.

Slowly, in case she somehow ruined it, Rose uncorked the memories and watched as they tipped into the bowl of swirling blue. Rose looked back at Kakashi to see him standing there awkwardly, holding the piece of paper that she had handed him. "You… want to find out with me?" Rose asked, hesitantly.

Kakashi nodded his head, moving so that he was standing beside Rose. Rose moved her hand, debating for a second before she grabbed Kakashi's hand and pulled him into the first memory.

THC

The sky was pure blue, with white puffy little clouds lazily floating around, like they had nothing better to do. Not many people were around except three young girls playing at the park, and a young boy hiding behind a shrub watching them.

With a jolt Rose realised that the little boy was Snape, he was watching the three little girls with a hawk like fashion. Rose's head snapped to the girls – two of them looked like sisters, they were both short, with long red hair and green eyes, and the oldest had brown hair and blue eyes and she looked annoyed.

Rose realised that it was her Aunt Petunia when she was a child, and that meant… that one of the red-heads had to be her mother. But then who was the other one? Rose looked at over to make sure Kakashi was still there – despite the fact that she could still feel his hand holding hers.

Kakashi looked confused. "They can't see or hear us; it's just a memory…"

Kakashi nodded his eyes now fixated on the small girls. "Stop it!" Petunia yelled at a small girl who was making a flower open and close. A young Lily Evans!

"Don't tell my sister what to do Petunia!" The other red-head yelled heatedly.

"She's a freak! I can't believe that she's going to live with me!" Petunia huffed angrily.

"It's not like I want to," Lily said peevishly. "We're family anyway."

"Cousins," Petunia muttered. "Why can't you just live with your parent's anyway?"

Lily froze and looked at the older sister that Rose hadn't known that she had had. The older girl grew angry. "Shut up! If I hear your being mean to Lily-!"

"Stop it Kushina!"

"But Lily-!"

"No," Lily said reasonably. "We're family, you don't threaten family! Not after…"

Kushina bowed her head. "I just… want you to come with me!"

"I can't… I have no chakra remember?" Lily reminded her. "I don't belong there, I might fit in here."

"But Lily-!"

!2222!

"U-um…" A greasy haired, boy stuttered, walking up to a small red haired girl. Rose looked over at Kakashi to see that he was surprised that the memory changed all of a sudden.

"Yes?" Lily said her green eyes bright, looking at him not like he was disgusting – but like he was a normal person.

"I just – wanted to see the uh – flower trick you do?" Snape asked shuffling his feet together.

Lily blinked and then smiled. "Alright."

Lily picked up a flower and with a little effort on her part she made it open and close. "I was right!" Snape declared, his pale cheeks filled with a blush. His shout caused Lily to drop the flower and look at him curiously.

"About what?"

"You're a witch!"

"Well, that's not very nice!" Lily responded sounding slightly amused.

"No! It's a good thing! I'm one too – well, I'm a wizard but, you can do magic!" Snape said, his dark eyes looking bright and excited.

Lily looked a bit unsure. "You wait, when your eleven you're going to get a letter to Hogwarts, mark my words!"

"You're strange," Lily commented, seeing Snape's face fall. "I like strange people though, it reminds me of home."

That was when Rose realised something with a jolt; Snape and her mother were… friends?

!33333!

Lily was standing by two brown haired people, by the Hogwarts express. "See you, Aunt Jasmine, Uncle David, thank you for taking me here."

"No problem dear, you're like a daughter to us!' Jasmine Evans declared giving Lily a hug. "Now, get on that train before it leaves without you!"

Lily nodded her head hurriedly, taking off after the train, and Rose tugged on Kakashi's hand to get him to follow. They dodged around many people, in pursuit of Rose's eleven year old mother, and Rose was sure she saw Luna's mother in the crowd of people. Finally they caught up to her as she entered a compartment.

Rose and Kakashi followed her in, to see her take a seat next to Snape, the two whispering quietly to each other. The room was already holding another four boys that Rose recognised as the Marauders. She looked at them closely, and they were mucking around with each other not paying Lily or Snape any attention.

"I'm going to be in Gryffindor, like my dad," a young James Potter declared. Snape scoffed, causing her dad to look over at Snape with a sneer. "You got a problem with that?"

"Yes," Snape said, his cold and silky voice already perfected by this age. "Gryffindor is full of idiots. I'm going for Slytherin."

James scowled. "Slytherin is full of dark wizards," James announced like it was common knowledge.

"Hey, my families completely Slytherin," Sirius interrupted, throwing some of his shoulder length hair back.

James looked bewildered. "I thought you were alright!"

Sirius grinned. "I am, not like them, hate them all actually."

Snape had stiffened, and Lily looked confused. James only seemed to just see the young red-head girl and he grinned at her. "What's your name?"

"Me?" Lily asked, confused. "I'm Lily Uzu uh, -Evans and this is Severus Snape."

James grinned. "Names James Potter, you might want to ditch the dark wizard to be!"

Lily looked offended. "Come on Severus, let's go!"

"Yeah, Snivelious!" Sirius cooed, as the two left the compartment.

"Your-?" Kakashi asked, looking surprised, but Rose's eyes never left the childish form of her father and Sirius.

"Parents, yeah, James Potter and Lily Evans."

! 111111!

"Evans Lily!" Professor McGonagall yelled, but this time she looked much younger.

Lily paused for a second before running up to the stool, the sorting hat was placed on her head for a brief amount of time before it shouted; "Gryffindor!"

Lily beamed and run over to the cheering table and sat down next to Sirius but not before glaring at him. Rose saw Snape's disappointed face from the crowd, and she watched until…

"Snape Severus!" Snape walked forward his shoulders hunched and the second that the hat was placed on his head it shouted; "Slytherin!"

Snape shot a dejected look over at Lily, before moving over to the table who were politely clapping, but some weren't at all, they just had confused looks on their faces. "Potter James!"

James walked forward with a swagger that told that he was arrogant, he sat on the stool and the second that the hat touched his head he was practically screaming; "Gryffindor!"

James got off his seat and started to bow.

#$%^&76777&&&&&&^^%^

The memories started to blur together, Lily and Snape walking to classes, studying – James coming in and trying to impress Lily. It was all snapshots, until it settled down again. This time Snape was older, standing on a hill, on his knees in front of Dumbledore – who still looked the same as Rose last saw him.

"What does a Death Eater want with me?" Dumbledore asked coldly. This surprised Rose, she knew Snape was a Death Eater but she always thought that Dumbledore could never be so cold, well; of course he had dabbled in Dark Magic…

"Please," Snape begged. "Please the Dark Lord is after her, the prophecy!"

"Yes, you overheard that, how much did you relay to your master?"

"All of it," Snape said looking ashamed. "He thinks it means Lily Evans-!"

"The prophecy does not speak of a woman it speaks of a child, born at the end of July," Dumbledore responded.

"Yes, but he thinks it's her child! He is going after them all, he will kill them all!" Snape yelled, sounding like he was in pain.

"Surely Voldemort would spare her if you asked her to?" Dumbledore asked, and Snape flinched. Rose's hand was still holding Kakashi's, and she squeezed his hand to make sure she was watching the same thing.

"I have – I have asked."

"You would sell out her husband and unborn child?" Dumbledore asked, his voice disgusted.

"Then hide them all!" Snape protested weakly.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"I would do anything."

The scene changed, they were in the same place but Rose could tell it was different. A different time, they were still on the hill. But Snape seemed more depressed and even Dumbledore looked like he was tired.

"You said you would keep her safe!" Snape yelled at the older man, his anguish on his voice.

"They trusted the wrong person," Dumbledore said with a solemn voice. "Her daughter – Rosemary survives."

"How?"

"We don't know, but it is clear that Lily died saving her. They have the same eyes you know – that vivid shade of green…"

"Don't! I wish I had died instead."

"Now what good would you be then?" Dumbledore asked his face sobering up. "Help me protect her child, help me protect Rosemary Potter."

"Fine."

Rose blinked. "He was… protecting me!?" Rose yelled at the memory. Kakashi tugged her back and she looked at him with wide eyes. "I thought he was trying to kill me!"

The scene changed...

1111

"Arrogant, she is just like her father! Do you know what she said, Dumbledore!?" Snape ranted. They were back in the office, which Rose and Kakashi had just left, Dumbledore was sitting behind the desk, and Snape was ranting.

"I know that you've given her a detention already."

Snape was fuming. "Potter is an arrogant, spoilt little brat who is delighted with her fame-"

"The other Professor's report that young Rose is very likable, she does her work and is often seen helping out the other students – she causes no trouble aside from her yearly adventures," Dumbledore explained sounding vaguely amused. "Much like a young Lily Evans."

"Don't!" Snape almost yelled. "Potter is nothing like her-!"

Dumbledore leaned back a frown on his face. "Believe what you want Severus…"

"What are you doing in these lessons you're giving her?" Snape demanded.

Dumbledore looked at him slowly. "Young Rose needs to be trained; surely you can give her detentions on different days, Severus?"

Snape sneered. Rose looked at him blankly, was this really happening? Had happened? "What do you want from her Dumbledore, she's just a child!"

"You sound like you care Severus?"

"I don't," Snape argued. "I just want to know what's going on."

Dumbledore paused. "There will be a time when Voldemort fears for the life of his snake, and then… I need you to tell Rose something."

"His snake? Tell her what?"

Dumbledore leaned back. "The night Voldemort tried to kill Rosemary Potter, when Lily cast her life as a shield; a piece of Voldemort broke off and latched itself onto Rose. Lord Voldemort is a part of Rosemary Potter. Whilst Rose lives, Voldemort cannot die."

Rose's eyes widened and she felt panic. "How am I alive?" Rose muttered looking at Kakashi.

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders.

"She… has to die?" Snape asked quietly.

"By Voldemort's hand," Dumbledore responded just as quietly. Rose felt like throwing something again. Her life – pre-planned by Dumbledore again!

"All these years, I have protected the girl for Lily and..."

"We protect her so she can live, find her strengths, but the connection is growing. Surely you've noticed her start to tap into Voldemort's wandless magic? Severus, the only way for him to die, is the death of Rose Potter."

Snape looked horrified and Rose was sure the expression was mirrored on her face. How was she even alive!?

"You kept her alive to die at the right moment!" Snape protested. "You have kept her alive like a pig for slaughter!"

THC

Rose blinked, getting thrown out of the memories, she was very aware of Kakashi standing next to her still. They were all quiet. Then Rose's rage began.

Rose scattered all of the papers on the desk around the floor with one swipe. She jerked her hand out of Kakashi's so she could throw some of Dumbledore's things around the office, she threw bits and bobs around the place until it was all truly a mess.

Rose blinked – she wasn't keeping her promise to McGonagall anytime soon.

"Hey stop that girl!" one of the old paintings yelled at her, when she threw a goblet at him. Rose's eyes widened realising that the paintings were back in their spots. She turned on Dumbledore's painting.

"How am I alive!?" Rose demanded.

Dumbledore paused. "You are alive because of your connection."

"That makes no sense! I want answers Dumbledore!" Rose yelled, angrily.

"I don't know how your alive Rose, I'm sorry my girl."

"You're sorry!? I was a used as a tool, and all you can say is 'I'm sorry'?" Rose demanded, punching the nearest wall. Only to recoil in pain, she clenched her hand close to her body – that had hurt.

Dumbledore just watched her sadly. Rose felt someone – most likely Kakashi tug at her hand, she let him pull it away from her body. She looked at him to see him softly turn it over. "It's broken," he announced. "You need to be more careful Rose."

"A tool Kakashi! I was a tool!"

"I know," he muttered. "There's nothing you can do about that now."

"What, do you expect me to do then!?"

"Leave," Kakashi responded. "Keep going with your life."

Rose looked at him with disbelief, before finally nodding. "There is nothing you can do now, but go and get your hand looked at."

"Fine."