Before she knew it, she and Harry were on the Hogwarts Express, returning back to London. Harry was back to being 'himself' which Rosie was able to sense from the empathic link between them. This was her Harry, and she was glad to be able to relax around him. At King's Cross Station, Rosie dashed out of the train and threw herself into Sirius's arms as soon as she saw him.
"Pups!" Sirius had exclaimed, but the impact of Rosie as she flew at him had knocked the breath out of his lungs.
"Hey pup, I'm glad to see you too," Sirius said, affectionately tousling Rosie's hair. Harry's pace was more sedate, but he also joined Rosie in a hug.
"I missed you," Harry said to Sirius.
"Me too!" Rosie chimed, looking up at him. Sirius grinned.
"I missed you too, pups. The house is quiet without you," Sirius told them. "And Kreacher isn't exactly exciting company."
"Somehow, I don't imagine you were actually lacking for company," Harry said, his tone of voice droll. Sirius's lips quirked in amusement.
"Oh! I just realized. Rom - if Rom's here, then Remus should be picking him up. Have you seen him anywhere?" Rosie asked her godfather.
"Moony? Good God! It didn't even occur to me!" Sirius started looking around the crowd. Rosie also searched, but she was looking for Romulus rather than for Remus. Unfortunately, Romulus had a way of disappearing when he didn't want to be seen, and Rosie couldn't see her friend anywhere.
"There!" Sirius exclaimed, and he started waving his hands in the air. "Come on, Pups!" Rosie and Harry followed Sirius through the crowds of people, awkwardly pulling their trunks behind them. Due to his eagerness to get ahead, Rosie and Harry ended up losing sight of their godfather.
"It's like he forgets he's supposed to be watching over us," Rosie said sardonically, as she looked over towards her brother.
Harry grinned. "Well - all we need to do is follow the trail of admiring glances, and we'll find him eventually."
"And give him a good scolding, as usual?"
"Naturally," Harry replied. Rosie and Harry wove past the milling families and their children. The couldn't seem to see Sirius anywhere, and in the end, it was Romulus who found them.
"Rom!" Rosie exclaimed, smiling widely. "I was looking for you earlier. I didn't see you."
"Your guardian is over there," Romulus said, tilting his head in the direction they needed to head. Rosie looked back at Harry and he nodded. The siblings followed Romulus and soon, they found themselves face to face with Sirius and the elusive, mysterious Remus.
Knowing Romulus, Rosie had imagined that Remus would be something like the younger boy. She knew that Romulus was adopted of course, and she had seen pictures of Remus, but that wasn't the same thing as actually knowing Remus. She imagined someone intense, quiet, and full of hidden energy and caution. Thus, the tired-looking man with gentle eyes that stood before her was a surprise.
"Harry - Rosie," Remus said, his voice breaking with emotion as he laid his eyes upon them. Though Rosie had no conscious memory of Remus, something about his eyes sparked her emotions. It was strange, but she could feel the love pouring from him. Her impulsive nature took over, and before she realized what she was doing, she had released her trunks, and was hugging Remus as though he were an old and dear friend. Remus was momentarily stunned, and stood frozen, but then he gently set his hand on Rosie's head. Harry had walked up to Remus, and while he did not hug him, Harry's eyes were shiny with unshed tears. Remus reached out a hand towards Harry, and unable to help himself, Harry soon found himself hugging Remus as well.
Sirius was wearing a goofy grin on his face, but he seemed to sparkle with happiness. He wasn't wearing his usual 'charming and handsome' smile, but was instead showing a completely unguarded part of himself. Eventually, the two siblings untangled themselves from Remus. Rosie looked over at Romulus, and grinned, and surprisingly, the edge Romulus's lips quirked upwards. She was so used to seeing cold looks or scowls from him, that her heart jumped with happiness to see that little bit of an almost-smile.
Remus reached an arm out and wrapped it around Romulus's shoulder in a protective and affectionate gesture. It was so unusual to see Romulus acting so comfortably with someone that Rosie wouldn't have believed it if she didn't see it with her own eyes. Not wanting to cut their reunion short, Sirius suggested that they get all a bite to eat at the Leaky Cauldron.
Sirius and Remus shrunk all the trunks, and tucked them into their pockets while Harry held on to Hedwig's cage. Harry and Rosie said a quick goodbye to their friends. After a brief discussion of how they would travel, Harry released Hedwig, telling her to return to Grimmauld Place, while the rest of the apparated. They found a cozy table in a shadowy corner at the Leaky Cauldron
It was interesting to Rosie that no awkwardness seemed to exist between Sirius and Remus. Once they started talking, it was as though they had never been apart. The years simply fell away, and they were two best friends, who knew almost everything a person could know about another. Harry, Rosie and even Romulus listened to them reminisce with rapt attention. It occurred to all three of the children that they had never truly witnessed their guardians talking to a friend before. Certainly Sirius got along well with many other adults, and Remus had always been polite and well thought of, but that was completely different from friendship.
The adults acted like they would be content to talk for hours, and Rosie would have happily listened to them all the while until it occurred to her that she still had Christmas presents yet to buy. Furthermore, they just so happened to already be at Diagon Alley. It was the perfect opportunity!
"Padfoot!" Rosie called out, once there was a short lull in the conversation. "Can I go shopping? I still need to get some Christmas stuff."
"Me too!" Harry said. "I've barely had time to think about presents."
"We can come along," Sirius said, but Rosie shook her head.
"Stay," Rosie insisted. She knew Sirius hated shopping. He'd spend the whole time sighing and fidgeting impatiently. But instead of pointing that out, Rosie said: "If you come, you'll spoil the surprise. Remus - Is it alright if I call you that?" Remus nodded.
"What kind of books do you like to read?" Rosie asked. She knew she was being too obvious, but frankly, she couldn't think of another way to find out what to get Remus for Christmas. The edges of Remus's lips quirked. He could immediately tell what she was up to.
"Well, I like to read just about anything. But at the moment, I've been particularly interested in History. Especially any history from a non-human perspective," Remus replied. Rosie nodded as she considered his words. Admittedly, the History of Magic class was terribly boring, but history itself was often fascinating. Rosie grinned and nodded.
"Rom - why don't you go along with them," Remus said gently. Romulus knew that Remus wasn't trying to get rid of him. Rather, Remus was silently suggesting that Romulus could protect the Potter children. After all, Remus was very well aware of Romulus's capabilities. He might only be eleven, but Romulus had a wolf's toughness - more so than Remus ever had at his age.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Sirius asked guiltily. He knew he didn't want to go shopping, but he still felt that he ought to watch over the children.
"We'll be fine!" Harry and Rosie chimed. Concurrently, Romulus just gave a serious nod that made him look much older than he was. With a rueful smile, Sirius waved the children off. He glanced at Remus and shook his head.
"They grow up so fast," Sirius murmured. Remus patted Sirius's back sympathetically.
"That they do, Padfoot. That they do."
The trio of children exited the Leaky Cauldron onto the busy street of Diagon Alley. The sky was already dark, in part because of the short winter days. Fortunately, the shops were open late to cater to the holiday shoppers. The street were packed with other witches and wizards who wanted to do their Christmas shopping. Harry and Rosie decided that the group would stick together, but agreed that they wouldn't peek at what the other person was buying. Romulus seemed to have no inclination to join the discussion, and simply followed along with the siblings. However, Rosie noticed that Romulus tended to stay close to her, and if Harry came to near, Romulus would almost tense up. His actions were subtle but Rosie had known him long enough to read his body language. Did Romulus know something about what was affecting Harry? Or was it just Romulus's natural distrust of people he wasn't close to?
The trio stopped by multiple stores on Diagon Alley. Unlike Sirius, Romulus was surprisingly patient. While he was wary of the crowds, he didn't sigh or fidget the way Sirius would have. Through her empathic link with Harry, Rosie noticed that his anxiety was minimal. Compared to their shopping expedition in late August, it was a drastic difference. In fact, there were a few people who wanted to shake hands with Harry, and before Rosie could even intervene, Harry was shaking their hands, and offering them a friendly smile. It was decidedly odd, but as long as the darkness in their link stayed low, Rosie was not overly troubled. Perhaps his experience at Hogwarts had given him more confidence in handling people.
Rosie quickly found gifts for both Remus and Romulus. She had intended to purchase something Quidditch related for Sirius, but was distracted by a street vendor selling jewellry. Among the items was a beautiful grey moonstone lapel pin. The colour reminded Rosie of Sirius's eyes. She picked up the pin, admiring it.
"Beautiful pin, isn't it, dearie?" The vendor was saying. She was an older woman with handsome features. "It has some mild magical properties. It can enhance intuition and bring good fortune. But one can always imbue more magic into gemstones."
Rosie examined the lapel pin consideringly. She knew that Sirius could be rather vain. She could imagine him appreciating such a lovely item.
"I'll take it," Rosie said, with a smile. Despite being a street vendor, the older woman provided a beautiful box in which to place the lapel pin. Rosie thanked her, and paid for the purchase. All she had left to shop for was the most difficult person of all: Harry.
"Have you found everything you're looking for yet, Harry?" Rosie asked her brother.
"Almost," he replied. "You're really difficult to shop for."
Rosie laughed, seeing as they were in the same boat. "So are you."
Out of curiosity, Rosie decided to enter Magical Menagerie. She couldn't imagine getting Harry a pet or a familiar - he had Hedwig after all, and Hedwig might not be too pleased to have to share Harry's affections. The pet store seemed to be filled with tanks and cages of all sizes and shapes. There were toads of all types and colours. Many were green and brown, but there was one that was tomato red, and another that had an orange and blue underbelly. There was a green double-ended newt, fire crabs with glittering jewelled shells, and all sorts of snakes. Cats of every pattern and colour could be heard, meowing for attention. There were even spherical custard-coloured puffskeins, which Rosie could not resist petting. The little creatures, which were piled up in a basket, hummed contentedly.
Rosie looked over the rodent-like nifflers, but as much as a prankster as Sirius might be, he probably wouldn't appreciate a pet that could damage the house. She whispered hellos to the little snakes, and they hissed back, curious to meet a Speaker who could understand them. However, Rosie's attention was caught by a particularly beautiful creature that she didn't recognize. It looked like a snake, but it had feathery protrusions all along the length of its back. It's feathers were a glossy black, with an iridescent green sheen. Judging by the size, it was likely fairly young.
"Hello," Rosie said to the creature, wondering if it would understand her. The feathered serpent raised its head, and regarded Rosie with luminous golden coloured eyes.
"A Speaker," the feathered serpent said. "And not a very powerful one." The beautiful creature laid its head back down, as though dismissing her.
"Ah," said the young salesman, who had come up behind Rosie. "I see you've spotted our rarest pet of all."
"What is he?" Rosie asked, unable to help her curiosity.
"A Kukulkan. An extremely rare serpent from South America that the people once revered as Gods. This one is the only one I've ever had in this shop. He -" The shopkeeper suddenly looked troubled.
"Is he alright?" Rosie asked.
"He has had several owners already, and all of them have returned him. I've also had numerous, less savoury customers who want to use him as potion ingredients." The shopkeeper scowled. "I would never permit such a thing. The Kukulkan comes with a binding magical contract that forbids deliberately harming the serpent, whether intentionally or through neglect."
"Why has he been returned so often?" Rosie asked. She found herself wondering why the salesman was even telling her this. Most salespeople were more eager to make a sale, than to explain problems with their products.
"He will not eat," the shopkeeper replied. "He - well, he was initially hatched from an egg, and we hoped that that would make it easier to keep him in captivity, but it seems we were wrong. He would never survive in these climates, but I believe that even if we returned him to South America, it is unlikely he could survive on his own. He should be much bigger at his age, but his refusal to eat has stunted his growth. We've even tried spelling food straight into his stomach, but he just regurgitates it. His feathers have lost a great deal of their sheen. He may not have much longer to live if this continues."
"How much is he?" Rosie asked.
"He was originally 2500 Galleons," the shopkeeper informed her. Rosie looked at the feathered serpent in shock. Was he worth so much?
"But we've since lowered the price. We're - well, we're desperate to find a home for him. We want him to survive. It would be heartbreaking to hatch such a beautiful creature, only to let him die," The shopkeeper continued.
"How much is he now?"
"If you can convince him to eat, then I'm willing to let him go for 80 Galleons," The shopkeeper replied. Rosie looked at the feathered-serpent consideringly. Eighty Galleons was no small price. Of course, she could afford it, due to the Potter fortune, but she wasn't certain whether the beautiful creature would accept either her or Harry.
"May I think about it?" Rosie asked. The salesman nodded, and wandered off to help the other customers. When he was far enough away, Rosie spoke to the Kukulkan.
"Why do you not eat?" she asked the feathered serpent. The beautiful creature regarded Rosie with its golden eyes, but didn't bother to raise it's head.
"Why should I?" he replied disdainfully. "I'm surrounded by weaklings."
"What does it matter, how strong or weak someone is?" Rosie asked. "The people here care very much for you, and I imagine that those who wanted you as a pet cared for you as well."
"I am no pet!" The Kukulkan hissed angrily. "And I will never consent to be anyone's pet."
"Then what about a companion?" Rosie asked. The Kukulkan considered the idea.
"I do not object to a companion. But every being I have encountered is a weakling. I will not be companion to a weakling." the creature said pridefully.
"How can you tell if someone is weak or strong?" Rosie asked.
"I can sense it. Just as I can sense that you are not very powerful. I would never consent to having you as a companion. One such as you is not worth living for," the feathered serpent said in a haughty tone. The Kukulkan seemed to have an extremely imperious attitude.
"You'd prefer death, then?" Rosie asked, curiously.
"There is pride in choosing my own death. Better than lowering myself by keeping the company of those who are unworthy of me." The feathered serpent hissed arrogantly.
"Would you consider being companion to my brother?" Rosie asked. "He is one-of-a-kind. He is the only wizard known to survive the killing curse."
"Oh?" The Kukulkan replied, consideringly. "Perhaps. I would rather judge for myself, the power of this brother of yours."
Rosie searched the Magical Menagerie for her brother. He appeared to be playing with an eager little crup. She did not want to reveal the feathered serpent to Harry, but she also wanted the serpent to be able to gauge Harry's power. She wasn't entirely clear how the feathered serpent did so, since it's description wasn't very clear, but she assumed it was some sort of magical ability.
"Wait a moment," she said to the Kukulkan. "I will pretend to show my brother the fire crab over there." The fire crab tank was several feet over - enough for the Kukulkan to see Harry, but hopefully far enough away that Harry would fail to notice the beautiful feathered serpent.
Walking over to the fire crab tank, Rosie called out for her brother.
"Harry!" Her brother looked up at her, curious. "Come here! I want to know what you think of this."
Giving the crup a final pet, Harry stood up and joined her by the fire crab.
"What do you think of it? Do you think Remus would like something like this?" Rosie asked Harry, as she looked upon the bejeweled shell of the fire crab.
"Erm - I get the feeling that it really isn't Remus's -" Suddenly, Harry stopped speaking. He seemed to stand up a bit straighter, as if he sensed something, and the darkness in their empathic link grew and grew until it was completely blacked out. Harry was turning his head towards the direction of the feathered serpent, his emerald eyes glowing with powerful intensity. It frightened Rosie, but at the same time, Rosie didn't want Harry to see the Kukulkan.
"What about that over there!" Rosie exclaimed, giving Harry a light push, and pointing at the double-ended newt. As quickly as it came, the blackness retreated back into it's little corner. Harry was suddenly back to being 'himself.' Glancing over at the newt, Harry gave her a rather incredulous look.
"Oh, nevermind. You're no help!" Rosie huffed, playfully swatting Harry's arm. Harry grinned and shrugged, and then went back to playing with the eager crup, who was whining plaintively for attention. After seeing that Harry was occupied, she returned to the Kukulkan.
"What did you do?" Rosie hissed at the feathered serpent. "Did you make that happen?"
"I only tested his strength. Nothing more," the serpent replied. "He is acceptable. I am willing to eat something now."
"And why should I let you be a companion to my brother?" Rosie asked angrily. Whatever had happened didn't strike her as a good thing. Not if the Kukulkan brought out that horrible blackness.
The golden eyes seemed to look at Rosie consideringly. "Because he shall never find another companion like me, and it is likely that I shall never find another like him. And because as long as he as me with him, I will do all I can to protect him and look out for him. I would allow no harm to come to my companion. I do not choose companions lightly. But once I do, we are companions for life."
There was something rather striking about the Kukulkan's words. The bond it was describing sounded incredibly powerful and meaningful. At the same time, she also got the sense that the Kukulkan was not telling her everything. She was so accustomed to the simple desires of snakes, that the intelligence of this creature left her with a sense of awe. She knew that if she did not purchase the Kukulkan, it would likely choose death, rather relenting to a life with a weak companion. Could she really let this exquisite creature die? In the end, despite her reservations, her soft-heartedness towards animals swayed her. Furthermore, with the dangers that Harry might face in life, it wouldn't hurt for him to have another set of eyes watching out for him.
"What would you prefer to eat?" she asked the Kukulkan, with a tired sigh. She had only just met the feathered serpent, and already, she felt like its servant.
"A rodent would do. A fat one." it replied imperiously. Rosie had to resist the urge to to bow, and say 'Yes, your majesty.' She called the shopkeeper over.
"Do you have fat rodent? I think he'll be willing to eat one," Rosie informed the young man. The shopkeeper's eyes widened. He nodded, and dashed over to the rodent tank, carefully picking out the largest, plumpest mouse. Placing the mouse in the Kukulkan's tank, the feathered serpent sunk it's teeth into the rodent, and it's venom quickly killed the small creature. The rodent was then ingested whole in front of the wide-eyed shopkeep. Once the Kukulkan was satisfied, the salesman looked over at Rosie, unable to hide his disbelief.
"Do - Do you want a tank? What am I saying - I'll throw in a tank for you. Just - give me a moment. You'll also have to sign the magical contract," the shopkeeper informed her.
"The Kukulkan will be for my brother. Will he have to sign the contract as well? It's - a Christmas gift, and I don't really want to give it away," said Rosie.
"Hm - I'm afraid he will have to sign the contract. But we can hide the name of the Kukulkan. All he will know is that he is signing a contract that forbids him from killing or harming a pet."
Rosie nodded. "That's fine then. Harry would never hurt an animal. He's the one over there, playing with the crup." Rosie smiled as she watched the crup licking Harry's fingers. Even Romulus seemed to find the crup's behaviour endearing. Her friend wasn't smiling, but there was a hint of warmth in his eyes as he watched the antics of the playful creature.
The shopkeeper looked over at Harry and smiled. "He seems to have a way with animals. I'll get you a cover for the tank, so that your brother doesn't find out what kind of present you got him."
"Thank you," Rosie replied gratefully. At the counter, Rosie called Harry over, and informed him about the contract. Harry raised an eyebrow, and said that he hoped Hedwig wouldn't be too jealous about whatever pet Rosie had found. However, he signed the contract willingly, and there was a swirl of magical energy that surrounded him. Rosie signed the contract immediately after.
Before long, they were finished with their shopping, and they returned to the Leaky Cauldron, where Sirius and Remus were still chatting.
"Done already, pups?" Sirius asked when he saw them. Rosie and Harry nodded, both wearing bright smiles on their faces.
"That was easy," Sirius declared. Harry rolled his eyes and Rosie smirked. Of course it was easy for Sirius when he didn't have to do any actual shopping.
"Anyhow, pups -" Sirius's expression was suddenly serious, and he glanced over at Remus, who gave him a quick nod. Rosie and Harry shared a look and then returned their attention back to Sirius, wondering what had so quickly changed his playful demeanour.
"I've been speaking to Moony - and - well -" Sirius trailed of.
"If it's alright with you two, I'd like to join you, when you visit your parents," Remus concluded. Harry and Rosie both paled.
"Of - of course," Harry stammered. Rosie nodded in agreement. The sibling's enthusiasm for Christmas had almost caused them to forget about the visit to St. Mungo's.
"When will we be visiting them?" Rosie asked, her voice subdued and her expression troubled.
"Christmas Eve," Sirius replied. "If that's alright with you two pups?"
Harry and Rosie nodded.
"Is Rom coming too?" Rosie asked, looking over at her friend. "That is - it's fine if he wants to."
Remus looked over at his adopted son. "It's up to you," Remus said to him, his tone gentle. "You don't have to decide anything now." Romulus nodded in response.
"Well - that's settled," Sirius said. "Shall we head home? You two look ready to crawl into bed." Rosie and Harry happily agreed. With the train ride and shopping, it had been a long day. They said their goodbyes to Remus and Romulus, and before long, Rosie and Harry were tucked into their familiar beds in Grimmauld Place.
A/N: I appreciate the reviews! I think it can be a bit challenging to write a story when the reader knows what's going on, but the characters don't. But I will say that the issue of possession will be addressed later (I don't want to give away what happens). And Rosie is in a position of being too close and too invested in the issue to see things clearly.
This story has definitely been driving me crazy (not really in a good way). As I think I mentioned, it's my first fanfic, so I'm learning what I like and dislike about writing as I go along (and there's a lot about this story that has frustrated me). It's definitely been tempting to re-write it, but there's too much I'd have to change around (or I'd have to re-do the whole thing entirely)
I should add (probably should have mentioned in the beginning (That I was reading a lot of Dark!Harry fics before writing this, so I've been influenced by them)
