Chapter 2: Surprise!
It had been two years since Rosette started living at the orphanage. Life was nice there. She had made plenty of friends within days of her arrival. Siobhan had become her best friend and the girls were inseparable. From sun up to sun down, red and silver hair were always seen in the same room. The girls were like sisters but far from being alike. Siobhan was overall loud and somewhat of a tomboy. A little rough around the edges but a remarkable athlete for only being seven. Flying on a broomstick was like breathing to her. At this rate, she would turn out to be a very praiseworthy quidditch player when it came time for her to go Hogwarts. Rosette on the other hand was much more laid back and studious. She had already memorized the contents of every tome the orphanage had and had to start making frequent trips to the library to satisfy her insatiable hunger for knowledge. She had become very skilled with casting charms using her father's wand that had apparently accepted her as its new master, started Legilimency practice, and had even begun to use wandless magic with ease.
It was December 17th. Fluffy white snow covered the entire orphanage. It was the perfect scene for frolicking children, but no one was frolicking. In fact, no one was outside. The snowy dreamscape was left untouched because everyone was inside, frantically preparing for Siobhan's birthday party. There were balloons to be inflated, streamers to be hung, hats to be worn, and a giant cake to be decorated, all before Rosette and Siobhan returned from the library.
"I love you and all, Rosey…but the library is the last place I wanna be on my birthday, ya know?" Siobhan grumbled. Rosette smirked but continued to browse the "Charms" section. She had nearly exhausted the library's school level textbooks.
"YOU'RE the one that said you would go with me, Bhan. I'm almost done. There are only a few tomes left that I haven't read yet. We're gonna go to the broom store next."
"For what? You're a terrible flyer and are afraid of heights."
Rosette just stared at Siobhan for a moment. Rosette loved her like a sister, but Siobhan had her dense moments.
"Bhan," she sighed, "You're the one that flies, dodo. It's your birthday. I'm trying to get you something. Anything you want! Besides a new broom!" Rosette added quickly.
"Weeeell, I could use a new broom service kit. Alright, let's go!"
Rosette finished checking out her books, and the girls made their way to Bianco's Broom Shop. With it being so close to Christmas, the shop stayed crowded. Brooms and gear were flying off the shelf at an alarming and highly profitable rate, much to Bianco's delight.
"Alright. Put whatever you want in the trolley," said Rosette. After her parent's horrific end, she had ended up inheriting two estates and a vault in Gringotts full enough for several generations to live luxury. "Hurry up, though. We have to be back for the par- er...dinner. You know how much it displeases Mrs. Hutchinson when we're late. And I'm serious. Today is your day. Get anything."
Siobhan grinned and nodded gratefully to her friend and began to browse around. Rosette's fear of heights had always kept her from enjoying anything broom related, but she truly longed to fly one day. As Siobhan gleefully began to fill up the trolley, Rosette squeezed her way through the mass of customers to get to a display case. To think that muggles use these masterpieces to clean their floors with. What a silly thing to do. A waste of a good broom, if you ask me, she mused as she admired a customizable broom. These were the new thing in Kingsbridge. The more galleons a person had, the better the broom could be modified to their penchant. After a few minutes, she decided it was time to gather Siobhan and check out. However, when she had turned around, she accidentally collided with someone. The force knocked her on her backside.
"I'm sorry, Sir," she apologized. She looked up to see that it was a man, presumably in his early forties, with dark hair. She was slightly astonished at the sight of his vaguely snake-like face. To her surprise, the man simply reached down to grab her by the arm and pulled her up.
"Be careful, child," he mumbled as he made his way for the exit.
Something about him seems familiar…who is that? I've never seen him around town before. I wonder-
"Rosey?!" Siobhan yelled, cutting through Rosette's reverie, "I'm finished! Where'd ya go? Roooooseeeyyy!"
"Over here, Bhan! Did you find everything?" Rosette asked as she looked in the trolley.
"Sure did! Thanks again."
"You're welcome. Now, let's go check out."
To Siobhan's displeasure, Bianco wasn't manning the cashier today. It was the "boorish chit", as she called her. The witch had the social skills of a mouse trap. When the said witch saw the "red brat" and her friend make their way to the counter, her expression became one of pure disinterest. If it was up to her, she would just ignore them until they gave up and went away. But, since there were customers behind them and Mr. Bianco scolded her for her conduct last time, she decided against it.
"That'll be seventeen galleons and four sickles," she jeered. There was no way the "red brat" could pay such a price. She had seen her plenty of times in the store, buying only discounted items with the few coins she had. And today, she comes to the counter with some of the best bits and pieces in the store? The witch would enjoy watching her have to shamefully put the items she had hoped on getting back. Rosette didn't need her Legilimency to see the malice this woman had towards her friend. She reached into her messenger bag, past her father's wand, and pulled out her coin purse. She poured a bunch of galleons out on the counter. She then slid eighteen galleons towards the woman.
"Keep the change," she said smugly as Siobhan snickered. The look on the woman's face was priceless. I don't even carry eighteen galleons on me. And SHE had a giant coin purse FULL of them! Who is this kid?!
The two girls giggle at the dismay displayed on her face. That'll teach her. They collected their purchases and exited the store, still so full of mirth.
"Thanks, Rosey. That chit has been a fan of trying to snub me since she started working here a couple months ago. I was really getting tired of it."
"It's no problem, Bhan. No one messes with my sister and gets away with it. They'll all have to answer to me!"
"Likewise!" Siobhan beamed.
The two began walking back to the orphanage when Rosette decided to launch a snowball at the unwary Siobhan. The snowball hit her head with a POOF.
"Rosey!" she cried excitedly. But, Rosette was nowhere to be found when she turned around. Bloody disillusion charms, she pouted. How am I supposed to find her? After looking around, Siobhan spied something. Footprints, a boot to be exact…Rosey's boot. "Magically" appearing every second. They looked like they were trying to make their way behind her. Siobhan decided it was time to test her Chaser abilities by aiming a large snowball a couple feet above the footprints. It was like hitting an invisible wall. This wall, however, yelped as the cold snow invaded her nose. The disillusion charm fell as she sputtered, making an effort to get the snow out. Siobhan threw her head back in bliss.
"Gotcha! Very sneaky, Rosey! But you may want to learn a levitation spell or something, so your feet don't give you away!"
Rosette shot Siobhan a playful glare, then chuckled. They continued their trek back to the orphanage, shuffling their feet in the snow and making snow angels every few meters. It was around five in the evening before the girls made it back. Although the lights were off, rustling could be heard coming from inside as they climbed the steps. There were a few more shuffling sounds, followed by many "SSHHH"'s. Siobhan raised her brow at the unusualness of the orphanage. She was use to the noise that came with living with twenty-two other kids.
"What are you waiting for? Go!" Rosette urged, pushing her closer to the door. Siobhan turned the door knob and pushed forward. The girls walked into the building. It was dark, and even Rosette had to admit it was a little off-putting. The others did a little TOO well. Just as Siobhan was about to call out, the entire place lit up and everyone shouted, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIOBHAN!"
The redhead's face was one of pure elation as she started to hug every child and staff member there. When her parents were alive, her birthday was not a day that was looked forward to. Her mother was just didn't care, and her father was a workaholic. Taking a day off to celebrate "one year closer to death", a he called it, was a waste of time to him. So, birthdays up until now were meaningless, so much to where she almost forgot when her birthday was. But, for the last two years, this day had become something to get excited about.
Siobhan rounded to face her best friend, "You knew didn't you? Oh, you're a sly one, Rosette Adalinda. Thank you so much."
Rosette pulled her friend into a big bear hug. "You're welcome, Bhan. You deserve to have at least one day out of the year all to yourself. Now, you're eight! Three more years until Hogwarts!"
"Yeah! Then I'll be a quidditch star and you'll be like, a mega prefect nerd! It'll be great. What house do you think you'll be put in? I'll probably be in Gryffindor."
"Hmmm," Rosette thought for a moment. She had never really thought about which house she would be in. Her parents never brought up Hogwarts very much, seeing as how her father went to a wizarding school in France after he left his home in Ghana. Her mother never really said anything about her alma mater. Did she even go to school? But, over the past two years at the orphanage, she had learned enough about the houses to get a general understanding of them each. Gryffindor was for the brave and the jocks. She was brave, but anything but jockish. Ravenclaw was for the ones that liked to study until the crack of dawn. Most people's brains would become mush after studying that much. Rosette liked learning, loved to read, but at a leisurely pace. Hufflepuff was… where you went if you had no other qualities besides being nice. Rosette did not even entertain her imagination with the thought of her being in Hufflepuff. Many tears would be shed if she was placed there. Finally, there was Slytherin. For the quick-witted, the sly and cunning…
Just as Rosette was about to answer, Mrs. Hutchinson announced that it was time to eat. All of the children made their way to the dining room, eagerly waiting for the legendary birthday feasts that the staff was known for. Oh, how they loved when it was someone's birthday.
"Close your eyes everyone!" the little old lady told them. With a wave of her wand, all the food that was prepared for the meal suddenly appeared on the table before them. She grinned, knowing the reaction from the children would be more than worth all of the hours spent cooking. "Alright! You may open them," she chuckled.
The din of the children's excitement was nearly deafening. Ham, potatoes, green beans, gravy, bread, and chocolate milk adorned the large table. But, that wasn't what really got the kids animated. Before them lay a huge bowl full of the cheesiest macaroni and cheese they had ever laid eyes on. Mrs. Hutchinson knew that no one loved mac and cheese more than Siobhan. The red head looked as if she had died and gone to heaven. The children began their assault on the glorious meal, wolfing down the contents of their plates and then asking for second, thirds, even fourths.
"Is there going to be cake?" shouted one of the children. The others gasped. They had almost forgotten about the cake! "We're done!" they all shouted.
"Close your eyes then," Mrs. Hutchinson told them. When all of them had their eyes closed, she vanished away the leftovers for later. They didn't know that she knew that they often came downstairs in the middle of the night to raid the kitchen. If she wanted to, she could have charmed the tubberware to simply not open for them, or worse…charm it to yell and scold them for being up at such hours. But, she was a nice lady. Plus, the children only seemed to eat the darn leftovers after midnight for some reason anyway. She feared if she did not give them that chance to eat at night, the leftovers would never be eaten. They solely refused to touch them during NORMAL eating hours. As bewildered by the behaviour as she was, she never question the children.
With another wave of her wand, the table top became blanketed by what she called "Diabetics Delight". There was chocolate and vanilla pudding, jellos of many flavours, donuts of all sorts, and ice cream for days! One more wave, and a large marble cake with whipped cream icing appeared in the centre of the long table. It was decorated with eight candles and read, "Happy Birthday Siobhan". Despite Mrs. Hutchinson's wishes, one of the children snuck a peep at the scene before them and let out a loud gasp, prompting the others to open their eyes, too.
"WOW!" they all shouted. The desire to throw themselves on the table and gobble down the splendid site displayed clearly on their little faces.
"Oh darn," Mrs. Hutchinson pouted, "You all were supposed to wait. I guess it can't be helped. Siobhan, it's time to blow out your candles!" She quickly lit the candles with her wand and pushed the cake closer to Siobhan. "Don't forget to make a wish, dearie."
Siobhan propped herself up on the table. What do I wanna wish for? She turned to look at Rosette for a moment. Even though my parents are dead, I still have family members. Indeed,Siobhan had living family members. They were all very poverty-stricken and lived in the most western point in Ireland. It was much more beneficial for Siobhan to stay at the orphanage since a large portion of her inheritance could not be accessed until she was of age. But, Rosette said as far as she knew, she had no living relatives. I hope that's not true. I hope she is able to find someone related to her soon. And with that, Siobhan blew out the candles.
After the children had successfully stuffed their faces with enough sugar to change the composition of their blood completely, Mrs. Hutchinson stood up to make another announcement.
"Alright you lot! Why don't we go outside and burn off some of those sweets? Merlin, I know if you don't, this building will be much too lively all the way 'til daybreak. Go on! Get out there!"
The horde of children ran outside with too much energy for their own good…and then they all ran back inside to get the coats, hats, and gloves they left behind. Once they were all bundled up, they ran back outside to play in the snow. The snow was well over a foot high due to the absence of children trampling all over it during the day. It was around seven in the evening and the sun had already gone down.
"Let me add some lighting here," Mrs. Hutchinson said. She had several outdoor lights scattered throughout the yard for the children so that their outdoor activities would never have to cease because it got dark. But, the display looked much better with the snow everywhere. Then, Mrs. Hutchinson grabbed a bunch of Jr. Flyer broomsticks. "Snowball fight on brooms, anyone?"
The children eagerly took a broom and flew after each other with snowball in hand. All except for Rosette, who preferred to run around, trying desperately to dodge Siobhan's air assault. Even Mrs. Hutchinson decided to partake in the fun and used her wand to flick a barrage of snowballs at the airborne children.
After two hours of pelting each other with projectile snow, the children were all tuckered out and very cold. It was time to get ready for bed. One by one, the children hung up their brooms, wished Siobhan a happy birthday again, and said their "Good Nights" to Mrs. Hutchinson. Mrs. Hutchinson had taught them well enough and no longer needed help getting ready for bed. The twenty-four children scrambled up the stairs, ready to peel off their icy, soggy clothing and exchange them for a warm bath and pyjamas.
"Today was great, Rosey! I had so much fun! And look at all this stuff I got!" Their floor was covered with gifts from some of the other children and staff. There were even a few from some vendors from the shopping district. "Me axudar a abrir estes!"
"You know darn well I don't speak that forest druid tongue! But, I'm going to take a guess. You want me to help you open these, correct?"
"Deberas!" Siobhan snickered.
So, the two girls took their baths, got dressed, and began tackling the pile of gifts. When they were done, they counted: two jars of broom wax, a bristle replacement kit, thirty chocolate frogs, an assortment of various quidditch jerseys, thermal socks, quills with rainbow ink, and a few American Muggle treats called, ''Twinkies".
"What do you suppose this is?" Siobhan said as she held up one of the Twinkies. They looked like little yellow cakes.
"They're awfully squishy," Rosette replied, gently squishing one in her hands. "Hold on! It's got filling inside it! Look!"
Sure enough, the Twinkie did had a filling. The girls stared at the little cake for a while, debating on eating it or not.
"Merlin! Look at all the sugars it has!" Rosette exclaimed.
Siobhan gasped. "Gimme one," as she shoved the entire cake down her hatch. "Ish welly gud! Ty wun!" she said with her mouth full of the cake.
"You could have finished chewing. It'd be a shame if you died on you birthday because you were being hasty." Rosette took a small bite out of the Twinkie. "It is pretty good. I think we would die if we ate all of these tonight, though."
"Agreed," Siobhan finally managed to get out.
The girls put the Twinkies and chocolate frogs into a bowl, broom related objects into the closet, and clothing in the wardrobes. Afterwards, they both climbed into their bunks.
"Goodnight, Siobhan. And again, Happy Birthday! I hope you wish comes true," Rosette said as she turned off the lights.
"Goodnight, and thank you," she whispered. I hope it comes true, too.
The man looked at the small town. So many mudbloods and halfbloods in this place. Vermin. It's disgusting. We will cleanse this place next. I heard that the orphanage is for pureblood and halfblood children. Since they're parents are dead, I have no way of truly telling them apart. I will spare the orphanage. The purebloods will one day learn of how abominable the existence mudbloods and halfbloods are. Then they will join me, and I will guide them. Yes, one week from now, he mused. He then looked at the shopping district. It was actually a nice little area. Very crowded. Especially that broom shop. I knocked a young girl down in there on accident… That girl. Why does she seem so familiar? I don't know any children. Adorable little thing, too. Unruly silver curls, violet eyes, almond coloured skin. Very foreign. She was practically seeping magic, too. At such a young age? What was she, like seven? Who is that child?
A/N: Gentle reviews are always welcomed! Thank you for reading!