– Chapter Two –

Leaving Home

Romi stood and stared at her room. It was bright any sunny outside, but the cheer did not fill the empty walls. Everything was packed up; the boxes had been already moved. Her posters were down from the wall, an empty bookcase and desk were the only things left in the room. Even the rug had been rolled up and taken away.

It seemed so empty, so echoey and she though she tried, it was hard to imagine what it had been like before.

There was a soft knock at the door behind her. It reverberated around the empty room. Romi looked over her shoulder to see her mother. She was dressed in black; even her hair was dark today.

"Romi, it's time to go," she said quietly.

Romi looked back around the room, she felt like that if she left then perhaps things would never, ever be the same again. Charis took and few steps into the room, and stood beside her daughter.

"Sweetheart, I know that it's hard…" Charis started softly.

"I haven't actually lived in this room for almost four years," Romi said, looking at her mother. "I've been at Hogwarts, or Australia, or with Draco…"

Charis nodded, "you have been away from home a lot."

Romi looked around, "but I always thought that it would be here, that I'd just continue to grow up in this house like you did."

Charis put her hands on Romi's shoulders. "Romi, with you going to school in England, and your father's job–"

"Oh, it makes sense," Romi said quickly, with a little smile. "I agree completely, it's not worth keeping this house when there is no one to live in it. Someone should be here, and our family can't do it anymore… it's just… I figured Grandma would be here until long after I graduated from Hogwarts…"

Charis hugged her daughter.

"It's been three years since your grandfather died," Charis said quietly. "Your grandmother would never have spent another lifetime without him."

"Severus told me that when you die you're given the choice of coming back as a ghost, or going through a door that once opened you'd never be able to come back," Romi said.

"I could imagine it something like that," Charis said, releasing her daughter from that hug. Romi looked up at her.

"But you can never know if it's good or bad on the other side," Romi said softly. "How can you make the choice?"

Charis smiled. "I'm sure you have help, someone to guide you. And I'm certain it's a much better place there. Romi, you should never be afraid of death," Charis said, taking her daughter's hands. "It's just another step, I'm sure that my mother and father are together, happily, and Zephyr is with them."

Romi watched her mother for a moment.

"How did your brother die?" Romi asked. "You never told me about him."

Charis swallowed and looked down for a moment, then looked up and smiled.

"He died fighting," she said. "He was a soldier in a war, and he died to protect what he loved."

"Are you ready?" came Romi's father's voice from the doorway. Romi and Charis looked over to him. He was looking morose. Charis looked to her daughter, and Romi smiled. She took her mother's hand and following her father, she left her room for the very last time.

She walked through her empty house in Canada. The walls were bare, but she could see where they used to hang pictures of her family. Now they would hold a new families' life. The house would slowly forget the small, dwindling family that was Romi's.

They reached the front hallway. Hector had already sent all their important things to the Malfoy Manor. The rest was going to be given or thrown away. Romi found her black cat waiting in the hallway. She seemed to realise the importance of the occasion, and was sitting there staring up at Romi with large, sad eyes.

Romi gathered Zhi up into her arms, and set the cat on her shoulders. Zhi lay there still, her eyes flicking around the empty house.

"Alright," Hector said, and he held out his arm for his daughter. Romi paused for a moment and then took it. Seconds later they were standing in the setting sun outside the large Manor home in England.

Romi took a breath, and walked forward with her parents. Zhi jumped off her shoulder and took into the gardens. Romi let her do it, and as they reached the front doors, they opened.

Draco came outside to meet them. Romi smiled and hopped up the stairs, accepting the warm comforting hug that he gave.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear. She didn't reply, but hugged him tighter.

Aunt Narcissa and Uncle Lucius soon ushered them inside; they did not bring up the subject of what had happened in Canada.

Dinner was quiet and they were left on their own afterwards. Romi went upstairs to her room. She stood in it for a moment, figuring that this was probably the closest thing she had to a proper room now. There wouldn't be anything else waiting for her.

She went and flopped on her bed staring up to the ceiling in front of her. After a moment there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," she said and it opened. Romi glanced up to see Draco slipping in and closing the door behind him. He went up to her bed and sat down beside her.

"How are you doing?" he asked after a moment.

"Surprisingly well," Romi replied, she sat up and slipped a hand in Draco's. "At least I'm back here now, right?" said Romi, "and we've got a whole five weeks until we have to go back to Hogwarts."

"Yeah, a whole five weeks," Draco said, grinning at her. "Just to ourselves, occasionally parents."

He leaned forward to kiss her and Romi let him. There was a creak in the hallway and Romi pushed him away for a moment to listen.

"What's the matter?" Draco asked, watching her for a second.

"I just thought I heard something," Romi replied.

"Afraid we're going to get caught?" Draco teased.

"You should be afraid of my father if we get caught," replied Romi smiling at him, and then kissed him.

Draco was Romi's oldest friend and starting last year he became much more. When Romi and Draco had first started at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry three years ago they had been sorted into different houses. Gryffindor and Slytherin, and those two had a constant rivalry.

Their houses had separated Romi and Draco and then they were unable to stay friends after that. Romi felt a little bit like it was for the better, she'd known Draco since they were born; legal cousins, but not biological. The separation in first year, and then thanks to a very pompous, annoying girl, Romi had realized her feelings for Draco.

However, they were keeping it quiet; not even Romi's parents knew, and the only other person was Romi's best friend, Neville Longbottom. Romi felt it was better this way, because it would mean having to explain constantly that her parents adopted her.

That bit wasn't the part that worried her the most; a few people knew that her parents had adopted her, however it was where she was adopted from that she had been most anxious to hide. Neville knew, and Professor Dumbledore and Professor Lupin knew. Of course, her godfather, Severus Snape, and her twin brother knew also.

Now that she was older, Romi didn't mind as much if people knew who her twin brother was. At the beginning, when they had met for the first time, they fought so much and Romi was almost ashamed to be his twin that she had insisted no one know. But that wasn't why she was holding it back now; now Romi felt like no one would believe her if she told them.

Her twin brother was the most famous young wizard of the century. Twelve years ago, her brother, by no real act of his own, managed to save the entire wizarding and non-magical population from the darkest wizard of the century.

Harry Potter was the most famous wizard Romi could think of. There wasn't a child in their world that didn't know his name. And they all believed him to be a single, orphaned child, living with crappy Muggles. What kind of revelation would it be, and who would believe it, if Romi told them that she was Harry's twin sister?

At not only that, it would make things very complicated with Draco. Draco and Harry were utmost enemies at school, and Draco thought it was bad enough that Romi shared the same House with Harry. He would not be able to take the news lightly.

Romi was very interested right now to not think about Harry, she was rather enjoying her time with Draco and she didn't really want it to stop.

"So, are your parents going to find a house in England?" Draco asked, a couple hours later, as they stared out the window, watching the stars.

"I dunno," Romi replied. "I think Dad has quite a bit of travelling this year… I guess, mum will go with him, seeing as I'm at school all year…"

"That makes sense," Draco replied. "And you'll never go back to Canada?"

"Probably to visit," Romi said pushing him slightly. "I know I was born here and my life is here, but that's my childhood… besides, I seem to remember you saying that you had a great time in Canada!"

"I never said I didn't," Draco said grinning. "I just like to know if you were living here now."

"Well, I guess I'm actually living at your house until next summer," Romi said, smiling.

"That is an excellent plan," Draco answered, he leaned forward and kissed her again.

Romi lay in bed late that night. Draco had left a couple of hours earlier when Romi's mother had come to tuck her in. Romi stared at the ceiling above her thinking. She did miss her grandmother and there was something about the whole situation that made her incredibly sad. All other years Romi had left her Northwest Territories home, coming to the infinitely warmer and wetter England, she had always had the intention of returning home again. Seeing that large, rickety old house, full of secrets and memories; the forest and the fields, and the barn and the lake. When she thought of home, that's what she thought of.

Though she rarely got homesick, and spent very little time there, she couldn't wrap her head around the idea that she would not be going back to that farmhouse. Its story in her life had finished, yet she couldn't imagine it.

Romi sighed deeply and rolled over. Everything was changing this year, she could feel the difference, but she couldn't figure out what it was.

The next morning, Romi received a letter from her best friend, Neville Longbottom. Neville was a plump boy, severely lacking in self-confidence, but had turned out to be very loyal to Romi. Romi was fiercely proud of her friend, even though plenty of people were very surprised by it.

Neville was writing to invite her to stay for a couple of nights, just after her birthday. Romi went to her parents immediately to ask for their permission and was given it.

She spent the week excitedly looking forward to meeting up with Neville. This put Draco in a sour mood the closer their trip arrived. Though he did try very hard to be cheerful for Romi's birthday.

July 31st dawned bright and sunny with no clouds in the sky. Romi went down to breakfast late, feeling sleepy. She was rubbing her eyes when she walked into the Malfoy's parlour. She stopped, let her glasses fall back in front of her eyes and stared. Romi's face turned into a large grin and she hurried forward to hug her godfather.

"Good morning, Romi," he said, encompassing her in a large hug.

"It's good to see you, Severus," Romi murmured into his robes. They still smelt like cinnamon.

"You're getting a sleepy start this morning," Severus said, releasing her and going to sit down beside Romi's Uncle Lucius. Severus Snape was a tall man, with dark eyes and hair, a hooked nose, and a warm smile for Romi.

"It's my birthday," Romi answered. "I'm allowed."

"I suppose you are," replied Severus. Charis returned from the kitchen, bringing a cup of tea for Severus.

"Here you go, Severus," she said, reaching out. Romi noticed a large bandage around her mother's left wrist.

"Are you alright, mum?" Romi asked, her eyes following the bandage.

"I'm fine," replied Charis, quickly, "I just burnt myself."

"Do you want me to take a look?" asked Romi.

"Look at you," Charis teased, "you haven't even started your apprenticeship and you're itching to heal things."

Romi smiled, and noticed that Severus and Uncle Lucius were looking at each other with anxious faces. Charis seemed to notice them too.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," Charis said to her daughter, "I've already put the burn salve on. It'll be fine in a couple of hours."

Romi let it go, because she was too interested in the exchange between her mother, her uncle and her godfather. Not one of them seemed to want to talk about it, and after a brief silence, Severus started talking about the Quidditch World Cup. Her mother's burn was not brought again throughout the day and Romi was almost certain they were avoiding the topic on purpose.

Severus left after dinner that evening and Romi and Draco were allowed to stay up a little later and then were sent to bed. Romi crawled under the covers and sighed, feeling exceptionally comfortable.

Romi felt hot, fire licking at her skin, burning and searing. She opened her eyes, but it was way too bright. She squinted looking around and seeing nothing but a burning inferno around her. Romi closed her eyes against the heat and ash. Then she heard something and opening her eyes slightly, she saw four strange figures.

They were consumed with fire, but also different than the fire around her. They looked like four men riding on horses.

Romi woke suddenly, feeling a hot sweat all over. Her bedroom was silent in the middle of the night, and her cat was curled up at the end of her bed. Romi sat up and looked around. There was nothing unusual in her room and she tried to calm her beating heart.

Romi got up and went to her backpack. She rifled through it until she found the rowan pendant and pulled it out. Romi looked it over very carefully, but it was clearly still containing the Astaroth Fear Demon that they had sealed last year. The black dragon was still in the carving of the rowan disk, where he would not be able to terrorize people's dreams as he did so successfully last year.

She sighed and lay back down thinking. After all these years, she was starting to take any nightmares seriously. Especially seeing as it was extremely unlikely that another Astaroth was haunting them. She was determined to talk to Neville the minute she arrived at his house on Thursday.

It took her a while to get back to sleep again, and she hoped that she would not fall back into that fiery nightmare.