Shell shocked Rose stared at the…boy? In front of her. He, in turn, just smiled and stood up. "Ah Rose my girl, I'm glad you still recognize me. Yes, indeed I am Albus Dumbledore your former head" He still had his smile when a fist connected with his cheek and made him spin before crashing to the ground. "W-Well…I suppose I deserved that one" he said weakly, still smiling while Rose glared at him.
"You….mirabel….manipulative;...bastard!" she said while growling, tightly gripping her scythe.
"N-Now now my girl I know you're angry, you have every right to be, but let's not cause a scene and speak calmly okay?" He slowly got up and Rose looked around, many people were glaring at her, some even had their weapons at the ready. She took a deep breath and just nodded, sitting down. Dumbledore let out a sigh of relief and turned to the crowd.
"Please everyone calm down, trust me I utterly deserve that punch so let's just all go back to what we did before okay?" Slowly, the guild returned to normal and Dumbledore set down. He took a staff that Rose only now noticed had been leaning against the table and muttered muffliato. "So…now we can talk undisturbed." Rose just continued to glare at him.
"Did you know?" she asked.
"Did I know what exactly? I know many." But Rose interrupted him.
"Cut the crap old man. You know what I'm asking…did you know I would die no matter what?" Dumbledore looked at her for a few seconds before looking down at the table.
"Yes…..yes, unfortunately, I knew." Rose gritted her teeth and clenched her hands into fists. She wanted to punch him again…hard…very hard! She wanted to break his nose into a paste, strangle him with his long hair! She wanted to do so much toward this man, and was just about to do it but when she looked up and saw his face…..her anger dissipated. He looked miserable. His face was riddled with guilt and pain.
"I tried...so hard to find a way to save you...but I couldn't…I just couldn't. Anything short of letting the Horcrux continue in your scar would mean you are dead…and even then there was always the risk of Voldemort taking over your body. Yes, he failed once…but if he ever found out…he would have found a way….I couldn't risk it…..I'm…infinitely sorry and nothing I say can ever make up for all the misdeeds I committed towards you" The young, formerly old man looked once more his actual age.
"...I will never forgive you….at least not anytime soon….sigh….but maybe it was for the best. I won't stay angry…how are you even here? Mortis said he can't send people over" Dumbeldore clearly happy about the topic change grinned and his eyes regained its old twinkle.
"Oh that's simple, he apparently made a loophole with Eris and Aqua that allowed him to send me over. Now I'm more curious what exactly brings you here? I honestly expected you to move on or even choose rebirth." Rose repeated writing Mortis told her to her former Headmaster. He quickly lost his twinkling when he heard it and showed a flash of visible anger when she told him about Kazuma's death.
"I see…..I think I even know who you're talking about. I saw him and his…companion a couple of times, a girl claiming to be a goddess is hard to overlook. They're out on word for today but perhaps I can introduce you tomorrow. In the meantime….tell me what did I miss?" So Rose began to tell him how the war went on fire the year Dumbledore missed. The news of so many deaths greatly pained him, especially the death of Moody, Snape, Lupin, Tonks and surprisingly Fred Weasley.
"Although I never really interacted much with the twins personally so where they are so full of potential. That day at Hogwarts and their chipper nature always brought a smile onto my face…between us, I knew they had the Marauders Map, but I didn't really deem it worthy of mentioning" He gave her a bright smile and she couldn't help but chuckle. She wasn't even surprised that he knew.
"Alas…for young George, this will be a hard time...I hope his family will help him and stand by him. Perhaps Ronold can try and somewhat fill the missing hole. I think you will agree that working at his brother's joke shop is probably a better work environment for him than...pretty much anything else short of professional chess."
"Yeah…Ron is great but he isn't the brightest or most motivated. Still, giving him the Illuminator…just how much did you know?!"
"While I couldn't say for certain I knew Ronold was at most at risk for abandoning the quest. So I found it important he has something that would help him find you." Rose nodded. She still found it hard to believe she was talking with Dumbledore again….
"...Why the heck are you so young? You look…17?" Dumbledore grinned.
"19, and this simply was my cheat. I no longer age whatsoever. Oh, I can still be killed but I will stay like this for a very long time. Now my reasons can be discussed another time! Now there is someone I want to introduce to you too." He suddenly got up, confusing Rose.
"Um ...Okay" The two left the Adventurers guild together. Only a few minutes later a brown-haired boy in a green tracksuit entered accompanied by a blue-haired girl in blue clothes. The boy was happy because he once had a quiet day. That ended the moment his companion heard about a Necromancer and immediately started raging, weirdly enough for once fully getting along with priestesses of the Goddess Eris who were also in the guild. The boy just ignored their cries to kill heaven while he calmly ordered some food. Who was he to judge someone for wanting to be a Necromancer?
Albus led Rose down through multiple streets until they reached what appeared to be a small shop. It had white walls and a large window to look inside. A sign hung in the window that read Wiz Magic Emporium. "Ahm...okay is that some magic store?" Albus nodded.
"Indeed, follow me!" He went inside Rose right behind him. The inside of the store had two large shelves on the left and right wall, all littered with all kinds of magical items, potions and ... .things Rose had no idea about what they could be. Behind the counter was a brown-haired woman in a purple dress and…"YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME THEY ARE MASSIVE! Come ON universe this is just not fair!"Thought Rose miserably, once more being reminded of her own small chest. Seriously at this point, it felt like a personal attack!
The woman, either ignoring or being oblivious to Rose's small existential crisis, smiled brightly. "Albus! I'm so happy you're back, how was your trip to the guild?"
"Quite good, ah but where are my manners? Allow me to introduce you two...first, this is Rose Potter, I told you all about her. Rose? This is Wiz, she's the shop owner and the person I have been staying at. Although you probably know her as Ariana Dumbledore. My little sister Rose smiled.
"Hello to me you Miss…..wait…what?" She blinked. "W-What did you just say?" And then she looked at Dumbledore who just smiled.
"I said her name is Ariana Dumbledore."
"A-Ah ... .so I didn't miss her that…okay…... WHAT IN MERLIN'S BEARD IS GOING ON?! How can your sister be?! And why is she?! I mean, didn't she?! WHAT?!" Albus couldn't help but laugh loudly while Wiz or Ariana smiled awkwardly.
"A-Albus come on, there's no need to confuse the poor girl. Ahm, let me explain. First off, I'm really happy to meet you! Albus told me so much about you. First off I apologize that he just took control of your life like this. He always was kind of a control freak"
"Can't deny that, but I mellowed out a lot, oh you should have seen me when I was younger, you think Mister Percy Weasley was a stickler for the rules? I was so much worse." Rose just…blinked some more and Ariana continued.
"When I…well ...you probably know what happened, Mortis offered me to come to this world ...to live the life I never could. And…so I did! And then he was able to send Albus here with a little loophole." Albus continued.
"If the person already has family in the other world, he still can send them over. He said he managed to wrestle that rule into reuniting parents with children or similar things so it was accepted. Ever since then, I have been here making sure my sister doesn't run this store to the ground."
"ERK! A-Albus I wasn't running it to the ground! I-I just made some...bad calls here and there." Rose…deciding more headaches weren't worth her time right now latched onto the new topic.
"Like what?" she asked and she could see Albus Vince.
"Oh where to begin...you see Ariana here is a brilliant Archmage, but dear god she's not a good merchant. Only 3 months ago, I stepped out to get some fresh ink and when I came back someone managed to convince her to buy 300 Examples of the Invisible book of invisibility, and she was panicking because she lost them all. Not that it would change things, but you can't READ the book because the only place you can find the spells to UNDO the invisibility is IN the book!"
"W-Well I thought it would be an interesting read...I'm so sorry!" That sounded awfully familiar to Rose.
"W-Well better than books that try to eat your hand hahaha" To her dismay Ariana just looked even more depressed now.
"Unlike the one you think of my girl, THIS one had actual teeth…."
"...NEVER MIND! Here are more headaches!" Poor Ariana tried to regain her composure and change the topic away from her horrible nonexistent business sense.
"S-S-So Rose Albus told me a lot about you! Feel Free to stay here until you can get your own place. M-Maybe you want some tea? And a couple of biscuits? Oh, I also got some Lemon drops!" Rose was about to accept until she saw Albus subtly shake his head with a light fearful look. If Dumbledore tells her NOT to eat the lemon drops she better follow his advice considering how obsessed he is with them.
"I-I pass on the lemon drops but some biscuits sound nice" Brightly smiling Ariana vanished into the back of the room. Rose looked at Albus who undertook the unspoken question.
"One Drop has the sourness of around 30 Lemons. Apparently, the man who sells her most of these useless artifacts tried making candy for his two daughters but as the Crimson Demons do, he massively overdid it and created something inedible. Ariana likes them but...she's a lich so normal rules do not apply." Rose nodded in understanding…..
"Wait wait….she's what?" Albus blinked.
"O-Oh didn't I explain that? Ariana is a Lich, an undead, how else do you think she looks like she's in her 20s when she should be an old woman by now?"
"...HOW COULD THAT SLIP YOUR MIND YOU OLD COOT?!"
Kazuma Satou wasn't sure if he currently hates this life or just mildly dislikes it. One would think going into another world would be a dream come true. But the last couple of months were nothing but gruelling physical labour and when they finally could go on proper quests….it turned out his partner Aqua, whom he foolishly took along with himself, was a useless idiot. She had the brilliant idea of putting up a request for party members. In concept not bed….if the context of the request was a load of horse crap. Yet somehow it attracted someone ... .aaaa stupid loli chubby girl that he then had to feed….she may be an archmage but somehow he couldn't get his hopes up this will be a turning point. He sighed loudly resting his head on his arm, Aqua having gone off to get a drink before leaving while Megumin was going on and on and on about the majesty and dark might of the Crimson Demons. "Excuse me are you Kazuma Satou?" Asked someone suddenly from behind him. He turned around and saw a girl around his age. She had messy black hair and striking green eyes. She was dressed in a long black cloak and underneath whore a black tunic with red and gold lining. A pair of matching black pants and black boots. She had a pair of glasses on her nose and in her hand…..DEAR GOD THAT WAS A FREAKING AWESOME LOOKING SCYTHE!
"A-Ahm yes I am Kazuma." She nodded and smiled a bit.
"I am Rose Potter and I happen to see the notice you're…..comrade put up. Damn, I feel really sorry for you, when I was told how useless of a goddess she is I didn't expect this level of delusion."
"Tell me about it! You think a supposed goddess has a bit more grace but noooo…..wait…how do you know she's a goddess?!" The girl just smiled and sat down next to him, Megumin stopping her rant too now curiously looking at the newcomer.
"I'm like you, I was sent here after I kicked the bucket. The guy who did it told me about your situation. I'm Rose Potter and if you want I can join your party too. I am…not sure how strong I am yet, I just arrived but I did just finish off an evil dark wizard back in my world so I like to think I'm at least more useful than the blue-haired ditz" Kazuma wanted to hug this girl so badly right now but he stopped himself.
"YOU'RE IN! Simple because you're someone I can talk to about home!" She smiled and then looked at Megumin.
"And….you are?" Before Megumin could happily repeat her chubby rant, Aqua came.
"AHA!" There you are, you filthy Necromancer! Stay away Kazuma I will purge this haven freak from" "Silencio '' Rose lifted her scythe and suddenly no words came out of Aqua's mouth despite her moving it. After a while Aqua released this and got angry, seemingly yelling at her, stomping her foot but no sound came from her.
"NICE! You have to teach me that spell!" said Kazuma happily.
"Maybe later, I'm not sure you can learn my brand of magic. I tell you more on the way, I assume you have a quest?"
"Oh yeah, it's to kill some giant toads. This idiot" He pointed at the still silently screaming Aqua. "Already has shown to be utterly useless. So I hope you and Megumin here will be able to handle them" Rose nodded.
"Lead the way then" Kazuma happily stood up and walked out, Rose following. Megumin looked at the now out-of-breath Aqua and then just shrugged, following along too, she was eager to show them the might of a crimson demon. Aqua after a few seconds pouted and stomped after them.