Snippets of time
Roseanna Tempest (nee' Riddle)
Spoiler:
(Rose/Rowena - 1961)
A young man in his mid 30’s stalked along a path, sitting on the hook of his arm at his side was a small female one-year-old toddler, the child laid her head on the man's shoulder with a thumb in her mouth while dozing sleepily. In his other hand, he held a bouquet of roses.
Coming to a wealthy house he had been to before many times, he knocked on the door gently. The door opened seemingly by itself and an older lady's voice called out for him to come in.
Walking in, the door quietly closed and a small elderly house-elf led him to a richly decorated parlour.
“Oh my, Tom! Who is that little one you have brought to my house?” A portly woman asked, she sat on an ornate sitting chair.
“I brought you flowers in apology for bringing her here today, Miss Hepzibah. This is my daughter Rose,” she told the lady, as she took the flowers from him, her ginger wig tilting slightly as she did.
“I didn’t know you were married, Tom. Lucky woman,” she said and ushered him to sit down, as he did the child made a soft noise before falling asleep again.
“I’m not, her mother didn’t survive the pregnancy” Tom replied and frowned as if it bothered him.
“Poor dear” she replied as the house-elf came back into the room with a tray of little cakes. “Help yourself, Tom, I know how you love my cakes, perhaps when the little one wake you can give her one as well” she cooed. Tom smiled at her and picked up one of the cakes. “So, what’s your excuse for visiting this time?” She asked batting her eyelashes.
“Mr Burke would like to make an improved offer for the goblin-made armour,” Tom began. “Five hundred galleons, he feels it is more than fair-”
“Now, now, not so fast, or I’ll think you're only here for my trinkets” Hepzibah pouted, cutting him off.
“I am ordered here because of them,” Tom replied quietly and looked down at his child. “I am only a poor assistant and single father, madam, who must do as he is told. Mr Burke wishes me to enquire-”
“Oh, Mr Burke, phooey!” Hepzibah interrupted again, waving her hand a little. “He should be giving you a raise for all your hard work” she added before she sat up straighter and smiled brightly with an idea. “I’ll show you something Tom that I’ve never shown Mr Burk!, Can you keep it a secret, Tom? Will you promise you won’t tell Mr Burke I’ve got it? He’s never let me rest if he knew I’d shown it to you, and I’m not selling, not to burke, not to anyone! But you, Tom, you’ll appreciate it for its history, not how many Galleons you can get for it.”
“I’d be glad to see anything Miss Hepzibah shows me,” Tom replied quietly making Hepzibah giggle girlishly before ordering her house-elf to get it. The elf appeared with two leather boxes, one on top of the other.
“Now, I think you’ll like this, Tom… Oh, if my family knew I was showing you… They can’t wait to get their hands on this” She laughed and took one of the boxes, she opened the lid and tilted the box for Tom to see a small golden cup with two finely wrought handles. “I wonder whether you know what it is, Tom? Pick it up, Have a good look!” whispered Hepzibah, Tom stretched out his free hand and gently picked it up, bringing it closer to his greedy gaze. A soft coo, sighed close by before a small chubby hand came into view, trying to touch what he held. He pulled the cup away from the hand and looked down as Rose let out a disappointed grunt before sticking her thumb back into her mouth. He turned back to the cup and noticed an engraving.
“A badger,” he murmured. “Then this was…?”
“Helga Hufflepuffs, as you very well know, you clever boy!” Hepzibah said, leaning forward with a loud creaking of her corsets and pinched his cheek. “Didn’t I tell you I was distantly descended? This has been handed down in the family for years and years. Lovely, isn’t it? And all sorts of powers it’s supposed to possess too, but I haven't tested them thoroughly, I just keep it nice and safe in here…”
She reclaimed the cup from his grip and turned to put it away, the only one who saw his murderous gaze was the child in his arm. Hepzibah switched the box with the second one and had the elf take the first away.
“Now then,” Hepzibah said happily, “Lean in a little, dear boy, so you can see… Of course, Burke knows I’ve got this one, I bought it from him, and I daresay he’d love to get it back when I’m gone…”
She opened the clasp of the box. There, upon the smooth crimson velvet lay a heavy golden locket. Tom Reached over without prompting and lifted it out of the box by the clasp and held it up to the light.
“Slytherins mark,” he said quietly, as the light played upon an ornate, serpentine S.
“That’s right!” Hepzibah exclaimed, delighted at the sight of Tom gazing at her locket, transfixed. “I had to pay an arm and a leg for it, but I couldn’t let it pass, not a real treasure like that, had to have it for my collection. Burke bought it, apparently from a ragged-looking woman who seemed to have stolen it, but had no idea of its true value-” Tom’s eyes darkened at the mention of the women. “I daresay Burke paid her a pittance but there you are… pretty isn’t it? And again, all kinds of powers attributed to it, though I just keep it nice and safe”
Hepzibah took the necklace back, missing the way Tom's fingers twitched as if to grab hold of it tightly. She placed it back into its box and once again had her elf take it away.
“So there you are, tom, dear and I hope you enjoyed that!” she looked back at him, and her smile faltered. “Are you alright, dear?”
“Oh yes,” Tom replied quietly. “Though I think it’s time to leave, of Rose will get fussy” he replied and stood up. Hepzibah tried to get him to stay but was silenced when the baby in his arms shared to restlessly wiggle and let out a cry.
Tom left the house quickly and as he walked rubbed the head of his child. “Very good, Little Thorn, you did your father proud, being so quiet. Don’t worry, I’ll get you a cup and a necklace for your birthday” he cooed softly with a dark grin and laugh.
Two days later Hepzibah was found dead and Tom quit his job before he and his child disappeared without a trace.
-----------------------------------------------
(Rose/Rowena 1967)
In the dim light of a candlelit room, a young girl of about seven stood staring at the figure of an older man tied up at the other end of the room. A Dark shadow appeared behind her and with pale hands pulled her black hair out of the way and tied it back with a thin cord.
“Remember what I have taught you, Little Thorn,” the shadow spoke behind her.
“Yes Papa,” she replied trying not to let her voice shake from nervousness. She took a deep breath before raising her right hand, in it she held a long wand that the man behind her gave her.
“Last time you showed me a very promising Imperius Curse. This time you will show me how you can handle the Cruciatus Curse” her father said darkly, placing his hands on her shoulders. “To successfully perform this curse, simply uttering the incantation is not enough; the wizard or witch needs to possess a deep desire to cause the victim pain and to take great pleasure in their suffering. Now show that to me, Little Thorn” he uttered.
“Yes Papa,” the young girl whispered and focused on the man before her. “Crucio”. Just as she cast the spell she as well as the man began to scream, her body shook under her father's hands for a minute before her father quickly knocked the wand out of her hands, effectively cutting off the spell and swiftly catching her in his arms as she passed out. Looking down at the girl her father saw blood leaking from her nose, eyes, ears and a small trickle from the corner of her mouth.
“Avada Kedavra” the man called out, from his wand a bright green light lit up the room to hit the captive man in the chest, killing him instantly. He swept his daughter into his arms and carried her out of the door and up some stairs, he took her to a well-lit bedroom and gently placed her on a bed before beginning to clean up the blood on her face. “It seems, Little Thorn, that the Dark Arts are unsuitable for you. No matter, I planned for this the moment you were born,” he whispered to the sleeping child. “Sleep well Rose my child, tomorrow your training intensifies,”
-----------------------------------------------
(Rose/Rowena 1971 - July)
Laughter and talking rubbled through the closed door of Rose’s bedroom. Downstairs her father had people in the dining room. Whenever there were people around Rose locked herself away so that people wouldn’t realise that she was there.
She and her father had moved back to London after moving around constantly. She sat at a small study desk and focused on the books all around her. A tapping sound from the window made her look up to find a brown owl tapping its full beak against the glass.
After opening the window the owl hopped inside and dropped a letter in front of her only to quickly fly away once its job was done. Rose picked up the letter only to be puzzled when the name on the front didn’t match her name.
A couple of hours later when the last person left the house, Rose ventured out of her room and headed straight to her father. He sat at the head of the dining table looking quite pleased. His once handsome features were now a thing of the past, replaced with waxy and reptilian features. He was in a much better mood now than he had been since he went back to Hogwarts to ask to be the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, only to be rejected by the new Headmaster Dumbledore.
“Ah! Little Thorn, what brings you down?” he asked noticing her at the door to the dining room.
“An owl came while you had guests, but it’s weird papa, it has someone else's name,” she told him and came closer when he motioned for her to come to him. She placed the letter in his hand before taking a seat next to him. She watched stoically as he read over the name and raised her brow when he laughed.
“This is you, Rose. At your birth, I wrote this name on your birth certificate to throw off the ministry and that oaf Dumbledore that you were my daughter” he told her and opened the letter, making sure that it was the formal acceptance letter. “You will begin your Schooling at Hogwarts in September” he stated and looked at Rose. “From now on you are Rowena Riley, when you get to school, as much as I want my child to follow in my footsteps and be in Slytherin, you must choose a different house, not Gryffindor,” he ordered seriously. “The older you get you resemble me more and more each day and Dumbledore will probably see the resemblance,”
“Ok papa,” Rose, now Rowena replied. Tom, now Voldemort, reached a claw-like hand and gently rubbed the top of his child's head. Rose closed her eyes and leaned into his hand.
***********
(Rose/Rowena - sept)
Rowena walked through the crowded station briskly, she avoided touching other people as they rushed by from train to train, behind her was a woman in her late 30s, she had potion-dyed black hair, to match Rowena’s own. The woman pushed a trolley with all of Rowena's belongings on it, Rowena seemingly forgo beginning a pet as there was no cage on top of her belongings.
They made their way to platforms 9 and 10 and without breaking, stride walked into a wall between the two pillars, they appeared on the other side where even more people got ready to send their children off. Rowena stopped walking and silently motioned for her stuff to be unloaded from the trolly.
“I know it’s going to be hard away from home Rowena, send us a letter if you start to feel lonely or anything, ok sweetheart?” the woman recited placing her hand on her shoulder and giving it a tight squeeze in a warning. Rowena fought the urge to shake off the woman's hand and backhand her for laying a hand on her, she forced a small Mona Lisa smile and looked back at the woman.
“I know, see you on the holidays” she replied quickly before shrugging off her hand and picking up her luggage and quickly got onto the train so she didn’t have to be in the woman's presents anymore.
She found a cabin unoccupied and quickly put her trunks in their place before flopping onto the seat, she chose a cabin opposite the platform so she didn’t have to look out the window and be seen by the woman. ‘Disgusting woman, she dared to touch me, me, the child of Voldemort’ she thought angrily before calming herself down, slouching back in her seat, after a few minutes she heard more people joining the carriage she was in and quickly pulled out a robe from her trunk and wrapped it around herself and pretended to be asleep so that when others joined her, she didn’t have to introduce herself.
By the time they reached Hogsmead Rowena changed out of her normal clothes and into her robes when the others that had been there leaving to get changed themselves. She followed the first years to the boats and they made their way like all first-years before them.
They were greeted by a teacher and taken to a small room to wait for their name to be called out for sorting. Rowena had to wait for a while before she was called and quickly made her way into the dining hall as she walked up to the sorting stool she looked over the teachers, there were several she noticed with a look of confusion as if they had seen her before. She turned to look at the rest of the students before sitting upon the sorting stool, she felt the hat be placed on her head and shivered as the sensation of it dug through her mind.
“Interesting, interesting” it whispered in her mind. “For one so young, your mind is quite mature. Perhaps Gryffindor?”
“Not Gryffindor,” she thought in reply.
“No? Oh Well,” it replied softly before she felt the hat move. “SLY-”
“Hufflepuff” she loudly interrupted the hat, making the students murmur in shock.
“What a surprise, is there a reason you chose other than what I was going to place you,” it asked out loud. Rowena shrugged and stayed silent, it wasn’t anyone's business why she did what she did.
“HUFFLEPUFF!” it called out before she felt the removal of the hat, she got off the stool and headed to the table where the students were clapping.
----------------------------------
(Rose/Rowena 1974)
The sound of footsteps echoed through the silence as Rose practically ran through the halls of Hogwarts, everywhere she looked there were dead students and teachers. Torn, empty and destroyed portraits littered the walls as she passed, her breath coming out in panicked gasps as she came to the staircase and began to make her way down, dodging bodies and broken stonework. Something caught her eyes in the reflection of a window as she turned from the stairs and looked at her own reflection, shocked she touched her face, an older version of herself, maybe 40 years old mimicked her movements. A loud boom pulled her from her reflection sending her off again, she didn't understand why she was running, her body seemed to be moving on its own. She burst through the doors of the castle to the courtyard just in time to be blinded by a ray of green light. Frozen in place her eyes took in the ruins, around her were more dead students and teachers, and at the other end of the courtyard was a large group of black-robed witches and wizards and in front of them was her father, they were all celebrating loudly, Rose's eyes landed on a small group of five dead students in the middle of the courtyard between the group and Rose, the three older ones huddled around the youngest two as if to protect them. At the sight of the children, Rose's vision began to blur as she once again began to move, running to the children and falling to her knees beside them, she tried to gather all of them into her arms as she let out a piercing scream of pain. Her cries of anguish didn't faze the celebrating group, some even laughed at her pain. Rose looked up and through her tears, she saw the disgust and rage in her father's eyes before everything went black and Rose fell over her children.
Rowena woke with a startle and looked around, she was once again inside a little pocket dimension she had created inside of an old book. Looking down at the table she had been laying her head on she found an open book she had been looking at before she fell into the vision. She found the book in her pocket after accidentally bumping into an old wizard in Hogsmead earlier that day. She remembered he was wearing a cloak that looked far older than possible, his hair as long and as white as snow with a matching beard too. She remembered that as he passed his robes had that curious smell to them too, though it wasn't bad, it was a curious scent. She had tried to find them again when she noticed the book but after failing she brought it back to school and into her pocket dimension.
Closing the book she traced the title of the cover with her hand as tears started to fall once more from her now determined eyes. "The Complete 7 Series of Harry Potter".
—--------------------------------
(Rose/Rowena 1975)
A group of five students sat in the shadow, at the bottom of a large tree, a curious mix of different houses and ages. One girl napped with her head on another girl's lap and the other fingers gently combed her black hair.
Rowena slowly woke up to hushed conversation around her. She had not long ago finished her OWLs for Defence Against the Dark Arts and decided to have a nap before the test for Transfiguration. For a moment she was confused as to how she ended up on the lap of one of her followers but put it out of her mind quickly. It had been five years since she started school and being away from her father taught her that there was more to the world than what her father offered. She still loved her father, and still scouted useful students for him to recruit but it wasn’t with gusto as it used to be.
“Oh no, looks like the ‘dynamic duo’ are at it again,” the girl Rowena was using as a pillow said sarcastically. Lila, Rowena remembered, was a 6th-year Ravenclaw with cherry blonde hair and a very voluptuous body, a large chest, skinny waist and thick hips. Rowena remembered meeting her by stopping her from getting assaulted by one of the 7th-year boys when she was in her 3rd year and Lila was in her 4th year, ever since she stuck happily to Rowena like glue.
“I wish those tossers would give the macho act a rest” a soft voice of a tiny 3rd year Gryffindor replied. Luka was a small effeminate boy, he looked almost like a girl and got confused as one quite often. Just like with Lila, Rowena happened to come across him being bullied and took him into her group to protect him.
“Oh look, here comes Evens, patron saint of doing fuck all to help but nag” twin voices echoed together, Mika and Markl were a pair of 4th-year Slytherin twins. Although they were fraternal female-male twins they dressed and acted as if they were both of the same genders, somedays they dressed in the girl's uniform other days in the male uniform. Many couldn’t tell them apart and played the “guess which one is which” game with Rowena, she got it right on the first go, gaining the twins as new members of her slowly growing group.
“So loud” Rowena uttered, lifting her wand out of her pocket and just as James and Sirius lifted Severus up off the ground they flew into the air as well. Now three students were raised in the air. All the students around stopped laughing and got really quiet the moment they saw who was keeping the struggling Gryffindors in the air.
“Let us down Riley,” Sirius threatened as her group laughed.
“Why? I thought this was how you have fun?” Rowena asked not moving from her comfy position. Sirius became flushed with embarrassment as he saw who she was using as a pillow, Lila, who laughed at him. Rowena flicked her wand and Severus was gently lowered back down to his feet.
“That’s enough Rowena, you have made your point,” Lily said trying to coach her to let go of the boys.
“Sure” Rowena flicked her wand again but instead of gently being lowered the two bullies went soaring into the lake. “Now everyone shut up, I’m trying to prepare for our next test, like the rest of you should be doing” she warned before lowering her wand back to the ground by her side and closing her eyes once more and listening to her group howl in laughter.
A young man in his mid 30’s stalked along a path, sitting on the hook of his arm at his side was a small female one-year-old toddler, the child laid her head on the man's shoulder with a thumb in her mouth while dozing sleepily. In his other hand, he held a bouquet of roses.
Coming to a wealthy house he had been to before many times, he knocked on the door gently. The door opened seemingly by itself and an older lady's voice called out for him to come in.
Walking in, the door quietly closed and a small elderly house-elf led him to a richly decorated parlour.
“Oh my, Tom! Who is that little one you have brought to my house?” A portly woman asked, she sat on an ornate sitting chair.
“I brought you flowers in apology for bringing her here today, Miss Hepzibah. This is my daughter Rose,” she told the lady, as she took the flowers from him, her ginger wig tilting slightly as she did.
“I didn’t know you were married, Tom. Lucky woman,” she said and ushered him to sit down, as he did the child made a soft noise before falling asleep again.
“I’m not, her mother didn’t survive the pregnancy” Tom replied and frowned as if it bothered him.
“Poor dear” she replied as the house-elf came back into the room with a tray of little cakes. “Help yourself, Tom, I know how you love my cakes, perhaps when the little one wake you can give her one as well” she cooed. Tom smiled at her and picked up one of the cakes. “So, what’s your excuse for visiting this time?” She asked batting her eyelashes.
“Mr Burke would like to make an improved offer for the goblin-made armour,” Tom began. “Five hundred galleons, he feels it is more than fair-”
“Now, now, not so fast, or I’ll think you're only here for my trinkets” Hepzibah pouted, cutting him off.
“I am ordered here because of them,” Tom replied quietly and looked down at his child. “I am only a poor assistant and single father, madam, who must do as he is told. Mr Burke wishes me to enquire-”
“Oh, Mr Burke, phooey!” Hepzibah interrupted again, waving her hand a little. “He should be giving you a raise for all your hard work” she added before she sat up straighter and smiled brightly with an idea. “I’ll show you something Tom that I’ve never shown Mr Burk!, Can you keep it a secret, Tom? Will you promise you won’t tell Mr Burke I’ve got it? He’s never let me rest if he knew I’d shown it to you, and I’m not selling, not to burke, not to anyone! But you, Tom, you’ll appreciate it for its history, not how many Galleons you can get for it.”
“I’d be glad to see anything Miss Hepzibah shows me,” Tom replied quietly making Hepzibah giggle girlishly before ordering her house-elf to get it. The elf appeared with two leather boxes, one on top of the other.
“Now, I think you’ll like this, Tom… Oh, if my family knew I was showing you… They can’t wait to get their hands on this” She laughed and took one of the boxes, she opened the lid and tilted the box for Tom to see a small golden cup with two finely wrought handles. “I wonder whether you know what it is, Tom? Pick it up, Have a good look!” whispered Hepzibah, Tom stretched out his free hand and gently picked it up, bringing it closer to his greedy gaze. A soft coo, sighed close by before a small chubby hand came into view, trying to touch what he held. He pulled the cup away from the hand and looked down as Rose let out a disappointed grunt before sticking her thumb back into her mouth. He turned back to the cup and noticed an engraving.
“A badger,” he murmured. “Then this was…?”
“Helga Hufflepuffs, as you very well know, you clever boy!” Hepzibah said, leaning forward with a loud creaking of her corsets and pinched his cheek. “Didn’t I tell you I was distantly descended? This has been handed down in the family for years and years. Lovely, isn’t it? And all sorts of powers it’s supposed to possess too, but I haven't tested them thoroughly, I just keep it nice and safe in here…”
She reclaimed the cup from his grip and turned to put it away, the only one who saw his murderous gaze was the child in his arm. Hepzibah switched the box with the second one and had the elf take the first away.
“Now then,” Hepzibah said happily, “Lean in a little, dear boy, so you can see… Of course, Burke knows I’ve got this one, I bought it from him, and I daresay he’d love to get it back when I’m gone…”
She opened the clasp of the box. There, upon the smooth crimson velvet lay a heavy golden locket. Tom Reached over without prompting and lifted it out of the box by the clasp and held it up to the light.
“Slytherins mark,” he said quietly, as the light played upon an ornate, serpentine S.
“That’s right!” Hepzibah exclaimed, delighted at the sight of Tom gazing at her locket, transfixed. “I had to pay an arm and a leg for it, but I couldn’t let it pass, not a real treasure like that, had to have it for my collection. Burke bought it, apparently from a ragged-looking woman who seemed to have stolen it, but had no idea of its true value-” Tom’s eyes darkened at the mention of the women. “I daresay Burke paid her a pittance but there you are… pretty isn’t it? And again, all kinds of powers attributed to it, though I just keep it nice and safe”
Hepzibah took the necklace back, missing the way Tom's fingers twitched as if to grab hold of it tightly. She placed it back into its box and once again had her elf take it away.
“So there you are, tom, dear and I hope you enjoyed that!” she looked back at him, and her smile faltered. “Are you alright, dear?”
“Oh yes,” Tom replied quietly. “Though I think it’s time to leave, of Rose will get fussy” he replied and stood up. Hepzibah tried to get him to stay but was silenced when the baby in his arms shared to restlessly wiggle and let out a cry.
Tom left the house quickly and as he walked rubbed the head of his child. “Very good, Little Thorn, you did your father proud, being so quiet. Don’t worry, I’ll get you a cup and a necklace for your birthday” he cooed softly with a dark grin and laugh.
Two days later Hepzibah was found dead and Tom quit his job before he and his child disappeared without a trace.
-----------------------------------------------
(Rose/Rowena 1967)
In the dim light of a candlelit room, a young girl of about seven stood staring at the figure of an older man tied up at the other end of the room. A Dark shadow appeared behind her and with pale hands pulled her black hair out of the way and tied it back with a thin cord.
“Remember what I have taught you, Little Thorn,” the shadow spoke behind her.
“Yes Papa,” she replied trying not to let her voice shake from nervousness. She took a deep breath before raising her right hand, in it she held a long wand that the man behind her gave her.
“Last time you showed me a very promising Imperius Curse. This time you will show me how you can handle the Cruciatus Curse” her father said darkly, placing his hands on her shoulders. “To successfully perform this curse, simply uttering the incantation is not enough; the wizard or witch needs to possess a deep desire to cause the victim pain and to take great pleasure in their suffering. Now show that to me, Little Thorn” he uttered.
“Yes Papa,” the young girl whispered and focused on the man before her. “Crucio”. Just as she cast the spell she as well as the man began to scream, her body shook under her father's hands for a minute before her father quickly knocked the wand out of her hands, effectively cutting off the spell and swiftly catching her in his arms as she passed out. Looking down at the girl her father saw blood leaking from her nose, eyes, ears and a small trickle from the corner of her mouth.
“Avada Kedavra” the man called out, from his wand a bright green light lit up the room to hit the captive man in the chest, killing him instantly. He swept his daughter into his arms and carried her out of the door and up some stairs, he took her to a well-lit bedroom and gently placed her on a bed before beginning to clean up the blood on her face. “It seems, Little Thorn, that the Dark Arts are unsuitable for you. No matter, I planned for this the moment you were born,” he whispered to the sleeping child. “Sleep well Rose my child, tomorrow your training intensifies,”
-----------------------------------------------
(Rose/Rowena 1971 - July)
Laughter and talking rubbled through the closed door of Rose’s bedroom. Downstairs her father had people in the dining room. Whenever there were people around Rose locked herself away so that people wouldn’t realise that she was there.
She and her father had moved back to London after moving around constantly. She sat at a small study desk and focused on the books all around her. A tapping sound from the window made her look up to find a brown owl tapping its full beak against the glass.
After opening the window the owl hopped inside and dropped a letter in front of her only to quickly fly away once its job was done. Rose picked up the letter only to be puzzled when the name on the front didn’t match her name.
A couple of hours later when the last person left the house, Rose ventured out of her room and headed straight to her father. He sat at the head of the dining table looking quite pleased. His once handsome features were now a thing of the past, replaced with waxy and reptilian features. He was in a much better mood now than he had been since he went back to Hogwarts to ask to be the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, only to be rejected by the new Headmaster Dumbledore.
“Ah! Little Thorn, what brings you down?” he asked noticing her at the door to the dining room.
“An owl came while you had guests, but it’s weird papa, it has someone else's name,” she told him and came closer when he motioned for her to come to him. She placed the letter in his hand before taking a seat next to him. She watched stoically as he read over the name and raised her brow when he laughed.
“This is you, Rose. At your birth, I wrote this name on your birth certificate to throw off the ministry and that oaf Dumbledore that you were my daughter” he told her and opened the letter, making sure that it was the formal acceptance letter. “You will begin your Schooling at Hogwarts in September” he stated and looked at Rose. “From now on you are Rowena Riley, when you get to school, as much as I want my child to follow in my footsteps and be in Slytherin, you must choose a different house, not Gryffindor,” he ordered seriously. “The older you get you resemble me more and more each day and Dumbledore will probably see the resemblance,”
“Ok papa,” Rose, now Rowena replied. Tom, now Voldemort, reached a claw-like hand and gently rubbed the top of his child's head. Rose closed her eyes and leaned into his hand.
***********
(Rose/Rowena - sept)
Rowena walked through the crowded station briskly, she avoided touching other people as they rushed by from train to train, behind her was a woman in her late 30s, she had potion-dyed black hair, to match Rowena’s own. The woman pushed a trolley with all of Rowena's belongings on it, Rowena seemingly forgo beginning a pet as there was no cage on top of her belongings.
They made their way to platforms 9 and 10 and without breaking, stride walked into a wall between the two pillars, they appeared on the other side where even more people got ready to send their children off. Rowena stopped walking and silently motioned for her stuff to be unloaded from the trolly.
“I know it’s going to be hard away from home Rowena, send us a letter if you start to feel lonely or anything, ok sweetheart?” the woman recited placing her hand on her shoulder and giving it a tight squeeze in a warning. Rowena fought the urge to shake off the woman's hand and backhand her for laying a hand on her, she forced a small Mona Lisa smile and looked back at the woman.
“I know, see you on the holidays” she replied quickly before shrugging off her hand and picking up her luggage and quickly got onto the train so she didn’t have to be in the woman's presents anymore.
She found a cabin unoccupied and quickly put her trunks in their place before flopping onto the seat, she chose a cabin opposite the platform so she didn’t have to look out the window and be seen by the woman. ‘Disgusting woman, she dared to touch me, me, the child of Voldemort’ she thought angrily before calming herself down, slouching back in her seat, after a few minutes she heard more people joining the carriage she was in and quickly pulled out a robe from her trunk and wrapped it around herself and pretended to be asleep so that when others joined her, she didn’t have to introduce herself.
By the time they reached Hogsmead Rowena changed out of her normal clothes and into her robes when the others that had been there leaving to get changed themselves. She followed the first years to the boats and they made their way like all first-years before them.
They were greeted by a teacher and taken to a small room to wait for their name to be called out for sorting. Rowena had to wait for a while before she was called and quickly made her way into the dining hall as she walked up to the sorting stool she looked over the teachers, there were several she noticed with a look of confusion as if they had seen her before. She turned to look at the rest of the students before sitting upon the sorting stool, she felt the hat be placed on her head and shivered as the sensation of it dug through her mind.
“Interesting, interesting” it whispered in her mind. “For one so young, your mind is quite mature. Perhaps Gryffindor?”
“Not Gryffindor,” she thought in reply.
“No? Oh Well,” it replied softly before she felt the hat move. “SLY-”
“Hufflepuff” she loudly interrupted the hat, making the students murmur in shock.
“What a surprise, is there a reason you chose other than what I was going to place you,” it asked out loud. Rowena shrugged and stayed silent, it wasn’t anyone's business why she did what she did.
“HUFFLEPUFF!” it called out before she felt the removal of the hat, she got off the stool and headed to the table where the students were clapping.
----------------------------------
(Rose/Rowena 1974)
The sound of footsteps echoed through the silence as Rose practically ran through the halls of Hogwarts, everywhere she looked there were dead students and teachers. Torn, empty and destroyed portraits littered the walls as she passed, her breath coming out in panicked gasps as she came to the staircase and began to make her way down, dodging bodies and broken stonework. Something caught her eyes in the reflection of a window as she turned from the stairs and looked at her own reflection, shocked she touched her face, an older version of herself, maybe 40 years old mimicked her movements. A loud boom pulled her from her reflection sending her off again, she didn't understand why she was running, her body seemed to be moving on its own. She burst through the doors of the castle to the courtyard just in time to be blinded by a ray of green light. Frozen in place her eyes took in the ruins, around her were more dead students and teachers, and at the other end of the courtyard was a large group of black-robed witches and wizards and in front of them was her father, they were all celebrating loudly, Rose's eyes landed on a small group of five dead students in the middle of the courtyard between the group and Rose, the three older ones huddled around the youngest two as if to protect them. At the sight of the children, Rose's vision began to blur as she once again began to move, running to the children and falling to her knees beside them, she tried to gather all of them into her arms as she let out a piercing scream of pain. Her cries of anguish didn't faze the celebrating group, some even laughed at her pain. Rose looked up and through her tears, she saw the disgust and rage in her father's eyes before everything went black and Rose fell over her children.
Rowena woke with a startle and looked around, she was once again inside a little pocket dimension she had created inside of an old book. Looking down at the table she had been laying her head on she found an open book she had been looking at before she fell into the vision. She found the book in her pocket after accidentally bumping into an old wizard in Hogsmead earlier that day. She remembered he was wearing a cloak that looked far older than possible, his hair as long and as white as snow with a matching beard too. She remembered that as he passed his robes had that curious smell to them too, though it wasn't bad, it was a curious scent. She had tried to find them again when she noticed the book but after failing she brought it back to school and into her pocket dimension.
Closing the book she traced the title of the cover with her hand as tears started to fall once more from her now determined eyes. "The Complete 7 Series of Harry Potter".
—--------------------------------
(Rose/Rowena 1975)
A group of five students sat in the shadow, at the bottom of a large tree, a curious mix of different houses and ages. One girl napped with her head on another girl's lap and the other fingers gently combed her black hair.
Rowena slowly woke up to hushed conversation around her. She had not long ago finished her OWLs for Defence Against the Dark Arts and decided to have a nap before the test for Transfiguration. For a moment she was confused as to how she ended up on the lap of one of her followers but put it out of her mind quickly. It had been five years since she started school and being away from her father taught her that there was more to the world than what her father offered. She still loved her father, and still scouted useful students for him to recruit but it wasn’t with gusto as it used to be.
“Oh no, looks like the ‘dynamic duo’ are at it again,” the girl Rowena was using as a pillow said sarcastically. Lila, Rowena remembered, was a 6th-year Ravenclaw with cherry blonde hair and a very voluptuous body, a large chest, skinny waist and thick hips. Rowena remembered meeting her by stopping her from getting assaulted by one of the 7th-year boys when she was in her 3rd year and Lila was in her 4th year, ever since she stuck happily to Rowena like glue.
“I wish those tossers would give the macho act a rest” a soft voice of a tiny 3rd year Gryffindor replied. Luka was a small effeminate boy, he looked almost like a girl and got confused as one quite often. Just like with Lila, Rowena happened to come across him being bullied and took him into her group to protect him.
“Oh look, here comes Evens, patron saint of doing fuck all to help but nag” twin voices echoed together, Mika and Markl were a pair of 4th-year Slytherin twins. Although they were fraternal female-male twins they dressed and acted as if they were both of the same genders, somedays they dressed in the girl's uniform other days in the male uniform. Many couldn’t tell them apart and played the “guess which one is which” game with Rowena, she got it right on the first go, gaining the twins as new members of her slowly growing group.
“So loud” Rowena uttered, lifting her wand out of her pocket and just as James and Sirius lifted Severus up off the ground they flew into the air as well. Now three students were raised in the air. All the students around stopped laughing and got really quiet the moment they saw who was keeping the struggling Gryffindors in the air.
“Let us down Riley,” Sirius threatened as her group laughed.
“Why? I thought this was how you have fun?” Rowena asked not moving from her comfy position. Sirius became flushed with embarrassment as he saw who she was using as a pillow, Lila, who laughed at him. Rowena flicked her wand and Severus was gently lowered back down to his feet.
“That’s enough Rowena, you have made your point,” Lily said trying to coach her to let go of the boys.
“Sure” Rowena flicked her wand again but instead of gently being lowered the two bullies went soaring into the lake. “Now everyone shut up, I’m trying to prepare for our next test, like the rest of you should be doing” she warned before lowering her wand back to the ground by her side and closing her eyes once more and listening to her group howl in laughter.