• • •
I don't rise from the ashes,
I make them
• • •
"Happy birthday, Rose." A whisper filled the red-head's ears. Rose turned her body towards the voice, she hadn't slept all night so she was wide awake. As she turned, she saw Savannah standing besides Rose's bed with a wrapped blue box and a huge smile.
"Thank you," Rose breathed, taking the box Savannah had handed her. "You didn't have to get me anything, Sav."
"I know," Savannah shrugged, sitting on Rose's bed. "But I wanted to."
Rose smiled, lifting the lid of the box. Inside there was a mascara, a black eyeliner, and what seemed to be a very light shade of lipstick.
"It's not much," Savannah said. "But I do hope you like it."
"I love it, Savannah, I really do." Rose assured the girl, fiddling with her brand new eyeliner.
"Looks like I'm not the only one wishing you a happy birthday," Savannah joked as various tappings went off by the window. Rose recognized The Weasley's owl, Errol, her own owl, Jamsie, Percy's owl, Hermes, Charlie's owl, Nova, and Adrian Pucey's owl, Calypso.
Savannah opened the door for the owls, which immediately perched themselves on the end of Rose's bed. Errol left a small red box, Hermes left a stack of books wrapped in a red ribbon, Nova left a brown bag, and Calypso left a huge large package neatly wrapped in forest green wrapping paper.
"What is that?" Savannah asked, pointing at the package Calypso had left in the bed. Rose's mind was already swirling with ideas, her mouth forming a huge gin, her hands reaching over to tear the paper off the Adrian's present.
Rose gasped once she saw the present, it was a broom, but it was unlike any other she had ever seen, it was black and silver with revolving stirrups and it said Nimbus 2001 on the sides.
"Bloody hell!" Rose cheered, stroking the broom. "This isn't even out in the market yet!"
Savannah still looked confused. "Why would someone send you a broom?"
Rose looked back at Savannah, and understood that she might think that Rose's friends were weird for sending a broom to Rose.
"It's a racing broom," Rose explained. "It's for a sport called quidditch."
"Oh," Savannah nodded.
Rose proceeded to open the rest of the presents, she got a snitch charm for her bracelet from The Weasleys Anne and Lee, books about magical creatures from Percy, and a dragon trainer's jumper from Charlie. She loved each and every present she got, but she was most amazed by Adrian's, who she was positive wouldn't send her such a bug and expensive present.
As the day rolled around, Savannah and Rose stayed in their bedroom all day, they ate a quiet dinner with the Lightbourns, and by nightfall Rose packed her trunk.
As Rose got ready on the morning of the 15th of July, there was an anxious knock on the bedroom door.
"Come in, Auntie Marisse!" Savannah, who was braiding Rose's hair while she put on her new makeup on, called at the door.
The door creaked open and Marisse Lightbourn poked her head inside the room.
"Rose?" The woman began, looking directly into the redhead's eyes. "You have visitors."
"Oh," Rose said calmly. "I'll be there in a minute, mother."
"Hurry," Marisse said sternly before she shut the bedroom door.
"You're leaving again." Savannah stated, tying Rose's french braids with an elastic.
"You know I have to, Sav," Rose sighed, putting her last bit of luggage into her trunk before closing it shut.
"But so soon?" The spanish girl pressed.
"I'll see you next summer, yeah?" Rose smiled sadly as she hugged Savannah tightly.
Rose and Savannah walked into the Lightbourn's sitting room only to encounter Amara, Avalon, and a lady with long black hair and dark brown eyes just like Amara's and Avalon's, she was dressed in a dark blue robe. Marisse and Robert Lightbourn were sitting stiffly on the couch opposite to the Morgenstern's.
"Hello, dear," the woman greatted Rose the second she walked in, standing up from her seat as she did so. "I'm Seraphina Morgenstern."
'I knew that,' Rose thought, but instead she reached out her hand to the woman.
"Rose Lightbourn, Mrs Morgenstern." Rose said as she shaked Seraphina's hand.
"We can't have that, can we?" Seraphina tutted. "Your name is 'Rose Potter', embrace it."
Seraphina's voice sounded so demanding but at the same time so. . . motherly? It made Rose want to stand up straight and nod, but at the same time it made her want to made the woman proud somehow.
"Take a seat next to Avalon and Amara whilst I have a word with your parents, Rose." Seraphina said as she extended her arm towards the seat next to Amara. Rose nodded her head, taking the seat and sending a questioning look to Amara who merely nodded in her mother's direction.
"Marisse, Robert, thank you so much for caring and protecting our Rose," Seraphina started as she gave the two muggles a charming smile. "We will be forever grateful."
Rose pursed her lips.
'They were horrible to me!' She wanted to yell, but she kept her mouth shut. Savannah, on the other side of the room, looked like she wanted to say something too.
"She will not be coming back here, I assume," Robert grunted.
"Only if she wishes to," Seraphina said gently, turning to Rose for a second before turning back to Robert and Marisse. "You two raised her, afterall."
"I'm good, thank you." Rose muttered, glaring at Robert.
"Don't you want to come back to your parents sometime, Rose?" Amara, who had been quiet up to that point, asked.
Rose turned her head gently to Amara, ignoring the piercing glares that Robert and Marisse were trying to burn though her skin.
"My parents are dead, Amara," Rose said as she turned her head back to the Lighbourns. "The people sitting in front of me aren't my parents."
"Do you not love them?" Avalon asked, exchanging looks with his mother and sister.
Rose's body went stiff, she felt a strand of her hair change to white and she only hoped that the charm that she placed on her eyes was still working.
'Don't make a scene, Rosie!' A part of her head begged.
'Do it, Rose,' the dark side of her thoughts ordered. 'They deserve to suffer! After all they put us through! We will not be coming back!'
"I feel no love for the people who raised me." Rose confessed, she wouldn't be coming back after all.
• • •
The three Morgensterns and Rose arrived at a big black Manor after apparating from Edale. Rose had promised to come back every summer to visit Savannah, but that was it. Rose followed the family into the house, it was as big on the inside as it in the outside. There was a long staircase in the middle of the entrance room and hallways over all the room.
"Like it?" Amara whispered once she saw the amazed look on Rose's face.
"Yeah," Rose breathed, admiring the wallpaper on the walls.
"Clean yourselves up for dinner, we're having guests." Seraphina said from the top of the stairs, Rose hadn't even seen her go up. Seraphina the turned to Rose directly. "They will be the first family in the wizarding world to meet you officially, Rose. Oh, and one of the house-elves will walk you to your bedroom."
"Yes, mother." Amara and Avalon responded, nodding their heads as they did so before they disappear into different hallways.
"Wait, Mrs Morgenstern!" Rose called as Seraphina began to walk away.
"You don't need to call me that, dear," Seraphina tutted. "Call me Aunt Seraphina. Now, what is it?"
"I was wondering," Rose began as she twirled her a hem of loose threat of her jumper in her hand. "If you are my aunt, was my dad your brother?"
Seraphina's expression turned sad before she smiled at Rose. "I was James's sworn sister, the Potter's adopted me when my parents died, just like yours."
"Oh," Rose mumbled. "Right, sorry."
"Don't you worry, Rose," Seraphina assured Rose, the woman then snapped her fingers and a house-elf with big brown eyes appeared on her side. "Rose, this is Tilly she will be your house-elf."
"Thank you, Mrs- er- Aunt Seraphina." Rose stuttered, straightening her back.
"Of course," Seraphina replied before she turned on her heel and into the back of the staircase.
• • •
Rose had given so many turns around corners and gone up so many different stairs that she was sure that she could never find her way back to the entrance, but Tilly, the house-elf, assured Rose that she would know her way perfectly by the end of the summer.
Eventually they reached a big wooden door and as they went through it Rose knew it was for her. There were Gryffindors posters draped on the walls with a huge four-poster bed tucked with Gryffindor red covers. A huge cabinet was filled with wizarding robes, silk dresses, shoes, button ups, skirts, you name it, the cabinet had it.
A dressing table was set besides the cabinet, and as Rose opened it's drawers she found an immense collection of cosmetics and hair brushes as well as accessories inside it.
"Tilly will run Mistress Rose a bath," The house-elf spoke for the first time. "Tilly will also choose Mistress's dress and shoes, then Tilly will do Mistress's hair and makeup."
"Oh- er- alright. Thank you, Tilly." Rose thanked the house-elf as she walked towards the bed and laid her bags and trunk on the floor.
A couple of minutes later Tilly came back announcing that the bath was ready, the house-elf insisted on helping Rose wash but the young Gryffindor insisted that she could do it herself. The bath smelled, ironically, like dried Roses and Lavenders mixed with. . . honey?
Once Rose was done, and she had finished up moisturizing her skin, she realised that her fair skin never seemed to be as soft as it was in that moment, and even her dark red hair seemed to be soft and glowing under the lights of the bathroom.
Tilly had laid a beautiful Gryffindor red silk dress on Rose's bed with a note that read 'call Tilly when Mistress dresses!'
Rose slipped into the dress and called for Tilly, who came in the room again with a tray laid with tea and small apple tarts. Tilly made Rose sit down in front of the mirror as the house-elf worked on the hair makeup. Tilly tied Rose's hair half up with loose braids and the other half curled down her spine. Rose had to say she was impressed with the make-up which consisted of a fair pink blush over her cheek bones, a tiny winged black eyeliner, soft golden eyelids, and her natural red glossy lips.
Not long after Tilly was finished a knock sounded through the room.
"Come in!" Rose called at the door. It was Amara, she wore a similar Gryffindor red dress, but hers was strapless and her make-up was much heavier, her hair was tied up in a bun on the top of her head with large earrings danglings from her ears.
"You cleaned up nicely," Amara said cheekly from the door.
"Likewise!" Rose commented. "Is it time?"
"Yup!" Amara responded signaling to the door. "After you!"
Rose thanked Tilly for everything before going back to the maze that was the Morgenstern manor. But again, after what felt like a million turns, both Gryffindors reached a room which Amara called 'The dining table'. The faint sound of voices could be heard from the outside of the room.
"Ready?" Grinned Amara as she held the handle of the double doors in her hands.
Rose took a deep breath before saying, "It's now or never."
"That's the Gryffindor courage, cousin!" Amara cheered as she let the double door fly open dramatically.
The chatter from the room died immediately when all eyes met the almighty Rose Potter, and Rose nearly choked on her spit when that happened.
"Rose?!"
"Adrian?!"