• • •
How do you kill a monster,
without becoming one?
• • •
Rose Potter didn't know what she was getting herself into when she promised Adrian Pucey she wouldn't pretend with him. The old Rose, the one her friends knew, was a mess of a girl who set things on fire sometimes. And it was true that she had changed ever since becoming the world famous Rose Potter, but that didn't mean she wanted to.
Adrian and Rose entered the broomsticks once more, both with big smiles on their faces. Their conversation had gone back into a comfortable one, both of them enjoying the small moments they had.
Unknown to Rose, McGonagall and Flitwick had entered only a few seconds before them, quickly followed by Hagrid and Cornelius Fudge.
"Alright, Ronnie, Hermione," Rose greeted the third year Gryffindors as Adrian fetched a table. Ron and Hermione, both with stunned and nervous expressions in their faces turned to Rose.
"Hullo, Rosie," Ron said, his voice cracking.
"Are you alright, Ron?" Rose asked, laughing slightly.
"Course I am," Ron answered, his hands under the table as if he was hiding something.
"Er- Rose, where's Cedric?" Hermione asked, changing the topic. "Haven't seen you around without him in Hogsmeade lately."
"Back in the castle, I reckon," Rose snorted, pointing at Adrian. "I'm paying off a bet, reckon you heard about it."
Ron's face turned into realisation, nodding his head rapidly. "Right, right. I heard Ginny talking about it a few days ago."
"Alright then," Rose said, turning back to Adrian. "See you around, you two."
As Rose walked back to her table, Ron and Hermione let out a deep sigh, still pushing Harry under the table.
"Blimey," Ron gasped, spotting who Rose was sitting with. "That's Adrian Pucey."
"Who?" Harry asked, trying to peek a glance at whoever his sister was sitting with.
"Harry, keep your head down," Hermione hissed, pushing Harry further into the table. "Put on the coat."
"It's already on," Harry muttered at her. "Ron, who's Adrian Pucey? I thought Rose was going out with Cedric Diggory."
"You don't reckon she's cheating on Cedric, do you?" Hermione inquired in a low voice.
"It's Rose," Harry said quickly. "She wouldn't do that."
"Well," Ron quaked. "She is sitting with Adrian Pucey."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked angrily.
"Look, mate," Ron began nervously. "I don't know if I should tell you, but she's your sister so you might as well find out now."
"Spit it out, Ronald," Hermione urged, glancing at the Professor's table, making sure they weren't suspicious.
"Alright, alright," Ron gulped, fiddling with his fingers. "Adrian Pucey used to go out with Rose when they were about our age."
"Ron, that was ages ago," Hermione realised.
"I'm not done," Ron said, placing both hands in the table. "The thing is, they never told anyone. Rose never even told Fred and George, but when they found out Rose had a huge fight with Fred. Everyone thought they weren't going to be friends anymore," Ron explained. "Anyhow, they broke up on their fourth year. But when we left for summer holidays, Rose met up with Pucey and Amara Morgenstern, Rose and Pucey snogged and he told her he loved her when she had her coming into society party."
"And, how do you know all of this?" Hermione asked sceptically, not fully believing the ginger. "Did she told you?"
"I'm getting to that," Ron urged, glancing at Rose before looking back to Hermione. "When they broke up, Rose had it pretty rough. But they never spoke about any of it. George told me that Rose had made a bet with Pucey, and when she lost, he had to go out with her."
"Didn't you say Ginny told you?" Harry wondered from under the table, loud enough only for them to hear.
"That's just it," Ron remarked. "Ginny told me Rose lost of purpose. Rose would probably never admit it, but she hates loosing more than anything, she can't stand it. So when Ginny asked her about it, Rose confessed that she lost on purpose."
"And you're only telling us about this now?" Hermione asked angrily.
"I didn't think it was important," Ron said guiltily. "I never imagined she would through with the bet."
"So," Harry began, stunned about he had just learned about his sister. "Rose is cheating on Cedric."
"I don't think so, Harry," Ron added. "It's like you said, she wouldn't do that. Besides, Ginny told me Rose is really fond of Cedric. I don't know if you've noticed, Harry, but Rose isn't fond of everyone."
• • •
As Rose and Adrian chattered lightly, Professor Mcgonagall approached the couple with a frown on her face.
"Miss Potter, Mr. Pucey, lovely to see you here today," Mcgonagall said, smiling at both of them.
"Hello, Professor," Rose smiled back. "Is something wrong?"
"Miss Potter, may I have a word?" Mcgonagall said, not fooling around and getting straight to the point.
"Of course," Rose said instantly, standing from the table. "Adrian, i'll be right back."
"Miss Potter, we need to discuss Sirius Black," Mcgonagall said, sitting Rose besides Cornelius Fudge and Hagrid.
"Ello, there, Rosie," Hagrid greeted the red head, smiling up at her. However, Rose couldn't find it in her to smile back, she was too in shock with what Mcgonagall had just said.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Potter," Fudge said, shaking Rose's hands.
"You too," she mumbled, clearing her throat and looking up to Mcgonagall exceptionally.
"Miss Potter, we'll tell you a story today," Mcgonagall began. "The story of how your parents died, and who was at fault that day."
"I know who was at fault, Professor," Rose said, swallowing the lump that had grown in her throat. "It was you-know-who."
"No, Rose," Mcgonagall said with pity. "He wasn't the only one who was at fault."
"Do you know, I still have trouble believing it," said Madam Rosmerta thoughtfully. "Of all the people to go over to the Dark side, Sirius Black was the last I'd have thought ... I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts. If you'd told me then what he was going to become, I'd have said you'd had too much mead."
"Listen closely, Rose," Hagrid said, chugging the cup he was holding.
"You don't know the half of it, Rosmerta," said Fudge gruffly. "The worst he did isn't widely known."
"The worst?" said Madam Rosmerta, her voice alive with curiosity. "Worse than murdering all those poor people, you mean?"
"Professor, I already know all of this," Rose intervened, her voice cracking.
"Minerva, are you certain we should tell her?" Fudge asked, ignoring Rose.
"Yes, Cornelius," Mcgonagall said. "Tell her."
Rose was too stunned to speak, she was sure that if she spoke, the flubber worms in her stomach would becoming into vomit on the floor.
"What could possibly be worse than murdering those muggles?" Rosemerta asked.
"You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta," murmured Professor McGonagall. "Do you remember who his best friend was?"
"Naturally"' said Madam Rosmerta, with a small laugh. "Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here – ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!"
McGonagall placed an arm on Rose as her eyes turned blue, filling themselves with tears. Still, she didn't speak.
"Precisely," said Professor McGonagall. "Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course – exceptionally bright, in fact – but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers –"
"I dunno," chuckled Hagrid. "Fred and George Weasley could give 'em a run fer their money. We've got one of those little troublemakers right here!"
Hagrid patted Rose in the back, but she still couldn't get through what she was hearing.
"You'd have thought Black and Potter were brothers!" chimed in Professor Flitwick. "Inseparable!"
'Brothers,' Rose thought. They were brothers.
"Of course they were," said Fudge. "Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they named him godfather to Harry. Harry has no idea, of course. You can imagine how the idea would torment him."
"Hold on," Rose intervened for the first time. "Sirius Black is my brother's godfather?"
"Sit tight, Miss Potter," Fudge said, giving her a pity look.
"Because Black turned out to be in league with You-Know-Who?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.
"Worse even than that, m'dear ..." Fudge dropped his voice and proceeded in a sort of low rumble. "Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted James and Lily at once. He advised them to go into hiding. Well, of course, You-Know-Who wasn't an easy person to hide from. Dumbledore told them that their best chance was the Fidelius Charm, and that is how they went into hiding."
"How does that work?" said Madam Rosmerta, breathless with interest. Professor Flitwick cleared his throat.
"An immensely complex spell," he said squeakily, "involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, or Secret Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find – unless, of course, the Secret Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the Secret Keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily and James were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting-room window!"
"So Black was the Potters' Secret Keeper?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.
"No," Rose whispered quietly.
"Naturally," said Professor McGonagall. "James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would die rather than tell where they were, that Black was planning to go into hiding himself ... and yet, Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be the Potters' Secret Keeper himself."
"He suspected Black?" gasped Madam Rosmerta.
"He was sure that somebody close to the Potters had been keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements," said Professor McGonagall darkly. "Indeed, he had suspected for some time that someone on our side had turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who."
"But James Potter insisted on using Black?"
"He did," said Fudge heavily. "And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed –"
"He betrayed us" breathed Rose, horrified.
"He did indeed. Black was tired of his double-agent role, he was ready to declare his support openly for You-Know-Who, and he seems to have planned this for the moment of your family's death. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall in your brother, little Harry Potter. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled. And this left Black in a very nasty position indeed. His Master had fallen at the very moment when he, Black, had shown his true colours as a traitor. He had no choice but to run for it –"
"Filthy, stinkin' turncoat!" Hagrid said, so loudly that half the bar went quiet.
"Shh!" said Professor McGonagall.
"I met him!" growled Hagrid. "I musta bin the last ter see him before he killed all them people! It was me what rescued Harry from Lily an' James's house after they was killed! I looked for Rose, but she wasn't there! Jus' got him outta the ruins, poor little thing, with a great slash across his forehead, an' his parents dead ... an' Sirius Black turns up, on that flyin' motorbike he used ter ride. Never occurred ter me what he was doin' there. I didn' know he'd bin Lily an' James's Secret Keeper. Thought he'd jus' heard the news o' You-Know-Who's attack an' come ter see what he could do. White an' shakin', he was. An' yeh know what I did? I COMFORTED THE MURDERIN' TRAITOR!" Hagrid roared.
"Hagrid, please!" said Professor McGonagall. "Keep your voice down!"
"How did he look?" Rose sniffed.
"I-"
"Please tell me how he looked?" Rose cried louder.
"Black hair, gray eyes, pale skin," Rosmerta listed, as if she had just seen them a few days before.
"I can't listen anymore," Rose confessed, standing from her chair with her breathing ragged. "I'm sorry, professor, I can't. I don't believe you, I can't."
"Miss Potter, what are you talking about?" McGonagall asked, confused.
"He's the man who got me out of the house," Rose whispered, her eyes were red and tears wouldn't stop spilling. "I have to go."
"Rose, dear, you have to be here for the next part," Fudge said, trying to make her stay.
"No," she said finally. "There's someone I need to talk to."
And with that, the old Rose Potter was back.