Rose receives letters every day from Harry over the break confirming he hasn't been attacked and that he's still alright. He mentions that Malfoy doesn't know who the heir is but confirmed the theory about this creature attacking muggle-borns.
As sick as it was to say, Harry should be alright. He was a half-blood by blood-supremacy standards, with his father being pure-blooded. He and Ron needed to band together and keep Hermione safe.
And things were better for a moment. From January to May, Harry continually said he was safe. There hasn't been any more petrification since Christmas and he and his friends were getting closer in their investigations.
Then, in May, the news comes about Hermione and another muggleborn, Penelope Clearwater. They had been in the library and both were petrified at the same time.
At this point, Rose is ready to tell Albus he needs to shut the school down. They've had countless attacks on students, it wasn't safe for them anymore.
But all of the tension cultivates one final time at the end of May when Rose receives another letter from the school.
This letter tells her that Harry was involved in a skirmish with a basilisk and some evil form of Voldemort, away he tried to prolong his life.
They tell her that Harry is fine and all of the students have been reanimated with Mandrake plants, the only real injury came to Gilderoy Lockhart.
Finally, when Rose knows for a fact Harry will be safe for the last month of his school year, she can relax. But only slightly.
Rose does write a letter to Dumbledore. And it is not kind.
She tells him in no uncertain terms that if anything odd or suspicious happens before the next term at the school, Rose is taking up a post there. Whether she's a teacher or a second mediwitch, she doesn't care. Since Dumbledore can't seem to protect Harry, Rose will have to do it herself.
After a school year that felt like it took decades, Rose was finally waiting on the platform to receive Harry from his traumatic year at school.
Once the train stopped, it didn't take long for Harry to find his things from the cargo compartment and reach Rose, saying a heartfelt goodbye to his friends.
Rose gives him a massive hug and makes sure to tell him how much she's missed him before they chat for a moment with Molly and then exit the platform, walking outside so they can ride on their brooms home.
Once they finally get there, Rose forces Harry to spill about everything that happened and everything he didn't tell her.
Rose comes to find out that this Chamber had been opened once before and the basilisk killed moaning myrtle. Rose remembers the ghost from her days at the school, she was dreadful.
But Harry says her testimony did help them to figure out something was coming from the girl's bathroom. Hermione was the one to figure out it was a Basilisk, she used a mirror to check corners so she wouldn't be directly killed. Smart girl.
But Harry tells Rose that the cause was a diary. He technically can't prove it but the day they bought supplies, at Flourish and Blotts, Lucius Malfoy slipped it into Ginny's cauldron.
The diary contained some part of a soul inside of it which possessed Ginny to do things she normally wouldn't.
Long story short, Ginny threw away the diary, Harry found it and wrote in it a few times before Ginny had been taken down to the chamber to be killed.
Then the whole battle happened with Harry being given the sword of Gryffindor by Dumbledores Phoenix.
Rose almost, almost quips that it's strange three twelve-year-olds can do Dumbledore's job better than he can but keeps herself quiet. She cannot poison Harry with her own bitterness.
And, of course, Harry almost died once more after cleaning up another mess for the Headmaster of the school.
"Sounds like you had quite the ordeal but I'm glad you're alright. And listen," Rose says, making Harry look at her from the other end of the couch.
"If anything else odd happens before next year, I'm going to apply for a position at the school. I don't want to blindside you with that but I'm sorry Harry, your life is too important to me. My entire mission in life has been to keep you safe and alive and I cannot do that over delayed owl letters. These things that happen to you are not normal, school shouldn't be filled with near-death experiences," Rose explains as she analyzed Harry's face for his feelings.
She can tell the information shocks him a little bit and also makes him look weary and a little bit embarrassed.
"Hey, I'm not going to be following you to every class announcing I'm your aunt and placing you in bubble wrap. I'll probably go to the hospital wing to help Poppy. I'm not going to disturb you all the time, Harry and I won't embarrass you. But I will be there to protect you in case anything else happens," Rose adds seriously, trying to convey the gravity of the situation. Most parents didn't have to worry about their children dying at school. Rose did.
"Besides, nothing's certain yet. I don't want to embarrass you, Harry. That's not my intention," Rose said quickly, trying to make the boy feel better about it.
"I'm not embarrassed of you, mum. It's just... odd. I don't want to give anyone more ammunition. Especially Malfoy," Harry says bitterly, even the thought making him angry.
"What, is he going to make fun of you because I care? More than his parents do, anyway," Rose replied, making Harry laugh a little bit.
***
Summer was seeming normal so far. Harry had been writing to his friends for most of it and had even gone over to the burrow a few times as Ron had come over once or twice.
It was one day that Harry was complaining about boredom that Rose asked if he wanted to go see Ron again.
"No, they're in Egypt, remember?" Harry said after a moment, handing Rose the Daily Prophet article about the Weasley's going away.
Rose looked at it and saw their big happy family, along with that weird rat they had. It always made Rose think when she saw it but nothing came up.
It was then also that she decided to tell Harry about a letter she had received a week ago.
The letter was surprisingly from Petunia, someone Rose hadn't spoken to since she informed her Lily had died.
Petunia was Rose's only living relative but because of Marlene, had disowned her years ago.
The letter wasn't kind. It was a request that Harry and Rose come to 4 Privet Drive for dinner, as Marge, Vernon's sister, was asking questions about the boy and Rose.
It would have been easier to tell the woman both of them were dead but Petunia said that Marge was disappointed her little nephew didn't have a relationship with his other cousin.
Rose hated Petunia on the surface. But beneath that hatred was mourning. For the relationship they lost. She was Rose's only sister, her only family. They used to be so close before the magic entered their lives and Petunia hadn't even come to Lily's funeral.
But if there was a chance, a small chance that they could somehow reconnect, Rose had to take it. She knew that's what Lily would have wanted, for them to become family again. And even just to give Harry a chance to meet his other family, he deserved that too.
"Oh, right, I totally forgot. But hey, I wanted to talk to you about something. So, you know your Aunt Petunia, your mother and I's sister?" Rose asks as she turns fully to Harry.
He nods, Rose has told him about his other aunt before, keeping the bad-mouthing to a minimum.
"Well, she's invited us to a dinner with the rest of her family. Your Uncle Vernon, cousin Dudley, and your Aunt-in-law, Marge. They want to get to know you," Rose explained truthfully to Harry. He perked up.
"Now, this is totally up to you whether or not you want to go. If you don't want to or don't feel comfortable, we won't go. I'm fine either way. Your aunt and I have a bit of an odd relationship but I don't want to keep you from the rest of the family. But there are a few things you should know before you decide," Rose added, knowing Harry needed to be aware of a few things.
"Firstly, your aunt hates magic. She despises it, it's a reason we grew apart as children. If we go, we cannot mention magic. Secondly, she is close-minded. Another reason for us not being close is because of the relationship I had with Marlene, your late aunt. And thirdly, Vernon hated your father. He felt threatened by James and as a result, has said some hurtful things about him in the past. I don't know if that's changed but we may hear some hurtful things at the house. If it happens, we'll leave but I want you to be prepared," Rose finished, giving Harry time to take the information in.
She could see the cogs working in his brain as he deliberated between going and not going.
"Well... we might not ever get the chance again. And maybe they've changed? We can always leave if we want," Harry offers, deciding that he does want to go to the dinner.
"Right you are, Harry. I'll go let her know with a phone call. I'll be right back," Rose said, ruffling Harry's hair as she made for the stairs to her room.
Rose dialled the landline number she remembered and waited for someone to pick up, hearing the familiar voice of Petunia only moments later.
She informed her sister that she and Harry would both be "delighted" to come for dinner with them. As soon as it was confirmed, Petunia hung up.
With a shake of her head, Rose stood from her desk chair to go back to Harry. But before she did, an owl flew through her bedroom window and dropped her subscription of the daily prophet on her bed before flying away.
Rose picked up and at first, barely skimmed the front page. But as soon as she saw the headline, her eyes bulged out of her head.
"Notorious Mass Murderer Sirius Black Escapes From Azkaban"
For the first time in a decade, Rose has to think about him. The man who killed her twin, her best friend and betrayed her to the deepest level. He's escaped from prison.
Rose eagerly reads on to see if they know where he is or if they've captured him. But the article states that they have no idea how he escaped the prison. Of course, the main concern on the page is if he's going to come back for Harry and "finish the job".
Just then, another owl swoops in and drops a letter on Rose's desk. This one is from the ministry.
This letter informs her that they recommend keeping Harry watched and protected at all times as they fear for his safety. They tell her not to worry him but she should be careful.
Rose puts the letter down and sighs. Of course, this is another year of traumas for Harry.
Regardless of that, she hasn't even told him about Sirius or what he did. It's always been too hard for her to fully explain it. She doesn't want to worry the boy but maybe it's time to have a long explanation about who Sirius is and why he's a danger.
She'll tell him after the dinner with Petunia. Rose doesn't want to worry him prematurely and maybe they'll catch Sirius.
But just in case...
Rose pulls out a roll of parchment and writes to Albus, informing him that with the escape of Sirius, she's coming to the school as part of the staff. She knows him best and he used to be her friend, along with the fact that she is Harry's guardian and he will be Sirius's target. Rose is going to Hogwarts again.
Trying to put it out of her mind for two days, Rose sends the letter off with Winnie and heads back downstairs to Harry, pretending everything is all right.
***
The next night, Harry and Rose ride their brooms to Surrey and then transfigure them into bikes to ride the rest of the way to 4 Privet Drive. Rose knows how Petunia is.
She places her wand in the back of her waistband and Harry has his in his back pocket to keep it hidden from sight. They park their broom-bikes on the street by the house and take a moment outside.
It's been a very long time since Rose has seen the house and nothing good ever came out of visiting. But here they were again.
Rose lead in front of Harry, smoothing down her modest dress and tightening her red hair in its ponytail. She knocked lightly on the door and waited with an arm on Harry's shoulder.
Only two moments later the door opened and Rose got her first look at Petunia in a decade. She's a bony woman with blonde hair, some grey peeking out in a few spots.
"Hi, Petunia. This is Harry," Rose said after the door opened, referring to her nephew she had only met once.
The small, nervous boy smiled and waved at his other aunt, taking in her appearance.
Petunia looked down at Harry and immediately saw the resemblance between him and his father. Regardless, she forced a smile onto his face and gave the boy an awkward hug, trying to avoid him touching her apron.
"You don't have any of your... magic things right?" Petunia asked in a harsh whisper, the word magic sounding like poison on her tongue.
"No, our bikes are sitting by the driveway. Nothing magic," Rose assures her sister before they're finally allowed inside.
Both Harry and Rose walk into the house and smell something cooking on the stove, something they've never eaten before. They also hear chatter coming from the kitchen and Rose almost cringes when she hears Vernon's voice.
Once they enter, Rose sees Vernon, Dudley, and Marge all sitting at the table, as wide as they are tall. Dudley has the same blonde hair as his mum but the same facial features as his father.
Marge was a very unpleasant woman, Rose knew this from experience. Her main inspiration in life was to breed bulldogs and was a firm believer in capital punishment.
As soon as they entered the small kitchen, the conversation stopped and the others looked over toward them.
"Ah, there they are. Late as ever. Not much has changed, has it? Which one are you again?" Marge asked as soon as she looked at Rose, unable to remember which twin was dead.
"I'm Rose. The nurse. And this is Harry, Lily and James's child," Rose explained politely, placing her hands comfortingly on Harry's shoulders.
"Hm. Look at that hair, can't afford a haircut?" Marge commented as Rose and Harry took their seats. Rose said nothing, she felt it was better not to engage with the woman.
Harry sat next to Dudley on one side and Rose on the other. Rose sat across from Marge and squished in next to Harry because there was no room anywhere else.
As the food was being served, Rose silently prayed the meal would go smoothly.
***
They did manage to make it to the end of the meal with minimal issues, Harry and Rose ended up ignoring most of the insults towards them by Marge.
In the end, as Petunia is cleaning up dinner, Vernon is pouring Marge a glass of brandy while Rose sips on her provided red wine.
Harry asks to use the loo and Petunia directs him to the one down the hall. But Harry stops momentarily to watch as Marge uses baby talk with her dog and feeds it brandy.
"What are you smirking at?" Marge asks when she looks up. Harry simply shrugs his shoulders and walks to the loo.
"Where are you sending him?" Marge asks Rose after a moment and Rose quickly thinks up her lie.
"A boarding school," she replies, technically the truth.
"Well, which one? Are you daft," Marge questions with a shake of her head.
"St. Brutus's! It's a fine institution for hopeless cases," Vernon adds for Rose, lying to the woman.
"Do they use a cane at St. Brutus's?" Marge questions Rose who decides to play along.
"Oh yes, all of the time," Rose replied with a smile, taking another sip of red wine.
"Hm. And what about you? Where's his father figure, a husband?" Marge questions as Rose almost laughs.
"My spouse died around the same time my sister did. It's just me and Harry but I think I've raised him just fine on my own," Rose said proudly, not willing to take any shit from this lady who was two cupcakes away from early heart failure.
Marge scoffed and turned to Vernon. "You can't blame yourself for how that one turned out, Vernon. It all comes down to bad blood, bad blood throughout," Marge said, as if Harry's raising had anything to do with the Dursleys.
"What we're you telling me his father did, Petunia?" Marge yelled from across the table to the older woman in the kitchen.
"He, uh, he didn't work. He was unemployed," Petunia lies quietly, looking to Rose for her reaction.
Rose's face goes red with rage. She couldn't have the decency to make something up for him? He was dead! He sacrificed himself to try and save his family, more than Vernon would ever do.
"And a drunk too, no doubt?" Marge tried to add on but Rose had enough. She would not let this woman run James's name through the mud, not while Harry was in this house.
"That's a lie, Petunia," Rose stated, placing her wine back on the table.
The room stopped and all of the Dursleys looked to Rose in horror.
"What did you say?" Marge questioned, confused as to why Rose was challenging her.
"Harry's father was not a drunk!" Rose corrected angrily.
"And you have no right to talk about my family like that! My mum!" Harry added in a rage from the doorway, having come back moments ago.
As soon as Harry said that, the glass of brandy in Marge's hand shattered and the lights flickered. Rose knew that was uncontrolled magic from Harry, an emotional outburst could do things like that.
Petunia and Vernon knew it too, Petunia had seen it when Lily and Rose were children. But Marge laughed it off.
"Oh, don't worry! Don't fuss, Petunia. I have a very firm grip," Marge stated proudly as Petunia skittishly nodded before looking between Harry and Rose.
"I think it's time we headed out. It's almost time for Harry to head off to school and we still have some early morning shopping to do," Rose said in anger, pushing away from the table.
"Eh, quiet, Evans. Clean it up," Marge ordered the younger woman at the table, as if it was her job to do so.
Trying not to cause any more tension, Rose stood and walked over to the kitchen, taking a towel from Petunia as she went to sit down.
Harry looked at his mother figure but Rose shook her head. "We'll leave after, I promise," she whispered, turning back toward the table to help clean the mess.
"Mm. You know, it's actually not got to do with the father, it's got to do with the mother. You see it all the time with dogs," Marge began explaining again as Rose started picking glass off the table. Great, she and Lily were being compared to dogs.
"Even worse with orphaned pups. If there's something wrong with the bitch, like Rose here, then there's something wrong with the pup. Especially with no man around to teach him some—" Marge was going on and on.
Rose had already had enough, she was ready to slap the actual bitch sitting at the table. But Harry had heard all he needed to hear about the family he had never met. No one talked bad about his mother, especially not the woman who had sacrificed everything to raise him.
"Shut up! Shut up!" Harry yelled finally, stepping in front of Rose protectively.
"Hm," Marge said after the moment of silence, looking disdainfully at the pair.
Rose felt very loved at that moment, loved by the only person who mattered. But she also was worried. The lights in the house were flickering and there seemed to be a draft when not even a door was open.
"Right. Let me tell you... y-y—" Marge was saying, a finger up to give them a piece of her mind. But when that same finger started expanding rapidly, she couldn't get the words out.
And just like that, the rest of Marge followed. Her face began bloating and then her torso. An audible ripping sound filled the silence as her legs ripped her hideous tights.
Rose was dumbfounded. She could only watch as Marge continued to grow in size. The vile woman grew so big that her body popped the buttons from her shirt and sent one flying into the cuckoo clock.
"Vernon! Vernon, do something!" Marge ordered as she began floating off of the chair, she was panicking.
Vernon stood to help his sister but her little demon dog bit Vernon's ankle and stopped him from assisting.
Eventually, Marge grew so much she was completely out of her chair and her jewelry was flying off with frightening speed.
The whole scene was chaotic, with the panicking wench and Vernon yelling at the growling dog, Rose lost control of her abilities and her hair went white in shock.
Marge was eventually so high in the air one of her buttons hit Dudley square in the face and knocked him back. The chair stuck around her waist flew off and knocked the patio doors open behind her.
Eventually, Marge lost her hold on the tablecloth and bounced off of the ceiling. Now she was screaming bloody murder as Harry began to back up and Rose put him behind her.
It's like watching a train wreck. It's horrible but Rose can't look away as Marge bounces out of the interior patio doors and also out the exterior patio doors. Once she's out, she's gone.
Vernon is the only person in the house trying to help his sister. And after finally detaching himself from the dog, he rushes to stop his sister from floating away.
He grabs onto her hands to try and pull her down but Harry must have facts a spell to fill her with helium because Marge even lifts Vernon off the ground too.
Ripper is back on Vernon's ankle and he's in a precarious situation as the dog bites him and his sister lifts him off the ground.
"Don't you dare!" Marge orders when she looks into his eyes, sensing his next move.
"Sorry," Vernon says sheepishly, letting go of Marge and dropping to the grass.
It's all Rose and Harry can do to watch as Vernon yells for his sister who is floating high up into the air.
"H-Harry... go home. I'll deal with things here. Just please wait for me at home, alright?" Rose orders, turning to Harry as she turns her hair back to its ginger colour.
"Did... did I ruin the dinner? Am I going to get in trouble?" Harry questions nervously.
"No, darling. No, it was uncontrolled magic. Frankly, that old wench deserves a fright. But you need to go home, okay? I'll be there as soon as I can," Rose says with a little smile, kissing Harry on the cheek
He nods and runs to the door to transfigure his broom. Rose needs to deal with her in-laws.