After casualties and destruction, witches and wizards could finally celebrate that the Dark Lord was gone. Thanks to one little boy, the world was saved but while many celebrated and others mourned, there were some who decided the world of witches and wizards was far too tainted to continue living amongst them. The Dark Lord's influence had left countless families scrambling to decide where they would now fit within the new society and who would have to lie to keep their freedom and position.
For the Oswells, there wasn't a lot to think about because there weren't many left.
Lyonel Oswell saw the death of most of his family. His only brother, his younger brother, was remanded to Azkaban to life for loyalties to the Dark Lord. And with him went his equally supporting wife, Elora. Only their daughter, their only child, remained as living proof that Caplan and Elora Oswell had once lived amongst them.
Lyonel sought the child before anyone else could get their hands on her. The Oswell name had been tainted, forever marked as one of the loyal supporters of the Dark Lord but Lyonel thought that there could still be a sliver of hope for their future. Someday the Oswell name could be cleaned by their niece when she grew up. She would prove that not every Oswell was the same.
Romina Oswell would be their hope.
But, as time went on, Lyonel and his wife, Sage, realized that society was not ready to forgive the bad apple Oswells and decided to give their niece a better chance at a peaceful life where she would never have to fear saying her name out loud. The Muggle world was the only place where that dream could exist. So, for all of Romina's life, she spent it like any normal muggle child would. However, also not wanting their niece to one day return to wizard society with a major disadvantage, they did eventually reveal to Romina who she was and who their family was.
"So I can do magic like what happens on the telly?" A five year old Romina asked with curious, rapidly blinking eyes. She was sitting on the couch facing her aunt and uncle. "Like...like the witches with the pointy hats?"
"Yes," Lyonel and Sage replied simultaneously.
"But your powers have yet to manifest themselves so don't even try it yet," Lyonel warned sternly, pointing a finger at Romina. "And another thing, you can't go telling anyone about this."
Romina was disappointed at that moment that she couldn't tell any of her friends she had...powers. "Why not?" she frowned.
"Because there are rules," Sage responded. "And unless you plan on marrying a muggle, it's best to keep your witch ancestry a secret."
For a five year old, it was difficult being entrusted with so much information but Romina Oswell knew just how to do it. Of course, she had yet to know of who her family really was and what they had done, particularly her parents. Neither Lyonel nor Sage saw the need to inform Romina at that time, and it continued to be like that until Romina did the one thing that no one in their mind would have ever thought an Oswell would do...
"She's made a new friend," Sage mused to her husband when she caught sight of their seven year old niece walking down the street with a boy her age. "We've only moved in a week ago and she's already made a new friend. How lovely. And relieving."
"It's not that Janelle girl on the next block is it?" puffed Lyonel from the kitchen table. "That girl is pure trouble. I'd rather she keep her friendship with the girl next door - what was her name?"
"Arden, dear," Sage answered distractedly. She was much more focused on the little boy next to her niece. Her eyes squinted to get a better look but it was not possible until they'd come up the front yard. "Oh my!" Sage nearly fell backwards from the surprise.
Lyonel was up from his chair within the next second. "Sage! What's wrong!?"
But as Sage was gathering her words, the front door opened and in came Romina and her new friend.
"They won't know, don't worry!" Romina was saying. "Plus, my aunt and uncle can tell them it was okay."
"Still, you don't know my aunt and uncle," the boy replied, sounding actually very nervous.
Romina dragged him into the kitchen where her aunt and uncle were. "This is my new friend, Harry, and we're going to do homework together."
"Actually..." Harry glanced at her, "...I probably should go. I'm sure Dudley is already on his way to tell my aunt and uncle how I came here without permission."
Romina rolled her eyes. "Harry, your cousin is a big bully. I hate him."
Harry couldn't openly say he agreed but...to say that he loved his cousin, Dudley Dursley, was a different thing.
"Wh-who is this, Romina?" Lyonel managed to find some words eventually. Of course he and his wife already had a good idea of the boy's identity and dreaded what this newfound relationship would mean for them.
"Harry Potter, sir," Harry cordially responded, sticking a hand to shake with the adults.
"O-oh," Sage swallowed hard. Nonetheless, she and her husband shook Harry's hand.
Neither child could guess what was going through the adults' heads. Harry was far too focused on getting home - which was actually down the block - and Romina was focused on making him stay. When Harry finally left, and Romina was ever-so-glum that her new friend was gone, Sage & Lyonel thought that maybe this friendship was over already.
Unfortunately, Romina proved to have her father's genes. She'd done the complete opposite of what was desired.
Romina and Harry had formed an unlikely friendship from then on. She was brilliant, a bit on the sly side, and a talker. Harry was quiet, shy and cautious. Still, they considered themselves to be the closest of friends despite the secrets their families hid from them. They became a trio in time as they began to include an actual muggle girl by the name of Arden in their friendship. It was an unlikely group and yet somehow they worked.
Eventually, when Romina had turned ten, her aunt and uncle sat her down and told her the real reason they had settled in the muggle world in the first place. They told her of her parents, how she had come to Lyonel's guardianship after the war. Then, they told her about the boy who lived.
"You're lying," Romina spat at them, her face contorted into a painful expression. She was struggling not to cry but the tears were filling her dark eyes. "I'm not...I'm not from those people."
"They were your family, your parents..." Lyonel began but Romina screamed an absolute 'no' at them.
"I DON'T HAVE ANY PARENTS!"
Neither Sage nor Lyonel expected Romina to understand and much less to accept the truth.
"Now you see our reservations on that Potter boy..." Sage said. "If he knew...who he was...and who we were..." she shook her head.
Romina was devastated.
For the next couple of days she ignored Lyonel and Sage and stayed away from Harry. But, of course, that wouldn't last either. She came to accept what her parents did but never to get over it. She never wanted to see them. As for Harry, little by little the boy wormed his way back into her life (with the help of Arden). Romina decided she couldn't let the past drive her away from such a good friend. Though when she was explained how Hogwarts worked, she knew that one day she would have to come clean to Harry.
She would have to tell him what her family had done in the past and how it helped change his life forever.
~ 0 ~
One year later; 1991.
"We knew the day was coming, Lyonel," Sage Oswell passed her husband's spot at the kitchen table to the stove. Sizzling bacon was being prepared for breakfast.
Lyonel was devastatingly looking at an envelope. He hadn't opened it yet for it wasn't addressed to him...but to their...
"I swear if it wasn't for bacon I wouldn't even be up." Eleven year old Romina strode into the kitchen. Her sleeping robe swayed with her as she came directly to the stove where the bacon was almost finished. "Mmm, aunt Sage, I swear you should become a cook."
"Bit late for that, don't you think?" went Sage with a soft laugh.
Romina playfully shook her head and glanced at her uncle, finally setting eyes on the letter in his hands. "What's that, uncle Lyonel?"
Lyonel crossed glances with his wife who gave him an encouraging nod. "Go on, dear. It's her right, after all."
"What is?" Romina looked between them, completely lost for a minute.
"Oh Sage," sighed Lyonel. With his hand, he motioned for her to come forward.
Feeling a bit strange, Romina silently moved over. Her eyes blinked when her grandfather held the letter to her. "What's that?"
"What we've been waiting for...or rather...you have been waiting for," Lyonel said.
With widened eyes, Romina snatched the letter and quickly got through its seal. Her hands couldn't work fast enough to unfold the letter, but when she finally did she couldn't help squeal. "Oh my god! This is it, isn't it?" her eyes only briefly looked up to see her grandparents. "It's my bloody letter to Hogwarts!"
"Language," went her aunt but it made no difference.
The letter had absorbed all of the attention.
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Miss Oswell, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
Romina squealed again and pressed the letter to her chest. "Oh my God, it's finally time! I'm...I'm going to go...and-and actually learn to use my magic!" she laughed until she finally took in her aunt and uncle's fearful faces. "You're...you're not happy..."
"Romina Oswell you know you are the light of our lives..." began Lyonel, "...but you also have to understand what this implies. Our name..."
Romina folded the letter and set it on the counter behind her. "I...understand your concerns...but...but that's over."
"We know it's over but you know that is not what we're talking about," Sage said calmly. "The war is over but the consequences remain. You know we don't live in muggle society because we love it—"
"Well," Lyonel swayed his head.
Romina smiled. "You've grown to love it. But I get it, I do. It wasn't your first choice and I can't thank you enough for giving me this opportunity to grow up in a peaceful environment." She walked up to the table with her letter in hand. "But it's time to crossover into the next world - the wizarding world. I want to own it," she smirked. "And I don't care what anyone is going to say."
"Yes, fine, well that's easy to say when you're still here," Lyonel took her back into the 'real world'. "But let's start with actual consequences, shall we? Perhaps with the direct consequence of who lives just down the block?"
Romina swallowed hard. She had yet to think about that. "Okay...point taken."
"What are you going to tell him, Romina?" Lyonel asked.
A small breath escaped through Romina's lips as she thought for a minute. "I...I'm not sure. I-I've known Harry for so long...I can't imagine him furious with me."
"You're going to have to be prepared," her aunt warned her. "Because I suspect Harry probably already has his letter in hand. Or at least, he will have it by tonight."
"He's going to learn that he's a wizard..." Romina bit her lip, "...and soon enough that...I knew along."
"Romina..." her uncle called but Romina was drifting away from the kitchen, lost in her thoughts.
Bacon had been forgotten as Romina changed quickly upstairs. Her bedroom was ransacked for the closest blouse and jeans. As she brushed her wavy, black hair she peered out her window in hopes of getting a glimpse of her friend's, Harry's, house. It was at the end of the street and so Romina turned away from the window, dejected of course that she couldn't see the house. She tossed her brush and slipped on some flats and a jacket. With her letter safely inside her jacket's pocket, she came running down the stairs, heading straight for the doors.
"Where are you going?" called her uncle after hearing her loud steps.
"I need to see Harry!" was all Romina was giving him. She ran out the front door and made a quick way down the street. Luckily, she saw him coming out of the house...but not alone. Romina inwardly groaned at the sight of Harry's (annoying) aunt, uncle and cousin. "You've got to be kidding me."
Harry Potter was the kindest boy to ever walk the earth, so Romina just could not understand how he could be related to the most awful muggles who ever existed. The math just didn't add up. Romina hated those muggles and she knew the feeling was mutual. She just never could decide who she hated most: the spoiled cousin Dudley, the ogre uncle Vernon, or the fake aunt Petunia. She was just glad that none of their idiotic traits rubbed off on Harry. He remained as sweet as ever since they met through their shared elementary class.
"Harry! Hey!" Romina hurried around the car that the family was going for, of course making an 'eugh' sound when she went around Dudley. "I've got to talk to you."
"Rom, I can't..." Harry barely got to say when his uncle cut in.
"Don't waste our time, girl! Get out of here!"
Romina rolled her eyes.
"Can't you see it's my birthday today?" went Dudley.
"There's some information I couldn't be less bothered to know about," Romina snapped and looked back at Harry. "Really, it's just for a second. It's a question, actually."
"What is it?" Harry gave a brief glance at the car. It wouldn't be the worst thing if he got left behind.
"Um, well..." Romina had no idea how to put her question into actual words. I probably should have thought about it before coming, she thought to herself.
"LET'S GO!" Vernon Dursley made his point by honking the car horn.
"Stay with me!" Romina told Harry and looked over to his aunt and uncle. "He can stay with me and my aunt and uncle."
There came a loud scoff from all three Dursleys. It was clear as water that they would rather die than give Harry a bit of consideration and happiness.
"Rom, really, another day...probably when no one is around," Harry started for the car but Romina latched onto his arm.
"J-just...just tell me if you've gotten a letter yet!"
"Letter?" Harry glanced back, confused of course. "What letter?"
That's a 'no' on the letter then. Romina thought maybe this was for the best that he hadn't received his letter yet. It gave her more time to think about how she was ever going to explain why she'd kept his identity a secret as well as hers.
"N-nothing. I'll...I'll talk to you later," Romina swallowed and let go of Harry's arm.
"Not in my house you won't!" Harry's aunt made sure to warn as Harry got into the backseat.
Romina couldn't be bothered by the remark as she was too busy focusing on her friend. Harry gave a soft smile as the car drove into the street. Romina, in return, handed a weak one.
He's not going to forgive me. Romina closed her eyes with terrible fear.