Rings

August 30, 1991

The Dyer residence is normally quiet at this time of night. As the clock strikes midnight there is not one member of the house asleep, except one.

Curled into herself as a means to comfort a young girl, freshly eleven, snuggles into her soft yellow comforter. Dreams of magical creatures and mythical adventures adorn the girl's mind as she lies there undisturbed in her room upstairs.

"There's no knowing what could happen to her, Albus!" A woman stuck with anxiety gestures absently to her baren house. She was small-framed with dark brown hair and circular glasses perched on the tip of her nose.

In front of her sitting at the dining table helping himself to a cup of tea was Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, a school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, also the top magic school in the country for muggle-borns and pure-bloods alike.

"I can assure you, Rayna, your daughter will be even safer there than she is here, in your care." He loudly took a sip of his tea.

The woman's face scrunched making a look of offense at his claim. "We do know, we know more than anyone what that place will come to be!" She sat down across from the wizard and he gestured to a cup of tea already poured for his apprentice.

She gladly takes a sip but immediately spit it back out into the cup, "Merlin- what is this?" Pushing the teacup away from her and closer to the headmaster she looked like she was shrinking away from whatever disgusting substance resided in the fine china.

He hums gingerly and at the snap of his fingers, her cup was emptied, cleaned, and then put away back into a cupboard. "It's anextoria," He stood up and pointed to his cheeks, "It's good for the skin." The young woman scoffs before standing up and motioning towards the door.

"I'll sleep on it, Albus." she looked toward various photo albums along her home's walls. Moving pictures of old friends, her daughter, and- a man her child will never meet.

Sharply shutting her eyes she confides in the one man who knew the whole truth. The one man who came to visit her in hiding. Heartbeat steadily increasing as they both neared the door she spoke softly, "She's already showing signs."

Her eyes dropped to the floor as she feels the need to explain herself further, "Mainly in her dreams, and thank Merlin she forgets them later because as soon as she wakes up she talks about a boy who just so happened to be her age, that just so happened to have a lightning scar on his forehead."

The headmaster stopped in his tracks, "Even more the reason to send her to Hogwarts so she can learn to master it." Nodding his head to the girl he mentored not so long ago he bid his farewells, calling her by a name she nearly forgot.

"Goodnight, Miss Black, and I hope to see Rosalina at school this year." As soon as the man walked out of the door he apparated himself out of the Dyer residency leaving nothing but dust behind.

༻☀︎︎☽

"Mama, they said I could bring a cat, can we buy a cat?" Two girls who looked very similar to one another walked side by side through Diagon Alley, the one-and-done stop for everything magic related. Shops for wands, animals, books, spells, potions, and more were waiting for eager customers ready to do their shopping to prepare for the beginning of Hogwart's school year.

"I'm not sure, how much money do you have left in that purse of yours?" The woman joked with her daughter her maroon lips perched up in a smile as the girl began to restlessly fumble with a miniature coin sack on her hip. Letting her child fuss Rayna gently led the girl in the direction of the magical pet shop.

Rayna was tense leading her daughter through a crowd of people, anyone could recognize her. She eased, however, when she looked back down at the little girl whom it was her responsibility to protect. Running her thumb along the top of Rosalie's the door chimed when they both walked through.

The loud jingle of the bell is what broke Rosalie's concentration on her bag. Looking up her eyes glowed at the array of animals and the means to care for them. It was split into sections of cats, birds, owls, rodents, she scowled and shivered at the mention of rodents.

There was little to no windows but the place was well-lit with bright lanterns along every wall; hovering bird cages were littered throughout the shop as well as pens for an entourage of other animals.

Immediately letting go of her mother's hand to run to the section labeled "kittens" she left Rayna standing there awkwardly. Choosing to lean against a bare wall of the store she fidgeted with a single matte black ring on her finger.

Rosalie was busy squealing and 'awwing' at the store's selection of magical familiars, particularly the feline kind.

One stood out to her, however, and she reached to pet an entirely black cat in the corner of a pen. Hissing the cat stood up and backed away with its hair on end.

Taking initiative Rosalie got down on her knees gently and slowly leaned back towards the kitten. Palm facing up she laid her hand on the carpet, letting the feline come to her.

It did. Graciously the kitten rubbed its chin along the tips of her fingers then its whole head. Rosalie smiled at the creature and continued to pet it until it began to softly purr. For the next few minutes, they both got to know each other until Rosalie made a decision and read its collar.

"Zazzles," Rosalie giggles, "Who named you that?"

Zazz was a male kitten, twelve weeks old with no biting or scratching history she also read he talks a lot. "Vocal, too? You, little man, haven't said a word to me."

Plucking the cat off the floor the girl went back to her mother, only to find her conversing with another woman.

The woman was short in stature and plump with ginger hair cut just below her shoulders. In front of her was another little girl who looked exactly like her mother only much younger.

With Zazzles in her arms, Rosalie went to tug on her mother's skirt. "I found him." She said excitedly rocking back and forth on her heels with the black ball of fur nuzzled in her arms.

The cat in question was playing with her dark brown hair only slightly pulled back with a headband.

The adult's conversation slowed to a stop and their attention was then shifted to the girl below them. "This one yours?" The ginger woman asked absentmindedly motioning towards Rosalie.

Laughing lightly Rayna nodded her head yes and reached for the cat out of her daughter's arms. While Rayna carefully played with the familiar the other woman bent down to Rosalie's level, "Rosalina, correct?" she nodded playfully tapping her feet against the wood of the shop's floor.

The woman sharply raised her head to the 'rodent' section and yelled, "Ronald!"

A boy, only slightly older than Rosalie peaked his head out of the section. He was munching on what seemed to be an abnormally large candy pop.

At the sight of his mother the boy 'Ronald' came sprinting towards the four girls. The other young girl that was still beside her mother wandered off to the 'birds' section. "Yeah, Mum?" he addressed his mother while curiously staring at the other two people beside her.

The woman scoffed at his behavior and took her son by his shoulders shoving him at Rosalie. He looked her up and down and sat there for a moment before his mother stuck out his hand for him.

Finally understanding her actions the boy put the candy back in its wrapper and stuck it in his back pocket. Rosalie scrunched her nose but shook his sticky hand anyway, "I'm Ron, Ron Weasley."

Slightly snorting at his characteristics she copied him, "And I'm Rosalie, Rosalie Dyer." She smiled and the boy looked down to his shoes in nervousness. The two women at both of their sides shook their heads and walked with their children to the register.

And that's how it started, both families, the Dyers and the Weasleys spent the day in Diagon Alley getting fully prepared for the years of Hogwarts ahead.

The Dyers had to buy many more things than the Weasleys but Molly, the other mother, didn't mind. It was revealed that Molly had many kids, much more than who were with her right then, and Rayna had to sadly say that Rosalie was her only, and last, child.

She dismissed Molly and her children's looks of pity and squeezed her only daughter's cheeks saying 'she's enough of a handful on her own.'

When it finally came time to pass through the magical border of 9 ¾. Rayna hesitated while all of the Weasleys passed through as if recalling a memory that was sour to the mouth and to the heart. She shook her head though and led her daughter through the brick passageway.

Goodbyes are difficult for the Dyer family, mainly because they're very rare. Rayna was wondering what to do with herself in the days forward and Rosalie was stuck thinking about what her life would be like without her mother, for the first time.

Kneeling down to rebuckle her daughter's sleek black shoes Rayna hugged her daughter harder than she thought she ever would, mainly because the fear caught in her throat. Dumbledore's words the prior day had soothed her and so she released the girl.

Kissing Rosalie's forehead and then brushing the lipstick off of it Rayna let her daughter go for the rest of the year.

A tear threatened to escape her eyelids but she quickly brushed it away once Molly came over and rubbed her arm motherly, "I was like that with my first too."

Smiling, both the women bid their children farewell as they watched their bodies gradually get smaller as the train drove further away from them. Inside the train, the two children met someone new, someone one of them thought was so familiar.

Harry Potter, 'the boy who lived', 'the chosen one' just so happened to join the one compartment that wasn't full. And as if it was fate, all of those kids started a story that we all know, will remain in history, forever.