Rings

September, 1993

Harry didn't want to part with Rosalie when they landed. In fact he wished to do nothing but stay on Buckbeak with the girl's arms around him for the rest of eternity but alas it's rare Harry ever gets what he wants.

"'Arry, Ros'le, amazing you two, amazing!" Hagrid smiled openly at the two gryffindores before taking Harry off of the hippogryff.

While Harry was conversing with the tall man Rosalie swung her legs over Buckbeak and jumped down herself. She'd never jumped eight feet before and she can't say she'd ever like to again.

Her ankles only slightly wobbled as she landed next to Harry. The boy beside her jumped taken aback by her sudden appearance. Hagrid looked concerned as he looked up and down from the ground to Buckbeak.

"I'm great what do you mean?" Rosalie scratched the back of her neck chuckling over the grimace on her face even though no one had said anything.

Harry continued to look at her while cheering still ranged from the crowd of third years behind them. He laughed a bit in shock at her.

Rosalie walked one foot foreward before she shuddered and her ankles buckled. Closing her eyes she accepted her falling fate bracing herself for impact. Harry beat her to it though and his arm wrapped around her waist while he brought her arm around his shoulders lending most of her weight onto himself.

"Don't mean to insult your vocabulary, Rae, but I'm not sure that's great." Harry joked at her expectantly.

The girl lached onto him and playfully rolled her eyes, "Now what, you gonna carry me all the way to the hospital wing?" She smiled.

He shook his head at her still holding her up tightly, "I don't think I'd have any trouble." Harry then began to guide her towards the rest of the students that continued to congratulate the two Gryffindores.

Their moment was cut short however when a blond slytherin came bursting through the crowd, "You're not dangerous at all, are you, you great ugly brute." Draco scowled racing towards buckbeak.

The hippogryff didn't take kindly to Malfoy's insult. Buckbeak raised his wings past the front of his head a kicked the boy in the middle of his arm. He yelled quickly crawling away from the creature.

Hagrid's hands fumbled around his neck to take hold of a ferret. Once removed he through away the dead animal causing Buckbeak to run the other direction. Malfoy clutched his arm as he rolled around the ground with a look of pain on his face.

Rosalie shivered when Harry's hands gripped tightly on her waist while Malfoy cried out in his exaggerated misery. It seemed like Hagrid was in panic while he looked around the shallow forest.

Finally someone came bursting out through the third years her school cloak discarded and what seemed like a golden hourglass around her neck. "Hagrid! He needs to be taken to the hospital!" Hermione yelled.

The brunette atached to Harry's body squinted at Hermione examining her new piece of 'fine jewelry'.

Their professor stopped fumbling around his outdoor classroom and lifted Malfoy into his arms. He looked around for a moment before setting his eyes on Rosalie and her swollen ankle, "You too, Ros'lie, c'mon."

He kneeled to the floor and the girl groaned while looking at the blond already in his arms that continued to insult Buckbeak in a hushed harsh tone Hagrid couldn't seem to hear.

Begrudgingly Harry helped Rosalie onto Hagrid's shoulder being weary of her fractured bones.

Rosalie made sure to harshly step on Malfoy's hand while she climbed onto Hagrid digging her heel into his fingers despite the pain in her ankle.

Once she was situated Hagrid stood up abruptly making the girl hold onto his beard for stability. Harry, who was still behind them, chuckled at the scene and she stuck her tongue out at him mouthing 'You're literally dead to me.'

He rolled his eyes as her back was then turned to him as Hagrid made his way towards the castle.

Buckbeak nudged Harry with his head in the crevice of his neck. Harry pet the hippogryff as they both watched Rosalie leave with Hagrid and Malfoy.

"You'll regret this, you and your bloody chicken."

༻☀︎︎☽

Rosalie slammed her head on the Gryffindore table as soon as she arrived back from the hospital wing. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all looked at eachother and then at her. She groaned openly into her crossed arms before she lifted her head.

"You should've heard him- God, the experience was dreadful."

The three other gryffindores chuckled at her dramatics, "I'm serious, he was babbling and sobbing to Madam Pomfrey the whole time! She went over to fix my ankles and he was like 'I'm going to tell my father about this!'" Rosalie made an mocking attempt at Malfoy's voice with a look of annoyed disbelief on her face.

Other gryffindores around the table laughed loudly. Fred and George, who were passing by the table ruffled her already disheveled hair as they walked by.

She began to laugh too at the look on her three friend's faces and soon the four of them were out of breath. While their laughter died down they overhead Malfoy speak from behind them at the Slytherin table, "I couldn't possibly do any homework for weeks!"

Ron rolled his eyes at the blond's statement, he, wished he could fake himself out of homework. From beside Harry, Rosalie lept up from the bench and sat on the table instead. She sighed as she layed across the table directly over Hermione's homework.

"Hey!"

"Its comfy."

Hermione scowled before trying to ignore her friend spread out on her parchment. The four stayed in a comfortable silence while blocking out the Slytherins from the table over and Malfoy's overzolous retelling of the incident.

Rosalie was the one who broke the quiet, "It's been one hell of a first day back, huh?" She stared up at the Great Hall's ceiling that then resembled the look of a gloomy mid-day sky. Ron leaned his head on the table, just like Rosalie did moments before.

"It's not even over, Merlin I wish it was over."

Harry chuckled quietly beside Rosalie's legs that were draped over the edge of the table. He had his head down staring absentmindedly into his pieces of unfinished parchment.

The other three seemed to still be in a conversation about Hagrid and Malfoy with Rosalie continuing to complain about the blonde's behavior.

"He's been sighted, he's been sighted!" Seamus yelled bursting through the doors of the Great Hall.

The four of them sat up quickly. Seamus slammed a copy of the Daily Prophet on top of the Gryffindor table. Rosalie, who was still sitting on the table, leaned over to where Seamus has set the paper. Fumbling with it slightly she pulled it into her lap.

Ron still remained clueless, "Who?"

Seamus, who was now beside Dean, a fellow Gryffindor, replied hastily, "Sirius Black."

Others from around the Hall began to gather around their table at the mention of the notorious criminal. Rosalie flipped the page, "Dufftown? Doesn't that neighbor Hogsmeade?"

Looking over Rosalie's shoulder Hermione nodded, "It's not far."

Harry and Rosalie caught each other's eyes right as Neville spoke, "You don't think he'd really come to Hogwarts, do you?"

They could tell what the other was thinking, what one of their greatest fears was at the current moment in time. They both knew why Sirius Black would come to Hogwarts, why he would reside in Dufftown.

But so did Ron and Hermione. The four of them exchanged knowing looks much concern in all of their gazes.

"Black could be anywhere. It's like trying to catch smoke. It's like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands."

A bell chimed from around the castle signifying the change in periods. Everyone in the Hall sighed, done with the grim conversation about the potential threat.

Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Rosalie packed up all of their books, pens, and parchment much slower than the rest of their peers.

They waited until most of the other students funneled out of the room before speaking to each other, gossiping about the nearby threat to two out of four of their lives. Event hen, Ron, and Hermione seemed to be concerned more than the ones whose lives were in actual danger.

"I swear, we need to lock you two up in the dungeons in order to keep you safe."

"Ron, I doubt rooming with the Slytherins would be the best place for us to be." Rosalie countered turning the corner trying to direct their way to their next class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry's favorite although it's curse on only one-year professors.

Harry was the one to speak next, "Rae, wasn't your mom a Slytherin?" His question didn't mean to sound rude, he was genuinely curious.

They rarely heard anything about Rayna, let alone the Dyer family, all they knew was that they were purebloods known for their advances in divination and... being Slytherins.

They'll never forget the look on Rosalie's face in first year when she got a howler from her grandparents, furious about her being placed in Gryffindor with the "blood traitors."

"Well, yes, but being a Slytherin was different back then. It was a noble house but they seemed to have built up a different reputation these last few years." She replied, not taking any offense to the question, if anything, it was easier for her if they asked the questions about her family instead of her bringing up the topic herself.

They were so caught up in their own conversation that the three hardly noticed Hermione's disappearance.

"You're a pureblood right, that's why they wanted you in Slytherin?" Ron asked, confused about her family dynamic.

Rosalie checked a golden ring that resembled a watch, "That's what I've been told, I never knew my father though, died before I was born." She spoke so casually about that fact it caught both Ron and Harry off guard.

They continued to question her, "Who was he?" Instead of leading the other two Rosalie fell into step in the middle of Ron and Harry.

"No clue, Mums never even muttered his name before. I'm not even sure his family knows I exist." She looked at the tile of the hallway as she turned left.

"Honestly, I didn't grow up with either side of my family, It's always been just me and my mum."

Ron had only met extensions of Rosalie's family once or twice. He knew she had two uncles and an aunt, maybe a couple of cousins, but he wasn't too enamored with the subject.

He did know that before Rosalie's birth Rayna had cut contact with everyone, family, and friends. That was until his mother met Rayna in Diagon Alley and pushed the woman out of her shell.

Rosalie continues to be so thankful to Molly that she still, years later, brings the woman a gift every time she sees her.

Harry, who still knew little about the blood demographic in the wizarding world, stayed nearly silent next to Rosalie. When he met her she seemed so adapted to the world despite being raised secluded, alone.

Rayna and her were closer in age than most; while Ron was born when his mother was thirty-one, Rayna was seventeen when she had Rosalie.

Her parentage was clearly a mystery for a reason, it was something Rayna didn't want anyone to know.

He thought back to the arguments between Rayna, Molly, and Arthur. The way they talked like they knew something their children didn't.

"Ron, do you think your parents know?"

The boy looked over to Harry with knit eyebrows his ginger hair unruly. "Know what?"

"Her father." Harry shifted his head down towards where Rosalie walked to his right.

Ron shrugged casually as they made it to the doorway of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. "Wouldn't surprise me."

"Me neither," Rosalie agreed as she fixed her hair that laid unkept across her shoulder by putting it into a loose braid. Keeping one hand on the ends she reached for Harry's wrist.

Pulling a spare hair tie off of it that he kept there specifically for her she twisted it while opening the classroom door with the back of her shoulder.

"Ah, Potter, Weasley, Dyer, how nice of you to join us."

It seemed like Professor Lupin had began class before they even stepped through the door. Hermione was even there standing in the front of class that seemed to be looking at an old wardrobe.

Rosalie quickly checked her ring watch and he was right, they were five minutes late to their first class with him of the term, great. She quietly grumbled to herself before speaking, "Apologies Professor, we may have turned down the wrong corridor."

She knew very well they had not went the wrong way, she was the one directing them. They just didn't stop blabbering the whole time.

He didn't seem to buy it, "And you're third years?" He raised his eyebrows looking at them expectantly but it seemed he looked more amused than anything.

There was a beat of silence before Professor Lupin smiled, "I am only joking." He turned around dramatically stepping in front of the class. "Now, Miss Dyer, do you care to educate us on what a boggart is?"

The girl swallowed as she stepped next to Hermione, "A boggart is a shape-shifting household spirit that when faced with someone they change into that persons-"

"-Worst fear, yes correct." He nodded at her, "That is why they're so terrifying, but luckily a very simple charm exists to repel them."

Hermione nudged her with a slight smile on her face, she and Rosalie had reviewed their books together before classes started. The brunette nudged her back in the arm with her elbow.

"Now repeat after me- without wands, please. Ridikulus." He pronounced every syllable for the class. Right after everyone repeated the charm two more times, as directed.

"That was the easy part, now, the incantation is not enough to destroy a boggart what really finishes one is laughter. You need to force it to assume a shape you find amusing."

Most of the class, except Rosalie and Hermione, looked confused at the man.

Looking back at his students the Professor called for Neville, "Okay, we will demonstrate, Neville please come and join me."

The boy shyly stepped forward slightly tripping on his own feet.

"Now, boy, what frightens you most of all?"

Neville seemed to trample over his words looking anywhere but at Professor Lupin. Quietly he mumbled something under his breath.

"Sorry, didn't catch that?"

He stumbled again, but it was comprehendible, "P-professor Snape."
Many children, particularly Slytherins, laughed throughout the class.

Some, who understood his fear, remained without smiles. Rosalie scowled at the thought of the man and the torment he does to nearly every child in his class.

Professor Lupin simply smiled at the boy, "Ah, truly frightens all." He then instructed Neville to envision his grandmother's clothes right before he opened the old closet door.

Snape strode out, as usual, and Neville closed his eyes before taking his wand out of his coat and yelling, "Redikulus!"

The figure spun around for a quick second before Snape emerged wearing various articles of atrocious clothing. A bright pink tight blouse, an even brighter top hat that had frilly lace around it, a scarf that resembled a dead animal, and high heels to top it all off.

The class broke out into a fit of laughter, Rosalie felt like she couldn't breath and quickly fumbled with the bag on her hip.

She pulled out what seemed to be an enchanted camera and snapped a picture of the boggart.

"Excellent, Neville, truly." The boy proudly smiled to himself as the class applauded him, Rosalie being one of the loudest as she cheered on her friend. He looked at her gratefully.

"Now, everyone form a line," Lupin instructed across the room to the bunch of third-years.

There was chaos as everyone tried to make it to the very front. Slytherins shoved and made their way in desperately but since the majority of them stood towards the back of the most of them ended up towards the back of the line.

Ron had managed to be first and quickly, as Harry, Hermione, and Rosalie expected, the boggart turned into a gigantic spider.

Rosalie and Harry are reminded of the time they met Aragog and only narrowly escaped with their lives thanks to Ford Angelia.

The ginger's face turned white facing the creature in front of himself but quickly he gathered his thoughts, "Redikulus!" He shouted and the spider appeared to have eight pares of roller skates causing it to fumble and fall repeatedly.

Another round of laughter, "Great, Ron!" The professor congratulated as he turned on a record player. The music caused everyone's moods to heighten even more.

Ron went back down the line right after fist-bumping Rosalie and Harry. Next up was a Gryffindor girl, Parvati, whose boggart changed into a large snake.

Its scales were almost larger than her hand and the creature hissed at her as it towered over the girl. She only seemed fazed for a second before she shouted the same charm Ron and Neville had, "Redikulus."

Lupin clapped and congratulated her until it was Rosalie's turn to step forward. Truth be told Rosalie didn't know what her boggart would be, sure she didn't like rats but she wasn't scared of them, snakes didn't bother her, and neither did spiders. None of her professors.

She stepped up eager to see what the creature would detect as her 'greatest fear.' The professor looked at her expectantly while her boggart took longer than others to change.

People waited, for almost a minute before the shape-shifter made up its mind.

As soon as it did almost everything made sense to Rosalie.

She looked like she was the only one to recognize him until she looked towards her professor who still stood by the record player.

He wasn't smiling this time, no, he had a look of understanding melancholy on his face.
Rosalie's boggart was Cyrus Dyer II, a man she rarely saw as a child but always seemed to leak his way back into her memory.

October 29th, 1987

A young Rosalina Dyer woke up to the sound of yelling. Both of the voices were familiar yet only one caused her discomfort.

"Can you truly be sure you're raising her right, like the way I did you?" It was a man's voice, surely not her mother's. He wasn't even trying to be quiet, he likely wanted the presence of the seven-year-old.

Rayna and the man stood face-to-face and although he had almost a foot on Rayna she stood her ground looking the man straight in his black eyes. He was larger, stronger, and carried a kind of presence that made many feel dehumanized.

The woman shouted back, her tone slightly lighter than his although it rivaled his anger, "That's the thing, you didn't! Hell, if Mother wasn't there you'd probably have killed us!"

Rosalie recognized the man now.

Her grandfather. "Rayna," He practically growled at her as she raised her voice.

The woman wasn't done, it seemed like she had so much to say it was all crawling up her throat, years of humiliation and trauma making their way back without warning.

"What's the issue with you people? Can none of you have a slight bit of self-awareness?!"

It came without warning this time, a harsh hand across Rayna's face. It hit her so hard her back slammed into the wall leaving her head spinning as she fell to the floor.

"You may think that because you're a woman now that you will be able to defend yourself, but let me remind you, Rayna, you are a little girl to me."

Rayna's hands didn't dare nourish her wound instead she stared back up at the man, just like she was a kid again.

"Mama?" Rosalie peeked out from the stairwell her hair undone for bed and only in her nightdress. She stared innocently at the woman.

The two adults were silent but as soon as Cryus saw his daughter start to pick herself up he put on his mask.

Facing the girl he kneeled to the floor and put a bright smile on his face, "Rosalina, how's my favorite grandbaby?"

The child looked to the man happily, not able to mentally comprehend the true situation.

He looked at her differently, as if her nightdress was an appetizer to his insatiable desires.

He spread his arms, welcoming the child like a snapdragon catching its prey. Rosalie took the opportunity and ran into her grandfather's arms.

He picked up the child by her hips, "My, my, haven't you grown up beautifully," She smiled at him, "How about you come to grandma and grandpa's for your birthday and I'll buy you something just as pretty?"

Rayna, whose head was still bleeding, snapped out of her daze and wasted no time coming between her father and her daughter.

She abruptly look Rosalie out of his arms and placed the girl behind her defensively.

She took her wand out of her pocket and held it to the man's throat, "Leave now." Her voice was shaking slightly but Rayna held her head high against her tormentor while holding onto her daughter tightly.

Cyrus raised his head amused by the woman's demonstration of strength.

It wasn't the first time she defended herself against him, she'd done it many times for her brothers, her sister, her mother.

She wished she could let it all go, that she could tell her baby brother, 'No, I'm not coming over for Christmas' but deep down after all these years shes still allowed herself to be at their beck-and-call, their protector. And she'd do it all over again if it meant keeping those she loved safe.

"This is my house, she is my daughter, I'm not your 'little girl' anymore."

The man almost scoffed but as the clock struck midnight he left two of his victims, one still innocent and confused the other horrified and resentful.

It felt like Rosalie was hit by lightning when she finally broke out of her memory. She still stood there not a moment later than before in front of Cyrus Dyer II who looked the same as always.

The proud pureblood stood six feet tall in height wearing the same suit he always had. Rosalie's eyes snapped to her professor who was looking at her almost defensively as if he wanted to step in.

There was no need though because as soon as the boggart stepped one foot closer to her she pulled her thirteen-inch silver lime wand out from the waistband of her skirt.

If there was anything Rayna had taught her it was to not let any man, especially one like him, make her feel threatened. "Redikulus!" She shouted.

He then morphed into something truly amusing. He was still Cyrus but his arms folded behind his back forming makeshift chicken wings, his knees bent and the man began walking and bawking like a chicken around the room.

It was the loudest sounding of laughter yet, "Excellent Rosalina, truly excellent!" Lupin laughed as he clapped for the girl.

She strode happily to the back of the line finishing high fives and fist bumps along the way. Ron congratulated her by hitting her in the side until they both laughed together.

Harry walked up to the boggart, confident after he watched Rosalie face her biggest fear. His greatest fear was decided immediately and the shape-shifter took the presence of a looming dementor.

Rosalie stepped forward as she watched their professor step in front of the boggart and it transform into a display of a full moon. Lupin wasted no time muttering the charm which turned the boggart into a balloon that loudly squeezed out air until it flew back into the closet.

Harry looked confused around the room until he found his three friends looking equally as disoriented as him.

Quickly the Professor ended the class and before anyone could mutter a word of complaint they were ushered out of the class.

Rosalie, Ron, Harry, and Hermione were the last ones to make their way out of the room but just as they were walking out the door their professor called out, "Dyer," the four of them stopped and Rosalie stepped forward, "Stay a minute, I'd like to chat."

The girl looked back at her three friends. Ron and Hermione were already out of the door but Harry still was standing there reluctantly.

She grabbed his hand, rubbed it reassuringly, and let it go a moment later, "Go, Harry, I'll catch up with you in a minute."

She could tell he wanted to stay but he spoke a quiet 'right' and left her in their Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

Lupin led her up the stairs to his office where he pulled out a chair for the girl to sit, "Here, take a seat."