𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗛 𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗟 ➵ s. black

16 | good grief

— ROSANNA KNOCKED ON THE door of Dumbledores office and when she was granted entry she opened the door and walked in. "Good morning Miss Robinson" Dumbledore greeted. "Morning sir" Rosanna smiled. "What can I do for you?" He asked. "I was wondering, and I completely understand if I can't" Rosanna began. "I was hoping I would be able to visit James and Lily Potters grave?" Rosanna questioned.

She had to ask him because he was the only one that could apparate in and out of Hogwarts. However, he could make her, even if only for a day, able to apparate in and out if the school herself. "If I let you go you must be on your guard at all times. You must be on the lookout for threats at any time" Dumbledore said making Rosanna nod almost immediately.

"Very well" He nodded as he opened up one of his drawers and brought out a bracelet. "If you wear this you shall be able to apparate in and out of the castle but I must ask that you bring it back to me at the end of today" he said and Rosanna nodded again. "Of course, thank you very much" Rosanna thanked as she walked backwards towards the door. "Be safe, Miss Robinson" he told her as he looked at her over his half-moon glasses.

Rosanna stepped out of his office and immediately put on the bracelet. She thought of where she wished to go and she was on her way. After a few moments of feeling like she was being stretched every which way she finally landed on her feet in her location. She looked around the graveyard for a second before stepping inside. She hadn't visited the grave yet so that meant she had to hunt for it.

She slowly walked through the graveyard, looking and reading every gravestone she passed until she found the one she was looking for. She stood there in silence for a minute before sitting down in front of the grave. She brought out her wand and used a spell to grow a bunch of lilies that she set in front of the gravestone.

"I miss you guys so much" Rosanna began, ready to get every bit of hurt and grief of her chest. The grief that had been weighing down on her since October 31st 1981. "I wish you guys will still here to see how much Harry's has grown but I'm sure you watching him from the sky. All I can see sometimes when I look at him is you, James" Rosanna said with a small laugh.

"I miss watching through my fingers every time you tried asking Lily out. I miss how every time you did so in fifth year it would go in one of Lily's ears and out the other. I miss seeing the love you held for each other and how when the work was falling around you guys you stayed strong for each other" Rosanna said as she sniffled a little.

"I want to help Harry and be there for him but I don't know how. I don't think he trusts me the way he does with Sirius, which is fine I just wish I could do something to make him trust me. Well I'll rephrase that; he does trust me he just doesn't want to tell me any problems he has" Rosanna said as her eyes started to tear up as every bottled up feeling and thought started to pour out.

"I can't take another night up in my room waiting for some miracle that's will make you guys come back" Rosanna said as a tear fell down her cheek.

"I'm just so scared I'm going to fail you guys. I want to make you guys proud and I want to give Harry what you guys didn't have time to do but it's just all too much. With Voldemort coming back, my power, keeping Harry safe, I don't know how much more I can handle" Rosanna said as she took in a deep breath.

"I put on a brave and strong face in front of everyone, the kids and even Sirius. I just feel likes there's so much pressure on me right now and I know I'm probably being dramatic but that's how I feel. I don't even feel like I'm the best person to keep Harry safe but I swear to you both that I will protect him with my life. Even when I'm down in my last breath I'll protect him until the end" Rosanna said with a nod. She stayed silent a while longer, just taking it all in.

She looked down at the watch on her wrist and realised it was time to go and meet the trio in Hogsmeade. "I won't wait so long to visit you next time" Rosanna smiled sadly as she placed a gentle hand on the gravestone. She closed her eyes tightly and felt the weird sensation of apparition before she finally landed outside where Hermione had told her to meet them.

...

"Um, hi" Hermione said nervously as everyone who had gathered for the meeting looked up at her. "So you all know why we're here, we need a teacher. Proper teacher" Hermione said, tilting her head at the end slightly. "One that's had real experience defending themselves against the dark arts" Hermione began.

"Why?" Some boy in the crowd of people asked. "Because you know who's back you toss pot" Ron spat at the boy making Rosanna hit his arms slightly. "So he says" The boy continued as he used his head to gesture at Harry. "So Dumbledore said" Hermione replied back. "So Dumbledore said because he says" The boy continued.

"Listen son, acting like that is going to get you nowhere in life and that attitude with you know who back will cost you your life believe me" Rosanna said making the boy roll his eyes. "The point is where's the proof?" The boy asked. "If Potter could tell us more about how Diggory got killed"

"I'm not going to talk about Cedric and if that's why you're here you might as well clear out now" Harry told everyone before turning to Rosanna and Hermione. "Let's just go they all think I'm some kind of freak" Harry mumbled and went to leave before Hermione held him back. "Is it true you can produce a Patronus charm?" Luna asked.

"Yes, I've seen it" Hermione said immediately. "Blimey, I didn't know you could do that Harry" Dean said astonishedly. "And he killed a basilisk, in Dumbledores office, with a sword" Neville added. "It's true" Ginny said. "In third year he fought of at least a hundred dementors at once" Ron told them.

"And last year he really did face you know who" Hermione said. "Look. It all sounds brilliant when you put it like that but most of that was just luck. I didn't know what I was doing most of the time, I nearly always had help" Harry began. "He's just being modest" Hermione said. "No, Hermione I'm not" Harry said.

"Facing this stuff in real life is not like school. In school if you mess up you can always try again tomorrow but out there... when you're a second away from being murdered, or watching a friend die right in front of your eyes. You don't know what that's like" Harry said before looking down at the ground. Hermione looked over at Rosanna who nodded with a small smile.

Hermione and Rosanna had agreed that if Harry said something like this Rosanna would step in. She knew what he was going through and Hermione thought it would be good if Rosanna told them her experience.

Rosanna stood up and almost immediately all eyes were on her, including Harry. "I know you lot won't know how it feels to be through what Harry had but I do. Very well" Rosanna began. "I was on the front line of the first wizarding war. That war took away almost everything I love most in the world. I was left with only two of my friends and that was it" Rosanna explained.

"I used to ask myself every single day what we had done to you know who to make him take our world away" Rosanna said. "I watched many people, my close friends included, be murdered right in front of my eyes"

"The wizarding world was being torn apart and I was in the eye of the storm. Everything Voldemort did was a terrifying work of art, everything he did was planned almost perfectly every time. We had some of the best wizards and witches on our team"

"Voldemort as much as I hate to say it, was smart. He had his followers wrapped around his finger. He lied to them and they never felt like they had been misled. They saw him as a god and no matter what he did they never ever saw mistakes" Rosanna said with a sigh. "I only ever came one on one with him once. I was so close to dying but then he stopped the spell when him and his followers had to make a run for it as they were outnumbered"

"You guys need to know how to defend yourselves. I don't want any of you to suffer the same fate as some of my friends and family" Rosanna said finally and left the room in silence.

"I suggest that if you don't want to come face to face with a death eater unprepared that you write your name on this sheet" Rosanna said as she pulled a piece of parchment out of her pocket and laid it on a nearby table.