Legacies

The Hope of the Oswells

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.