Rose & The Riddle || Tom Riddle Story

Chapter Twenty-One - Protection

Rose sat in a compartment alone on the Hogwarts Express. Her feet propped up on her trunk, her elbows on her knees as she held up her head with the palms of her hands. She stared out at the magnificent Scotland landscape, which was now covered in white snow. The holidays were usually a joyous time for her, but not this year. She felt as if she were going home to a bunch of strangers.

She had no idea how she was going to confront her parents. Part of her wanted to do it right away, but that could put a damper on Christmas. The other part of her wanted to wait until she was right about to return to school, but then she was worried she wouldn't get the answers she was looking for.

She pulled out her Divination textbook and flipped through it until she found the page she was looking for and read:

Mopsus, son of Manto, was born in Ancient Greece. He was famous for having defeated fellow Seer Calchas in a competition of their powers. He was commemorated on a silver Chocolate Frog Card for his victory.

Mopsus was a natural born Seer and thus possessed the magical ability to view the future vision. His talents in Divination were shown to be extraordinary, given how he managed to defeat the rival Seer Calchas with his superior precognitive powers, which awarded him his legendary status in wizarding history.

She had to know if it was true. She had to know if she was a descendant of Mopsus. Did she really have extraordinary powers like Tom said? She knew she'd only get the answers from her parents.

When the train arrived at King's Cross Station she made her way out onto the platform alone. Edward had found their parents before she did. This was the first time that she noticed how different she looked from the rest of her family. Her father had brown curly hair, similar to Tom's, but not as dark and dark brown eyes. Her mother had straight, raven black hair and bright blue eyes. Her brother Edward had their father's hair and their mother's eyes. Rose had no similar traits with any of her family members and it made her heart sink.

"Hello Rose," greeted Alan Davies as she approached.

"Hi dad, hi mum," she said somberly.

"You all right?" asked Vivian Davies. Rose nodded and smiled at her mother to reassure her. Edward had avoided eye contact with her completely. She felt like a stranger within her own family. She noticed that neither one of her parents even attempted to hug her.

She trailed behind her parents as they walked to the Port Key that would take them home to Godric's Hollow. She watched as Edward chatted excitedly with their parents. She held back tears as she realized she no longer knew her brother. She had no idea how school was going for him. How could she when he refused to talk to her?

She learned that his favorite subject was Potions. He had two best friends named Henry and Malcom and Professor Dumbledore was his favorite teacher. No one even bothered to ask Rose how her O.W.L.s year was going. No one even cared...

***

The Davies household was the smallest house at the end of the street near their community church. It made sense now that her family would choose to live in the birthplace of Godric Gryffindor himself. For the first time, she was disgusted with the overwhelming maroon and gold décor. The Christmas tree stood in the middle of the living room, as it did every Christmas. The red and gold twinkling lights illuminated the room. The kitchen smelled deliciously of roast chicken and garlic mashed potatoes and Rose didn't realize until then that she hadn't eaten all day.

"Dinner will be ready in a half hour," said Vivian. "You two can relax and unpack and I'll call you when it's ready."

Rose traipsed down the hallway to her room. It was at the very back end of the house. It looked exactly like she had left it. She had a twin bed up against the only window adorned with emerald green sheets. Her desk was next to her nightstand and was stacked with old essays and homework assignments from previous years. Her small wardrobe stood at the opposite end of her room. She opened it and then with a wave of her wand she flicked her trunk open and her clothes flew into the wardrobe and hung themselves up neatly. She knew she wasn't technically allowed to use magic outside of school, but as long as her parents didn't know she didn't think much of it.

Rose flopped down on her bed and her thoughts drifted to Tom. She stared out the window and looked onto the quiet streets of her little town. She sky was inky-blue as the sun descended behind the hills off in the distance. She wondered what Tom was doing at this very moment. Was he thinking about her too? Was he wandering the corridors, looking for more secrets hidden within the walls? Was he sitting in the Room of Requirement thinking about his next Horcrux?

She leaned over, pulled out Tom's diary and held it to her chest. She flipped through the pages and stared at their blank contents. She wondered why he hadn't written in it. She wished that he had.

There was a knock at her door.

"Time for dinner, kiddo," said her father as he stood in the doorway. Rose stood up. Her father noticed her sad expression for the first time. "Are you sure you're all right, Rosie?"

Tears welled in her eyes. Her father's face dropped as his concern grew. He stepped towards her and pulled her into a hug as she cried into his chest. She couldn't hold it back. She was completely bawling.

"Shhh, shhh, it's okay," said Alan as he held his daughter close and stroked her hair. "I'm here, darling. Tell me what's wrong."

Rose was too upset to speak. She clung to her father just as she did when she was a child. He needed him to comfort her. He needed him to just hold her.

Many moments passed and Rose started to calm down. She did not want to face her mother and Edward right now. She pulled away and wiped her eyes and nose with her sleeve. Her father looked down at her, still, with great concern.

"You can tell me what's bothering you," he said as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

She looked up at him. She knew now was the time to tell him. She felt as if she was losing bits and pieces of herself the longer she held it in. She figured she would ease him into the conversation rather than dropping a bombshell on him.

"I feel like..." she started quietly. "I've been feeling less and less like myself lately."

He watched her with confusion.

"Do you ever feel like... you don't know who you are?"

"Darling," he said worriedly. "What do you mean?"

She looked up at the man who she called father for the past sixteen years and her heart swelled in her chest. This was the moment. How would she feel towards him if he confirmed that he wasn't her real father? Would she feel betrayed? Would she still consider him her father? He was the man who raised her after all.

"Dad..." she said quietly. It was almost as if Alan knew what she was going to ask. "Am I adopted?"

Alan's features froze. Rose almost thought for a moment that he stopped breathing until he let out a deep sigh. He ran his fingers through his hair and began pacing her room. Tears fell from Rose's face as his actions confirmed her question. He walked over to her bed and sat down.

"We didn't want you to ever find out," he said quietly.

"Well I know now," she replied. "Why wouldn't you tell me I'm adopted?"

Alan Davies looked at his daughter and an immense sadness washed over him. She had never seen her father look so vulnerable.

"We were trying to protect you," he said.

"Protect me from what?"

"Not from what," he said. "But whom."

Rose stared at him open-mouthed. Her eyebrows were knitted together in confusion. She hadn't even realized that her mother and brother had entered the room; both had looks of surprise on their face.

"Who are you trying to protect me from?" asked Rose.

A pregnant silence hung in the air. Rose's entire body was tense. Her arms were wrapped tightly across her chest. She hadn't even realized her fingernails were digging into her arms. Her father finally spoke.

"We were trying to protectyou from Gellert Grindlewald."