It is said that on that night of Halloween, Sirius Black betrayed the location of the Potter home. It is said that on that night of Halloween, Voldemort came to Godric's Hollow. It is said on that night of Halloween, Voldemort killed James and Lily Potter. It is said that on that night of Halloween, Voldemort turned his wand on little Rose Potter and shot the Killing Curse. It is said that on that night of Halloween, little Rose Potter survived this curse. It is said that on that night of Halloween, Voldemort somehow perished at Rose Potter's chubby baby hands. It is said that on that night of Halloween, Peter Pettigrew and a dozen muggles were killed by Sirius Black.

And yet, only two of those said things are true.

Sirius Black didn't betray the Potters on that night of Halloween. But then, Voldemort came to Godric's Hollow. James and Lily Potter died by Voldemort's wand. But when Voldemort reached the nursery, there were two children inside. Twins, Harry and Rose, and Voldemort did not turn his wand on Rose. Peter Pettigrew killed many muggles and faked his death, leaving Sirius Black to take the blame, on that night on Halloween.

Everyone thinks they know the story, but no-one really does. The curse rebounded off Harry Potter and caused an explosion. Harry Potter was left with a cursed scar, but Rose was hit in the face by some broken pieces of her crib, in such a way that it looked like one long and nasty gash down her face.

When Dumbledore came along, he proclaimed Rose the survivor for her much fancier scar, and had her spirited away to her muggle relatives for protection.

Harry was considered not as important, and so Dumbledore had him placed in Muggle Foster Care, before simply leaving the both of them to their respective fates.

Years passed, both of them unknowing that they had a sibling, but aside the Dursley's generally horrid treatment of Rose, nothing of great importance happened until they were eight.

When Harry was eight years old, he was moved to a new foster house. This, in and of itself, was nothing new, it had happened twice before, both times because strange things kept happening around him that he couldn't explain. However, what was important, was the family across the street.

Across the street from the foster home, you see, there lived a family of two dentists and their only daughter. The other foster kids often picked on the girl because she spent so much time reading. Harry thought that the girl didn't deserve to be picked on.

It was less than a week since Harry's arrival the first time he stood up for the dark-skinned girl across the street. Everyone had been shocked that there was anyone standing up for her, regardless of who it was. When the other children, some of them other foster kids, some just from around the neighborhood, left, the young girl asked Harry why he had stood up for her.

"Why wouldn't I?" was Harry's only answer.

Harry soon learned that the girl he had stood up for was named Hermione Granger, and from that point on, they did just about everything together. They had a lot of fun, and loved getting back at the bullies.

However, it wasn't meant to last, as Harry was shunted off to yet another new foster home on his tenth birthday, and Hermione was left behind. While they sent each-other letters, it wasn't really the same.

Nothing happened, not really, when the twins were ten, at least not until the summer. Rose was quite shocked when she got a letter in the mail addressed to her.

"What is this?" she murmured to herself as she walked back towards the dining room where they Dursleys were sitting, waiting on their mail.

Apparently, she was a bit too loud, as Uncle Vernon overheard her and ripped the letter away from her before yelling at her nonsensically about freaks. Rose fled and hid in her cupboard, because the Dursleys were too big to fit in there. As a matter of fact, she hid under the raggedy old sleeping bag the Dursleys had given her because even a cot was 'too good' for a freak like her. She even scooted as far away from the door as she could in a room this small.

A lock of her bright red hair fell into her eyes. She didn't dare move to fix it. Uncle Vernon scared her when he was in this mood. He was in this mood a lot.

It didn't help that she got another letter the next day.

And the day after that.

Not to mention, the day after that as well.

Needless to say, she never got to actually read any of those letters, but she thought it very amusing that they just kept coming.

She wondered, idly one morning as she hid in her cupboard, which the Dursleys had itechnically/i moved her out of, but it was where she felt safest, so she kept staying there anyway, if it was one of the strange people on the street.

They were very strange people, these people on the street. Dressed in clothes so old fashioned they looked like they were on their way to a costume party, and using words that made no sense, like "Quidditch" and "Muggle", these people would come up to her and know her name for no apparent reason, and mangle very common words in very strange ways, like "Electricity" becoming "Elckticery". That wasn't even some other word, at least not in English!

None of it made any sense to Rose, so she sat in her cupboard and played pretend with sticks and rocks from the garden outside.

The only explanation that Rose really wanted was probably the most unlikely. Once, when Aunt Petunia was yelling, she had said, "At least we didn't get saddled with your brother, too!" Rose wanted very much to meet her mysterious brother, and hoped against hope that the letters were from him, but she very much doubted that he knew she existed. After all, he didn't have a horrid Aunt to yell at him, did he?

Uncle Vernon was yelling again. Rose couldn't make out what he was saying, but he was awfully mad, so Rose swept her rocks and sticks to the side just as the cupboard door flew open.

"Get out here, brat," Uncle Vernon snarled, "We're leaving to get away from those letters. Don't bother packing anything, you haven't got anything worth keeping!" he laughed as he stalked off, but Rose still had to pack clothes, so she hurried to do that.

By 'clothes' Rose packed a few of Dudley's hand-me-down shirts as dresses, and threw in an extra ribbon - her birthday present from when she turned eight - in as a sash, and tied the pillowcase she was using as a bag shut. It wouldn't do to make them wait, and she would probably be slapped.

She hated being slapped.

She also hated being in the car with the Dursleys.

Dudley took up most of the back seat with his bulk, and what wasn't taken up by his bulk was taken up by his whining. He seemed physically incapable of shutting his mouth as he complained about everything from Rose to the lack of a television to Rose to not being able to play computer games to Rose again.

Vernon appeared to have composed a new song consisting of the lyrics, 'dirty freaks,' 'don't come any closer,' and 'shake them off.' Rose didn't think it would sell very well.

Petunia didn't seem to like Uncle Vernon's new song either, if her continued muttering and worried glances in between her nervous chatter about everything from week-old gossip and rumors to whatever billboard had just been passed.

Rose couldn't wait for them to stop somewhere because she could finally stop listening to this strange chorus of voices. She wished she could get away from them forever. She wished the letter sender would come find her, whoever they were.

They couldn't possibly be worse than the Dursleys.

No-one was worse than the Dursleys.

They didn't come that night, or the next morning, leaving Rose very disappointed. Not in the letter sender for not coming, but in herself for getting her hopes up. If anyone was going to take her from the Dursleys, they would have done it by now. She knew that. Why had she let herself think any differently last night?

There were an awful lot of letters at the hotel that morning for Rose, but even that couldn't raise her spirits. As she twirled a strand of her dark red hair between her fingers, she sighed and propped herself on the table with one elbow until Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon said it was time to go.

They were back in the car again. The whining, singing, and gossip from yesterday had started up again, but now it was louder. Rose wondered if she could run away on the next toilet break but decided against it due to the fact she didn't have any food to take with her. The noise was driving her crazy.

They only stopped three times that day. The first time Uncle Vernon bought a long thin thing in a box that Rose did not like and decided to stay away from. The second time was a late lunch, where Rose was allowed to eat Dudley's side-salad. It wasn't a bad salad, but Rose was still hungry. The third time was a toilet break, which was boring, because Rose had no food and therefore could not run away.

Then they got to their 'destination'.

It was a run down shack on a rock a little ways out at sea.

Rose hated it on sight.

Rose had to row the little boat out to sea for the Dursleys, and then haul their things up the rock into the shack. Both parts of that assignment were very heavy.

Rose didn't know if it was lucky or sad that she was already very strong from doing practically all the Dursleys chores for as long as she could remember. Eventually she decided it was probably sad.

It was that sadness of a hurt both long gone and brand new that kept her company under the ratty old blanket the Dursleys had given her 'out of the kindness of their hearts.' Rose wasn't sure they had hearts.

She looked a Dudley's watch and counted down the minutes until she was eleven. She knew her birthday wouldn't be anything special, but she wanted to do something, even if it was herself.

Forget minutes, now there were only sixty seconds until she was eleven. She began humming the birthday tune the children at school always sang. She was going to sing it to herself the moment the new day began.

Ten seconds…

Nine…

Eight…

Sev- what was that noise?

Six…

Five…

Fou- was the rock dissolving?

Three…

Two…

One!

BOOM!

There was someone at the door. There was someone at the door at midnight. There was someone at the door at midnight on Rose's birthday.

Hope welled up in Rose's heart that they might be there for her before she could squash it down. Dudley bolted upright, asking where the cannon was. Uncle Vernon crashed through the door to the other room with a rifle in his hands.

Rose squeaked and shuffled away from her Uncle and his gun.

BOOM!

Whoever was at the door knocked again. Rose would have gone to answer it, but she was scared of her Uncle's gun.