Finally, sitting in Dumbledore's office, the truth. She finally knew that she was never supposed to survive, but walk knowingly into Voldemort's wrath and surrender herself to him.

She wondered if Snape had ever actually hated her, because, looking at that, he had always loved her mother.

She knew what she had to do. She was going to the forest. Now.

As she walked down the stairs, she never expected to run into the three people she loved most. Harry, Ron and Hermione, sitting on one of the stair cases, at the bottom. Rosalyn walked down to them.

"Where've you been?" Hermione asked as they all stood up to meet her.

"We thought you'd gone to the forest," Ron said worriedly.

"I'm going there now," Rosalyn said quietly.

"What, are you mad?" Ron asked. "No! You can't give yourself up to him!"

Rosalyn stopped dead in her tracks. She had to tell them.

"What is it, Rosie?" Hermione asked.

"What is it you know?" Harry input.

Rosalyn turned round, tears coming again. "There's a reason I can hear them," she struggled to talk. "I think I've known for a while, and I think you have too."

Hermione started to cry as well. "I'll go with you."

"No, kill the snake," Rosalyn said desperately. "Kill the snake and then it's just him."

Hermione launched herself onto her, hugging her fiercely. Rosalyn clung to her best friend, unspoken words of comfort and love passing between them.

"Say-" Rosalyn choked on tears. "Say goodbye to Neville for me- tell him I'll always love him."

Hermione looked at her with glassy eyes. "Rosie-"

"And say- say that he needs to move on from me," Rosalyn said with difficulty. "Fall in love with someone else. Tell him that he deserves to be happy, and that I- I'll never love anyone like I love him."

Hermione nodded and sobbed silently.

Rosalyn hugged Harry and Ron next, sobbing into both of their shoulders, then she headed off down the stairs. The other three watched her, wanting with all their hearts to pull her back, but knowing also, that she wouldn't change her mind.

Rosalyn walked through the courtyard and then, eventually, the forest. Every foot placed in front of the other seemed to hurt even more, but she kept going. She had to.

When she got into the forest, she kept walking, but it wasn't until she got closer to Voldemort when she stopped. She ran her hands down her body, trying to ready herself for death.

That's when she felt something in her pocket.

She pulled out Harry's snitch that she now had. It was useless to him. "I'm ready to die," she whispered to herself, looking at 𝐼 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝒉𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒.

And then it opened. Slowly, the layers of the snitch pulled back to reveal a small, diamond shaped stone. It was jet black and small, and had the deathly hallows symbol carved into it. Rosalyn knew what it was.

"The resurrection stone," she whispered again.

Suddenly, driven by a mad longing to speak to the people she had killed, Rosalyn turned it thrice and closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she couldn't believe who was standing there.

The first was Lily, who held her hand out to her daughter. Rosalyn ran to her, putting her hand out. However, it went straight through her. They could never touch again.

"You've been so brave, sweetheart," Lily barely whispered.

Rosalyn looked round and saw James, Sirius, Izzy and Lupin as well. "Why are you here, all of you? Why did you come back?" She asked them.

Lily surveyed her lookalike daughter for a few seconds. "We never left."

"We were always here, kid," smiled Izzy. "Always."

Rosalyn turned to Sirius. "Does- does it hurt? Dying?"

"Quicker than falling asleep," Sirius said peacefully.

"You're nearly there, m'girl," James said, making Rosalyn turn round.

"I'm sorry," Rosalyn told them immediately. "I never wanted any of you to die for me," she turned to the most recently deceased. "And Remus- your son-"

"Others will tell him what his mother and father died for," Lupin said. It was clear he had no regrets. "One day, he'll understand."

Rosalyn turned to her mother and father. "You'll stay with me?"

"Until the end," was James' answer. Rosalyn's lips twitched.

"And he won't be able to see you?" Rosalyn made sure, turning to Izzy and Sirius.

"No," Sirius said softly.

Izzy nodded. "We're here, you see."

She reached out and put her hand straight through Rosalyn's heart. "Stay close to me," Rosalyn was nearly crying now, but she forced herself to be strong. The people before deserved at least that.

Slowly, she let the resurrection stone go, and it fell into the forest floor. That was fine with Rosie. She had no intentions of ever using it again. And no intentions of anybody else ever finding it.

Rosalyn braced herself as she walked into the clearing. She saw Voldemort and Bellatrix, and all the death eaters behind them. They all seemed surprised that Rosalyn was there.

"Rosie, NO! What're you doing here!?" Hagrid, who was tied to a tree behind them, struggled.

"Quiet!" A random death eater ordered him.

Rosalyn, meanwhile, was watching Voldemort, who seemed to revel in joy. "Rosalyn Potter," he said slowly. "The girl who lived... come to die."

Rosalyn nodded slightly. There was a long silence in which everyone expected Voldemort to strike.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Rosalyn was blasted back onto the forest floor where she lay, as far as anyone else was concerned, dead.

☆☆☆

Rosalyn awoke in a very white, light and bright place. She stood up, stretching her aching muscles then looked round.

She appeared to be in a train station, but this wasn't normal. It just felt like a figment of her imagination that was living on after death.

She walked a bit around before she heard a sort of wail. She saw a bench nearby and looked underneath it, then jumped back. A little baby Voldemort (what he had looked like when Wormtail had put him in the cauldron in the graveyard) lay under there.

"You can't help."

As if this can get any weirder, Rosalyn thought as she looked up and saw Dumbledore, striding towards her. "Rosalyn, you wonderful, brave girl, let us walk."

Rosalyn fell into step beside him as they walked along in sync. "Professor, what is that?" Rosalyn asked.

"Something beyond either of our help; a part of Voldemort sent here to die," Dumbledore explained.

"And exactly where are we?" Rosalyn continued.

"I was going to ask you that," Dumbledore said conversationally.

"Well, it looks like Kings Cross station," Rosalyn guessed. "But a lot cleaner... and without all the trains."

"Kings Cross, is that right?" Dumbledore looked around. "This is, as they say, your party. I expect that now, you realise that you and Voldemort have been connected by something other than fate since that night in Godric's Hollow all those years ago."

"So it's true, then, Sir?" Rosalyn asked. "A part of him lives within me, doesn't it. I'm a horcrux."

"Did," Dumbledore told her. "It was just destroyed moments ago by none other than Voldemort himself. And yes, Rosalyn, you were the horcrux he never meant to make."

They say down on one of the benches they were passing.

"I have to go back, haven't I?" Rosalyn asked.

"Oh, that's up to you," said Dumbledore lightly.

"I have a choice?" That surprised Rosalyn a bit.

"Oh yes," Dumbledore nodded. "We're in Kings Cross, you say? So I think, if you so desired, you'd be able to board a train."

"And where would it take me?" Rosalyn said slowly.

Dumbledore chuckled. "On."

He stood up but Rosalyn stayed sitting. "Voldemort has the elder wand."

Dumbledore turned as Rosalyn stood up. "True."

"And the snake's still alive," Rosalyn said, cursing herself. "I've got nothing to kill it with. I've failed, Professor, failed."

"Help will always be given at Hogwarts, Rosalyn, to those who ask for it," Dumbledore tilted his head. "I've always prized myself on my ability to turn a phrase. Words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of inflicting pain, and remedying it. But I would, in this case, amend my original statement to this: help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who deserve it."

Rosalyn took a moment to digest this before he went on. "Do not pity the dead, Rosalyn, pity the living. And above all, those who live without love."

"Professor, my mother's patronus was a doe, wasn't it?" Rosalyn checked. "And so was Professor Snape's. That's curious, isn't it?"

"Actually, if I think about it, it doesn't seem curious at all," Dumbledore weighed it up. "I'll be going now, Rosalyn."

But, before he left, Rosalyn asked him one more question. "Professor! Is this all real? Or is it just happening inside my head?"

Dumbledore surveyed the girl, smiled, twinkled his eyes and answered the question before leaving.

"Of course it's happening inside your head, Rosalyn, but why on earth should that mean it's not real?"