Is the end of life really death??

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It was quite nice not having the adults at school suspicious of Rose, and none of the professors seemed all that concerned that Rose had elected to go home for Christmas as they were more focused on taking names down for those who would be staying. They seemed much more rushed than usual, and with how much Dumbledore had been hiding in his office recently Rose wondered how much extra work they'd been given.

Rose was honestly too excited to care. Not one time at Hogwarts had she had the chance to take the Hogwarts Express home for Christmas and spend it with family. Her family. It was a new experience and she was going to enjoy it to the best of her ability, even if she was more childish than usual.

Though she had a feeling she wasn't the most childish if the letters from home were any indication. According to Amelia she was having a difficult time reigning in her fiancé, as he seemed to be on a mission to cover every inch of Rose's house in tasteless decorations even if it was still two weeks until Christmas. She dearly hoped her family home wouldn't be destroyed by his enthusiasm.

Rose had always thought herself to be a mature adult but being in the past was actually rather trying for her. She knew she was good at burying parts of herself that made her vulnerable, but her family was slowly bringing them out and soothing her long-buried pain. They'd realised quite quickly that she didn't know how to respond to affection, and they were rather good at distracting her with hugs and kisses. Putting her first was a new experience too, as adults had usually treated her as an afterthought. Or simply used her as a chess piece. Not that she was bitter or anything. Not at all.

She was coming face to face with childhood issues that had never been dealt with properly and her dads seemed determined to show her what a family really was. The two of them were focusing on her but Rose knew they were benefiting too. Sirius was obvious with his childhood tainted by insanity and cruelty, but Remus' early life hadn't been all sunshine and rainbows either.

His parents had said they'd accepted his Lycanthropy and cared for him, but when the full moon came he'd been locked away with his parents looking at him with sadness, fear and pity. They could have mentioned straight-up the brutal reality of his situation and he would have loved them just the same, but their method of pretending everything was normal was disheartening to say the least.

Now though the two men were very involved in the spirit of the season. She grinned at the thought of Christmas even though present shopping was getting a little daunting. Thank God for owl-order service.

Aside from her close friends, the rest of the Ravenclaws including Penelope were getting an assortment of magical and muggle sweets, and some key chains shaped like books.

Hermione was getting some wizarding children's books, like The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Daphne, Tracy, Susan and Hannah were getting some jewellery, and she'd bought some Potions tools for Terry. For Su and Millicent she'd gotten two high-quality jumpers.

The last two girls, Lavender and Parvati, were getting a set of colour-changing hair accessories. Wayne was getting a collection of Stephen King novels which inspired Blaise's Sherlock Holmes set. As for Neville, he was getting a new pair of Herbology gloves made from dragon-hide.

The terrible twosome Fred and George were each getting a book of notes handwritten by the Marauders. (She knew McGonagall would hate her forever if she found out.)

The basilisk hide had certainly come in handy for Christmas; Sirius was getting a jacket like the one he had from his teenage rebellion, and Remus was getting a nice pair of boots that would last him for years to come.

For the Aurors, Amelia had a coat on the way while Tonks had a stylish vest. As a lawyer, Ted was getting a journal for work while she'd had a nice bag made for Andi. Augusta had a coin purse, and both it and the bag had Undetectable Extension and Anti-Summoning Charms on them.

She got a few assorted scarves to send to her teachers, as well as some bolts of fabric for her elves to make their own outfits. Hagrid was getting a book on dangerous creatures and how to care for them. (She didn't want to tempt fate, but at least this way he'd have some reputable instructions in case he found himself in another dodgy animal situation. Which he most likely would.)

For the first time as a Hogwarts student, Rose Potter was excited for Christmas, and nobody, not even Voldemort, was going to ruin it.

________________________________________

Getting rid of Voldemort was supposed to be an extraordinarily difficult task. The mad man had begun his reign of terror decades ago and he was still feared so much that the mere mention of his name elicited physical recoils. He was a psychopathic terrorist who delighted in murder and torture, and his killings showcased just how insane he was.

To stand against Lord Voldemort was practically suicide as many had found out in the past, and the monster wearing a human's face was a walking nightmare for nearly the entire magical population. The nightmare was more memorable than even his victims, as the memories of the poor souls who'd lost their lives to him had been drowned out by the terrifying infamy that was Lord Voldemort.

Even though it made her furious she could somewhat understand why people celebrated his supposed demise instead of mourning her parents. For such a monster to be killed was a relief, a respite from the fear that your family was next, or someone that you knew would soon become a target.

People had hunted him, tried to kill him and bring him down, to rid the world of his evil. He himself had been determined to never be normal. Tom Riddle's desire to stand above all others, to rise against his supposed 'filthy' origins, had sparked some of the evillest magic in existence and twisted his very being into something all sane magicals recoiled at. To defile oneself so deeply and irreversibly was a source of disgust for others, and Tom Riddle's descent into the persona of Lord Voldemort had marked a sickening new experience for the magical community.

For a man who'd split his own soul, who'd desperately tied himself to the mortal plane in such a way, to be taken out in this manner was utterly ludicrous. Rose couldn't tell if it was sad or fitting.

Rose had racked her brain for hours upon hours trying to think of a plan to lure Voldemort outside the boundaries of the school's wards. Compelling him to walk off, inviting him to Hogsmeade, even using someone as bait, she'd had plans upon plans swirling around in her brain before realising that she was truly becoming a Ravenclaw and over-thinking things.

Voldemort was a terrifying and powerful entity but as of right now he was a powerless wraith trapped in the body of a mediocre wizard. Rose's meditation and exercises with wandless magic had increased her ability to sense the magical strength of others, and Quirrell was merely average at best. This was probably why he'd had to feed on unicorns, because his body was too weak to sustain the magic of Voldemort's spirit. As much as she despised the monster she was smart enough to acknowledge his magical prowess.

Said prowess was unfortunately – for him – out of reach at the moment, as the dominating soul in the body belonged to Quirrell. Voldemort could anchor himself to his host body and control his magic, but the DADA teacher's reserves were pitiful compared to Voldemort.

Rose had nearly bashed her head against the wall when she realised that she'd been planning while subconsciously thinking of him as stronger than he currently was. She'd told herself before that simple was best and she lived by using the tools at her disposal. The fact was that the portkey she would receive would only work when outside the boundaries of Hogwarts' wards. It would also take effect as soon as it touched human skin so she would have to levitate it onto the professor. She had to get both elements in a location where the process would work without anyone the wiser.

Rose was a determined individual, not to mention smart and cunning, so much so that she couldn't begrudge the comparisons between her and the younger Tom. But the contrast between them that made all the difference was her ability to empathise with and respect others. Especially other species.

When Voldemort had used Kreacher to hide the locket he'd been so arrogant to automatically assume the inferiority of the elf that he didn't realise he had just given away the secret to his 'immortality'.

But Rose wasn't so naive. Other creatures had their own inherent magic and had their own abilities which made them both unique and strong. House-elves were no exception, and she didn't doubt the strength of their abilities which was why Dobby was such a constant in her life. His own time travel aside, he was intelligent and crafty, using his magic to take revenge on those that had wronged him and his family.

When Dobby had originally spoken about freedom he'd meant the freedom to choose a family that would treat him right. It was this reason that his bond with Rose was so strong. She respected his choice to work instead of forcing what she thought house-elves should be onto him, and even went so far as to restrict his jobs if she thought he was in danger.

It was this reason that Dobby was the key to killing Voldemort.

Dobby had already established his ability to compel non-magical people when he'd successfully spelled her aunt ans uncle, and though magic made the process more difficult, a quick slip of a Confundus Charm-like potion in his morning coffee made Quirrell much more open to suggestions. Which in turn made it easier for Dobby to compel the idiot to walk to the infamous haunted bathroom.

It was rather pathetic that a Stunner and Body-Bind were more than enough to take down a Voldemort-possessed wannabe-terrorist, but considering the general arrogance that witches and wizards possessed it was no wonder than hiding around a corner and spelling someone in the back actually worked. Levitating the body down to the Chamber of Secrets was also ridiculously simple, and she felt an anxious flutter in her stomach as she felt herself cross the border of the school's wards.

When she got to the main chamber she took a minute to morph her appearance to that of generic brown hair and eyes and removed all traces of her House from her uniform. Just because she had somewhat reckless ideas didn't mean that provoking the insane psycho was a good idea.

With a flick of her wand the man was cognisant and moving.

After a groan and some muttered threats, Quirrellmort rolled over before locking eyes with her unimpressed brown orbs and bolting to his feet, wand pointed at a spot between her eyes. It was a shame that she had set up some small yet powerful Parselmagic wards that allowed her to send spells through but deflected ones aimed at her. Idiot.

"You know, I never quite understood the reasoning behind serving Voldemort, let alone allowing him to possess your very body. Maybe it's me, but I'd prefer working with someone, rather than serving them like a pathetic dog starved for attention."

Quirrell had always struck her as a cowardly worm but the flash of fury on his face would have made a saner person whimper. Sanity wasn't something that Rose Potter subscribed to, however.

"How dare you! You insolent child, I have no idea how you know the truth, but listen to me! Lord Voldemort is power, and power is the only thing that's important. You –"

"Quirrell."

The soft tone, hissing even in muffled whispers was followed by a brief discussion which ended in Rose once more coming face-to-face with the back of Quirrell's head. As an eleven-year-old, the sight of the possession had been terrifying to Rose, but as an adult who'd specialised in obscure branches of magic the red-eyed visage was simply nauseating.

Voldemort had no idea what he was doing to himself, to both of them, and this snake-like face was like a flashing sign, warning everyone of the dangers of possession. He might think that he knew what he was doing, but he wouldn't look so inhumane if he'd succeeded. Of course, his arrogance wouldn't allow for him to concede his mistakes.

§Hello Tom, nice to see you again.§

His snarl was almost impressive, though it lost some of the effect for the simple fact that he was stuck on the back of someone's head.

§Who are you?! You dare to speak the noble language of the great Salazar Slytherin with your filthy mouth?! You pathetic child!§

She arched an eyebrow in an unimpressed manner even as she subtly shifted the grip on her wand.

§You can rant and rave as much as you want, Tom Marvolo Riddle, but I am more than worthy of speaking a language that I inherited from my ancestors. As for the 'pathetic child' comment, I'm not the one whose daddy issues made them change names and start killing people in a childish temper tantrum.§

Rose was more than aware of her tendency to get snarky when agitated, but the moment the words fell from her mouth she wanted to face-palm. Granted he was the reason her parents were dead, but she shouldn't have snapped like that without thinking; it was clear that being face-to-face with him would always bring out her most idiotic Gryffindor attributes. Insulting the crazy bastard was the furthest thing from smart, and the growing fury on the twisted face was more than enough of a warning sign.

She knew that she had wards up that would protect her, but instincts were instincts, and she acted without thinking and dived out the way of the spell he sent at her. Judging from the sickly orange colour it was a dark Cutting Curse and would have left her dead immediately if she'd been hit. As it was she vaguely noticed the orange dissipate as it hit her wards.

Rose was thankful for her daily wandless magic training as she conjured thick ropes as she dodged, hearing the satisfying thud where the possessed man tripped and hit the stone floor hard, hurling insults as he went. Voldemort couldn't use wandless magic as the possessing spirit, and with his arms trapped at his sides he was unable to aim.

She wasn't stupid though and knew he could probably escape with enough time, so she quickly pulled out the portkey bag and levitated the chain out and launched it at his neck, watching as it wrapped around him from the force of the movement.

His eyes widened briefly before he vanished before her eyes. She could feel her blood pounding in her ears and her stomach was clenched with anxiety. Rose quickly made her way back out the chamber and through the castle, not pausing until she was safely ensconced in her trunk.

The girl had no composure as she ran to the glowing box on the desk and wrenched open the lid so hard she nearly tore it off the hinges. She was high-strung with shaking hands, and her breathing was shallow as she desperately searched for what she was looking for, what she needed.

With shaking hands she opened the quick note from Sharpfang which told her that Voldemort was currently in their custody, and that he would write again when the ritual was over. The goblins were attempting to separate the parasitic Voldemort from the spirit of Quirrell, but they were doubtful of their chances.

When a host is unwillingly taken over by a spirit there will always exist the smallest part of the subconscious mind that rejects the foreign presence completely. It is difficult and it doesn't always work, but it is possible to isolate that part of the mind and expand it, slowly allowing the host to essentially take over their own mind, similar to the initial possession. Then they are able to guide the mind so it finds the spirit that possessed them and drive them out. It cannot be guaranteed to work but there is a chance.

If the host is willingly possessed there is no chance at all.

She could not remember if Quirrell ever said he was willing or not. His actions before led Rose to think that he was coerced, which seemed to be a grey area in the middle. She didn't know if he would survive.

Pacing around her trunk was doing nothing to settle her nerves about Voldemort and even Dobby was visibly concerned. The hot chocolate he gave her warmed her immediately before a strange and artificial calm washed over her. She raised a brow at his unrepentant look before he very matter-of-factly said she needed to be calm before she hurt herself.

Rose snorted into her cup as she drank, before sitting down and trying to distract herself with a book. She'd just read the same line for the fourteenth time before her box began glowing. She mentally thanked Dobby for the Calming Draught before opening the box to find a letter that looked deceptively innocent. She took a breath and opened it.

As of 22nd December 1991, Quirinus Orcus Quirrell was dead as the ritual to save him failed.

As of 22nd December 1991, Lord Voldemort, also known as Tom Marvolo Riddle, was dead as the ritual to kill him succeeded.

The evil that had ruined her life and killed her birth parents was gone. It was surreal.

Voldemort was dead.

She sat down and looked at the parchment blankly. Rose Potter stayed that way for hours until she succumbed to sleep, dreaming of an unknown future.


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Who here is absolutely in love with Malec?? I mean damn they are hot.

3089 words

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