The best thing about using the Floo Network was the time. Alina didn't have to discuss anything with her grandmother on the way back home with her sister Bella. Not one word. The worst thing about using the Floo Network was the time. In a flash, the three were back at Updown Court, bringing an official start to her summer after her first year at Hogwarts.

Alina dreaded what her grandmother was going to say. She dreaded what her grandmother was going to do. They entered in through a sort of small area, a combination between a fancy lobby and what muggles would call a mudroom, where they always entered or departed for the Floo in the home. One of the help was there, but not a face she recognized. "Good afternoon, ma'am," he said to the older woman then looked to the other two. "Welcome back, girls," the spindly man said and offered to get their bags. Alina set hers down with Bella's and watched as her grandmother stormed off. No words. No more smacking her across the face.

Bella said she wanted to go see her room and left just a moment after. "Thank you," Alina said to the man and gave him a smile. He smiled back, appreciating the recognition. "Alina. Alina Rosier," she said and did her sort of curtsy. "James. James Cochoran," the man answered. He then went to get the luggage of the two girls to take to their room and Alina ventured into the large house.

Large was an understatement. The house, and estate as a whole, was massive and yet it felt rather restricting, sometimes like a prison; a cage. She looked into the main meeting quarters, down the corridor to the kitchen, past the dining room, past another meeting quarters and to the main foyer where Bella could be seen heading up one of the staircases up to her room, giving a casual greeting without stopping to their father who was coming down the other staircase.

Seeing him made her think back to the trophy sitting in the Trophy Room at Hogwarts on the Third Floor. It was a quidditch trophy from her father's Slytherin Hogwarts days and was for sportsmanship. Then her mind thought back to her daydream/flashback, being in a garden with him, her mother, and herself and Bella as just little ones, probably only able to say a word or two and how he had kissed her mother and they shared a look like they were actually in love.

This was coming from the two that never spoke when her mother was alive, never even physically saw each other unless it was for appearance of others like when hosting an event. Her mother hadn't loved her father - she was too busy ignoring him and her children, doing Merlin knows what as she shut herself in her own part of the house. Her father didn't love her mother - as he was never home to see her (nor his children) because of business and pleasure alike. None of it made any sense.

"Hello, Father," Alina said quietly, feeling she needed to say some niceties after neglecting doing so at the station and got a swift smack across the face from her grandmother for it. The man always seemed to know the difference between his identical twins even at first glance, even with not seeing them for a whole year away at Hogwarts, even for being away so much himself.

"Welcome home, Alina," he said once at the foot of the staircase. He presented her with a smile and she smiled back a little and watched as his smile faded and he approached her. His hand lifted and he gently placed it against her face, as if silently inquiring what happened but he didn't ask. It did seem to spark some anger in him that his daughter was hurt, but the fact that he didn't ask seemed to give Alina the impression that he knew it was his mother that did this.

"We will discuss your school year after dinner. My office. 7PM." It wasn't an invitation, it was a formal order. She nodded. "Yes, Sir."

Alina then left to go up the staircase as well to the third floor where Alina and Bella occupied the entire space and she went to her own room and closed the door, needing a moment to process the difference in life just now.

The Hufflepuff Common Room and her dormitory was so different. Everything there at the house was pristine, white, sparkling, open and big but by now she was used to her home in Hufflepuff - golden and welcoming, small and cozy. She used to tease that it was sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows only it WAS sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows and she missed it. She wanted it back.

She decided that she would use this time to write to some of her friends, letting them know that she got home okay and to see that they did the same. Many said they'd write for the summer and she hoped that they would. She certainly would have the time. This seemed to be her life again, the emptiness. The loneliness. The quiet.

The quiet continued all the way through supper, as it was just the hired help serving the meal and two identical girls sitting at a large table by themselves. Their grandmother did not join them. Their father did not join them. More quiet - for the most part.

Still, the quietness couldn't last forever and Alina wondered what 7PM in her father's office would hold. He would want them to tell him of their year. She had decided. She would let Bella go first and then she would talk and in her talking she would tell him about Hufflepuff because surely he would want to see their report card and it was listed right on top, screaming to be seen. Screaming, that's probably what was going to happen. No, the quietness couldn't last forever.

After Supper that first evening back, she went up to her room to prepare for the 7PM meeting with her father where she and Bella would discuss their first year at Hogwarts. She opened up her bag, placing her cellophane plastic bag of lemon drops on the bedstand, some of the folded origami badger notes from Clifton on her bed, and then gathered up what she was going to bring to his meeting: her report card, a couple of her best essays from classes, and a few photographs taken throughout the year of her and friends.

She assumed they wouldn't get past the report card, with marks far lower than that of her twins, and then there was the biggest part of it all where she left out that she was sorted into Hufflepuff. The entire year had gone by and it was something that she intentionally neglected to tell him but no longer.

Nearing closer to Seven O'Clock, she went to check her appearance in the mirror, ensuring that her hair was in place and that she would be presentable. It was her who would arrive at her father's office first. The door that was normally closed in which they needed to always knock and be granted permission to enter was halfway open and she paused in place to watch him. He sat at his desk, his head down, writing.

He had always given off a sort of coldness about him, a sternness. Long ago he attempted some carefree moments with his daughters but would turn around the next day and be just as distant as he ever was - if not more. It was a very abrupt change in moods. The most carefree she remembered him was in that flashback/daydream and when Juliette had been their childminder. Right now he certainly didn't seem carefree but he didn't seem cold and distant either - he just seemed...sad.

Something about the way he sat in his chair, or he paused in his writing to think. Not seeing her there in the doorway he continued on, taking hold of a couple letters and scanning over them as if he had read them once before but was now looking for particular information.

Not wanting to seem like she was snooping around, she lightly knocked against the door and he glanced up from the parchment to look at her and gave a soft smile. "Alina, come in," he said to her. She drew in a slow breath. Ready or not. "Good evening, Father," she said, giving that formal welcome and didn't say much more. In some situations, she was raised that children were to be seen and not heard and this was his meeting. He was conducting it. He would tell her when to speak.

The man glanced at the elaborate clock on the far wall to check the time, probably to see if his other daughter was going to be late but there were still a couple minutes until Seven. He took those minutes to gather up those letters, stack them together and put them in a drawer of his desk before tidying up a bit. Alina sat down on one of the chairs and waited quietly. Still the quiet.

Bella arrived and paused briefly at the halfway opened door and then knocked, to which their father invited her with the same "Bella, come in." She stepped across the office in her usual elegance and Alina noticed that she had changed to her third outfit for that day. There was the outfit she wore home from Hogwarts, the one she wore at dinner, and now this. Glancing down, she looked to what she had been wearing the entire day and played with the bottom hem of her shirt, trying to straighten it out a little.

Once everything was off his desk, he sat down. It was very business-like with him on one side of the large desk and the girls in their separate chairs on the other. "Tell me about your first year, Bella," he said to her. After all, she seemed more put together, more prepared.

Bella went on to tell her father EVERYTHING. She began by telling him how happy she was to be sorted into the Hogwarts elite of Slytherin and how she got to be with like-minded people through her journey. She told him about the ballet club and the library. She told him about the dances. She told them how she felt about the food and the decor and how she felt it had been a very nice year, she just wish there was MORE. More dancing, more fancier elements, more updates, more glam. Maybe she didn't use those words, but it's what she meant. She then presented her report card to her father and he looked pleased with her marks.

After reviewing the paper, he looked up from it. "Thank you, Bella," he said to her and she gave him a smile before standing up, glancing to her sister as a quick sort of encouragement combined with worry, and headed out of the office, leaving the two alone. Quiet.

Alina waited as he looked over the report card one more time and she felt sick. Her stomach turned and her hands were shaky but she had agonized over this moment for the entire year and just wanted it over with. "Here's mine," she said as she presented it over the desk to him. Charles Rosier traded one daughter's report card for the other, setting Bella's down and looking at Alina's. The first thing his eyes moved across was Alina Rosier. Hufflepuff. She watched as his eyes remained there.

Quiet.

"...I...I...I wanted to tell you," she began softly, "but I didn't know how. I argued, I tried to talk to the Headmaster and I tried to talk to my Head of House but no one would listen and I..." she stopped because she didn't know what to say really. She brought arms across her body, almost like she was embracing herself to hold herself together but already the tears were coming. "No one would listen," she said again. That was her entire life. No one would listen. No one listened as far back as she could remember scraping her knee and needing a kind word or a hug. No one listened when she didn't want to wear a particular dress to a particular event. No one listened when she said that she was afraid at night from a nightmare. No one listened when she found her mother dead on the floor of the Grand Foyer back in France. That took a good near hour trying to find someone to tell!

By now there wasn't silence. Her soft crying had broken the silence and her father's eyes looked up from the paper to meet hers. Hers were tear filled but his looked sad. He set the paper down and got up from his desk, coming over to where she was. Alina closed her eyes, anticipating another smack across the face as she tried to control her tears.

When she opened her eyes, her father was there before her. "Stand up, Alina," he said to her. She did as told. He gathered up the report card from his desk and told her to get her things and she grabbed her essays and photos before moving over to the sofa of the office. He motioned for her to sit and she did. He followed and placed her report card down. The two were no longer separated by the large wooden desk, but together, side by side, on the sofa.

"Tell me about your first year in Hufflepuff," he whispered and when her eyes met his he presented her with a soft, encouraging smile.

She had told him everything. She started with the Sorting Ceremony on the very first day and filled him in about every big project, told him about every friendship she made (real and portraits). She told him about how good grades were difficult as was finding time to spend with Bella. She told him about her favorite places in the castle and her favorite activities, some being new hobbies. She told him about the parties, the adventures, and her Secret Secret Ball.

And he listened.

Alina could tell he listened by the way he reacted, smiling at times with her and never looking away, even to that clock on the wall. His attention was focused on her and her words and her experiences. He even asked about her friends and when they'd be coming to visit, eager to meet them.

It wasn't until hours had passed that both grew tired. "I have to go on a business trip tomorrow," he told her, "you take care while I'm gone." Alina nodded to him and stood up from the sofa, gathering her things. "I'd like to hear some about your days at Hogwarts when you get back," she said softly, hoping maybe he would tell her. Her father watched her, his light green eyes finding hers and he nodded, "I'd like that. We'll do that."

[Word Count: 220]

In the days that followed, the loneliness of the house was creeping in on Alina Rosier once more. With her father gone on his business trip, she'd have to wait to hear about some of his stories from his Hogwarts days. She had a lot of questions...wondering what her grandmother had been like when it came to his grades and expectations, wondering how long the played quidditch for the Slytherin house team, wondering what the reasoning was for his trophy for sportsmanship that rested in the Trophy Room. She wondered if he went to school dances and what his favorite parents of the castle were. In such a very short amount of time, she felt connected with him.

While he was gone she'd have to do something to combat her loneliness and the best way to not feel alone was to not be alone. There were few but some potential candidates to help her with this mission. First was her grandmother...Celeste Beaumont Rosier. She was a cold, cruel woman, who always had a scowl on her face and demanded constant perfection from her granddaughters. Correction, she demanded what she thought was constant perfection. They were to know what to do, exactly when and how she wanted it done, even if she hadn't said a word or given any sign. This was the same lady who hit Alina hard across the face in front of her friends and their families at the train station. No. Option 1 was out.

Option 2 was her sister Bella. The two girls spent their entire childhood together, even being taught by a governess (or multiple because none would stay very long in employment) instead of regular schooling. Plus she was her twin, her double...her second. Still, ever since Summer began, Bella just wanted to stay up in her room, looking through fashion magazines and practicing her hair or dance. Whenever Alina tried to get her to do anything else, she spat her away for being a bother. A bother...her own twin!

Onto Option 3...the hired help. The girls had often formed friendships and bonds with some of the housing staff over the years but it was a difficult task to prepare for. She had to first remember that no one stayed very long at Updown Court, whatever the circumstance, so these friendships and bonds would be quite short-lived. She thought of the lanky guy named James Cochoran who helped her and her sister with their school trunk's the night before and decided she'd try and seek him out.

She found him in the large kitchen of the house. In many homes, the kitchen was the heart of everything but Alina barely ever entered hers. It was more of a meal prep area and while quite expansive, hosted no table in which to share food or conversation. All that was done in the formal dining room. He was at the counter, drying off silver and then setting it in a pile to polish afterward. "Ah, Miss Rosier!" he said with a happy smile. She smiled back and hopped herself up on the countertop beside him. "Good morning, James," she said to him. He nodded, "a good morning to you. What can I help you with, dear?" Alina didn't really know how to respond. Something about how she wanted a friend sounded odd because of their age difference and because then he'd automatically feel obligated and friendship was never something that should be done out of obligation.

"Nothing, just getting ready to up and start my day," Alina replied. "Can I ask you a question?" and she watched as the man shook his head as he polished a particular difficult spot a little longer. "What does my father have you do here?" James glanced up from the fork and smiled to her. "I guess you could say I'm his assistant. I help him with various projects and I help around the house." Alina nodded and then pulled a lemon drop from the bag in her pocket. She wanted to know more about her father but wasn't sure that James would be the one to ask. She placed the lemon drop into her mouth as she thought about it. "And does he treat you well?" This question was also met with a smile but the man, now having finished the silverware, went to go place it back where it belonged. A place for everything and everything in its place.

"Ah, yes, Miss Rosier. Very well. Your father is a kind man," he said to her. Alina narrowed her eyes slightly at that because only one person should call her Miss Rosier and that was her dark blond of a Mr. Troublefield. "Please, call me Alina." ...Kind man? Was this guy delusional? "...What sort of projects?" she asked curiously. She had overstepped the boundaries really of curiosity and now was entering nosiness but she still wanted to know his answer.

"Well I've gathering his mail when he's gone and keep the library and his office tidy, and I've been researching houses in France." Alina stared at him. Houses in France? Why would he be looking for houses in France? Her friends already lived far enough as it was! Maybe he was just looking for a vacation home or something...so she hoped.

James could see the wheels turning in her head and he came back over to her after placing the last spoon away. "I'm also to keep the female members of the household out of his office while he is away...and that is a responsibility I most certainly plan to uphold," he watched her closely. She glanced his way and smiled. "Oh, that? You really think that will be a problem?" she asked playfully.

James's looked to her directly with a serious expression. "I suppose I shall find out soon enough, won't I, Miss Alina?" She sent him a smile and she smiled back. She scoffed a little at the Miss Alina part but was happy to have found someone to help occupy her time at the house that Summer. James just set up a game for the two of them to play.

Summer Solo, Part 5: A New Mystery Unfolds: Alina tries to sneak into her father's office for details on the houses in France but discovers her grandmother at her worst. Did the old woman really just allude to having something to do with her mother's death?

The next several days were spent carrying out one mission: attempting to get into her father's office to discover what sort of houses he was looking at in France, what part of France, and potentially why. Of course it was easy to assume it was because he wanted to live there again, ready to uproot his family that had been in England for the past four to five years but there were other less logical options. Maybe he wanted a vacation home or somewhere to stay while he was on business there. Perhaps he had developed a taste for refurbishing houses and interior design and wanted to set this house up for proper reselling, like flipping homes in the muggle world.

She had tried unsuccessfully several times to get into the office but each attempt alerted James and he got the upper hand. Trying the lock physically hadn't worked, nor had trying the lock with an unlocking charm. When she WOULD get granted access, things would happen like a sort of shield that wouldn't allow her to walk any further into the room despite nothing there; an invisible force field.

This particular attempt was so far successful! This evening she found the door unlocked and now was opening it. Nothing seemed out of place but she wondered if that invisible shield was back because this was too easy! She opened the door wider to go inside and find out only when doing so, the bucket resting on the upper frame of the door tipped, spilling water right down on top of her head. She let out a surprise sort of screech which was followed by laughing and she knew it had to be James. She turned around to see him down the corridor and then he quickly took off for his quarters. She laughed too and then grabbed a towel from the kitchen for her hair and began to dry it as she walked towards the window to catch view of the gardens in the backyard.

"You look like a horrid drenched rat," her grandmother spat and Alina turned around to see her looking nasty as always. She never smiled, never seemed happy. Alina thought of the way that she had smacked her hard across the face at the train station and had to remember her niceties. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I guess its a good head start for if I go swimming," she gave a little smile to her grandmother for the attempt to lighten the situation but it appeared to only have annoyed the woman more.

"I saw your report card. Despicable grades are bad enough, but...Hufflepuff?" she looked like she was going to be sick. Alina was just stunned. "You're pathetic like your father," she hissed, talking badly of her only and own child. "Revolting like your mother. I should have known one of you would turn out like this and taken care of the matter sooner. It should have been the three of you." The woman began to walk towards Alina and her heart started to race and she took a few steps back, creating a little more distance. She saw a similar look in her grandmother's eye just before she smacked her across the face...only this one was more intense and it scared her.

"Need anything, ma'am?" James's voice could be heard from the archway into the kitchen. Sure he was mainly there for Charles Rosier but that didn't mean he couldn't also act as though he would help the senior Rosier out herself...in reality, saving one of the young Rosiers in return from what looked mighty suspicious from where he stood.

Celeste Rosier paused in her step and looked over to the help, irritated he was there. "No," she said to him. "I do not need anything from either of you," and she stalked off. Alina looked across the large kitchen to James, thankful for his help.

In the next days to follow she wasn't approached by her grandmother. Meal times were separate and she only saw the woman twice - once was in the ballroom with Bella and the other time was having afternoon tea - with Bella.

Normally a twin might be jealous of the other spending so much time with a grandparent but Alina wanted nothing to do with this lady. She was cold and she was cruel and she thought she could get her way with every little thing. Plus, calling her 'pathetic like your father' and 'revolting like your mother,' that she should 'turn out like this,' having 'taken care of the matter sooner' had her curious again. It certainly felt like a threat, the words and way the woman was approaching her and James caught it as a threat as well. She was a woman who didn't hesitate to harm others. The three of them...did that mean the two girls and then their mother? Did her grandmother have something to do with her mother's death?

James was researching houses in France for her father...maybe he could do a bit of research for her. It was time to stop the games of cat-and-mouse they had been playing and get down to serious detective work.

Not wanting to spend her entire Summer indoors, Alina took that day to enjoy the sunshine and cool off in the pool. While she swam, she saw Bella come out and first thought maybe she'd join her but instead she laid out on one of the lounge chairs instead along the edge of the pool. Alina did wave to her twin and Bella had waved back.

After a short while she decided to get out and came to the lounge chair next to her sister. "How's it been?" she asked her. She and Bella seemed to be losing touch with one another more each day so in reality she really didn't know how her sister was doing. Bella gave her a smile, "It's been so lovely this summer, Lina," she admitted. "Getting to know more about Gra-mere." Alina blinked. Gra-mere was a sort of pet name for one's grandmother in French but surely the woman who very well might have admitted to having something to do with her mother's death and should have killed the two girls on that patio didn't deserve a pet name at all. Alina could see a pet name like vieille sorcière vicieuse, meaning old vicious hag.

"I've noticed you two have been spending a lot of time together lately," Alina noted. Bella sat up straighter and adjusted her chair. "Don't be jealous, Lina," she spoke softly, as if she was talking to the most delicate little flower, "we just have so much in common. She's really into looking her best and being proper as one should and used to do ballet. She's been helping me continue the violin and she's been telling me all about Beauxbatons. Did you know she went there? She thinks I would be perfect for it. It sounds SO lovely, Lina." Alina nodded. "Great, Belle. That's great."

Honestly, as sad as it was, Alina didn't really care if her sister did decide to switch schools. She barely had seen her their first year of Hogwarts as it was and it wasn't just the houses that divided them, it was now their morals, their values, their spirit and their ambitions.

She then had to listen to Bella talk for what seemed like forever on Beauxbatons, ballet, a planned trip to Paris complete with the promise of a new wardrobe and an appointment with one of the most famous hair designers. Alina didn't get jealous once. "Just...when you do go...be careful," Alina finally was able to get in. Bella looked to her curiously as if asking for more details but it wasn't something Alina could provide...not with what little facts she had or how dedicated her twin was to their grandmother now. "Just be careful," she said again. But she didn't think Bella would have anything to worry about as she was the sort of Rosier that the grandmother wanted in the family.

As the Sun rose to it's highest point in the sky, the two took solitude in the shade and air-conditioning of the house. Bella went to go organize her closet and Alina changed and headed down to the library for a book when she heard her father talking with James. He was back!

She literally bounded down the corridor to the foyer where he stood and he looked surprised to see her in such a hurry. "Welcome back, Father," she said softly. He smiled widely, "Thank you, Alina. If I recall...we had a conversation to continue?" She nodded.

"Would you see that my things get to my room, James?" he asked the man. He nodded, replying with a "Most certainly, Sir," and Charles Rosier motioned for his daughter to follow him as he made his way towards his office. Alina wasn't expecting the talk to happen the moment upon his arrival but it felt nice to be a priority.

Once inside his office he locked the door and together the two sat down on the sofa where they spoke before. "Before we begin," the man paused to collect his thoughts, "you do know that what is said in here is not to be repeated to Bella, yes? Or your grandmother? I just think that would make it all ...easier." Alina nodded. He smiled at their understanding.

"We left off before my trip with you wanting to know what it was like when I was in Hogwarts..." he figured he would start at the beginning as she had. "Well, that Sorting Hat that gave you so much trouble...wanted to put me in Hufflepuff." Alina was surprised by this. "But I begged and I pleaded it and it switched me to Slytherin. Now, don't get me wrong, there are good attributes of the Slytherin house but I don't think it was the right fit for me. I spent the next Seven years feeling rather outcasted. I don't think it was where I belonged, I think I would have grown more into myself in Hufflepuff. I think that hat has a way of knowing us better than we know ourselves."


"But you still had fun? You played quidditch," she asked and stated a fact, hoping that he wasn't miserable. He nodded. "I did still have fun. I chose socializing over schoolwork, I attended the dances and special events. I played quidditch and lots of it. But I'm proud of you for being where you should be. I really think it's where you should be. Slytherin will only make you hard." And he knew that was happening or already happened to his other daughter.

Alina was quiet for a bit before changing the subject. "Can you tell me about my mother?" She watched as her father processed that question as well. Start at the beginning. "I met your mother after school was complete, when I was just starting out on business. She was a waitress and caught my eye right away. You girls have my dark hair and my green eyes but the beauty is hers," he smiled. "We hit it off pretty quickly, in fact we went from meeting to seeing one another nonstop for nearly two, three weeks. Then we kept in close touch and months later I was asking her to marry me." He talked so fondly of her.

"I'm confused," Alina admitted. "I don't even remember you two talking. I don't even remember you two spending time together." Except for the one flashback. Charles looked down. "Just days after I proposed she found out she was pregnant. We never imagined it would be two little girls. She was so happy when she found out. I was too. We were going to make a great family and we did for awhile, but sometime after your first birthdays she...she grew distant. She didnt want to spend time with me or you girls. She didn't want to talk to me. She moved into one of the spare rooms and made it her own, shut herself inside, and locked the door. I had tried to figure out what was wrong. I had tried to talk to her. I even offered divorce but...it was this weird flip. Actions and demeanor changed," she could hear the sadness in his voice when her father spoke.

"Finally I caved. I let her have her seclusion and I...went about life as if she wasn't there. Went about life as if I wasn't married. Went about life as if...as if protecting myself that you two girls wouldn't do the same so I distanced myself. It was not the mature thing to do and I was wrong. I've missed you, two," he said, including Bella although she wasn't physically there. "I've missed you," he said to her directly.

Alina found herself coming closer and into her father's arms for an embrace. "When she died I knew there was no way of ever reconciling. I've never forgiven myself," he added as he held his daughter. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry for the damage I've caused."

“Here it is, Cosette Marcelin,” James said as he leafed through a document from The Ministère des Affaires Magiques de la France (French Ministry of Magic), “daughter and only child of Gaspard and Violette (Laurent) Marcelin. Gaspard is registered as a pureblood and Violette as halfblood.” Alina couldn’t see the book, as it rested in James’s hands as they stood in the library with various large books they had sent out for. “So that would make my mum mostly pureblooded. Did they say where she went to school? Did she go to Beauxbatons? Does it give any information about her parents? Where they live?”

The small little bit of information James read aloud wasn’t nearly enough for her! She needed answers. James looked up from the text. “She was a squib. Your mum.” Before Hogwarts she wouldn’t have known what that meant but she had learned the term throughout the course of her first year. Someone from a magical background with no magical ability. That must be why she was just a waitress in a wizarding establishment. “So she didn’t go to wizarding school nor does it show any further education so probably only her primary schooling.”

A squib. She wondered if her father knew that. Not that it probably would have mattered. It didn’t seem like, now that she was getting to know him better, that it would matter to him at all. It would be her grandmother that it would matter to…and Alina wondered if SHE knew.

“And my other grandparents? Gaspard and Violette?” she asked, but James shook his head. “Both died before she even met your father.” Alina sighed. Part of her wanted to meet more family and to help put together the missing pieces of what seemed to be a puzzle from the past. “And she doesn’t seem to show up anywhere else but the French Registry?”

James set the large book down and checked his list on some parchment nearby, "Just some hospital records from Hôpital de Furstemberg", which was a Wizarding Hospital in France near the French Ministry of Magic.

”There was a broken arm from a fall from a tree at age 11, diagnosed and hospitalized for a short spell of influenza combined with dehydration at age 17, and extreme case of social withdrawl and isolation.” Alina knew that last one well as that’s how she remembered her mother, locked away into her room, not wanting to spend time with anyone, not even her family.

James turned to the medical records and scanned them over, just to make sure he didn’t miss something but he never would have expected to see what he saw. “Alina…look.” He pointed to when she was last seen at the hospital for her social withdrawal and isolation and next to it was a hyphen with the words “Possibly under Imperius Curse?” next to the diagnosis.

Alina stared at the words. Social Withdrawal and Isolation – Possibly under Imperius Curse?

Her father didn’t give her the impression he would ever do such a thing. In fact, he seemed rather frustrated how things happened the way they did with her mother. So who else would want Cosette Rosier out of the picture except for her grandmother?

“Miss Alina?” James said softly, putting together the same conclusion. “…I think you need to speak with your father and I also think we need to be very careful.” Alina nodded. She was quite sure they were living amongst evil.

Crazy to think there were some Summers where the days ran into one another so much that one didn’t even know what the date was anymore, and then there were Summers like this…a constant series of events that were just perplexing to the young girl.

There was the growing relationship with her father upon discovering that he too was fit for the Hufflepuff House and a new respect for him now that she knew he wasn’t devoid of feelings. Then quite the opposite, there was this growing fear of her grandmother who had outright threatened her. There was distance between her and her twin sister.

There was researching done on her mother and mysteries to uncover. There was a half written letter sent from a friend returned with an injured owl.

So much to think about and she really didn’t know what to make of it all. She wished her father would return home from yet another business trip so she could talk to him, or she wished Juliette was still her governess as she had been her favorite of them, or she wished she was still close with Bella and could tell her all that was on her mind.

For now, she’d just have to take it one day at a time.

[Word Count Excluding Title/Description: 212]

Summer Solo, Part 9: Returning Home From Rye: Alina spends some of the Summer with her beloved Clifton Troublefield at his home in Rye, England but returns home

The train made it's stop at the Bagshot Railway Station, which would mark the end of her trip. Alina had traveled to Rye, England, along the coast, to visit Clifton Troublefield and spend a wonderful week with his family. It had been filled with fun and adventure. It had been riddled at times with chaos and fear, and it had provided answers and sparked rise to many more questions.

She hated leaving Clifton alone but would trust that his parents and his Ministry friend Leo would do everything within their power to keep him safe. Plus that boy of hers was a smart one. He'd be only a letter away until he came to visit her very shortly. Leo and his parents had agreed that coming to visit Alina and the Rosiers would be a safe refuge for the boy and she was looking forwarding to sharing some of her world with him.

One of the rail station employee's helped her with her luggage and she thanked him before looking around the old small station that had been in use since 1878. Although located in Bagshot, it was the closest station to Windlesham Village in Surrey, England. She took hold of her trunk and began off the platform to see James welcoming her. "Ah Miss R..." but he paused, remembering that she wanted to be on a first name basis, "Alina. How I've missed you!" he said and quickly brought her into a full embrace.

James was becoming more like family each moment she spent with him and she loved it and hated it all the same. Eventually all of the staff at Updown Court left and it was only a matter of time before he did, too. Even her beloved governess for years, Juliette, left. All without notice. All without explanation. All without so much as a letter in response when being written. It was as if they were working for the Rosier family one day and disappeared into thin air the next.

"I've missed you, too," she smiled. He took her luggage and he asked her about the trip and she proceeded to tell him about Clifton's wonderful parents, his little sister, the thrill of riding in a muggle car, beach picnics, cellphone devices that could do anything, ocean adventures in full clothing, finding sand dollars, trampolines/bouncy floors, French lessons, dishwashers, cobble stone streets and old buildings, slip 'n slides, water balloon fights, seashell necklaces, and amusement parks.

It wasn't until they arrived back home at Updown Court that she stopped talking. "There's something else... You know how we've been trying to research my mum? I want to also do a bit of other research. On Sylas and Emilia Fletcher. I'll explain more later but I've already talked your ear off," she laughed. She did want to fill in James though on all the other happenings in Rye, especially about those that were after Clifton. If Clifton would be coming to visit then she wanted James to be informed of everything so that he could best help protect her beloved.

"Welcome home, Lina," a familiar voice in the entryway was heard. She looked over to see her father standing there and she smiled, running up to give him a hug as well. Ever since she had arrived home that summer - ever since she learned that he too was to be sorted in Hufflepuff - the two had begun to form a bond. His strong arms wrapped around her and she felt safe in them, burring her head into his chest. She had no intention of letting go and he didn't seem to mind, appreciating the closeness with his daughter that had been long neglected.

"Come in, Lina," he said, despite her efforts on approaching her father's office quietly. His door was already partially open, maybe that's what gave her away, as it normally was closed. It was open more these days and she liked that because somehow he didn't seem so closed off as he once was - in every aspect.

She came into his study and smiled to him and he straightened up the things on his desk, putting away whatever it was he had been working on to dedicate his attention to his daughter. "I enjoyed hearing all about your trip at supper," he declared, "and I am eager to meet the boy." Alina laughed, still a little nervous about that. Clifton would be visiting soon and it wasn't every day that a father meets a boyfriend for the first time. She was also nervous about something else. She never had been very direct with her father but felt their relationship was now at a point she could be so.

"I had a question..." she began, pausing to collect her thoughts, collect her words. "Why...why are you looking into houses in France?" His happy expression fell a little as he realized she had been snooping around his office in his absence or else she wouldn't have known that. "It's just that I don't want to move. I like it here enough, especially when you're home, and I don't want to leave Hogwarts and my friends and I just..." just what? She had no explanation for doing what she had done and now she was feeling awful for deceiving him.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have - " but she cut off again as he got up from his desk chair and motioned her over to the seating area in his large office. "I shouldn't have pried."

"Intruded. Invaded. Trespassed. Snooped." He gave her other options than pried but now there was a hint of a smile playing at his lips. "I shouldn't have disobeyed you and broken your trust," she said and watched as his eyes now seemed kind again. It was as if he was glad she was telling her things now and it really hadn't mattered.

Charles Rosier walked over to his door and shut it before returning to his sofa study. He took her hand and held it for a moment, giving her reassurance of fatherly love and then would answer her question and sat down. "A lot of things are happening, Alina." He didn't even know here to begin. "I'm still working. As much as ever. That calls me away frequently as it always has," she nodded, following. "And I've tried to connect more with your sister with you gone on your trip...but she doesn't seem as accepting as me...which I understand. I don't deserve either of your love or devotion being so distant." Alina looked up to her father sadly. "And realizing that I've been so emotionally cut-off has led me to try and find another that I've neglected. Juliette."

Juliette had been the governess for the twin girls for over two years after their mother had died. She brought laughter to the family and taught her all she knew about literature and art. She went on adventures with the girls and she even planned family outings and togetherness. It was times when Juliette was around that Alina felt she had a family but then she up and left one day without any notice and never responded to any of her letters. "Juliette?" Alina asked, figuring her father would go into more detail.

"I've wronged your mother in so many ways, Lina. There's no excuse for it although I had my reasons. She slipped from us long before she was truly gone - ignoring everything - ignoring everyone. I mourned her loss long before she died and felt I already was a widower. My heart grew cold until Juliette came about. I loved her. ...I love her and I don't know where she has gone or why she left but I need to at least find her and tell her."

Alina smiled at the thought of that. Juliette was a mother figure to her during those years she needed her and if her father came around like this - then they all could be one happy complete family. That was something she had never had before and didn't even dare to dream about it because it would only hurt terribly when she came back down to reality.

"I miss her," Alina whispered and her father nodded, knowing that the girls did. "I think your grandmother might have had something to do with her leaving. All the staff." Alina looked up, trying to decide if she should tell her father what she had been thinking of her grandmother. It was such a terrible accusation.

"Father, I ... I think Grandmother might have had something to do with Mother's death." She looked down, not able to watch her father's bright eyes as she told him. "I did some researching with James and...she might have gotten placed under the Imperius Curse. That would explain why she didn't want to do anything or see anyone. It would explain the ignoring, the avoiding. And I think Grandmother might have done it because my mother was a squib. I think eventually...maybe Grandmother grew tired of it and just wanted it all final. Ended it."

Slowly shes raised her gaze. Her father's bright eyes were glossy now. "Why didn't I ever think of that?" he asked, more to himself than his daughter. It was a revelation and one that would bring him much guilt because if he had thought about it, maybe he could have done something.

"Well," he cleared his throat because his voice was wavering a little due to his emotions. "Well, Lina....the house was for her. Your grandmother. I don't like how close her and Bella have gotten. I don't like how she treats my staff. I don't like how she treats my girls. ...But she's still my mother. Anything she's done I cannot just throw her out into the street. This way she'll have a home to go to and it'll be a country away."

Alina was so glad to hear they weren't moving! "I didn't want to go back to France," she said as she quickly wrapped her arms around her father, so glad of this news. She held onto him tightly. "I love you," she whispered. It was words she might have never spoken to him prior to this. But he didn't hesitate a bit to respond back, "I love you, Lina."

The embrace lasted for a good while as the two were glad to finally be on these terms with one another, terms a father and daughter should have always been on but crazy circumstances in their past kept them apart. When Alina did draw back, she straightened her clothes a bit. "...Someone else is planning to go to France," her father felt she needed one more piece of information that night. "Your sister is transferring to Beauxbatons."