The shadows of Yorkshire's alleyways, where only rats roamed and eyes didn't watch, a spatial distortion formed. Quickly, shadows from another place converged to take shape, forming two adult women, each holding a girl in their arms, with one of them carrying a distinct object - a magic wand.
Rose felt a slight dizziness, her lunch wanting to make an exit, but the two girls, one blonde and one brunette, embraced her tightly, laughing heartily. The girls seemed to enjoy the magical Apparition experience. Serafine, Rose's sister, took the children in her arms to give Rose some time to recover and said, "It's okay, you'll get used to it. I know it's been a while since you experienced Apparition. Just relax."
"Damn, it's like being squeezed out of a toothpaste tube," she said, pressing her forehead as she recovered.
Serafine asked curiously, "Toothpaste?"
"Muggle stuff, Seraf. They use it to clean their teeth," Rose replied, feeling much better now. Since her transformation, her constitution had undergone changes. Things that would have left her drained for a long time now passed in just a few minutes.
Elise, the girl with brown and blonde hair, looked at Serafine curiously. "Aunt Seraf, do it again?" she asked, poking Serafine in the shoulder. Daphne watched this girl's familiarity and boldness towards her mother and her eyes welled up, starting to cry.
Rose smiled at her niece's tantrum and picked up Elise, speaking in a childlike voice, "Yes, when we return, we'll Apparate again, okay, Seraf?"
"Sure," said Serafine, soothing her one-year-old daughter, Daphne, with gentle back-and-forth motions.
The ladies left that dirty environment and began to explore the neighborhood, although they felt a bit uneasy with the curious glances, typical of a small town.
"Aradia, my sister, did you live here all this time?" Servane asked Rose, curious.
Rose, who was looking around with a sense of nostalgia and distraction, noticing the few differences a year could make – the bakery had changed owners, some familiar faces passing by here and there, and despite the curious looks they received, it was as if they weren't recognized. It was as if her life there had been erased. Strange... She heard her sister's voice trying to get her attention from a distance.
"Aradia?"
Rose just looked at her sister with a shy smile and said, "I'm sorry, I got a bit distracted, but yes, I lived here ever since Dad kicked me out of the house. I grew up in the orphanage and continued working there. Until the attack last year."
Serafine frowned sadly. When she was at Hogwarts, her late parents, "Sponsored Death" expelled her sister from home. It was so sad... But her sister was here now, and she wasn't going to be separated from her again.
The walk had been a memorable and nostalgic experience for Rose as she recounted the events and places she had lived in this town. And they finally arrived at a large country house, which was bustling with activity in the late afternoon. Children of varying ages were playing noisily, and they were being supervised by staff, some dressed as nuns, indicating the Catholic influence of the place.
The women walked freely, and the staff noticed their unique presence and welcomed them.
A nun said, "Ladies, please make yourselves comfortable. We've already contacted the Matron, and Mrs. Gina will be here shortly."
"Alright," said Rose, who obviously recognized the girl. It hurt her deep inside; the girl didn't recognize her at all. It was as if they were meeting for the first time, despite knowing about the magical memory modifications by the Aurors. It hurt to be forgotten by people who had been so close for so many years.
During the wait, they walked through the garden until they found where the younger ones were separated. Rose noticed a glimpse of an albino child with a woman painting. She smiled and ran towards Vicente; she missed his original appearance.
Vivian, sitting near an easel with an almost two-and-a-half-year-old boy in her lap, was guiding him, saying, "Yes, Vicente, you can choose the color according to your feelings. Orange represents the sun, warmth, home, and nostalgia."
Vicente, on the other hand, found himself absorbed as he painted a flower. He thought to himself, "Ever since I absorbed the soul of the criminal Alex and advanced on the path of the demon, my emotions rarely affect me. They're there, but buried deep, as if suppressed by something."
But he continued to paint with soft strokes, with a delicacy and precision that seemed impossible for a child of his physical age. Art has the power to capture the essence of the artist – their anxiety, fears, emotions, and their way of seeing the world. Vicente's flower was strange, a simple thorny flower with shades of reds, oranges, and darker tones of browns, grays, and blacks.
Unexpectedly, Vicente found himself in a group hug, and when he realized who it was, he broke into a wide smile. "Rose."
Rose, who had rushed to hug Vicente, didn't even pay attention to Vivian, who was holding him in her arms as well. She knew Vivian too, having met her before she fell into a coma.
Vivian felt awkward during the warmth of the hug, which was clearly meant for Vicente. She looked at the stranger and felt confused. She glanced at Vicente again and whispered in his ear, "Do you know her?"
"Yeah, she's Rose. We have some history together," he said, winking at Rose; in this world, she was like a mother to him.
Vivian put away the painting tools, feeling the strong scent of natural paint, wiped her and Vicente's hands properly, and said, "Hello, Rose. I'm Vivian, and I work as a caregiver and art teacher at the orphanage," looking at Rose. She vaguely noticed a child close in age to Vicente hiding behind Rose, looking curious. In a calm, childlike voice, she asked, "And who might this young lady be?"
Elise, who had caught Vivian and Vicente's attention and couldn't take her eyes off him, asked, "Why is he... white?"
Everyone laughed, including Vicente, the white boy, and he answered dramatically, "Because I'm a Moon Rabbit."
Elisa Rigel looked confused. "Moon... rabbit?"
Vicente started singing a lullaby, "With white fur... and red eyes... I am the moon rabbit."
"Oh, okay... I'm Leese," she said to the white boy.