Light. Gentle, golden light spilled across the room, soft enough to make the edges of everything blur. Rose stirred, a tiny body nestled in blankets far too large for her, and for the first time, she noticed herself.
Not just the limbs that flailed instinctively, not just the warmth of her chest or the small, rhythmical beats of her heart—but a deeper awareness. She was alive, fragile and already…weighted.
[System online]
Startled, she blinked.
Thoughts that weren't hers but her past life Dione's settled like threads weaving through the fog of infancy.
[System Notice:
Welcome, Rose Euphemia Potter. You have awakened in your first world.
You are your infant self.
Sleep triggers a world-switch. Each awakening will place you in the alternate reality. Growth, experience, and rest will accrue naturally.
Your bonds, your magic, and your choices are already forming the threads of fate.]
Rose's tiny chest tightened. 'Threads of fate. Already?' She tried to wriggle her fingers, but the realization hit like a tide: this life was not hers alone. There were people who loved her already and people who would come to depend on her, unknowingly. And a world she had yet to touch, silently waiting for her.
Voices drifted in, warm, melodic, and real.
"There she is," said one, deep and rich—James Potter. "She has my eyes, Lily."
"And Harry…he has mine," Lily said, her voice trembling with awe. "Our little Rose. Perfect, tiny, extraordinary."
Rose felt a surge in her chest, her tiny fists clenching. Love, yes, but also…expectation. Even as an infant, she could sense it—the invisible weight of two worlds, of destiny, of endings she would one day hold in her hands.
James bent over her crib, brushing a hand through her soft, dark hair. "Already clever, I can tell. Trouble is in her eyes."
Lily's fingers brushed over Rose's hand, delicate, reassuring. "Precious, yes…but careful. She's born with more than just beauty. Our little Rose carries something…different."
Different.The word echoed through her tiny mind. She could feel the threads of the world weaving around her, binding her to people who would love her, who would fight, who would die—and she would watch, protect, intervene the best she could. She was small. But her mind…was not.
A familiar, teasing voice drew her gaze. "Adorable," said Sirius Black, leaning on the crib. "Tiny, perfect, chaos in miniature. I approve."
Remus Lupin's calm tone followed, gentle but grounding. "Observe, don't overwhelm. She is new to the world. Let her feel it at her own pace."
Rose looked at them, hazel eyes wide. Already she recognized their roles. Protectors, mentors…all woven into the tapestry she would inherit. And then, her gaze fell on the other tiny life in the room—Harry. Her little brother, so small, so fragile, swaddled in his blanket.
Her tiny hand twitched toward him, drawn by something she could not yet name. 'I will protect him. Always.' The thought was sharp, clear, instinctive. Even as she felt the invisible press of fate on her chest, she knew what mattered most: this family, these lives.
James laughed softly, eyes full of wonder. "She already knows, Lily. Already knows she will guard him."
Lily's smile faltered just a little, worried, loving, proud all at once. "Stop predicting her future, James, she's not even a day old," she said, though her heart could not hide the truth: she already saw it too.
Rose's system pinged, quiet, insistent.
[System Update:
Infant years accrue with each awakening. Growth, experience, and bonds are reinforced across dimensions. Observe, learn, protect. Your magic responds to intent and emotion. Fate presses upon you now, but you are capable.]
Her tiny chest rose and fell rapidly. Love. Responsibility. Magic. The faint pressure of endings and beginnings pressing down on her heart. She was Rose Euphemia Potter, chosen by forces she could barely comprehend. Yet the weight…did not break her.
It only made her small fists tighten, she would bear it. She would endure. And she would protect those she loved.
And somewhere, faint but unmistakable, she felt the call of another world, waiting for her. One she would awaken into soon enough.
Rose's hazel eyes blinked against the golden light, aware, alert, and ready—even as a baby—to meet her destiny.
'I am Rose and I will not fail.'