Chapter 01: Dumbledore's Mistake

Currently, Rose Potter was sleeping soundly on the doorstep of her aunt and uncle's house. Albus Dumbledore knelt down to tuck a letter in-between the folds of her red blanket, then he stood back up again, and uttered one last goodbye.

As he walked away and joined Rubeus and Minerva, Albus had no doubt that tomorrow morning Rose would be found by her aunt and uncle. They would take the girl in and raise her, and ten years from now she would attend Hogwarts ready to become the hero who would one day defeat Tom for good. Her relatives' aversion to magic would ensure that Rose never set foot inside the Magical world until then, which was all according to plan.

Because Albus had a plan, and it all began with Rose Potter.

It began with making sure that the Prophecy came true, and that began with thwarting any and all influences that might try to divert Rose from her destiny's chosen path. People like Remus Lupin, for instance, who would care less about the greater good and more about her comfort and happiness. Albus had already sent him an owl this morning, explaining that he was moving Rose to a secure location and that it was too dangerous for him to visit her there.

For her own safety, you understand.

There would likely be others as well, friends of the family, who would want to offer their help. They would have no leads to start looking, and the Ministry would be no help. The Ministry would actually be buried in work for weeks to come, and it was not like this sort of thing was strictly speaking their responsibility. Social services existed in the muggle world, but not in the magical. They would accept the news that Rose Potter was safe and being looked after, thank him for informing them, and discreetly look the other way. Rose Potter would slip through the cracks, the Durlseys would give her a mundane upbringing, and Albus could continue the work once she was older.

It was a bleak outlook for anyone, let alone a child so young, but it was for the greater good. Albus hoped that one day Rose would understand that.

As he turned around to leave, Albus Dumbledore didn't stop to think that maybe (just maybe) leaving Rose on that doorstep all by herself might have been an... unwise decision. In hindsight, he should probably have rung the doorbell.

...

If Albus Dumbledore were to ask, then Prince Belphegor would say this: if he hadn't wanted the baby to be picked up by some passing stranger, then he shouldn't have left it outside where anyone could find it.

That was just common sense, really.

Truth be told, Bel wasn't the kind of person to care about abandoned babies. He was no bleeding heart. In fact, most people would say he didn't have a heart. But whether or not he actually had a heart, the fact was this: Bel was a selfish prince. He was turning 25 this year, and his grandfather had very recently sent a messenger his way to inform him that he had a year to find a suitable consort to produce an heir with (I'd like to see my royal bloodline continued before I die, Asriel), or the old geezer would take matters into his own hands. Which is to say, an arranged marriage would be coming his way with all the unstoppable force of an elephant stampede.

The messenger had not survived that particular encounter, but Bel had taken a few days off from his work at the Varia to visit the Kingdom and have words with his grandfather. He had also taken up a mission as an excuse not to have to stick around for too long and it was because of this mission that Bel found himself in England in the early morning hours of November 2nd, wandering through a muggle neighbourhood in Surrey. It was exactly ten minutes past the time when Albus Dumbledore had left, and it was then, in his moment of great need, that Bel found the baby.

It was a girl, fast asleep inside a bundle of blankets. Somebody had left her on the doorstep of an otherwise unremarkable-looking house, abandoned. Bel looked around... no sign of whoever had left her. The whole neighbourhood was asleep.

The current plan of action had been to sire an illegitimate child and send his grandfather balloons and one of those shitty congratulatory wish cards, complete with the obnoxious music. But this was better. Far better. Saved him the waiting.

A grin tugging at his lips, Bel picked Rose up and walked away.

…

(For Vernon and Petunia Dursley, the next morning began with a visitor. It was a young man who introduced himself as Prince Asriel of the Red Kingdom.

Never had they ever heard of the Red Kingdom before, and never would they hear of it again after; in fact, they would forget all about its name as soon as the adoption papers had all been signed. As for Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, they were more than happy not to be burdened by the duty of raising their niece. They accepted the large sum of money offered to them, packed up all of their belongings, and bought a large house in a wealthy neighbourhood far, far away from Privet Drive).

A/N: Never apologise for giving the people (yourself) what they (you) want. I really wanted to read a story about Belphegor raising fem!harry but it turns out that story doesn't exist so I guess I'll be writing it now.

Anyway, yeah. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts!