Gryffindors, Snogging, and Blast-Ended Skrewts

[Krums_Girl]

This is my first fanfiction, and I'm rather proud of it- Feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: Many of the characters and most of the settings are NOT mine; they belong to the fabulous mind of JK Rowling, so please don't sue me because I'm only fourteen and only have $25.68 to my name.
And, I don't really know what Hermione does for a living, so if someone could tell me, I'd really appreciate that.

Rose couldn’t sleep. The butterflies that had been slowly accumulating in her stomach over the past month had reached critical mass. She couldn’t eat, couldn’t drink hardly anything except the glass of water her father had nearly forced down her throat. All the worries that had been floating around in the back of her mind surfaced now; What if I am no good at magic? What if I never get sorted? What if I get sorted into Slytherin?
Rose was going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry tomorrow. It would be her first year there. Both her parents went to Hogwarts. Her grandparents (on her Dad’s side) went to Hogwarts. Her great-grandparents had gone to Hogwarts. Weasleys had been going to Hogwarts since Hogwarts had been started, thousands of years ago.
Needless to say, Rose had a lot to live up to.
She had watched her parents do magic her whole life. Her dad had fought many Dark Wizards and Witches. He knew so many defensive spells. Rose tried to think of some of them in her head. There’s the shield one-Protego. And the one that stuns people…what was that? Stupefy?
Her mother worked in the Ministry of Magic, helping magical creatures gain the rights that she felt they deserved. It was not uncommon for her mother to entertain goblins, or go and talk to house-elves and centaurs. Her mother knew several spells too. Dad had said that she was the smartest student in her class.
Rose and her family had gone to Diagon Alley to get all her school supplies a month ago. They got new robes, all her books, and they had gotten her a cat, which she named Snippet. He was a sleek, gray kitten, and she liked his company. Rose wished that Snippet was cuddled up against her feet, like he did some nights, but he was sleeping in front of the fireplace tonight. Rose had seen several new faces, most of them kids with their parents, shopping for new school supplies. Some of the older kids looked bored, jaded. Others looked excited. Others, the kids that looked like they were her age, looked frightened. There was one boy, in particular. He had silvery-blonde hair, and a pale face. He looked scared, but like he was trying to hide his fright. Rose understood what he was feeling; she was feeling the exact same way.
Rose felt even more worried, thinking of what her Dad had told her, Mum was the smartest student in our class. She could never live up to that. Her father, a famous Auror, her mum, a genius, and famous as well, her Aunt Ginny, who was Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, her Uncle, the famous Harry Potter, her Uncle George, who owned the well-known joke shop, Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. Everybody would be expecting so much of her; what if Rose disappointed them?
Her cousin Al was starting Hogwarts this year too. She was reassured by the fact that she would know at least one person in her year. But then her heart quickened- What if we aren’t in the same house?
First years were sorted when they first arrived at the school. Her Aunt Ginny had told her all about the Sorting process.
“It’s not hard at all, and it’s not scary. You go up to the front table, put on this old Wizard’s hat, and it reads your mind and tells you what house you will do best in.”
Her whole family had been in Gryffindor. Rose hoped that she would be in Gryffindor as well. Her older cousin James, older brother to Al, had told her what all the houses were.
“There’s Gryffindor,” he said, “And that’s the best house. The bravest are in Gryffindor. Then there’s Ravenclaw, where all the nerds go. Then Slytherin. Only Dark Witches and Wizards belong in Slytherin. The Slytherin’s are all ugly and stupid, and nobody likes them. Then, if you’re not brave, or smart, or evil, you’ll be put in Hufflepuff. That’s the house for all the leftover people. Hufflepuffs are a bunch of duffers.”
James liked to joke around a lot, so she wasn’t sure if she totally believed him, but she didn’t want to be sorted into Slytherin or Hufflepuff anyway. Rose wasn’t even sure what a “duffer” was, but it didn’t sound like a compliment.
Eventually, Rose fell into a fitful sleep, having nightmares about being sorted in Slytherin, a group full of ugly children with disfigured faces, grinning evilly at everyone else. She yelled, “No, no, I’m in the wrong house! I need to be in Gryffindor!” but no one would listen to her, and she could see James’s face, amongst the Gryffindors, glaring at her.

[Krums_Girl]

There are some direct quotes in this chapter. (NOT MINE PLEASE DON'T SUE ME)

Chapter 2

Rose was awakened that morning by her younger brother, Hugo. She sat up with a start. Her heart started pounding and all her fears of the previous night came back. She shot out of bed and nearly fell down the stairs; her head was pounding, and she was seeing black spots. She had gotten up too soon. Rose shook her head, the spots went away, and she walked down the rest of the stairs to the breakfast table. She was determined to eat at least a piece of toast, before they set off.
“Hi Mum.” She murmured as she sat down. “What’s for breakfast?”
“Do you feel up to eating?” Her mother asked. Rose just stared at her; how did she know that Rose was wondering the same exact thing? It scared her sometimes, how her mother always knew exactly what she was feeling.
“Not really,” she answered truthfully, “but I suppose I should eat something, shouldn’t I?”
“Yes. I suppose you should. How about some milk for starters?”
“Some toast would be great too.” Rose was suddenly very tired. She didn’t know if she would even be able to walk back upstairs to get ready. Maybe her Dad would have to carry her.
Her mother browned a piece of plain bread with her wand, then spread butter and grape jelly on top; she knew it was Rose’s favorite. She smiled as she set the plate down next to Rose, and then she sat down across from her and watched her as she ate.
“I understand. It’s hard, your first day away from home. Don’t worry, we’ll right you every day, and all of your professors are extremely nice, and they’ll be happy to help you with anything you need.”
Rose swallowed, then said, “I know, but I don’t know anyone besides Al, and you know how shy he gets. He’s not going to be much company if he’s any bit nervous.”
Her mother smiled, “That’s why I would like you to watch out for him. He has James, but James gives him a hard time, and I’m afraid that he won’t be the best person. You will, Rose. You know him best, and you can fend for him as well as yourself. You’re tough, Rose. Promise me that you’ll look out for him.”
That’s just what she needed: one more thing that people expected of her. How was she going to do it all? She wanted to tell her mother no, but instead she said, “Yeah. Sure. I’ll take care of him. Don’t worry.”
Rose’s Mom smiled again, and said, “Rose, nobody’s pressuring you to be anything but yourself. Nobody expects you to knock out a troll your first year.” And she grinned and looked away for a bit. Rose said nothing. When her Mother came back to reality, she said gently, “You just be Rose. You try your best, don’t be afraid, and everything will fall into place. I promise.”
Rose appreciated her Mother’s kind words, but she didn’t understand. She came from a Muggle family; no one knew anything about her. She could be whoever she wanted. Nobody expected anything from her. She had the choice to overachieve, or slack off. Rose didn’t.
“You’d better get changed. We have to leave in a few minutes.”
Rose got up and walked back upstairs to change into her new Hogwarts robes.

Here they were: Platform 9 ¾. Rose’s legs felt like jelly, and she was certain that she would collapse. Rose’s hands her shaking so much that Snippet bounded out of her arms with a reproachful glare and moved to her shoulders. Her family was waiting by the last carriage for Harry and Ginny and her cousins. It was hard to see anybody through the steam that came from the train. It was just like Diagon Alley. Some faces looked excited, some looked bored, and some looked slightly green.
“There they are.” Said Rose’s father as four figures approached them.
“Hi,” said Al, looking relieved that his family had found hers. Rose smiled at him, remembering the promise she had made to her Mother.
“Parked all right, then?” her father asked Uncle Harry. “I did. Hermione didn’t believe I could pass a Muggle driving test, did you? She thought I’d have to Confund the examiner.”
“No, I didn’t,” said Rose’s Mother, “I had complete faith in you.”
Once Albus’s things had been loaded onto the train, the group went back to the platform, where Rose’s younger brother Hugo and Al’s younger sister Lily were talking about the houses that they would be in.
“If you’re not in Gryffindor, we’ll disinherit you, but no pressure.” Her father said. Rose’s heart skipped a beat. Was he serious?
“Ron!”
Hugo and Lily laughed, but Al and Rose stayed silent. Rose knew that her father was joking, but a new wave of worries crept into Rose’s thoughts.
Her mother and Aunt Ginny both reassured them that he didn’t mean it, but she wasn’t paying attention. She was watching her father and Uncle. They were both looking at a tall man with blonde hair and stiff clothes. He looked like he had far better things to do than be here.
“So that’s little Scorpius.” Her father muttered under his breath. He was referring to the man’s son, who looked exactly like him. At a second glance, she noticed that it was the boy she had seen in Diagon Alley, the one who looked scared but didn’t want to show it. He had the exact same look on his face today. “Make sure you beat him in every test Rosie.” Rose blushed, “Thank God you inherited your mother’s brains.” Rose blushed even harder. So she had to live up to her parents standards, watch over Albus, be as smart as her mother (a nearly impossible task, she noted to herself), and be better than this blonde boy she didn’t even know?
“Ron, for heaven’s sake,” said her mother, “Don’t try to turn them against each other before they’ve even started school!”
“You’re right, sorry,” her father said hurriedly, but then he added, “Don’t get too friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood.” Rose barely had time to fake a chuckle before James came back.
“Teddy’s back there,” he said, referring to Harry’s godson. “Just seen him! And guess what he’s doing? Snogging Victoire!” No one said anything, so he said again, “Our Teddy! Teddy Lupin! Snogging our Victoire! Our cousin! I asked him was he was doing-“
“You interrupted him?” Ginny said, “You are so like Ron-“
“And he said he’d come to see her off and then he told me to go away. He’s snogging her!” James repeated.
“Oh, it would be lovely if they got married!” Lily said excitedly, “Teddy would really be part of the family then!”
“He already comes round for dinner about four times a week. Why don’t we just invite him to live with us and have done with it?” joked Harry.
“Yeah!” James said, “I don’t mind sharing with Al-Teddy could have my room!”
“No.” said Harry. “You and Al will room together only when I want the house demolished.” He checked his watch. “It’s nearly eleven, you’d better get on board.”
Rose kissed and hugged her mother and father, and even permitted Hugo to give her a hug. She left with James, who was making fun of Al.
“Watch out for the thestrals.” Then he walked away.
Rose could hear Al shouting as she moved towards the train, “I thought they were invisible! You said they were invisible!”
Rose waited just outside the compartment door for Al- she didn’t want to have to find a place to sit all by herself. She waved to her mother and father and Aunt Ginny while Harry talked to Al. He soon joined her, and together they moved toward the nearest seat, barely paying attention to who was already inside it. They craned their heads out. Nearly every window was filled with students looking at Harry, Ginny, and Rose’s parents.
“What are they all staring at?” Al demanded
“It’s me, I’m extremely famous,” Rose’s father joked. Rose laughed along with everyone else.
And then the train was moving. Rose waved one last goodbye to her parents, then sat down, watching Albus wave to his parents until the train turned and he could no longer see them. It was only when Al sat down that Rose permitted herself to look around the compartment. There was a boy sitting across from her, his face expressionless. It was the blonde boy her dad had warned her about.

feedback please

[Krums_Girl]

Chapter 3

Rose could feel herself blushing again. How could she have missed him? She looked at Al- he was looking anywhere but at the boy.
“Hi,” Rose said. “I’m Rose. Rose Weasley.” She stuck out her hand.
He looked at her outstretched hand for a moment, then said. “Scorpius. Malfoy.” He narrowed his eyes for a moment. When Rose didn’t say anything, he looked at her strangely, shook her hand, then turned to Al. “Scorpius.” He repeated, then outstretched his hand.
Al said, “Albus Potter.” In a much higher voice than usual, then shook Scorpius’s hand.
Rose said, “Do you have a nickname? I can’t imagine everybody saying Scorpius every time they want to talk to you.” She then started stroking Snippet, who was in a much better mood now that Rose’s appendages and stopped shaking.
Scorpius looked grim. “I don’t have a nickname. Do you?”
“Well, everybody calls him Al, and people sometimes call me Rosie.”
Scorpius looked as though he would rather drown himself than call anyone “Rosie.” “You’re a Weasley?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“And a Potter.”
“Yes. What’s so bad about Weasleys and Potters?”
“Nothing.” He said quickly. Rose just looked at him.
“What’s your family like?” she asked. She wasn’t sure if she liked Scorpius or not, but any conversation was better than the awkward silence she knew would come.
“It’s alright. It’s just my parents and me.”
“I have a younger brother, Hugo.”
Al chose this moment to pipe in, “I have an older brother and a younger sister. James and Lily.” Some of the color was coming back into his face, and his voice was back to normal.
Scorpius didn’t say anything for a while. He just looked out the window. Al looked out the window as well, and Rose petted her kitten. No one said anything until an old lady with a food cart came to their compartment. “Anything off the trolley, dears?”
All three kids took out several silver and bronze coins and filled their seats with Cauldron Cakes, Pumpkin Pasties, Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, and several other sweets.
Al took up the opportunity, when everybody was focused on their treats, to say, “What House do you guys think you’ll be in?”
Rose answered first, “I don’t know. I’d like to be in Gryffindor, but I don’t know where I’ll do best.”
Al agreed with Rose. Scorpius said, “My whole family has been in Slytherin. My father wants me to be in Slytherin.” Rose remembered what James had told her about Slytherins- Only Dark Witches and Wizards belong in Slytherin. The Slytherin’s are all ugly and stupid, and nobody likes them.
“But I’m not sure where I want to be. Ravenclaw wouldn’t be so bad- they’re not particularly known for being evil or not, they’re just smart.”
“Ravenclaw probably would be my second choice, besides Gryffindor.” Agreed Al. Rose stared at him. He was usually so shy. What was up with him? Rose caught Al’s eye, and gave him a quizzical look-Al just smiled at her.
“My dad would have a fit if I was in Gryffindor.” Scorpius sad, a little bit sad.
“What do you want to be in?” Al asked him.
Scorpius didn’t say anything, he just looked at his feet.
“You can ask the Sorting Hat to put you in Gryffindor!” Al nearly shouted- it sounded like he had been waiting for a long time to say this. “You can choose where you want to go!”
Rose and Scorpius gaped at him. Scorpius recovered first. “Seriously? You can do that?”
“It’s what my dad did.” Al smiled. Rose thought about this-her Uncle, the Great Harry Potter, probably the most pure-hearted person to ever exist- cheated the Sorting system?
The trio was interrupted by James. He burst through the door of the compartment, and stopped suddenly, glaring at Scorpius. Scorpius closed his eyes, and leaned his head back. He exhaled deeply.
James barked, “What are you doing here?” Scorpius opened his gray eyes and stared back into James’s brown ones.
“I’m on my way to Hogwarts.” He said smoothly. James narrowed his eyes, then grabbed Al and Rose by their wrists and pulled them out of the compartment, closing the door behind them. Rose just had time to grab Snippet by the scruff of his neck, and he hissed loudly.
Rose started to objects, but he cut her off, “What do you think you’re doing! That’s a Malfoy!”
Al just stared at James. “Yeah. We know. What are you trying to say?”
James started on Rose next, “Didn’t you hear your Dad say not to get anywhere near him?”
In truth, Rose had completely forgotten, ever since they had started talking. Not wanting James to know that, she said, “I don’t see what’s so bad about him. He’s very nice.”
James looked exasperated. He grabbed their wrists again, and dragged them down the isle. Rose and Al tried to shake him off, but it wasn’t working. He took them to his compartment, three trains away. He shoved them down into the seat next to each other, and sat down with his friends.
He didn’t look happy at all- he introduced his friends to them, glaring at them in turn . “This is my git of a brother, Al, and my stupid cousin, Rose.” Rose glared back at them. Then he motioned to his pals, “This is Hadrian,” he pointed to a small boy with dark brown hair, “and Silas.” A tall boy with black hair looked at Rose. She caught his eye, then looked away quickly- he frightened her just a bit.
No one said anything or looked at Albus and Rose for the rest of the journey. Rose wondered about Scorpius-was he still sitting all by himself? She was furious at James. He had no right to drag her off, to tell her what to do and what not to do. What was wrong with Scorpius anyways? James had acted like Rose had been about to wake a nesting dragon.
The train stopped; it was dark outside. Rose and Al stepped off the train with everyone else. Rose craned her neck to find Scorpius. She wanted to apologize. She couldn’t see anybody, however. It was dark, and it was crowded, and she couldn’t see over anybody’s head. A gruff voice kept saying “Firs’ years, over here! Firs’ years, follow me!” It was coming from her left. She grabbed Al’s arm and walked through the crowd to the voice.
When she broke through, she gaped; there, right in front of her, was the biggest man she had ever seen. He was about twice as tall as an average man, and at least three times as wide. Al squeaked. All the courage that he had shown on the train had disappeared. The man, who had long bushy hair and a bushy beard that covered most of his face, smiled down at the pair.
“Yer Harry’s boy, aren’t ya?” he said to Al. Rose had to slap him on the back before he muttered, “Yeah,”
“You look jus’ like yer Dad.” He smiled yet again. Rose noticed that he had a very nice smile. He looked intimidating, but Rose was sure that he was very kind. “An’ then you must be Ron an’ Hermione’s girl.” He looked at Rose.
She grinned back. “Yes.”
He smiled yet again, “Ye’ve got the famous Weasley hair.” then looked over her head at the other first years. “Firs’ years! Is tha’ everyone? Alrigh’ then, le’s get goin’.”
The giant man led the first years to a lake. There were dozens of small boats. “Three ter a boat!” He shouted. Rose and Al got into a boat by themselves. They were joined soon by a girl with long blonde hair and a small mouth. She reminded Rose of a Kewpie Doll. “Can I sit here?” she asked. Rose nodded, and she got in. As soon as everyone was in a boat (the giant man took up one to himself) they took off across the lake. No one needed to paddle, the boats moved by themselves at surprisingly fast speed. The night air was sticky; there was no breeze and it was warm for September.
Again, Rose looked around for Scorpius, but she couldn’t find him. The blonde girl interrupted her thoughts.
“I’m Perdita Petite.”
“Rose Weasley”
“Albus Potter”
Perdita had a silky voice. It reminded Rose of velvet. “Are you excited?” she asked.
“I’m very excited. I’m nervous as well, “ said Rose
“Yes. I was a bit nervous, but I’m not so nervous right now. Isn’t this marvelous? All the magic we are going to learn? I’m sure that there are some things I can’t even imagine exist, and we’re going to know it all!”
Al was looking at Perdita like she was some sort of goddess. Rose caught his eye once more, and he blushed and looked away.
“My parents are Muggles. My father works in construction, and my-“ Perdita saw the confused look on her boat mates faces, and explained, “He builds houses and other buildings where people live and work. And my Mum stays at home most days, taking care of my sisters. I have five of them.” She added. “Peony, Pia, Pacifica, Palma, and Prunella. I’m the oldest.”
By this time they had reached the castle. Rose stared at it, her mouth hanging in awe. It was huge, made of stone, and regal. The lights that shone through the windows looked warm and inviting from the darkness. The first years followed the giant man to the large front doors. They opened by themselves, where they met a young man with a round face. He was wearing a big grin.
“Thanks Hagrid. See you at the feast”
“Sure will. Everybody, this is Professor Longbottom.”
The giant man named Hagrid walked past the flock of students, around a corner, and out of sight.
Professor Longbottom smiled at the students once more, then said, “Like Professor Hagrid just said, I am Professor Longbottom. I teach Herbology. That’s the study of magical plants and fungi.” He added, noticing the confused look some of the kids were wearing. “Are you ready?”
And the group followed him around the same corner that Hagrid turned, and they walked for a couple more minutes in silence. They reached a pair of large wooden doors. Professor Longbottom stopped, and turned around. The next things he said sounded like he had said them many times before.
“Welcome to Hogwarts,” he began, “The start-of-term feast will begin soon, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you’ll be sorted into Houses. The Sorting is really important because, while you’re here, your House will be like your family. You’ll have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House Common Room.
“The four Houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you’re at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any rule-breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope that each of you will be an asset to whatever House becomes yours.
“The Sorting Ceremony begins in a few minutes in the front of the Great Hall, so it would probably be a good idea to make yourself look presentable. I’ll be back when they are ready for you. Please wait quietly.” And with that, he left the chamber. Rose swallowed. She turned to look at Al; he was very pale and was shaking. She turned the other way; Perdita was lost in thought. She had a slight grin on her face. Rose looked behind her for Scorpius, but she still couldn’t see him anywhere. The rest of the faces around her looked nervous, some looked downright scared, and yet others looked green. A tall, pale girl had her eyes closed and was mumbling something under her breath. A short boy with big ears was looking around at the chamber, obviously in awe of its grandeur. Rose turned back around and gave Al a friendly nudge. He started. Then he turned to Rose and grinned sheepishly. She grinned back. Even though Al annoyed her time to time with how scared he could be of everything, he really was a sweetheart.
Professor Longbottom came back into the chamber. “They’re ready for you.”

[Krums_Girl]

I made up the Sorting Hat's song by myself. Some parts don't rhyme, but I think it's pretty good. Took me 45 minutes to think it up

Chapter 4

The big doors opened, and the group followed Professor Longbottom into the Great Hall. The first thing that caught Rose’s eye (and there were a great many things that captured Rose’s attention) was the ceiling- or the lack of a ceiling. It seemed as though the room just opened up to the heavens. It looked like the night sky, dark, with hundreds of twinkling stars. Most of the first years looked up at the ceiling and gasped.
The second thing that caught Rose’s attention were the four long tables, parallel to the side walls. Those must be the House Tables. Wonder which one is Gryffindor’s. She didn’t have to wonder long- near the end closest to the front of the Hall was James, laughing with his buds, Silas and Hadrian, and looking over their shoulders at Rose and Al occasionally.
The third thing that Rose noticed was the great table in the front of the room; as long as the other four tables, but filled with odd-looking Witches and Wizards, instead of odd-looking students. There was Hagrid, who was rather hard to notice due to his size, and a tiny little witch, who was a head shorter than Rose. She looked ancient, Rose noticed, like any moment now she would snuff it and drop her head into her empty plate. There was also a man, with mousy brown hair. He looked very formidable. He wasn’t smiling, like the rest of the teachers; in fact, he looked like someone had set off a Dungbomb right under his nose. He had abnormally small eyes, and a wide mouth. Rose wasn’t nearly as fond of him as she was of Hagrid. In the center of the table, in what was clearly the headmaster’s (or headmistress’s, in this case, was a chubby old lady. She looked somewhat old, not as old as the little tiny witch, but much older than Professor Longbottom, and with gray hair. She was grinning so hard, Rose wondered why her nose wasn’t splitting in two from all the strain.
The last thing that Rose noticed was a grubby old Wizard’s Hat, resting on a wooden stool. It looked very old- older than Rose thought it was possible to be. She thought for a moment, then realized that this dilapidated old cap was the Sorting Hat. Rose felt ashamed, like she had insulted the Sorting Hat. Then she felt silly-it was a cap! It couldn’t hear her thoughts.
All of a sudden, one of the Sorting Hat’s deeper wrinkles opened up into what appeared to be a wide mouth, and it started to sing a song.
I’m sure you all have heard
Of this great Hogwarts school
In which seven years you’ll have learned,
And shall not be branded a fool

But did you know about the great
Hogwarts founders, four?
No? Well, take the bait,
You’ll now be learned once more

The greatest group of friends,
The world might ever know,
They started up a school, then
The seeds of knowledge they sowed

I’ll tell you first of Gryffindor,
The bravest of the four,
Those Courageous, Loyal, and Daring,
Were who his knowledge was worth sharing
Next is clever Ravenclaw,
Who intelligence was highest,
She valued those who were
The smartest and the brightest

Then there’s dear old Hufflepuff,
Who was nothing if not hard working,
Those who were honest and trustworthy,
Learned from her generous guiding

Last is sly Slytherin,
Who had the most ambition,
Witty, Humorous and Cunning,
Were those who he thought funny

But how to tell the difference between,
The smartest and the bravest?
How to tell which House would be
The best for each different student?

They pondered this, and pondered this,
The Great Hogwarts four,
Till Gryffindor had a stroke of genius,
The pondering ended, forevermore

“We can use this!” he said,
And whipped me off his cap
He put a charm on me,
So that I could talk right back!

So here I am, still today,
With my everlasting gift,
So come, sit down, and put me on,
I’ll Sort you out of this!
The Sorting Hat’s song ended, and everyone clapped. Rose felt a bit queasy-she didn’t feel particularly brave or smart or any of that.
The clapping ceased, and Professor Longbottom spoke again, “When I call your name, I want you to come up to this stool. I’ll put the Sorting Hat onto your head; it will Sort you, and then you will go to your new House. Good luck everyone!”
He paused for a moment to take out a long piece of parchment, then, “Applebee, Fran!”
Fran walked up to the front, looking quite scared. Professor Longbottom picked up the hat, and Fran sat down on the stool. Professor Longbottom put the Sorting Hat on her head. It didn’t say anything for about fifteen seconds, until- “RAVENCLAW!” The table second to the left erupted in applause and cheers. A very relieved looking Fran gave the Sorting Hat back to the Professor, and sat down and the end of the Ravenclaw Table.
When the cheers died down, Professor Longbottom yelled, “Baker, Yvonne!” Yvonne was sorted into Hufflepuff.
That continued until, “Malfoy, Scorpius!” was called up. The students at the tables started whispering vehemently. Several people, like James, were glaring at Scorpius. He took no notice.
The Sorting Hat stayed on his head for a long, long time. Scorpius’s face was screwed up in concentration, his eyes were shut tight, and he looked like he was mumbling something. It was all quiet, and then, “GRYFFINDOR!”
No one cheered. Not even the Gryffindors. Several teachers clapped politely, then stopped. Scorpius took no notice to this either. He stood up, took his seat, and looked around, waiting for the next first year to be sorted. James looked stunned. His mouth was hanging open in similar fashion to Hadrian and Silas and several others.
Professor Longbottom recovered himself, cleared his throat, and said, “McPattson, Roger!” who became a Slytherin.
Several more people were sorted, along with Perdita Petite, who became a Gryffindor.
“Potter, Albus!” the whispering started up again; Rose wondered if Hogwarts students ever did anything besides whisper. Al, looking petrified, stood still. Rose gave him a push. He didn’t move. She pushed him again. He still didn’t move. Finally, completely mortified, Rose grabbed Al by the arm, dragged him up to the stool, and shoved him down into it, storming back to the small crowd of first years. Several people laughed, and Rose could feel her face burning. Stupid git. Why couldn’t he have just walked up there like a normal person? Stupid.
Professor Longbottom put the hat on Al’s head, grinning slightly. The Sorting Hat stayed silent for a few moments, just long enough for Rose to worry that Al wouldn’t be Sorted into Gryffindor, when the hat opened it’s mouth wide, and shouted, “GRYFFINDOR!”
The Gryffindor Table all stood up, applauding and yelling, Al ran to the table, and took a seat right next to Scorpius. He grinned at both Scorpius and Perdita, and then looked Rose’s way. His face was rosy and flushed. He looked happier than Rose had ever seen him. Rose beamed at him, then looked to the front just as “Ray, Archibald!” became a Hufflepuff.
The already small group of unsorted first years became smaller and smaller, until only Rose was left. Professor Longbottom called her name, and she made her way to the front. Her brain had shut off, it seemed like. Her feet moved of their own accord. Rose couldn’t think, could barely breathe. She was more terrified than she had ever been in her life. She couldn’t bear to think of herself being in any other house other than Gryffindor. Al was there, James was there, Scorpius and Perdita were there. Everyone in her family had been in Gryffindor. She had to be in Gryffindor too; there was no other option.
Rose sat on the stool, and the Professor put the hat on her head; it fell so it was covering her eyes.
A small voice, snarky and prideful, said, “Another Weasley. I know just what to do with you—wait. Hmmm… a tough choice, let me see. Ambition, yes, want to prove yourself worthy,--oh! Wow, very bright, very bright, Ravenclaw would be a good choice for you…”
Rose’s heart stopped. No! She couldn’t! She couldn’t be in Ravenclaw!
“…but very brave as well, able to protect, loyal…. Hmmm…. Very difficult. Well, since you are a Weasley, we shall go with GRYFFINDOR!”
The last word rang in her ears as she handed the hat back and made her way to sit by Perdita. Rose couldn’t stop grinning; she felt like she was going to burst. How proud her parents were going to be! She wasn’t a disgrace to the Weasley name! She was with her new friends! Rose beamed at her new classmates. Scorpius, Al, Perdita, several other kids of which she didn’t know names.
It was a new life for Rose. She was Rose Weasley, and there was no other person she wanted to be.

[Krums_Girl]

Chapter Five

Rose woke up the next morning, and lied in bed for several minutes. She replayed the previous night’s events in her head over again. She was sorted into Gryffindor, Al was too. She was going to write home this morning to tell her parents. They would be so happy.
She sat up, and put her robes on. Her dormitory mates were still asleep. To her direct right was Perdita; her long blonde hair like a fan sprouting from the back of her head. To her direct left was Sabrina Aberdeen, who had blonde hair as well and a round face that made her look several years younger than she was. The bed on the far right was occupied by Kai Monas, whose sleek black hair and eyes had caught the attention of many second and third year boys. On the far right was Darla Terry-Hooper. Darla was very plain looking, except for her big, baby blue, expressive eyes. Her eyes took up half her face.
Rose had met all of these girls the night before at the start-of-term feast. They were all very nice, and Rose enjoyed their company very much.
She had also met the boys in her year. Along with Al and Scorpius were Martin Gregor, Addison Ainsworth, and Darrel Terry-Hooper, Darla’s twin brother. Like Darla, Darrel had big expressive eyes, except his were a deep brown, instead of baby blue. Rose had met these boys the night before and had liked them all very much.
Rose put her robes on, and went down to the common room. It was a large room, with several dilapidated old couches and armchairs with scarlet upholstery. There was a large brick fireplace, a corkboard that was covered in announcements and advertisements, and desks and chairs for studying. Rose took a seat in the largest chair, right in front of the fireplace. She took out a piece of parchment, her quill and ink, and began a letter to her parents.
Dear Mum and Dad,
How are things at home? How’s Hugo? I hope that he’s ok.
Al and I are both in Gryffindor! I was really worried about it, but now it seems like I was being stupid, worrying about it.
I’ve met so many great people. The first years are all really nice. We get along really well. Especially Perdita Petite. She’s Muggle-born, but really friendly. We met on the boats.
There’s a giant man- Hagrid. He’s huge. And he knows you two. Who is he? I’ve also met Professor Longbottom. He’s really nice and smiles a lot.
Lessons start today. I just wanted to write before I got too busy.
I’ll write again at the end of the day.
Love,
Rose
Rose didn’t mention anything about Scorpius- she didn’t know if her dad would be angry or not. James sure was.
The Common Room started to fill up. Excited kids rubbing the sleep out of their eyes and chatting with other kids. The girls from Rose’s dormitory came down. Rose made her way over to them. They were talking about lessons.
“Yes. I’m very excited. I think that Charms will be the most fun.” Darla was saying, “I’d really like to know how to make things fly.”
“What I want to do is Potions.” said Kai.
The small group turned to Rose as she approached them.
“Hello!” Perdita said brightly, “Are you ready for breakfast? I hear that the food is really something special.”
“Yeah, I suppose so.” Rose said, and the group left the Common Room and headed to the Great Hall with the flock of other Gryffindors. She caught up with Al and Scorpius on the way there.
“Hey Al,” she said
“Hey Rose” he said, smiling up a storm
“Hey Scorpius,” Rose said, “How do you guys like Hogwarts so far?”
“It’s great,” Al said. “There’s so much stuff here. I’ll never get to everywhere, I’m sure of it.”
“It’s okay,” Scorpius said sulkily. “The people here are horrid though,”
Rose didn’t say anything. She knew what he was talking about. No one except for Al and Rose had talked to him. The older kids treated him like a mold spore. They didn’t want to get too near him.
The trio sat down in the Great Hall with everyone else, Scorpius between Al and Rose because no one wanted to sit next to him.
Rose’s first lesson was Charms, with the Hufflepuffs. The Charms teacher was a witch with gray flyaway hair, who had an overall frazzled look about her. However, her appearance was deceiving; she was very strict, and made it clear that she didn’t want any “nonsense” in her classroom. Charms was a very serious business, she said, and she wouldn’t deal with any “nonsense” about how Charms was a very easygoing class. Unnecessary talking, moving, or any other “nonsense” would not be tolerated. It wasn’t until Sabrina raised her hand to ask did the Charms teacher tell the class what her name was.
“Professor Swift,” she said curtly. She then told the class to open their textbooks and read the introduction. As they read she paced the classroom, looking at everyone with her steely gray eyes, as if she was determined to catch them breaking any rules. Professor Swift reminded Rose of a vulture, circling a dead animal, waiting for the right moment to dig in.
Rose was very glad when Charms was over.
Her second class was Potions, with the Slytherins. The tiny witch that Rose had noticed at the feast was the teacher. She had a squeaky, girlish voice, and nearly toppled over with excitement when the class shuffled into the chamber.
“Oh, hello dearies!” she squealed. “Oh, how good it is to see everyone! I am so very excited to teach you all the wonderful art of Potion-Making. It can be great fun, but you have to be very careful as well. Don’t want to mix up a Hair-Restoration Potion with a Swelling Solution! Oh, no, we can’t have that!” and she giggled loudly. “I am Professor Gingham!”
Rose didn’t take to Professor Gingham treating the class like they were several years younger; she could tell the other students didn’t either. The Gryffindors were looking at Professor Gingham with raised eyebrows and giving each other looks that plainly said, “This old bat is off her rocker,” and the Slytherins were looking at Professor Gingham with disbelieving looks.
Professor Gingham didn’t take any notice to this; she took attendance, and then showed the class some potions of which she concocted herself. There was a murky, mud-like substance that bubbled, a swirling silver mixture that looked more like a gas than a liquid, a bright green potion that gave off an eerie green light, and a clear solution that gave off no smell, no light; in fact, Rose had to look very closely before she could be sure that there was even a potion in that cauldron.
“The first cauldron is filled with Polyjuice Potion,” she said, with a very fake air of mystery as she said ‘Polyjuice Potion’. “Polyjuice Potion is a potion that will enable you to take on the physical form of someone else.”
“So you mean that we turn into someone else?” asked a tall Slytherin boy
“Yes, and no. You look like someone else, but your mind is entirely your own. The second potion is a Beautification Potion. I assume that you all know what that does. It’s very helpful to hags who want to do business with other Witches and Wizards, as it makes them more willing to negotiate in the hag’s favor.
“The third is an Aging Potion. A few drops will age you a few months, so, obviously, the more you drink, the older you become. The effects are not permanent if you concoct the Aging Potion correctly.
“This last potion is called Veratiserum. It is odorless, colorless, and is used to make people tell the truth. It is very useful for interrogations. You have the--for lack of a better word—victim, drink a few drops of Veratiserum, yes, only a few drops are necessary, and the victim will answer any question you ask him or her truthfully. It is illegal for it to be used on students, so don’t worry—I won’t be slipping any into your pumpkin juice!” and she laughed at her little joke. Most of the students, however, looked worried.
“You will learn how to brew Polyjuice Potion, the Beautification Potion, and the Aging Potion by your O.W.L.’s. If you continue to do Potions for your N.E.W.T.’s, you will make a small batch of Veratiserum.”
Rose looked longingly at the Beautification Potion; she could see other girls staring at it as well. Maybe she could get rid of her freckles; oh how she hated those wretched little blemishes. She thought about bottling a little for herself, but then shook the idea out of her head. It wouldn’t do to be breaking rules on her first day! She didn’t want a detention.
Rose and the other Gryffindors had a break hour after Potions. Rose, Al, and Scorpius took that time to go exploring around the castle. There were so many floors and corridors. Rose wondered how she would ever get to know her way around Hogwarts. They chose to explore the second floor first; this was the Charms corridor, and Professor Swift was teaching, so she would be too busy to get them into trouble.
They didn’t find much on the second floor. There were several bookshelves with odd nick-knacks and silver trinkets on them, and there was a chest that they couldn’t get open, but that was about it. They ran into Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor House ghost, on the second floor (they literally ran into him; Rose passed right through him, and as she did, she shivered. It felt like walking through an ice-cold lake). Not wanting to look like they were doing anything that was against the rules, they quickly turned around back to the Grand Staircase. The trio and Nearly Headless Nick parted ways there. Nick started to glide toward the ground floor, mumbling something about “the stupid Headless Huntsmen” as he went. Rose, Al, and Scorpius went up to the third floor. Rose had heard the older students saying that this was the Defense Against the Dark Arts floor.
This floor wasn’t much more interesting than the second. There were more bookshelves and odd nick-knacks, but nothing very exciting. They were just about to turn around when they heard frantic whispering. It was coming from just around a corner. Rose froze, and listened with all her might to hear what was being said. It was all coming out in one vehement hiss that made it hard to decipher some of the words.
“I don’t want it!” came the first voice, clearly panicked, “I can’t take this- this is YOURS, it is YOUR problem, and I don’t want anything to do with it!”
There was an eerie silence, filled only by ragged breathing, then-
“You promised you would help me,” said a second voice, calmer, but indignant, “You owe me. You said that you would help me in whatever way you could. Now that I need you, you’re going to back out on me?” the second voice paused, and then said, in a lower, fiercer tone, “You owe me.”
There was a sharp intake of breath, and then, “OOOOH! Ickle firsties, what fun!”
A small, very child-like little man had sneaked up. He was neither ghost nor human. Rose wondered what he was, but then she realized-he was a poltergeist. James had told her about him. The poltergeist was clutching several balloons, full to bursting with water.
“PEEVES!” came a bellow from around the corner. Rose took off, Al and Scorpius on her heels. She didn’t want the whisperers to know that they had overheard their obviously private conversation. Rose ran until she reached the Common Room, Peeves right behind them, pelting the water balloons at them all the way.
“Fickle Friends,” gasped Rose as she reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. She swung open on her hinges and they ran inside, leaving a disgruntled Peeves at the entrance. Unable to throw his balloons at students, he reconciled to throw them at the Fat Lady. They could hear her screaming at Peeves, and it wasn’t until the Head Boy went out there to threaten Peeves with the Bloody Baron did he stop, and the commotion calmed down.
Rose gave a meaningful look to both Al and Scorpius. They were to keep what they had heard to themselves.





Special thanks to lilyfairy6!!!
feedback, feedback, feedback!

[Krums_Girl]

sorry this is so much shorter than the others.... I just found a good place to stop, so I did. (It's not finished, though!)

Chapter 6
They didn’t talk about what they had heard all day. They just went about their business as usual. Rose figured it was something private, something that would embarrass the whisperers if someone else found out.
Rose’s next class was Herbology with the Hufflepuffs again. Professor Longbottom was very cheerful, and smiled a lot.
“It’s very fun,” he said, “Once you get past your fear of getting bitten, scratched, pinched, and having unknown substances be squirted onto you, it’s really a very easy class.”
Then it was Defense Against the Dark Arts. A tall wizard, somewhat old, with many scars and scratches, taught the class. He looked very tired and run-down. A Ravenclaw boy told Rose that he had gotten that way because of several duels with vampires, werewolves, hags, and a troll or two.
“Professor Hardretch.” He said. Professor Hardretch had a very scratchy, gruff voice. Rose shivered; he was very creepy.
“The Dark Arts,” he said, “Is ever-changing, indestructible, invincible…. The best we can do, is detain it. Temporarily disable it.
“The Dark Arts, and the Defense Against them, is like a dance. One side is leading. Right now, and for nearly twenty years, we have been leading.” He looked at the class darkly over the top of his rectangular spectacles, “And it’s only a matter of time before the Dark Arts takes the lead in this dance.” He paused for a minute, his dark eyes scanning the classroom, “It’s my job to make sure that you are ready.” His eyes came to rest on Rose. He looked at her for a minute, “Take out your textbooks, please. I want you to read chapter one tonight, and write an essay summarizing it. Four inches. I’ll go easy on you for now, but don’t expect easy assignments every night.”
Rose didn’t think that this was a particularly easy assignment. Four inches? On a summary? And she didn’t like the way Professor Hardretch had looked at her; like she was the Dark Arts that everyone needed to be prepared for.
As with Charms, Rose was glad to be out of Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Rose’s last class of the day was Transfiguration. This was the class that Rose had been looking forward to the most. The teacher was the nasty-looking man with the too-small eyes that Rose had seen at the start-of-term feast.
“Welcome to Transfiguration.” He growled, “I am Professor Bruin. Transfiguration is the practice of turning one thing into another. It is very difficult, advanced magic. I don’t expect many of you to fully appreciate and understand just how complex and precise Transfiguration is, but, with a little luck, and a lot of cheating, you all should be able to pass your O.W.L.s.” He turned around so his back was to his students.
“That is,” he murmured, “unless you all are a bunch of idiots, like the kids I usually teach!”
Rose and several others had jumped. He opened his wide mouth in a sinister grin.
“Be prepared for everything.” He looked around at his class one more time, then shouted, “Turn to chapter one and read about basic wand movements in Transfiguration! Your homework will be to describe all of the basic wand movements, and why it is important to know them!”
When no one opened their books, he glared, “GO!”
There was a flurry of parchment paper, textbooks, quills, and ink as kids scrambled to get their supplies out. Rose was the first person ready, and started reading her book with fury.
That evening, in the Common Room, Rose allowed herself to relax and think about the mysterious whisperers. Scorpius and Al were of the same mind.
“Who do you think it was?” asked Al, looking around to make sure that no one overheard them.
“Dunno,” Rose said, stroking a happy Snippet who had jumped in her lap,“They didn’t sound like student voices though; they were too deep.”
Scorpius looked thoughtful for a while, then said, “Can’t have been good though, can it? The one sounded furious.”
“Who sounded furious?” came a silky voice from behind them; Perdita joined the trio at the couch. “Are you talking about Darla? Because her and Darrel had a fight, and she’s rather upset about it.”
Rose swiftly changed the subject, “Oh, no, Perdita. We weren’t talking about Darla. What did her and Darrel argue about?”
Perdita dismissed it with a wave of her hand, “Oh, no one really knows, sibling stuff. Apparently Darrel has been trying to protect Darla, and to boss her around, and Darla doesn’t really like that. But who were you talking about?” she asked again. She looked at each of them in turn. Scorpius didn’t say anything. Rose didn’t say anything. But when Perdita’s hazel eyes landed on Al’s green ones, he blurted out, “We heard voices earlier today. The one was angry because the other wouldn’t help them. He wouldn’t hold something for the angry one.” Rose craned her neck so fast to glare at Al she heard her neck crack. What was he thinking? They obviously weren’t supposed to hear the whisperers, so why was he blabbing about it to every pretty girl that came his way? Git. Stupid hairy git.
“Oh!” Perdita said brightly, “So you don’t know who it is? Hmmm. That’s strange.”
“Yeah,” Al said weakly, “A bit.” Rose gave him a nasty glare, and he quickly looked at his shoes.
“Well, maybe the thing that the one person needed holding for was illegal, and that was why the second one didn’t want it.” Perdita thought aloud.
“You think it was illegal?” Scorpius blurted, “But, if we’re right, and those voices did belong to teachers…” he broke off, “Then they could be in serious trouble.”
Rose continued petting Snippet, who seemed blissfully unaware of the current conversation.
“Then we should find out who it was, and what they were doing.” Rose said bravely, “Because, if we’re right, then the person, or people, could be planning to hurt someone, or hurt a bunch of people, and, if we knew something about it, and didn’t stop him, or her, or them, and someone, or a lot of people, could get hurt, or killed, and it would be our fault! Kind of.” She ended lamely.
Scorpius, who had been following Rose’s bizarre thought process, look grim. Al, looking very pale indeed, nodded gravely. Perdita, however, looked strangely excited.
“Ooh! An adventure! Mystery!” she exclaimed. Seeing the exasperated looks on her classmates’ faces, she explained, “Oh, come on! Gryffindors are supposed to be brave, and chivalrous. We have to do this, one, because what Rose said is right, and we are strangely obligated to do it, and two, because that’s what Gryffindors do! They be brave, and rescue others when they are in danger! Someone could be in danger, right now!” she looked at them, her face rosy from talking so passionately. Al was just gaping at her, his jaw almost touching the floor. Even Scorpius looked surprised.
Rose didn’t say anything; she could think of a thousand ways in which this could go wrong. She was cursing herself for bringing it up again. Stupid git, she thought to herself Stupid hairy git. They were so going to get expelled, and if—and then a horrible thought struck Rose—if the whisperer was trying to hurt someone, then Rose, Al, Scorpius, and Perdita could be in danger. Rose continued to be silent, and concentrated on scratching Snippet on his belly, who, not enjoying that at all, clawed and bit at her hand, then pounced away and strolled to the girls’ dormitory.
“Well?” asked Perdita, looking expectantly at Rose, Al, and Scorpius, “Well?”

[Krums_Girl]

This is my second post today! I'm on a roll. Hahahahaha

Chapter 7
Rose woke up the next morning early, just as she had the day before. She remembered with a start that she never mailed the letter she wrote to her parents. No matter, she thought, they’ll write soon. She changed into her robes, and then went to the Common Room, where Scorpius was sitting.
Rose was startled by his appearance; he looked terrible. He had dark circles under his eyes, and they were bloodshot, and his usually smoothed-back hair was disheveled and messy. He looked like he hadn’t gotten any sleep that night.
“Scorpius?” she asked tentatively, “Scorpius, why didn’t you go to bed?”
He turned to Rose, and looked at her. He didn’t say anything, just looked. Rose felt like he was peering into her very soul. It was a very uncomfortable feeling, like he was invading a very personal memory or feeling. Rose stayed silent as well. Finally, after several moments of intense staring, Scorpius said gruffly, “Just thinkin’.”
“All night?” she sat down beside him. He was still in the exact same spot he was last night. He really hadn’t moved at all.
“Yeah.” He said lamely.
Rose just stared. What was so important that he didn’t get any sleep? Was he worried about what Perdita said?
All four had agreed, eventually, and with some constructive coaxing on Al’s part, with Perdita and had decided to keep a look out for any strange going-ons. Rose was a little bit worried too, but not too the extent that she hadn’t gotten any sleep.
“Do you know why no one likes me?” Scorpius asked suddenly. He sounded very angry, but a quiet angry. Rose thought she’d rather like to see him yell at someone; she didn’t know what Scorpius was capable of.
“No,” she answered truthfully. She actually hadn’t given it much thought.
Scorpius paused, then said, “It’s because my grandparents, and my father, were Death Eaters.” He looked at Rose, waiting for his words to sink in.
“Death Eater”… that phrase sounded familiar. She was sure that she had heard her parents say it before…. Then she remembered. She gasped before she could stop herself.
“Death Eaters?” she asked, praying that she was wrong, “But weren’t they, er, Voldemort’s followers?” Rose wasn’t quite sure that Scorpius was completely comfortable hearing the name; many older Witches and Wizards weren’t.
Sure enough, he flinched a little upon hearing the name, “Yes.” He whispered. “My grandfather went to Azkaban, but my grandmother and father were never convicted. My dad became a Death Eater at 16. He was supposed to kill Dumbledore, but he didn’t—couldn’t, actually.
“Dad’s not a Death Eater anymore, nor is Grandmother, but most people don’t believe that. They still think that Dad doesn’t deserve to walk around free. They think that he should be in Azkaban like the rest of them.”
“And that’s why people don’t like you?” she asked softly, “Because of a stupid mistake your grandparents and Dad made? Something that you have no control over?”
“Yes,” Scorpius said, “But they also think that Dad’s taught me some Dark, evil Magic. But he hasn’t. People think that, like my grandparents, I think that Muggle-borns are scum. But I don’t.”
He paused, and Rose noted the scary look in his eyes. He was angry, angrier than Rose thought she had ever seen anybody. He was positively shaking with wrath.
“I just want a chance,” he grunted, “I just want a fair shot like everybody else. People don’t even look at me, or if they do, they do it to glare at me. They treat me like they do my Dad. And I didn’t even do anything.” He finished. He was still shaking, but Rose thought that he was starting to feel better. He just needed a chance to let out all his anger, and then he would be okay.
“That’s why I think Perdita’s idea is actually a good thing,” Rose said gently, “Because, not only will we be potentially saving someone’s life, but we could clean your reputation. No one would think that you tamper with the Dark Arts after that.”
“Yeah, “he sighed, “Yeah, yeah maybe.” The fact that he hadn’t slept at all finally looked like it had caught up with him. Rose thought it best if he stood up; she didn’t think she would be able to wake him if he fell asleep.
“I have a letter to send to my parents.” She said, “Come with me to the Owlery. I don’t want to go alone. That creep of a caretaker, Scrubs, scares me something awful.”
Smiling slightly, he stood up. Rose pocketed the note she hadn’t planned on sending, and together they ambled out of the Common Room.

[Krums_Girl]

Chapter 8
The trip to the Owlery was uneventful. They didn’t talk at all, but there was no awkwardness to their silence. It was a kind, understanding silence.
They got there in good time without running into anybody until they reached the Owlery. There they met Professor Gingham, who had three owls waiting for their letters; a big tawny one, a small gray one, and a large snowy owl.
“Oh! Hello dearies!” she said as Scorpius and Rose entered, “What are you doing up this early?”
“I have a letter to mail to my parents,” explained Rose, “I asked Scorpius if he would come with me.”
“Oh! Very well, carry on, m’dear,” and she turned her back to them to continue delivering her letters.
“Thank you, Professor,” said Rose, then turned her head upward; there were hundreds of owls, perched and snoozing, above their heads. “Hello!” she said to a brown one near her; it lifted its head from its wing and opened one eye to look at her, “Yes, you!” she coaxed, “I have a job for you,” Reluctantly the owl flew to Rose and landed on her outstretched arm. She got the letter onto the sleepy owl’s leg. “Ron and Hermione Weasley,” she said to the owl, and then it took off before Rose had a chance to say the address.
Professor Gingham had already left the Owlery. Scorpius was looking at the spot where she had been.
“What are you looking at?” asked Rose. He didn’t answer, but walked to the spot. Rose averted her eyes to where Scorpius’s were, then understood; there was a letter there, on the floor.
Scorpius bent down to pick it up, then carried it back to Rose.
“It’s from Gingham to Bruin,” he said. “Why would she send him a letter? Wouldn’t it have been so much easier to just talk to him?”
“I don’t know,” Rose said, “And why was it on the floor? Why didn’t she send it with an owl?”
“I don’t know,” Scorpius said, “Shall we wait for Al and Perdita and then open it?”
“Sure,” she agreed. Scorpius put the letter inside his robes, and together they walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Al and Perdita were already sitting down, waiting for the feast to begin. Rose sat down next to Al and looked at her three friends. They were meddling, Rose knew. They were meddling in things that oughtn’t to be meddled in, but she didn’t think that there was a way out now; they were already in too deep. Scorpius pocketing Gingham’s letter was like signing a contract.
“We were in the Owlery,” Scorpius said, “And we ran into Professor Gingham. When she left, she left a letter behind. It was addressed to Professor Bruin.”
“What did it say?” Perdita asked
“We haven’t opened it yet,” Rose explained, “We want to wait until no one can overhear us.”
“Why couldn’t she just talk to him?” pondered Al, “And did she leave it behind on purpose?”
“Maybe because, if Bruin got the letter at a meal like the rest of us, someone else could read it, and she didn’t want anybody else to read her letter,” said Perdita, looking thoughtful
“And she just told Bruin to go to the Owlery later on a pick up the letter?” asked Scorpius
“That could be it,” Rose agreed. “So, if it’s so private, what do you think’s in that letter?”
“Maybe there’s gossip in there, secrets about people that would hurt their reputations,” suggested Al
“No,” Scorpius said, “Gingham maybe, but I don’t see Bruin as the gossiping type,”
“You don’t think they could be love letters, do you?” asked Rose. All four of them repressed shudders and gave various noises that all meant one thing: ew, gross.
“I hope not,” said Scorpius, looking utterly disgusted, “God, that would be gross. Who could like someone like Bruin? He looks like a frog.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Rose joked, “I find him attractive. Nothing nicer than a man who reminds you of pond animals.”
Al and Perdita laughed, but Scorpius still looked disgusted.
The laughing subsided, then Perdita said, “Do you think that Gingham and Bruin could be your whisperers?”
“Perhaps,” said Rose thoughtfully. She thought about the whisperers’ voices, then said, “No, actually, I don’t think she is. Bruin could be, but not Gingham. Her voice is too high. It was male voices, both of them.”
Al opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Professor Fladel, the Headmistress. She had stood up, and everyone turned their heads to look at her.
“I hope you all have enjoyed your first day back!” she said in her low voice, “Our caretaker, Mr. Scrubs has asked me to remind you that all objects from Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, the joke shop, are banned. That includes everything from Love Potions to Pygmy Puffs to Peruvian All-Instant Darkness Powder to Fake Wands. The whole list can be seen on Mr. Scrubs’s office door. Have a good day!” she ended, and everyone stood up to go to their classes.
The rest of Rose’s day went by smoothly enough until the quartet reached the Common Room. It was awfully crowded, and they were having a hard time finding a private place to sit and open the letter. Rose suggested that they sneak up to the boys’ dormitory; girls were allowed in there, and it would be very private, with little chance of anybody overhearing them.
The Head Boy and the Prefects were busy searching for Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes products, and they didn’t notice the two girls take a wrong turn at the stairs.
The boys’ dormitory looked much like the girls’ dormitory. It had the same furniture, and the same layout as the girls’, but the boys’ was a bit messier and had that distinct boy smell. Rose sniffed the air- smelled musky, like sweat and dirt and a hike in the woods. It wasn’t an altogether unpleasant smell, she noted, much like being out in the woods.
Rose and Al collapsed on his bed, and Scorpius and Perdita crashed onto Scorpius’s bed. He took the letter out of his robes, broke the wax Hogwarts seal, and opened it.
He read it silently for a few moments, his face unreadable. Rose looked at Perdita; she was peering over Scorpius’s shoulder reading it; her expression was one of surprise.
Finally, Scorpius handed the letter to Rose, who took it and read it out loud.
“Damian-
Whatever you and Felicia are doing, STOP.
I can get a whole office of Aurors trailing your every move. They’ll have you in Azkaban faster than you can say Expecto Patronum.
You watch it. I mean it.
- Linda”
“Wow.” She said when she finished, “So Bruin is up to something.”
“So we have to figure out what it is.” Brooded Scorpius.
“How would we go about doing that?”
“I don’t know, maybe tail him?”
“We can’t do that; we have classes and people would notice if we weren’t there,”
Both Rose and Scorpius fell silent; the enormity of the task had just dawned upon them. They were first years that didn’t know any magic. None at all. He was an adult, skilled and wise in ways that Rose couldn’t fathom.
She was about to call it quits when Al suddenly turned around and started digging in his trunk. He was digging furiously, robes and socks flying everywhere. Then, -“Ha!” and he turned back around, clutching an old piece of parchment- it had yellowed at it was bent and the edges had tears in them. He took out his wand, tapped the parchment, and said, “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,” Then, right before her eyes, the blank bit of parchment started to be covered in ink.
Al opened it up. At the top, in fancy script, was written
“Mssrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs are proud to present the Marauders Map.”
And a map it was; Rose could see the different rooms and chambers in Hogwarts on it. Rose also noted that there were tiny, moving, labeled dots.
Both Perdita and Scorpius had moved over to Al’s bed to look at the Marauders Map; there expression was one of awe.
“Look!” Perdita said suddenly, “Look, there’s us!” And she pointed to a spot on the map. Rose looked, and sure enough, there they were; four little dots, located in Gryffindor Tower, labeled “Perdita P. Petite, Scorpius S. Malfoy, Albus S. Potter, Rose. L. Weasley.”
Al suddenly said, “There’s Bruin!” and then he pointed to a dot labeled “Damian A. Bruin” He was in what appeared to his office, to the side of the Transfiguration classroom. He wasn’t moving.
“Al,” Rose began, “Where did you get this?”
“Dad gave it to me, “he explained, “he was going to give it to his first-born, but he figured that James could get into enough trouble without any help. He said that he thought I would use it for good,”
“Well, we’re using it for good now,” Rose observed,
“So, this map,” Scorpius said, “It shows where people are? At any time? No matter where they go?”
“As long as they stay within Hogwarts grounds,” Al confirmed, “We can use this to track Bruin!”
Rose lied back in Al’s bed. She was happy for the first time since she had heard the whisperers. It felt good to have a plan, even if it was a vague one.

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