Intro-"The First Night"
Disclaimer: I don't own Rose, really. All I can do is own what I think her personality and looks are like, since JKR left us with little description of Ron and Hermione's only daughter. I don't own any other Rowling-created characters in this story, obviously. Deathly Hallows spoilers, and please, no flames-forgive me if it's bad, because I haven't written fan fiction in over a year. I've become quite keen to teen fiction of my own accord, instead.
Try not to rip your eyes out, dears.
Rose Anne Weasley-also called Rosie- woke up the morning of September first before the rest of her family did. It was bright, and her second-story bedroom was filled with rays of sunlight. The gorgeous late-summer day lit the room brilliantly, causing Rosie to feel less nervous than she had the dreary night before.
She rolled out of her full-size bed in her dad's "disapproved for little girl" pajamas. The ones with the short pink shorts and a tank top, that her dad thought would "provoke thoughts in any boy". Because she would be wearing pajamas around boys all the time.
Rosie twirled around the slippery wood floor and landed back on her bed, looking at the clock. It was only seven o'clock, but she felt wide-awake and great. And she wanted her family to feel the same, because she didn't appreciate quietness. Ever since she had been very little, she hadn't.
So she swung open the door to her room and ran down the carpeted second-floor hallway, yelling like a madwoman.
"HUGO!! MUM! DADDY!" she shouted, knocking on their doors as she ran.
"ROSE ANNE!" she heard her nine-year-old brother, Hugo, scream girlishly from the door she had just banged on. He made a whining sound and there was a bang in which she thought he had chucked something at the oak door.
The door she was standing at, the one at the end of the open hallway, creaked open and an awake-looking Hermione Weasley smiled down upon her daughter.
"Rosie, you woke a cranky Hugo and daddy up, did you not?" she simpered sweetly, quickly sweeping her brown hair up in a ponytail. Rosie looked into her mom's face and smiled. She had been told by many people that she looked so much like Hermione Granger-brown, puppy-dog eyes and always curious look about her. The only difference was Rosie's red hair, a Weasley inheritance.
"I know I did! But today's the day!"
"Oh, yes, I do believe it is, Rose. Let's go downstairs and have some breakfast, shall we? We'll let the grumble-heads sleep for another hour or so," Mrs. Weasley, second generation, said, placing her arm around Rose's shoulders and leading her down the stairs, around the corner and into the kitchen.
Rose would miss her mum.
"Get in the car, Hugo!" Ron Weasley shouted up the stairs at Hugo. Rosie watched from the small car's window. She wondered why they were taking a car, but decided not to ask it, as her father was fretting about as it was. She didn't feel any need to add to the fact that he had been running around the house for the past two hours, pacing in the kitchen, hugging Rosie over and over again and finally planting a kiss on Hermione and sending Rose and her into the car, saying it was time to go.
Rose watched as her dad walked out onto the porch, getting into the driver's seat of the car, sitting in the driveway. Then came a very upset-looking Hugo, stomping out the threshold of the front door and slamming it, loud, behind him.
"What's his issue?" Rosie said louder than she ought to have.
"Oh, Rosy-Posy," said Mr. Weasley, reaching around the seat and patting her denim-covered leg. "Don't even worry about him. He's just je-OH, HEY HUGO." Mr. Weasley enunciated the last part and winked at Rose just as Hugo angrily sat down in the leather seat next to her. She giggled.
"Okay, and we're off."
"Mum, tell me more stories about Hogwarts in your day!" Rosie said excitedly as her dad carefully pulled the car out of the driveway and down the road.
"Well, cars remind me of the way your father arrived at Hogwarts' in our second year…"
"Those were the years," Mr. Weasley cut in.
"Oh, shush for a second, Ronald. Rosie, your father and Uncle Harry came driving onto campus in a flying blue car-,"
"A FLYING car?" interrupted Hugo, looking brighter than her had before.
"Yes, a flying car. It was enchanted, actually. You know your grandfather, and how he loves Muggle things! And how he loved that car. Well, your dad and Uncle Harry had missed the train to Hogwarts, and the car was in the parking lot. So they took off into the sky.
"And when they finally came around to the campus, it backfired and came crashing down into the Whomping Willow."
"Aunt Ginny told us about that tree!" squeaked the eleven-year-old, tugging excitedly at a red lock of hair.
"Yes. I know she did. Well, your uncle and your father, they got in a whole load of trouble over that one. Nearly got expelled, they did! Oh, look, King's Cross. Wipe that smirk off your face, Ronald!" Mrs. Weasley let out a very little-girlish giggle and pointed towards the large brick train station. "We're here. Park, Ron."
Rosie clasped tight to her older cousin, James', arm. Beside her was her other cousin, James' brother Albus, held onto his other arm. Albus' green eyes were wide as James guided his two eleven-year-old cousins down the aisle of the train.
"Rosy-Posy," James said, as calm as he could muster. "Can you loosen your grip on my arm, please?"
Rosie smiled up at the third-year. His red hair matched the color of hers, so unlike Albus', who looked like a mini version of his father, and, from pictures, his deceased grandfather. But with his grandmother, Lily's, eyes.
Rosie and Al kept glancing at each other, silent behind the teenager's back. James muttered cuss words under his breath after passing compartments filled with people, until finally he pulled them into one with only two people in it; a young girl, probably first year, like Rose, with bulbous blue eyes and shiny, white-blonde hair. Rosie distinctly saw Albus' head perk up at the sight of her.
Another was a slightly older girl, looking uncannily like the younger one. The only difference was one had smaller, hazel eyes. James sat down next to her and allowed his little brother to sit next to him, leaving Rose to sit next to the younger blonde girl.
"Hello," said the girl next to her in an airy voice. "I'm Selena. This is my sister, Mar-," before she could finish, the other girl did for her, staring right into James' face and not even noticing the other two.
"Rina. Marina Lovegood," she grinned up at James' face, who smiled at her in a smug way. She shook hands with him. Glancing at each other, Albus and Rosie stifled their laughter. It was obvious that the arrogant-like-his-grandpa James was wondering why he hadn't met this girl before.
"I'm James," he replied, shaking her hand. "James Potter the second." The two were still staring at each other, as if the other three first-years didn't even matter. "This one's my brother, Albus, and she's my cousin, Rose Weasley."
"We know those names," said Selena in her airy voice. "Our mother, all your relatives know. She still speaks very highly of you."
Ah, so that's where Rosie had known the name. Luna Lovegood. Her parents had told her that she had been at their wedding, and they still kept in contact once in a while; but she had only met Luna once, when she visited her grandma and grandpa's for Christmas. But she had been five, and Luna hadn't brought any children with her. Hmm. "I have a question," said Rose boldly. James and Marina were still staring into each other's eyes, smiling. Albus stared at Serena, who ignored it. "How come you don't have a different last name than Luna's?"
Marina's head finally whipped around and eyed Rosie apprehensively. "That's not your business."
"We don't feel comfortable sharing that yet," Selena said more politely.
Rosie shrugged as the train lurched.
"What year are you going into?" the change of subject calmed everyone down. The oldest in the compartment finally stopped staring at each other and the train lurched to a start. Albus' question was definitely aimed towards Selena.
"First. And what about you?"
"We're both going into first," Albus pointed at himself and than at Rose. "James is going into third."
"Ooh, I'm going into second," Selena said, not really paying attention to the fact that Albus had asked the question, not James, so she faced James when she talked.
"How come I haven't seen you around? What house are you in?" James cut in. They went right back to staring. Rosie heaved a large sigh, which matched with Albus'.
"I…I don't know. I didn't go to Hogwarts for my first year. I…my parents were divorced and, I, we, lived with our dad in…in America."
Rosie bit back her curious tongue. Why had the sister's parents been divorced? How come they were all of a sudden sent back to England? Why didn't they keep their dad's last name? Who was their dad? What school did they go to in America? Was their dad a wizard? A Muggle?
As if reading her mind, Serena added, "I went to a Muggle school up until last year. Mars went to…uh, she went to the Boston Witchcraft and Wizardry Middle School. It's different in America, it is."
"How?"
The sisters glanced at each other. The cousins took that as a sign that they should change the subject.
After the long train ride, filled with watching James flirt with Marina, the youngest ones pigging out on the Potter's-bought candy, talking about what houses they feared, and James reviewing stories about his first and second years, they all clambored off the trains.
"Remember, Al, if you're gonna be in Slytherin, we'll disown you-forever. And same with you, Rosy-Posy," James said , walking behind the younger ones as they got off the train. He ruffled both of their heads, tousling their hair-Rosie's long, red hair much like his and Albus' black.
"Jimmy! Shut up!!" Albus shouted, jumping up and down. Rosie rolled her eyes at James.
"Good luck, you two. Watch out for the monsters that are in the lake. They come out and eat one first year ever year!" taunted James as he waved at them, walking away. Rose let out a low whimper. She reached her hand into the pocket of her black Hogwarts robe (which had, as her father had cursed about so many times, changed since his day) and stroked a piece of parchment, written on, for good luck.
"Well?" Albus questioned her, staring at her. She just noticed how he was taller than her. "We going or what, Rosy-Posy?"
"Yes, we're going, Al."
With that, the two cousins linked arms with the other, leaving the train and walking towards the familiar form of Hagrid, who greeted them in a booming voice and loaded them onto one of the tiny boats, in the dark.
"Weasley, Rose Anne."
Her name echoed around the Great Hall.
Her hands starting to shake. She was the second-to-last one to walk up the aisle, next to a very pale and mousy-looking girl with robes too big for her.
She looked towards the Gryffindor table for good luck, where James gave her a huge smile and a thumbs-up. Next to him sat Albus, smiling weakly.
She walked slowly.
She felt like she was walking towards her death when she plopped down on the stool and the headmistress, the rather frail McGonagall, put the ratty sorting hat on her head.
She was afraid she was gonna be in Slytherin.
She closed her eyes and muttered "Ravenclaw."
She wanted desperately to break the tradition of the Weasley's being in Ravenclaw. As much as she would love to be in the house with her cousins, she just felt that Ravenclaw suited her better. Selena had already been sorted into Ravenclaw, but her sister had been placed in Gryffindor. Ravenclaw, Rosie willed, Ravenclaw.
"RAVENCLAW!" the hat on her head shouted. There was cheering from the Ravenclaw table, next to the Gryffindor table. James' mouth opened wide, as did his hazel eyes, as he watched his cousin sit down at the Ravenclaw table, relief on her face.
She sat next to Selena and grinned. "I just broke the tradition," she said, proudly. "Every Weasley has been in Gryffindor, ever since the Weasley's began."
Rosie felt relieved, and pigged out on the feast waiting for her. James smiled sneakily at her from the Gryffindor table. His best friend, Bryan Naïf, sat to his opposite side, and upon spotting Rosie, grinned and waved at her. She had met Bryan about three years ago, when he came to the Burrow, her grandparent's house, for Easter holiday. She had immediately clicked with him; his beyond-dark blue eyes, his deep tanned skin, perfect teeth, and dirty blonde mess of hair. He was from Italian heritage, and he had lived half of his live in Vienna, Italy; his accent mixed casually and gorgeously with Scottish and Italian. He was perfect.
Not that she had a crush on him, or anything.
Because she didn't. She was eleven, he was thirteen, first year, third year, it just didn't work out that way.
She turned back to her food, blushing furiously, for some weird reason. Next to her, Serena was talking about the things her grandpa had taught her; how he grandpa ran the Quibbler, and she waved a copy of it in Rosie's face. On her other side, a girl with black hair was chattering away excitedly to the boy across from her.
"Oh, hi! What's your name?" said the girl on her other side, flipping her hair around. She had almond-shaped, so brown almost black eyes, and perfectly shiny black hair. "I'm Mao Chang. And you are?"
"Uh. Rose Weasley," she said, almost being toppled over in the girl's bubbly cheeriness. She shook Mao's hand and her hand afterward felt like it was going to fall off.
"Weasley. Ooh, your red hair! My aunt knows a Weasley. Well, knew. She went to Hogwarts. In Ravenclaw. Aw, aren't you so glad you're in Ravenclaw? I am. Do you know Harry Potter? I mean I know you've heard of him. But my aunt also dated him. Isn't that cool?"
Rosie blinked slowly, as if trying to get rid of a headache. "Harry Potter's my uncle."
Mao's mouth opened wide. "Your-he's family?"
"Weasley. He married my dad's sister."
"W…Whoa."
"Not really."
"Wait. Isn't he an auror?"
"Uncle Harry? Yeah," Rosie shoveled a piece of pumpkin pie into her mouth and chewed cautiously.
"No. Your dad? What's his name again?"
"Ron Weasley…"
"Yes, him. He's an auror."
That was right, actually. Her dad and Harry were aurors; they had been for years. Her mother was an author, and her aunt was a stay-at-home mom, until little cousin Lily, Hugo's age, went off to Hogwarts.
"Oh, I see."
"Wait, you're Harry Potter's niece?" said the light blonde haired boy across the table.
Rose fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Yes, I am. Who might you be?"
"Me? Chris Collin Creevey, son of Dennis and Melissa Creevey. Eleven years old, I'll be twelve in October; wand's made of mahogany and unicorn tail core, seven inches, I wear a size ten shoe and I wish my voice didn't sound so high-pitched and girly."
Rose, Serena, and Mao all blushed lightly and gave giggles.
"Who might you pretty three girls be?"
"Mao Chang, daughter of Lee and Elizabeth Chang, niece of Cho Chang, do you really have a seven inch wand?"
Rosie cracked up laughing at the obviously perverse comment.
"Yeah, wanna see?" Chris winked suggestively and all four of them burst out laughing. The other boy, sitting next to Chris, looked up timidly, as if he wanted to join the conversation.
"Continue introducing yourselves, though, sweet-faces. Who are you, Potter's niece?"
Blushing, Rosie made her introduction: "Rose Anne Weasley, daughter of Ron and Hermione Weasley, niece of Harry and Ginny Potter. Eleven, turning twelve in May; I hate blushing because it makes me look like a radish."
They all laughed, and the boy next to Chris let out a faint whimper-giggle, as if yearning to join the conversation. Chris' light blue eyes scanned over Rosie's obviously bright red face, meeting up with her brown eyes. Some little thing went up her spine, but she shrugged it off and turned towards Serena.
"Who are you?" he said, motioning towards the out-there Serena.
"Serena Marie Lovegood, daughter of Luna Lovegood and Benjamin Crane, eleven years old, twelve in March, I can see thestrals…"
Chris cocked his head, but let out a low laugh anyway. Mao seemed to think it was the funniest thing ever, and started cracking up so bad that her fork flipped off her plate and landed straight in the pie sitting ahead of them.
Rose felt as if she was the only one, besides Serena, that knew what a thestral was.
"I'm Michael Carter," the quiet boy said suddenly, making everyone go silent and give him a slight smile. He was quite the timid-looking one, most naturally the opposite of Rose; while Rose was generally bold, but not too bold like Mao, and quirky, but not in the Serena way, this boy looked shy and looked as if he had been out of the loop for quite a while.
"Hello there, Michael," said Serena in her airy tone. Mao shifted in her seat and gave the mousy-looking boy with the light blonde buzzed hair a wave. Obviously the boy was not to her liking. Chris eyed him with apprehension.
And then the feast was over, and the people at the tables all stood up. She waved goodnight to James as he walked out of the Great Hall with his gaggle of friends, and wanted to leave it at that. But he turned around. She felt Albus bump into her and she smiled at him, just as James came swooping down on them. All of their new friends were behind him, and James did just about the most embarrassing thing anybody could have done-
"Aww, my babies!! I hope you do well! Make new friends, don't be shy!! Beware of Peeves, and don't let the spiders in the beds bite you!!! Awwwww Rosy-Posy and Al-Pal!!!" He squealed, hugging them both at the same time and planting huge, wet kisses on each of their foreheads. He stood back up and waved at them, laughing hysterically with his odd friends. Albus and Rose both wiped their kisses off and turned, blushing, towards their friends.
And then the cousins were separated again, when the different House prefects lead all their house's first-years up to the dormitories.
When Rose stepped into Ravenclaw Tower, after chattering away excitedly with her new friends, her eyes immediately lit up. Inside the circular dorm were two spiral staircases, each with a different level. As you looked up, you could see landings and doors of the dorms. Two doors per landing, she decided, must mean per year. The first year dorm was on the first landing, second year, second; so on and so on. The common room had a huge fireplace, curved around the wall opposing the staircases. It was dark brick; the mantle was made of oak, like the floors, but then the brick just kept going up and disappearing into the high ceiling. Oak bookcases matching the wood of the floor and the wood of the mantle lined the far wall, stopping halfway towards the ceiling.
Around her, all the first-years stopped and looked around. The Ravenclaw banner hung, huge, over the entryway. Two brown leather sectional couches surrounded an oak coffee table in front of the fireplace, along with a tan love seat. In the far corner, peeking out from behind the left-hand spiral staircase, was a small table with two wood chairs around it. A heavy maroon-and-tan fringed Hogwarts rug lay under the furniture.
"Girls to the right; the dorm on the first landing. Boys to the left. The first class tomorrow will be at nine o'clock. Breakfast is served starting at seven and ending at eight-forty-five." With those words set, the prefect smiled upon the first-years and walked towards a gaggle of older, gangly kids chatting on one of the couches.
"I can't wait to see it," said Mao from next to her, grabbing her elbow with one hand and Serena's with the other, dragging them towards the right metal staircase, where two girls were walking up to the second landing.
"Me either. Hey, it's your sister!" Rose exclaimed, pointing towards the familiar blonde head of Marina. She was talking to a girl with short, spiked, magenta hair, and a small silver nose stud. Her eyes were violet and she wore a pair of almost overly tight dark jeans.
"Mars!" shouted Serena, waving at her sister before she climbed the staircase. Marina smiled, as did the other girl, and the three girls climbed up the metal spirals, their shoes pounding it as they went.
And then they opened the dorm door-an oak door with a brass eagle on it, marked with the Roman numeral I. Rosie was first to open the door and they all paraded into their new room.
Seven four-poster beds were scattered in the room, all with their own opaque white curtain and little bedroom section, including a white-painted night stand and a bureau with connected mirror. Smiling, Rosie ran over to the bed she thought looked the best-fluffy white pillows and a maroon comforter, full-size, next to a floor-to-ceiling window with a wonderful view of the lake, and the Hogsmeude Hills. She shouted that she claimed the bed and fell on top of it, before noticing her bright pink suitcase and a black duffel her mother insisted she take, sitting in the middle of the dorm room floor on a Ravenclaw rug. She ran over to get it and pulled them next to her bed, content to her living arrangements already.
This year will be a good one, she thought happily as she unpacked her clothes into the bureau. The best year of my life.