Disclaimer: All characters, settings and basically everything else belong to J. K. Rowling. Enjoy.

Chapter One

As Rose Weasley stepped off the Hogwarts Express, she took in the breathtaking sight that was Hogwarts castle itself; it was then that she realised that this was the last time she would ever do just that. She was now in her seventh and final year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry and that very moment, the moment she saw her magical home once again for the first time after a long summer away, would never happen again. She was completely awestruck: the castle looked more spectacular to her than it ever had before, as though she was finally seeing it in its entirety. Hogwarts needs this... She thought. It needs a sense of urgency... a fear that it could disappear at any moment. She took a moment to blink, one hand over her heart, the other balled into a tight fist beside her. Her parents had seen it, she was sure of that: although it seemed morbid, Rose was under the impression that Hogwarts would have been at its most beautiful under attack; she almost longed to witness it glowing from the fire that was trying to consume it, and thriving from the blood people were willing to give to protect it...

Suddenly, she was distracted from her thoughts as a shove from behind her brought her back to reality. "Are you going to move at all, or were you planning on just standing there for the rest of term?" A slytherin girl she had never met before asked sarcastically; Rose mumbled a vague apology and shuffled out of the way, the girl stormed off but Rose could still hear her complain to her friend. "Bloody Gryffindors think they own the place."

She sighed; she really didn't understand the feud between Slytherin and Gryffindor. She didn't usually have a problem with them - not anymore than any specific people in her own house or the other two anyway. That was one of the few subjects on which her and her father disagreed: he was of the attitude that all Slytherins were either annoying bitches or slimy gits, and encouraged her to think the same; when she tried to reason he would simply go on about "Draco Malfoy" and the infamous "Lord Voldemort" and when it came to the war and his own time at Hogwarts there really was no use arguing with him, as her mother frequently reminded her.

"Rose!" Said a familiar voice from behind her and she quickly turned around. "Nev- I mean- Professor Longbottom!" She cried enthusiastically, throwing her arms around her Herbology teacher in a friendly embrace. "It's been too long!" She joked, having only seen him the previous weekend at her house when he came round for dinner; he chuckled too, tousling her hair like he had done all her life. The two received a couple of confused and judgmental looks from other students, particularly Ravenclaws and Slytherins.

"I still can't believe it's your seventh year!" Neville exclaimed, she bit her lip nervously and shrugged, not quite believing it herself either; his eyes widened as he smiled. "Let's hope it's a lot less eventful than my last year, eh?" Rose shook her head in mock disapproval, laughing nonetheless.

"That's not very respectful Professor!" She accused, and he opened his mouth wide in mock offense; the two had always had a not-so-serious approach to each other, and her lessons with Neville were never short of banter. A few students believed her good grades to be simply down to favouritism, she was top of the class after all, but she didn't really take any notice: she had inherited her mother's brains; her father said that himself - let others believe what they want.

"Well, Rosie...you better get going, you'll miss the sorting otherwise! You don't want to miss your last sorting - I hear the hat's song is a cracker this year!" He lightly punched her on the arm and pushed her in the direction of the castle, she obeyed, walking off and chuckling. "I'm sure it is Professor...I'm sure it is..."

She wandered towards the carriages, not really fussy about who she sat with – she was kind of a drifter, adapting her personality and friends with her mood, she wasn't really the type for "best friends" - as far as she was concerned her family were her best friends and even they were a little too much for her most of the time. Speak of the devil, she thought, as she saw Albus Potter waving at her to join him, Lily and their year's Quidditch Captain and Albus' best friend, Nicholas Wood. Rose was never fond of Wood, he always insisted that she call him "Nick" but his smooth talking ways just made her feel ill to be perfectly honest... his arrogance far outshone his abilities in her opinion.

"Where's Hugo?" He asked as she climbed into the carriage. "Hell if I know... he slinked off to find his girlfriend the minute we stepped on the train." Rose replied, rolling her eyes and shrugging. Albus and Wood looked genuinely disappointed and resumed the conversation they had been having before she'd turned up; Rose sighed inwardly, slightly annoyed that he obviously had more concern for her brother than they did for her. Lily, however, seemed oddly silent, she was usually so chatty...in fact she hardly ever shut up. "You okay Lils?" Rose asked, leaning in close to show her concern.

"No." Was the reply she received; after a pause that lasted for a little too long in Roses opinion, Lily continued. "Peter Mclaggen asked me if I wanted to go to Hogsmeade this weekend on the train...but Al scared him off." Rose sighed and turned to Albus.

"Another one? You scared away another one? What did you say this time?" She asked, frustrated with her cousin's constant over-protective behaviour with his younger sister, not that she blamed himthis time, she had no doubt that Mclaggen had inherited his father's infamous womanizing reputation, though she'd never admit it to Albus of course.

Albus frowned, his green eyes shining vivid the way they did when he was worked up. "All I said...was that if he ever touched my little sister I would hex him into next year. It's not my fault if he didn't think he could take me." Lily let out a distressed cry of annoyance and crossed her arms defiantly, looking anywhere but at her brother.

"Of course he's not going to think he can take you! Not only are you a whole two years above him, you're the bloody son of Harry Potter for Merlin's sake!" Rose shook her head and thanked the heavens that she was the older sibling; she simply couldn't handle a protective older brother like Albus, not that Hugo would have anything to be protective about: the closest thing she'd ever had to a boyfriend was Leo, her pet cat. Not the she wanted a boyfriend, no... She was far too focused on her studies, and staying sane for that matter; from what she had observed as soon as girls got boyfriends, or even just started wanting boyfriends, they went completely bonkers.

Albus glared at her, then crossed his arms and looked away, mirroring the actions of his sister. Rose rolled her eyes and puffed in exasperation; the carriage remained silent for the rest of the ride, apart from the occasional mumble between Albus and Wood as they exchanged Chocolate Frog cards. Rose only owned two of those cards – they had been particularly difficult to collect, she certainly gained a few pounds searching for them, but by her third year she had finally done it. Those two cards were of her mother and father, and nothing made her more proud than looking at them every once in a while, their young faces smiling back at her. She chuckled silently to herself as she heard her father's voice in her head. "A Wizard Card of my very own! It's my greatest achievement yet! ...after you and Hugo of course, Rosie."

After another ten minutes or so the carriage finally came to a halt outside the entrance to the Castle, and one by one the students entered, all anxiously anticipating another year. Albus, "Nick" and Lily Potter walked off quickly; Lily to get away from her siblings and find her usual 5th Year friends at the Hufflepuff table, Albus to get a good seat and heckle anyone that didn't choose Gryffindor and Wood to go and gloat about a new Quidditch move his father had taught him during the summer. Rose took her usual seat: right at the end of the Gryffindor table; to this day she still had no idea why she had been sorted into Gryffindor... Ravenclaw or even Slytherin would have been her guess... she was not so conceited as to not notice her judgmental and sarcastic tendencies. Nevertheless she was glad of it, her parents were proud, and having Neville as her head of house certainly was a perk if nothing else.

She suddenly felt a pang in her right shoulder as someone violently brushed past her; big surprise, it was Sylvia Drake, a girl that really did no favours for Slytherin House's reputation. She didn't even stop to apologise, instead she eagerly ran into the arms of her boyfriend: Scorpius Malfoy; together, they were the 'IT' couple of Slytherin. Scorpius and Sylvia were both in Rose's year, and it had been apparently huge news when they started dating during the year previous; Lily, in an enthusiastic gossiping fit, had informed a rather uninterested Rose that Sylvia had spent the whole summer at Malfoy Manor. Despite the fact that Scorpius was in the least popular house, and that his girlfriend was the most unpleasant girl you'd ever have the misfortune to meet, everyone seemed to want to be his friend, even Lily Potter had a more than obvious crush on him. Albus Potter on the other hand, and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team for that matter, hated him. Rose thought the rivalry between Albus and Scorpius had always been terribly cliché, but nonetheless would agree with her father's stereotype that Scorpius Malfoy was about as much of a "slimy git" as they came.

Urgh. Thought Rose, and she turned her gaze away from Scorpius and Sylvia as they began what Rose could only describe as eating each other's faces. She shivered slightly, shaking her head to rid herself of the image and focused her attention fully on the Sorting Hat, after a few more minutes of hustling and bustling, the Sorting finally began.

Author's Note ~ So, I have never actually tried to write a full blown Fanfiction before, let alone one about characters that aren't really known. But, I have always been curious about the Trio's children and this way at least there is room for interpretation. I hope you like my characterisation of Rose, as the majority of the story will be following her perspective. However there may be the odd Scorpius-centred chapter, or even Albus, you never know.

Please review, I have commitment issues and need encouragement! (:

Love,

Jordan. x