Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. In case it isn't obvious.
A/N: This will be an ongoing series of short pieces...think of them as snapshots of my version of the next-gen world. There is no planned sequence of events, no plot... I'm just seeing where the characters take me. Oh, and I'll probably make up a few as well...
1. So Like Your Mother
One of Rose's first memories is of her Aunt Audrey cooing at her, "My, you are like your mother, aren't you? Except for the red hair, of course. Weasley hair and Weasley freckles. But no doubt you've a brilliant mind beneath those curls!" At the time, Rose was thrilled to be compared to her mother, who was everything she wanted to be. She tried hard to emulate her by reading and studying, and everyone simply assumed that Rose had inherited her mother's intelligence. That set a pattern, and so it continued.
Rose tries hard to be brilliant, but she isn't that smart, just a little beyond average. Deep down, she knows she will never get there. The thought frightens her, so she pushes the fright into determination. The determination warps into a need for control and a tendency to manage. She manages Al, who is so easygoing and placid once separated from his brother James that she runs over him like a steamroller, and she manages Lily, who idolizes her and would probably follow her lead anyway. She tries to manage Hugo as well, with little Mum-like orders-- "Wash your hands, Hugo!" "Wear a hat, Hugo!" "Hugo, do your homework!"-- but he only rolls his eyes or snaps back snottily. Rose has a sneaking suspicion that Hugo is much closer to brilliance than she is, but the jealousy that rises up at the thought is too painful, so she ignores it. September 1st and her first year at Hogwarts arrive almost too soon, and yet not soon enough. By the time she meets Al in front of the Hogwarts Express, she has worked herself into a froth of worry.