Hey guys, it's been a while, hasn't it? I never realized how crazy my life was going to be when I first uploaded this story two years ago. I was really excited and invested in the story then, to the point where I was churning out 3 chapters a week. Ahhh, to be a carefree freshmen in high school. A lot of things have changed since then - for one, I am now a junior (holy crap), and my writing style has matured and (I hope) improved. I think many writers can relate that reading over past material can be one of the cringiest things ever, and that's what reading this story is like for me. Looking at it now, there are a lot of things I want to fix and plot holes that need to be filled in. So for the people who have been waiting patiently for updates, I just want to thank you all so much for sticking with this story. I promise, I am not giving up, and will be working hard to revamp the story and make it a much more enjoyable read. Since it is my junior year, I can't promise to have regular updates since school obviously needs to come first (I'm taking three AP courses...Lord help me) but I'll try to at least have something up once a month. I'm going to take it slow this time so that I can put my best work out there. The plot of the story is not changing, and neither are the characters. I think I'm going to delve deeper into Roses character though, as she seemed a little two-dimensional to me. Anyway, without further ado, I give you the first chapter of The Lost Treasure 2.0!
Enjoy!
-S.S
"Rose Madeline Weasley! If you don't get down here right now we're going to be late!" My mother called, punctuated by the impatient sound of the car horn.
I didn't deign to answer, as that would only end up angering her further. My trunk sat on the edge of my bed, packed and ready to go. Spinx was sleeping peacefully in her cage, as she would be the entire journey. I was already wearing my robes, steamed and pressed to perfection, my Head Girl Badge gleaming on my chest. Everything was perfect to begin my final year at Hogwarts.
And yet I couldn't make myself move.
"Rose! This is my last warning!" The car horn honked again, and an explosion sounded from the front lawn. Hugo had apparently dropped a fizzing wizzbang in surprise at the noise.
With the attention momentarily diverted from me, I slowly began to gather my things. The truth was, I had no idea why I was hesitating. This was supposed to be my year - I was Head Girl, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and primed to become the youngest witch to ever be appointed to the Minister of Magic's Cabinet. Anyone would tell you that I was living a charmed life. A perfect life, in fact.
So it didn't make sense that I was so miserable.
My parents were still yelling at Hugo when I dragged my trunk onto the lawn, but my mother spared a moment to give me an annoyed look. Since becoming the Minister of Magic two years ago, new lines had appeared on her face, and her brown hair was becoming more and more threaded with gray. I hardly saw her smile anymore - and when I did, it was usually the fake and simpering one she gave to fellow politicians.
"Rose, put your trunk in the car, now. Hugo, you are not taking any of your fireworks to school, and that's final."
"Yes mum," My brother and I said in unison. It was best not to cross my mother when she was like this.
The car ride to Kings Cross was blessedly silent. The tension between my parents was painfully obvious this morning - they were probably still simmering from last nights fight. They constantly bickered about a variety of topics, but the main argument always boiled down to how my mum was mad at my dad for not working enough, and my dad was mad at my mum for working too much. Neither was willing to come to a compromise, so the battle raged on, becoming darker and more vicious every time.
Hugo couldn't get out of the car fast enough when we arrived at Kings Cross, but I held back, staring at my reflection in the window. My skin was paler than usual, making my freckles stand out like flecks of dirt. My brown eyes seemed dull as they looked back at me.
If people saw the real you, how cold and empty you really are, they'd run for the hills.
The words, no matter how many days had passed since they were said, still stung the same.
My reflection was disrupted by my father opening the door, and he flashed me a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Ready to go, Rosie?"
I nodded, and let him help me out of the car. Unlike my mother, I got on very well with my father. Most people would think that hard to believe, as the two of us are almost exact opposites - except when it came to Quidditch. My father had taken me to my first Quidditch match when I was three to watch my Aunt Ginny, and my life was never the same since. We bonded over our love of the Chudley Cannons, who we followed religiously, going so far as to dress up in team colors on the nights they played.
My mother hated Quidditch. She thought it was foolish. I didn't understand how she could think that, much like how I didn't understand anything else about her. Which again, seems surprising, considering that my mother and I are exactly the same. Maybe that's why we never got along.
We made it onto the platform with barely five minutes to spare, much to my mother's chagrin. Thankfully, she was immediately swarmed the second we stepped through the barrier, so I was able to slip away unnoticed before she could lecture me.
I spotted Albus leaning against a pillar, also seemingly avoiding the large crowd around his own parents, and I made a beeline for him. Noticing me, he offered his signature half-smile before enveloping me in a hug. "Long time no see, cuz."
He'd spent almost the entire summer in Egypt, since his father, my uncle Harry, had had important auror business there and decided to turn it into an extended family vacation. It had been very lonely without my best friend this summer, and though I would never admit it, I'd missed him terribly.
I pulled away, and felt dismayed that I had to tilt my head almost all the way back to look him in the eyes. He was nearly as tall as my dad. "What the hell, were you hexed with a growing curse while you were away?"
Albus chuckled, ruffling my hair affectionately. "It's amazing how you still manage to look down your nose at me even when you're two heads shorter. I missed you too, by the way."
I rolled my eyes, and poked him playfully in the shoulder. "Quick, let's get on the train before my mum finds something else to yell at me about."
"Already at each other's throats?" Albus chuckled. "I can relate. My dad's been trying to get me to change my mind about being an auror all summer. Kind of hard to enjoy vacation when you're constantly being dragged on life-threatening missions."
"That sucks buddy," I said, hauling my trunk onto the train with assistance from Albus. "How does your mother feel about your undecided future?"
Albus shrugged, taking my trunk from me as I reached for Spinx's cage. "She gave me the whole speech on how she just wants me to be happy, that I should follow my dreams, yada yada yada. I think she feels bad because James is dads favorite, but what she doesnt know is that I rather enjoy being the disappointment of the family. Nobody expects anything from me anymore, so I can do whatever I want."
"Must be nice," I muttered. He led me to an empty compartment, and Orion the owl opened one orange eye as I set Spinx's cage next to his. The black cat immediately awoke from her slumber, and the two animals launched into a screeching match until Albus relocated Orion to the luggage rack above.
"Rose!"
I turned, and spotted my mother motioning through the window for me to come out. I groaned.
"Good luck," Albus whispered.
She was waiting for me at the edge of the platform. Her face was stern, and I prepared myself for a lecture, looking down at my shoes. "Rose," she began, in her best 'I'm the Minister of Magic so don't mess with me' voice. Then, a sigh. "Just...be careful, alright?" I snapped my head up, but whatever expression had been on my mother's face was quickly replaced with cool neutrality.
Perhaps it was something about her tone that unsettled me, for I responded with "Yeah. Of course I will, Mum."
She merely nodded. "Good. Have a nice term."
And that was that.