Rose Weasley and the Singularity
My bedroom door swung open, and the eyepiece I'd been charming fell to the floor with a clatter.
The curse I longed to utter froze on my tongue. The look on my mother's face, which could be terrifying at the best of times, and took on a ghastly shade in the blue monitor light, almost made me forget the fragile eyepiece. Mother didn't approve of my "hobby."
"Rose, we have to be at king's cross by 10:30, tomorrow. Have you even packed, yet?"
"I've packed all of my clothes and books," I said evasively. "I'll be ready."
"It's past midnight, and you need to sleep," she said sternly. She ran her hands through her bushy mane of hair, deftly pulling it out of her face. "What are you doing with that thing?" she glanced at my computer.
"I'm just chatting with Albus. " I said.
"Can't it wait until morning? What could be so important that you have to discuss it at this hour?"
"We're trying to take over the world."
Mother didn't laugh, and I wondered if she knew I wasn't kidding.
After a moment, though, she just rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Turn that thing off and go to bed, Rosie. You can finish packing tomorrow."
"Good night, Mom," I said.
When the door closed, I picked up the eyepiece and turned on my desk lamp. Thankfully, the screen hadn't cracked. I let out a sigh, muttered the modified shield charm, and put the eyepiece in its pouch.
I made my slowly across the room, which was filled with old CRT monitors and broken computer chassis, almost tripping over a box filled with cables before I found my trunk. My mother cleaned out my tiny bedroom twice a month, throwing away junk almost as quickly as my grandfather could supply me with more- some useful, some worthless, but all given by a man with more enthusiasm than understanding. Still, aside from Albus, Grandfather was the only person in the family who really understood me. My brother, Hugo, and most of my cousins always called me "the mad muggle."
I'd just stashed the eyepiece before I heard my computer chime, and I saw a new message from Albus.
"You ready for school?"
I tripped over to my desk chair and typed a reply. "I've shielded all of my stuff. Not sure if it will work much better this year."
"It will. Mom's on my case. See you tomorrow."
I sighed and turned off my monitor. I looked over toward my old, brass day bed, and it's soft white cushions, and sighed. My eyelids drooped, and my muscles ached with longing as I thought of the springy mattress and warm comforter. My body was a bloody traitor.
"Before you go, are there any potions prodigies, in Slytherin? Someone needs to invent a new wakefulness potion."
"Scorpius Malfoy is pretty good," was Albus's reply.
"No good- too expensive," I typed. "Good night."
I sighed, switched off my monitor, and then flung myself into bed. I soon fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.