September 1, 2017
"I saw poor little Rosie Weasley. Pitiful."
"Well, from what my parents have told me, her mother also started out an ugly duckling. So maybe there's still hope?"
"Doubtful." The girls walked down the corridor, tittering to themselves as they passed an almost empty compartment. Unbeknownst to them, this compartment contained the Rosie Weasley that they'd previously been speaking of. Rose bit her lip, no matter how many times that she'd heard such comments they never ceased to hurt a little. Even at the tender age of eleven she knew that the world was chockfull of nasty people and that fighting back would just use up all of her energy; and so she never told her family about these overheard comments.
You, with your words like knives
And swords and weapons that you use against me
You have knocked me off my feet again
Got me feeling like a nothing
You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard
Calling me out when I'm wounded
You picking on the weaker man
Well you can take me down with just one single blow
but you don't know, what you don't know...
She knew that Albus, her favorite cousin, would just choose to go after these nasty girls bringing James along who would eventually bring Fred and Roxanne and Hogwarts would just become a giant set for a prank war, and thus word would go to her parents, who would be able to do nothing other than try to comfort Rose. Comforting usually turned into a fight between her parents, who, though they loved each other dearly, had completely different ideas about everything. Eventually their fighting would send Rose and Hugo to their bedrooms where they would be forced to wait out the storm in boredom. So really, telling anyone would just be a hassle of momentous proportions.
Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city
And all you're ever going to be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever going to be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?
Even with that amount of reasoning running through her mind, Rose's blue eyes still watered up and she tipped her head forward, hiding behind a curtain of red hair should anyone wonder by. Rose sniffled and wiped away tears, going silent as she heard another voice passing by the compartment.
"Crying, Weasley?" A voice said loudly in the earlier silent compartment. Rose couldn't place the voice and choosing to stay silent she was betrayed by her sniffles. "Rather pathetically, I might add. Later Weasley." Rose heard the door slam shut, and looked up to see a blond head walking away.
You, with your switching sides
And your wildfire lies and your humiliation
You have pointed out my flaws again
As if I don't already see them
I walk with my head down
Trying to block you out 'cause I'll never impress you
I just wanna feel okay again
September 1, 2023
I bet you got pushed around
Somebody made you cold
But the cycle ends right now
Cause you can't lead me down that road
And you don't know, what you don't know...
Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city
And all you're ever going to be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever going to be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?
"Rose Weasley looks even worse this year." An unidentifiable female voice screeched.
"Possibly," Malfoy's input to the conversation stopped here.
"Those glasses; they rival Harry Potter's." The girl said again, before adding, "As far as I'm concerned, at least he saved wizarding world, what's her excuse? Read too much? Stayed up in the dark because she was too scared to see herself in the light?" Laughter echoed through the corridor
Rose bit her lip and stared at the worn carpeting in the train compartment. As she got older the abusive comments became worse and worse. The carpet became more and more blurred, and for once Rose was glad that she sat alone, so no one was there to see her cry. It wasn't her fault she'd needed glasses, and she certainly wasn't willing to poke her eyes out, trying to put in contacts. Rose had only gotten the glasses this summer and so this was their debut at Hogwarts, already Rose was regretting the hours spent studying in dim lighting which had resulted in the need for glasses.
Rose was seated at her house table, absent-mindedly staring at her food, her fork lying limply in her hand. Her eyes were red from the bout of self-revolted tears on the train and her face still flushed in anger and pain. She sat somewhat apart, not feeling especially excited about the beginning of her last year at Hogwarts. Rose wanted to be finished already, though she loved learning as much as her mother, the redoubtable Hermione Granger-Weasley. It was the students that made Rose want to be done; it was their merciless teasing of the studious redhead that compelled her to go somewhere new, start a new life where she could be respected for her intelligence.
And I can see you years from now in a bar
Talking over a football game
With that same big loud opinion
But nobody's listening
Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things
Drunk and grumbling on about how I can't sing
But all you are is mean
"You're supposed to eat the food, Weasley." A sickeningly familiar voice said at Rose's ear. Scorpius Malfoy. Rose heard some high-pitched giggles; that meant Malfoy's fan club was there too. Rose gently placed her fork on her plate and pushed it toward the middle of her table, the Ravenclaw table. She pursed her lips and leaned down to take a book out of her bag, and opened it to a well-creased page.
"Already studying? It's only the first day, give it a break Weasley. No wonder you need those hideous glasses." Malfoy smirked and walked away, his tarts following and laughing at his every remark. Rose placed her hands over her face, trying to stifle the tears before they even came.
Albus glared at his friend as he came back from tormenting Rose. He sent his worst to the groupies crowded around the table, and they quickly scattered, heading to their correct tables and away from his end of the Gryffindor table. "The hell Malfoy?"
"What?" Scorpius asked innocently, giving Albus his most charming smile although inside he was freaking out a little, Albus never called him Malfoy. The first time that they'd met, he'd introduced himself as Scorpius, determined not to be judged by what his father may have done in the past.
"I thought we agreed this summer that you'd stop that?" Albus was pissed. He'd just convinced Scorpius that teasing his cousin Rose was not in fact a brilliant thing to do.
"Sorry Al, but I'm just used to it. Besides, she makes it so easy, being such a loner and a bit of a dork."
"Dammit Malfoy, just stop. She's my cousin, in fact she's my favorite cousin, and she's sensitive. Tell me, what does she look like she's doing right now?" Albus asked, incensed that his friend could be such an idiot.
"I don't know, nursing a headache from having to look at herself?" Scorpius replied light-heartedly, he never expected the fist that came at his face in the next moment.
"Oh feck you, Albus Severus Potter," was the thing that came out of his mouth as he clutched his nose.
"You're being a bit of a bastard, and no, she doesn't have a headache, she's trying to keep from crying. And I guess it's not working, since she's leaving the Hall in quite a hurry." Albus showed no sympathy for his hurting friend. Scorpius blinked a few time and scrunched up his face.
"How was I 'sposed to know that she's so fecking sensitive?" This time at least he deigned to look somewhat ashamed. Albus left it at that, and dragged his friend up to Pomfrey's, all the time wondering why he was close such an idiot.
All you are is mean
And a liar, and pathetic, and alone in life
And mean, and mean, and mean, and mean
Rose wiped the steam off the mirror and gazed at the reflection of her naked self. After she'd fled the Great Hall she took a shower and scrubbed herself raw, trying to scrub the pain of the many insults she'd been privy to off of her skin. Rose knew that she wasn't model material, yet she didn't really see why everyone chose to be so mean to her. At least she was pretty sure that she wasn't. So what if she wasn't skinny, and tan and blonde, she had better qualities, more important ones. She may have hidden behind too large robes and casual clothes, but now she felt it was time for a change.
She liked her body, with its slightly shorter than average height, from her mother, and curvy build, also from her mother. She was usually happy with her pale and freckly skin, and red hair, that came from her father. She thought she was proud to be a Granger-Weasley mix, after all, they were two-thirds of the Golden Trio, but sometimes it was a hassle. And it was completely impossible to fly under the radar. Rose was scrutinized by everyone, from her peers who loved to tease her, to her professors who expected her to be better than even her mother, to the media who enjoyed stalking her throughout Diagon Alley.
Slightly more calm now, and not sobbing anymore Rose went to bed and slept rather restfully. She woke early, feeling refreshed from a long night's sleep. She washed her face and brushed her teeth and hair before heading down to the Great Hall after realizing how hungry she was. Rose got through until dinner time easily enough. Now she had classes to distract her, and students were happy enough to be back with their friends that they'd stopped picking on her for the moment. She sat down with a sigh, once more sitting away from her Ravenclaw peers.
"Ugh, Weasley, why don't you crawl into your dark little hovel and go away?" A taunt came across the Hall and Rose flinched away from the anger words, hurt that her last year was starting off as such a horrible one. She waited, wondering if any of her numerous relatives would come to her rescue but then remembering that she'd asked them not to stand up for her, this was her problem, not a family one.
"Listen, Weasley," the sickening voice was back at her side, this time without his groupies. He spoke over her shoulder, looking down at her. She looked straight into his eyes for the first time in a long time and became flustered by his gray gaze. "Hello? Weasley? Is anyone home in that giant brain of yours?" He smirked at her. For Rose the world seemed to freeze for a moment. She pushed herself up from the bench and stood up, only coming to Malfoy's chin, but feeling much bigger.
Rose raised her chin, and straightened her posture, holding Malfoy's gaze. "You're mean and I'm sick of it, you pathetic little boy. Why?" Rose slowly picked up her bag, aware that the entire hall was now watching. She walked to the doors and turned around, letting her gaze slide across the hall, staring at her tormentors, making them squirm. "In fact, all of you," her voice became louder as quiet little Rose Weasley finally addressed Hogwarts, "You should be ashamed. Even if you haven't chosen to directly hurt someone here, you have, by just watching and doing nothing. Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me, and all you're going to be are mean, angry little people." With that Rose walked out of the hall, and to her dorm, feeling fantastic for the first time since coming to Hogwarts.
But someday I'll be living in a big ol' city
And all you're ever going to be is mean, yeah yeah
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever going to be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?
Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city
And all you're ever going to be is mean, yeah yeah
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever going to be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?
Author's Note: This is a little one shot I wrote late at night, because I'd just heard the song Mean by Taylor Swift for the first time, and it's been a while since I've gotten a chance to write anything, and also because I feel like this can really apply to anyone who has felt less wonderful because of someone else. I've been bullied before, and trust me, it's not fun, so if you ever see someone being, try to help, its the humane thing to do. You wouldn't kick an animal, so why verbally abuse a human? This is most certainly not my best piece of writing, but get over it (but critique me anyway, because I like to read it and learn), it's one AM, I'm exhausted and way too grumpy to edit. So, this might end up with having a few more chapters later, but I'll not promise anything I can't keep. If you've been waiting for other pieces of mine to be updated, then I am truly sorry, but they've been temporarily abandoned.
Disclaimer: I don't own JK Rowlings characters nor do I own Taylor Swift's Mean. Etc. etc. etc. Mean is being used to set the mood, and because I greatly enjoy this song. It's part of the FanFiction, and is being used in such a way.