I open my eyes carefully, expecting a bright light shining through the room. There was only darkness. I sit on my elbow and star into the half empty room. After lying there for a moment, starring at the sealing, I get up. The walk from the bed to the bathroom isn't that long but still I hurry, the floor is icy cold like usual. I turn the switch on and look at the person in the mirror. My pale face was whiter than usual and my hair, oh my hair, was out of order. I shrugged at myself as I turned on the shower. While waiting for the water to run hot I ran back to my nightstand and checked the time. 5:47 am. I smiled by myself and thought: You sure are the child of your mother Rosie, always on time.
As I'm stepping in the shower I remembered the shampoo I bought at the market yesterday. Annoyed I take a step back and look for a towel. Great start of this beautiful day. As I'm looking for my bag of goods from last night I hear a loud bang. I walk slowly in the direction of my door and listen for more noises. I hear my dog, Lola, growl but then acting rather happy for the person who made the noise. I knew right away who that was, not surprised by the late arrival to our house here in London. I open the door halfway and look out, still with my towel rapped around my body. I noticed a shadow coming my way, knowing exactly who it belonged to. I hear the steps getting heavier and heavier. I looked at his blank face as he walked passed me, all bruised up around the eyes. He starred at me with a hateful look, blinked and looked ahead. Then he opened the door to his room and disappeared into the darkness.
I closed my door and waited for a moment behind it. I didn't know what I was feeling but it was familiar feeling. This wasn't a new thing to wake up to. Staying up all night and sleeping in all day were Hugo's trademarks the past summer. My father hated his hours but mother always calmed him down, telling him it would pass. My mother wasn't stupid; in fact she was the smartest person I knew, so I always believed her that this would pass. I hated seeing my brother like this.
I finally snap out of my thoughts and start looking for my shampoo. When I find it I look at the container and smile again. The red and the pink colours were dominant and with white letters there stood "Rose for a Rose". The guy who makes them said it was fitting as my name was in fact, Rose. I laughed and gave him his money; he always knew how to charm the ladies. I open the tube and smell the fresh sent of roses and strangely enough, vanilla. I climbed back to the tub and took my time in the shower.
In the shower I think about today. Today I'll start my last year at school, the most beautiful but yet taunting places I have ever been at. But Hogwarts wasn't just a school for me, it was my lifeline. I can't remember all these years when I couldn't wait to go back, to get into my dorm back at the Gryffindor tower and see all my friends. In the summer, having friends over wasn't allowed. The summers were the place to spend with your family and their friends. I didn't mind it at all actually; my cousin was my best friend anyways so I always considered myself lucky.
After my shower I sit on my bed, completely naked and looked at the clock. 6:20 am. I was still on time. I walked to my desk and picked up the laptop my grandparents, my mother's parents, gave me for my birthday last spring. Growing up in London you couldn't ignore the technology forever so when on break from school, mother always made us aware what was happening in the world around us, "the real world" she called it with sarcasm. Our father wasn't fond of this and if he had any say in this, we would be living in the country, keeping a busy farm and have enough room for an outdoor Quidditch pitch, close enough to the kitchen of course. On the other hand, his father was amazed by all this and always told me to bring the "thing that shines" with me when we visited the Burrow. I turn on the computer and while it's starting up, I walked towards my closet. I open it and stare at it for a moment. With everything so organized and colour coordinated, it shouldn't be so hard to pick an outfit. I always have been into fashion and the only thing I feel daunting about school is the constant uniforms we have to wear. If it was up to me, I'd always wear fashionable items and high heels. There is something about high heels that makes me feel so powerful. I pick a white tank and light blue skinny jeans. Then I turn around and find a black, sheer blouse that goes over my hips and bum. I had glued some gold stones on the collar yesterday and it looked amazing.
I walk into the bathroom and sighed. Why are you always so tired? I turn on my hair straightener and while it's heating I start working on my face. Mother always says that less is more, and I agree, but I still put a little coloured moisturizer on my face. Then I apply a small line of eyeliner and at last, I put on mascara. I looked okay now, but my eyes were still, really, really, tiered. My eyes are the strangest thing about me. When I was younger they were blue like my fathers but every year they turn a shade greener of some kind and now look yellow-ish. I like them, makes me stand out in my family, the red hair is dominant but the eyes are special. I go through my hair with the hair straightener and apply a cherry chap stick on my lips, the one that gives you a natural colour. I walk into my room again and find some shoes. I find cute flats with a cat face on them. I always laugh when I see them and feel like they'll bring me luck today.
Before leaving out the door I check my computer for emails. I got one from Roxy, Uncle George daughter. It was a joke she had heard from a girl who lives around her neighbourhood. I laughed so hard, Roxy always knew how to make me smile. Only a year younger than me, she was my closest ally in the school, after Albus of course, but there are so many things that even boys don't get. Roxy has a long black hair, darkish skin colour that is a perfect combination between her dad and mum, long lashes and stinging blue eyes. She is tall like me and has even taller attitude. I check the other mails and see I have gotten one from Sebastian Collins, a Ravenclaw boy with looks like a god. He was a half-blood like myself and lives in the city. We hanged out this summer, his parents are friends with my parents. I think he fancies me but we just flirted, nothing more. He says that he looks forward seeing me at the train and ends with the note: "Good Luck Head-Girl, at controlling me baby." Fuck. I didn't want to become a head-girl. But somebody has to do it, and it looks really good on your transcript, according to my mother. I turn off the computer and put it away. No more of this until Christmas.
As I open the door I take a last glance at myself. If I say myself, I look rather good. I comb my red, long hair with my hands before heading out of the room. Before I close I mumble: "I'll miss you" and close the door. I walk slowly down the stairs and see that my trunk is already at the front door. Then I look to my right and see my family member all around the breakfast table, eating their hearts out. I see my mother, my father, Uncle Harry and Auntie Ginny. I also see my cousins Albus, and Lily. No Hugo. I take my place after hugging everyone and get a plate. Not in the mood to eat, I only take an orange and start juggling it around in my palms. Everyone are eating pancakes, bacon and drinking tea. I look at my orange and force myself to peel it. Suddenly everyone stops talking and I look up. Bingo.
Hugo stands in the doorway, in jeans and a preppy looking polo shirt. He has an earring in his right ear and a chain with a cross hanging from his neck. I look at him blankly but he returns it with a big smile as he hugs everyone and playfully punches Albus in the arm. Hugo is really tall, muscular looking with a light hair, dirty blonde. He doesn't show any sign of being a Weasley actually, only thing he has in common with that name is the freckles on his face who are sitting perfectly around his nose, making him somewhat beautiful. I look at his eyes and see that they are well bruised up. Ginny is the first one in the group to notice and pinches his cheeks and says: "Where did you get this, darling? Were you fighting anyone?" She says this in a sensitive tone but Hugo just laughs and says: "I got this at practice yesterday; you know how the muggles are with the football". Everyone laughs at his remark and start eating again. Hugo takes his seat next to mine and looks into my eyes, not smiling this time. He knows, I know.
After breakfast we start heading out the door. We must be at King Cross station on the right time. We are meeting Grandma Molly and Grandpa Arthur there. They never miss this. I walk out of the house with my new tote bag in my left hand and my phone in the other. I'm reading a text I got from Roxy about them meeting us there and she's looking forward starting school again. I'm in the middle of responding to her when mother takes my phone out of my hand. "You won't need this were you are going young lady" she says with a smile on her face. I smile back but as soon as she turns around I frown at her. She's right thought, at Hogwarts there's no need for a phone. Hugo is loading the car up with the help of Al, who looks like a stick figure compered to him. I giggle. Al is also tall, with black hair and has these piercing yellow eyes. He is a spitting image of this father, Harry. He's not muscular but is ever so charming. He's the prince of students and Hogwarts is his castle. He makes things happen, throws the sickest parties and gets all the girls. Until now though he has been in the shadow of this brother, James, who always knew how to make a dull evening into the best thing ever. With James gone, Al is taking his place and already has few things planned out.
We arrive shortly at the station. Father takes my trunk and carries it in. I say to him: "I can take it from here dad, you don't have to…" He stops me and smiles, "Oh Rosie, you're still my little girl, I'll always carry the trunk for you." I smile and skip ahead. I walk into the huge hall and breath the smoky air. Looking for platform 9 ¾ isn't so hard; I only have to spot the red headed people gathered on the same spot. I walk right into my grandmother's hug and she doesn't let me go until the others arrive. I love my grandma; she's so kind and loving, always understands you without going deep into personal things. Those summers I spent at the Burrow are the best times of my life.
Saying goodbye to everyone is hard, but when the train started I soon forgot about them and started focusing about my duties here. I'm a head girl now, I must act proper. I'm in a compartment with Albus, Lily, Roxy, Lily's friend Amber and Al's friend Finn. I talk to Roxy about our clothing choices and what we'll be wearing at the first party of the year, the party Al has been talking about none stop for the past 4 weeks. It's going to be "epic" as he puts it himself. I doubt it but didn't want to spoil his fun.
I got lost in all the talking about the party, the first class and what girls we think have "blossomed" over the summer, disturbing subject but never the less, an important thing for the boys. All of the sudden the speaker comes on and a nervous voice says that the head-boy and girl must arrive at the front of the train right away. I take my queue happily and walk out of the compartment. Since I got my head-badge in the mail this summer I had been wondering who the head-boy was going to be. I asked around, casually, but nobody seems to know anything. At least it's nobody in my social circle at school.
As I walk to the front of the train I look into the compartments. Everyone was smiling, happily sharing stories from the summer. It's funny how everybody return here with a smile on their face, happy to take on yet another year of magic. Well, almost everyone. I think about Kurt Panther, he doesn't want anything to do in this school, he's an adventurer and want's nothing more than to go to Romania to train dragons. In year 4 we were lab partners in potions and he shared stories with me about dragons and all things related. At Christmas I gave him a book about dragons, after my uncle Charlie. He loved it and never left anywhere without it. We were good friends until last year. Then he saw me kissing a friend of James, at one of his silly parties. I had too much to drink and was acting plain stupid. Turned out he had a major crush on me and tried to hex the guy. He nearly was expelled and was frowned upon by James and his friends, making his little social life, even harder. I felt bad for him and tried to talk to him but he didn't want to speak to me. Now whenever we lock eyes he turns around and leaves. This year is going to be fucking amazing.
I arrive at the front and see my robes hanging neatly with a head-badge pinned to the chest. Great, now I'm a walking reminder that I'm a loser. I dress quickly with my back at the door. I hear the door open and I turn around with the biggest smile on my face, hoping to make a good first impression. As soon as I turned around my smile fades instantly. Chills go through my back and I gap. I look into those piercing eyes. His grey, cold, bitter eyes look at me, examining me from head to toe, definitely stopping at my chest area. Only thing I can say is: "You?"
The only response I get in return is his trademark smirk.