One Step Closer
Chapter 1: New Beginnings
1st September 2017
"How long do you reckon it'll take to get there?"
Rose Weasley was quiet. September's kind fingers had brushed across the glass windows of the Hogwarts Express. The coldness felt somewhat calming as her face was pressed against the vertical surface. As much as she loved her cousin, there were things other than timing occupying her mind right now.
"I don't know Al. Ask James, or Victoire, they'll-"
"JAMES!" She was cut off with Al's sudden call to James, who was now entering the carriage, Arms filled with pumpkin pasties, chocolate frogs, and every flavour beans. "What time will we be getting to Hogwarts?"
"Depends." James replied, mouth already filled with pastry. "Last year it was about 8 hours, may be more, may be less. Here Rosie, catch!"
Rose reached for the chocolate frog, and settled back into her seat. "Thanks," She murmured. It's not that she wasn't excited about going to Hogwarts. At times it seemed to be all that her parents ever talked about: their adventures with Uncle Harry made it sound like such an amazing place. But she'd never quite told them how nervous she was about leaving them. Well, she had tried, at least.
Flashback
31st August 2017
"Rosie?" A voice came from outside of Rose's bedroom. "Are you nearly packed?"
Hermione Weasley popped her head around the door of her daughter's room, somewhat expecting to see an array of clothing scattered across the indigo carpet. Instead, she found neatness. Suitcase packed and a rucksack on top of that filled with books. Rose had always been like her mother when it came to organisation and studying, things that Hermione was very thankful for. However, she had also developed Ron's sense of humour and love of Wizard's Chess – things that her father often exclaimed with pride.
"Yeah... yes. I'm ready."
The stutter in her voice ran hollow in Hermione's heart. Rose had always been so excited about Hogwarts. ALWAYS. Ever since she had been little, enthusiasm set her eyes in a kaleidoscopic swirl of joy simply at a mention of the school. But not today. Instead, she saw a shadow of her daughter, looking empty and isolated, even if right now she was surrounded by family.
"Hey... what's up?" Hermione said as she saw tears running up into Rose's brown eyes.
"I guess I just... I... " Rose sighed, "I just don't feel ready. I've felt ready for years, wanting to see everything you and dad have always told me about. Getting sorted, finally being able to cast spells and make potions. Suddenly it feels like it's hit me to quickly. Like I don't want to leave."
"You know, I was nervous when I first left for Hogwarts."Hermione said, sitting next to her daughter on the bed. The duvet was crinkled and messy. Rose had been tossing and turning, too tired to properly make the bed.
"Really?"
"She was?!" Her father stood in the doorway, a laundry basket in his arms. "It's true! I knew it! She just hid it under a ridiculously smug and pompous exterior for years."
"Oh, shut up Ronald." Hermione stared at him, a small smirk playing on her lips as she raised her eyebrows, knowing he was right.
"It's true. Being muggleborn meant that I didn't know anyone. Any friends I had at Primary School had gone to high school and then I was there, off to a magic boarding school in Scotland. Sure, I'd studied the text books back and forth multiple times, but friendship was more important, and that didn't hit me until Dad and Harry saved me from the troll."
Hermione looked at Rose and saw the fear etched on her face. "But you, you have Victoire, Dominique, James, and Albus, Roxanne and Fred too. And I know you can't stand them most of the time, but Molly and Lucy are always there too. Not to forget Neville. He'd always be happy to help."
"But I don't have you. Or Dad." Rose's voice cracked.
"I know, sweetheart, but we'll be an owl away. And always, always will be right..."Hermione gestured to Rose's heart, "...here."
Flashback Ends
"Rosie?" Victoire asked cutting through Rose's memories. In an instant, she was back in the carriage, hurtling through the leafy countryside of mid-England. She didn't know where she was, but she knew where she wanted to be – at home with her parents and Hugo. Getting up instinctually, she stood and headed towards the nearest toilets. Although empty, every corridor felt tight and narrow, like walls were just trying to let her suffocate.
At least in there it was a little more peaceful. Only the sound of an unhinged dripping tap and the wheels of the train running underneath the floor Rose's feet rested. She could cry without hearing one of her cousins sigh and her tears- they probably wouldn't, but she wondered if they'd think she was stupid for crying. They'd all been away before and kept returning, seeming as right as rain. And yet here she was and she refused to let herself cry in front of them.
"Rose?" A knock on the toilet door. The same voice as back in the carriage. Victoire. "Rosie? I now you're in there. I promise, it's just me... nobody else."
A creak of another door. A whisper from outside. "Is she okay?
Albus. Of course. Her cousin. Best friend. Frequenter in bookish discussion. Albus Severus Potter.
"Okay, and Al is here too. But I swear, that's it." Victoire said, a smile in her voice. She was a gentle speaker. Always quiet, calming and at times more of a sister than a cousin to Rose. She needed that right now. She needed to see Victoire, properly, and not just hear her voice through a toilet door.
"Come here," the soft voice escaped Victoire's mouth as Rose opened the door and embraced her older cousin. "It's going to be okay Rosie. I mean it."
"How do you know?" Rose inhaled – stubbornly, quickly wiping a stray tear track from her left cheek.
"The worst part of the first few days is the train. You've left your family and you are in the middle of nowhere and Hogwarts is not in sight. But once you get off the train, everything will feel that little bit easier. You'll get sorted into your house. And the feast is amazing, classes are great once you get into them. Rosie, if you ever need any of us, we may be spread across the houses but Weasley's stick together. I wish I'd had that when I was in first year..."
"You had Teddy though." Rose reminded her cousin, briefly smirking.
"Yeah...I did." Victoire smiled. It was true. A two year age difference had never stopped Teddy Lupin and Victoire Weasley being good friends. That friendship had only been strengthened when the eldest Weasley grandchild had been sorted into Hufflepuff, like Lupin. Slowly, their friendship had developed into something more.
A knock came from outside once again. "Look, are you coming out or am I coming in?" Albus joked, "Because even if it's just you two in there, I don't want to go into the girls toilets."
The door opened, and both emerged. "I'm sorry about before, Al. It's just weird."
Heading back along the corridor, Rose and Albus' hands were entwined Victoire walking ahead of them. Laughter echoed from nearby carriages. Older pupils. The corridor heaved with people moving in and out of the different carriages, seeing friends, and acquaintances from school years gone. Sure, the Hogwarts Express was beautiful, and lively, but Rose had never expected it to be so busy and claustrophobic...
THUD.
The pressure of somebody else's body colliding into there's knocked Rose and Albus back, and the sound another person hitting the ground reverberated around the cousins.
Across from them was a boy the same age as them. Blonde hair, so, so blonde that it didn't quite look real. Skin light porcelain, but there was still a slight pink colouring in his cheeks, and a glint in his green eyes. Tall for 11, and face turning red as he looked up, alarm seemed to spread across his face as he realised what had happened.
Quickly scrabbling to his feet, the boy's nervous voice started to become clear. "I'm, so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going... I..." He trailed.
"It's fine. Don't worry about it." Rose said getting up and brushing off her jeans. "Here's your book," She added, handing over the pristine copy of Hogwarts, A History.
"Thank you." He sighed quietly, reaching for it. "If I hadn't dropped it, someone else probably would have knocked it out of my hands anyway. That's what older students do right?"
There was a moment of painfully awkward silence. A silence that could have hung over them for hours, as they struggled to find the words to say.
"Hey – " Albus started, "I recognise you from the platform. You're Scorpius Malfoy aren't you?"
So that, that was Scorpius Malfoy. The boy that her father had warned her about. Her mother had brushed it off telling her he was joking, but the tone in his voice had screamed otherwise. She knew she hadn't been told everything – she knew there were things that her parents were hiding about the war, but from what they (they meaning her dad) had told her, the Malfoy's weren't the nicest of people. Actually, he spoke of them like they were plagued. Usually her mother was the voice of reason, telling Rose about how Ron was just joking etc. But when Ron spoke of Draco, Hermione rarely said anything.
"Yes." Scorpius sighed, looking as if his anonymity was all he had left. "And you must be...?"
"Albus." Al said, suddenly thrusting a hand out, "Albus Potter."
"Rose Weasley." Rose replied.
An air of surprise, yet puzzlement cast across Scorpius' face. Rose didn't know how to react. After a second of watching his expressions, she too, like her cousin, held out a hand.
"My father told me to stay away from you." Rose said tightly
"So did mine." Scorpius replied
"Not that I plan to. I can make my own decisions."
"I think I can decide the right sort for myself too." The saying felt familiar, but neither Rose, nor Albus could pinpoint where they had heard it before.
Scorpius took Rose's still held out hand and promptly shook it back.
"Well, that's sorted then." He said, something not quite a smile, but not a frown played on his lips. Something positive at least.
They parted ways, Scorpius continuing down the corridor, and Rose, Albus and Victoire returning to their carriage. "You won't believe who we saw on the corridor!" Victoire gossiped, the Weasley's and Potter's crooning their necks to listen in.
Instead, Rose turned back to the window, and continued staring into the countryside.
Authors Note: HEY! I just wanted to say that I'm sorry if this is choppy, but it's taken me since July to write this chapter – life got in the way. I've never written anything but Romione fanfiction before, and so this is a completely new experience. Bare with me, and hopefully, please, keep reading.