Misconception #1: Rose Weasley is studious.
Truth: Rose hates studying.
There's a reason she wasn't in Ravenclaw. No matter how much Ted and the gang can control what the public sees in Rose, there's no tricking the Sorting Hat. She might have gotten all O's on her OWLS and NEWTS, and she might have been in the top 3 in every class, but she's definitely not studious.
No. Infuriatedly, she's one of those "naturally brilliant" types. The type that can get away with just listening in class and the kind that naturally picks up spells. She'd pass classes easily if they were purely practical, but unfortunately for her (and fortunately for types like me), there are more text-oriented classes that involve actual studying and reading to succeed.
Apparently, it's in my realm of responsibilities to make sure Rose actually studies for these classes. (Ted informed me that it's because Rose studying ensures that she'll maintain excellent grades which then in turn keeps up her image of "the studious one.) This means me dragging Rose out of her room when she's indulging in one of her many hobbies (I'll get to that later. It's a whole other strange quirk about her) and forcing her to sit, read, and actually study.
Of course, she won't just sit and study. She'll get up "for a snack" or "for some tea, do you want some?" (By the way, she eats like a hippogriff. I'll get to that later.) She's also damn good at getting the both of us off track.
I'm not talkative by nature, but for some odd reason, Rose is excellent at getting me to talk. Before I know it, we'll spend 20 minutes just talking about my past and I'll catch myself before I reveal anything serious. It's… unnerving. I've learnt that I can only trust myself in this world and it's frightening that Rose Weasley can get me to talk so damn much, especially about myself. I guess she'll do anything to get out of studying.
Which reminds me, I needed her to start studying five minutes ago.
I pounded on her door, "ROSE! We need to study!"
"mrphrs."
"What?"
"NRMMM"
"What? I'm coming in… FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE"
I entered the room. She was sleeping. Again.
"Are you kidding me? Rose. Get up," I kicked her bed. "We need to study."
"mrph. Phlerreis," she mumbled as she rolled over.
I casted a water spell with my wand aimed right at her face.
"BLERGH. That was unnecessary!" Rose shot up out of her bed, with an evil glare. Ted had warned me that waking up Rose was a little like insulting a hippogriff.
"Well you weren't getting up," I said, meeting her eyes with my calm face on. (Inside, I was quivering.) One of the things that I'd learned while living with Rose was that when she chose to be, she could be an extremely powerful witch. Also, she can smell fear.
She stared back at me, and then hopped out of bed. "Alright then, what are we studying?"
That was another thing about her. She could get angry in flash, but just as quickly that anger would die down. Living with her is nutters.
"We have an upcoming exam in Interaction of Muggle Medication with Spells and Potions next week."
We got settled and I set out a pot of tea, a box of biscuits and fruit. I'd gotten used to Rose's tricks involving food; it was the conversations that popped out of nowhere that I couldn't see coming. We studied for a good thirty minutes trading notes (hers were mostly doodles) and asking each other questions.
"Do you remember what happens when asprin interacts with a calming draught?" I asked.
"I don't think anything happens. I just read that asprin is oddly resistant to most magic. So why don't you parents ever drop by or owl you?"
"What?"
"It's just I've noticed you only ever get owls or go out to meet with Ted. I mean, besides the family meeting we go to. Don't you want to see your parents? Don't you have friends?"
"I don't really keep in contact with them anymore," I replied shortly. This was one topic that I actively avoided talking about.
"Why not?" she asked, munching away at a chocolate biscuit.
"I don't really see eye to eye with my father."
"Why not?"
"Because my father is a bigot. The whole wizarding community knows this."
"Oh… and you don't share his views?"
"No."
"Oh. Sorry. I didn't know it was a sensitive topic." I could see Rose cursing at herself and retreating into her shell. Sigh, I honestly couldn't blame her. She's the curious sort, she was bound to ask me about my family sooner or later. We'd covered just about every other topic during our study sessions.
"It's fine. It's not a big deal."
"I'm sorry."
"No it's really fine. I just sort of stopped all contact after fourth year. I stayed at a friend's every summer and spent the winter holidays at Hogwarts. I've always felt uncomfortable with the ideas that my father expounded on at the dinner table and the papers I read by Rousseau and other Muggle philosophers seemed to be arguing the right thing- that all men are created equal. It took me a couple years at Hogwarts to confirm that my father's way of thinking was disgusting and it took me a couple more years before I worked up the guts to defy my father. I wasn't placed in Gryffindor for a reason. If I had your guts, I probably would have left sooner."
"Oh…" Rose started coming out of her protective shell, "and you haven't contacted him since?"
"No. Although I do send my mom the occasional owl to let her know I'm not dying in a ditch somewhere. She's paranoid." I chucked a book at her, "Study. I can't believe you've managed to get me off track yet again." I put the sternest expression I could on my face.
She smiled, and I felt something weird going on in my chest.
"Alright, I'll study. For one hour. I promise!" she flashed another quick smile and opened the book.
My chest was still doing something weird. It felt like something was something was boiling or burning. Probably just residual anger at my father. I snuck another quick look at Rose (to make sure she was studying, of course) and looked down at my notes. Unlike Rose, I was one of those people that actually needed to study and I couldn't have her distracting me anymore. I needed 100% of my concentration devoted to my notes.