April 1st, 1992
Great Hall
The first few months of the new year went by quickly. Teachers were giving out even more work than normal and the cold kept everyone from going to Hogsmeade.
Fred and George weren't feeling up to their usual great pranks, settling instead for just plain old dungbombs. Oddly enough, Roxana had seen Ron and Harry in the library, she hadn't even known they knew where it was. The only plausible reason was that Hermione had forced them into going with her. Even though she was curious to find out why they were there, she had too much work to do herself.
Today however, she had cleared her schedule.
"Very good day, Fred." George patted his brother's back when Roxana sat down next to him and grabbed a cup of coffee.
"I agree, George. Do you happen to know why, Roxana?"
"Hmm. It's April fools?" She snickered at their appalled faces.
"I'm kidding you two. Happy Birthday!" Roxana hugged them both tightly.
"Thank you, thank you." Both twins said as they stood up and bowed, attracting the hole Great Halls attention.
"Well, are you ready for your present?" She asked mischievously while grinning. This was going to be somewhat a payback for her Christmas gift. She had been planning it for a few weeks in advance, ever since the idea had popped into her head. The boys eagerly nodded their heads as they sat down.
"Close your eyes and think of Honeydukes." She made sure they weren't peaking as she waved her wand around their heads. The Great Hall was watching, the teachers were watching, patiently waiting.
Clouds appeared above both their heads and candy started pouring out like rain, sending the boys yelping as everyone else burst out laughing.
"Oww! What is this?!" Fred reached above his head and caught a piece of candy. His eyes widened as he saw it was a chocolate frog and not the cause of his demise. He looked towards his brother holding pepper imps and licorice wands. Their mouths fell in disbelieving shock as they stared at Roxana. She didn't know if it was in awe or in betrayal.
Then they started clapping and hugging her; she took it for awe.
"THIS IS BRILLIANT! ANA, YOU'RE THE BLOODY BEST!" Fred grinned and tried catching as many pieces of candy as he could with his mouth open.
"You have to teach us that!" George spun her around, candy going everywhere. The spell wasn't very difficult, the only hard part was getting enough candy to last the entire day. The trio had helped her with some of the money, so technically this was everyone's present.
Like the eager children they were, first and second years were rushing to grab the discarded candy on the ground.
"Miss Constantin, I must say that I'm impressed. Happy Birthday boys." Professor Flitwick told them as he passed.
After the twins birthday, nothing seemed to be going right. The trio was ignoring everyone and her routinely library get together's with Hermione stopped completely.
Unlike most of the other Gryffindors Roxana wasn't disappointed to find out that they had snuck out at night, causing their house to lose 150 house points right off the bat. Although, most people probably didn't know that they were trying to save a baby dragon. They had gotten detention in the Forbidden Forest. While the twins had gotten detention…shining trophies for a month because they had been out at night as well. Didn't they ever learn that Peeves couldn't be trusted? To say they were jealous of the trio's punishment was an understatement.
For the rest of the year, Roxana was almost always alone. Thank Morgana, that there was the library. She busied herself with her work and read everything that sounded interesting. She went to see Hagrid every week in order to just talk to someone. He was always good company, though he was still not over the whole Norbert situation.
May 15th, 1992
Potions Class
"No, no Fredy. You're not doing it right." Roxana muttered under her breath. They were brewing a shrinking solution and the end result had to be bright green, not a mustard yellow.
"Miss Constantin, refrain yourself from helping students that have obviously not learned the steps." Professor Snape didn't even look up from his desk.
Roxana sighed in defeat, but seeing her best friend's desperate expression, she added the one ingredient his batch was missing.
"Thank you." Fred mouthed at her. She smiled and bottled her potion up before the bell rang.
"Miss Constantin, an essay on why you shouldn't help people that don't deserve it. Three pieces of parchment, due next class."
Roxana stormed out of the room without a backwards glance. She was tired, had multiple essays for all of her classes and was feeling under the weather as well. Fred and George were calling after her while Harry, Ron and Hermione were walking towards potions.
Roxana's vision blurred and she found that she couldn't catch her breath. The hallway started spinning and everything went black as she collapsed to the ground.
Fred and George rushed to her immediately. Harry and Ron were standing near her gasping like Grindylows, while Hermione was already by Roxana's side. People were gathering around her, pointing and whispering as though their day had surmounted to this moment and everything else seemed bleak in comparison.
"Move!" The twins shouted and everyone scattered. No one had ever seen the twins, the pranksters of the castle, this angry.
George lifted Roxana and started towards the infirmary with a clenched jaw, four people closely behind him.
Infirmary
8:15 pm
When Roxana woke up it was dark outside. It took her a while to realize she was in the infirmary, but as soon as she did she let out a shaky breath of air.
"There, there, Miss Constantin. I have done multiple scans, but there seems to be nothing wrong with you. The cause of your fainting was probably due to stress. You're free to go." Madam Pomfrey waved her off.
Had she been there the whole time?
"Um, alright. Thank you, I'll… calm down." She wondered if stress really was the cause of her frequent fainting. If her memory served her correctly, she had been a bit stressed at Demetri's party during winter break. Roxana quickly made her way to the Gryffindor common room and was bombarded with questions as soon as the portrait swung open.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked jumping up from her usual seat by the fire.
"Are you alright?" Hermione felt her forehead with the back of her hand.
"Want some chocolate?" Ron held a bar of his treasured Honeydukes chocolate.
"Gave us a fright, Ana." Fred and George said together. Roxana moved to sit down on the couch.
"I'm fine, Pomfrey said I fainted due to stress." She shrugged gently and thanked Ron for the chocolate bar.
"You work too hard, honestly." George chuckled while she gave him a weak smile.
"Sorry for earlier in class, Ana." Fred nervously tried smoothing down his hair.
"It's okay. Really, I should have been more discreet about it." She sighed before realizing that they were all finally in a room together. A smile appeared on her lips, "Does anyone want to play some chess? Or anything really? I mean... it's been what? Three, four months since we've taken a step back from everything." Her grin spread when she was met with disbelieving replies and words of agreement.
"How bloody scary is that, Fred?" George frowned truthfully and slumped on the ground.
"Bloody scary indeed. I say we celebrate." Fred rubbed his hands together as the trio made themselves comfortable.
Roxana smirked as she yawned, "My thoughts exactly."
Ten minutes later they were all fast asleep.
May 21st, 1992
Great Hall
"How do you drink that stuff?" Hermione made a face as Roxana poured coffee into a cup. She added two sugars and a dash of milk.
"When you have as many things on your mind as I do, you'll learn to love it too." She replied with a slight grin and took a sip of the hot drink.
"Did you intentionally plan for that to rhyme, Ana?" George grinned as he grabbed a piece of bacon. Roxana pondered his question.
"No, I'm just that good." She took another sip of coffee and watched as the two first year boys sat down next to Hermione. Ever since the day she fainted everyone payed far more attention to her and secretly, she was thankful.
"Morning everyone." Harry said. Ron grunted a greeting and piled his plate with food as he usually did. A second later Hermione started scolding him on his food intake, which like clockwork lead to a fight.
"Ah, remember the good old days. When you used to scold us as well." George told her and his twin, as he bit into an apple.
"She scolded us yesterday, George. You twit." Fred pointed out with a raised brow and an amused scowl.
"Oh, right." George laughed, while Roxana just shook her head in amusement.
"Now, what are you three going on about?" Fred asked interested. The trio looked up, quieted down and busied themselves with their food.
"Is it a prank?" George asked excitedly, reaching across the table to mess his little brother's hair. "I knew you'd follow in our brilliant footsteps, Ronny."
"It's not a prank, George." Ron grumbled and scarfed down his eggs.
"Then whatever is it?" Fred asked, throwing a grape at Ron. "What could possibly so important?"
"Don't throw food." Roxana said offhandedly.
"Nothing." Ron mumbled, got up and moved his plate down to an empty seat at the end of the table.
"Did I say something?" Fred chuckled.
"Don't Fred, don't. You sound like Trelawney." George slapped a hand over his brothers mouth.
"Oh, god don't remind me. That class is ridiculous." Roxana complained.
"Not as ridiculous as Defense. I mean Quirrell is a total wimp." Fred added after forcibly removing his twin's hand from his mouth.
"He is not!" Hermione argued and Roxana kept quiet.
Something unsettled her about Professor Quirrell, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
May 28th, 1992
Great Hall
6:30 pm
"...Happy Birthday to you!" The Great Hall sang. Roxana was hiding her red tinged face in George's chest. She looked up slightly and saw that everyone except the teachers were standing.
"You could have settled for just a cake." She whispered to George.
"That would have been too simple." He smirked and let go of her. Leaving her standing out in the open without a hiding place.
Roxana blushed even more, thanked the Great Hall hurriedly before she blew out the fourteen candles on the huge chocolate cake in front of her.
The chocolate cake cut itself and began being distributed to everyone at the Gryffindor table. A few oohs and ahhs were heard from Lavender and a few other first years at the color changing icing.
With a grin, Roxana sat down and kissed the two redheaded boys on the cheek. They grinned like idiots and began eating their chocolate cake, which some how ended up in their hair after a few minutes.
Roxana ate her cake in peace, thinking about the presents she had received, only being interrupted by a few well wished "happy birthdays." Hermione had gotten her a quill set. Harry and Ron had gotten her candy and books, while the twins had given her a pocket sized photo album that contained miniaturized Wizarding photographs of the three of them throughout the years. It had been a wonderful birthday and based on Fred and George's subtle hints, there was going to be a party in the common room later that night.
June 4th, 1992
Gryffindor Common Room
There were only two weeks of school left. Most of the students had finished their final testing; those taking their N.E.W.T.S and O.W.L.S were still in the library passed out over notes and textbooks.
For the third years, after long hours of studying, today had been their last exam in Potions, which was finally over. George and Fred tried reassuring Roxana that they were certain they had passed due to her tutoring. So, they were currently celebrating in the common room late at night like it was custom after finals.
Music was blasting from Merlin knows where, butterbeers were being passed around and Roxana and the twins were in the middle of it all.
It was wonderful, until Roxana had searing pain in her forehead that made her bend over from the intensity. Something was wrong, very wrong and for some reason she kept getting a feeling that it was about Harry. Making her way past countless of drunken fools, she rushed to her bag and stealthily grabbed the Marauder's map. She searched and searched for the three names, until her eyes landed on the third floor corridor on the right hand side.
No! What in the world are they doing there?! Damn it, Hermione, you're supposed to keep them from trouble. Without thinking Roxana rushed out of the common room alone.
The first teacher she found was Professor McGonagall. To say that she was surprised to see one of her own and one of her best students outside after curfew was an understatement.
"Why… Miss Constantin, what are you doing out of bed? I never suspected this from you."
Roxana was out of breath, "Professor, Harry, Ron and Hermione are in the third floor corridor. I don't know what they're doing, but I know students aren't allowed there." She saw a flash of black flames, but as soon as it appeared it was gone.
"What?" Professor McGonagall said in a deathly serious tone that was laced with worry. Roxana nodded her head and felt herself tearing up. She was supposed to take care of them. "Oh, dear Merlin, I told Albus it wasn't a smart idea."
Roxana had only a few minutes to ponder over what McGonagall had said when she found out for herself.
A three headed dog did not seem like a good omen. She was speechless. What the hell is it doing in the school?! Her Head of House easily put it down with a spell and they entered a small trap door through the floor. The devil's snare from the looks of it had already dried up from an earlier attempt at escape.
"They got through it." Roxana would have taken the elderly woman's comment as a prideful one, though her tone implied that the situation was far more grave than Roxana thought.
The dog and the devil's snare must be traps set up to stop people from finding something.
"What's hidden in here, Professor?" She whispered as they passed a room full of keys that were laying on the floor.
"Put it this way, if someone who isn't completely dead finds it… they'll be able to come back."
Thankfully, Roxana hadn't drunk more than a few glasses of alcoholic butterbeer, because it started clicking in her mind instantly.
"The Sorcerer's stone. The teachers of Hogwarts are trying to keep it from… from, You Know Who. Am I right, Professor?" She asked in a shaky voice.
"Yes, you are Miss Constantin." Roxana bit her lip and hurried after her teacher.
"Oh, Merlin! Do they even know what they've gotten themselves into." Roxana said mostly to herself.
"I don't think so. However those three usually have a lot of luck. Dumb luck, if you ask me." As McGonagall said so, Roxana spotted Hermione and Ron on the floor of what appeared to be a life size chess board.
"Roxana! Professor! Harry's in there… with… Voldemort. Ron's hurt." Hermione rambled on and her friend rushed to her side.
"Are you okay?! What were you thinking?!" Roxana checked Hermione for any cuts or scrapes before turning to Ron. He had a long narrow bleeding scratch on his forearm and a small cut on his left cheek.
"Miss Constantin, I need you to come with me through that door. You grab Mr. Potter and I'll hold off Voldemort." Professor McGonagall tilted her head to the door that lead to Harry. "Miss Granger, take Weasley to the infirmary immediately and send for Dumbledore."
"Alright Professor." Hermione helped Ron stand and they left as quickly as possible.
"Miss Constantin, stay behind me, I do not what we're going to face in there. Be ready to get Potter and run." They moved past another room that held a table with potion bottles before opening the final door.
What they saw surprised them greatly. There was no fighting going on, so momentary relief set in. That is before they saw Harry lying on his side unmoving. They rushed towards him. Bending down, Roxana repeated a prayer in her head as Professor McGonagall checked for a pulse rate. She nodded in obvious relief.
"Quirrell, it was Quirrell." Harry mumbled suddenly and both women turned to the pile of ash next to what appeared to be the cloth from Quirrell's turban.
"Well done, Harry." Roxana whispered softly, Harry groaned and Professor McGonagall levitated him towards the infirmary.
Roxana looked around the large room, scanning for Harry's wand. She spotted it right next to a mirror. The mirror looked vintage and was bordered with gold detailing of ancient runes and lettering. She walked up to it and stopped dead in her tracks, her breath catching in her throat, realizing that the mirror wasn't normal.
The gate was open, and the path looked inviting. Roxana placed her hands on the reflecting glass and leaned her head against it, silent tears falling down her cheeks. It was a beautiful yet terrible thing. There was no more apparent boundary, but at the same time there was. She picked up Harry's wand and ran away from the illusion.
