A/N: Apologies for the later-than-usual upload time. I've just been having a hard time hashing this chapter out, so I spent a few weeks worldbuilding and brainstorming other related stories for the Express Universe. :-)
Chapter 4; Fourth Year
"Rosie, do you want me to carry that owl for you?" Ron asked his daughter for the third time that morning. Rose let out an exasperated sigh as they followed Hermione and Hugo through the barrier.
"Dad, I can carry him just fine! See?" Rose said indignantly as she lifted up the owl's cage. Inside, a long-eared owl peered at Rose with its orange eyes. Despite it being late morning, the owl—which Rose had named Nestor—was awake, if not completely alert.
"Alright, alright," Ron replied. He went to ruffle Rose's hair and she expertly ducked away.
"Scorpius!" Rose called out as she saw one of her best friends on the platform. Scorpius was standing with Draco and Astoria Malfoy, obviously looking around the platform for a sign of Rose or Albus. He grinned when his eyes landed on Rose and walked over to where she was standing with her parents. Hugo had already separated from his family to run off and drop his things on the train.
"Rose! It's been too long," Scorpius said with a smirk.
"Ah, yes. Two whole days have passed since Al's birthday extravaganza—our last encounter. How have I survived without you?" Rose quipped as she went in for a quick hug.
"'Lo, Scorpius. How's the shoulder doing?" Ron said in greeting with a small smile. Ever since February, Ron had really warmed up to Scorpius, and Rose was relieved. She just wished her father's newfound liking for Scorpius didn't occur because of a Quidditch accident.
Scorpius shook Ron's outstretched hand. "I'm fine, Mr. Weasley. I can't wait to get back on the pitch to knock your nephew off his broom."
Rose gave a small laugh but soon felt immensely guilty. The entire reason Scorpius was out for Ravenclaw's final game last season was because of her. During the Slytherin-Ravenclaw game in February, Rose had taken a nasty Bludger to the head and Scorpius, being the closest to her when it happened, had recklessly went after her as she fell head-first off her broom. They both ended up on the ground of the pitch, Rose with a concussion and Scorpius with a broken collarbone and wrist. Rose and Scorpius were in the Hospital Wing for two days. Coincidentally, Jeremy Paulson, the fifth year Slytherin Beater who had aimed the Bludger at Rose, was also in the Hospital Wing. James later told her that Roxanne, full of outrage, had hit Jeremy in the back with her bat.
"Good—about playing again, that is. The lad they replaced you with for the last game was awful," Ron replied. "However, I'm not sure if I should support you attacking one of my many nephews on the Gryffindor team." Scorpius laughed in response.
"Orson was desperate for a Beater, Dad. He didn't have much of a choice. At least Carmilla caught the Snitch in time..." Rose sighed. Orson Coote, their team's Captain, had replaced Scorpius with Phillip Lyne for the last game of the season. Rose thought Phillip was sweet; however he is also known as the clumsiest resident of Ravenclaw House. On more than one occasion Rose had watched as he walked through the common room with his arms full of art supplies, only to trip on a chair and end up sprawled on the floor and covered in paint. During their final game against Hufflepuff, the Ravenclaw Chasers were more concerned with being hit by Phillip than they were about trying to score against the other team. Carmilla raced to catch the Snitch and end the game 160-140.
"Lyne won't be joining us again this year, and that's all that matters," Scorpius said with a smile. "I'll be back on the pitch protecting our amazing Chasers from the big bad Bludgers." He patted Rose on the head and she snorted.
"Rose! Scorpius!" Albus came running up to the duo, panting. "I've been looking all over the bloody platform for you."
"Language, Albus," Hermione chided gently. Albus jumped—he apparently hadn't noticed the several adults standing around his friends. His cheeks reddened and he ducked his head.
"Sorry," Albus mumbled in response to his aunt. He looked around sheepishly. "Oh! Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. Thanks for letting Scorpius come over the other day."
Astoria Malfoy gave Albus a gentle smile. "You're welcome—although Draco and I should be thanking you and your parents for letting him stay with you for the week. And for making sure he bought his supplies for the year." Scorpius rolled his eyes.
"Mum, you know I would never skip the opportunity for a lengthy visit to Diagon Alley," Scorpius said with a sigh. Rose frowned and pinched him.
"Be nice. You know you loved the chaos of the Weasley family in Diagon Alley," Rose chided him. Astoria chuckled.
"Thank you, Rose. It's nice to know that Scorpius' friends care about him." Rose blushed at Astoria's comment and Albus laughed.
"We can't cause mayhem without him, Mrs. Malfoy. Speaking of mayhem…that game when Ravenclaw almost lost to Hufflepuff last term…such an embarrassment to call these two my friends," Albus piped up from Scorpius' side. Rose and Scorpius exchanged a look.
"Just because our excellent Chasers scored all those points against your sorry excuse of a Keeper, doesn't mean you should be cheering for Hufflepuff, Albus," Scorpius said with mock shock.
"Yeah, Albus. And just because Carmella spotted the Snitch before you—" Rose began, but was interrupted as James crashed into her.
"Rosie! Be a dear and hide me for a moment," James said as he ducked between Rose and Scorpius. He nervously looked over his shoulder.
"Who are you hiding from?" Rose asked her cousin. "And you know, hiding behind two fourth years who are shorter than you isn't going to help," she added.
"If you must know, I'm hiding from your pratty team Captain," James replied, his face reddening. "The wanker won't leave me alone!"
"Coote's bothering you?" Scorpius said surprised. "Maybe he's just trying to give you some tips—you know, on how to block a Quaffle." He smirked at James, who glared at him in return.
"Aw, Scorpius, we shouldn't make fun of James' weaknesses. We should be thanking him for his continued support of Ravenclaw's Chasers. With James as Keeper, I believe I can set a record by the time he graduates," Rose giggled. In the last two seasons, Rose had made it her goal to score as many times as possible when they played Gryffindor. It was almost as if she had a personal vendetta against James, who was increasingly frustrated that his little cousin was one of the best Chasers in the school. It was one of the few things the two cousins ever argued about.
Harry and Ginny appeared behind Albus with Lily and Hugo in tow. "Al, James, it's about time you lot got on the train." He looked up and saw Draco and Astoria, greeting them with a brief nod. Ginny gave Astoria a bright smile and a tiny wave.
Rose hugged her mother and father. "Be careful in your first match, Rosie," Ron whispered to her. "No more Hospital Wing visits for a few terms, alright?"
"You know I'll try," Rose mumbled into Ron's shoulder. Rose watched as Ron and Scorpius exchanged another handshake. Ron said something to the younger boy, but Rose didn't hear it.
A few more goodbyes and soon Rose, Albus, and Scorpius found themselves alone in a train compartment. Rose was cooing over Nestor, slipping the sleepy owl an owl pellet before hanging his cage on a nearby hook. Scorpius and Albus sat across from her.
"So, Rosie," Albus started, a small grin on his face. "How did Uncle Ron take to you having a boyfriend?" He snickered into his hand.
Rose narrowed her eyes at him. "Dad likes Brennan just fine, Albus. He did go to school with Mr. Finnegan, after all."
"He found out Brennan plays Wizard Chess, didn't he," Albus said. It was well-known in the Weasley family that if you wanted to win over Ron you had two options: the Chudley Cannons or Wizard's Chess.
Rose shook her head in exasperation. "You know, Al, you're getting more like James every day." Albus' face blanched. Before he could reply, Rose faced Scorpius. "And what was my dad telling you before we left?"
Scorpius' face flushed and his gaze went to the floor briefly before returning to Rose. "Your dad asked that I make sure to keep you from falling off your broom this season."
Rose groaned and rolled her eyes. "I can't believe him—that was a onetime thing! Besides, every other family member on one of the teams has landed in the Hospital Wing at least once. I'm fourteen, I'm—"
"Too old to be fussed over," Albus cut in. He reached across the compartment to pat Rose's knee for a moment. "We know, Rosie. Uncle Ron's just overprotective. Hugo doesn't play at school, so all his worrying is spent on you."
"He just had to play chess and sing," Rose grumbled. Although her younger brother would sometimes join a game of Quidditch at home, Hugo showed no interest in playing for the Gryffindor team. Instead he chose to join the Wizard's Chess Team and the Choir Club, which meant Rose was the only member of their immediate family who was on a house team. It also meant that instead of dividing his worry between two children, Ron focused it all on Rose.
"Since we're on the topic of Quidditch, guess who's trying out for the team this year?" Albus asked.
"Your sister," Scorpius replied casually.
"What? When did Lily tell you?" Albus asked. He had planned on trying to surprise the two and the disappointment showed a bit on his face.
"She's only been going on about trying out since last year, Al. And Ruth Jordan graduated, right? So there's a Chaser spot open on the team," Rose replied. Albus sighed.
"Typical Ravenclaws," Albus muttered under his breath. "You know Jordan made Freddie Captain?" Rose and Scorpius' eyebrows shot up.
"What? It wasn't Wood or Thomas?" Scorpius asked incredulously.
Albus shook his head. "She said it came down to a seniority thing and chose Freddie. James was a bit miffed at him for it, though. He said all this stuff about Freddie not having enough drive or commitment to be Captain…Mum gave him a huge telling off for it."
"Is that why James and Freddie weren't talking to each other?" Rose asked. She had noticed James avoiding Fred at her birthday party in July. At Albus' birthday a few days prior, James had still been ignoring Fred, even when the older boy went and tried to seek him out. Most of the family had no idea what was going on, and those that did just told everyone else to stay out of it.
"Yeah," Albus nodded. "Fred tied to go talk to James, but James avoided him the entire time." Albus let out a long sigh. "I really wish he'd grow up and accept it—Fred wasn't my first choice, either, but I'm not going to pitch a fit over it."
There was a small knock on the compartment door and Brennan Finnegan poked his head in, looking uncertain. "Should I come in? You all look like you're having a serious conversation."
Rose immediately brightened and stood, pulling her boyfriend into the compartment. "Brennan!" She wrapped her arms around Brennan, who was now quite a bit taller than Rose, and sighed happily when he returned the hug. Albus and Scorpius made gagging motions behind her, earning a chuckle from Brennan.
"Hello, Rose," Brennan greeted her with a chaste peck on the lips, and Albus saw his cousin's ears turn bright pink as her boyfriend released her. Rose resumed sitting in her previous spot and Brennan took the seat next to her.
"Hello, Finnegan," Albus said.
"It's been a while, mate," Scorpius said.
"I only saw you lot the other day at Diagon Alley," Brennan replied as he rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I ran into McManus and he said he'd be over in a few."
"Any sign of Ella?" Rose asked from his side. "I haven't seen her for weeks."
Brennan shook his head. "I haven't seen sign of either of the Boot twins."
"Oh, I know where Edgar is, mate," a voice said from the door. The small group of friends looked up from their conversation to see Shiloh McManus grinning at them. "He's currently snogging Jean Hall in the next car over." He entered the compartment, motioning to a figure behind him. Rose's face lit up—Ella Boot was there, a light flush to her face.
"Ella!" Rose exclaimed, standing up to embrace her friend and roommate quickly before resuming her seat next to Brennan. Shiloh followed Ella into the compartment and took the spare seat next to Albus.
"Isn't Hall a Fifth Year?" Albus asked Shiloh. The other boy nodded.
"How do they know each other?" Rose asked.
"They're both Gryffindors," Ella mentioned casually. "Edgar and Jean are also both in Charms Club."
"You know," Albus addressed Ella, looking thoughtful. "It's sort of odd to not have you both in the compartment this year."
Ella shrugged and pulled out a Divination book. "Just because we're twins doesn't mean we're attached at the hip, Albus. We've always been two separate people. And I spent all summer with my brother, so it's only fair that I allow him and Jean to catch up." She shot Albus a look that said she knew what he was about to ask her. "They began exchanging letters at the beginning of summer but weren't calling themselves a couple until last week—Edgar wanted to wait until our mother was out of the hospital."
"Your mum was in Saint Mungo's again?" Rose asked with concern.
"Yes. It was nothing to worry too much over, however. She was admitted for exhaustion due to working too hard. Dad had Edgar and I take turns watching her to make sure she wasn't trying to work while the Healer ordered her to be on bed rest." Ella smiled apologetically at Rose. "Sorry if it seemed like I was ignoring your letters. Any time Edgar or I turned around, mum was trying to sneak off. By the time I was able to write, we were only a few days away from seeing each other…I thought I'd wait to see you in person."
"Thank you," Rose replied. "I'm just glad your mum wasn't injured again." Since the two girls had met during first year, Ella and Edgar's mother Fay had been admitted to St. Mungo's more than half a dozen times. It wasn't unusual to see Professors Longbottom or Flitwick escorting the Boot twins to Headmistress Vector's office and later hear that they had been taken to St. Mungo's to visit their mother. Albus once mentioned that his father said Fay Boot obtained more injuries on the job than most Aurors their age, but she was also too stubborn to keep herself out of danger.
"It's a bit admirable that your mum is so dedicated to her work," Shiloh commented from across the compartment. As Ella thanked him a small blush crept over Shiloh's face. Albus chuckled—Shiloh blushed more than any of the Weasley clan. In return, Shiloh elbowed Albus in the ribs.
"Let's play Snap, mates," Albus addressed Scorpius and Shiloh, pulling a pack from his back pocket. Ella had gone back to her book and Rose was in quiet conversation with Brennan about their respective summers.
Brennan slung an arm around Rose, who leaned into him, closing her eyes. "I missed you, you know," he murmured into her ear. His warm breath sent a pleasant shiver across her skin. Rose didn't need to look at him to know that Brennan was smiling. She hummed in response.
"You saw me in Diagon Alley with the boys the other day," she replied quietly, opening her eyes to briefly glance at their friends, who all seemed to be off in their own conversation.
Rose felt Brennan squeeze her shoulders. "But we were under adult supervision," he chuckled next to her ear. She twisted in her seat to place a hand on his chest.
"Well, we aren't right now, are we?" Rose asked with a small smile. As Brennan tilted his head towards hers, they were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.
"Finnegan, get your hands off my cousin," Albus said, shooting a glare at the couple. "I don't want to see it." Rose sighed and sat back, leaning her head against the wall of the compartment. Although he had originally been excited for Rose, Albus was prone to becoming overprotective whenever she and Brennan acted as a couple in front of him.
"Want to play chess then, Rose?" Brennan asked her. Rose nodded and he pulled a small Travelling Wizard's Chess set from his bag.
"Scorpius, you mind switching seats with me?" Rose asked, poking Scorpius in the knee to get his attention.
"Not a problem," Scorpius replied. As Rose moved to sit across from him, Brennan finished setting up the board, gesturing for Rose to make the first move. The two quickly become absorbed in the game, and it takes Albus several tries to get Rose's attention. He finally succeeded by jabbing her in the ribs.
"Albus! What is wrong with you?" Rose asked, twisting in her seat to glare at her cousin.
Albus simply rolled his eyes in response. "James is here for you, Rosie."
In fact, James Potter had been standing in the open doorway for over a minute without Rose noticing him at all. When she did look at him, he sent her his trademark grin. "Rosie-Red, Roxanne and I were merely wondering if you'd like to spend some quality time with your superior cousins," James said, ignoring the scoff that came from Albus.
Rose stared at him for a moment, her eyes briefly flickering to Brennan before resting again on James'. He seemed to read her mind. "It's alright if you'd rather not, Rose, but we do have a bit of a tradition, yeah?" James shook his head for a moment and seemed to have a brief staring match with his shoes before meeting Rose's gaze again. "I'd just like to have a word with you, is all."
"Oh," Rose replied. She blinked a few times and wondered what had sobered James up—he had just been running around complaining about Orson Coote an hour prior. "I'll be right with you then, James." Rose gave Brennan an apologetic glance and reached across the table to give his hand a squeeze. "I'll be right back to win another round," she said with a smile as she instructed her Queen to take his King.
After Rose exited the compartment with James, Shiloh let out a long sigh. "Every year's the same with that one." Brennan shot him a glare, but the other boy ignored it.
"What do you think James wants with her?" Scorpius asked Albus. He received a shrug in response.
"I don't know, mate. It looks like James wanted to talk to her about something serious. Normally he makes up a pathetic excuse for her to talk to him—'Roxie needs you,' 'We're debating over your mother's translation of these runes,' and things like that." Albus let out a frustrated sigh.
"You jealous, Al?" Shiloh asked. Albus shot him a glare and threw a card at him.
"I'm not jealous of James," Albus replied hotly, but his body language suggested the opposite.
"Hey, mate—I understand. Sometimes brothers don't want to talk to you about their problems, so they go elsewhere," Shiloh said. "Corwin and Efron never tell me what's going on with them—they'd rather have it out with friends—but I try not to take it personally. It's just a bit odd for you because Rose is friends with you and your brother." Shiloh scratched his chin. "Well, and she's a bird—and your cousin, so I guess it's more than a bit odd."
Albus shoved Shiloh's shoulder. "And I was almost thinking you were capable of being mature," he replied with a small grin.
Scorpius glanced at Brennan, who was frowning at the chess board. "You alright, Bren?"
Brennan turned to look at Scorpius with a pained expression. "Let's talk later, okay, mate?" He went back to studying the chess board, and Scorpius briefly wondered if Brennan would actually tell him what was going on later. He sighed inwardly.
The trolley cart had gone and passed by the time Rose returned to their compartment. As was now considered tradition, Albus had purchased Chocolate Frogs for his favorite cousin, although he complained about her supposed preference for James for a few minutes afterward. Scorpius had joined Shiloh and Albus in another round of Exploding Snap while Brennan and Ella lost themselves in books.
"Sorry I missed the trolley again, dearest cousin," Rose said to Albus as she resumed her seat, hands full of Chocolate Frogs. Albus glanced up to see his cousin taking Brennan's hand from across the small counter. "I'm back," she whispered to Brennan, but only received a grunt in reply. Albus tried to ignore the hurt look on Rose's face and turned back to the game.
"What did the Elder Potter want?" Shiloh asked Rose, rubbing soot from his forehead after another card exploded in his hand.
"Information on the inner workings of the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team," Rose deadpanned. Seeing Shiloh's gobsmacked expression, she grinned. "It's actually a bit of a secret between the two of us—and Roxanne, I suppose."
"Roxanne?" Albus asked, his curiosity peaking. "I thought James wanted to talk to you alone?"
Rose crossed her arms for a brief moment. "Well, we were talking alone—we went into an empty compartment, but Roxanne saw us and walked in during the middle of it." She frowned and chewed on her lip for a moment. "So of course we had to fill her in, you know how Roxie can be."
"And what were you talking about?" Albus raised an eyebrow at his cousin, and Rose swore by the intensity of his gaze that it almost seemed as if he was trying to pull off Legilimency. She met his gaze easily with one full of stubborn resolve.
"Like I said, it's between the three of us, and it's not my place to say, Albus," Rose replied through her teeth. Her whole body radiated defensiveness, and Albus decided to let the topic drop in fear of sending her into a fit.
"Whatever," he mumbled.
"Care for a round of snap, Rose?" Scorpius asked. Rose shook her head.
"Mind switching back, though, Scorpius?" Rose stood and she and Scorpius exchanged seats so she was once again sitting next to Brennan. He looked up from his book and caught Rose's eye. She smiled tentatively at him.
"Game in the common room tonight?" Brennan asked her with a whisper, his right hand coming down to rest on Rose's knee.
"Of course," Rose smiled warmly at him, taking Brennan's hand into her own and resting her head on his shoulder. Albus glanced at the couple and made a gagging sound but was quickly quieted with a well-aimed kick from Rose.
Albus rubbed his shin and sent a half-hearted glare at his cousin, who had begun lazily reading Brennan's book from her spot on his shoulder. Rose's eyelids began dropping, and Albus suddenly felt an elbow in his side from Shiloh. He looked at Shiloh, who had a gleeful look on his face.
"See, mate?" Shiloh whispered. "Same Rose Weasley, every year." Albus clamped a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter.
A/N: As the kids get older, we can't expect them all to hang around the same compartment all the time, right? Right. There's boyfriends and girlfriends and other friendship circles about!
And 'Express Universe' is totally a cool name for all the related, same timeline stories, yeah? Because I've been saying that name to myself a bunch and I think I'll stick with it.