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-O-

CHAPTER 10

It was the third snowfall of the year. As Rose, Larry, Moe and Curly walked together down the narrow path to Hogsmeade, the boys talked about Muggle technology. Moe had managed to stabilise his shielding spell, but it only allowed his devices to work on their own, without access to 'the internet'. He speculated that it had to do with the lack of signal out here. Rose, of course, had no idea what they were on about, so they were trying to explain the 'internet' in a way she would understand. It was proving difficult.

"So it's kind of like a Protean Charm?" she said, mainly to Moe.

The Gryffindor frowned in thought. "Well, k-k-kinda, I mean, on a g-g-ginormous scale, yeah, you could say…."

"But it's like if the charm connected the whole world," Curly added.

Rose turned to Larry. "Have you tried this 'internet' thing?"

He nodded. "Very useful. My mother loves it; we have a computer at home."

"See?" Curly said excitedly. "The Desrosiers have one; if you did we could all Skype over the summer!"

Rose stared at him in confusion. "What is 'skype'?"

"I could set it up," Moe volunteered immediately. "The computer. And I'll install Skype and t-t-teach you how to use it."

Rose looked away. "I don't think that would be happening… Dad is very traditional."

"But the benefits outweigh the losses!" Moe exclaimed passionately. "No one lives without a computer nowadays; we're not still in the eighteen huh-hundreds! Your dad's a shipping magnate, right? Having a computer at home would be good for b-business! He can keep track of the fuel prices and the high-risk areas and—"

"—and he has to move on with the times," Curly insisted. "The world is turning, and from what you've told me, he's a smart guy. He should be taking advantage of—"

"Okay!" Rose threw her hands up in surrender, trying not to laugh. "Okay, I'll talk to him, but no promises." Honestly, those two were like children.

Curly and Moe beamed, and Larry shook his head, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards.

The group arrived at the Main Street of Hogsmeade village and stopped.

"Right," Curly said, "where are we going first? I have to duck into the Magical Menagerie; Mum's chameleon is sick."

Moe rummaged around in his robes and pulled out a rolled-up parchment. "And I've got to go to Dervish & Banges for some parts."

"We won't have enough time to go everywhere," Larry said. "Everything closes early on Sunday."

"Then we'll split up," Curly said simply. "I'll go get the medicine, Moe can look for his parts, and you and Rose go to Globus Mundi and get a brochure. We'll meet up in the Three Broomsticks afterwards and have a look together. That work for everybody?"

The three friends nodded, and they all split off.

"You really think this Muggle internet is a good idea?" Rose said as she and Larry strolled down the snow-covered street. "I mean… it sounds very complicated."

"You get used to it," Larry said reassuringly. "At first it's like an alien contraption, but it's just a device — once you know how to work with it, it all makes sense. Plus, we wouldn't have to wait for weeks just to hear from each other."

"Moe did perfect his instant messaging system," Rose argued. "We can just use that."

"It's not really the same," he said. "You'll know what I mean when you try it."

"Hmmm..." Rose stared unseeingly down the white path. Maybe she could speak to her father, but she truly didn't know how he would react. He was very keen on magical advancements, but a Muggle device… He would scoff at that. Still, she knew that Waltz Industries did have Muggle partners and worked with Muggle firms. Surely her dad would see the benefits of a computer? "Maybe Moe can invent a wizarding internet?" she mused. "I know Dad would be on board then."

Larry laughed. "You know, he probably can. You should suggest it to him."

It wasn't long before the two Ravenclaws reached their destination and stood underneath the blue sign of the Globus Mundi travel agency, which swayed gently with the breeze. Their logo was a yellow globe with two white wings, something Rose had thought from a distance to be a snitch. She and Larry entered the warm, cramped office and were immediately greeted by a pretty, young witch in light blue robes.

"Welcome to Globus Mundi, the biggest wizarding travel agency in the UK! How can I help you?"

"Good day," Larry said politely. "My friend and I were wondering if you provided any excursions to the London Museum of Magical History."

"Oh, of course," the witch said pleasantly and gestured to two empty chairs. "Please, have a seat." She herself sat on the other end of an oaken desk and spread a few folded brochures in front of them.

As they followed, Rose made a note of the various posters adorning the walls, depicting colourful, strange places that she had never seen before. On the bottom of each were all sorts of promotional adverts and flashy words like 'paradise' and 'one in a lifetime'. Larry didn't seem too impressed with them, which Rose thought might be because he'd been to most of those places. His family travelled a lot.

"We have a few different packages available," the travel witch said. "There is the Group Package, which is for four people or more, the Family Package, which is two adults and up to five children, and we offer Couples tickets as well, if it's just going to be the two of you."

"Ah, we'd be looking at the Group Package, if possible," Larry said next to her, a blush creeping up his neck. Rose bit down on her bottom lip to suppress a chuckle.

"No problem," the witch said cheerfully and unfolded one of the brochures. "Up to six people for that one, comes with a two-way portkey arranged at one of these departure times, and a full health insurance for all of you in case of faulty transportation, including reattachment of limbs and other body parts. Full tour of the museum and a breakdown of the exhibit halls—this here is their most up-to-date map—and a guide will meet you at the entrance and take care of everything. Depending on the times you book, there is also the option to include a meal at a nearby London restaurant."

"Hmm..." Larry mused thoughtfully, and Rose eyed the map. The museum was quite extensive. "It all sounds pretty good, but we'd need to speak to our parents. Is it okay if we keep this?"

"Yes, of course," the witch replied, still beaming at them. "You can reserve the tickets via owl as well. Just make sure to book in advance, as it takes a few days if we have to post you the portkey."

"Thank you," Larry said, standing up and putting the brochure away in the folds of his robes. "That was very informative; we'll be sure to get in touch sometime in December. It was a pleasure."

Rose nodded and quietly followed him out the door. "Can I see?" she said as they started down the path to the Three Broomsticks.

"That was quicker than I thought," Larry said, handing her the brochure.

Rose threw him a quick smile before unfolding it. "What did you expect? Some undercover spy work? She wanted to give us a brochure; it's her job."

Just as he was about to reply, a group of girls walked by and one of them called out, "Where are you off to, Swan Princess? A pureblood rally?"

Dread spread through Rose at the sound of that voice, but she continued forward, head determinately facing straight ahead as the other girls in the group snickered.

Larry, however, stopped in his tracks. "Excuse me?" he said, turning to face them.

Rose felt a rush of panic. "Let's just keep going," she said, pulling on his sleeve.

"Yeah, you wouldn't want to be late," Raven called again, her tone mocking and derisive. "The Dark Lord is waiting. Make sure to stock up on the soothing ointment, who knows how your porcelain skin will react to the tattoo."

Larry shot a bewildered look at the group of Ravenclaw girls, then looked back to Rose, whose eyes were glued to the snowy path. "Tattoo?" he said, rather confused.

The girls giggled.

"She means a Death Eater tattoo," Rose said quietly. "It was how Voldemort branded his followers in the Second Wizarding War."

Understanding dawned in his eyes just as Raven continued, "Don't worry, Desrosiers, I'm sure you'll get to see exactly how the Dark Mark looks soon enough. Just ask our princess here to show you hers."

"I don't know what tattoo parlors you ladies choose to spend your Hogsmeade weekends in, but Rose and I have no such plans," Larry said coldly.

"Ooooh," Raven cooed. "Rose and I. Does Fitzherbert know you're sneaking around with his best friend behind his back, Princess? Or are you two keeping the affair secret?" Taken by surprise by that statement, Larry whipped around to look at Rose again, but she was glaring at Raven now, curling her hands into fists to keep from reaching for her wand. Raven laughed. "Doesn't seem like Desrosiers is in on it. Tsk, tsk, tsk, naughty princess. That will just break Fitzherbert's fragile little heart."

"Don't listen to her," Rose said to Larry. "She's only trying to get a reaction out of us."

"Yes, Desrosiers," Raven added immediately. "Seeing as you're following her around like a puppy, you might as well act like one. It runs in the family, I hear. So be a good dog and do as she says."

And that was when Rose's fingers found the wand inside her robes. "Don't call him that!" she snapped. "He doesn't have anything to do with whatever your problem with me is, so leave him out of it!"

"No, Rose, it's okay," Larry said. Rose turned to him and almost shuddered. Larry was grinning. It was the most unsettling, dangerous expression she'd ever seen on his face, and for a second, she had the ridiculous thought that he looked like a wolf smiling at his prey. "But if I may be allowed a small correction, I have a wolf ancestry. And you know what Muggles say about wolves, don't you, Raven? The Wolf is the strength of the Pack. So if you're about to bully Rose, do not leave me out of it. Just be very careful about what you're going to say next."

Raven raised one sceptical eyebrow and crossed her arms, a mocking smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth. "Really, French boy? Is that supposed to scare me? What are you going to do, waive a baguette as us?"

Larry's grin grew slightly. "Well, since you asked so nicely..."

Faster than a flash of lightning, his wand was out and aimed at the Ravenclaw girls. A second later, a stump appeared at Raven's feet and long, bramble-like vines flew out of the top and whipped through the air, encircling Raven and her friends. Scream echoed in the cold air as they were all lifted high above the ground and the thorns bit into their skin.

"Larry!" Rose pulled on his sleeve, her voice pleading and urgent. "Larry, put them down! We're in the middle of the street!"

"She's the bitchy girl from the bathroom, isn't she," Larry said calmly as Raven and the other girls struggled against the prickly vines. "How long has she been bullying you?" Their curses suddenly became inaudible as Larry muted them with a flick of his wrist.

Rose's eyes moved frantically between him and Raven. "Larry, that doesn't matter, please put them down!"

"And then what?" he said, staring unwaveringly at the struggling girls. "She continues to harass you?"

"And what does dangling her from a Snargaluff accomplish? There has to be another way; please, please put her down."

He finally turned to look at her, but she kept his stare, not backing down. Then, evidently disgruntled, Larry vanished the plant, and the girls dropped down into the show, minor scratches adorning their arms and neck.

"You pureblood bitch," Raven said, sputtering snow and trying to pick herself up. "You think that sicking your boy toy on us will make me kneel down to you like the rest of the school?"

"I didn't 'sick' him on you," Rose protested. "You insulted him and he retaliated."

"Name your price," Larry said to them. "What will it take for you to stop picking on Rose?"

Raven finally managed to stand up, and her wand immediately whipped out of her robes, pointed at them. "You purebloods…. You're all the same. You think that because mummy and daddy are loaded you can buy the rest of us. We. Aren't. Beneath you."

"I never said that you were," Larry replied, though is wand remained fixed on her as well. "But that doesn't mean that you can treat Rose like that. What are you trying to prove?"

Instead of answering, Raven snarled and her wand hand twitched. Larry tensed, ready for a duel, but Rose leapt between them, hands spread wide.

"Stop, stop! It doesn't have to be like this!" She turned to Raven. "You want the world to know you're not beneath us, fine. Pick a challenge. We'll make it a competition, and whoever wins gets bragging rights."

"And if we win," Larry added, "you'll leave Rose alone."

Raven smirked. "And if I win, you'll fetch me a newspaper every morning. In your mouth."

Rose frowned. "That's not—"

"Deal," Larry said firmly.

Rose turned to glare at him, but Raven was already agreeing. "Fine. Seems fair to me." Then she put the wand away and beckoned for them to follow. "I have just the thing. Come on."

Her friends exchanged glances but trailed behind her. Larry and Rose did too, with his own wand to the depths of his robes.

"Larry, what were you thinking," Rose whispered to him as they walked. "This is a really stupid bet. What if we lose?"

"Then we lose," he said with a shrug. "I wasn't about to stand there and watch her insult you. Be honest with me, Rose. How long?"

She looked away. "A while. It started out small. Little whispers as I walked by, followed by giggling. A few glares here and there. A jab or two. Then, last year, I caught her outside after hours and gave her detention. She, erm… didn't take it well."

Larry nodded. "She sees it as you exerting power."

"Well, I was, in a way," Rose admitted. "My family fully expected me to be a prefect. No one was surprised when I got the badge. So I wanted… I wanted to rise to their expectations. Stick to the rules. That was before you and Curly and Moe. Before I… loosened up a little. I saw it as my duty to bust all the rulebreakers, regardless of the severity of the crime. Today I probably wouldn't have gone as far as detention. Back then... " Rose sighed. "I just wanted to do a good job."

"I see..." he said, eyeing her. She couldn't tell what he was thinking. "Look, Rose, it wasn't your fault. Raven broke the rules, so she got punished. That doesn't give her the right to come after you, personally."

"It never mattered if she did, because she, unlike you, had never drawn her wand," Rose reasoned, throwing him a reprimanding look. "Why did you have to go and do that? Now you've made her blacklist."

In response, Larry simply smirked. "Why did you have to go and turn Husniya's head into a pumpkin?"

Caught off guard, Rose was stunned into silence. "That—that's not really the same," she stammered, going pink with embarrassment.

No sooner had she said this than the Ravenclaw girls came to a stop.

"Over there," Raven said, pointing to an oddly-shaped snow mound. "Inside there's a bunch of eggs. Whoever can sprint in and return with one faster wins."

Rose blanched.

"And what exactly laid these eggs?" Larry asked.

Raven smirked. "A Blast-Ended Skrewt."

Rose felt dizzy. She had never actually seen one in person, but there were… legends. Just as she shook her head, however, Larry raised his proudly.

"Just one egg?"

"Larry!" Rose grabbed onto his sleeve. "You're not really going through with this, are you? If there really is a Blast-Ended Skrewt inside, this would be as good as suicide!"

Raven rolled her eyes. "I'm planning on going in too, Princess. The adult creatures are hibernating. It's winter."

"Isn't this challenge a little too… Gryffindor?" Rose said pleadingly.

Raven huffed derisively. "What did you think it was gonna be? Word searches?"

Rose looked back to Larry. Was it too late to say yes?

"It's fine, Rose," he said, though his face was pale. "I can do this."

"You aren't going in there," she said firmly. Her fingers once again slipped into her robes, but into a different pocket this time, wrapping around a warm glass vial. "If anyone is being challenged here, it's me."

Larry's surprise was accompanied by the snickers of the other girls.

"Puh-lease," Raven said mockingly. "You'll pass out before you've gotten within two feet."

Rose's eyebrows locked in a frown. "The problem you have is with me, isn't it? I'm the one you want to humiliate."

"But I'm the one that made the bet," Larry cut in. "I should be the one to do it."

"I don't give a rat's ass which one of you does it," Raven snapped. "Just hurry it up!"

Rose looked Larry straight in the eye. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, I really do, but I can't always rely on you and the others to look after me. I need to stand on my own two feet."

"And I respect that," Larry said hastily, "but does it have to be inside a Skrewt lair?"

She tried to suppress a smile. "In this case, yes. It means a lot that you stood up for me out there on the street. But I have to finish this; if I don't she'll never let me forget that I let you fight my battles for me."

There was another minute of a staring contest, but at the end Larry simply sighed. He clearly didn't like this, but he knew where she was coming from. "Alright. I understand."

Rose smiled at him briefly before turning to face the dark hole of the lair.

"Okay," Raven said, handing her coat over to one of her friends. "Let's do this."

Quickly reaching into her pocket, Rose downed the turquoise potion and let the empty vial slip from her hand and into the snow.

Raven stood next to her. "The opening is too narrow for us to have a race, so we'll be going in one at a time. We'll decide who goes first with Rock, Paper, Scissors."

Rose blinked at her. "With—?"

"I'll do it," Larry's voice came from behind them, and he hastily made his way over.

Raven looked between the two of them, then erupted in laughter. "She doesn't even know what it is, does she?"

Larry pulled that scary grin again. "And you don't know how to solve the Magical Symbols game in the Daily Prophet," he bit back. Then he raised his fist, and in one single moment of panic, Rose thought Rock, Paper, Scissors was some sort of Muggle dueling.

And it… might have been? Rose found the whole thing very confusing. Raven and Larry shook their closed fists at each other a few times, making strange gestures with their fingers. After a few turns they just kind of stopped, and Larry told her she got to go in first. Rose decided that questions of this strange ritual can wait, and took a running position. Thoughts chased each other in her head, about how running in robes would be difficult, about the snow and how it would slow her down further, and about how she was very much not a runner. Thankfully, the courage potion was doing its job, and these thoughts remained detached and distant, like something that was happening to a character in a book and not to her.

One of Raven's friends conjured a checkered flag from the end of her wand and held it high into the air. Rose's eyes remained fixed on it, and she somehow felt... confident.

Suddenly, the flag was down. Her legs propelled her forward and she ran, under the mocking sounds of the Ravenclaw girls and Larry's encouraging cheers.

The entrance of the Skrewt's lair was big, big enough that she didn't even have to duck, and somewhere in the back of her mind the logical part of her screamed 'danger'. The potion, however, muffled it and whispered, 'keep going'.

"Lumos," Rose said, igniting the tip of her wand. The lair was a spacious cave, covered in... animal bones. Or at least she hoped those were animals bones. Once again, Rose felt detached from the events around her, and she was relatively sure that she would have fainted if she really were standing in a creepy cave full of bones without some sort of boost. But the potion would not have that. It kept pushing her forward, to the far end, where the Skrewt had built its nest. A dozen or so eggs the size of Quaffles sat in the middle of a rancid pile of rags, twigs, grass, and whatever else the creature had been able to salvage. As Rose approached, careful not to make any unnecessary sounds, something in the nest shifted. And that was when she discovered something very important.

Blast-Ended Skrewts do not hibernate during winter.