Chapter 11
Flying Lessons

Author's Note: You might have noticed I have a cover picture for my story now. Obviously in the movie, that was young Lily. Rose looks just like her mother. Movie Lily had brown eyes. Just picture her with green eyes, and that is Rose.

Disclaimer: Parts of this chapter are taken from Chapter 9 of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone" by JK Rowling. I do not claim her work, only my own additions.

Warning: Minor use of language.


Wednesday, September 4th, 1991

"Rose," Hermione said, "If you don't eat anything, you're going to be hungry until lunch, and you won't be able to focus in classes."

Rose made a noncommittal grunt, if only so she wouldn't do any harm to her new friendship with Hermione Granger. She was not having the best of mornings. She was currently laying her head on the Gryffindor table in front of her. It wasn't very comfortable at all, and she didn't know how to do a cushioning charm yet. And there was too many loud noises around her. There was no chance of catching a few minutes of sleep.

She had found a class she hated more than History of Magic. Oh, Astronomy was a perfectly wonderful subject, and rather fun too. Rose loved gazing up at the stars in the clear night sky over Isle Potter. Astronomy gave her so many memories of those wonderful times. It wasn't the class she hated, per se, it was the ungodly hour the class took place at! Astronomy did not get finished until twelve-thirty in the morning, and it was roughly one-o-clock in the morning before she made it back to her dormitory. She didn't even have chance to change out of her clothes before she collapsed into bed and fell asleep.

Still, Hermione had woken her up at seven-o-clock, which meant she got six hours of sleep. She did not function well at all without at least eight hours of sleep. Even worse, Astronomy took place two nights a week! That should be illegal!

Thank Merlin for her Metamorph talents. It meant her messy, frizzled bedhead could simply be morphed into her usual appearance with any grooming that normal people usually had to go through. Also it meant she didn't appear to have bloodshot eyes from lack of sleep. She looked practically perfect, even though she didn't feel like it.

"Rose, Hermione is right," Susan said, "Eat some breakfast. We have History of Magic first class. You can sleep in that class!"

Hermione scowled at Susan.

"Oh, come on, Hermione!" Susan said, "You can't expect me to believe you function well on less than six hours of sleep either. And you know Binns will be lecturing from pages of our textbook."

Rose grunted in agreement as she pushed her head up off the table and trudged her way into making a plate of breakfast.

"Um... Rose?" a voice asked, as Rose started on her breakfast.

"What?!" Rose growled.

She looked over her shoulder, wondering who had dared to decide they needed to speak to her in her current state, and saw Ron Weasley standing near her. Rose groaned. Of course it was Ron Weasley. It would have been him or Draco Malfoy. Ron was holding two scrolls of parchment in his hand.

"Ignore her mood," Susan said, "She's cranky when she doesn't get enough sleep."

Rose glared at her best friend, and was seriously thinking of demoting her to 'sometimes friend'.

"Um... well, that is one thing we have in common, I guess," Ron said.

"What do you want, Weasley?" Rose asked.

"I have two letters for you," Ron said, "From my mother and sister. I don't know what they're about."

Rose looked suspiciously at the letters. All letters outside of a selected few were supposed to go to Potter Manor. How did these get through? Was it because they were given to another student? Rose sighed and held out her hand. Ron placed the scrolls in it. He then looked at her, then around the Great Hall, and back at her.

"Is there something else you want?" Rose asked.

Ron cleared his throat. "Rose Lily Potter, I wish to formally apologize. I... uh... I think I offended you and the House of Potter in some way. Might have been that letter I sent to my mother on Sunday about you. It might have led her to do some... mental things toward your family and you. I – uh – also thought you might have possessed Harry Potter, and – uh – kidnapped him or something. I didn't understand completely. And for that I apologize."

Rose stared at Ron, open-mouthed. She looked back at Susan, then Hermione, who were looking at Ron. And they weren't the only ones. Several students and Professors were looking at Ron. Rose then realized... Ron's father – the Head of House Weasley – must have told him to make a public apology to Rose. So public, that it needed to be in the Great Hall during a meal. She didn't really want to accept his apology, but she knew it was proper as a highborn Heiress to accept a formal apology no matter how much the person offended her..

"I accept your apology, Ronald Weasley," she said, "Thanks. Er... this letter from your mother wouldn't be one of those mental things she did?"

Ron looked highly relieved. "I think it is an apology letter. Um... thanks for accepting my apology."

He then turned and walked away, and sat down next to his brother who was a Prefect. Rose looked around at the students looking at her.

"Nobody else has to formally apologize to me, do they?" she asked, out loud. "I'm too tired to deal with that right now."

A few chuckles were heard as the students and Professors returned to their meals. Rose stared at the two scrolls in her hand, then looked at her friends.

"I don't know what I should do with these," she said.

"How about handing them over to me, Miss Potter?" Professor McGonagall's voice said, behind her, "If only for a moment. Given that the Weasleys are not on your Permission List for post, I am required to check the letters for any negative enchantments."

Rose handed the two scrolls to McGonagall, who waved her wand around them in complex patterns. She sighed, looking rather relieved.

"Nothing sinister detected on the letters," she said, "You may have them back."

"Thanks," Rose said, as she took back the letters.

McGonagall nodded then walked away. Rose turned back to her friends.

"I think you should probably read them," Hermione said, "It sounds like Ron's mother wants to apologize."

"And his sister?" Rose asked.

"She had an ickle fancy for Harry Potter," Fred Weasley said.

"It might be a love letter," George Weasley said, grinning.

Rose blushed as she heard snickers around the table.

"She probably just wanted to write about your interview, Rose," Susan said.

Rose nodded and unrolled the first scroll. This one appeared to be from the Matriarch of the House of Weasley. She sighed and, hoping she wouldn't regret it, started to read the letter.

Rose Lily Potter, Heiress Apparent of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter,

Greetings, my name is Molly Weasley. I believe you are familiar with four of my seven children. I hope that they have behaved properly around you since you met them. Fred, George and Ron can tend to be a bit immature, but I'm sure if you get to know them all, they can be very good friends. Percy is a bit more proper and very well-educated if you need a good tutor in any of your classes, or even a few simple pointers. Also as a Prefect of your house, he can help you in many ways. Don't be afraid to talk to him.

My husband – and Head of House – Arthur Weasley asked our youngest son, Ron, to apologize to you for any misdeeds he made against you and your House. I hope you have it in your heart to forgive him. He may be a bit brash at times, be he has a good heart.

I must also ask you to forgive me. I am told that you are aware of the recent misdeeds I made against you and your House. I created and sent those Howlers under rather false pretenses. I must also admit that I might have overreacted. I called you some very harsh words and made some rather harsh accusations. My temper can get to me sometimes. I'm sure you've heard the age-old adage about red-heads!

I was raised to believe that a proper young man – especially the firstborn Heir of a Highborn House – should have a purpose in life to continue their bloodlines through a proper relationship with a woman. And a young lady should thrive to be a mother of the heirs for the Houses they were born into, and Houses they married into. Suffice it to say, same-sex relationships do not sit very well with someone like me. I understand that such relationships are possible in your future, and while I would not support such a relationship, I understand it is your choice to make. After all, a young Metamorphmagus like you can both sire and give birth to children, so it shouldn't matter either way, now should it?

I would formally like to apologize for whatever pain I caused you. I hope that our Houses and our families can be friends in the future. If you become friends with some of my children, I'd love to have you visit my home during summer holidays so I can get to know you better. Perhaps I can even formally apologize in person.

I am sure you are a wonderful young lady, and a credit to the future of your House. Your interview in the Daily Prophet was a wonderful read and the questions smartly answered. You sound like someone my own daughter, Ginny, could look up to. She could use a friend like you.

I do hope you can forgive me.

Fare thee well,
Molly Matilda Weasley
Matriarch, Minor House of Weasley
Minor House of Prewett

Rose blinked as she finished the letter. Obviously Molly's husband had told her, and his youngest son, to apologize to her, and they needed to be sincere, honest and honorable. Molly Weasley's letter, while sincere and honorable, was also definitely honest. Her views on same-sex relationships – not that Rose was completely sure that was what she interested in – were archaic and rather disgusting. But Molly was a pureblood – perhaps even one of the pigheaded arrogant ones – and a daughter of a pureblood-dominant House, and married into another pureblood-dominant House. So her views were understandable. She was just raised that way. Rose just hoped Molly's children weren't raised with the same beliefs.

Rose wondered if her own father had anything to do with Molly and Ron's apologies. Had he spoken to the Head of House Weasley and demanded apologies? If so, then that meant he was expecting her to write to him and inform him of the apologies and that they were proper. Her father might have even been basing any decisions of punishment toward House Weasley on what she thought about how the House acted toward her own. She made a mental note to write a letter to her father later.

She rolled up the scroll, then opened the second one. While Molly's letter was written in formal, cursive script, this writing was childlike, and rather cute, if one could call writing 'cute'. She started to read it.

Dear Rose Potter,

I hope that wasn't too personal of an opening. I've only ever written letters to my brothers when they were at Hogwarts.

Greetings! My name is Ginny Weasley, and I'm the only daughter and youngest child of my House. I am the youngest sibling of the four Weasley boys at Hogwarts (if you haven't met all of them, just look for freckly gingers and they're probably my brothers). I am ten years old – my birthday is August 11th – and I will be a first year at Hogwarts a year from now. I cannot wait!

I'm sure you're wondering why I am writing to you, since you've never met me. I read your interview in the Daily Prophet, and I wanted to tell you that I liked it. It was really brilliant. You were brave to do an interview and answer all those hard questions. I'm not entirely sure I could do that. You were also very brave to stand in front of the whole school and tell the students and Professors who you really were. I really admire that.

I guess I should admit it now. I read all the Boy-Who-Lived series more than once. I was also a bit upset when I learned Harry Potter no longer existed outside the books, because I wanted to meet the real Harry and get to know him. But then I read the article about you and I really liked it. I understand that you're not Harry, even though you're kind of the same person. I know I'll meet you sooner or later, and I hope to get to know you. Maybe we can be friends!

For now, maybe we can write letters back and forth, if you need someone to write to while you're at Hogwarts. I know you have a big family, like me, so you have plenty of people to write to. But if you need someone outside of whom you always talk to, my eyes will be open to read anything you have to say.

I don't want to overwhelm you right now by telling you too much about me in the first letter. Even if it might be my only letter to you.

If I don't get a letter from you, then I just want you to know I was happy to get to write to you, and that you read my letter.

Your hopeful future friend and pen-pal,
Ginny Weasley

P.S. My Daddy said that if you do want to write to me, I should ask for you to give me permission to write, from the Professors at school. I thought I should mention that in case it was important. Bye!

Rose chuckled softly as she finished the letter. When she first opened the letter, she was afraid Ginny might be similar to her brother, Ron. Or possibly like her mother; she wondered if Molly had raised her daughter with her beliefs. But Ginny seemed like someone she might want to be friends with. From the way she wrote, her personality was kind of adorable, in a childlike, little girl kind of way. It reminded her of her siblings and cousins. Also, she had to admit, it was kind of nice to hear someone, whom she had never met, telling her that she was brave.

And Ginny had a point. She needed someone to write to, that she could talk about things outside of her family, both close and extended. Her family already knew so much about her. She needed someone to talk to about herself. Ginny seemed like a nice person to write to about stuff like that.

Rose rolled up the scroll and stood from the table. Ignoring the curious looks on her friends' faces, she walked toward the staff table.

"Good morning, Miss Potter," Professor Dumbledore said, from his usual seat in the center of the table, "I was just talking about you with Professor McGonagall. She informed me you had received a couple letters outside your Permissions List. I must admit I overlooked that fault in the security. Anyone could send a letter directed at you, and give it to another student, who could deliver it to you. That could be very risky. I will change that as soon as possible."

"Thank you," Rose said, "I actually wanted to talk to you about that. I need another name on the list. Um... her name is Ginny Weasley."

"Ah, the only daughter of House Weasley," Dumbledore said, "I have only met her once, and she seemed like a wonderful young lady. She could be a good friend to you if you gave her the chance."

"I think I will give her that chance," Rose said. "I want to be her pen-pal."

"Which would be the reason you need permission for her letters to pass through the security," Dumbledore said, "I see. I think I can do that. Though if your father tells me any different, I'll have to take away that permission."

"I planned on writing to him anyway," Rose said, "I'll tell him about it. Thank you, sir."

"Enjoy your classes today, Miss Potter," Dumbledore said, "Oh, and Rose? I give you permission to sleep in History of Magic if you feel you must. Professor Binns usually does not mind. I might have to see to changing the Astronomy lessons to one hour earlier for first years. You young ones just aren't ready for such late nights."

Rose did her best to hold back a giggle. The scandalized look on Professor McGonagall's face was just too funny!

"Thank you, sir," she said, "If I may be excused...?"

Dumbledore nodded. Rose turned and walked back to the table, eager to get some breakfast in before class. After all, she had express permission from the Headmaster himself to sleep during her first class!


Thursday, September 5th, 1991

Due partially to the fact that she had gone to bed at nine-thirty the previous night, Rose was much more awake and ready for her day than she had been twenty-four hours ago. She was once again eating breakfast and thinking about the previous day. She was proud to say she had turned in all of her assignments on Wednesday, and had her assignments for that day ready as well.

Much to Hermione's chagrin, Rose and Susan had slept all throughout History of Magic after turning in their homework to Professor Binns. When Hermione fussed at them afterward, Rose simply said she had been given permission from the Headmaster of the school. Hermione was sure the man was joking though.

Much like on Monday, the students did wand-work in Charms and Transfiguration. Mostly it was just more practice with the spells they had done the first class, just to make sure they could do it properly. For those who could master the spells early, they got a head-start on their next assignment and homework. Rose was happy to say she had gotten both assignments done before class was over, so she was able to spend her free time finishing up the last bit of Defense and Astronomy homework she had to do, as well as work on the next History of Magic assignment.

She also had time, before bed, to write letters to her family, both close and extended – she had realized that she hadn't told anyone outside her family about her first few days at Hogwarts. She figured her Uncles Sirius and Remus, and Aunt Amelia already knew she was in Gryffindor, along with Susan – thanks to her parents - but she wanted to tell them in her own words. She also made sure to write a letter to her father, informing him of the accepted apologies from Ron and Molly Weasley, and asked him permission to let her write and receive letters from Ginny Weasley, her new pen-pal. Then she wrote a letter to Ginny, formally introducing herself. She decided Ginny might like to know about Hogwarts from the insight of a young female mind, like her own, so her first letter was all about her first impressions of Hogwarts.

Hedwig was only too happy to take the letters. She had yet to return, but Rose expected her during breakfast.

Rose's thoughts turned to what would happen that day. Once again, she had Herbology, Defense – her last class with Dumbledore – and another late-night Astronomy lesson. But it was the afternoon she was truly looking forward to. Flying Lessons! True, she knew how to fly, as did Susan, but they promised to go so they could support and help Neville and Hermione. Hermione was currently reading Quidditch For The Ages.

"Hermione," Rose said, with a snicker, "A Quidditch book isn't going to help you with flying."

"It isn't?!" Hermione asked, looking slightly panicked, "What book should I read then?"

Rose sighed and shook her head. "You can't learn flying from reading a book. It comes from intuition. I'm sure there will be some instructions, but mostly it comes from your own natural ability, and partly your relationship with the broom."

"Which is unfortunate," Susan said, "Apparently the school brooms are lame. We couldn't bring ours to school since we're first years."

"But... what if I am partially afraid of heights?" Hermione asked; Neville nodded in agreement.

"Don't fly too high then," Rose advised, "Remain close to the ground."

Neither Hermione and Neville looked very pleased with that advice.

"Look, Susan and I will be there for the first lesson, just so we can help you," Rose said, "So you should be fine."

That seemed to relax her newest friends a bit. Before either of them could reply, they were interrupted by the sound of wings above them, as the owls came in with the morning post. Rose almost immediately spotted Hedwig, and smiled as her snowy owl swooped down toward her. She was carrying a tiny bag with her. Hedwig dropped it to Rose, who caught it before it could land in her breakfast plate. Rose opened it and looked inside. There were several scrolls of letters. Rose chuckled as she realized that her mother must have given the bag to Hedwig, because she suspected Rose would receive several letters from all her extended family. She wondered if Ginny's letter was in there too – had she written back yet?

Susan had a few letters of her own; they had been delivered by the Black Family Owl, Midnight. A barn owl brought Neville a small package from his grandmother.

He opened it excitedly and showed them a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke.

"It's a Remembrall!" he explained. "Gran knows I forget things — this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red — oh..." His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, "... you've forgotten something . . ."

Neville was trying to remember what he'd forgotten when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.

Rose and Susan jumped to their feet, but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a flash.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor," Neville muttered.

Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table.

"Just looking," he said, and he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him.

"Gits," Rose muttered, as soon as McGonagall was out of hearing range. "His table is on the far side of the Hall. What was he doing over here anyway?"

"Looking for trouble, obviously," Susan said, "I doubt he was here to formally apologize to you like Weasley did."

Rose snorted. "When hell freezes over. I'd never accept a formal apology from him anyway. Screw formality and proper Heiress attitudes. He would deserve it if my father made a blood-feud with his House because of him."

"True," Susan said, "I don't think we're finished with him though."

"Not even close," Rose agreed.


The first Flying Lesson was at three-o-clock that afternoon, so Rose, Susan, Hermione and Neville had time to work on their Herbology homework before they had to make their way onto the Grounds for the lesson.

Professor Sprout had kept her promise, and the class had worked on their very first plant. Unfortunately, it was a dangerous plant – the Devil's Snare. Even as seedlings, the Devil's Snare was rather dangerous. The vines threatened to steal the wands from students, even if they were in their pockets. Ron Weasley's wand had almost gotten snapped by a vine before Sprout had rescued it. Sprout had also given five points each to the three students with the best results from Tuesday's assignment. Neville and Hermione got five points each for Gryffindor. And Parvati Patil's twin sister, Padma, got five points for Ravenclaw. The first assignment was drawing and diagramming the Devil's Snare, which was also their homework if they did not finish it by the end of class.

The second Defense class with Headmaster Dumbledore was – in a word – interesting. Because he did not want to give an assignment or homework, since Rose's father would be taking over starting their next class on Tuesday, Professor Dumbledore had decided to give them a history lesson. However, this history lesson was so much better than History of Magic. The lesson had been on the Deathly Hallows. Rose and Susan were well acquainted with the Tale of the Three Brothers, and the Deathly Hallows, since Rose's father had told them all about the stories over the years. It was one of James Potter's favorites, since it was a story about the Potters' ancestors. Rose was quite surprised when Dumbledore made no connection to Rose when he spoke of the Peverells.

It was nearing three-o-clock when Rose, Susan, Hermione and Neville made their way onto the grounds. Although Flying Lessons was optional, it appeared that every single first year was out on the Grounds for the lesson. Unlike the normal classes, where it was only two Houses per class, Flying Lessons had all four houses.

Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."

Rose glanced down at her broom, and grimaced. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles. Her Nimbus 2000 she had received for her eleventh birthday was beautiful. This thing was just ugly!

"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!' "

"UP!" everyone shouted.

For Rose and Susan, their brooms jumped into their hand at once, but they were two of the few that did. Hermione's had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville's hadn't moved at all. Rose and Susan began quietly giving instructions to their friends. Some of the students around them were listening to their pointers too. Madam Hooch's eyes weren't the only body parts resembling a hawk. Her ears – although looking normal - seemed to be able to hear Rose and Susan's whispers. Though she did not give any sign, she seemed to approve of them helping, since they seemed to know what they were doing.

Soon enough, Hermione and Neville's brooms were in their hands. They hadn't exactly leaped into their hands, but it was close and they managed to catch it anyway.

Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. Rose, Susan, Hermione and Neville were delighted when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it wrong for years.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle — three — two —"

But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips. It seemed Rose and Susan's whispers to help him didn't work well at all.

"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle — twelve feet — twenty feet. Rose saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom and — WHAM — a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay facedown on the grass in a heap. His broomstick was still rising higher and higher, and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight.

Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his.

"Broken wrist," Rose heard her mutter. "Come on, boy — it's all right, up you get."

She turned to the rest of the class.

"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear."

Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him. No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter.

"Did you see his face, the great lump?" Malfoy said through his laughter.

The other Slytherins joined in.

"Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati.

"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, "Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati."

"His family is allied with mine," Parvati said, "I'm not going to let someone like you or Malfoy make fun of him!"

"Yeah, me neither!" Rose said; Susan and Hermione echoed her.

Pansy ignored them. Meanwhile, Malfoy was picking up something from the grass.

"Look!" he said, "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up.

"Give that here, Malfoy," said Rose quietly.

Everyone stopped talking to watch.

Malfoy smiled nastily. "I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find — how about — up a tree?"

"Give it here!" Rose yelled.

But Malfoy had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. He had been boasting on at breakfast about his flying skills. It seemed he could fly well.

"Come and get it, Potter!" Draco called, hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak.

Rose picked up her broom again and mounted it.

"Rose!" Hermione growled. "What are you doing? Madam Hooch told us not to move — you'll get us all into trouble."

"Malfoy deserves it," Susan said, "Get 'em, Rose!"

Rose smirked and took off into the air. It took her a few moments to get adjusted to the piss-poor enchanted stick of wood that dared to call itself a broom. This was nothing like her own broom, or the brooms she had practiced with when she was young. It took all her skills to make the broom fly straight and quick, and she headed straight at Malfoy.

Malfoy's eyes widened when Rose hurled toward him, but she hit the brakes just feet from him.

"Thought I'd ram into you or something, Malfoy?" Rose asked, "Yeah. I know how to fly too. Now, why don't you do me a favor and give that to me!"

At first it looked like Malfoy was going to give it to Rose. Then he tossed it far over her head, and the Remembrall started hurtling toward the earth. Rose rolled her eyes and turned around, then sped off into a dive toward the little ball. It was just like a Golden Snitch, aside from the fact that Snitches could fly – the Remembrall was simply plummeting toward the earth.

She growled at the broom. Whether it was frightened at her, or it was her skills, the broom sped up at its fastest speed yet, and Rose dropped through the sky into a dive straight toward the Remembrall.

"Dreadnaught Dive, Rose," Rose said to herself, "Nothing to it. Let's do this!"

Wind whistled around her ears as she raced the ball to the ground.

Outsmart the Snitch, James Potter's voice moved through her mind, Get to its location before it does, and it will fly right into your hand.

Even when she reached the ball, she did not grab it. She didn't trust this broom enough to take her hands from it in a dive. So she flew toward the ground and hit the brakes five feet above the grassy earth. She hovered and watched as the Remembrall dropped toward her. And she reached out her hand... and it landed right into her palm!

The students, who had been watching from the ground in awe, cheered and applauded – even a few of the Slytherins.

"ROSE POTTER!" Professor McGonagall yelled.

Rose's heart sunk as fast as she had dived. Professor McGonagall was hurrying over to her, and arrived just as Rose landed.

"Never — in all my time at Hogwarts —" Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously, "— how dare you — might have broken your neck —"

"It wasn't her fault, Professor —"

"Be quiet, Miss Patil —"

"But Malfoy —"

"That's enough, Miss Bones," McGonagall said, "Potter, follow me, now."

Rose glared at Malfoy's triumphant grin, and would have punched him in the jaw if he was in her path. Unfortunately McGonagall had led her away from Malfoy. As Rose followed McGonagall, her mind whirled. What would her parents say if she was expelled? Would they let her go to Beauxbatons? Her father and Uncle Sirius might think what she did was brilliant. But her mother... Rose shuddered. Her mother was scary when mad, and that was when she wasn't pregnant. Rose had faced her mother's wrath several times in her short life.

She thought of Susan, and Hermione, and Neville – how she would miss them if she was expelled. Maybe Susan would follow her to Beauxbatons. And her father! He would probably not be a Professor if she had to leave! And then there was little Ginny Weasley, who was her new pen-pal. Would Ginny want to write to her if she was expelled?

Professor McGonagall's silent treatment was scary. And it lasted for a very long time. Rose didn't say a word either. She was too immersed in her thoughts.

Where the bloody hell were they going, Rose wondered. This was not in the direction of Dumbledore's office. Wait... Dumbledore was in Defense class right now, and they were headed in that general direction.

Shit.

Shit, shit, triple shite! She was going to be expelled!

Rose nearly ran into McGonagall, and had hit the brakes just in time. McGonagall had stopped at the Charms classroom. She mentioned something about wood. Rose was utterly confused. What did McGonagall want with wood? A ruler, perhaps? Did Rose miss out on some key information, where spanking with a ruler was something Professors did?

But wood turned out to be a boy. She thought he might be a fifth year. He looked just as confused as she did.

"Rose Potter," McGonagall said, "This is Oliver Wood."

Rose's eyes widened. Oh! Wood was a name! That made a bit more sense. Better than a ruler to be spanked with!

"Wood," McGonagall said, "I've found you a Seeker!"

Rose, who was still thinking of being spanked, broke out of her reverie as she looked at McGonagall. Rose knew she must have gone temporarily deaf from her nosedive through air. Or delusional. Maybe that.

"A Seeker?" Oliver said, looking at Rose with a new light, "Are you sure, Professor?"

"Quite sure!" McGonagall said, "She could be as good as Charlie Weasley! Or her own father – though he was only Seeker for a year. He was even a better Chaser..."

Rose suddenly realized just how much McGonagall liked Quidditch.

"So, uh," Rose said, "I'm... not expelled?"

"Expelled?" McGonagall said, "Not if you accept the Gryffindor Seeker role! We need one! Desperately!"

"First years never make the team, though," Rose said.

"Oh, we can make an exception!" McGonagall said.

"What's your weight, Potter?" Oliver asked.

"Never ask a lady that!" Rose exclaimed.

Oliver blushed and actually looked frightened.

"I am joking, mate," Rose said, "I am a Metamorphmagus. I could weigh a few stones today, and a few more or less tomorrow."

"Oh, I think I love you already," Oliver said.

Rose blushed.

"Do you have a broom?" Oliver asked.

"A Nimbus 2000," Rose said, "My father bought it as a present."

"N-Nimbus?" Oliver stammered, "You're hired! Our first practice is a week from Saturday on the Pitch. I assume you know all about Quidditch?"

"Um... duh," Rose said, grinning.

"Work on that attitude, Potter," Oliver said, with a snort. "Or you'll be doing many laps around the Pitch. Thanks, Professor."

"You may go back to class," McGonagall said.

Oliver grinned at Rose, then turned and walked back into the Charms classroom. McGonagall turned to Rose.

"Gryffindor hasn't won the cup in several years," McGonagall said, "I think you'll do nicely. Your father will be quite proud of you. And your godfather."

"My mother's going to kill me," Rose muttered.

McGonagall chuckled. "Just tell her it was either this or expulsion. She'll change her mind quickly."

Rose stared at the Transfiguration Professor. Had her strict, no-nonsense Professor just made a joke?

She wondered if she should get checked out at the Hospital Wing. She wasn't expelled. She was the new Seeker. And Professor McGonagall cracked a joke.

Yep. Rose Lily Potter believed she had gone mental!


– Giggles – I loved Rose's thought process when she thought she was about to get expelled. Or spanked. That was fun!

So, what did you think of the apologies and letters? Aside from Rose's part in it, the Flying Lessons were mostly the same. Ah well...

Next chapter: Rose's friends react to the news. Malfoy wants to fight. So Rose fights... with her words and knowledge of pureblood procedure! Also, Potions! And a cliffhanger! Maybe...

Hope you liked this chapter!