A/N: I'd like to apologize if I've given false information about James and Rose's age. I was under the impression that they were the same age, but after a quick Google search, I found that Rose's First year was in 2017 as was Albus', which kinda makes me feel old for some reason, XD. Sincerest of apologies.
A week later, Rose found herself nose deep in borrowed textbooks from various trunks, students, and "borrowed" library books, though she didn't know how she felt about it since Madam Pince wasn't there to authorize signing them out. She had a Muggle scribbler she had swiped from her mother's office. She'd checked to see if it was empty before stuffing it into her bag. She had transferred the spells that had a checkmark beside it from the scroll she'd found, along with the materials needed for it. She'd doubled it just to be safe, and drawn a rough sketch using a Muggle pencil depicting two layers of parchment, then scribbled in the measurements.
James sat down beside her, dragging over a chair noisily, which earned him a glare. "So?" he asked as he looked at her notes.
"What are you asking about? Whether I've figured out how to duel effectively, or how to create a Marauder's Map of the facility?" she growled.
"Either," he said. "Also, when are you going to eat? You missed breakfast."
Her stomach growled. "I got breakfast from Kreacher," she said shortly. "He brought me a plate of eggs and toast."
"Well, don't over exert yourself," he said. "We also need to figure out how to brew the Polyjuice Potion."
She sighed, setting her writing utensils down angrily. "What do you want me to do about that, James?!" she shrieked, leaping from her chair to confront him. "The book on Polyjuice Potion is in the Restricted Section, and I don't have the key to it." She turned away and hung her head, trying not to cry.
He put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll use Alohomora," he said gently. "And the Potions classroom is well stocked. Besides, we can always ask Snape's portrait for additional instructions."
"Well what are we going to do if we can't even cast more than the most basic spell?" she mumbled.
He pinched his lips together between his teeth. "We'll train ourselves, since the teachers aren't here to train us," he said.
"James, how are we going to do that? We don't have half the confidence required to use the spells we'd need, and even if we did, how are we going to get the training?"
He poked her shoulder playfully before hopping up onto a table. "Are you forgetting where we are? Hogwarts has some of the best teachers..." He trailed off mid-sentence. "We can get the training from the portraits."
"How?" She turned to face him at last. "They're paintings charmed to talk, act, and resemble the person depicted on the canvas. They're not really professors."
He looked at her in amusement. "Never know," he sang as he hopped off the table and headed for the Library door.
She allowed her gaze to drift from the door, to Pince's desk, then to the mound of books she had set up. She sighed and grabbed some Charms books as well as a couple on Defense Against the Dark Arts. She made her way to the Room of Requirement, and summoned it, using the method Hagrid had showed them.
Inside, she found a gaggle of First and Second years, all struggling with their self-imposed homework. They looked up at her entrance. A couple waved at her, and she returned the gesture as best she could.
"Don't mind me, I'm just gonna work on my dueling," she said, prompting several grins. Quietly to herself, she whispered, "Don't know how useful it'll be, though."
She made her way over to an alcove that sank from the main hallway as she approached. She set a Charms book up on a pedestal, opened it to Lumos. She lifted her wand and traced the tip along the path shown in the book. "Lumos." She smiled gently when her wand lit up. She turned the page. Tracing the pattern there, she continued. "Nox." Her wand went dark. She practiced lighting and extinguishing her wand for about twenty minutes before she was interrupted.
"C'n you show us?" a quiet voice all but whispered behind her.
She turned and saw a few small First Years were huddled in a cluster. "Sure," she said, deciding it wouldn't hurt for them to know how to light their wands. She walked them through the steps, giving them the pointers her mother had told her on Platform 9 3/4.
(================August 31, 2017==============)
"Remember, Rose," her mother admonished. "You mustn't use your magic outside of class unless absolutely necessary."
"Yes, Mum," she said, trying not to roll her eyes.
Her father chuckled. "Considering all the trouble we got into, I'm not going to be surprised if she gets in at least as much trouble as us, if not more," he joked, nudging Uncle Harry.
He laughed and nodded, turning to address Albus' concerns.
"Hey," her mother hissed, quietly gesturing for her to lean in. Not knowing what else to do, she did so. "The key to casting spells is to see it happening, just as you'd want, but remembering that it does take practice."
"Why are you telling me this, Mum? Won't the teachers say the same thing?" she whispered back.
"Yes, but in case they don't, for whatever reason," she replied.
(==============Present===================)
She blinked back to present. The professors had been taken before the first lessons had even begun, possibly before the first feast in the Great Hall. "Show me," she said to the small group.
"Lumos!" they all cried, flicking their wands. Six wands lit up. "Nox." The wands went dark.
"Excellent," she said. The group dissolved, leaving Rose and her books. She stayed in the Room of Requirement for another hour, practicing her spells.
