Harry Potter was finishing his presentation of Dumbledore's Army when a slender, dark-haired girl entered Hogs Head. Her dark brown eyes meet his emerald and a spark of electricity flowed from Harry's scalp to his toes. Naturally breaking eye contact, he summarized the points he wanted to make and the Golden Trio began sign-ups. The pixie-like girl grabbed the pencil and scribbled Rowan Rosier onto the parchment. The name rang a bell to Harry; the curious, quiet girl was a Slytherin. He had seen her, typically alone, in the hallways numerous times and she was in his Defence Against the Dark Arts class. He had never paid particular attention to her, but he was surprised to find her willing to align herself with their group as it would be detrimental if she were found out by her ambitious peers. He watched as she left the room, an alarming feeling that she would be a vital asset to the group and possibly, his personal life.
"What about that bloody Slytherin popping into our meeting? Sounds like a disaster if I've ever heard of one," Ron said, digging his heels in the freshly laid snow.
"She has a name. She is a very talented witch, Ronald. We should consider ourselves lucky that someone from that house actually wants Umbridge out of Hogwarts and will tolerate us helping." Hermione spat.
Rowan returned to her dormitory and decided to write to her parents, a dangerous task these days. The sinking in her chest and the bitter taste of loneliness danced on her tongue as she thought about her isolation. The Rosiers had been dedicated Death Eaters, but Aurelia and Felix Rosier had decided to serve the Order of the Phoenix as double agents. Frankly, the emotional burden of serving the Dark Lord and the conditions it meant for Rowan and her brother Rufus turned them away from the appeals of power Voldemort's ranks offered. Rowan strongly despised Voldemort and his followers. The only one she had felt a degree of sympathy for was Draco. Draco had not officially been inducted like her brother had, but his name surrounded him with the same degree of expectation that hers did. Picking up the quill, she began to write.
Mother and Father,
Things at Hogwarts are becoming tense. The Ministry is controlling us by proxy and we are no longer allowed to practice magic in the classroom. I feel incredibly unsafe at the moment and fear for what the future could bring. Rufus hasn't spoken to me for the last week, the Head Boy has a new girlfriend and is enamored with her. I'm sorry for disturbing you with 'trite teenage mumbling' as you would call it, but I feel as though you two are the only ones I have right now. I am doing my best to remain optimistic with the endgame in sight and new associates by my side. I am assisting in whatever way I can to succeed in the plans. Hope I will be able to see you for holiday, if not, I hope you all have a wonderful one.
Love to you both,
Rowan
Rowan purposefully remained as vague as she could, not wanting to allude to her and her parents' status as traitors. She thought about what would happen if her new relation to the Boy Who Lived reached the Dark Lord. Either she would be listed as a traitor or she would be used to get information. Harry was an enigma to her, she felt an instant connection to him. How was she going to handle her family's mission by befriending him? Eventually, the truth would have to come out about their intentions. With Voldemort's skills, she could end up getting all of them killed. Tugging at her black curly hair, she attached her letter to her owl and sent her off. Shrugging out of her clothes, she decided to get a nap before another lonely dinner.
Deep in her dreams, she saw grass and sunshine. She didn't feel the cold weight she carried on her shoulders, she felt light and warmth. Childrens' laughter echoed around her though she appeared to be alone. Rowan felt love wrap around her, it was like the Christmas mornings from childhood. A pair of jade eyes behind round frames appeared and searched her face, leaning in, he rested his forehead against hers.
Breathless, she darted up from her pillow, slightly shaking. Rowan cursed herself for having that kind of reaction towards Potter. Any connection, even their current status as allies in Dumbledore's Army, could put more risk on their lives than they already harbored. Shimmying into her uniform, the dream continued to repeat behind her eyelids. She felt her soul reach for the warmth and joy, and she knew that if Potter showed that to her, it would be her undoing. The snake would shed her current skin and morph into something new.
(A/N): First time writing fanfiction! Hope you all liked this and please review if you'd like me to continue it!