Hey guys! It's me, B.B. just writing to say how wildly nervous I am to post my first fic. I'm going to put a disclaimer stating:

-I AM NOT PROFITING FROM THIS, ALL RECOGNIZABLE CHARACTERS, PLACES, AND EVENTS ARE THE PROPERTY OF J.K. ROWLING-

The majority of this writing sticks with known cannon, but some of it diverges a little. This is my very first fanfic, I started it over a year ago and finally built up the courage to put it online. Reviews are appreciated, but I don't mind if you just want to browse. Huge thanks to my beta readers for supporting me, I hope you guys enjoy!

Chapter Two:

Rose spent the majority of the summer in her room or just her house in general. She did chores and practiced transfiguring things quietly. She had practiced wordless and wandless magic when she was back at Ilvermorny, and she wanted to stay ahead of the curve when she went to Hogwarts for her last year. Rose fiddled with the Mandrake leaf in her mouth. It was bitter, and it stained her tongue, but she was sure that her time was almost up. She was trying desperately to become an animagus, hoping it would give her some sort of leg up on the competition. Rose refused to become the bottom dog just because she was from another school. And that was her summer. Studying what she could remember, trying new spells, and that stupid leaf.

When fall rolled around, she was sitting at the kitchen table, listlessly poking at some fried eggs. There was a light tap tap tap on the window above the kitchen sink, and Rose lifted her head to see a brown owl holding an envelope in its mouth. Frowning, she got up and walked to the sink, all while staring at this usually nocturnal bird. Peppers poked his head out of Rose's shirt pocket to investigate as well, tasting the air when Rose opened the window. She gingerly took the envelope it held and began to open it. The owl made some noise like a hiss and bit Rose before taking off.

"Fuck you too," Rose muttered as she wiped her bloody finger on her jeans a couple of of times. Sitting back at the table and pushing away her plate of eggs, she flipped the envelope over to see an old fashioned wax seal holding it closed. Wondering who bothered to send mail via owl, Rose broke the seal and pulled out the letter, which was on heavy parchment.

Dear Rose Damonne,

First, I would like to congratulate you on enrolling at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, even if it is only for one year. Enclosed you will find a list of necessary items for your final school year. Also, you will find that appropriate pets will be allowed into Hogwarts.

Here Rose noticed that the list did not include small pythons. She shrugged, deciding that she would bring Peppers. He wasn't large enough to hurt anybody anyway.

When you arrive at Hogwarts, please follow the First Years to the Great Hall to be sorted into your house. From there, you will receive your timetable with your classes and your schooling will progress until N.E.W.T.S.

"The fuck are...newts?" Rose laughed a little, imagining a small amphibian wearing a wizard's hat and casting spells.

Again, congratulations! I hope you have a wonderful school year!

-Headmaster Albus Dumbledore

Rose looked more at the letter, taking note of the supplies she needed and where to buy them. Some place called Diagon Alley. Just then, Rose's mother came into the kitchen in her pajamas, her curly hair in a handkerchief.

"What's that sweetie?" and Rose told her all about it. Her mother beamed and clapped her daughter on the back.

"Oh they told me all about it at work! You'll have so much fun! I money for you, don't worry about that!" she chattered on about Ollivander's, which apparently Rose wouldn't need because they sold wands. Then there was Madame Malkin's, who sold "robes". Which Rose could only assume was her school uniform. She really hoped they didn't look stupid. At Ilvermorny, they were really allowed to wear whatever, as long as they had their house colors. Her mom squealed with joy.

"Rose baby, you're going to have so much fun I just know it! Let me know when you need go shopping so I can give you the money." she smiled at Rose, whose face fell a little.

"Wait, you're not shopping with me?" she asked. Her smile faltered and she shook her head, "No Rosie, I have to work. And your dad is starting that new job with the museum gardens, remember?." she put a comforting hand on Rose's arm, but her daughter pulled away hurriedly and stuffed the letter into the back pocket of her jeans.

"It's fine I get it. I'm gonna go feed Peppers." and she went back up to her room, holding back the disappointment she felt. Rose knew that her parents were working, and it made sense for her to go alone. She was 17 for Merlin's sake, she should just buck up and be independent for once. That's what she wanted anyway, right? Peppers peeked out of her pocket once more and began to trail up her shoulder to her neck, where he wound himself like a scaly scarf. Rose chuckled and gently detached him to put him in his tank. She gave him a a small mouse and took a deep breath, shrugging her shoulders back and cracking her neck. She could do this. She would do this.

Finally, the day before her first at Hogwarts, she made her way to Diagon Alley. Her mom showed her how to use the floo powder in their fireplace, which turned out to be a form of transportation here in the UK for witches and wizards. Rose kicked herself for not studying up on the customs over here. Out of all her preparation, she literally failed to study her surroundings. Standing in the fireplace, Rose took a deep breath.

"Diagon Alley" and she threw the floor powder to the hearth. She felt a twist in her gut as the powder exploded. When the smoke and fire cleared, she was in a bar. Or an inn. A pub? She didn't know what they called it here. Suddenly, she had the urge to vomit, but Rose held it down. The bar was dark, and quiet except for a few customers wearing cloaks and robes. Some of them were wearing fancy hats. It looked very old fashioned.

"Oi you, hurry up. Other people have to use that." the bartender called from across the room. He was drying a mug with a worn rag as he frowned at her. Rose nodded quickly and stepped out of the fireplace, making a beeline for the exit. She heard a patron mutter something about her clothes under his breath. Rose frowned; her clothes were fine what did they care? She was wearing her tennis shoes and a sweater. She had on her favorite orange corduroys. But as she stepped onto the cobbled street into the throng of people before her, she realized she did in fact look very out of place. The street was packed with witches and wizards of all ages in a myriad of colored robes and hats. The air smelled like smoke and food, and there was a constant thrum of chatter. A few people gave her a look as she stood gawking. There was nothing like this in America. It was like their own little world.

"S'cuse me miss." Rose heard a timid voice, and looking down she saw a little creature with massive ears and eyes. A smart little vest hung on his gaunt frame.

"Oh, oh." she stuttered and moved out of the doorway into the crowd. People jostled past her and muttered something about tourists. Peppers, who had been tucked around her neck again, tasted the air and tensed a little. Rose steeled herself with a shake of her head and pulled the list out of her back pocket. Robes. She should get robes first. Wherever they were.

Rose stood on the tips of her toes to look at street signs. As she walked, she passed several groups of children with their parents, arms full of books, the occasional broom. Rose tried hard not to snicker at this. No-mag's came up with their own reasons for witches riding brooms. She tried not to stare as she passed a candy shop that had otherworldly scents wafting out the door. In all her curiosity, she only just now noticed an enormous building at the end of the street.

"That must be the bank." she mused to herself. To her left, she saw the sign, as well as several mannequins dressed in the latest fall fashion in the shop window. Rose maneuvered her way through the crowd, making sure nobody got too close to Peppers. When she opened the door, a bell tinkled and a plump woman with pins in her mouth grinned at Rose from behind a rack of cloaks.

"Just a minute dear! I'll be right with you!" she went back behind the racks. Rose nodded, and couldn't help but notice how quiet the shop was. It must have been a silencing charm. She absently stroked Peppers' head with her index finger and began to wander around the shop. It was comfortable in the shop, and had that clothing smell. Not musty or anything, but it just had that feeling about it, and it made her smile.

"Hello there! I like your snake!" Rose was startled by the voice of a young girl. She turned to see a girl of about 12 or 13. Her hair was so blonde it was almost white, and perfectly straight. Her eyes were a pale ice blue that twinkled with mischief. She grinned up at Rose and pointed.

"Can I pet it? Is it nice?" she was adorable, Rose smiled and put Peppers in her hand and held him out to the girl. She had to crouch a little.

"His name is Peppers. You can pet him," she said. The girl gave a little squeal and very gingerly rubbed his head. Peppers flickered his tongue but otherwise seemed untroubled. Rose noticed the girl was wearing a robe over a robe, the top one still having pins in it. It was black and green, and a little snake was emblazoned on the crest of it. Rose tried to remember what it meant.

"I uh, I like your cloak. You're in that snake house right?" she fumbled. The girl laughed and nodded.

"Yep! Slytherin! The best house!" she said with conviction. Then she paused and squinted at Rose. The older girl tried not to laugh. This kid was adorable.

"Your voice is funny. Are you sick?" she asked. Rose did give a quick laugh.

"No no, I just moved here. I'm from—" before she could finish, an older girl, but still younger than Rose appeared from behind a rack. She had the same facial structure as the younger girl, but instead had voluminous dark brown curls.

"Cissy, what are you doing? Madame Malkin has to finish your robes!" she chided, and the young girl pouted before following her sister back. She did flash a quick smile again.

"Thank you! Peppers is nice!" and she disappeared. Rose held Peppers in her hand instead of putting him back around her neck. He coiled around her arm and rested his head in her palm. With her other hand, she toyed with one of her braids. Slytherin. The snake house, gotta remember that. She knew there was also the one with the birds, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor. She knew well enough that Gryffindor and Slytherin were rivals. But that was really it. Really, she had only studied spells. She shifted the mandrake leaf in her mouth. How it managed to retain its bitterness for so long was a mystery to her. The bell tinkled as the girls left the store. Rose could see over the racks that a third girl, older, was with them. She had a positively ridiculous mane of curly black hair. Rose sighed to herself; she wished sometimes that her own hair weren't so boring. Madame Malkin bustled over to Rose.

"Alright dearie! Let's get you set up! Come on!" she ushered Rose along to the back of the shop, which was deceivingly large. There was a circular stand in front of a swathe of mirrors, and Malkin gestured for Rose to stand.

"Okay okay, what's your house sweetie? And can I see your receipt from last season?" she plowed on with questions. The young witch made sure not to let Peppers get jabbed with a pin as the whirlwind of a woman took measurements and tried different fabrics.

"Oh actually I'm new this year. I'm just finishing at Hogwarts, haha." she laughed nervously. Malkin stopped and frowned for a moment.

"Oh I see I see. Okay, well, I'll get you fitted with something basic. Keep this ticket, and when you get sorted, send it back to me and I'll fix you right up." she went about, measuring and poking and wrapping, humming merilly to herself. But Rose was deep in thought. She couldn't help but wonder what house she would be put in.

"Not that it'll matter too much I hope." she muttered. As Malkin worked, she looked into the mirror, trying very hard to ignore her other reflections on the side of her. She didn't like how she looked, really. Her plain brown hair done in two braids down either shoulder. She had nice cheekbones, but her jaw wasn't as defined as she wanted. Her thighs were a little big, and she didn't like the way her eyes looked. Haunted, dark circles surrounding them. Hoo boy, she was ugly, or so she believed. Katie had always told her to be confident, and Brian had reminded her that looks on the outside don't count as much as she thought. Tears began to well up as she thought of them.

"All set dear!" Malkin clapped and stepped away. Rose looked and turned a little. It was a simple black cloak. Rose nodded, and got off the pedestal. Malkin gave her a little ticket and the witch paid her before leaving the shop. Fitting had taken longer than she thought, because the crowds had thinned a little bit and the sun was lowering. It wasn't dark out, but Rose had wished that she didn't wait until noon to go to Diagon Alley to begin with. Groaning, she checked robes off her list and practically ran to the bookstore. Getting her textbooks and writing materials was easy enough, but the man behind the counter was intrigued at the thought of an American coming to Hogwarts. Rose just smiled and nodded. She felt her patience wearing thin; if this is what the rest of her year would be like, she wasn't as determined as before. Peppers had moved back around her neck, and she felt a little more confident. After her shopping, she still had a little bit of money left, maybe she would get something cinnamon flavored at the candy store she passed earlier. But as she walked back, she noticed the wand shop again. It was small and dark, but they must have still be open, because she saw some people moving around inside. Curious to see how they differed from an American wand shop, she stepped up to the shop door and opened it. Much like the cloak shop, the Ollivander's was comfortable and quiet, but it smelled of fresh wood shavings and something else...mystery?

Does mystery have a smell? Rose wondered to herself. There was a single desk, and on either side, two halls lined with shelves, which must have been crammed with hundreds of boxes of wands. A man with a puffy head of grey hair was assisting a young boy, who was trying wands. Rose waited patiently, and wondered, how does one person make so many different and unique wands if wands choose their owner? How would one man have that many ideas and inspiration? Does he...talk to the wood or something? Her brows lifted in surprise at this thought; it left more questions than answers.

"Ah yes, how may I help you?" the boy had left and it was just the man. Rose turned and shrugged.

"I was just curious, I already have a wand." she said, pulling it out of her pocket to emphasize. The man squinted and asked if he could see it. Rose began to panic.

"Is there something wrong with it? I take good care of it I swear." she hurriedly tried to explain. The man held up a hand and shook his head, looking closely at it.

"Hmm…yew. Phoenix core, 13 inches, and…" he gave it a wave and there was a loud crash at the back of the room "surprisingly flexible." he placed it gingerly back in Rose's hands. The man shook her free hand briefly.

"My name is Olivander, I am the owner of this shop. And, judging from your accent, you must be from America." he smiled, but it was grim. Rose looked in back to see what the sound was, but she quickly brought her attention back to Ollivander.

"If you don't mind me asking, uh, is there something wrong with my wand?" she looked at the faithful object in her hand. Ollivander considered for a moment.

"It is not the wand, it is in fact, in perfect condition. But as you know, wands choose their masters for a reason. Do you know much about your wand? Yew, a finicky wood. Only for the most ambitious, and easily attracted to the Dark Arts. And a Phoenix core? Perhaps the rarest, but offers a fantastic range of spells. The flexibility itself shows the adaptive nature of both wand and the witch." he pointed at Rose. The somewhat serious tone of voice he used made Rose's skin crawl.

"This was probably the reason I passed my classes back home." she laughed nervously, but Ollivander just kept looking at her. He nodded once at her.

"Have a good year, Ms. Damonne." As Rose walked to the door, she could swear she never told the old man her name. Thoroughly creeped out, she was determined to just go back home and clear her head before school started tomorrow.

"Way to go, wand man. Giving me the fucking heebie-jeebies." she muttered as she walked back down the street. Before she could go back into the bar, she felt as though she were being watched. Rose whipped around, only to find the street totally empty. There was some chatter from the bar, but otherwise it was quiet. A strange chill began to permeate the air, but she shrugged it off as she went inside. It was a bit more lively than when she first came in. Kids sat around at tables chatting while older patrons joked and drank at the counter and around the floor. Rose avoided searching glances as she stepped into the fire, muttered her address, and popped up back at home. She heaved a breath of relief before bringing her things upstairs and getting dinner ready.

"How was shopping Rosie? Got what you needed, punkin'?" her dad asked over their meal. Rose nodded as she chewed peas.

"Yeah. It was pretty boring." she lied. In fact her afternoon had creeped her out thoroughly, although that little girl in the cloak shop was nice. Rose wiped her mouth and yawned.

"Big day tomorrow. I'm just gonna go to bed." she kissed both her parents on the cheek before going upstairs. Peppers and was sleeping comfortably in the flower pot, and Rose finalized her packing before shrinking it all and putting it in a single bag. One step closer to going back home, she told herself. She placed her wand on nightstand and gripped the locket tightly as she fell asleep.

She dreamed again that night, but she was sitting back on the fields at Ilvermorny. Katie and Brian were there as well, all three of them sitting on a big blanket and goofing off. Katie had a bite of her sandwich and started to laugh as she realized she got peanut butter on her nose. Brian rolled his eyes but laughed as well. Rose wanted to cry again, and she reached out to her friends, like she could catch them. The blanket seemed to stretch out, farther away.

"No no no, come back! Come back!" Rose called urgently. The ground beneath her warped and opened into a dark void. A blast of cold made her dizzy as she stared into the depths. As if under a spell, Rose leaned forward into the darkness and fell through. It was freezing, and her lungs began to choke up. Rose clawed madly at the blackness around her, feeling her breath go.

"WAKE UP." Rose started awake at the deafening shout. Panting, she realized she must have fallen asleep with her face in her pillow. She groaned and looked at the little analog clock on her nightstand. It read 10:30.

"Shit shit shit shit…" she launched herself out of bed and muttered oaths under her breath as she got dressed and picked up her snake. Shrinking his terrarium and carefully putting it in her bag, Rose sprinted down the stairs, nearly rolling her ankle. Frowning, she realized that she literally had no way of getting to the train station on time. She didn't want this to have been her first time, but she needed to apparate.

"On my life, if I freaking splinch myself…" she cursed as she prepared herself to go. Just as she felt the tug in her stomach, she realized she had no clue where the train would be leaving from. She prayed it was the station in London.

With an enormous crack she appeared—albeit in a dumpster next to the station—but regardless she would be on time. After several cleaning charms, she transfigured her cloak into regular clothes before entering the station.

"Why didn't I do that at home, I swear to God." she groaned. For all her book smarts, she really didn't have a lot of common sense. No-mags' shouted at her as she raced through the station and jostled them. She was looking for 9 ¾ when she reached the platforms.

"Such an arbitrary number, why?" she muttered. Rose found that as she got more nervous, the more she talked to herself. She definitely should keep that under control when she got to Hogwarts. Peppers peeked out of her shirt pocket and glanced around.

"No. Stay." she whispered, and Peppers moved back down. Obviously, people would see the outline of something in her shirt pocket, but she didn't need somebody to make a scene. Rose stood bewildered between platforms 9 and 10. It was 10:45 now, and Rose could feel sweat pearling on her brow.

"Are you alright?" a boy's voice startled her out of her panic for a moment. Rose just now noticed that there was a young man standing in front of her, looking very concerned. He also had an owl in a cage. Rose hoped and prayed he was a wizard and not a young ornithologist.

"Yeah, hi. I'm just trying to find the right platform, if you catch my drift." she said quietly so none of the No-mags' could hear her. The boy nodded and gestured to a scarf he was wearing over his sweater. It was black and yellow.

"I do indeed 'catch your drift'. Just follow me. We'd better hurry though." he chuckled and grabbed her hand. Rose blushed a little, but realized they were about to run headlong into a wall.

"Wait wait wait!" she shrieked before opening her eyes to see that they were pushing their way through a different crowd now. Rose gasped and realized that they were on an entirely different platform. The boy still held onto her as they wove through throngs of parents waving to their children.

"C'mon then, in we go." the boy practically tossed Rose into a train car and he hopped in and followed suit.

"Let's see if there are any seats left." he moved down the narrow passage and looked into the various booths. Most of them were already full of kids wearing their robes. Rose noted that most kids who wore the same color sat together. As she followed the boy, she passed a booth that held only three people. Rose tugged on the boy's sleeve and gestured.

"Nope. Not there." he blanched and practically ran. Rose heard a familiar squeal and a little girl with bright blonde hair had her face in the passage.

"Ah! It's you! Where's Peppers?" she asked excitedly. Her brown-haired sister hissed something at her, and yanked her back into the booth. Rose gave her an apologetic smile, but lingered a second too long.

"This booth is taken. Run along" an icy voice said, sounding bored at best. Rose shivered involuntarily. She went to leave when the little girl cried out.

"Bella! I want to see the snake!" there was a pause, and the girl came out into the passageway, grinning like the cat that ate the canary. Rose produced Peppers from her shirt pocket. He quickly slithered into the girls hands, who got eye level with him and stared closely.

"Such a handsome little snake. But why did you name him Peppers?" the girl frowned. And then her face lit up again "Your voice is funny. You're not from London then?" she tilted her head. Rose smiled, this girl was adorable.

"I'm not from London, no. I moved to Glasgow. From America." she told the girl. Peppers tasted the air and yawned. The girl quickly passed him back to Rose.

"It was nice meeting you, American. I'm Narcissa by the way. I hope I can see Peppers again!" she stood up and got back into the booth. The brown haired girl took her firmly by the shoulders and seemed to scold her. Rose couldn't see who the third person was, but she was guess it was "Bella". Rose let Peppers loop himself around her neck and she hurried forward to find a booth. She was launched forward a little as the train began to move with a loud hiss. Eventually, she saw the boy who had helped her out in the crowd, sharing the booth with two other people. He smiled and beckoned her. She sat next to him, and looked at the other two people there. It was a boy and girl, siblings from the looks of it. The girl smiled sweetly at her. The boy smiled as well, but it was probably as a polite gesture. He had large bags under his eyes.

"So, I don't believe I introduced myself. I'm Cyril Ashby. Hufflepuff." the boy next to her spoke. His hair was dark brown and wavy. His skin was olive, but he had stunning green eyes.

"I'm Henrietta Hughes. This is my brother, Hugo." the girl had a different accent. Irish? Scottish? Rose tried to hold back a laugh.

"Your parents named you Hugo Hughes?"

"We've barely known each other for a minute and you're already judging me." he huffed, but he also laughed a little. Henrietta and Hugo both had sandy blonde hair and dark grey eyes. They all wore black robes with yellow accents. A little badger crest adorned each of them. Rose nodded politely as if she were considering something. Cyril looked at her, expecting her to introduce herself, but she only took Peppers down from her shoulders and held him in her palm, stroking his head. The three Hufflepuffs shrank back a little. Hugo said dryly "Oh, so you're a Slytherin then?"

"No. I actually just moved here. I'm doing my last year at Hogwarts. So I still have to go through some sorting process or whatever." she noticed that Peppers would start shedding soon. The whole train ride, the three attacked her with questions about Ilvermorny and just America in general. Is it true that everyone eats burgers all the time? (No, it's like haggis here. Just a stereotype really.) What house was she? (Pukwudgie). What the bloody hell is a Pukwudgie? (Probably the North American equivalent to a goblin. They're tricky little guys.) The group laughed at this.

"Goblins are bankers." Henrietta explained. Rose shrugged at this. Then it was her turn for a question. She turned to Cyril, who was leaning away from the snake's flickering tongue.

"Cyril, why didn't you just sit in that booth back there? They had an empty seat." she jabbed a thumb behind her. Cyril laughed nervously and shook his head.

"Wow. Maybe you are a Slytherin. Trying to get me killed my first day back? Those were the Black sisters. You don't sit with them. Ever." he emphasized heavily on the last word. Hugo huffed a breath and yawned.

"Yeah, I mean yae can't really look at them. Or talk to them. Ah, don't walk too close to them either. Unless yae don't mind losing an arm." he kept yawning, and Henrietta elbowed him in the ribs.

"Yae idiot, shouldn't have stayed up so late."

"I can't help that the Quidditch match ran late. I just had to listen." he closed his eyes and leaned back into his seat. Henrietta rolled her eyes, but looked at Rose.

"Basically, yae don't want to make them angry. The eldest, Bellatrix? She'll put a hole in ya faster than you can say butterbeer." the girl shuddered. Rose quirked a brow at this.

"Well the little one? Narcissa? She likes Peppers, she didn't seem so awful. And in case you couldn't tell, I've got all my limbs." she laughed. Cyril gave her a quizzical look.

"You know what kind of vegetable she likes?" Rose gestured to the snake.

"Just because you aren't dead now doesn't mean she won't get you later. Watch your back…" Cyril faltered.

"Oh, sorry. It's Rose." she said. Then she turned to the side and mumbled something about wanting to take a nap. Cyril obliged and he began talking quietly to Henrietta.

Rose thought about the Black sisters. It was weird, because nobody at Ilvermorny was so violent, or at least had the reputation for it. She remembered little Narcissa's face, how happy she was just talking about the snake and asking her questions. Rose drifted off as the train rattled along the tracks.

She didn't dream, but when she woke up, Cyril was gently shaking her shoulder.

"Hey we're here. You should probably go with the first years now." he pointed to the stream of young children moving through the train. Rose groaned as she got up and stretched.

"I'll see you guys later then. Nice meeting you." she gave a small wave and got her bag. Peppers sat back in her shirt pocket. The witch transfigured her robes back and made her way into the crowd. As she passed the Black's booth, she noticed that Narcissa was sleeping up against her sister. Rose smiled, momentarily forgetting the advice given to her earlier that day. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye, was suddenly on the receiving end of a stinging hex.

"Move along, prat." Bellatrix spat out, her wand aimed at Rose. But the girl felt as if she couldn't move. This girl was gorgeous. Her hair, while totally wild, hung about her face and perfectly framed her jaw and cheekbones. Her brows were two perfectly dark delicate arches. But it was her eyes. They were startlingly black. A mocking sneer curled her full ruby lips.

"Go on. Go with the ickle babies." she went to cast another hex but Rose countered with protego, which made Bellatrix fume. Kids around Rose were trying desperately to get away from this conflict while they still could. The two girls stared at each other. Bellatrix was practically seething with rage, her eyes wide and her wand pressed against Rose's chest. Rose stared back, emotionless.

"I guess I'll see you around." the dark haired witch finally spoke. Peppers reared his head from beneath Rose's cloak and hissed a warning. Rose simply turned on her heel and kept her eyes locked straight ahead of her. The hex made her sore, and she really didn't expect her first five minutes on Hogwarts property to be painful.

Fucking rude. I hope I never have to see her again. Rose kept her face neutral, but she was thoroughly incensed. She shuffled along with all the mystified First Years, who were chattering to each other. When they got to the boats, Rose looked at the water for a long time. It was black, and smooth as glass, reflecting the lights off the lanterns. As they moved across it, Rose trailed her fingers through the water. It made her fingers numb, but it was comforting in a way. When they arrived at the staircase leading up to the Great Hall, a woman with a tall pointy hat and spectacles stood at the top landing, peering down upon the students. She looked at Rose for a moment before speaking.

"Welcome students, to Hogwarts. I am Professor Minerva McGonagall. I'm sure you're all very excited to begin your journey here. Through these doors, you will be sorted by the Sorting Hat. Keep in mind, the hat rarely makes mistakes." her searching gaze swept over the new students. Rose could feel the tension in the air, but she was still trying to deal with the rage that had welled up inside her. Peppers squirmed a little, but Rose just patted her shirt pocket gently. McGonagall turned quietly and led the crowd of students, who had quieted considerably. The two enormous doors leading to the Great Hall swung open slowly by themselves, revealing a massive dining hall. There were four tables that ran the length of the room. At the far left, there was Gryffindor, then Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. The procession of First Years moved to the front of the room, past the other students. A Ravenclaw muttered as Rose walked by,

"A bit tall to be eleven, eh?" and he laughed with his friend.

Every minute or so, a voice would shout the name of a house, and people cheered and clapped. Slowly, the queue moved forward until Rose stood closest to the stool.

"Rose Damonne." McGonagall called out, and Rose went to sit on the chair, looking down at her lap instead of the hundreds of searching eyes. The professor put a pointy brown hat on her head, and Rose started a little when she felt it move. The hat began to mumble and mutter to itself.

"Well...this is highly irregular. Pukwudgie, a house of healers...making you a Hufflepuff naturally...but my my, you study hard, perhaps Ravenclaw?" it kept muttering, and Rose began to worry. She knew where she got placed wouldn't matter too much, she was just here to finish school and get out.

"Really? Is that all? How ambitious. And I see you brought a little friend. He wasn't on the list, you know. A natural Slytherin of course." but the hat didn't shout Slytherin. Instead, it waited for an agonizing amount of time before yelling out "GRYFFINDOR!" and a chorus of hooting and hollering erupted from the first table. Mortified, Rose kept her mask on, but she could've swore that the hat didn't make mistakes. Her heart thudded in her ears as she sat at an empty spot at the table. People clapped her on the back and cheered, but all she could do was offer a weak smile.

"Bloody hell, you look awfully old for a first year." a younger boy said to her. Rose just hung her head in her heads and mumbled back, "That's because I'm a 7th year." and offered no further explanation. What she had studied came back to her now, ironically. Gryffindor was all about bravery, sometimes even completely pig-headed bravery, in the face of danger. They were rivals with Slytherin, and terrible at Quidditch. Rose wasn't even sure why the hat put her there. She wasn't even that brave. She moped silently while the rest of the kids were sorted, staring at the table. She could feel another pair of eyes trained on her, but she chewed her lip and ignored it. There was a clear ringing as a man with a long beard tapped a goblet with his wand. Everybody in the Great Hall fell silent.

"I would like to congratulate all the students on behalf of myself and the school staff for coming to Hogwarts. It will be a wonderful experience. For those of you returning, welcome back." he paused to look over his half-moon glasses as everybody clapped and cheered. When the noise died down, he continued, "I would like to introduce some of the professors. Teaching Herbology, professor Sprout…" and he went around introducing people. Rose had begun to zone out.

"You will receive your timetables by owl at breakfast tomorrow. Then you will proceed to your classes. As usual, no magic outside of school, which is punishable by Ministry standards. Also, the Forbidden Forest is off limits. Any who decided to forego my warning will face severe punishment." the mention of this forest seemed to take a little bit of the fire in the older Gryffindors, and the rest of the houses. Rose, however, was intrigued.

"You guys have a haunted forest?" she whispered to a girl with red hair and freckles. The girl made a face.

"It's not haunted. At least we don't think. There's just monsters. Werewolves. Vampires." she shuddered.

"Why can't we go there?" this brought eye rolls and reprimanding glares from other students.

"Because Dumbledore just said we'd face punishment. Also why would you want to go there? It's not like we have classes out there." a black boy threw his hands up at her in exasperation. Rose shrugged innocently. She was totally going to see what all the fuss was about.

"Well I'm sure you're all very hungry! Enjoy the school year!" Dumbledore had apparently finished speaking, and with a clap of his hands, the long tables filled with a massive assortment of food and drink. All around her, people hastily dug in and talked excitedly. A few people nudged Rose to ask where she was from, because her voice was so strange, or to ask her to pass something to them. She didn't try to push any conversation, and instead ate silently.

We can't use magic out of school? What kind of bogus is that? The young witch was disappointed at this news. Hogwarts had turned out already to be stricter than Ilvermorny. Then, another issue dawned on Rose.

"Well. There goes my year." she muttered. Gryffindor and Slytherin? Hated each other. She was in Gryffindor, and her tormentor from the train was likely in Slytherin. Shit.

The meal was finished, and prefects led the houses to their dorms. When the girls in her room finally sorted out bed, Rose quickly began to unpack, first setting out the terrarium so Peppers didn't have to sit in her shirt anymore.

"Oh! Is that a snake!" one of the girls asked. Well it was more of a statement, but she didn't seem as disgusted as the rest of her dorm buddies. Rose nodded, but she was still very focused on unpacking. When the other girls tried to talk to her though, Rose politely explained that she was very tired and that she would talk more in the morning. She closed the curtains around her bed and lay under the red and gold covers, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. She had a bit of sensory overload and she just needed some rest, was what she kept telling herself. It had been a big day, she went through a lot.

Sleep will be good. Maybe I won't have a nightmare this time.

When she opened her eyes, she was sitting in a chair. It was, again, pitch black and freezing cold. Her muscles ached uncomfortably and she squirmed, but Rose couldn't seem to get up. She didn't seem to have her wand either.

"Hmm...how unfortunate." a voice hissed, low and menacing. It sounded like a man, and Rose could hear him all around her.

"Who are you?" she asked, voice cracking.

"Nobody of particular consequence. No, no I'm not somebody you would know...unless you would like to…" there was a chilling laugh as he finished speaking. Rose struggled harder now.

"Let me go!" she shrieked. The man laughed again. Suddenly, a point of light glittered in the distance. Rose lurched, the light seeming to pull her in. But the spot grew and seemed to get closer. The man roared in frustration, making Rose's ears ring. The light was moving closer and faster, and she could feel a touch of warmth.

"Nevermind that!" the man yelled, and Rose felt like she had been tossed into an ice bath.

"HELP!" she screamed, but then she realized that she was just sitting up in her bed, again in a cold sweat. Her roommates woke up, blinking against the morning sunlight.

"Weird wake up call." one girl mumbled into her hands as she rubbed her face. Rose was panting, and she could feel a self-conscious blush creeping onto her face. Her eyes watered violently, and she put her face in her pillow. Maybe if she stayed there long enough, she'd suffocate herself.

"Hey you, don't go doing that. Come on, we're going to be late for breakfast." a girl said gently. She had walked over to Rose and was patting her shoulder, "We all get a little homesick once in awhile, even if we are older now. You don't have to be ashamed." she said gently. Rose turned her head and saw a girl with large thick glasses and short curly hair. She grinned at Rose and motioned for her to get up.

"There you go! Good morning then! I'm Terry. Nice to meet you!" she shook Rose's hand warmly, and the witch couldn't help but give her a tiny smile, what with her being so nice at such an absurd hour of the morning.

"You daft? Some of us are trying to catch a few minutes." the same girl from before grumbled. Rose got up and rubbed her eyes.

"Hey, I'm Rose. And yes I know, I don't sound like I'm from here, I'm American." she hastily filled in before Terry could say anything. The latter just laughed and shifted her glasses.

"It's okay, I wasn't going to ask. You seem to like your privacy. But you really should get dressed. Being late for breakfast can be embarrassing."

When she was ready, Rose was about to leave when Terry grabbed her sleeve.

"Ah, before we go, if you have any mail, you should bring it with you so the owls can take it." Rose quirked her brow and remembered the ticket Madame Malkin had given her. Since she had been sorted, she needed robes. The two left the Gryffindor common room and eventually reached the Great Hall. It looked cheerier when there was light coming through the windows, and it wasn't as full yet. Evidently they had gotten there early.

"Rose! Over here!" it was Cyril, and he was sitting with the twins at the Hufflepuff table. They smiled broadly at her as they exchanged "Good mornings" with each other. Terry also said hello, although it was clear she wasn't familiar with them. Cyril offered for them to sit for awhile, but Rose explained "I think it would be best for me to sit with my house. You know, just familiarize myself with them. But thank you for the offer."

"No problem," Hugo yawned "We should compare timetables when we get them, yeah? Good seeing ya." Henrietta waved as they found a good spot at the Gryffindor table.

"Sooo...who's the guy?" Terry had a broad smile on her face and she wiggled her eyebrows. Rose stared passively for a moment before she realized that she meant Cyril.

"Him? He helped me get on the train. He's okay, I guess. I don't really know those guys too well. I actually met the twins on the train." she put some fruit in her plate. Terry nodded but still looked at Rose.

"So…" Rose looked back at Terry, who shrugged and changed the subject "How long is your hair anyway? Like when you don't have it in two braids?" she put marmalade on some toast as she spoke. The sound of the knife scraping made Rose think of how her dad would make her breakfast when she was very young.

"Oh, um I don't know. I trim the ends if they split, but I've been growing it out." Rose knew that her hair at least came down to the small of her back. It was a little ridiculous at this point, but she didn't care enough to change it. Terry chattered on about classes or something, the professors, who was dating who, which boy had put a dungbomb in the Ravenclaw girls bathroom, and so on. Rose nodded. Terry was kind of annoying, but having at least one friend in her house would be good. More kids came into the Great Hall, and eventually, the windows at the tops of the walls were opened. A chorus of hooting, screeching, and flapping could be heard as multiple owls began dropping parcels and envelopes onto tables. Rose leaned back quickly as a letter zoomed past her face.

"What is it with these birds, man?" she asked Terry over the commotion. Terry just gave a short laugh as she caught a small brown box, which apparently came from her parents.

"Terry, how do I send this ticket to Madame Malkin? I need robes." Rose asked, a little exasperated.

"Here I'll help." the girl waved a hand in the air, holding a piece of sausage. A small brown owl landed on the table and stared at the meat. Rose gave Terry her ticket and instructed the owl to go to Madame Malkin, before giving it the treat. Rose watched in disbelief as the bird flew off.

"How does that even work? It's going to take forever for my robes to get here. And how does the bird even know where to go?" Everything about this school made very little sense. She supposed that the owls could be charmed or trained, but that still left so many questions unanswered. Terry nodded a head at the window, where another owl was coming in with larger package. It was promptly dropped in front of Rose, who stared, flabbergasted. It was from Malkin. Upon opening the box, it had been charmed to be deeper than Rose had thought, and contained several sets of the Gryffindor house uniform.

"Better change into those before class. Ah look, our timetables are here." Sure enough, the papers had just appeared in front of Rose.

"Care of Magical Creatures with Kettleburn, Herbology with Sprout, Potions with Slughorn, and...Defense Against the Dark Arts." Rose looked over her schedule approvingly. Although there wasn't a professor's name next to DADA, she was sure it was just a typo. A printing error in a magical school. Terry frowned in disappointment.

"You've only got four classes? How did that happen?"

"Uh...well I had good credit transfer from Ilvermorny…" she looked at her fruit bashfully. She didn't like to talk about her grades, despite how good they were.

"Of course. And you aren't in Ravenclaw because?" Terry teased. Rose just glared at her food.

"I'm going to get changed. See you around Terry. Nice meeting you." she grabbed her schedule and box, not looking back. Terry watched the girl leave and wondered what she could've done wrong.

Rose realized her first class didn't start for another hour, so she had a little bit of time before she did anything. Changed, she wandered around until she found a library. It was much larger and older than the one at Ilvermorny, she had to admit. This early in the morning, nobody was there, so she found a quiet spot to sit in the back corner, where she just watched Peppers wrap himself around her wand and thought about how she had acted out at breakfast. Her moods were getting worse, embarrassing even. The dreams were new, and she had them every night since she moved, though they mostly repeated. Last night was different, though. Nothing had actually spoken to her.

"Oh heavens!" the librarian gasped and nearly dropped her wand. Rose just looked at her numbly. So many people were freaked out by Peppers, it wasn't news to her. The woman, who was called Ms. Pince, informed her that there she hadn't seen Rose walk in, and apologized. Rose said it was fine, and went back to contemplating when Pince left the corner.

If you keep this up, you'll miss Herbology.

"Hello?" Rose thought she heard someone close by.

Run along. Can't miss your first class. That would be unfortunate. This time, she realized it was in her head.

"What the fuck." she muttered, and resisted the urge to punch herself in the head. She couldn't do anything for ten seconds without something weird happening at this insane school. Rose waited, but the voice said nothing else. But had been right, she spent more time than she thought in the library, and ran out in a panic. She realized she didn't actually know where herbology was, and had to ask some passing Ravenclaws where it was.

"Welcome welcome!" Sprout cheered gleefully. She was the head of Hufflepuff house, and she just exuded a sense of motherly no-nonsense attitude. Rose saw that she was sharing a class with Hugo, who gave her a small wave and they stood next to each other at the long bench with various plants. Sprout nodded sagely as she waited for her class to settle down.

"Now now, today you will be learning about Thyme." she started in an anticlimactic manner. Some students genuinely thought she mean "time" but most knew it was just a plain herb usually used for seasoning food.

"Oh good, something that won't try and kill us." a Hufflepuff joked with his friend. Sprout had a sparkle in her eye when she put a pot on the workbench.

"This is no ordinary thyme. Well, rather with a little bit of magic, you can make it far more useful than a Muggle cooking component. Now allow me to demonstrate…" Sprout waved her wand over the pot and the plant seemed to glitter for a moment. The leaves turned a deeper green, and the greenhouse began to smell just like the fragrant herb.

"What's a Muggle?" Rose waited until Sprout had finished talking to ask Hugo. He looked at her like she had three heads.

"Muggle? They're the boring people. They can't use magic. Don't you have them in America?"

"Well yeah, but we call them No-mags. Because 'no magic'."

"That just sounds like horseshite. Now help me with this plant." Hugo dismissed the cultural difference and they began growing the plant. It really wasn't that hard for Rose, and the plant was healthy and full in a few minutes. Sprout nodded approvingly as she looked the plant over.

"Excellent! Now can you tell me what thyme is used for? And Hughes if you say cooking I'll have no qualms with deducting points from my own house." Hugo's smile dropped. Rose thought for a moment before remembering, and then huffing because it seemed a little on the nose.

"It's supposed to help with nightmares if you drink it in a tea, professor." Hugo looked at Rose with mild surprise.

"Correct! Five points to Gryffindor!" but Rose had no idea what the points even meant. She just wondered if she could take the plant back to her dormitory and make A LOT of tea with it.

"Uhm, professor? Is it cool if I take this thyme plant? I think it'll add some good vibes to my room." Rose gestured to the plant. Sprout raised an eyebrow, but otherwise agreed.

"Yes, as soon as class is over, you can." and with that, they continued to learn about thyme. But all she could think about was her nightmares. She wondered if the remedy would be stronger as some sort of potion rather than a tea. She would need to ask Slughorn when she had his class.

When Herbology ended, Hugo watched Rose pick up the ceramic pot and laughed.

"What?" Rose turned and glared, but her exhaustion must have made it look less threatening.

"Ya like plants, Damonne?"

"Yes. They're...cool." she fumbled for an excuse, but it seemed to convince the blonde boy.

"Okay, see you later then." he waved and walked into the river of students moving to their next class. She wouldn't have time between now and Potions to put the plant in her dorm, but Rose didn't want to be called "plant girl" for the rest of the school year. When she got to the dungeons, she shrank the plant and transfigured it into a pebble, which she put into her pocket.

The potions room was somewhat small, and there were shelves all over the place loaded with different jars and bottles. Dried herbs hung from the ceiling, and the room smelled a little musty. Slughorn, a short man with a self-important air about him looked over the students gathering in his class.

"Yes, yes I see some old faces. Can't wait to see you in the Slug Club this year, Finchley." he pointed at a Slytherin in the back of the room, who tried to play off the compliment bashfully, but Rose could tell he was full of it. She resisted the urge to turn around, because she felt like someone was staring at her again. Slughorn's face seemed pained, but he kept smiling.

"Ah. Ms. Black. I see you're here." and it took everything in Rose's power not to give herself whiplash by turning quickly. When she carefully turned around, Bellatrix was at the far back of the room, a wicked grin played on her face. Her feet were propped up on the desk, chair leaned up against the wall. The raven haired witch locked eyes with Rose as she toyed with a curl by her face. Blushing furiously, Rose turned back around and stared at her desk.

"A reminder that if you blow anything up, I will deduct points, Ms. Black." Slughorn pinched the bridge of his nose before plastering on a joyous smile, "Welcome back to Potions! You all know me as Professor Slughorn, your teacher and leader of the illustrious Slug Club! We'll begin the year with a very exciting lesson; Polyjuice Potion!" he clapped his hands, and many of the students themselves seemed excited. But Rose struggled to hide her disappointment. She had already learned about Polyjuice Potion in her 5th year at Ilvermorny. Slughorn looked around the room.

"Can anybody tell me what this potion does?" and Rose raised her hand in a swift motion. Slughorn seemed surprised and nodded.

"It transforms your appearance based upon whose hair you add to the potion professor. It's only temporary, though the duration can be extended depending on the quality of your ingredients." she said quietly. Slughorn beamed and awarded more of those supposed "points". Rose looked back down at her desk. She was grateful she wasn't sitting at the front, rather off to the side in a middle row. As Slughorn continued to explain Polyjuice Potion, she pulled out some parchment and a quill, and began to doodle. It was a flower, by no means complicated, but one could easily tell it was a daffodil. Eventually, Slughorn suggested they study the ingredients and write a foot on what each does. Most of the students grumbled, but Rose began jotting down what she already knew.

Lacewing flies (stewed 21 days)
Leeches
Powdered bicorn horn
Knotgrass
Fluxweed (picked at full moon)
Shredded Boomslang skin
Valerian Sprigs
A bit of the person (hair preferably)

It would take a month to brew. Rose wondered what her potion would taste like if somebody wanted to turn into her. Not like they would ever have a reason, but she still wondered. She could still feel Bellatrix staring, and she silently cast protego in case the other witch wanted to pull anything.

The class was mostly uneventful, with Rose answering a large majority of the questions, earning a lot of points for Gryffindor. When most of the students had left, Rose approached Slughorn, hands clenched nervously. She hated having to ask questions; what if they were stupid? She didn't want to look like an idiot.

"Professor? I had a question?" her voice was barely above a whisper. Slughorn turned from his shelves of ingredients and smiled warmly.

"Ah! The newest star pupil! What can I help you with? Surely not the Polyjuice?"

"N—no, no I actually already know about the brewing and ingredients. I was just wondering…" her brain shorted for a moment

You're looking for Potion of Dreamless sleep.

Rose could have swore that she didn't just think of that, but regardless she said it anyway.

"The Potion of Dreamless sleep? Whatever for?" Slughorn gave her a quizzical look. Rose could feel the self-conscious blush creeping onto her face.

"I have a friend. She um, has nightmares. I wanted to mix it with enchanted thyme. To help." she fidgeted a little, hoping Slughorn wouldn't ask any more questions. The professor thought for a moment before nodding.

"Well yes, you could if you added the thyme fresh rather than powdered...might change the color though…" he raised a brow in thought and kept mumbling to himself before nodding again, "Well, yes I suppose you could. If you need to use the classroom for brewing, after classes of course, don't hesitate. Somebody of your academic prowess shouldn't have trouble being more responsible." he complimented her. Rose thanked him before walking back out into the halls, where most of the students had cleared, deep in thought.

Unfortunately, she was so deep in thought she turned left instead of right, and was dangerously close to the Slytherin common room. Rose had thoroughly zoned out, her face blank as she walked.

"Well well, look at the smart kitty. So brave for answering some stupid questions." Rose refocused and saw that Bellatrix was casually leaned up against the wall. She was sneering at Rose, who only lifted her brows in surprise, but otherwise seemed untroubled. Just as she went to throw a hex, Rose blocked it, but made no attempt to get her made the Slytherin witch angry again, and she got in Rose's personal space.

"Don't think that you're better than me, girl. I have the highest grades, and I have since you were still in nappies. So stay out of my way, or I will hurt you. I'm not afraid of some mousey little upstart from another school." she glared daggers at her opponent, who still gave her the same bored look. Finally, she spoke, but she had a gleam in her eyes. A cruel gleam.

"We're the same age, Bellatrix Black. And I think I'll do whatever I want." as Rose spoke, she had no idea what had come over her. Maybe she just needed more sleep, but she now feared her sleep schedule would get her killed. Bellatrix fumed and flung another hex, this time stronger, but Rose deflected it again. Gosh, she was actually really pretty in a terrifying way. Her dark eyes were flashing dangerously, her brows knotted in fury when Rose refused to just let her be bullied.

"I—I have to go." Rose blushed and turned heal. She wanted to run and hide in her bed, but she was so exhausted, she knew that if she slept, she would have another nightmare. That potion would take awhile to brew, so Rose knew that she wouldn't find peace for quite some time.