A/N: Can you believe that I forgot the title of my fic and had to log-on again to see what it was? Silly me… Anyways, as promised, after getting even just one review, here is chapter 2… By the way, thanks to StarryEyedStara for being my first and so far only reviewer! I really appreciate it, and thanks for reading my other HP fic. I'd love to know your comment about it. Now that I think about it, that story is not really nice. Well, not as nice as this new one (I hope). Oh well, it's your opinion.

Last chapter was entitled "Underground," right? Hmm… What's for next chapter?

Chapter 2: Pink Skirt

"Where is she? Where is she?"

"I can't see her!"

Harry groaned. Hermione and Ron turned to him.

"What?" they said in unison.

"Can someone tell me who she is, at the least?" said Harry in a sarcastically pleading tone.

"Harry, please don't try to convince me you're this ignorant," said Hermione, and she returned to squinting through the crowd separating them from the punk girl. Harry turned to Ron.

"Well, it's kinda hard to explain, Harry," started Ron. "Besides, I don't really know the whole story… But for the gist… Rose Ashworth survived You-Know-Who's curse too."

Harry stared open-mouthed.

"But I thought – Everyone said I was the only one – "

"Yeah, I know… I just remembered about Rose Ashworth when McGonagall mentioned Bridgework. I heard about her story when I was about seven."

"But how – why'd not anyone tell me – how come she…" Harry's voice trailed off, lost in his own questions.

"Listen, I'm not the person you should ask about all this, okay?" said Ron, and his attention returned to the unseen Rose Ashworth too.

"Need some questions answered, Harry?" said Raven's voice into Harry's ear.

"Well, I guess so," muttered Harry.

The train slowed down and stopped once more. People got off the train and only the six original passengers were left once more.

"Hey, Lyndon," said Malfoy, getting up from his corner and walking up to Raven.

"I'd much prefer Raven from you," said Raven in, what Harry thought, was a flirtatious tone.

"Whatever," said Malfoy. "Can we talk?"

"Sure."

"I mean now," replied Malfoy in his usual bossy tone.

"Follow me. Talk to you later, Harry," Raven motioned towards another cabin to her left, and so they left.

"What do you think will they talk about, huh?" Ron suddenly asked.

"Oh, does this mean you're now unpreoccupied?" joked Harry. "I don't know. But knowing Malfoy, it's probably something nasty, you know what I mean."

"Yeah, maybe he's trying to buy Raven into doing something illegal, like giving him special treatment when we get to Bridgework," said Ron.

The train stopped once more, and in came a girl who looked like she wasn't supposed to be there. Even the punk girl sitting across looked up as she walked in noisily, her stilettos clacking on the metal train floor.

She was wearing a crisp white blouse and a pink skirt, and almost every accessory on her was colored pink. She turned to Rose Ashworth, and Harry heard her say, "Hello there, Rose!" in a rather unnatural tone, but in an original-sounding British accent.

Rose ignored her, however, and returned to the small book she was reading previously. The "pink girl" turned and spoke in a much louder and classily boastful voice.

"I don't think you heard me, Ashworth. I said hello."

"And you 'spect me to reply?" said Rose without looking up. There was a fleeting expression of anger on the girl's face before she turned to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"You're from Hogwarts, right? May I introduce myself? My name is – "

"I doubt they'll be int'rested, Lair," said Rose, looking up at the girl. The girl closed her eyes, as if praying for patience, and opened them again with a smile.

"Anyways, as I was saying – "

"Raven's already handlin' them, no need for you to mess ev'rythin' up, got that?"

"I am not talking to you," said the girl without facing Rose. "My name is Iris Lair, and I am a Bridgework Prefect. Can you tell me what information Lyndon has so far shared with you?"

"Well, erm, she's told us about, um – " Hermione started.

"Raven's not been able to tell them anythin' yet, Lair, since your boyfriend's got her up front, probably talkin' her into some conspiracy against, who knows, me?" said Rose with a smirk.

"My boyfriend?" said Lair, turning to Rose with an inquiring look.

"Draco Malfoy," said Rose, returning to her book.

Harry felt as though they were watching a tennis game. Ball gets thrown to this side and that. He looked at Rose when she was speaking, and at Lair when she was.

"I don't know… I'll think about it," came Raven's voice as the cabin door opened and she and Malfoy emerged. "Lair!"

"Iris?"

"Draco!"

The train doors opened, and Rose got up and off the train. Raven motioned for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to do the same.

"Sheesh, what a reunion," muttered Rose to Raven as they walked towards the stairs to the street above, Harry, Ron, and Hermione behind them.

"Let them catch up with each other… Wait, you tell me! You've known them since you were, like, five?" said Raven.

"Known them and hated them," said Rose. "I'll call the car."

Rose walked to the farther end of the street. Harry supposed she was waiting for a cab. Raven turned to Harry.

"What?" she asked, seeing Harry's questioning look.

"You didn't tell us you were friends with her," said Harry.

"That is so no big deal, and you know now, don't you?" she said, smiling. "And she's one of my two best friends."

"And you call her obnoxious?" said Ron in disbelief.

"Well, she is. She knows I describe her as that. Besides, you've just met the other most obnoxious person in Bridgework I was talking about a while ago."

"Iris Lair?" said Hermione.

"She seemed nice," said Harry in an uncertain tone. He was wondering whether Raven was in the right viewpoint of things.

"Seemed nice?" said Raven. "I have got to compliment it, her acting skills are just getting better as the days go by."

A sleek black van halted in front of them, and a stately looking man in a suit got out from the passenger seat and opened the door for them, motioning them to get inside.

"I get my benefits, being the best friend of an affluent personality," Raven said as she clambered right beside Rose. "For one, it makes my Prefect job a lot easier."

Harry mounted the car, and in came Hermione and Ron after him.

"Doko, Rosu-sama?" said the driver up the front in, what Harry guessed, was Japanese.

"Gakko, kudasai," replied Rose in fluent Japanese, and the car rolled away.

"Doko wa kyoku desu ka?" said Raven now.

"A, hai. Gomen ne, Rei-sama," said the man in the passenger seat. He pressed a button on the dashboard and punk rock boomed from somewhere behind their seats. The sound made everyone except Rose jump.

"I said music, Rose, not noise," said Raven in an annoyed tone.

"That is music. You've been ridin' this car for seven years. 'Ven't you gott'n used to what I listen to yet?"

Raven rolled her eyes and turned to Hermione again.

As their car wound its way around a Japanese street, Harry looked at his companions. Ron sat comfortably, looking out the window. Hermione and Raven were chatting furiously once more. And Rose, she looked as she did on the train: cool and unconcerned.

A/N: Hope you guys liked that. I have really got to sleep so no more author's notes for this time. By the way, forgive the grammar of my Japanese, if any peepz out there who know how to speak Jap are reading. I'm not that good, all right? Thanks… Till next chapter! \m/

Another thing, to the guys who are following this story, please review! Y'know, it'd encourage me to finish the chapters faster! But if you can't submit reviews because of some PC problems (I experience that sometimes), please just e-mail me at so that I'd know what you think about it! All right, guyz? Thanks!