A/N Sorry, I lied, a couple more chapters of Rose's first year are in order.

'Mmmrpth?'

Rose's curtains opened and a large, blurry lump flew at her face. Coughing and sputtering, she kicked at it, and with a large thump, it fell off her bed. Rubbing her eyes and sitting up groggily, she looked at Lianne, who was now on the floor, her streak turning an offended shade of orange.

'Geez, Rose, you're gonna kill me one day or something!'

Glaring at Lianne, Rose flopped back down and pulled a pillow over her face.

'Yea, but you'd definitely deserve it, Li.'

Lianne tickled her, causing Rose to fall off the bed. Rose huffed indignantly. Lianne pushed her off her legs, and stood up.

'It's Christmas, you idiot! Presents!'

Lianne scooped up the pile at the foot of her bed, and ran downstairs to join Matt and Harry. Rose rolled her eyes and followed suit.

There was no one else staying other than a handful of 5th and 7th years, but Rose liked it that way. She felt almost as if she had the castle to herself.

Then, spotting Lucas in the corner of the common room, Rose scowled. If he was here too, she didn't like it.

Rose's Granny had knitted her the usual sweater that year (accompanied by a large tin of fudge); green, to match her eyes. From her Uncle Ron, Harry, and Aunt Hermione, she had '101 Transfiguration Tips'. Uncle Bill, Matt, and Aunt Fleur had given her a beautiful pair of pearl drop earrings that would go perfectly with her sweater.

From Tonks, Remus, and Lianne she had gotten a brand-new Quidditch glove. Tucked inside it, from Remus, was a thin, blue book that said 'The Secrets of Animagi' in silver lettering. Rose looked at it in interest, but the note Remus had left inside it warned her to only read it in private.

What her mum had given her intrigued her greatly: a note that told Rose to be sure to be by the fire place at 8 o'clock that morning. Rose looked anxiously at the clock. It was 7:30.

Cursing Lianne for waking her up so early, she turned back to her friend and cousins (Lotte and Calder were home for the holidays), to see Harry prodding a purple package suspiciously. He was blushing, and Matt and Lianne were giggling hysterically.

Rose raised an eyebrow.

'He's – he's – he's –' Lianne choked.

'Got a secret admirer,' Harry finished, rather quietly.

Rose began laughing, too. Harry glared at her, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

Matt punched his younger cousin in the arm. 'Well? Open it already!'

Suddenly, the words the person Lucas had been talking to had spokenthat night flashed into Rose's mind:

'Those that are brave and good always fear harm will come to the ones they love. It is their weakness. Use it to your gain, my Lord.'

'Harry –' she began warningly, but with a large flash of light, the package exploded.

Rose was blown backwards by the force of the explosion, and her forehead was slammed against an overturned armchair. She ignored the blood trickling down her face and focused on the frantic voices of the Gryffindors in the common room.

Smoke filled her nostrils, but Rose didn't panic. Pulling out her wand, she yelled 'Unda Incendia!' and a stream of water shot from her wand toward the area where she could smell the most smoke.

Rose heard a sizzle, and as the smoke began to clear, she saw the soaked, charred remains of Harry's 'present.' Her cousin was laying a ways off, by another armchair, clearly unconscious. Rose quickly took control of the situation.

'Matt! Li! Get Harry to the hospital wing, now! Anyone else hurt?'

To her surprise, the only people in the common room were Lianne, Harry, Matt, and herself. Lucas was nowhere to be seen. Running out of the common room and pushing the portrait aside, she pulled out the Marauder's map from her robes.

'I solemnly swear I am up to no good,' she gasped, still running.

She saw little dots labeled Lianne Lupin, Harry Weasley, Matt Weasley, and Madam Pomfrey clustered in the hospital room. Her own dot, labeled Rose Potter, was hurriedly racing along the halls.

Realizing Filch could apprehend her any moment; she pulled on her invisibility cloak and headed towards the headmaster's office. 'Twee,' she muttered to a grouchy-looking stone gargoyle, and stepped on the rising spiral staircase.

Lucas, concealed behind a statue, watched in amazement as Rose became invisible and then gained admittance to what he assumed was the headmaster's office.

He admired the efficiency at which she had handled the explosion, he had to admit that. And he had felt a twinge of regret when he had seen Harry Weasley being carried out of the common room. But only a twinge.

Pulling out his mirror, he went to the library so if anyone came to inquire as to his whereabouts, he could say he had been there all along.

Plus, he had a new book on the dark arts from Severus.

'And I had heard him saying that that night –'

'Ms. Potter, we cannot accuse young Lucas of a misdeed without proof.'

'But, I saw him, I heard him!'

'While that may be, Ms. Potter, you were wearing an invisibility cloak, which is forbidden in Hogwarts. If Lucas did not see you, he can easily say he wasn't there that night, and I am favoring you by believing you.'

'But sir, he'd be getting away with it, and it's not fair! At all! He should be punished!'

Rose stopped, abashed, realizing she sounded like a child denied a piece of candy. Aberforth Dumbledore saw the shame in her eyes, and smiled encouragingly at her.

'Be as that may, Ms. Potter, I think it's also best not to let the death eaters know we know about this heir of Voldermort's. I shall go pay Mr. Weasley a visit shortly, perhaps you should as well. I will alert Professor McGonagall, and she can do as she sees fit. Congragulations on your excellent spellwork and handling of the situation. Fifty points to Gryffindor.'

Standing up and beckoning to Rose, Aberforth Dumbledore began walking down the stairs, blinking red robes shining merrily.

'Oh, Professor?'

'Yes?'

'What time is it?'

'8:01.'

'Crap! I gotta meet my Mum – I mean – darn –'

Aberforth's eyes twinkled, but he didn't say anything. Cursing, Rose sprinted to the Gryffindor common room.

'Oh, Rose, what a sweetie!'

The blue-eyes kitten cradled in Rose's arms looked up at Lianne's long brown hair dangling in front of her. She swatted at it with her cream-colored paws, much to Lianne's dismay.

The kitten was a gift from Rose's Mum. She had toffee-colored fur, blue eyes, a cream-tipped tail, and a cream-colored belly and paws.

'D'you have a name for her?'

Harry peered at the kitten fromthe stark-whitebed. Much to his dismay, Madam Pomfrey had confined him to it for the Christmas feast later that night.

'Ana, I think.'

Matt snorted.

'That's a girly name.'

'She is a girl, you idiot.'

A loud shriek interrupted Rose and Matt's argument.

'Animals in the infirmary? Out! Get it out! And you!' Madam Pomfrey said, grabbing Rose's arm 'You aren't going anywhere with that gash on your forehead! Could've bled to death,' she muttered, tapping Rose's forehead with her wand.

With an apologetic glance to Lianne and Ana, she shove the surprised kitten into her friend's arms andsurrendered to the terror that was Madam Pomfrey.