A/N Harry's package wasn't from a secret admirer - it only looked like that, so he would open it, making it explode. Lucas planted it, since Snape told him to get Rose through the people she cared about.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You're all awesome!

6 years later…

A red-haired woman stood in the small kitchen of a flat nestled in the middle of Diagon Alley. Yawning, she pointed at a hallway. The tawny owl that had just flown in an open window flew in the direction she had pointed.

Ginny Weasley shook her head and muttered something like 'owls at this hour,' and busied herself with making a cup of tea.

The owl flew down the hallway, which turned a little, ending in a door. It flew in it, and dropped its letter on the stomach of the seventeen year old hanging upside-down off the edge of her bed, reading a worn, thin blue book titled 'The Secrets of Animagi.'

Rose Potter pulled herself up, leaned against her pillows, and opened the letter on her stomach.

'Ms. Rose Potter,' it read, in elegant red script; 'you have been appointed Head Girl of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please report to the Head compartment of the Hogwarts Express, on September 23rd, to meet the Head Boy. Sincerely, Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress, and Aberforth Dumbledore, Headmaster.'

'Alright!' Rose whooped. 'Now I'm Head Girl and captain of the Quidditch team!'

Ginny, walking in, heard her daughter.

'Oh, sweetie, that's great!'

She handed Rose a mug of tea, and then yawned.

'I'm going to owl everyone and tell them, and then I'm going back to bed.'

Rose rolled her eyes, and muttered 'I wouldn't be surprised if you purchased a page in the Daily Prophet to announce it.'

'That's not a bad idea!' Ginny said, laughing at Rose's snort of disgust.

Rose pulled her dark red hair into a messy bun to keep it out of her brilliant green eyes, and then lay back down on her bed with the mug of tea, petting the toffee-and-cream colored cat that had climbed onto her stomach.

'Isn't that awesome, Ana? Head Girl! I can't believe I made it – I thought it was going to be Lotte, she's the good girl. I'm just the slightly sane girl that runs around learning all sorts of crazy spells and pranking people when things get too quiet. Hell, I'm not even popular! Well, I guess that makes sense, all the popular people don't have an ounce of sense. They're all gits, too.'

The cat only purred in acknowledgment, and then turned over. Rose laughed, and rubbed the cat's belly, holding her book with one hand.

'Becoming an Animagus,' she read 'is a very dangerous, long process. Any unregistered animagi are illegal. It takes a series of complicated potions and spells to become one.'

Rose snorted. Tell me something I don't know, she muttered, locking her door and closing the blinds. She took a deep breath, and walked to the middle of the room.

Clearing her mind and concentrating only on her form, she felt the familiar, pleasant burning sensation start in her fingertips. Taking more deep breaths, she felt it wash over her body in waves, as her body began to change.

She felt herself shrink, and then lengthen. Rose's fingers became great, padded, heavy paws, and her ears became pointed and moved to the top of her head. Her body itself was solid muscle.

When Rose opened her now-amber eyes, she saw the world through a cougar's eyes. Her fur was tawny, and thick. She yawned, stretching her powerful body.

Ana sat in the corner of the room, unamused. The cat was used to this. Her owner had practiced this curious ritual many times before. Ana personally liked Rose better as a cat; cats were so much smarter than humans.

The buttery scent of croissants reached Rose's nose. She sniffed, enjoying the heightened sense of smell she had in her cougar form. 'Food,' cougar-Rose thought. Then, the sound of footsteps reached her ears. Startled, she began to change back, the pleasant burning sensation becoming rather painful as she hurried herself through the steps.

She had changed back and unlocked her door just in time, for Ginny opened the door.

'Rose!' she said. 'Breakfast – why are your blinds closed? Hon, you're not a vampire, y'know.'

Rose smiled sheepishly.

'I know.'

Ginny raised an eyebrow. 'Lianne, Lotte, Calder, and Harry are in the kitchen, demanding that you come out, so change into something decent.' With that, closed the door behind her.

Rose flopped down onto the bed.

'Phew! That was close, huh Ana?'

Ana didn't even look up from licking her paw.

A rather unwilling Rose was dragged into Madam Malkin's by Lotte and Lianne later that day. She sat and watched Lianne pick the wildest robed she could find, laughing with Lotte at her friend's weird fashion sense.

She grew more bored by the moment, and with a nod to Lotte, finally managed to escape to Flourish and Blott's.

The magical bell on the door greeted her as she stepped in ('Sale on cookbooks today!'). Rose ignored it and headed to the spell book section. She finally sat down with a book called 'The Animal Inside: What Your Animagus Means.' Sighing happily (she had gotten a comfy chair), she began reading her book, until her 'chair' sputtered indignantly.

When she whipped around in surprise, the 'chair' fell over, bringing Rose with it.

Rose looked down and realized she was lying on top of none other than Lucas Nielson, whom she had hated since first year. He smirked at her.

'I know I'm irresistible,' he drawled, clearly enjoying her discomfort 'but please, restrain yourself.'

Rose glared at him, and stood up, brushing herself off, muttering 'I thought you were a fucking chair!' Then, green eyes glinting, she reached down a hand to help him up.

Lucas looked at it suspiciously. Since when was Rose Potter nice to him?

'It won't bite you, you know,' she said, looking amused.

Finally, Lucas took it. She pulled him up, and immediately he was sent flying. Looking up from a pile of books, he glared at Rose, until he realized that, for the second time that day, someone was on top of him.

'Out!' The enraged Flourish and Blott's employee shouted, and Rose and Lucas were both literally 'cast' out. Standing up and rubbing his arm, Lucas turned to face Rose.

'I hope you're happy, Potter,' he sneered. 'This is all your fault!'

Rose faced him, too, hands on her hips, dark red hair streaming out behind her, eyes flashing. From experience, Lucas knew she was severely pissed.

'My fault?' she hissed. 'My fault? You just keep thinking that, Nielson. You shouldnt've been acting like a chair in the first place!' Realizing how stupid she had just sounded, Rose turned on her heel and left.

Lucas stared at her incredulously. She was the one who had sat on him, of all things, then flung him into a bookshelf. Bitch. But damn, he thought, she grew over the summer.

Rose walked swiftly along the street, eyes still flashing. Who did he think he was? Irresistible? Honestly! Subconsciously, she was horrified to realize how nice his lap had been.

She was unaware of the stares she got from the boys (and men) that happened to be in Diagon Alley that day. She had always been muscular, but over the summer, she had grown an amazing figure. Both her face and body had matured, and, known to everyone but her, Rose looked gorgeous.

Finally, the first day of Hogwarts arrived. Rose hurriedly kissed her Mum goodbye, and then helped Lianne herd her twin brothers (they're not brothers, Lianne often told people; they're creatures) onto the Hogwarts Express for their first year.

Ginny watched her daughter with proud tears in her eyes. She wished Harry had been there, with her. He would have been proud. She felt an arm go around her shoulders, and Hermione gave her a squeeze.

'We're all proud of them, Gin,' she said. 'Harry would've been so proud of Rose.'

Ginny smiled gratefully at the older woman, returning her hug.

Rose walked apprehensively to the Head's compartment. Opening it, she found herself face to face with Lucas Nielson, who looked just as happy to see her as she was to see him.

Absolutely horrified.

A/N Why Rose's animagus is a cougar:

Cougars stand for Using Leadership Power Wisely and Without Ego, Balancing Power, Intention, Strength, Gaining Self-Confidence, Freedom from Guilt, Cunning, Savagery, Fury, Remorseless, Hunting, Seeking of Freedom, Balancing Intention, Power, Coming into Your Own Power, Courage, Swiftness, Balance

I thought it fit Rose really well.