Chapter 2 – Letting love find a way.

1963 / 1964

Another year, another life. It was Elizabeth's second year this year. This year was going to be different for her, as she didn't have to worry about anything, but the one thing that was killing her was Ross. She was still confused about him, didn't know who he was as a person. All she knew about Ross was a stupid third year that was a Slytherin. Isn't Slytherin supposed to be arch enemies with all the houses, except their own? Elizabeth was boarding the train to Hogwarts, in the same compartment as Tracy and Rita. Rita was asking too many questions about this year, and Tracy and Elizabeth didn't notice until Rita repeated the question five times.

"What was that again? Sorry, I was too busy not caring" Tracy said, Rita scoffed.

"What do you think Elizabeth? Elizabeth?" Rita nudged the girl and she jolted awake. The poor girl didn't get enough sleep, she groaned and looked at Rita. Her blond curly hair falling down, and her glasses just on the bridge of her nose.

"What?" Elizabeth asked annoyed, Rita sighed and repeated the question, Elizabeth just looked at her confused, tho she didn't understand Rita because she was half awake.

"Oh I don't know Rita, can you just be quiet. Elizabeth has to-" Elizabeth didn't finish it, she had already fallen asleep. Rita groaned and decided to give up grabbing her morning edition of The Daily Prophet reading what the latest hide lines where. Nothing special, just a couple of people being sent to Azkaban. The train ride was long tiring, Tracy woke Elizabeth up.

"Come on, wake up sleepy head!" Tracy said with a smile, Elizabeth laughed and rubbed her eyes, grabbing her suitcase they walked out of the train and towards the carriages.

"I wonder what pulls them." Elizabeth asked curiously sitting up into the carriages.

"Who knows! Could be gnomes!" Tracy said with a laugh. Elizabeth laughed back and they sat in the carriage alone until two Slytherin boys jumped in. Ross and Rob. Tracy scoffed.

"What are you two doing here?" Tracy asked looking at the boys.

"Can't we communicate with our younger fellow peers?" Rob asked Tracy.

"Yeah, with other Slytherins!" Tracy said with a laugh. Elizabeth laughed with her.

"It'll only be 15 minutes of utter mayhem. Let's enjoy it while we can!" Elizabeth said, she only said that because Ross was looking at her.

"Two Ravenclaws sounding more like Slytherins. Why aren't you guys with our group?" Rob asked with a slight snap in his voice.

"Because at least we have dignity" the carriages started rolling.

"What dignity? You're sitting with two Slytherin boys!" Rob replied. Elizabeth rolled her eyes along with Tracy.

"Let's get this over with then" Tracy said shrugging her shoulders. She didn't talk the whole ride, only Elizabeth did. Being seduced by the Slytherin third year. She smiled and laughed at their stupidity, all Tracy did was scoff. After the ride was over they got their suitcases.

"Thanks for the ride Elizabeth!" Ross said giving Elizabeth a wink. She smiled back.

"No problem!" was all that could manage out of Elizabeth's voice. Rita laughed walking past. "Shut up Rita!" Elizabeth said annoyed. Elizabeth and Tracy walked into Hogwarts, not talking at all. Well this was off to a good start.

The following weeks were easy for Elizabeth, Professor Slughorn was Elizabeth's favourite teacher (even if he was head of Slytherin) she found Professor Flitwick's classes easy and even Professor McGonagall who was easy on Elizabeth no matter what. The classes for the weeks went by fast; she had no trouble at all – except Bellatrix Black who kept on mimicking her and bossing her around. Ron wouldn't be hovering her all the time and only check up on her when she was in the common room.

"So what are you studying?" A familiar voice trailed from the other half of her. Elizabeth was in the library studying for Transfiguration, she looked up to his signature smirk and Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "What? Did I disturb you, oh I'm sorry!"

"No, no. You just shocked me that's all. I'm sorry" Ross smiled and gave a soft laugh. "I'm just studying for Transfiguration" she said with a smile.

"I've heard your her star pupil" Ross said with a smirk, Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. She knew she was the star pupil of Professor McGonagall, but it didn't bother her at all really. She liked her and thought she was a great teacher. "I don't know why my mother said for me not to speak to you; you're a pretty awesome girl!" Elizabeth blushed a bit.

"Well thanks Tibbs, you're an alright bloke" you could both hear their Australian accents.

"Why haven't I met you before?" Ross asked Elizabeth in curiosity. Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders looking at Ross.

"Well I'm from the city and I presume you're from the country?" She asked him, there was a difference in their accents besides the fact that they both had different vital organs.

"Yes, so I guess that's it. But I did meet you at Diagon Alley that time you were with your mother" Ross said looking down at the book and reading it a bit. "This is easy" Ross said. Elizabeth rolled her eyes at him.

"Well of course it is, you're a year ahead of me!" She said like she knew it all, even if she was in Ravenclaw and that was really why she is that house. Ross gave a chuckle that made Elizabeth have shivers.

"I should leave you now shouldn't I?" Ross said, Elizabeth shook her head.

"No please stay!" She then took hold of his hand and he nodded with a smile.

It was slowly approaching Christmas time, and Elizabeth wanted to stay in Hogwarts with Tracy, her mother was travelling England. Elizabeth sat by the fireplace in the common room. It was Christmas time and only Tracy out of all the Ravenclaw's where left.

"Let's go grab something to eat. I'm too lazy to change" she said chucking Elizabeth her nightgown. She smiled at her friend and pulled it on, walking down stairs there was a huge tree in the middle of the hall. There weren't many people there, a couple of Gryffindors, a couple of Hufflepuffs and a couple of Slytherins. Including Ross, Elizabeth didn't care who saw her in her PJ's and her night gown, she was hungry. Elizabeth walked with Tracy to the Ravenclaw table to find food. Elizabeth and Tracy spoke about their presents that they had gotten, Elizabeth and Tracy both asked their parents to buy them something for the other one. Elizabeth got Tracy a necklace with a "T" in it, while Tracy got Elizabeth a necklace with an "E" in it. They found that it was their best friend charm necklaces.

Christmas had come and gone for the pair, and it was slowly beginning to become 1964. The snow fell on the ground and Tracy and Elizabeth was playing in the snow, it wasn't different for Tracy to see snow. But for Elizabeth it was a strange scene, coming from Australia where it'll never snow and it'd only snow on the mountains. Elizabeth smiled at Tracy, both of them throwing snow balls at each other.

"Watch it Cawson!" A slight yell was heard from over Tracy's shoulders. Elizabeth peered over to see Ross with a smirk across his face and Rob next to him.

"Oh Tibbs, it's a snowball it's not going to kill you!" Elizabeth yelled back, Tracy laughed to herself.

"Wow, Ravenclaws are having fun! What a first!" Rob yelled with a smirk, Tracy rolled her eyes rolling up some snow in her ice bitten hands.

"I'll give you some fun!" Tracy then threw the snowball at Rob who groaned in annoyance. Ross then gave Rob a laugh. Rob proceeded to throw a snowball at Ross. That was the day that Elizabeth wanted to hold on forever, for that was when two Slytherins, and two Ravenclaw's played together like children. Where it didn't matter of house, or blood. It just mattered of how much fun you had and how much of a feeling of warmth you have in your heart and soul.

Moments went by, weeks went by. Where Ross and Elizabeth would speak more, Ross would find her in the library studying for whatever subjects she had the next period. They would speak about Ross's trips to Hogsmeade and their past life. Nobody really spoke of their friendship, if you'd call it a friendship. She spoke to him about Ron, and how their families have a rivalry.

"Why?" Elizabeth asked Ross as they both looked at 'Hogwarts: A History', Ross had needed help with this book and felt Elizabeth was the perfect match for it.

"I don't know, mum never spoke to me about it. All she said was 'don't speak to that Cawson girl', and that was it. But I don't know why" Ross was confused, confused as much as Elizabeth was. The pair turned a page and looked at one with muggle technology. The new technology around was the Television, and it wasn't like they needed it. "Well, the Malfoy's and the Tibbs have a huge rivalry. Their only son Lucius is gain to be at Hogwarts next year,"

"Why would you want a television at Hogwarts?" Elizabeth said running away from the topic, she didn't mean to, she just didn't know many wizarding families. "Wait, Malfoy's? Who are the" she paused. "Malfoy's?"

"They're a wizarding family, a pure-blood wizarding family like ours. Except, they do have muggle blood. But they're a dark family" was all he could say, Elizabeth felt like he couldn't speak of it and she presumed not to ask. The pair sat there reading the book not speaking anymore about the Malfoy's, or not even speaking to each other what class they had next. Just sat in the big chair, reading, and greeting the silence with a comforting smile.

Winter ended and spring came upon them. The snow was slowly dying and the grass was starting to show. Elizabeth walked into Herbology, finding her friend Molly Prewett smiling at her with a wave, Tracy was sick that day and couldn't get up. Molly sat next to her friend Arthur who gave her a wave.

"So, done your Herbology homework Frizz?" Molly asked in a friendly mocking tone. Elizabeth rolled her eyes with a childish scoff.

"Shush Dolly!" Out came a laugh from the two girls and the teacher looked at the two girls.

"Sorry sir" they said at the same time. He paused for a second flared his nostrils and began speaking again.

"I don't want to get a detention Molly!" Elizabeth whispered to the girl next to her, Arthur shook his head.

"We'll all get in trouble!" He whined, the girls gave Arthur a straight face and continued to speak utter nonsense. When the teacher finally finished speaking, he proceeded for the class to begin writing down what they were needed for this task.

"So you and Ross huh?" Molly said with a grin. "Isn't it like illegal for Slytherins to go out with someone who isn't in their house?"

"We're not going out, we're just friends!" Elizabeth said flicking back her blonde hair. Elizabeth's grandmother had blonde hair, and she didn't like it all. Asking for her mother to use magic to dye it. But Eileen refused to. She looked at the red head with a stern face, but couldn't stay angry at her.

"You can never stay angry at Molly Prewett!" She said with a flick of a smile and a wink of an eye. The class then began silent as they took down notes. People were beginning to start talking about Ross and Elizabeth, it wasn't that they would talk to each other every day, and plus they only saw each other before class, lunch and after classes. They would occasionally talk during their visits at the library. Elizabeth felt something, for Ross. But she was only 12 and it was probably indigestion, or that was what Elizabeth suggested to herself, never went to the nurse. Just, stuck it out and went with the wind.

Weeks went on, and Ross and Elizabeth were in the library studying for their end of year exams. Ross groaned in frustration. He didn't like the exams, he always passed because he knew what to do (maybe failing a bit in Divination), and Elizabeth didn't enjoy Herbology, for she was never really good at gardening and what not. For this is what she was studying for, Herbology with Professor Greengrub. Molly and Elizabeth always laughed at the last name, thought it was ironic.

"How could you enjoy Divination? You haven't even been to one class, I swear Professor Rose is a crazy seel sometimes it's just! Oh my Merlin!" Ross cursed reading over the Divination. Elizabeth gave Ross a stern face and rolled her eyes flicking a page.

"At least you don't have Herbology this year; I swear Professor Greengrub is angry all the time!" Elizabeth said groaning finishing the page she finished reading. Ross chuckled and looked at Elizabeth, they both had the same shade of blue in their eyes, and his hair was going a dark brown from the light brown that was there last year. Elizabeth giggled and gave a small pink blush looking away from his eyes looking down at the book.

"Oh well uhm" Ross rubbed the back of neck and coughed. "I should go, it's almost nine and I need to sleep!"

"Party pooper!" Elizabeth said poking her tongue out of her mouth, Ross clicked his finger and pointed at her like his hand was a gun.

"Oi, don't you be running around the grounds like that" he started to say as he packed up his things and took his book and bag. "Don't want to be messing a pretty face up like that one now do we?" he questioned and walked off.

"You are one weird man Ross Tibbs!" Elizabeth yelled, but not enough for Miss. Prince to hear her.

"You've got it babe!" One last was sentence was yelled from Ross's mouth, he raised his hand in the air saluting a goodbye. Elizabeth sighed to herself and gave a warm smile to herself and anyone walking past. Looking at her Beatles hand watch she noticed it was 10 pm, moving her hand over her mouth she yawned into and sighed again scratched the top of her head she decided it was time to hit the hay. Closing her book and walking out of the library towards the Ravenclaw tower. The next two days were a weekend, and that was Ross' birthday. Always two days before Elizabeth's.

"Happy birthday Ross!" Elizabeth said with a smile walking up to her friend, she gave him a hug and he hugged back.

"Thank you Elizabeth" he said with a warm smile. They now called each other by their first names, but only on the odd occasion (or when they wanted to make fun of each other) would they call them by their last names. She held her hands on her chest showing a card she had made for his birthday.

"I hope this is okay, not perfect. But hey next year I'll go to Hogsmeade and get you something!" Elizabeth said with a smile and a small blush on her cheeks. Ross smiled and looked at the card; there was a photo video of Ross playing Quidditch. He looked at the writing, celebrating his 14th birthday. He loved it, he truly did love it. Ross didn't mind if it wasn't a broom stick, or a pet owl. It was made from the heart, made from a friend. That's all Ross needs right now, he needs a friend.

"Elizabeth, it is perfect!" Ross said pausing with a grin etching from ear to ear. He gave her a big hug, still with the grin on his face. "I'm going to Hogsmeade with Rob today, so I might get you something for your birthday!" He said winking.

"Oh, Tibbs you're getting soft on me! How sweet!" Elizabeth said flattered placing a hand on her heart, Ross rolled his eyes with a laugh.

"Shut up Cawson!" The two began laughing again. After asking what else he got Ross then had to leave for Hogsmeade, he gave Elizabeth one last hug and ran off.

When Elizabeth's birthday came rolling around Ross got her a cupcake, along with a card that was very cute. It was in purple and it said "Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional" Elizabeth thought that that quote fit her well. The year finished up for the two friends, the promised to write to each other under the alias "Freya Elinor" and Ross would write under "George William" their friendship remained a secret for that year from their family and Ron hadn't suspected a thing. Elizabeth sat on the train with Rita and Tracy. Two years down at Hogwarts and only another four to go, she was excited and wanted to stay for the whole summer.