Chapter Seven
Hogwarts
October 12, 2017
James sat by the lake, skipping rocks. Actually, he was chunking them in without any regard to the art of rock skipping, but Louis didn't think it'd be a good idea to bring it up. James hadn't been in a pleasant mood all week, and Louis didn't want to make it any worse. They hadn't even tried any pranks since last Thursday. Louis thought James might be sick.
"Are you sure you're quite alright?" Louis asked, skipping in a rock for himself.
"I'm bloody fine, Lou. Stop asking."
"You're the one who-
"Why don't you just bugger off, then." James snapped, throwing the next pebble in Louis' direction.
"Alright." Louis responded angrily, jumping up and jogging back up to the castle. He wasn't about to stick around James in that kind of mood, and he wasn't sure if he'd be very forgiving about it, either.
James huffed and fell backwards onto the grass, staring up into what seemed to be an endless blue sky. Occasionally he could see one of the members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team as they flew outside of the pitch into his line of vision. It was officially in season and their first game was coming up this weekend. Quidditch usually excited James to no end, but right now it only made him angrier. He sighed and closed his eyes.
"Oy, James!" Someone called what James thought was only a few minutes later. James opened one eye. Fred, Frank, Eleanor, and Molly were all walking in his direction.
"We could hear you snoring all the way at the pitch."
James groaned and sat up. "Bugger off, you lot." He frowned and rested folded arms on top of his kneeds.
Frank backed up with his hands in the air. "Alright, alright. You heard what he said, Eleanor, let's get to it."
"Frank." Eleanor chided.
The group joked around for a bit before Fred quietly waved them off and walked over to James. He threw his Quidditch bag down and sat behind it. "What's up, Jamesie?"
"Could you not, please."
Fred raised an eyebrow. "You know, James, you've been a right arse to everyone for the past two weeks. There's got to be something going on."
James snorted. "Nothing's going on. Maybe I just don't want to be around you lot anymore."
Fred laughed. "You literally can't get away from us. If it's not here, it's at home, or at Granmolly's house. We're everywhere."
James shrugged. He wasn't about to have this conversation with Fred right now. He was too angry and he'd been letting it build up and honestly he didn't even know how to explain it. He was just mad.
"Alright then. Well, we've got another two hours before curfew. I reckon we can just sit here in silence until then."
James rolled his eyes and stared at his older cousin, but he didn't move, just smiled and stared out at the lake where the Giant Squid was coming up for an evening stroll around the banks. James let a few minutes go by in silence before looking back over at his dark-skinned cousin.
"Bloody hell, I'm just tired of being treated like a kid around you lot, is all." James sighed, exasperated with even himself. "You make fun of everything I do and ever since the year began it's been like you're all suddenly too old to be friends with me. I don't like being treated like that. No one makes fun of Louis that way, and we're the same age."
Fred leaned over, gently elbowing his cousin. "Aww, James, I'm sorry. I didn't know you felt that way, or we'd have let up a bit."
James shrugged, and the two were silent for a while.
"Look at it this way. You get it more because you're easier to joke around with." Fred grinned. "Louis is a bit of a softie."
The giant squid seemed to slip in some mud and it sent three of his tentacles flying while he let out a semi-sonic wail. James and Fred cringed and buried their ears in their shoulders.
"Merlin, mate!" Fred cried when the sound was over. "You've almost burst our eardrums."
The giant squid didn't look over, but waved a tentacle in their direction and the boys took it as acknowledgement.
Fred continued, turning to James. "And, you know, we are older. But that doesn't mean you're not our friend anymore. It just means that our, I don't know, maturity levels or something are different. You're thirteen and I'm sixteen and Frank and Victoire are seventeen. There are even times when I feel like they're looking at me funny for something dumb I've said. Why," Fred laughed. "the other day, Eleanor said something along the lines of you'll understand when you're a seventh-year and I wanted to strangle her on the spot!"
James laughed. "Right."
Fred shrugged and looked back out at the lake. "People grow older, mate, and they change and their humor changes and what they think is important changes." He nudged James again, this time a little harder. "But that doesn't mean we don't want you around."
James studied the ground for a moment. He knew Fred was being extraordinarily kind with him right now, because he'd been a complete arsehole the past few weeks. James looked up, squinting in the late evening sun. "Sorry, mate."
Fred wrapped an arm around James' neck and pulled him into a tight side-hug, carefully positioning his nose into his underarm. James fought back, kicking and screaming. Finally, Fred let him go.
"Fred you are disgusting!" James jumped to his feet.
"Ahh, the refreshing smell of Quidditch." Fred said blissfully, leaning back and then standing up as well.
The two walked up to the castle and made their way to the Gryffindor tower. In front of the portrait, they stopped.
"Mimbulus Mimbletonia." Fred said to the portrait.
The Fat Lady smiled down at them and shook her head.
"Oh, bugger." Fred said, looking down at James. "Did you look at the bulletin this morning?" He asked.
James shook his head. "Has it been a fortnight already?"
Fred shrugged. "I dunno about a fortnight but they've decided to change it, that's for sure." He looked back up at the portrait. "Is it possible for you to let someone inside know that we're out here?"
She nodded her head and disappeared into the portrait. She soon returned, a shadow of another person behind her. The portrait swung open.
"There you are! Hurry up, I've called a house meeting." Eleanor said, ushering them in.
James wrinkled his nose and Fred sighed. They entered the buzzing common room.
"Did you see anyone else along the way?" Eleanor asked. The boys shook their heads.
Eleanor found a clearing in the assembly of Gryffindors and cleared her throat. "Alright, alright, listen up everyone. I've got two announcements and then Professor Longbottom's got some as well, so I'd like you to listen. First, we've got our first Quidditch match in two days and I expect every one of you out there supporting Gryffindor." The room broke into loud cheers and applause. Eleanor worked to get the room quiet again.
"A bit self-promotive, that was." Fred said, leaning over to whisper to Frank.
Frank grinned. "She's nothing if not prideful."
"And then my second announcement is that we've changed the password off schedule because someone told a Slytherin our password."
"She had a Gryffindor patch on!" A first-year squeaked in defense.
The room roared their disapproval but Eleanor whistled hard. "Calm down, it's all been taken care of. I'm sure all of you have made a mistake at some point in your lives." Eleanor frowned at her fellow students. "Right then. Unless the prefects have anything to say, I'll hand it over to Professor Longbottom now."
There was a slight pause of waiting before Neville got to his feet.
"Right then. I want to talk to you all about something very important, but first, I want to tell a story." A small groan went through the crowd but Neville smiled. "Right, I know, a story. I'll get on with it."
Neville looked out at the crowd of his students in front of him and a small shiver went down his spine. He remembered, years ago, receiving similar news over and over again from Dumbledore. He wasn't about to let the tradition of trust between student and professor die with him.
"A little more than twenty years ago, I sat in the Great Hall with the rest of the students, and I listened to some of the most frightful news that I had ever received. Lord Voldemort was back." He saw some of the students shift, giving him a bit more attention. Most of them had heard war stories from their parents all of their lives, but few heard it from actual members of Dumbledore's Army. "Our headmaster then, Albus Dumbledore, had gathered us all together specifically to tell us this. He told us that many people wouldn't want him to talk to students about the Dark Lord's return, but he felt it was necessary, and important, to trust us and to tell us, as our lives were as much on the line as our parents." Neville paused for effect. "Now, what I have to tell you here today is nothing as imminent or grave as news of a dark and powerful wizard on the rise, but I do want you to understand that there is a trust between us, that you as young wizards are just as important and crucial to the health of wizarding Britain as a witch or wizard twice your age. And that is why I want to tell you that today, we are preparing for war."
The students gave into a small lapse in their attention and whispered with their neighbors, some louder than others. "What do you mean, we're at war?" One voice asked.
Neville shook his head. "We're not at war. We may not ever be at war. But the ministry is finding it pertinent to prepare for war, and so I find it pertinent to inform you of it. Your parents may not like it – and I'm prepared to deal with that outcome. But I am not trying to be a fear monger, I am not trying to scare you or trick you. I want you to know and to understand today's wizarding politics, and the reality of it all right now is that western members of the International Confederation of Wizards are at odds with most of the eastern states. Relations have not been easy for decades, and they are worsening by the minute."
Neville looked around at his students who all now seemed to be thinking rather than chattering.
After many, many questions, the meeting was finally ended, and Neville bid his students goodnight. It took awhile for the common room to empty, but by midnight the only ones left were Victoire, Eleanor, Fred and Frank, who were lounging by the fire.
"What d'you suppose made him tell us all that tonight?" Eleanor asked, sitting with her legs across Frank's lap.
Frank shrugged. "I dunno."
Victoire was lying in front of the fire, stretched out across several pillows. "He seems to be stressing the whole trust thing, I think. I've been reading the papers and my dad talked about it all in his last letter, and I think it's very early to be making that kind of announcement." Victoire rolled over and stood up. "I think he's quite concerned with establishing that kind of communication with the house."
The group nodded, thinking about their Head of House's intentions.
"D'you think he got permission from McGonnagal first?" Fred asked, grinning.
Frank rolled his eyes. "If he gets in trouble with the board again mum's going to have is arse before they do."
The foursome laughed at the thought of it. As the clock approached one, they finally sauntered up to their dormitories, waving their goodbyes across the common room.
Rose and Pippa were running, hair flying and faces flushed.
"We can't be late," Pippa huffed, clutching a stitch in her side. "again."
The two reached the opposite side of the castle in record time. They burst out onto the courtyard lawn just as Madam Hooch appeared on the opposite side. They quickly pulled regulation brooms out of the broom cupboard and joined their classmates.
Madam Hooch was a very, very old witch. Very few professors had their sight set on teaching for fifty years, but Madam Hooch was not far from it. As she was quickly nearing her 120th birthday, she didn't move as quickly as she once did but that didn't stop her from doing much at all. She reached the group of first-year students, conjured up a chair, and sat down before beginning class.
"Today we're going to have a quick test. You should have all mastered the basics by now, and I want to make sure of it. Go on, line up. We'll go one by one."
The students got into a single-file line, and Rose made sure she was at the very back until Percie came along behind her.
Madam Hooch spent the hour having each student mount, lift, and fly the broom at varying speeds in a small portion of the courtyard. Nearly no one fell off, and Rose even got an E for the assignment. Percie, however, was reluctant to even try.
"But Madam Hooch, I really don't feel-
"Ms. Greengrass. If you're not up in the air within two seconds I'll be forced to talk to your Head of House."
Percie sighed, mounted her broom with ease, and took off. Rose's jaw dropped and Eliza squealed. "Percie's flying!"
Percie hadn't made it into the air during the first month and a half of flying classes. Each time she had complained of a stomach ache or made some other excuse. Rose now understood that she had been lying, but she wasn't sure why.
Pippa shook her head and laid back on the small grassy incline they were all perched on.
Rose looked back at Pippa over her shoulder. "Did you know about this?"
Pippa shrugged. "We grew up together."
"So you knew about this." Eliza chimed in.
Pippa just shrugged again. The threesome watched as Percie complied with each of Madam Hooch's commands, even the more difficult ones she hadn't thrown at the rest of the class.
Finally, Percie was called down and she landed right in front of the professor's chair.
"Merlin, sweet girl. I haven't seen anyone this young fly as fine as you since Harry Potter himself." Percie blushed. "What've you been avoiding flying for?"
Percie shrugged, and Madam Hooch didn't press the subject.
"That's it, though. No more messing around for you."
Percie made her way to her friends and plopped down on the ground in front of them. "Go on, do your worst." She said to Eliza and Rose. Pippa sat up, grinning.
"Pesephone Greengrass-" Eliza began.
"You dodgy, knob-headed," Rose continued.
"-barmy liar. Whyever have you been lying about your flying abilities. We could've started up a pub team ages ago."
The girls laughed, including Percie. She shrugged, staring down and picking at the grass. "I dunno, really. I hate flying. I hate it so, so much. But I'm bloody good at it." She grinned. "I just didn't want anyone to know, so they wouldn't make me do it."
Rose frowned. "Why do you hate flying so much?"
"Heights. I hate heights. And wind. And getting smelly. But mostly heights."
The foursome spent the rest of the pleasant afternoon by the lake, charming weeds into daisies and daisies into crowns. Storm clouds gathered on the horizon but it wasn't a worry in their mind quite yet. At one point, Rose was painfully aware of how content she was. She looked around at her three beautiful friends and smiled. Percie, who looked quite like mother earth in all seriousness, had her long, thick, light brown hair tucked underneath a thick headband and was encouraging her already golden-toned skin to darken as she sprawled out on the hill. Eliza, who was doing the exact opposite by protecting her ivory skin underneath a generous tree, was reading ahead for their astronomy class that night. Pippa, who was sitting next to Rose and unconcerned with the sun at large, was using her wand to connect the freckles on her olive-brown arm, making them look like constellations.
"Look," she said to Rose, leaning closer. "I think I've made Sirius."
Rose giggled. "That's my cousin's middle name. Sirius. He used to fancy going by it when he was little."
"Albus?"
"No, James."
"Ahh." Pippa looked at Rose, studying her.
"What? What is it?"
Pippa shrugged. "I was just thinking that it must have been very interesting to grow up with your family, is all, with every one of them war heroes."
Rose sighed, flopping onto her back. "I really didn't notice. They're just mum and dad and aunts and uncles and things like that, to me."
"I know," Pippa said "But still. Practically half of you Potter kids are even named after war heroes."
Rose giggled. "I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm named after a woman named Rosmerta. She owned the Three Broomsticks before the Longbottoms. My dad quite fancied her when he was at school."
Pippa howled with laughter, joining Rose on her back. "It's alright. I share the same name as my grandmother's favorite dog." Pippa gave Rose a pointed look. "And I didn't come first, if you're going to ask." The two dissolved into laughter once more. A while later, Pippa settled further into the grass.
"Really, though. It's special, I think. I mean, both of your parents have their own chocolate frogs for Merlin's sake." Pippa grinned, as did Rose.
"Right, they do. I made a joke of it when I was younger. I would collect every one of theirs that I found and I would leave them around the house in odd places, so that when they said 'no' to something, I'd just go pull out a card and tell them that the chocolate frog mummy had said that I could. It drove them mad, they thought it was so ridiculous. Dad was happy to have his own card, though. That was his favorite part of winning the war, I think."
Pippa kept smiling, but Rose glanced quickly over to see it faltering. Rose sat up.
"Does it make you uncomfortable, Pippa? When we talk about the war?"
Pippa sat up as well, squinting into the distance at the lake. "I don't know. I suppose it does." She shrugged. "I guess … I guess it just reminds me that my family went in on the wrong side, no matter where they came out. They were wrong, and they hurt people."
Rose nodded, and the two were silent for a while.
"If it makes you feel any better, Scorpius is technically my fourth cousin once removed. Just think about that."
Pippa fell back into laughter, her darker thoughts disappearing back into the corners of her mind. "Too bad, I'm quite sure he's in love with you."
"Nooo, he's not." Rose groaned, standing up and dusting off her hands. "And I'll thank you to never suggest it again. It's about time for dinner, wouldn't you say?"
Pippa agreed, standing up and going to rouse Percie while Rose got Eliza's attention. The four girls made their way back up to the castle for dinner as the storm clouds began rolling in over the castle, the rain announcing its arrival with large droplets on the now running girls' heads.
Later on, in the Great Hall near the end of dinner, Rose looked up suddenly and gasped.
"Albus!" Rose grinned at her favorite cousin as he appeared behind Percie's head at the Slytherin table.
"Hi, Rose." Said the boy with pale skin and bright green eyes. "How are things in Slytherin?"
Rose searched her cousin's face for any hint of mockery, but found none. "They're good. And Ravenclaw? I haven't seen you all term!"
"Splendid." Albus remarked, looking very happy. "At first I was very upset about not being in Gryffindor, but turns out the sorting hat had it alright, imagine that. I'm quite pleased."
"Me too, Al." Rose's smile turned a little softer. "Want to sit for a minute? I sure it'd be alright." Rose looked around. It wasn't done often, but it wasn't something that caused commotion, and Rose thought that since Slytherin had always been closest to the Ravenclaws…
"No, thanks though. I've got to get going. We're having a debate circle later on, and I need to prepare. They don't often let first years in the ring!" Albus waved his goodbye and left the Great Hall.
"What in the seven bloody hells do you think a debate circle is?" Percie asked, finishing up her steak and kidney pie before pulling a dessert plate in front of her.
Rose answered with a one-shouldered shrug while licking the marmalade off the top of a biscuit, but made a mental note to ask about it next chance she got.
"I'd be in any kind of circle with Albus." Eliza grinned slyly, batting her eyelashes at Rose beside her.
"Ew! Gross, that's Albus you're talking about. Can you please quit it with my family members?"
"You're not technically related to Frank, though."
"I call his father uncle and I've seen his morning woodie. That's related enough."
Pippa made a noise of disapproval.
"His morning woodie?" Eliza frowned.
Percie rolled her eyes. "You forget who you're talking to, Rose."
Rose choked on a bit of a rather dry biscuit. "Right, sorry." She leaned close to Eliza, letting biscuit crumbles fall out of her mouth while she spoke, earning another eye-roll from Pippa. "Sometimes boys wake up with their you know what hard."
Eliza pulled away, looking horrified at both the crumbs and the new information. "What do you mean, it gets hard?"
Percie laughed gleefully. "My friends, I don't think dear Eliza knows about sex."
Eliza huffed, acting oddly defensive. Pippa continued to stay out of the conversation, focusing on a textbook in her lap as she gripped a mug of coffee with her right hand.
"And what can you know about it, Percie? We're only eleven, for Merlin's sake."
Percie raised her eyebrows. "I'm certain I know more about it than you, madam."
"How so?"
"Scorpius is my cousin!" Percie leaned in closer, grinning. "When we were younger, on playdates, his mum would leave us alone in the garden and he would hide behind the bushes and tell me all about it."
"His penis?" Eliza and Rose gasped in glee. Pippa looked up and shushed them harshly. The girls looked around quickly and leaned back into the conversation.
"Scorpius was quite proud of it." Percie continued.
Just then, a short blonde sat down in the empty seat next to Eliza. "What is it about me you're saying?"
The three girls began howling with laughter, and even Pippa smirked. Scorpius' smile drooped.
"What? What is it?" He turned to Pippa, who was silently shaking her head. "What're they going on about?"
Pippa shrugged, still grinning. "I dunno. They've been talking nonsense all day, I've almost abandoned them."
Scorpius was quiet for a few moments before shrugging and cutting a piece of chocolate pie. After a while, the girls had settled down and were finishing up their desserts. Scorpius began anew with conversation.
"Have you heard the announcement? The ministry says that Beauxbatons is to hold the TriWizard tournament next year."
"Oh has it been five years already?" Rose frowned thoughtfully. "I remember Teddy talking about it in his fourth year." The redhead brightened considerably. "I suppose that means we'll be of age to participate in the next one!"
Scorpius paused and turned slowly to face Rose and Eliza. "I hadn't even done the math that way. I am incredibly excited about the prospect." He spoke in the strangest monotonous voice. The girls shared quick glances and giggled uncomfortably, unsure if he was trying to be funny or not. Percie decided to ignore it.
"Be careful, girls, that he doesn't get so excited that he invites you to visit a bush with him."
Eliza and Rose were caught so off guard by their extreme amusement that one spat pumpkin juice and the other got choked on her own spittle. Pippa, however, was so far gone into a fit raucous laughter that the group garnered the attention of several older disapproving Slytherins. Their icy glares subdued the happy first-years to quiet, shaking laugher behind their hands, and in Pippa's case, a book.
"If you haven't got the time for your muggle studies homework, I can outline it for you while you do something else."
Lucy and Anne sat in a corner of the Gryffindor common room at a small wooden table with two chairs. The third chair, having been unwanted by the pair for inviting guests to their corner, had been removed to the other side of the common room by the fire where a cat slept soundly while stretched across its' seat. Lucy, a second-year with the stature of a much younger girl, had straight blonde hair, pale skin, oval glasses, and a prim mouth set on a rather soft, kind face. Her best friend and cousin, Roxanne, was in possession of nearly polar opposite aesthetics: coarse dark auburn hair, rather large breasts for a twelve year old, darker skin than her brother's, and unbelievably dazzling blue eyes. Either one could most often be found in the company of the other no matter the time of day.
Lucy looked up from her own schoolwork and scooted her glasses up her nose. She stared across the round table at Anne expectantly. "Well?"
Anne nodded, not looking up from her parchment. "Alright."
Lucy huffed, pulling her glasses off and intently staring at Anne. "I'm sure I don't know why you're acting like this."
Anne looked up at her fair complexioned cousin and sat quietly while Lucy went on about the bad mood Anne had been in for a while. Finally, Anne stopped denying the mood and set in on Lucy.
"Well it's not as if I've gotten an apology is it, Lucy? You walked up to me and all you said was that it didn't make sense for us to not speak since we're best friends and cousins."
Lucy's jaw dropped open a bit. "Are you still on that? Honestly, Anne, it's time to move on. I have." Lucy raised one eyebrow and after a lingering gaze at Anne, turned back to her homework.
Anne sighed and slumped back in her chair, leaning a bit on the back two legs to get a better look out of the tower window. It was a stormy evening, but storms only made the castle feel even grander, and besides that, Anne loved the rain. What she didn't love, at the moment, was the coldness and indifference she was receiving from her cousin, no matter how much it seemed like she was the one pushing them apart and not Lucy.
Anne let out a sudden scream as her chair tipped backwards. She curled into a ball and protected the back of her head, waiting for the ground to come, but it never did. She opened her eyes and found a pair of dark blue orbs staring back at her.
"Gottcha."
"James!" She growled, swatting at him as she leaned forward and felt all four of the legs touch ground again. "I'm going to murder you."
He backed away smiling, his hands in the air. "Don't murder the messenger. Come on then, you two, we're going on an adventure."
Anne stared at James quizzically, without a response. He sighed.
"If I tell you where we're going, it won't be an adventure. Come on, Roxie!"
Anne rolled her eyes, but snapped her book shut and stood up. She began walking away without a second thought to whether or not Lucy would follow, but changed her mind when she glanced backwards to see Lucy staring forlornly out the window. Anne paused.
"Luce, are you coming?" She asked softly, holding out a hand. Lucy turned and regarded it quietly.
"I think I'll stay here. Bring me back a butterbeer if you can."
James called after them as he, Frank, Fred, Molly, and Louis headed out the portrait.
"Alright then." Anne said, following quickly after the others. "I'll see you later on."
Anne met the others outside of the portrait while Molly was pulling flower crowns out of a large brown satchel.
"Are those the ones Dad gave us?" Anne asked, walking over to her older brother.
"Yeah. I gave them to Molls earlier this morning in case I got stuck in detention over-time tonight." Fred said, receiving one of the crowns from Molly. "I think Dad thought he was having a good laugh, giving his son and nephews flower crowns, but I think I look quite charming in one. Don't I, Roxie?" Fred grinned as he placed the crown on his head. Quite instantly he disappeared with a soft pop.
Rose giggled. "Dashing, even."
The rest of the group disappeared underneath their flower crowns and made their way down the corridor.
"James, have you got the map?" Frank asked. The group paused.
"Er…"
"Seriously, Jamesie. I handed it over to you out of respect, but seriously? You leave it behind on the very first mission we're out on." Fred said, exasperated.
Anne could feel James shrug beside her. "I'll just run back and get it. We've not gone far."
"No, don't worry about it, young cartographer." Frank said. "I've got it right here." Frank dropped the map on the ground to get it out of the invisibility charm he was surrounded in. James picked it up and it disappeared once again.
"You've been nicking my stuff, have you? I suppose you've got the box of chocolates as well, then?" he huffed.
Frank laughed. "If I wanted to nick some chocolates, James, I'd dip down to the kitchens and have my fill."
"I nicked your chocolates." Fred admitted.
James huffed. "If I could see you right now I'd hex you into- EVERYONE, QUIET." he whispered, looking down at the open marauder's map.
"Against the wall, now." Frank ordered.
The group of five flattened themselves against the wall. They heard as the footsteps padded closer and two distinct voices echoed off of the empty hallways.
"You know, Neville, I think it's about time we discussed next year's positions."
"You mean your position, Minerva."
"Bloody hell, it's my dad." Frank whispered next to Anne. She smacked his arm softly to tell quiet him.
"I do, I do. You're well aware that Frank will be graduating this year, I'm sure."
Neville sighed deeply as they turned a corner and came into the view of the group of rogue Gryffindors.
"Oh, I'm well aware. Hannah sends me a teary howler just about every other day. She wants to have another one, I'm sure."
Minerva gave a soft chuckle. "It's ingenious, I'm sure, to do the entire child-rearing thing one at a time."
Neville laughed as well.
"I'm wondering if you've given any more thought to my proposition."
At this point the two professors were as close to the students as possible, who were now clinging onto the cracked stone wall with all of their might. To their terror, the two professors paused in the hallway.
"Minerva, I just don't know. I'm not sure I'm exactly qualified. From all the headmasters and headmistresses I've known of, I'm lacking certain necessary regal qualities, I should think."
Minerva laughed, her aging face wrinkling heavily at its laughter lines. "I assure you, Mr. Longbottom. You are more than qualified for such a position. Besides, it is certainly time that this school had the chance for an extended relationship with its headmaster for a change." She gave a knowing look to Neville and began their walk towards the Gryffindor tower once more. "You know as well as I that it doesn't take well to so many changes."
As the two disappeared around the next corner, the group took a sigh of relief and relaxed away from the wall. Before the professors drifted too far out of range, they heard McGonagall's voice once more.
"Do you smell gardenias, Neville?"
Molly giggled. "Is that what these are? I thought they were just funny roses."
Frank snorted. "You might want to consider remedial herbology." he chided Molly as they continued on through the castle to the portrait that was the entrance to their favorite passageway into Hogsmeade. "Gardenias are only one of the most well-hidden magical plants in the muggle world. Aside from kudzu, that is. The lot of them think it's a weed..."
Their soft voices bounced off the tunnel walls as they slipped behind the statue and whispered the password (the marauders, may they rest in peace), before continuing off into Hogsmeade to retrieve several more cases of butterbeer than they could rationally carry back without the aid of magic.