It was the beginning of my sixth year, and I was excited for the new year. Mum and Dad were just seeing Hugo and me off when I saw James, Al, and Lily. You see, I have too many cousins and relatives for my own good. People call us the 'Wotter family' since we consist of Potter's and Weasley's (Mostly Weasley's though). My Godparents are my parent's best friend and my dad's sister. They are Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry to me. They have three kids, also my favorite cousins (they all have a soft spot in my heart, probably because my parents and their parents were best friends), James, Albus, known as Al, and Lily. Al has been my best friend since birth and is surprisingly a Slytherin (The only one in the family). Lily is really sweet but once you get to know her you find out she's exactly like her mother: sweet but fierce. James is the trouble maker and lives up to his name well.
Then you have the Delacour/Weasley's, Aunt Fleur and Uncle Bill. They also have three kids, Victorie, Dominique, known as Dom, and Louis. Victorie is out of Hogwarts and is dating Teddy Lupin (My favorite non-cousin if that's what you want to call it); Dom is my second best cousin-friend. She's a bit dramatic at times and flirtatious, but she's really funny and has great advice when it comes to boys. Louis has just started his second year (And he's a Ravenclaw believe it or not!) and the girls are already all over him! Dang them and their Veela mother!
Then my Aunt Audrey and Uncle Percy (My least favorite relatives) have two children, Molly and Lucy. Molly is the second Ravenclaw in the family and very nerdy and bossy, but we love her anyways! Little Lucy is the only Hufflepuff in the family and the sweetest thing in the world.
Uncle George and Aunt Angelina are without a doubt the funniest and nicest relatives I have! Their whole family is full of cheer and laughter. Their kids are Fred the second (Named after Uncle George's dead twin) and Roxanne, known as Roxy. Fred and Roxanne are really funny and two of the biggest trouble makers in the school. Them and James are the pranking three and stick together like bread and butter.
Then Teddy Lupin is our non-cousin. He really is like our cousin since his parents died in the war, and Uncle Harry is his godfather. So he's pretty much family. And we all know Teddy is going to marry Victorie. They've been together since forever!
Yep, so that's my whole family….kind of….. We have distant family and not to mention our grandparents.
Anyway, I ran over to Al to make sure I would get a compartment with him on the train, but he was talking to him instead. Scorpius Malfoy; My least favorite person in the whole universe.
But I wasn't about to let Malfoy ruin everything so I casually strutted over to where they were and….well….let's just say all hell broke loose…..kind of….
"Ah, if it isn't the wonderful Red, how are you doing this fine morning?" Malfoy sneered.
"It was absolutely magnificent! Until now, of course," I replied swiftly.
"Guys, can't you just try to get along this year? I don't see why you guys even hate each other! There's no reason to!" Al said standing between us as if to stop us from coming at each other, which would have happened eventually if Al hadn't said something.
On the way onto the train, Malfoy and I kept sending glares to each other as if to say 'We'll resume this later, without any distractions.' When we found our usual compartment, we all sat down and let's just say, a very awkward silence filled it to the top. Then of course James burst in and handed Al and I each a piece of paper.
"I'll explain later," and he ran off.
I know it's a bit childish, but since Malfoy didn't get a paper I felt, maybe achieved? But, anyway, I knew this year was starting off great.
"What does yours say Rose?" Al asked.
I opened the paper and started reading:
You are invited to Wotter Family night!
You are expected to come, and if you don't that means you suck.
This is JUST Wotter family night, so no friends, Boyfriends, or Girlfriends.
Go to the room of requirement and ask for a place where family can have fun.
This event will be held at 9:00 P.M. so be there.
- James Sirius Potter the Awesome
"Mine says that too," Al said.
"I guess you can't come Malfoy. Too bad, too, but now I can rub it in your face! Ha!" I said, sadly it was a very bad snarky reply, but it was necessary.
And just before he could say anything back, Lily and Dom came crashing into our compartment.
"Oh my gosh! Did you guys get the invite too? I cannot wait! What should we wear?" Dom literally screamed.
"Dom, honey, calm down. It's just a family gathering, you don't need to get all gussied up," I say as politely as I can without laughing.
After that things went by pretty uneventfully. Dom and Lily stayed in our compartment and gossiped about boys, Al and Malfoy played exploding snaps, and I read a book.
9:00p.m. in the room of requirement
"You all must be wondering why I planned a Wotter family night tonight," James said.
"Actually, we sort of go with whatever you say or do, James. We're used to it. We don't question your antics," Roxy said.
"Right, well does anyone know where Fred is?"
"He got detention for charming the firsties shoelaces to tie together so that they tripped."
"Thank you Roxy. Well, I guess we'll have to do it without him. We shall start off with a round of Truth or Dare! Don't forget that all dares must be completed by tomorrow!"
So with that we all gathered around in a circle. This is how we sat in order starting with me: Me, Al, Dom, James, Hugo, Lily, Louis, Molly, Lucy, and Roxy.
"Ok, so I'll start since I put this whole event into action. Alright….. Al… truth…..or dare?"
"Err… Truth."
"Truth? Come on Al you're not a chicken are you?" Roxy yelled.
"Last time I picked dare with James, I broke my right arm and leg, plus a couple of ribs. I was sore for days!"
"Fine, James, give him a good one!"
"Alright, so truth. Hmmm…. What girl have you been snogging in the broom closet all the time?"
James handed him a little cup of Veritaserum, it's necessary in our truth or dare sessions.
"Emily!"
"Emily?! As in my best friend Emily?!" I practically screamed in his ear.
"Yes…."
"Ok guys! We can fight later; let's just get on with the game! Al you ask someone!" James said.
"Ok, Molly, truth or dare?"
"Tru—"
"Come on Molly! You always pick truth!" Dom whined.
"Ya pick something else!" her sister Lucy also whined.
"Fine. Dare," she said stiffly.
"Ok, I dare you…..to kiss that boy that's always in the library!"
Poor Molly, there's really nothing more that I can say.
"Ok, but someone has to come with me to prove I did it."
"I'll do it. I need to get a book from there anyway, we can pick it up while we're there," I say.
"Fine, Lucy, truth or dare?"
"Umm….. truth!"
"Who do you have a crush on?"
"Um…. Kyle Finnigan!"
Things, again, were really uneventful. There were a few funny dares, but other than that it was uneventful. That was, till my turn.
"Rosie! Truth…or dare?" Dom asked in her low dramatic voice. I swear she's going to be an actress when she gets older.
"Dare." Did I tell you? Well, you see I'm the queen of dares! If I was a boy I would be crowned king. Whenever there's a dare, I'm sure to be there. I have completed every single bloody dare that has been given to me, no matter how stupid or humiliating they have been.
"Perfect. I dare you… to snog Scorpius Malfoy!"
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop the tape! What did she say?! Snog Scorpius Malfoy!?
"No way! We hate each other! I can't do this!"
"Fine, none of us mind that you're a chicken. And we'll gladly take your crown as dare queen," She smiled sweetly at me.
"You know what? Fine! I'll do it. Come on, it's getting late. Molly, let's get your dare out of the way."
I grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the room leaving everyone else with their mouths wide open. On our way to the library neither of us said a word. Well that was until I broke the silence I couldn't bear.
"So, Molly. Have you ever talked to the boy in the library?"
"Well, I did ask him if I could borrow the book he had for a homework assignment once."
"He seems nice."
"Ya, sure."
There was another awkward silence. You should know that Molly isn't one of the people I usually hang out with. In fact I usually forget she's here, sad to say.
"Rose?"
"Hmm?"
"I don't think Scorpius hates you."
"What?"
"I know I may not be the best at reading boys like Dominique is, but I do notice a lot of things. And I don't think Scorpius hates you."
"What do you mean you notice a lot of things?"
"It's hard to explain, so I'll give you a few examples. Like Lily. She feels like she has a lot to live up to, not to mention being the only girl in her family other than her mother. I think she sticks to Dominique's side because that's the closest she has to a sister. And Dominique just wants to find true love like her sister, Victorie, found Teddy. James is actually really sweet. He knows just what to say to make you feel better. He just wraps his arm around you and whispers something nice in your ear and you feel all better. Roxanne is very smart, almost as smart as me! She visits the library a lot but tries to hide it by pranking. You know how Fred is always protective of us girls?"
"Yes."
"Well, he just wants to show that he's not only funny, but nice and protective. He wants a girl he can love and protect. Your brother Hugo has self esteem issues. He tries to act like a ladies man when he's really not. Louis wants to show that he can get a girl, not just because he's part Veela, but because he is really sweet. Albus just doesn't want the weight on his shoulders of being Harry Potter's son. He just wants to be a normal kid sometimes. Lucy wants to be her own person and not just the little girl of the family. And you Rose, you don't want to be known as Hermione Granger's kid or Ron Weasley's kid. You want people to know you as you."
"What about you? You know all this about us but you didn't tell me what you want."
"I don't want to be known as the nerdy, geeky, bossy cousin. I guess that's why I took that dare tonight. To prove I can be fun and daring, even though I'm not a Gryffindor."
I look at her and I see myself in her. Or should I say her in myself. She's determined and thoughtful.
"I don't think that. I think of you as the big sister I never had." I went over to her and hugged her with all my emotion.
"Thank you Rose," she whispered. I felt a tear drop on my shoulder and I knew that she was crying; and not for the first time.
"No, thank you, Molly," I whispered back.
When we got all straightened back up I said, "Well let's go do that dare Molly!"
When we finally arrived at the library, I went over to get my book while Molly made her way slowly, but confidently, toward the boy in the library. Oh you should know that the boy in the library does have a name. I'm not totally for sure what it is, but Molly says she thinks it's John.
"Err… Hi. It's John, right?" Molly asked a bit nervously.
"Ya and your Molly. You asked me for a book once," he smiled. Aww! He is so darn cute! Don't get any ideas people, he's defiantly not my type, but dang he is so sweet!
"Yes. Well, you see, my family and I had a big get together and we played a game of truth or dare. I was dared to kiss you, you see…"
"Oh, ok. Well, you have my permission if that's what you're asking," he smiled again. OMG! I love this boy already! He and Molly would be soooooo cute together! …..Wait a sec…. now I sound like Dom….what's happening to me?!
"Yes…err thanks," and she bent down to kiss him. Ok, you would not believe how cute they were! I wanted to leave them alone so they could have a little privacy, so I snuck out as quietly as I could.
When I reached the common room I was still smiling, thinking of how adorable it would be if they became a couple. Al and Malfoy were in the common room (I think James gives them the passwords seeing as they're in Slytherin and somehow always end up in our common room) and I totally forgot about my dare….kind of.
"What's up with you, Red?" Malfoy sneered.
"Did Molly actually do it?" Al asked excitedly.
"Yes she did and they were so cute! It would be wonderful if they became a couple! They are perfect for each other!" I said with a dreamy expression.
"Right. Well don't forget about your dare now." Al smiled mischievously.
"I almost forgot. Thank you sooo much for reminding me. And I have to talk to you, in private."
"Err…ok…. Is this about the Emily thing? Because if it is—"
"No it's not." When we were in the corner I made sure no one was listening.
"Ok. So I wanted to tell you that you're not alone. You can always talk to me or James or Lily or Hugo or even Molly. We know how it feels to be, well, us. We know it's hard handling all the weight, but you're not the only one carrying it. Ok? So if you need to talk to us, go ahead."
"Thanks Rosie."
"No problem, Cuz! I have to go talk to the others now. Bye Al!" And with that I left to find the others.
In the girls dormitories I found Lily, Dom, and Roxy sitting playing a game of exploding snap.
"Hey guys, can I talk to each of you in private for a sec?"
"Are we in trouble?" Lily asked.
"Is this about the dare?" Dom asked.
"Sure!" Roxy said.
Wow. My family is just weird…..
"Ok, no you aren't in trouble, no it's not about the dare, and Roxy, I'll talk to you first!"
Roxy and I made our way to a corner while the others presumed their gamed.
"I just wanted to let you know that it's ok to be smart. You don't have to hide it. It should be something you're proud of!"
"I know, but what about Fred and James? What would they think?"
"They wouldn't care! They'd be proud of you! And you can still be smart and the pranking queen!"
"Thanks Rosie! But you and Molly are still smarter than me, so you don't have to worry about me passing you guys up!"
"Ok that's good to know. Lily! You next!"
Roxy walked back to her spot on the ground while Lily nervously made her way towards me.
When she finally reached me I hugged her to show that she wasn't in trouble.
"I want to tell you that I will always be there for you. You can talk to me about anything, like a big sister," I whispered in her ear.
"Really? Thanks so much! I have to tell you something now that you're my big sis!"
"What?" I asked trying to conceal my laugh.
"Scorpius Malfoy is in love with you!" she whispered and then ran off to her spot and pushed Dom toward me.
"So what is it that you want to tell me?"
I was still in shock of what Lily said but I pushed that aside promising myself I'd ask her about it later and leaned my forehead onto Dom's.
I whispered, "You're going to find your true love one day, Dom. I know it."
She looked at me and said with a teary smile,"Thank you Rose."
"Anytime. But I'm still going to kill you for that dare so you better watch out!" And I chased her around the girl's dormitories.
When we had finally stopped and calmed down from all the laughter, I took Lily aside again and looked her in the eye.
"This is about Scorpius, isn't it?" she said knowingly.
"Yes. Why do you say that he's in love with me? He hates me for Merlin's sake!"
"Nope! He's in love with you! Go ask him yourself if you don't believe me!"
"No! I can't just go over there, pull him aside and say, 'Oh hey Malfoy, are you in love with me? My cousin thinks you are. If it's not true you can just laugh at me as though I'm insane and tease me about it for the rest of my life. Don't worry, It's fine with me.' Ya right."
"Just ask! And you can get your dare over then too. Bye!" and she pushed me out the door with a satisfied smirk and locked the door behind me.
I slowly made my way to the boys thinking to myself just to get the dare done and it would mean nothing; Absolutely nothing.
"Hey Malfoy, I need to…um…talk to you for a sec."
I saw Al snicker under his breath knowingly.
Malfoy looked from Al to me confusedly and slowly got up, "Um…sure…."
I took him out of the common room into a deserted classroom, "Um...Malfoy. So my family had a truth or dare game night tonight. And my cousin dared me to…uh…kiss you…."
I waited for him to say something, like the really sweet library boy, but he didn't. All he did was stare at me with his grey, emotionless eyes.
"Well," I continued," more like snog you….but…uh…it isn't really my say if you want to…uh…you know…."
Then the unexpected happened. He kissed me. Ok, not just kiss me, snog me. It was as if he had been building all this fire and emotion inside of him, and all he had to do was kiss me to let it all out. And you know what? I kissed him right back.