A/n: fourth chapter, here we go!

Rose

I really do love my cousin. But she needs to find a love for longer skirts.

I wake up early, as usual, before Coraline and Ida, and dress in my new short skirt and fitted blouse. Tying my tie I leave the dorm without my friends, hoping to make it to the library before I'm needed at breakfast to show off my 'new look'. The librarian rolls her eyes at me when she meets me at the door, but I ignore her. The section I go to is the Potions aisle – I may have my mother's brain, but my father's shoddy brewing ability.

I shoulder my book bag, now heavy with Potions books, and make for the door. Glancing at the clock hung on the wall, I see that it's close to eight and that the others are waiting for me in the Great Hall. I push my hair out of my face and rush off down the corridor, cursing the tight heels that Dom had exchanged for my old Mary Janes.

'Rose!' Someone calls out to me as I'm hurrying down the marble staircase. I turn to find Julien Shoal, resident sixth-year Gryffindor prefect, chasing after me.

'Hello Julien,' I reply with a wave. 'How are you today?'

'I'm feeling smashing, darling, but I haven't come to discuss the weather with you. I've some to tell you that you're free from the clutches of that slimy snake of a prefect, Nott.' He smiles widely, showing his dimples.

'Free?' I ask, continuing down the stairs. 'Was I ever caught?'

'Aye – your cousin, the Head Girl, had you put down to do rounds with Nott, but he has quidditch practice on Mondays and Wednesdays.' Julien informs me, chasing after me. 'I've switched with him.'

'My hero.' I say, raising a hand to my forehead, pretending to swoon.

'There's the praise I was looking for.' He replies smugly, pushing his shaggy blonde hair from his eyes. 'It'll be just like last year! Good times!'

I've known Julien since the beginning of my school life, he's a friend of Fred's, but I had never spoken to him before last year when we were paired as prefects. Almost instantly a very strong bond was created between us – strictly platonic, mind you – when we realised how alike we were. We both have a strong love for school and punctuality, as well as rather poor abilities in Potions. He would be a very talented keeper, if James would ever let anyone new tryout for his team, but instead Julien keeps to the sidelines, placing bets and booing the other teams.

'How do I look?' I ask him, peering into the Great Hall, heart leaping into my throat when I realise how many people turn up early for breakfast.

'Uh, nice?' He asks, unsure of his reply.

'I don't look any different?' I ask exasperatedly.

'Well, yeah, your hair isn't quite as crazy, and you've got muck on your eyes, and you're much hotter than you usually are–' He ducks as I hurl my book at him. 'It's a compliment, isn't it?'

'I'd rather you say beautiful, hot is just sort of demeaning in my ears.' I scowl at him, turning on my heel

and entering the Hall.

'But Rose,' He says, chasing after me. 'You're always beautiful. You're just... more so today.' He bites his lip and looks down at me with an adorable apologetic expression.

I sigh. I can't resist that face. 'You're forgiven. Now go eat, I'll talk to you later about rounds.'

'You're a doll, Rose. I'll see you later.' He says, crushing me in a side-hug before rushing off down the aisle to meet up with his fellow Gryffindor boys. I watch him up to when he reaches my cousins, who all turn to stare me down. I can tell that we're about to have a huge family meeting about the length of my skirt.

Game plan: refer them to Dom.

Thankfully, Nell calls out to me, saving me from my relatives.

Amelie

Potter's gaze flashes from me to Rose, then back to me. He glowers. I grin.

'I'll be right back.'

I can hardly contain myself as I make my way over to the Gryffindor table, my smile growing with every step that I take. By the time I reach the fuming quidditch captain, my face is threatening to break.

'What did you do to my cousin?' He demands, throwing a finger in my face.

'What? I don't get a hello?' I ask with a pout.

'Perry.' He growls.

'So? I helped her embrace her feminine side!' I defend my seeker. 'She looks great.'

'She looks like a whore, Perry.' He says, crossing his arms over his chest. 'Did you see that boy? All that was running through his head was shag shag shag.'

'Hey!' The boy stands up from the bench from where he'd been listening. 'Don't talk about Rose that way. She's beautiful.'

'Shut up, Shoal. You're digging yourself a deeper hole.' Potter turns on the boy. 'And stay away from my cousin.'

'Not likely, seeing as we have rounds together.' Shoal replies, flashing his prefect badge.

Potter is silent for a moment, and then he cries:

'Family convention! To the Ravenclaw table!'

His male relatives follow him as he leaps over the Puffers table, startling some second years. Upon reaching the Slytherin table, grabbing his younger brother by the collar, he climbs over it too. I'm left standing with the few boys on his team who don't consider themselves family and a fuming Shoal. I catch Dominique Weasley's eye and she shakes her head before following her cousins. I race over to my house table to find that Rose has everything under control.

'James,' She's hissing. 'I can wear whatever I want to wear. I can talk to whomever I like and I can date people without your permission. And do you know why?'

Potter practically shrinks in his trainers as she brandishes her wand. The younger Potter is not quite so smart, and he takes a step towards the furious redhead.

'Rosie,' He whines. 'We're your cousins! We're just trying to look out for you!'

'I'm my own person, Albus!' She shouts, waving her wand arm about, shooting sparks. 'I can take care of myself! I'm sixteen, for Merlins sake! You have no control over what I want and what I do.'

Luthe picks this moment to sling his arm around her shoulders and ask:

'Shall I walk you to class, love?'

He tells me later that the black eye was totally worth it.

I agree. The look on Potters face was priceless.

Mariah

'Oi,' Someone is hissing. 'Affey!'

I push a curtain of curls behind my ear and continue taking note of what Professor Binns is lecturing us about.

'Urg the Unclean was a goblin activist during the fifteenth century.' The teacher drones on.

'Affey!' They hiss again. After a moment, I'm hit in the back of the head with a balled up piece of parchment. I ignore it, and after another moment, I'm hit again.

'What?' I spin around hissing. All of the students are either asleep of half-way there, except one. One Mr Rhet Davies. 'What do you want Davies?'

'I hear that you made it onto the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.' He hisses back over a row of desks.

'Yeah? So?' I reply. 'Couldn't this have waited until after class?'

'Oh, come on Affey, it's not like anyone actually pays attention in History of Magic.' He says, looking around. He snatches his book bag, slipping out of his seat and into the empty one next to me.

'Well, I do.' I say, turning back to my notes. The silence between us only lasts a moment.

'So, you're playing beater?' He asks.

'Yes.' I grind out, my quill scratching against the parchment. 'Did your captain tell you to come bother me during class?'

'No, of course not.' Davies replies, leaning back and kicking back his feet. 'Can't I come talk with my favourite fifth-year Ravenclaw without being accused of some evil purpose?'

'No. Because I am not your favourite fifth-year Ravenclaw. I think that that would be my dorm mate, Carol.' I tell him, trying to keep up with what Professor Binns is saying. 'And I think we both know that you're not my favourite fifth-year Hufflepuff.'

'Ah.' I can see him smiling out of the corner of my eye. 'Carol. But, come on Affey–'

'It's Mariah.' I sigh. 'I don't like it when people call me by my surname.'

'Hmm... Mariah.' He repeats, rolling my name around in his mouth. He looks down at his wristwatch and scoops up his book bag again. I'm about to ask him where he's going, but then the bell tolls and Professor Binns dismisses us. 'Well, I'm Rhet.'

Davies–Rhet winks at me and strides down the aisle bumping his bag against the heads of the students still asleep on their desks.

Well. That's odd.

Rose

'So,' Amelie says that evening, chalk scratching on the board. 'Reactions?'

'Well, Rhet Davies was acting oddly during History of Magic.' Mariah says, placing her broom in her locker.

'The Hufflepuff Seeker? For McLaggen?' Our captain asks, nearly jumping up and down in excitement. 'Brilliant job Mariah.'

Mariah mumbles about how 'that boy is just confusing anyways', and sits down on the bench to untie her shoes.

'Anyone else?' Amelie asks hopefully. 'Rose?' She turns on me.

'Other than my cousins and your friend – that Carter fellow – I saw no significant reactions.' I tell her, cheeks flaming. I am, of course, lying. I'm simply hoping that if there aren't any results Amelie will let Dominique give me back my comfortable shoes. I really can't live a year in those heels.

'Oh?' Ida grins at me. 'And I imagine that all of those boys were simply interested in your new quill?'

'Shut up Ida.' I hiss, throwing my jersey at her.

'Alright. Here's the situation then.' Amelie says, writing all our names on the board. 'We will all pin-point certain people on the other teams and strategically take them down. Alright, Mariah, since you mentioned Davies, you can handle the Hufflepuffs with... Nell. You like McLaggen, don't you?'

'No–'

'Good. And seeing as your cousins are quite wrapped up with your private life, Rose, you've got the Gryffindors with... Coraline, which leaves Ruth and Ida on Slytherins.'

'No–' Ruth and Ida moan together, but Amelie continues to ignore them.

'Of course, should anyone from a house other than the one that you've been assigned shows an interest in you, let me know and we'll monitor the situation.' Amelie say clapping her hands together. She bends over and riffles through her bag, withdrawing a stack of papers. 'Our last order of business: the games. Coach Wood finally organised the round-robin and we have the first game. We play against Hufflepuff in two weeks, on October 2nd, so Mariah and Nell, you two have work to do.'

Our captain passes out the sheets and waves her hands at us, signalling that the practice is over. She snatches up her book bag and leaves with Nell and Ruth, with Mariah trailing along after them. I wait for Coraline and Ida to dress and we all leave together.

'Oi, Rosie!' Someone calls out from the stands and several pairs of feet are heard rushing down the stairs to meet us. Fred Weasley's vibrant orange hair can be seen through the darkness, followed by a pair of shock blonde heads, Lorcan and Lysander Scamander.

'Hello boys.' I greet them with a short wave. 'Are you here to scold us about our new-found looks? Or perhaps to tell us that we aren't allowed to date until we're thirty?'

'Neither, cousin,' Fred says, pushing his fingers through his short hair. 'We may or may not have been sent by James to spy on your practice.'

'What? That cheating, little scumbag.' I scowl. 'Wait – I didn't even see you out there! How-' I stop though when I see what Lorcan is holding out to me. My lips form a small 'o' and I take the cloak. 'The invisibility cloak? That cheating, lying, little scumbag! He told Uncle Harry that he left it at home!'

'That's because Aunt Ginny would never let him have it! She knows James well enough to understand his need for the cloak. Either to spy on the other teams without them knowing – or to hide in the girls dorm and watch them change.' Fred answers.

'Bleh, that's disgusting Fred.' I tell him. 'I'd really rather not know what James does in his spare time.'

'Wow!' Ida reaches out for the shimmery fabric, sliding the cloak over her arm so that it disappears. 'This is Harry Potter's invisibility cloak?'

'Yep.' Fred says, helping her put it on so that only her head is showing. 'Although, we aren't sure if this is actually our uncle's, or if it's the one he got from that crazy auror – Maddy something...'

'Mad Eye Moody, Fred. He was one of the key members of the Order of the Pheonix!' I berate him. 'You would do well to remember him.'

But Ida isn't paying any attention to us anymore. 'Well,' She says. 'It was nice seeing you boys. But I think we'll be going now.' With a flick of the wrist, the cloak covers her completely and she disappears.

'No!' Fred cries launching himself at the spot she'd been a moment before. He falls forwards, tripping over nothing. Lorcan follows him, and then Lysander.

'Run!' Shouts a laughing Ida from my right and Coraline only spares a moment to give me a look of excitement (we are Ravenclaws after all – the most exciting thing she's probably done before this year is putting a book back on the wrong library shelf) before running towards the castle, tripping over her feet from laughter. Without a second glance at my fuming cousin and friends, I chase after her.

James is totally going to kill me for this.

A/n: Next we get the repercussions of cloak theft and Nell gives us some insight to her relationship with McLaggen.