Disclaimer: I am merely a couch-potato of a teenager and in no way claim to own the wonderful wizarding world. That belongs entirely to Miss Rowling, the genius.

Title: Meetings and Maps

Time: December 2021 - January 2022

Dee Collins

Dee was enjoying her stay at Rose's house. There was always something going on in her family, which meant every day was interesting. It was so much different than her life at home. On the last day before she returned home, she and Rose were lying on the floor by the fire, playing chess and drinking hot chocolate. Neither girls were nearly as talented at chess as Hugo, but they were a good match for each other.

There came a roar from the fireplace, and a red-haired man stepped out, brushing his sleeves. Two more people followed, who Dee recognized to be Dominique and Louis Weasley. That meant the man had to be Bill, their father.

"Rosie!" Bill greeted with a smile. "Is your dad around?"

Before she could reply, Rose was interrupted by her mother. "Bill! You didn't say you were coming over! How are you?"

"I'm good. Just looking for Ron," replied Bill.

"He's out with Hugo. You're welcome to stay for lunch, though. They should be home soon."

Rose's uncle followed her mother out of the room, still carrying the conversation.

"Looks like we're staying," Dominique said, taking a seat on the couch. "So you're Dee?" she asks.

"Yes," replied Dee quietly.

Dominique surveyed her for a quick second before saying, "Next time you see your brother, put in a good word for me, okay?" She smiled mischievously.

Dee didn't quite know what to say. Beside her, Louis rolled his eyes. "I'm Louis, and this is Dom. We're cousins of Rose."

It was Rose's turn to roll her eyes. "She knows who you are."

"We've never met, though," Dee pointed out. "Rose, it's your go."

While Rose thought through her next move, Louis moved and took a seat between them. "Dom fancies your brother."

"There's a difference between fancying someone and just thinking they're fit," Dominique chimed in from the couch.

"Yes, but you don't just think he's fit," teased Louis. "Vic used to say Teddy was good looking, and look where that got her."

Dominique scoffed.

"Speaking of Vic, she was Ravenclaw, like you. Did you know her?"

In truth, Dee didn't just know Victoire Weasley. As Prefect and Head Girl, and with all her achievements, Victoire was like an idol to Dee. In her first year, she had tried to take a trip to the kitchens without Lee, but she forgot the way. She got lost. Victoire found her, crying, on her rounds, and walked her to the kitchens. She stayed with Dee as the house-elves fetched tea, and then walked her back to Ravenclaw. Dee grew to see her as an older sister, as someone she went to for help with schoolwork and someone she looked up to.

"Yeah, I remember her," was all Dee said.

"Hey, I remember her talking about someone named Dee. Maybe that was you!" Dominique said.

Dee felt heat rush to her cheeks. She didn't think Victoire ever said anything about her. She was so much older than Dee. "She used to help me with school."

Rose looked at her curiously. "Why would you need help with school? You're incredibly smart."

Dee stared down at her lap. "She helped me adjust to Hogwarts. Lee isn't good with emotions and I didn't have many friends." She looked up to see Rose watching her sympathetically.

"Saint Victoire," Dominique laughed. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

With that, Dee moved her knight across the chess board. "Winner plays Louis," she announced.

The Christmas holiday had finally drawn to a close. Dee's entire family, including Aunt Mattie, came to King's Cross to say goodbye before she and Lee went back to Hogwarts. As always, they were some of the first students to arrive to the platform. Dee's mother didn't believe in last minute packing or a hurried arrival to the station; Dorothy practiced extreme punctuality and wouldn't accept anything less.

During their hug goodbye, Matilda snuck a little book into the pocket of Dee's coat. It wasn't until later, when she was alone in a train compartment, that she deemed it safe to open the book. It was small and rectangular, with a cover made of black leather. Dee opened to the first page and read her aunt's name written on the back of the cover. The book was a diary, she realized. Aunt Mattie's diary. Dee flipped through the book and glimpsed multiple entries. She was at a loss for explanations as to why her aunt would give her the diary, but there was no hiding her excitement. This was a chance to better understand her aunt, and maybe discover why she disappeared.

Before she had a chance to begin reading, however, a group of people noisily entered her compartment. Dee had forgotten that the Potter and Weasley families preferred to escape the bustle at King's Cross as much as possible. This was her first train ride to Hogwarts with them, after all.

"Finally," Albus sighed, flopping spread-eagled onto the seat next to Dee, "peace and quiet at last." He folded his arms under his head and closed his eyes.

Rose joined them shortly, and then came James. He sat down, noticed Albus, and shook his head. "There was a problem at the Ministry this morning, so Dad left and Mum was in charge. Lily managed to misplace half her school books and she was in a right state. Mum's not exactly the best person to have around to calm you down, and her shouting woke Snuffles up, who then woke me up," he explained. "Then our ride was late…" He trailed off, shrugging his shoulders and offering a small smile.

"I imagine your house was a lot more organized," said Albus, his voice languid.

Dee laughed. "Of course it was. That's my mother for you." She shut Matilda's diary and set it on the empty space next to her. She shifted positions until she was leaning against the wall of the compartment and extended her legs out in front of her.

"What's that?" Rose asked, pointing at the black, leather-bound book.

Dee, unsure of how much she was willing to tell, contemplated her reply. "Just a book my aunt gave me."

"What's it called? Is it good?"

"Dunno. Haven't started it." Dee was purposefully being indifferent, and she knew it was unfair to Rose, but she felt like the contents of the diary should remain private.

Their compartment sank into a slightly uncomfortable silence, save for the occasional hooting of Dee's owl, Fitzgerald. Dee stared into her lap until the sound of the compartment door sliding caught her attention. Every pair of eyes flew to the doorway where a tired looking Clive stood.

"Meeting in ten minutes," he said, addressing the many Prefects in the room. He turned to leave, but not before making direct eye contact with Dee and nodding at her.

"Hello, Dee. How was your holiday?" he asked with a smile.

Uncomfortable, and with all eyes on her, Dee replied, "It was good. Yours?"

"Good."

Dee nodded, unsure of what to say. The last time she spoke to Clive Donoghue, he had been exceedingly cold towards her. She didn't know what prompted this sudden change of heart.

Clive smiled at her once more before he left. Dee let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

"We all know about the meeting. Why bother?" Al asked, confused.

Eyes twinkling, Rose nudged Dee in the side. Dee rolled her eyes. "What was that about?" she murmured to Rose.

"Dunno. Maybe we'll find out at the meeting," replied Rose.

The students all had that fresh from holiday attitude about them, which left Dee virtually alone in the library. After all, what is there to study for, when you've been away from school? The teachers would give a polite reminder that O.W.L. exams were fast approaching, but even Dee wasn't in the library to study. She was there to read. Curled up in the little-used nook at the back of the library by the Muggle Fiction section, she turned a page of her little book. She kept forgetting about it, but her place was still marked from when she began it months ago.

Dee adored Muggle books. They wrote about magic as if it were made up, about love as if it were the only thing to live for. She had to admit, some of what they came up with regarding magic was rather fantastical, if not impossible, but that made the stories all the more enchanting. Muggles had remarkable imaginations.

She had just turned another page in her novel when a voice interrupted the quiet atmosphere around her. "Reading? In the library?" It was the James Potter.

Rather than answering to his teasing, she asked, "How'd you find me? No one ever comes back here."

He raised his eyebrows. "Rose does. She loves Muggle fiction. Didn't you know that?"

Dee furrowed her brow, slightly hurt at his remark. "I never see anyone back here," she replied.

James' face fell. "I'm sorry, that came out wrong." He shuffled his feet, avoiding her eyes. Hesitantly, he said, "And anyways, that's not actually how I found you."

Curiosity piqued, Dee asked, "How then?"

James took the seat beside her and stuck a hand inside his pocket. "You have to promise you won't tell," he said, serious.

"I won't tell."

"Not even your brother. Especially not your brother, actually."

Dee laughed. "Okay."

James pulled out a piece of battered, timeworn parchment.

Dee's eyes widened. "Merlin, is that-"

"Sure is," James said, pride evident in his voice. "Took it from Dad's office years ago. He knows I have it, of course, but it's not like he needs it."

She had heard stories about the Marauders Map, but she didn't know it was still in use. Another thought hit Dee then. She figured how hard it must be to find one person on a map of the whole school. "You were looking for me, then?"

"Uh… Yeah," James said, his voice faltering. "You shouldn't be holed up in the library. Come join us in the common room."

Dee looked down at the book in her hands. With a sigh, she dog-eared her page and pushed it back into its place on the shelf. She resolved to finish it before the year was up.

"So how does the map work?" she asked, standing up to join James for the walk to Gryffindor Tower.

He smiled impishly. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said, and with a tap of his wand, the map came to life. Ink covered the pages and folds, revealing the location of everyone in the castle.

"Amazing," Dee breathed.

A/N: First off, Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it. Second, I've learned the best way to motivate myself to write is to avoid writing other things. That's how this came about. I'm sorry this took so long, and I'm sorry if it jumped around. That's how I've planned this story to be, and I know it's not for everyone. And there's lots of dialogue... But I do still hope you enjoyed this. Anyways, it's late (where I live). Much love from me to you xoxo.