Since Rosie had slept poorly during the night, she ended up taking a nap until it was time for Astronomy. Both Rosie and Harry already knew many of the constellations and stars in the sky. As children, they liked to look at the Black Family Tapestry, and then try and find Sirius's relatives up in the night sky. For both Harry and Rosie, Sirius was their favourite star (of course).
Since the Ravenclaws had already had a class with the Slytherins earlier, they were all fairly relaxed and able to enjoy themselves. Rosie even ended up speaking to a few of the Slytherins (Mathilda Travers, Casper Shettigar and Luthais Selwyn) who wanted to hear about the Black Tapestry, and were amused by Rosie's account of the mounted house-elf heads ("It began with Elladora Black, and it became a tradition to cut the heads off the house-elves and mount them on plaques.")("Those must attract a lot of glomping-borbofors" Luna murmured thoughtfully.)
The only thing that marred the night was the cold and haughty Astrid Rowle, and her friend/follower Amphillis Burke. They made an interesting pair to look at - Astrid, with her haughty pretty features and her ash blonde hair, next to Amphillis with her plain face and straw-coloured locks. It was as though Astrid had chosen the exact person to befriend to make her look prettier in comparison. Amphillis looked rather like she could have been Astrid's ugly relation.
"It's too bad the Black Heir has completely defiled the once-noble name of Black," Astrid had commented, as she was listening in on Rosie's conversation with the other Slytherins. Amphillis, tittered in amusement. If Astrid hadn't sounded like such a petty little harpy, and if Astrid hadn't been insulting her beloved Sirius, Rosie probably would have laughed at how much the young pureblood sounded like Walburga Black.
Instead, Rosie snapped: "The Blacks already defiled their own names," unable to contain her irritation. "That's why they're either insane, in Azkaban or dead." The Slytherins, and many of the Ravenclaws looked uncomfortable with the conversation. The mousy-haired Mathilda had her lips pursed. Luthais looked like he was rather preoccupied with the night sky. As for Astrid, she decided not to deign Rosie's comment with a reply, and only sniffed, before wandering off, trailed by her human hound-dog Amphillis.
Once Astrid had gone, it had been easier to speak to Mathilda and Luthais, but Casper had been uncomfortable and quiet for the rest of the night. Speaking to them had given her some insight into the Slytherin mindset. None of the three other students were particularly open, the way the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were. One almost learned more about the Slytherins from what they didn't say as opposed to what they did. She could see that most of the Slytherins seemed to respect the Black and even the Potter names, but many of them (aside from Astrid) were reluctant to speak of their own families - at least to outsiders. Though Luthais and Mathilda were both perfectly polite when answering Rosie's questions about their families, neither of them could fully hide the coldness that flashed in their eyes. They might have been willing to uphold the family name, but it was evident that neither of them felt a closeness to their relations.
When Rosie had asked the Slytherins about Professor Snape, their expressions had the same guarded quality. There was a measure of respect in their voices, but there was no affection. Somehow, Rosie couldn't imagine Snape being a particularly warm Head of House. In fact, the descriptor of warmth combined with the image of Professor Snape almost made her giggle until she recalled how terribly he treated Harry.
She found that she had enjoyed getting to know the Slytherins, even if they weren't willing to be completely open with her. For a brief moment, she wondered what it would have been like to be in Slytherin, and then decided that Sirius would have probably disowned her. Well, maybe he wouldn't disown her, but he would probably keep her at a safe distance by making her a target of all his pranks. Being a Slytherin in Sirius's household would have been like drawing a dartboard on her face.
Thursday began with Potions (with the Hufflepuffs), and Primrose followed her housemates apprehensively. She had slept relatively well through the night - Harry only had minor nightmares, and her homesickness was fading fractionally, though she still missed Sirius. However, the trek down to the dungeons did nothing to settle her nerves. What if Professor Snape hated her? What if she ended up being humiliated in front of the class, the way he humiliated Harry? Thinking about the Professor's treatment towards her brother made her angry on Harry's behalf, and the anger chased away much of her nervousness. She reminded herself that she had some experience working with potions, and she had already read the textbook before starting class. Surely she could handle this. There was no way she'd let the cruel-hearted Potions master get the best of her.
The dungeons of Hogwarts were colder than the rest of Hogwarts. The stonework seemed to be accented with snakes, and in the corner of her eyes, it sometimes seemed as though they moved. Professor Snape's classroom was a large and oval-shaped room. To one side was a squarish basin - probably for the students to wash their hands. The walls were lined with jars of pickled animals and other mysterious parts. Many of the students look frightened, but Rosie thought that the decor was no worse than some of the things in Grimmauld Place. The students all filed in silently, and all that could be heard was the shuffle of steps and fabric.
Professor Snape started the class with roll call. Harry had told her that the Professor had singled him out on the first day of class, but when he came to 'Primrose Potter,' there wasn't even a pause, and Rosie breathed a sigh of relief.
The Professor's voice had a rather deep and silky quality, and he spoke in barely more than a whisper. He gave them his introductory speech about potions that had many of the students wide-eyed. She knew that many of the Ravenclaws had been excited about learning Potions, but unlike Transfiguration, the excitement was also tinged with fear because of Professor Snape's reputation. His speech was concluded by saying: "Ravenclaws, I hope you live up to your house's reputation. And as for the rest of you - try not to be complete lackwits. It wouldn't do for you to come out of the classroom with body pieces - missing." There was a moment of silence so deep that it seemed like one would be able to hear a pin drop.
"Wynch!" Professor Snape suddenly snapped, and the plump, auburn haired Hufflepuff girl practically leapt in her seat. She was wide-eyed with fear at being singled out. "What potion requires the use of Passiflora?"
"I-I don't know, sir" Eleanor Wynch quailed. Snape sneered, and the girl, who was already pale, looked as though she would be sick.
"Kajiwara!"
"I believe it is used in the The Calming Draught, sir," Sakiko said timidly, though Rosie could tell that the timidity was not because she feared she was wrong - it was more that she was intimidated by the glowering potions master.
"Perriss, What happens if you add porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" the Professor asked, softly, dangerously.
"You'll melt your cauldron, sir," said Alec Perriss. He was one of her housemates, though she hadn't yet had a chance to know him. Alec had spoken with a touch more confidence than Eleanor and Sakiko, but his voice was still deferential and quiet. Professor Snape asked several more questions, always calling on different students. Most of the students struggled to answer - especially the Hufflepuffs. The Ravenclaws fared much better. She felt a touch of pride for her House.
Professor Snape was still drilling the class with questions. "And what happens if you use a bicorn horn that has been cut, rather than shed from the animal? Anyone? Potter?"
Rosie was glad that unlike many of the other students, she didn't flinch when he called on her. Considering the way he treated Harry, there was no way that she wanted to show any weakness in front of him.
"It will render most potions toxic, sir," she said, her voice steady. Snape's expression was inscrutable as he looked at her, his eyes like tunnels of blackness. She kept her chin up and didn't break the gaze. When Professor Snape finally looked away, Rosie sighed softly in relief. She felt as though she had just gone through an exam.
"Everyone, find a partner. Choose wisely, for this is the person you're going to have to suffer the company of for the rest of the term. Next class, we will be brewing a simple potion to cure boils. We shall spend the rest of the class learning the proper way to handle and store potion ingredients. Textbooks open to page 15!"
Luna ended up partnering up with Haasa Bhatt, one of the Hufflepuffs so Rosie partnered with Romulus. Rosie already knew most of the basics of handling and storing potion ingredients, and it seemed as though Romulus did as well. The rest of the class, while still tense, was much better than she had expected.
The following class was Defense Against the Dark Arts which was also with the Hufflepuffs. The students all walked together from the dungeon to classroom 3C. This was all the way on the third floor, so it was a bit of a trek for all the students. The entered into the room together, most of them quietly commiserating about how scary Professor Snape was. Rosie found herself wondering why Professor Snape would treat her so differently than he treated her brother, but she could find no answer.
The Defense classroom was, like many of the other classrooms, very large. An iron chandelier hung from the high ceiling, and there was a great dragon skeleton as well, that most of the students gawked at. At first glance, it seemed as though the room was filled with portraits, but when Rosie got a better look, she realized that they were all pictures of the Professor, grinning, posing and waving.
Rosie had not been looking forward to this particular class. While she had not been nervous about it, the way she had been with Potions, Harry's assessment of it had not been positive. He had had his first DADA class yesterday afternoon, and he had told her it was awful when she happened to bump into him in the hallway ("And I swear, that man keeps stalking me. He keeps giving me advice on fame. I tried telling him I didn't want to be famous, but he said false modesty would do me no good" Harry had added with a scowl.) From Harry's assessment, it sounded like the man was completely lacking in sense.
Professor Lockhart was standing at the front of the class in pose that looked well-practiced. He 'just so happened' to have been standing in a shaft of sunlight from one of the windows, and the light gleamed off his wavy locks of hair, bringing out the gold tones in his hair. Rosie found herself wondering if he used glamour on those locks. If not, they were likely the product of many different magical potions and hair treatments.
"Ah, first years!" Gilderoy Lockhart said once all the students had seated. "What an honour it is for all of you here today. All of you have an immense advantage. Can you guess why?" He paused and looked at the students. They glanced at one another with uncertainty.
"It's because your introduction to Defense Against the Dark Arts is going to be with Me!" He struck a dashing pose, puffing up his chest. His deep magenta robes billowed behind him, and he beamed, flashing brilliant white teeth. "I shall be shaping your supple and eager young minds, teaching you all you need to know. Rest assured, once I'm done with you, you will have an edge over all your upperclassmen, knowing that I, Gilderoy Lockhart, planted the seeds of your understanding. But first, let me tell you a bit about myself. I can see that you're all on the edge of your seats, wanting to know. Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming-Smile Award." He beamed once again. Rosie looked at him incredulously, and then looked around at her other classmates, wondering if they were just as aware of his ridiculousness. She was disturbed to see several of the female Hufflepuffs staring at him with awe. Even Edine and Sakiko had expressions of admiration on their faces. Luna's expression was the same, dreamy expression as always. Romulus look vaguely pained.
"Now, I started my second years off with a little quiz, but since you're all first years, there's no reason to scare you like that," Professor Lockhart gave them a conspiratorial smile. "Quizzes will come later, when you're all settled in. Never let it be said that Gilderoy Lockhart tyrannizes his students!" Lockhart winked at them, as though they were all in on some sort of inside joke. Some of the Hufflepuff girls giggled.
"No, indeed, I shall spend this class telling you all about my exploits so that you know what to expect in the days to come. Believe me, this is a great honour! Most people only know my stories through my books, but you'll be hearing it straight from my fearless self! Now, if you need to, take the time to sit next to your friends. You may want to hold hands if you get scared. I have faced many a great number of dangers, and I don't want to give any of you nightmares." Disturbingly, several of the Hufflepuff girls actually took his advice. Edine and Sakiko looked at each other, and then back at Lockhart with wide-eyed admiration. Many of the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw boys looked excited.
Professor Lockhart proceeded to regale the class with all his exploits. Many of the students seemed to hang on his every word. While it was true that Lockhart seemed to be a good storyteller, Rosie knew for a fact that his tales were riddled with inaccuracies. The books that Sirius had inherited from his family contained a lot of information about the Dark Arts and Dark Creatures. She was quite certain that many creatures did not act the way that Professor Lockhart described ("-and after its encounter with me, the Vampire could eat nothing but Lettuce. Yes, that's right, Lettuce! Of course, most creatures, and even people at that, would say that their life has changed after meeting me.")
Rosie's final class of the day was Herbology again. She had been looking forward to the class, hoping to get to know some of the Slytherins better, but she noticed through her empathic link that Harry's mood seemed to darken considerably. She felt a wave of concern for him, wondering what was happening. However, when she began to detect feelings of shame mixed with fear, she realized that he was in Potions. A hot wave of anger ran through her, and she almost wished she could go up to Professor Snape and confront him about what he was doing to her brother. Better yet, she wanted to throw all the curses she had read about from the Black family library at him. She hadn't tried the vast majority of them, but Snape would make perfect target practice. Harry's feelings were so distressing that she could barely focus in her class. At best, she had managed to say 'hi' and exchange a few words with the Slytherins, but she doubted that she could concentrate on extended conversation. The class seemed to pass by in a complete blur.
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Severus Snape was having a bad day. He had to teach not one, but two Potters that day, and that was at least one Potter too many. He felt a headache coming on. Teaching first years was never his favourite job. For that matter, he didn't care for teaching second, third, or fourth years either. It was vaguely painful to think about how much time he spent, doing something he hated.
His first first-year class had been with the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, which was never quite as painful as the Slytherin and Gryffindor first-year classes. At least Ravenclaws could be counted on to listen to instructions, and Hufflepuffs, while not necessarily as sharp, where hard-working and diligent. Sometimes, he thought his life could at least be tolerable if he didn't have to teach Gryffindors. They were the bane of his existence.
Severus thought back to his first class. He hadn't been sure of what to expect from Primrose Potter. That she had been sorted into Ravenclaw left him with a small measure of optimism, but he quickly stamped those feelings out. Getting his hopes up never worked out well. It was better to be on the safe side and assume that she was as incompetent as her brother. It would be too much to ask of the Universe, that she at least had a smidgen of Lily's talent - poor Lily. Thinking of her fate, locked away at St Mungos made his heart ache and he felt sick to his stomach. He had visited her once before, long ago, but seeing her wide-eyed, trembling, incoherent manner was more than he could bear. He wanted to remember the beautiful, intelligent girl - not the raving, screaming creature that pulled at her own hair, and didn't recognize him.
Since that incident, in which Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Rabastan, and Barty Jr had tortured the Potters to insanity, Severus had desperately been working on a cure for the Potters' condition. It was almost ten years now. He had made several breakthroughs, but he was still nowhere near to finding the cure. The Potters' condition was simply too complex. True, he had created several medicinal potions that were being used at St Mungo's to this day (which helped to supplement his income), but he didn't care about that. All he wanted was to be the one who saved Lily - the one who brought her back from her mental torment to the girl he once knew. Or, it would be more accurate to say woman - it was hard to think of her as being in her thirties now.
The Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff class had gone better than he had expected. Of course, it helped that he (always) tried to expect the worst. Primrose seemed to be nothing like her brother, for which he was infinitely grateful. Her bearing was confident - she never flinched from his gaze. And of course, she answered his question correctly, even though the one he asked her wasn't in the first year textbook. Admittedly, Potter answered most of his questions correctly as well, so it wouldn't do to expect too much of the girl. Afterall, theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge were different realms of ability.
As Primrose paired up (with the werewolf, he noticed darkly), he had observed her working. Well, he observed all his students with an eagle eye, but it was hard not to watch the girl. It was like going back and time, and watching Lily (if Lily's hair had been hit by a colour change charm that made it black). Even her body language, voice, and inflections were like Lily's. When he finally found the cure for Lily (and hopefully, it would not be too far off), he thought that she would be proud of her daughter. All in all, the first-year class had been tolerable.
One would think that a tolerable class would have put Severus in a good mood, but if that is what one thought, then one would be terribly, terribly wrong. Having met Primrose Potter meant that when Harry's Gryffindor-Slytherin group entered his classroom that afternoon, the comparison between Primrose and Harry was fresh in Severus's mind. Harry compared to his peers was bad enough. Harry compared to his sister? It just made his failings stand out more clearly than ever.
Severus went through roll call with his second years ("Remarkable to see that you survived the summer in one piece, Potter" he said contemptuously, causing the other students to snicker). He then collected all the students' summer homework. He followed that with an overview of what they would be learning in their second year. Of course, he gave warning that this curriculum would be even more dangerous that last year's. He looked at Harry pointedly as he said this, but Harry kept his gaze down on his parchment, scribbling away with his quill in his messy chicken-scratch handwriting.
"Potter!" Severus called out. "Name the uses for Gurdyroot!"
"Many believe that a Gurdyroot concoction can ward off Dark creatures, though it is limited in its effect. It is also used in the Love Potion Antidote," Harry replied softly, not meeting his eyes. Harry seemed to keep his gaze fixed on Severus's robe, not daring to look up further. Potter's answer was correct of course. Severus rarely managed to trip the boy up when asking him about any of the theory. While he was minorly relieved that the boy at least had a brain, it disgusted him that the boy was so timid. How had he even managed to be sorted into Gryffindor anyway? Did the hat do pity-Sortings? That was the only explanation that Severus could come up with. It was a shame he couldn't take away points for cowardice. It was tempting though. As Severus contemplated the boy, boring holes through him with his eyes, Harry's ears pinkened, and Severus sneered in contempt.
"We'll be starting the class with a Sleeping Draught," he said in his silky voice, after a moment. "Can anybody tell me the difference between the Sleeping Draught and the Draught of Living Death?" Severus's eyes skirted across the classroom. He ignored Hermione, whose hand was straining towards the ceiling. "Mr. Malfoy?"
"The Sleeping Draught causes the drinker to fall into a deep but temporary sleep. The Draught of Living Death, while also a type of sleeping draught, is much more powerful, sending the drinker into a death-like slumber," said Draco Malfoy, looking particularly smug.
"Very good. Ten points to Slytherin," Severus said.
Harry was paired with Neville (as he had been last year), but he wished that he had been paired with Hermione instead. Unfortunately, Snape did not permit the students to change their partners. As much as Harry liked Neville, he had to admit that Neville wasn't much good at potions at all. While Harry had an excellent theoretical grasp on potions, and knew that on his own, he'd be able to brew most of the potions in the curriculum, being around Snape was always a humiliating experience. In Potions class, he couldn't keep his hands from trembling in stress. Even chopping, crushing and preparing ingredients was difficult.
The students quietly made their way to the cupboard, collecting the necessary ingredients before returning to their stations. Professor Snape swept up and down the aisles, his cloak fluttering behind him. Every time the Professor drew near, Harry couldn't help but feel sick with anxiety and shame. Snapes eyes were always so condemning, that Harry wanted to sink into the floor.
Fortunately, so far, Harry seemed to be doing alright. He noticed that his breathing was shallow and forced himself to take a deep breath. Neville was crushing the lavender and standard ingredient in the mortar, while Harry was juicing the flobberworm to collect its mucus. He tried to focus on his task, and tune out the environment around him. He was so intent on squeezing the mucus from the flobberworms that when a hard item hit him in the back, he jumped, knocking the squeezed flobberworms and mucus on the floor.
"Potter!" Snape called out furiously, seeing the sticky mess on the floor. "Are you really that much of an imbecile that you would ruin your potions before they've even been brewed? Or could it be that you've already given up before you started and decided to sabotage yourself?" Snape's insinuations made Harry pale. "Five points from Gryffindor!"
Around Harry, the students were either snickering, or glowering at him. Neville looked at the students behind Harry, with an angry glare. He had seen something out of the corner of his eye fly towards Harry and hit him in the back, but he didn't know who did it. It enraged Neville but he knew that if he stood up for Harry, Snape would just take off more points, and the Gryffindors would antagonize Harry further. Behind Harry, most of the Slytherins were sniggering. Malfoy was looking smug. But Ronald Weasley, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan, the three Gryffindors who liked to bully Harry were also looking pleased as well. The rest of the Gryffindors looked angry, as though they believed that Harry was personally determined to lose points for their house.
Harry, meanwhile, was crouched over the mess on the floor, trying to clean it up, but his hands were shaking badly. His whole body burned hot with humiliation and helplessness. For a brief moment, he hated Snape more than he hated even Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Rabastan, and Barty Jr.
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After Herbology, Primrose followed her housemates back to Ravenclaw tower. Most of them were dirty from handling the plants, and wanted to take showers. Rosie could tell that Harry was still in Potions because the feelings of shame had not subsided. In fact, as she was nearing the entrance to the Ravenclaw Nest, emotions of surprise, horror and humiliation seemed to explode through her head, neck and chest, and she barely heard a word that Luna was saying to her. Whatever it was that Harry was experiencing was awful! It made her want to crawl into a hole and die.
Something must have showed in her expression (which she usually tried to keep impassive) because she heard Luna say: "There must be an infestation of blue-bottomed-dorples. They tend
to steal the colour away from your cheeks if you're not careful."
The words were enough of a distraction that Rosie was able to pull herself away from Harry's feelings, and blank out of her mind, though it was an effort. She smiled weakly at Luna.
"Yeah, there must be," she murmured. Luna smiled knowingly and took Rosie's hand.
"Come on," Luna said, pulling Rosie up the steps of the Ravenclaw Tower. "I'll show you the Raven-hat that I'm making. I still need more feathers, and not all of them are black, but it caws when I put it on."
Edine and Sakiko were already in the showers when Rosie and Luna arrived at the dorms. They both took quick showers, and afterwards, Luna took the hat out of her trunks to show Rosie.
It was a rather impressive hat - the eagle head that topped it was as big as Luna's head, and made with a mix of white, bronze, and oddly, some blue and orange feathers thrown in. Edine and Sakiko, who were sitting on Edine's bed and chatting, looked over at Luna oddly, as she turned the hat this way and that, so that Rosie could see every angle.
"When did you have time to do this?" Rosie asked, impressed. "We've only been here a couple days. Did you know you would get sorted into Ravenclaw?"
"Oh, I have a hat for each of the houses. I've finished my Badger-hat, and I'm still working on my Snake-hat and Lion-hat." Luna set the Eagle-hat on her head, and it began to screech extremely loudly. Edine and Sakiko both jumped, and from the common rooms below, Rosie heard someone say "What's going on up there?" Luna took the hat off.
"Are you really going to wear that in public?" Edine said with consternation. Sakiko shared an expression of dismay, and the two friends shared a glance.
"Maybe for Quidditch games," Luna said serenely, and then put the hat back in her trunk.
As Rosie wondered when Harry would be finished his class, she realized that she had forgotten to write a letter for Remus. She wasn't even sure what she would say to him. Perhaps she could ask Romulus about it. She grabbed some parchment and her quill and ink and headed down to the common room. Luna had climbed on her bed with The Quibbler, trying to solve a puzzle and seemed content to entertain herself.
Romulus was indeed in the common room, sitting in a chair by the window alone. His dark blond hair was draped across his eyes like a shield, making him look as inaccessible as ever. He was reading a book, and seemed oblivious to the people around him. Rosie walked up to him, hoping she wouldn't startle him, but as she drew near, she noticed that his eyes were unmoving on the page, and his body carried a sort of coiled tension, as though he were ready to leap up at any moment.. Evidently, nothing escaped his notice.
"Hello, Rom," she said in greeting. He looked up at her, his cold blue eyes unreadable.
"I hope you don't mind that I call you that," she said apologetically. "Romulus is admittedly a bit of a mouthful." Romulus shrugged indifferently.
"I was thinking of writing a letter to Remus. I'm not really sure what to say. Would it be alright if I mentioned that I know you?" Romulus seemed to consider her words thoughtfully.
"He would probably be surprised. But-" Romulus paused, his gaze suddenly distant. "I think it would be good for Remus, to have someone to talk to other than me."
"Oh, thanks!" Rosie said, brightening. She was suddenly very excited about reaching out to Remus. She waved to Romulus as she walked off to one of the tables, and Romulus nodded in response before going back to his book.
Sitting at one of the empty desks in the common room, Rosie brushed the feathery tip of the quill against her lips as she considered what she would say. She began to write.
Dear Remus,
I don't know if you remember me, but my name is Primrose Lily Potter. You were friends with my dad and with Sirius.
I just started my first year at Hogwarts, and I met your son Romulus. I like him. He told me a bit about you, and how you like to read. I like to read too, and so does Harry.
I don't really remember you, but Harry says you were really nice. I've always wondered about you. I hope you'll decide to reply. It would make me really happy to hear from you.
Sincerely
Rosie
Satisfied with her efforts, Rosie sprinkled the letter with a layer of fine sand to absorb the ink so that it would not blot when she folded the parchment. She dusted off the powder, and folded up her letter. From her empathic link, she could sense that Harry was probably done class. The feeling of shame had subsided to his normal anxiety.
As she was about to exit the common room, she saw that there was a new notice on the noticeboard. It seemed that they would have their first Flying Lessons on Friday with the Hufflepuffs. Rosie was proficient on the broom. She didn't love flying the way that Sirius and Harry did, but when one lived with those two, one ended up spending a fair amount of time on a broom. She put the thought from her mind - Flying Lessons were probably more important for muggles who had never flown before. Harry had told her that students who proved their proficiency didn't have to take the class.
She climbed down the spiraling stairs and along the corridors and staircases that led her to the Great Hall. The closer she got, the more strongly she felt Harry's anxiety, but Rosie was feeling excited. She couldn't wait to talk to Sirius! Even when one of the staircases shifted, and forced her to take a big detour, she remained positive.
Harry was waiting for her by the entrance to the Great Hall. He was standing with his arms crossed, looking withdrawn and troubled, but when he saw her, he relaxed and smiled.
"Where do you want to go?" Rosie asked him.
"Let's go walk outside along the lake," Harry replied, and they started walking.
There weren't too many students around, and Rosie wanted to know what had happened to him earlier, so she leaned closed to him and said softly, in Parseltongue: "What happened earlier?" She knew that to the other students, it would probably just sound like very quiet whispering. In her experience, most people couldn't even hear parseltongue at all.
"Snape," Harry replied darkly. "I'll tell you when we're outside."
They headed towards the exit that led to one of the courtyards, but before they were outside, they heard a pair of voices call out behind them.
"Harry!"
Harry and Rosie turned around. Rosie noted that Harry's anxiety didn't increase, so whoever they were, they probably weren't a threat. Coming their way was a tall pair of red headed twins in Gryffindor colours. They looked remarkably like the boy Ron, who had been bullying Harry at the table yesterday, and Rosie instinctively felt guarded.
"Well, well" said one
"Looks like we have a matched set!" said the other.
"Who's this then, Harry?" they asked together.
"Hey, Fred. Hey George. This is my sister, Rosie." The pair of them looked at Rosie speculatively, and she tilted her chin up, meeting their gaze boldly.
"Oh my,"
"A little Eaglet, just a hatchling too"
"And is that a challenge I spy in her eyes?" The twins looked at each other, and there was a sparkle of mischief in their eyes.
"Well, by all means, challenge her," said Harry, "But she's read more of the Black library than I have, and she knows some pretty mean hexes." Rosie's lip quirked up in amusement. Yes, she did know a lot of hexes, but that didn't mean she had ever cast them before.
"Harry," Rosie said, swatting his arm. "Don't scare them!" The twins laughed.
"I like this one," said Fred.
"Obviously, no stranger to mischief," said George.
"Which is to say-"
"We look forwarding to seeing what you can do." The twins grinned.
Harry faked a sigh. "You've met the latest addition to the Marauders and you're tired of me already, it seems."
"Never, Harry!"
"You're tried and true!"
"By the way, thanks for the balloon bugs!"
"You should have seen Percy's face when he couldn't get through the doors!" The twins chortled with amusement.
Rosie looked at Harry with mild surprise. "You gave them the balloon bugs?" She asked.
The balloon bug was one of Sirius's little "projects:" a little bug like device could be thrown at anyone, and it would cling onto their clothes. Once attached, it expanded into multiple balloons, encircling the person until their upper body was surrounded, arms entrapped. Conveniently, it left a person's head free so they could see, and kept their legs free so they could move. The end result was something that looked akin to a lumpy human lollipop.
"Well, Sirius did imply that he wanted us to use his projects to school. So I did," Harry informed her with a sheepish shrug.
"Do be sure to show us any new 'toys' you may have Harry," said George
"And we'll try and keep ickle Ronniekins off your back," added Fred. There was a gleam of trouble in the twins eyes as they grinned.
"See you around, Harry, Rosie!" The twins waved, and wandered off. Rosie looked at Harry. The banter seemed to have relaxed him, and he gave her a half smile.
"That was Fred and George Weasley - Ron's older brothers. They've got a really big family. I think those two have bought every product that Sirius has put out under the Marauder's line from Zonko's. And they're always trying to wheedle me out of giving them all of Sirius's prototypes."
"Every product? Wow - Padfoot has fans. I think I remember seeing a Ginerva Weasley one in my classes," Rosie replied.
"Ginny? She's pretty nice. Well, the lot of them are pretty nice, except for Ron." Harry's face darkened slightly.
They continued on their way, out to the courtyard and past the Garden Gate. Finding a comfortable grassy spot by the lake, they sat down.
"So what happened in Potions today?" Rosie asked Harry in Parseltongue. A part of her didn't want to bring it up and spoil the mood, but she knew that it often helped for Harry to talk through his feelings.
"The same thing that always happens," Harry replied unhappily. "Either Snape singles me out in front of the whole class, or someone does something to mess me up."
"You mean, people sabotage you?" Rosie hissed, incensed.
"I don't know if I'd call it sabotage. But I know it's always directed at me. I don't know who it is. Either Seamus and his ilk, or Malfoy and his."
"Malfoy?" Rosie asked. She recognized the name as a pureblood one. One of Sirius's cousins (that he rarely ever spoke to) had married a Malfoy.
"He's a Slytherin and a prat. But at least, half the time he's fighting with Ron, so that gets him off my back. Malfoy might not like me, but he and Ron loathe each other. At least with Malfoy, it isn't personal though. I think he just dislikes all Gryffindors on principle, and he's kind of a pure-blooded snob."
"Why didn't you ever tell me any of this? In any of your letters, or even over the summer?" Rosie asked.
"I didn't want to upset you. Plus, I knew you'd be coming to Hogwarts soon, and I didn't want you to start out with a negative impression. It's not bad for everyone. If Seamus and his friends, and Snape didn't exist, I'd probably really like it here," Harry said, with a trace of wistfulness. "At least I have Quidditch."
Rosie was silent for a moment as she digested Harry's words. "I still wish you had told me," she said finally. "You shouldn't have had to carry that burden on your own."
"I had Neville and Hermione," Harry said softly. "They're good friends."
"Yeah."
They sat silently, and stared out at the lake, which rippled slightly in the wind. Occasionally, the tentacles of the giant squid could be seen.
"Did you bring the mirror?" Rosie asked, when she sensed that Harry's mood was calm enough. Harry nodded, and pulled the square two-way mirror out of his schoolbag. "Sirius," he said, gazing into it. After about five minutes of waiting, Sirius's face appeared.
"Padfoot!" Rosie squealed, in childish delight, a wide grin on her face.
"Hi, Padfoot," said Harry, at the same time, with a crooked grin.
"Hey pups!" Sirius looked very pleased to see them.
"I miss you sooo much, Padfoot!" Rosie said.
"Aww, I miss you too, pups! Having only Kreacher for company just isn't the same."
"Somehow, I doubt that you only have Kreacher for company," Harry said, rolling his eyes.
"What are you implying?" Sirius replied, with mock indignation.
"You probably started bringing lovers over the second we were gone," said Harry. Sirius's ears turned red.
"What would you know about lovers anyway? You pups are too young to think about things like that."
"Well, we know that you're good-looking, and willing to take advantage of it," Rosie chirped.
"And that you have no trouble attracting pretty girls and pretty boys," Harry added.
"I'll take that as a compliment," said Sirius, his lips quirking.
"So which house did you get sorted into, pup?" Sirius asked Rosie.
"Ravenclaw," she replied with a smile.
"Not Gryffindor?" Sirius asked, surprise. He paused as he considered the situation. "Well, being a Eagle isn't so bad, I suppose." (Sirius's expression didn't quite match his words. Rosie could tell he was a touch disappointed, but she knew he'd get over it) "You are a clever little pup after all. Besides, considering the trouble that the Marauders and I got into - maybe you'd be safer with the stiff old birds rather than the lions."
"You make it sound like I'm helpless, Padfoot! Considering that I've lived with you for ten years, I'm pretty sure I take on the Gryffindors any day!"
Sirius grinned. "That's my girl! You know, the Marauders and I snuck into the Ravenclaw tower once before. I like the Gryffindor tower better."
"Mm." Rosie simply smiled placidly. Sometimes Sirius could act like he was five years old.
"Are you getting along with the other Eagles?" Sirius asked.
"Well, I met this girl Luna who's really nice. And there's also Romulus."
"A boy? I didn't think I had to start worrying about that so soon!" Sirius groaned.
Rosie gave him a withering look. "I'll have you know that Romulus Lupin is a perfect gentleman" (though in her head, she thought he was rather too taciturn to truly be called a gentleman).
"Lupin? Merlin's beard! He has a son?"
"Adopted."
Sirius looked rather thoughtful. "I wonder what old Moony is up to these days." His question was rhetorical and Sirius looked slightly wistful and sad.
Rosie changed the topic. They spoke for a while about how school was going. Rosie told him about some of her other classmates and classes. Harry spoke a bit about his classes, but Rosie noticed that he omitted mentioning Potions.
"Do you have a favourite class yet?" Sirius asked Rosie.
"I haven't even gone to all my classes yet!" Rosie exclaimed. "But I like transfigurations and astronomy so far."
"Your dad was really talented in Transfigurations," Sirius said.
"I know," Rosie replied.
"So - have you had a class with Snivellus yet?" Sirius asked. Rosie's expression darkened.
"I'm guessing by your expression that you have. That bad eh, pup?"
"Well, it's not that bad for me," she confessed. She was more angry on behalf of Harry, but she did not know how much Harry had revealed to Sirius.
"Snape is Snape," Harry said, a touch of anger in his voice.
"That says it all, doesn't it?" Sirius replied. "Well, pups, be brave, be strong. I'll send you some of my experimental projects by owl so you can prank him." Sirius grinned wickedly. Harry and Rosie exchanged a look. The idea of pranking Snape sent shivers down their spine.
"Erm - thanks?" Harry replied.
"Anyhow, pups, I've got to run. I still have to take a shower and erm - work on my projects."
Rosie and Harry laughed, not at all fooled. "Enjoy your date, Sirius," they chimed together.
"I love you, Padfoot!" Rosie threw in. Sirius smiled warmly.
"Love you too, Pups."
Sirius's image vanished in the mirror, and Harry put it back in his schoolbag. They stared out at the lake for another silent moment.
"Have you been to the library yet?" Harry asked.
"Not yet. I've walked past it, but I haven't had a chance yet."
"Let's go then," Harry said with a smile. Rosie smiled back. Speaking to Sirius had left both of them feeling better. As they walked back towards the castle, Rosie suddenly remembered her letter for Remus.
"Oh, Harry!" Harry looked at her questioningly.
"I spoke to Romulus, and he said that it would be fine if we contacted Remus. I wrote this letter for him. Could you get Hedwig to send it?" Rosie took the letter out of her bookbag and handed it to Harry.
"I'll probably write him a short note as well. I can send it off this evening."
Hogwarts library was located off a corridor on the first floor, and the sight of all the books brought a flutter of excitement to Rosie's heart. Harry, who was watching her face, grinned at her reaction.
"Awesome, isn't it?" he said. "Hermione is probably here now, if she isn't in the common room." The wandered into the library, and Harry searched the tables while Rosie glanced up at the bookshelves. She didn't even know where to begin. She recognized a number of students at the table as being Ravenclaws, who had books open in front of them, and parchment for taking notes. Harry spotted Hermione at one of the far tables, by a window.
"Hey 'Mione," he said softly with a smile. "Trying to get ahead in classes?"
"Hi Harry, Hi Rosie. I've already read all my textbooks. You know that, Harry. And I know you've already read all of yours as well." Harry grinned.
"What are you reading?" He asked her.
"Well, I was speaking to Percy about the electives we have to take next year, and I thought I'd start doing some research to see what might interest me the most. I wish I could take all of them." Hermione's expression was wistful.
"I can relate," Harry said with a grin. They started speaking quietly about classes, and Rosie excused herself so that she could look through the selection of books. It seemed that there were books on every facet of magic (and even books about muggles). Here was a section on Charms, and there, one that focused on Transfigurations. There was a whole wall of books dedicated to magical creatures, and dragons had their own immense section. There was even a Restricted Section. She poked her head curiously inside and recognized some of the titles. With a touch of amusement, she realized that almost of of the Black family library would belong in the restricted section.
In the end, she decided to check out a book on Animagus. She had already read a large portion of the book she had bought from Flourish and Blotts, and it had only increased her fascination with the topic.
A/N: Thank you for the Reviews!
