Rosie and Romulus shared a glance as the Great Hall erupted into pandemonium. The snake summoning charm had been unexpected, but Rosie hadn't been afraid. She had never had a fear of snakes - especially as a parseltongue. However, she was shocked when Gilderoy cast the spell that caused the single snake to multiply into ten. She knew he was a bumbling idiot, but despite her already low expectations, she was still surprised. What made it worse was that all the snakes were stressed, which meant that they would act defensively. She could hear them hissing in dismay, saying: Where are we? What is this place? Danger! Danger everywhere!
The students were screaming all her around her. She and Romulus leapt out of the way, as students pushed each other in frantic fear. Most of them were trying to reach the exit, but some of them just wanted to get as far from the centre of the Hall as possible. They found themselves dodging and ducking from multi-coloured hexes. If Rosie weren't so bewildered, she would have thought it was excellent training practice. She kept getting the impression that Romulus's shields protected her more than they protected himself, but then she decided she was imagining things. Luna seemed to be adept at dodging spells, and even managed to cast a shield charm for herself. As Rosie scanned the Hall, she caught a glimpse of Toby. His eyes seemed to be glittering with a strange excitement. He almost looked like he was smiling. However, she shrugged it off - this was not the time or place to think about such things.
Rosie looked over at her brother. Their link had been blacked out the entire day, and even now, she could feel none of his emotions. He had seemed friendly and normal, and when Rosie had entered the hall with her friends, Harry greeted her with a warm smile. She could see and hear him instruct the snakes that they would come to no harm if they made their way towards the back wall. The snakes seemed to be listening to him - all of them were watching him with fixed eyes. And then they all simultaneously slithered off towards one of the back walls and curled into balls. She couldn't help feeling sympathy for the creatures. She didn't know where they had been summoned from, but she imagined it would have been terrifying to be pulled from a familiar place, into a strange room full of strange people. It didn't occur to her that the snakes had been conjured from nothing - they seemed so real, so full of personality.
Long ago, Sirius had told Rosie and Harry that there was a negative stigma attached to parselmouths. The books that the two of them had read had only confirmed that fact. The siblings had intended to keep their ability to speak to snakes a secret, but considering the circumstances, Rosie could understand how Harry would break that secrecy. She kept expecting the students to look at Harry with fearful or perhaps even repulsed expressions. What was odd was that most of them were paying him no heed. Perhaps that was because they were in a state of panic or fear - yet, she was noticing that many of the Slytherins were giving Harry curious glances. Even Snape appeared rather wide-eyed as Harry attempted to sooth the threatened snakes.
Harry seemed to take control of the situation with rapid ease. She couldn't feel anything from their link, but she was able to feel something else from him. The intensity that she had noticed long ago seemed to reappear. Furthermore, it seemed to be increasing. What was strange was that it wasn't frightening, the way it had been before. Romulus was looking at Harry with a guarded wariness. The students nearest to Harry seemed to be calming down. As the intensity increased, the frenzy began to die down. Some of the students looked dazed. Others seemed a bit dreamy-eyed. She even saw one or two students with sedate looking smiles.
At the entrance to the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick and Professor Kettleburn had entered. Amidst the panic, time felt much slower. As a result, the eventual appearance of the Professors had seemed to take forever. The professors were also attempting to calm the frantic students, urging them to make their way to their common rooms ("No pushing, now! Students, follow your prefects, and Walk back to your common rooms! This will all be taken care of!")
When the Professors entered the Hall, Harry's intense energy seemed to disappear. There was no trace of the intensity left. Harry, Hermione and Neville were dealing with the injured students. Professor Snape soon returned with bezoar, which he administered to all the students that had been bitten. He was followed closely by Professor Dumbledore. The Headmaster's expression was serious - there was no twinkle in his eyes that night. His presence seemed to further calm many of the students, and Rosie could see him rest a reassuring hand on many shoulders. Professor McGonagall had cast a spell to make all the snakes vanish. Students that had serious injuries were taken to the infirmary. The ones with minor injuries were immediately healed, and then sent back to their common rooms.
As the Slytherins left, they kept darting glances back at Harry. Their expressions were speculative, and it made Rosie uneasy. However, she was preoccupied with helping the injured students. Though it was getting late, she volunteered to help Madam Pomfrey in the infirmary. The matron was very grateful for the aid. It was a long day, and a long night, and by the time Rosie made her way to bed, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Her request for Harry to see Madam Pomfrey had been completely forgotten.
The following day was a Monday, and as the owls flew into the Great Hall with the morning post, Rosie wondered what the newspapers would report. Since she had stayed up later than usual to help Madam Pomfrey, her mind felt fuzzy with tiredness. It appeared as though she was not the only one - many of the other students looked worn out. A number of them were absent from the Hall. Rosie peeked over at the Gryffindor table. She could feel Harry through their link this morning. She had wanted to speak to him about the previous evening, but she could sense intense irritability from him, and decided to wait. At the Head Table, Professor Lockhart seemed to be missing, and strangely enough, Professor Dumbledore was gone as well. Most of the teachers looked pale, but Professor Snape wore a thoughtful expression, and kept looking over at Harry.
The headlines in the Daily Prophet read: SNAKE ATTACK AT HOGWARTS. MULTIPLE STUDENTS INJURED. Beneath the headline was a picture of an immense black snake, that had a remarkable likeness to the ones that had been summoned yesterday. The snake in the photo appeared to lunge at the camera, displaying sharp, curved teeth. There was also another smaller article, stating: HEROIC ACTIONS OF THE BOY WHO LIVED SAVES LIVES. There was a small picture of Harry that looked like it had been taken over the Christmas break. The background of the photo appeared to be Diagon Alley. Harry was shaking someone's hand, and wearing a friendly smile in the picture. From the looks of it, it was one of his fans, considering Rosie didn't recognize who the person was.
Rosie glanced back towards Harry. The irritability had been enveloped by the blackness of the link, and Harry appeared to be in a good mood. The irritation she had felt earlier had been so intense that she wondered if Harry was faking his pleasantness. On the other hand, perhaps his 'possessed' persona was just friendly? Assuming it was a possession. Rosie still had to confirm it, and if Harry had meant what he said yesterday, then he would be willing to undergo all the tests that she planned to run.
Since Rosie didn't have her own subscription to the Daily Prophet she borrowed the paper off one of the other Ravenclaws when they were done with it. The article ended up shocking her more than the headlines. She scanned through the paragraphs, which made insinuations that Professor Dumbledore had gone senile (after listing his long string of titles, of course). The article claimed that the Headmaster had lost control of the school, citing both the petrified student from Hallowe'en, as well as the snake-bite prank. The Board of Governors was currently undergoing a vote to have Professor Dumbledore suspended. The article also included a rather long quote from Lucius Malfoy, who was currently the chairman of the school of governors. The quote seemed to radiate smug satisfaction. Rosie glanced over at the Slytherin table. Draco Malfoy wasn't even bothering hide his smirk.
Luna, who was peering over at the article, commented: "Hm. I think the Minister of Magic will be happy about this. He's been wanting to discredit the Headmaster for ages. I suppose it will allow him to keep his army of heliopaths hidden for the time being."
"I can't believe that they're trying to get Professor Dumbledore suspended. I mean, he did sometimes seem a bit - erm, barmy - but he's also quite brilliant," Rosie replied, biting her lower lip. "I wonder who they'll put in his place." She glanced back towards the Head Table, where the Headmaster's spot remained empty. Professor Dumbledore had always seemed like such a fixture in the school. It was strange to think of Hogwarts without him. Rosie looked back at the newspaper.
Less surprising was a mention that Professor Lockhart had been sacked after the fiasco of the dueling club. Rosie couldn't bring herself to feel sorry for him. In all honesty, she was rather relieved. She found herself wondering who would replace him as the Defence teacher for the rest of the term. Hopefully someone who wasn't an inept, bumbling ninny. As Rosie considered the situation, she decided that it might be a good thing to have a new Headmaster. Considering that Professor Dumbledore would hire someone like Professor Lockhart, or that he would allow Professor Binns to keep teaching - well, such things did not suggest a quality education. She felt a spark of Ravenclaw optimism at the prospect of better teachers.
The first class of the day was supposed to be Defence. However, it was cancelled since Professor Lockhart was gone, and the school had yet to find a replacement. After seeing the notice of cancellation, the group of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs headed back to the Great Hall, and sat together at the Hufflepuff table. Ordinarily, most of the Ravenclaws would have returned to the Ravenclaw nest, or gone to the library to study. Instead, everyone wanted to talk about what had happened the previous evening.
"I can't believe Professor Lockhart is gone!" Edine wailed. Sakiko, and most of the Hufflepuff girls looked mournful, but most of the other first years looked at her as though she had gone daft.
"I say good riddance," Alec Perriss scowled. Most of the girls shot him angry glares.
"Do you really think that they'll suspend Professor Dumbledore? I mean, he wasn't even there," said Eleanor Wynch, the auburn Hufflepuff. She seemed disturbed by this notion.
"Yeah, but all the parents are totally on edge. I mean, my parents wanted to pull me out of Hogwarts. But I didn't want to be homeschooled or go to Durmstrang," Alec replied.
Sakiko scrunched up her face in distaste. "Yuck - I'd hate to be homeschooled. My parents barely have any books at home. But then again, my mum was a 'Puff, and my dad was in Gryffindor. They just don't get it." She sighed. Edine gave her friend a sympathetic look. The Hufflepuff's shared looks, Rosie could see some of them rolling their eyes, and muttering "Ravenclaws."
"Well, Dumbledore probably is getting senile. I mean, look at what he wears!" Edine said disdainfully. "I wouldn't be surprised if the Board voted him out."
"Professor Dumbledore is the greatest wizard of our age!" Imogen Flinton exclaimed. She was another Hufflepuff first year. A few of the other students were nodding in agreement.
"He was the greatest wizard of our age," Edine retorted. The students who supported Dumbledore, and the students who didn't glared at one another angrily.
Finally, someone changed the topic. "Yesterday was crazy, wasn't it?" Finley Ancrum asked. "I got hit by the impediment jinx at least three times."
"People are such idiots," Edine huffed. "I mean, what kind of person thinks it's a good idea to start throwing hexes in a crowded room?"
"I barely even know any hexes," Eleanor said. "I was just trying to run away. I think it was mostly the older students throwing hexes." Many of the first years agreed. Most of them did not know many offensive spells. While the Ravenclaws may have been more educated about the topic, their knowledge was more theoretical than practical.
"Justin Finch-Fletchley - he's one of our second years - got bit by one of the snakes," Imogen said. "He had to go to the Infirmary and everything!"
"It was so scary!" Eleanor squealed. "I hate snakes!" Many of the other students agreed.
"Did you guys see Harry Potter?" Alec asked. The mention of her brother's name caused Rosie to perk up. How would they react to his actions? She had asked Luna this morning whether Luna had heard Harry say anything to the snakes. Luna had shaken her head in negation. However, Luna had noticed the way the snakes looked at Harry before slithering away.
"He was sooo amazing," Sakiko gushed before turning to Rosie. "I can't believe he's your brother."
"Well, he is the Boy Who Lived," Imogen said. "Of course he'd be amazing! He survived You-Know-Who after all."
"He helped me after I was tripped by a jinx," Eleanor said, with a blush and a smile.
"I wish I was more like him," Finley said, unable to hide his envy. The pale Hufflepuff wasn't exactly known for his courage. He wasn't exactly known for his wits either. The first years soon started to ask Rosie questions about her brother. Not wanting to discuss Harry, she gave them ambiguous non-answers until they gave up ("I dunno. Harry's just Harry.") The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs huffed in irritation, but seemed happy to gush about Harry amongst themselves. Meanwhile, Rosie was lost in her thoughts. She had clearly heard Harry speak parseltongue, and she hadn't even been that close to him. However, Luna had heard nothing, and it seemed as though the other Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had heard nothing as well. If anything, their opinions of Harry matched the report in the Daily Prophet. They saw Harry as some kind of hero. Rosie knew she needed to speak to the Slytherins about what they had heard. She had to speak to Harry as well. It made no sense that some people were able to hear the hissing, and some people weren't.
The Ravenclaws had History of Magic with the Slytherins, and Rosie sat down next to Mathilda, Harper and Luthais. The Slytherins were giving her curious glances - not just her friends, but all the Slytherins as well. Instead of pretending to ignore her, Astrid gave a slight nod of her head. Startled by the acknowledgement, Rosie nodded back in return.
"Hello, Primrose," Mathilda said. Most of the other Slytherins had a speculative look in their eyes, but Mathilda was as warm as ever.. Rosie greeted her Slytherin friends.
"So -" Luthais drawled. "You never told us your brother was a parselmouth."
"Well, I generally don't bring Harry up for no reason," Rosie replied with a shrug. "Besides, it was a secret. It's not as though we could have guessed that something like this could happen." Luthais had just confirmed what she had thought she witnessed. It appeared that the Slytherins had heard Harry speaking to the snakes yesterday. They did not seem particularly troubled or afraid of this knowledge. But then again, Slytherins were known for their greater acceptance of Dark Magic, and parselmouths were associated with Dark witches and wizards.
Professor Binns had begun his lecture. Rosie and the other Slytherins lowered their voices.
"It's rather curious. How did Harry come by this skill?" Mathilda asked. "There has never been a Potter that was a parselmouth. And your mother was muggleborn, wasn't she?"
"Harry has been able to speak to snakes for as long as I can remember. We didn't even realize it was a rare skill until our godfather told us. To us, it just seemed ordinary," Rosie explained in soft tones.
"Yeah, but once your godfather told you, didn't you look into it further?" Harper asked. "I mean, it's a bloody rare ability! People think he's the Heir!" Harper's swearing, as well as his message caused Rosie to start in surprise.
"People think Harry is the Heir?" Rosie gaped.
"Not everyone, but most of Slytherin is convinced of it," Luthais explained. "Draco and all his followers, for one. Her -" Luthais flicked a glance at Astrid. "- and her friends. A lot of the upperclassmen are divided though. Draco won't shut up about it. He seems to have gotten this idea that it was your brother's plan all along to hide among the Lions, and act timid. He keeps saying that Potter is definitely the Heir because only the Heir could be so devious."
"What do you guys think?" Rosie asked. She was still in shock. She tried to remember what message had been written on the wall on the day poor Duncan Inglebee got petrified. The Heir has returned? Was that it? But if Harry was the Heir, then didn't his return occur last year when he first came to Hogwarts? Rosie shook off her thoughts - how could she even assume Harry was actually the Heir?
"We're not sure," Mathilda replied. She pursed her lips, as though debating her next words. "In all honesty, being a parselmouth is an extremely rare ability. What are the odds of someone in the school having it, and having the Chamber of Secrets open?"
"Well - I mean - I can speak parseltongue," Rosie admitted. She didn't want for all the Slytherins to get carried away and start thinking that her brother had plans to wipe out half-bloods and muggleborns. They were both half-bloods after all. It made no sense. The three Slytherins gaped at her in surprise at her revelation.
"What?" Luthais exclaimed. His voice was loud enough to cause Professor Binns to pause and stare at their table. Luthais frowned, and looked down at his desk, and Professor Binns continued to drone on.
"Are you being serious?" Harper asked.
"Why would I make something like this up?" Rosie retorted.
"Then it must be something in your bloodline if you can both speak it," Mathilda said. She her eyes were momentarily distant, as she tried to recall the bloodlines associated with parselmouths. This was mostly limited to Slytherin's bloodline, including the elusive Gaunts.
Rosie shook her head. "It's not something I was born with. Harry taught me."
The three Slytherins were once again looking at her with bewilderment. "He taught you?" Luthais asked. "Is that even possible? I thought it was an ability that could only be inherited."
"It was a long time ago. I can't really remember all the details. I guess Harry isn't even convinced about it, but I'm pretty sure he taught me. We've been speaking parseltongue to each other since we were kids. We didn't really see it as a big deal," Rosie told them.
"Merlin's beard," Harper muttered. "One of the rarest magical abilities, and you didn't see it as a big deal?"
"Wait - just to make sure - you didn't have anything to do with the Chamber of Secrets, did you?" Luthais asked suspiciously.
"Me? No!" Rosie exclaimed. "I don't even know where it is!"
Mathilda's lips quirked in amusement. "I can't imagine you being the Heir. No offense, Primrose."
Rosie laughed softly. "Don't worry, I'm not offended. I wouldn't want people thinking I was the Heir. But I really can't imagine it being Harry. I mean - most people know that we're half-bloods. Not that I'm saying that we're both Light. I think Harry and I are both more neutral. Well - maybe Harry leans more towards the Light. He's friends with a lot more muggleborns than I am. But neither of us really have anything to do with Salazar's ideology"
"Do you want us to tell the others?" Mathilda asked.
Rosie pursed her lips. "I don't know. Let me speak to Harry first. And - well - just keep the fact that I'm a parselmouth quiet. I wouldn't want people to get the wrong idea." The Slytherins nodded.
The following day, it was announced that Professor McGonagall would be the temporary Headmistress of Hogwarts until a new Headmaster could be found. The news was met with mixed reactions. It wasn't that the students doubted Professor McGonagall's abilities - rather, the shock came from the fact that Professor Dumbledore was not returning. There were a few gleeful faces - especially from the Slytherins. Many of the Gryffindor's looked dumbstruck and saddened. There were many who felt that the Headmaster had been wrongfully suspended. Some thought that the blame should have fallen solely on Professor Lockhart's shoulders. Very few people mourned the loss of Lockhart (though some of his female fans were tearful).
Beyond that, yet more students had been pulled from Hogwarts by worried parents. Several of the students who had been injured during the dueling club disaster had not returned. It was a blow to Hogwarts that the many in the Wizarding world seemed to have lost faith in the safety of the school. After a long conversation with Sirius in the mirror in the late afternoon, Harry and Rosie had decided to stay. Sirius had seemed more focused on Harry being a hero, than on his concerns about the dueling club disaster. Their godfather had been radiating with irrepressible pride.
Throughout the conversation, Rosie's link with Harry had been blacked out. After they ended the mirror call, Rosie turned to her brother. Aside from not being able to feel his emotions, he appeared 'normal.'
The corner of his lip quirked up when he noticed her examining him. "You look like you have questions."
"At the dueling club, you were speaking parseltongue." Rosie watched as Harry nodded in confirmation. "I spoke to Luna and Rom about it yesterday. Neither of them heard you say anything to the snakes. But both of them mentioned that they noticed the snakes looking at you before slithering away. None of the Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs brought it up either. In History of Magic yesterday, I also spoke to Mathilda, Luthais and Harper. They're Slytherins in my year, by the way. They could hear you Harry. In fact, they told me all the Slytherins could hear you. They - well - a lot of them seem pretty convinced that you're the Heir of Slytherin." Rosie looked at Harry expectantly. His expression was bemused.
"The Heir? That's ridiculous. Do they really believe that?"
"Most of them do. Luthais told me that Draco was really vocal about it. And of course, if Draco was vocal about it, then all his followers would be in the same boat. But that's -" Rosie shook her head. "What I wanted to ask was, why did only the Slytherins hear you?"
Harry bit his lower lip. Although their link was blacked out, there was nothing about him that appeared threatening. In fact, the expression he was wearing made him look as innocent as a puffskein. Rosie thought: 'I really need to figure out that runic circle soon.' Harry looked so harmless that it was easy to question her own judgement.
"Well - the thing is -" Harry began. "It's Sephtis."
"Sephtis? How so?" Rosie couldn't see the feathered serpent anywhere. She heard Harry hiss softly, and from within his robes, the small black head peeked out and flicked it's tongue.
"My companion wishes me to greet you, weak one," Sephtis said.
It took a lot of effort for Rosie to not sigh. "Hello to you too, Sephtis." The feathered serpent seemed to nod before hiding back in Harry's robes.
"I thought you kept him in your common room. Do you really carry him everywhere?" Rosie asked.
Harry looked a bit sheepish. "Well, no one has noticed. Plus, he's pretty protective of me."
"Hm. Well, I guess if no one has noticed - but anyway, what does Sephtis have to do with anything?"
"I'm not sure if you're aware, but Sephtis has a lot of magic. Now that he's starting to eat more, it's strengthening. Plus, I think that being around me all the time helps. He helps me too - I almost feel like doing magic is easier with him."
"Really?" Rosie asked, startled. She knew that the feathered serpent was more than he appeared, but she had no idea that he would have such effects.
Harry grinned, and the familiarity of the expression left her longing to believe that Harry was fine, and well. She really didn't like being caught up in all the weirdness. She just wanted to enjoy school, and make friends, and learn.
"Yeah. Sephtis says he can do a lot of other things as well, but he still has to grow into a lot of his abilities. Did you know that as long as I keep feeding him bigger and bigger animals, he'll keep growing?" Harry peered downwards with a grin. He seemed to be looking at Sephtis, though the feathered serpent was hidden beneath his robes. "He says that he doesn't think there's a limit to how big he can get. But we agreed that he should remain small while we're still in school. It's easier for him to hide that way. Anyway -"
Harry returned his gaze to Rosie. "I think the reason that the Slytherins could hear me, but no one else could, was because Sephtis was using protective magic. Anyone who would be threatened by parselmouths would hear nothing, but people who valued the ability would be able to hear it."
"He can really do that?" Rosie asked.
Harry smiled crookedly. "He's definitely really protective of me. I've actually been trying to do research on Kukulkans. It's difficult to find anything. I think I found only one book that passingly mentioned feathered serpents. And apparently, in South America, the feathered serpent was a god. But muggles tend to have weird views on magic. Either they go all crazy and scary and try and burn things at the stake, or they think it's godly." Harry shrugged, but there was a cold gleam in his eyes when he mentioned muggles. Though Rosie and Harry had grown up in the wizarding world, they did have some exposure to the muggle world. On occasion, Sirius took them out to muggle London for fun. Plus, Harry had muggleborn friends. Harry's reaction to muggles had always been mild curiosity in the past. When had his opinion changed into something colder and darker?
"Hm. Yeah, muggles are pretty weird," Rosie said neutrally. "I always felt kind of bad for muggleborns. Was it hard for Hermione to adjust?"
"Hermione? Yeah, as smart as she is, there's a lot of little things she doesn't get about the wizarding world. And Hermione's brilliant. For a less intelligent witch or wizard -" Harry grimaced.
Rosie decided it was time to change the topic and address the other concern that had been on her mind. "You know, people are acting like you're a big hero. And - well -" Rosie bit her lower lip as she tried to find the right words. "When everyone was panicking, I felt something from you. Magic, or something. It was like you calmed everyone down. What happened?" Rosie's expression was intent as she awaited her brother's answer.
"I don't know, I just - wanted everyone to be less scared." Harry hissed something softly to Sephtis, but whatever the feathered serpent's reply was was too quiet for Rosie to hear. Harry's gaze was distant as he listened to Sephtis.
Finally, Harry's eyes returned to Rosie. "Sephtis said he felt it too. He thinks it's a kind of accidental magic."
"Accidental magic? Harry, whatever that was, it seemed to affect the whole Hall! Are - are you sure Sephtis had nothing to do with it?" Rosie wasn't so sure why she would have preferred it to be Sephtis rather than Harry. Perhaps it was just that the occurrence had been so extraordinary. While she thought highly of Harry, she didn't necessarily want to see Harry as somehow different than other wizards. He had spent his whole life trying to hide and act like he was nothing special. He used to hate the attention that he received from the wizarding world. Yes, it was true that he was the only known person to have survived the killing curse. But Harry was Harry!
Rosie could tell that her thoughts were losing coherence. The incident had reminded her too much of that other occurrence in December, when she had been overwhelmed by Harry's intensity. Of course, that experience had felt different - more ominous, but in both cases, she had been aware that whatever she was feeling was unusual. Not for the first time, she wondered if she was out of her depth. Maybe she should just ask for help - speak to one of the professors or something. Or maybe even Sirius! She was just eleven! She shouldn't have to deal with this kind of stuff. It wasn't fair!
"Rosie?" Harry's question caused Rosie to meet his eyes. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she seemed to have missed what he had said. As Harry's eyes bored into Rosie's, she felt like she couldn't look away. It was strange, but it almost seemed like he could see right through her, and know everything she was thinking. What had she been thinking anyway?
"Hm - I think you're a bit worn out. Why don't we chat later? I'm guessing you still have a lot of homework to do?" Harry asked gently.
Homework? She did have to draw up a diagram for transfigurations, and she had a paper to write for charms. She supposed she could always read further ahead in Potions, and maybe also study
the star charts for Astronomy.
"It's been a nice talk, hasn't it, Rosie?" Harry asked. He smiled warmly, and all she could think about was that it was so nice to see him smiling like that.
Rosie smiled in return. "Yeah - it has been a nice chat. I always feel better after talking to you, Harry."
"I'm happy that I was able to answer all your questions," Harry said.
"Yeah -" What questions had she asked? It must not have been important if she couldn't really recall. Rosie smiled again at her brother. "Talk to you later Harry."
"You too, Rosie."
It was a little strange to have Professor Dumbledore gone, but it wasn't long before things seemed to return back to normal. The Headmaster had mostly been seen during meals - he hadn't
interacted with many of the students. Professor Dumbledore had been more like a figurehead - a great and distant wizard that brought prestige and awe to Hogwarts. As such, his absence was easy enough to put out of mind.
The Hufflepuff-Gryffindor Quidditch match was in February, and of course, Rosie went to support her brother. Though many students seemed to have a low opinion of the Hufflepuffs, the Badger House played well, and it was a close and exciting match. Fortunately, Harry suffered no mishaps or broken bones, and even better, Rosie could feel his emotions through the link. She was thrilled by Harry's adrenaline rush from chasing after the snitch. If not for that, she would probably have been tempted to pull out a book and read, the way Hermione was doing. However, soon after the match was over, the blackness in their link had returned. The timing of it struck Rosie as strange, but for some reason, she didn't really want to think about it, and it was soon forgotten. She had more pressing matters to worry about, such as practicing the latest transfiguration spell, and making sure she avoided Toby, Marietta and Sarah.
Rosie was also engrossed in the books that Madam Pomfrey had given her about mind healing. She had previously had a rather low opinion of mind healers in the past - especially since the mind healers at St. Mungo's had failed to help her parents. However, it was a fascinating area of study. In many ways, the mind was much more difficult to heal than the body. As a result, the practice of mind healing was also more complex.
The book that Madam Pomfrey had given her had focused largely on the theory behind mind healing. The practice of mind healing itself could only be done with a trained practitioner. Especially since many of the actual techniques behind mind healing could potentially damage the mind. The magic behind mind healing was related to the magic of Legilimency, yet it was also very different. Legilimency was not widely known or taught, and in the same ways, the magic of mind healers was tightly regulated to prevent abuse. Much of the practices of mind healing used Legilimency as a foundation. Yet, many of the spells were completely unique to the specialty of mind healing itself. While Legilimency allowed one to rifle through the thoughts and memories of another witch or wizard, some mind healing spells used a more intuitive and abstract technique.
Mind healing was done with a combination of potions and with magic. More often than not, potions were used, since the risk was lesser. Rosie had read that there had been cases of mind healing magic permanently changing witches or wizards. The magic could alter a person's personality, or render them catatonic in some cases. Sometimes, mind healing magic could hurt the healer themselves. This could happen if the magic of the patient attacked the magic of the healer. Peering into the mind of a witch or wizard left both parties very vulnerable.
Despite the dangers, Rosie felt drawn to mind healing more than any other aspect of healing. Perhaps it was because of her experience with Miss Accrington that influenced her. She had seen the Slytherin girl one or two times in the corridors, and surprisingly, the girl always had a smile for her. Or perhaps it was some unspoken wish to someday heal her own parents. In many ways, they were strangers to her. Yet, the stories she had heard from Sirius and more recently Remus had brought them to life, if only in her own mind. She wanted to know them as more than trembling, screaming bodies.
Unfortunately, the actual practice of mind healing was far too advanced to be taught at Hogwarts. It was a specialized area of healing, and even Madam Pomfrey lacked expertise in the field. She gave Rosie all the books that she had on the subject, but until Rosie graduated Hogwarts, she would not be able to pursue her interest on a practical level.
In late February, Rosie finally learned the entirety of the runic circle that detected whether more than one spirit existed in the body. She was looking forward to testing out the circle on Harry, but for some reason that she couldn't define, her drive was no longer as intense. The idea that Harry could be possessed was starting to seem almost silly. More and more often, she encountered Harry during the black outs in their link. During these periods, nothing particularly odd seemed to happen.
In fact, she found herself agreeing with Hermione's assessment. Harry was more confident, more happy. She liked being around him. Sure, she couldn't feel what he felt anymore, but to make up for it, Harry often invited her to spend time with him and the other Gryffindors. Better yet, because he had helped so many people at the catastrophic dueling club, they were now joined by Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws as well. Slytherins were notably absent, though they did give Harry many covert glances. Rosie didn't give it much thought. Being around Harry was too nice - there was no reason to worry needlessly about things when she had no confirmation. And for some reason, she was certain that the runic circle would show that nothing was wrong with Harry. How could it be otherwise?
All the same, she knew that Harry was curious about the runic circle. He asked her a great deal of questions about it. She felt embarrassment, bringing it up with him, but Harry quickly laughed it off.
"I admire the dedication you've shown by taking time to learn the framework," he had said. "It's not a simple runic spell."
It was hard for Rosie to describe how happy his praise had made her.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Romulus noticed that Primrose had changed. It was a subtle thing, like trying to spot the green scales of the boomslang amidst green foliage. She smelled the same - no, that wasn't quite right. She used to smell more afraid, but a lot of that fear was gone. The problem with that was that sometimes, fear was a good thing. Fear kept one alert, and ensured that one was paying attention to their surroundings. And what was surrounding Primrose was her brother, and the strange magical feeling that emanated from him.
Whatever it was, Harry Potter seemed to be gaining a measure of control over it. Or was it because of that weird feathered serpent he always kept with him? All Romulus knew was that last year, the threat he felt from Harry was palpable. Though few seemed aware of it, there was the sense that that inexplicable power could easily crush anyone in its grasp. Romulus hated the way it made his hairs stand on end. It made him want to growl and at the same time whimper. The wolf within him longed to flee - the self-preservation instinct was stronger in his animal-side.
But this year, it seemed that things had changed. The power was still there, still making his skin feel prickly all over. But there were more layers to it - it was both more powerful, and yet also more obscured. It was more magnetic. It had, in a way, felt magnetic last year as well, but last year, that magnetism was as strong as the danger. Somehow this year, the danger was masked.
Romulus knew it was there - the danger. It manifested more as a persistent sense of wrongness, but it was also well hidden. Seeing Harry and being around him no longer made him instantly tense. At the same time, he felt more ill at ease than ever. He thought back to the conversation that he had had with Rosie earlier in the month. Cursed. Possessed. The words rang true, even if Romulus didn't have any certainty in the truth of them. They were just ways of saying that things weren't right. That something was off.
And whatever it was, it was affecting Primrose, who was his friend and his packmate. He couldn't just stand by as the danger crept around her, lulling her into a state of false security. The only question was, what could he do? He had to speak to her. The idea made queasy, like he had a bad case of worms. It wasn't in his nature to want to talk about things. But he had no choice. She was his friend. He wished things could go back to how they were, when the two of them would just study together in silence.
It was near the end of February and class was finished for the day. She had spent most of Herbology chatting with the Slytherins. And if her new pattern was anything to go by, she'd be spending the rest of the day with her brother and the other Gryffindors. They were even joined by some Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. He had seen Alec Perriss, his dormmate, sitting with the group. Where Luna fit into this whole thing, he didn't know. Sometimes he would see Luna with Rosie and Harry, but other times, Luna would disappear. What he did know was that at least Luna was no threat, even if she was incomprehensible.
"Primrose," he said, catching her arm before she could wander off. The Ravenclaws and Slytherins had drifted off to wherever they usually went after class. The library? Common room? He didn't care. Primrose was looking a bit bewildered. She was unable to hide her restlessness, her desire to be off to wherever her brother and his pride of lions were.
"We need to talk." The phrase felt strange in his mouth. He had spent too much of his life avoiding conversation.
"Talk about what?" Primrose asked. He had no desire to discuss anything out here in the open. Instead, he pulled her along into an empty classroom, shutting the door behind them. Primrose was biting her lower lip, glancing at the closed door. His friend had always been attentive before. Her undisguised impatience made her seem like someone else. This made his desire to speak shrink further, until it was more like the pull of obligation, than a wish to connect with a friend.
Nonetheless, he pushed himself forwards. "You've changed. Because of your brother." No sense in drawing this out longer than he needed to.
"Harry? What does he - wait, is this about that conversation we had a few weeks ago? Just forget about that! I think I was just getting myself worked up over nothing. Though I did finish that runic circle, and Harry and I will try it out this this weekend." Primrose's eyes shone with anticipation, but not the kind of anticipation he would expect, from a girl wanting to discover whether or not her brother was possessed. What in Merlin's name had happened to her?
Romulus hummed. He wanted to witness the result of the runic circle. Since Primrose had been spending less and less time with him, he found himself more drawn in by the idea of possessions and curses. Thankfully, his newfound interest wasn't enough to disrupt his potions performance. All the same, he often found himself thinking about the situation while stirring his brews, or waiting as the liquids simmered. While he had a lifelong habit of keeping things to himself, he wished that he had someone to speak to about this. Curses had never been a focus of his attentions. And although many would consider lycanthropy a curse, he had lived with it for so long, that he simply saw it as 'life.'
"You know, you should come hang out with us in the Great Hall," Primrose said, when it was clear that Romulus had nothing to add. "Luna does. I've gotten to know the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors a lot better. You're missing out."
Romulus scanned his friend's face. It was like trying to talk to a stranger. She spoke to him as though she didn't know him at all, and he felt a bite of irritation. Something must have shown on his face because Primrose pursed her lips and furrowed her brow.
She shook her head and sighed. "Nevermind. I know you like your silence and your space. Anyway -" she peered towards the door before looking back at him. "If that's all you have to say, then I better get going. And Rom - just - well, give Harry a chance. He's my brother."
Primrose rested her hand lightly on his arm before opening the door and leaving. It left a strange twist in his gut, to feel the familiar touch of his friend, and yet feel like it was the touch of a stranger. The whole conversation did nothing to alleviate Romulus's unease. Though Primrose did not specify the date that she would be drawing up the circle, he intended to follow her over the weekend. He wanted to see the results of the framework for himself. He also couldn't shake the feeling that if it turned out that Harry was in fact possessed, that Primrose would have some suitable excuse for it. Not to say that he didn't trust her. He just didn't trust Harry.
Friday turned out to be a lonely day. Romulus's lips turned downwards as he considered the thought. He was used to solitude. He liked solitude. Why did he just describe the day as lonely? It wasn't as though he lacked for things to do. He was struggling a bit with the mouse to snuffbox transformation. He could always practice that. He also had yet another interesting biography to read of a famous potions master. He could hardly blame his mood on the full moon, since that had been earlier in the month. And he did have to go down to the potions lab in the dungeon to check on his latest project. It required to be stirred clockwise and widdershins thrice each day for a fortnight. This he did in the late afternoon, after writing Remus yet another letter (even though he wrote just a few days ago). Hopefully Remus would not misread the frequent letters as a cry for attention. Even if it was a cry for attention. At least Remus's attention was always calm and soothing.
Romulus walked the familiar path down to the dungeon. Most of the students (aside from Slytherins) hated it down here. While Romulus normally did not like feeling too enclosed, the dungeons held positive associations for him. The chilled air was perfect for brewing. Romulus turned a corner, and entered into the potions lab. He noticed Professor Snape standing at the cupboards when he entered the lab. The Professor looked like he was stocking supplies. Like Primrose, he and the Professor seemed to have a relationship of quiet respect and acceptance. If they ever spoke, it was only ever about potions. Nothing more. Romulus liked talking about potions. Actually, he loved talking about potions - there was nothing else that engaged in him on the same level. And while he and Professor Snape might tilt their heads at one another with perfect politeness, Romulus found himself wanting something different. But what? Conversation? Connection?
What was wrong with him? Did Primrose's absence matter so much? He wanted - no needed to talk to someone about this Harry-with-his-weird-magic-thing. The whole situation was too wrong. He couldn't bear it alone. If he had known about how things would turn out in advance, he never would have involved himself with Primrose back in September, but now it was too late. She was Harry's sister, and Harry Potter was drawing people to him, as though he were a whirlpool. Except instead of the fear that they ought to be experiencing, they were perfectly happy to drown in whatever strange magic emanated from him.
He must have been giving Professor Snape a strange look, because the Professor raised black eyebrow, and said, "Is something the matter, Mr. Lupin?"
Had he been staring? Romulus felt his ears burn, and shook his head like a bashful idiot. Professor Snape gave him a long look, frowned, and then looked away. The moment was lost, and Romulus was once again ensnared by the vicious circle of his own thoughts.
His sleep was broken and unrestful. Which meant that as the weekend arrived, his senses were far from sharp. Nonetheless, he was determined to keep close watch on Primrose. He felt a sense of dread mingling with his anticipation. He felt a pitiful sense of hope that maybe she had snapped out of her distant, inattentive state. Maybe she was back to being herself. Maybe she would want to study with him, instead of running off her brother and his increasing circle of friends.
It wasn't jealousy, or so he told himself. It was just that Harry had so, so many friends now, and really, he only had one. Maybe Luna counted as half a friend. She was nice enough. So, one and a half friends. Romulus growled at himself. This situation was making him daft. He didn't feel like himself anymore. Maybe this was why he didn't bother with friends in the first place. It seemed like more trouble than it was worth. He should just sit himself down in the common room and do his homework. If Primrose wanted to spend all her time with Harry, then he should just let her. Instead, he found himself trailing his friend, as she went about her day.
Romulus's mind drifted to Harry. Maybe this was his fault. Well, it seemed obvious that Harry was at fault for affecting Primrose. But maybe Harry had done something with this magic to affect Romulus as well. For some reason, he liked this explanation. It was better than the alternative, which was that his feelings were real. His feelings were supposed to be calm and cold, like a glacial lake. The tumultuous confusion just wasn't natural.
Primrose was up fairly early on Saturday, but because of Romulus's erratic sleeping habits, he was up even earlier. Primrose, Romulus and Luna still ate their meals together in the Great Hall - that, and classes remained unchanged. It was everything else that was different. After a quiet breakfast (most of the other students were still sleeping in), Primrose and Luna wandered off to the Gryffindor table, where a few Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were already sitting. Harry Potter, and many of the Gryffindors were still absent. The table was like the headquarters of the Harry Potter fan club. And though Romulus had an open invitation to join, he felt no inclination to do so. Harry Potter might act nice (and heroic even). He might be magnetically alluring. But Romulus didn't want to be anywhere near him. He feared that falling into Harry Potter's magical charisma would make him forget himself. It was that powerful.
He recognized many of the students at the Gryffindor table as people that Harry had helped at the dueling club. Alec Perriss, Eleanor Wynch and even Finley Ancrum were sitting at the table. Alec seemed the happiest he had been since Duncan Inglebee was petrified. Though he and Alec may have been dormmates, they weren't friends. Most of that was due to Romulus's tendency to push people away. Perhaps if Alec had been as persistent as Primrose, they would have been chums. But instead, Alec had latched on to Inglebee, and now, Harry Potter.
After a satisfying meal consisting of mostly sausage and bacon, Romulus left the Great Hall. The students came and went out of the main doors. Although it was tempting to stay and keep a direct eye on Primrose, it made more sense to simply stay near the entry way. He didn't even have to watch it - he could busy himself with reading in a shadowy corner, and rely on his nose to guide him. He sat on the floor, leaning his back against the cold stone of the walls. He had his transfigurations textbook with him. Despite his plans to keep an eye on Primrose and Harry, that didn't mean he couldn't be productive at the same time.
As the morning progressed, more and more students made their way towards the Great Hall. He saw and smelled Harry Potter enter through doors in the late morning, but the Boy Who Lived didn't notice Romulus. He could smell the feathered serpent as well - the scent was ever present. But at no point did the hairs on his neck stand on end. Harry hid his powers well - if Romulus had never met him until now, he would have suspected nothing amiss. Harry was surrounded by a large group of Gryffindors. First to fourth years seemed to swarm around him, brimming with an eager energy. They just looked so damned happy to be near him. Even more ridiculous was the way that the Gryffindor ghost was fawning all over Harry.. The sight of it made Romulus grumpy. It wasn't that he ever wished for popularity - it wasn't jealousy. It was just that Romulus couldn't help thinking that the admiration they had for Harry was fake. Just a big lie created by the allure of his magic. Worse - Harry was like a predatory plant that emitted a pleasant, entrancing odor. Beneath that genial facade was danger.
But at least not everyone was charmed by the magnetic hero. He could see a trio of second years - a redhead, a boy with sandy coloured hair, and a dark-haired boy - that were giving Harry wary glances. Though in truth, the redhead (probably a Weasley, Romulus guessed) kept looking at Harry with a mix of longing, and then annoyance. He figured that the boy had issues, and Romulus put him out of his mind.
Throughout the morning, students came and went from the Great Hall. Romulus knew that most people at the Gryffindor Table (the part that he called the Harry Potter fanclub) were just socializing. But there were some that brought their homework, enabling them to all work together and help eachother out. Like some big, happy Hogwarts family. Minus Slytherins.
That said, even if Slytherins didn't join in at the Gryffindor Table, Romulus was aware that the Snakes were abuzz when it came to Harry Potter. He couldn't fail to miss the looks that they sent towards the Boy Who Lived. Speculative glances that suggested that they knew something interesting about Harry. Something that the rest of the school was unaware of. And just as curious was the way that Professor Snape seemed to have that same awareness of Harry as well.
It wasn't very comfortable for Romulus to force himself to remain in an area with such a high influx of students. Perhaps under different circumstances, he would have resented having to be in this position. It helped that Romulus knew that people paid little attention to him, and that he remained in a shadowy area. He was just some non-descript first year, and a quiet one at that. Hours plodded by with heavy slowness.
He finished his readings in transfiguration, and was now working on a paper for Defence. Unable to find a replacement professor, the Ministry of Magic had sent over one of the Aurors to teach the students. The Auror, one Elfrida Greystone, was well versed in all the material. Nonetheless she was a terrible teacher, with a penchant for explaining simple concepts in a convoluted way. Students that walked out of her classroom often looked like they were suffering bad headaches.
At some point, Luna ended up wandering off on her own. She saw him in his shadowy spot, scowling over the essay. Noticing her scent, he looked up, and she gave him an absent wave. He tilted his head at her, and she smiled before disappearing. Romulus pursed his lips. He should really talk to her sometime, but decided to do so after the weekend had passed. This weekend, following Primrose and Harry was more important.
Saturday ended up being a waste of a day. True, Romulus got all his homework done (and even some extra on top of that.) He even managed to finish the biography he was reading, and started on a book on basic theory behind curses. However, his legs and bum ached from spending so much time on the stone floor. It wasn't until late Sunday afternoon that Primrose drew up the runic circle for Harry. Romulus was thankful that the pair decided to do so in a dead-end hallway rather than in the Come and Go room. It would have been too conspicuous to try and follow Primrose and her brother there.
Romulus noted that Luna was absent. He knew that Luna had been the one to teach the configuration to Primrose. For some reason, it annoyed him that Luna wouldn't even get to to see the results of all her efforts. With a frown, Romulus decided he would tell her about it later. He was sure that she would want to know. And in truth, talking to Luna wasn't that bad - half the time he didn't understand what she was referencing. But she never seemed to mind if he wasn't listening.
Romulus also noted the absence of the feathered serpent. Today, the scent was only that of Harry. He had heard Primrose mention that the presence of the creature called Sephtis would interfere with the results. On top of that, Romulus had the feeling that the feathered serpent has a nose almost as sharp as his own. He knew that snakes had excellent olfactory abilities. It was a plausible explanation for why Harry seemed to avoid trouble so easily. Either way, Romulus was relieved that the feathered serpent was nowhere in range. Harry seemed less threatening when it was gone.
"What are you using to draw the runes?" Harry asked in low tones, as Romulus listened around the corner.
"The juice of pori-pori berries, mixed with ectoplasm and a touch of black salt. The berries because of their properties of -"
"Sensing levels of spiritual subtleties, as well as the juice's ability to become invisible under the right circumstances?" Harry finished. Romulus couldn't hear Primrose's reply so he assumed she had nodded.
"And all I have to do is stand in it?" Harry asked.
"Yeah. But let me go first, to make sure it works. Luna and I tried it when she helped me draw it out, and it had no reaction. That means -"
"No possession. Right."
"Mm. Well, technically, it senses two spirits in the same body, but that's the same thing, I think. Some of the books hinted otherwise, but none of them clarified. So I suppose we'll just assume it means the same thing," Primrose added. There was silence for a while - over an hour, as Primrose drew the circle on the stone floor. Romulus could see soft pulses of colour that flashed and then disappeared with each rune that Primrose added. However, he had no intention of watching the entire creation process - the longer he watched, the greater the chance he would be caught. Thus, he waited patiently for Primrose to finish. He would look when Harry stepped into the circle.
"Okay. That's the last one. It should - there -" There was a final glow of purplish-blue that quickly faded out.
"Wow - it's completely invisible now," Harry said, with a touch of awe. There was a silence, and Romulus could imagine Primrose nodding.
"In most cases, spirits who possess others don't want to their existence to be detected. Thus the necessity for stealth to unveil a possessing spirit. Although there are some cases when people will willingly choose to be possessed. There are a lot of old magic rituals that are enhanced by the presence of grounded spirits - certain druidic rituals, ancestral magics or oracular magics. People don't really do it anymore, I don't think. At least not here in Britain," Primrose explained. "Anyway, let me try it."
Romulus heard soft steps, as Primrose entered the runic circle. "There! Nothing." He heard a smile in her voice. "Your turn, Harry."
Romulus peeked around the corner, as Harry neared the circle. He knew that if Harry carried two spirits, the runes were supposed to glow purple. And if Harry was just Harry, then the runes would remain invisible. There seemed to be a flicker as Harry crossed into the circle. The runes glowed. But not purple. The light from them was a dark, blackish red. Romulus didn't know what it meant, but he didn't like it. He pulled away from the corner.
"That's - weird," he heard Primrose say. "If you were carrying another spirit, it should be purple. But that definitely didn't look purple. I wonder if the runes are reacting to the curse in your scar. Oh Harry - don't be upset!"
"It's okay, Rosie - yeah, you might be right. It's probably just the scar. But hey - at least it's just that right?"
"Hm - well - I guess we can throw the possessed hypothesis out the window," Primrose said. Romulus frowned. She was giving up too easily. But Romulus wasn't surprised. He had his own plans to research the matter, starting with finding out what the blackish-red colour meant.
While he was tempted to rush off to the library or Come and Go Room to do research, he remained near Primrose and Harry. There was the chance that they might have something else planned, and he did not want to miss anything. It turned out to be unnecessary. All Primrose and Harry did was walk around for a bit and then call their godfather. However, he did learn that Remus was spending a lot of time at Grimmauld Place. He knew that his adopted father was now working as a partner to Sirius Black. Remus had written to him about some of the projects the pair of them were working on. However, Remus didn't mention that he stayed nights at Grimmauld Place. Romulus filed away the information, to ask Remus about later. Perhaps Remus just found their flat too cramped. Primrose's home did have a lot of spare rooms after all.
When Romulus finally had a chance to reference the book on possessions, he was disappointed to discover that the book gave no other details other than mentioning the purple glow. It meant that instead of an easy answer, he would have to do extensive research on runes himself. The only problem was that Romulus knew almost nothing about runes. While he could have cracked open a book and started on research, he decided he'd save time by just speaking to Luna. Even if she didn't the answers, she could direct his research.
Romulus's chance did not come until Tuesday. Even with the sharpness of his sense of smell, Luna had a remarkable ability to simply vanish. He would have suspected magic, but he never detected the presence of it around Luna. Aside from classes or homework, she seemed to refrain from using magic. Though there was a chance that she was using such low levels of magic that it blended into to the overall magical atmosphere of Hogwarts. He wouldn't put it past her. Romulus could have spoken to Luna in class, but he had no desire to speak about the things he learned in front of other people - especially not Primrose. He didn't think she'd appreciate knowing that she had been followed.
He found her when she was leaving the dungeons on Tuesday, after finishing Potions. It was fortunate that she was hanging back to examine the stonework on the walls. Romulus would have found it awkward to pull her away from Primrose. Primrose knew that he usually avoided conversing with the other girl.
The blonde girl seemed to be counting the stones in what looked like a regular pattern. She followed this up by jangling her bracelet with seven rotations of her wrist after every five steps. The bracelet looked like it was made with quill nibs. He wondered how she didn't end up with her wrist in scratches from the nibs. Rather than interrupting her, he continued to let her work. Whatever she was doing almost appeared like some sort of applied arithmancy. All the while, the dreamy expression never left her face. She reached the end of the corridor and then stopped. Her protuberant grey eyes peered up at Romulus and she tilted her head, causing her radish-like earrings to sway.
"I think I've found the pattern," Luna said airily. "But I don't think arithmancy is what you came to speak to me about, is it." Romulus shook his head. Luna smiled mysteriously, and then gripped the sleeve of his robe.
"Come on. We can check the Birshmoop feeders while we talk," she said, as she pulled him along. "You wouldn't happen to have marmalade on you, by any chance?" Romulus shook his head again.
"Hm. Oh well, that's alright." Luna fell silent as she led him through the twists and turns of Hogwarts. As they climbed a set of stairs, she spoke.
"Rosie keeps hearing a snake in the walls. You'll keep a sharp nose out for it, won't you?" Luna asked. Romulus had no idea what to say to that. He had never mentioned anything about his sense of smell to her. Unlike Primrose, Luna did not know that his adopted father was a werewolf. He felt a sudden edginess, but then she looked back at him with a guileless smile and he relaxed. Luna was Luna. Nothing about her was threatening at all.
"Er - I guess. Yeah. Yeah, I'm looking out for her," He said awkwardly. Luna nodded. They fell back into silence. She reached an unadorned wall, and then sang softly at the stones. A passageway opened up, and she slipped in. Kneeling down, she picked up large clamshell, filled with marmalade. He could tell by the smell, even if he couldn't see it. The passageway was quite dark after all. While Luna examined the marmalade, she tilted her ear towards him, as though expecting him to speak.
"Erm -" Romulus started. This was not how he expected to broach the conversation. But then again, Luna was rather unconventional, even by Ravenclaw standards. He could see the edge of her lips tilt upwards, which encouraged him.
"Primrose drew the runic circle," he said. Luna set down the clamshell. Then she stood up and turned to face him. Her expression was intent.
"Purple?" She asked. Romulus shook his head. They watched each other for a few heartbeats, as though trying to read information from each other's eyes.
"Primrose hasn't told you anything, has she?" Romulus asked. A slight frown marred Luna's face, and she dropped her gaze downwards.
"I wasn't expecting her to," Luna replied, her voice barely above a whisper. He could hear sadness in her words and his feelings mirrored her own. He was aware that Luna spent more time with Primrose. She often sat with Primrose and Harry in the Great Hall after all. But Romulus had noticed that even amidst that crowd, she looked like an outsider.
"It was - a mixed red and black," Romulus said. Luna's eyes widened as she looked up at him.
"You know what it means?" Romulus asked.
Luna shook her head. "No. But it means something. Runic frameworks or spells - if done perfectly - don't create accidental results. The only impact a witch or wizard's magic has on the runes is the power of the final result. I know Rosie would have done the circle perfectly. We worked on it together. I know she understood. She would have entered the circle first, and saw that it worked."
Romulus nodded. He had heard Primrose say that she was entering the circle.
"I might not be able to find the answers you want," Luna continued. "Yes, the unusual colour would mean something, but magic has a way of - hm - doing unique and unexpected things. If Harry had a unique reaction to the circle, then the answers won't be in any books, I'm afraid. But I'll try and see what I can find for you."
Romulus held Luna's grey eyes for a moment. "Thank you," he said finally. "You - you're a good friend."
Luna smiled, but her smile was coloured with with a soft sorrow. "So are you, Romulus."
A/N: I've got maybe two more chapters left to post before I gave up on this story. Writing Rom's POV was interesting though. I reached a point where I couldn't really see where I was going with Rosie
