THC, Round 2, Gryffindor, History of Magic (Stand-in), Drabble

Prompt: [Action] Losing your lucky charms

WC: 994

Betas: VeeGrahams; Daryldixonsgirl1985; ClaudeAmeliaSong; WhiteTiger91

Rose Weasley closed her eyes to stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. The fear that made her whole body shake and the insecurities that forced her stomach to flip and flop, simply wouldn't go away. Her eleventh birthday had been yesterday and she hadn't received her Hogwarts letter. Rose knew what it meant. She was a Squib.

After learning everything about Hogwarts, her classes, and the magical world, she'd never accomplish anything.

Her father had assured her that some received their letter after their eleventh birthday, just like him. It all depended on the owl delivering it.

However, she knew that Harry had received hundreds of letters before his birthday, and when he hadn't replied, Hagrid had come for him.

Perhaps Rose could move in with her grandparents and learn about the Muggle way of life?

"Rose, sweetheart," her mother's soft voice spoke before she sat down and hugged her.

"I don't want to be a Squib."

Her mother stroked Rose's hair out of her face. "What's wrong with that?"

"I just want to be like everybody else."

"I thought that once. Being your own special self is so much better."

With a nod, she tried to listen to her mum's words, but they weren't sinking in. "Will I have to go to the Muggle school of boring and uninteresting?"

A hand came to her back and rubbed circles. "It's not as bad as you think. I loved going to school in the Muggle world; it was different from Hogwarts but still good. You learn Maths, English, Science—it's all very interesting."

Rose sniffled. "What's science?"

Her mother smiled and started to talk through the subjects that Muggle schools usually taught. In the end, the eleven-year-old decided that they weren't too bad. As the sun rose to the centre of the sky, Rose felt herself feeling better and overheating at the same time. "I'm going to go inside."

"Before you do," her mother said, "I have something for you."

"You do?"

Her mother pulled out a charm bracelet. It was empty, apart from a rose. "I bought this for you."

With careful hands, Rose took the bracelet from her mother with a smile. "A birthday present?"

"A lucky present."

"How is it lucky?"

At that exact moment, an owl swooped in and dropped a letter right into Rose's lap. Her face dropped in shock as she stared at it. It really was a lucky bracelet! Keeping the bracelet securely in her hand, she jumped up and ran inside, shouting, "I got my Hogwarts letter!" She waved the letter in the sky.

Rose had become obsessed with her lucky charm bracelet, only ever taking it off to shower.

The night of the 31st August, Rose tiredly, and excitedly, jumped in the shower, leaving her bracelet on the towel. When she stepped out, she felt as if her arms and legs were going to fall off. She was tired. Shattered. Barely able to keep her eyes open.

It had been a very busy day with the whole family getting together. As she stepped out of the shower, her only thought was getting in her bed. The second her head touched the pillow, she was out like a light.

The eleven-year-old woke up before the sun rose. It was a very exciting day for Rose; she was finally able to go to Hogwarts. Feeling butterflies in her stomach, she jumped up and grabbed her trunk, dragging it down the stairs ready to leave.

Maybe she should make breakfast? That could make her parents move faster, and they could leave for Platform Nine and Three Quarters quicker.

Playing with her bracelet… wait… where was it? Horror filled Rose's eyes as she saw her wrist was bare. Quickly checking her other wrist didn't help the bile rising in her throat. "It's gone," she muttered to herself.

Distressed, she thought back to when she last saw it. The shower!

She ran up the stairs, not even feeling when she hit her leg on a step, and into the bathroom.

It must be here. It must be! She couldn't go to Hogwarts without it! What if she was sorted into the wrong house, or they didn't sort her? What if she got lost without it?

As she searched the sides of the bathroom, her panic began to grow and intensify. Rose dropped to her knees and ran her hands all over her floor.

Nowhere.

It was gone!

Her eyes filled with tears and her breath doubled in speed.

Her towel! Maybe it got caught and was in her room?

Rushing out of the bathroom, she suddenly stopped and checked the corridor between the two rooms before trashing her room to find it. Was it under her pillows? In her covers? In her drawers? Under the bed? Anywhere?

"No, no, no!" she repeated.

Her words became more desperate.

"Please," she begged as she ended up sobbing into her carpet.

Suddenly, her mother appeared next to her. "Rosie, what happened?"

"It's gone, Mum! It's gone!"

"What is?"

Rose looked up into her mother's worried eyes. "My lucky charm. My bracelet!"

When her mother's expression relaxed, Rose felt her eyes burn and her body shake.

"This is serious! I can't go to Hogwarts without it!"

Her mother pulled her into a hug. "I have it." She paused as Rose calmed down upon hearing those words. "I found it on the bathroom floor last night, so I looked after it."

Even though Rose was immediately relieved, it was difficult to slow her breathing and heart back to normal. The tears took a few minutes to completely stop. Eventually, she was able to nod. "Thanks, Mum."

"Of course. Let's go get it," she said as she helped Rose up. "Then we need to make sure you're ready for your first year at Hogwarts!"

With a smile, Rose perked up. "I'm ready!"

The second Rose had her charm bracelet on, she truly felt ready.