Chapter 3 - "The Hogwarts Express"

September 1st, 1991

Rose looked at the girl in front of her and felt she could hardly look away from her.

It wasn't her hair, no. The black messy locks that fell to the girl's middle back were familiar. It wasn't her eyes, either. The grass green eyes that met her own, hidden by black frame glasses, were something she knew, too.

No, the reason Rose was so entranced by her own reflection was the clothes she was wearing.

The white long-sleeved shirt that covered her upper body was pristine. The colours of the school emblem were vivid, the red, blue, yellow and green standing out proudly on her chest. It didn't have any frayed ends, nor any stains. It wasn't too small on her, nor too big. It fitted.

It was made for her, after all.

She twirled in front of the mirror, making her grey knee-length skirt flare around her. Not too much, though, as the fabric was a little too thick and heavy for that. Maybe thicker than it should be, considering the weather. She still loved it.

It was made for her, after all.

Rose didn't know when the last time she received new clothes was. Her aunt had always gotten her dresses and coats from goodwill or, if she was feeling nice enough, second-hand stores. Was it a wonder that she was so in love with her new school uniform?

"What do you think, Hedwig? Doesn't it look nice?" She asked, looking through the mirror at the white mass of feathers that was sleeping in the silver cage in her room.

A yellow eye opened up, looked at her balefully before barking in displeasure. Rose had the grace to look ashamed. "Right, sorry, late night hunt." She chuckled when the snowy owl hooted and promptly went back to sleep.

Rose shook her head and went to her bed, where the rest of her uniform was laid.

She had received it a week ago in a package delivered by a tawny owl, to the consternation of Hedwig, who had poofed up in anger at the intruder in her domains. Rose had known it was her Hogwarts uniform, the logo of Madam Malkin's store on the package had told her as much. Yet she hadn't opened it until today.

If I had, I know I wouldn't have taken it off again. Not even for sleep. She thought, and it wasn't an exaggeration, the shirt she was wearing now was ten times more soft than the dress she used for sleep. It has to be an enchantment, she swore, nothing else could explain how silky this feels. She shook her thoughts away –after making a mental note to ask Madam Malkin next year– and focused back on what she was doing.

She picked the black robes she was supposed to wear to complete the uniform up to inspect them and grimaced. No, it was far too hot to consider wearing this to King's Cross. And Uncle Vernon would blow a gasket if I got into his car wearing it, Rose thought with an amused grin.

She folded the fabric and put it in a bag she had on the side of the bed. All her other clothes she had already put into one of the trunks she had bought in Diagon Alley, though it was left a little empty, even if she had put her two other uniforms there as well. She still regretted not being able to get new clothes that day she went shopping. By the time she had gotten all her school supplies, it was time to go back home.

I wonder if a teacher can accompany me to London to buy normal clot- I mean muggle clothes. Rose still had some trouble using the words the wizarding community considered normal, even in the inside of her mind. She knew she had to get used to them, but some were so weird.

Like swearing to Merlin. Honestly, Rose didn't know if she would be able to keep her face straight if she heard someone doing it. She could feel the corners of her mouth rising up even now, and she was only thinking about it.

Maybe Mr Flitwick can accompany me again. I had so much fun last month. Her smile turned wistful.

The trip to Diagon Alley was something she still could not really believe had actually happened. Only the books and supplies she had brought back home let her know it was true.

She felt a little bad for running the tiny man ragged with all her back and forth between shops, but she had been so excited.

Rose sighed, wondering when she would be able to visit the alley again. She still had a lot more places and shops to explore!

Not for a year, at least. But the expression on her face was far from disappointed. She was grinning from ear to ear.

Today she was going to go to the same place her parents had attended years ago. Walk the same path they had. Study what they have studied. Today she was going to Hogwarts.

Rose zipped the bag closed and grabbed it, then she approached Hedwig's cage and, with a muttered apology, she closed it and took it from its stand. The snowy owl looked at her for a second and then nibbled her fingers affectionately through the bars.

With a smile on her face, Rose Potter left her room.

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were waiting next to the car. Her uncle was wearing a nicer suit than normal, she noticed. He had said something about a conference in Central London and that she was lucky her train left the same day as he had to go there anyway. She would be there a little early but she could wait in the station.

Maybe I will make some friends while waiting.

"Finally! Come on, give it here and get in, I heard that traffic's going to be awful so I want to leave quickly." The rotund man said and grabbed her bag. He opened the boot of the car and put it in alongside her other luggage- she had gotten so many books and supplies that she had to buy a different trunk for them.

Aunt Petunia was watching her, a strange glint on her eyes. She approached Rose and kneeled in front of her.

"You look…nice." She admitted, fixing some inexistent creases on her shirt. Rose could feel Aunt Petunia's hands were shaking a little. When she was done, she tightened the black tie Rose was wearing. "Wish you could do something about that mess." She tutted, but knew better than to try to fix her hair.

Aunt Petunia then stayed silent for a moment, looking directly to her eyes. Rose didn't know what was going through her mind but her aunt's blue eyes were softer than she was used to seeing. "Study hard, and don't let those purebloods bring you down. You are your mother's daughter."

It was honestly the nicest thing her aunt had ever said to her and Rose felt a little knot forming in her throat.

"Thanks, Aunt Petunia." The girl almost went through her impulse of trying to hug her aunt, but decided not to at the last moment. Better to appreciate what she got, instead of being greedy. She just smiled. "I'll see you next year." It was a promise. A promise that she would be back, even if she was leaving now.

The woman nodded and after a final look over she stood up and went back into the house. And that was that.

The ride to London was quiet.

Uncle Vernon had never interacted much with her, leaving the job of raising Rose to her aunt. He always acted a little distant, and mostly focused on Dudley. She didn't blame him, it was enough that he let her live in their house. She couldn't ask him to be a dad for her as well.

So the ride was quiet, and more than a little awkward. Rose wished she had brought one of her books with her.

It was a little less than an hour later that they were standing in front of King's Cross Station, her uncle helping her put her luggage on a trolley.

He finished adjusting Hedwig's cage on the top– bird and man looking at each other warily-, and then he dusted his hands off.

"I have to get going, girl. Do you know where to wait for your train? You have your ticket?"

"Yes, sir. Mr Flitwick told me how to get to the platform." Rose nodded, taking the ticket out of her pocket and showing it to him.

"Right, right, that Platform nine 'and three quarters'." He said, shaking his head in what seemed to be disbelief. She could almost hear the quotation marks. Rose shrugged, it was what her teacher said.

Uncle Vernon looked at her, almost uncomfortable. And she felt the same way when he patted her shoulder with his meaty hand. "Don't get in trouble, girl." Rose nodded "And make sure to send your aunt a reminder when you are coming back, I'll have to come pick you up and I'd have to free my whole morning for that."

"Yes, sir. " She repeated, making sure to make a mental note to do it. June was a long time away and she may forget. Also… "I'll send her a letter if I decide to come back for Christmas. I may want to stay in Hogwarts." The man just nodded, and then after a grumbled goodbye he got back into his car.

Rose looked at the car until it went around the corner. Knowing she would not see the Dursleys for a while was a weird feeling. She felt a little sad for a moment, but if she had to choose between the confusing and halfhearted caring from her family and the wonders of magic, she knew she would choose the latter every time.

Shaking her head to rid herself of her silly thoughts, Rose started to push the trolley into the station.

The girl knew she must be a funny sight. She may have been a little taller than her classmates at school, but she was still a little child pushing a giant trolley full of luggage. The snowy white owl didn't help much either. She tried to ignore the stares of the people around her while looking for platform 9 but she could feel her cheeks heat up a little, both by the embarrassment and the effort she was putting in order to push.

Some minutes -and a helpful police officer showing her the way- later, she found herself between platforms 9 and 10. Flitwick had told her 'The platform is hidden in the barriers between them. People will ignore any weird thing around there, so just walk through and you'll be fine!'

She felt a little apprehensive about walking into a wall, but she trusted her teacher. She approached the brick wall and, with a little prayer, she closed her eyes and pushed her trolley through it.

There was a weird sensation, like walking through a soft blanket, but nowhere near as bad as she expected, like the apparition she had used to go to the Leaky Cauldron or the Knight Bus she had to ride to get back home.

She still resented Mr Flitwick a little for the last one, but the man said she needed to know about it if she wanted to return on her own next year. She would be the first to admit that she liked things that made her heart race in excitement but the bus had been a little too much.

And he didn't have to laugh so much… I didn't look that green. Perfect for Slytherin, he had told her after seeing her face when the bus ride was over.

When she felt like a big bubble had popped around her, she opened her eyes.

A crowded platform appeared before her, filled with wizards and witches, little islands of people dotting the place. A sign that read Platform 9 ¾ and Hogwarts Express at 11 o'clock next to a big clock let her know that she was in the right place. Most of her attention was caught, however, by the gleaming scarlet steam engine that she knew was the Hogwarts Express.

Rose pushed through the crowd, doing her best not to step on any of the cats walking around, following the white steam coming out of the engine. It was her first time being alone amongst so many people and the loud chatter almost deafened her. She looked up when she heard hooting and saw Hedwig all puffed up, looking like she wanted to pick a fight with the other owls she could see in their cages.

"It's okay, Hedwig, we're almost there."

The words were almost swallowed by the noise around her, but she could see Hedwig calmed a little.

She was lucky she was pushing her trolley, as it looked like her luggage was parting a path in front of her. Rose didn't know how much time it would have taken her to get to the train, otherwise.

When she finally got there, she saw that the first few compartments were full of other children, so she walked beside the train looking for a way up to a compartment that was empty.

I don't know how I will get on the train with my trunks. Maybe I should ask for help? Her unasked question was answered when she heard an older girl's voice through the chatter.

"Leave your luggage here in the cargo wagon! Don't take up space in the compartments!" She looked around her and saw, standing next to an opened wagon, an older girl with brown hair wearing a Hogwarts robe with blue trim. She had a silver badge on her chest. A prefect!

"Hey there! You have a lot of stuff with you, huh? You can leave it here!" The girl said with a pretty smile when Rose approached.

"Can I? I was pretty worried about how on earth I was going to get on the train with all of this!" The older girl chuckled and waved Rose over.

"No problem, it happens to all of us the first time! You are a firstie, right?." The girl asked while looking at her, her head tilted a little to the side. Rose's eyes widened a little behind her glasses.

"Um, yes I am… How did you know? The way I was stumbling around?" She tried to joke, feeling a little nervous. Did I look too out of place?

"Oh no, no. It's just your uniform. When you are sorted into a house, the school emblem changes to your house's." The girl said, pointing at the emblem on her breast, where the eagle in blue and bronze of Ravenclaw was.

"And with that question out of the way, let me be the first to welcome you to Hogwarts! I am Penelope, the fifth year prefect for Ravenclaw." She said proudly, her smile wide enough that little dimples appeared on her cheeks. "I'm supposed to assist people with their luggage, so let me help you with that."

Miss Penelope reached to her sleeve and took out her wand, then she pointed it at the trolley and moved her hand. A swish and a flick and a muttered "Wingardium Leviosa" and her luggage started to float like it was lifted by cables. The prefect kept her wand pointed at the floating trolley and when she moved her arm, her luggage followed. Soon enough, she had guided it to the open wagon and let it down inside of it.

"That was brilliant!" Rose said, green eyes wide with excitement. "Was that the levitation charm? That's one of the charms the first years are taught first, right?"

"That's right, you're going to learn it around your second week in the castle." Miss Penelope answered while putting her wand in her sleeve, an amused smile on her face. "Were you so excited you read ahead? I think I know where you are going to end up. I did the same when I first got my stuff."

Rose cheeks heated up a little, she had skimmed the books she had gotten in Diagon Alley. There wasn't much to do at home after her chores and exercises, so what better way to spend her time than to read about the magic she was going to learn?

"Just a little bit…?" She admitted, and her face got hotter when the older girl chuckled.

"Ah, right. Speaking of that… Did you need anything from there? Should have asked before I levitated all inside. The ride is long and you might need something to pass the time."

"Ah! Can you pass me the bag on top, Miss Penelope? I have my wand and some coins in there." And a book for light reading, but she didn't want to sound too nerdy to the older girl. "And my owl, please."

Miss Penelope waved her wand again and said 'Accio' and the little bag flew back to her hands, followed by the silver cage. "Just Penny, please. The whole Miss Penelope makes me feel old, and it can be a mouthful, right?" The prefect said while passing both items to Rose.

Rose nodded, crossing the bag's strap over her chest so she could hold Hedwig's cage with her two hands. "Ok, thanks for the help, Miss Penny!" She answered, being a little obtuse intentionally. She had understood what the older girl said, but Rose had been taught to be polite to her elders.

Her smile might have been a little mischievous when she turned around to leave, though.

"Hey, you know that's not what I meant!" She heard Miss Penny's amused voice call out from behind her, but Rose just kept walking. "Ah! I need your name for your luggage! So you'll get it sent to your dorm!"

"It's Rose! Rose Lily Potter!"

The mischief in her smile might have grown when she heard Miss Penny's shocked 'Rose Potter?!'

She might not like the attention her fame was going to bring, but she wasn't above having some fun with it.

Rose walked inside the train, looking through the windows of the compartment she was passing next to.

She averted her eyes from the third one she found full of older students and sighed. She thought she might get early to the train and get first dibs to an empty compartment, but it seemed that it had been a moot hope. All the other students had thought the same thing.

By this point, she'd at least like to find one with people her own age.

She was going through the sixth window when she finally hit the jackpot. There were only two girls in this one, a thin short girl with straight blonde hair in pigtails and another, a little chubbier around the face, her hair a curly deep red. They seemed to be first years like her, both wearing a uniform without coloured trim. Thanks for the tip, Miss Penny.

She breathed deeply, a hand on her chest, trying to calm her heartbeat and then knocked on the window before opening the door a smidgen. Rose put on her best smile.

"Hey, there! Do you mind if I join you?" She asked them, trying to ignore the way the red haired girl's eyes widened in recognition. "It feels kind of awkward trying to ask the older kids."

"Of course! There's still plenty of space here, right, Sue?" The blonde girl answered with a bright smile, so wide that her hazel eyes were crinkling in.

"...Right…feel free to join us." the other girl muttered, still looking at her intently. At her forehead.

She is looking for my scar.

It seemed the cat was out of the bag from minute zero.

"I'm Hannah Abbott, and this is my best friend, Susan Bones. Nice to meet you!" The short blonde- Hannah- introduced herself, the smile still on her face, then she got a little closer and looked shiftily from side to side. "She's a little shy, don't scare her." She stage whispered, and Rose had to keep an amused snort from escaping her mouth.

"Hannah! Don't say that!" Susan's face was doing its best to copy her hair's hue. "Don't listen to her, I won't get scared even if you are a meanie like Hannah." The redhead said with a harrumph.

Ah, how nice! I want to have friends like them! Friends that could tease each other freely. It was one of the things she envied the most from the girls in her class. It was what she wanted before her aunt ruined things in ballet class. She smiled. Aunt Petunia is not here, maybe I'll get the chance to befriend them?

"Don't worry, I'll try my best not to be mean." she said with an amused smile, taking a seat in front of the two girls. "I'm Rose, nice to meet you both, too." She distracted herself by hanging Hedwig's cage, but when she was done, she looked back at them and grimaced a little.

It seemed Rose's plans of friendship hit a snag during step one as both girls were now looking at her with wide eyes. She noticed how both of them were glancing at the bangs that covered her forehead.

She sighed and moved them out of the way, her cheeks getting hot at the scrutiny. She had never shown her scar intentionally, but she wanted to get it out of the way before they asked.

"No way...!" Hannah said, her hazel eyes wide as saucers. The girl had moved her hands to her mouth, covering it. "This is so cool" She whispered, her bright smile back on her face.

"So you are Rose Potter." Susan said, her eyes still on her forehead. Rose let go of the bangs, letting them fall back to cover her fringe. "I thought I recognized you, but…"

"Ah, sorry." Hannah said with a wince, probably noticing her discomfort. "Shouldn't have stared so much, that was kind of rude." She wrung her hands on her lap, looking at Rose guiltily.

"It's ok, I figured that would be the reaction. I'm still not used to this whole 'girl who lived' thing." Rose said, doing air quotations, "I'd do the same thing if I was in your place, I guess."

"But how?" Susan asked, her face almost aghast. "You've been The Girl Who Lived almost your whole life! How could you not be used to it?"

Was it weird that Rose could hear the capitalization the redhead had put on the words?

"Ah. It's just that… I just found out I was a witch a month ago." Rose admitted, to the shock of the girls in front of her. "I've been living with my muggle family since I could remember." She said, mouth twitching in mirth at the 'muggle' word. It still sounded so silly.

"Oh, wow, that's weird." Hannah said. "We've been hearing all sorts of rumours about you!"

Susan nodded with an mm-hmm sound.

"Like you were fighting werewolves in Romania, or hunting dark lords in America!" The blonde girl explained.

"Or taming nundus in Africa." Susan added.

"Some people even said that you were Albus Dumbledore's apprentice!" Rose's eyes widened behind her glasses with every word the girls were saying. "I guess it all sounds silly now that I think about it. But to think that you were living with muggles the whole time…" Hannah was smiling, her voice filled with as much wonder when she said the word 'muggles' as Rose's own whenever she talked about magic.

"Ah, no, haven't fought any werewolves yet and I've decided to stop with the dark lords after the first one." Rose said, trying to make light of the whole thing. Luckily Hannah laughed at the bad joke and Susan stopped looking so intense in her staring, a little smile breaking out on her face. "And what on earth is a nundu?"

"They are big cat things that live in Africa!" Hannah explained, "They are black and really poisonous. They can wipe out entire villages in seconds and it takes like a hundred wizards to take one down!"

"Why would I try to tame one?" Rose asked, looking at Susan in disbelief, ignoring the smile on Hannah's face. It was a little creepy how brightly she was smiling when talking about such a dangerous animal.

"I don't know, it's just what I heard!" Susan exclaimed, waving her hands in front of her.

"That was pretty weird, Sue, why would you say something like that?"

"Hannah! Stop teasing me! It was you who told me that!" Hannah just snickered when Susan turned on her, blood rushing to her face.

The blonde girl was saved from her friend's reprisals by the sound of a whistle sounding from outside the train.

"Ah! It's moving!" Hannah exclaimed, looking through the window. Rose and Susan joined her, and the three girls stood watching the moving platform and the hundreds of wizards and witches waving at the departing train.

The compartment was mostly silent for a while, the three first years enjoying watching the train rushing through the city, just sounds of amazement at the scenery -coming mostly from Hannah- being heard from them.

"Did you see the cars? They were everywhere! Mum said that they are more expensive than a broom but there were hundreds of them!" Hannah exclaimed after they sat back down.

"Yes, Hannah, we saw them." Susan answered, a fond smile on her face.

"Hm? Are there not a lot of cars where you come from?" Rose asked, confused by the comments.

"Not a lot? Try not at all! It's the first time I've been in such a big city. I live near a little town on the outskirts of Essex, and let me tell you, there's nothing there, much less a car." The short girl looked almost offended about the fact.

Susan giggled, covering her mouth with her right hand "And Hannah loves muggle stuff. If she's not reading about weird magical creatures she spends all her time gushing over muggle inventions."

"You did seem a little more interested in that I lived with muggles than about any other silly stories about me." Rose smirked.

"Well, enough about me! How about we talk about how Susan likes to read about famous criminals? Isn't that a lot stranger?" The redhead blushed a little and pouted at her friend.

"Can you blame me? My auntie is the head of the DMLE. Can't help finding it all so interesting." She explained.

"Is that the law enforcement thing? Where the aurors work?" Rose had read about it, but she hadn't been so interested in the government offices. She had been more keen to read about the school.

Susan nodded, a little mm-hmm sound coming from her.

"She even writes in a little notebook about them!" Hannah gushed, but suddenly wilted. "I think… she doesn't let me see her writing."

Susan's face blushed, and she looked at her friend guiltily.. "It's just so embarrassing, you'll find it boring, I'm sure, Hannah."

"Could you tell me about it later? The DMLE and stuff, I mean." Rose asked Susan, curious. "I don't know much about the jobs wizards and witches have. I just wanted to read about magic." She admitted, a little embarrassed smile on her face.

"Of course! We'll tell you all about it!" Hannah agreed in lieu of her friend, and Susan nodded, making her little mm-hmm sound. "And what about you, Rose? What do you do for fun? Do you have any hobbies?"

Rose smiled, her green eyes shining in happiness behind her glasses.

"Well, maybe not so much as a hobby…" She began, "But I like to dance."

Rose focused, looking between her two choices. One would bring glory and victory, the other utter defeat and humiliation.

She dithered, but after meeting the smug hazel eyes in front of her, her hand shot up and grabbed what she had chosen.

Rose had enough time to see the Joker smiling at her mockingly before–

CLAP!

The card exploded in a little ball of fire.

"Oh, come on!" She wailed, and pouted when she heard Hannah's cackles and even some giggling from Susan who was reading a book on the side.

"It seems luck isn't on your side, Rose!" Hannah mocked after getting her laughter under control, "What are we on? Six to two in my favour?"

Rose was about to answer, to call out the smug girl for all the cheating she must be doing, when the door of the compartment was opened with a clatter.

The three girls' heads turned to the door, curious. It had been some time since the train had departed, so there should be no one looking for a seat by then.

A tall slender boy entered the compartment, his hair a lighter blond shade than Hannah's. His grey eyes looked proudly- or smugly, rather, Rose thought- down on them.

He was wearing a blank uniform, so he must have been a first year student like them.

There were two other larger boys behind him, but they stood outside of the compartment, like they were weirdly-placed statues.

"Can we help you…?" Rose asked, looking warily at him. She tried to give him a smile, but it came out a little stilted. He hadn't even knocked.

"I heard Rose Potter was in this compartment." He said, looking between the three of them, before his eyes settled on Rose. "That must be you, my lady."

My lady…? Rose blinked, looking dumbly at the boy. Why was he calling her like that?

"Ah.. Yes, I am Rose. Nice to meet you…?" She tried, subtly asking his name.

"Draco." He declared, his voice as proud as his expression. "Draco Malfoy. It's a pleasure to meet you too." The boy extended his pale hand and Rose reached out with her own, still a little jarred at the boy's interruption.

She noticed, dimly, that he had not offered a greeting to the other two girls. He just focused on her.

She was shocked out of her thoughts when Draco Malfoy, instead of shaking her hand, turned it over and placed a kiss on her knuckles. Her green eyes widened behind her glasses, not understanding what was happening.

Rose wondered for an instant if it had been a little rude to snatch her hand back as if it was burned. She did it, anyway, and placed it on her chest, covering it with her other hand.

"What!? What are you doing?" She warily asked the shocked looking boy. "What do you want?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude." Draco Malfoy apologised, but his face looked a little pinched with anger. "I just wanted to invite you to our compartment. Thought you would be interested in joining our group."

"Your group? And that would be…?" Rose asked,

"Well, me, for one." he began, what he might have thought was a winning smile on his face. Rose thought it just looked smarmy. "There's Crabbe and Goyle over there," he continued, pointing a little dismissively at the two boys still standing outside. "There's a few more, all children from important families. Nott, Parkinson, Greengrass."

Draco then looked around the compartment, looked at Hannah and Susan, who were watching all of this with distrustful eyes, and sneered.

"You would find that some wizarding families are much better than others, Rose. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. We could help you there." He said, looking back at her with a smile.

Rose sat frozen. She could not believe the gall this boy had.

She had been having a wonderful time with Hannah and Susan, the two girls interested in her as she was in them. They had spent some time talking, getting to know each other, before Hannah had decided to teach her about wizarding games. Rose had started to believe that she could be great friends with the two girls.

And this boy was thinking she would leave? Because he was from an old family?

He must be one of those purebloods, she thought darkly.

'These men and women followed the idea that only those born from a pure witch and wizard deserved to be free in this country.' Mr Flitwick had told her.

'Don't let those purebloods bring you down. You are your mother's daughter.' Her aunt had told her.

Rose Potter glared at Draco Malfoy, her green eyes hard as emeralds behind her glasses.

"I don't think you and I would get along, Draco Malfoy." She said, her voice as cold as she could make it. "Not when you try to befriend me by insulting my friends."

Draco Malfoy's face turned red, anger brimming from his eyes. "Is that so?" He sneered, this time at her. "You'll regret it, you know? If you try to join us later, we won't be so nice to you. This was your only chance, Potter." he spat out her name.

Oh? No longer my lady or Rose, how mean.

"Hey! Maybe you should leave! Rose said no!" Hannah stood up, her hands held in trembling fists on each side of her body. She may be a lot shorter than him, but Malfoy looked at her warily, before looking back at Rose. He started to retreat, taking steps back towards the hallway.

"Hmph! Though you would know better than to consort with half bloods and blood traitors. I should have known, your mother was a mudblood, after all." Was his parting retort before he closed the door behind him, not a second sooner as Rose was about to show him what she really thought about his words.

One doesn't really grow up with Dudley Dursley as a cousin without learning where to kick a boy in order to make him hurt.

"I can't believe it! Did you hear what he said about you? About my mum?" Rose sat back down with a huff. "Who does he think he is?"

"He's a Malfoy. Being a prat is in his blood." Hannah snarked, her eyes still on the door. "His father was a Death Eater, you know?" She whispered like she was telling Rose a big secret.

Susan made her mm-hmm sound, chiming in softly. "Yeah, auntie told me to be careful about them. Said she didn't believe that he was innocent, even if he was pardoned." She said, "Sorry I didn't step in… I was a little scared." The girl looked down guiltily.

Death Eaters. Rose had read about them. The group that Mr Flitwick told her about. The one that followed the dark lord that killed her dad and mum.

It seemed there was a reason that Draco Malfoy's words had reminded her of that talk.

"Don't worry, I didn't know what to do, either." Rose placed her hand on Susan's, and the redhead looked back up, meeting her warm smile. "I can handle a rude boy or two on my own. I have some experience with my cousin." Her smile turned a little mischievous. "I can teach you how to make them wish they hadn't bothered you, if you want."

Susan smiled, her blue eyes looking relieved. They were interrupted by Hannah's hand appearing on top of theirs, though.

"Hey! Don't leave me out! I want to learn how to take care of Draco Malfoy too! I just know he will be a nuisance the whole time we'll be at school. I can feel it!" The girl said, fire in her eyes.

Rose chuckled and Susan joined in a second later.

"Hannah's new seer abilities aside," The redhead began, ignoring Hannah's 'Hey!' "I might take you up on the offer. I can teach you some duelling stuff in exchange, Auntie Amelia has been tutoring me since I've got my wand!"

"That sounds nice." Rose answered happily, but a second later gasped in surprise. "Does that mean that you know how to cast spells already? But Mr Flitwick said I couldn't do magic at home! How come?"

The two friends looked at each other, and then shrugged.

"Mum told me it was kind of an open secret, so I guess we can tell you." Hannah began. "The ministry can only tell if a spell was cast near you, but not who cast it. They kinda ignore magical houses because they can't know if the adults cast the spells." She shrugged again.

"It's a little unfair for muggleborns, but some of us that come from magical families are taught some spells before we get to Hogwarts. We only get our wands when we are accepted into the school so it's not a huge advantage, but still…" Susan copied Hannah's shrug.

Rose pouted, a little peeved that the girls had already gotten to use their wands. She had been sorely tempted to cast some of the spells she had read about, and only Mr Flitwick's warnings stayed her hand.

"Aww, don't be mad! You are going to catch up to us fast!" Hannah consoled her, "You are Rose Potter, after all!" Susan mm-hmm'd in agreement.

Rose nodded mulishly, a little mollified, but then she perked up.

Maybe she could try her phoenix feather wand now?

Miss Penny showed me the words for the levitation charm, maybe it wouldn't be that hard?

She was about to take out her wand from her bag when someone knocked on their door.

Outside the room was a smiling old lady pushing on a cart filled to the brim with cakes and sweets.

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" She asked sweetly. Rose, Hannah and Susan looked at each other for a moment and then smiled back at the woman.

When Rose Potter reached into her bag this time, she didn't take the holly wand, but her coin bag.

Magic can wait for now, I'm famished.

Author's Note:

There you go! Chapter 3!

Now we have the meeting of Rose and her first two friends. I tried to give each of them a clear personality and likes and dislikes, as Susan and Hannah are mostly blank slates. So we have Muggle inventions and Creature obsessed Hannah and Crime fan Susan.

They will not be the only friends that Rose will have. She will have a little more connections to the student body than Harry did, as she grew in a slightly better environment than him and is a little more open, but Hannah and Susan will be her Ron and Hermione, hence their character tags.

Then we have Draco trying the fanon-Pureblood approach and failing miserably in getting Rose to join him. I was a little worried that I might have made him a little more ruder than canon, but then I checked the books. The guy literally said to Harry that he would end up like his parents if he did not befriend him, my Draco was just creepy in another way.

Hope you enjoyed reading it, and thanks as always for the follows and favourites!

See you next time on chapter 4: The Place Where You Belong.