September 6th, 1991

"And then she made her light arrow super bright! I still got spots in my eyes from that!" Hannah exclaimed in between bites. "Greengrass just stood like a chump and got hit!" She snickered

"We know, Hannah, we were there too…" Susan said exasperatedly. "You've been gushing about Rose since we left Charms. You're making her feel uncomfortable."

Rose chuckled awkwardly into her juice goblet. It wasnice to hear her friend say nice things about her, but Hannah's hours-long praises were a little too much.

Charms class had ended soon after her duel with Greengrass, the teacher giving praise to their efforts, and trying to comfort those who didn't get to win. He also explained the reason he had made them duel for -besides making them experience the sport- : to learn to cast under pressure

He commented that if they could complete the charm while being 'attacked', then it would be a lot easier to cast in a calm situation..

Rose supposed it made sense, after casting the spell while dodging Greengrass' arrows, she felt that it would be extremely easy to cast it in normal class.

She had been thinking about the lesson when Hannah managed to find her words and started to shower her with praise over her moves. All the way to History of Magic class and then on the way to the Great Hall for dinner, Hannah hadn't stopped gushing over her.

Susan even had to berate her a few times already for trying to speak with her mouth full.

"I don't think it was that big of a deal, I just danced between her spells. I think Susan was more amazing." Rose commented. "You demolished Parkinson in less than a minute!"

"Ah, yes. Maybe I overdid it a little…" She admitted, but then she looked down, an embarrassed flush on her cheeks. "I… I kind of remembered what she was saying about you last class and… got a little angry. I didn't want her to get away with it."

Rose's chest filled with warmth.

Before Hogwarts, no one would ever stand up for me, but now…

She smiled softly and placed one hand on top of Susan's. "Thank you, Susan, you're the best." The redhead's cheeks got a little rosier, but Rose could see a pleased smile on her face.

Hannah giggled. "Sue's always been like that. She's a softie, but she gets really mad when people are being meanies! You should have seen her when someone tried to bully me for being a halfblood in one of those prissy ministry parties!"

"I couldn't let them say those things to you! Who cares who your mum is? You were there just because I convinced you to come with me, I wouldn't have those bullies ruin the party for you!" Susan answered, looking like she was getting offended all over again.

"But really, you were really good, Susan." Rose continued after taking a bite of chicken, trying to change the subject so the girl could calm down. "Now I really want those duelling tips you promised. I was going to search for a room to keep practising my dancing, maybe we can use it for magic practice too?"

"Oh! I want in! I was the only one of us that lost, but next time I want to teach Zabini a lesson!" Hannah declared, clenching her fists tight on her cutlery.

"Mm, if we finish our homework by sunday, I wouldn't mind looking around the castle for a place." Susan agreed, but then added with a playful smile. "Merlin knows that Hannah needs to learn her way around the castle."

Rose covered her mouth, trying to muffle her amused snort. "I totally agree, maybe we can even draw a map for her!"

"Hey! Why are you being so mean to me? It's not my fault that this school is so confusing!" The short girl whined. "And you don't have any right to laugh at me, Rose. You would be as lost without Sue!"

"I wouldn't!" Rose denied. "I'm sure I would be able to know my way around… Eventually."

Like Hannah said, the castle was confusing. Who thought of adding so many moving staircases and fake doors?

"Mm… I don't want to be mean, Rose, but remember how you almost led us to the forbidden third floor hallway?" Susan said, a teasing glint in her eyes. "And you were leading us to Potion class... Which is in the dungeons."

Rose pouted and felt her cheeks get warm when even Hannah started snickering at her.

Susan can be really ruthless when she feels like it.

September 7th, 1991

"Excuse me, Potter? Can I talk to you for a second?" Rose looked up from the parchment where she was writing her potions essay in and found Justin Finch-Fletchley standing in front of her, holding a book with a nervous expression on his face.

She glanced at Hannah and Susan sitting next to her for a second, receiving a shrug from each girl at her silent question. "Yeah, I don't mind. You can sit if you want…" She said, pointing at the empty seat on their table.

The boy nodded and sat down with jittery movements. "Thank you. I just didn't know if I could talk to you casually, you know. I heard -from the other boys, I mean- that you three are from important noble families, and that you are…pretty much a hero. So I was wondering whether to get close or not…" Justin babbled on and on, his face getting redder and redder the more he talked.

"Uh. Wait, wait! It's okay, I'd prefer it if you ignored that stuff about me being a hero!" Rose said, her own face feeling warmer by the attention they were gathering. "And my family is not noble… At least, I don't think so?" She asked Susan, who shook her head.

"Um… I don't believe they were, no. The Potters were old and wealthy, but they were not part of the Wizengamot, if that is what you referred to." The redhead said, and then glanced at Hannah. "Hannah's dad is a lord, though. Her family is part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight."

"And Sue's auntie is the head of the DMLE." Hannah added. "But you don't have to be nervous! We don't mind talking to you or anyone else."

"Right, right. I'm sorry, I'm… new to all of this." Justin sighed, a smile finally breaking out on his face. "I'm a muggleborn, you see. It was a surprise to learn I was a wizard. I was down to Eton, but Father insisted that I come here."

"Mm, I know what that is like, I grew up with my muggle family too, so I'm just as lost as you here." Rose said with an understanding smile.

"Ah, that's what I wanted to talk about!" Justin said. "I was wondering how you are so good at magic when we are essentially the same. I feel like a failure, it's… hard for me to cast spells in class. And you just do it easily, even though you were raised by norm..- muggles like me."

Rose had to keep the amusement out of her face when she heard Justin correct himself. She didn't want to make him feel like she was laughing at him, but she could relate to his struggle with using wizarding terms.

She sighed, dismissing the silly thoughts, this was kind of serious. She couldn't imagine how she would feel if she wasn't as successful in her classes.

"For example, transfiguration is the hardest of them. No matter how I practise the wand motions and the pronunciation, the match barely changes! And you did it in minutes! What am I doing wrong? Am I even a Wizard?"

Justin seemed a little desperate at this point, he was clenching the book in his hand - A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration- tightly and his brown eyes were swelling with tears.

"Justin… It's okay, I've seen you cast magic in charms, remember? Mr Flitwick praised your wand work today. You are a wizard." Rose tried to calm the boy, doubting whether to touch him or not. She wasn't sure if he would appreciate Rose holding his hand, even if it was to comfort him.

She looked at her friends again, asking for any kind of assistance but they looked as uncertain as she was.

"Look, maybe I can help you? Give you some pointers?" She asked. When Justin looked at her in surprise, she tried to smile comfortingly. "We were just going over our homework. You can join us if you want?"

"Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother. Mother always told me to not bother people when you are asking for help."

"It's no bother!" said Susan, a warm expression on her face. "Look, I struggle with transfiguration too, so Rose was just going to help me. You can just listen."

Rose wanted to hug Susan when Justin finally agreed to join them after her words. He seemed to be a good person, so Rose wanted to help him. She felt some kinship with him too, as two children now living in a different world.

The next few minutes she spent tutoring the two Hufflepuffs -Hannah having already mastered the match-to-needle spell was just focusing on her charms essay- but soon enough she learned what they were doing wrong.

It seemed that the problem that the two of them had was about visualisation, as they weren't thinking of the change between the two objects but just the final product. It was just a matter of making them realise that and they got an almost perfect needle in a few tries.

Rose felt that getting her hand wrung by the very enthusiastic handshake of Justin was worth it by the blinding smile the boy had when he left their table.

Maybe I even got a new friend!

September 8th, 1991

"Oh! Come on!" Rose whined from the moving staircase, looking forlornly at the amused expressions on Hannah and Susan's faces, who were already standing on the landing.

"You are too slow, Rose!" Hannah teased, waving at her goodbye.

"Don't worry, we'll wait for you here… Again." Susan said with an exasperated smile.

It wasn't her fault that she got distracted by the sight outside the window! She could see all the way to the Forbidden Forest from up here!

Stupid stairs.

Rose and her friends had spent the whole Sunday exploring the castle, trying to get familiar with the paths to the classroom, and keeping an eye out for an out of the way room that they could use to practise.

Rose felt a little bad for making her friends use their free day to help her in her search, but luckily Hannah and Susan seemed to be having fun.

Unfortunately, they hadn't had much luck yet in finding a big and empty room for her dancing, but Rose and Hannah were finally starting to remember the hallways they had to use to reach each classroom.

Rose looked at the setting sun from the windows and sighed when she realised that she would have to try again another day.

After a few seconds the stairs connected with another landing near the fifth floor hallways and Rose grimaced when she found herself in front of a Slytherin student.

She stood to the side, intending to let the tall, dark-skinned Blaise Zabini pass by her without incident. Rose wasn't in the mood for a fight today, she had enjoyed the free day too much to let someone else ruin it.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Zabini had different plans.

"Good afternoon, Potter." He said with a small grin. "What a surprise, I didn't expect you to be on your own. Where's your entourage?"

"Hello, Zabini." She said with a small frown. "My friends are on the sixth floor, I'm just waiting for the stairs to go back." She snarked.

"Oh, that's a shame. I wanted to join you in your Sunday walk, but the glares Abbott has been sending during dinner the last few days tells me I wouldn't be welcomed." Zabini said, looking almost genuinely remorseful.

Of course, Rose didn't believe his expression for a second. The small twitching upwards of his lips told her his true feelings.

She snorted. "I wonder why, you'd have to ask Hannah about that." Zabini smirked, amused, and Rose had to fight her own amusement down. "I'm sure you and your friends will be able to find me on my own sometime to do your pureblood spiel thing. Tough luck this time, though."

"Pureblood spiel?" He asked. "Is that what you think we Slytherins do in our free time? Talk about our noble blood?"

"Isn't it? Your little group's been quite clear on your opinion about me. You can go along and ignore this halfblood, your highness. Don't want to waste any more of your time." She said, rolling her eyes.

Zabini's eyes narrowed. "You are beginning to offend me, Potter. I can't talk for my Housemates, but I haven't done anything to earn any sort of dislike from you," He said, his smile now gone from his face. "You are sounding a little prejudiced there."

Rose's eyes widened behind her glasses.

He's right. She realised with some shock. The only thing Zabini had done to her and her friends was beating Hannah in their duel. What had she been expecting, for him to lose on purpose?

Rose started to feel some guilt, it wasn't her intention to be mean to someone who didn't deserve it, but she had begun to associate Slytherin with… well, bullies.

"Ah…" She started, feeling heat gathering in her cheeks. "I…You're right. I've been rude, haven't I?" Rose admitted. "I'm sorry, Zabini, I wasn't thinking."

Zabini tilted his head, looking at her curiously, then a small smile started to spread on his face.

"It's okay, I get where you are coming from. Like I said, I'm not like my Housemates, but I know how they act." He narrowed his eyes again, this time consideringly. "You… aren't anything like what Draco mentioned."

"Draco Malfoy? What has he been saying about me?"

"He said that you were rude and stuck-up, and that you all but spat on his invitation in the train, saying all sorts of rude stuff about the traditions of the wizarding world." He chuckled at the affronted expression on Rose's face. "I'm guessing that it didn't really go that way?"

Rose shook her head. "Well, I did reject his invitation, but it was only after he started to insult Hannah and Susan. I just told him to leave, though." She fumed a little, remembering the words the blond boy had said on his way out. "I didn't say anything about traditions. I mean, I don't really care about them, but not to the point of insulting them."

She had to know what those traditions were first to care about them. It wasn't her fault that no one had taught her.

Zabini chuckled a little more. "Of course, I should have known." He muttered, shaking his head. "Well how about we start again, this time without second hand information?"

Rose grinned, "Well, you are a lot nicer than I expected, so I don't mind." She said. " Nice to meet you! My name is Rose Potter, first year Hufflepuff. People seem to know me from something else, but I'm sure it's not important."

Blaise raised an eyebrow.

Rose felt a little envious, whenever she tried to do that, both her eyebrows moved. I have to ask him how he does that later.

"I'm sure…" He drawled. "I'm Blaise Zabini, first year Slytherin. It's a pleasure, Potter. If you need to know anything about the castle, come to me, I'm sure I can help you."

"Hm? Even though we've been here only for a week?"

"Well, my sister graduated last year, and she told me a lot about how to find my way here. She even gave me her maps."

Rose's eyes narrowed behind her glasses, her head tilting in thought.

"Well, it's my lucky day, it seems." She said, a grin spreading on her face." I am actually looking for something. Think you could help me?"

"I might, depending on what it is." He said readily, before smirking. "For a price, of course."

Rose bit her lip. She wasn't sure about paying for something she could do on her own…But she hadn't properly practised in days and if she didn't find a room today, she'd have to wait a whole week…

A little part of her was starting to worry that Zabini was just feigning being nice to take advantage of her, but it was readily dismissed. She had decided to trust in him for now.

The decision was taken out of her hands, though, when she remembered she had left her money bag in her trunk.

She shrugged, it seemed that she would be looking for the room on her own.

Still, Rose rummaged through her pockets for a second and stilled when her fingers touched a little package.

Taking the object out of her pocket, she snorted when she saw the two packs of chocolate frogs that Hannah had given her this morning.

"How about this for payment?" She joked, offering Blaise the packs with a playful smile.

Blaise tilted his head. "You certainly drive a hard bargain…" He said mockingly. Rose was about to pocket the frogs again when he reached for them. "Well, I wasn't about to ask for much… and I was craving something sweet."

Rose giggled, though her giggles died a sudden death when the boy actually grabbed the packs with a firm nod. "You have a deal, Potter. So, what do you need?" He asked with a confident smile.

Later on, Rose led her friends to an abandoned fifth-floor classroom where the Duelling Club used to meet years ago.

She grinned when she saw the open space in the centre of the room. The room had a couple of desks piled next to a wall, leaving the room bare of obstructions. It's perfect, and it's really close to the stairway.

She wondered if she could learn to transfigure the floor to a smooth wooden one, like the one from her studio. Maybe she could add a mirror wall too! And a bar!

The ideas kept coming to her head, and she was thinking of asking Professor McGonagall for help too. She wanted to do it herself, though, but some tutoring would be helpful.

She had to keep herself from breaking into dancing then and there. She could practise later, but they were about to be late for dinner. It was time to go to the Great Hall.

Ignoring Hannah's grumbling complaints about Rose 'fraternising with her archenemy' and Susan's fretting about her being alone with a Slytherin, she smiled. She was sure that her friends would get along with Blaise Zabini once they got to know him.

Even if he had actually taken her chocolate frogs.

It was worth it to lose her snacks for such a nice room.

Mostly.

She really wanted to eat those.

September 12th, 1991

When Rose awoke on Thursday of the following week, bright and early as always, nothing could remove the smile out of her face.

Not even the fact that they had gone to sleep after twelve because of their first Astronomy lesson.

Today it was their first Flight Class!

Since she heard from Mr Flitwick about flying brooms she had wanted to try one. Flying with a broom was a must-have skill for any witch, even the muggles said so.

She decided to forgo any morning training today- she would go to her room after class to do some extended training-, as she wanted to be at her best in class.

Rose was sitting on a plush dark yellow couch in the Common Room, waiting for Hannah and Susan to wake while reading ahead on her transfiguration book, when Miss Tonks came to the room, broom holstered on her shoulder.

"Heya, Rosie. Good morning!" She said cheerily.

"Hello, Miss Tonks! Off to practice?"

"Mm-hm, figured I would get the blood pumping before checking your class later, you know?" The purple-haired girl winked. "Excited for your first time on a broom?"

"Yeah! I haven't been able to calm down since I've read the date of the class on the board!" Rose answered brightly. "So, you'll be there? I'll make sure to impress you!"

Rose had crossed paths with Miss Tonks pretty much every morning since they had met last week whenever the older girl left for her own practice, and had grown a little attached to her.

Miss Tonks never failed to bring a smile out of her with her cheery attitude, and Rose was looking forward to the day in which she would be able to join the Quidditch team.

Luckily, even if she wouldn't be able to join until next year, if she managed to impress her today, she would be a step closer to that.

"Heh! I'm looking forward to it, Rosie." Miss Tonks approached her and rubbed her head a little, mussing up her hair. "I'm sure you'll do great, so I'll keep my eyes on you."

She felt her cheeks warm up a little at the caring gesture but then pouted. She hadn't done too much with her hair today- just putting it up in a ponytail- but she didn't want it ending even more untidy.

Why did everyone feel the need to pat her head? She wasn't a puppy!

"...Miss Tonks, you'll be late for breakfast if you don't hurry." She said, trying to get the older girl to get on with her day and leave her poor hair alone.

The older girl chuckled, likely reading her intentions. "You're right, you're right. I'll see you at breakfast then, Miss Grumpy." The girl stepped away from her, and left the room with a cheeky wink.

She didn't get to see Miss Tonks at breakfast, but when she and her housemates came out to the grounds to meet Madam Hooch, she saw the purple-haired girl and another older Hufflepuff standing to the side of the field.

Rose could feel Hannah and Susan watching her curiously when she and Miss Tonks waved at each other.

"Oh! Is that the vice-captain you mentioned?" Hannah asked.

Rose nodded, "Yeah, that's Miss Tonks. I don't know the other boy, though."

"Maybe the captain." Mused Susan, "If they are going to recruit for the Quidditch Team, then they both need to be here."

"What?!" Another voice exclaimed from the side. Rose turned around and was met with a wide eyed Megan Jones. "What do you mean, recruit?! I thought you couldn't be on the team until second year!"

"Oh, they're not going to put a first year on the team." Rose answered, trying to calm the shocked short-haired girl. "They're preparing for next year, it seems that half the team's graduating. Miss Tonks told me that they'll pick a few and train with them to get them ready for the tryouts next year."

"Oh man, now I'm getting excited!" Megan exclaimed, now with an eager smile. "I was just going to play around with the broom, but now I get to show off what my aunt taught me!"

"Your aunt?" Rose asked curiously.

"You didn't know, Rose?" Hannah asked, surprised. "Megan's aunt is Gwenog Jones! She plays for the Harpies!"

…who? And plays for whom?

Susan sighed, and looked at Hannah reproachfully. "Remember that Rose didn't know anything about magic until this year, Hannah. Even I didn't know who this Gwenog Jones was."

"Psht, that's because you don't like quidditch. Everyone knows who Gwenog is, you just don't care, Sue." Susan pouted a little at Hannah's answer.

"So, she's a famous quidditch player or something?" Rose asked.

"Yeah! She's the best Beater in the league right now!" Megan answered, looking immensely proud of her aunt. "She taught me everything she knows about quidditch and I'm going to be play with her on the Holyhead Harpies when I graduate!"

Rose felt a teensy bit envious of the surety the girl had about her future. She hadn't even begun to think about what she wanted to be in the future.

Still, it was a little heartwarming to see how much Megan liked her aunt. She wondered if she'd ever have such a close relationship with her own.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, what are you waiting for? Come closer!" Madam Hooch called them from further ahead, where two lines of broomsticks were laid on the grass. "Each of you stand next to a broom."

Rose moved along with her Housemates standing in line in front of the Ravenclaw students that were sharing their class with.

The brooms looked… shoddy.

Rose looked down at the broom next to her, the wood looked like it would be rough to the touch and the bristles were messy. She grimaced a little.

Looking up, she met the intense yellow eyes of Madam Hooch, who was looking at the rows of students, her eyes flitting between each of them until they were ready.

"Now, I want you to put your hand over the broom, and when I say so, call for it to go up." The teacher explained.

She hovered her hand over the broomstick, and waited.

"Now confidently, three, two, one. UP!"

"UP!" The students called a second later, and Rose felt a grin come to her face when her broom shot instantly to her hand.

She looked up, her eyes looking for Miss Tonks on their own. The older girl was still standing to the side, and when she met Rose's eyes, she grinned at her and muttered something to the boy standing next to her, who shared her smile.

She shook her head, trying to focus back on the class, where she could see that the other students had eventually all succeeded in calling their broom.

Madam Hooch then taught them how to mount them, correcting any mistakes they had.

"Okay, when I blow my whistle, you kick off the ground and keep your broom steady."

Rose did so, kicking hard off the ground and had to keep herself from smiling like a loon when she started to float in the air. The broom felt a little wobbly, but nothing she couldn't handle. Keeping her balance was easy after all those hours of ballet.

The class proceeded smoothly from then on, Madam Hooch teaching them how to get their brooms to do what they wanted. How rising the nose of the broom and leaning back made it float up, and doing the opposite made it go down.

It was quite different from riding a bike, the broom seemed to be alive. It reacted to the movements of her body, but she noticed that it listened more to her will.

"Oh! You are quite good, boy! Are you experienced?" She heard Madam Hooch exclaim from the other side of the line.

She was next to Justin, who seemed quite comfortable on his broom, riding it around the teacher confidently.

"Not on a broom, no." He admitted, a nostalgic smile on his face. "But I've ridden horses before, and this feels a lot like it."

He lowered the broom, letting out a drawn out whoa. The teacher smiled at him, an impressed expression on her face.

"Make sure to keep practising, Finch-Fletchley, I can see you going far with this skill."

Rose smiled at the bright expression on his face. After helping him last weekend with his transfiguration, Justin had become a regular in their homework table after class, but he still seemed a little uncomfortable in this new world.

She was glad that he had found something to enjoy here.

"Well, Potter, show me what you can do." The teacher said once she reached her place on the line.

Rose nodded, and mounted her broom like the teacher had taught them. She breathed deeply, and with a slight twitch and an adjustment of her posture, the broom raised up.

She smiled, and leaned forward on her seat, willing the broom to advance. Her mount complied, and she started to fly around the instructor, feeling the breeze on her hair.

She resisted the urge to fly higher or faster, she didn't want to seem reckless, but it was a little hard.

She couldn't wait until she was allowed to fly freely.

She did a couple of rounds around the teacher and then placed herself back on her initial position, making the broom float down until her feet touched the grass.

"Oh you are a natural, girl! Are you planning to try out for the team next year?" Madam Hooch asked.

"Yes, I am! It's a shame I can't play until second year!" She answered, she hadn't seen any matches yet, but she had seen some moving pictures in her books.

It looked exciting, fast paced and so much fun.

Exactly what she liked.

The teacher snorted. "I'm sure you'll do great, and if you are lucky you may be able to play before that." She said, pointing with her chin to the two older students on the side of the field. "If you are good enough, you can be a reserve member of your team, even in your first year."

Rose once again met Tonks' purple eyes from afar, and felt her cheeks get a little warmer at the impressed look the older girl was giving her. She grinned happily when the sixth year gave her a nod and mouthed the word "Later".

The class proceeded smoothly after that, the teacher going around each of them and helping them with their flying. She then let them fly freely for a while, keeping a sharp eye on them all the time.

Some of her classmates, Susan included, decided to just take a break and sat down on the side of the field. It seemed like flying didn't really agree with her redhead friend, though she seemed to enjoy watching them playing around in the sky.

Rose, Hannah and Justin flew around in circles for a while, the boy telling them about his horse Marigold that his father had gifted him a few years ago, when it was just a foal. He admitted that Marigold was one of the things he missed the most after coming here.

"Maybe you girls can come home during the summer and meet her?" He said, though he kept his eyes mostly on Rose. She smiled, giddy that she had a friend inviting her to his home.

"Oh! That would be awesome!" Hannah answered brightly, her mind already on the clouds, probably thinking of all the muggle stuff she might get to see in the visit.

Justin smiled happily, nodding along, and then tilted his head at Rose.

"Yeah, that would be nice." She answered warmly, making Justin's face redden in happiness. "I'd have to ask my aunt first, though. I can't go if she doesn't let me." She grimaced a little, not really knowing what to expect when she came back home.

"That's fine! I can ask Father and Mother to talk to her for you!" Justin said, a bright smile on his face.

Rose nodded, more confident now. Surely her Aunt Petunia wouldn't say no if his parents asked, right?

Just before Madam Hooch called for the class to be over, Rose decided to indulge a little in her urges.

Grabbing the broomstick firmly, Rose lowered her stance a little, and sped up.

Her blood sang in her veins, feeling the wind rushing through her ponytail, making it whip behind her along with her robes. Her smile widened, adrenaline flooding her veins. She flew, fast enough that the grass below her seemed like a green blur.

She was free, she realised.

Countless times, back when she was in Little Whinging, she had wanted to be able to fly away and live freely like a bird.

How glad she was, coming to this school was the best thing that ever happened to her.

Soon enough she met the end of the field, where a tall stone wall stopped her from further advancing.

Turning her broom a little, she spun around, wind whistling in her ears, and returned to the group of students, slowing down when she got close.

She smiled sheepishly at the unimpressed stare her teacher was giving her, but then the woman snorted and shook her head, seemingly letting her off the hook.

Class ended a few minutes later, but before they could disperse, the two older students approached the Hufflepuff first years.

"Wotcher, kids! My name's Tonks, I am the vice-captain and Chaser of the Quidditch team and this is…" Miss Tonks began and pointed to the tall brown haired boy next to her

"Hello there, kids. I'm Arthur Corner, I play as a Beater, and I am the captain." He said with a nice smile, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "I was wondering if Jones, Finch-Fletchley and Potter could remain behind for a minute."

The three mentioned looked at each other, though only Justin looked confused. Megan and Rose, already knowing why they were asked to remain, grinned eagerly.

When the rest of the class left -though Rose could see that Hannah and Susan remained near the entrance of the castle waiting for her- the older boy nodded at them with a bright grin on his face.

"Here on Hufflepuff we do stuff a little differently than other Houses' Quidditch teams. We come to visit the firsties in their flight classes and if we find someone who impresses us, we like to invite them to practise with us. Mostly so you can prepare for the tryouts next year."

Rose nodded, already knowing this. Miss Tonks continued with the explanation. "And you kiddies, show some potential. We need a chaser, a beater and a keeper to replace the guys who are leaving this year and we want you guys to do it. So what do you say, Megan, Justin, Rosie?" She asked, looking at each of them in turn. "Can I count on you next year when I'm made captain?"

Rose and Megan answered instantly. "Yes!" "Of course!"

Justin dithered a second, looking at both of them, and at the older students. "... I don't know much about Quidditch, though." He said. "Would that be a problem?"

"No, no, of course not." Answered Arthur Corner, "That's why we want you to come practise with us this year. We'll teach you everything then. It would also be better to know for sure if you can work with the team. We Puffs like to pride ourselves in our teamwork more than anything." He finished with a firm nod.

Justin hesitated for a second longer, his brown eyes finding Rose's green for a second, and then nodded just as firmly. "Then count me in."

"Brilliant! I'm sure you'll do great, kid!" Tonks answered, her hair turning a bright orange for a second, then back to her purple. Rose wondered how on earth the girl was doing that. "Just for reference, is there a position you kids are interested in?"

"A beater, for sure." said Megan, a confident grin on her face.

Justin shrugged, "Not really."

Rose thought for a second, but then she caught the expectant, warm purple eyes of Miss Tonks and she knew there was only one answer. "Chaser, I think." She answered.

Miss Tonks grinned at her knowingly, making her look down, a tad embarrassed.

"Great, we'll see how you work in each position first though, so don't be disappointed if you end up being something else." said the captain, before looking at his wristwatch. "It's getting late for your next class, we'll talk later in the common room if you want."

"Go along, firsties. We won't start practising until next week, but we'll tell you the actual date later."

Miss Tonks and Captain Corner walked away to the castle, the older girl mussing her hair when she passed by her. "Great showing today, Rosie."

Rose smiled, warmth filling her chest. She had done it. Now she had to work hard during practice.

The smile faded a little a second later, when she had to fix her hair.

Still not a puppy!

Author's Note.

Hey there! There you have chapter seven!

Thanks for the favourites and follows! And the reviews!

See you next time!