Chapter Text
Going back to school was something almost everyone despised, but for best friends Rowan and Rose, it was the highlight of their summer.
The two girls, who were--to put it simply--witches, had attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the past four years, and were currently traveling to King's Cross Station, and their elation could not be contained. Although they were traveling there from two separate places at two separate times, they could feel the other as they got closer, like two magnets pulling together from opposite ends of the Earth. They were both ready to be rid of their boring summers and to get right back to the wonderful world of spellcasting and potion-making.
Rose fiddled with her luggage tag in the backseat of her father's '93 Toyota Supra. It had been a recent purchase, and her mother had ripped a new one at him for spending so much money on something so unnecessary, but after taking it for a spin of her own, she'd calmed down a considerable amount. Now, as they pulled up to the train station, Rose's heart was pounding a mile a minute, her relief at being so close to freedom overwhelming her. As soon as the car parked, she hopped out of the backseat, yanking her luggage with her. Her parents could only mutter a quick goodbye before Rose waved them goodbye and darted off into the station.
Rowan, on the other hand, was already milling about Platform 9 and 3/4, having been dropped off an hour earlier by her parents. She'd given them proper hugs, and her mothers even shed a few tears before letting their daughter go. Rowan had to keep herself from rolling her eyes and had suppressed a smile from the two. Her mothers tended to get emotional at these goodbyes, despite the fact she visited for Christmas and wrote them every week. She wouldn't burst their bubbles however, for she thought it was cute that they still cared as much as the first time she'd departed for school.
The moment Rose stepped through the brick wall that led to platform 9 3/4, both of their gazes immediately locked on to each other and they shared an elated grin. The redhead shoved her way through the crowd, throwing polite apologies over her shoulder as she went, and fell into the arms of her best friend, feeling something that had been missing all summer click back into place.
Rowan squeezed her tightly for a moment, before pulling back and exclaiming, "About time you got here! I was half-convinced you'd miss the train and abandon me to put up with the others all on my own."
"Oh honestly, as if you don't live for holding court over all of them anyway." Rose replied, giving the other girl a half-hearted shove. "Besides, we've still got ages before it leaves! Let’s go grab a good carriage before we end up sitting with Blaise again like we did last year. You two may be in the same house, but that doesn't mean I should have to put up with him".
Sharing a laugh, they hopped on the train and made their way down the aisle, quickly finding an empty spot to plop down and start chatting like they'd never even been apart. Although they'd made the effort to meet plenty over the summer, going from doing everything together at school to only sporadic days over the break was always an adjustment period, and they made sure to catch the other up on what they'd been doing as quickly as possible.
A herd of fourth years waddled by their compartment, giggling profusely, and gawking at each other over something one of them had said. Rowan was about to shut the sliding door to cut the girls off from the rest of the world when suddenly a hand shot out, keeping the door from closing. Rowan's attention was so stuck on the gaggle of fourth years that she hadn't seen Harry behind them. His hair had been cut shorter than the shag he had rocked last year, and she was able to see the emerald of his eyes from behind his circle frames. The angry red scar on his forehead was peeking through the hair that did sweep into his face, and a lazy grin was stuck to his mouth as he kept the door open.
"Already trying to exclude me, I see," he said as he pushed the door open further. Some of the fourth years in front of him turned to see the Boy Who Lived, and one of them even squeaked in delight at seeing such a legendary person in their vicinity. Rowan only rolled her eyes as Rose hopped up from beside her and gave their friend a hug.
"Now why would I do that?" the Slytherin asked, sarcasm dripping from her tone. She gave the boy a fond smile as she, too, stood up to give him a hug after Rose had let him go.
"Oh good, you found them," they heard from behind Harry, and Rowan peered over his shoulder to see the bushy-haired Hermione walking up behind him, Ron following in tow. It appeared that the gang was all here.
Rowan quickly moved out of the way to allow the three other Gryffindors into Rose and her compartment, and only then was she able to shut the door to block out the rest of the world. She wouldn't admit it, but the constant noise from the chattering lower years was giving her a headache. Ron and Hermione sat opposite the others, Harry sitting beside Rose, the two exchanging awkward icebreakers. Rowan had noticed how close the two had gotten last year, and it seemed her inkling was correct as she watched the two blush when their hands brushed. Rowan chanced a quick look at Hermione, and the two locked eyes, sharing their knowledge with each other without saying a word. They'd both known it was bound to happen between them, between Harry's constant pining since first year and Rose's sudden interest in him the year before. It was something Rowan and Rose had gossiped about in secret many times the previous year, but the redhead never said anything to Harry about it.
When Rowan noticed the awkward tension building in her mates beside her, she decided to cut that tension with, "Have you seen the new first years? This lot may give the professors a run for their money. May be even rowdier than we were."
"As if anyone can top the troll incident from our first year." Rose snarked back, raising her eyebrow at Hermione, who blushed in embarrassment before replying, "Says the girl who managed to jelly-leg jinx not only herself, but also Professor Flitwick because she noticed a certain blond Slytherin was watching!".
The others burst into laughter as Rose gasped in indignation, rushing to defend herself. "That isn't even close to what happened! As if I'd care what snotty Malfoy thinks of me." Her eyes met Harry's as she spoke, and she couldn't help but hope that the emotion she saw on his face was relief.
Shaking her head a little to rid herself of the thought, she continued, "The real Slytherin I had a problem with was Rowan. I was trying to cast the counter-jinx, but she was too busy trying to be impressive by doing non-verbal magic that I got the motions mixed up!".
"Yes, yes, we all know I'm the real troublemaker between the two of us. That's how you ended up as the very prestigious Gryffindor prefect, may we all bow before her glory." Rowan mocked, standing slightly to attempt a curtsy in the small space. Everyone other than Hermione laughed, while the bushy-haired girl gave a little huff and looked out the window. The group went silent as they all sensed the rising tension, and Rowan shot a guilty look at Rose for having brought up what she knew was a touchy subject between the other two girls. Just as she opened her mouth to try and lighten up the mood, the train jerked forward, and she fell back into her seat as they finally began moving towards Hogwarts.
Despite the lingering awkwardness filling the small carriage, the excitement of returning to school quickly took over once more and they all began to chat about what they were looking forward to most. When the candy cart made the rounds at about halfway through their journey, they followed their tradition of all getting a pouch of Every Flavor Beans. If they were being honest, they all knew that it was to appease Ron. Once the Weasley had grabbed a few more items from the cart (chocolate frogs, some exploding bonbons, and some peppermint toads), they all set about opening their treats.
"Okay, on the count of three," Ron announced seriously, his face set in a stern line. Rowan and Rose looked at each other, a bit of unease on their faces, but they complied as Ron counted down. Everyone grabbed a bean from their pack and popped them into their mouths, hesitantly chewing until the flavor was revealed. Harry and Hermione seemed to be okay, quickly turning their uneasy looks into ones of contempt. Rowan, Rose, and Ron, however, all exclaimed their disgust, their eyes closing and their mouths puckering with disgusting flavors they'd eaten.
"Oh, that's rancid!" Rowan exclaimed, her brows furrowed and her nose upturned as she searched for a napkin to spit into. Ron had reduced himself to feverishly licking his hands to try to get rid of the foul taste on his tongue.
"What'd you get?" Harry asked Ron as he slowed down his licking. Beads of sweat dotted the redhead's forehead, and he inhaled through his nose to avoid the taste hitting his mouth again.
"Vomit," was the response, and Rose and Rowan both winced at the answer.
"I got rotten eggs," Rowan said.
"Black pepper," was Rose's reply, and finally Rowan decided to just spit whatever was left in her mouth into the open package of beans in her lap. Rose did the unthinkable and swallowed the remaining jellybean, much to Ron's horror.
A knock on the door brought everyone out of their candy-addled stupor, and they all looked up to see the Weasley twins peering at them through the window. Rowan, being the closest to the door, slid it open, and the two redheaded troublemakers cracked mischievous grins.
George held out his hand to Hermione, grabbing her package of the jellybeans. "You gonna have these?" he asked, hardly waiting for her reply before popping one in his mouth. Hermione just shook her head, not at all offended that the twin had just robbed her.
"We're taking donations, so if any of you would like to surrender your beans, it'd be much appreciated," Fred said, and all but Ron and Rowan gave away their stashes to the boys.
"We've got a bet going to see who can hold the most beans in their mouth," continued Fred when Rowan looked at them quizzically.
"I would give you mine, but I'm afraid they've been spat on," Rowan told them, shrugging.
"We'll take 'em anyway," George said, swiping the pack from her hands, and before she could object, the twins grinned and were on their merry way down the aisle, avoiding a collision with Malfoy and his entourage. The boy sneered at the twins, who feigned fear but snickered as they passed, tossing back the beans they'd recently acquired as they did so.
Malfoy and his pair of henchmen, consisting of Crabbe and Goyle, continued stalking down the train car, only to come to a stop right where Fred and George had just been. The glint in Malfoy's gray eyes was full of loathing as he looked into the compartment to see his most favorite people to pick on.
"Why if it isn't Potter and his rundown gang of halfwits," Malfoy spat viciously, crossing his arms over his chest. Crabbe and Goyle tried to peer into the compartment as well, glaring daggers at Rowan as they did. They hated the Gryffindors enough, but they hated Rowan even more for hanging out with them.
The dark-haired girl gave as good as she got, staring them down without even trying to hide her disregard. "Oh, sod off Malfoy, no one wants to hear your pathetic little voice.", She snapped, not willing to put up with him for even a moment.
Instead of looking angry though, a nasty grin broke out over the blond's face. "Speaking to your prefect that way, Aldrich? Looks like you'll be starting the year off strong with a detention."
Rowan leapt to her feet, and disbelief coloured her voice as she responded, "Excuse me? There's no way even Snape was dumb enough to make you prefect. Let me guess what really happened, did dear ol' daddy put in a word for you?".
At that point the two Slytherins were in each other’s faces, and the air almost felt filled with static from Rowan's barely contained anger. Malfoy may have been too thick to recognize the girl was about to blow, but Rose knew her friend too well and quickly stepped in, grabbing Rowan's hand from where it had started to reach for her wand.
"Right, that's enough from you, Malfoy. Don't think you're invincible just because you have the title, remember that I'm a prefect too. And I'd just hate to have to go speak to McGonagall about this, so maybe think through your next move a little more carefully." Rose threatened, narrowing her eyes at the trio.
At the mention of the Gryffindor head of house, Malfoy clearly lost a bit of confidence. It was a well-known fact that she had no patience for Slytherin, and not even Snape would be able to interfere if she decided she had a bone to pick with them. That didn't stop him from hissing, "I don't listen to half-witches like you, Mudblood," before disappearing back into the corridor, just in time to dodge the hex Rowan threw at his head.
"Once I get my hands on that ferrety little shit, I'm gonna wring his neck, just you wait!" The furious witch hollered after him. The only thing stopping her from hunting him down was the shocked look on Rose's face, and she quickly rushed to reassure her instead.
"Hey, don't bother giving him the time of day. He wishes he was half as brilliant as you are." She said, trying to make the redhead smile. And although Rose knew better than to listen to someone like Malfoy, she couldn't help but still feel hurt from his words. He wasn't the only one to think that way after all, since the very first time she'd stepped into Diagon Alley, she'd been faced with other witches and wizards looking down their noses at her for being a muggle born. For a moment she considered sharing her thoughts, but as much as she loved Rowan, this was just not something she'd ever be able to fully understand. And with how things stood with Hermione at the moment, Rose didn't feel comfortable confiding in her either.
Instead, she flashed a small smile at the others, and replied, "Damn right he does. Next time he opens his gob I'll prove once and for all how far I've come with the Jelly-legs jinx since first year!"
At this, Rowan smiled. "Right you are, Rosie," she said, and the girls sat back down to reintegrate into the group. Harry placed a reassuring hand on Rose's leg, and the girl gave him a soft smile and patted his hand. She was thankful for the comfort but that was all. Ron was giving her a wary look, like he was afraid she'd burst into tears, and Hermione just looked angry.
"Right, well who's excited to see our new professor this year?" Rowan asked in an attempt to change the topic. It was clear the atmosphere was still dense.
Harry, picking up on this, shifted in his seat, his hand moving from Rose. "When I was at the Ministry this summer, I heard they were sending someone in."
The compartment got quiet again with the reminder that Harry had, indeed, been to the Ministry of Magic the previous summer. They'd only heard about it from the Daily Prophet, but Rita Skeeter tended to exaggerate stories tenfold. At the lack of response from Harry's statement, he realized he hadn't explained what had happened this summer with that.
It was fairly simple, to say the least. Lord Voldemort was back, and he was coming for Harry. The Boy Who Lived had seen him face-to-face only four months prior in the cemetery where the evil wizard's parents were buried. Harry had just been about to win the TriWizard Tournament with Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff boy whom he'd grown fond of, when the TriWizard Cup had transported them to the cemetery. To Harry's absolute horror, Peter Pettigrew--one of Voldemort's most loyal servants--was there, performing dark magic to bring the Lord back to physical life. Harry had then witnessed Voldemort kill his friend, summon his Death Eaters, then try to kill him. He'd escaped, the trophy and his deceased friend's body in tow, but he'd been scarred, the mental anguish he carried still with him as he sat next to his friends on the train. When he'd told people the Dark Lord was back, he'd been whisked away to another part of the school, but that only made the rest of the student body anxious with the news that Voldemort was back.
Then, almost as if the world loved to see him fail, Harry had been attacked by two dementors later on in the summer, with which he'd had to use his Patronus charm to escape them. Because he'd used magic outside of school, the Ministry had escorted him from the Dursley residence to the Ministry's court in an attempt to expel him from Hogwarts. He was on trial for what felt like several days, and a lot of the Ministry were in favor of expelling him, but he knew that they were terrified of the thought that Lord Voldemort was back. They were trying to get rid of him, sweep him under the rug, but they couldn't. He was cleared of all charges and was able to return to Hogwarts for the next year.
Before he'd left, however, he'd heard whispers that the Minister was appointing someone from the Ministry to the school as sort of watchdog. Harry knew it was for him, and he knew he'd have to stay a bit low profile if he wanted any semblance of a normal school year, but he didn't want to sacrifice his dignity for a lie. The Dark Lord was back, and everyone needed to know it.
Harry finished explaining what had occurred at the Ministry, and it left his friends in a state of mixed emotions. Ron had his brow furrowed like he was concentrating really hard on something, Hermione was rattling off how unfair the whole thing was, and Rowan and Rose had turned to each other to discuss how the best way to spy on the Ministry's mole.
"Guys, it's okay, really," Harry said when he realized telling everyone may have been the wrong move. "I'll just have to stay low for a bit, that's all."
"But that's not okay, Harry," Hermione stated matter-of-factly, "We know what you saw was real. How can they not believe you?"
"People are scared," interject Rowan, turning in her seat, away from Rose. Her silvery hair swung a bit as she did so. "They don't want to admit that what Harry's saying is true because they're terrified. They don't want to go through those events again."
"Being scared is fine when it's a spider in the bathroom, but people's lives are at stake! I don't understand how the Ministry is letting this slide," Rose replied, "If they won't even believe the Boy-Who-Lived, how are we ever going to make a difference?"
Silence fell over the carriage for a moment as they all absorbed the truth in Rose's words, but it didn't last for long.
"There's still the Order. And with Dumbledore involved, they must be able to do something." Harry said, placing his faith in their headmaster as he'd always done. But the redhead next to him just couldn't see it the same way, she may not have been alive when the first war happened, but every witch and wizard knows exactly how that ended.
Quietly, she responded, "He was there last time, but here we are anyway. How much difference can one man make?"
Rowan blinked in shock at her friend's words, her mouth tightening in a thin line as she turned back to face her. She'd never heard Rose sound so defeated before, normally the other girl was the more optimistic one between them. But it seemed like she'd need to step up to the task for once, she couldn't let Rose fall into that mindset.
"Hey, I think you're forgetting a few things," She said gently, knocking the redhead's shoulder with her own. "Or I suppose a few people. Between us, how many times have we taken on some form of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named and won? What's one more time, huh?".
Ron, a fistful of chocolate in his mouth, piped up, "We can definitely take him on! Rowan literally killed a basilisk when we were twelve, and we all figured out a way to thwart Professor Quirrell in our first year. I'd say we're a pretty savvy group."
Rose inhaled deeply and sighed in reluctant agreement. "You're right. I'm being pessimistic. I just want a normal year with normal drama, not the type that tries to kill you."
From beside her, Rowan patted her knee, a beaming smile on her lips. "Then let's make this year the most dramatic yet! Who's up for pranking our Slytherin friends once we get to school?"
Everyone save Hermione voiced their enthusiasm over pranking Malfoy and his bunch of henchmen, and at the thought of it, Rose finally cracked a little smile. It'd been a while since she'd involved herself in the likes of pranks, but she knew when Rowan was the one orchestrating them, they were extremely worth the risk of getting caught. The last one her Slytherin friend had pulled had left Pansy Parkinson with beaver teeth and fox ears for several days, and neither prankster had been caught.
"Oh alright, you know I can't resist a good prank," Rose relented heartily, a laugh bubbling through her. Harry, Ron, and Rowan all smiled, the gears turning in their heads, thinking up ideas of how to get back at their least favorite people.
"I don't think that's very reminiscent of how the Gryffindor prefect should behave," Hermione spoke from across the compartment. Her eyes were glued to the Transfiguration textbook she had opened, not even bothering to look up as she addressed Rose. She flipped the page nonchalantly as Rose stared back at her.
"Oh come off it, Hermione. She's allowed to have one fun night before she goes all authority on us," Rowan retorted, and if Rose was hearing her correctly, she thought there was a bit of venom in her words as she said them.
Hermione just shrugged. "I know that if I were prefect, I would frown upon behavior like that."
"It's a good thing you're not prefect then," Rose whipped back. They'd hardly made it to Hogwarts, and Hermione was already creating tension between them. Rose did not like where this was heading, and she knew that snapping back at one of her closest friends was a mistake, but she couldn't help it. She did not want to bicker over this all year.
The bushy-haired girl looked up from her book, a hard glint in her eye, and she stood suddenly. She gathered her things and huffed as she exited the compartment, leaving a flummoxed Ron to watch her go. Rose and Rowan simply shared a look, knowing the redheaded boy was going to go after her. The Weasley gave the trio in front of him a sheepish grin as he stood up to follow her.
Once the two were gone, Rose leaned back in her seat, feeling even more defeated. This wasn't exactly how she envisioned the start of the year going.
"Hey, she'll get over it, I promise," Harry reassured her, taking her hand into his and squeezing. She peered down at their intertwined hands and felt her face get hot, becoming immensely aware that Rowan was still in the car with them. As quickly as she could, she pulled her hand from his and clasped her hands in front of her, wriggling a bit with nervous energy. She could sense Rowan's amused gaze on her back, and when she looked over she could see the knowing glint in her friend's eyes.
"Soooo, how about this prank?" Rose blurted loudly, changing the subject entirely. Rowan's smirk grew more, but she rattled off a few ideas that were brewing in her mind. Harry would occasionally interject with a plan he was thinking of, and soon, all thoughts of evil wizards, jealous friends, and potential romantic endeavors were forgotten.