Sands of Dragon Scales

Chapter 15

After the school year had started back up after the holiday, everything had almost seemed to return to normal. However, after Newt's comment of Rose being the headmaster's favorite student, the fellow Hufflepuffs had starting referring to Rose as the Hufflepuff princess. Surprisingly, even Newt had picked up on calling her 'Princess' every now and then, as he was the only one Rose would answer to if using the pet name. Of course, the name stuck. The few that didn't refer to her as such was Delora and her posy.

The school year hadn't been very eventful as Newt and Rose looked forward to spending time with their creatures within Newt's case. The Hufflepuff Quidditch team had taken a winning season as Rose kept up her rank as head of the class. As each day came and went, Rose was slowly accepting her fate of possibly never returning to her own time. She was happier than she'd ever been, but she knew it wouldn't last.

Granted, she wasn't having some crazy, off the wall, dangerous adventure with Harry and the others, but she was living a life she had only dreamed of having; a normal life. But, being that she was from the future, if she remained there, she would never be able to marry nor acquire a proper job within the Ministry. She would have to distance herself and only pray that time wouldn't make her go mad. Though having an ordinary life, it truly wasn't really hers.

Though everything still seemed fine and dandy throughout the school year, Delora was trying her best to make Rose's school life absolutely miserable. The pranks had yet to cease as Newt, nor any of the staff, had yet to hear anything about them. Newt had only known about the single prank pulled the night they had returned to Hogwarts... that was, until today.

Newt was currently sitting in the common room, working on his homework while waiting for Rose to join him. Over the past few months, the two seemed to grow a bit closer with each passing day. Though Newt denied any feelings he might of harbored, he was finally beginning to ask himself if he was beginning to feel a specific way. He had never felt this kind of connection with Leta. It was deeper, much more meaningful, so much more understanding, and so much more respectful. They were friends, yes. But he had come to ask himself if they, just possibly, could be something more.

The boy's thoughts were disturbed when someone came to sit down beside him. At first, he had mistaken the female presence for Leta. But being that this was the Hufflepuff common room, he knew the Slytherin girl wasn't permitted. "C-can I help you?" Newt asked politely as possible. The girl glanced up as Newt caught sight of familiar bright blue eyes, his eyes widening, "Rose? What did you do to your hair?!"

The girl just turned to her books with a huff, "I did nothing. It one of my roommates who'd thought it would be funny if I actually tried looking like a Black." Newt was shocked to say the least. Not even the ones who picked on him did things like this. They would probably shove him around and snicker at him as they passed, but this was something else entirely. "Did Delora do this?" Newt asked. Rose shrugged her shoulders, "I can't honestly say. The suspects are only narrowed down to those who sleep in the same room I do. Whoever it was thought it would be funny to replace my shampoo with black hair dye."

Newt suddenly remembered the night the other girls had put dirt in the girl's bed and realized that this had been going on far longer than he had originally thought, "They've been doing things like this sense the beginning of the year, haven't they?" Rose just gave Newt a look, "Newt..." "Rose! You need to tell Pr. Diggory about this so their antics will stop," Newt protested. "Don't worry about it, Newt. They'll get what's coming to them... Sooner or later," Rose sighed, starting on their homework.

Newt knew better than anyone that snitching on someone would get a said person so far. But this... this was just cruel. First it was the dead rat and dirt and now it had come to purposely changing the girl's hair color without her consent? "Newt," Rose could see the gears turning within Newt's head, "Don't worry about it. It's just hair. I can fix it." But at this statement, Newt became a bit confused, "If you can fix it, then why is your hair still black?" "Waiting for a specific plant to grow. Until tomorrow morning, I'm stuck like this," Rose just shrugged.