• • •
Now you're all I want
And I knew it from the very first moment
• • •
Rose and Remus walked up to King Cross station at the end of the holidays. Rose wore a forest green jumper Adrian Pucey had owled her for christmas, under a jean-jacket Remus had gifted to her, claiming that it had been James' when he first started dated Lily.
"I can walk inside the platform on my own, Uncle Remus." Rose said, amused as Remus kept asking her if there was anything he could get her before she left for Hogwarts.
"Oh, I know that, Rose." Remus sighed. "I just want you to be comfortable, that's all. You'll be alone on the train since your friends didn't leave for christmas."
"I won't be alone, Moony." Rose said, passing through the barrier. "I've got other friends."
"Alright then, have a good term, Rosie." Remus kissed her cheek fondly, before he turned on his heel and left platform 9 3/4.
Rose raised her trunk up the train, and moved away quickly. She saw Cedric Diggory saying goodbye to his parents, so she hurried over to him in order to give him a late christmas present. She hadn't had time to send it with Jamsie since she had only found it on the village near Remus' shack.
She pushed past the other students and finally reached Cedric, who was about to aboard the train. "Oi, Ced!"
Cedric whirled around to face her, a bright smile on his mouth once he saw her face. "Rose! Good holiday?"
"It was great, thank you." She replied. Cedric eyed her hair.
"New haircut?" Cedric asked, Rose nodded while taking a little box from her pocket. "Look's nice."
"Thanks," Rose said, she handed him the box which contained a muggle mood-ring. "This is an late christmas present, hope you like it."
She didn't wait for a response before she turned away just as the whistle sounded through the platform. Rose walked away, laughing as she saw Cedric trying to figure out how the muggle ring worked. She had been so distracted, that naturally she bumped into someone.
"Sorry," She said as an instinct. She raised her head only to meet the beautiful mysterious eyes of Adrian Pucey, his jaw was even more set than it had been two weeks ago. "Adrian!"
"Rose! I didn't recognize you with that new hair-cut!" Adrian beamed, he pushed a strand of Rose's hair on the back of her ear and smiled at the Gryffindor.
"It was a spur of the moment," Rose confessed, being aware that her cheeks had turned pink. "Does it look good?" Suddenly Rose was feeling self-conscious about her new hair, even if Ginny and Charlie had both assured her that it looked brilliant.
"You look beautiful, Lightbourn." Adrian said, his cheeks turning red just like Rose's had. He scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat before speaking again. "Do you have a compartment? Because if you don't then you can join me, Cass and Blair are waiting inside the end compartment."
"Oh, yeah, why not." Rose grinned. As they walked towards the compartment, Adrian had noticed that Rose was wearing the jumper he got her for christmas.
"Liked the jumper, did you?" Adrian asked her cheekly, trying to push them both past two sixth years Ravenclaws.
Rose looked down instantly and a smile tugged at her rosy lips. "'Course I did!" Rose chirped, trying to look over a bunch of students huddled in the train corridor but missing since she was really short. "I loved the colour."
"Glad you did." Adrian beamed. "Thank you for the tie, by the way."
Rose had caught the eyes of Avalon and Amara Morgenstern, but she lost sight of them in an instant due to the heavy traffic of students. She turned back to Adrian. "You said you only had green and black ties so I thought you would fancy having a Gryffindor red one."
Adrian let out a chuckle, but before he could reply Rose put up her hand.
"There's something I need to do, do you mind giving me a second?" She asked, not turning to meet Adrian's eyes since she was concentrating hard on not losing the Morgensterns again.
"Oh," was Adrian's reply.
"Brilliant, thank you." Rose said, she didn't give the boy a second before she ran through the students and to the other side of the train in a rush.
"Oi! Morgenstern!" She called, both heads turned around. Their dark eyes examining her short hair and her clear eyes.
"Alright, cousin?" Avalon sneered, crossing his arms over his chest. Rose had reached them and she was clutching two parsels behind her.
"I need to speak to you." Rose informed them, ignoring Avalon's words.
"Go on," Amara said, eyeing the thirteen-year-old Gryffindor.
"I'm probably gonna regret this later," Rose muttered, before squaring her shoulders and revealing the two parcels that she held on her hand. "Happy Christmas."
Avalon and Amara accepted what she gave them, but asked her to explain why she was giving them a christmas present.
"I'm sorry," Rose explained. "I noticed that I haven't been treating either of you fairly since you told me I am your cousin. As a matter of fact, both of you have been kind enough to me since then."
Rose noticed how both Morgensterns looked down to their feet, as if they were ashamed that she had caught on on the fact that they genuinely cared for her.
"Avalon," Rose started, they boy looked at her. "You might think I didn't notice how you told Mulciber to back off at the Slytherin party, but I did, and after I had too much to drink you came by the common room to make sure I was safe. So, thank you."
Avalon said nothing, he simply nodded at Rose.
"And Amara, ever since the Angelina thing you've been on my side of the arguments." Rose sounded defeated. "I also wanted to ask you when is this meeting with your mother thing going to happen?"
Amara and Avalon shared a quick look, then Amara digged something out of her bag and stretched her hand towards Rose. "Here," Amara said, handing her a letter. "Hopefully this will explain everything."
Rose took the letter in her hands, she twisted around and finally found her name written on the front. "Thank you," she whispered.
"Don't thank us," Amara responded stiffly. "See you around, Rose."
Avalon gave Rose a somewhat smile, before he and Amara disappeared into a compartment.
• • •
Rose arrived at Hogwarts in the late afternoon, she walked all the way up the snowy path in order to gather her thoughts. She hadn't opened the letter Amara had given her in fear of what it might say. Her hair was tied on the bottom of her head and she wore the cap of her coat over her head due to the cold.
Once she reached the door of the castle, she saw three tall red-heads, one boy with wild black hair, a blonde girl, and another boy with brown dreadlocks. A smile broke into her face and she ran full speed into the opened arms of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.
She hugged both boys tightly, kissing their heads repeatedly before she pulled them apart to inspect their faces. Both boys were grinning brightly, so much that Rose thought their faces might break.
"Oh Merlin, I missed you!" Rose sighed, reaching over the back of her head to let her now short hair down. There were gasps from all their friends in that instant. Ron and Harry tilted their heads but Fred, George, Annie, and Lee were gaping down at her.
"Does it look that bad?" Rose asked self-consciously, she passed a nervous hand through her hair.
Someone from behind her put an arm around her shoulder, she saw the boys tense up at the sudden affection. She twisted her head only to see Adrian pucey grinning down at her.
"Your hair looks gorgeous, Rose Lightbourn." The Slytherin whispered in her ear, he slipped off his arm, winked at her, and strutted away... leaving the Gryffindors in shock.
Rose felt Fred's anger bubbling up but luckily, Annie jumped right into action.
"I love your hair, Rosie." Annie fussed over Rose in hoped to distract the boys for at least a few minutes, Rose knew she could trust Annie. "It looks brilliant, it really does."
"Thank you, Anne." Rose said, still eyeing Fred warily. Rose hugged her friends, purposely leaving Fred as the last.
She gave him an apologetic glance, before she hugged him awkwardly and pulled back, shuffling her feet.
Before anymore words could be spoked, Harry toughed on Rose's sleeve. She gave him a questioning look but he simply pulled her away, the other Gryffindors seemed not to notice as they were no busy talking to each other.
"Harry where are we going?"
"You'll see!" Harry replied, smiling widely. They made so many turns and climbed up so many stairs that by the time that Harry had stopped, Rose had no idea where they were. She only knew that there was a huge mirror in front of her, reflecting herself and Harry.
"Stand here!" Harry said while guided her in an exact position. "And look at the mirror."
"Harry what am I supposed to— oh," Rose had turned to the mirror but she didn't only see herself now. There was Harry, Lily, James, Remus, Marlene Mckinnon, and who she could recognize as her uncle. They were all smiling down at her, all their smiles shining with pearly white teeth. Her uncle had glorious black hair and dazzling grey-blue eyes.
"What do you see?" Harry asked eagerly, carefully wrapping both his arms around his sister's frozen arm and tilting his head to rest on her forearm.
"Dad? Mum?" Rose whispered, tears were sliding down the cheeks of both Potter siblings. "Can you hear me?"
James and Lily smiled and nodded, placing their hands on Rose's shoulder inside the mirror. Harry was beaming up at her, she ruffled his hair in return.
"Marlene? Uncle Padfoot?" Rose murmured, she couldn't recall Padfoot's real name, but he smiled down at her nonetheless.
"Who are they?" Harry questioned softly, not seeing who Rose was talking to.
"My godparents and our uncle." Rose replied fondly, placing her free hand on the mirror. "They died before mum and dad, I think, except for Remus."
"Do you think I have godparents, Rosie?"
"I don't know," Rose's replied was so soft that Harry thought he might've misheard. "But if you do, I promise I will help you find out."
Harry tugged on his sister's sleeve again, this time pulling her down for a hug.
Rose clung to him as if he was a life-line, she never wanted to let go...