WARNING:
Tom Riddle
❝You can run away and hide from me. I'll still be able to chase after you.❞
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As the Rosewood twins and Wallace continued their way towards the Leaky Cauldron, the sun up in the sky continued to blaze through the bustling city of London and pierced its warm heat at the skin of the people who were walking down the streets.
(Y/N) and Alem's hands were intertwined together - they didn't want to lose each other in the sea full of muggles while following their black haired butler. Wallace, however, only looked back after a few seconds to see if the twins were still following him.
Minutes after they were walking through the streets, they finally arrived at their location - The Leaky Cauldron. As Wallace isn't able to see where it actually is as he's a squib, the twins were relied on to locate the pub and be able to bring him inside.
(Y/N)'s eyes twinkled at the hanging sign above the large wooden door in front of them as they started to imagine how Diagon Alley would look like in this world. Surely, it'll be a bit different than how it was shown in the movies, won't it?
As the Rosewoods entered the pub, they were immediately greeted by the faint scent of alcohol and the sounds of chattering witches and wizards in their tables.
Some witches wore large pointy hats which covered their faces, but most of the witches and wizards that (Y/N) saw from the pub wore long dark-colored robes that extended up to their ankles.
Wallace composed himself for a minute, turning towards the twins with a smile. "Would you two please wait for a moment while I ask the bartender how to get inside Diagon Alley?" He asked, earning a silent nod from the twins.
As Wallace walked off to the counter, (Y/N) sticked close to their brother while their eyes continued observing the unusually busy pub. "Hey, do you think we'll be able to see some of our classmates today?" They asked.
"Hmm," Alem hummed for a moment before opening his mouth to reply. "It's possible. I do think they need to go to Diagon Alley and buy their school supplies before September 1st, so..."
"Do you think we'll get to see Harry and the others today?" (Y/N) smiled at the thought. They'd have to be extremely lucky to have to see the Weasleys and Harry today, but their face fell as they realized that the Malfoys would be there and Draco would undoubtedly mention their visit in their manor.
Now, (Y/N) hoped they wouldn't see them today.
"Maybe." Alem answered briefly. (Y/N) frowned at his lack of answer but was satisfied with it nonetheless.
The twins waited around for a few seconds before they heard their names being called by Wallace, who was accompanied by the bartender, Tom.
(Y/N), Alem, and Wallace followed the bartender to a door that led outside, revealing a large brick wall that (Y/N) was awfully familiar with from the second film.
They felt their eyes twinkle again at the thought of seeing some bricks move around and seeing the busy yet wonderful place called Diagon Alley right in front of their eyes.
"Ah, these are Mr. Rosewood's children?" Tom said with a smile as he looked down at the twins. "It only feels like yesterday they first came to Diagon Alley with their parents! You two have grown so much since last year!"
He laughed, making (Y/N) and Alem bashfully look away from the bartender. It was no doubt that (Y/N) grew a bit taller and had a slight shift of appearance since last year. They looked like a literal child when they were eleven years old while having both features of Aurelia and Lawrence in their face. Their (H/C) hair grew a bit longer and they had to think if they had to cut it to keep it in its original length or just leave it be.
As for Alem, he was definitely starting to look a bit more like Lawrence. His appearance looked more feminine last year that (Y/N) often teased him as a 'femboy' but today, he's grown masculine features on his face. Even (Y/N) admits that their brother grew handsome in a year that they wouldn't be surprised if Lavender Brown's crush hasn't wavered since their first year in Hogwarts.
Alem was definitey becoming taller than (Y/N) though, which made them bitter. They still looked identical to each other though.
"I apologize if we're pulling you out of your work for a second." Wallace sent Tom an apologetic smile, earning a chuckle from the bartender as he waved his hand in dismissal.
"Don't worry about it," he said. "I always help those who are unable to enter Diagon Alley by themselves - I've done it to a lot of muggleborns today, new students of Hogwarts, I presume."
(Y/N) silently gulped at the idea of Hermione coming here with her parents today. True, they did want to see Hermione again after two whole months of not being able to see her but if Hermione was here, then that'd mean that Harry, the Weasleys, and the Malfoys were here.
"Just do this and," Tom stepped forward to the wall of bricks and retrieved his wand from his pockets, tapping certain bricks in the wall before a rumbling sound can be heard.
The four of them took a step back and watched as the bricks started to move sideways, creating an entrance to a busy pathway with witches and wizards passing through each other while carrying a bunch of magical supplies on their hands.
(Y/N) felt their mouth gape open at how amazing that was. The Diagon Alley looked exactly like how it was in the movies, which is understandable; they were made to replicate the description of how Diagon Alley was in the books, after all.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley," Tom gestured at the entrance and patted Wallace's shoulders. "Keep an eye out for those two, will you? Today's a busy day at Diagon Alley 'cause Gilderoy Lockhart is in Flourish and Blotts."
"Never know when you might lose 'em." He added.
(Y/N)'s ears perked up at Gilderoy's name being spoken by Tom, their head raised towards the bartender. "Gilderoy Lockhart is here today?" They asked with a frown.
Alem frowned along with his twin and felt the urge of wanting to go home since they do need to stop by Flourish and Blotts today to buy the books that they needed for their second year.
"Yeah," Tom nodded at (Y/N)'s question. "Ruddy wizard's been here since morning, signing off his books that second years needed to buy."
"You know how witches fancy his face. Merlin, I don't understand why though." Tom sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Anyway, I'll head back to work - can't leave my customers waiting."
"Thank you so much." Wallace bowed down as Tom left the Rosewoods with a smile.
(Y/N) felt troubled. If Gilderoy was here today, then Harry and the others would obviously be here too. They were looking forward to see everyone again but Draco's big mouth will ruin everything soon enough, but they hoped something like that wouldn't happen.
"Shall we go in?" Wallace asked and held out both of his hands for the twins to take since he heeded Tom's warning and didn't want to lose them from his sight. (Y/N) and Alem hesitatingly placed their hands on Wallace's and walked inside the busy Diagon Alley, the bricks behind them moving back to how they were before and closing off the entrance with a rumble.
It was too crowded and a bit too large than (Y/N) expected that they didn't know where to start. Not even Wallace knows where to start buying their school supplies.
"Let's see..." Wallace mumbled and pulled out a different list than what Alem had on his pocket to see what he needed to buy. "One protective glove made from dragon hide... Inkwells in stationary store... Custom made red quills that are to be received today in a stationary store... Window shopping for-" Wallace stopped mumbling when he got to the last part then smiled before glancing at (Y/N), who only looked up at him in confusion.
"Hm?" They hummed.
"Nothing, young mistress/master (Y/N)." Wallace chuckled and kept reading the list, making the twin pout and tiptoe to Wallace's height to take a peek of what he saw in the list. Instinctively, Wallace held the list upwards and covered it from the curious Rosewood's eyes with a laugh.
"Come on, Wallace! What are we going to window shopping for?" (Y/N) crosses their arms when they stopped tiptoeing and looked up at their butler with pleading (E/C) eyes.
Alem rolled his eyes at this but smiled nonetheless since he already knew what it was. Aurelia and Lawrence asked him to keep it a secret though since it's a surprise present for (Y/N).
"Wallace, are we going to the Owl Emporium today?" Alem asked as he looked up to the black haired man. "Garrett needs a new cage since Walter has taken ownership of his cage now for some reason."
"Yes, we are." Wallace said as he scanned the paper with a smile. "We'll also need to go to Quality Quidditch Supplies to get you two new brooms for personal use." He said then tucked the paper in his pockets.
"Hey, don't ignore me! Come on, what does it say?" (Y/N) frowned. "I'll get to know it sooner or later anyway!"
"We'll be going to Magical Menagerie today, (Y/N)." Alem sighed and looked at his twin. "Mum said you'll be getting a new pet next year, so we'll be window shopping today to see what kind of a pet you'd like."
(Y/N) felt their eyes widen at this as a huge smile was curled up on their lips. "Oh my god, really!?" They exclaimed happily while skipping around in circles with a laugh. "That's awesome! I get to have a new pet! Should I get an owl? Nah, Alem already has one but it doesn't sound too bad. Maybe even a black cat! Aah, this is so cool!"
Alem shook his head but couldn't resist the smile on his face when he saw how extremely happy (Y/N) was. Even Wallace couldn't resist the chuckle that escaped his mouth.
"Can we go there now!? Please? We can just go buy the others later!" (Y/N) pleaded at Wallace, their hands held together as they pouted their lips. Wallace sighed and thought about going to Magical Menagerie first since (Y/N) will most likely not stop pestering him about it later if he decides to buy the stationery items first.
"Alright, we'll be heading there first." Wallace gave in and watched as (Y/N) exclaimed happily and hugged the man briefly before skipping ahead, beckoning for the two to hurry it up.
The two Rosewoods sighed once more and caught up with the overly active (Y/N), completely forgetting the fact that they just slapped someone earlier this day.
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"They're so cute!" (Y/N) squealed while observing a few cats in sleeping in their cages. Some cats were roaming the place but were behave than a few others who grew hostile at the sight of a human being nearing close to them.
The menagerie sold every kind of animal you could possibly see in the wizarding world that the Rosewoods found it incredible how they were able to keep such animals under control, especially with an animal like transforming rabbits, which is what (Y/N) first saw when they entered the shop.
Puffskeins, which were larger versions of Pygmy Puffs that George and Fred bred in their future joke shop in Diagon Alley, were bouncing around in their oddly cute cages. (Y/N) read somewhere on the Harry Potter wiki that they didn't like to be cuddled, despite looking like they do.
Oddly enough, (Y/N) even wanted to bring a Puffskein to Hogwarts but dismissed the idea since they probably wouldn't be allowed to do so. Puffskeins were somewhat large too.
Fire crabs were also in the menagerie and (Y/N) steered clear from any dangerous looking animals so they wouldn't get hurt. They even instinctively turned away from toads that were being kept in a glass cage, along with black rats that were also being kept in the same manner.
Alem mentioned that the black rats were extremely intelligent too, which made (Y/N) think back to a certain Marauder that could transform himself into a rat. They were sure to see Crookshanks here along with the other cats, and they did.
The orange furry cat simply stared at (Y/N), both of them having this seemingly all-knowledge look underneath their eyes. They had to say hello to Crookshanks a year later with their new pet beside them once Hermione gets her hands on him.
The male cat somewhat sneered at (Y/N) but turned his nose away from them and didn't cause any commotion.
"This place is amazing," Wallace said as he scanned the menagerie with widened dark eyes. "I never thought that magical animals could look this... different."
"Well, we saw a three-headed dog last year, so anything's possible if there's magic, really." (Y/N) said nonchalantly while cooing at a small black cat, who licked on their fingers and nudging their head on the bars.
"Three-headed... dog?" Both Alem and Wallace were confused. Alem didn't know that (Y/N) saw something like that and Wallace didn't know that three-headed dogs existed.
"Aw, I feel like I want to get a cat." (Y/N) smiled widely and watched as the black cat in front of them meowed softly when they retracted their finger away from their cage. "This one's a little cutie!"
The black cat looked small, but not small enough to be seen as a kitten. They had huge yellow eyes that stared back into (Y/N)'s (E/C) ones.
Alem observed the black cat and hummed for a moment before peering closer to them. "I agree. If we get them, maybe we should train them to jump on Malfoy's face every morning."
(Y/N) let out a chuckle as they playfully smacked his arm. "Oi, that's a bit too far!" They said but imagined how funny it would be if the cat jumped on Draco's face and just hear his muffled screams from underneath the cat's body while he desperately tries to remove them away from his face.
"Now now, we're not going to buy a cat just yet." Wallace said. "We're only here for window shopping, remember?"
(Y/N) pouted at this and gestured at the wide-eyed cat, who was looking at the Rosewoos curiously with their head tilted to the side. "But, look at this precious little fella! What if someone buys them by the time mum and father does?"
"Well, there's nothing we can do, young mistress/master (Y/N)." Wallace shrugged and smiled apologetically at them as (Y/N) frowned and sighed.
"Aight, I've decided that I'll get a cat! A black cat!" They said while pulling up a thumbs up at the Rosewoods in front of them. "I'll start thinking of names next year!"
"You don't want an owl?" Alem asked, making (Y/N) shake their head at his question.
"Nah, owls are great and useful and all but I feel like we'll have way too many owls in the house if I get another one." (Y/N) replies as they nervously scratched their cheek. "At least we'll have a change of pace with the pets, you know? Plus, black cats are adorable!"
Wallace nodded in agreement since he did realize that there's going to be three owls in the Rosewood household if (Y/N) gets another one. He would be sure that feathers will eventually start covering the house soon if another owl is added to the Rosewood family.
"Well, that's true..." Alem silently agreed and watched as Wallace retrieved the list from his pockets once more and scanned it.
"Now then, should we head over to the stationery before heading over to the Emporium? I feel like we should go to Flourish and Blotts when we're done with everything else since it's going to be extremely crowded there because of Mr. Lockhart."
Alem and (Y/N) nodded at this and followed Wallace out of Magical Menagerie, not before saying goodbye to the person behind the counter. As Wallace stepped out of the shop, he felt his body come in contact with someone else's.
The body in question was shorter and smaller than his, but Wallace still took a step back regardless and made the twins stop on their tracks.
"I-I'm sorry..." The boy who Wallace bumped into softly apologized and bowed down at him. (Y/N) peered from Wallace's back to take a look at the boy. "I didn't see where I was going."
The boy had short wavy-curly brown hair with glistening blue eyes that complimented his light complexion. He was wearing a dark robe, but the grey shirt that he wore underneath the robe was somewhat visible.
(Y/N) blinked, seeing that this boy looked attractive despite looking like he was younger than the twins but also felt oddly familiar with his appearance since they thought that they saw him somewhere before.
"Please, don't worry about it." Wallace said and took a step to the side to allow the boy to pass through. (Y/N) and Alem did the same, watching as the boy bashfully nodded and walked inside the menagerie without looking back at them.
(Y/N) tilted their head to the side, their eyes not leaving the boy who walked towards the counter as they followed Wallace and Alem out of the shop. Once the door closed, (Y/N) turned their eyes away and held a thoughtful look.
'I feel like I've seen him somewhere before but...' (Y/N) tapped their chin while internally racking their brain to remember where they had seen the familiar boy. 'Hmm... They look oddly familiar... Someone from Hufflepuff maybe? He does look like Cedric but... younger? Does Cedric have a younger brother that I don't know about? Nah, that's impossible...'
"(Y/N)?" Alem snapped his twin out of their thoughts, making (Y/N) blink and return back to reality. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah..." (Y/N) smiled at their brother's concern. "It's just that; I thought that the boy who just walked in looked familiar somehow. Must be my imagination though..."
"Really?" Alem had a curious look on his face when those words left their mouth but didn't question it any further. "Anyway, let's go. Wallace is waiting for us."
(Y/N) hesitantly nodded and followed their brother, their mind still thinking about the boy that just entered the menagerie.
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In the busy streets of Diagon Alley, the Rosewoods have managed to buy everything else they needed except the books.
(Y/N) found the entire trip to every shops they went to be wonderful - they haven't seen anything more magical and fantastic ever before in their life. They acted like a muggleborn that first saw Hogwarts in all its glory.
Even though the trip to the stationery store wasn't that grand, it still made them gape at the wonderful items they have in store nonetheless. It's not everyday you see a diary that only opens when its rightful owner wants it to open - it's perfect rather than the locked diary they have in their possession,
which they still can't open because they don't know the passcode.
While Wallace carried the two well-made broomsticks that (Y/N) and Alem chose in his hands, the twins carried the bags of magical items. They weren't too heavy so they didn't really have an issue with it.
(Y/N) swore to themselves to start practicing how to ride a broom before their second year starts. Maybe they could even ask Harry to secretly teach them while they're at Hogwarts on the Quidditch field if it's not being used since he is the youngest player in Hogwarts in a century.
"Well, we've gotten almost everything here..." Wallace said while looking over at the list he held on his hands before pocketing it again. "I think we might need to go to Flourish and Blotts and get those books."
Both of the twins frowned at this and looked up to Wallace - they didn't really want to go inside the book shop and see Gilderoy's face in there.
"Do we really have to?" (Y/N) pouted.
"Yes, we do." Wallace chuckled and beckoned the twins to follow him over to the book shop as they groaned but obliged anyway.
The crowds around the Rosewood became increasingly thick the more they walked towards their location, and most of these crowds were middle-aged witches squealing about how wonderful Gilderoy was.
(Y/N)'s face scrunched up at this, cringing at how everybody seemed to be very smitten with a useless fraud. Even Alem has had enough of people pushing him around as he tried to walk towards Flourish and Blotts with his twin and Wallace beside him.
They managed to squeeze through the crowd that were blocking the wooden entrance of the shop with a huff, perplexed at the amount of people it had from both outside and inside.
(Y/N) gulped as they scanned the room and noticed the Weasleys with Harry standing right beside them. They grew more nervous when they saw Draco leaning on a ledge at the second floor with an unamused look on his face.
"Look, it's Lockhart." Alem nudged at his twin, making them turn to look at the front of the shop.
Gilderoy Lockhart stood there, smiling and posing at the clicking cameras that were around him. His grin was wide as his ego, and his well-kept blue dress robe almost seemed to shine when the lights of the camera flashed through.
'He has a more punchable face now that he's right in front of me.' (Y/N) thought in amazement. They couldn't believe that Gilderoy managed to look more annoying and unlikeable than he already was.
Witches who were lining up to get their children's books signed were swooning and squealing at Gilderoy's poses, making Alem roll his eyes at how ridiculous it was while crossing his arms and shaking his head in disappointment.
"Ugh." He groaned while Wallace was beginning to look uncomfortable at the huge amount of crowd in the shop.
"Shall I go take the books and leave right away after we pay?" Wallace asked as he leaned closer towards the twins. They nodded appreciatively and almost instantly - they didn't want to stay and have their books signed by someone like Gilderoy
"Here," Alem retrieved the list of books they needed for their second year and gave it to Wallace. "These are the books we need."
"Thank you, young master Alem." He nodded before disappearing into the crowd to get the books they needed, making the twins inch closer to each other so they wouldn't get lost in the sea of squealing witches.
"I hate being outside." Alem muttered with a frown.
"Same here." (Y/N) nodded in agreement and watched as Gilderoy's eyes widened at the sight of Harry standing right beside Ron and Molly Weasley.
"Harry Potter..." He mumbled, but loud enough for the reporter in front of him to hear what he just said. The reporter followed Gilderoy's gaze, making them drag the soot-faced Harry James Potter out of the crowd and pushing him towards Gilderoy's way.
The crowd was silent and began to mutter about the famous Harry Potter in Flourish and Blotts. They certainly didn't expect someone famous to appear today.
"I didn't know Potter was this popular." Alem said and watched as Gilderoy pulled poor, uncomfortable Harry closer to him while retaining the grin that he had earlier for the camera.
"Well, he is the boy who managed to defeat Voldemort-" As soon as those words left (Y/N)'s mouth, Alem slapped their forearm with a perplexed look on his face.
"Hey, what was that for!?" They exclaimed and rubbed the part where Alem slapped their arm.
"Don't mention his name! What's wrong with you!?" He said while scanning the vicinity to see if anyone heard his twin utter the name of the dark lord.
(Y/N) blinked and realized that they shouldn't constantly say Voldemort's name out loud. His very name terrifies people that they'd rather not say it out loud as it was a remembrance of all of the terrifying things he's done when he was still alive, and saying his name makes him know the location of where his name was uttered.
"Sorry..." (Y/N) briefly apologized and watched as Alem's tense shoulders loosen up.
"Anyway," They cleared their throat and watched as Harry almost wanted to bury himself alive from the attention he's getting. His green eyes still didn't catch the sight of the Rosewood twins standing right near the entrance of the shop. "He was the one who defeated You-Know-Who after all, so it's not really surprising as to why he's popular."
"Hm," Alem hummed thoughtfully for a second before turning his attention back to his twin. "Are your... memories coming back?"
"Huh?" (Y/N) said in confusion.
"You didn't know who Potter was when we first arrived at Hogwarts. I mean, you did kind of know him but... it was all very confusing." Alem explained, causing (Y/N) to sweat-drop and suck in a breath while thinking of multiple ways to answer their brother's question.
Yes, they briefly remember the cringey memories (Y/N) had when they first arrived at the castle. They had no clue about who they are and what they were doing, which was already embarrassing enough as it is.
Erised returning their memories back to them was great and all, but couldn't they have done that when they went to this world instead?
"Well, they're kind of coming back." (Y/N) nervously chuckled while scratching their cheek softly. "I, at least, know why Harry's popular and all that. Also why our family dislikes the Malfoys so much."
"Hm," Alem hummed once more in acknowledgement. Thinking that the reason why (Y/N) must know about their family issue with the Malfoys is because of other people.
He internally sighed and closed their eyes to block out the noisy chattering of people around him, giving him a few seconds to think about whether or not should he ask the question he's been dying to ask (Y/N) since he talked with his father.
After opening his (E/C) eyes and facing his twin, he gathered up courage and opened his mouth to speak. "(Y/N), there's something I need to ask."
"Hm? What is it?" (Y/N) asked and slightly tilted their head to the side.
"Are you... Are you really-"
"Rosewood!" A pair of voices stopped Alem from asking his twin a question, making both of them turn their attention towards the voices that yelled out their surname.
(Y/N) was about to turn around and check, but hands immediately snaked up towards their waist and lifted them up from the floor with a laugh.
"What the fu-!" The (H/C) haired Slytherin yelped in both fear and surprise, ready to curse whoever lifted them. The bags that they held on their hands almost flew out of their grasp.
To their surprise, Fred Weasley was right behind them. A mischievous grin was spread across his face (that also had soot on it) as he began to spun the shocked Rosewood around the room.
George Weasley stood right behind his brother and (Y/N), laughing at the scene unfolding in front of him. Fred, who was still carrying the twelve year old Rosewood in his arms, stopped spinning them around for a second.
"Merlin," (Y/N) pants while clutching their chest with a nervous smile. "You two certainly gave me a fri-!"
Fred didn't even let them finish their sentence before he already easily threw (Y/N) towards George, earning another yelp from the Slytherin and fearing the impact they would receive when they hit the ground.
It never came.
George caught (Y/N) between his arms and grinned down at the shocked Rosewood. He was holding them tightly between his arms, their body locked in place as if George himself didn't want to let them go.
Being this close to George Weasley himself, (Y/N) could smell the scent of smoke from his clothes, probably from the floo powder. "You look great as ever, Rosewood." George chuckled before letting them back down to the floor gently, making sure that they wouldn't stumble from the dizziness that they just received from Fred.
Alem just watched the entire scene happen right in front of him, frowning when he realized he couldn't ask (Y/N) about what they really are.
"Don't," (Y/N) groaned and held their forehead dramatically. "surprise me like that again." They said while clutching the bags close to their chest, peering inside to see if one of the items that they've bought has been lost.
"Seeing your reaction was worth it, (Y/N)." Fred laughed and patted their back as if he was trying to comfort them. The Rosewood rolled their eyes at this but couldn't help the small smile that curled up on their lips when they finally saw the Weasely twins again this year.
"You've grown taller!" George said as he swung his arm around (Y/N)'s shoulder. "You're still not as tall as us though."
"I get it, you guys are tall." They rolled their eyes playfully at George's words and pushed his arm off of their shoulder. "If I get taller than you guys, I swear I'm going to spit on both of you."
"That's mean, (Y/N)." Fred faked a sob and wiped a fake tear from the corner of his eyes. "We care about you so much but you treat us like this - are we not your two most favorite people in the world?" He joked.
"Hilarious." They responded in a monotonous tone of voice. "You guys aren't even in my top ten." They added with a dramatic imaginary hair flip with their available hand, copying Fred's dramatic actions with a laugh.
George's eyes drifted over behind (Y/N), a smile curling up on his lips as he briefly waved at the slightly shocked and seemingly uncomfortable Alem. "Hey, Rosewood!" He said and walked over to him. Alem's posture stiffened as his lips turned into a thin line.
"I don't think we haven't talked before." George told the nervous Rosewood. "The name's George. The ugly one over there is Fred." He said and gestured towards the other Weasley twin, who was laughing along with (Y/N).
When Fred heard this, he snapped his head towards his twin brother and frowned. "Hey, who are you calling ugly?" He said and crossed his arms, offended.
"Nice to uh... finally talk to you guys." said Alem while nervously rubbing his arm. He didn't expect one of them to suddenly come up and talk to him. He doesn't even know how to hold a conversation all that much.
Meanwhile, as the Rosewood twins and the Weasley twins were starting to get comfortable with one another to actually socialize, Harry hastily walked away from Gilderoy the moment he was pushed away by him to start signing the books he wrote that people bought in Flourish and Blotts.
Mrs. Weasley insisted that she gets them signed by Gilderoy while taking the heavy set of books from Harry's thin arms. Harry thanked her before he and Ron walked away from the large line that was forming around Gilderoy.
His emerald green eyes caught the sight of the Weasley twins, their backs turned against them which indicated that the boys were currently talking to someone. As Harry drew near, his breath hitched when he saw familiar patches of (H/C) hair that were right in front of the Weasley twins.
"Harry?" Ron noticed Harry's strange behaviour, stopping to see if there was something wrong with his friend. "What's wrong?"
"N-Nothing..." Harry muttered but never left his gaze from the (H/C) hair that was in front of the twins.
Harry gulped, his hands and knees suddenly shaking from bewilderment as he continued to walk and prayed that it was who he thinks it is. As he got closer, his suspicions were confirmed and he felt heat rise up to his cheeks.
(Y/N) Rosewood stood a few feet away from him, laughing and smiling at their brother and the Weasley twins as if they had no care in the world.
The way their (H/C) hair glimmered from the sun rays that pierced through the glass windows of the book shop, the way their laughter was the only thing that Harry could hear among the buzzing chattering of witches and wizards that were lining up to get a glimpse of Gilderoy, and the way their (E/C) eyes glistened and twinkled with life.
Of course, Harry noticed how much they grew over the last two months, even if it wasn't much. (Y/N) got taller, their hair grew longer, and their features that was mixed with their father's and mother's became more emphasized, giving them a more mature look.
Harry gulped once more and felt their heart racing the closer he walked towards them. (Y/N), who noticed Ron and Harry approaching them, waved their hands and grinned.
"Hey, Harry! Hey, Ron!" They said, making Harry's heart beat faster when he heard his own first name being spoken by (Y/N).
"H-Hi." He muttered and mentally slapped himself when he realized he made himself look more awkward and weird around them.
"(Y/N), didn't expect to see you here." Ron said and threw them a gentle smile, eyeing his older twin brothers a side glare as he assumed that they might've done something to the Rosewood.
"Alem and I are just here to get our school supplies." (Y/N) said and gestured towards their brother, nudging him to say hi to the newcomers. Alem shifted uncomfortably on the spot before waving nervously at Ron and Harry.
"Um... Hello." He gave the two boys a small smile, earning a small nod of acknowledgement from Ron himself. Harry briefly waved towards (Y/N)'s brother since he didn't want to be rude, but he still kept most of his attention to (Y/N) themselves.
"Is Lockhart done pestering you, Harry?" Fred asked, turning his attention on the black haired Gryffindor beside him. "Where are your books?"
Harry nodded and looked back at the thick line of witches who were holding Gilderoy's books in their arms. "Mrs. Weasley said that she'll have them signed by Lockhart."
"You know how mum fancies him." Ron added with a shrug, watching as Fred and George's faces scrunched up at his words and made small gagging noises. (Y/N) chuckled at this while Alem simply cracked up a smile.
"Ah!" A familiar childish voice exclaimed from behind the twins. The six of them turned around to see a wide-eyed Ginny Weasley staring up at (Y/N) and Alem with a smile. "I've seen you two in King's Cross a few months ago!"
"Hey there, Ginny." (Y/N) waved at the eleven year old girl with a smile, appreciating how Ginny remembered the Rosewood twins. Alem did the same. "You excited to go to Hogwarts?" (Y/N) asked.
"Uh huh!" She nodded and stood close to Harry, blushing softly as she did so. "What house are you in, (Y/N)?"
"Alem and I are in Slytherin." They replied.
"Slytherin?" Ginny asked in confusion. "I thought you were in Gryffindor with Ron and the others."
"Ah, no. I'm not." They smile while shaking their head and crossed their arms. "Slytherin's not that bad except for a few Slytherins like Draco."
"There are good Slytherins as well, huh?" Ginny muttered to herself and the grin that she had on her face returned. "I wouldn't mind being in Slytherin with you and Alem."
"We'll welcome you with open arms, Ginny." Alem said, smiling down at the red-head girl. The female Weasley felt her heart race at the sight of Alem's gentle smiling face - none of them denied that he does look more handsome now that he's growing up.
(Y/N), who slowly had to choke back tears from how attractive their brother was slowly getting, patted Alem's shoulder. "You should smile more often." They said while closing their eyes dramatically, earning a look of confusion from Alem as his smile disappeared.
"(Y/N)!" Another familiar voice made everyone turn their heads towards the source.
Before (Y/N) could even see who it was, despite the crowd around them slowly starting to get thicker and thicker, they felt themselves being gently tackled into a hug.
It didn't take (Y/N) long to realize that it was Hermione who hugged them. They felt their cheeks redden and heat up when they realized how tightly Hermione wrapped her arms around their body, and how the floral and strawberry scent lingered strongly around their nose.
"Hermione?" They almost stuttered out as the female Gryffindor retracted herself away from them. Hermione could only grin happily at them, showing her two large front teeth. (Y/N) didn't really care about how large her teeth are though.
"It's so nice to see you again!" She said before pulling (Y/N) again for another tight hug. It didn't last for long though as she immediately retracted herself away again from them and noticed that Alem was there, standing right beside the two of them awkwardly.
"Hello!" She greeted Alem with a wave, to which he returned back with a gentle smile. Meanwhile, (Y/N) was still trying to compose themselves at how close Hermione was to them just a few seconds ago. It's not like they haven't been this close to anyone to a girl before, it just caught them off guard.
Harry watched the scene, frowning angrily at the brown bushy haired girl. He bit the insides of his cheek while trying his best to ignore how (Y/N) became extremely flustered and red-cheeked when Hermione just hugged them like that.
N̶o̶,̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶d̶e̶f̶i̶n̶i̶t̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶f̶
̶t̶r̶i̶p̶p̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶H̶e̶r̶m̶i̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶l̶o̶o̶r̶ ̶w̶h̶i̶l̶e̶
̶h̶o̶p̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶r̶a̶c̶k̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶n̶e̶c̶k̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ d̶i̶e̶s.̶
I mean, not at least while her parents are there.
"I bet you loved that didn't you, Potter?" A certain voice scowled from the staircase that led to the second floor of Flourish and Blotts. Draco Malfoy climbed down the stairs and smirked at the Weasleys and Harry, whose faces were all covered in soot because of the floo powder.
He purposely ignored the Rosewoods, especially (Y/N) - he remembered his father's words and grew fearful of what punishment he could do to him,
and what he could do to (Y/N) if things went too far.
"Famous Harry Potter," Draco scoffed as he continued to walk towards them until he stopped right near the entrance of the book shop. "Can't even go to a book shop without making the front page."
(Y/N) frowned. They thought that Draco had at least changed from their last visit to his manor. It looks like he's reverted back to how he was originally, which made them huff angrily since it meant that what happened at the manor was just nothing to him.
Especially since he knows that Harry and the Weasleys were their friends.
"And you can't even go to a bookshop without picking a fight. Seriously, what's wrong with you?" Alem scoffed and rolled his (E/C) eyes. "Are you really just bored that you have to pick on Harry at every chance you get? If so, I feel sorry for you."
The Weasleys looked at Alem in surprised faces. Fred and George were shocked for a few seconds before smirking and holding back a laugh. Ron was shocked that Alem could say such things like that to Draco, while Ginny was starting to admire the (H/C) haired boy for talking off Draco like that.
Harry appreciated it, of course.
'Oh shit. He did not just say that.' (Y/N) blinked and screamed inside their head, lowkey proud of their brother for saying such things while also holding back a laugh.
Draco frowned angrily and felt his cheeks heat up from embarrassment once he saw how almost everyone wanted to laugh at him because of Alem telling him off. He didn't expect himself to be told off like this.
"Now listen here you-"
"Not now, Draco." A voice said from behind the platinum blonde haired boy as he placed his cane on Draco's shoulder, stopping the boy's words from coming out of his mouth abruptly. "Play nicely."
When everyone turned their attention towards the man, they all shifted uncomfortably on their spot. It was none other than Lucius Malfoy - his face stern and his long platinum blonde hair flowing freely behind his back.
(Y/N) noticed how Draco seemed to have shuddered at the presence of his own father, which made them wonder what happened after they left.
Lucius scanned the group, his grey-blue eyes stopping briefly when it landed on (Y/N) Rosewood. He slightly narrowed his eyes in anger before scanning the group again, to which (Y/N) had noticed.
He stopped his eyes right on Harry, a mischievous smile curling up on his lips. "Mr. Potter." He said as he extended his hand out for Harry to shake.
Harry stared at the hand for a moment, wondering whether or not should he take it. He hesitatingly brought his hand up to Lucius', slowly shaking it.
"Lucius Malfoy, we meet at last." He introduced himself to the young black haired Gryffindor. "Forgive me," Suddenly, Lucius' hand held Harry's small ones tightly as he pulled him close towards him and brought his cane up to softly brush the bangs that covered Harry's lightning scar,
The same scar that Voldemort gave him the night he lost both of his parents.
(Y/N) physically cringed at the sight but didn't look away as Lucius looked like he wanted to trace the scar that was on Harry's forehead.
Lucius observed the lightning scar with a thoughtful look on his face. "Your scar is a legend." He said before loosening his grip on Harry, letting the boy retract his hand away from the man and taking a step back to where (Y/N) was.
"As of course, is the wizard who gave it to you." Lucius added with another smile.
Harry narrowed his green eyes at the man and felt his fists tightening. "Voldemort killed my parents; he is nothing more than a murderer." He said in spite as he recalled the unpleasant encounter he had with Voldemort last year.
He could still remember the laughter that came out of his mouth when he described how he had murdered his parents mercilessly when he was just a child.
"Hm, you must be very brave to mention his name," Lucius lightly scoffed, intrigued at how spiteful seemed to look like. "or very foolish."
Hermione's eyebrows furrowed together as she looked straight at the platinum blonde haired man with a light scowl. "Fear of a name only increases the fear of the thing itself." She responded to Lucius' words, making the Malfoys turn to look at her with a slightly disgusted look.
"And you must be Miss Granger." He said as he looked down on his son for confirmation. Draco slowly nodded as he continued to shift his gaze away from (Y/N).
"Ah yes, Draco has told me all about you and your parents." He lightly scoffed once more and felt his disgust for muggleborns surface as he glanced around the room and saw an ordinary looking man and woman with muggle clothes, who seemed to be talking to Arthur Weasley.
"Muggles, aren't they?" He scowled at the sight of muggles in an area that was supposed to only be reserved for witches and wizards.
Hermione followed Lucius' gaze before turning back to look at him, ready to punch him if he dares to try and do anything to her parents. Lucius, who saw her change of expression, shifted his attention away from Hermione's parents and towards the red-heads who were in front of him.
"Let's see," He said while scanning the group with an uninterested look. "Red hair, vacant expressions," Lucius said as he grabbed a book from Ginny's small cauldron that she carried around with her, examining it with a small scoff that could be mistaken as a chuckle. "tatty second-hand books... You must be the Weasleys."
He then turned towards the Rosewood twins, who were just looking at him in the most fed-up expressions they could muster. Alem wanted nothing more than to just kick the man to another planet while (Y/N) wanted to slap him for how he acted when they visited Draco in his manor.
"(H/C) hair and (E/C) eyes that always hold a foolishly strong look on them..." said Lucius and observed the bags of magical supplies that they've bought in their hands. "You two must be the Rosewood twins." He smirked and saw how slightly uncomfortable (Y/N) was getting.
"I have returned, young master Alem and young mistress/master (Y/N)." Wallace said as he placed an available reassuring hand on Alem's shoulders and gently pulled the twins closer to him with a smile. He was holding all of the books that the twins needed in his other arm quite easily, despite it not looking to be a very easy task as it looked heavy.
Everyone turned to look at the black haired butler, the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione shocked that the Rosewoods have someone like that in their home.
(Y/N) noticed how Wallace was carrying over 14 books in his arms and immediately made some space in a bag that had the less items in it and told him to put half of the books inside. Wallace complied but didn't dare to do the same when Alem also told him to put in his bags.
The black haired man lifted his head up to see Lucius' eyes scanning him from head to toe. "You must be the squib that Rosewood mentioned in the Ministry once." He chuckled softly and observed as Wallace sent the Malfoy a gentle smile and a small bow.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Malfoy." Wallace said before straightening himself.
"How does it feel to work as a slave in a magical household like a house elf with no shame at all?" Lucius asked, returning the gentle smile that Wallace gave him just a few seconds ago.
The twins' eyes twitched in anger when they realized that Lucius was insulting Wallace. The two of them saw him as a second father that they wouldn't exchange for anyone in the world - Wallace was also a part of the Rosewood family, and insulting Wallace is also insulting the Rosewoods in general.
"Ah, please do not concern yourself with my well-being - I am perfectly fine serving the Rosewoods as it gives me no greater joy when I see their smiles because of my work." Wallace lightly laughed.
"How about you, Mr. Malfoy? How does it feel to act like the Minister's dog and gaining his favour to gain benefits from his position? Surely, he pays you well enough for that."
Lucius almost stumbled back from Wallace's question and he obviously felt offended by it. He felt offended because he was just being attacked by a squib - a disgrace to the wizarding families for being born without magic despite being born in a magical family.
Needless to say, those words cut deep too. Wallace knows well enough about the issues that concern the wizarding community in Britain as he reads the Daily Prophet and often has Lawrence and Aurelia talking to him about what happens in the Ministry and all around the world.
He's naturally supposed to know about these things if he wants to make himself useful to the Rosewood family somehow.
(Y/N) had to hold back another laugh as those words left Wallace's mouth. 'Is- Is this family composed of sarcastic people who can brutally murder anyone just by doing comebacks? I am scared.' They screamed in their mind and watched as Alem looked somewhat proud of Wallace standing up for himself against other people who were insulting him.
He just wished that Wallace did that to Linda, but he knows he can't do that because she's from the Rosewood family. Wallace swore to himself that he can't show disrespect to the Rosewood family members after all.
Before Lucius could even reply, another man walked up to the group with a smile on his face. "It's mad in here." Arthur Weasley told his children as he gently patted Harry's and Ron's shoulders, as they were beside each other. "Let's go outside and wait for your mother." He said to Ron, who only nervously nodded.
Lucius drifted his attention away from Wallace and turned to Arthur with a scowl. "Well, well, well," The Malfoy said in an unpleasant tone. "Weasley senior."
Arthur looked away from Ron and towards Lucius. The Weasley's face dropped in annoyance as his smile disappeared. "Lucius." Arthur said, acknowledging his presence.
"Busy time at the Ministry, Arthur; all those extra raids?" Lucius slightly tilted his head to the side with a small smirk curling up at the corner of his thin lips. "I do hope they're paying you overtime, but judging by the state of this," He scanned the group and the secondhand book that he took from Ginny's cauldron a few minutes ago.
"I'd say not." He shook his head and refrained himself from laughing at the Weasley's visible poverty. "What's the use in being a disgrace to the name of wizard... if they don't even pay you well for it?"
"We have a very different idea about what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy." Arthur narrowed his gaze at Lucius angrily.
"Clearly." Lucius said as he looked over at Hermione's parents once more. "Associating with muggles." He shook his head in disappointment as he looked back at Arthur and Wallace, scoffing lightly.
"And I thought your family could sink no lower like the Rosewoods have." said Lucius, earning a death glare from the twins and the murderous aura that seemed to have come from Wallace, despite him smiling and looking fairly calm.
Merlin, even everyone could feel the death glares of the twins and the murderous aura that it almost made them uncomfortable as to how seemingly dangerous the Rosewoods can be if they're angry or provoked.
"I'll see you at work." Lucius returned Ginny's book to the cauldron, only there were two books instead of one. (Y/N) and Harry noticed this, but Harry dismissed the idea faster than the (H/C) haired Slytherin.
'That's Tom Riddle's diary right there...' They thought and watched as Lucius fared the group goodbye and walked Draco out of Flourish and Blotts.
(Y/N) couldn't miss the apologetic look that he gave them as he left the shop, earning a thoughtful hum from the Rosewood before shifting their attention towards the Weasleys.
They were glad that none of the Malfoys brought up that (Y/N) visited their manor or else they would've been doomed.
"Oh?" As Arthur regained his composure and the gentle look he had on his face returned, he turned to look at the Rosewood twins. "Ah, you two must be Lawrence's children." He said and smiled gently at the twins. "He always talks about the two of you at work, even Aurelia."
(Y/N) and Alem returned the smile that Arthur gave them, feeling a bit embarrassed that their parents constantly talk about them at work. Alem silently prayed that they didn't talk about anything embarrassing - Aurelia often loved to talk about those, especially if their topic was her two children.
"You work with (Y/N)'s parents, dad?" Fred asked as he leaned his arm on George's shoulder.
"Yes, but we're not in the same division." Arthur told his son. "Lawrence Rosewood is in the Wizengamot Administration Services while Aurelia Rosewood is in the Department of International Magical Cooperation."
"Woah, your parents are somewhat high up in the Ministry, (Y/N)." George commented. He has no idea how the positions in the Ministry worked, but he just thought that Mr. and Mrs. Rosewood's positions in the Ministry are high because it's not everyday he hears someone work for the Wizengamot court or for Barty Crouch Snr.
"That, they are." Arthur nodded in agreement and turned his attention towards Wallace, who was standing right behind the twins with a smile.
"Ah, and you must be Wallace." He said before walking over towards the black haired man, extending his hand out for him to shake. "Lawrence has also told me so much about you." Arthur smiled.
Wallace returned the smile and shook Arthur's head while making a small bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Weasley."
"Please, call me Arthur."
The two men began to laugh and start a conversation, leaving the children to have a conversation themselves. Everyone started to talk to Alem, much to his surprise and discomfort. He didn't know how to socialize at all and all this attention is overwhelming him.
Hermione was trying to talk to him about what he's learned throughout summer, Fred and George was complimenting him for getting Draco red-faced a few moments earlier, and Ginny was eager to know more about (Y/N)'s twin brother as he doesn't seem all that bad despite looking like he's extremely done with everything that's happened in his life.
Harry took this chance to walk over to a proud (Y/N), poking their shoulder to gain their attention. "Hm? Oh, Harry! What's up?" (Y/N) asked and turned their attention fully towards the black haired Gryffindor.
Harry hesitated to talk for a moment, his green eyes staring right into (Y/N)'s (E/C) ones. He truly missed them and he finally got to have a moment with them today.
"It's been a while since we've seen each other." Harry said with a nervous smile. "So um... How have you been?"
"Eh, nothing much. I just visit my neighbor all the time while Alem is supervising me to make sure that I do my homework." They said with a laugh. Harry felt curious about who this neighbor was,
and why (Y/N) is always visiting them when they could've just went to his house instead?
"Neighbor?" Harry asked and wanted to know more to see if he could do something about it.
"Ah, it's a childhood friend of mine." (Y/N) replied and suddenly remembered the ring drawing that Zeke drew for them at the second day of their summer break, causing them to softly blush at the memory.
They kept the drawing on one of their notebooks, tucking it on the middle pages to make sure it wouldn't fall out. (Y/N) wasn't sure why but they wanted to keep it safe.
"He's a really sweet boy." They added as they scratched their cheek nervously. Harry's eye twitched at how flustered (Y/N) seemed to be while talking to this 'boy'.
He felt like he couldn't breathe from the anger that was slowly bubbling inside his body. However, he knew he had to refrain himself in case (Y/N) gets hurt. When his emotions get too intense, weird things start happening around him after all and he couldn't risk that.
Instead, he had an idea.
"(Y/N), do you remember that promise you told me before we left King's Cross?" Harry asked, smiling softly at them while crossing his fingers from behind his back.
"...Promise?" (Y/N) felt fucked. They don't remember anything like that at all. They couldn't remember any promise they made to Harry a month ago before they went home with Alem.
"You don't remember?" Harry frowned and felt sad that (Y/N) doesn't remember it but felt happy since he could use this to his advantage. "I thought you said you would never back out on a promise."
"I don't back out on promises if I remember them." The Rosewood frowned and tried to remember a promise one last time, but their brain couldn't think of anything. Do they really have a bad memory?
"You said you'd come over to my house." said Harry and frowned deeper when he saw how (Y/N)'s face lit up as if they just remembered it. However, Harry internally smiled when he saw that it was going out the way he had intended.
"Ah! I remember now!" exclaimed the Rosewood before groaning and looking at Harry with an apologetic look on their face. "I'm so sorry, I completely forgot about it! I didn't mean to, of course! Ahhh!"
'Cute' Harry thought as he watched (Y/N) going frantic. He should keep this act up longer if he wanted this to work.
He never managed to read the letters that (Y/N) sent him because of Dobby and he wanted to make up for the lost time he didn't have with them.
Ah yes, he could still remember the murderous look he threw towards Dobby when he held the letters that Hermione, Ron, and (Y/N) wrote to him. They were bundled together and tied with a red string, making it seem like a package of some sort.
He told himself to punch the house elf once he sees him again, especially since it's his fault for getting him in trouble with the Dursleys as well.
"You can make it up to me." Harry said, smiling at the frantic Rosewood in front of him. (Y/N)'s frantic look disappeared as they lifted their head to look at Harry's proposal in confusion.
"How?" (Y/N) asked and listened intently.
Harry's smile widened at their question. "Come with me to the Burrows and stay there for the night." He said, blinking innocently at the semi-shocked Slytherin, who was only looking at him as if he's grown two heads all of a sudden.
It's not like (Y/N) didn't want to stay at the Burrows with the Weasleys; they'd be more than glad to spend a day with them. But, Harry's proposal just came out of nowhere that it just seems... odd.
"Like, today?" They asked.
"Yes." Harry nodded and waited patiently for their response. He realized that (Y/N) probably wouldn't want to come to the Burrows if Alem wasn't there with them.
No, it's more like neither of the Rosewood twins will go anywhere without the other.
"Alem can also come if you want." The Gryffindor added once he saw how (Y/N) looked skeptical, probably because they thought they couldn't bring Alem along with them.
"Harry, I'd love to come with you but this is a bit too sudden." (Y/N) said and nervously scratched the back of their head. "Besides, if we went to the Burrows, Wallace wouldn't know how to get back home."
"Your butler?" Harry asked with an eyebrow raised. "Is he not a wizard?"
"No, he's a squib - he doesn't have magic in him even though he's born in a family of witches and wizards." (Y/N) replied, shaking their head. "Wallace would need to come with us if we're going to the Burrows and... Well, our parents only know that we're going to Diagon Alley today."
"He can just go home without you, can't he?" Harry frowned.
"I mean, yeah. But my parents wouldn't appreciate us not informing them that we're going somewhere other than Diagon Alley beforehand. They're kind of overprotective."
"You really can't stay? Even for a little while?" Harry seemed to be pleading at this point that (Y/N) found it weird. They never thought that Harry would be this persistent.
"If it's for a little while... Then I guess we have a few hours to spare..." (Y/N) muttered. "But, why do you want me to come with you to the Burrows anyway?"
"It's just..." Harry was taken back by their question and suddenly grew silent, thinking of an answer that wouldn't sound weird or awkward.
When Harry couldn't think of any answer for their question, (Y/N) huffed through their nose and pulled up a gentle smile. They lifted their hand towards Harry's shoulder, patting it briefly.
'He misses his friends.' (Y/N) thought as Harry looked up to them with a nervous expression on his face. 'He probably can't admit that.'
"Alright, I'll tell Wallace and Alem that we'll visit the Burrows for a few hours." They told the black haired Gryffindor before turning around to talk to their brother and their butler.
As Harry watched them walk off, he gently lifted his hand over towards his shoulder and gripped the area where (Y/N) placed their hand in.
'I haven't felt their touch in a while.' Harry thought before smiling unconsciously and lowering his hand down to his sides.
He wasn't going to wash this black cloak for a while, it seemed.
»»----- ♡ -----««
Wallace and Alem didn't expect to go to the Burrows today, and neither did (Y/N). However, the two of them couldn't say no to the pleading eyes of the older twin.
Arthur and Molly was more than glad to have the Rosewoods in their home, even if it was for a short while. Ginny was ecstatic to have a friend over at home for a visit, and the Weasley twins were already planning to pull (Y/N) aside to help them prank Percy by hiding his Prefect badge somewhere in the house, especially since he just cleaned it for the seventh time this week.
They needed to travel there by broom, which made (Y/N) and Wallace nervous to say the least. The two didn't know how to ride brooms; in Wallace's case, he can't.
Harry didn't bring his broom with him, so (Y/N) lent him their newly-bought broom that they were going to use for practice as soon as they arrived at Hogwarts. They thought about practicing a little bit at the Burrows since the field around the Weasley's home was large enough to fly around, like the Malfoy's large backyard.
While Arthur offered to apparate at the Burrows with Wallace, the children decided to fly there by broom.
Hermione couldn't come with them as she was with her parents. Before the Weasleys, the Rosewoods, and Harry could leave, Hermione and her parents waved goodbye to the group just as they were about to leave the shop.
Fred offered (Y/N) to ride with him on his broom, to which they almost accepted in a heartbeat until Harry (forcefully) pulled their attention away from the Weasley twin by asking them if they wanted to ride with him instead.
George approached his twin brother and asked if he could ride with him as he gave his broom to Percy since he didn't have one.
Alem, who was watching the scene unfold beside him, rolled his eyes and called his twin over. "You'll ride with me." He said and pointed behind him, indicating that (Y/N) should get ready in case they're about to take off.
Harry was pissed, to say the least but immediately calmed himself down when Ron approached him and asked him if he could ride with him.
As Ginny rode with Molly, the Weasleys and Rosewoods slowly took off from the ground and flew through the skies and towards the Burrows. Alem and (Y/N) flew furthest from the group as he wanted to follow where the Weasleys were going.
They needed to be quite high up in the sky so they wouldn't be spotted by muggles, so (Y/N) was understandably hugging Alem tightly as they feared that they might fall down.
"A-Alem, please don't go too fast." They muttered to their brother, making him roll his eyes at (Y/N) since he wasn't even flying that fast.
"Calm down, (Y/N)." He said while resisting the urge to laugh at their small yelp when they felt the broom move unnaturally for a second. "You're not going to fall."
"Still...!" They whined. Alem thought for a second before smirking mischievously and tightening his grip on his broom.
"Hold on tight." He said.
"Huh? Wha-!"
Before (Y/N) could even finish their sentence, Alem zoomed higher towards the sky and began to fly around the clouds, phasing through the white fluffy clouds as (Y/N) screamed in fear for their life.
The Weasleys turned around in surprise and suddenly feared that (Y/N) fell down to the ground. Fred and George, who were in the middle of transfiguring a cloud to surprise Percy, also turned around and stopped whatever they were doing.
Alem stopped zooming around the skies and returned his flying speed back to normal. (Y/N) was hugging their brother tightly while their body trembled in fear, their breaths were rapid and they almost looked like they wanted to cry.
"Alem, you idiot!" (Y/N) exclaimed and smacked his brother's back as hard as they could, earning a painful grunt from the boy but the smirk that was on his face never disappeared. "I thought I was going to die!"
"But you didn't." Alem stuck his tongue out before laughing devilishly at his trembling twin. (Y/N) almost wanted to punch his stupid, laughing face but refrained themselves from doing so as they continued to hug him tightly.
"Alright, sorry. I won't do it again." Alem apologized, gently smiling at his twin before following the Weasleys to their home.
"Mate, we need to go." Ron told Harry, who was watching the Rosewood twins bickering on their brooms with distaste. The black haired Gryffindor didn't like how Alem was endangering (Y/N)'s life, especially since it looked like they didn't like heights all that much.
Harry snapped out of his thoughts and nodded at his friend, following the Weasleys who were now back on track. Molly shook her head but smiled nonetheless when she saw the Rosewood twins; they seem to be very close, just like what Aurelia and Lawrence said.
'Should I do something about their brother too?' Harry thought spitefully, but (Y/N)'s saddened gaze appeared in his mind when he thought about doing something dangerous to Alem.
This made him shake his head and decide that he probably shouldn't do something to the (H/C) haired boy.
Harry didn't want to see (Y/N) sad or hate him, after all.
As everyone arrived at the Burrows, everyone disembarked from their brooms and entered the Weasley's home. Harry immediately approached (Y/N) to return their broom and to hopefully get some time with them.
"Thank you, (Y/N)." Harry said as they took their broom from his hands with a smile.
"No problem. It's not like your Nimbus 2000, but I hope it flew just fine." They said, jokingly.
"Ah no, don't worry. It's perfect." Harry smiled softly at the (H/C) haired Slytherin. They returned the smile with a grin and a nod before walking off to follow Alem.
Harry followed shortly behind them, comfortable with just watching them for now.
Wallace was waiting for the twins by the living room. He stood up from his seat and bowed down at (Y/N) and Alem with a smile. "I'm glad you two arrived in the Burrows safe and sound." He told the twins.
"Well, almost safe." (Y/N) said while glaring at Alem, who just shrugged and smiled at the two. Wallace sighed and shook his head, not wanting to ask (Y/N) about what they meant by that.
"Are you three hungry?" Molly asked as she approached the Rosewoods with a gentle smile. "I could prepare something for all of us to eat - especially since we have so many visitors."
"Ah, it's alright, Mrs. Weasley. We're-" (Y/N) waved their hands nervously as they didn't want to impose on Molly, especially since they weren't going to stay here for long. Until, their stomachs growled in hunger.
Alem held his own stomach in embarrassment while Wallace tried to pretend as if he didn't hear his own stomach grumbling in hunger.
It was then that the Rosewoods realized that they haven't eaten any lunch.
Molly lightly giggled at the three. "Well, I'll prepare you three a meal. I'm assuming you haven't eaten any lunch yet." She said before walking off towards the kitchen.
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley." thanked Wallace before she left, causing the three Rosewoods to look at each other with nervous smiles.
"That was embarrassing." commented (Y/N) as they awkwardly scratched their head. Alem and Wallace nodded in agreement.
"Dear, could you tell George and Fred to stop hiding Percy's prefect badge before they reach his room? I can tell they're up to no good again today." Molly told Arthur, who was hanging his coat over the coat rack near the door.
Everyone in the house started settling in as the smell of cooked eggs wafted in the air.
»»----- ♡ -----««
It had been around thirty minutes since the Rosewoods were in the Burrows. After the Rosewoods ate their meal that was cooked my Molly, they initiated conversation with some of the Weasleys to make their visit worthwhile.
Fred and George has been trying to persuade (Y/N) to help them hide Percy's prefect badge since they've been itching to do it at the start of their summer break.
(Y/N) didn't really want to do it since they were already thankful for Molly and Arthur's hospitality towards them and it would be rude if they suddenly barged into one of their son's room and took one of his belongings unanounced.
Long story short, (Y/N) managed to get Percy's prefect badge, which was being well kept in his nightstand. It even had a clean cloth placed underneath the badge. If taking Percy's badge could keep the Weasley twins off of their back for a short moment, then they had to do it.
There's actually another reason why the Slytherin wanted to come in the Burrows, and that was to borrow Tom Riddle's diary from Ginny for a while.
So, while Harry was occupied by Ron and Alem talking about Quidditch and how the Rosewood twin wanted to join the Slytherin Quidditch team this year if he could, and Wallace was being entertained by Molly and Arthur by the kitchen, (Y/N) approached little Ginny who was sitting by a tree.
She seemed to be reading some random book while stealing glances towards Harry occasionally, blushing as she did so.
"Ginny," said (Y/N) as she approached the red-head girl. Ginny looked up from her book and towards (Y/N), smiling when she saw their figure approach her.
"Hey, (Y/N)." greeted Ginny and she scooted to the side to make some space for them to sit on.
"Ah no, I just wanted to ask something." They said while waving their hand in dismissal.
"What is it?" The female Weasley asked.
"I wanted to ask if I could borrow one of your books. I wanted to review some of the stuff I learned last year, in case we get asked by the professors." (Y/N) lied while internally hoping that Ginny wouldn't see through their lie.
"Oh, I don't mind." She smiled.
"Really? Thanks!" grinned (Y/N) as they internally let out a sigh of relief. "It's in your room right?"
"Yeah. Just go upstairs and there's a door that has my name in it." said Ginny. "Just put the books back to where you found them."
"Got it. Thanks again!"
"You're welcome." Ginny smiled and watched as (Y/N) walked back to the house and upstairs, where they could hear Fred and George giggling like idiots in their room.
(Y/N) rolled their eyes and figured that they're probably hiding from Percy for the meantime. They examined each doors and finally found a door that had a small sign on it with Ginny's name on it.
They were about to knock on the door but stopped themselves when they realized that no one was going to be on the room. It was just their habit to knock on the door since Aurelia always told the twins to knock on the doors and wait for their response before entering.
They face-palmed before entering Ginny's room. Unsurprisingly, the girl's room was clean and tidy. Quidditch team posters were plastered near Ginny's bed, her clothes were folded neatly on the bed.
(Y/N) assumed that they must've been freshly-washed since they weren't in Ginny's small wooden wardrobe, which was at the far end right of the room.
(Y/N) spotted bundles of books on her desk, which was positioned right near the large wooden window in her room. Among those books was a pewter sized cauldron on the desk, and inside the cauldron were the two books that they saw earlier in Flourish in Blotts.
The Rosewood walked over towards the desk and gently retrieved the black leathered book from the cauldron. They felt their hairs standing up from the unnatural rush of magic that went up from their fingers and to their arms the moment they touched the diary.
"Goddamn, this really is a horcrux." They muttered, observing the diary and flipping it to the side to see if there's anything more interesting in its cover. "Got a bad feeling the moment I touched this one."
They set the book down on the desk and sat down on a nearby chair, bringing it closer towards the desk as they take a few deep breaths. They stare at the diary for a moment, wondering if they should even do this.
'Tom won't know it's me anyway. It's fine...' They stupidly convinced themselves before flipping the diary open, feeling a chill run down their spine as they did so.
"Aight... Um..." They grab a quill and an inkwell from Ginny's desk. They gently coat the tip of the quill with ink from the open inkwell before they brought their writing hand towards the empty page of the diary.
(Y/N) thought about what to say, until they realized that they should probably just write a bunch of stupid stuff on the diary just to mess with Tom. It's not like he'll know anyway, right?
'Hey, Vsauce Michael here'
They lightly chuckle at what they just wrote and watched as those words were sucked into the diary and disappeared into the pages. They blink at this and read out the passage that Tom wrote back to them.
'Hello, Vsauce Michael. I am Tom Riddle.'
"Pfft." (Y/N) chuckled while face-palming at Tom's reply. No, they definitely weren't thinking of Tom Riddle doing a Vsauce YouTube video intro at all.
'Nice to meet you, Riddle. I like to eat rocks.'
'Rocks...?'
(Y/N) could feel Tom's confusion from the pages and they had to hold themselves back from laughing out loud as they continued to write back to him.
'Yes, I'm Wall-E. You remember that movie? Man, that was good.'
'I thought you said your name was Vsauce Michael.'
'No, this is Patrick.'
(Y/N) placed a hand on their mouth to stifle their growing laughter. They thought that confusing and making fun of Tom with crappy gen z humor was worth it, especially since they could feel his confusion in the pages.
'I feel like you are making fun of me.'
'No I'm not. What makes you think that, bro?'
'Who are you, really?'
'It doesn't really do you any good to know my name, Riddle.'
'And why is that?'
'I'm no one important lol'
'What does lol mean?'
'Idk use Google'
'What is this 'Google' that you speak of? And what does idk even mean?'
"God, this is great." (Y/N) was grinning like an idiot at this point. They loved confusing the heck out of Tom Riddle that they even thought about just taking the diary home and do it for hours on end, but they knew they shouldn't do that.
Or else they'd be the ones who'll be possessed by him.
"Hm, might as well be serious with him for once." They muttered. "It's not like he's going to know it's me anyway."
'Oh btw I know who you are, Tom Riddle.'
'What do you mean?'
'You know perfectly well what I mean by that :)'
'Well, this won't do. Are you one of Dumbledore's spies?'
'I don't work for him. Too young to be working for old people.'
'Ah, then you must be a student. Impressive. Tell me, how did you know who I was?'
'You just told me your name. Of course I know who you are.'
Tom didn't reply to (Y/N) after that, which led them to think that the Slytherin heir must've been so done with all of the things they've said to him.
'Your odd jokes won't work on me this time. I know you know who I really am and I must know how did you manage to do it.'
'I mean, it's not like you can get out of the diary in your current state.'
'Oh? You know about the diary as well. Interesting. It seems like my plans won't work with you around.'
'Nah, you do what you want to do. I mean, I care about what you are going to do but I don't want to ruin anything so.'
'What do you mean by that?'
'Figure it out yourself smh'
'What is up with these three-lettered words you keep writing to me and what do they mean?'
(Y/N) blinked and saw that Tom's handwriting suddenly changed - it looked as if he was getting impatient and rushing his handwriting on the pages.
'Dude, chill. Your handwriting's getting ugly.'
'It's not like yours is any better.'
'Don't slander my handwriting. I'm going to cancel you on Twitter.'
'I'm not even going to ask you what Twitter means because it is useless to ask you anything.'
'Thank you :D'
(Y/N) grinned and was about to write to Tom more, until they heard Wallace's voice calling for them downstairs. "Young mistress/master, (Y/N)! Let's head home!"
"Coming!" They responded with a yell. The Rosewood turned their attention back to the diary and quickly scribbling goodbye to the boy in the diary.
'I gotta go back home. Bye!'
Before (Y/N) could shut the diary close, a passage from Tom appeared on the pages, halting the Rosewood from their tracks.
'Before you leave, could you tell me what your house is?'
(Y/N) pondered for a moment before scribbling the words 'Slytherin' and shutting the diary close, putting it inside Ginny's cauldron where they found it. They also returned her quill back to where she found it and closed the inkwell with its cap.
They didn't bother to see Tom's reply from the diary, they were in a rush.
Well, if only they did see his reply.
»»----- ♡ -----««
Tom Riddle sat on the dark empty abyss of his mind, smiling at the words that a certain Rosewood just wrote back to him before they left.
'Slytherin'
His red eyes glimmered in the dark as he stood up and began to walk around the black surroundings. He didn't really have any particular location where he wanted to go, he just wanted to walk and recollect his thoughts about the weird Slytherin that just talked to him.
He didn't expect someone from his own house to act like this. They knew who he was and that he was a horcrux, no doubt. Tom shouldn't act carelessly with his plans when (Y/N) was around, even if they told him that they can do whatever he wants because they don't want to 'ruin' everything.
Tom felt intrigued, a sinister smirk curling up on his lips as he chuckled devilishly and thinking of a new plan so he may be able to complete his return as the young dark lord.
"I should bring that Slytherin over to my side." He muttered, thinking of ways so they may cooperate with his wishes. If (Y/N) knows his plans, who he is, and what he is, then Tom should use that to his advantage and use them for their knowledge.
He only needed to know who they are. The only clue that Tom has is that they're a Slytherin.
He could feel the magical power that (Y/N) had as they wrote on his diary; they didn't have that much magical power yet he could acknowledge the inner destructive potential their magic has.
Tom could also feel small amounts of magical power is slowly being fed to the Rosewood twin every second, as if they are sure to grow up as a capable and powerful wizard/witch should this continue on.
How could Tom give up a rare find like this? It's like throwing away a small diamond just because there's a bigger gold on the side - the diamond is still worth more.
Tom chuckled once more and sat back down. He had to be patient; he'll be in Hogwarts soon and once he's there,
(Y/N) needs to be ready because he'll find them, no matter how much they try to hide their identity.
»»----- ♡ -----««
A/N:
ugh ew Tom
Nah jk I like Tom. He's just a little shit though.
Anyway, I hope you guys like the chapter even though it's kinda short. I mean the word count's 13k but I feel like it's still short.
Y'all are returning to Hogwarts tomorrow and yay, new people!
My Hufflepuff boy will finally be introduced in the next chapter, I'm so happy sbshshdhsdh
Anyway, to y'all who are waiting for a Yandere Tom Riddle this year,
I give you my prayers and hope that y'all can survive this psychopathic maniac.
And I hope I can continue updating within three to four days. I wrote this chapter the entire day yesterday btw that's how bored I was lmao
See y'all in the next chapter ig