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Back to Hogwarts
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The Davies household was in an uproar as it was finally the day for both teens to return to Hogwarts.
It was mostly in chaos because of Roger.
"I can't find my quidditch gloves!" He practically shouted from across the home. Roger was rummaging through every nook and cranny in his room to find the very things he should have packed days ago, while Rooney was sitting patiently in the living room next to her trunk, having been ready to leave for the past hour.
"Did you check your Quidditch trunk Roger?"
Roger rushed into the room while giving her an incredulous look. "Of course I did Rooney, that's why I can't find it!" He said while making pointed hand gestures with his hands as if to indicate his point even further.
Rooney just rolled her eyes as he begun to search the living room, upturning the couch pillows and blankets. "Why do you always do this, every single year Roger?"
"I do not!"
"Yes you do!"
"Hey!" Shouted Mrs. Davies. "Is this what you were looking for?"
Roger leaped over Rooney's trunk and snatched his gloves from his mothers hands, bounding up this stairs to his room to pack them into his trunk.
"You're welcome!" His mother shouted up at him.
Rooney couldn't help but laugh at his behavior, he did this every year, always losing something right when they needed to be leaving to the train platform. It simultaneously annoyed her and amused her.
Roger finally came down the stairs hauling his trunk as it bounced loudly off of each step.
"Roger please use magic when lifting your trunk, why must I have to tell you this?" His father scolded.
Roger just looked up with a sheepish grin on his face as he let it bounce down the last few steps. Rooney couldn't help but laugh again.
"Alright, are we all finally ready to go?" Elias asked as he stepped out of his office, while buttoning up the last of his coat. "I do believe the children are finally ready dear," Gretchen replied to her husband.
"Well some of us have been ready for quite awhile now, but someone is just now ready it seems." Rooney responded sarcastically aiming her response towards Roger who just rolled his eyes at the girl.
"Alright everyone, the train leaves in 30 minutes, it's best we apparate there, come on now grab hands everyone," Elias and the rest of the family gathered around in a circle as Mr. Davies prepared to apparate them to the station and see them off for their sixth year at Hogwarts.
Rooney didn't mind apparition as a form of transportation all too much, it was a very efficient way of getting from one location to another, but she has yet to learn it herself yet, and she was awfully scared of accidentally splinching herself in the process. Roger was not a fan of it whatsoever, it made him sick every time but since they were running a bit behind, it was the best option.
Suddenly the Davies home began to twist and turn around them and soon enough the four of them could feel themselves being spun through space until their surroundings began to appear as platform 9 and 3/4. Roger immediately let go of Rooney's hand and tan to the nearest garbage bin and threw up what was this mornings breakfast.
"Oh gross Rog".
"Yeah whatever, I hate that so much."
"Well maybe next year you'll finally be on time for once?" His mother said with a humorous glint in her eyes.
"Hopefully, it will be our last year after all!" Rooney joked.
The Davies family including Rooney, all gathered around as they said their goodbyes and gave each other hugs until they saw one another again.
Mr. Davies took a hold of Roger by his shoulders and said to him, "Remember Roger, you were given an important task this year, to look after Rooney, I know you can do it, but that means don't spend all your time dedicated to quidditch alright? The world is becoming a darker place son, and we are one of the few that knows about this. As proud as I am of you of your quidditch skills, they will not help us against what may come. Study hard, protect Rooney, and try to have some fun eh?"
Roger gave his father a firm nod and said, "I promise dad."
Elias looked over at Rooney next and gave her a big bear hug. "If you ever need anything at all, we're just an owl away, but try and bother our son first before coming to us alright?"
Rooney laughed and gave her father figure a big grin and said, "Of course, I'll be sure to bother him all the time."
"Oh great." Roger said but with a side smile knowing his best friend was only joking, sort of.
Gretchen gave her son and her adopted daughter both hugs and a kiss on the cheek as they shared their final goodbyes as the two students grabbed their trunks and began their walk towards the train.
After packing their trunks and one final wave towards Mr. and Mrs. Davies, the two boarded the train and headed for and empty compartment, hoping there were any left.
Luckily they found one towards the back of the train and quickly closed the compartment door and made themselves comfortable on the cushioned seats.
"Well if you need me I'll be napping until we arrive, so if you please, do not disturb," said Roger as he laid back on the seat, feet propped up and arms draped over his face.
Rooney just shook her head at him and grabbed a book out of her bag to read to pass the time. She didn't mind that Roger wanted to sleep the whole journey back to Hogwarts, they were quite comfortable in one another's presence where they did not need to talk with one another to pass the time.
Rooney has also noticed that her best friend has been stressing himself out the past week ever since their meeting with Shacklebolt. She could tell that he felt pressured to do his best when it comes to being Rooney's personal protectant while at school. She did her best to explain to him that Hogwarts is the safest place they could possibly be, and what could possibly happen while they were at school? "When was the last time someone died at Hogwarts?" She would ask him. "You and I will be fine, and I trust you to look after me, Hogwarts makes me feel safe, as do you Rog, we have nothing to worry for."
This conversation happened the night before they left back to Hogwarts, with the two sitting on Rogers bed staring up at the ceiling. Roger looked over at Rooney, and gave her a warm smile. "I trust you too Roo."
Just as Roger was beginning to drift off and Rooney was almost finished with the first chapter of her book, their compartment door swung open with a loud bang, startling both occupants.
"Roo-Roo! I've been looking everywhere for you!"
"For the love of Merlin" groaned Roger.
"Jo!" Rooney stood up to greet her other best friend in Ravenclaw house, Jocasta Baldwin.
Jocasta is the definition of an extrovert, she's made quite the reputation for herself for being one of the most sociable people in their house, always willing to have a conversation with another student or professor, always bright and bubbly.
Jocasta gave Rooney the biggest hug, squeezing her just a little too tightly. "Oh how I've missed you! I've sent you at least two dozen letters but you've never returned them, I'm not upset though, because I can finally speak to you now, but you had me so worried Aberdeen!"
"Jo! I sent you a letter a week ago!"
"I know! But that was just before the World Cup! How was I to know if you were alright or not if you weren't responding to my letters?"
Rooney gave her friend a dejected look, remembering that night and the reason why she had forgotten to respond to her friends letters, she had been so wrapped up in the terrible news that His army is making a comeback and the possibility that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named could be alive is out there, how could she remember?
Roger started to sit up at the mention of the Quidditch World Cup, coming to terms with the fact that now that Jocasta was here, he would not be getting a wink of sleep until he was in his dorm at Hogwarts tonight.
"I'm sorry Jo, I honestly forgot, I was just so caught up with packing that it must've slipped my mind."
Jo narrowed her eyes a bit at Rooney, knowing she was making an excuse, the problem was, Jo believed she was making the excuse due to the tragic event of the death of Rooney's mother only a few months prior, not about the fact that Rooney had near come into contact with Deatheaters at the World Cup and had a banshee episode.
There were many secrets that Rooney told Jo, like who she had a crush on in second year, or how to sneak into the kitchens by the Hufflepuff common rooms, but Rooney has yet to tell Jo about her ancestral curse. The only people in the world that know of it are the Davies, Kingsley Shacklebolt and his closest confidantes, including Dumbledore and his most trusted advisors. Even the rest of the Hogwarts staff do not know of her curse.
It's not that she didn't trust Jo with her secret, it's that her mother told her she was not allowed to tell anyone else. The only reason the Davies knew was because Elias and her mother, Eabha, were friends from their time together at Hogwarts, and the only person her mother trusted with her secret, and by extension, her daughters secret as well.
Including other people would put herself at risk and she knew she could not do that, especially now.
"It's alright Roo-Roo." Jo smiled, "You worried me is all." Jo sat herself down on the seat next to the window and propped her legs up on the seat across from her, placing her feet next to Roger.
"Seriously Baldwin? Must you come in here and be annoying, it's still morning."
She looked at him and smirked.
"They're just feet Roger, what's so annoying about that? They're not even touching you, I could move them closer", and she began to slowly inch her left foot closer to Rogers left leg.
"I swear on Rowena herself if you touch me Jo I'll hex you." He threatened.
"No you wouldn't."
"Yes I will."
"No you won't." And Jo continued to inch her foot closer to him as a Roger slid away from her as if she carried the plague itself.
"Jo I'll throw you out of this train I swear on my life!" Roger yelled at a grinning Jo.
"You'd have to—"
"Will you two please knock it off? Can we just sit peacefully and have a nice conversation? Is that possible at all?" Rooney interrupted before someone decides to throw a jinx at the other.
Roger and Jo were friends, to an extent. They got along because they were both best friends with Rooney, but somehow they always got on one another's nerves, mainly due to Jo always egging Roger on one way or another.
Jo finally relented, putting her feet down and crossing her arms. Roger eyed the girl as if making sure she wouldn't do it again, before sitting back into his seat properly.
"So, have you both heard the news?" Jo asked.
"What news?" Asked Rooney, now curious.
"That there is supposed to be some big event happening this year at school, my father wouldn't tell me what it is, but I heard it's supposed to be quite extraordinary."
Rooney glanced over at Roger who was already looking at her, probably thinking about what the Auror had said to them just a few weeks prior. He had mentioned something about an event at Hogwarts this year, about this year being more fun than the others.
Rooney looked back at Jo with a look of faux cluelessness in her eyes. "No, I haven't heard a thing about any event."
That certainly wasn't the first, nor will it be the last white lie that Rooney will tell to Jocasta.
~Meanwhile~
Towards the end of the train, inside one of the end carts, if you were to pass by the second to last cart on the right hand side, you would only be able to hear the sound of rambunctious laughter from within.
Inside sat the Weasley twins and their best friend Lee Jordan, who were all currently messing around with a box of Bertie Bott's every flavour beans and eating the candies, while laughing at each other's reactions to the foul tasting ones.
"Oh Merlin's left toe! Ack!" Lee began spitting out a chewed up bean while making a face as if he would vomit. "Not strawberry mate."
"HA! Dead fish what a classic!" George laughed.
"Har-Har laugh all you want but you won't be laughing when one of you lot ends up with moldy veggies, now that's disgusting."
George, still laughing grabbed the box of candies to hand to Fred for his turn when he noticed his brother absentmindedly staring out the window.
"Hey, your turn brother."
Fred, not having heard didn't turn his way.
"Freddie, mate?" George reached into the box and grabbed a bean and threw it at Fred's head.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"You weren't listening, it's your turn." said George.
"I don't want to play anymore.
"Why not? Too chicken?" Lee teased.
"No."
George narrowed his eyes at his brother, clearly something was off, he could tell by the way he was acting, or maybe it was just his twin telepathy.
"What's wrong Freddie? Talk to us."
Fred looked over at his brother with a thoughtful look in his eyes, indicating he's been thinking about something.
"I'm just so confused."
"Confused about what?" Asked George and Lee.
"Well, when we were at the World Cup, and things started to go bad," Fred paused to see the look of concern grow in his brothers and friends eyes, remembering the traumatic night that occurred.
"Don't you remember hearing that loud piercing scream? It sounded as if it was the same from the weeks before back home, remember the one that woke us up in the middle of the night?"
"Yeah I remember that one, why? Do you think the loud shriek we heard at the Tournament was the same from the weeks before?"
"But how can that be? The Department of Magical Creatures ruled the first one an Augurey," Lee stated.
"Well what if the one at the Tournament was an Augurey as well?" Asked George.
"But how can that be? The Augurey found weeks ago was an Irish Augurey, they are native to Ireland, what are the chances of them being In England twice?" said Fred.
"So you think it wasn't an Augurey?" asked Lee.
"I think the chances of it being an Augurey twice are extremely rare."
"Well, what else could it be?" asked George.
"I don't know, but I just can't stop thinking about it for some reason, like it just doesn't make sense to me. And of all nights, on the night of the riots? It doesn't feel right."
"Hmm" George began to think about it as well, agreeing with his brother.
"Well, whatever it was, let's just hope it's long gone for good now huh?" said Lee, trying to change the subject.
"Yeah, hopefully." Fred muttered, unable to forget the sound of the shrill scream echoing in his ears.
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