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After
Transfiguration
Class
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"Roo, what the heck?"
The moment class was dismissed, Rooney bolted out of her seat and was out the door faster than the wind on a stormy day. She was angry, upset, mortified, and had a very strong urge to punch something.
Roger was practically jogging to keep up with the girl as she scurried down the hall. "Roo will you slow down!" He shouted.
He finally caught up with her, grabbing onto her shoulder to try and slow down her pace to match his. "Roo talk to me, what's the matter? What happened? Why were you late? Why were you with—"
She halted in her step and turned to face her best friend with a frustrated look on her face. "Not now Roger, I'd really just like to—"
She caught a glimpse of red in her peripheral and turned her head to see the twins just about to walk past her and Roger with a few friends of theirs.
"What do you say we'll pick you after dinner later, hey Ravenclaw?" one of the twins jokingly asked her as they walked by.
"It's a date" The other twin joked as he winked at her and began laughing along with his brother.
Rooney felt her cheeks grow hot and her anger rise like a thermometer, she felt as if she'd burst at the embarrassment. Roger looked at Rooney, even more confused and concerned than he was before, clearly having no idea how he could have missed so much after breakfast.
She huffed and hiked her bag up over her shoulder and continued on her march through the hall towards her next class as if she was unbothered by it all.
"Roo.. you can't not talk to me" He practically began to beg. "I'm your best friend, and I have a duty you know."
"Duty?"
"Yes, have you already forgotten?" Roger asked her, but in an almost joking manner to where she could tell he was just messing around with her.
"I've a duty to protect you Roo", he said quietly so no passersby could hear. "And if those Gryffin-idiots are bothering you then tell me so I can take care of it!"
She finally huffed out a laugh, not at his use of name-calling, but at the thought of her friend 'taking care of it'. "I don't even want to ask what you mean by that Rog, but don't bother, they're just idiots that got me in trouble."
"How did that even happen Roo, what happened?"
She heaved out another long sigh, already frustrated enough with her newfound situation she's been dragged into, and now having to recount the events through story was no fun. "I had walked into one of their stupid pranks in the third floor corridor and they dragged me out of the way in time before I could become their victim, but since they dragged me into their mess, I ended up late to class and now with my first ever detention, yippee..." she muttered.
Roger looked frustrated at her recounting of events, also not happy that she was in this situation.
"Merlin Roo, you should've just jinxed them and left on your merry way."
She gave him a stern look, one that said 'seriously?' without actually saying it.
"And I'm sure that would have gone over just splendid Rog."
"I'd have done it."
"Sure you would have."
"Hey, it's not me we're talking about right now, you're the one in crisis."
"I'm not— ugh just leave it Rog alright? I have one stupid detention tonight, and then it'll be over, yes, I'm angry about it but I just need to get through tonight and then I can forget about those stupid Weasleys."
Roger was taken aback for a second by her attitude change, but he understood she was upset, hell who wouldn't be with a zero detention streak?
It's the cherry on top of a sundae of problems for Rooney at the moment and she seems to be dealing with it as best as she can.
As best as she can is of course venting to Roger but that's what friends are for, right?
The pair continued walking towards their next class together, potions, and luckily that was a subject Rooney excelled in, Roger not so much. If it wasn't for Professor Snape, this class would certainly help in brightening up Rooney's already gloomy start to her day.
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The rest of the morning went by surprisingly smooth for the Irish girl, potions class went as one would normally expect it to: Professor Snape was his usual grumpy self and handed out 3 detentions to the Ravenclaw students. None of course to the Slytherins.
Lunch was spent eating and listening to Jo ramble on about whatever gossip she'd heard in Ancient Runes earlier that morning, and then her going ballistic after finding out she had a detention with the Weasleys that evening.
She honestly thought the girl would hex the two boys with the way she was reacting, and although she wouldn't have minded, she didn't want to hear anything more about the situation and left the Great Hall early and went on a stroll outside the castle towards the Black lake.
Rooney loved the outdoors. The cool air and the changing of the leaves in autumn was one of her favorite things.
She began to aimlessly walk away from the castle and around the perimeter of the lake. It was still sunny outside, the sun reflecting brightly off the water as it rippled. It was uncommon that Scotland had sunny days, let alone cloudless ones, and she wanted to bask in the rare occasion.
She had walked quite far to the point where she was on the opposite side of the lake now looking back at the castle. She stopped in her walk and just sat on the grass and observed the castle from her spot.
She was a bit surprised at the fact that neither of her friends had followed her out here, but she was also thankful that they didn't because she had wanted to be alone with her thoughts.
It was only the first day of classes and already she had a detention.
It was only the first time back at Hogwarts since the death of her mother and her headmaster and the Ministry have announced the Tri-wizard Tournament.
A Tournament with a history of death.
And it was her first time back since she'd fully activated her ancestral curse.
She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them close. Softly and quietly, she began to cry, not because she was upset, but because she was so overwhelmed with worry she could hardly keep it in any longer.
As she cried, there was a loud snap from off in the forest behind her. She snapped her head up and looked behind towards the sound, and heard what sounded like footsteps on fallen leaves approaching her.
Suddenly there was a girl, a student, that appeared out of the brush, as Rooney quickly stood up brushing herself off and hastily drying her eyes. She was a tall girl with pale skin and long dark hair. She almost reminded Rooney of a ghost, with how fair her skin was, and the way she walked with her head down and her long hair framing her face reminded her of her house ghost, the Grey Lady.
The girl looked up and stopped in her tracks, just now noticing Rooney stood at the edge of the lake. She was clutching a book to her chest and had a knapsack wrapped over her shoulders.
Rooney, feeling the need to say something instead of letting an awkward silence ensue decided to speak.
"Sorry, I didn't know anyone else was out over here, I thought I was alone."
The girl looked at Rooney, but her expression hadn't changed, she had yet to speak as well.
Rooney bit her lip and crossed her arms and took a step forward towards the girl, "I'm Rooney.. Aberdeen. Sixth year Ravenclaw."
As Rooney had stepped closer she was able to see the girl better. She was wearing her student uniform, like herself, but instead of blue and bronze, she wore green and silver, a Slytherin.
No wonder the girl wasn't familiar to her, they weren't housemates, and even though Rooney should know her classmates in other houses, she was an introvert and did not venture outside the safety of the Ravenclaw tower.
The girl readjusted the strap oh her bag on her shoulder and slightly nodded her head.
"I know" she said.
The girl looked up at Rooney, her eyes were puffy and red and she looked like she wanted to say something else, but she looked over towards the path in the forest where she had come from, looked down at her feet and quickly began to scurry off without saying another word to her.
Rooney wanted to say something to the girl, but she didn't even know her, what could she say?
She watched as she hurried back towards the castle and away from her without so much as a proper introduction.
Rooney looked behind her towards the path in the forest the Slytherin girl had walked out from and narrowed her eyes. She had never ventured into the Dark Forest, as per Dumbledore and Hagrid's orders every year as the creatures that lurk within were dangerous, and she found it mighty peculiar that any student would decide to venture in, especially alone.
But as she looked back at the retreating figure of the girl, it finally clicked why her eyes were so red, she must've been crying, same as her.
It could only explain her quiet demeanor, of course unless she was a prejudiced Slytherin, but maybe that's why she ran off so quickly.
Well, it seems I'm not the only one having a terrible Monday it seems, Rooney thought to herself, and she headed back up to the castle.