Harry Potter awoke bright and early in sweet anticipation of today's long train ride, in which he hoped to catch sight of a certain blonde and grab her attention.
After diligently combing his hair for 𝘩𝘪𝘴 girl, as he liked to call her, Harry skipped down the stairs and plopped down on the seat behind the kitchen counter to eat his morning breakfast. Hollering for his parents, James Potter came flying down the stairs on his brand new broom. Actually, the broom belonged to Harry, but James chose to ignore that particular fact.
And in tow, like clockwork, came Lily Potter screaming at her husband. "JAMES POTTER!! YOU GET DOWN FROM THEIR RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" Mrs. Potter grabbed her best pan and started chasing the squealing man around the house with it. "YOU ABSOLUTE TOSSER! I WILL THROW YOU IN THE DOG HOUSE FOR THE REST OF THE MONTH IF YOU DON'T SIT YOUR ASS DOWN!"
"We don't even own a dog," said Harry to the wind, for his darling parents certainly were not listening.
"You can't catch me, you cruel beautiful thing." James Potter never was very good at smack talking his wife, though that particular shortcoming of his probably saved his life on more than one occasion considering Lily's temperament. Unlike James, she had always had a relatively short fuse.
Finally having enough of his parents antics, Harry blurted out the one thing he knew would get his father's attention: "Dad, I need girl help."
Time stopped.
James Fleamont Potter gaped at his son for five long seconds before he jumped haphazardly off his broom — causing Lily to screech in fright — and raced to press a big red button hidden behind miscellaneous papers littering the marble countertop of the kitchen island.
As his finger pushed down on the button, confetti started raining down from the ceiling — much to Lily's annoyance, seeing as she would likely be the one to clean up the mess — and Sirius immediately arrived through the Floo network with a bag of candy from gods' know where in hand.
"Is it really happening?!" Sirius was positively glowing.
"Tell him again, Harry. Tell him what you told me," James Potter urged his son excitedly.
Harry gazed questioningly at his dad before turning to his mother for help, to which she simply shrugged her shoulders, as if to say, "Gods know if I could even begin to understand the ways of James Potter and Sirius Black." So, Harry slowly shifted his eyes to his man-child father and repeated himself. "I said that I need help with girls?"
Sirius released a long, high-pitched gleeful cry, and James was on the brink of tears. Lily even began rubbing his back unsurely in fear that he might begin bawling and never stop.
"The day has finally come," weeped James.
Sirius threw an arm around James' shoulder in support and smiled brightly at Harry after urging the 6'4 man to gather himself. "So," he drew out the vowel. "Who's the lucky-ducky girl?"
"Well I don't exactly know her name," he explained. James and Sirius started groaning in disbelief at the young boy's stupidity, though to be fair, they weren't any better. They weren't exactly known for their cleverness or intelligence. But Harry continued, "But remember the blonde girl from Diagon Alley yesterday?"
"Of course, Mini-Prongs!" Sirius exclaimed. "I knew just from that lovey-dovey look of yours that there was something going on between you two."
Harry snorted, "Yeah well, I'm not sure she exactly agrees. She wants absolutely nothing to do with me."
James began cheering, to which Harry shot his father an offended glare. Owing his son an explanation, James began, "No, no, Harry. That's a good thing."
"Not to question your judgment, Dad, but how the fuck —"
"Language Harry!" Lily lectured, as she lifted her wand to clean the confetti covering the Potter Manor's floors.
"Sorry, Mum. But dad, how is her hating me even remotely a good thing? She wants nothing to do with me."
James Potter sank back into his chair. "Oh Harry, you have much to learn." He and Sirius smirked slyly. "How do you think I got your darling mother?"
Harry's jaw dropped to the floor as he turned to his mother. "You hated Dad?"
Lily snorted, "Well I wouldn't say I exactly hated him, but I strongly disliked him when we first met, yes."
"Why?"
"Because he was an arrogant tosser, that's why."
Harry frowned, not understanding. "But then how did you marry him?"
Flipping his imaginary hair over his shoulder, James retorted sassily, "I wore her down."
Lily shot her husband a glare. "No, that is actually not what happened." She took a deep breath and looked at her son lovingly. "We grew closer over the course of time, and I began to realize that although he most certainly is a cocky bastard," she glowered at James, who shrunk in his seat and tried to hide himself behind a giggling Sirius, "He was 𝘮𝘺 cocky bastard. I realized that beneath all that arrogance, your father has the kindest, purest of hearts, and so, he finally won mine." Lily sighed contently as her glare at her husband softened and her eyes sparkled with love and adoration. "And just like your father, you have that same beautiful heart inside your chest, my love." She ran her fingers through her son's hair.
Listening intently to his mother's heartfelt words, Harry felt a blooming hope plant itself in his chest. Perhaps he had a chance after all. No, he knew he did. He had to. He was going to marry this girl, if it was the last thing he'd do.
So when his mother left the room to change her clothes (which were now covered in confetti), Harry turned to his father and god-father. "Teach me everything you know."
Sirius and James clapped their hands together in excitement and began telling Harry all about the old Potter charm and just how James had managed to charm the prettiest girl in school into marrying him.
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"And don't forget, Rosemary," the girl's father warned. "I want you to write to me at least once a week. And if any of those kids start giving you trouble, tell me and I'll give 'em a right beating." Mr. Stevens breathed deeply. "Gods, I don't know what I'm going to do without you, kiddo. Ever since your mom —"
Rose cut off his thought, not wanting to hear about her mother. Not today. Today was supposed to be a good day. She'd finally returned home. Return to Hogwarts. "I know, Dad. I know."
Mr. Stevens nodded his head solemnly before wrapping his arms around his daughter tightly and sending her off to Nine and Three-Quarters.
Meanwhile, Lily Potter was fussing over her only child and desperately trying to smooth down his hair. Licking her fingers, she brushed a particularly defiant strand out of his face before Harry slapped her hand away.
"Mom, quit it! You're embarrassing me!"
"I'm sorry, my love, but your hair is a proper mess. Let me just..." she untangled a knot forming in his curls.
"MOM!" Harry said a little too loudly, catching the attention of some other families waiting for the train to arrive. The Potter boy looked around anxiously to ensure no one he knew had overheard when his breath caught in his throat.
There she was. That beautiful blonde stood right up against a brick wall all alone. Gods above, she was so impossibly beautiful. Oh god, what if she was waiting for him, Harry wondered. No, that's ridiculous. Why would she be waiting for him?
Nonetheless, Harry, ever the Gryffindor, bravely marched over to the girl with his hands placed coolly in his pockets. Lily rolled her eyes at her son but slowly inched her way closer toward the two as she dragged along her darling husband James, who had been distracted by a puppy dog that he declared looked remarkably similar to Sirius.
"Hello, love," Harry greeted. "Ready for the start of a new school year, my little Badger?"
Rosemary groaned in annoyance at the sight of the arrogant boy. Just her luck! All she wanted was five minutes to herself, but no, this Potter boy couldn't even give her that. "Leave me be, Potter. 'Not in the mood. I was enjoying my music," she said, gesturing to her bulky wired headphones connected to her new MP3 Player.
The brunette boy stepped beside her against the brick wall. "What are you listening to?" Rosemary closed her eyes in frustration and turned up the volume in a futile attempt to drown out the sound of the boy's voice. But the cheap device that she thrifted at a local store just started playing the music loud enough for passersby to hear. Leaning his head down closer to the girl, Harry listened closely. "Oh is that Oasis I hear," he said eagerly.
Rosemary lowered her headphones. "Yes, you know them?" she asked in surprise.
Somewhat familiar with muggle culture, having a muggle-born mother and all, Harry nodded his head enthusiastically. "'Know them? I practically 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 them, are you kidding?" he laughed. "My mum likes to blast their music from the rooftop at our annual Yulemas parties."
To her own surprise, Rosemary laughed heartedly, and Harry swore he had never heard a more beautiful sound. "I positively adore their music. I listen to it practically every second of every day." She giggled, "My brother gave me these," Rose gestured to her headphones, "as an early Birthday present last year knowing how much I love them. I only have their music on here because it was so bloody expensive, but I couldn't bare without it, I don't think."
Harry basked in her glow as he tried to soak up the moment. "Do you listen to any other music?"
"Oh, naturally! The Smith's, Bon Jovi, Tears for Fears..." she listed. "And you?"
"Same ones, plus some of the legends: Paul Whiteman, Henry Burr, you know the ones, love."
Rose smiled warmly as her cheeks flushed slightly. "'Say, maybe you're not all bad, Potter. For a tosser."
Harry laughed deeply. "Maybe I'm not. Care to find out?" he smirked lazily, assuming his typical arrogant demeanor. Rose frowned at the change. "We get to go to Hogsmead this year. 'Meet me there on Saturday. I'll make it worth your while," he winked.
The blonde snarled at him. "Right, I almost forgot whom I was talking to." She inhaled, "Well Potter, I can tell you one thing." Licking his lips, Harry inclined his head closer to hers in tense anticipation, hoping to earn himself a kiss. But it was Rose's turn to smirk, "I will never, ever go out with you. That much I can promise."
Harry scowled but quickly masked his frustration with a haughty face. "You'll see, gorgeous. Soon, you'll be begging on your knees for me, and when you are, I'll be right there, ready to sweep you off your feet."
The girl shook her head in disbelief and began walking closer to the oncoming train as the Potter boy's mother stepped behind her son with a hand over his shoulder and smiled at the young blonde. "You must be the girl Harry won't stop talking about," Lily observed.
Rose stood in place. Not knowing how to respond to Mrs. Potter's words, Rose simply offered her hand to the woman to greet her with a warm smile. "I'm Rosemary, Rosemary Stevens."
And with that, the blonde girl turned around and ran to the train that just arrived to find her friends.
Meanwhile, Harry stared after her. "Rosemary Stevens," he whispered. Her name felt like honey on his tongue. "I think I prefer Rosemary Potter."
Collecting his belongings, Harry James Potter hugged his parents goodbye and made his way to the Hogwarts Express, already seeking out his friends to tell them the wonderful news: he had finally learned the name of his future wife. Oh yes, Rosemary Stevens would be his one day. But first, had to get some answers to the lingering questions resounding in his head: Would Rosemary go out with him? How was her hair so perfect? Should they have a June or July wedding? Where the hell were his friends? How could he get the Stevens girl to date him?
All of Harry's questions would soon be answered in due time.