Penny and Rosie were overwhelmed as they boarded the train back to Hogwarts on September first, and all eyes were on them. More accurate, all eyes were on Rosie but neither girl was likely to leave the other so all eyes were on them. Of course, work had spread like fire across the wizarding world about Rosie's new status. She had, essentially, been adopted into a pureblood family and over the summer the wizarding world turned to chaos
It didn't really help that Rosie was already pretty famous, secondhand fame she got through her nephew. Pureblood families were the most vocal about Rosie, but even they wouldn't dare step out of line.
So while Rosie and Penny boarded the train on platform nine and three quarters, Sebastian being the one to escort them on their final first day of Hogwarts, they did their best to ignore the way every pair of eyes was on them.
*******
"Uh, can I talk to Rose?" Peter Mason, a Gryffindor seventh year, asked as he paused by the door of Rosie and Penny's train car. Rosie looked up from her book at the mention of her name.
No one ever called Rosie by her 'real' name. Everyone from school called her 'Rosie'. Even the teachers. Rosie and Penny shared a look before Rosie finally nodded and rose to her feet. Rosie knew of Peter, he was on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and was rather popular as a result. She was also sure she must have had some classes with him at one point or another, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor had never had any trouble getting along outside the Quidditch pitch. But Rosie had never actually spoken to the boy- was shocked that he even knew her name.
Peter had come to her fairly early on in the train ride so the halls were still crowded as students scrambled to find a free seat with their friends. Bill would be joining Penny and Rosie after his Prefect meeting. The two seventh years had to struggle to walk down the hallways side by side- something Peter seemed to be particularly insistent that they did. Rosie noticed the way he glanced over at her every few steps as if he wanted to make sure she was still there but she tried her hardest not to pay attention to it. Honestly, she just wanted to know what he wanted with her so that she could get back to her studying.
It appeared Peter had the intention to lead her on a little hike though.
"Was there something you wanted, Peter?" Rosie finally stopped them, right before they entered the Slytherin carriage. That was exactly where she had no business being so soon after the news she was a Black was released. And besides that, she really didn't know why Peter needed to take her on a train tour of Scotland to talk to her about whatever it was he wanted to speak to her about.
Peter, ever the confident boy, looked down at his feet, his cheeks tinged with embarrassment. That, in of itself, was enough for Rosie to begin to understand what was happening. The same signs that Rosie new recognized Bill exhibiting before the Christmas dance.
Before she could let him down nicely, Peter looked up with determination shining in his brown eyes.
"WillyougotoHogsmeadewithme?!" The words were so jumbled together Rosie could hardly understand them. But she did understand them.
There was a long silence after Peter asked Rosie to Hogsmeade, one in which Peter's normally tan face turned a shade of red similar to the one on his school tie. It looked like he was moments from throwing in the towel and stalking off to pout, actually.
Rosie thought about the question. She had never spoken to Peter before then, had never even said hello in the wallway when they were passing one another. She had no idea what would make a boy like him want to ask a girl like her out, but she imagined it had something to do with the subtle curves puberty had been working to bless her with over the summer. Whether it was her new breasts or something else though, Rosie decided there would be no harm in accepting his offer. She had never been on an actual date before and if nothing else perhaps Rosie could convince him to buy her some sugar quills at Honeydukes.
Peter was shifting awkwardly, looking very put out by then. Rosie ignored it.
"Sure, Peter. I would love to go to Hogsmeade with you," Peter almost didn't seem to hear her for a moment, but then his head slowly swirled around to face her and a little grin pulled at the corner of his lips. His expression almost said that he seemed to expect her to answer as such.
"Of course," did Rosie imagine that he made his voice a little deeper this time, and he straightened his back so that his lean chest looked a little more muscled? "I'll see you on Saturday then?" Then he disappeared, leaving Rosie to stare after him with a bemused look on her face. Rosie hadn't expected one of Gryffindor's more eligible bachelors to ask her on a date, and she certainly hadn't expected him to be so snooty about it. However she had already agreed so there was really no going back on it. Rosie sighed and walked herself back to her train car, questioning her decision the entire way.
*******
Upon Walburga's death, Kreature had apparently taken the responsibility to pick up where his mistress had left off. Over the summer, the elf had taken to systematically burning each and every pair of pants Rosie owned, something he had ironed his hands for later. Rosie had been so mad at the time, not being particularly happy that she now had to either wear dresses, or the very shortest of shorts she reserved solely for the hottest days of summer. Kreature had spared only those, though merlin knew why.
Unfortunately Rosie had to admit that Kreature forcing her to pack only skirts turned out to be a godsend when Rosie opened her trunk on the day of the first Hogsmeade visit, to find she had a plethora of dresses to choose from.
"You should wear the green one," Penny put in helpfully, laying across her bed and watching Rosie root through her trunk. Bill, who had somehow managed to not only sneak into the Ravenclaw common room but also up the stairs to Penny and Rosie's dormitory, shook his head.
"No way," he disagreed, laying across Rosie's bed. "It's still too green out for that. It would make her eyes look pretty but she would disappear into the scenery."
Bill had initially been against Rosie going on a 'date' with Peter, but he had since then come to terms with it.
"She should wear the red dress, because gryffindor pride and all that. Besides that red dress to the left and a red lipstick would be absolutely killer."
Both Rosie and Penny paused to look at Bill, whose cheeks colored at their inquisitive stares. He wriggled around for a second before he looked sheepishly to the side.
"Dad likes to collect muggle magazines and sometimes he grabs the fashion issues," He admitted, making Rosie and Penny grin. Rosie turned back to her trunk, allowing Penny to ruthlessly mock Bill, and eyes the dress Bill had gestured to. He was right, at the very least. The red dress Petunia had given her last christmas would look excellent with some red lipstick.
With her final decision made, she pulls the dress out of her trunk and disappears into her bathroom to get ready.
*******
Hogsmeade was generally a lively place, one where students and teachers alike escaped to on the weekends to drink butterbeer and purchase the newest joke products at Zonko's Joke Shop. However on this particular trip, Rosie decided that she had never been more bored. Peter, for all his good looks and quidditch skills, could not read her mood to save himself.
Rosie had never been to Madam Puddifoot's tea shop, had never had the inkling to go in since whenever she walked past she had flashbacks to the time she had tried to take divination. Even walking past the shop on the street brought one the overwhelming smell of incense. Unfortunately Madam Puddifoot's seemed to be Peter's idea of the perfect date, as he had escorted her there and had happily pulled her seat out for her when they had gone to sit.
The tea was good at least so Rosie was able to bare it.
After Madam Puddifoot's Peter had asked Rosie where she would like to go next, and upon Rosie's request to go to the local bookstore she was told they could go as soon as Peter had stopped in to see if his order had come in to the quidditch shop. It had not, but Peter had amused himself for the following hour looking around at the newest models of brooms, the newest books on quidditch, and the little golden snitch toys the shop had fluttering about. Rosie had amused herself by standing near the door watching all the other students have a wonderful time doing whatever they wished,
Rosie didn't mean to sound ungrateful, she knew she should be happy that a boy like peter had shown any interest in her at all as she was quickly approaching the end of her schooling with her only male interactions being with Regulus in first year and Bill. Unfortunately while she was sure Peter was a wonderful boy, he was as dull as he could be. When he wasn't talking about quidditch he was talking about wanting to be an auror, something he managed to make even more boring than quidditch. By the end of the dar Rosie was tired, and she just wanted to go home.
"I had a wonderful time today," Peter grinned, leaning in close as to insure that Rosie heard every word he said. "I was very happy you agreed to go out with me today. I'd be silly not to admit that I've fancied you since third year but you always seemed so unapproachable. I was going to ask you to the ball during our fifth year but that Bill Wasley bloke asked you first. Then I saw you on the train and I decided we were in out seventh year and I really had no reason to not ask you."
As Peter had been talking he had backed away to see Rosie's reactions to his words and upon seeing the pleasant smile she had become accustomed to keping on her face, he began to lean in again. Rosie had never been kissed before, had never had the urge to be kissed. When Peter began to lean in though she froze and before she knew it his lips were on hers, and he was working at putting his tongue in her mouth.
It was slimy, the first thing that Rosie noticed. It wa also cold, which Rosie guessed was because he had come with her with his tongue out, something that had been utterly terrifying to watch and one of the reasons she hadn't had the time to move away. Rosie had pulled back and the expression on her face had apparently told Peter all that he needed to know about how she felt about the kiss because he hadn't tried again. They had politely parted ways.
*******
"He kissed you?" Penny and Bill said almost simultaneously, in the same positions as they had been earlier that day, watching as Rosie once again rooted around inside her trunk to find something more comfortable to change into. What Rosie really wanted to find was a long pair of pants and an oversized shirt, but what she settled for was one of the nightgowns Kreacher had packed.
"What was it like?" Penny sat up in bed, her eyes wide and excited.
Rosie shrugged non committedly, stepping towards the bathroom.
"It was slimy..." She told them as she changed, her voice barely making its way to their eager ears. "And cold. It felt a bit like a slug in my mouth honestly. It wasn't really something I'd like to repeat any time soon."
Rosie heard Bill snicker, so when she walked back out she grabbed the pillow out from under his head and smacked him in the face with it.
"Don't laugh you wanker. It's not funny. He looked rather upset when I pulled back."
This time Penny laughed.
"You two are horrible!"
A few seconds later Rosie joined in on their laughter.