The next thing I knew, Sev was shaking me awake. “Rose! Rosie, wake up. You're leaving any minute.” I blinked myself awake and rolled out of bed. Sev had my trunk in one hand and my black cat in the other. Artemis didn't resist, although she looked a little annoyed. We went downstairs silently; Sev's never exactly been what you'd call verbose.
Dumbledore knocked on the door just as the last stroke of ten died on our grandfather clock in the hall. Sev opened the door, murmuring, “Always prompt,” in an annoyed way. Dumbledore stepped in with a smile on his face. “Hello, Severus. Enjoying the holiday?” he said brightly. Sev just gave a curt nod. Dumbledore turned to me. “And you, Rose?” he asked.
I smiled. “It's been good so far.”
“I am glad to hear it. You appear to be ready. I'll give you a moment to say goodbye.” Dumbledore stepped into the hall, pulling my trunk with him.
I turned to Sev. We stood silently for a moment, trying to think of something to say. I suddenly realized that this might be the last time I stood in Spinner's End for a long time. With that, I gave my guardian one of my rare hugs. The last time I ever remembered hugging him was when I was seven, and I had accidentally wandered into the Forbidden Forest after Fang. Sev had found the two of us, covered from head to toe in mud, and I never entered the place again. Sev patted my head, and then we broke apart. I turned, picked up Artemis, and headed quickly to the hall, hoping Sev hadn't seen the tear that had escaped me.
Dumbledore smiled down at me sympathetically. “Well, let's be going.” I nodded, and followed him out the door, turning for a last look at our hallway. Goodbye house, I thought. Then Dumbledore lead me outside to an alleyway. He wordlessly proffered his arm, and I took it.
I had never Apparated before. I wasn't expecting the strange sensation. It was similar to the time I had been playing hide-and-seek one summer with a Muggle boy on our street, and I had tried to squeeze myself into a handy box I'd found in the alley by my house. This was how it felt now, as though I was being forced into a box that was far to small for me. The nice thing was that, in less time than it takes to tell, it was over. We were standing on the corner of a dilapidated street, and I could see the Leaky Cauldron only a little way off. That is, after I got the twirling planets out of my eyes.
I stood panting next to Dumbledore, who let me catch my breath. I looked up at him. “Excuse me, but that was awful.”
Dumbledore laughed. “Yes, most Wizards prefer brooms. Harry specifically said that he preferred his. You both did exceptionally well, though. Most people vomit the first time.”
“Erm... right.”
We headed toward the Leaky Cauldron, and I felt my homesickness replaced by excitement. I loved visiting my best friend and fellow Gryffindor, Sammy Roberts. We had met on the train first year, and we'd been friends ever since. Sammy's father had died when she was eight, and her mother, being a witch, had no way to support herself. Luckily, Tom, the Leaky Cauldron's landlord, had been looking for a new housekeeper. Sammy's mum got the job, in exchange for a small salary, food, and a large room for herself and her children, Sammy and her brother Tyler. Tyler was just starting Hogwarts this year, and I knew he'd be really excited.
We entered the Leaky Cauldron, where I was greeted by a bear hug from Sammy. “I'm so glad to see you!” she squealed.
“Uh, Sammy, I can't breath.”
“Sorry!”
Sammy backed away and called to her mother, who was using her wand to stack chairs on top of tables in one part of the room, “Mum! Rosie's here, and so's Professor Dumbledore!” Her brown ponytail bounced up and down as she picked up my trunk and carried it up the stairs. I picked up my rucksack and let Artemis down to stretch her legs and find some mice to catch.
“Hello, Professor,” Ms. Roberts called from her side of the room. “Hello, Rosie, dear.”
I smiled. “Hello, Ms. Roberts,” I said. Then I turned to Dumbledore. “Thanks,” I said.
Dumbledore smiled again. “You are most welcome, Rose. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to discuss the school's security with the Minister.” And with that, he turned on his heel and Disapparated.
“Strange man,” Ms. Roberts said absently, as I made my way across the room to the stairs. “Brilliant, but very strange.”
“Genius is more often found in a cracked pot than a whole one,” I said wryly, quoting E.B. White, one of my favorite authors. As I ascended the stairs, I was sure I heard her laughing.
I walked up the stairs and to the end of the hall, in Room 18. As soon as I entered, I felt as if I were in my second home. There were three beds crammed in various corners, and Tyler's bed was separated from Sammy's and her mother's by a curtain. I would sleep in Sammy's trundle. There were also two wardrobes, two armchairs, a few bookshelves crammed with books and pictures, and a table with a small wireless and a chessboard. Sammy had plunked my trunk at the foot of her bed. She smiled brilliantly at me. “Welcome back,” she said happily.
~ * ~
In the weeks that followed, tension was building. Ever since my brother had fought off Voldemort at the Ministry, people were in panic. Purple Ministry security posters were all over Diagon Alley, and there were even a few in the Leaky Cauldron. Wanted posters, plastered with the faces of various Death Eaters, adorned shop windows. Fog hung heavily over London, and fear hung there with it.
Customers at the Leaky Cauldron were rare. They never stayed long, and this gave Sammy, Tyler, and me ample free time. In the mornings, we ate breakfast and then walked around Diagon Alley. It wasn't as much fun as the previous summers; many stores were boarded up, and the imposing posters, despite being my favorite shade of purple, made me anxious. I wasn't the only one, either. People who did walk through Diagon Alley tended to travel in tight groups of three or four, and nobody ever stopped to chat with a familiar face. I remember walking through on my first day there, surprised at how depressing the place was. As we were about to turn a corner, Tyler said excitedly, “Close your eyes, Rosie!”
“Why?” I said suspiciously.
“Just do it,” said Sammy, taking my hand. Tyler took my other. “We have something to show you,” Sammy explained.
As we neared whatever it was, I heard noises: bangs, loud voices, and laughter. We walked slowly for a bit, and then Tyler said, “Open your eyes!”
When I did, I saw Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes for the first time. It was brilliant! I choked with laughter at the U-No-Poo sign. Tyler ran ahead of us and inside the crowded store. Sammy smiled. “He makes me bring him here nearly every day. But then, I don't blame him. With things like this happening,” she gestured at the dark street surrounding the bright joke shop, “people need a little happiness.”
I nodded and we entered the store. It was truly amazing. Fred and George had always been what Sev called “rabble rousers” though I'd always thought they were funny. The store clearly held every serious mischief-maker's fantasy. Skiving Snackboxes were stacked from floor to ceiling on high shelves, making me remember their tests on first years that had made Hermione Granger so furious. There were boxes of quills that checked spelling, and trick wands that turned into rubber chickens. I also saw the familiar Invisibility Hats; put them on, and your head becomes invisible. The love potions made me cringe, though. As Sammy and I passed them, I mimed being sick. She looked at me as if I had insulted her.
“What?” I said, confused. This was the kind of thing we made fun of together. Had she suddenly got interested in love novels while we were apart?
Her face went slightly pink. “Nothing. I just- forget it. Oh, Pygmy Puffs!”
At first I thought she was joking, but when I turned, I saw them too. They were adorable little pink and purple balls of fluff, and two little girls were standing near by, begging their mother to buy them one. I had spent a brief time before Hogwarts in Muggle public school, and when I was in first grade, our class had hatched baby chicks in an incubator. These little Pygmy Puffs reminded me of the chicks a few days after they'd hatched, all dried off and curled up together.
~ * ~
That night, we came home to find the results of our O.W.L. exams on the table. After standing in frightened silence, Sammy gingerly picked hers up as if it were a dead animal. “Come on,” she urged me, “Let's get this over with.”
Mine wasn't bad:
Ordinary Wizarding Level Results *
Rose Antonia Evans has achieved:
Ancient Runes O
Astronomy A
Care of Magical Creatures A
Charms E
Defense Against the Dark Arts O
Herbology E
History of Magic A
Potions O
Transfiguration E
“Wow!” said Sammy in relief. “I passed everything but Divination, and that's a stupid subject anyway. What about you? Trade!”
Sammy whistled at my marks. Hers were much the same as mine, though she only got an A in Potions and she hadn't taken Ancient Runes at all. She handed back my grades. “How'd you get that grade in Potions?” I grinned. Honestly, it wasn't favoritism; Sev was above that sort of thing, especially with me as a Gryffindor. The difference was that before Hogwarts and over long summer breaks, I'd had a lot of extra practice. Sev's class was one of my favorites, besides D.A.D.A.
The next few weeks were uneventful, minus the news we kept getting in the Prophet. In the week of my birthday alone, Igor Karkaroff turned up dead with the Dark Mark over his body, Florean Fortescue appeared to have been kidnapped, and Ollivander disappeared as well. My birthday itself was the same as usual. We had dinner downstairs with Tom, who seemed glad for the company. I had received two cards earlier that day, one from Lupin and one from Sev. Each bore a similar message: “Happy Sixteenth, stay safe, don't wander off, we love you, bye!” At dinner I also received a purple journal and matching purple, self-inking quill from Tyler, and a purple Pygmy Puff from Sammy. After much debate, we christened it Violet. I think the best part of the evening was when Ms. Roberts brought a double-layered chocolate cake out of the kitchen, and it had purple frosting that said, “Happy Birthday Rose!”
Although we'd been giving Diagon Alley a bit of a wide birth- well, as much as you can from the Leaky Cauldron- ever since Mr. Fortescue's disappearance, Ms. Roberts finally decided that we should get our school shopping done soon, “before the rush.” Sammy and I seriously doubted there would be a rush, considering how completely not crowded the alley had been, but we weren't complaining. Washing tables and cleaning sheets is incredibly boring.
Incidentally, on the day we were getting ready to do our shopping, Sammy and I had rushed downstairs to find one of Sammy's stray shoes when we saw a strange sight: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and what looked like most of the Weasley family, accompanied by Hagrid. Hagrid had just finished saying something to Tom about “official Hogwarts business,” one of his favorite phrases, when the party saw us.
“Hi Hermione, Ginny, Harry, Ron! And Hagrid!” said Sammy quickly. Each waved in turn. “Sorry to bother you, but have any of you seen a shoe around here? Mine's missing.” She gestured at her feet, one with a white sneaker, the other adorned in a red sock. Ginny reached under a table and said, “Is this it?” She held up the AWOL shoe, and Sammy retrieved it. “Thanks!” said Sammy. I waved at the party as they filed out to the brick wall. I couldn't help but stare at Harry. I always did when he was around. I wondered sometimes what he would think if he knew I was his sister. He didn't really notice my staring, though I was sure he was used to that sort of thing by now. He did look better than the last time I'd seen him, which was good.
Sammy and I headed out to a second-hand robe shop and Ms. Roberts handled Tyler. The shopping was the work of a morning, and once again I felt the building excitement of the return to Hogwarts.
The Other Potter by georgeisholey
Chapter Notes: Hey, guys, I don't own Harry Potter, no matter how much I wish to the contrary. I also don't own any of the Harry Potter movies, especially not the sixth one, where I got the quote about Apparition from. Sorry if this chapter is boring repeat stuff, but it gets better, I pinky swear!!! (And we all know what happens when you break a pinky swear).
Chapter Endnotes: *Chart based from the American Version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, pg. 102
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