2022- A Train Ride, A Sorting, and A Confession

Rose Weasley sat in the backseat of her family's car thinking about her upcoming year at school, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She had been made a prefect over the summer, a surprise to her, considering students were chosen to be prefects their fifth year, and she was about to embark on her sixth. From what she gathered from the letter Hogwarts sent her, one of the prefects had to relinquish their duties. The reason was unknown to her, but she was excited to get to school and perform her prefect duties. But more than being a prefect, she was excited just to get back to school. Ever since her Sorting, she has known that Hogwarts is just as much home to her as the Den or the Burrow. Every time she makes the journey to Kings Cross, she remembers her Sorting:

Rose had been so nervous. When she received her first letter from Hogwarts she was chomping at the bit to go. Hogwarts was all she could think or talk about the summer before her first year. She simply devoured her mother's book, Hogwarts, A History. But her excitement dwindled after her father, just before boarding the train, mentioned the importance of being in Gryffindor. His words stroke fear in her and she wanted nothing more than to turn back around and head home. She originally had not much care for which house she joined (they all had their winning qualities), but she didn't want to let her father down. Her father's opinion meant the most to her. Her first train ride to Hogwarts was spent worrying about which house she was best suited for, and if that would please him.

Rose did not remember anything about her journey from the train to the Great Hall, except for the few seconds before she was sorted. When her name was called, she slowly walked to the stool, telling herself the conclusion she reached on the train: That it didn't matter which house she was in, her father would always love her. She hoped. On her slow march to the Sorting Hat, she decided to place the hat on with an open mind and trust in its wisdom. Before the hat fell over her eyes, she saw her first good look at the Great Hall, and she felt a slight pang of regret she had not been paying attention before. It was beautiful, and her first impression would be a second long.

"Ahh, another Weasley.

"Hello."

"I have a feeling I know what to do with you, but let's see if there is something else to make my decision more concrete."

"Okay, you just do what you need to do."

"My, my, that is some mind you have."

"Thank you, sir."

"Brilliant just like your mother, she would have been great in Ravenclaw, as would you. You have also have a kind heart, and are loyal to a fault. You could fit nicely in Hufflepuff, but I don't believe you would reach your true potential there. Slytherin? No, you are ambitious, but value love and family far above personal gain. So, how does Ravenclaw sound?

"If that is where I belong…"

"Yes, your mother would have been a shining star in Ravenclaw, but Gryffindor won out in the end. I have sorted many Weasleys in my time, all brave and courageous. They are a part of Hogwarts, as you are…GRYFFINDOR!"

"Rosie?"

Rose snapped out of her reverie, and looked at her father watching her from the rear-view mirror, a slightly concerned look on his face.

"Yes, Dad?"

"We're here…" He said slowly. Rose peered out the window and saw the busy entrance to Kings Cross in front of them. She looked at her side window, and saw her mother peeking in, with a confused look. Rose opened her door, and giggled to her mother.

"Sorry, I was just day dreaming." She stepped out, and pulled her mom into a hug. "I'm going to miss you."

Her mother looked up at her with a smile on her face. "Oh, Rosie. I'll miss you too. But we'll write. And you'll have such a great year! I am so proud of you becoming a prefect…just like your father!"

"Umm, Hermione?" Ron interrupted.

"Yes, Ron?"

"You were a prefect as well. Or did you forget? I knew you've been working too hard! You've forgotten one of your life's greatest achievements! What's your supervisor's name again? I'm going to give him a call."

Rose just shook her head, and looked down at her mother, who was still in her arms. They shared a small smile that always crept on their faces when Ron was being protective. Hermione released her daughter and turned to her husband.

"Ronald. You know I don't have a boss. Well, I suppose Kingsley would be considered my boss. But are you really going to floo on over to the Minister's house and demand that he do something about your wife's schedule, a schedule she plans herself?"

"No, I suppose not." Ron gave his wife a peck on the cheek, and hastened to help Hugo with the trunks he was failing to extract from the car.

As the family of four made its way to Platform 9 ¾, they talked merrily about fun memories from the summer and whether the Chudley Cannons were going to make it to the Quidditch World Cup next year after their harrowing defeat last March.

After Rose was finished waving to her parents and numerous uncles and aunts from the train window, she quickly walked down the corridor trying to find her brother and cousins.

"Oi! Rosie! You're heading the wrong way!"

Rose turned around to see her brother waving to her from a compartment near the front of the train.

"What are we doing in a compartment up here?" She yelled to Hugo as she made her way through the crowded corridor. "We always sit near the back."

"Fred's friend Amelia is letting us have the prefects compartment, since its larger and they already had their meeting in Diagon Alley this summer. I guess she decided to schedule it early so she could thoroughly enjoy her last train ride to Hogwarts." He said with a shrug.

"WHAT?!" Rose screeched. "They already had their meeting? I didn't know about it! How am I supposed to know what to do? Hugo! Did you see which way she went?"

"Calm down, Rosie. If you didn't interrupt me, you would know that I am supposed to tell you that Amelia is sorry she didn't owl you about the meeting. She simply didn't know you had been made a prefect. She also told me, well all of us so you'd be sure to know, you need not worry about your prefect duties on the train ride. She said to consider it a congratulatory present. But there is a prefect meeting an hour after the feast, in the prefect common room."

Rose opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by Hugo.

"Don't interrupt me, Rose! She also said she knows you don't know where the prefect common room is, but James does, so you are to force him to take you to it."

"How does James know where the prefect common room is?" asked Rose, incredulously.

"Because Stem, I am all knowing."

Rose looked past her brother and saw James Potter grinning at her. He pushed Hugo aside, grabbed Rose by the arm, and dragged her into the compartment.

The compartment was huge. Rose guessed they had put an Enlarging Charm over the room to hold all the prefects. There was a large, round table in the center of the room, and benches all along the walls. The baggage holds above were already stuffed with Weasley and Potter trunks. It probably would have seemed bigger, Rose thought, but it was full to the rim.

Full of her cousins. Albus and Roxanne were sitting on a bench by the window, already deep into a game of Exploding Snap. Dominique was busy reading Witch Weekly at the table, while Fred was reading over her shoulder, giggling, for reasons only known to him. Louis, Molly, and Lucy were joined at the hip as usual and were sorting through their new schoolbooks. Rose quickly noticed someone was missing.

"Where's Lily?" Rose asked James.

"Oh, she is looking for Lorcan and Lysander. She wants them to sit with us their first time."

"Don't you think they should be sitting with other people? Meeting other first years?"

"Well, Stem, that is what us reasonable people think. Apparently Lily is not of our kind." He flashed her his signature smile, full of cockiness and humor.

Rose's attentions were diverted from James, as Lily walked into the compartment, arms around two small, blond children's shoulders. Lily had made it her duty to watch over the Scamander twins from the moment she laid eyes on them at her house ten years ago. Rose suspected it was because Lily shared her middle name with the twin's mother, Luna Lovegood, a close family friend. Lily always had a special place in her heart for Luna, and it was safe to say the twins inherited that spot after their birth.

"Hey you lot! Look who I found!" exclaimed Lily.

"Lorcan, my man! Come over here and chat with Fred and I. We haven't seen you all summer," called James, who had moved over to sit with Fred in the corner.

Lorcan shyly walked over to the boys, and sat in the middle of them with a small grin on his face. Rose knew he always was baffled by James and Fred's affections, but he didn't seem to mind it.

Rose quickly made her way over to Albus and Roxanne. They had just ended their game, and were looking expectantly at Rose.

"What?" she asked, noting their expectant looks.

"You made prefect! When were you going to tell us? I was stunned to hear this piece of news from my father. He said it was a shame he kept loosing his family to the steady ways of Hogwarts do-gooders," Roxanne said with a warm smile.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't hear too long ago, and I was so busy with getting schoolwork done and my parents being so proud, it must have just slipped my mind," Rose replied, as she reached into her purse to grab her book she was dying to finish.

"Oh, so we just slipped your mind did we? That hurts, Rose. It really hurts," muttered Albus, with a humorous pout on his face.

"Oh, don't give me that rubbish, Al. Just play another game, so I can finish up this book," snapped Rose.

She could tell Al had a truly shocked look on his face, so she sent him a little wink over her book. He grinned at her and turned back to Roxanne to start another game.

After a half-hour Rose had finished her book, and was thinking about the story she had just read. She often did that after reading a book. She felt if she thought about what the author was really trying to say with his story, she would have gained some life knowledge, which was something she loved to do. The book had been about a Muggleborn, who had to fight to keep his family safe during the Second War from Death Eaters. It was a non-fictional tale set in a fictional time that was all too real for Rose's family. She knew her family had fought to keep each other safe, and she thought if she were faced with that dilemma, she would fight until she died. As she thought this, she looked around the compartment at her cousins and brother, and knew that they were worth dying for. They were her favorite people in life, closer than best friends and closer than other families she knew.

She looked over at her brother, reading his Transfiguration: Year 4textand smiled. Hugo was so dear to her. They quarreled quite a bit, but that was only because they were so alike and a little different in age. Hugo was two years younger than her, and she truly believed that boys mature slower than girls. Hugo was no different no matter how smart he was. Although he was slightly immature, Rose did have to give him credit. He wasn't nearly as bad as the boys in her year. Hugo was very open and friendly, and he had a quick wit. He also knew his boundaries. Him and Rose would be the most likely to take a step back and think about what they were doing when the cousins got together to reek havoc at the Burrow. These qualities that Rose admired about her brother, were said to be ones that she possessed. And she was proud of being alike to him in those ways. The only noticeable difference between them was their appearances.

Hugo was the spitting image of his father, from the Weasley red hair, to the long nose and freckles, and the bright blue eyes. He defied genetics, not inheriting one physical trait from his mother.

While Rose shared Hugo's height, long nose, and bright blue eyes, she had a smattering of dark freckles on her nose and she had long, straight auburn hair. She always thought it was strange she never acquired the flaming Weasley hair, but she supposed that was because of her mum. One thing she did inherit physically from her mother was two, rather large front teeth. She was told her mother had the same teeth, but had them shrunk during her fourth year. Rose didn't mind them all that much, and didn't know whether she would do the same, although her mother had offered her permission. It wasn't news to Rose that she was a pretty girl, she was told all the time by family and she had more than enough attention from the boys at school, and she figured it could be a lot worse than slightly larger front teeth.

She turned her attention to James and Fred who were talking animatedly to Lorcan. James was one of her favorite cousins, even though they were so different. He was so likeable even though he had a cocky arrogance to him. He was friendly to most everyone, and very approachable. The teachers, although exasperated by his antics, still enjoyed his presence and none seemed to dislike him, the older ones even said he reminded them of his grandfather.

Rose had seen a photo of her Uncle Harry's father before, and had to admit, they looked very much alike. They were both very good looking. The only difference being that James had dark brown hair, not jet-black. They had the same hazel eyes, height, and grin. Rose felt that if she knew the first James Potter, she would have liked him instantly.

Fred, who was James' best friend and partner in crime, was a surprise for his dad and his mum, Angelina. Rose had heard that they had not been married when Fred was conceived, and it had caused quite the stir in the family. It should have been a sign that Fred would be one to always surprise. First, after the initial shock of his conception, he was born with the Weasley hair. It was surprising because his mum was black, and it didn't seem likely the hair would carry on, but it did. Second, although he is a trouble- maker, he is a lot shyer than his father or his namesake. He doesn't open up much to anyone but his family, and always lets James take the glory for their pranks. Third, Fred came out to the family during his fifth year. His dad, George, thought it was hilarious when he was first told, but after seeing his son's expression, shut up and hugged him. The family accepted it right away, including James. Rose was told in confidence that Fred was most scared to come out to James. But James surprised him and said he always suspected and "couldn't give a damn, it only meant more girls for him."

Lily had a special place in Rose's heart. Not only was she Hugo's closest cousin, but also, Rose knew that Lily looked up to her, and always considered Rose as a sister rather than a cousin. That admiration made Rose feel special. Lily was very much her mother's daughter, a spitfire and very skilled. She loved her brothers and actually enjoyed their protectiveness. Rose found it odd, because Lily needed absolutely no protection, seeing as she could take care of herself.

Molly and Lucy, the twins, on the other hand, needed some protection. Maybe not the amount they were given though, thought Rose. At the age of twelve they were tiny, and very bookish. Rose knew they got that from their father Percy, and she suspected he sang her mother's praises, as the twins considered their Aunt Hermione their idol. They both had a sweet demeanor, and were very trusting. Their male cousins didn't much like their trusting nature, and were always looking out for them. Especially after their first year when a couple of Slytherin boys tricked them into going into the Forbidden Forest, knowing full well a teacher would be patrolling nearby. James surprisingly had a soft spot for the twins. If Lily could be called unreasonable with her watchfulness of the Scamander twins, the same could be said about James. He knew their schedules and would sometimes walk them to class just to make sure they were alright.

Dominique and Louis were Rose's most absent cousins. Although they attended Hogwarts, their home was in France. Rose didn't see them often, only in school, the occasional Christmas and a few weeks before the beginning of each school year. Dominique wasn't around much at school; she had her own friends in different houses she enjoyed being around. Although she looked like her sister Victorie, with the long strawberry blonde hair and beautiful features, they couldn't be any more different. While Victorie, who was twenty-three and long gone from Hogwarts, was studious and as Rose would call it, "prim and proper," Dominique was cool. Just cool. Rose didn't know if it was rebelling against Victorie and her mother, or just her father's influence, but she was rock n' roll. She wore black combat books and a throng of bracelets up her wrists. She was into Muggle music, and quick to lash out when anyone insulted it. Although she wasn't always around, she still was part of the family. Rose could always chat with her in the common room late at night if she wanted. Rose had even gone to Dom (as she liked to be called) in her third year with boy troubles, a task Victorie would normally undertake, and Dom was quick to help and soothe.

Louis, Rose's youngest cousin, was tall and good looking. At 12, he already had the girls swooning. He was very smart, but like his father, cool and easy-going. He had few friends, and preferred to hang out with Molly and Lucy. Him and Albus also have a special relationship.

Albus, Rose's best friend, was shy and sweet. Something Rose cherished, seeing as the rest of her family had bold personalities. This is not saying Albus didn't have his bold moments, he certainly did. Like the one time when he had an argument with Rose's father about befriending Scorpius Malfoy, someone Ron had warned the children about, that ended with Albus using underage magic and Stunning Ron. It was quite a serious situation at the time, but looking back Rose thought Albus showed his true Gryffindor colors. So did Ron apparently, because ever since the fight he has treated Albus as a son and they had come to have a wonderful relationship. Although Ron was never one to disagree with a true Gryffindor, he was still wary of Scorpius. Albus was far from social, even though he is quite popular, and him and Louis bonded over the fact they weren't comfortable with their spotlight.

Roxanne on the other hand, though Rose calls her Roxie (so they are Roxie and Rosie), loves the spot light. She tries to be center of attention when it comes to the most important aspects of her life, Quidditch and boys. Which isn't hard for her to do in either area. She is a natural at Quidditch, which Rose is jealous of. Roxie never needed to practice to become a brilliant beater; some say she's better than her father. In the area of boys, she needs no help there. Roxie is very unique looking, with smooth caramel skin and dark blue eyes. All her features are soft and subtle, which is contrasted with her head of ginger dreadlocks. Her looks, winning personality, and Quidditch skills were enough for boys to fall in love with her on the spot. Rose personally thought Roxie had far too many boyfriends than necessary, but this could be because Rose is quite jealous of all the attention Roxie gets. Not that she held it against her, not in the slightest. She loves Roxie and considers her second, only to Albus.

As Rose sat there thinking about her amazing cousins, she felt a pang of regret that she hadn't tried to make better friends with those outside her family while at Hogwarts. That guilt was quickly squashed when she thought about all the friends she did have, and even though they weren't all particularly close, she could still call them friends.

Thinking about other friends made Rose think about her friend Maribella Fawn, and how excited she was to meet up with her later and talk about their respective summers. Rose had managed to befriend Maribella on the first train ride to Hogwarts, and stayed close to her throughout the years, even though Maribella was a Ravenclaw.

"Hey, Potter!" Rose was ripped from her thoughts as a smooth voice called across the compartment.

All Weasley and Potter heads turned towards the compartment door.

Rose's breath caught, as it did every time Scorpius surprised her. He is so bloody handsome, thought Rose. And it was true; Scorpius wasn't just handsome, he was gorgeous. Rose once heard a muggleborn exclaim that he would be the best-paid supermodel alive if he were a Muggle. Scorpius from a distance looked like a typical Malfoy. He had white blond hair, pale skin, and had a piercing stare. The difference was the softness about him. Unlike his father's, Scorpius had bright blue eyes and a warm smile (Rose only ever saw it when he was with Albus). He had a strong bone structure, but wasn't pointed like his fathers. Rose had been in love with him since third year when he became Albus' other best friend and grew about five inches.

"Hey Malfoy!" said Albus. "How are you-"

But Hugo cut off Albus.

"Hey, Scorpius. You know the rules. This is Weasley and Potter time."

"You are right. I do know the rules but your hour is up," said Scorpius quietly. He was quite shy around people he didn't know well. He is like Fred in that sense, thought Rose, as she watched her brother and Scorpius' exchange.

"Oh, is it?" asked Al, as he checked his pocket watch. "So it is. Come join us, Malfoy!"

Al and Scorpius only ever called each other by their last names when in front of a crowd. Rose was told that Scorpius hated his name, and it was either Malfoy or nothing. Al allowed Scorpius to call him Potter, even though if anyone else called him by his last name, he would be pretty unhappy. Rose thought it showed how much Albus respected his friendship with Scorpius that he would let it go. Apparently, Albus learned Scorpius' middle name, Hyperion (which he told Rose in confidence) and decided to call Scorpius by the name of Hyper, because it was so far from the truth of what Scorpius was. Rose also knew that whenever Albus uses this name when anyone is in earshot, he gets a slap on the head from Scorpius.

Scorpius came into the compartment and pulled a chair up in front of Albus, so he didn't have to sit next to Rose or Roxie. Rose was slightly disappointed because she was aware there was enough room for him between Albus and herself. Scorpius looked at both Rose and Roxie and gave a quick nod to each girl. He then turned his attention to Albus.

"I don't know how Hugo can be so strict about your families rules when you have two blond children in here whom I have never seen before," Scorpius muttered to Al. It was only then Rose noticed Scorpius had a slight blush to his face. Rose gathered he must have been embarrassed about breaking up the family gathering.

"Oh, that's Lorcan and Lysander. They are family friends. It's their first year at Hogwarts. Lily felt that they needed to be coddled, and forced them to sit with us," Rose said in a rush. She could feel her ears redden. She always talked a lot in front of Scorpius. It was so embarrassing.

Scorpius raised his eyebrows and looked as though he were about to say something when James called out to her.

"Oi! Stem! What's that silly round thing Muggles play their music on?"

"It's called a CD, you fool!" snapped Dom, not even looking up from her magazine.

"I didn't ask you, Dominique. I asked Stem there."

"Why does it matter who answered you, James? You got your answer," replied Rose.

"Well, Stem. I just think it's rude for people to butt into other people's conversations," James answered, and with that, he stuck his tongue out at Dom.

Dom, who wasn't even watching James, immediately raised her hand in a gesture that Rose had only ever seen her father hand out.

Everyone immediately started giggling, but not as much as James, who thought it was hilarious. Rose was pretty sure James had only kept on to get a rise out of Dom. James always felt like Dom could make more of an effort. Family was the most important thing to James, even more than pranks or girls, and he thought all Weasleys should feel the same. James caught Rose's eye and winked. She reciprocated, and turned to see Scorpius watching her.

He gave her a small grin and turned to Albus and Roxie's new game of Exploding Snap. It happened before Rose even had time to savor it.

"ROSIE!!!"

Rose looked up and saw her friend Maribella standing in the doorway with an excited look on her face. The train ride was now complete for Rose. Good times with her family, some attention from Scorpius, and her close friend; what more could she want?

"Bella, darling!" cried Rose, in a good imitation of a classic 40s film star.

She stood up and they danced towards each other, and met in the middle with a great big hug. They immediately broke into giggles and made their way back to Rose's spot.

As they plopped down into their seats, Rose noticed Maribella redden as she sat next to Albus. Rose knew for a fact that Maribella liked Albus, even though Maribella never verbally admitted it to Rose. Rose had an inkling that Albus liked Maribella as well, considering he was slightly standoffish and cocky, well as cocky as Al could possibly get, when he was around Maribella. For a boy so sweet by nature, Rose was sure this was Albus' only way of separating Maribella from other girls. And with this thought, Rose noticed Albus stiffen and move over slightly towards Roxie.

Rose grinned at this to herself, and looked up to see that Scorpius was grinning at Albus, wiggling his eyebrows. Rose had to stifle her giggle. She turned to Maribella and they launched into a conversation that would last the rest of the train ride. It went from what they did that summer, to their families, to their families' crazy antics, to cute boys they saw in Diagon Alley, the upcoming Quidditch season, music, Rose thinking about getting a Muggle driving license, and finally, a half-hour long discussion about what food would be served for the beginning of the year feast.

When the train stopped, the family and their friends gathered up their trunks and made their way out of the train. Rose was walking towards the carriages by herself. Maribella had run off to see some Ravenclaw friends, and Albus and Roxie were just ahead having an argument about who was the better keeper. Rose could hear from the yells it was between the Bulgarian keeper, and the Puddlemore United keeper. She smiled to herself at her cousins' fight. They always had the most useless arguments. Rose was surprised they were so close.

"Hey! Stem! See you at the feast!" yelled James as he waited for a carriage with Molly, Lucy, and Louis.

Rose laughed as James threw Molly and Lucy into the carriage, and climbed in right after, leaving Louis to climb in last.

"Why does he call you Stem?" Rose felt a whisper in her ear. It made her shiver.

She looked around and saw Scorpius looking down at her with a curious look on his face.

"Oh. Scorpius. Hi!" She basically yelled. "Sorry. You startled me. Umm, well, you see, when I was younger, I guess I was skinny and James said that my hair was the color of a rose and the only thing that set a real rose and myself apart was the fact that my body wasn't green. So he took it upon himself to hex me so my skin was green. Luckily, this was during the summer, so no one apart from my family saw me. But it was terribly embarrassing, and anyways, ever since he has called me Stem, and it stuck."

Rose took a deep breath and looked up at Scorpius. He had a concerned look on his face, and Rose had no idea why, until…

"You are still skinny!" He said loudly, quite startling her.

"I'm sorry?"

Scorpius turned a faint shade of pint. It was really endearing.

"I just meant…well, you said, you were skinny when you were younger. But your not fat now, I mean…not that you ever were, but I just meant…your still skinny."

Scorpius almost imitated Rose because he had said this so fast. He immediately looked away, craning his neck over the crowd, seemingly looking for someone. His face turned to relief when he heard Al calling them over to a carriage a few meters away.

As the pair clambered into the carriage, Roxie gave Rose a knowing wink and went back to her conversation with Fred, who was crammed into the corner of the carriage, looking slightly unhappy. Roxie, besides Maribella, was the only one who knew the love Rose harbored for Scorpius. She thankfully had enough tact, something most her family didn't, not to say anything more.

The ride to the castle was a quiet one for Rose. She kept replaying Scorpius and her conversation over and over in her mind, savoring every moment of their first true conversation. Although Scorpius had been Al's other best friend for nearly three years, Scorpius was so guarded and Rose so awestruck, that they never managed more than a few words to each other. Rose only knew that he was amazing because she constantly stole glances of Al and Scorpius, when Scorpius obviously thought he wasn't being watched. Scorpius had such a wonderful smile, and Rose loved how his eyes crinkled when he laughed. She was sure he had a special personality as well, or else Albus wouldn't have made such an effort to become friends with him. His family's legacy didn't bother her, because Albus always said he was very different from his father, and what's more, the Malfoys seemed to be letting go of their blood status obsession. Albus always talked to Rose about Scorpius' family, and from what she could gather, Asteria, Scorpius' mum, was turning Draco's stance slightly.

The Great Hall was loud with chatter as the older students waited for the first years to be orientated. Rose felt a slight sadness, because after this year, there would be no one for her to look forward to getting sorted. Lorcan and Lysander were the youngest people she could think of whom she cared enough about where they would be sorted. Rose hoped they would be sorted into Gryffindor like the rest of her family, but she knew that Luna had been a Ravenclaw and it could influence where they were placed.

She looked down Gryffindor's table and could see the rest of her cousins all had looks of worry and thought on their faces. She was sure they were thinking about where Lorcan and Lysander would be sorted. Lily was practically biting off her nails, throwing worried looks towards the Great Hall doors. She nearly squealed when the doors opened and Neville led the first years to the front of the hall. Rose smiled when she saw the twins walk in, holding hands, looking up towards the ceiling a look of serene wonderment on both their faces.

The hat sang its song (which was not much different from last year's song, which caused many students to look around at each other with a confused look on their faces) and the first years began to be sorted.

Rose didn't even pay attention to any of the other students. But she did manage to clap when some were sorted into Gryffindor. Her attention was focused on the twins, and sometimes on Scorpius, whom she had a clear view of, sitting over at the Ravenclaw table. She noticed him frown slightly at the song, and she couldn't help but swoon at the little crease she noticed had formed between his eyebrows. She quickly diverted her eyes from Scorpius to the front when she heard Lorcan called up.

Little Lorcan walked confidently to the stool, and turned around to face the school, and grinned when he heard James "whoop" from a few places down from Rose.

Neville placed the hat on Lorcan's head, and the hat took only a few seconds before deciding.

"RAVENCLAW!"

The Ravenclaw table clapped loudly, but not as loud as the Potters and Weasleys from the Gryffindor table.

"Go Ravenclaw!" shouted Hugo.

"Woo!! Alright, mate!" yelled Albus.

"Lorcan! We're proud of you, mate!" screamed Lily.

"You're a Weasley at heart! Do us proud!" yelled Fred and Roxie.

Louis, Molly, and Lucy were simply screaming for Lorcan. Dom was clapping loudly with a smile on her face.

Rose was happy for Lorcan. He was in his mother's house and would no doubt do her proud. And any house Rose was almost sorted into was good enough for her. She was overwhelmed with pride, and before she knew it she stood up and yelled, "Lorcan! We always knew you were a little smart ass!! We love you!"

"MR. POTTER! MISS WEASLEY!" shouted Neville from the front of the hall. "THAT IS NOT APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE! TEN POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR!"

"Sorry Nev -Professor Longbottom," replied Rose and James in unison, Rose talking to her plate, James speaking clearly with his head up.

Rose looked over at Lorcan, his face shocked. She could tell he didn't know whether they were serious that he was a smart ass. Lorcan and Rose looked at James, who gave Lorcan a huge grin and two thumbs up. Lorcan looked to Rose, who gave him a little wink. She would have done more but she was so embarrassed, especially after she noticed Scorpius looking at her from Lorcan's side, a highly amused look on his face.

After the hall had quieted down, it was Lysander's turn. Rose looked down at Lily, who had a look torn between worry and excitement. Rose knew Lily was thinking she could get at least one of them in her house, but was worried about splitting the twins up. Rose looked up at Lysander, with the hat over her head, and she was struck by how tiny she was. The hat took a much longer time deciding with Lysander. At times she would tense, and shake her head. Rose wondered what the hat was saying to her. After what seemed like five minutes, the sorting hat called out her house.

"GRYFFINDOR!!"

Lily went wild. She jumped off the bench and ran towards Lysander. She scooped the poor girl up and ran her back to the table. The Weasleys and the Potters all jumped out of their seats and huddled around the two girls, yelling and cheering. Once Rose, her brother, and cousins settled down they took their seats, ready to move on with the feast.

While eating, Rose thought she felt Lysander's sorting was much more exciting than any of her relative's, because deep down Rose always knew the Weasleys would be sorted into Gryffindor. Especially after her sorting, and what the Sorting Hat had said about her family. With Lorcan and Lysander's sorting, they could go anywhere. Rose was happy for Lysander, but was worried about Lorcan.

She looked over at Lorcan and was happily surprised that he was smiling and enjoying his feast. She was even more surprised that he was carrying a conversation with Scorpius, who was talking animatedly to the young boy. Rose knew Lorcan would be cared for in Ravenclaw, and that made her happy.

After the feast, Rose, Al, and Roxie walked up to the Gryffindor common room. They said their greeting to the Fat Lady, and spent a good forty-five minutes catching up with their housemates. At about 8:45, Hugo yelled across the common room to Rose.

"Oi! Rosie! Don't you have somewhere to be?!"

Rose looked at her brother with confusion, until he raised he eyebrows and she suddenly remembered. The prefect meeting!

"Oh, no! I completely forgot! Where is James?" She asked those near her. They all shook their heads.

She stood up and yelled to the room, "WHERE IS JAMES POTTER?!"

Rose looked towards the boy's dormitories when she heard a commotion from the top of the stairs. Seconds later, James was in the common room, breathing rather hard.

"Sorry…Rose…forgot…meeting…remember now…lets go…need to…work out more," James huffed to her. All the Gryffindor girls giggled, like they always did when James spoke.

"Never mind working out, James! I need to get to the prefect's common room. NOW!" she snapped.

"Let's go Stem," said James, and he marched out the portrait hole, only turning back to wave at a group of girls near the fireplace. They all broke out in giggles when he left.

As Rose and James made their way to the prefect common room, Rose noticed James was dressed a lot nicer than he usually was.

"What's with the get up, James?" Rose asked with a smirk.

"What? Nothing. What do you mean? Do I look alright?" James asked in a rush. He looked sideways at Rose with a worried look on his face. His face began to redden.

"Yes, you look better than usual," replied Rose. "But why? You didn't look like this at the feast. Are you trying to look nice for someone James? Someone at the prefect meeting?"

James gave a little chuckle. "Can't seem to pull one over your eyes, Stem. Promise you won't tell?"

"Yeah, I won't tell. Who is it?" asked Rose. She fully intended on keeping James' secret. She was not a gossip, and her family knew that. That was why she was most of her cousins' confidant.

"Well, it isslightly embarrassing." James said in a whisper, covertly looking over his shoulder to see if anyone was in listening distance. "I mean… I'm normally not attracted to such a girl. But she is so different from all the other birds in this castle. Plus, I don't think she knows I exist. And you know how I love a challenge."

"Oh, James!" said Rose, shaking her head. "You don't only like this girl because she doesn't know you, right? You had better not string her along once she does take notice. How low could you get?"

"Calm down, Rose," said James, pushing her behind a tapestry that led to a secret passageway. "Now listen here. This is serious. I really like this girl. She is smart, funny, and totally different from myself. I'm not going to string her along, I just have to know if I have a chance!"

"Who is this girl? Do I know her?" asked Rose, who was now very curious about this girl. James had always been nonchalant about the girls he was going with.

"Yes, you know her. As does Fred," James said, taking a huge breath. He breathed out and covered his face with his hands. "It's Ahmeioha."

"I'm sorry who? I couldn't quite hear you," Rose said, giggling.

"It's Amelia."

"Amelia Burton? Wow…" Rose was generally surprised at this confession.

"Yeah, I know.Wow You won't say anything will you?" James had a very worried expression on his face. Rose quite liked seeing him so vulnerable. If she were a conniving person, Rose thought, she could use this to her advantage.

"No, of course not. But Amelia Burton? She is totally out of your league. I think one of the only reasons she is a friend of Fred's is that she doesn't realize he is behind a lot of the pranks going on around here. This is going to be tough. She doesn't like pranks. She's Head Girl!"

"I know. I know. I can't help who I fall for, can I?" exclaimed James.

"I guess not. But can we get out of here? I don't want to be late for my first meeting. How embarrassing would that be?"

And with that the two made their way to a secret room hidden behind a painting of a young girl, which was located a little ways down the corridor from the Great Hall.