"It's delightful when your imaginations come true, isn't it?" -Anne of Green Gables

Steam and a cacophony of babbling voices surrounded Rose Weasley as she tightened her grip on her father's sleeve. Platform nine and three-quarters bustled around her as she followed her parents towards the large scarlet steam engine with the words Hogwarts Express painted on the sides.

"Are they here?" she whispered, swiveling her head around to try and make out Aunt Ginny's long red hair or Uncle Harry's tall frame amidst the crowd of people gathered on the platform. "Dad, I thought you said they were going to meet us here?"

"They'll get here, Rosie, don't worry," Ron Weasley reassured his daughter, wiggling his sleeve from her grasp and taking her hand, which he squeezed affectionately. "We got here a bit early. Your mum was worried we'd be late."

"We might've been, knowing your driving," Rose's mother Hermione retorted indignantly, turning around to scowl. The small brown-haired boy standing next to her cracked a smile, his eyes roving between his parents.

"My driving was fine," Rose's dad said loftily, jutting his chin out.

His wife rolled her eyes and turned back to their son. Ron glanced down at his daughter and winked at her.

Rose giggled. "I think you're a good driver, Daddy," she said, laughing harder when her dad took a mock bow.

"Thank you, Rosie," he said. "I always knew you were the most sensible one in the family."

"Oh, Ron, there they are!" Rose's mother cried, trotting towards another family who had just emerged from the barrier.

Rose let go of her dad's arm as soon as she saw her cousin Albus walking towards her with his parents and siblings. His face was drawn just as hers must have been a moment ago; he looked as though he was going to be sick. He wore muggle clothing and Rose looked down at her new robes, wondering in embarrassment if she ought to have waited until she was on the train to change.

"Hello," Aunt Ginny chirped, moving around the trolley piled with trunks and an owl cage in order to hug Rose's mum and dad.

"Parked all right then?" Ron asked Uncle Harry. "I did. Hermione didn't believe I could pass a muggle driving test, did you? She thought I'd have to Confund the examiner."

"I did not!" Rose's mum exclaimed indignantly. "I had complete faith in you."

While the adults chattered on about muggle driving, Albus turned to Rose, his pale face drawn. "Are you ready?" he asked quietly, his eyebrows knitting together.

"I think so," Rose answered, taking his hand. She and Al had been planning for the day they would go to Hogwarts together ever since she could remember. Now that the day had come, it seemed, they were both scared out of their minds.

"James was telling me all these stories on the drive over—" Albus began, a tell-tale crease appearing in his forehead.

"Your dad said not to listen to him," Rose interjected quickly. "Remember, after he told me they keep snakes in the girls bathrooms? Your dad said not to believe anything James says about Hogwarts."

"I don't know—" Albus trailed off as they noticed their families meandering down the platform, over to where Hugo, Rose's brother and Lily, Albus' younger sister, stood, talking animatedly.

"I don't know what house I want to be in!" Hugo cried, his eyes wide as he watched his parents approach. "I didn't know you had to decide!"

"If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you," Rose's dad said, "but no pressure."

"Ron!" her mum hissed, smacking him in the arm.

Lily and Hugo laughed, but Rose's stomach dropped. Glancing at Albus, she knew he felt the same way.

"He doesn't mean it," Rose's mum reassured the two incoming first years, placing a hand on their shoulders and giving them a smile. "Really, wherever you're sorted is okay with us."

Rose nodded and looked towards her dad in hopes of receiving a confirmation of this sentiment, but he was no longer paying attention to her and Albus. His gaze, and now Uncle Harry's, was fixed on a small family standing nearby, obscured slightly by the steam.

"So that's little Scorpius," Rose heard her father mutter under his breath, giving Uncle Harry a pointed look before turning to her. "Make sure you beat him at every test, Rosie. Thank god you inherited your mother's brains."

Rose craned her neck and tried to peer around her dad to catch a better look at the boy she was supposed to beat. The steam had thickened, though, and the family was now too fuzzy to make out properly.

"Ron, for heaven's sake!" Rose heard her mother admonish. "Don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!"

"You're right, sorry," Ron murmured, catching Rose's eye and giving her a sharp look. "But don't get too friendly with him though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood."

Rose opened her mouth to tell her father she hadn't even gotten a proper look at the boy, so she couldn't possibly be wanting to marry him, when a shout diverted everyone.

"Hey!" James, Albus' older brother, was running towards them, grinning eagerly. James started babbling as soon as he joined the group, but Rose turned and walked a few steps so she was next to her mother.

"Mum?" she whispered, glancing around. Everyone else appeared distracted by James' news.

"Yes, dear?" Hermione Weasley bent down slightly so she was eye level with her daughter.

"Will Dad really disinherit me if I'm not in Gryffindor?" Rose asked, trying to keep the nervous tremble out of her voice.

Her mother's lips quirked up but she didn't laugh as she straightened and pulled Rose into her chest. "No, sweetheart, he won't disinherit you," she said quietly. "He's just joking. You know he has a terrible sense of humor sometimes."

Rose mustered a half-hearted chuckle and tilted her head so she could see her mum's face. Standing all of five foot two, Rose's eyes were level with her mother's chin. "I'm going to miss you," she said.

Hermione smiled, her eyes misty as she hugged Rose again and patted her hair. "I'm going to miss you too, Rosie," she said softly, kissing Rose's wild red curls. "It's so strange to think you're old enough to be going to Hogwarts when just yesterday you were sitting on my lap learning to read."

Rose squeezed her mother tightly for another moment and then let go, feeling significantly lighter. She felt small arms wrap around her waist and turned to find her nine-year-old brother Hugo hugging her, his face pressed awkwardly into her hair. She turned and put her arms around his neck; he was almost taller than her even though she was two years older. His brown hair stuck straight up in the back and tickled her face as he leaned forward.

"Bye, Rosie," Hugo said. "Have fun at Hogwarts."

"Bye, Hugh," Rose murmured. "I'll write you a letter as soon as I get there."

"Will you tell me about the ghosts?" Hugo asked, releasing her and turning his brown eyes towards her excitedly. "Dad told me there's one there who can take his head off!"

"Yes," Rose laughed. "I promise I'll tell you about the ghosts."

"And the forest?" Hugo continued, bobbing excitedly as he began to name off aspects of Hogwarts their parents had mentioned over the years. "And all the animals Hagrid keeps? And the staircases that move? And the annoying paintings?"

"Yes, yes, I'll tell you about all of it," Rose assured him, squeezing his arm. Her father had joined them now and smiled down at her a bit wistfully. When Hugo was satisfied that his sister would fulfill her promise to tell him everything about Hogwarts he stepped back towards his mother and Ron Weasley bent down to give his daughter a hug.

"Bye, Rosie," Ron said quietly. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Daddy," she whispered back.

"Remember not to annoy Peeves," her dad muttered, "and be careful around boys, and don't do anything that will get you expelled. If you need anything, you write your mum and me, or else find Fred and he'll help you."

"Okay," Rose said, squeezing him tighter. She didn't want to let go. She wanted to stay right there on the platform with her mum and dad and brother.

"And remember your mum and I love you," Ron said.

"I love you too."

"Right, and you're going to have a great year."

"Okay."

Her dad let go of her and Rose stepped back, turning to Aunt Ginny, who hugged her and whispered a quick, "good luck!"

Rose then turned to Uncle Harry, her favorite man in the family right after her dad and cousin Fred.

"Goodbye, Rosie Posie," Uncle Harry said, giving her a big hug. He bent down and said right in her ear, "keep an eye on Al for us, love, he might need it."

Rose giggled and nodded her head. She glanced towards Al, who was staring at the train with a look of apprehension. Uncle Harry squeezed her shoulder once more and moved towards his son, bending down and speaking quietly to him.

"Well, dear, you'd better get on," Rose's mother murmured, taking hold of one end of the heavy trunk labeled R.W. and hoisting it into the carriage.

Rose scurried onto the train. Behind her, she could hear Uncle Harry's voice chime out, "it's nearly eleven." A minute later, Albus clambered onto the train behind her. Aunt Ginny heaved the door shut and they moved to a window, leaning out so they could see their families. Rose's mother was crying freely now, fat teardrops rolling down her cheeks. Hugo had coaxed Ron into giving him a piggy back ride and waved enthusiastically from his perch.

Out of the corner of her eye Rose caught a flash of blue and she turned to see Teddy Lupin standing on the platform, stretching up tall and kissing her cousin Victoire, who was leaning over the side of the train.

Rose could feel Albus shifting beside her and she craned her neck in different directions to catch a glimpse of all the students scrambling to board the train. A fair number of eyes had gravitated towards Albus' dad and Rose felt her face heat up as the stares wandered over to her family and eventually to her and Albus.

"Why are they all staring?" Albus muttered beside her, casting dark looks around the platform.

"Don't let it bother you," Rose's dad said, smiling brightly and pretending to pose for an invisible camera. "It's me, I'm extremely famous."

They all laughed and Rose felt another pang of affection for her father as the train began to slowly roll away. She had the urge to jump through the window and beg her parents to take her back home with them, but then she caught sight of Uncle Harry walking along beside them, his eyes trained on her and Albus and a reassuring smile on his face. He stayed beside them until the train picked up enough speed he could no longer keep up and then he waved until they rounded a corner and he was out of sight.

Rose and Albus withdrew from the window and looked at each other expectantly.

"I suppose we should find Lucy, then," Al said, his eyes ferreting around nervously as though expecting their cousin, who was also a first year, to magically appear beside them.

"She said yesterday she would probably be near the front of the train, since Uncle Percy was stationed there to make sure all the broomsticks met regulation," Rose answered, holding up the hem of her school robes and starting along down the corridor. Albus fell into step beside her quickly.

They had gone about halfway down the corridor when they caught sight of Lucy, her red ponytail bouncing behind her as she ran towards them.

"Al! Rosie! I'm so glad I found you, I was beginning to worry," she panted, bending over to catch her breath. "I didn't see either of you get on the train but I saw Uncle Harry out the window."

"We're here," Al said, smiling.

"Shall we find a compartment?" Lucy asked, smoothing down several pieces of hair that had come loose from her ponytail during her sprint down the corridor. "I don't know if there's any more empty ones, but we might be able to find the others. Molly told me all the cousins share a compartment."

After a few minutes of looking it became dreadfully apparent that their chances of finding their cousins were slim, and their hopes of finding an unoccupied compartment even slimmer. Dread settled in Rose's chest as she realized the rest of the family could very well be at the other end of the train for all they knew.

"Here," she said loudly, standing up straighter and marching over to the closest compartment. "We'll just sit in this one. We can't be wandering the train all day."

"But someone's in there," Lucy said, frowning.

Rose shrugged, stirring up a few morsels of confidence as she looked between her two ill-at-ease cousins. "So we'll make new friends," she said, forcing her face into a grin. Without waiting for a response she wrenched open the door and stepped into the compartment.

Two boys, who both looked to be about her age, stared at her. One was scrawny and blond, with big silver eyes and a pointed chin. The other was a bit bigger with brown hair and warm brown eyes. Both wore identical expressions of confusion.

"We can't find an empty compartment," Rose said hurriedly, feeling her face flush as the boys continued to stare at her. Why had this seemed like a good idea again? "So, er—" she trailed off, looking over her shoulder at Al and Lucy, who were both gazing at their shoes and offering no help whatsoever. "Can we sit with you?" she finished lamely, praying the two strangers wouldn't turn them out.

The blond boy continued to stare at her appraisingly, but the brown haired one's face cleared as soon as the question left Rose's mouth. He shook his head slightly and turned towards his friend, eyebrows raised. "I reckon we've got enough room in here for them, aye Scorp?"

The blond boy merely shrugged, turning to look out the window.

"Come on in," the brown haired boy said, smiling at Rose and beckoning her forward.

Rose exhaled and slid into the seat across from the boys, followed quickly by Albus and Lucy.

"I'm Nathan," the brown haired boy said. "Nathan Nott. And this is Scorpius Malfoy," he gestured towards the blond boy next to him.

Rose's eyebrows shot upward as she realized this was the boy her dad and Uncle Harry had been talking about. She eyed Scorpius, who was still staring resolutely out the window. His fine blond hair was combed back off his face, highlighting his high cheekbones and pointed chin. His pale skin rivalled even Albus' and she could see the reflection of his silvery eyes in the window. With mounting irritation, she wondered why he wouldn't turn and look at them, let alone introduce himself instead of making his friend do it.

"You know it's not good manners to not talk to people when you first meet them," she blurted out.

"Rose!" Lucy hissed, scowling across Albus.

Scorpius turned away from the window now and fixed Rose with a frown. "I wasn't trying to be rude," he said quietly.

"Well—" Rose began hotly, but Albus put a hand on her arm and cut her off.

"I'm Albus Potter," he said, holding out a hand to Nathan, and then to Scorpius.

Nathan's eyes bulged and he seemed to choke a bit as he shook Al's hand. "Potter?" he asked in a strained voice. "As in—"

"Yeah," Al muttered, drawing his hand back and running it through his hair in agitation. Rose tried to shake her head discreetly at Nathan. Al hated it when people brought up his family's fame.

"So you're Harry Potter's son?" Nathan pressed on, not seeing Rose's head jerks. "Blimey, I never would've thought—though, now that you mention it, yes I see it. You have those eyes everyone talks about."

Rose could feel Al grind his teeth beside her. "I'm Rose Weasley," she broke in, hoping to take some of the attention off her cousin. It worked. Both boys turned to her.

"Nice to meet you," Nathan said. "I've heard of your family too. Aren't there about twenty of you at Hogwarts now?"

"Nine," Rose replied, grinning. "If you count the Potters in there."

Nathan nodded and turned to face Lucy, who hadn't spoken since reprimanding Rose. "And what's your name?" he asked.

Lucy's face went red. "Lucy Weasley," she mumbled.

"Pleasure to meet you, Lucy," Nathan said.

"Same to you," Lucy answered.

"So are you all first years too?" Rose asked, addressing Nathan. She rather liked this boy, though his friend seemed to be a borderline mute.

"Yeah," Nathan said, throwing an arm around Scorpius. "We've been best friends since we were babies and now we're going to school together."

"What house do you think you'll be in?" Rose asked.

To her surprise, Scorpius answered first. "Probably Slytherin," he said quietly, sliding out from under Nathan's arm and watching Rose cautiously. "My whole family's been in there."

"Oh," Rose faltered, feeling Albus stiffen slightly beside her as she bit back a comment about how her dad said Slytherins were all snakes. "Er, that's—"

"Wonderful," Lucy interrupted, throwing Rose a warning look. "How about you, Nathan?"

"The same," Nathan said, grinning at Scorpius. "My family's all been in there too."

Rose felt her mouth slide into a frown at this. "But you're—"

"And you lot?" Nathan asked, talking over Rose. He turned his brown eyes on her and Rose swallowed her opinion on Slytherin house.

"Gryffindor," she said confidently, "like my mum and dad."

"Me too, probably." Albus chimed in, relaxing slightly. "Though I'm not really sure."

"I'll probably be in Ravenclaw," Lucy said quietly, fiddling with a piece of hair. "That's where my sister is."

"Well, now we know who to go to for homework help," Nathan said.

"No, that's Rosie you want," Albus murmured, elbowing Rose in the rib. "Everyone says she's going to be the smartest one in the family."

Rose felt her face go red with pleasure and she did her best to look humble, but what Albus said was true; the family really did think she was going to be the smartest one.

"How many books did you bring with you?" Al asked, gaining confidence as Rose turned a darker shade of red. "Nine? Ten?"

"Thirteen," she muttered, looking at the table. She didn't want the two boys she had just met to think she was a swot.

"Thirteen?" Albus asked incredulously, his eyebrows disappearing into the messy black fringe covering his forehead. "I don't even know if I've read thirteen books in my life."

"Well that's why nobody thinks you're going to be the smartest one in the family," Rose retorted, smiling when Nathan chuckled at her comment.

"How'd you fit thirteen books in your trunk?" Nathan asked, furrowing his brow. "They have to take up a lot of room."

"My mum shrank them," Rose answered, grinning. "One of my cousins will enlarge them for me tonight."

"That's clever," Nathan said, nodding his head. "What—"

He was interrupted by the sound of the compartment door sliding open. Rose looked up to find James and Fred, her cousins who were both in their third year, standing in the doorway.

"There you lot are!" James cried, taking Lucy's hand and pulling her to her feet. "We've been looking everywhere for you, thought you might've got lost and wandered off the train on accident."

"We couldn't find you," Al said, a bit defensively.

"Well, our compartment's just a bit down the corridor," Fred said, smiling at Rose. "Come on, everyone's dying to see you three."

"It was nice to meet you," Lucy said over her shoulder to Nathan and Scorpius as James shuffled her out of the compartment.

"You too," Nathan called back. Rose gave him one last grin as she slid out of her seat and followed Fred and Albus into the corridor. Fred closed the door and put an arm around Rose's shoulder, pulling her close to his side.

"Rosie, I thought for a while you chickened out and somehow convinced your mum to let you stay home," he chided, ruffling her hair.

"I would never chicken out," Rose said heatedly, pushing aside the memory of her nerves at the station.

"I know you wouldn't," Fred chuckled. "You're big bad Rose Weasley and nothing scares you."

"That's right!" she cried, laughing as Fred squeezed her. He stopped in front of a very crowded compartment and opened the door, revealing all the Weasley cousins crammed inside.

Victoire, who was in her last year of school, and Dominique, a fifth year, sat across from each other by the window. Molly, Lucy's older sister who was a fourth year, sat beside Dom while Roxanne, Fred's sister who was a year older than Rose, sat next to Victoire. James and Lucy, who had just arrived, sat closest to the door. There was a collective roar of hello when Fred pushed Albus and Rose inside and shut the door, taking a seat beside James and pulling Rose beside him. Albus squeezed in next to Lucy, squashed between his cousin and the door.

"We thought you lot jumped off or something," Dom laughed as the three younger cousins squirmed into place.

"We couldn't find you!" Albus cried. "We went up and down the corridor looking and then Rose decided to just walk into a compartment—"

"I didn't just walk in," Rose argued. "You were going to just walk around the corridor all day so I opened a door and introduced—"

"Rosie, I don't think any of us believe you took the time to introduce yourself before barging into a stranger's compartment," Victoire said, laughing as Rose glared.

"It's not a bad thing," James said, winking at her. "You need guts like that for when you get sorted this evening."

Rose, Albus, and Lucy all grew stony at the mention of the sorting. "W-what do you mean we need guts for the sorting?" Albus asked, glancing around nervously. "Do we—do they make you do something?"

"They do," James said solemnly, reaching across the table and putting a hand on Al's shoulder. "They take all the first years down to the lake, and make you strip down to your underwear—"

Albus' eyes grew wide and Rose saw him glance anxiously towards his trousers.

"And then one by one," James continued, his voice dead calm, "they make you jump in the lake and fight the giant squid that lives there."

"No," all three first years breathed. Rose forgot her annoyance and stared unabashedly at James. Hogwarts: A History had mentioned nothing about the sorting ceremony, much to her disappointment. And James seemed so sure of himself when he spoke of it. She knew her cousin told tall tales sometimes but this was something that just couldn't be made up. It just made so much sense. And she knew the giant squid was real; she had heard her mother talk about it occasionally.

"James, stop it, look at them, you're scaring them half to death!" Victoire snapped, reaching across Roxanne to swat at her younger cousin.

"So—so we don't have to fight the giant squid?" Rose whispered, turning around to face Fred, whose dark eyes twinkled merrily though his expression was serious.

"No, Rosie," he smiled, shaking his head. "No, you don't have to fight the giant squid."

"Fred?"

"Yeah, Rose?"

"I'll still be your favorite cousin even if I'm not in Gryffindor, right?"

"Of course, Rosie."

Rose let out a sigh of relief and leaned back so her head rested beside Fred's.

The rest of the train ride passed in a haze of exploding snap and raucous retellings of things that had happened at family gatherings over the years. James got to do his impression of Uncle Harry accidentally hitting himself in the head with a beaters bat and Vic told the story of her Grandmére meeting Teddy Lupin and complaining loudly about "zat blue 'aired boy weef two left feet."

It seemed as though mere minutes had gone by when the announcement came on that they were almost to Hogsmeade Station and students should get ready to disembark. The Weasley compartment was suddenly in a flurry of commotion as the cousins jostled around to retrieve their robes from their luggage. In shifts of two or three they left the compartment to go change, coming back in black robes identical to the ones Rose had been wearing since arriving at the station.

The train slowed to a stop and Rose could see through the door that the corridors had flooded with students, all buzzing eagerly. Fred nudged her gently in the back and Rose stood up, reaching out and clinging to her cousin's hand.

"It's alright, Rosie," Fred said quietly, putting his free hand on her shoulder. She nodded, but didn't release his hand.

She and Fred led the Weasley clan off the train. A few hundred feet away Rose saw Hagrid towering over students, waving an oversized hand and bellowing, "Firs' years! Firs' years over this way!"

Rose turned with wide eyes to look first at Fred, then at Albus and Lucy who stood behind him, also staring at Hagrid. A wave of anxiety crashed over Rose. Nobody had told her they would be separated from their older cousins. She had counted on staying with them all the way to the castle, only leaving when it was time for the dreaded sorting.

Fred released her hand and bent down so their faces were level. "It's alright, Rosie," he repeated. "It's not that bad I promise. And James and I will be cheering louder than anyone for all three of you when you get sorted."

Rose nodded and swallowed heavily, keeping her face neutral so nobody could see the fear coursing through her. Fred squeezed her shoulder and walked in the opposite direction, followed by James and Roxanne, who called good luck to the three first year cousins.

"You're all going to be fine," Molly said soothingly, hugging Lucy and then Al and finally Rose. Dom and Vic repeated the sentiment and gave them hugs as well before following the others.

Left on their own, Rose, Albus and Lucy stared at each other. "I guess we'd best go to Hagrid," Rose said, steeling herself. The other two nodded and they walked tentatively towards the giant.

"Alrigh' you three?" Hagrid called happily, grinning broadly as they approached.

"We're not bad," Rose said, her voice sounding much more confident than she felt. "Why don't we go with everyone else?"

"Firs' years go by boat," Hagrid said, not bothering to explain further. He gestured to an area behind him, where there were in fact several small boats at the edge of what Rose guessed was the infamous lake.

"Do we just pick one?" Lucy asked, eyeing them nervously.

"Any one you like," Hagrid said. "It don' matter, I don' reckon there's much o' a difference. No more'n four to a boat, mind yer."

"Right," Albus muttered, drawing in a deep breath. "I guess we'll go get one then before they fill up."

They meandered down towards the fleet, hearing Hagrid's renewed shouts of "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

Albus chose a boat towards the back and they all clambered in, Rose and Lucy in the front two seats and Albus in one of the back ones.

"I think they go on their own," Rose said, peering over the side to see if there was anything indicating how the boats ran.

"Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?" a timid voice rang out. Rose looked up and saw a small, frightened looking boy standing near them.

"Sure," Lucy said, smiling at the boy. He gave her an appreciative glance before climbing in and sitting beside Albus.

"I'm Matthew Corner," he said.

"Albus Potter," Al muttered.

"I'm Rose Weasley," Rose said, smacking Albus on the shoulder to make him be friendlier.

"And I'm Lucy Weasley," Lucy chimed in.

"I thought you might be Weasleys," Matthew Corner told them, his eyes going between Rose and Lucy. "You have the hair."

"Right," Rose grumbled, raising a hand to her hair. It was wild and curly and the trademark Weasley red. Some days she liked it, but most days she wished she had gotten her brother's brown hair. Though it was rather nice that she and most of her cousins had the same hair color. Hers and Lucy's was almost identical, although Lucy's hair fell in straight sheets down her back.

"Are you excited to finally be going to Hogwarts?" Matthew Corner asked, leaning back. He immediately leapt forward with a yelp, along with half the first years around them, as the boats began to move of their own accord into the lake.

"Everyone be careful, now!" Hagrid's voice rang out. "Don' lean out of the boats or nothin' like tha' if yer don' wanna fall in!"

"Have people fallen in before?" Lucy whispered nervously, her brown eyes wide.

"I don't think so," Albus answered grimly. "I'm sure James would have said something if they had."

They sat in awed silence as they moved through the foggy evening air. Before their eyes, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry slowly came into view. It was magnificent. Rose reached down and pinched her leg to be sure she wasn't dreaming. Based on a little squeak beside her, she knew Lucy had done the same.

"It's beautiful," Rose whispered, craning her neck to get a better look. The castle was enormous, situated on rolling grounds, with high towers and impressive turrets. Rose felt her jaw drop a bit as her eyes swept over the place. She had known in theory what the castle looked like; she had read Hogwarts: A History over the summer and could recite facts about how many towers there were, how many bathrooms were on each floor, and how deep below the lake the Slytherin dormitories were located. But nothing had prepared her for the sheer grandeur of the place.

Rose was so busy staring at the castle she hadn't noticed the boats were nearing the edge of the lake. When they hit the bank and Matthew Corner climbed out, Rose started and looked around in amazement.

"We're here," she said dumbly, taking the hand Albus held out to her and stepping onto the ground.

"We're here," he repeated, not letting go of her hand as he turned to look at the castle. Cold fingers slid through those on Rose's free hand and she turned to see Lucy standing beside her.

"Everyone go to the fron' doors!" Hagrid called. "Professor McGonagall will meet yer there and then you'll follow her ter get sorted!"

Hand in hand with her two cousins, Rose began walking towards the large, oak doors that she knew would lead them into the Entrance Hall. She heard a sharp intake of breath from Al and a moment later he turned to face her, his green eyes wide with horror.

"Rose, Luce," he hissed, slowing down. His grip on Rose's hand tightened almost painfully and she saw his free hand run through his hair. "What if we're all three in different houses?"

Rose's stomach churned at the thought. She was a little ashamed to admit she hadn't considered the possibility; she had assumed at least one of her cousins would be in the same house as her.

"That won't happen," Lucy whispered, sounding frightened but sure. "Think about it, Al. Families are usually sorted into the same houses. And we have people in Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. We'll be fine."

"It won't happen," Rose added, forcing a smile onto her face.

Al's grip on her hand relaxed slightly, but he still looked uncertain. The three followed the crowd of timid first years to the front doors, where Professor McGonagall stood. Remembering her mother's strict instructions not to call the headmistress Aunt Minnie under any circumstances, Rose tried to keep a straight face as the stern witch's eyes swept over the congregating first years. She met Rose's eyes and winked almost imperceptibly before looking out towards the lake.

"Is that everyone, Hagrid?" she called.

"Yes, Professor," Hagrid answered, ambling up to the back of the group. "That's all o' 'em."

"Very well," Professor McGonagall said crisply, turning back to the first years. "Welcome to Hogwarts. My name is Professor McGonagall and I am the headmistress. In a few minutes the front doors will open and you will all follow me into the entrance hall, where you will form a line in alphabetical order by your surnames and we will proceed to the sorting ceremony. For those of you who don't know, the sorting ceremony is when it will be determined which house you will belong to while you are at school. The four houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Each has a unique set of values and characteristics. While you are at Hogwarts, your house will be your family. Now, if you will follow me."

All of a sudden, the front doors swung open, revealing a magnificent entrance hall. Rose squeezed Albus and Lucy's hands as she tried to get a good look around Professor McGonagall.

The first years filed in behind the headmistress, all heads swiveling around to take in the splendor. To her left, Rose caught sight of Nathan Nott looking straight up at the large chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

"If you would please form a line in alphabetical order by your surnames," Professor McGonagall said crisply, standing by another set of wooden doors which Rose guessed led into the Great Hall. "Those beginning with the letter A will be by me."

There was a mad scramble as students tried to find their place. Albus let go of Rose's hand, shooting her a nervous glance before wandering off to find the Ps. Rose watched him jostle around a few students before she felt a tug on her arm and looked to see Lucy pulling her towards the back of the hall.

"We're probably last," Rose said, rolling her eyes. They walked past Scorpius, who was staring at the floor looking as though he had swallowed a slug, and Nathan, standing two people down, who gave them a smile.

Rose was right: she and Lucy were last. They took their spots at the end of the line, Lucy in front of Rose, and waited. After a few minutes everyone seemed to have found their place and the Entrance Hall grew quiet. Rose stood on her toes and craned her neck to try and catch a glimpse of Albus' messy black hair, but there were too many people between them and she wasn't tall enough to see over everyone. She heard a collective gasp and looked up to see the wooden doors open, offering a view of the Great Hall.

"Look at it," Lucy breathed, peering around the boy in front of her. Rose murmured in appreciation, standing on her toes again to try and see the enchanted ceiling she had read about.

The line of first years moved forward and Rose found, to her horror, that they were walking into the Great Hall.

"We have to do the sorting in front of everyone?" she hissed to Lucy, whose eyes grew wide.

The line stopped moving just after Rose passed through the doors. From her position, she could see Professor McGonagall pick up something that looked like a grey rag and put it in front of her. And, to her confusion, the rag seemed to sing, though Rose was too busy trying to see what it was exactly to pay attention to the words.

When the song ended McGonagall picked up a scroll of parchment and cleared her throat. "When I call your name," she said to the first years, who had all begun to fidget nervously, "please come forward. Amal, Johanna."

A small girl with dark skin and braided black hair moved forward. Rose saw McGonagall pick up the grey thing and, after the girl had sat down, drop it on Johanna's head.

"It's a hat!" Lucy whispered, turning to look at Rose. The two cousins watched with bated breath, wondering whether the hat would burst into flames, or else disintegrate. To their surprise, the wide rip near the brim opened of its own accord and the hat shouted out, "Hufflepuff!"

One of the tables in the middle burst into cheers and McGonagall removed the hat from Johanna Amal's head as the little girl scuttled towards the Hufflepuffs, who moved over to make room for her.

"We just have to try the hat on," Rose said, stunned and more than a little disappointed. "That's all we have to do."

"It was rotten of them to worry us like that," Lucy pouted. "And James telling us we had to fight the giant squid!"

"Oh, you know they just meant it as a joke," Rose said, tugging Lucy's ponytail playfully. "I reckon we'll do the same thing to the younger ones."

Lucy shrugged noncommittally and the girls turned their attention back to the sorting as "Boot, Allison" became a Ravenclaw.

The sorting wore on and gradually, the line of people in front of Rose dwindled. The sorting, Rose discovered, was a bit dull. It felt as though she had been standing for hours and only half the first years had tried on the hat.

McGonagall cleared her throat and shifted the parchment in her hands slightly before calling out, "Malfoy, Scorpius!"

The blond boy who had been in the compartment walked forward, his pale face a bit green. He sat down on the three-legged stool and McGonagall dropped the hat on his head.

There was a long pause, longer than any other so far. Finally, the rip opened and the sorting hat called out, "Ravenclaw!"

The Great Hall was silent. After a moment the table at the end broke into applause, but it was subdued than all the others. Surprise flashed across Scorpius' face for a moment, but was quickly replaced by a small smile as Professor McGonagall took the hat off his head and he trotted to the Ravenclaw table, half the eyes in the hall following him.

McGonagall ignored the odd reaction and continued calling names. After a few minutes Rose heard "Nott, Nathan!" and looked up eagerly. Nathan walked to the stool and the hat was dropped on his head. Rose's eyes flickered towards the Ravenclaw table and she saw Scorpius Malfoy staring intently at his friend, his silvery eyes wide and hopeful.

"Slytherin!" the hat bellowed. The table next to the Gryffindors exploded into cheers; evidently, Nathan's sorting was not as shocking as his friend's. Professor McGonagall took the hat and Rose watched Nathan take a seat at the Slytherin table. Across the hall, she saw Scorpius' face fall as he turned back and stared down at his plate.

"Potter, Albus!" McGonagall cried.

The chatter of the hall ceased. There was no mistaking it; every single pair of eyes was trained on Albus Potter as he fumbled awkwardly to the small stool and sat down. Rose saw his face grow bright red and his eyes close as Professor McGonagall dropped the sorting hat on his head.

A full minute went by. Then another. Rose felt as though a knife had been driven through her chest and realized she had been holding her breath. She exhaled and watched. Albus' eyes were still closed. At the Gryffindor table, she could see Fred and James exchanging worried looks.

Finally, the rip widened; Rose saw Albus open his eyes, an odd expression on his face.

"Slytherin!" the hat called.

The hall remained silent. Not a sound came from any of the four tables as Harry Potter's son stood up slowly and walked towards the Slytherin table. Ten feet away, James and Fred stared, open mouthed. Then, as though somebody had flipped a switch, roaring applause broke out and several people stood up, cheering Albus on as he approached his new house-mates. Rose watched as Nathan smiled at Albus and moved over so he could sit with him.

Professor McGonagall continued the sorting but Rose wasn't listening. She watched Albus' face return to its normal color and his expression fall back into a smile as he and Nathan talked. Her stomach dropped as a horrifying thought occurred to her: what if she was in Slytherin? Frantically, Rose looked away from Albus and over to the Gryffindor table. She caught Fred's eye and he winked, giving her a thumbs up. Rose offered a weak smile, praying she didn't look as ill as she felt.

"Weasley, Lucy!"

Rose started as she realized Lucy had been called, meaning she was next. She watched as Lucy scuttled forward and the hat was placed on her head. A moment later it called out, "Ravenclaw!"

Lucy's face flooded with relief and she handed the hat back to McGonagall before skipping down to the Ravenclaw table, where Victoire, Dom, and Molly were all standing and cheering.

Rose watched Lucy take a seat between Scorpius Malfoy and Molly. Neither of her cousins were in Gryffindor. Al's worry might come true; they might all end up in different houses. At least she had her older cousins—

"Weasley, Rose!"

Oh no. Her legs carried her forward, but Rose's mind froze. She saw Aunt Min—Professor McGonagall standing in front of her, offering a small, reassuring smile. Rose felt herself drop to sit on the rickety stool and she was vaguely aware of something being placed on her head.

"Hmm," a small voice said in her ear. "Another Weasley. What to do with you? You have plenty of courage, I can see that clearly. And loyalty. I see great nobility and honor. Oh, but what brains, what a thirst for knowledge. There's only one place for that, and it's—"

"Ravenclaw!" the hat bellowed for the whole hall to hear. Somebody plucked the fabric off her head and Rose stood on wobbly legs and made her way to the Ravenclaw table, grinning when she saw her cousins standing and cheering. She looked over her shoulder and saw James, Roxanne, and Fred whooping from the Gryffindor table. Fred winked again and grinned broadly.

Lucy scooted over so Rose could sit between her and Molly at the table. When she sat down, her cousins all converged on her.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're with me!" Lucy said, hugging Rose tightly. "I was so worried after Al—"

"You're going to love it, Rosie," Molly said, grinning as she put her arm around Rose's shoulders. "I know your mum and dad were Gryffindors, but really, Ravenclaw is a lot of fun too—"

"And now there's five Weasley women all in Ravenclaw together!" Dom cried, leaning across the table to ruffle Rose and Lucy's hair.

"Ahem," Professor McGonagall's voice carried through the Great Hall and Rose looked up to see the headmistress had taken her place at the staff table. She had not sat down yet, but stood up straight, her eyes wandering over the sea of students as the chatter ebbed away.

"Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts," McGonagall said in her usual clipped tone. "As usual, we do have a few announcements. There have been fourteen additions to Mr. Filch's list of banned items, and he asks that everyone stop by his office to review them. Furthermore I would like to take the chance to warn all new students, and remind a few of the older ones," her gaze swept sternly over James and Fred, who sniggered, "that the Forbidden Forest is in fact forbidden to all students. In light of that, remember that any students caught marauding out of bounds will be punished." James and Fred's shoulders were shaking now as they fought to smother their laughter. Rose smiled as she saw McGonagall's mouth twitch before she continued. "Now, if you would all be so kind as to bear those rules in mind, then I have nothing else to say, other than welcome back and let us eat."

The headmistress sat down and Rose leaned over to whisper something to Lucy. She gasped when she caught sight of the table in front of her. Though a moment ago it had been bare, it now was overtaken with hundreds and hundreds of dishes laden with mountains of food.

"Alright, Rosie?" Molly asked cheerfully, unceremoniously dropping a spoonful of mashed potatoes on Rose's plate and pushing it towards her.

"There's so much," Rose said, still staring at the amount of food in front of her. "How are you supposed to try everything?"

"You don't," Dom said, spearing a piece of shepherd's pie. "Just pick the things you like the best and dig in."

Rose grinned and began pulling various dishes towards her, piling her plate high. To her left, Lucy did the same. Rose looked down along the table and her eyes fell on Scorpius Malfoy, who was nibbling on a piece of shepherd's pie and sending wistful glances towards the Slytherin table.

"He looks lonely," Lucy whispered, having turned to see what Rose was looking at.

"No he doesn't, he's eating," Rose shrugged, shoving a forkful of potatoes in her mouth.

Lucy wrinkled her nose and daintily bit off a piece of chicken. When she swallowed she looked over her shoulder towards the Slytherin table. Rose followed suit and noticed Albus and Nathan Nott deep in discussion.

Lucy's eyes flickered back to Scorpius, who was now staring at his plate. "I think he wishes he was in the same house as his friend," she whispered.

"Well, now he'll make new friends," Rose said.

Lucy raised an eyebrow and turned away from Rose, tapping Scorpius on the shoulder. He turned and gave her an odd look, as though unsure if she had really meant to touch him.

"Hi," Lucy said, smiling. "I'm Lucy, we met on the train."

Scorpius gazed warily at her and gave a small nod. "I remember," he said quietly.

"Are you excited to be in Ravenclaw?" Lucy asked, cutting another piece of chicken. "My sister says it's a lot of fun."

"I suppose," Scorpius shrugged, taking a sip of pumpkin juice. "I don't really know anyone here."

"Well now you know me," Lucy chirped. She turned and caught Rose's arm, dragging her around to face Scorpius. "And you know my cousin Rose."

"He'o" Rose forced out through a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

Scorpius' lip curled slightly as he nodded towards her. Lucy gave her cousin an exasperated look. "Rose, just because Aunt Hermione and Grandma aren't here doesn't mean you can talk with your mouth full."

Swallowing quickly and feeling her eyes water, Rose scowled and took a drink from her glass. "My mouth wasn't full," she said. "And you surprised me—"

"It was still gross," Lucy muttered, picking up her knife and sawing off a centimeter of chicken. "And in front of a stranger, too."

"He's not a stranger," Rose replied sullenly, reaching down the table for more mashed potatoes. "We've already met."

Lucy ignored this and continued chatting with Scorpius, only managing to draw short, curt answers from him.

"So, er, Scorpius," Lucy said slowly. "Has any one else in your family ever been in Ravenclaw?"

"No," Scorpius muttered. "They were all in Slytherin."

"Oh, yes," Lucy answered hurriedly. "I remember you said that on the train."

"Wait," Rose broke in unceremoniously, her fork halfway to her mouth. She narrowed her eyes and stared appraisingly at Scorpius for a moment. "If the rest of your family are all Slytherins, then why are you in Ravenclaw?"

"Rose!" Lucy hissed, smacking her arm. "You can't ask that!"

Scorpius didn't answer for a moment, but trained his cold, grey stare on Rose, his light eyebrows furrowing as he frowned.

Rose held his gaze, refusing to be the one to break the stare.

Scorpius looked away first, sitting up a bit straighter and turning back to his food. "Just because the rest of my family was in Slytherin doesn't mean I have to be," he muttered, glaring at his carrots.

Rose opened her mouth to respond, but Lucy pinched her elbow and Rose fell silent. Scorpius didn't look up from his plate and she noticed a red flush creep up the back of his neck as he pushed the food around.

"Are you girls excited to see the common room?" Dom asked, snapping Rose and Lucy's attention back to the other side of the table.

"Ooh, yes!" both girls cried, forgetting their irritation and grinning at each other.

"I reckon it's nearly time to go up. Dessert should be out any second," Victoire said, glancing at the silver watch she wore around her wrist.

As if on cue, the dishes on the table disappeared and were replaced with desserts. Rose's eyes bulged at the display of biscuits and cakes and tarts in front of her. She snatched a piece of treacle tart and began munching as Dom and Molly launched into a detailed description of the Ravenclaw common room and dormitories.

"Hi, girls!" a voice rang out behind Rose. She turned and found her cousin Roxanne, grinning down at her and Lucy before sweeping them into a hug. "Oh, I'm so glad my ickle cousins are at Hogwarts with me now!"

"You're only a year older than us," Rose grumbled, wiggling out of Roxanne's grip.

"But you're firsties," Roxanne said authoritatively. "So I still know a lot more about Hogwarts than you."

Unable to come up with a retort for this, Rose scowled and returned to her tart.

"Roxie, leave them alone," Victoire chided. "They've had a long day already."

"I wish one of you was in Gryffindor," Roxanne said sadly, tucking a piece of her thick black hair behind her ear. "I wanted to be able to show you around the common room."

"We'll come visit one day," Rose said, beaming as Roxanne's face lit up.

"Oh good. I still wish one of you had been sorted there so I wouldn't be stuck with the boys." She sent a glare towards Fred and James, who were making snowballs out of ice cream and sending them flying towards unsuspecting students. "But," Roxanne sighed, "I guess it's alright."

"You'll still see us," Lucy said, taking a sip of water.

"We'll eat breakfast with you every day," Rose added, nodding emphatically.

"Sounds perfect," Roxanne smiled, hugging each of them again before walking further down the table. She stopped at two boys who were her age, both with dirty blond hair and big, pale blue eyes. Rose recognized them as Lorcan and Lysander Scamander, Aunt Luna's twins. Roxanne hugged both the boys as she had hugged her cousins and sat down between them.

"Rose, look," Lucy whispered, nudging her in the side. Rose looked up and saw Professor McGonagall rise from her seat at the staff table.

"Attention," the headmistress called. The babble of the Great Hall ceased as everyone turned to look at McGonagall.

"It is time for you all to return to your dormitories. Prefects, please be sure to guide our new students to their common rooms. Have a good night."

The hall filled at once with the roar of chatter as students began filing out of the Great Hall. Prefects wandered around, raising their hands and shouting "first years! First years over here!"

Rose felt a tug on her sleeve and turned to see Lucy gripping her arm, her eyes wide as she took in the chaos.

"Alright, you two, follow us," Dom said sternly, shepherding Lucy and Rose out of the hall while Vic, who was a prefect, corralled the other first years.

"Where do we go?" Rose asked, watching as groups of students seemed to take off in all directions, some climbing the staircases, others going back in the direction of the entrance hall, and still others going down towards the dungeons. She saw Albus nervously following a Slytherin prefect down a flight of marble stairs.

"Ravenclaw Tower is on the seventh floor," Molly said soothingly from behind them. "Once you know where it is you can't miss it."

"Right," Rose breathed. She had read about the common rooms, she remembered now. Ravenclaw's was located in the tower on the west side of the castle, overlooking the lake and quidditch pitch.

Dom and Molly led the girls up several flights of stairs, warning them about the trick steps. On the fifth floor Vic and the other prefects caught up to them, followed by a group of nervous first years who looked just as lost as Rose felt. She searched through the group, taking note of who looked friendly. When her eyes swept over him, Scorpius Malfoy kept his gaze plastered to the ground in front of him. The large group climbed the remaining two staircases together until they stood in front of a large door without a doorknob, only a bronze, eagle shaped knocker.

"You have to answer a riddle in order to get in," Victoire informed the group. Lucy's grasp on Rose's arm tightened and the two girls looked at each other with wide eyes.

"But—what if you can't get it?" Lucy asked quietly, her eyes shifting from Vic to Molly.

"Then you wait for someone who can," Molly said with a sympathetic smile, putting a hand on Lucy's back. "That way you learn something."

"But—but what if nobody can guess it?" Lucy murmured, obvious panic rising in her eyes.

"That's never happened before," Molly replied firmly, looking up so she addressed all the first years and not just her sister. "It's usually not too difficult to get the answer. Sometimes you just have to think about the question in a few different ways. And if that doesn't work, you can always ask someone."

Lucy nodded, though she still looked uneasy. Rose freed her arm from her cousin's grasp and interlaced their fingers, squeezing Lucy's hand reassuringly.

Vic stepped forward so she stood directly in front of the door, her hand poised near the knocker. Suddenly, the bronze eagle's beak opened and it said in a high voice, "What appears once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?"

"The letter M," Victoire answered. The door swung open and the older students ushered the first years into the common room.

Rose's head swiveled around in awe. The Ravenclaw common room was a large, circular room, decorated with midnight blue carpet and bronze and blue hangings which draped over the high, arched windows, through which Rose could see the lake, an expanse of the Hogwarts grounds, and a bit of the quidditch pitch in the distance. There was a large fireplace surrounded by several squashy couches and armchairs, and small tables were scattered around the room.

"Boys dormitories are up the staircase on the left," one of the prefects, a tall boy Rose didn't know, said. "And girls are up the staircase on the right. Your trunks are already there and you should find everything in order. Breakfast begins at eight o'clock tomorrow, so mind you aren't late. If you need any help, the prefects will all be down here."

"Come on, girls, let's get you to your dorm," Molly said, nudging Rose and Lucy in the back. They walked to the spiral staircase that the prefect had pointed out. Following Molly and Dom, Rose climbed the stairs until she reached the landing at the top. "This must be yours," Dom said, pushing the door open. "Oh, yes, Rose that's your trunk I can see your initials on it from here."

The dormitory was circular like the common room, though only about a quarter of the size. Like the common room, it was decorated with dark blue carpet and had large, arched windows through which Rose could see a full moon peeking out behind the clouds. Her trunk sat next to one of the beds and she promptly threw herself on the mattress, a sweet lavender smell filling her nose as she buried her face in the blue blanket.

Lucy flopped down on the bed next to her and sighed heavily. "It's so comfortable," she murmured.

Dom and Molly laughed, shaking their heads at their cousins' dramatics. "Yeah, the blankets are especially nice in the winter," Dom said, sitting on the corner of Rose's mattress. "And at night you can hear the wind whistling through the windows and it's very relaxing, makes going to sleep much easier."

"You're going to love it," Molly agreed. She looked at Dom pointedly and jerked her head towards the door. Dom raised her eyebrows but then stood up rather quickly.

"Well, we're off to our dormitories now," she said, moving to kiss Rose and then Lucy on the head. "Vic's down in the common room if you need anything and we'll meet you two for breakfast at eight, alright?"

"Okay," Rose agreed, not looking up.

"Have a good night, girls," Molly said, kissing them both as Dom had. "We'll see you in the morning."

Rose sat up and smiled at her cousins as they exited the room. She noticed two other girls who had entered the dormitory while she had been talking to her cousins. Both girls were obviously first years, based on their expressions of wonder and nervousness as they sat on their respective beds and gazed around the dormitory.

One girl had bouncing blonde curls that fell past her shoulders and round face, with dark eyes and pink lips. She looked like a doll, Rose thought. The other had chocolate colored skin and thick, unruly black hair that reminded Rose of Roxanne's.

"I'm Rose," she said suddenly without preamble, addressing the two unknown girls. "Rose Weasley."

"Hi Rose," the blonde chirped, flashing a smile. If she found the abruptness of the introduction odd, she didn't show it. "I'm Allie Boot."

"I'm Maren Thomas," the dark haired girl said, leaning back against her pillows and grinning.

"Nice to meet you," Rose said. "And this is Lucy." She gestured towards her cousin, who had remained face down on her bed but sat up hurriedly at the mention of her name.

"What? Oh, hello, I'm so sorry, how rude of me! I'm Lucy Weasley, Rose's cousin," Lucy said, smoothing her hair down frantically.

Allie and Maren laughed.

"Don't worry about it," Maren said, stretching her arms out above her head. "I reckon we'll all get to know each other soon enough."

Lucy and Rose nodded, watching their two roommates. An awkward silence fell over the four girls as they all rooted around silently for a topic of conversation.

"So, er, have you lot looked through the books we need for classes yet?" Allie asked nervously.

Rose shot up off her bed, smacking a hand to her forehead. "Merlin, I almost forgot about my books!" she cried, running towards the door and ignoring the startled expressions on Allie and Maren's faces. "I need to get Vic!"

She threw the door open and hurried down the steps. As she went she vaguely heard Lucy's voice murmuring something that sounded suspiciously like, "you'll get used to her."

Rose burst into the common room and looked around. Vic sat in one of the armchairs by the fireplace, scribbling something on a piece of parchment. Her strawberry blonde hair glowed from the light given off from the flames and she looked almost translucent in the moonlight.

"Vic?" Rose asked, slowing down as she approached her cousin. Now that the immediate urgency had worn off, she was struck once again by how large the common room was, and how old her cousin looked sitting by the fire scratching away on her roll of parchment.

"Yeah, Rosie?" Victoire asked, looking up in surprise. "Do you need something?"

Rose stepped closer and peered over her cousin's shoulder at the parchment. "Who are you writing to?" she asked.

"Your parents," Vic grinned, hiking up the parchment and scribbling another line. "Your mum, Aunt Audrey and Aunt Ginny all made me promise to write as soon as the feast was over, since none of you have your own owl and they didn't trust the others to remember."

"Are you telling them I'm in Ravenclaw?" Rose asked, frowning as she remembered her father's joke on the platform that morning.

"Of course," Vic replied, glancing sideways at her younger cousin. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know," Rose said, still looking at the letter and shrugging. "You don't—you don't think they'll mind, do you?"

"Now why would they mind?" Vic asked, her eyebrows knitting together. She looked at Rose sternly for a moment before pushing the parchment aside and moving over so Rose could squeeze into the armchair with her. "They're not going to be angry with you for not being in Gryffindor," Vic said quietly, putting an arm around Rose's shoulder.

"Mum said it doesn't matter," Rose muttered, leaning her head on her cousin's shoulder. "But they wanted—"

"Rosie, your parents want you to make friends and do well in classes and not get expelled," Vic said, squeezing her arm. "And I'll bet they're going to be thrilled you're in Ravenclaw."

"Are you sure?" Rose whispered, looking up so Victoire could see the very real fear in the lines of her face. "What if they're not?"

"They will be," Vic said firmly, hugging Rose tightly. "You're silly for thinking anything different."

Rose leaned back in the chair without responding. She listened to the fire crackle in front of her and watched the silvery moon escape from behind a cloud.

"Did you need me for something or did you just get scared?" Vic asked quietly, tilting her head to the side.

"Oh!" Rose started. She had, in fact, come down to ask for her cousin's help. "Can you enlarge my books for me?" she asked.

Vic chuckled and moved to get out of the chair. "Yes, I can enlarge your books for you." She rolled up the unfinished letter and closed her ink pot before following Rose up to the dormitory.

Allie and Maren had already gotten into bed, and were now whispering to each other excitedly. Lucy sat on top of her covers still, examining the first page of their transfiguration textbook.

Rose bent down and undid her trunk, taking out the thirteen tiny books her mother had packed away in a corner. She smiled as she set them on her bed, each one like an old friend. She had brought all her Chronicles of Narnia books and Charlotte's Web, along with other childhood favorites that her mother had read to her growing up.

"Are these all of them?" Vic asked, smirking at the tiny pile of novels on Rose's bed.

"Yes," Rose answered, blushing slightly. She hoped it wasn't too strange to bring a pile of muggle novels to Hogwarts. Her father had tried to convince her to only bring one or two. But Rose couldn't stand the thought of not having her favorite books with her at school. And in the end her mother had been on her side, coming up with the idea of shrinking the books so they would fit in her trunk.

Vic waved her wand over the pile and muttered an incantation and in an instant Rose's books sat on the bed in their original sizes.

"Oh, thank you!" she cried, seizing the volumes and stacking them carefully beside her trunk.

"Do you want to read one together?" Vic asked, sitting on the corner of the bed. "It might make it feel more like home, and I remember the first night can be a bit overwhelming."

Rose grinned and grabbed the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, her very favorite book, from the pile and flopped onto her bed next to Vic.

"Luce, are you reading with us?" she called to her cousin.

Lucy glanced over and, when she saw Vic holding the book, sat up and bounded over to Rose's bed. The three Weasley girls snuggled back against the pillows, Rose's head on Vic's shoulder, and Lucy's legs curled against Rose's side.

Victoire cleared her throat and opened the book to the first page, reading in her clear, calm voice, "Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. This story is about something that happened to them—"

Rose relaxed as she listened to her cousin read the first chapter. When Vic finished, Lucy was bleary eyed and Rose wore a small, content smile.

Vic stood up and replaced the book on the pile next to Rose's trunk before leaning over and kissing each girl on the forehead. "You two get some sleep now," she murmured. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day."

"Goodnight, Vic," Rose called.

"Goodnight, Rosie," Vic said as she quietly opened the door and left the room.

Minutes later Rose lay on her side, burrowed in her thick, lavender-scented blankets. A few feet away, she could hear Lucy's soft whistling as she slept. Or maybe that was the wind Dom had mentioned earlier. Rose didn't know. Either way, it was a very peaceful sound. She listened to the whistling, whether it was her cousin or the wind, and drifted off to sleep with the dark blue sheets wrapped tightly around her shoulders, and a small, content smile on her face.

Edited 12/01/2016

Hello, dear reader, and welcome to Rose of Ravenclaw Tower! Thank you for reading the first chapter of Rose's journey; I hope you liked it. Throughout this story my hope is that you and I together will get to see her and the rest of the gang grow and mature through the years.

Feedback of any kind is always appreciated and I hope to hear from you, but if you prefer to just read the story and get on with your day, I understand. I just want you to interact with the story in whichever way is most comfortable and rewarding for you.

If you'd like to contact me outside of FFN, you can find me on tumblr at lilyprongspotter. Feel free to send me any comments/questions/concerns. I would love to hear from you!

And now on with the story.