third person pov

' feels so scary,
getting old '

Exiting the train had been an awful experience for Rose, only because she hadn't realized, between the argument with Draco, and her running away, that Nyx was missing, no longer resting in her sleeve.

Her current predicament was this: being dragged to the Great Hall by Theo and Whitman, insisting 'Nyx is perfectly capable of taking care of herself'. To which, she could only scoff at and mimic annoyedly.

After, Rose decided she had enough, she needed to get back to the train. She tried slipping out from under Theo and Whitman's arms as they were walking the steps to the Great Hall, her plan ruined when Theo stumbled back a step and caught her. He threw her over his shoulder, leaving her to only twist around and see a head full of brown curls.

"Theodore Tiberius Nott! You put me down this instant!"

He shook his head as they walked into the Great Hall, everyone's eyes turning upon them as the first years were yet to come in.

"No can do, love. You'll make a run for it the minute I put you down."

She huffed at him and smacked his butt, forcing the glances to turn into wide eyes.

"Doesn't affect me, princess. You've been doing that for years."

"Theodore, put me down and stop using that stupid name against me!"

When they were near the front of the hall, she could feel every single gaze fully on them as Theo continued to completely, and utterly, ignore her.

He stepped up to where Dumbledore stood behind a podium, muttering, "Headmaster, if you could, tell Ro she is not allowed to go back to the train to search for Nyx."

A smile spread across Dumbledore's face. "Very well, Mister Nott."

"Warning," Theo said, as he spun around, forcing her to lift her head and face Dumbledore. "She's quite testy," he huffed, tightening his arm in protest of her trying to twist out from his grip.

"Well well, Dumbles. I see you are not on my side today."

There was nothing but a hardened look, mixed with boredom, on Theo's face, as looked out across the mass of students. Dumbledore, on the other hand, had a twinkle of youth appear in his eyes as he whispered, "It would seem your mission has been prohibited. Under Mister Nott's request, of course."

"We are not having any gossip sessions for a week because of this!"

"Don't worry, Dumbledore," Theo called over his shoulder, before taking a step down toward the Slytherin table. "You know she can't go that long without one. She'd die."

How many times does he plan on breaking her neck?

Mcgongall played the savior as she shrieked, "Dear Godric! Put the girl down this instant, Mister Nott!"

Rose threw her hand up in a fist, "Finally, Minnie is on my side!"

Next to her sat Professor Lupin, his lips twitching as the woman shouted even louder.

"I mean it! Put her down! I need to bring in the firs' years!"

Theo sighed heavily before finally setting Rose down where Blaise and Draco sat, with Whitman across from them.

She began to stumble from all the blood going in the opposite manner it was meant for, and mumbled curses beneath her breath about Theo as he leaned over and kissed her head as if it was as simple of a gesture as holding a door open.

"Sorry, love."

She pushes him away before looking down at the empty spot between Draco and Blaise.

"I'm not sitting here tonight."

Tension rebuilds in her shoulders as she remembers not having Nyx, her constant companion, anywhere in sight—uncaring about the trouble she would get in as she headed straight over to the Gryffindor table.

Nyx.

Nyx.

Nyx.

She is the only thing Rose can think about.
Besides pissing off Draco Malfoy as well.
But when was she not thinking about that?
As if she had not made a point enough, she dropped down right between the open seat with the Weasley twins.

Then, she began to look around frantically, mindlessly sliding closer to Fred when Harry came to squeeze in between her and George.
"I'm sitting here," Harry muttered. "Malfoy's on one again."

George wrapped an arm around Harry with a laugh. "When is he not?"

Harry scoffed. "It's worse than usual. I think he invented new words to insult me with."

"He's as moody as a woman," Fred chirped.

"Or this woman," George tapped Rose's shoulder with his finger, "Pissed off the heinous bloke, and he's taking it out poor little Harry here."

She scoffed, "That fool wishes I cared enough to piss him off."

"Uh oh," Fred grinned, nudging the Black all to happily. "Now go on. No secrets. Tell us what you've done to make the blonde so angry on such a wonderful night."

Rose swore her eye twitched.

Each of the boys went quiet, their expressions falling away, when she glared at them.

Harry held his hands up in protest, mumbling, "Don't look at me like that. I haven't said a word."

The entire time that the Sorting goes on, Rose's eyes dart around the Great hall, frantically hoping for a glimpse of Nyx—Draco's mood swings be damned.

In the midst of reeling out of focus, she had not noticed when the Sorting stopped and Dumebldore gave his speech. Only after it all, she had gone to drop her head down onto the wooden table, ready for the aching bang of the fall.

But it was Fred's hand that caught her head, preventing her skull from banging onto the table.

"What is wrong with you?!" Fred huffed. "You didn't even place bets on the first years with me!"

It was a tradition Rose usually did with Blaise and Theo.

But Rose was feeling quite pissy, and thought sitting here would show not only Draco that, but Blaise too.

Regardless, she straightened her spine and sat up with wide-eyes. "I cannot find Nyx! I'm terrified! What if someone took her?!"

A look of mischief consumed Fred's face.

The Black glared at him before slamming a hand down. "That's it! I'm going to lose it!"

"I believe you should," George said.

"I second that, Georgie," Fred agreed.

"I disagree," Harry interjected. "Wholeheartedly."

She moved her plate into Harry's lap with urgency and stepped onto the table, ignoring Fred and George's immediate cheers.

"Sonorous," Rose muttered beneath her breath, wand pointed directly at her own throat. "I would like to make an announcement on this fine evening!"

Mcgonagall instantly stood up, distraught from the eerily familiar actions. "Miss Black!"

Rose's voice echoed as the hall fell silent, "Sorry, Minnie, but this has to be said before I let everyone resume their meals!" She cleared her throat dramatically, "I am looking for a white snake! She is not huge, just medium sized! She has green eyes and may bite if provoked! Especially if you are a male!"

Horror flashes over the first year's faces, along with a few other students that might have somehow been unaware of the snake. The only thing any of them know about the girl on the table was her father being a deranged murder on the loose—just like the snake she was screaming about like a maniac.

Did I word that speech badly? She thought to herself.

Rose glanced over at the Slytherin table, finding all of the boys sitting in their usual spot with stifled laughter.

"Is there something funny, boys?"

They all gulp as her voice raises and cease their laughing—with the exception of Draco, laughing again. Laughing like she is nothing, like she can never harm him.

She does not think twice before pulling the wand from her throat and aiming it straight at him.

"Incendio."

The words were a whisper on her lips.

A reddish jet-flame shot out of the tip of her wand and hit his leg, insinuating a grunt as he leaned forward.

"Miss Black!" Snape's voice roared over the Great Hall, as thundering as a storm while he stood and began making his way down the rows of tables. "Out! Now!"

"He's coming for you," Fred muttered from below, grinning ear to ear.

She pointed the wand back to her throat with a sigh. "Forgive me! I forgot to say congratulations to everyone's favorite man, Hagrid!"

Hagrid gives her a large grin, all of his teeth on display, until Mcgonagall mutters a scold aimed his way.

Harry stood as she began attempting to get off the table, offering a hand with his lips twitching, bowing like some grand knight.

She took the offer and used the bench seat to help lower herself to the floor, before yanking herself free from him and brushing invisible dust from her emerald robes.

Chatter from all around the Great Hall resumed once more, if not filled with even more concerning looks thrown her way, and when she lifted her head up, Professor Snape was standing directly in front of her with a scowl.

"Five points from Slytherin for your ignorant choice of sitting in the wrong house!" He snapped the words out, turning to glare at Harry as the boy scoffed. "And ten more," he added on spitefully, facing her once again. "For daring to make such a mockery of yourself by being an unruly child, standing on a table where people eat!"

Rose rolled her eyes.

Snape grasped her shoulder firmly, and whispered harsh beneath his breath, "Out! Now! How dare you cast a spell on another student with all to witness?! On Draco?! Have you no sense?!"

"No." A colder voice hissed from behind the professor. Draco had risen from the table next to them, and was yanking himself free from Blaise attempting to pull him back. "I'll go. Happily."

Snape went to protest, but Draco was already rushing away between isles of students.

"Follow him." Snape hissing at her made Rose flinch. She had been too busy watching Draco leave to remember the man before her. "Follow him, go to your dorm, go wander about the grounds..." Snape was so angry that he was practically speaking through clenched teeth. "Go where you must, but follow him and get out of my sight. Now."

"I will go anywhere except follow him." Rose snapped back, brushing past Snape and purposely knocking their shoulders together—following directly in the same steps as Draco as he slipped out of the Great Hall, and left the door to bang loud enough to be a drum.

In the corridor, Rose found that Draco was indeed not heading toward the Dungeons, or any other part of their school. He was headed straight for the entry to the building that they had all come through not too long ago, as if he might just simply leave Hogwarts entirely.

The urge to bicker was scratching at her skin.
She followed after him, but not too fast to catch up.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

Draco ignored her.

"Can you not hear?!"

"Away from you!" he shouted back, not even sparing her a glance as he disappeared beneath the archway to the school grounds.

All she could see was a glimpse of him tugging at his tie frustratedly as he faded from sight.

Instead of following him and starting another brawl, or going down to her dorm to wallow about her snake, Rose chose to trek through another part of the school until she stumbled out into one of the empty courtyards, filled with flat grassy land which gave a view of the Quidditch Pitch.
She had settled herself on the grass a bit ago, finding solace in the company of crickets and flapping wings of owls floating from the owlery not too far away.

Snape would surely already have a field day with the trouble he was bound to give her, so she did not think twice before lighting a cigarette and wrapping her arms around her knees.

What did she even actually stand to lose anyway?

"Got a spare there?"

"Ron!" The voice of Hermione Granger scolded, and then in a blink, Hermione was sitting down next to her with a scowl aimed at the redhead while he took to Rose's other side, and Harry settled himself directly in front of the Black.

Harry offered a slight smile, wrapping his arms around his knees just as she was doing as he watched her hand an odd looking purse to Ron.

"Mum says it's rude to go through a woman's purse," Ron muttered, unzipping the bag hesitantly.

"I'm not your mother," Rose said, taking a long drag of the cigarette and looking over at Hermione. "Beautiful as ever, Granger. Time seems to be flying from us."

Hermione smiled, her lips slightly quivering as her eyes filled with tears.

"Don't you dare cry on me."

"I'm not!" Hermione protested. "I just feel awful...I know you don't think it, but I love you...and I am, well, I am just so very sorry we couldn't all be there for you at the funeral, and when you found out about Sirius..."

"I'm not made of glass, Mione." Rose winked, the sound of her zippo lighter in Ron's hand clinking as he attempted to get a flame out. He did not know it had to be hit one good time with a fist to get going. "I think i'll be just fine."

Hermione went to open her mouth, but Rose shook her head and patted her shoulder with the hand holding the cigarette.

And just like that, Hermione did not wait to lay her head there, taking a deep breath as Rose welcomed the embrace.

"Thanks for the fag." Ron set her purse back between them and took a deep inhale of the cigarette, coughing directly after. "Don't know how Fred and George use these things all the time."

"Nasty habit," Harry muttered, and began grinning as Rose rolled her eyes.

"We all have our vices, Harry," Rose said. "Some are just more obvious than others."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Harry put his palms into the grass behind himself and leaned back, tipping his head up the sky. "You reckon Malfoy has your snake?"

Ron laughed humorlessly. "Why in the bloody hell would Malfoy have her snake?"

"Maybe he does." Rose knew it was a possibility, all things considered. "She tends to favour him despite my ill will."

"We hate him, Rose." Ron turned all of his attention to her, his brows furrowing together. "This summer didn't change that, right?

"Please," Hermione giggled. "There's nothing Draco Malfoy could do to make her enjoy his presence again."

"I do hate him, Ron," Rose said flatly. She casted her eyes up the sky with a sigh, her eyes snagging onto the star Draco's namesake had come from. It felt like a torment from the Gods above that she found it so quickly. "He's a dodgy bastard."

Ron grinned and nudged his shoulder against her own. "Creepy ol' bloke, that's what he is."

"He does favour a corpse, a bit," Harry added.

"Just creepy overall," Ron laughed. "Dreadful too."

"He'll be a sadistic killer like his father." Harry laughed back. "I'll place a bet right here, right now. Any takers?"

"Harry!" Hermione huffed, but only for a moment, before a smile started to take form on her lips. She rubbed her hand down Rose's arm. "Let us all just be glad you hate the boy now."

Tuning them out was not intentional, but she did it anyway.

No part of her wanted to hear their opinions on Draco Malfoy.

She swore the dead were giggling in her ears again.

"Rose?"

"Hm?" She blinked, looking between Harry and Ron.

"You've been zoning out so much..." Harry sighed. "Ron was saying it's a good thing you still hate him, or else we'd have to give you the boot."

"Very funny." Rose rolled her eyes once again. "I do not think any God could make him be anything less than a boring old enemy to me."

"Can we have a sleepover tonight?" Hermione blurted out, loud enough for Harry to flinch in shock.

"Of course." Rose patted Hermione's cheek with her hand before laying her head atop the girl's own. "For old times sake...Now, I want to hear all about your summers."

They all listened and began telling her stories of their summer. The Black took to mostly listening instead of sharing, as it is one of her strongest strategies. Although, the highlight of it all had to be hearing how Harry blew up his Aunt Marge—brilliant, if you asked Rose.

Not so brilliant if you asked the ministry.

*

Rose looks over, finding Hermione laying next to her in the insanely large bed—within the boys dorm. Well, her dorm. It only took one meeting with Walburga for Dumbledore to allow Rose to room with the boys. Rose never knew what the woman said to make it so, and she wasn't so sure she ever did want to know.

Walburga must've known, deep down, that only those four boys could ever keep Rose close to the person her grandmother desired her to be.

Although, she is sure her grandmother hates that fact more than anything.

She sighs, pushing the cover off and scrambling up in shock to find Nyx curled up at the foot of her bed.

"Nyx," she spoke the name in parseltongue, going down onto her knees on the cobblestone floor to be eye to eye with the snake. "Where have you been?!"

"I was lost on the train," Nyx cooed back, pushing her head against Rose's awaiting hands. "I couldn't figure out how to get off."

"You could've been sent back to London!" Rose gathered the snake up in her arms, bringing her into her chest. "My poor baby...I am sorry, so deeply sorry."

"Don't be so dramatic," Nyx snapped back. "It is pathetic."

"I can't help it..." Rose inhaled deeply as the snake pressed her snout into her cheek. "How?! How did you ever figure it out?!"

"I am not supposed to tell. So, I cannot."

The words made Rose pull the snake out of her chest, holding her up directly in front of her own face with narrowed eyes. "You best tell me now."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!"

"Fine!" Nyx snapped back angrily. "Draco came to find me after he left the Great Hall. He said he could not eat without finding me first."

Rose recoiled and sat the snake back down onto the bed, not a word leaving her as she pushed up on shaky legs and stood.

"He had some choice words to say about you."

"I am sure he did!" Rose hissed back quickly and spitefully, before gathering herself and pushing out from behind the curtain surrounding her bed.

Shock, she could feel it pulsing through her heart.

All she knew was she needed to get outside, feel the fresh air on her skin. Regardless of her excuses, she should have known she wouldn't be able to fall asleep as soon as she laid down as everyone else did.

And now she had yet another reason to run away.
Draco was not allowed to keep tormenting her mind at night.

So, she thought of Orion instead as she trekked out of the room, wondering if there really was life after death—if perhaps he could see her tonight, laid in the Slytherin dorm with a muggleborn friend by her side.

She wondered if he was using the weight of their ancestors to curse her for such a thing.

It didn't really matter, did it? He could no longer touch her.

She often could hear the dead speak—and they were everywhere it seemed, always whispering amongst themselves—but she had never heard his voice whisper into her ears.

With one plan in mind, she made her way through the Dungeons without a care of Snape or Filch catching her.

She knew exactly where she needed to go.

It took a long time to get out of the school, across the airy bridge, and down the grassy hill, but she paid no mind to it. The summer air was still present, but a slight chill of September brought her peace, mixed with the smell of the forest surrounding the school.

She wrapped Whitman's stolen jumper tighter around her limbs as she walked down the wooden path to Hagrid's hut. When she arrives, she wraps her hands around the large knocker on his door—only having to use it once before the door flies open with a thud.

A wide smile spreads across her face at the sight of his red pajamas and scruffy face.

"Goodness me! Wha' you doin down he'r this late, Rose?!"

"Don't tell me you forgot about our first of the year story time..."

He had found her wondering the grounds on the first night of Hogwarts during first year, and then she was only a kid. She supposed it was sympathy, or the pure goodness in his heart, that made him ask her what was wrong.

She told him it was air she needed after a nightmare.

He told her it was a story she needed to make it all better.

Ever since then, when the first night of school rolls around, Rosalie Black can be found under a blanket, with Fang on her lap, in Hagrid's hut—listening to the man drone on about magical creatures from all over the world.

Hagrid chuckles and opens the door all the way as he steps to the side, allowing her inside. Fang instantly jumps up onto the girl and starts licking her face as she moves into the warmth, the large animal full of joy.

"He missed' ya, Rose." Hagrid laughs heartily, going off to fix their favorite tea.

Peppermint.

Rose giggles while scratching behind Fang's ears. "Oh trust me, I missed him more! I haven't had Fang-time in months!"

After settling onto the cushioned bench, Fang jumps up beside the witch and spreads his heavy body over her legs. She gestures to the dog in her lap, "See, Hagrid, this is the Fang-love I'm talking about."

"All these animals, obsessed with ya," Hagrid chuckles, heading toward her with two steaming cups of tea. "I made our favorite! I need to hear all about your summer!"

She knew he was making peppermint.

With a sigh, she grabs her tea from his huge hands as he sits himself across from her. She looks down into the mug, avoiding his eye. She can lie to him, but she hates doing it. Hagrid is someone so full of light, of love. It feels sinful to say anything but the truth to him.

"Trust me, Hagrid, it was nothing interesting."

"No way, Rose! You had major things happen! You can't bottle it up like you always do!"

"Watch me." She winks playfully. "It proves to be an excellent defense mechanism."

He sighs and sets his tea down like a frustrated father.

"Whatever you say! But jus' beware I'm keeping my eye on you! It's not safe for you to be out with a target on your back!"

"Hagrid, father dearest isn't going to kill me. I've got more power in my thumb than he does all together, and he's definitely not going to lay a finger on Harry without getting burnt to a crisp by my new fiery talent."

Hagrid tries to fight a smile off his face as he takes a sip of his tea, "Remind us all to not get on ye' bad side, Rose."

They both laugh together, the sound full of cheer, before he decides to breach a different subject.

"So, Ol' Dumbledore said you have revoked his hangout time?"

"He took Theodore's side over my own! I felt so betrayed!"

Hagrid laughs loudly and shakes the table accidentally, "Oh me! That's two betrayals in one night!"

She puts a hand over her heart and points at it, repeating something Theo always did. "It hit me, Hagrid, right here..."

While laughing once more, she remembers a letter she got from him over summer, gasping at the memory as she startles him and a now-sleeping Fang.

"Hagrid! You got a hippogriff and you're the new Care of Magical Creatures professor!"

He smiles widely.

"I'm honored to be teachin' you lot! Did you like the books I picked out?!"

She giggled as the memory of her book trying to attack Theo—only for Whitman to come in to help him and ending up getting chased too—came to mind.

"Oh you should've seen how hilarious it was watching it try to attack the boys!"

Hagrid chuckles, "Ye just gotta stroke the spine o' course!"

"I said that! Men never listen!" Rose grins. "Now, tell me all about this hippogriff we are going to meet."

"Well his name is Buckbeak, I've been training him for a eh' few years.... but before ye say it, I didn't tell you about him because you would want to meet em' before he was ready. They are testy animals, the kind you might even have trouble with."

"Hagrid, this is the best news ever! I have been wanting to meet one since you first gave me Newt Scamander's book!"

"Oh I know, little Rose. Why do you think it's gonna be our firs' lesson?"

He gives her a wink.

For a while Hagrid tells a ton of stories about the animals he spent his time with this summer and how her personal favorite, Aragog, was doing. He says there's some animals needing help in Albanian, and how he hopes to show her them one day—that maybe she will get to see what more the world has to offer besides the people in it.

She listens to every word, feeling warmth from the idea of him trusting her with this. Maybe the whole of the Wizarding World thinks her a scorn, but sitting here, with a man practically exiled himself, she knows someone sees something good in her—some semblance of light.

Before she knew it, hours passed and her feet were carrying her back to her dorm room for sleep, but when she got there—she instantly drifted off peacefully for the first time in a while.
She should've known Hagrid would slip a calming draught into her tea.

_________________________________

A/N: HEY BABIES <3 I MISS YOU GUYS SO MUCH EVERY DAY !!!! thank you so much for commenting on these new chapters. please never feel like you are blowing me up. when you guys comment on every little thing it makes me so happy and fills me with so much motivation <3

—how is everyone doing ???? i went to this quarry yesterday and was forced to do a swim test and when i jumped off the cliff i thought i was going to turn into regulus black for a second LOL....anyway, it was INSANELY beautiful and made me feel inspired to write a quarry scene with the group in the summer

MEME TIME LOVES:

Walburga anytime she catches rose being happy:

me when i remember Rosie's internal monologue about draco on the train:

the real reason draco was smiling at rosie standing on the table:

rosie when someone besides herself is talking shit about draco:

how harry sees rosie and ron:

xx bri