The Start of Second Year
When Rose returned to Hogwarts, she realized just how much she had missed the castle.
At the start-of-term feast, Professor McGonagall led a procession of bewildered first-years through the doors of the Great Hall. Rose remembered that she had been one of them at this time last year, and in the blink of an eye, she was sitting at a long table watching others get sorted.
She had no attention to spare for the nervous first-years. All she wanted now was for Headmaster Dumbledore to hurry up and announce the start of the feast. Mr. and Mrs. Evans had prepared some sandwiches and orange juice for the two girls, but who could fill up growing children of twelve or thirteen?
Students at the long tables chattered noisily, sharing stories of their summers with their friends. A few were scribbling furiously, each keeping one hand over another piece of parchment in an attempt to hide it. Professor McGonagall, the strictest of them all, was busy with the Sorting, and the other professors at the front merely pretended not to see.
It was only when Professor McGonagall called Regulus Black's name that Rose remembered Sirius Black's younger brother, RAB, a martyr described in only a few words in the seventh book.
He looked a lot like Sirius Black, but not as elegant and sharp-tongued. His face was paler, and he silently put on the hat and was silently sorted into Slytherin House.
Rose glanced at Sirius, who was chatting animatedly with James Potter. His expression made it seem as though the other Black who had just been sorted into Slytherin had nothing at all to do with him.
Brothers who had gone their separate ways.
Rose felt a little heavy-hearted.
She soon stopped thinking about it, because the Sorting ended shortly afterward, and the headmaster introduced the new Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Marlene asked Rose why she was looking at the new professor with such sympathy.
Rose shook her head silently, pretending to be deep in thought. The poor fellow—she hoped she would still see him in one piece after next June.
James Potter laughed at her for being mysterious, earning a glare from Lily, before turning even more happily to share stories of his summer pranks with Sirius.
After dinner, they followed the Prefects up the marble steps and the spiral staircase. Rose no longer got out of breath; thanks to her deliberate training over the summer, her stamina had improved greatly.
But mental exhaustion made her eyelids grow heavy. By the time she climbed through the portrait hole and reached the girls' dormitory, Rose could think of nothing but getting to sleep.
The next morning, when Rose entered the Great Hall with Marlene and Lily, they ran into McGu, who was on his way to class. He reminded Rose that she could write her application to join the team, and told her he would be holding Quidditch tryouts that Saturday morning. Then he hurried away.
"Saturday morning!" Lily frowned and poured Rose a glass of orange juice—she knew Rose had to have a glass every morning. "You have to help Madam Pince in the library on Saturday morning!"
"It's all right. I can go on Saturday afternoon instead." Rose took the orange juice and drank a big mouthful. The cold liquid slid down her throat, and the refreshing sensation seemed to seep into every joint in her body.
"What about your broom?" Marlene was more concerned about that.
"James said he could lend me his for now. He brought a Nimbus 200," Rose said.
"Wow—the newest Nimbus model!" Marlene said enviously. She wanted one too, but her mother said it was unseemly for a girl to spend all day flying around on a broom.
"Dad agreed, but Mum didn't, and they had a huge row," Marlene said.
Mary shared her own experience too. She said her mother could never understand why she liked rock music: "That's what boys like. You should listen to more classical music."
"Oh, please. Who still listens to that old stuff?" Mary complained.
So their conversation shifted from Quidditch to why parents could never understand them.
Rose could sympathize, but she could hardly say to them excitedly, "My parents in my last life were like that too!" So she could only keep stuffing pieces of smoked fish and bacon into her mouth, nodding every now and then.
Lily was the first to notice her silence and patted Mary's thigh under the long table.
"It's about time we went to class!" Hearing Mary's awkward change of subject, Rose almost laughed out loud. She really didn't mind at all that she had come from an orphanage, but her friends were clearly very considerate.
Their first lesson was Herbology. They left the castle together and headed for the greenhouses. Most of the Hufflepuff students had already arrived; they were always very punctual for class.
Mandrakes were growing in the Third Greenhouse. Rose looked down at the plants. In the second book, it was these very plants that had saved the petrified victims.
Their afternoon lesson was Defence Against the Dark Arts. Their professor this year was a young man, short and by all accounts ugly, but he always wore a smile that made him seem very warm and approachable.
Professor Bosde came from a Pure-blood family, but he was pro-Muggle, and had nearly been disowned by his family because of it. At lunch, the students at the Gryffindor table had all been talking about the new Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.
After one lesson, Rose found that Professor Bosde had a solid grasp of theory and had studied the system of magic in great depth. He could also guide them to think for themselves, and his teaching style was humorous and entertaining.
Defence Against the Dark Arts instantly became one of her favorite subjects.
Even when the bell rang, Rose was still absorbed in the lesson.
"His ideas are so new!" Rose said excitedly to Lily. "I never thought the strength of an offensive spell could have anything to do with a person's personality!"
"Yes, yes! But he actually wants each of us to hand in a sixteen-inch essay!" Marlene said indignantly. "Before the next lesson!"
"There are still three days until the next lesson!" Rose reassured her.
"Three days!" Marlene pretended to faint dramatically. "We've only got three days left! I'm staying in the library until curfew today!"
"I'm afraid I'll have to do the same. There's so little time." Lily shook her head, looking solemn. "Shall we go after dinner?"
"Er—I'm afraid I can't go with you. I have something else planned," Rose said vaguely. She felt a little guilty; Marlene and Lily had never hidden anything from her.
"Oh, all right, that's fine," Marlene said cheerfully. She rubbed her stomach, which was rumbling, reminding them it was time to go to the Great Hall for dinner. "Are we still eating together? Please-when I eat with you, I can even manage an extra helping of bacon!"
Rose grinned at her sheepishly and nodded.
At half past seven, most of the students in the castle were tucked away in their common rooms or the library, with only a few strolling leisurely through the corridors.
Rose came to a huge tapestry on the Seventh Floor.