The girls

Although Snape was gloomy and sharp-tongued, and spending time with him was hardly comfortable, getting to know him revealed a great deal of charm. Rose even thought he knew more than many older students.

In the original story, his outstanding skill in Potions had led many people to overlook the fact that he was a powerful wizard, powerful enough to become Voldemort's right-hand man.

After several secret meetings in the Potions Classroom in the dungeon, Rose discovered that he also had remarkably original insights into the principles of spells. A small discovery would often spark a spirited discussion between them, and these exchanges between two evenly matched people with shared interests allowed them to temporarily set aside their prejudices against each other's houses and immerse themselves completely in academic research.

"So, according to you, combining the prefix of the Engorgement Charm with Lumos would produce an entirely new spell." Snape's quill raced across the parchment as he muttered to himself, the light in his eyes growing increasingly fervent.

"In principle, yes, but in practice we'd still need to make some adjustments." Rose nodded and pointed at the string of incantations he had written. "Creating a spell isn't that simple. We still need to test it repeatedly." She closed the Advanced Charm Guide in her hands and rubbed her aching eyes. "Let's stop here for today. I've got Quidditch practice tomorrow morning."

A hint of a sneer appeared on Snape's face. "Oh, I dare say everyone must be counting on Gryffindor to win, aren't they? After all, you have the great Quidditch prodigy Potter."

"Snape." Rose cut him off sternly. "Don't be jealous of James's talent just because you can't fly well yourself."

Snape's face turned livid. He realized that even if the girl before him had briefly been drawn to his knowledge and brilliance, she was still a Gryffindor, a good friend of that damned Potter.

But that was exactly what he wanted. Secretly, maliciously, he thought of the day when the Quidditch star and the rebellious young master of the Black family would discover that their good girl spent her days hiding away in dark corners with a Slytherin, studying Dark Magic. Snape couldn't help looking forward to that day.

For now, he forced the muscles in his face into a smile. "All right, Claude, I'll see you tomorrow evening." The words came out through clenched teeth.

Rose gave the stiff-bodied Snape a couple of puzzled looks and said considerately, "We're already far ahead in both the speed and depth of our research. Don't shut yourself up indoors all day. If you want to fly, I can teach you." She patted Snape on the shoulder. "I thought we were friends, more or less."

Leaving the conflict between their houses aside, Snape and Rose were like research partners, absorbed in studying the mysteries of magic. And over the past few days, he hadn't shown the slightest interest in Dark Magic.

Besides, he was close to Lily, and even in the original story, Snape's position on the good side had been quite clear. Rose gradually let her guard down and began to truly regard him as a friend.

The Quidditch final soon arrived, and Rose took the field as Seeker for the first time.

At the breakfast table, under Marlene and Lily's persuasion, she managed to eat a few pieces of fried bacon and toast. James patted her on the shoulder to encourage her too, and nearly everyone who knew Rose came over to cheer her on.

This succeeded in making her even more nervous.

Finally, Sirius came up behind her, patted her head, and said cheerfully, "Even if you really don't believe in yourself, you should believe in James, shouldn't you? His judgment can't be wrong. You're the best Seeker."

"He said the same thing when I played Chaser," Rose said, her face pale.

Sirius looked puzzled. "You must be remembering it wrong! I've only ever heard him say that he himself is the best Chaser of the century."

His words made Rose laugh, and her nervousness gradually faded. Lily took the opportunity to put another smoked sausage on her plate. "Eat more and keep your strength up!"

Her friends' concern made Rose feel full of energy.

Hufflepuff's captain was a petite girl. She stood face-to-face with the tall, burly Alan, but her presence didn't fall short of his in the least.

"Tell your teammates not to be too upset, Fosco," Alan said smugly. "We're bound to win."

Eleanor Fosco was the daughter of the family that owned Focos Ice Cream in Diagon Alley. Like her father, she had a round face, but the expression on it now was resolute and full of ambition. She looked Alan over skeptically, as though he were no different from a glob of phlegm on the ground, then turned and walked away.

Alan was so angry that he could only climb onto his broom in a huff and order everyone to give the match their all.

"My biggest mistake was thinking Alan was an introvert," Rose said quietly to James as she sat on her broom. He nodded in complete agreement.

The match soon began. James and Caradoc worked together as flawlessly as ever, scoring seventy points for Gryffindor in just ten minutes. Cheers and screams rang out across the pitch, and everyone shouted "James Potter" in unison.

When the score reached a hundred and twenty to forty, Rose caught the Golden Snitch right under the referee's nose. Hufflepuff suffered a crushing defeat, and their captain's eyes reddened.

"I told you-" Alan stood on the podium, turned to James with his white teeth bared, and said, "We were bound to win!"

James looked at him hesitantly. Eleanor Fosco stood behind Alan, looking furious. Her voice trembled, but it was unusually firm. "Just you wait-Hufflepuff won't lose to you forever!" With that, she hurried away, leaving Alan frozen in place, staring after her for a long time, unable to collect himself.

"I think Alan went a bit too far," Rose said. As a female captain, Fosco must have been under a lot of pressure. "I feel like giving him a beating myself."

They crossed the grass side by side, heading toward the changing rooms.

"Alan had his reasons too. Fosco's a female captain," James said. "You're a girl too, Rose. You need to be more ladylike."

His words infuriated Rose. "What's wrong with being a girl? Nobody gets to decide what girls should be like!" She stopped and said sarcastically, "Guess what, Potter? Our head of house is a girl too!"

With that, she marched angrily toward the castle.

As everyone grew older and entered adolescence, they became increasingly aware of gender. Rose couldn't stand the boys' unconscious stereotypical remarks about girls or the disdain they didn't even realize they showed.

James was just a kind boy who was a little mischievous, but he couldn't empathize with Eleanor Focos, who had suffered implicit gender discrimination. Rose understood that, but for the moment, she didn't want to speak to any boy.

James stood there, at a loss. He didn't know what he had done to upset her this time, and he began to feel a little irritated himself.

After changing in the changing room, he remembered that Rose's clothes were still in the girls' changing room. He was lingering by the door, wondering whether to fetch them and take them back to the castle for her, when he saw Lily Evans approaching with a frown.

"Stop hanging around here, Potter," Lily said crossly. "Black's looking everywhere for you. He looks like he can't wait to go off with you on some adventure boys are supposed to have, like breaking school rules or something." With that, she went into the girls' changing room without sparing James a glance.

James was so angry at her inexplicable attitude that he laughed. Through gritted teeth, he said, "Fine, wonderful. I was just planning to break a few school rules!"

Why is every girl angry? he wondered, striding angrily toward the castle.