Study Date | James Potter

Chapter 23 - "It's A Tragedy For A Reason"

Rose woke to a high-pitched squeal of her name, and the air being expelled from her lungs when a heavy object landed on top of her.

That heavy object turned out to be Alicia. The blonde girl was still in her pajamas, and she had sprouted considerably over the summer. Now she was almost the same height as Rose, although admittedly that still wasn't much.

Once Rose got her breath back, she sat up in her bed - or tried to, since Alicia was still sprawled across her stomach.

"Rose are you ok? You seem to have a strange growth around your middle?" Tina asked with a laugh as she exited the bathroom. At that, Alicia jumped up off Rose and ran to catch Tina in a hug, finally letting Rose roll out of bed with a groan.

"I wouldn't recommend having your ribs crushed as a daily wake-up call," she yawned, grimacing slightly, but at Alicia's apologetic grin, Rose couldn't help but smile back.

The previous year, Alicia had been like a burst of sunshine in their lives. She didn't at all fulfil the characteristic Slytherin profile of being cold and harsh, despite coming from a pureblood family, (although the Fawleys were traditionally Hufflepuffs,) but even at twelve she had the ambition of a true Slytherin, aimed towards becoming a healer when she was older.

"Sorry, I was just excited!" She said. "I didn't see you properly at the feast last night. I can't wait to see Matthew and Regulus too!"

Rose bit her lip hesitantly, sharing a look with Tina. They hadn't been able to talk to Regulus or Matthew the night before, and at the moment she was hesitant to let Alicia near either of them.

"It's alright, don't worry. It's good to see you too," she said. "I might, erm... steer clear of Matthew and Regulus at the moment though."

"Oh." Alicia's face fell, and Rose searched for another topic to distract her with.

"So how about this Christmas dance? I bet you're excited? We did promise you a party this year after all," she smiled widely at Alicia, but the girl's face crumpled further into a frown of annoyance.

"My mum and dad want me home for Christmas, and I know they won't change their minds even for this dance. They say Christmas is family time," she huffed.

Tina frowned sympathetically and put an arm around her shoulders. "You know what? As much as we might not like it, parents are right sometimes. I'm sure there'll be more Christmas dances though."

Alicia's face brightened a little.

Rose nodded firmly. "Tina's right. This dance feels like the start of a tradition, and you've got five more years here. Not to mention, the Marauders will probably throw a bunch of parties. Now, why don't you go and put some clothes on, and we'll meet you in the common room to go to breakfast?"

"Alright! I'll see you in a minute!" She ran off, and as soon as she was gone, Rose turned to Tina.

"Her birthday's in February right?"

"Yeah, at the beginning I think. Why?"

Rose grinned. "We are going to throw that girl the biggest party she's ever seen."

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The three were just finishing breakfast when the post arrived. An owl swooped down and dropped a small package in front of Alicia before flying away, and then a second came to land before them.

It was a school owl, with a letter around its ankle and a red rose clutched in its beak. It placed the flower on the table in front of Rose, who slightly baffled, untied the envelope from its leg.