The Bug Collector | marauders

Platform 9 3/4 and The Hogwarts Express

"No Lily I really do like it! Petunia was just being a prat!"

Rose exclaimed as Lily tugged at the ends of her long hair again, looking into her reflection via a window of the train beside them, it was in two pigtail braids with small red ribbons tying them off at the bottom on each side.

"At the very least that Potter boy will love it!"

This made Lily grumble but at least her moment of insecurity was forgotten. As they boarded the Hogwarts Express Rose looked around for anyone they might know and did come across two familiar faces. James Potter and Sirius Black were in a trolly car with two other boys, between the boys, their luggage and all the snacks their car was filled but Rose still wanted to say hello, Lily did not. Just as James waved her way frantically Lily whispered a goodbye to Rose.

"I'm going to sit with Sev, you'll be alright on your own for now, yeah?" "Of course! I wanna make some new friends."

Lily took the reassurance well and walked off to sit with her friend, a friend Rose was not particularly fond of but didn't quite hate either.

"Sorry James, looks like she was just leaving" Rose said with a small smile. "But I wanted to say hello." "I see little Evans has glasses now" Sirius said taking a look at her. "I've had them. Just didn't wear them that night that's all. I don't particularly like them sometimes." "They look like mine! Are you saying you don't like mine?!" "...that's precisely what I'm saying Potter." She said, sounding a bit like Lily.

She did sound like Lily, and look like Lily, but she tried not to. Only being a year younger made it hard for them to be distinguished so she was actually rather grateful for her glasses, despite thinking they took away from her face, it was round and her bob framed it rather perfectly. She was wearing their father's jacket under her robes that she had already put on, ready to arrive at Hogwarts the moment she stepped on the train. Her and Lily had shopped for supplies for the year together and it was all rather exciting. Rose had picked out a wand during a trip to Diagon Alley. It was rosewood which felt fitting, with a dragon heartstring, and the wand itself was dark, rose thorns prickling the length of it up to the handle which was smooth. Lily had labeled it a little "spooky" but it was just what Rose wanted.

"I should go though, it'll be a bit harder to find an empty seat now, bye!" She quickly turned around and began walking the isles to find any near empty seat, she had bumped into the legs of a tall boy with long blonde hair, so blonde it looked white and mumbled an apology before moving past him, he simply looked down at her as if her existence itself annoyed him.

Eventually she came upon a trolly car empty except for one boy sitting in it, "Are any of these seats taken?"

The boy looked up from his book and familiar colorless eyes looked up at her. His face was angular and his hair tidy. Jet black. His clothes were far better than hers, not like she cared about that though. Her clothes were comfortable and reminded her of home, his looked stiff, not to mention dreary and dark.

"No." "May I sit?" "Yes." And he looked back at his book.

They sat in silence for a while, but this was going to be a long train ride and unless he had spare books he was willing to share she was not going to sit quietly. "I'm Rose Evans."

She said with a smile extending her hand to him, she had taken the seat directly in front of him. He looked at the hand and sat his book in his lap, open faced as to save the page. "Regulus Black."

She had heard that name, Sirius had been making fun of her youngest sibling antics and he mentioned him. "I believe I know your brother." She said, smile still not falling, a look of- "oh no" passed the boy. When he spoke his accent was like Sirius and James'. Posh and nice to listen to, though he already didn't seem like someone to say a whole lot. "I don't believe I recognize your family name." He eventually responded.

In this moment Rose remembered another thing Sirius had said to her that day, he mentioned their blood status and how he didn't really care— being as his brother seemed to disapprove of his older sibling in some way...

"I'm from a Muggle household" she said as if it was a warning. "So if you're going to be a tosser about it, best do it now so I can find a new seat before they are all full."

Much to her surprise he didn't, in fact he didn't say anything at all, simply went back to his book, stealing glances at her in moments when he thought she was not looking, more often than not she was looking. She decided to make the most of her alone time, pulling out a journal to write down tips Lily had given her verbally, things like: "make new friends" "keep me updated" "study but don't forget to have fun" were obvious and she knew she would follow them, however there was a bit of advice Lily had given she knew she would simply have to ignore, "Avoid the Marauders, they are trouble". They did seem like trouble. But trouble seemed fun.

She doodled and hummed to herself a bit until the snack trolley was rolled by,

"Care for a chocolate frog, dear?" The sweet looking lady pushing the cart asked. "Two actually." She said and paid for them. This got the boys attention.

"Two?" "One for me and one for you. I've heard it's more about the card than the frog anyway, you could go drop the frog on your brothers head for all I care" She said matter-of-factly.

And much to her surprise(again) he laughed. This boy with a face of stone and eyes like fog laughed, he at least seemed to have a sense of humor. "I'm sure Sirius would find that horrendous. He cares far too much about his hair, wants it just messy enough." "Lily too! Can't be too cute, or too grown up, I just wack mine off, it'll be curly one day, straight the next." She said with a smile. "Now open it I want to know what you get!" She continued.

He did as instructed, and the little frog did in fact hop away.

"Merwyn the Malicious, he was famous for having seven squib sons and turning them into hedgehogs." He said. "Regarded as a rather evil wizard" He continued.

"Well, that is rather cruel...but also kind of funny to think of a evil wizard with a herd of hedgehogs!" Rose said.

"I suppose it is...what's yours?"

She opened her frog and held him in between her fingers. "No you don't, both of you can't get away I would like some chocolate." She said before the bewitchment wore off and she broke the frog into two pieces, handing him one before taking a bit of the other, then taking a look at her card. "Herpo the Foul...maybe we should buy a few more these seem to be rare!" She exclaimed. She didn't recognize this wizard but his name was followed by "the foul" so she couldn't expect anything too pleasant.

"He's an Ancient Greek wizard. He created the Basilisk. A large snake-like creature." The boy said.

"Oh...that's actually pretty interesting. I'm guessing you know from reading." "Yes. Which I'll continue now."

And he did, for a while, Rose took to looking out the window and making note of anything interesting she saw. Eventually she was interrupted out of her own little world. She had almost fallen asleep she felt so calm.

"Has anyone ever described you as sanguine?" Regulus asked. Seemingly out of the blue, it must have plagued him as he tried to read. "No...I don't think so...what does that mean?"

"Positive or optimistic, especially when in a rather compromising or uncomfortable situation." He said. She took that as his way of giving a compliment. He spoke again.

"It also means the color red".