For what felt like the tenth time in the last hour, Rose stared at the headline on The Daily Prophet’s front page.

  “Chaos at Hogwarts! Return to Days of Terror?”

  It was accompanied by moving images of ministry workers seemingly shouting at each other while surrounded by debris from the castle walls. Even now, hours after explosions and shockwaves disturbed their morning, she still felt adrift.

  Nothing embodied the disquiet of the Hogwarts residents better than the current state of the Gryffindor common room. Instead of the usual loud chatter and energized atmosphere, subdued whispers and hushed discussions permeated throughout the lion’s den.

  With a defeated sigh, Rose set the newspaper down and looked up to survey her surroundings. Seated in a far corner, partially hidden from the rest of the room’s occupants, she was surrounded by two equally somber friends.

  Charlotte was slumped against her chair, gaze directed at the ceiling. The tomboy’s shoulder-length, curly, brown hair was currently spread around the headrest like a halo. Being the tallest of the trio, she was easily able to stretch out and not worry about her feet dangling.

  In contrast, Emma sat poised and seemingly trying to divine the secrets of the universe from the small table holding their long-cooled teacups. Her black locks were tied into neat segments with red and gold ribbons: the only personal effects that showed house pride for the otherwise demure girl. The alabaster skin around her forehead was currently scrunched up in a contemplative frown.

  As for Rose herself, annoyance and frustration were bubbling in her chest. This was one of the rare occasions in which she felt helpless, which is why she often did her best to prevent them. In her distraction, the girl subconsciously started playing with her brilliant, red mane.

  Twirling a lock of it about her fingers, Rose considered the morning’s events.

  She was about to go down for breakfast with her friends when the castle shook. Before the redhead knew it, she was locked in with the rest of her housemates and told to stay put. All the while, sounds of explosions echoed from the distance.

  Her father had checked in on her hours ago and since then, there have been no news or updates. Everyone was left speculating about the hows, whens, and whys. The who, though. Rose had a few good guesses about the who.

  There was an attack, which was repelled by the school’s professors. Her mother was injured but recovering. Significant parts of the castle were damaged but no one died. That last part left her both relieved and confused.

  Her father then proceeded to check on her brother, which was both expected and not. That he was doing so at the behest of her mother, however, tripped something in the back of her mind.

  James and Harry Potter had a complex relationship. Ever since her brother entered Hogwarts and got sorted into Slytherin two years prior, their already-strained interactions became intolerable. Rose enjoyed a close relationship with her parents, but the same couldn’t be said for Harry.

  When she was younger, she couldn’t understand why her brother was so cold towards everyone. It wasn’t until her first year, when the professors started calling her a prodigy, that things became clear.

  Harry was resentful. Of her parents for their fame. Of her, for her aptitude for magic, long before she even got her wand.

  Rose couldn’t remember ever treating her brother as lesser, of course. She had often tried to involve him whenever she brewed potions with their mother or when she was discussing the intricacies of Transfiguration with their father.

  Such invitations were always met with frigid refusal and later, with utter contempt.

  Family dinners became events to be feared, ever since.

  Now in her second year, Rose was on the verge of giving up hope that their issues could be resolved amicably.

  So, for James Potter to willingly check on his son - with whom he shared a cool relationship - the situation would have to be quite dire.

  “What d’you reckon is happening now?”

  Charlotte’s question dragged Rose from her inner musings. Glancing at her friend, she spent a few seconds to form an answer. In truth, she didn’t know. She could voice a few theories she’d come up with, but there simply wasn’t enough information.

  She certainly wasn’t about to fuel Hogwarts’ infamous rumor-mill with half-baked conjectures.

  “I honestly have no idea,” she replied.

  “But you do have some thoughts on the matter?”

  Rose wanted to sigh.

  “I have a lot of thoughts on the matter, Emma,” she said. “But none of them are worth discussing. We don’t know what’s going on.”

  “Well, what about the Prophet?” Charlotte asked, straightening up. “You’ve been staring at it like the paper owed you gold.”

  Sparing the useless compilation of word vomit a look, Rose shrugged.

  “It’s about what I expected. Lots of wild claims and innuendos. Nothing concrete. Plenty of hints at some greater revelations, though.”

  “So, the usual, basically?” Emma promptly guessed, now daintily nibbling on one of the remaining biscuits.

  Charlotte snorted. Rose’s friends knew her opinion on the wizarding world’s premier source of all things gossip masquerading as serious journalism, by now. Having been subjected to its brand of reporting even as a young girl, mostly fueled by her parents’ accomplishments and then later her own prodigious skills, she had long grown to mistrust The Daily Prophet.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Still, with the current information blackout, beggars simply could not be choosers.

  “When do you think they’ll let us out?”

  Once again, Rose had no real answers for Charlotte’s question. Knowing her friend as well as she did, though, the redhead knew that the brunette wasn’t actually looking for a concrete response. She needed some reassurance.

  “It shouldn’t be for much longer,” Rose said while reaching out to grasp her friend’s hand. “We haven’t heard anything new, for a while. Once the professors have determined that the castle is secure, they should let us out.”

  Charlotte squeezed her hand and smiled in appreciation. Emma, on the other hand, hummed in agreement. Though sparse in her displays of affection, often mistaken by others as detachment or indifference, Rose knew that the smaller girl had plenty of empathy to spare.

  Unfortunately, any further attempt to soothe Charlotte’s worries was interrupted by a cataclysmic eruption somewhere in the castle. The thunderous blast threw everyone to the floor, absolutely showering them in dust and debris.

  Ears ringing, Rose could barely make out the screams and wailing of her housemates. It took only a split second for her to realize that she’s been deafened. In the next moment, she frantically checked on her friends.

  Like her, they were caked in dust and blood, likely caused by the fall and broken glass. Thankfully, both seemed to have their full faculties working, minus the hearing. Grasping the sides of their faces with her hands, Rose drew their attention. She pointed to her ears and shook her head before giving them a questioning look.

  Both caught on to what she was trying to convey. Their eyes widened, both tried to speak, and then realized that they could barely hear their own words. Confirming that they shared her condition, Rose gestured for them to hold each other’s hands and to not let go.

  Standing up on unsteady legs, the redhead surveyed the Gryffindor common room and was treated to a sight of disaster. Chairs, tables, shelves, and other furniture were scattered about. Nearly every surface was dirty and the students themselves were in various states of distress.

  The younger years were on the floor, crying while the older students appeared to be doing their best to help. Rose saw the Weasley twins embracing Ron and Ginny while Percy was trying to direct the prefects. His efforts were naturally hampered by the fact that most everyone couldn’t seem to hear properly.

  In the midst of the chaos, however, there appeared to be a shining light. A girl with a wild mane of bushy brown hair had her wand out and seemed to be making some headway in providing aid.

  Cuts, scrapes, and bruises faded wherever she pointed her wand. Scattered debris and obstacles were also moved with crisp, efficient movements.

  Rose knew who she was, of course.

  Hermione Granger.

  The muggleborn who was closest to matching Lily Potter’s accomplishments. Brilliant, uncompromising, and driven. It was said that Hermione devoured books like Ron Weasley inhaled food.

  And it would appear that her seemingly bottomless desire for knowledge is paying dividends, at the moment. She was doing even better than those who have had more years of learning than her.

  Making her mind up, Rose was about to take out her own wand to render what assistance she could. Alas, this was not to be.

  The twelve-and-a-half-inch apple wood and unicorn hair magical focus was barely out of her pocket when the entrance to the common room was blasted inwards. This time, the older students were prepared and a series of shield charms went up.

  Such protective measures turned out to be unnecessary, however, as Professor McGonagall strode in through the hole. She was quickly followed by Lily Potter who scanned the room with a serious demeanour that Rose had never seen before.

  The professor then approached Percy while Lily crossed the common room to engulf Rose in a desperate embrace. She interrupted her mother’s babbling by pushing her away and gesturing at her ears.

  Surprised hurt was swiftly replaced by comprehension and Lily used her own wand while muttering an incantation. With a pop, the world suddenly became noisy, once more. Rose found the sensation incredibly disorienting.

  “How’s that?” her mother asked.

  “Better,” Rose said, “can you do the same for Charlotte and Emma, please?”

  Lily promptly obliged and soon enough, her friends could hear once more. While they both expressed their gratitude to her mother, Rose took this chance to see what else was going on.

  It would appear that Professor McGonagall was instructing the prefects to organize the students for an evacuation. Rose could hardly believe it. Hogwarts was supposed to be the safest place in the world.

  And now, twice in one day, it was proven to be anything but.

  Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Rose turned to find her mother’s concerned gaze. Behind her, Charlotte and Emma were radiating anxiety.

  “We need to go, Rosie.”

  While her mother tried to speak in a steady voice, she could not completely hide the pain and fear in her emerald eyes. Rose dearly wanted to know what was causing the normally fearless witch such distress, but she swallowed her questions. They could wait.

  “Right behind you, mum.”

  Lily smiled, kissed her forehead and moved toward the entrance where the Gryffindors were already gathering. Rose and her friends followed suit. As they did, she noticed Hermione Granger to her side with only a single student separating them.

  She was surrounded by a gaggle of younger years, the ones she had helped just moments before. Rose found the muggleborn’s composure impressive. Her posture and shaking hands betrayed her fear, but she still took the time to speak calmly to her would-be charges.

  A few moments later, after providing the necessary first aid, Professor McGonagall gave out last-minute instructions.

  “Stay together, follow the prefects, and remain calm,” she said in her usual stern brogue. “If you are separated from the group for any reason, you are to make your way to the entrance hall and look for a professor or ministry official. Leave your material belongings behind. We do not have the time to retrieve them. Now, follow along.”

  With that said, she turned around with the rest hot on her heels.

  From the moment they exited the Gryffindor tower, Rose saw the utter devastation caused by the explosion. Cracks formed all along the walls. Portraits were blown from their places and now littered the floor.

  However, what really stood out were the suits of armor. Rose has spent enough time in Hogwarts to relegate these metallic figures as nothing more than hallway decorations. Now, they were walking around in formation.

  Upon seeing their group, eight broke off and started escorting them with no discernible signal from either of the adult witches leading them. This, more than anything, showed Rose how dangerous their situation has become.

  The castle is now being patrolled by an actual army.

  For the next few minutes, their progress went smoothly. Through several corridors, stairs, and even some secret passageways, Rose allowed herself to relax bit by bit. She initially wondered why they didn’t take the moving staircases, but then immediately discarded that thought.

  Those deathtraps were bad enough when you didn’t have to worry about random explosions. Today, using them would be suicide.

  Upon finally stepping foot in a familiar hallway, Rose blew a sigh of relief. She knew that the entrance was just around the corner. They were safe.

  From one moment to the next, the universe punished the only daughter of House Potter for tempting fate. Just as they were about to enter the chamber hosting the grand staircases, the marble floors blasted upwards.

  Rose only had a brief glimpse of other people in the room before everything was smothered in a cloud of dust. Unlike the first time, they had two fully-grown witches with them, who proceeded to cast a barrier that shielded the Gryffindors from the worst of the shockwave and debris.

  Unfortunately, they weren’t spared from being knocked down due to the quaking floors. Most of the students were lifted off their feet. In a desperate bid to keep from falling over, they grasped for others in the hopes of finding balance. This backfired spectacularly as it only resulted in a domino effect of one taking another down with them before doing the same to the rest.

  Rose and her friends were near the back of the group and to the side. In a split-second decision, she grabbed Charlotte and Emma, dragging them to the wall. A fortuitous choice as it left them among the few still standing by the time the world stopped shaking.

  Looking across at the opposite wall, Rose saw another small group that managed to stay upright. The one led by Hermione Granger.

  Of course.

  Shaking off the useless thought, Rose moved to stand behind her mother - her friends following along.

  Without turning her head to acknowledge their presence, Lily Potter spoke in a terse voice.

  “Rosie, I need you to take your housemates and head toward the southern side entrance. From there, you will head towards the gates. Do you understand?”

  Since the start of this exodus, Rose had done her best to keep the fear at bay. To maintain her rational mindset. To prevent herself from drowning in panic.

  Her mother’s tone and the resigned set of her shoulders finally caused the dam to break.

  “What about you?”

  Rose hated how weak she sounded at that moment, but there was no helping it. For as long as she knew her, the Potter matriarch had always been a symbol of both strength and compassion. She knew plenty of powerful witches and wizards, but few could compare to Lily Potter.

  She fought in the war. She duelled Voldemort.

  Yet, here she was, sounding as if she was prepared to die. Who exactly were they contending with?

  Before Lily could respond, a powerful gust of wind cleared away the dust behind the barrier protecting them. There, just at the lip of the gigantic hole near the grand staircase, was a figure she had known her entire life.

  “Harry?”

  The name escaped her lips before she could stop herself. Rose found herself trapped beneath a piercing green gaze that seemed to weigh her very soul. It wasn’t the usual disdainful glare or the contemptuous sneer she had come to expect.

  No. This was the considering stare of a predator, trying to decide whether to kill their prey quickly or play with it first.

  Just as Rose was finding it harder and harder to breathe, the thing wearing her brother’s face spoke.

  “Oh, what fresh hell is this?”