❝I'll always be here for you, no matter what.❞

»»-----　♡　-----««

Summer went by in a flash. It was now July, and the start of a new year in Hogwarts was growing near. Alem and (Y/N) have been busy doing their summer homework for the rest of the second week of July, that they haven't been able to visit Zeke all that much.

Zeke understood that they were busy, however and left them to do their work. He also needed to finish his last summer homework before his tutor comes by September 1st.

While (Y/N) was busy thinking of how they can survive their second year due to the release of the basilisk in the school, Alem already finished his homework and supervised his twin throughout the whole day to make sure they weren't slacking.

Because the start of a new school year in Hogwarts was growing nearer everyday, Aurelia and Lawrence became busy in the Ministry and haven't had a day off since July rolled around.

Aurelia had to discuss to certain countries from all over Europe and all over the world for potential exchange students, while Lawrence had to hear the side of troublemakers who demanded for a hearing in the Wizengamot court for being expelled in Hogwarts.

This made (Y/N) and Alem go to Diagon Alley with Wallace instead. Alem felt sad that their parents couldn't join them this year to get the necessary school supplies the twins needed for Hogwarts, unlike last year. Aurelia and Lawrence were present last year when the twins first went to Diagon Alley.

"I'm kinda excited! Aren't you?" (Y/N) enthusiastically asked their deadpanned brother, who was sitting beside them while reading over the list that they needed to buy for their second year between his slender white fingers.

They were currently riding a train from Surrey to London, as none of them can apparate and (Y/N) and Wallace cannot ride brooms. It takes longer for them to arrive at their destination, but this was the only option that the Rosewoods had.

It'll take an hour and fourty-five minutes for them to get to their location, but they thought it was worth it if the twins could see the wonders of the city of London once more.

"Sit properly, will you?" Alem sighed at his childish twin with a frown curling down on his pink lips. "We'll be arriving in London soon."

"I know, I know!" (Y/N) lets out a melodious laugh and obliged with Alem's request while peering over their brother's shoulder and reading out the things they needed to buy.

The more the young Rosewood read the list, the more their cheerful expression fell.

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 2)
by Miranda Goshawk

Break with a Banshee
by Gilderoy Lockhart

Gadding with Ghouls
by Gilderoy Lockhart

Holidays with Hags
by Gilderoy Lockhart

Travels with Trolls
by Gilderoy Lockart

Voyages with Vampires
by Gilderoy Lockhart

Wanderings with Werewolves
by Gilderoy Lockhart

Year with the Yeti
by Gilderoy Lockhart

(Y/N)'s face scrunched up in disgust when they saw that almost everything they needed to buy was written by the fraud that they were going to encounter this year. None of their friends knew that Gilderoy was a scumbag who removed people's memories of their encounters with such creatures, but it still made them cringe nonetheless.

"What's up with these uncreative names? Does Lockhart really not have any brains to come up with something better than," (Y/N) said while squinting at the list to try and pick out a book title that they found hilariously bad. " 'Break with a Banshee'?"

"I think the better question would be; why are we going to buy books that are written by Lockhart?" Alem asked while rolling his (E/C) eyes and pocketing the crumpled list in the pocket of his jeans. "Almost all of these books are more like his biography rather than textbooks that we need to learn something throughout the year."

"I mean, by the looks of it, wouldn't it be more plausible to think that Lockhart will be our new Defense Against The Dark Arts professor?" (Y/N) said, leaning on the hard texture of their compartment's seat and placing their hands on their stomach comfortably. "He wrote these books as an experience of what happened to him while he encountered these creatures after all."

'Except he wasn't the one who encountered these creatures.' (Y/N) added in their thoughts as they chuckled inwardly.

"If you're right, we probably won't even learn much when Lockhart will be our DADA professor." Alem groaned while intensely praying inside his head that Gilderoy wouldn't be their DADA professor.

"That man only knows how to look good in front of everybody. He only cares about fame; he wouldn't even be a good teacher if he was one." Alem added while looking out the compartment's window.

"Now now, young master Alem. Maybe we should give this man a chance - he might not be as bad as you think he is." Wallace tried to reason with him with a smile. He didn't know much about certain popular wizards, but Wallace did want to give people the benefit of the doubt.

Alem looked over at his butler who sat across the twins with an indescribable look on his face before returning his attention back to the moving terrains outside the train's window.

"Gilderoy Lockhart is known for being an egotistical wizard among other people. Even if he's mostly popular among witches because he's handsome, some people don't like him because he's such a narcissist." Alem sighed while bringing his hand to his forehead and rubbed it. "True, the things he did are... worthy of praise, but he has a huge ego that it makes me hard to actually praise him or idolize him."

"And it's hard to idolize people who are so full of themselves." (Y/N) added, scoffing in agreement at their brother's words. "No matter how many great achievements they've made, if they're narcissistic then they're automatically a huge red flag."

"So, this Lockhart person," Wallace opened his mouth to speak. "is very narcissistic then?"

"That, he is." Alem nodded at Wallace's question. "That's why I hope he won't be our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year - Merlin knows how much chaos could people like Lockhart cause in a classroom full of children."

None of the three continued to talk after that and they remained silent throughout the entire ride. (Y/N) didn't know what to do and they didn't bring their gameboy along with them since they feared that it might get stolen when they're out of the house.

Yawning, (Y/N) leaned their head on Alem's shoulder. They were required to go to Diagon Alley as early as 10 am, so they haven't really gotten a decent amount of sleep and (Y/N) often wakes up at around 12 pm when their parents aren't there to wake them up by themselves.

Not even Alem can wake them up.

Their bodies were close and the (H/C) haired boy can hear their twin's soft rhythmic breaths. "Wake me up when we arrive, will you?"

Alem sighed and crossed his arms while fighting the sleepiness that threatened to invade his mind. "Sure." He hummed softly while (Y/N) drifted off into a short nap, their mouth slightly wide open.

Wallace glanced over at the boy before his lips curled into a smile when he saw how hard Alem was trying to fight off the sleepiness in his system. "Young master, perhaps I can alert the two of you when we have arrived in London." He said while grabbing the newspaper that he brought along with him. "Please take a rest for now."

Alem drowsily looked at Wallace before smiling appreciatively and resting his own head above (Y/N)'s. He felt his hand rest on top of his twin's, but he was too tired to even retract away as he also drifted off into a nap.

Wallace's smile widened at the sight in front of him. The Rosewood twins were leaning against each other as their eyes were closed in peace and their chests rising up and down from the soft breathings that escaped from their lips.

Oh, how he wished that he brought a camera to snap a picture of the twins. He shook his head disappointingly, but the smile that graced the man's features never disappeared.

'If Mistress Aurelia and Master Lawrence were here to see these two,' Wallace thought while he drifted his eyes down to the contents of the newspaper he held in his hands. 'they'd be screaming at how adorable they are already.'

»»-----　♡　-----««

Once the Rosewoods arrived in London, the twins' eyes sparkled at the bustling city as they scanned around the exit of the station and watched as the muggles walked off to wherever they needed to go.

'Woah, I've never been to London at 1992 before so this looks really nice!' (Y/N) exclaimed in their mind. 'I don't remember much when I went to London when I was 18, but it didn't look as pretty as it was now!'

"Young mistress/master (Y/N), please be careful to not separate yourself from us." Wallace told the excited Rosewood who was already a few feet away from him and Alem. Wallace's gloved hand held Alem's as the two walked over to (Y/N).

"Sorry, sorry!" They laughed and skipped back to where Wallace was, holding his other available hand so they wouldn't separate themselves from the two.

"Muggles are... really busy at this time of the day, aren't they?" Alem said while watching muggles do street performances, selling certain items to passerbys, and even doing some public speech.

"Woah, look what that girl can do!" (Y/N) excitedly pointed at a young girl doing five back flips, earning claps and stares of admiration from passing people. (Y/N) clapped along as well from the distance with a laugh.

They couldn't help but feel happy when they felt themselves being able to enjoy going outside with their brother and their butler without worrying about anyone possibly assaulting them from behind.

(Y/N) always used to walk back home alone and most often, they come back home during the night. Since they often needed to pass through a few night clubs that were open around the area where they lived, (Y/N) was extremely cautious.

"Now then, I think Master Lawrence told me that Diagon Alley was in the Leaky Cauldron at Charing Cross Road..." Wallace muttered while dragging the two Rosewoods along with him. He needed to find some bus or a cab to get to where he needed to go.

All of a sudden, (Y/N)'s stomach rumbled loud enough for Wallace and Alem to hear. The two looked down at (Y/N) with a surprised look on their faces. The embarrassed Slytherin placed a hand on their stomach and looked up to Wallace bashfully.

"Could we, um... get something to eat first before going to Diagon Alley?" (Y/N) nervously chuckled as Alem sighed at his twin's need to eat every five minutes. He almost finds it incredible how (Y/N) gets hungry even after they just ate - their stomach really is something else.

"Well, alright," Wallace nodded with a laugh. "I think we still have a few muggle money left over to buy some lunch." He said while retracting his hand away from Alem and retrieving a black wallet from his right pocket.

Wallace had the pocket of sickles and galleons that were needed to spend in Diagon Alley in his left pocket.

The black haired man counted the bills he had left for transportation and hummed softly when he concluded that there was enough pound sterlings left for the Rosewoods to buy some food.

"We'll need to eat at someplace that isn't too expensive, however." He said while pocketing the wallet. The twins nodded at Wallace's words, agreeing with his words as the three walked around the bustling city of London to find a place to eat.

»»-----　♡　-----««

Once (Y/N), Alem, and Wallace found a place to eat, they sat down on an available table that were near the windows.

The place wasn't too bad, other than the seemingly hot temperature. There was no air conditioning in this place, but it was well-decorated - potted plants were sorted at the entrance, the counter, and even outside the window. Fairy lights were hung neatly on the cream-colored walls with some framed pictures and drawings catching the eye of the Rosewood twins.

The smell of coffee and somewhat burnt food invaded (Y/N)'s nose and they felt comfortable. Sizzling sounds and the voices of cooks in the kitchen can be heard as the sounds of chattering customers mixed in around the place.

"You reckon these people are here for lunch too?" (Y/N) leaned to their brother with a whisper, their eyes scanning a group of people laughing and eating their meals together with a smile.

"I guess so? They wouldn't have come here if that wasn't the reason why they're here." Alem shrugged and continued observing the place with slightly widened (E/C) eyes.

"Is there anything you two would like to eat?" Wallace asked the twins with a smile.

"Err..." (Y/N) tapped their chin while squinting their eyes over at the large menu that hung right above the counter. They couldn't see very well, but could see the pictures of the food and some words they could spell out.

'I'm craving for some chicken...' They thought and almost drooled at the thought of eating a tender chicken drumstick.

"Are there any meals that have chicken in them?" (Y/N) tilted their head to the side.

While they were off trying to choose what to eat for lunch, Alem took one glance at the menu and opened his mouth to speak. "I'd like the spicy chicken wrap with cola."

(Y/N)'s head turned towards their twin with a look of disbelief in their face. Did they just hear the word 'cola' come out of his mouth? It's been a while since they drank any soft drinks.

"I'll have whatever Alem's having!" (Y/N) enthusiastically smiled at Wallace as the man nodded and stood up from his seat.

"Alright, please stay right here while I take our orders." Wallace said and walked away from the twins.

"You could've just chose another one, you know?" Alem frowned at his twin once the black haired man was far away from the two. (Y/N) chuckled and leaned towards the wooden table, their arms extended towards the glass pitcher.

Cubes of ice danced around the pitcher and flowed with the direction of the cold water inside. The sweat of the cold water surrounded the exterior part of the pitcher, droplets of water dribbling down towards the wooden table and creating a small cold puddle around the glass.

As (Y/N)'s fingers curled around the handle of the pitcher, they gently lift it up and poured some of its contents in an empty glass. An ice cube flowed down to the contents of the glass of water, creating a soft plopping sound.

"You want some?" (Y/N) offered just as they were about to place the pitcher down. Alem shook his head sideways, his (H/C) hair gently bouncing as he did so.

(Y/N) saw his response and continued placing the pitcher down before leaning away from the table and pulling their cold glass of water towards them.

Before they could bring the glass up to their lips however, a voice caught the twins' attention. "Hey look, it's the Rosewoods!" The voice said enthusiastically. (Y/N) and Alem lifted their heads up to see who called for them and as soon as Alem's eyes came in contact with them, his face dropped in discomfort.

A brown haired girl who looked to be the same age as the twins walked over to them with a mischievous smile playing on her lips. She wore a floral peach dress that went down to her knees and her hair was tied up to a ponytail, revealing the (fake) golden necklace that she wore.

Behind the girl was another girl and a boy. The girl looked identical to the brown haired girl except she wore a plain red shirt and denim shorts. The boy had semi-long black hair and wore a navy blue polo shirt with black pants.

Alem turned away from the trio with a frown while (Y/N)'s eyebrow just quirked up in confusion. "Uh, do we know you?" (Y/N) asked in the shadiest tone they could manage since they felt and saw the discomfort of their twin brother beside them.

Alem almost seemed to choke on his own spit when his own twin forgot who these three were, especially since they were responsible for mistreating them since they were still attending a muggle school.

"Oh come on, (Y/N)," The girl with the ponytail laughed while waving her hands around as if she didn't believe a word that (Y/N) said. "You can't just forget an old 'friend' like that, that's rude!"

"No, I really don't know who you are." They replied and felt themselves already getting fed up from these three every second. If Alem is uncomfortable with them, then there must be a reason why and (Y/N) felt like it's not good.

"Hmph, it's only been two years - you have a terrible memory." The boy behind her scoffed with a smirk. "Then again, you've always failed the tests back in our school, haven't you? I'm not surprised."

(Y/N) felt an irk mark emerge from their forehead when those words left the boy's mouth. With an angry huff coming out of their nose, they lean back at their seat and crossed their arms while smirking devilishly at the trio.

"No, it's just that I can't remember people if they're not worth remembering." (Y/N) replied, their (E/C) eyes glaring at the black haired boy. "Wouldn't be surprised if I don't remember any of you though - you people look basic as hell."

Alem swiftly turned towards his twin with a perplexed look on his face. He smacked (Y/N)'s arm and narrowed his eyebrows at them. (Y/N) could only shrug and look at their brother curiously, wondering what did these three even do.

'That bitch did mention something about a school, so did we really enter a primary school before we went to Hogwarts?' (Y/N) thought and could only watch as the trio's faces began to rile up, offended at their words.

"Really?" The ponytail girl scoffed and crossed her arms as well. "And where do you go to school now? I expect somewhere that accepts freaks like you two!"

"Just to let you know, our parents enrolled us into a prestigious school in London so all three of us are living here now." The other girl behind the ponytail girl spoke up with a confident smile.

"Nobody asked though." (Y/N) said. "I could give less of a shit if the three of you enrolled into a fancy school in London. Frankly, I don't think anyone's gonna give a shit about what you three are flaunting in front of other people."

(Y/N) just wanted to retrieve their wand from their pockets and hex them across the room. If it wasn't for the rule that underaged students aren't allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts, they would've done it already.

"(Y/N), please..." Alem silently pleaded at his twin as he sat closer to them, the frown that was on his face growing deeper.

"Y-You're just saying that because you're jealous!" The ponytail girl exclaimed, her face flushed red. "You don't have what we have so you're cursing!"

"What does cursing have to do with what I said, you moron?" (Y/N) said as they rolled their eyes and gently held Alem's hand from underneath the table, squeezing it gently to reassure him that nothing is going to happen to him while they're there.

"You... You weren't like that before." The girl behind the ponytail girl muttered and recalled the memories where she intentionally tripped (Y/N) in the hallway, and instead of confronting her about it, (Y/N) just walked off while dusting off any dirt that might've gotten on their clothes.

The boy with black hair clicked his tongue at (Y/N)'s response until his eyes drifted over towards the uncomfortable Alem beside them. He smirked and turned his attention towards him.

"Alem Rosewood," Once Alem's name left the boy's lips, he felt his body stiffen.

Alem didn't know how to respond to the trio, he felt glued to the spot when he remembers the things they've done to him when he was still at school.

He didn't mind talking back to Draco Malfoy or Millicent Bulstrode at Hogwarts; he didn't have any traumatic memories of them to make him unable to talk back.

With these three though, they were the reason why Alem kept to himself and grew to distant himself from other people besides Zeke, (Y/N), his parents, and Wallace. He wanted new friends but he was scared of making them - the words that the trio told him made him unable to do so.

Alem was more prone on making "magical accidents" when he was in a muggle school and that was mostly because he was the one who was constantly being picked on. He would make the ponytail girl's tongue turn green, things would explode around him if he was in distress, and the black haired boy's skin would randomly itch like he was on fire if Alem heard him talking about how creepy he was.

(Y/N) Rosewood would rescue their twin in a heartbeat, but was often not around the young boy due to teachers relying on the oddly bubbly nine year old with certain tasks.

While (Y/N) Rosewood tolerated the things that the trio did to them and took it without any complaints, Alem often cried and ran to his twin's arms for comfort after classes. None of them could tell their parents about what happened;  they didn't want them to worry too much, cause them trouble, and pull them out of school.

Though they did worry Wallace so much that he wanted to ask Lawrence and Aurelia to just drop them out of school, but he couldn't because of how the twins begged him not to.

Alem remembers nothing but bad memories and discomfort when he sees the trio.

"Still clinging on to your sibling when you're too scared?" The black haired boy smirked and watched as Alem slowly loosened his grip on (Y/N).

(Y/N) narrowed their eyes at the boy, silently sneering at him. The girls giggled at the (H/C) haired boy, who only kept his head down in embarrassment. "You haven't changed at all, Alem." The ponytail girl smiled widely.

"Do you still remember that time when we hid your story books in our bags so you wouldn't find them?" The other brown haired girl asked, placing her hands behind her back with a giggle. "It was funny how you cried afterwards!"

"And that time when you fell into the fountain because he 'accidentally' pushed you in." The ponytail girl said as she resisted the urge to let out a huge laugh while gesturing to the black haired boy behind her. "You looked like a wet dog!"

Alem wanted to cry. His hands were shaking and his lips were quivering, he didn't expect himself to act so weak today beside (Y/N) too. Just as when he was about to think that he needed to act independently without having to rely on his twin so much.

A loud splash echoed around the mini restaurant. Everybody stopped eating their meals and turned their heads to look at the person who created a commotion. Wallace also followed the people's gazes and his dark eyes widened at the sight.

(Y/N) dumped the entire contents of the pitcher that was in their table at the trio. Their clothes were dripping wet and it took them a second to realize what had happened as a look of disbelief was written across their faces.

Alem didn't even process the scenario yet and he was still looking at the trio's wet figures with a surprised look.

Wallace immediately rushed over to the twins, careful not to slip on the water that was dumped on the floor. "Young mistress/master!" He was about to scold them but he stopped when he saw the look on (Y/N)'s face.

(Y/N) was extremely angry.

Their eye was twitching in anger, their teeth was gritted tightly and their grip on the handle of the water pitcher was so tight that it seemed like it was on the verge of breaking in pieces. Their breathing was slow yet threateningly deep as their chest rose and fell in rhythm.

Alem slowly stood up from his seat, still not being able to fully process what happened as his eyes drifted over towards the fearful look in Wallace's eyes. Needless to say, the Rosewood butler has never seen (Y/N) look this genuinely furious before.

"Wha..." The ponytail girl was the first to recover, her face going from shocked to frustrated in a matter of seconds. "H-How dare you!? This was my best dress!" She cried and placed her hands on the wet dress that she wore, feeling the cold water drip from her skin.

(Y/N) paid no attention to the girl and slowly let the water pitcher down to the table, their eyes not meeting anyone elses at the moment.

The ponytail girl felt offended at the older twin's lack of reply and stomped her sandals on the wet floor.

"You Rosewoods are such a freak! I-I'm going to tell on-!"

*SLAP*

Some people gasped and almost recoiled from their seat when they heard how hard that slap was. Even the ponytail girl stumbled back with a yelp.

The other girl and the black haired boy rushed over to the ponytail girl in concern, crouching and flinching at the redness of the girl's right cheek.

(Y/N) still had their hand raised in the air as they looked down at the trio in pure contempt and hatred that it almost made them tremble in fear.

"(Y/N)!" Alem finally regained his composure and inched closer to his twin, holding their arm to pull them back in case they do something again.

Wallace, finally having enough of what (Y/N) has done, stepped between them and shielded them with his arm. "Young mistress/master, that's enough." He said in a stern voice.

Wallace's voice was enough for (Y/N) to loosen up and lower their hand, but their eyes never left the crying and terrified trio on the floor.

"We'll... We'll tell our parents about what happened here today! They'll sue you for this!" The black haired boy exclaimed and pointed accusingly at (Y/N), whose (E/C) eyes narrowed in anger once more.

"The next time you talk to me or my brother like that again when we see each other," (Y/N) said as they ignored the boy's threat. "I promise you that a slap and a splash of cold water is not what you're only gonna get - keep that in your thick heads."

"Let's go." (Y/N) said and pulled on their brother's arm, dragging themselves out of the mini restaurant before the manager comes and asks them to pay for the trouble that they have caused.

Wallace stayed for a second, glaring at the trio. Now he knew the reason why (Y/N) Rosewood and Alem often came home crying from school. He had to stop himself from kicking one of them since he didn't want to be responsible for a twelve year old's hospital bills.

The man only left the place without saying a word, the sounds of muttering muggles and the terrified sobs of the children that (Y/N) terrified slowly disappearing from his ears as he followed the twins.

Alem looked at the hand that held his arm, frowning as he recalled the scene that just happened. He didn't expect things to escalate that way - it definitely surprised him.

But in a way...

He was happy that it happened to those three.

"Alem," (Y/N) spoke among the midst of chattering muggles that passed them by on the pavement. Alem looked up to his twin and was greeted by their (H/C) hair bouncing softly behind their back.

"From now on, if anyone at Hogwarts is picking on you like those douchebags did, I want you to tell me, okay?" They said. "I don't want you to experience something like that. Never again."

Alem hesitated. He didn't want to keep relying on his twin to keep bullies out of the way. He wanted to learn how to protect himself, and even if it wasn't his coolest moment back there, he still wanted to try.

It's not like he's doing this for his own sake either; he also wanted to protect (Y/N) from anyone who wanted to pick on them. It's why he was well-acquainted with mastering spells at a young age, it gave him an advantage in case anyone tried to harm him or his twin in any way.

It came in handy, of course. Alem managed to fight off the troll that Quirrell set off during Hallowe'en night in their first year. He was never more proud of himself when he managed to save (Y/N) from the troll.

He wanted to get stronger and also look after (Y/N), just like how they are looking after him when he was in his lowest.

But if he gave an honest answer now, would (Y/N) be even able to accept it? Would they just laugh it off and tell him that he wasn't even able to defend himself when he came face to face with the bullies that haunted him?

He shook his head. No, (Y/N) would never do that. He knows they'd never do that.

"If that's the case," Alem gulped for a moment and gently pulled on his arm, indicating that (Y/N) should slow down for a moment. "I also want you to tell me if you're in trouble."

(Y/N) finally turned their head around and faced their brother, their (E/C) eyes back to their normal glint as they came in contact with Alem's. They could see the determination that Alem held in his eyes that held the same color as theirs, and who were they to deny their brother of what he wants?

(Y/N) had the strong feeling that he wanted to improve himself. With a nod, they gave him a determined smile. "We'll look out for each other." They said, making Alem smile back at them .

"Promise?" Alem asked and waited for his twin's answer. (Y/N) sighed as they stopped walking, lifting their hands over to Alem's (H/C) hair and ruffling it with a grin.

"Promise." (Y/N) chuckled as Alem exclaimed and tried to get their hand away from his hair.

Meanwhile, as Wallace walked closer towards the twins, he couldn't help but smile at the sudden mood change that they had. Just a moment ago, they were all serious and on the verge of crying but now, they're laughing and poking fun at each other.

It was then that Wallace knew that no matter what hardships the Rosewood twins may face, no matter how many times one of them fights or get in serious issues,

They'd always end up laughing and making jokes all of a sudden - as they lift each other up from their darkest times.

One cannot be complete without the other.

»»-----　♡　-----««

A/N:

I decided to release this part of the next chapter earlier on since it didn't fit well if I added it there, but I didn't want to delete this either so yeah.

Uhh

I'm sorry if this is too short.