❝Tasting your blood means I love you.❞

»»-----　♡　-----««

"Hey, can I talk to (Y/N) for just a second?" Ginny asked, my eyes travelling towards her hand where Tom Riddle's diary was being held. I silently gulp, expecting that our conversation in the next few minutes won't be so good.

Alem cleared his throat and looked at me for a second before looking back at Ginny, nodding at her request. "Sure, Ginny." He said, hesitation clearly visible on his tone of voice then he turned to look at me once again. "Just be back before the curfew, alright?"

I nod, watching Alem walk away and enter the dungeons without looking back. As his figure disappeared into the dorms, I look down at Ginny with skepticism. "Is there something you needed from me, Ginny?"

The redhead nods then skipped past me. "Let's talk somewhere more private." She stated briefly, beckoning me to follow her. Honestly, I didn't want to. I don't want to put myself at risk at the first night in the school, but since I'm expecting that Ginny's already been under Tom's influence, it's not like I can outright refuse her.

Otherwise, whatever's going to happen to Ginny is going to be my fault. I can't just leave that in my conscience.

Hesitatingly, I followed her. Ginny led me to an empty hallway where no students seemingly pass by at this hour. How she was able to find this hallway, I don't know. But what I do know is that whatever she wants to talk about, she clearly doesn't want anyone else to know.

"So," I cleared my throat, looking at her once again. "What is it that you need?" I ask more firmly this time, not wanting Ginny to do any more tricks or stalling.

The female Weasley scoffed playfully, flipping her long red hair. "It's not me who needs something from you. It's Tom." She said, almost with a tone of bitterness in her voice.

I paused for a moment, unsure of how to approach this situation. He's already been able to influence Ginny this much? How? It's not even Hallowe'en yet. I expected Ginny to be possessed right after the Deathday Party, which is three months from now.

"...Tom who?" I decided to use a last-ditch effort and pretend that I didn't know who she was talking about. I know it won't work, but I could at least try to be clueless.

Ginny sighed at my act. "(Y/N), you're the last person who went into my room last time, remember?" She said as I recalled the time where I asked to 'borrow her books', when in fact, I was just trying to write in Tom's diary. "I told Tom about you and... I knew you weren't someone I could trust."

Baffled, I raise my eyebrow at Ginny's statement. "Excuse me?" I asked. "What are you talking about?"

"You lied to get into my room and steal this diary, knowing full well that it was something important." accused Ginny, who was already looking a bit annoyed at the assumption that I was trying to feign ignorance. "You knew there was something in this diary and you didn't tell me. On top of that, you even messed around with Tom, who didn't do anything wrong."

"Woah woah, okay. Hold up there, Miss Weasley." I raise both of my hands in defense, looking at her in annoyance. If there's anything I didn't like, it's people accusing me of something I didn't even do. "I didn't steal your diary. If I did, that diary wouldn't even be in your possession by now. It would be with me."

"All I did was write around in the diary and Tom replied back, that's it." I added, but then immediately stopped once I realized I admitted that I was the one who was in Ginny's room that day. As soon as those words left my mouth, Ginny's body loosened and she gets closer to me, giving me a soft smile.

"So, it really was you?" She asked.

Unable to keep up with the lie anymore, I sighed. "Yes, it's me."

The Weasley took a step back and looked straight at me. "I don't like the fact that you hid things from me, (Y/N). But I'm willing to forgive you if you do me a favor. Well, do Tom a favor, rather."

She hands me Tom Riddle's diary, making me narrow my eyes. I did not like this so-called favor that Tom or Ginny wants me to do. "You have to hold on to this diary until I want it back. Tom wants to speak with you." She said.

I stare at the diary for a moment. Tom wants to talk to me? Me, of all people? What use would he even have for me besides the fact that I know he's Tom Riddle? I get that he doesn't want me to spill his identity to other people, but there's no point or advantage for me to tell Harry and the others about his true identity because I don't want to mess up the story.

I exhale, looking up at Ginny once more. "Why do I have to hold on to this diary?"

"I'll kill myself if you don't."

My eyes widened, clearly taken back by what Ginny just said. I stare at her in disbelief as she said that with no hesitation or filter at all. "...What?" I ask, trying to make sure that I heard her right the first time. There's just no way she said that without a sliver of fear or hesitation.

"I can jump off the astronomy tower and let myself fall to the ground if you don't take the diary." She said, this time in great detail. The Weasley sent me a small smug smile. "I don't think you can have it in your conscience to have the blood of an eleven year old girl in your hands just because you didn't want to do her a favor, do you?"

I silently click my tongue, looking at the diary angrily. 'I can't believe you, Tom; you're making a young girl kill herself if she doesn't accomplish the things that you want her to do.' I sigh, both in anger and defeat. 'You're the worst.' I added in my mind before snatching the diary out of Ginny's hands.

"If I take this, will you promise to leave Ginny alone?" I asked, gripping the diary as tightly as I could out of anger. My question wasn't really targeted towards Ginny, it was more so targeted towards Tom, who's clearly influencing the young girl.

As I suspected, Ginny nodded. "You have my word." She said before walking away, almost robotically. I watched her leave for a few seconds before turning around to walk back towards the Slytherin dorm room. As I did so, I glanced down at the leather-covered diary, flipping it and examining the age-old diary with distaste and annoyance.

"I can't believe he just threatened to have Ginny killed if I didn't do this." I muttered to myself before turning my eyes away from the diary. "What are you planning on doing, Tom?"

»»-----　♡　-----««

The sun rose up to the sky, blessing the students from Hogwarts with warmth and light. As students piled up to the Great Hall for their breakfast, (Y/N) yawned and sat next to Alem at the Slytherin table. Concerned for their well-being, the younger Rosewood nudged (Y/N)'s shoulder. "Hey, you good?" asked Alem.

"Yeah..." replied (Y/N) unenthusiastically. "Sorry, it just feels like I had a really long dream. That's probably why I still feel so tired." They explained before lazily taking a bite out of their meal.

Alem frowned and moved their pumpkin juice closer to (Y/N). "You can have my pumpkin juice if that helps you feel better."

"Thanks, bro." (Y/N) lightly giggled before continuing their breakfast.

In the Gryffindor table, the trio started to eat their breakfast as well considering that their first class, Herbology, will be starting in an hour. Harry glanced over at the Slytherin table, smiling upon seeing (Y/N) all well and good. He couldn't see their faces well from the back, but it was good enough to see them actually alive.

Ron, however, felt dread upon realizing that his parents must have already gotten the news about their family's Ford Anglia being stolen and used by him and Harry. Of course Harry had some faults in it too considering that he was a part of it, but since Ron was the one who initiated the idea, his parents, specifically his mom, will be the one to get so mad at him.

Noticing Ron's discomfort, Hermione sighed. "You do realize it's your fault, right?" She commented before taking a bite out of her fried eggs. "You can't be nervous when you got seen and crashed into the Whomping Willow."

Ron rolled his eyes at Hermione's snarky comment before he continued to eat his breakfast. "We know it's our fault, Hermione." He scoffed. "You don't need to remind us."

"I'm just saying that you don't have the right to be scared if you're the one who wanted to go through with it in the first place." She shrugged.

"You would understand if you were there." said Ron dismissively. Hermione didn't say anything else after that until a flock of owls flew inside the Great Hall to deliver some mail. Ron instinctively jumped when Errol clumsily dived into his table. He gulped when he saw a red envelope held at the owl's claws, realizing that it was a howler.

Errol stood up and dropped the envelope in front of him before he flew away with a hoot. Ron examined the howler, shivering at the thought of opening it and hearing the sounds of his mother yelling at him in front of everyone at the Great Hall.

"Look everyone," Seamus snickered and smugly turned to look at Ron. "Weasley's got himself a howler."

Everyone instinctively turned to look at the Gryffindor table, specifically at Ron. (Y/N) silently prayed for Ron's social life after this since getting yelled at in public by your mom is probably the worst thing you can experience in your life, aside from almost getting killed of course.

"Can you believe it?" Draco silently chuckled. "Weasley and Potter got themselves in trouble after driving to Hogwarts with a bewitched car and crashing it to the Whomping Willow." He gossiped to his other Slytherin peers.

"If it was me, my father would never hear the end of it." He sighed dramatically.

"I'm sure they didn't mean it." (Y/N) piped up, defending Harry and Ron with a smile. "They probably didn't know what else to do if they didn't show up to the castle on time. Besides, it's not like they knew the Whomping Willow was there. That's just my two cents on the matter, though."

"Sure, Rosewood." Millicent Bullstrode sarcastically replied to (Y/N)'s defense. "The point is that they still shouldn't have done it. Then again, what can we expect from you, blood traitor?"

"I agree that they still shouldn't have done it, but you didn't need to insult them for it." Alem's eyes narrowed, looking at Millicent in annoyance.

Not wanting to anger Alem, Millicent just scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever." she said, dropping the topic and turning her attention back to Draco. (Y/N) stuck her tongue out to Millicent discreetly before taking their last bite out of their meal.

Draco didn't even find it in himself to talk to (Y/N), fearing that his father will be notified of his disobedience and punish him accordingly.

"Open it, Ron." (Y/N) heard Neville say nervously. "I ignored one from my gran once. It was horrible." He gulped as he recalled the memory he had with his grandmother when he ignored her howler.

Leaving Ron with no choice, he hesitatingly opened the howler, only to be greeted by: "RONALD WEASLEY!" Mrs. Weasley's voice boomed and echoed throughout the entire Great Hall, almost deafening the students around Ron. Startled, he dropped the letter to the table. The letter floated upwards and transformed itself into a paper monster, glaring at Ron with its hollow angry paper eyes.

The Howler continued to sputter words, almost as if Mrs. Weasley was too mad to even stop herself from yelling at his poor son.

"--STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE!?" Everyone either awkwardly stared at Ron or just looked away while snickering and laughing at how embarrassed he looked. "--LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS; YOU AND HARRY COULD HAVE DIED!"

Ron slipped underneath his seat, to the point that only his forehead could be seen. Harry awkwardly coughed while Hermione calmly sipped her pumpkin juice with a deadpan look on her face.

"HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR!? I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED! YOUR FATHER'S NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT!" Mrs. Weasley continued shouting at Ron. "IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE, WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME!" As the Howler was done screaming at Ron, it turned to look at Ginny, who only looked at the sentient envelope with a deadpan look.

"Oh, and Ginny, dear. Congratulations on getting into Gryffindor. Your father and I are so proud." Ginny visibly scoffed and continued eating her meal as the Howler was done congratulating her, making (Y/N) confused as to why she acted like that since she was supposed to act all shy and awkward when it happened.

'I thought Tom said she'll leave her alone if I take that diary.' (Y/N) grumbled in their mind before shaking their head and placed their head on the table as they started to think. '...I'll just talk to her later or something.'

After the Howler stopped and ripped itself to shreds, the majority of people started laughing at Ron and Harry, until gradually, the babble of talk broke out again in the Great Hall, regaining its normality.

When things finally settled down, the head of the houses walked over towards the tables where each houses are assigned to. At the Slytherin table, Professor Snape handed out course schedules to the students depending on their years. When he arrived at the second years, he glanced over at (Y/N) who was trying their hardest to not fall asleep.

Snape thinned his lips and lightly slapped (Y/N)'s forehead, causing them to snap and wake up fully. "Huh- Wha-?" Snape showed (Y/N) their course schedule in front of them, making them blink their eyes once before taking it to examine it further.

"I sincerely hope you won't fall asleep on your first day of classes, Miss/Mister Rosewood." he commented while giving out the schedules to other second years, not even sparing another glance towards (Y/N).

"Yes, sir..." (Y/N) muttered shyly, embarrassed that Snape caught them almost falling asleep.

As the bells in the distance rang that signaled the end of their breakfast, students hopped out of their seats and grabbed their bags to get to their classes on time before the second ring of the bell tolls. (Y/N) yawned as they waited for Alem to finish packing up his essentials.

While waiting, Draco pokes (Y/N)'s shoulder in order to get their attention. The older Rosewood ended their yawn abruptly, turning around to face the platinum blonde haired boy in surprise. "Draco," they said, acknowledging their presence. "What's up?"

Draco trembled, his eyes not meeting (Y/N)'s as he hesitated on asking them out for tonight since he wanted to talk to them about something. Specifically, something they wanted to 'return' to them.

The boy paused for a bit until he finally built the courage to look at (Y/N). "I just wanted to ask if you..." His words trailed off when he noticed pairs of eyes staring directly right at him from the back. He felt a shiver run down his spine. He knew this feeling – he was being watched.

Ever since Lucius had ordered Draco to not approach (Y/N) unless it was for ridiculing them, Draco felt eyes on him since he stepped into the castle and the Great Hall. It's like Lucius told the parents of these Slytherins to keep an eye on Draco to see if he disobeyed him.

He silently gritted his teeth at the thought of being unable to approach (Y/N) for the entire year. He needed to find a loophole around his father's command. He didn't want to go against him but he didn't want to sacrifice (Y/N) either.

"...Nothing." He abruptly left the conversation, swinging his bag across his shoulder before stomping away from (Y/N) bitterly. The Rosewood tilted their head to the side, confused at what just happened.

Draco scowled as he walked away and felt those same pairs of eyes leaving him when he walked away from (Y/N). He turned to a corner and went to the boy's lavatory, throwing his bag to the floor and kicking the wall in anger.

"I hate this. I hate this. I hate this." He repeated the same words over and over, kicking the wall as he did so. When he's had enough of kicking the wall, he punched it once. Hard.

Breathing heavily, he took a step back and watched as his knuckles started to bleed and the spot on the wall where he punched it had a small smudge of blood on it. Draco's chest heaved up and down. He staggered until his back hit the wall and he slid down to the floor, trembling both in anger and desperation.

"I will kill him." He vowed spitefully to himself – the image of his father appearing in his mind. "You can't just take them away from me." Draco urged himself to calm down. He stood up from the dirty floor, glancing into the mirror and fixed his disheveled hair and wiped off the blood from his knuckles.

Draco didn't appreciate the fact that he's never going to be close with (Y/N) ever again. He didn't like that he's always left in the dark. He's tired of just watching. He's tired of just keeping himself at a distance.

The worst part? The best he can do is, indeed, just keep himself at a distance because he doesn't have a choice.

Draco slipped his hand into his pocket, retrieving a small device that's infused with magic. It's almost the size of Draco's fingernail – nobody would be able to notice this unless they looked closer to it. "(Y/N)'s blood..." He breathed out before slipping it back inside his pocket. "I just need their blood and it'll work."

He shakily let out a breath before picking up his bag once more and leaving the lavatory, determined to ask (Y/N) once more once they're in the Slytherin dorm room.

»»-----　♡　-----««

As (Y/N) and Alem reached the Greenhouse for their first Herbology lessons, they were relieved to find that they weren't late at all, much to Alem's relief. "Good thing we weren't late. It was a bit difficult to find our way to this place." breathed Alem out while he glanced over at the crowd.

The students waited for Professor Sprout, who was currently talking to Professor Lockhart. They can clearly see that she was disgruntled just by talking to him, but Gilderoy was too ignorant to even notice that.

"...What the hell is he doing here?" (Y/N) blurted out loud, completely unimpressed by the idea of having Gilderoy be the first person they have to deal with in the morning. Alem shrugged, also unimpressed. "I honestly don't have any idea, but I hope he's not staying here for too long." replied Alem.

"Ah, hello everyone! Good morning!" Gilderoy beamed and flashed the assembled students a toothy smile while waving at them enthusiastically. "I was just showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow! But, I don't want you running away with the idea that I'm better at Herbology than she is!"

(Y/N) exhaled through their nose, already done with Lockhart for the entire day. They didn't like how Gilderoy was being disrespectful towards Professor Sprout, who clearly had more experience than him when it comes to Herbology. If she needed advice, she would've asked.

Rolling her eyes, Professor Sprout looked at the students. "Greenhouse three today, chaps!" She said out loud, but she sounded like she wasn't her usual cheery self.

A few of the students had a murmur of interest in the crowd. Alem raised an eyebrow at this and (Y/N) just yawned, not really caring whether or not the third greenhouse was that important or interesting to begin with. As Professor Sprout unlocked the door to the third greenhouse, Harry attempted to walk closer to (Y/N), hoping he could snag a seat next to them during class.

However, his attempt became futile when Gilderoy suddenly placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry! I've been wanting a word." He glanced over at Professor Sprout, smiling up at her before his eyes landed towards a tired (Y/N) Rosewood, who was about to place their bag on the table. "And I'd also like a word with (Y/N)."

This caused (Y/N) to raise their head and blink in surprise at Gilderoy's request. "...Me?" (Y/N) pointed at themselves and slowly walked towards the professor, unsure and surprised. What could he possibly want with them? All they know is that he only wanted to talk to Harry.

They glanced back, looking at Alem to see if he knows what was going on. Unfortunately, their brother was also just as clueless as they were.

Harry was okay with the idea though, considering that at least (Y/N) was going to be with him. "You don't mind if they're a couple of minutes late, do you, professor?" Professor Sprout scowled at his request, indicating that she did mind, but Lockhart, being the densest person there is, took it as an 'okay' sign and closed the door to her face.

Lockhart beckoned the two to follow him and take a few steps away from the Greenhouse. He walked between them and placed his hands on Harry and (Y/N)'s shoulder. (Y/N) felt uncomfortable with having a grown man touch their shoulder and tried to ignore it. He first glanced over at Harry, his teeth gleaming as he flashed the clueless boy a smile.

"Harry, Harry, Harry..." He shook his head. Harry stole a quick look at (Y/N), completely weirded out by Lockhart's behavior before turning to look back at him, not saying anything. "When I heard- Well, of course, it was all my fault. Could have kicked myself."

"...What?" Confused, Harry asked. He had no idea what he was talking about and neither did (Y/N).

"Don't know when I've been more shocked. Flying a car to Hogwarts! Well, of course, I knew at once why you'd done it, stood out a mile. Harry, Harry, Harry." Lockhart emphasized the last 'Harry', almost making it seem like he was angry, even though he wasn't. He was even smiling down at him.

Annoyed and wanting to get it over with, (Y/N) sighed. "Sir, can you please just get to the point already?" They asked, but Lockhart simply laughed at (Y/N)'s request, finding it silly that they don't want to hear him talk.

"Gave you a taste for publicity, didn't I?" said Lockhart, ruffling Harry's jet black hair and laughed. "Gave you the bug. You got onto the front page with me and you couldn't wait to do it again."

"Oh, no, Professor, see-" Harry tried to reason with him but Lockhart cut him off again, turning to look at (Y/N) with the same toothy smile.

"And if you get to the front page with the infamous Rosewood here, you could get more of that publicity!" (Y/N) couldn't believe what they were hearing. Honestly, they don't know whether or not they should be surprised or just confused.

"Well, see- since (Y/N) here has made it to the front page before because of that little stir-up they've done at the Sacred Twenty-Nine meeting with the Malfoys- which, I suggest you don't do again. Negative publicity is always bad." Lockhart winked at (Y/N), patting their back before turning his attention back to Harry. "It's natural to want a bit more once you've had the first taste and I blame myself for giving you that, because it was bound to go to your head."

"But see here, young man, you can't start flying cars to try and get yourself noticed! Just calm down, alright? Plenty of time to do all that when you're older." Lockhart continued to pat Harry's shoulder, causing (Y/N) to roll their eyes and sigh in exasperation.

"Harry isn't after fame and he could care less about anything related to that." said (Y/N), finally hearing enough. "Honestly sounds to me that you're a bit envious that Harry's getting more attention than you, Professor."

Lockhart's face turned red upon hearing the Rosewood's claim. "M-Me? Envious? Nonsense!" He nervously laughed. "Harry, why don't you run back to class? (Y/N) and I still need to discuss something important."

"No." blurted Harry without hesitation, looking up at Lockhart with a deadpan look. The two looked at him, surprised at this reaction.

"I'm not going back in without them." he added, keeping his green eyes locked on Lockhart, almost as if he was daring him to do something. The DADA professor was at loss for words, but seeing that Harry seemed persistent enough to not leave without (Y/N), he backed down.

"Well," Lockhart half-heartedly gave the two students a hearty wink. "Good luck with your classes then." He glanced over at (Y/N) for a few seconds before walking away.

The two students looked at each other until (Y/N) shrugged and turned around, ready to re-enter the greenhouse. "I have no idea what just happened." They commented, laughing to themselves. Harry just sheepishly smiled before opening the door to the greenhouse for them.

(Y/N) silently thanked him for the gesture with a nod, entering the greenhouse. As they re-entered, Professor Sprout was standing behind a trestle branch in the center of the greenhouse. About twenty pairs of different-colored earmuffs were lying on the bench.

When (Y/N) took their place next to Alem, Harry took this opportunity to position himself next to them, smiling as he did so. When Harry did this, the older Rosewood couldn't help but be surprised about this since they expected him to be next to Hermione and Ron.

Alem noticed this and cleared his throat. "...Potter, the Gryffindors are supposed to be over there." He said, pointing over to where the Gryffindors were. Harry silently grumbled, narrowing his eyes at Alem.

"Professor Sprout didn't say anything about us needing to be with our respective houses." He quietly told Alem while earning a few disgruntled looks from the Slytherins in the table, especially from Draco. "Let's just focus on our work." dismissed Harry before smiling at the still surprised (Y/N).

"We'll repotting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?" Professor Sprout spoke up, snapping (Y/N) out of their daze. Alem and Hermione's hands were first into the air.

"Granger?" Professor Sprout pointed at Hermione.

"Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative." answered the female Gryffindor. "It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state."

"Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor." said Professor Sprout with a smile. "The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous. Will Mr Rosewood tell me why?"

"The cry of a Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it. Younger Mandrakes can knock people out for a couple of hours; however, adult Mandrakes can potentially kill you – they can burst your eardrums, making you lose your hearing even if you manage to live." answered Alem in great detail, his face unbothered. A handful of students looked at him in fear as they couldn't believe he was able to say that without even looking disturbed.

"Ahem. Precisely." Professor Sprout coughed awkwardly. "Ten points to Slytherin."

"Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young." She pointed to a row of deep trays as she spoke. The majority of the students shuffled forward to get a closer look. A hundred or so of tufty little plants, purplish green in color, were growing there in row. "Everyone, take a pair of earmuffs."

On cue, everyone scrambled as they tried to take a pair that wasn't pink and fluffy. (Y/N) shrugged and took whatever they could get their hands on, which was a pair of fluffy blue earmuffs. A couple of Slytherins pointed at them and chuckled, commenting at how ridiculous the older Rosewood looked.

When Draco heard all of these comments, he couldn't comprehend why they thought (Y/N) looked ridiculous. On the contrary, to him, they looked cute.

"When I tell you to put them on, make sure your ears are completely covered." warned Professor Sprout. "When it is safe to remove them, I will give you the thumbs-up. Right – earmuffs on."

Everyone snapped their earmuffs over their ears. (Y/N) pressed on their earmuffs, making sure that they couldn't hear anything. Professor Sprout retrieved a pair of pink, fluffy pair over her own ears and rolled up the sleeves of her robes. She then grasped one of the tufty plants firmly and pulled hard.

(Y/N) glanced over at Harry, who had an eyebrow raised when the Herbology professor revealed the form of the Mandrakes. Instead of roots, a small, muddy, and extremely ugly baby popped out of the earth. The leaves were growing right out of his head. He had pale green, mottled skin, and was clearly bawling at the top of his lungs. It intrigued Harry, wondering how it could even do such a thing.

More like, how could such a thing even exist?

Professor Sprout took out a large plant pot from under the table and plunged the Mandrake into it, burying him in the dark, damp compost until only the tufted leaves were visible. Once she dusted off her hands, she removed her earmuffs and gave the students the thumbs up.

(Y/N) removed their own earmuffs and lightly threw it on the table, sighing as they did so. Alem placed his earmuff next to (Y/N). "That was some ugly baby." joked Alem quietly next to them, earning the younger Rosewood a light chuckle from their twin. "True."

Harry stared at the earmuffs that (Y/N) used and glanced around the room for a while before he discreetly and quickly slipped the fluffy blue earmuffs inside his robes. "Potter." He heard a familiar sounding scowl from behind him.

Harry turned around, fearing that Draco saw him slipping (Y/N)'s used earmuffs inside his robes. "Move." The platinum blonde haired boy shoved him to the side to get to the front, a few Slytherins following behind him. The Gryffindor sighed in relief and then looked down, patting the spot where he felt the earmuffs were tucked in.

"Our Mandrakes are only seedling. As Mister Rosewood had explained earlier, their cries won't kill just yet but will knock you out for several hours." Professor Sprout briefly pointed at Alem. "I'm sure none of you want to miss your first day back, so make sure your earmuffs are securely in place while you work. I will attract your attention when it is time to pack up."

"Five to a tray – there is a large supply of pots here – the compost is in the sacks over there – and be careful of the Venomous Tentacula, it's teething." She added as she gave a sharp slap to a spiky, dark plant. It drew in the long feelers that had been inching sneakily over her shoulder. (Y/N) instinctively took a quick look at their back, making sure there weren't any of those tentaculas creeping on their back.

"Come on, (Y/N). Let's get to work." called Alem, who was already in front of a tray and readying up the pots. "Can you go get the compost?" He requested, earning a nod from (Y/N), who turned to their heels to go get the compost from the sack.

Harry, who ignored Hermione and Ron's call to get him over to their table, swiftly followed (Y/N). "Hey, is it okay if I work with you and your... brother?" He sheepishly asked while scratching his cheek.

"Huh? I mean, it's okay but don't you think Hermione and Ron need you over there?" They nodded over to the two at the table where the Gryffindors were mostly at. "I have Alem so I'm already okay."

"Ron already has Hermione." reasoned Harry, still following the Slytherin. "I don't think I'll be of any help even when I'm there."

"...Are you sure? They look like they're trying to get your attention." chuckled (Y/N), looking at the two Gryffindors at the far end of the table. Harry grumbled, trying to come up with a few reasons to help them, but he couldn't think of any.

"...Fine." Harry walked away and approached the Gryffindors.

'What was that all about?' (Y/N) raised their eyebrows before shaking their head and grabbing the packs of compost from the sack.

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The noontime rays from the sun shone down at the overcast courtyard, bringing warmth and peace for some students who had some free time on their hands. Alem preferred to spend his free time studying in the Great Hall. Bored out of their mind and not wanting to spend their free time studying, (Y/N) aimlessly walked around while they carried Sophie in their arms, picking some grass and observing the clouds that danced at the sky. '...Pretty' They thought while seeing a few animals at the shapes of the clouds.

Sometimes, when they're deep in their thoughts, they think about how happy they've been in Hogwarts these past two years. While patting their black cat, (Y/N) sat on the grass patch. "Sophie, what do you think about staying here forever and never wake up?" They smiled and looked down at their feline companion.

Sophie meowed in response and hopped out of their arms, her small bell ringing at the action. (Y/N) scoffed playfully, hugging their knees together and watched as their cat started playing on the grass and playing with a random flower. "Of course you'd like that too."

"Maybe pretending to live someone else's life isn't so bad." They looked down at their own hands and clutched it, smiling to themselves as their (E/C) eyes drifted over to the distance where Harry was approached by Colin Creevey.

"Oop, I know where this is going Sophie." (Y/N) stood up and lightly dusted their robes. "Let's go and see what's up." They stretched their arms and beckoned for their cat to follow them.

"Everyone line up!" They heard Malfoy roar to the crowd around the courtyard. "Harry Potter's giving out signed photos!"

"No, I'm not." scowled Harry, his fists clenching in anger. "Shut up, Malfoy."

"You're just jealous." said Colin with a squeak, backing away from Crabbe, Goyle, and Draco while clutching his camera tightly. "I...I know you pick on Harry all the time! I heard it from others!"

"...Jealous?" said Draco. He said that quietly, almost as if he was trying to process what Colin just said. He had no reason to be jealous of Harry's fame, but he did have a reason to be jealous of Harry when it came to (Y/N).

He gritted his teeth and scoffed, pretending that Colin's words were the most ridiculous things he's ever heard. "Of what? I don't want a foul scar across my head, thanks. I don't think getting your head cut open makes you that special, especially when you're friends with the lost cause like Weasley and Granger."

Hermione could only roll her eyes while she kept her attention on her book, not wanting to give Draco the satisfaction of seeing her getting mad.

"Malfoy, what about Rosewood?" asked Goyle from behind Draco.

"Shut up, Goyle." dismissed Draco in a firm tone. He didn't bother turning to look at him but Goyle can tell he was pissed.

Speaking of the devil, Draco felt himself freeze up when he saw (Y/N) standing in the distance. Their arms were crossed as Sophie circled around their feet, rubbing their body against their leg.

He didn't want them to see him like this.

"Eat slugs, Malfoy." Ron stood up and was about to retrieve his wand from his robes. Crabbe started rubbing his knuckles menacingly, glaring at the Weasley with a threatening look.

"Be careful, Weasley," Draco snapped towards the redhead. "You don't want to start any trouble or your mummy'll have to come and take you away from school."

A couple of fifth year Slytherin students laughed loudly at this. "Alright, Draco. That's enough. Can you just leave them alone?" sighed (Y/N) while Sophie followed closely behind them.

Draco seeing (Y/N) defending Harry and his friends only seemed to anger him more. Taking his anger out, he glared at the Rosewood. "Oh look, Rosewood wants a signed photo, Potter." He spoke. "You should give it to Weasley and have him sell it – it's worth more than his entire family-"

Ron, in a fit of anger, whipped out his Spell-o-taped wand, ready to hex the Malfoy. However, (Y/N) stopped him by loudly clapping their hands once. "Oh no, if only a professor was here!" They said loudly in the most monotonous voice they can muster, causing confusion from everyone.

"What's all this, what's all this?" On cue, Lockhart was striding towards them with his hands on his hips. "Who's giving out signed photos?"

When the DADA professor locked eyes with Harry, who was about to speak up, he raised his arms and laughed. "Shouldn't have asked! We meet again, Harry!"

Lockhart slid next to Harry, pinning himself close to the Gryffindor, who was red-faced and humiliated upon receiving this much attention from the crowd. Draco clicked his tongue and slid back into the crowd, along with Crabbe and Goyle.

Before Draco could fully disappear into the crowd, he felt something furry touch his leg. Looking down, he saw the black cat that followed (Y/N). He paused for a moment then carried the feline, petting it for a moment with a grumble before walking away completely.

"Ah, and (Y/N) as well!" chimed Lockhart, pulling (Y/N) close to him and placing a hand on their shoulder, causing them to yelp and immediately stiffen. "Come on then, Mr. Creevey! A triple portrait, can't do better than that, and we'll sign it for you!"

Fumbling with his camera, Colin swiftly took the picture as the bell rang behind them, signaling the start of afternoon classes. "Off you go, move along then!" Lockhart called to the crowd.

Ron and Hermione glanced over at (Y/N) and Harry, hesitating as they grabbed their bags and walked over to the castle. Meanwhile, the Slytherin was looking around for Sophie. They felt themselves internally panicking when they realized that they couldn't see her anywhere. "Sophie? Pspspsps!" They tried to call out, but there were no signs of her.

"Come along, (Y/N)! You don't want to be late for my class, do you?" Lockhart extended his hand out to the Slytherin, who was still panicking.

"My cat is missing. She was just here." (Y/N) frowned.

"I'm sure Filch will find her and give her to you by the end of the day." reassured Lockhart dismissively before patting them on the back and beckoning them to his classroom along with Harry.

(Y/N) was anything but reassured. But deep down, they did hope that Filch got a hold of Sophie and would return her back to the dorm room by the end of the day, like what Lockhart said. "A word to the wise, Harry," whispered Lockhart paternally as he swept the two students through a side door in the castle. "I covered up for you back there with young Creevey – if he was photographing me too, your schoolmates won't think you're setting yourself up so much with young (Y/N) over here."

"Yes, (Y/N) certainly would be able to get you to greater heights in the media," said Lockhart. "But handing out signed pictures at this stage of your career, especially when you're with someone from the Rosewood family, isn't sensible. Looks a tad bigheaded, Harry, to be frank."

"The bloody hell is that supposed to mean?" (Y/N)'s voice became a bit aggressive when they heard 'someone from the Rosewood family' as if Lockhart made it sound like it was something bad. "What's wrong with my family?"

Lockhart stammered and cleared his throat as they finally reached his classroom, where he finally let the two of them go. He was unable to answer the Rosewood's question. (Y/N) straightened up their oversized robe annoyingly before stomping over to an empty seat near the door.

Harry wanted to sit next to them and immediately took this opportunity to snag a seat next to the Rosewood, considering that the one where they sat can only hold two students. (Y/N) eyed the Gryffindor up and down before opening their mouth to speak. "Sorry, Harry. Could you find another place to sit? I'm saving this seat for Alem."

"O-Oh," stuttered Harry and hesitatingly stood up. He glanced back at (Y/N) who started to take out all of Lockhart's books before stomping over to the back of the class, grumbling and angrily sat down.

When Alem was one of the first students to walk inside the classroom, he shot him a deadly glare. 'I wish his eardrums burst during Herbology and he dies from blood loss.' He thought angrily and almost snapped his quill in two while watching the younger Rosewood sit next to (Y/N) and seemingly scold them for something Harry couldn't quite hear from the back.

'Maybe if he didn't exist anymore...'

He snapped out of his dark thoughts when the rest of the class came clattering in. Harry recognized the handful of first year Hufflepuffs who came inside the class, finding it a bit surprising that first years are in a class where the second years were. Ron and Hermione sat down on either side of the black haired boy, making him shuffle in his seat as he cleared his throat and glanced away from the Rosewood twins.

"You could've fried an egg on your face," commented Ron as he set his bag down. "You'd better hope Creevey doesn't meet Ginny or they'll be starting a Harry Potter fan club."

"No." snapped Harry dismissively. He didn't like the idea of that, especially since he doesn't want any more attention to himself than he already has. Though, he wouldn't complain nor mind if (Y/N) was a part of it.

When the whole class was seated, Lockhart cleared his throat loudly and silence fell as everyone's attention were now on the DADA professor. He reached forward, picking up Neville's copy of Travels with Trolls.

"Me," Lockhart pointed at the book and winked. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award – but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her!"

Lockhart joked and waited for them to laugh. (Y/N) could only cringe internally, trying so hard to not laugh at the awkward silence as they put their head down to not show Lockhart that they're about to laugh. Only a few people smiled weakly, including Hermione. Alem, who was also trying so hard to not show his disdain for the awkward and cringey joke, could only silently and lightly nudge his twin.

"I see you've all bought a complete set of my books – well done!" He continued.

'That's because we're supposed to, you dumbass.' thought (Y/N).

"I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about – just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in-" said Lockhart as he handed out the test papers to every student with a smile. When he handed out the last of the papers, he returned to the front of the class. "You have thirty minutes – start now!"

(Y/N) sighed and looked down at their paper. They heard Alem sigh in defeat next to them, which made them lightly smirk at how funny his reaction was. The paper read;

What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favourite colour?

What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?

What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?

'I really want to put stupid answers in this but I'm pretty sure this is graded even if Lockhart said that it's nothing to worry about, so I'll just put in the ones that I know and remember.' (Y/N) thought and started to write on the test paper, their read rested on the palm of their hand. As Gilderoy walked around the class, he stopped right behind (Y/N), checking their answers to see if they got some of them right.

He swiftly walked away, tutting and clicking his tongue at the older Rosewood. When (Y/N) saw and heard this, they almost wanted to give him a huge middle finger but they stopped themselves from doing so.

Half an hour later, Lockhart collected the papers and checked through them in front of the class. He clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Tut tut – hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color is lilac. I say so in Year of the Yeti. I believe only Malfoy, Granger, and the Rosewoods remembered this. Outstanding!"

"A few of you need to read Wanderings with Werewolves a bit more carefully – I clearly state in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic people – though, I wouldn't say no to a large bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey!" He laughed and winked at the class.

'How the fuck were they supposed to know any of that?' questioned (Y/N) in their head as they let their eyes drift towards the wall, not wanting to look at Lockhart out of pure dislike and disinterest to his subject.

"Miss/Mr (Y/N) Rosewood?" Lockhart called out to (Y/N), who raised their head and turned to look at the professor. "You seem to have written 'Being a Hogwarts professor' for question number three. Is it really that flattering to have me as your Hogwarts professor? If so, I completely understand – it's truly an honor to be able to teach young children like you the ways of the dark arts!"

"This is not my greatest achievement as I've mentioned in one of my books, but I can excuse the answer you wrote, (Y/N) - very creative." He shot the Slytherin a hearty wink.

"Actually, I wrote that because it's amazing how Dumbledore can even appoint you as the new professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts, considering how your first quiz for us is about your 'textbooks' that are disguised as a biography," deadpanned (Y/N) as they turned around to look at the wall once more. "But sure, thanks for the free point."

A few students snickered at this, but tried their best to not look like they agreed with (Y/N). Lockhart's face turned red as he quickly placed (Y/N)'s test paper down on the table. "D-Disappointing. One more point and you could've gotten a perfect score. Just after Mr. Draco Malfoy." He cleared his throat while glaring at (Y/N).

The older Rosewood heard Alem sigh next to them.

"Moving on - Miss Hermione Granger and Mr Alem Rosewood knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care potions!" Lockhart flipped Alem and Hermione's paper, smiling. "In fact, full marks! Where is Miss Hermione Granger and Mr Alem Rosewood?"

Both Hermione and Alem raised their hands. The only difference is that Alem wasn't trembling when he did so.

"Excellent!" beamed Lockhart. "Excellent! Take ten points for Gryffindor and Slytherin!" He turned his attention over to Alem. "Maybe your twin could learn a thing or two from you, eh, Mr Alem Rosewood?"

Alem could only nervously laugh, uncomfortable at the jab that Lockhart did for (Y/N). Unbothered, (Y/N) turned their attention away from the wall and looked at the professor with a blank stare.

"And so, to business." Lockhart turned away and bent down behind this desk, lifting a large, covered cage and placed it on the desk. "Now, be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm." He stated dramatically, scanning the students with a very serious look on his face.

A few of the students started to cower, especially Neville. While a few were intrigued, like Alem and Harry. (Y/N) could only stare at the cage, knowing what was inside it already.

"I must ask you not to scream. It might provoke them." said Lockhart in a low voice as he whipped off the cover from the cage. "Yes! Freshly caught Cornish pixies!" He once again said, dramatically.

Seamus let out a snort of laughter, making Lockhart smile at Seamus for letting out an unexpected reaction. "Yes?" Lockhart asked, still smiling.

"Well, they're not – they're not very – dangerous, are they?" choked Seamus, who was still trying to stop himself from putting up a silly smile. As this was happening, (Y/N) silently took their wand out of their robes and readied themselves for the pixies that were soon going to be released.

"Don't be so sure! Devilish trickly little blighters they can be!" Lockhart presented the pixies to the class, letting the ones at the front have a closer look. The pixies started to make bizarre faces at the crowd while some were rattling the cage and making indistinguishable noises, almost as if they're ordering Lockhart to be let out.

"Let's see what you make of them!" said Lockhart as he opened the cage. When the pixies were let out, chaos started to ensue. The pixies immediately shot at every direction that they could go inside the classroom, causing everyone to scream and scatter out of their seats as they tried to hide from the pixies.

The poor victim in this was Neville, who was being carried up in the air by two pixies and had him hung up on the chandelier. He screamed and told the pixies to let him down, but they obviously didn't listen.

Alem grunted and slapped one pixie away from him with one of his books from Lockhart before retrieving his wand. "Come on now – round them up, round them up, they're only pixies!" The professor shouted from the front.

"Why don't you help!?" Alem shouted while pointing at one of the pixies and trying to keep a steady hand to make sure the spell he'll be using won't miss. Lockhart gulped at Alem's words before he rolled up his sleeves, brandished his wand, and bellowed, "Peskipiksi Pesternomi!"

Nothing happened. It had no effect. One of the pixies took this chance to grab Lockhart's wand and throw it out the window, the glass shards sputtering on the floor and covering a small area of the floor. Lockhart nervously laughed and dived under his own desk, narrowly avoiding being squashed by Neville, who fell a second later as the chandelier gave way.

"Ebublio!" shouted Alem as a handful of pixies became trapped inside a giant water bubble, making them swim around and try to leave the bubble with a snarl. Alem sighed and watched as (Y/N) casted a petrification curse at the pixies before grabbing the petrified pixies and throwing them inside the cage, harshly might I add.

(Y/N) was about to petrify another pixie until someone already petrified the one that they were about to go for. The Slytherin looked over to the side, seeing a first year Hufflepuff point at the petrified pixie and grabbed it. They exchanged a look for a few seconds as (Y/N) recognized the boy before the Hufflepuff walked over to the front and gently placed it inside the cage along with the other captured pixies.

At this point, the majority of the students were already out of the door, including the golden trio. In the relative calm that followed, Lockhart straightened up and caught sight of Alem, (Y/N), and the Hufflepuff student rallying up the pixies to make sure they don't escape the classroom. "I'll just ask you three to nip the rest of them back into their cage." He sheepishly said and slid away from the classroom, shutting the door quickly behind him with a smile.

"My god," (Y/N) snapped and angrily grabbed another petrified pixie, almost crushing it from their hands. "Can you believe him!? He's such an ass!" They exclaimed and threw another pixie inside the cage, venting their frustrations out.

"...Can you be more gentle with them? They're still creatures, you know." The Hufflepuff chimed in behind them. (Y/N) blinked and took a step back. "Oh, s-sorry..."

"(Y/N) and Alem Rosewood, was it?" The Hufflepuff smiled at the two. "I'm Rolf Scamander. Nice to meet you two."

Alem smiled at Rolf, nodding at him while capturing a handful of pixies in a water bubble again. "Nice to meet you too, Scamander." He said.

"Congratulations on getting that perfect mark, by the way. Couldn't do it myself – it was difficult to keep myself awake while reading Professor Lockhart's book." Rolf laughed to himself and narrowly missed a pixie that was about to bite his ear by petrifying it just in time.

"I'm more interested in magizoology, you see." He added. "My family has always had a thing for magical creatures. I was intrigued when Professor Lockhart showed us those Cornish pixies, but seeing him so inexperienced with handling them left me disappointed."

"Magizoology? Are you related to Newt Scamander, by any chance?" asked Alem.

"Yes, he's my grandfather, actually." answered Rolf. "He's done wonderful research when it came to magical creatures. It's quite amazing."

Alem and Rolf briefly conversed with one another, leaving (Y/N) out to their own thoughts. It felt a bit weird seeing Luna Lovegood's future husband first-hand, considering that Rolf wasn't even in the books nor the movies at all. They didn't mind not being able to talk to the younger Hufflepuff since they had nothing to talk about anyway.

When the three finally rounded up all of the pixies in the room inside the cage, they promptly locked the cage and covered it with the same sheet that Lockhart used earlier. "Should we just leave the room as it is?" asked (Y/N) as they scanned the room with a frown.

"I mean, unless you know any advanced re-arranging spells, let's just leave it to the professors or Filch." answered Alem before he walked over to his desk and placed his books back in his bag. "Let's go. We might miss our next class."

"Right. I should be going as well. My friends might be worried." nodded Rolf as he walked over to his own desk. "See you around, Rosewoods." He said and abruptly walked out of the room without saying another word.

(Y/N) was about to walk over to their own desk until their eyes caught sight of a small, green, twig-like creature lying next to where Rolf's desk is. They walked over and crouched down, bending over to get a closer look.

"...It's a Bowtruckle." blurted (Y/N) out loud as they gently scooped up the unconscious creature in their hands. "Alem, look." They beckoned for their brother to come and see it.

"Must be Scamander's. Didn't know you can keep a Bowtruckle with you at school." commented Alem while leaning over at (Y/N)'s shoulder, staring at the Bowtruckle in amazement.

"I don't think you can. He probably snuck it in." said (Y/N) while carefully tucking the small creature inside their robe. "Let's return it to him during dinner. He probably didn't notice that it fell off during the pixie attack."

Alem nodded in agreement as they walked out of the class, shutting the door close and leaving the messy classroom behind.

"I hate Lockhart."

"I know, (Y/N)." 

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A/N:

A fairly short chapter from me this time. I managed to write this in three days. Hopefully, it turned out okay lmaoooo

I apologize if the chapters are boring. Something interesting will happen soon, I swear ;;

Again, thank you all so much for the support! I'll see you all again in the next chapter.