⚯͛

Rosalie found herself feeling rather excited for Christmas, especially as the snow began to fall. Hogwarts was blanketed in it and the lake froze over fairly quickly once the snow began falling. Hagrid dragged in large trees to be used for Christmas, and the ghosts wished everyone a Merry Christmas left and right. A few ghosts even went caroling, singing as they drifted along in the hallways. The professors used their wands to decorate the Christmas trees, as some were so large the tops brushed the ceilings. Hogwarts seemed to get even more inviting and warm, if at all possible.

Rosalie watched Ron and Harry play a game of wizard's chess. It was surprisingly violent for such a simple game. She was astonished and fascinated at how different yet similar the game was to ordinary chess.

"Knight to E-5," Harry commanded. Rosalie watched as the little knight moved to where Harry ordered, scraping along the board.

Ron stared at the board for a moment, before smiling. "Queen to E-5."

The queen on Ron's side moved to the square in front of E-5, before using her little chair to knock Harry's knight to pieces. She sat down on E-5, kicking the pieces of Harry's knight out of the way. Rosalie momentarily wondered if the pieces would fit themselves back together once the game was completed, or if you were required to buy a new chess set for each game you wanted to play.

"That's totally barbaric!" Hermione exclaimed, catching their attention. She'd crept up on them without them noticing, a trunk wheeled behind her. She looked slightly appalled, and Rosalie gave a smile at her expression.

"That's wizard's chess." Ron glanced down at the truck Hermione was wheeling around. "I see you've packed," he noted.

"I see you haven't," Hermione retorted.

"Change of plans. My parents decided to go to Romania to visit my brother Charlie. He's studying dragons there," Ron told her. Once again, Rosalie had to take a moment and process what Ron had just said, even if she already knew. Ron's brother was studying dragons in Romania. It sounded like something out of a fictional book, and Rosalie wondered if she would ever grow accustomed to hearing people talk about things every day that she'd only ever read about in books.

"Good. You can help Harry and Rosalie. They're going to the library for information on Nicolas Flamel." Hermione nodded her head towards the two. Rosalie bit back a sigh. They had already searched the library from top to bottom multiple times for anything that mentioned Nicolas Flamel, and each time had found nothing at all. That never seemed to deter or slow Hermione though, even as Ron, Harry, and eventually Rosalie grew tired of searching the same books time and time again for a name that they knew wouldn't be there.

"We've looked a hundred times!" Ron exclaimed, looking over at Harry and Rosalie . Harry exchanged a look of mild distaste with Rosalie, each wondering what excuse would be valid enough to get them out of looking again. However, they both listened as Hermione spoke again.

Hermione leaned in. "Not in the restricted section. Happy Christmas." She turned, wheeling her trunk away, the trio watching her leave. Ron turned back to the two across from him, leaning towards them slightly. "I think we've had a bad influence on her," he told them.

⚯͛

One morning when Rosalie woke up, she realized with a start that it was Christmas at last. She stopped in mid-stretch, springing out of her bed. She nearly knocked Pipper over, who was just waking up, perched on the edge of a book that was on the window seat. "Sorry, Pipper!" She exclaimed as she hurried into the common room.

Harry and Ron were already nestled in gifts, but both boys looked up when they heard Rosalie's footsteps. "Happy Christmas, Rosalie ," they chorused together, smiling up at her.

"Happy Christmas, Ron. Happy Christmas, Harry," she replied as she hurried down the spiraling steps. She stopped short after moving forwards a few feet, suddenly realizing what the boys both had on. "What are you guys wearing?"

Harry and Ron both looked down at the sweaters they were wearing. "Oh, my mum made them." He turned to rustle around in the presents behind him, before pulling out a package. "Looks like you've got one too."

Rosalie, internally startled that she had been given presents. quickly took the package, unwrapping it. It was a soft black color, with an "R" sewn into the middle of it. Despite the sweater obviously being over sized and looking mildly tacky, yet homey at the same time, the fabric was soft, not at all the usual itchy feeling sweaters all seemed to have.

Rosalie grinned, pulling it on over her pajamas. Tugging the hem down, she decided at once that she liked it, and knew that it would make more appearances with her daily outfits, no matter how many odd looks she received from the other students.

"You've also got a bunch of candy from a lot of Gryffindor's, this box sounds like it's got books in—it's from Hermione, of course she would give you books." Ron shook his head, setting one present down before Rosalie . Sure enough, it sounded as if several somethings were sliding around inside, bumping into the sides of the box that they were held in.

Rosalie stared at the pile of presents on the floor, all addressed to her. She had never been given this many presents before. It was difficult to wrap her head around just how quickly her life had changed, especially during times like this. As far as Rosalie was concerned, her life had only gotten much, much better since being introduced to the wizarding world.

She turned to look at Harry. "What's that you've got there?" She asked, pointing to the bundle of fabric he held.

Harry looked down. "Oh, this? An invisibility cloak," he replied, and then held out a letter to her. "This came with it."

Rosalie took the letter, beginning to read it. "Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well." She looked up to the boys, confused. "Well? Who's it from?"

"That's just it," Ron told her. "We haven't got a clue."

Rosalie blinked in surprise, before handing the letter back to Harry. "Well, go on, try it on."

Harry stood, draping the cloak around him. Immediately, everything from his chin down disappeared, proving the cloak had earned its name.

Rosalie gasped. "Well, that will definitely come in handy with searching the restricted section," she said.

The rest of the day was spent opening all of her gifts, before heading down to the Great Hall to eat. Returning back to the common room, she decided to pass the rest of the day by with reading, since Harry decided to wait until night to go search the library.

⚯͛

A thought struck Rosalie as she worked her way through the last few pages of a library book she had borrowed. Was there a certain date she was supposed to return the book? She decided on a whim that she would return it that night. Surely not many people would be patrolling the halls.

Before she could move from her position, Harry was suddenly bolting through the common room, sprinting up the stairs, shouting for Ron about something he apparently really needed to see. Rosalie couldn't see him thanks to the invisibility cloak, but easily recognized his voice.

Rosalie stood up, the book falling discarded and forgotten, onto the cushions of the couch she was nestled on. She waiting until she heard two pairs of footsteps running down the stairs. Rosalie hurried to block the way to the portrait hold, turning to face forwards.

"Harry, Ron, I know you're there," she stated as the footsteps abruptly stopped. "Where are you two going?"

"C'mon, Rosalie, move! He really needs to see this!" That was Harry, his voice filled with impatience and excitement.

"Where is it that you are taking him?" Rosalie startled herself by sounding so formal to them, but quickly shrugged it off.

Someone sighed. If Rosalie had to guess, she would say that it was Harry who was sighing, wishing that she would move so they could go. "I can't explain it. Just... hey, you could come too!"

Rosalie stepped forwards immediately. A hand appeared, pulling her under the cloak. It was a tight fit, but they somehow managed to get to wherever they were headed to, despite the fact that Harry decided suddenly to run.

However, his excitement was contagious, spreading to Ron first, then Rosalie. Soon they were all sprinting along with large smiles on their faces, even if they had no idea where they were going.

They finally turned a corner, nearly running straight into a large wooden door. Harry pulled it out of the way, and they stepped through it. Shrugging off the cloak, Harry broke back into run, talking excitedly at the same time. "Come on! Come! Come look, it's my parents! And someone else, and I think she's my sister!"

They stumbled to a stop in front of a large mirror. Confused, Rosalie and Ron searched the mirror, but didn't see any sign of what Harry had told them about. "I only see us," Ron said, voicing their confusion.

Harry jumped to the side, pulling Ron over to the side to stand directly in front of the mirror. "Look in properly. Go on, stand there."

Melanie watched Ron's face chance from confusion to excitement and amazement. "There. You see them, don't you?" Harry asked. He pointed at the left side of the mirror. "That's my dad—"

"That's me!" Ron cut him off excitedly. "Only I'm... head boy. And I'm... holding the Quidditch Cup. And bloody hell! I'm Quidditch captain too!" He examined himself. "I look good!" A sudden thought seemed to cross his mind as he leaned towards Harry. "Harry, do you think this mirror shows the future?"

"How can it?" Harry replied sadly after a moment. "Both my parents are dead." He gave Ron a sad smile.

Ron turned to Rosalie. "What do you see in it?"

Rosalie took Ron's place, peering into the mirror. Slowly, two adults appeared on either side of her, the woman moving to wrap her arm around Rosalie's shoulders. Despite how real the woman and her arm looked around Rosalie, she didn't fee anything, nor see anything when she looked down.

"I think—" Rosalie stopped, watching another, smaller figure materialize behind the man, half hidden, but she couldn't make the child's face out, although they looked to be the same size. "I think it's my parents... and my brother."

"You have a brother?" Harry asked at the same time Ron asked, "You don't have parents?"

Rosalie shook her head, answering both questions at the same time. "I don't have a brother... not that I know of. My parents died when I was just a baby."

"Why would you think your brother is in the mirror if you don't have one?" Harry asked.

"Because... well, I'm not sure. He's standing next to my mom and dad. I don't think a random kid would be standing next to my parents."

"Do you have anyone you could ask about a brother?" Harry asked. Rosalie shook her head. "No, just my Aunt Marge, and she wouldn't tell me anything. She doesn't even know I'm here, she thinks that I'm at a boarding school."

"Your Aunt Marge?" Harry asked. "I have an aunt named Marge, too. What's her last name?"

"Her official name is Marjorie Eileen Dursley. Do you know her?" Melanie asked.

Harry blinked several times before answering. "That's my aunt's name," he replied.

"So, either it's a cool coincidence, or you're actually related, which either way is pretty cool," Ron said.

Rosalie and Harry nodded in unison, each lost in their own thoughts. Rosalie seriously doubted that Harry could be her brother. They looked nothing alike, not to mention that Harry was quite famous within the wizarding world. Meanwhile, Rosalie was nobody. Aside from the wizards and witches within Hogwarts and less than a handful of people outside of the school, no one knew who she was.

Despite all of the excitement and questions, Rosalie noticed when Ron stifled a yawn. "I think it'd be best if we headed back now," she suggested, earning a grateful look from Ron. "We're all bound to be exhausted in the morning." Harry nodded, scooping the cloak up from near the door, covering himself and then Ron. Rosalie cast one last glance at the mirror, before hurrying to join the two boys.