Chapter 133 - – Not Stupid (1/2)
Finally, the winter term ended, and it came time for everyone to return home for the winter break. With great relief and a fair bit of perverse pleasure, Rowan watched the naïve 1st years be taken away by Hagrid to cross the freezing lake on tiny flimsy wooden boats. Almost whistling in a dark Grinch-like fashion, Rowan happily waited at the front entrance with Terry and Severus for the carriages with the rest of the school.
Not long after an empty carriage came into view pulled by the skeleton, reptilian, flying horse steed thing, a Thestral. With a gentle stop, the carriage came to a stop as Terry climbed in first followed by a grumbling Severus about why Lily should sit with them and not the other Gryffindor girls. And last but not least Rowan climbed in and shut the door behind her.
With a gentle roll, the carriage began to move forward on the muddy track as wisps of snow began to fall from the thick gray sky. Wrinkling her nose, Rowan mutters under her breath, ”It still smells of mold and straw.” Severus and Terry ignore Rowan's complaints as per usual and instead excitably point out various features on their way. However, in Rowan's personal opinion there wasn't much scenery to look at beyond snow and trees.
Finally, the carriages roll to a stop on the same bare track as before. Carefully jumping down in the mud and snow, the trio made their way up the already muddy trail towards the Hogsmeade platform up ahead. Suddenly, a barrage of snow hits the trio right in the back.
Rowan immediately whirls around as do Terry and Severus to only spot the annoying Gryffindor foursome grinning with fists full of snowball. ”I suggest a tactical retreat,” Rowan firmly said, before bolting away without looking back to see what had befallen Terry or Severus. After all, Ladies First.
Thankfully, Rowan wasn't ever called slow and unlike Terry and Severus she at least tried to fit in a fifteen-minute fast-paced walk every day for exercise. Managing to escape the pelt of snowballs, Rowan made it back to the platform, before searching for the compartment where to sit and relax. With some vile grinch glee, she watched the shivering 1st years with blue lips arrive with Hagrid in tow.
The wonderful dark moment is broken by Terry and Severus as they slam the compartment door open. ”You! You!” Neither Terry nor Severus can finish their sentence as they can only coldly point at her in their outmost fury.
”We Slytherins can be brave, yes, but not foolhardy,” Rowan proudly said as she waved her wand to cast a drying spell on them. And though the water instantly vanished, they still were left feeling a bit damp and cold.
Still pointing her wand at them, Rowan says, ”Feverns Aeris,” as the hot-air charm begins to blow hot air from the tip of her wand.
”You're still not forgiven,” Severus growled as Terry turned his face away from her. Needless to say, Rowan largely ignored by the boys for the rest of the trip, which served her just fine as she was able to nap quite blissfully.
With a shrill whistle, the Hogwarts Express pulls to a stop as the snow whirls all around. The students quickly pour out and gather their neatly placed trunks placed in alphabetical order on Platform 9 ¾'s. ”I'll see you later,” Terry called out as he ran off towards a large light-haired family including that of his parents, six old sisters and their husbands and children.
Seeing Terry suddenly engulfed by some many family members, Severus and Rowan merely stare as Severus says, ”Remind to never have that many children.”
”As if you'll ever manage to reproduce,” Rowan wickedly teased back.
Severus chokes and turns a splotchy red but doesn't dare say anything else as he knew he'd unable to beat his sister for the moment. From his cage, Owyn hoots as the nearby greeting of Nibby can be heard causing Severus to whirl around and spot Lily. Severus happily waves as Lily does the same, before running off towards her family, where a grumpy light-haired girl with pale eyes awaits the Evans couple, Petunia Evans.
”She's still unpleasant as ever, I see,” Rowan muttered under her breath, but not soft enough for Severus not to overhear.
”Yes, well, I do believe the feeling is mutual in that regard,” Severus drily observed.
”C'mon,” Rowan said as she none too gently prods him in the direction of their grandfather.
The tall, slender figure of Reginald Prince elegantly waits some feet away from the Evans couple for privacy. Reginald's lips twitch into a small smile as he leans with his arms wide for a hug. Pulling Rowan and Severus both into his embrace he chuckles and says, ”Ye gods and little fishes, the two of you have grown again!” The twins glare up at him as Reginald gives them one last squeeze before releasing them.
”Well, we best be going now,” Reginald said as nodded at the Evans couple who were departing from the platform with Lily and a rather sullen faced Petunia in tow.