Harry Potter and the Secret of the Twins

April 2002

Hermione was looking at Rose in a way that made Harry's skin crawl. She looked as though she were about to jinx her, and Rose was sitting there with the most impossibly innocent look on her face, watching Hermione watch her.

Finally Rose spoke. It wasn't very comforting, though. "Harry, you really need to go. Hermione obviously wants to talk to me about something. You know. Girl stuff." She wrinkled her nose slightly at the end, still with her amazingly innocent expression.

Harry sat there for a moment, then sighed and got up to leave. "Just don't kill each other, alright?"

"Harry," Rose said in an overly exasperated tone. "We're not going to duel or anything. Just talk. Scat!"

Harry shrugged and left, but stopped just out of sight on the staircase. Hermione looked about ready to kill.

After a short pause he heard Rose's voice. "He should be gone by now," she said in a deadly calm tone. "What do you want?"

"What do you think you are doing?" Hermione asked, her voice icy.

"Me?" Rose said, her tone much more dangerous than Hermione's could ever be. "I am not doing anything."

"What do you mean, you're not doing anything? You've been flirting with Ron and Harry all day!"

"Flirting? Harry and I are quite good friends, nothing more," she said, then her tone lost its deadly edge and went all icy and snobby. "If I was flirting with Ron it's none of your business."

"None of my business," Hermione said flatly. "They've been my friends for almost five years and you say it's none of my business."

Then, to Harry's surprise, Rose laughed. "I was flirting with Ron, a bit, but I've decided he's not my type," she said cheerfully. "You don't need to worry about me interrupting your plans of romance. You might want to keep an eye on Romina, however. Do you have any idea how much cats flirt? ... Oh, that's not really fair of me, not all cats flirt horribly... just some. Especially mine."

"Harry," Hermione said flatly.

"I already told you," Rose said, sounding exasperated. "We're good friends. Like practically brother and sister."

"Uh-huh."

Rose sighed. "If you're not going to believe me, there's nothing for me to do. I really decided that Ron's not my type. And Harry... Well, it seriously would feel like going out with my brother."

Harry went up to bed then, sure it would be alright.

* * * * *

The next morning Rose seemed cheerful, and he didn't mention her conversation with Hermione. They all ate breakfast in the great hall together, Ron on the end, then Hermione, next Harry, and last Rose. The two girls didn't talk much, and when they did it was very polite. Too polite.

"Please pass the bacon, Rose, if you would be so kind."

"Why, certainly, Hermione... We wouldn't want you perishing from hunger."

At that Ron snorted with laughter. "She already tried that one, to get the House-elves wages and holidays..." He stopped, withering under the girl's glares.

"Honestly, Ron, I know Hermione's not stupid! You would have to be less than a half wit to try and free House-elves... You'd have more problems from the elves than the Wizards! They've never done anything but housework. They'd be absolutely miserable if we paid them and made them take holidays!" Rose took no notice of Hermione glaring at her as she ate her toast.

A few minutes later they started up again.

"Rose, would you please pass the marmalade?"

"Why, of course, Hermione! I could never be so rude as to not pass it!" ... "Hermione, darling, would you please pass me the marmalade? I'm so sorry, but I forgot to get some."

Hermione passed it without a word, and they didn't speak for the rest of the meal. It seemed that Rose had won the Battle of Breakfast.

* * * * *

Herbology was quiet, except for people gaping at Romina, who hadn't been at breakfast for some reason. Rose and Hermione were simply not speaking to anyone, but luckily that meant that they couldn't have another battle.

The next battle came, though, in their second class. Potions.

The four Gryffindors made it on time to Potions easily, to be joined at their table shortly by Neville. Harry and Ron sat on one side, but poor Neville wound up between Rose and Hermione.

Snape entered in a flurry of black robes. His eyes flashed to Rose, and them he began his lesson.

"No, Elizabeth is NOT my daughter, she's my niece. Today we are making our first Truth Potions. They are very weak: I don't doubt that a good many of you will be able to shake them without giving away any of your secrets. Later we will do more complicated ones, and at the end of the year we shall be concocting Veritaserum."

His eyes flashed to Rose again, who, despite how poorly her father and Snape got along, was hanging onto every word.

"Who you are sitting by will be fine for partners. No moving."

Rose's hand shot strait up.

"Yes, Miss Black?" Snape asked quietly.

"Sir, what about us? There's three of us."

"All three of you work together, then."

"But-"

"That's final, Miss Black. Everyone open your books to page four hundred and thirty five."

There was a quiet rustling as everyone did, then Rose laughed.

"Miss Black, I will not allow disruptions in this class. That's-"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Professor Snape, sir," she said innocently. "I've already done this potion, and something odd occurred to me about when we did this last year... in my old school."

"Then you won't mind enlightening us, will you, Miss Black?"

"About what occurred to me? I was thinking that if most people in here could break it, then they must be much more powerful then the people in my old school. I was the only one who could break through before spilling my secret fantasy. That was what we were asked. It's quite funny to hear a room full of fourteen year old witches spilling their fantasies." She stopped, and her brow furrowed slightly. "Though they might just have been going about it the wrong way."

"Indeed," Snape said with mild interest. "What is the right way, then?"

"You resisted a truth potion without trying," Snape said, the fact that he was impressed clear in his voice. "I have never before met anyone who can do that. Now, let's start on our potions."

It put Hermione in a foul mood, even though every Gryffindor other was impressed that she got along with Snape at all.

"No, Neville, the powered spider's legs don't go in yet!"

"Yes, they do, Hermione! It strengthens the potion and it's faster."

"We're supposed to be following the recipe!"

"The point is not to follow the recipe, it's to make this Truth Potion! And this is this Truth Potion! Put the legs in, Neville."

Poor Neville put the legs in. Rose was easily much more frightening than Hermione. Harry could see Malfoy laughing across the room. Snape also noticed, and that he had put his powdered spider legs in when Rose did. Harry saw him grimace slightly, but he couldn't do anything to him without jeopardizing his position as a spy. He ignored it.

Rose said, "Put the toad hearts in now, Neville."

Hermione glared at her. "You put the scorpion tails in after the spider legs, not the toad hearts!"

Rose continued to mix what she'd been working on. "I know what I'm doing. You, frankly, have no clue. Neville, put in the toad hearts... good, now this, and we're done... just have to let it simmer!"

Hermione could have glared a whole through stone at that moment. Rose had won again.

* * * * *

Hermione and Rose sat at opposite ends of the group at lunch, Hermione by Ron and Rose by Harry. Both girls were silent for a while, and then Harry jumped at the sound of Rose's voice.

He had been sitting there and wondering what Voldemort was doing, when Rose whispered, "Poor Neville. I get the feeling that Potions isn't his subject."

"Er- no," Harry answered.

Rose nodded, thoughtful. "He seems very good at Herbology, though. I'm horrible at Herbology."

"You did well enough," Harry said reassuringly.

Rose gave him a withering glance. "I did horribly."

"You're too hard on yourself."

"I know how I did, Harry. I know what my grades were in my old school were. I know who was at the top of the class in everything except Herbology."

"That should be interesting. Hermione has always been the top of the class here."

Rose sighed. "I know we're behaving like children, but she refuses to believe that I have no intention of distracting Ron."

"I know."

Rose narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "How would you know?"

Harry blinked, then realized his slip. "I... er... well, that is-"

"You were listening last night, weren't you!" she whispered furiously. "I told you that Hermione and I needed to talk and-"

"I decided it was better if I was on hand if you two started fighting," Harry said calmly. "Hermione was very angry, and you were acting too innocent, so I listened in so that if anything happened I could stop it before it went to far."

Rose gaped. It seemed almost too much for her to handle without pulling her wand on him, but then she did the most unexpected thing.

She laughed.

Harry stared at Rose as she laughed at him, unable to stop herself. It was a beautiful, musical laugh, like the tinkling of tiny silver bells. After several minutes her laugh faded, and she said, "Harry, I'm really glad you're my friend. I need a friend who will risk my temper to keep me from being an idiot, and be candid about telling me that I am." She paused, her eyes glinting mischievously. "Do you think Neville would mind terribly if I partnered with him next time we do? I don't know if we do in Transfiguration..."

"Sometimes," Harry admitted. "I don't think Neville would mind at all. And Rose?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Don't be an idiot."

To that Rose only laughed.

* * * * *

Professor McGonagall was sitting on the windowsill when they entered, an inconspicuous tabby staring wistfully out the window. Harry, Ron, Rose, and Hermione were early, and followed closely by Romina, who dropped her bag at a desk, peered around carefully, then slid up beside the cat and meowed softly. Professor McGonagall jumped, turned to face Romina, then slunk off the windowsill to turn back into herself.

"Take your seats and wait for the rest of the class to get here," she said sternly, giving Harry a brief half smile. He knew exactly why: she knew about Voldemort's return and at least most of his part in it. Perhaps not quite all, but at least most.

Rose bit her lip, then stood and strode up to the front of the classroom to talk with the Transfiguration professor.

"Professor McGonagall, my mother wanted me to ask you about a picture she thought you had of the three of you together. You and Mum and Lily, I mean."

"I have several of those, Miss Black. Do you know which one she wanted?"

"She said it was taken near the end of your seventh year, I think right after. Actually, I think she mentioned some other people in the picture... she wasn't really clear about much else. Let me see..." she paused, concentrating. "Yeah, she said it had Dad and James and Remus, and it was in front of the Potter manor... the one that was at Godric's Hollow. Not where the Potters lived when they were... killed... but a big manor on a hill above there."

"Yes, I think I still have that one."

"I think there was another one, too... the same people, but in front of the Black manor. She doesn't want that one, but she mentioned it in passing and I'd like to see it."

Professor McGonagall smiled. "I can show you that one. I'm afraid I misplaced the one at Godric's Hollow. The manor is really Godric's Hollow; the town was just named after it. I'll send it to Maralin as soon as I find it." While she was talking she pulled out a picture and handed it to Rose, who stared at it silently.

Rose smiled back at her and breathed, "Thank you. Mum really wanted that picture, and I wanted to see what my manor looks like, and what my dad looked like... before he went to Azkaban."

"I understand completely, Rose," Professor McGonagall said softly. "Did you know that you were born at Godric's Hollow? Both your mother and Lily loved the scent of the roses that grew there, and they had a bowl of rose petals in the room when I came to see you and Harry. And poor Caroline... that's why you got to be named Rose instead of Lily's daughter."

"Who's Caroline?" Rose asked, confused. "Lily didn't have a daughter."

Professor McGonagall smiled at her again, managing to make it a sad expression. "I'm not surprised that Maralin never told you. Little Caroline was Harry's twin sister. She was so healthy... if anyone known one of them would die, they would have guessed that it would have been Harry. But she died the next day, and was buried the day after I arrived. Her parents- Lily and James- are buried next to her, in the graveyard at

Godric's Hollow."

"Oh," Rose whispered. "Did anyone ever tell Harry?"

Professor McGonagall shook her head lightly. "He knows now, though," she said, looking directly at Harry. Rose nodded and went back to her seat.