I'm a Good Snake (Harry Potter Fan Fiction) | Book 1

Seventeen

Rosalie continued stroking the piece of unicorn hair in her hand. A piece she was given as a keepsake from class. Hagrid offered it after trimming the long manes and tails on some unicorns, saying the hair may be fun to have for a homemade charm.

Or for knowing what's inside our wands.

She couldn't help but smile while stroking it. To think that this same material was in the core of her wand and powering it with magic. What else could this creature's powers do? But alas, she felt the impending doom of the bell and tucked the strands back in her pocket. A glance over to the left, she saw Heidi still wasn't there with her.

It was odd, but she heard Henry wasn't feeling well. Heidi was most likely with her brother in the hospital wing, helping him feel a bit better with their sibling jokes and unique comfort for one another.

Nevertheless, Rosalie set up the desk as usual. She set her book out and some pieces of parchment at the ready for note-taking. Even her wand sat on the small rest that McGonagall provided on every desk for students. The sound of a gentle purr caught her attention and she turned to the empty seat next to her, it was McGonagall in her animagus form. The professor then leaped to another empty seat and then another, common for her to document the missing students.

Once completed with attendance, she shifted back into her human self and eyed Rosalie and the other students with a vacancy next to them. "All of you will be sure to fill in your missing classmates, yes?"

"Yes, professor," they all said in unison.

McGonagall gave a quiet clap before moving to one of the two chalkboards for the day's lesson. "Now, we will be continuing with what we started on Tuesday: turning a full hedgehog into a pincushion." She twirled around with her grace and waved her wand, sending a small container to each table.

Rosalie looked into her bin as it arrived, seeing a hedgehog in it fully asleep. They first tried a hedgehog's spike and turned it into a needle. This was only the first week of transforming the full animal.

"I will be walking around and helping where necessary," the professor spoke while waving her wand back at the board. The chalk raised and wrote down the general notes: pronunciation of the spell, a drawn-out movement, and small pointers on being more effective.

Rosalie nudged the little critter awake and scratched under its chin. The small animal's black eyes looked around and then turned to sniff Rosalie's finger. It already knew of its fate, and only wished that the witch pulling him out of his bin didn't hurt him in the process like some others who didn't do magic well.

"Alright, little guy. I'm gonna change you into an inanimate object 'ere."

She gave him one more pet under the chin before taking her wand and repeating the instructions from the last class. A small white light came out and hit the hedgehog, but the most the spell did was change his color to a deep velvet. A sigh left her lips, but it wasn't the end. Rosalie looked around, noting some people casting the spell still hadn't made any change to their hedgehog.

The spell was repeated over and over again, along with the reversal when having to redo the whole process. First, it was the color Rosalie imagined in her head for the pincushion. Second was the quills disappearing. And third, a metallic head with the hedgehog making squeals at her. While it was something, it wasn't the outcome McGonagall wanted.

But the hedgehog reverted in a quick moment, not by Rosalie's doing. Instead, Professor McGonagall was swishing her wand every which way and calling out for a short break in class.

"Give the little ones a rest here..." McGonagall eyed the classroom and let a smile rest on her face. "It's been my duty this week to let every class know... We will be having the Yule Ball on December Twenty-Fourth."

A commotion stirred through classmates all around her. Rosalie would be doing it too if her best friend was with her. The ball was happening. And that meant soon her dress would come.

"And do know, tomorrow each house will be taught how to dance by their house head!"

While some groaned at the last part, Rosalie was already envisioning what she would get in the mail. Already her parents knew what she wanted from an owl sent a week ago. And now, to wear it and have a fantastical night. A ball on her birthday. Rosalie couldn't help but grin ear to ear.

---

"Heidi... Heidi!" Rosalie squealed in delight as she tackled her friend in their dormitory. The two giggled and did a silly little dance before loosening themselves.

"What is it?" Heidi asked before fixing her hair.

Rosalie crouched down slightly, making her eyes be level with Heidi's. Lips curled into an excited toothy grin and dimples speckled around the corners of them. "The Yule Ball. It's happening!"

Heidi clasped onto her friend's arms and looked at her bug-eyed. "Seriously? It is?"

"Yes!"

They couldn't help but squeal in excitement, ignoring the looks from others in the room who were mildly annoyed. Many of the other females seemed unphased, knowing they also had a bubbling in their chest for a fantastical night. Some males too, but they didn't know their excitement.

The two would hurry to their sleeping quarters, almost too impatient to wait for the magic to shift to the fourth year room. Once inside, they hurried onto one of their beds and huddled together for their usual excitement moments.

"Who are you going to ask?" Rosalie blurted out.

Heidi paused for a moment, thinking about males she knew. Her blue hues rolled a few times as she pondered it before sharing her answer.

"Andrew Rivers! He's someone I get along with in divination. Plus..." Heidi trailed off for emphasis. "He's really cute!"

Rosalie pursed her lips and hid her face with her shoulder for a moment. "Oh? Why haven't you mentioned Rivers before?"

"Because I've been wanting to make sure he's fine with Slytherins before I introduce him. And, I think he will like you!" Heidi commented with a smile.

Rosalie smiled and went to give a hug. "I'll always protect you, even if the guy is nice to me. You're always my main priority!"

Heidi have a squeeze back before continuing on. "Wait till you see him! He has adorable curly strawberry locks and brown eyes that look so sweet and soft!"

Rosalie's smile softened, happy to see the joy and spark of a crush on Heidi's face. "I bet he's very handsome."

"And you, Rosalie?" Heidi turned her head and looked at the brunette. "Gonna try and ask Martyn?"

Now it was her turn to be a bit shy. Rosalie's face flushed despite how well Heidi knew of her feelings for the older student. "Well... yeah. I want to ask him before, well, you know."

"I'm sure we can figure something out. Maybe we catch him before dinner?"

Rosalie bit her lip and thought about it. Sure, it would be in a rush of people, but it also meant it was done and over with. Riley wouldn't be able to ask Martyn sooner. He wasn't even near her based on everyone's Friday schedule.

"Yeah, I'll ask him then."

Rosalie got up and went to throw her hair behind her shoulders.

"And let's get a head start and hang by the kitchens to see if we can catch him there."

The sooner the better.

And it only made her heart beat even faster.