Lost and found (Marauders Era)

Chapter 4

     Rose sat alone at a table in the library that was piled high with books. She was reading the same page over, and over again, unable to retain any of the information she was studying. Rose had a paper for potions that was due later that day on the nasty side effects of the drought of living death, but the books she had picked out in the library weren't giving her any of the information she needed.

     She groaned and slammed her head on the table. Madam Pince came out of nowhere and shushed her quite loudly.

     "Sorry," Rose whispered. The woman still glared at her as she slid back behind the bookshelf. Rose shivered. God, that woman is creepy, she thought. Rose sighed in defeat, her only hope was to ask Slughorn for an extension, and that was a very slim hope indeed. She wasn't one of his favorites. She was quite the opposite. In her first year, she had accidentally blown up one of the cauldrons. Since then, Slughorn had an intense disdain for the young teenager.

     "You look like you could use some help." Rose looked up to see Ivy Williams standing before her, with a slight smile on her face.

     "Um, y-yeah," She sputtered. Merlin's beard, she felt was an embarrassment.

     "So," Ivy said, dragging out the 'o' sound, "what are you working on?"

     "I have to write an essay on the bad side effects of the drought of living death, it has to be about twenty inches of parchment. And so far I only have five. I suck at potions." The third year sighed.

     "That long of an essay on week 2? Damn, Slughorn must be angry at your class." Ivy winced, "Alright let me take a look at what you've got written down.

     The two of them poured over books and articles for well over two hours before they finished. The older girl helped Rose refine her work and told her where to add more fluff to live up to Slughorn's standards. They had made it to lunchtime by the time the pair had finished the essay.

     "Thanks for the help, I really needed it," Rose said, eternally grateful that her sister had stepped up and offered to help her. It was odd really, how her sisters kept turning up in her life even though they did not remember her. First with Maggie on the train, then Ivy stopping the marauders from teasing her, and now she was helping Rose with her homework. A faint thought in the back of her head made its way to the surface. Maybe her sisters did know who she was. She shook the thought from her head, that was crazy talk.

     "It's no problem! I'm happy to help, If you've got any more questions just come find me." Ivy grinned, "Besides, my sister would probably kill me if I didn't help any young student in need."

     Definitely crazy talk.

     "Do you want to join me for lunch?" Rose asked, surprising herself.

     "No, that's okay. I'm supposed to eat lunch with Maggie, but I've got to wait for her to get out of her class first," Ivy said sheepishly.

***

       Ivy's grin faded when Rose turned the corner out of the library. Maggie was going to kill her for this.

      For a moment, Ivy considered not even telling her at all, but Maggie had an uncanny way of finding out everything. Ivy sighed and decided to head to the dungeons to meet her sister at her classroom there was no getting out of this one. On her way down there, Ivy could tell that someone was following her. She grinned.

     Time to have some fun.

     Ivy tucked herself into a fake wall that she had found in her second year when she needed some time to herself. James Potter stopped right in front of the wall, looking lost as ever. Ha, she knew it was him following her this way. Ivy laughed to herself silently as she concocted a brilliant plan. She uttered the spell so quietly one could pass it off as wordless magic. A half second later, James Potter had bright pink hair.