Sat Still as a Rose

"Vesper, you don't have to go if you don't want to," Analissa Tierney said to her son, who had been sitting in the backseat of the car for five minutes since they arrived at Kings Cross just staring at his hands.

"N-no," he said quietly, "I have to go."

Mrs. Tierney sighed, "Ves-"

"I'm going," Vesper said quickly, "Felicity is expecting me and I need to finish my schooling... plus someone needs to look out for Marcia and Diem."

Vesper's mother sighed. She knew her son was right, but she was still worried about sending him back to Hogwarts after everything that had happened with the war.

"If you want to come home-"

"Mum," Vesper looked at his mother sternly, telling her that he had to go back to school.

"Alright," Mrs. Tierney shook her head sadly. She didn't want to let her eldest son go back to that school. After the war and his encounter with the death eaters... she didn't want him to go back to a place that held all those memories.

"I'm gonna go, mum," Vesper sighed, "I don't want to miss the train."

His mother agreed that he should be on his way and told him how much she loved him and would miss him before he made his way to the familiar train station.

He went through the motions of getting on to the train, running through the platform and shoving through the hoards of other people and then finding the car he had to get on, and quickly found the compartment that was currently taken by his best friend, Felicity Sepharim.

The girl smiled up at him when Vesper opened the compartment door. Her smile was happy, but her large, silver eyes were not. Vesper could see in them that she too was still haunted by the war. She had one side of her brown-red hair shaved to reveal a large scar that she obtained when a death eater cursed her. Instead of impairing her beauty, the scar enhanced it.

"Hey, Vee," Felicity greeted her best friend, standing up to hug him tightly.

"Hi, Lici," Vesper sighed, hugging her back for all that it was worth. Ever since the day she got her scar, Vesper had been extra careful to make everything out of every minute they spent together and every hug they shared.

"How... how have you been?" Felicity asked, pulling away from the hug but keeping her hands on the boy's forarms and looking into his hazel eyes.

"Good I guess," he sighed, "I could be worse, you know? What about you?"

"I... I've been good," Felicity nodded, as if she were assuring herself, and sat down, motioning for Vesper to sit next to her.

Vesper took a seat, his curly hair bouncing as he did so.

"I can't believe we're going back," Felicity said quietly, her voice shaking a little. She leaned her head on Vesper's shoulder, trying to find comfort in being close to the boy.

"I know..." Vesper bit his lip, "After everything that happened... it feels like the story should be over, you know? But now we're going back for a sequal and..."

"And it's fucking terrifying," Felicity finished for him.

Vesper sighed and nodded, "Yeah. Fucking terrifying."



George Weasley hadn't been back to Hogwarts since the day his twin brother, Fred, had died. The day that Voldemort was killed... It had been over a year since that day, but being back inside the walls of castle, no matter how different they looked, he could still remember the day all too vividly. He could walk around the castle, to the exact place that Fred had been killed if he wanted to, but why would he want to do that?

"Mr.- Err, Proffessor Weasley," Headmistress McGonagall said as she approached the red-haired boy, "It's good to see you back."

"It's... It's..." the twenty-two year old sighed, not being able to bring himself to say he was glad to be back.

"I understand," McGonagall said sadly, "I don't think any of us can look at this school the same way we used to."

"I can't see how anyone could, after..." George felt his throat tighten and he had to swallow a lump, "after everything that happened."

McGonagall approached George and put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly, "I'm sorry about Fred. He was a good boy. I hope your family is... getting on okay."

George nodded, "They are. The house is still so empty feeling, but... we're doing okay."

"I'm glad to hear," McGonagall removed her hand from George's shoulder, "Come, we need to get ready for the feast."

George followed the headmistress without question to her office where the other teachers were; there was Charity Burbage, the Muggle Studies teacher, Aurora Sinistra, the Astronomy teacher, Sybill Trelawney, the Divination teacher, Septima Vector, who taught Arithmancy, and then a few others that George couldn't recognize.

"Mr. Weasley, I'm sure you recognize most of the proffessors from your time here at Hogwarts and the others you will get to know," McGonagall stated then clapped her hands together, "As for now, I would like to say, welcome back to Hogwarts. This is our first year back since... since the war. I want to get the school back to how it was before all the Voldemort business started so that the students can feel more comfortable, and I'm sure you all feel the same way. So,"

McGonagall pulled a bottle off of one of the shelves and popped it open, "here's to another school year."

George's eyes widdened as McGonagall began pouring glasses of what he realized was wine for the teachers, "Is this really what you guys would do before we got to the school?"

McGonagall smiled lightly at the ginger boy, "We all need help to relax, Mr. Weasley." She handed George a glass and then poured one for herself.

George sipped at his wine as the other teachers mingled, pretending that it was just another normal school year, but obviously not believing it. A few minutes later, the headmistress announced that the students were arriving and that it was time to go to the Great Hall and the teachers, including George, made there way to the large stone dining hall.

Indeed, there were already student filing into the room, one of which approached George.

"George!" a female voice called.

George turned to see his younger sister, Ginny, run up to him, "Gin!"

The older boy hugged his sister tightly.

"Mom decided to let me come back," the girl said, "I was going to tell you, but you had left so soon..."

"I'm sorry, Gin," George sighed, "I just... I couldn't stay in that house."

Ginny frowned, "George, you're not the only one who lost a brother. We all lost him."

George narrowed his eyes at his sister, "I know, Ginny. Look, I need to go up to my seat. I'll see you in class."

With that, George turned on his heel and marched awya from his sister.

The rest of the students filled into the room and the first years were sorted, and McGonagall went to the podium to make her speech.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she started, "To some, welcome back. I know we have had some... rough times, but I believe that we can work through them. We are a school, a family and I'll be damned if I let the war continue to affect your studies. We must all work together this year to help each other through these hard times. The school has been rebuilt, but I know our hearts have not been fully reconstructed. It was... a tragedy what happened. We lost so many good students and staff, even the last head master, Severus Snape. But this a new year, and I hope that we can make the best of it,"

"That said, I would like to introduce our new Potions teacher, Alpana Avatari and our new Defense Aganst the Dark Arts teacher, George Weasley," McGonagall began clapping, signally to everyone else that they too should clap.

McGonagall announced the beginning of the feast and food appeared on the tables and everyone dug in. George, however, wasn't feeling up to eating so he just sat looking down at his hands.

It was his first day back at Hogwarts, and he already wanted to leave.

Everyone did.