The rest of January quickly passed by as Rowan caught up on her lessons. She was rather busy as they were now doing arithmancy charts and translating portions of ancient rune scripts that forced her to have a rune dictionary on her at all times. The last weekend of January, Rowan found herself in the company of the four marauders and the rather vexed figure of her twin brother, Severus.
"Why have we gathered here again?" Severus grumbled in the empty stone corridor. "I've got plans and places to be." Which all of them knew meant that he was missing out on being with Lily.
"We need to start gathering the things," Sirius Black excitedly said as Remus Lupin shushed them and glanced around.
"We need to find a good hiding spot," Peter Pettigrew grunted. "And we can't use any of the unused classrooms as the teachers and Prefects check on them at random intervals."
"That was actually rather well thought out and proposed," Rowan commented.
It earned her a scowl from Peter that said, "I'm not an idiot!"
For some reason, everyone turns to glance at Rowan as she says, "Why are you all looking at me for?"
"Because you're the only one of us who managed to sneak out of the castle without getting caught," Remus wryly explained. "And even if you were caught because of your roommates, you were still only in our second year. So, you must have some sort of inkling."
Severus studying his twin sister's calm demeanor rolls his eyes and says, "She already found a place. Hurry up, Rowan! And let's get this over and done with. I'd like to be free for the rest of my afternoon."
"I knew you'd come through for us," James Potter flashed her a beaming confident smile.
Stifling the urge to smack his smug face, Rowan snaps, "Hurry up and follow me." They all trailed after Rowan to the second floor, where they paused outside of the girl's bathroom.
"What are we doing here?" James said in confusion as Rowan snickered and stepped around the OUT OF ORDER sign.
"Because we're going inside," Rowan smirked as she stepped inside.
"But it's the girl's bathroom!" Both Sirius and Peter whined.
"Let's get this over with," Severus grunted as she shoved his way past them and entered the murky bathroom. James shrugged and also went inside as Remus firmly grabbed Sirius and Peter by the collar and dragged them inside.
"This is seriously gross," James muttered under his breath as he studied the gloomy bathroom. Under the large, cracked, spotted mirrors are a row of chipped sinks. The floor is damp and reflects the dull light from the few stubs of candles, burning. The wooden doors of the stalls are flaking and scratched as one of them dangles off its hinges.
Remus finally releases Sirius and Pettigrew who both rub their red necks and glare at Remus in turn, while Remus innocently smiles back eerily similar to that of Terry's. (Clearly, Remus had been spending far much to time than is healthy in the company of Terry!)
Severus impatiently taps his foot and says, "Well?"
"No one comes down here," Rowan paused as she pointed her wand at the door and cast Muffalito. "And as long as we don't all come and go at the same time; we should be fine."
"So, when do we start?" Sirius eagerly said as he still rubbed his red neck.
Rowan pulls out two identical sheets with instructions and a list of ingredients needed for the potions. She hands the first to Remus and the other to Severus. Severus snatches the sheet out of her hand and begins to read.
Interest slowly begins to appear in his eyes as Severus says, "The potion is simple enough to brew. But the tricky part will be getting the mandrakes leaves and keeping them in our mouths for an entire full moon.
And we can only spit the mandrake leaf back out under the light of the full moon if not have to start the entire process all over again. Not to mention that once the potion is completed, we have to wait to chant at sunrise and sundown, Amato Animo Animato until the next electrical storm, before chanting the spell one more time before drinking the potion. At which point, anything can go wrong as we will be transforming without being under supervision. Are you all barking mad?!"
"Well, you'll be participating too," Rowan drily said earning her a dark glare from Severus. "Anywho, I'm sure you will be able to come up with means to secure the items from Professor Slughorn's storage. Just makes sure to grab enough for four."
"You're not going to do it, Rowan?" James blinked in surprise.
"Goodness, no," Rowan sniffed. "I'm already an accomplice and I've no desire to end up as a snake in real life."
"That would be fitting," Peter smirked.
Rowan narrows her eyes and says, "I know for a fact that you'll end up as a rat of some sort."
"Excuse me!" Pettigrew puffed out indignantly.
"Let's make a deal," Rowan persuasively said. "I'll guess what the three of you will be and if I'm right in the end, I want the free usage of James' cloak three times with no questions asked."
"Deal," James instantly answered as he confidently grinned. "Go on, now, tell us what we will be?"
Pointing a James first, Rowan says, "A Stag." "A Dog." "And A Rat."
Sirius pensively purses his lips as James mutters, "I always thought I'd be a hawk since I am a chaser." Peter on the other hand mutinously glares at Rowan, no doubt swearing revenge.
"And what about me?" Severus said with a raised brow.
Rowan feels a dash of cold sweat on the back of her neck, before gathering all her knowledge of psychology on her brother. "A black creature of some sort. I'm thinking a black leopard."
"That would actually fit," Remus pensively said out loud. "Severus is rather dark and does have a powerful, sleek gait."
"Oh, and before I forgot," Rowan muttered. "Oh, Myrtle, dear as promised I brought some guests to visit you."
"Guests for me?" Said a squat girl with pimples and thick glasses, who suddenly sprung out of one of the stalls causing Sirius to leap backward as Peter hastily reached for his wand. James on the other hand began to roar with laughter as Remus merely shook his head.
"And you are?" Severus said staring down his nose at the pimpled ghost.
"Oh, my!" Myrtle blushed at seeing all the boys in the bathroom. "I'm Myrtle Warren."
"You're Moaning Myrtle?" Sirius curiously said to only receive a glare from the ghost.
"Don't listen to him, Myrtle, dear," Rowan airily said. "He doesn't appreciate your charms like the others do."
Myrtle shyly blushes as Severus flashes Rowan an annoyed look, before loftily saying, "I expect that the ingredients within the next two weeks." Stomping out the door slams behind him as everyone stares at his retreating back.
"Well, that was rude," Myrtle said as Rowan sighed, "What can I say, he's my twin brother."
Myrtle immediately begins to chat with the boys and to Rowan's amazement James quickly charms the female ghost. Shaking her head, she wryly left them to only be followed by Peter closely behind her. A short way away, Peter solemnly says, "You really think, I'll be a rat?"
Rowan pauses to glance at the forlorn expression of Pettigrew. "Rats are nothing to scoff at Peter," Rowan solemnly explained. "Rats are brave often many times challenging creatures much larger and ferocious than they are. Rats are cunningly able to find and enter places that others can't. Rats are survivors, who survive against miraculous odds.
And you, Peter, are no less worthy than James, Sirius, or Remus. The biggest difference is that James and Sirius are not only good-looking and wealthy, and Remus on the other hand is brilliant. But you've more than proven their match as you've gotten on the Quidditch team and have beaten Sirius on the exams. What you may lack in wealth, you more than make that up in cunning and courage."
Peter stares at Rowan and says, "I think that's the nicest compliment you've ever given me."
"Hmm, don't get used to it," Rowan smirked, before leaning over to brush her lips against his cheek.
Peter turns bright red as Rowan's lips twitch upward. "As I said, you're brave enough in your own way, Peter. I haven't forgotten what you did for me that day. And I suggest that neither do you. Because you're most certainly a lion." Rowan turns away and leaves as Peter is left dumb folded holding his flushing cheek.
"That's the second time she's done that," Peter whispered, before dumbly heading to the common room area. Despite snorting afterward, there was a smile on his face the whole day. Because whether Peter admitted it or not, it still was nice to be appreciated by a girl.