Inside a cream-colored parlor room with dark-colored furniture. Peter Pettigrew hides behind a copy of the latest Daily Prophet! There are several repeats regarding Rowan a parselmouth, the plans for the Chamber of Secrets, Hagrid being half-giant and the son of the current Gurg, a rehash of the attacks on Hogsmeade, the dates of the funerals, and lastly, if the rumors are to be believed there is a magical serpent at Hogwarts.
At the last bit, Peter snorts loudly in disdain. He is fairly certain everyone would have noticed a magical serpent at Hogwarts! It is just another unbelievable rumor.
Although Peter's chocolate-colored eyes flicker over the copy of the paper at his beloved, Quyen. Quyen's face looked rather green this morning. She had been having a bit of morning sickness and hadn't been able to keep much down. Apparently, it is a normal aspect of pregnancy, but still, Peter is worried.
Peter glances unconsciously at his reflection in the sparkling windowpane. His mousy brown hair is sleeked back, and he is wearing his best-fitted robes. He is dressed to impress, but that may not be enough.
Setting his copy of the paper down unable to read anymore, Peter glances at Rowan. Rowan quite calmly reads an obscure volume on international treatises. Her midnight hair is neatly tied back away from her face. Her face which once was gender-neutral is now more feminine. She is tall and slender with gentle curves.
Rowan had grown up into a fine woman even Peter could tell. He only hoped that James would see that too. However, Peter couldn't be certain of anything anymore when it came to James. James had changed both for the good and worse over the course of the past year.
Rowan's midnight-indigo-colored eyes pause and rise to meet Peter's. "Is there something wrong, Peter?"
"Why didn't you tell us, you were a parselmouth?" Peter rashly blurted out. His face flushes in embarrassment, but he is unable to help himself. He thought he and Rowan are friends and it hurt that she didn't trust them enough to say so. Though he had personal suspicions ever since Professor Lye's class in their fourth year and his showing them the forbidden curses.
"There never seemed to be an opportune moment," Rowan reluctantly admitted. "And with the rise of the Death Eaters, it seemed even less opportune. Slytherin already carries enough of a stigma as it is, I did not wish to be further entangled with the madness associated with the Dark Lord."
Quyen raises her shallow, sickly face and remarks, "Peter, you might think it cruel, but I think it was a prudent move on Rowan's part," she whispered trying not to move her lips too much lest she throw up. "The only known parselmouth, a dark wizard as it is. If Rowan had also revealed herself to be a parselmouth, the public would have immediately associated the two of them together regardless of their political affiliations."
"I can see that now," Peter sheepishly admitted offering Rowan an apologetic smile.
"No harm done," Rowan shrugged. "It is a perfectly reasonable question, Peter. Your question is not morbid curiosity but rather one of genuine concern."
A wide smile appears across Peter's face causing his mustache to also stretch in a smile.
Rowan tries to hide a rueful smile, but the upward tilt of her lips gives her dead away. She instead says, "Your mustache is coming along nicely, Peter."
"Thank you, Rowan," Peter happily said as he reached up to touch his neatly trimmed mustache. His mustache is still on the thin side, but it is getting thicker! Soon he will have an incredibly handsome mustache!
Seeing Quyen so ill, Rowan reaches into her pocket for ginger candies. She is not that found of ginger sweets, but they help ease nausea and stomach discomfort. Moreover, these are gin-gin-boo. Apparently, the magical sweets really did cure nausea… (At least according to Aunt Georgine.)
"Here Quyen," Rowan held out a ginger sweet. "This will help with your nausea."
"Thanks," Quyen accepted the candy without a healthy skepticism. Stomach-calming potions could only be taken once a week by pregnant witches. There are no other known treatments for motion sickness during pregnancy other than herbal-infused teas like chamomile and catnip. Herbal tea is a reasonable solution for most witches, but unfortunately not for Quyen.
With resignation, Quyen unwrapped the brightly colored tinfoil and popped the sweet into her mouth. She grimaces at the sweet and spicy taste and almost spits out. She scowls at Rowan and opens her mouth to speak when she realizes that her nausea is almost gone. She blinks again and feels remarkably better than she has done in ages.
"How is this remotely possible, Rowan!" Quyen exclaimed in disbelief. "I feel nausea-free!"
Peter expectantly also looks at Rowan, who drily replies, "It is gin-boo."
"Pft," Peter bursts into laughter, before covering his mouth. "Sorry," he apologized as his shoulders shake with desperately suppressed laughter.
"I didn't name it," Rowan huffed folding her arms over her chest. "Apparently, it is a traditional medicinal candy from the East that even muggles use. The medical candy's main ingredient is ginger, but unlike the application of muggles, potioneer's have successfully infused potion medicinal properties to successfully treat's nausea and stomach discomfort."
"Why have I never heard of gin-boo before?" Quyen asked in bewilderment. "No matter, its terrible name, the product itself would be incredibly popular!"
Rowan arches her brow at Quyen. "Traditionalists are reluctant to accept imports from other countries. However, that will be changing soon. Aunt Georgine alongside Kain Shafiq and Evans Avery, (and Sanderson) will be opening a store with imports from other wizard nations. If it is popular enough several more branches will be open to expand the brand."
"Good," Quyen nodded her head in a sagely fashion before her expression crumbled. "By the way," she fidgeted, "do you have any more gin-boo, Rowan?"
"Yes," Rowan pulled out a handful of sweets from her pocket. "I thought you might like to have them. Their effects last for hours, so don't eat another sweet unless you are feeling ill."
Quyen carefully accepts the sweets and tucks them away in her skirt as if they are the Holy Grail. Peter watches the scene, before sending a sly grin at Rowan. "Heh, you're caring as always Rowan."
Rowan loudly snorts and looks away. It is not as if Quyen and she are not friends. She is not so evil as to ignore someone in an oblivious plight!
Peter merely chuckles to himself and reaches to take his beloved girlfriend's hand. Quyen willingly clasps his hand and shares a knowing smile with her boyfriend. Rowan for all her gruff is very protective of those she considers friends. It is something Quyen would have never thought to experience. Yet it felt good to be considered a friend of Rowan's.
As a first-year, Quyen disdained Rowan for her friendships with mudbloods. In her second year, she began to grow envious of those friendships. By her third year, it was too late, no one really wanted her friendship only the benefits she offered.
However, everything changed when a Gryffindor willingly defended at the Quidditch Cup. Quyen had never known such kindness and before she knew it, she found herself falling for Peter Pettigrew. She would never regret falling in love with Peter. It was the most fortunate event that had ever happened to her. And she knew it, so until the end and beyond, she would always love him.