Every knows the stories of Harry, Hermione and Ron and their fight with Voldemort. Every knows of their victory in the Battle of Hogwarts, but their time at Hogwarts has come to an end. What adventures will the next generation have at Hogwarts? Will they too become heros? Or perhaps just live happy, quiets lives through their Hogwarts education. This is their tale.

Rosemary Brennan

Jesse Raston

Standing in the train station, the young woman looked at the pillar in front of her. Though she had done it before, she still found it hard to believe that when she walked forward, she would go straight through the stone. Taking a breath, she looked around to make sure no one was watching and pushed her cart around, then made a run for it. Closing her eyes just before impact, she let her breath go when she felt the slight resistance before the pillar gave way and let her through. Opening her eyes, she looked around and smiled, the sight taking her breath away as usual. All the young witches and wizards bustling about, saying goodbye to their families, boarding the beautiful old engine known as the Hogwarts Express. Smiling happily, Rosemary Brennan stepped forward to head for the train, only to run smack into a very solid someone. "Oh, goodness I'm so sorry! I dinna see ye there!" She exclaimed, her Irish accent thickening in her embarrassment. On her cart, her little gray cat Frisco* meowed indignantly.

((Wolfie wasn't sure what age they should be, so she left that up to you.))

(I don't care. I wouldn't mind them still having a couple years at Hogwarts so not 7th years. Maybe fourth years which would put them around 14-15. Or we could do fifth year which would put them around 15-16. Which would you like to do?)

Jesse was going over his cart and running a mental checklist, making sure that he hadn't forgot anything. His school robes? Check. Text books? Check. His owl Fergus hooted softly from his cage atop the loaded cart. He hardly noticed the hub-bub around him, until something collided with his body. He turned to find himself looking at a brown haired girl of about his age. She was saying something but it took him a second to focus on her words.

"Don't worry about it," he answered with a bit of a smile. "It happens."

(Sorry, I promise my next post will be longer. I am really tired tonight.)

((Um...fourth year works fine.))

Rosemary smiled faintly as she stood up and dusted herself off. "R-right. I really must learn not to close my eyes coming in." She said, regaining control of her accent as she calmed down. Picking up the few things that had dropped, she put them back in her cart and patted Frisco to calm him. "Well, I guess I'd better board. Sorry again. Oh, I'm Rosemary by the way. I guess I'll see you at school." She said. He looked about the same age as her, and she wondered idly how she had never noticed him before. Then again, people changed over the summer. She may have seen him around and not known it.

Jesse realized, when the girl said something about boarding, that most people where on the tran already. He turned to leave and get on the train, but his mother's voice in his head, Jesse always be nice to others, stopped him. "Names Jesse," he said before hurrying to load his stuff on the train.

He finally boarded, Fergus cage in hand, and found an empty carriage on the train. He sat down by the window and watched the parents standing, waving to their children as the train departed. He felt a twinge of jealousy and sadness but he pushed them to the back of his mind and turned his thoughts to the school year ahead.

Rosemary rushed to get her stuff on the train, and by the time she boarded all the cars were full. Walking along the train, she came across what looked like an empty compartment and went to open the door, only to find the boy from earlier, Jesse, sitting there. "Oh! Hello again. Um, I hope it's okay if I sit here...all the others are full..." She said. Still standing, she saw all the families out the window waving tot heir children as they departed. A prick of sorrow pulled at her, so she looked away, patting Frisco on the head.

Jesse looked up, pulled from his musings by the voice of the girl from earlier. He looked up at Rosemary and shrugged in response to her question. "Sure, whatever," he mumbled before glancing back out the window as the train lurched into motion.

Jesse found himself wondering about the girl in the compartment with him. What house was she from? Why hadn't he ever noticed her before? That question almost caused him to snort in derision. Probably cause you don't hang around that many people, he thought to himself.

Jesse had definitely gotten a reputation for being a lone wolf and many wondered why the sorting hat had put him in Gryffindor and not Slytherin. Some had even asked him why he wasn't in Slytherin; he had no answer to give them. There were rumors that he was a relation of Voldemort and others said that at the very least he must be a child of a death eater.

Rosemary smiled and moved into the compartment, sitting down across from him. Still petting Frisco, she wondered what house he was in. She didn't think it was possible for them to be in the same house. She definitely would have noticed him before. That thought started her wondering about her own house. Everyone always said she didn't belong there, that she didn't fit in. The other girls were always picking on her. They said she belonged in Hufflepuff. But the sorting had had been quite clear that she was a Slytherin. She wasn't related to any death eaters- at least she didn't think so. As far as she knew, she was muggle born- which made her house placement even more confusing. "So...w-what house are y-you in?" She asked awkwardly.

Jesse looked over at her question and half thought about not answering, but if she didn't know already she would find out soon enough and probably soon be avoiding him like everyone else. "Gryffindor," he answered. He turned his attention back to the scenery outside the windows; he so loved the beautiful country that the Hogwarts Express took them through. "Be polite Jesse." He heard his mothers words in his head again, and with a barely audible sigh turned his attention back to the girl. "You?"

Rosemary nodded. That would be why she hadn't noticed him. She never understood the hatred between the houses, especially when the sorting hat was always telling them to get along. There was a pause, and Rosemary started to think that the conversation was over, when Jesse returned her question. Looking slightly ashamed, she cleared her throat. "S-Slytherin..." She answered. Okay, bring on the hateful comments. She thought. He seemed like he really didn't want to talk, so she decided that she would stay quiet if he did.

Jesse could see that she was expecting something, he wasn't sure what. Perhaps hateful remarks, b but he just shrugged. "Okay," he said nonchalantly. He started to turn back to the window but then decided he might as well be nice, besides conversation would help pass the time. "Fourth year?" He heard the sweets cart coming down the aisle outside the compartment and stood just as the it reached their compartment. "Want anything?" he asked as he moved towards the compartment door.

Rosemary looked up, honestly shocked that he simply accepted her answer. She blinked slightly, then nodded. "Y-yeah. This will be my fourth year. You?" She asked. Before she could get an answer, the sweets cart came rolling by and he asked whether she wanted anything. "Oh, I...I don't have...I mean, that's okay. I'm not hungry."She lied. To say she had no money was an understatement. Rosemary was dirt poor. Her robes, books and everything she owned had been donated to her. Frisco, she had found abandoned in an alleyway when he was just a kitten. But she couldn't have someone else pay for her. She did have pride- perhaps a bit too much. Just then, her stomach growled loudly, making her blush. No, no, no, I can eat when we get to Hogwarts. I can wait. She thought.

Jesse raised an eyebrow as her stomach growled. He had a little cash and he dug it out, eying the choices on the cart. "What's the best thing to get on the cart, in your opinion?" He asked casually. He wasn't sure why he was doing this, but he felt sorry for the girl. He knew what it was like to not have money. The only reason that he had spare money was from working during the summers.

Rosemary answered without thinking. "Oh, the chocolate frogs, definitely." She said. She had always liked them, ever since her first year at Hogwarts. She even had quite the collection of chocolate frog cards. Most of them she had gotten in packages that she got from friends for holidays. Her most prized card, Merlin, had been in a frog she got for her thirteenth birthday.

Jesse grabbed several chocolate frog boxes, some pumpkin pasties and some jelly slugs. He payed the witch who pushed the trolley and turned back to Rosemary in the compartment. He handed her the chocolate frogs and sat down, biting a jelly slug in half. He stared out the window for a moment, knowing that he should say something and searching for something to say. "Uh..what's your favorite class?" he asked, feeling a little stupid. He wasn't good at conversation and usually avoided people as much as they did him, but he didn't want to be rude to Rosemary.

Rosemary stared at the chocolate frogs the boy had given to her. "O-oh, I c-couldn't...y-you don't have to..." She muttered, not knowing what to say. She didn't want to be rude, but how could she let him spend money on her. In the end, her hunger won out and she tore into one, feeling pathetic. "Um...m-my favorite is care of magical creatures. H-how about y-you?" She asked.

Jesse shrugged away her protests. "Care of magical creatures huh," he said. He wasn't sure how to respond to her question. He favorite class was also care of magical creatures but that wasn't exactly maybe the most manly class. Besides he had never told anyone and it would definitely damage his bad boy reputation if it was found out. But the what the heck did he care about his reputation. "Honestly, its care of magical creatures," he said. "Not exactly the most manly," he muttered waiting for her to start to tease him about it.

Rosemary smiled sweetly, for some reason happy to find that they had something in common. "I think it's quite rugged, actually. Most of the creatures we have to care for are a bit dangerous, after all. And there is nothing more masculine, in my opinion, than a man who cares for animals." She told him. It was perhaps the longest sentence she had spoken so far- definitely the longest she had gone without stuttering. In her next chocolate frog she found a Nicholas Flammel card, which she already had. She handed it to him. "It's the only way I can pay you back right now. Besides, I've already got one."

He found himself smiling at her words. This girl was a lot different then most and actually treated him like nicely. But he found himself wondering if it would last when the reached school. Would she stay nice to him or would she began to treat him rottenly like everyone else?

"Hey don't worry about paying me back," he said, taking the card and tucking it into a pocket. "I know the snacks are one of the best parts of the ride, that and the beautiful countryside." He glanced out the window and noticed that, by the countryside, the would be reaching Hogwarts pretty soon.

Rosemary smiled softly. This guy was nice, she thought. He treated her differently than everyone else did, and didn't even seem to care that she was dirt poor. She wondered if that kindness would last inside the walls of the school. "Thank you. Really, I appreciate it. I-if there's anything I c-can do for you, ever, j-just ask." She said, glancing out the window. It wasn't long till they reached Hogwarts, they noticed.

Jesse was startled by her offer but he graciously accepted it. He found himself wanting to test it out once inside the familiar walls of Hogwarts and see if she would still be so kind, but he found that he also feared what he the results. Right now she was a happy memory and he could trick himself into believing that she actually wanted to spend time with the Lone Wolf of Hogwarts.

He looked up to say something, just as the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station. A small smile slipped across his handsome face. Jesse felt like he was coming home, weirdly enough even as a lone wolf, Hogwarts was home to him. "Well I guess we are here," he said and then instantly wanted to kick himself for stating the obvious.

Rosemary smiled softly, letting him know not to feel too awkward. She had been about to say the same thing, honestly. "I suppose so. Perhaps I will see you in class sometime?" She said. Gryffindor and Slytherin often had potions class together, and they were bound to have others as well. Plus they would see each other at mealtimes, although she didn't think it would go well if they tried to sit at each other's tables. She stood up as the sound of students leaving the train reached them, and grabbed her luggage. Frisco, having been dozing the whole ride, leaped onto her shoulder and stared at Jesse. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Jesse. And remember my offer- I meant it."

Jesse felt a genuine smile cross his lips at her parting words. "Yeah, see you around," he said, before turning and gathering up Fergus' cage and the rest of his stuff. By the time he exited the compartment though, his usual serious expression was back in place. He moved through the train and out onto the platform. He looked around for an empty carriage to the school.