Chapter 703 - Rachel Grimond

After what seemed like ages at last Rowan emerged from her last class of the day, Advanced Arithmancy. Not that she didn't enjoy listening to Professor Babbling, but frankly it was Monday and she was exhausted from the weekend patrol. Covering her mouth with one hand, she almost bumped into someone without her looking.

Glancing up, Rowan's eyes widen in realization as she takes a step back. The large dark chocolate-muscled figure easily loomed over her. Nodding to one of the new caretakers, Rowan says, "My apologies Caretaker Peterson, I did not see you there."

The tall, muscular man nods his head in acceptance causing his carefully woven braids to musically twinkle thanks to the intricate beads in his hair. "It was no trouble at all," the deep rumbling voice replied with a very faint accent that could still be heard.

Rowan couldn't quite place the accent, but she'd guess Trinidad or elsewhere in the Caribbean. "Sorry, sir, and if you don't mind me asking, but which twin are you?"

Mr. Peterson flashes her an indecipherable smile showcasing his glistening white teeth. "You'll just have to figure that out, Miss Prince," before the man went on his way.

Rowan furrows her brows a few moments after. How did the caretaker know and recognize her name? But then again Filch nearly had all the students memorized. Perhaps, there is a specialized list of student names to memorize for the Hogwarts Caretaker. Still, it wasn't something that she felt at ease with. Then she could just be biased with a previously unknown prejudice…. She didn't believe herself above such things for she was human.

Then again, the man and his twin were squibs, who had been bitten and been cured, a muquib. They were literally a combination of the two and couldn't be a vessel. It was highly unlikely that they were Death Eater's as she'd never spotted a non-Caucasian Death Eater. It would seem that Riddle was a tad racist as well. And, whoever the Peterson twins had worked for, they clearly were the heavy muscles in play.

Letting out a sigh, Rowan glances at the time, before quickly heading down to help Severus. He still needed to talk to Lily, and she was going to replace him just for today. Still, if she was honest with her herself, she was concerned that Severus in the end wouldn't be able to go through with it.

Almost within view of classroom eleven, Rowan hears a loud cry of pain. Frowning she hurries to the source to find one of the second-year transfer students sprawled on the ground with three girls surrounding her. "What is going on?" Rowan crisply asked.

The second-year girls all Gryffindor's glance at each other, before the ringleader takes a step forth and says, "We were just helping her up."

"Yeah!" All the girls chimed in agreement.

Rowan's lips twitch in an icy smile that causes all the girls to take a step back. "Miss Dobbs," she slowly said. "Do you know that there is one thing I hate above all things is being lied to? It's a bully. And I can recognize one a mile away."

"Thirty points from Gryffindor!" Rowan said to the girls horrified gasps. "And a weeks' worth of detention with Professor Babbling. You can be assured that I will be having a word with your Head of House."

"You can't do that!" Wendy Dobbs protested resembling her future niece, Emma Dobbs.

"You will find that I can, and I have," Rowan crisply said. "Now shoo, before I decide to take away more points from Gryffindor."

The girls hurry away as Rowan waves her wand and neatly causes everything to gather itself. With a few more waves she vanishes the spilled ink and performs a general cleaning spell. Taking a closer look at the second-year girl, she notices that the girl has scraggily greasy hair and a crooked nose. There is a slight touch of yellow to her skin as if from malnourishment.

Rowan almost freezes as she recognizes the look on the girl's face. It was the gaze of Severus Snape in another life. Pushing down the wave of terror, and worry, she stiffly says, "Miss Grimond, I take this is not the first incident. Why have you not come to either my brother or me with your concerns?"

Rachel Grimond doesn't meet the Slytherin Prefect's gaze as she mutters in a local accent similar to Hagrid's, "I don' need any help, I'm dealing jus' fine."

Rowan resists the irrational urge to shake some sense into the girl, but a lifetime of patterns of abuse and survival instincts would not be corrected in just a single day. "Miss Grimond, are you a half-blood?"

"No," Rachel huffed rather indignantly. "Mum's a squib, and Da's a squib, der purebloods." And muttered under her breath, "bu' we're poor, and I waz bitten."

"Well, I am a half-blood," Rowan plainly stated to the look of disbelief on the girl's face. "My brother and I for the first years in our life were raised in the muggle world. And we understand all too well, Miss Grimond. That being said, you do not have to do this on your own."

"Das no' gonna change anything!" Rachel vehemently protested.

"You will find that it will," Rowan firmly said. "Now come along, I'll introduce some potential friends to you. And if that doesn't work, well, at least you'll have a safe place to go."

Rachel grudgingly follows and mutters, "I don' understand why you're doing dis. It doesn' make sense, you're being rich and all."

"As I said before, Miss Grimond, I hate bullies," Rowan calmly replied. "And secondly, I am your Prefect, and you are in my house. I will do the best I can to aid you." Though she made a private note to deliver shampoo, and other hygiene products plus some bruise balm later in order not to terribly embarrass the second-year girl. She knew the girl had attended the Birds and the Bee lecture with Professor Eponine Mortimer, but no doubt, the family truly could not afford to send some of the essential items for a growing girl.

With her grumpy duckling in tow, Rowan appears in classroom eleven as Severus glances up and wordlessly says, "What took you so long?"

Rowan glances rather pointedly behind her as Severus stiffens at recognizing the trademark signs of their childhood. Somehow with everything that had been going on, they had allowed such a child slip through the cracks. It was inevitable, it wasn't as though they were perfect and could only do so much. And all house Prefects were spread thin as it was especially with the influx of students this year. The only consolation is that the issue had been caught now rather than later on.

Gesturing at the table with his head, Severus says, "You go on and see to them. I'll take care of the rest."

"But you have," Rowan protested.

"It's fine, I'll just grab, Lily after DADA tomorrow or another day," Severus stubbornly retorted.

Rowan's expression softens as she nods her head and leads her disgruntled charge towards where eight first years are all seated at. "Everyone this is, Rachel Grimond," Rowan firmly said. "I expect you to welcome her and keep an eye out for her."

Rachel flushes and murmurs her protests, but the two dark-haired Gryffindor girls narrow their eyes thoughtfully at the Slytherin second year. "It's okay, Rachel," Lucy quietly remarked. "Wendy and her friends don't like us either, because we're former werewolves too. But there's enough of us in Gryffindor that she doesn't dare bother us."

"It's because she's a predator," Martha growled recalling their evil former pack, Alpha. "She hunts for quarry who are cut off from the herd and waits until she can corral her prey. It's a classic predator tactic."

Rachel's slightly yellow-tinted face brightens up as she says, "You're all werewolves too?"

"Yup," both Martha and Lucy hummed in reply.

"Me too," said the neatly combed, Jeremy.

"And me!" Jacob Clayton said flashing them a warm smile.

Rachel is much more relaxed as she takes a seat and they all begin to introduce each other. Strangely enough, the older girl fits quite nicely with the rag-sorted bunch. But hopefully, with a bit of work, she'd at least make one friend in her own grade. Chances were that Rachel Grimond's roommates would eventually warm up to her, but it would take some time as with such a standoff personality from the very start it would be difficult to get to know the girl.