Chapter 187 - Darcy Travers

Feeling rather well rested, Rowan awoke early the next morning to meditate as was her common practice. Tracing the energy within her body, she followed the pathways within her body to see how thick they'd grown over the summer. She still couldn't teleport to places she'd never been and probably wouldn't for some while. But her world mapscape in her mind showed her every single place she'd been to include the Hogwarts Express train route to that of Diagon Alley and more importantly Gringotts. Ever since, Professor Adric-, her power had exponentially grown again creating her new limit to be that of the Hogsmeade station.

Withdrawing back into her mind, Rowan reflexively clears her mind as she'd been doing each day for her mindscape. Anything of importance was put away or rearranged to be placed in semi-hidden places or left out into the open. Finished she pondered on what she should concentrate her research on this year. Salazar's first volume had not produced anything of interest for now, she was not placing much value on either volume she had brought with her, beyond learning dark magic or spells.

Sadly, enough she'd allowed herself to be coerced into aiding the marauders into becoming animagus. But that didn't involve as much research as finding a place to hide, (which she already knew the perfect spot), borrow several ingredients from Professor Slughorn's storage, and somehow convince Severus to create the needed potions, (which was not her problem). And neither could she further work on her soul research. Perhaps, wizard anatomy volumes could be a good place to start to see if there are any differences on how they view the body versus the medical physiology that she knew.

Satisfied, that she had a place to start, Rowan spent the rest of the morning meditating, before rising and readying herself for the day. Stopping to wait in the common room as it was still a bit early, she took a seat to wait for it to get a closer to the hour, before heading up to the Great Hall. To her surprise this morning it wasn't Regulus who was out first out of the boy's room but rather the Slytherin 5th year Prefect, Darcy Travers. A bit scholarly looking with pale skin and semi-pink lips. This year's Prefect nodded his chocolate-colored head at her, before striding out of the common room.

"I guess Prefect's must start their day earlier than others," Rowan muttered, but not that she had ever noticed before. But then again, if it was not a matter of interest to her, and she did have a bad tendency to ignore the smaller details.

Suddenly, a rush of footsteps can be heard from behind her for only to see the female Prefect rush out past her and out of the common room. Knowing that panicked gait, Rowan murmurs, "Running late, eh."

Glancing over at the time, Rowan finally rises to her feet to only stop at seeing the yawning figure of Regulus emerge. "Good morning, Rowan," Regulus sleepily said.

"Good morning, Regulus," Rowan said as they strode out of the common room. "How did you sleep?" Rowan asked as they made their way through the cool dungeons.

"Not bad at all," Regulus replied as he gave Rowan a rather pointed glance.

Rowan hides a smirk knowing exactly what he was referring to and feigns ignorance. "Well, that's good to hear," Rowan said. "I never did ask but did you sign up for any extra-curricular courses beyond Gobbledegook?"

"The four of us thought it might be fun to try Xylomancy," Regulus admitted. "But I don't like divination. So, Barty and I signed up for Art, while Dirk and Letitia went for Xylomancy. Apparently, Dirk finds it rather fascinating to use twigs for Divination. Personally, I think it's a whole load of crock."

"I feel much the same way," Rowan drily said. "But next year, you will be taking two more required courses, Regulus. Divination is quite the popular class due to its ease and not necessarily due to beliefs. But Care of Magical Creatures is to be rather fun, I am told. But I did not sign up for either class, to be honest. However, Severus and Terry did for both."

"I'll keep that in mind," Regulus said as they entered the great hall that showed a slightly cloudy sky after yesterday's great big storm. "But I personally think, I'll take Care of Magical Creatures and pick another nice studious class."

"That's what you say, now," Rowan said with a teasing grin as they took their seat at the rapidly filling table.

Sniffing about, Rowan served herself some nice hash browns, eggs, toast with a dash of ketchup on her eggs and potatoes. Along with a glass of orange juice, she happily began to dig in. Taking a bite of her food, Rowan says, "Any luck with getting a cat yet?"

Regulus flushes and says, "No, but I think if it was a gift from someone whose father and mother couldn't decline that would most certainly work."

"Oh, well, we shall see about that," Rowan said with a teasing grin as the idea of getting him a kitten for Christmas greatly appealed to her.

"Oh, well if isn't Prince and her latest lover boy," said, the nasal voice of Quyen Crowley could be heard.

Sneering Rowan says, "At least I can get one." Immediately Regulus flushes and steadily keeps his gaze down knowing better than to intervene between a girl's spat.

The wavy dark-haired girl scowls at Rowan and says, "Well, I never!"

Swiftly coming to her friends rescue the gaunt girl with plastered murky hair to her skull, Hortense Sicca hisses, "At least she's not dating a child!"

Arching an eyebrow, Rowan frostily says, "Oh, is that what Gil Goyle thinks of you? Well, I would suppose you would know given that he is a sixth year this year."

Hortense Sicca loudly begins to choke as the third member of their posse comes to her rescue. A bloated faced girl with sausage sized curled hair, Gertrude Fowl says, "Well, at least we weren't caught out with a boy all night!"

"Oh, you mean dear old Xeno?" Rowan chuckled. "I wasn't out with him so to speak as he has no interest in dating at the present moment. And even if I was, he's a pureblood what of it?" Unable to think of any other comebacks, the three girls flounce further away to sit down in a huffy stint.

"Ye gods and little fishes," Rowan muttered under her breath. "What unfortunate luck do I have running today?"

"At least Tiffany wasn't here," Regulus finally piped in. "She'd had torn their hair out."

Rowan loudly snickers, "That she would have, while Silvia would have given them a nice black eye. Bethanie, on the other hand, would have politely stared them down and made them feel as though insignificant cockroaches."

Regulus hid a bashful smile at the image, before grabbing a crepe as Rowan quickly followed suit. By the time, Rowan had gotten to her second plate of hazelnut chocolate stuffed crepes with whipped cream, everyone else had arrived. They all made small talk as they ate.

Not long after, Professor Slughorn appears with the school schedules and begins to pass them out. "Potions, Charms, and DADA," Terry remarked. "Not too bad for the first day."

"Yes, well, you don't have Gobbledegook," Rowan grimaced as Severus flashed her a smirk.

Ignoring her smug younger brother, Rowan asks, "Bethanie, will you be joining the Hogwarts Orchestra after all?"

"Mm, mother was pleased with my talent for music and allowed it," Bethanie said with a grin causing her long, auburn hair wavy hair to ripple at her sudden movement.

Rowan didn't comment on the fact that the spray of freckles across Bethanie's nose had vanished over the summer. Either a potion or some sort of treatment had been given to vanish them. And she knew for a fact that Bethanie had not minded them, it had to be that mother of her that must have ensured the change.

Glancing over at the dark-haired, sharp-featured Silvia, Rowan didn't see anything different. Silvia must have noticed Rowan's glance because she raised her blue-gray eyes at her with a question in them. Shaking her head at Silvia, Silvia shrugs before returning to her plate. Silvia hadn't changed much over the summer but grown a bit taller.

Tiffany on the other had looked the same as usual, cute with her short strawberry blond hair and bright blue eyes. Beyond the new wardrobe from France, there wasn't much that Rowan could ask about in public concerning Tiffany's to be betrothed. Still, she did have some rather nice flawless smooth skin. She must be using some new moisturizer or beauty potion as Tiffany's skin didn't look this good before.

Terry looked much the same with his angelic, fragile prince features. His hazel eyes seem to sparkle, this morning having recovered from last night's exorbitant feasting. Though he had grown a bit taller which was something at least. Either way, none of them had really overall changed over the summer which strangely was a relief to her.