Start of Winter Holidays

With the winter term nearly over the students were all happily discussing their plans for the holidays. The first-term exams had been dreadful, but at least they were done. Plenty of students could be seen relaxing including the 5th and 7th years. It was a cold winter's day, but despite the cold, the students enjoyed their friends' company before their return home for the winter holidays on the Hogwarts Express.

Rowan and Severus had made certain that the younger snakeling's properly packed for home, before being allowed to play. Thankfully on the last Hogsmeade trip, Sirius had fulfilled Rowan's chore list and picked up her waiting packages. In turn, she had half-heartedly given Sirius a list of Tiffany's likes and dislikes. It was the least she could do for Tiffany even if she felt that Sirius did not deserve her. Though Sirius was her friend, he really is an idiot at times. It was like he simply couldn't help his idiocy at times…

Nevertheless, Rowan went out about gifting all of the younger years including transfer students up until the 4th year's sweets from Honeydukes. The snakeling's were rather pleased even if they did their best not to show it. They were Slytherin's, they weren't supposed to gush over gifts. It simply wasn't done. (Though she did steely-like caution them not to eat the whole sweets until they went home. Then they would be someone else's problem not her nor Severus's.)

Rowan gifted nearly all her friends some form of jewelry to wear for her and Severus's presentation ball. The girls are gifted jeweled silver hairpins with sapphire-colored gems, while the boys are gifted broaches in the same jewel coloration that represented the Prince family coat of colors. The Prince family and only close friends could wear the family colors on that day. By wearing the jewelry, it would show that they were considered close friends to those being presented into wizarding society.

Not all their friends would be able to attend the presentation ball such as Mary MacDonald and Willa Sands. Firstly, Mary was a muggleborn witch and her parents already had other family plans. Willa's situation was very much the same and had instead received personalized gifts such as Quidditch supply boxes from Sprintwitches Sporting Needs much as Mary had.

Also, not in attendance would be Pandora Ravine and Xenophilius Lovegood. Xeno's parents would be vising the mystical country of Brazil to visit distant family members. Pandora naturally would accompany her boyfriend on such a romantic trip, but she had wished Severus and Rowan the best at their presentation. As had Xeno gifting Rowan and Severus, a homemade herbal incense guaranteed to smooth their spirits which only caused Rowan and Severus to fiercely sneeze upon smelling it. Apparently, there were sensitive to something in the homemade herbal incense. Not wanting to hurt Xeno's feelings, they quietly accepted the gift but secretly gifted the incense to Professor Trelawney, who liked such scents.

Of the marauders, Sirius would be present at the ball and as would be James. It remained yet to be seen whether Remus would be in attendance with his father, Lyall Lupin. Though his mother, Hope Howell would be noticeably absent as Lyall Lupins' choice of a muggle wife was still openly frowned upon in polite society. Yet Lupin was a pureblood and a renowned authority on non-human spiritual apparitions. And ever since, Remus had been cured, Lyall had been promoted within the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Considering that he was a crucial figure within the Ministry of Magic, Lyall Lupin had no choice but to attend the presentation ball of Rowan and Severus Prince even if he had no desire to do so.

On the other hand, Rowan had asked Peter if he would like to attend the presentation ball, but Peter Pettigrew had firmly declined. He would have loved to accompany his girlfriend, Quyen Crowley, who would be in attendance, but he was well aware that his mother had been a Rowle, before being disinherited for marrying his father a muggleborn wizard. He didn't want to cause any trouble for his friends especially after learning that at least several members of the Rowle family would be in attendance. That and Quyen's parents were not aware of the ongoing relationship between Queyn and Peter Pettigrew, who they would undoubtedly disapprove of.

As such, Mary and Willa much like Peter had also been gifted a quidditch supply box for quidditch players. Beyond that, she had gifted a few other classmates and acquaintances trinkets or a box of sweets if they were younger students that she regularly tutored like Lorcan D'Eath and his group of friends. Though she had sent a beautiful jewelry hairpin via Owny to Petunia to wear at the presentation ball with a box of Honeydukes chocolates for the Evans couple to enjoy.

Rowan was rather pleased that Petunia would be in attendance and was sincerely grateful to the Evans couple that they had permitted her good friend to attend. Not that she wasn't thankful that Lily had been permitted to attend, but that was more a given and frankly Severus cared for more about Lily's attendance than Rowan did. It always had been that way.

The morning of returning home on the Hogwarts Express, Rowan and Severus were busy running after sneaky snakeling's and ensuring that they did not try to sneak potions back home. Merlin knows what chaos the snakeling's would wreak upon the ignorant! It is extremely tiring to round up snakes, but everyone knows snakes don't do corralling. With the use of treachery, threats, and force, at long last the first years were taken across the frozen lake with the rest of the older years being sent off in carriages through the front gates and down to the Hogwarts Express platform.

The eight perfects are exhausted but relieved that they had finally gotten the last of the brats into the carriages. Tragically, their day was far from over as they ran about the train patrolling and keeping brats from sticking their heads out of the train when it was snowing or licking the frozen metal to see if their tongue would stick! Gahh!!! Did they all simply lack any common sense or a healthy sense of self-preservation?

Any time any of the Prefect's got a break they retreated to the safety of the Prefect's train compartment including Rowan, who spent her time dozing off. She wasn't the only one as Remus and Lily did too. They had dark circles under their eyes as the Gryffindor's had the great idea to have a party before the holidays as Professor Babbling had approved the shindig as the Gryffindor's total grades had been the highest they had been in years! It wasn't the fact that the party went until midnight but rather try putting to bed sugar-high eleven and twelve years old! It simply did not go well at all. To make matters worse, when the brats woke up, they woke up perk and fresh-eyed with renewed endless bouts of energy! It simply was not fair!

At long last, the Hogwarts Express finally pulled out into the station. Normally, Rowan and Severus were one of the first off, but as Prefect's they had to traverse the train to ensure that everyone got off with their things. Finally, only the Prefects were left on the Hogwarts Express, before getting off. Platform 9 ¾'s is empty of its usual crowd with only the families of the Hogwarts Prefect's still remaining behind.

David Goldstein, Olivia Branstone, and Pandora Ravine are the first Prefect's to exit the Hogwarts Express. The remaining Perfect's are the last to emerge with Remus Lupin being in the lead. Grabbing his trunk from the platform, he turns towards his friends.

"Maybe, I will see you both at the presentation ball, if not, good luck!" Remus happily called out to Rowan and Severus, before hurrying towards his waiting parents in the nearby distance.

Rowan easily recognized Lyall Lupin; a shy, clever man that appeared to be mild-mannered but hid a fierce temper. He resembled Remus with russet hair and gleaming, clever eyes. That and well, Rowan had met the wizard in her second year at Hogwarts.

Standing next to Lyall Lupin, Hope Lupin (nee Howell) was a beautiful welsh woman with brown hair and warm golden flecked eyes like that of her son. Although there was something strange about her causing Remus to skid to a halt before his parents. Remus let out a loud squawk causing his friends, who were gathering their trunks to all turn and stare at him.

Remus visibly gestures at his mother with his hand in shock. Hope Lupin's normally smooth stomach is instead rather round, perturbing stomach. "When did that happen?" He squawked in shock.

Hope smiles impishly at her son and dramatically replies, "I suppose if you must know, Remus, it was around the middle of July."

"By Godric's sword, EW, MUM!!" Remus violently shudders in revulsion and tries not to gag. The thought of his parents, ick, doing that made him turn a bit green around the gills.

"You'll have a little brother named Romulus around April," Lyall warmly explained to his son, before gently touching his wife's belly. The couple had despaired of ever having any more children, but with Remus now cured and older, they thought adding an addition to the family. It was something they had never thought possible before but now was a distinct possibility. They didn't want a very large family, but one more child would be warmly welcomed into their home.

It was something that Remus had never imagined in a hundred years nor had Rowan. It was a stark reminder to Rowan that things had changed. It was a wonderous and terrible thing to learn as it seemed to only increase the already impossibly high stakes.