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Dear Mum,
      Things have been fine since I’ve been back; the usual Potter-Weasley drama has ensued, but nothing else. Yes, I had to be part of the jury for James and Albus’s ‘trial’—if you can even call it that. It was basically something out of a bad Muggle courtroom drama, or something. Everybody kept talking, and Flitwick was wearing this ridiculous powdered wig. I’m still having nightmares about it. Anyway, they got let off with an easy and expected sentence: they’ve been stripped of their Hogsmeade privileges for the rest of the year, and they have weekend detention for the next month. James is suspended from the next Quidditch match. The Ravenclaw captain is a prefect, and she was trying desperately to have him suspended for the rest of the season, but since Neville’s also on the SSJC, he wouldn’t have it.











“Now that you’ve finished your doodling, Ms Veasley, care to explain to us how to cure zeh side effects of zeh Elixir to Enduce Euphoria?”

I looked up and hastily shoved my letter to my mum underneath my notes. “Elixir to Enduce Euphoria?” I repeated as my cheeks quickly reddened.

“Yes,” said Professor Zimmer.

I cleared my throat. Jasper was giving me the stink-eye from one side, while Albus and Angus were doing the same from the other. Scorpius was looking at the board. Because I’m tutoring him in Potions, I suppose, so he has no real right to be snickering at me for being called out in class. Then again, neither did Albus and Angus.

“That’s simple,” I said confidently. “Peppermint.”

“Very goot!” the fraulein exclaimed.

I smirked at my cousin.

When class was over, I headed off toward the Great Hall for lunch, Ariadne at my tail.

“That’s why you’re the one tutoring Scorpius, eh?” she giggled. “I was so ready to whisper the answer to you.” She punched me a little harder than intended in the forearm. “I always got your back!”

“Thanks, Ariadne,” I said flatly.

Someone bumped into me rather intentionally. Just as I was about to curse them, I heard, “Oh, hey, Rose! Didn’t see you there.”

I looked up. Tony McLaggen was swaggering along next to me in the crowded hallway.

“So, what’s new?” he asked, with a little cock of an eyebrow.

“Oh!” Ariadne yelled much too loudly. “I just remembered! I left—that—thing! In that… place! See you downstairs, Rose!” And then she scampered off, not without winking at me first.

“What’s up with her?” Tony asked with a snort.

“She’s always like that,” I said simply.

“Well, anyways, there’s a big Quidditch match this weekend,” Tony continued.

“Really? I wasn’t aware,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Yeah, that’s what all the signs and stuff have been for. But I was just wondering, were you thinking of going?”

I looked at him. He had this big goofy grin plastered across his face. “Erm, I’m not sure. Why?”

“Just ‘cause, you know, I’ll be playing, and all,” Tony explained. “I’m a Beater—”

“I know. My cousin’s the Keeper, remember?”

“Yeah, right, James. Anyways, there’s usually a pretty nasty after party after all the matches, so, you should totally come.”

“Nasty?” I repeated.

“You know, like, bum.”

“Bum?”

“Lovely-jubbly, awesome, fantastic.”

“Right. Well, thanks for the invitation.”

“Definitely, of course.” He swatted his hand like it was no big deal. Then he started walking backwards away from me—we’d just reached the Great Hall—and was sure to plow over a couple first years in the process. “You should come to the game! It’s gonna be a tough match without James, we’ll need all the support we can get!”

I nodded and offered a sort of half-smile before regressing to the Gryffindor table. I took a seat in what I’d thought to be an empty part of the table, until Lily and Lucy appeared on either side of me.

“Were you just talking to Tony McLaggen?” Lily asked excitedly.

She seemed to have recovered from her weekend trauma rather quickly.

“He was talking to me, yes,” I explained.

“He’s SO fit,” Lily gushed.

“Is he?” I remarked.

“Oh, Rose, don’t be such a prude about it.” That was Lucy.

“I’m not being prude—” I remarked.

“You know what we mean,” Lily insisted. “Don’t be so shy about it.”

“About what? I really don’t understand what you’re talking about. He was just trying to promote another one of his stupid after-Quidditch parties.”

Lily and Lucy both gasped so loudly I was sure Fraulein Zimmer had just confessed the love affair she’d been having with Professor Flitwick.

“He invited you to a Quidditch after party?” Lily was now grabbing my arm so tightly I thought she might be getting ready to tear it off.

“I guess. What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal?!” Lucy cried.

“The big deal is that to be invited to one of those parties is, like—a really BIG DEAL!” Lily shrieked.

“Well, too bad I’m not going.”

“Not going?! You have to go!” This time Lily looked so upset I thought maybe James had beat up Patrick again.

“Why don’t you just pretend to be me and go in my place? I’m sure he won’t know the difference.”

Lucy shook her head. “There’s no use reasoning with her.”

“It’s only Thursday, I’m sure she’ll come to her senses by Saturday.”

“I’m sure I won’t,” I grumbled.

“Ooh, finger sandwiches!” And gone was Lily’s attention.

A folded-up piece of parchment landed in my lap. I recognised it’s lack of envelope as a sign that it was a message from the Head Boy or Girl.

Please note a change to Friday’s after-hours patrol groups. Due to a mild case of Dragon Pox, Flora O’Connell will be unable to make her rounds tomorrow night. Rose Weasley will take her place patrolling with Scorpius Malfoy. Thank you.
Fabulous. This was just going to be a fantastic weekend.

---

After I finished eating, I headed to the library to get some work done. I was just getting into my Arithmancy work in that nice, practically hidden corner I’ve found and have christened my second home, when I was kindly bombarded by someone sitting down across from me.

I wasn’t going to give this person—who happened to smell quite good, whomever they were—the courtesy of my attention, so I kept my eyes fixated on the parchment in front of me, until a hand waved through the space between my head and my coursework, interrupting my view.

I sighed, frustrated, and looked up.

Scorpius.

He was frowning at me.

I didn’t say anything.

Neither did he, until, “Are you at least going to thank me?”

“What?” was my reaction.

“Can’t you at least thank me? For covering your arse yesterday?”

“Oh. Right.” I could feel my cheeks burning for the second time that day. I looked down, back at my coursework.

“Hello?” Scorpius finally said after a moment of silence. “You know, I could’ve said that I was too busy being harassed by a certain Rose Weasley who was attacking me with her—”

“Alright! Sssh! Gosh, this is a library, keep your voice down,” I insisted.

He was still frowning.

“Look—fine, thank you,” I said quickly. “But, really, I’m—I’m sorry about what happened on Saturday, okay? I’m really embarrassed about it, and it obviously didn’t mean anything, so—”

I heard him make an odd little hmmph-ing noise, but I promptly ignored it.

“—can we just forget about it? Please?”

He raised a sneaky little eyebrow. “But I thought a drunk mind spoke a sober heart?”

“What?”

But he was already standing up and walking away.

“What—wait! Did I say that?”

“Ms Weasley!” Madame Pince had popped up from behind Merlin-knows-where. “Keep your voice down! This is a library!”

So I sat. Defeated, confused, and even more humiliated than I had been a few moments before.

---

Friday came, and I avoided Scorpius at all costs. As well as Tony McLaggen. As well as basically everyone, because apparently the list of people who have something invested in making my life as irritating and unpleasant as possible just keeps growing.

But then it was supper. And for the first time in my life I was desperate for it to never end. Because after supper were my rounds with Scorpius.

Finally, when the only people left in the Great Hall were me and those three creepy Hufflepuffs who always run around collecting all the extra food after everyone’s left, I knew it was time. Time for me to face my doom.

We met on the second floor, as this was where Scorpius’s rounds started. We arrived at exactly the same time, and sort of oddly just started walking without even stopping. No one spoke for several minutes. All I could hear was the slapping of my shoes against the marble floor. The hallways felt so empty and so cavernous, yet it seemed almost like the emptiness was about to collapse in on me—

“So, are you going to the Quidditch match tomorrow?”

He caught me a bit off guard, talking, and all. “I don’t know. Why? So I can see you—” I put on an obnoxious, mocking, fake-Scorpius voice now, “—totally crush Gryffindor with your awesome Seeker skills?”

He looked irritated, and rolled his eyes. “I was just making conversation, Christ.”

“Right,” I said quietly.

More silence.

Then I couldn’t take it anymore. “Did I really say that?” I asked quickly.

“Say what?” Scorpius was looking straight ahead.

“You know…that…what you said I said. Yesterday.”

He had a funny look on his face. “Yeah.”

“Well—” I scoffed a little. “Shit, that’s embarrassing. I didn’t mean it. Seriously. A drunk mind does not speak a sober heart. A drunk mind speaks a very, very drunk heart.”

“You sure?”

“Yes—God. Of course I’m sure.” I almost wanted to cry a little. Could I possibly have managed to embarrass myself anymore?

“Alright, then.”

“Why?” I enquired, narrowing my eyes at him as we rounded a corner. “Were you hoping that I really had just been dying to snog you?”

It was his turn to scoff at the absurdity of my statement. “Of course not.”

I raised an eyebrow enquisitively, but left it at that. As if Scorpius would be dumb enough to want some sloppy girl throwing herself at him. I mean, he probably would if she were some bombshell like Camille Scott, or something, but certainly not Rose Weasley.

“So are you going to go to the match tomorrow?” he probed.

“Why does everyone keep asking me?”

“Rose, did you ever think that maybe—” But he stopped there.

“Think what?” I asked.

“Nothing.”

“No, what?” I repeated.

“Nothing. Forget it.”

“Fine, I’ll just make you do extra work at our next tutoring session.”

“Good one!” he said, painfully sarcastically.

“Shut up.”

There was another brief moment of silence.

“How’s the children’s novel coming?”

“The what? Oh, yes, the children’s novel. It’s going great, thanks for asking.”

---

Fine, I’ll admit it, the rest of my rounds with Scorpius weren’t that painful. We just made some awkward small talk and went our separate ways. Scorpius apparently had this weird problem where he actually treated me like a human when we weren’t around other people. It really was quite rude; he didn’t even have the courtesy to treat me with any respect when people were actually paying attention, but once we were away from the prying eyes of any onlookers, it was all, “Oh, Rose, are you coming to the Quidditch match?” “Oh, Rose, how is that lovely children’s novel of yours coming along?”

Wanker.

The next morning I was woken up by someone bouncing on the end of my bed.

“Rose! Rose! You’ve got to get off your arse and come to the Quidditch match!”

I threw my pillow toward the general vicinity of the voice (obviously Ariadne’s) and hid the rest of myself under the covers.

“Rose, come on! It’s going to be great! Slytherin versus Gryffindor! You can’t miss it. I’ve got extra cauldron cakes and even saved you a chocolate frog with your uncle on it!”

Fantastic. As if I didn’t already have enough of those.

“It’s fine, go on without me. I’ll meet you down there,” was my muffled response.

“Oh, Rose, don’t be ridiculous. We all know you’re just going to keep sleeping.”

“No, I promise I won’t. I’m on my way. Just about to get up.”

Then she hit me with a pillow. MY OWN pillow.

I was forced to emerge from beneath the covers.

“Alright! Now let’s go—” Ariadne started attempting to drag the rest of my body out from under the covers.

“No—come on. Why is it so important that I go this bloody match?”

“Because,” Ariadne said. Like that one word was actually an answer. When she saw I wasn’t having it, she continued. “It’s going to be so much fun! It’s Slytherin and Gryffindor, so it’s the best rivalry! And James isn’t playing so Slytherin’s going to be all cocky, but apparently Gryffindor has some secret weapon—”

“Merlin’s panties, I’ll come!” I said, throwing the covers off me with a huff and hopping out of bed, hoping that was enough to shut her up. “Christ.”

“Great! Well, hurry up, it’s about to start in five minutes.”

“Five minutes? Thanks, Ariadne.”

“No problem!”

Ten minutes later we’d made it down to the pitch. The game had just started. Fred had just knocked a bludger toward one of the Slytherin chaser’s, and Tony was yelling madly for someone to toss him the quaffle. I then rested my eyes on Gryffindor’s supposed ‘secret weapon’: Patrick Finnegan.

“Go Patty! Yay! You’re the best replacement Keeper ever!” Lily was squealing not too far away from me.

Poor guy looked like he was about to keel over.

Scorpius and Lucy were hovering not too far above the pitch, looking for the snitch. Scorpius caught sight of me and quickly looked away. Not that I was looking at him. Because I wasn’t.

“And Gryffindor now has control of the quaffle as Tony McLaggen swerves by Slytherin’s beaters to toss one in the hoops and—he scores! Gryffindor is now in the lead, ten-zero!” Lorcan Scamander announced in an unusually excited voice.

Tony was doing a bit of a victory lap around the pitch. He caught sight of me when he flew by, stopped and gave me this odd little wink.

“And if Tony would stop flirting with the ladies, we could get some action in on this game,” Lysander continued, his voice projecting across chilly pitch.

Tony rolled his eyes like he was some international superstar, and flew back to the rest of the game. I wanted to vomit. But only a little.

The game continued.

“Slytherin’s got control of the quaffle now—” this was Lorcan again, “—Patrick Finnegan looks quite nervous. Don’t worry, Patrick, you’ll be fine, you just have to focus on the—whoops. Oh well, there’ll be other goals to block!”

There was a bit of yelling in the commentator’s box between Professor Pearson and the Scamanders. Apparently he didn’t take much liking to their added commentaries.

“Tony’s got the quaffle again. Looks like Scorpius Malfoy is shouting something. What’s he saying? I can’t hear. Lorcan, can you hear?”

“No, Lysander, I can’t make out what he’s saying—”

I could hear what he was saying. He was shouting for the Slytherin beater to whack the bludger floating by his side toward Tony. And that he did. The bludger hit Tony square in the jaw and he slid off his broomstick like butter off a pan.

There was quite an uproar. Half the crowd was shocked that one of the better Gryffindor players was now more likely than not eliminated, while the other half was happy to see the git fall on his arse into the icy grass beneath us. I glanced up at Scorpius. He was now smirking at the crumpled heap of Quidditch gear that was currently Tony McLaggen.

But suddenly—

“Lucy Weasley has caught the snitch! It seems this game has been put to an end fairly quickly, and despite Tony’s tragic departure, our lovely Lucy has caught the snitch and the game is now over. Everyone please return to the great hall for some nice, hot tea and biscuits,” Lysander announced. “Nevermind, but I really they should provide us with tea and biscuits. Especially on a day like today. Brrr!”

But I’m pretty sure I was the only one who heard Lysander, as the entire pitch had erupted into screams. I’ve never understood the appeal of Quidditch. It’s incredibly boring. But half the spectators were standing and jumping for joy, while the other half were shouting that it was a foul or something. Ariadne kept grabbing my arm and trying to pull me to standing. Her cheeks were so flushed she looked like a tomato. Obviously I was on the side of the pitch in favour of Lucy’s win. She looked rather proud. I suppose she should be, but then again, Scorpius was rather distracted by his concern for Tony.

Was I just thinking up an excuse for Scorpius? Certainly not. I must be going insane. This cold weather is getting to me. Where are those tea and biscuits?

---

“Rose! Rose, have you given any more thought to that party since Thursday?”

Lily had caught up to me and Ariadne as we trekked back up to the castle after the match.

“Yeah, I think I have too much work, it would probably be best if I stayed in.”

“Stayed in? Are you insane! It’s going to be wild, especially after Lucy caught the snitch!” Lily insisted rather excitedly. “She’s back there getting congratulated by everyone and their brother. I would be congratulating her, myself, but I know she’d what me convincing you to go to the party.”

“Party? What party?” Ariadne asked, getting a little excited.

“Nothing, it’s not important,” I replied quickly.

“Rose! Rose—ugh, stop walking so fast.” Lily was now almost jogging next to me. “Come on, what’s the harm in going to one measly little party?”

“Did you see what happened at the last one I went to?” I shrieked, barely even processing the words before they shot from my mouth.

“What? No,” Lily said.

“I—w—you know, I got piss drunk.”

“Whatever. That’s in the past! Please, Rose. Please go.”

“Why is it so important to you that I go?”

“What party?” Ariadne was still asking.

“Because, these are the most elusive and special and wild parties that are thrown all year! The post-Quidditch parties!”

“You got invited to a Quidditch after-match-party?” Ariadne practically shouted.

“Yes—it’s not really that big of a deal.”

“Of course it is!” Ariadne declared.

“Ugh, Merlin, no it isn’t. You guys should just go in my place, or something.”

“But we weren’t invited! You were,” Lily reminded me.

“That’s never stopped you before,” was my response.

Lily ignored this comment.

“I don’t understand, if Lucy’s on the team, haven’t you both been invited to plenty of these parties?” I asked.

“Not exactly,” Lily said, almost sheepishly. “There’s a charm on the door so that you’re not allowed in unless you’ve officially been invited by one of the inviters, and for Gryffindor, it’s Tony McLaggen. He’s a little forgetful, so he’s never actually invited Lucy before. But we’re sure he’s going to this time!”

“Great, so you don’t need me going.”

“But we do! Another pair of eyes and ears is always useful!”

---

The argument went on for quite some time, and I finally just said I would go just to get them to shut up. But then there were about a hundred-fifty people in my room choosing my outfit and smearing makeup across my face and doing other God-awful things. Finally Lucy returned with the triumphant news that she, too, was invited so all the commotion was temporarily shifted to her room. By ten-o-clock, it was time for us to go.

Lily stood in the Common Room with Ariadne, their eyes tearing like it was their children’s first Prom or something ridiculous.

“I know you two will have a fabulous time,” Ariadne said. “I just know it!”

I climbed through the portrait hole behind my cousin, trying not to flash anyone. We started down the corridor.

“I’m so nervous, I don’t know what to expect,” Lucy said, visibly shaking.

“It’ll be just like any other party—”

“Oh, no it won’t,” Lucy insisted. “It’s going to be a hundred times crazier. Besides, what do you know, wasn’t James’s birthday, like, the first party you’ve ever been to?”

“Psh—well,” I spluttered. “No…”

“I wonder who’s going to be there?” Lucy continued. “I wonder if—nevermind.”

“Rose Weasley! Look at this, my, haven’t times changed?”

James and Fred had appeared on either side of us. James wrapped a slimy little arm around my shoulder.

“Tony invited you?” he asked. “How much did you pay him?”

“Oh, be quiet.” I wriggled out of his grip.

“I’m only teasing, Rosie.”

Fred and Lucy snickered.

“You shouldn’t even be allowed at this party,” I said. “You were banned from the match, you should be banned from all related festivities, as well.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” James said.

“Yeah, the guy was banned from the match, so he needs to let loose tonight more than the rest of us!” Fred insisted.

“Just don’t let him anywhere near Patrick,” I grumbled.

We shuffled on through the corridors until we reached the Room of Requirement—where else?—and approached the seedy-looking gentleman standing in front of the wall.

“Names?” he asked.

“Lucy Weasley,” Lucy said proudly. “Seeker for the Gryffindor team, and winner of today’s match.”

“Alright, go right inside.”

“Erm—” Lucy looked a little confused.

“Just walk forward.”

“Erm—okay.” She did as she was told and disappeared through the wall.

“Fred, James, how’re you blokes doing?” the kid in front of the door said.

“Excellent, Charlie, how are you?” James replied.

“And who’s this?” Charlie asked, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

“Rose Weasley,” I said quickly.

“Alright, go ahead.”

I started walking confidently toward the wall. Then I hit my nose and my elbow and my knee and my chin against the stone in front of me. Apparently I wasn’t allowed in.

James and Fred erupted into laughter.

“I don’t—I was invited by Tony McLaggen, seriously, or else I wouldn’t have even tried to come.”

Charlie raised his eyebrow again. “I’ll be right back.” He disappeared into the other side of the wall.

Fred and James were still doubled over with laughter. James kept trying to say something to me, but another wave of giggles would flood his body and he wouldn’t even be able to say it.

I folded my arms in front of me but couldn’t even think of a witty retort. I’d just walked head first into a wall for Merlin’s sake.

But soon Charlie returned, with Tony in tow.

“Rose! Hey! Glad you could make it. Sorry about all that, just know for next time that you need to actually accept the invitation before you can come in.” Tony rolled his eyes like the wall was such a moron.

Wait a minute—did he say next time?

“James, Fred, how are you lads doing?” he asked. Then, without waiting for a response, he continued, “Alright everyone, follow me.”

Inside was, as expected, dark, hot, and loud. There were a lot of people there already.

“What took you so long?” Lucy all but sneered at me.

“Technical difficulties,” was my response. I wanted nothing more than to get as far away from all my relatives as possible. Quite a difficult feat when you’re a Weasley. After quite a bit of darting around various groups of people, I finally made it out of sight. But I’d landed at the bar. I quickly poured myself a drink, without even thinking. I think I’d become an alcoholic. Somehow, in the course of one weekend.

I took a nice, long sip. It tasted like lemon sherbet, to be honest. With a hint of some alcoholic flavouring.

“Look who’s already found her way to the bar!”

Why do my cousins always have to sneak up on me?!

This time it was Albus and Co. The Verminus.

“I was just…checking.” I took another sip. “This appears to contain alcohol.” I shook my head. “Tsk, tsk. There’s quite a lot of underage drinking going on in here.”

“What are you going to do, wet blanket us out?” Albus enquired.

“No, I’d never do that,” I said confidently.

Albus and Angus scoffed.

“Look, I only came to this party because Lily forced me to. Like, actually forced me,” I said. “She held me at wand point and everything.”

But Albus and Angus had already scampered off. Scorpius, however, lingered behind.

“You know, you’ve got to stop thinking everyone hates you,” he said. He was teetering a bit to one side. Looked a little minced. “Because they don’t.”

I scoffed.

“No, seriously, listen to me. They don’t. No one hates you.” That last bit got a bit drowned in the goblet he was slurping from. Then, when he came up for air again, he said, “Even I don’t hate you.”

“You’re just really drunk.” Come to think of it, I was feeling a little woozy as well. This sherbet stuff worked quickly.

“No, but I’m being serious,” he insisted. “You know—you said it yourself, a drunk mind speaks a sober heart…” He sort of trailed off, watching his hand dangle through the space in front of him.

“But I told you that’s not true,” I said.

This time it was his turn to raise an eyebrow at me. “No, but now I'm experiencing it…and it is.”

I could feel my cheeks burning. It must’ve been the alcohol. What was he off about? This was really ridiculous. I shouldn’t have even gone to that stupid party.

“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes. “It’s not, but, you’re drunk so—there’s no use reasoning. With you.” I avoided looking at him. “So. Goodbye.”

“But—Christ, Rose, I’m not insulting you. Why can’t you just take a compliment?” he asked.

“Because—you’re not bloody complimenting me. You’re just mocking me! You’re all always just mocking me—Merlin this stuff is strong.” I took a look down my goblet.

“For someone so smart, you really can be so daft.”

I looked up, but only in time to see his blonde head disappear in the sweaty throng of people.

---

A/N: Phew, that took me longer to write than I thought it would. There’s lots of juicy stuff to come, so don’t abandon hope in this story just yet! I really do want to thank everyone who’s reviewed this story, every comment and every bit of feedback really means so much to me, and that people take the time to write a review also really just means so much. So thank you!