Chapter One: Sick Cycle Carrousel

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the plotline.

This is the re-write of this! So, I hope you like what I decide to do with it! I'm changing a lot, so be wary.

Oh! And I'm playing a little game in this re-write that I think will be good fun for us! There's a line of dialogue in this chapter that Rose stole right out of her mother's mouth. The first person to tell me the line in a review will get to pick a line of dialogue and who says it that I will work into a later chapter!

"Don't embarrass me this time, Rose."

I looked over at Lily and laughed. It was the winter break of her fourth year at Hogwarts, and we were just now loading into the train heading for our breaks.

"If I hear 'blimey Potter, you're 'spose to be smart' one more time I might just kill myself." Al joined us in the corridor of the train.

"We were talking, shrew," Lily said, slapping her brother's arm.

"Your point?" Al rolled his eyes and Lily walked on ahead of us without a word.

"So who expected you to be smart?" I asked Albus. "And how dare they?"

Al chuckled and nudged me in the side. I almost got rammed into a corridor full of snarling Slytherin. (That would have ended rather poorly. They should really think about getting the Slytherins de-fanged.)

I sent a phony pout his way and he rolled his eyes, and then sighed, "Lysander." Al shook his head and picked up his pace. "He's a little nutty, that one."

"Yes, but that's what makes him gorgeous."

Al cringed and I smiled to myself.

"Over here! This one's empty! Sort of!" Al and I followed Lily to the corridor she had just found.

We entered and I couldn't help but to smile at my seldom-present friend, "Scorp! Where have you been?"

"Hey, Rosie." He turned to me and smiled.

I returned his smile. "What? No hug?" Scorpius stepped back, his smile faltering. He cleared his throat and extended a hand towards me. I playfully slapped away his hand and rolled my eyes at him. Only a little annoyed that he turned down a hug.

The past few months had been chaotic to say the least, and I was glad to have a break. I averted my attention from the conversations around me and tried to focus on what was currently preoccupying my mind.

Say that you met your best mate when you and said person were around eleven. Say that you and your best mate are of the opposite sex. Couldn't you and this person hug on occasion without everyone assuming something was going on between the two of you?

Scorpius and I had always been "hugger" friends. It had never meant anything, just something we'd always done. My brother was all right with it; so were all my cousins. Even my mum and dad didn't mind it anymore, not since they'd known Scorpius since our second year of school.

Then he met her. Since that very moment the insufferable boy hadn't stopped mentioning her. All we heard was "Ashby this" and "Ashby that." It got grating very fast. She was invited to go to our Hol's party that year, and I was still hoping she wouldn't make it due to something wicked happening to her nose. She'd changed everything. She'd ruined everything. She openly detested Scorpius and I being best mates, and she even more openly detested… well… me. And Scorpius, being the doting and wonderful boyfriend, and not-so-doting and wonderful friend, never said a word to her about it.

Ashby hated me from the moment Scorpius announced her to us. "Us" being Al, Lily, Aden and me. (Aden being my prior boyfriend.) I'd missed the past few weeks. We had called off our four-month relationship just recently. It was my doing, really. He asked for a more serious relationship and I panicked. I suppose I wasn't ready then.

"Rose? Hello, are you okay?"

I looked up, startled. "I'm fine."

"You're acting strange." Lily looked at me weirdly and I reciprocated her look.

"How am I acting strange?"

Lily crossed her arms. "You're not talking. That's strange for you when we're on the train. Usually you never stop talking when we're all grouped together like this."

"I'm just thinking…"

Al smirked at me. "About what, Rosie?"

I looked away from him and towards the door. "Will you excuse me?"

I wandered out of the corridor and into the hallway. I stumbled around a bit, trying to clear my head. Thousands of unwanted thoughts and feelings kept tugging at the back of my mind, screaming at me to listen to all of them at once.

"Rose?" I turned towards the call.

"Aden!" Just the sign I needed. "I was looking for you."

"Really? What for?"

I turned my gaze to my shoes, not yet sure how I was supposed to be wording this. "I've missed you."

I felt his shoulders stiffen, and I tried harder to burn a hole through the floor. If I did so I might have proceeded to jump out of it. He cleared his throat. "I've missed you too, Rose."

"I wasn't lying when I said I wasn't ready for anything serious before." I looked back up at him. "But I've been thinking about it, Aden, and I've realized something very important."

He eyed me quizzically. "What is it you've realized?"

I took in a deep breath. "That I don't want to lose you, and that I would like us to go farther, if you still want us to."

Aden smiled at me. "Of course I want to. That would be perfect, Rose."

I released my breath, not really realizing I'd been holding it. I watched Aden walk to me and I smiled. He leaned down to me, taking my hand and kissing it softly.

He looked back up at me, grinning. "Does this mean I'm still invited to your Christmas party?"

I returned his smile. "It's my parents' party, actually. My entire family will be there. If you're up for it, then of course you're still invited."

"I'll see you Christmas then. I should be getting back to my compartment."

"Goodnight, Aden." I chuckled at his tone and bid him farewell. I decided not to tell anyone about him coming. I was not really sure of their reactions. Well, at least they'd have one surprise come Christmas.

"What did the crab say to the fisherman?" For the past hour, Al and I had been exchanging stupid jokes while everyone else had fallen asleep.

"What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at my broadly grinning cousin.

"Don't eat me! I'll give you crabs!"

I chuckled a bit, shaking my head. "That was just terrible. I think it's the worst one."

I watched Al smile and close his eyes. "Not as bad as the shellfish joke." All evening he'd been dozing off, trying not to fall asleep. This time, however, he let himself doze off into sleep.

"Night, Potter." I whispered.

"Night, Weasley" Al managed to mumble before fading into the ball of adorableness Albus was when he slept. Or when he did anything that didn't require talking, actually.

I exhaled just to head myself breathe, the same million thoughts running through my head as before. I closed my eyes, trying my best to fall asleep. I felt myself tumble down into slumber, but not the same peaceful sleep as the others. I found myself falling into a more restless, wearing sleep.

"Rose!" I sat up with a start, bumping heads with whoever woke me up.

"You all right?" Lily eyed me with concern, rubbing the spot on her forehead that mine collided with.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Lily tilted her head a little to the side. "Well, you almost broke my forehead, and you look like hell."

I blinked at her, annoyed. "I love you too, baby cousin."

Lily rolled her eyes, something I'm sure she inherited from her older brother James. "Are you going to change out of your robes before we get there?"

"How long is it until we get there?"

Lily smirked, "Ten minutes."

Well, shit.

"How long did I sleep?" I sat up, finally noticing that every eye in our compartment was glued to me.

"An exceptionally long time. Are you sure you're feeling well?" interjected a worried sounding Albus.

"I'm absolutely positive. I have to go wash up."

Lily flashed a smile my way. "That's a good idea."

I stuck my tongue out at her and headed for the onboard lavatory with my things. I walked quickly, trying to avoid any sort of confrontation. Which, in such cramped spaces, is rather hard to do.

"You. Looks like you're behind schedule. Let me guess, you were too busy ogling my boyfriend?"

I rolled my eyes, a pit of anger growing in my empty stomach and worming its way up my throat as flashes of Ashby being eaten by one of Hagrid's… erm… pets flashed through my head.

"Someone's rather unpleasant this morning. Or all mornings, actually," I said, trying to keep an open mind. Why is it that the Granger in me always wants to keep even-tempered, but the Weasley screams for me to hex her hair on fire?

I didn't even bother to look at the wretched girl. I just kept on walking straight, increasing my pace towards the loo. I heard Ashby following me, which made me nervous.

I opened the door to the loo and closed it quickly behind me, a rather bad move on my behalf. The door slammed, rather hard, in Ashby's face. I choked down a fit of laughter, causing me to cough in return.

"You little bitch!" she practically shrieked. It was almost startling. I half expected her to come in pointing her wand, screaming and blubbering wart hexes at me.

"What are you on about?" I feigned innocence, trying my hardest not to laugh at the girl.

She stormed into the loo, nose bloody and steam emitting from her ears. The situation I now found myself in, no matter how funny it may have been, was not a good one. I had a gut feeling this would end badly.

"You know bloody well what I'm on about!" she wailed, throwing her arms about like a banshee. "You almost broke my nose!"

"Well, next time think before stalking someone to the lav," I said calmly, giving her a smirk I inherited from Scorpius. "And, if you want, I can fix that for you. Here… let me…"

"You bloody minger, I wasn't stalking you! Who would stalk such a viciously ugly girl?" she slapped away the tissue I was holding towards her, "And you couldn't help me if you tried."

I counted to ten in French, something my Aunt Fleur taught me to do when I was six, to delay my anger.

I scoffed, "This has been wonderful, love, but I'd very much appreciate you fucking off now." I plastered the biggest condescending smile I could muster and aimed it right at her.

"Listen here, you intolerable mudblood, you will regret this."

I felt the entirety of myself freeze. Not once in my life had I ever been talked to like that. Sure, I've been in witless verbal sparring with others but not once had I been insulted in such a hateful and degrading way. The rage from before was replaced by a closing of my throat. Not once had an insult cut this deep. I felt the tears well to my eyes and tried unsuccessfully to blink them away.

"Are you actually crying? Are you that scared, little mudblood?" Ashby laughed, and a mix of rage and sorrow bubbled over me.

"I said fuck off!" I screamed, louder than I'd ever screamed, louder than I thought possible. I heard a rustling from outside and realized that the train had stopped. My clothes still in hand and tears still streaming freely down my face, I left the loo and rushed towards the exit, hoping that one of my cousins would get my bag.

I spotted my parents before they spotted me. Hugh was already with them, his regular goofy smile playing at his features. My mum saw me and her eyebrows knitted together in concern. I rushed towards her, throwing my arms around her waist. I tried to speak but my throat was knotted together. Flashes of my own mother, wonderful and strong as she is, hurting this way, making it impossible for me to even speak.

"Rose, what's wrong?" I felt my body shake from crying. I calmed down and let go of her, but the worry in her eyes hadn't faded.

My dad was talking to Hugh in haste, also trying to figure out what had gotten me so distraught.

I looked at my mum, trying to gain composure. "Mum?"

"Yes, dear?"

"What did you do the first time someone…" My voice began to break, and I felt vile rise in my throat.

Mum put her hand on my shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "The first time someone what?"

"Rose!" I jumped at the call. I turned around from my family and was startled to see an angry-faced Scorpius heading my way.

"What the hell were you thinking!?" he hissed at me. I could see my father go red from the corner of my eye. Dad had gotten used to Scorpius, but he was still rather wary to the fact that he's a Malfoy.

"What are you…" I started, but he butted ahead of me.

"Don't play stupid, Rose! You're dreadful at it! I can't believe you! I thought you were better than this!" Scorpius was shaking with anger. "You hit her! You hit my girlfriend!"

I heard a gasp from behind me and turned to see. My mother stood cross-armed an angry look radiating from her entire posture. "You hit another student. Is that why you're so upset? Do you have any idea how thick that is, Rose? What has gotten into you?"

My dad looked at me, head cocked to the side. I could read his face. She deserved it, yeah? Is what it read. He turned his eye from me after the tears came back again, as if that was the answer to his unspoken question, and looked down at my fuming mother, his shoulders slumped.

What? This was utter shit. A searing fury rose to the top of me and everything went red. I could feel my fists clinching and my fingernails boring into the palms of my hands, sharp enough to make them bleed.

I spotted Ashby and set off in a rage. My Weasley fire burning hotter than firewhiskey. I muttered curses at her when I got within her earshot, and she just faked a pathetic little doe-eyed look. She was trying to put herself off as the victim. I barreled closer to her, my breathing getting heavy from the anger– I was closing in on her.

"Stop, Rose! I mean it." I was startled by the grip Scorpius took to my shoulders. I was even more startled at the sting in his tone. I stared at Scorpius, bewildered, but my anger hadn't died down. My mind hazed over and one thought possessed it. She had won. Ashby had won. I averted my gaze from Scorpius, and I glared at the bint who had ruined everything.

"You foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!" I hissed at her, more venom placed in my words than a basilisk had in his fangs.

"I've had enough of you." My mind snapped back to the grip Scorpius had around my shoulders. I felt the grip tighten, and I noticed the dangerous tone to his voice. I felt Scorpius shake my shoulders, my legs weakening and the anger beginning to fall into something deeper. Something painful.

Tears began to stream down my face again for the second time that day. For the second time in my life. I pushed away from his grip and linked eyes with him. His dark, hateful look meeting my hurt, broken one. His eyes lightened, along with his grip, and I tried to pull myself out of it.

I looked around frantically. Looking for someone - anyone - who had taken my side.

I spotted my mother shaking her head, staring disgracefully at her ballet shoes.

I looked over at my dad and brother, who were eyeing me like I'd grown an extra head.

I caught Al and Lily both standing cross-armed, Lily staring daggers and Albus just staring.

My Aunt Lily and Uncle Harry seemed to be sharing Albus' reaction. Staring at me in bewilderment.

"Looks like little miss Rose Weasley fell off her high horse!" I followed the voice to a fourth year boy, Slytherin, laughing amongst his group of friends.

"Who knew that almighty Weasley could be so bloody mental?" One of the other boys chimed, riling them up further.

"Total nutter." A girl from the group added.

I started wording the letter in my head to the Headmistress about having the Slytherins de-fanged. And offered myself as a volunteer to the cause.

I closed my eyes, a sick feeling washing over me. I was perfectly humiliated.

"Rosie!" My eyes snapped open and I looked across the station towards the voice. My cousin Louis motioned for me to come to him with his hand. He seemed miles away from me, and I felt as if millions of eyes were burning holes into my skin.

I unbuttoned the bulk of my robes and tossed them aside, adding it to the rest of my scattered clothes. Still dressed in my uniform, I ran to Louis. I ran as fast as my trembling legs would take me.

I reached Louis and almost knocked him down due to the tight hug I gave him. He returned the hug and rocked me, soothingly, from side to side. "You didn't hit her."

I pulled away from him, confused. "What?"

"She ran into the door." Louis looked from me to his parents. "And I want to murder her for calling you 'mudblood.'"

Uncle Bill's casual manner seemed on edge at the mention of such news. Aunt Fleur's beautiful face twisted in a way I couldn't quite comprehend.

Uncle Bill cleared his throat and shifted position towards the exit of the station. "Rose, dear, you're welcome to stay with us if you like. Until things get sorted out."

"Really?" My voice cracked and Aunt Fleur glanced down at me.

"Of course!" she said cheerfully. "I'll go tell your parents."

Louis sighed and looked at me with a grin. "Mum's really pissed off."

I turned back towards Ashby, who was feigning a sob into Scorpius' shoulder.

I inhaled a stuttering breath, "She's not the only one pissed off."