The Potters' New Years Eve party was in full swing. People mingled, laughing and talking, while bottles of butterbeer and champagne floated around the room of their own accord. Music played softly, coming from nowhere in particular, and along one wall, a buffet table was loaded with all manner of excellent edible delights. It was near the end of this table, easily within reach of the aforementioned food, that Al and Scorpius had stationed themselves.

"You're just sore because the Harpies flattened Puddlemere last week," Al was chuckling as he grabbed a passing bottle of butterbeer, twisted the cap off, and took a long drink. Scorpius scowled for a moment before smiling suddenly.

"Yeah, but we play the Cannons next and we can't possibly lose that one," he replied.

"Don't let my father hear you say that."

Both boys were startled by the intrusion of a feminine voice into their conversation, but it was only Scorpius who nearly dropped his beverage. His eyes widened and his breath caught in his chest as he took in the sight of the redheaded woman before him. She wore a simple but stunning dress and her long, curly hair hung loose, framing her face beautifully. Her smile seemed to light up her whole face as she looked back at her two best friends.

"Rosie!" Al shouted, throwing his arms around his cousin and lifting her off the floor a few inches as he hugged her. "I thought you were spending the rest of the hols with your grandparents."

Rose sighed. "I was supposed to, but Grandmum Granger isn't feeling well, so she cancelled."

"Well, I'm sorry your Grandmum's ill, but all the better for us," Al replied, grabbing another floating bottle of butterbeer as it passed by and pushing it into Rose's empty hands. "Come join the party. We've got the best spot in the house, of course."

"Next to the food, I see," Rose laughed.

Scorpius was still trying to regain control of his breathing when Rose stepped forward and slid her arms over his shoulders and around his neck. He returned the hug, closing his eyes for a moment as the proximity of her body to his and the fragrance of her hair caused a tingling jolt in his solar plexus. His attraction to his best female friend had been developing for quite a while now and Scorpius had thought he'd had it under control. But seeing her tonight, when he hadn't expected to, looking especially radiant, had caught him off guard. It took all his willpower not to lean in and snog her senseless as she stepped back and her eyes connected with his.

"So, Rosie, Scor and I were just discussing a little quidditch," Al piped up, breaking the tension. "Any thoughts on whether Puddlemere have got a bid for the title this year?"

"Not a chance," she replied, her gaze never breaking from Scorpius' face. "After that game against the Harpies, they'll be lucky to come in tenth in the league."

"That wasn't a game, it was a charade," Scorpius muttered, scowling into his butterbeer. He knew perfectly well that Rose was deliberately winding him up. She and Al naturally supported the Harpies, since Al's mother had been a successful chaser for that team during her youth, and Rose also harboured a soft spot for her father's favorite team, the Cannons. Scorpius had been brought up a Puddlemere United fan by his mother. The three friends often enjoyed a friendly rivalry, never missing an opportunity to take the mickey when one or the other's team made a poor showing. Since Rose was so often the object of the boys' teasing, she was downright merciless when given the chance to retaliate.

"I've seen second years that can keep better than that bloke that replaced Wood. If you're lucky, the Kestrels' seeker will be out for the season," Rose continued, a wicked smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "Rumors are that she's up the duff. Their reserve seeker is bloody awful, so that'll give Puddlemere an edge. You might take ninth."

"Better than last place. How many years have the Cannons been at the bottom of the league now? Three hundred?"

Rose didn't say anything for a moment as she gave Scorpius a quizzical look.

"If that's the best you can come up with, my friend, you are losing your touch," Rose replied, smiling suddenly. Al chuckled as Scorpius continued to frown. The cousins' amused expressions were replaced with confused ones as Scorpius muttered something about needing some air and began to move through the crowd.

"What's got his wand in a knot?" Rose asked Al as Scorpius moved away. "I know he's not that sore about quidditch."

"Don't worry about him, Rosie," Al replied. "I've got a good idea about what's bothering him. Give him a little time and I'll go sort him out in a minute."

As Scorpius stepped out into the Potters' back garden, he drew in several lungfuls of frigid air in an attempt to soothe his frazzled nerves. As hard as he'd tried, he hadn't been able to supress the physical and emotional reactions that Rose was inspiring in him. Her appearance was enough in itself - Merlin, she was stunning! - but when she'd given him that cheeky look and started teasing him about quidditch, his desire had ascended to a whole other level. It wasn't just about her very feminine form, as he'd previously tried to convince himself. He was attracted by her personality as well. Her humour, her intelligence, her kindness, and even her temper - which was considerable - all drew him in like a Siren's call. She had been his best friend for more than five years, but it wasn't enough for him anymore. He wanted to be far more than her friend. He wanted to be something that no one else would ever be to her.

"I'm in love with Rose," he whispered, admitting the truth to himself for the very first time.

"Caught on, have you?"

Scorpius jumped, spinning around and facing his best friend, albeit not the one who'd so recently been occupying his thoughts.

"Don't look at me like I ought to be shocked," Al remarked. "You two have only been ogling each other since the beginning of fourth year. It's about bloody time one of you did something about it."

Pulling out his wand and casting a warming charm around himself, Al wandered over to a stone bench, vanished the snow that had accumulated atop the seat, and sat down. Still recovering from his shock, Scorpius followed silently.

"I'm only going to say one thing, mate," Al began. "I know how it can be with birds. One catches your eye, and she's fascinating. You think about her all the time and you want to find out everything about her. Then after a while, the novelty wears off. She's just another girl. Soon there's a different one that looks much more appealing. It's happened to all of us."

Scorpius opened his mouth as if to reply, but Al held up a hand, silencing him.

"Rose is not a bird. She's my cousin. She's family and I love her. You've been my best mate for a long time now, but if you hurt her, I don't think I could ever forgive you for that. So I'm saying that if you're going to pursue this, you'd better be sure that it's the real thing."

Scorpius tried to think of something to say, some way to express that what he felt for Rose was genuine and different from the fleeting infatuations that Al was describing. After a few moments, he simply looked his best friend in the eye, a solemn expression on his face, and nodded.

"Well, now that's settled, what are you going to do now?" Al asked cheerfully, slapping Scorpius on the back.

"Do?! Should I - what?" Scorpius stammered, looking at his friend in alarm. Al laughed and shook his head.

"If I have to spend another year and a half watching the two of you flirting and ogling each other while pretending you're not, I'm going to gouge my own eyes out with a bowtruckle," Al replied. "No, you're going to get on with it and make your move and be done. Tonight! The time has come to show your true Gryffindor colors, mate."

With this, Al stood and walked back across the garden and into the house, leaving Scorpius sitting alone on a bench in the dark.