EXACTLY ONE YEAR LATER:
A silent figure clad in a dark blue dressing gown padded its way up the flight of stairs that separated the sixth year's girls dormitory from the fifth. The figure's eyes twinkled with mischief in the soft candlelight that lit the maroon and gold tapestries on the walls.
"It's a go!" She hissed into the small piece of the two-way-mirror she was holding.
Walking into the dormitory, the figure cast two quick spells in succession to make sure no one but the intended people could hear what she was saying. Striding over to the bed in the corner, she shook the person that lay bundled up inside.
"Rose! Rose!"
Rose Weasley sat upright in bed, hurriedly rubbing sleep from her eyes and stifling a yawn "What happened, Lily? Is it Claire again? Did she break something? Or did my silly brother set fire to the common room? If it's James and Fred up to one of their tricks, I swear..."
Lily Potter grinned cheekily at her cousin. "No, prefect who takes her job too seriously! I couldn't sleep, so I came to wake you up to talk to me!"
Rose fell back onto her bed with a groan, running her hands through her already fizzy hair. "Lily Luna Potter, do you how much sleep I have had on average over the past week? Four and a half, that's how much. And you're in the fifth year! You have your OWLS coming up! Shouldn't you be studying?"
"We can't all be like you. Please Rosie?"
"No."
"Pleeeeeease?"
"It's two in the morning."
"...Your point is...?"
"Ugh. You are impossible."
"I got some ice cream from the kitchens."
"Strawberry and chocolate?"
"You know it!"
"You just became a tiny bit more possible! Done!" Exclaimed Rose, jumping out of bed and pulling on her dressing gown. "Let's wake Miss Sleepypants over here."
The redheads moved over to stand on either side of the bed next to Rose's.
"Did you cast Mufflaleto?"
"Yep."
"Ok then, One..."
"Two..."
"Three... push!"
As the two girls shook their friend awake, they were assaulted by a flurry of arms and legs.
"Hello, Claire Longbottom, and how are you this fine night!"
"Hacked off, that's how. Why in the name of Merlin am I awake? You know I won't be able to fall asleep again now!"
"That," said Lily "Is quite beside the point."
"And what is the point, pray tell?"
"I was bored and couldn't sleep so I decided to wake you and Rosie!"
"How nice," muttered the chubby girl, glaring daggers at the fifth-year.
"She brought ice cream!" Interjected Rose, before things could get out of hand. "And it's strawberry and chocolate!"
Claire gave her an appraising look before patting her bed. "Sit, both of you."
"Yes, ma'am!" Lily saluted as she plonked herself down on the bed, crossing her legs. "Now, which girly sleepover game do we play to get Rosie to spill to us about her mysterious crush?"
"I should have known you had an ulterior motive," mutter Rose, pulling at the pink bathrobe that clashed terribly with her hair. "But I told you, I'm not saying."
"But I already know who it is!" said Claire, grinning as Lily gaped at her. "It's Malfoy!"
"Oh Merlin, here we go again..."
"How do you know?"
"Well, she sure as hell didn't tell me," the brunette snorted.
"You guys, drop it. It is not Scorpius Malfoy."
"No, but you know what, Claire, I think you're right! Last year, she made a list of all the things she looks for in a boy, and I found it!"
"Wait," interrupted Rose. "How on Earth did you find that? It was under my bed in my new diary!"
Lily shot her an incredulous glance. "You're kidding, right? You are talking to the younger sister of James Sirius Potter."
Rose shook her head. "You know what, I'll tell you. It's Lorcan."
"No it isn't," came the chorus from her friends.
"What d'you mean, 'no it isn't'?" she exclaimed indignantly.
Lily sighed. "I'll get the list. You-" she pointed at Rose- "stay here."
Rose turned her glare to her other friend. "How can you tell who I do and don't like?"
"Rose, sweetie, do you really want me to tell you?"
Rose nodded impatiently, brushing her hair of her face.
"Well for one, you stare at him during Charms, Transfiguration, Defence, Potions, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Muggle studies, and Astronomy."
"No I most certainly do not!"
"You turn as red as your hair when he so much as glances at you-"
"Rubbish!"
"But it's not!" said Lily, walking in and waved her list triumphantly. "Remember he came for that family dinner three years ago?"
"Don't remind me!"
"And remember how you made up 'Donald Davis' in a futile attempt to make him jealous but he didn't hear?"
"Oh, yeah!" said Claire, grinning. "I remember that! He didn't hear because he was too busy chatting up your mum, Rose!"
"I- what?"
"Yeah, she told us about it later, remember Claire? I quote, 'Well, that young Malfoy is quite a handsome young man, isn't he? Is he the one Rose went on about in her letters about how she couldn't stand him? She better realise that she likes him fast-"
"Or she'll end up kissing him in the middle of a war. Mark my words!'" Claire wiped a fake tear from her eye. "I love your mum, I really do!"
Rose's face rivalled the colour of the old maroon sock she had on one foot (the other was gold- they were a gift from the house elf factory her mother had helped found that mass produced socks. It was called 'Dobby'.) "Shut up!"
"Ah, so you're not denying it." Lily raised an eyebrow.
"Yes I am!"
Claire raised hers in turn. "So that means that there's something to deny?"
"Wha- no!"
"Yes!" the other two girls chorused, wearing identical grins.
"Now, let's see if he fits everything on the list."
"No- you give that here, right now, Lily Potter!"
The brief scuffle that followed ended with Claire sitting on top of a disgruntled Rose, with Lily dancing around waving the list at the other side of the room.
"No 1," she said, grinning, "He must have good grades. How boring, Rosie!"
"Well, Malfoy definitely fits that one. Next!"
"Well, so do half a dozen other boys!"
"No 2," continued Lily, "He must be blonde."
"Ooooh!" Claire exclaimed, sounding intrigued. "Go on!"
"There are plenty of smart blondes!" came the slightly muffled protest.
"No. 3: He must not be in my house!"
"That cuts out Sammy Finnegan and Lorcan," said Claire. "Next?"
"No. 4: He must play Quidditch."
"Well, that cuts out Grady Sanderson, Harold Green, Peter Thomas and Lysander Scama-"
"Well, it had better not have been my boyfriend, Rosie!" Exclaimed Lily.
"You aren't dating yet, Lils," Rose sighed. She'd stopped struggling and was listing quietly, as if prepared for the worst.
"Oh, we will be soon, believe me." She grinned an incredibly wicked grin, and Rose made a mental note to warn Lysander. "No. 5: My year. Oh, that does narrow it down!"
"I'll say!" Claire sprang up in excitement, but Rose stayed on the bed, staring at the rafters."Read on, Lily!"
"The list ends here."
"Because I wrote it in invisible ink, geniuses!"
"What?"
"Oh, nothing."
"Well, we're down to three names. Drake Hopkins, Ravenclaw."
"Terrance Jameson, Ravenclaw."
"... And our dear little Scorpius. Well, I'm pretty sure it's the third option, but... Rosie?"
"Yes Claire?"
" Will you tell us who it is you have a crush on?"
"I-"
"You don't have to if you don't want to, Rose."
"Nah, I'll tell you guys. It's..."
Two eager 'yes?'
"Drake."
"WHAT?"
"No, just kidding," she turned to face them. They beamed at her expectantly. "It's Terrence."
"Seriously?"
"I- no. It's the last one." Her face turned magenta.
"Say it, Rosie," said Lily, smiling and moving to sit next to her cousin.
"No."
"Say it. Out loud."
"You sound like that creepy Vampire dude from that muggle movie you forced me to watch."
"Stop trying to change the subject, Rose. We just want to hear you admit that we were right."
"Scorpius."
"What?"
"Scorpius Malfoy!"
"...WHAT? THIS IS SO COOL!" A disembodied voice drifted in through the window.
A/N: The highly waited for next chapter. It's been sitting on my computer for weeks, sorry it took so long to get it up. Don't you just LOVE cliff-hangers? ;) Another chapter after this. It was written, all 2000 words of it, and then, because the universe hates me, it was deleted. Hopefully, it will be up soon (no promises!). I know what happens, though, so it shouldn't take too long.
