Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything else you recognise.

AN: I'm really really really sorry for the cliffy in the last chapter and the apparent lateness of this chapter. It was meant to be up 3 months ago but let's just say I had the worst of luck and my computer crashed, which means I lost the file... When I finally managed to get my hands on a new computer, school had to charge me with an onslaught of projects and exams. So I hope you would forgive me for updating so late. (Actually, I would be ecstatic if you are still following the story... oh well...) To those who are still reading, I hope you will enjoy this chapter:)

Italics~ Thoughts, comments and etc... you'll see

XAnnabubbleX: Thank you for the praise! I was really glad when I read that:) I apologise for the lateness of this chapter and I hope you are still following this story. If you are... I hope you will like this chapter:)

Avanell: Thanks for your review:) I really apologise for the lateness of this chapter and I hope you will like this chapter (If you are still following the chapter of course) :)

Christina Wolfe: Hee hee. Thanks for reviewing still, though I'm pretty sure you didn't hound me for it. (Yeah you already knew my com crashed...) Hope you're still reading the story, I would have let you read the chapter first... but I'm sort of in a hurry so yea. LolXD Let's pray you do like this chapter when you read it:)

MissingMommy: Thank you for your review:) I'm sorry I updated so late, and I hope you're still following the story. And if you are (I really do hope so...), I hope you like this chapter as well:)

yellowsea25: Thank you for your review:) Yea, the start was a bit more dramatic than usual, but the story probably will not be as dramatic as you think it is... (or maybe it will be...) Still hope you are following the story though and hope you like this chapter too:)

awesomnesszmd: I still hope you're following the story:) And thanks for your review:) I apologise for leavng the cliffy. It was essential though. Hope you enjoy this chapter:)

alicecullenisrealinmyworld: Thanks for the review, sorry for updating so late! I hope you enjoy this chapter:)

Chapter 1: Paranoia

She had no idea what it was that made the sparse hairs on the back of her neck tingle with a prickling sense of stinging apprehension cum unease, but she was vaguely aware of the fact that it wasn't attributed to the wintery breeze that filtered the corridors nor the ominous darkness hanging overhead.

It was something else.

Something far more sinister than the seemingly innocent drafts and that fact made her heart scurry like a rat on a treadmill.

Rose didn't like that feeling at all.

With a quick glance from left to right, she hastened her footsteps, making her way hurriedly up the staircase towards the Gryffindor Common Room. The sooner she reached her refuge behind the walls of the Fat Lady's portrait, the sooner she could get rid of that heart-wrecking nervousness. After all, only the Professors and her fellow Gryffindors knew the password to the common room. Intruders – which she was now certain were the cause of her anxiety – on the contrary, would not be able to enter.

She continued to pace, her feet treading softly till the soles of her shoes met the flat ground. Her lips parted to release a sigh of relief. Refuge was just a few steps away and she hoped that in minutes, her head could finally rest upon her soft feathery pillows.

But it appeared that nothing was going to go her way that night.

The Fat Lady's portrait hung in silence as she stood before it, not bothering to ask her for the password and she gave a frustrated sigh. Of course, the Fat Lady would have been asleep, she ought to have known. It was midnight for god sake.

'Who on earth would be awake?' she wondered, slightly annoyed by her moment's stupidity. She was just going to have to wake the Fat Lady up.

But it was then when she realised that something was amiss.

The place was actually… silent.

Regardless of the situation, there had always been some form of noise; from snores to loud blaring chatter. Never quiet. And now that her mind seemed to register the silence, she found herself growing extremely conscious of the eeriness that wrapped around her like a large blanket.

Her pulse rate which had previously slowed down swiftly escalated into furious thumping once more.

Fearful yet curious of what it may see, Rose's eyes crept slowly up the painting. Then with a startled gasp, she recoiled back a few steps.

What greeted her was a frightful blank.

Gone was the familiar, jolly, round figure. Gone was the vibrant background and scenery that seemed to change with each time she approached the portrait. Gone was everything. The portrait was simply just a black empty canvas hanging limply on the wall.

She gaped in horror. What had happened?

However, she barely had time to process that when the fact that the blank canvas meant that she was going to be locked out, stuck with the dreaded intruder slowly materialised in her mind.

Stuck.

With danger as her company.

And then the thumping started. That definitely didn't help.

Chinks of wood, thudding against the floor reverberated in her ears and Rose whirled around, appalled. Who or what on earth was that?

Ok, that was a stupid question. Of course it had to be the 'intruder'. Not that the realisation helped either. If anything, it probably only made her feel worse.

The grip terror seemed to hold on her, tightened and Rose reached instinctively for her wand.

"Ro…o…o…s…e…"

A chilled murmur drifted to her ears.

Her fear intensified.

"Who… Who's there?" she swore her voice darted a pitch higher as she waved her wand about aimlessly.

"Ro…o…o…se…"

Whoever or whatever he was, called again, ignoring her question. And this time, although she still had no idea where of the 'intruder' was, a stinking suspicion from the pounding told her that he was drawing close.

Unable to stand the obscurity any longer, Rose cried out.

"Lumos!"

Light sparked from the tip of her wand and she swiftly directed the beams towards the direction of the chinks growing louder by the second. By this, she hoped to make out the features of the anonymous intruder, but the moment her vision had cleared from the white, coloured spots that dotted it, she felt a firm hand cup her mouth from behind and another hand shoot out to restrain her while she tried to flail powerless against it.

'Let me go!' she yelled mentally.

Then before she could pause to come up with a strategy to escape, the same force that held her back shoved her forward – face first to the floor.

"Arggh!" Rose whimpered as she slammed into the ground; her wand flung a few steps away.

"Stay down," the voice commanded.

Her assailant had disarmed her, rendering her defenceless against his ploys. Now, there was no way for her to retaliate… Unless…

Rose quickly got onto her knees and scrabbled forward.

"Don't move!" he ordered again, spotting her making a break for it, but she paid no heed to it. Her right hand groped in the darkness for the black wand that lay nearby and upon gripping it, she rolled onto her back to face the figure.

Too late though.

"Crucio!"

The Unforgivable Curse rang a few decibels in her ears as an agonising wave of anguish coursed through her. Rose screamed.

That was the last thing she knew before the whole scene vanished and another scene opened before her eyes.

"Rose? Wake up Rose."

An anxious voice penetrated her ear drums and she gazed forward with a start. Unsure by the sudden turn of events, she blinked and shook her head, hoping to clear her vision from the blur that danced in her sockets as well as the dulling ring in her ears.

A concerned Sarah gazing at her with a perplexed expression slowly fielded into her vision.

Rose pulled herself up slowly.

"What in Hogwarts just happened?" she managed to croak out.

"Nothing happened," her friend told her. "But from the looks of it, you seemed to be having a nightmare."

A nightmare? It had only been a nightmare?

Despite the fact that Rose had found herself tucked right in bed and not like somewhere along the winding staircases outside, the whole thing had seemed so real she was finding it hard to believe that it had all been part of a dream.

"It didn't feel like a dream," Rose murmured softly and Sarah placed her hand on her shoulder warmly.

"Don't worry Rose, whatever that dream was about, it wasn't real. You were probably just keyed up from what happened last night. So just relax and go wash up. If you don't hurry, we're both going to miss breakfast."

From what happened last night. What in Hogwarts had happened last night?

Her memories were still in a whirl having only just awakened, and after a few seconds of thought, it all came back to her.

While she had been tossing and turning the previous night trying to think of how to reveal her relationship with Scorpius to her parents, she had overheard a scream coming from outside her room. Curiosity piqued, she had gotten up, only to find Allison in an unconscious and petrified state and before she knew, the Professors had been called and Allison had been rushed to the Medical Wing. After that, all she knew was that Allison had managed to survive the attack, although no one could promise when Allison would wake up.

"Ok," she uttered to Sarah, still in a slight daze, before lumbering out to get her robe and wand.

"Though Rose? I promised Albus that I would meet him in the common room now to help him with something, so is it alright if I go downstairs first? I'll meet you later."

Rose turned to look at Sarah before shooting her a smile. "Yeah, it's alright. Scorpius said he would wait for me, so I'm fine."

At the mention of Scorpius, a grin seemed to light up the blonde girl's features and she nodded. "Ok then, see you later."

"Bye."

With that, Sarah bounded out of the room and the door shut lightly, leaving Rose alone to think about the events that had just happened and what she was going to do about it.

"Hi Scorpius," Rose greeted upon spotting the blond pacing around at the foot of the staircase.

At hearing his name being called, Scorpius glanced up swiftly and his expression turned to one of a delight.

"Hi Rose."

"Sorry I was late. Overslept," she told him as she got to his side.

"It's alright," he replied before welcoming her with a warm embrace, "though I was starting to think you weren't about to come. It doesn't seem like you to oversleep."

Rose's gaze fell elsewhere; she had no idea how to respond to that.

How could she tell him that she felt insecure about breaking news of their relationship to her parents? He wouldn't be able to comprehend her fear. All he would do would probably be assuring her that everything would turn out the way they desired, like all the other times he had when she confided him.

Scorpius stared beseechingly at her. "What's wrong? You don't seem like your usual self."

He ran his finger down her cheek and Rose turned to face him. "It's nothing. I just had a nightmare."

It was true, no matter how partial, but she still couldn't help but feel a stinging pierce in her guard for trying to hide the real reason.

They were a couple; there shouldn't have been the need for such secrecy. Yet she just couldn't bring herself to say it.

Scorpius raised his eyebrow.

"I dreamt that I had been locked out of the Gryffindor Common Room and that some intruder had been trying to attack me," Rose paused to elaborate before adding quickly as a cold hard expression seemed to wash over Scorpius's face. "But it's really nothing. I've no idea why it has been bothering me this morning."

The statement did not appear to help.

"An intruder?" he mouthed softly. His mind seemed to wander somewhere off while he said those words, and Rose nudged him pulling him back into reality.

"Scorpius?"

"What? " Scorpius queried in a slight daze.

Perhaps it had been a mistake, telling him about her dream as well. It seemed to be leaving quite a deep impact on him, and the last thing she wanted that day would be for Scorpius to start treating her like a fragile, vulnerable child or go distant from her.

Rose gave a sigh, "It's alright, you just seemed to zone out over there."

"Sorry," he apologised, "It was just that… I was thinking about the Allison incident."

Oh that.

News of Allison's ambush had spread throughout the school like a bush fire in that measly one day despite the Professors' futile attempts to keep the matter quiet, but only Scorpius, a few of her other friends plus her cousin knew that Allison had been assaulted right outside her room. Although her boyfriend had tried to seem indifferent towards it, she knew he was deeply concerned about it.

"I'm alright Scorpius…"

He shook his head, "Don't give me that Rose. You've been having nightmares about intruders, and the person who attacked Allison has yet to be found."

"It's just a slight influence, probably coincidental."

"I don't believe it."

"Scorpius." She glared at him and he stared back.

"I know this suggestion is going to sound ridiculous, but maybe we should check up on Allison." Scorpius continued quickly as Rose felt her face contort into an expression of mixed disbelief, "I am aware that you both aren't on very good terms and that she was my ex-girlfriend, however, she is still my father's good friend's daughter. It could do us some good by knowing her condition as well."

"But…" The urge to protest rose up her throat but she held it back. Perhaps it would be better after all if she told him the real truth of her woes.

"Look, I haven't been exactly truthful to you. I do have other things, more important things on my mind than the nightmare."

He blinked at her. "What is it?"

Rose frowned as the words refused to leave her lips. "It's… it's…"

"Rose, just say it."

"I just wish we could just sit down and discuss about how we're going to let our parents know about our relationship."

"That's all?" he queried and she shot another glare in his direction.

"Isn't that enough?"

"I thought we talked about this already? We'll win them over with our sincerity," Scorpius's face eased at realising that her woes were not really as serious as he had pictured.

Rose fumed, "I know that. But that's after we tell them that we're together. The question is how we're going to tell them that."

"Just tell them that. Isn't that… obvious?"

Scorpius was just oblivious to her fears and concerned. Rose knitted her eyebrows together. That was one of the reasons why she had chosen not to confide him in this in the first place.

"Rose…" he called after a while.

"What."

"I was thinking about what you said on how we were going to tell our parents that we are together."

Rose glanced up as she noted that he was about to say something that could solve her problems, and Scorpius continued. "If we were to tell them personally, through meeting them, I'm certain the turnout would not be good. Not to mention, our next holiday is in a few months. So what if we told them through a letter instead?"

A letter?

"This way, we could let them know about our relationship sooner and… I could avoid being hexed."

It was a good idea, she had to admit. And for once, he wasn't trying to convince her otherwise about the turnout, he was actually offering her a suggestion. Rose wrapped him in a tight hug once more.

Could it be possible that he did understand her?

"We could do that," she whispered and he nodded.

"Maybe sometime this week or next week. We may need to prepare them for the news," Scorpius told her and Rose felt her heart swell in her chest.

"I love you Scorpius."

The corners of his lips turned upwards, "I love you too. Now let's go for breakfast, before we get really late."

There was something wrong about Posse that morning.

Sarah was almost positive about that as she ate her sumptuous breakfast. The blonde girl whom she had the privilege of sitting next to had actually remained silent for most of the breakfast, only stopping to say something whenever she was nudged or called.

And Posse was known to be an extreme chatterbox.

Silence was definitely not like her at all.

Under most circumstances, Sarah would not have been bothered by this fact. She wasn't close to the blonde at all and if it was possible, she probably detested her. But the silence seemed to be radiating a sort of dark aura that was creeping Sarah out of her skin.

Why on Hogwarts could that be so?

Indeed, Posse was experiencing the worst at that moment, having just been dumped by her boyfriend, Scorpius and it certainly did not help that her best friend Allison was not around to comfort her seeing as she was in a coma. Those alone would have amounted for the bitterness and glumness Sarah observed from her, but there was something else mixed in the raw emotions and she could barely figure out what it was.

"Albus," she whispered to her boyfriend on her left.

"Yea?" he mumbled, his mouth was still full of the chocolate pudding he had been eating a minute ago. Sarah tried to hold back a slight giggle at the messy sight before shaking her head.

"Err… never mind…" she wasn't sure if she ought to tell him about her suspicions, but either way, telling him at such a close proximity to the target, was bound to bring trouble.

Albus raised his eyebrows at her although he soon dropped it and went back to his meal. "Ok."

It only meant that he was probably going to raise the question once they were alone, and she would be obliged to tell him, but Sarah did not have an issue with that, so it was fine.

Then a thought crossed her mind.

Rose.

From what Sarah knew, Posse had tried to confront Rose previously, blaming her for Scorpius's actions. Could it be possible that she would hold Rose responsible again for Allison's mishap?

If that was so, Rose was in trouble.

The tension rousing from Posse did not seem like a good sign. No one knew what Posse could possibly do.

She was going to have to speak to Rose soon.

Shooting a shaky smile at Albus, Sarah quickly turned back to face her food. The moment breakfast was over, she was going to have a talk with Albus about it.

And right as she was about to dig into her turkey stew, another realisation dawned on her.

For the past few moments, she was positive she could feel Posse's glare boring into her skull.

What felt like an ice cold shiver ran down her spine.

AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter:) And if you did, please review... (though I highly doubt much people will still be following this...)Also, I'm not sure if I ought to continue the story seeing as how my schedule currently is rather hectic, so some suggestions whether I ought to continue or not may be useful:) Thanks:)