The way to the owlery was longest from the Slytherin common rooms, and by the time Rose reached it, she had experienced the change from the winter in the dungeons to the summer that roared above the ground.

It was still chilly with the owls though, in the tower that was almost as high as the lower layers of clouds. Rose was glad for it. She preferred the chilly air over the summer heat.

After looking around, she chose the slowest looking bird that she could find and tied the letter to his leg. He looked at her with eager eyes, telling her that he did not get many jobs. She scratched his neck.

" There is no rush," she whispered. "Take as long as you need."

He looked at her oddly and hooted. Rose smiled and watched him fly off. With her luck, he would be fast because of his pure eagerness. She should have chosen one of the exhausted owls that flew too many miles every day. damn damn damn. Maybe her parents would have time to write back now. Maybe that letter would be red.

Passing time, she looked for any familiar faces in the owlery and only found good old Errol, the family bird that no one actually used because he would bite you for weeks after you did.

She figured her cousins all had their owls out on errands.

She played with Errol until he got sick of her and flew off and she needed to look for a new excuse not to make the long trip back to a common room devoid of warmth.

It wasn't that Rose had no friends in her house. She had little. The rest left her alone most of the time. For them, it was better to stay clear of her. They did not know where she fit in their games and it was never good to not know.

Her friends had gone to the library to finish their heaps of homework, and Rose had not joined them because she did not want to do all the assignments a second time.

Her eyes fell on the window.

A few minutes later, she lay on the slanting roof, watching the forest and fields below.

The gryffindor team was practising at the quidditch pitch and there were groups of people hanging around the black lake.

A perfect summer day, if a bit clouded.

She closed her eyes and breathed.

It was dark when she opened her eyes again, and Rose knew she had missed dinner. She made her way back through the window, only fearing she'd fall half a dozen times, and began the journey back to her bed.

A thousand birds flew around. A flickering fire went out. A curse rose. Rose reached the door. Stopped. Turned.

"Scorpius?" she asked.

"Rose?" he asked.

The fire burned again. Rose could see Scorpius' pale face a few feet away from her. She looked at his hand but saw no letter.

"I hadn't expected to see you here," she said.

He let out a sound that was as unattractive as it got. "You're one to talk. I'd sooner expected to see you sitting at the trunk of the whomping willow than here."

Rose lifted an eyebrow. "You can do better than that."

Scorpius took up on the challenge. "I had sooner expected to see you through the window in the common room than here."

Rose burst out laughing. "Good one."

Scorpius smirked and looked down on her. "Of course it is. I came up with it."

There was no falseness in his arrogance. To him, this was as natural as breathing. He was better than her and thus he was allowed to look down on her. The fact that they were friends had little to do with the matter.

Rose ignored it.

"Escort me to the dungeons?" Scorpius asked, holding his arm out.

Rose nodded and took his arm without thinking about it. "Sure."

Neither of them talked of the letters they had sent. They were both too relieved that the other had not asked after it for their curiosity to take over. Rose asked if their studies had fared well and Scorpius bullied her into helping to complete one piece of homework that he had not been able to figure out. By the time they had reached the common room, Scorpius had draped his arm around her shoulders possessively.

There weren't that many people awake, and she told Malfoy she was going to bed and, if he could manage waking up at a timely hour for once, she might help him with his homework because she did not fancy wasting an entire day on him.

He huffed something, made a snarky remark that slid of her and said goodnight.

The following days went smooth for Rose. She spent her time reading, dreaming and avoiding, much as she had her entire year.

Before she knew it, she was saying goodbye to Scorpius and Scarlet on the Hogwarts station.

Scorpius and Scarlet. Scarlet and Scorpius. They sound nice together, she thought as Scarlet was squeezing the air out of her.

"I'm going to miss you." Rose said.

" I'm going to miss you too." Scarlet' s voice held the controlled quiver of a sob. she didn't cry of course. What would everyone think of something so embarrassing?

" Do you promise you'll write?" she asked for the dozenth time. Rose was afraid that the tales she had told about her family had made Scarlet think that she would be running around with a broom all summer, with no time to do anything besides eating, quidditch and fighting.

"Yes Scarlet. Just like the last ten times, I promise I'll write."

Scarlet let her go and rose felt the sensation of air returning to her, like her body had been in a vacuum.

Scorpius smirked and gave her a brief hug when she turned to him. "Do write," he said, "I want some assurance that the fungi don't kill you. I don't know who else to ask to help with homework."

Fungi. That' s what he called her family. She understood where he was coming from. Fungi were red, multiplied quickly and were impossible to get rid of.

"As long as you write back you git. And a little more than 'that' s nice. See you when school starts' would be nice."

"I will write how much I please."

Rose rolled her eyes and smiled. "Have a good summer, git."

She waved as they went to their parents. Scorpius strutted and Scarlet skipped.

She sighed and knew she could no longer postpone what was to come.

She turned to the coven that was her family.

So this is still part of the introduction, and so is the next chapter. The main story is going to take place in her fifth year. Just laying foundations here.