Hey Guys, I'm back! Thank you all for the lovely reviews! I'm afraid I'm rather short on time, so I can't make this long, but you've all been so wonderful to me! I'm glad you like it! Quick reminder: They are in FIFTH year!

Chapter 2: Back In Sync Of Things

"Rose! Get up!"

Molly Weasley II's voice rang loud and clear through the empty dorm. Rose sat bolt upright, her eyes flying open.

"Wha-Molly, what the hell? What time is it?" Rose moaned, rubbing her eyes as she realized the dorm was empty again.

"We have a half hour until classes start, and luckily for you, we've got Charms first," Molly reported to her cousin.

"Are you sure? Merlin, I've got to get moving." Rose leaped out of bed and began casting about for her robes. Molly lounged on her bed, reading a book, as Rose made her own bed, brushed her teeth, got dressed, combed her hair, and gathered all her books. As a matter of fact, Rose was about to go down to the Common Room when she remembered her cousin.

"Molly, are you coming?" Rose asked, looking back at her cousin. Molly jumped, then quickly placed a bookmark in her book.

"Of course! We need to get some breakfast in any case," she pointed out, and the two redheads descended down the staircase together.

"So what do you think Hemingway's going to teach us this year?" Roxanne asked once Rose and Molly had taken their seats at the Gryffindor table.

"Well, I don't know. We aren't in your year, Roxanne, so I couldn't tell you," Rose replied. Roxanne smacked herself on the forehead.

"Right! I get so used to hanging out with you all during the summer that I forget we aren't in the same year at Hogwarts! Besides, Rose, you've got the intelligence to rival all the Ravenclaws," she added, winking at her cousin. Rose flushed.

"I think we went over this last night," she replied in a dignified voice, helping herself to a cinnamon roll.

"We did, and I'm right sick of it, so can you please move on?" Lily snapped, dropping into a seat next to Molly.

"What's wrong?" Molly asked instantly, closing her book and turning to her cousin. Like her grandmother, Molly had a very caring and kind nature.

"It's...sort of that time," Lily admitted, her face turning as red as her hair. Rose laughed.

"Oh, poor you. I got lucky, had mine the week before we came to Hogwarts. Dad and Hugo weren't in the house much," she reminisced, a gleam in her eye.

"Good choice on their part," Roxanne muttered. "You can be downright scary when you want to, Rose Weasley."

"Thank you, I hadn't noticed," Rose replied sarcastically. Then her face turned thoughtful. "But do you know, I've had others say that to me as well...even some Hufflepuff I didn't know. It seems I have that effect on everyone. Well," she sighed as a blond-haired figure sauntered into the Hall, "Everyone except the Scorpion." Roxanne, Lily, and Molly all turned around to watch him take a seat at the Ravenclaw table. He spotted them and made a face. Rose stuck out her tongue in retaliation, then turned her attention back to her cousins.

"I still don't know why you hate him so much, Rosie," James commented, looking up from his plate. "He's an okay kid."

"No, he's not," Rose retorted. "He's an arrogant prat who enjoys nothing better than annoying the hell out of me. Plus, he thinks he knows everything," she added in disgust, causing every single one of her cousins and Hugo to laugh.

"What?" she asked, nonplussed, but it took a while for them to stop laughing. Hugo finally wiped tears from his eyes and answered her.

"Right, and we know no one like him at all," he choked out. Rose's mouth dropped open.

"I am not like him!" she shot back. "I at least have manners!" She nodded her head at the Ravenclaw table, where Scorpius was laughing with his mouth wide open. James, Albus, Hugo, and Fred all shrugged, but Molly, Lucy, Roxanne, and Lily winced.

"He's disgusting," Lucy muttered, turning her eyes away from him. Rose opened her mouth to agree, but at that moment, Professor Hagrid, Head of Gryffindor House, appeared next to them all with their new schedules.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite group o' students," he declared proudly, and all nine of them blushed. "Course it is. Yeh all are getting too smart for me," he muttered, sifting through the huge stack of parchment he was holding. "What with yer O. comin' up this year and all." He gave a huge grunt.

"Do you need some help, Hagrid?" Lily asked. He shook his great, shaggy head.

"I'll be fine, but thank you, darlin'. Now, where's that Beautiful Rose?" he asked, peering up and down the table. Rose giggled but held up her hand all the same. "Ah, there she is. My goodness, yeh've gotten even prettier than the last time I saw yeh. You better watch out for her," he stage-whispered to Hugo. "She'll be a heartbreaker if she ever decides to look at a lad." Rose and Hugo both turned bright red.

"Hagrid!" Rose protested as he handed her her schedule. He simply winked and made his way through the rest of the family: Jolly James, Amazing Albus, Lovely Lily, Hard-Working Hugo (everyone snorted at this), Fabulous Fred, Ravishing Roxanne, Motherly Molly, and Little Lucy. The nine of them all pretended to be embarrassed by his pet names for them, but secretly, they were all pleased. Rose particularly liked being called beautiful. Her mother and father often told her she was pretty, as did her cousins, but she really never felt that way. Hearing Hagrid call her pretty was different, though. Hagrid was a lovable grandfather-like figure to her, and she simply loved him. She loved him and his pet names a little less as she set off for Charms, however.

"Oi! Weaselbee!"

Rose gritted her teeth. There was only one person in this entire school that would call her Weaselbee, and he was the person she didn't want to see.

"What, Scorpion?" she hissed, wheeling to face him. He wore the trademark Malfoy smirk, the one she hated more than anything.

"Beautiful Rose, eh?" he asked, and she felt her face burn.

"Buzz off, Malfoy!" she snapped back. He didn't move, and neither did she.

"Too bad he can't think up pet names for the rest of us, eh? I'd obviously be Sexy Scorpius, and-" Rose lost her temper.

"Oh for the love of Merlin, Malfoy!" she shrieked. "Will you just leave me alone for one day? Your goal in life is to piss me off, isn't it? Well, I can tell you this, Scorpion-" she got right in his face to ensure he got the message, "-I can think of a perfect adjective starting with 's' that describes you perfectly." His gray eyes widened as he realized what she meant.

"That's low, Weasley," he growled.

"Not as low as you teasing me about a name my dear friend gave to me," she retorted.

"Dear friend? Him? Ah, come on, Rose, is that the best you can do?" he taunted. Rose saw red.

"Don't you dare insult him, Malfoy!" she yelled. "He's a better person than you've ever been!" And with that, she turned on her heel and stomped away. Even through her anger, the shouts of laughter from Scorpius and his friends followed her all the way down the passage to Charms.

"There you are, I was-Merlin's beard, Rose, what happened to you?" Molly gasped as Rose slammed her things down on the table and took a seat, trembling.

"That-little-piece of-caught up to me-insulted Hagrid-going to kill him!" Rose sputtered, but Molly understood.

"Rose, don't let him get to you, that's what he wants!" she urged, pulling out a tissue and handing it to Rose, who was so angry she was almost crying.

"Why me?" she asked, swiping at her eyes. "He could pick on any other girl in school, and he has to pick on me!" Molly simply shook her head and patted her cousin's back. Albus, however, leaned forward to address her.

"Rose, I think it's more a personality conflict. You and Scorpius are so much alike you can't help but argue." Both Weasley girls stared at him.

"Albus Severus Potter, that made no sense," Rose finally said. "I'm not at all like him!"

"Sure you are," Albus protested. "You've both got a great sense of humor, and you're both sarcastic. You both are really good in school, and you're both loyal to your families. You both play Quidditch, and you love to be top at everything. And I don't know if this counts, but I'll add it anyway-you're really good at annoying each other," he finished, winking at her. Rose just sighed as Professor Hemingway entered the classroom and began to teach. Albus was wrong, she decided. She and the Scorpion had nothing in common. Nothing whatsoever.

After Charms, Rose's classes passed seemingly quickly. Potions, Herbology, Ancient Runes, Defense Against the Dark Arts. Before she knew it, she was sitting down to lunch in the Great Hall with Molly.

"Can you believe how much homework we have?" Molly moaned, ladling stew onto her plate. Rose shook her head.

"It's O.W.L year, Molly, what did you expect?" she asked, taking a sip of pumpkin juice.

"Us to be studying frantically but with no homework whatsoever?" Molly suggested, shrugging her shoulders. Roxanne, who'd been listening to the whole conversation, laughed.

"No, that's not until the end of the year. April, May, that's when that sets in," she told them. Molly gulped nervously and Rose paled.

"Oh, don't scare them, Roxie," James chided, turning to listen also. "They've got to be the two smartest kids in the school. I mean, Rose is Hermione's daughter, and we all know how smart Hermione is. And Molly's Percy's daughter. I'm sure they'll both do fine. Probably set a new record, actually," he reflected, making both girls laugh.

"I don't know about that, James. I have a feeling Mum set the record," Rose pointed out.

"Nah, she had one 'Exceeds Expectations' in Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hugo called. Everyone whirled around to look at him.

"Really?" Albus asked. Hugo nodded.

"Dad told me. I was complaining about Mum being so perfect, how she always got 'Outstandings' on everything and expected us to do the same. I mean, she wasn't even happy with my 'Acceptable' in Potions!" he sighed, shaking his head. "And Dad was like, 'You know, Hugo, even your Mum didn't get 'Outstanding' in everything'. She got an 'Exceeds Expectations' on her DADA O.W.L!" The entire table laughed.

"Well, then, you do stand a chance of beating her, Rosie," James concluded. Rose just sighed.

"Can we stop talking about this already?" Lily complained. "I don't even have to take them and I'm worried about them, too!"

"Sure!" Fred said. "Who's trying out for the Quidditch team?"

"I am!" chorused Rose, Albus, and Lily. James just smiled.

"Well, then it's a good thing you know the Captain then, eh?" he teased. Rose shook her head.

"James, we all know you'd never favor us. You're way too focused on putting a winning side together," she responded. James just looked at the table.

"Maybe." Everyone laughed again.

"What are you gonna try out for, Rose?" Albus asked. She was silent for a moment before answering.

"Well, I thought I'd try Seeker," she admitted. James's eyebrows raised.

"Seeker? Really? I'd've pegged you as more of a Keeper," he replied. Rose shook her head.

"Keeping doesn't appeal to me, and neither does goal-scoring. I don't have the strength for a Beater, so I decided I'd try Seeker." She shrugged.

"How good are you?" Lily asked. Rose blushed.

"Not bad," she muttered. Hugo snorted.

"Please. I've seen you practice, Rosie. You're really good!" he praised her, but she only flushed more.

"I'm good enough," she said evasively, then turned to Lily and Albus.

"What are you two trying out for?" she asked. Albus winked.

"Seeker," he replied. Rose's mouth dropped open.

"Are you serious?" she half-shrieked. "I've got no chance against you!"

"Sure you do, Rose. If you're half as good as Hugo says you are, you'll be fine. Albus really isn't that good," Lily stage-whispered. Albus glared at her.

"I'm always Seeker when we play with Mum and Dad!" he protested.

"Yeah, and Dad always catches the Snitch," James muttered. Albus glared at his siblings, then attacked his potatoes viciously.

"What about you, Lily?" Roxanne asked quickly. Lily grinned.

"Chaser. Mum says I'm good," she answered.

"That's great," Fred said. "You can join James and I. A Weasley/Potter front!" Everyone laughed, and then the bell rang to signal the end of lunch.

"What have we got next?" Rose asked Molly as they fought their way through the crowded entrance hall.

"Transfiguration," Molly replied. The two of them made their way to Professor Switch's classroom and joined the line outside. Rose scanned the others there.

"Looks like we have it with-ugh," she moaned. "Ravenclaws. Which means-"

"Oh, no, not you, Weaselbee," came Scorpius Malfoy's voice from behind her. "I'm sure there are better people to have class with," he smirked at her. Rose had just opened her mouth to argue when the door opened and she was forced to stop. Scorpius made a triumphant gesture behind the teachers' back.

"Ignore him, Rose," Molly whispered under her breath as she followed her cousin into the classroom. "He's just trying to make you angry." Rose nodded. Her cousin was right, after all. She took a few deep breaths and tried to listen to Professor Switch.

"Now, for our first lesson, I thought we'd do some simple review-we'll be partnering up and performing Switching Spells! I've already picked the pairs," he added, as people craned their necks, looking for their friends. There was a general moan.

"Oh, come now, it'll be a good opportunity to get to work with someone new," Professor Switch scolded them. Rose didn't mind. So long as she wasn't with...him.

"Molly Weasley and Jessica Finnigan," the professor began. Molly beamed, and Rose felt a stirring of hope. Maybe these weren't going to be the normal crappy pairings teachers usually assigned. And then-

"Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy," Professor Switch announced, rolling up his parchment. "Now get to work, go on!"

"Oh, Rose, I'm so sorry," Molly gasped, giving her cousin a hug. "That's terrible!"

"Well, I'll just have to deal, won't I?" she snapped. "I'm a Gryffindor, I can handle this. Sorry," she added, seeing the look on her cousin's face. Molly gave her a half-hearted smile and went to join her partner. Rose squared her shoulders, marched over to Scorpius's desk, slammed down her books, and pulled out her wand.

"Right. If we hurry through this, maybe we won't have to talk to each other. Switching Spells. Simple enough. How about you Switch the covers of your books and I'll do the same."

"Sounds fine with me," he muttered. One thing Rose and Scorpius had in common (besides hating the other) was the fact that both took great pride in their academics. They were the top students in every class, always fighting for top spot. Everyone at Hogwarts knew who they were, and how much they bickered. There was even a betting pool on who would win the next argument.

"Oi, Weaselbee, you're doing it wrong," Scorpius said about five minutes after Rose had successfully Switched the covers of her books-thrice.

"I am not," she shot back. "The spell's working."

"Yes, but Professor Switch said that you were supposed to flick your wand first. Flick, swish, slice," he replied, demonstrating with his wand. Rose sighed and mimicked him perfectly.

"You're still doing it wrong," he frowned. Rose sighed in exasperation.

"I am not."

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

Rose threw her hands up in exasperation. "If I'm doing it so wrong, Scorpion, then why is the spell still working perfectly?" she yelled.

"I don't know!" he retorted. "But you're moving your arm wrong!" Rose's mouth dropped open.

"You are so picky, Scorpius Malfoy, you know that? I am performing the charm perfectly well, it is working just the way it is supposed to, so why are you still bothering me?"

"Because you're moving your arm wrong! You're supposed to flick your wand, then swish it twice, then raise it above your head before bringing it down. Your wand is only coming to shoulder height!"

"Why do you even care?" she asked. "What's it to you if I get it wrong? You love it when I do something wrong!" By now the entire class had stopped what they were doing and were watching Rose and Scorpius argue. The majority of them were on Rose's side: She was doing the charm fine. Some of them, however, agreed with Scorpius: Rose's wand wasn't coming high enough.

"Because! If I win this argument, I get to tell you you were wrong and I was right!" Scorpius replied, as though it were the most simple thing in the world. Professor Switch sighed, then looked at his watch. A minute to go. He wondered briefly which student would win this time. Really, it had been worth putting Rose and Scorpius together just to watch them argue.

"Is that all you think about? You're so conceited and mean and negative! I'm surprised the Sorting Hat didn't put you in Slytherin. It's where you belong, after all!" Rose shouted back. The last word had just left her mouth when the bell rang. Triumphant, Rose packed up her books, stuck her tongue out at Scorpius, and swept out of the room, not even bothering to wait for Molly.

As she fought her way through the teaming corridors, Rose wondered why the Scorpion had chosen to provoke her that way. They were both more than accomplished at the spell-so why was he still bothering her? Men. She'd never understand them.

"Is it true?" Lily asked the second Rose had taken a seat at the Gryffindor table. "You won the customary argument with Scorpius this afternoon?" Rose simply nodded. News like that spread like wildfire, what with all the Weasleys and Potters at the school. It seemed most Hogwarts alumni had started large families, and there were a great many Longbottoms, Finnigans, Thomases, and Goyles running around the place. House passwords were shared all the time, and more often than not, a Hufflepuff would show up in Gryffindor Tower looking for a family member. Or a Gryffindor would be seen trying to figure out the riddle to Ravenclaw Tower. The point was, once one of the siblings in each family heard the news, they'd tell their siblings and all their friends, who would tell all of their friends, until finally the whole school knew.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Roxanne asked, sliding in next to Rose. "Good job, Rosie, that prat needed someone to bring him down today. I don't know what his problem was."

"You said it yourself, Roxie-he's a prat," James replied, sitting down at the table as well. "Nice work, Rose-Albus owes me a Galleon."

"What?" Rose and Lily demanded at the same time.

"You took bets?" Roxanne asked, half-stern, half-amused. "You've got to be kidding me."

"What else is there to bet on?" James inquired. "Nothing. Ah, hello there, little brother. You owe me-"

"One Galleon, I heard," Albus sighed. He fished in his robe pocket and handed James a shiny gold coin a second later. "Happy?"

"Very," James answered, digging into his roast beef once more.

"Why did you think Scorpius would win, Albus?" Rose asked, leaning forward. "Do you really think I would stoop that low?"

"I heard your encounter in the entrance hall this morning. Wasn't sure if you'd be up to arguing after that." Rose decided to ignore him. He was a male, and therefore quite ignorant of the way females worked.

"I was surprised Professor Switch let you two argue," Molly commented a few moments later. "He's usually one of the first to stop you." Rose just shrugged.

"I'm done talking about this, alright? I see enough of that prat during the daytime, I don't need to spend my dinner talking about him, too," she said, wrinkling her nose at the thought.

"Hear, hear," James muttered. No one could think of anything else to say, so Rose took out her book and began to read while eating, a trait she was told she inherited from her mother.

After dinner, the cousins all went upstairs to Gryffindor Tower to start on their homework. This simple task entailed exactly two tantrums, one shouting match, several tears, ten reference books, and one journey to Ravenclaw Tower to ask Louis a question. By the time Rose finally fell into her four-poster that night, she was exhausted. Fifth year was going to be a lot harder than she thought. Little did she know that she was just starting on her adventure.

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