Chapter Three: Game

The following morning, Rose got up with Jasmine to shower. The two talked endlessly in the stalls next to one another just as they had for the past several years. While Jasmine did not pry any more about Scorpius, Rose could feel the tension in the air. The unanswered questions bothered her friend, but she was too kind a person to keep poking at an open wound. Their conversation started out with what to do down at Hogsmeade and switched into talk about how to make it more exciting for Rudolph, who always had to put up with their long shopping trips, while carrying their many purchases. Eventually, they got to the topic of what to wear and what they were hoping to get for breakfast down in the Great Hall.

They met their friend in the Common Room. He was reading the Quibbler, a magazine that had almost been lost during the war, but faithfully revived by Luna Lovegood, the daughter of the famed editor. While it was a bit strange, the quality of the writing was good and often the stories were true, though they were a bit off as well. Rudolph put the paper down when he saw the pair of them and gave them each a hug. "So what shall I be carrying today?" He teased.

"Oh the usual," Jasmine started, as they walked through the portrait hole. "Some Fernando Salamander, Kenneth Coal, J. Brew…you know, the usual." They all laughed and continued down to breakfast. Rose had missed this, the simple walks and chats with her friends, the light conversations. She had been feeling so lost lately, mostly due to her changing role in Gryffindor and her uneasy relationship with Scorpius. She had forgotten how important her friends were to her and how much she relied on them.

When they entered the Great Hall, she noticed that Hugo and the rest of the team were already sitting together at the far end of the table, nearest to the professor's area. Lily and Albus were sitting together with their friends a few people away, seemingly oblivious to their brother and cousin. Rose, who had never felt particularly good with either group, settled down by April Karaouse towards the opposite end of the table, Jasmine and Rudolph sitting across from her.

"Morning," Rose greeted April with a smile.

"Morning, Rose! Congrats on making the House Team," April replied.

"Thanks."

"I bet James is happy."

"Excuse me," Rose glanced over at her, while reaching for a roll.

"Well all these years, you've been trying out. I'm sure it was hard on him to turn you away," April said. Rose remained silent. "But now it's fine. You're on the team and it all worked out."

Rudolph and Jasmine exchanged worried glances. Rose just stared at her untouched roll. "Rose?" Rudolph reached across the table, to put his hand over hers.

"I'm fine," she said softly.

"James needs you on the team. They haven't won a Cup in over a decade," Jasmine reminded her.

"And you're a bloody strong Chaser. You always beat me." Rose bit down on her bottom lip, but nodded at Rudolph's comment.

"Though James is the finest Seeker since his father."

"Why does everyone love him so much?" Rose snapped. Jasmine shot April a death glare. "He's not The-Boy-Who-Lived! He doesn't have all the answers. He's not perfect. And neither is his father!" Rose threw her hands up in the air and stormed out of the hall, leaving her roll behind.

April glanced perplexed over at Jasmine and Rudolph. "Did I say something?"

They ignored her. "Should I go after her?" Rudolph asked, getting up.

"No," Jasmine put her hand on his arm. "Let her go. She needs some time alone. This is the one thing we can't help her with."

Rose knew she was headed toward the library, before she even got to the doors. She hated herself for it, knowing full well that it was the same place her mother would have gone. She went cascading through the double doors, past the ancient librarian, and headed straight toward the historical section. Normally in a moment like this, she would have gone toward the Divination section for a good laugh, but she was too frustrated right now. She grabbed the book labeled, The Second War: Voldemort's Return.

She had only paged through it briefly once before, but she knew exactly what she was looking for. In the front section of the book was a chapter labeled "Potter, Weasley, and Granger Unite!" She took the book to her back corner table, throwing it on the wood with a loud crash. Even sitting as far back as she was, she could hear Madame Pince making the "shhh" sound in a an annoyed tone. Rose ignored her and flipped open the book to find the chapter. On page 32, it started with the opening line of, "Since their first year together at Hogwarts, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger were inseparable friends." Rose rolled her eyes. "Ha," she said sarcastically to the book. She knew for a fact that that wasn't necessarily true.

The next page had a run-down of their grades at Hogwarts, her mother's marks being higher than any other witch or wizard in over a hundred years. Pictures of them as youngsters at the school were on each page. When she spotted one of the Yule ball from their fourth year, she was surprised to see the caption read that her parents had gone together. "Bollocks," she hissed. Her mother had told her countless times that her father had been too chicken to ask her to the ball so she had gone with Viktor Krum from the Quidditch team instead.

A few pages afterwards, there was a paragraph that caught her eye. It read, "When Voldemort planned his attack on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the three friends banned together to fight off him and his foes. Fighting as one, the trio was able to stop the attack in the castle and prevent it from infecting the entire wizarding world." Rose slammed the book shut. It was lies. All of it. The entire book was filled with lies. Her parent's history was not all rainbows and butterflies as everyone had been led to believe. In fact, there was more miscommunication, behind-the-back stabs, and problems than the rest of the world knew about. She had heard them from her family on the holidays when too much alcohol had been passed around and tales from their youth became a prominent subject.

She rested her head on top of the book, letting her arms hang like dead weights at her side. She was so exhausted with this same old song and dance about her family. She was tired of people comparing her to her parents and telling her how great they were, as if she had nothing to be proud of in herself. She closed her eyes. She just wanted a normal life. She didn't want to be the daughter of famous people. She wanted to be Rose.

"Rose?" She glanced up to see Jasmine standing over her. "We're ready to go if you still want to."

"Yeah," she sighed. "Let's go."

"Okay," Jasmine smiled and gave her a hug as she stood up.

Hogsmeade looked as quaint and peaceful as it always did. Rose was happy to see it. It had a way of calming her and no matter what type of mood she was in, she always felt better when she walked through the streets looking in the window displays at all the new items lined up behind the glass. It had been the place she loved to go during her first year at Hogwarts.

Her parents had signed her slip, her father shaking his head saying, "When I was at Hogwarts, we had to wait until our third year to go off." Her mother had just rolled her eyes and penned her name down silently. Rose hadn't understood then why it upset her father, but as she had gotten older and had read about her family in her history classes, she had realized how different their two generations were. Her uncle, along with her parents, had lived in a time of war where things were as uncertain as a professional Quidditch match and the dangers were far more fatal than a broken limb. She had never lived in a world like that and had never experienced the fear and uncertainty that they had fought against. She was eternally grateful for what they had done.

However, that didn't mean they didn't annoy her on other occasions. Normally, her father was the one to bring up "the good old days," but lately her mother had started to get a strange look in her eyes, as if she was missing something. It got worse when her uncle came by. Her parent and Uncle Harry had been called the Golden Trio when they had spent their years at Hogwarts together. While she knew they were all good people, it bothered her how everyone thought they walked on water and had no flaws. It wasn't easy being their daughter. There was so much to live up to, so much potential in her blood; at least that was what her professors said.

"So where do you want to go first?" Rudolph asked. "How about Zonko's?"

"No," both girls said in unison, smiling when they did.

"Um, okay. Want to try Honeydukes and see if they got anything new?"

"Yeah, sure," Rose agreed. Jasmine smiled over at her. "Throw him a bone, why don't you."

"Yeah, throw me a bone, ladies," Rudolph grabbed them both, one under each arm and squeezed.

"Hey!" the girls cried, half-laughing, half-angry.

Rudolph released them and the three of them went into Honeydukes. As soon as they got inside, Rose could smell the sugar. It was hot and sticky and so sweet. Everywhere she looked there was a wide array of color, so bright and so extravagant. Lollipops, chocolates, rock crystals, gum drops, licorices, and so much more to behold in such a small space. All around her, first years were going out of their minds on sugar rushes and spending all their coins on the latest candies. When she turned to point it out to Rudolph she laughed. He looked the exact same.

"Oh, Jas! Look at this one," he exclaimed, holding up an extra long, extra thick yard of licorice that was almost as big as his arm.

"That should last you a while," she commented.

"About a week," he shrugged.

"A week?" Rose cried.

"I said about a week," he corrected her. "My estimate is five days."

Rose and Jasmine stared at each other, shaking their heads. Rudolph had a sweet tooth and sometimes it gave him the mentality of a first year or younger. Today was no exception. He proceeded to buy the licorice, along with a dozen chocolate frogs, and three packs of Bertie Bott's. As they walked out of the store, he offered some to both of them. Neither girl took any.

"So where to now?"

"We could walk up to the Shrieking Shack," Jasmine suggested. "Just to get some fresh air."

"Yeah. That would give me time to eat some of this," Rudolph gestured to his licorice.

"Sure," Rose agreed. "Let's go."

They started walking away from the town, up towards the forest. It was quieter up here, away from the chaos of the shopping behind them. Birds were flying around the branches, singing and as they came around the corner, they spotted a deer and her fawn running away.

"Let's get closer," Rudolph said.

"You go. I'm going to sit over there," Rose pointed to a tree off to the side.

"Are you sure? I could wait with you while sweet-tooth goes for a walk," Jasmine offered.

"No, go ahead," Rose smiled. "I've seen it before. I'll just wait for you."

"Okay."

It wasn't that Rose didn't like a good scare every one in a while, but for her the Shrieking Shack wasn't anything but another reminder of her parents. When her uncle had told her what the Shrieking Shack really was, she had lost all admiration for the place. She had promised not to reveal the secret so her friends still found it to be creepy and it gave them a rush. She let them have their fun and walked off into the forest. She had only gone about a quarter mile, when she spotted a wide oak tree. It looked inviting and she plopped down in between two roots that were poking out of the ground.

"Shouldn't be out here alone, you know?"

"Good morning, Scorpious."

"Morning," he chuckled, sitting down next to her.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Just taking a walk. I'm not much of a shopper."

"Well you have good fashion for someone who doesn't like to shop."

"Thank the House Elves," he commented, leaning back into the tree trunk. "They are truly a blessing."

"My mother would be knocking down your front door if she could hear you right now," Rose laughed.

"What was her organization called again? SPEW?"

"Yep," Rose smiled. "What a name."

"Well look on the bright side," Scorpious began. "At least she named you something nice."

"I guess you're right."

"So, are you nervous?" he asked.

"About?"

"Your first game."

Rose sighed, leaning her head back against the tree. "A little. All these years I've been talking about what I can do and now I have to prove it. I just feel like I'm going to make a really stupid mistake and then my cousin is going to be unbearable."

"I can understand why you are concerned about James," Scorpius agreed. "He's one of our toughest competitors. Don't tell him I said this, but he's the one we worry about the most. He's got skill and that's part of it, but mostly it is because he is so tied to his convictions. He believes, whole-heartedly, that Gryffindor is a great team and because of that he fights. He is on a different level than most of us."

"Are you saying you're intimidated by him," Rose smirked.

"I'm sorry, whose house team is the current House Cup champion?" Rose punched him in the arm. "Aye!" He was caught off guard and she laughed. "If you wanted to play rough, Ms. Weasley, all you had to do was ask." He leaned over and proceeded to start tickling under her kneecaps. Rose squirmed, trying to get away, but Scorpius had been a Quidditch player for many years and his upper body strength was impressive. He held onto her with one arm while continuing to tickle her. "Say 'Slytherin is the best'," he teased, stopping his assault.

"Never!" Rose screamed, half laughing, half desperate.

"Say it."

"No!"

"Ok then," he continued to attack her.

"Ok! Ok! Slytherin is the best! Slytherin is the best!" Rose cried out.

"That's a girl," he grinned, releasing her.

"Wanker," she grumbled.

"Ah yes," he smiled, but "I'm your wanker." Rose stared at him. He had been dropping hints like this lately. At least, she thought they were hints. Jasmine seemed to think that he cared for her more than friends. Rose still wasn't sure about that, but it was strange how he kept saying things like that to her and the way he looked at her. Maybe she had never noticed before, but it seemed different before, more protective.

"I should get back before Jas worries about me," she said.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want her to come after me. I think I could take her but Rudolph and that centaur blood," Scorpious made a face. "I'm no match for that."

"Oh really?" Rose gave him a skeptical look as she stood up. "Are you admitting defeat?"

"Hardly," Scorpious scoffed. "I'm only saying that I wouldn't want to hurt your friends. Then you wouldn't speak to me. Although," he stroked his chin, feigning to think about something, "that would make my life a lot easier in the long run."

"Oh," Rose kicked his shin. "You arse!" She went off, hearing Scorpious' laughter as she went. She spotted her friends sitting together by the fence, staring at the shack when she came out of the wood. No doubt they were still trying to figure out if a goblin or a ghoul lived there. She wondered what they would have said if she had told them that her great-uncle had once stayed there with his best friend, a werewolf. She was sure it was not a theory that they had hypothesized before.

"Hey!" Jasmine jumped up when she saw her. "Where did you go? I was getting worried."

"Sorry," Rose replied. "I wanted to keep walking. Didn't realized I had gone so far."

"It's fine," Rudolph grinned. "Let's get to the shopping, shall we?"

"Yes," Jasmine grinned, linking arms with Rose. "Lets!"


The following morning found, Rose sitting on the grass, watching the sun rise over the lake. Birds were flying about, chirping, but other than a few deer by the forest and the fowl, there were few signs of life. No other students would dare to get up so early. Rose hadn't woken up early on purpose. It felt more as if she had never gotten to sleep at all. Her mind had been a constant whirl of questions, dilemmas, and fears. She had spent most of her night hours tossing and turning in search of a comfortable sleeping position. She had received very little rest. Finally, about thirty minutes prior, she had popped out of bed, gotten dressed, and come down to the pitch.

It was so large and void without its many spectators and athletes to enhance it. She imagined all the students that would fill the stands today. Not only was it the first match of the season, it was against the two archrival teams, one who hadn't been defeated in three years. Proud parents and professors were also sure to be in attendance today, though Rose knew full well that neither one of her parents would be there. Both her father and mother were off with her aunt and uncle doing secretive Ministry work in the north.

She pictured her mother's face when she had first told her that she wanted to play Quidditch. Hermione Granger Weasley had been an extremely brave and brilliant witch all her life, but flying was not something she had ever become accustomed to. To this day, she refused to get on a broom, even if her husband was the one flying it. Hermione had tried to talk Rose out of it, especially once Ron had given Rose her first broom. It was a hand-me-down from Albus, who did not care for Quidditch like his older brother, but Rose loved it.

The first time her father had taken her on a fly, it was in their backyard. She had been only five. Hermione had yelled at Ron to the point where Rose and Hugo and hid upstairs under Hugo's bed. Rose didn't understand why her mother feared flying so much. It was hard to see the danger when she was so drawn to it, like a moth to a flame. It wasn't until she started playing Quidditch with Hugo and James that she realized what her mother worried about. She had been acting as Keeper. James was coming towards her and Lily was hot on his trail. They had accelerated to a speed that neither one of them could control in an effort to beat each other. Rose had been so preoccupied watching them, calculating where they would end up, that she didn't see the snitch as it flew by her. When she moved to avoid her cousins, she got hit by Teddy, who was in a dive for the snitch. Being much older than her, Teddy nearly crushed her. She had broken two ribs, her left arm, and her face had a few deep gashes. Hermione had fussed over her for weeks, even once she had fully recovered and had banned Quidditch games in their yard for six months. When Ron had finally convinced Hermione to allow the kids to play the game once more, Rose had decided that she would never be a Keeper.

Today, she was a starting chaser, a position that required a great deal of speed, agility, and quick-thinking. James had taken after his father, playing as Seeker since he had gotten on the team in his second year. Hugo was a beater, like their uncle. The other players on the team, Renee Flitzpat, Trevor Bonney, and West Flynnman were all seventh years and had been on the team before. West was a chaser, as was Trevor. Renee worked with Hugo. Rose was a little intimidated that she was a minority on the team, but Gryffindor was the only house team with two girls. All the other teams were composed of all boys or had only a single girl to their name.

The sun was completely above the horizon line now, casting deep shadows across the pitch. From where she was sitting it was hard to tell whether it was sunrise or sunset. The shadows and colors of the sky were a wash. There were only a few details that told her it was morning, such as the chorus of birds and the lack of students on the grounds. In a short amount of time that would change. Not long after breakfast, the students and faculty would start making their procession down to the pitch to get the best seats and she would be expected to join her teammates in the locker room. The locker room had once been a place that she envied. It held all the secrets and history of house teams past. It was the one place on the grounds that she was restricted from. Now that she was on the team, it was a privilege that no longer seemed as golden.

Suddenly, the sky was filled with larger birds that those who had been singing to her. She watched as the morning owls past their normal roost at the Owlery and straight to the Great Hall. Rose glanced down at her watch, a Muggle-contraption that her grandparents had given her and surprisingly not her Muggle-grandparents. Grandpa Arthur had found it singing to its original owner and had to de-charm it. He had given it to Rose as a birthday gift a few years ago. Once her mother had explained what it was, Rose had kept it and worn it each day. Now, it told her that she was late for breakfast. She jumped to her feet and dashed up to the castle. She didn't want anyone worrying about where she was.

"Where are you going? Or should I say, where are you coming from?" Hugo laughed as he spotted her running down the hallway. Rose laughed, stopping to catch her breath as her brother came over to give her a hug. "Ready for your big debut?" he teased, putting his arm around her.

"Are you ready to see the look on James' face when I make my first goal?"

"Of course!" They entered the Great Hall, Hugo's arm still draped over her shoulders. "But can I make a suggestion."
"Sure," Rose smiled.

"Eat a good breakfast, but don't eat too much. You don't want to um…lose your love of food."

Rose made a face, pulling away from her brother. "Thanks, Hugo." She walked away, shaking her head. She knew he meant well, but Hugo tended to say things that made others uncomfortable or at the very least saying things that offered a bit too much information for regular conversation.
"What's that face about?" Jasmine greeted her as she took a seat across from her and next to Rudolph.

"You remember the advice Hugo gave me when I turned fourteen?" Rose asked her.

"Yeah," Jasmine made a face of disgust.

"He had a similar reaction to share with me today."

"Words of wisdom, ladies," Hugo said as he passed them to sit with James and the rest of the team. "Words of wisdom. You'll thank me later."

"I doubt it," Jasmine called after him.

"You two are a pair," Rudolph said, handing Rose a plate full of waffles. She waved it away, taking a spoonful of fruit instead. Hugo's comments had put her off her appetite. "You should eat something a little more than that. Want some pancakes? Or some bacon?" Rose shook her head. She was still a little nervous. She didn't want to eat a lot, though she figured later she would be ravenous.

"Do you want help getting ready?" Jasmine offered, as she watched Rose fork a piece of pineapple rather harshly.

"Huh?"

"I could braid your hair back so it doesn't interfere when you are playing."

"Yeah, sure." Jasmine punched her in the arm. "Ahhhh! What the hell has gotten into you?

"That's the Rose I know," her friend beamed. "Now if you are done toying with your food, can we please go up to the tower and get you ready for today? "

Less than an hour later, Rose was back down at the pitch. Her hair was braided back, just as Jasmine had promised and she was in full uniform, complete with her pads. She was the last one to arrive in the locker room. Hugo and James were already suited up, while West and Trevor were helping Renee tie on the last of her pads. No one bothered to glance up at her as she entered. She was the only new player, the rookie who had yet to prove her worth. She plunked down on the end of the bench, by her locker, staring at the empty space. She was going to prove that she belonged on the team. She was going to show James how wrong he was not to have let her play before now. She was going to make the first goal and she was going to lead her team to their first victory against Slytherin in years.

"Now that we are all here," James announced. "We should discuss our plan for the match. It shouldn't be hard to work Rose into our team. She has been playing with Hugo and I for years and she had talent, though it is raw." Rose rolled her eyes, wanting to grab Renee's bat and club her cousin. "But I want you all to work with her and make her feel welcomed." Hugo was the only one who smiled at her. "I want you all to focus on each other. A team doesn't work unless all the parts work as a whole. Renee, Hugo – you both need to look out for West, Trevor, Rose, and I. If you see any unfriendly fire, you need to attack. That being said, West, Trevor, Rose – you three need to be agile and never look back. Always keep your eyes forward and keep moving toward that goal." He stuck his hand out. "Gryffindor on three. Ready? One. Two. Three."

"GRYFFINDOR!" All the players roared.

Trevor and West took off for the pitch, Renee and Hugo tailing behind. Rose started to go with them, when James put his hand on her shoulder. She turned to face him, expecting one of his I'm-Older-Than-You-So-I-Know-Better speeches. Lily had gotten annoyed of them and it seemed that after they no longer worked on her, James had decided to start working on Rose in his sister's absence.

"This is it, Rose," James said, staring her right in the eye. "Are you ready?'

"Of course," she grinned, thinking of how Lily had decked her brother last Christmas when he tried to tell her how to use her new wand. It had been the highlight of the holiday.

"That a girl," James patted her on the shoulder. "Then let's suit up and get out there."

Rose didn't waste a second lingering in the locker room. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate her cousin, but it was hard to take James seriously. He always had to have the last word, always had to be in control. It made Rose go crazy. She didn't take well to people telling her how to live her life and being the youngest made it even harder. Her whole lift felt as if it was planned out by what other people wanted her to do or thought she should do. There was rarely an occasion when someone took the time to ask her what she wanted to do. Of course, it didn't help that her family was famous for defeating the Dark Lord. It made it worse, in fact because everyone else thought she should listen to her parents and her family, thinking that they knew it all, which was far from the truth.

She waited impatiently with her teammates behind the gate, under one of the large bleachers. At the start of each match, the two competing teams waited for a whistle blow to come out and fly around before the Quaffle would be released. It was more about raising spirits and showing off than anything else, but it pleased the crowd, which was all that mattered. Anyone choosing a profession in Quidditch had to know that. The sport wasn't really about skill when it came to earning a professional status. It was about entertaining fans. Rose hadn't seen that until she was much older. Now when she watched her favorite teams, she could pick out their weaknesses all too easily. She had often wondered why better skilled players didn't fight for a right to play.

"We're going to win this," James said, mostly to himself as he joined them, passing everyone by to get to the front of the gate. Rose watched everyone's eyes follow her cousin. Regardless of how annoying she found him at times, he was a good player and he was very much respected in Gryffindor. She could hear the chanting now, the crowds of people above them calling out names and singing songs. "Get ready," James cautioned them. Each of the players mounted their brooms, Rose included.

A split second later, the whistle rang sharp and clear through the air. The team took off, one straight shot out of the pen and up into the air. The Slytherin team came out from the other end of the field. The two teams fly at one another, the Gryffindors diving down at the last second, all following James' led, while the Slytherins, clad in their green and black followed Scorpius upwards and around the many towers. Rose watched them soar over her head, amazed at how cohesive their group was. When Scorpius passed her, he winked. She rolled her eyes and ignored him. He was just trying to psych her out before the big game.

Done with the formalities, the two teams took their positions on the field for the Quaffle toss up. Rose, being new, was positioned opposite West, on the left side of Trevor. James was behind him and Hugo and Renee flagged the side Chasers. Scorpius was across from James, the other Seeker on the field. Like father, like son most people would say, considering both boys were descended from alumni who had also played as Seekers for their house teams. Madame Hooch entered the field. As one of the eldest faculty members and a survivor of the war, she was given a standing ovation the moment her feet touched the grass. Both teams clapped as she came out to the center, trailing the trunk behind her.

"I want a nice clean game from all of you, understood?" she instructed them; before she knelt down to unlatch the case. Without warning, the pair of bludgers shot up and off into the sky. Renee's eyes followed them, though she remained unflinching. Hugo, on the other hand, just smiled over at Rose, a permanent grin on his face. The snitch came next, flipping around each person's face and weaving in and out of their hair. When it buzzed over to Rose, she could feel its tiny wings against her neck and she laughed, despite her nerves. Finally, Hooch picked up the Quaffle. "Chasers at the ready," she called, lifting the ball up. "And begin."

The next few seconds were a blur of crimson and emerald as the six Chasers all went after the red ball. Rose, however, stayed still, watching the exchange. She recalled a lesson her uncle had taught her years before. Harry had sat her down one afternoon after James and Hugo and beat her and Lily at a game in their backyard. While Lily preferred to hit her brother, Rose had gone off alone to think and in the garden was where her uncle had found her. "Rose, you are a great player," he had told her.

"Easy for you to say, Uncle Harry, but not only are you The-Boy-Who-Lived, you were a star Quidditch player too."

"That may be," he had chuckled. He had pulled her into his lap, hugging her. "Let me tell you something that I learned years ago. A skilled opponent is a worth adversary, but a clever opponent, they are the troublesome ones."

It had taken some time for Rose to understand what he meant. She had seen how her mother dissected facts to come up with a solution and eventually; she had learned to use that same logic when playing Quidditch against her family members. If she couldn't fly faster than them or reach as far as they could, she devised ways to outsmart them. It took time and a lot of effort, but she had found their weaknesses and exploited them so that she could compete on the same level and that was what she had to do now. So instead of throwing herself in after the ball, she monitored her teammates and her opponents.

The first thing she noticed was how Sage Greenbourgh held the ball. He favored his right side and he tended to look over his left shoulder a bit farther than was necessary. He was increasing his blind spot significantly when he made a run for it. His partners weren't much better. Alec Maride flew with both hands firmly grasping the front of his broom. However, he positioned his hands too far forward. It wouldn't take much to tip him off balanced and cause him to nose dive into the ground. Logan Bushnell, the last of the Slytherin Chasers was in better form, though Rose did notice something. He kept getting his bootstrap caught on his broom stop. If his foot slipped ever so slightly, the buckle would snap right onto the metal guard and he would lose control of his steering.

"Weasley, what are you doing? Daydreaming?" Trevor screamed.

Rose stared over at him, glaring. "Sod off."

"Get in the game, rookie," he snapped, before taking off again.

The anger she felt had caused a bit of red to fill her cheeks. She smiled to herself. Now she was ready to get involved. She had the knowledge and she had the raw emotion. She went after Greenbourgh, who still had the ball, but instead of following behind him, as Trevor and West were doing, she dove down, nearly clipping the grass of the field. She ducked her head, keeping herself as contained and clutching the broom as best she could. Gaining speed, she raced through the air until she was under Greenbourgh's shadow, then shot upwards. She positioned herself so that she would remain directly beneath him. He didn't see her. He was too busy watching for West and Trevor.

She thrust herself forward and upward, punching the Quaffle out of his arms. The red ball soared through the air for a second, before she caught it under her arm and took off in the opposite direction for the Slytherin hoops. "Bloody hell," she heard Greenbourgh curse. She kept moving, thinking of what James had said. She didn't look back or down, only forward. She was easily the smallest player on the team and could be the fastest. She went right for the middle hoop, even though Redbach, the Slytherin Keeper was waiting for her.

"Rose!" she heard James yelling. "Watch out!" She didn't have time to worry about what he was talking about. At the last second she changed course, flying through the right hoop and scoring the first points of the game and for Gryffindor.

"Ten points to Gryffindor!" the announcer shouted as the stands went wild.

She didn't have time to join in their cheering. She clutched the ball to her chest as she avoided Alec and Logan. She weaved around the hoop poles, passing the ball off to West as she glided past him, a bright smile decorating her face.

"Way to go, rookie," Trevor pulled his broom up alongside her, extending his hand for a high-five. She slapped hands with him, before taking off with West.

West was tailing Maride, who had scooped up the ball seconds after it had fallen through the hoop. Rose had to push herself to keep up with both of them. "West!" she screamed, diving in closer. "Hit the front of his broom." West shot a confused look at her over his shoulder. "Just do it!" she insisted, moving to fly on the other side of Maride. West got closer as well, reaching to steal the Quaffle. He didn't try Rose's suggestion and Maride switched handed. Rose pulled in front of him, kicking back her leg to rest her foot on the front of Maride's broom. Immediately, it through the player off balanced and into a nose dive for the ground. It also gave Rose an impossibly easy opening to grab the ball from him. "Here," she tossed the Quaffle to West. He took off for the hoop, Trevor flying with him to watch his back.

"Another point to Gryffindor! They lead Slytherin by twenty."

"How did you know to do that?" West came back to Rose.

"I watched them," she shrugged.

"Well keep it up," West grinned.

Rose nodded. It was time to check out the rest of the team. She started flying up higher. She wanted to get a view of everyone, including the Slytherin Keeper, without looking suspicious. She went up and over the stands, higher than normal for a Chaser to be positioned. She didn't expect anyone to be watching her, so she was surprised when she saw a blur of black and green whisk by her left side.

She glanced behind her and on both sides, but didn't see anyone. She suspected that it was Scorpius. As the Seeker, he was expected to be shooting around every which way in order to capture the snitch. She continued flying, trying to find the perfect spot to pause and take in the game below. She figured that two goals in the first fifteen minutes and an assist would earn her the respect of her teammates. Now she could improve herself on her own terms. She could see her team, racing hard toward the goal again. Hugo was smacking a bludger at the Slytherin Keeper to help and James was diving, probably after the snitch on the other side of the court. She saw Scorpius come out of nowhere, also heading in the same direction.

Suddenly, something slammed into her on her right. As she whipped her head around to look something else slammed into her on her left side. She turned to see Alec and Logan, one on each side of her. Her heart pounded against her chest. This was an ambush. No one else was up here but them and no one would notice, especially Madame Hooch because they were too far up to call a penalty. Both boys flew close next to her, knocking her back and forth between them like a ping-pong ball. Rose tried to pull away, but they were too close. It was restricting her mobility. And then she saw it.

A bludger was heading straight for them. She looked frantically around, trying to find a weakness, a way out, but both Slytherin Chasers were locked on her. The bludger was less than a hundred meters from them and closing in fast. Rose shoved hard on Alec's side, but he just shoved her back. She grunted as she rammed into Logan. They gave her one last shove and bolted. Dizzy and bruised she glanced up just in time to see the bludger come right for her. She didn't have time to respond before the black ball hit her right in the abdomen, sending her shooting off the back of her broom before descending in a free fall to the ground.

Rose screamed. She could see her broom falling with her, but it was too far away to grab. She was gaining momentum, spiraling out of control, the green of the grassing playing field getting closer and closer with every second that she dropped. Her lungs were burning from the shriek she was unleashing, but she couldn't stop. She was too frightened of the impending impact.

"Rose!" She twisted her head around to see Scorpius shooting through the air, faster than she had seen anyone fly every before. He was reaching out to her. She stretched her arms upward. "Rose!" And then he had her. He grabbed her around her waist with one arm, piloting his broom with the other. She buried her head against his chest, feeling tears coming down her cheeks. Her fingers were grasping onto him so tightly she was sure it hurt. She glanced down below at the other players, noticing that James was closing in on the snitch.

"Accio broom," he cried, not noticing the moisture on his robes or her death grip. She stared mystified as her broom, only seconds from smashing into oblivion, came hurling towards them. "Now, I'm going to let you go, alright," he said, looking her straight in the eyes. "Trust me. You'll be safe." She nodded, unable to put together words. Too much was happening too quickly. "Ready?" She nodded again and he dropped her.

She fell for a split second, before landing on her own broom. Hugo was at her side in an instant, face pale. "Godric's sake, Rose," he reached forward to hug her. "What happened?" She opened her mouth to speak when she heard the buzzer sound.

"James Potter has caught the snitch! Gryffindor wins!"

"We won? We won!" Hugo hugged her again. "Let's go," he darted off to join the rest of their team which was converging on the field.

Rose stared at them and then searched for Scorpius. He was already on the ground, hurrying off the pitch to the Slytherin locker room. She sighed, shaking her head, and lowered her broom to join her teammates. Their victory didn't feel like a win.

"Lucky that Malfoy took off like a bat out of hell all of a sudden," James was saying as she landed. "I was sure he had it. Guess the dive was too much for him."

Rose felt her cheeks flush. Scorpius had given up the win to save her. Had James, her own flesh and blood even noticed that she had been plummeting to her death? She turned away from everyone and walked off the field. She heard Trevor and West call after her and Hugo yell, but she ignored them. She needed a long shower and some time alone to think.