N/A: Hey guys! See, I'm a nice human being, I didn't keep y'all waiting for too long again! Also, I've managed to do something about my essay too, so we're all good. I hope I'll be able post every weekend, but I won't make any promises! It's just that I'm enjoying writing so much I can't seem to stop, I'm starting to worry lol Well, anyway, there you go!


I said that's what you're asking
But you're gonna get more
Than you bargained for
I said that's what you had
But you don't have it anymore
You had it coming

Iscariot - Walk the moon


Rose felt all the air escape from her lungs as she watched a myriad of feelings pass through Faith's eyes. Surprise, denial, anger, hurt, hatred and then nothing. Her best friend's iris turned into a green, implacable wall of steel as she locked her jaw and ran away without a word. That movement was the trigger for Rose to react.

"Faith!" she exclaimed desperately. Instead of facing Rose, Faith grabbed her broom and took flight, soaring up so fast she almost disappeared in the dark.

Mounting her own broom and cursing under her breath, Rose flew up and tried to catch up with Faith. Tears were now staining her face, running everywhere at the will of the wind. The thing that couldn't ever have happened, the thing she feared the most - she had broken the unbreakable girl. Rose managed to hit her Achilles' heel, the only blow that could completely destroy Faith's confidence. Her cowardice twisted a knife inside their friendship, and she wasn't sure if there was a way to repair that wound.

"Faith, please, stop! Let me talk to you!" Rose bellowed against the thin, cold air. Her hands were shaking and her skin was freezing, but she didn't mind as long as she could reach Faith. "Please, please, let me explain!"

"EXPLAIN WHAT? THAT IT WAS NOT WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE? OH, NO, SPARE ME OF THIS BULSHIT, WEASLEY, AND SOD THE FUCK OFF," Faith all but roared in response, diving almost vertically near the Herbology greenhouses. At the last second, she landed on the ground safely and threw her broom away violently. Rose caught up a few seconds later and faced her roommate with tearful eyes.

"I'M SORRY! I-I didn't know how to tell you this. I didn't want to hurt you," Rose tried to explain, knowing very well that was a lame excuse. Faith barked a cold laugh.

"You're clearly doing an excellent job," she growled, a murderous look in her eyes. It was terrifying: Faith wasn't crying nor even about to - she was an impenetrable, frozen rock, which was possibly worse than seeing her burst in tears. "What were you expecting? That I'd never find out and you would be Saint Rose for the rest of your life?"

"I don't know! I just- I couldn't do it. I knew it would upset you." Rose muttered, unable to meet her friend's gaze.

"UPSET ME? Yes, you nailed it, Rose, I'm just upset. That's exactly how I'm feeling," Faith hissed, her green eyes sparkling dangerously. "It's not like I've been backstabbed by my so-called best friend!"

Rose gasped loudly at that accusation.

"What? I never betrayed you! I may have kept you from knowing the truth; that I admit and I am truly sorry. But I didn't ask him to like me and I've never corresponded in any way and you know very much why!" she responded in a high-pitched voice.

"Oh, do I? Because you're a loyal friend? Well fucking done, then!" For the first time since she left the pitch, Faith had begun to crumble. Her eyes were slowly getting bloodshot and she was trembling head to feet. "You know how I feel about him! You're the only person in the whole bloody world who does. Still you chose to leave me in the dark when I stood by your side and worried my eyes out while you cried over Scorpius!"

"I-DIDN'T-WANT-TO-HURT-YOU!" Rose stressed each word angrily. She knew Faith would be mad, but she was getting way over the line. Why couldn't she understand how hard it had been for her? How was Rose supposed to maim the very thing that was sacred to one of the people she cared most about in her life? "Of course I know how you feel about him, and that's why I didn't say anything!"

"BULSHIT! You only wanted to avoid your problems! Which, by the way, is your favourite thing to do!" Faith provoked, angry tears rolling down her face. Rose frowned in outrage.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, please, don't pretend you don't get it! You know very well that you're running away from Scorpius so you don't have to face the fact that he bloody doesn't fancy you!" Faith countered viciously, with a clear intention to hurt. Rose had seen that side of her best friend before, but it had never been directed at her. Faith wasn't one to stay still when something really affected her - on the contrary, she unleashed every little bitter thought that had ever crossed her mind haphazardly, afraid that by doing nothing she would be regarded as weak and vulnerable. But as much as Rose understood her reaction, she was sick of it.

"Yeah, you're one to talk! Never made a move on Phil, did ya? Always waiting for him to notice you out of nowhere! You know what, Faith? You pose like you're such a badass, but you're more like a little girl waiting for a bloody knight in shining armour!" Rose retorted, so consumed by her rage that she was no longer thinking of her words and how they would affect Faith. "That's why you're upset with me. I messed up your perfect ending, didn't I? Because you'd rather blame me for something I didn't fucking do than accept that sometimes life just sucks! So here's your heads up: it does, more often than not! Quit being a sodding brat and get over yourself!"

After that speech, Rose got on her broom and flew towards the castle, leaving a bewildered and wounded Faith behind.


"Rose? What's the matter?" Scorpius asked the second he saw the inconsolable look on Rose's face as she approached his seat at the Slytherin table half an hour later. She had been wandering the corridors aimlessly, trying to calm herself down, but ultimately decided that she really needed comfort from her best friends - even if it meant getting unbearably close to Scorpius.

"Where's Al?" she asked hurriedly, ignoring his question and looking around for her cousin.

"Jordan asked him to go fetch Roxanne, said Jasmine got hit by a bludger and went to the Hospital Wing," he replied, and then scanned her worriedly, as if it had just occurred to him that Rose was at the same Quidditch practice. "Did you get hurt, too?"

"No, I'm fine," Rose assured him with a small smile. Scorpius could be so unexpectedly sweet that she felt her blood almost literally boil, pumping fast all over her body. "I mean, I'm physically fine. Mind if we talked a bit?"

"Why are you even asking?" Scorpius exclaimed while getting up, looking exasperated. "Come on, let's go somewhere else."

They both started walking to the staircase and Rose felt lighter. Scorpius was the first person she went to whenever she had a problem. Faith was an excellent advisor and very protective, and, being born mere months after her, Albus was Rose's oldest and inseparable friend; but it was around Scorpius that she had always felt the safest, and she knew the attitude was mutual.

Rose and Scorpius shared a bond; she had been the first to put him out of his loneliness at that train compartment. He confided her his insecurities about being a Malfoy going to Hogwarts, and found out it wasn't much easier being on the other side of the coin. Along with Albus, they discovered that they didn't need to follow their parents steps, that they could forge a path of their own. It was something they had been doing together since they were eleven.

But Albus didn't always take part on that link - there were things that only the both of them could understand, and the way they clicked was uncanny. Even with Rose's newfound feelings that were far from platonic, she knew that only with Scorpius, her safe haven, she could breathe easily. He always knew what to do to calm her down, and even the right jokes to make her laugh when she wasn't in the best of moods. When she came to think of it, fancying him seemed like the only natural thing to have happened.

Rose lost track of her thoughts when Scorpius stopped without warning and she collided against his back. She grumbled a complaint and took a step back to find out what was going on, but a voice answered her silent question before she could see the big picture.

"Where are you going?" Carrie Douglas asked, not even bothering to hide the irritation in her voice. She was staring directly at Rose, although her question was aimed at her boyfriend.

"To talk to Rose," Scorpius answered calmly, clearly unprovoked by Carrie's jealousy. Rose felt a rush of satisfaction she shouldn't be feeling; it wasn't like her to encourage any kind of arguments or intrigues, yet she ashamedly found herself proud to be favoured by Scorpius.

"And why can't you talk to her here? Where's Albus?" his girlfriend went on angrily, her greenish eyes roaming the room for her housemate.

"Albus went to the common room, and I have to talk to her in private," Scorpius said, slightly upset at the scene Carrie was making. "Carrie, you know Rose's my best friend, and it's important that I talk to her now. Don't make a big deal out of this, please."

Carrie glared at Rose, who had to resist the urge to smirk victoriously at the girl. You're not like that, Rose Weasley. Don't play that game, she told herself as she stood her ground and did not break eye contact until Carrie huffed and looked away.

"Fine. Have fun," she hissed in a dangerous tone before walking out on them, her long, bright blonde hair swooping as she moved. Scorpius breathed out slowly and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Rose muttered, even though the jealous, egoistic part of her roared in celebration.

"It's not your fault, Rose, don't bother," Scorpius replied, turning to face her and waving the incident away, although he did look a little shaken. "I'll deal with Carrie later."

Rose bit her lip, still unconvinced it wasn't her fault. As much as that episode gave her a lot of hope, combined with the fact she didn't like Carrie - for more than obvious reasons -, she really didn't want to cause Scorpius any distress. You're being a real troublemaker today, aren't you? she thought bitterly.

"Are you sure? She looked really mad at you," Rose insisted with a worried look, watching the girl's retreating figure climbing up the stairs, probably heading to Gryffindor Tower. "I mean, we don't have to talk right now, it's okay."

Scorpius laughed and Rose felt her stomach flutter at the sight of his beautiful smile and the way his eyes glimmered along with it.

"You say that because you didn't see your own face when you showed up," he retorted with an eye roll, distinctively having none of her excuses. "I'm worried, okay?"

It took Rose exactly five seconds to realise that no, she hadn't died, even though she was almost sure her heart had had stopped. She knew that going to Scorpius for comfort would make her feel things to her she shouldn't feel, but that was way over her expectations. She blushed so hard her face was actually heating up, but before she could fret about Scorpius noticing it, she realised there were tinges of red on his face too. He cleared his throat and resumed his way to the staircase.

"What I meant is that it's no big deal. So come on," he said, turning his back on Rose and motioning her to follow him.

Rose stared at Scorpius' back with her mouth agape as she accompanied him. Was he embarrassed for what he had just said? Her heart made a comeback, and it was now beating furiously inside her chest. Could that mean something? No, no, no, no. Stop. Stop raising your hopes, Rose. For starters, he's obviously embarrassed because it's not like him to show his feelings, which are, by the way, completely platonic. He's worried about you because you're his best friend and that's what best friends do. Besides, he will get back to his girlfriend after you're done crying your heart out. And you shouldn't even be thinking about your non-existent love life. You just had a major falling out with your other best friend, remember? You should be feeling awful, she put her daydreaming to a halt while Faith's words filled her head at once. Her last two hours had been so full of ups and downs that she would probably need to take a few days off of her life to rest from them. I wonder if Aunt Hannah would induce me into a coma if I dropped by the Hospital Wing.

They walked in silence until Scorpius found an empty classroom on the second floor.

"I reckon it's the best we can get on short notice," he announced sheepishly as he entered after Rose. The classroom was dusty and poorly illuminated by the moonlight, but they could make out each other's figures just fine.

"It's okay, I guess I'll be able to speak here," she replied with a short laugh, sitting at an old chair. Scorpius climbed the professor's table and sat lazily on it.

"So, what's up?" he asked, regarding her with a soft gaze.

Rose bit her lip, going back over the facts that had made her life a genuine hell for the last two weeks.

"I had a fight with Faith," she begun in a sad tone, feeling something catch at her throat as she went on. "It was- rather ugly."

Scorpius frowned in confusion and Rose couldn't really blame him. In the five-year lifespan of the friendship between the two girls, they had never really fought about anything, even when their opinions differed enormously (which wasn't the case when it came to Rose and Scorpius who, on the occasions they had an argument, would not only have it loud and public but also add some hexes just for the sake of it).

"But why?" he questioned in a voice so low it was as if he was asking himself.

Rose blushed and looked down nervously. It was one thing to open her heart to her brother about her dilemma with Phil; telling Scorpius wouldn't be nearly as easy. Though he was the one to whom she told everything, she had never managed to express her thoughts about other guys - something he didn't find as difficult when it went the other way round. Now that she knew how she felt about him it didn't seem so surprising. You kind of should have seen it coming, you daft.

"Well- it's-" she struggled to talk and felt Scorpius eyes detect every movement she made (that feeling didn't help at all). "It's because of- a boy."

Merlin, Morgan and Circe, is this the best you can do, Weasley?, Rose berated herself and waited for Scorpius to have a laughing fit over her prudeness. But the seconds passed and he remained deadly silent, so she forced herself to look up at him. Scorpius' face was unreadable, and Rose found it very unsettling since she knew him so well. His eyes were staring at her unblinkingly; it looked like he was trying to read her mind. Rose prayed to whomever was listening he would never accomplish that.

"Who?" he inquired in an absurdly smooth voice. Rose swallowed slowly, trying hard to understand what was going through behind her best friend's adamantly blank expression, but getting nothing.

"Phil. Phil Boot," she replied, thoroughly frustrated at her ineptitude. Scorpius raised an eyebrow and rearranged his position on the table - uncomfortably? She couldn't tell.

"Your Prefect partner," he pointed out rather obviously and Rose acquiesced. "So- so, you fancy him."

Rose's face fell at that statement and she quickly replayed her last words in her mind. Indeed, she had said her fight was about a boy, which lead Scorpius to the easiest conclusion: she and Faith were caught up in a petty dispute over Phil's affection. That idea almost made her both crack up and cry; Scorpius really had no idea.

"No, of course not!" Rose answered, allowing herself to laugh a little. "It's Faith, she fancies him."

Scorpius hardened demeanor unmistakably dissolved and he smirked at the new information.

"Well, well, well. Who'd've reckoned it? Faith I'm-the-devil-reborn Davies fancies the Prefect Boy-next-door?" he announced with a snicker, enjoying the very thought of it. "How sweet."

"Drop it, git. This is serious," Rose censured him with a scowl and Scorpius immediately refrained himself.

"Sorry," he mumbled with a guilty look, which was quickly dismissed to be replaced for a puzzled one. "But I'm not getting it. How come you two ended up having a go at each other, then?"

Rose reddened even harder at that point and averted her eyes to her fidgeting hands.

"Because he fancies me," she whispered, feeling her stomach flip at that revelation. Not much because of its meaning, but more for whom she was telling it to.

"What?" Scorpius asked, although judging by his bewildered tone Rose was sure he had heard it perfectly.

"Yeah. My life sucks," she mumbled with a shrug. You have no idea just how much.

"Wait, no, hang on," he said, moving from the table to sit on the chair beside Rose, his eyes never leaving hers. "Boot fancies you?"

"I thought I just said that," Rose retorted in an annoyed voice. Why was he so surprised? Couldn't a bloke fancy her for a change? "What? You don't think I'm eligible to be fancied?"

Her question had a trace of hurt she begrudgingly let escape. Rose was so far off Scorpius' radar he was actually finding it hard to believe someone else had looked at her differently. Well, congratulations, Weasley, you're even below scum to the bloke you're head over heels for.

"I didn't mean to- what I-," Scorpius stuttered for a while and then gave up with a sigh. "That's not what I meant at all. I was just- just surprised, I guess."

Rose huffed indignantly, trying to mask her misery at all costs. Scorpius didn't find her attractive enough. Those words ran through her veins painfully and suddenly she felt very tired. She was still on her Quidditch clothes, she hadn't eaten anything since lunch, and now she was even more miserable than before.

"Rose, stop it," Scorpius said ruefully, staring at her intently. "I reckoned it went without saying, but you're awesome, alright?"

In complete spite of herself, Rose smiled at Scorpius, feeling all her body melt at once. He chuckled in response, then ruffled her hair playfully after a few seconds, making her laugh. All her sadness was soon left behind, despite the fact that Scorpius had never said anything about her being attractive - he was just talking about his best friend. But Rose was falling so deep for him she feared he could get anything he wanted from her with little to no effort.

"Thanks," she replied, her heart bouncing incautiously. She had better change the subject before she threaded a dangerous path. "But the thing is, Phil can't fancy me. My best friend fancies him! How am I supposed to deal with this?"

"You're not," Scorpius answered immediately. "It's not your fault at all. Sure, it's a bloody mess, but you can't do anything about it. Is this why Faith got mad at you?"

"Not really. I mean, yes, a little bit, obviously. But more because I didn't tell her," Rose explained as a swell formed inside her chest. "But how could I tell her? She's crazy for him. Hell, she's a completely different person around him. I couldn't do this to her. But then- then she heard me talking to Phil after practice about him fancying me."

Her story was horribly cut short, but Rose kept herself from giving any details, as they could lead to questions she couldn't answer.

"You already knew it before today?" Scorpius asked, studying his best friend carefully. Rose nodded, tears forming under her eyes, and he shook his head. "All the same, Rose, it's not your fault. I mean, you could have told her, but if she fancies the hell out of him as you're saying, who's to say how she'd've reacted? What if she got mad at you for telling her? It's hard to say, but I don't think you're to blame at all."

Rose knew Scorpius was right; Faith would probably have reacted irrationally if Rose had told her. She would have blamed Rose for destroying her fairy tale just as much as she had done when she found out. The feeling of betrayal just happened fit perfectly so she could have a reason to be angry. There was not an easy way out of that situation, but that didn't keep Rose from feeling horrible.

"I know, but- I said awful things to her. She was trying to hurt me, saying I had betrayed her, and I- I didn't think, I-" she tried to keep talking, but her tears got the best from her.

"Hey," said Scorpius, cupping her face with his hands tenderly. Rose felt her skin tingle where he touched her and her breath got stuck inside her lungs. "I know very well you can get pretty nasty when you're riled up, but Faith will get over it eventually. She's a clever girl, she won't be able to deny the facts much longer. She knows you didn't mean to hurt her. And if she doesn't, I will be more than happy to hex her for you."

Funny you guys want to hex each other over different reasons, Rose thought as she managed to laugh at her best friend between her tears.

"For how long have you been waiting for this opportunity?" she asked, making Scorpius smirk.

"Since she dared Roxanne to dye my hair pink. Two years, four months and a few days. Not that I'm counting," he replied, grimacing at the memory for a second, then smiling good-naturedly. "But you'll be fine, Rosie. Don't fret."

Before she could think - and if she had thought for a split second, she wouldn't have dared -, Rose threw her arms around Scorpius' neck and hugged him. His irresistible scent invaded her senses and made her head dizzy, but it was nothing compared to what she felt when Scorpius embraced her in return. Rose's heart was pounding viciously and it seemed unlikely that he didn't notice it, but at that moment she really didn't care.

"Thank you, Scorp," she whispered, making an effort to let all her appreciation show. "I really don't know what I'd without you."

Scorpius stood still for a moment, but his arms remained wrapped around her protectively, so Rose just revelled the feeling. For what seemed like an eternity later, he sniggered and let go of her.

"I don't know either," he replied with an impish smile while he got up. "Wait, you haven't eaten yet, have you?" Rose raised her eyebrows at his observance, but shook her head nevertheless. "Let's find you something to eat. You'll be cranky soon enough and nobody will see the end of it."

"You know me well," she answered, shoving him lightly but agreeing to his suggestion without further complaint. Just not well enough, she added in a wistful thought as she followed him out of the classroom.


Rose swallowed the last bite of her chocolate soufflé and tried to ignore the disgusting noises Albus made as he attacked his plate beside her. Had Scorpius not gone to practice, he would already have called him upon his horrifying manners. Feeling like it was her duty to fulfil his function, Rose looked at Amber, who sat in front of her at the Gryffindor table, and made an apologetic face.

"I'm sorry, Am. I'm quite sure he spent a year with a pack of wolves when we were little," she said, making her cousin Lucy laugh and Albus protest (something like "Fiss wof wouse!"). Amber merely chuckled and looked at her boyfriend with an amused expression.

"I've spent over five years watching his eating manners. I have no hope in my heart that I'll ever change him, so I better just live with it," she replied, blowing a kiss to a very annoyed Albus.

"I think that's advisable, Amber. Our grandma goes crazy whenever he and James go to The Burrow for Sunday lunch," Lucy remarked with a smirk (Albus replied with a "Shtuph ganghing uph unme!")

"You should talk to my mum, then. She knows all about living with it," Hugo commented when he joined them for lunch (Albus groaned in surrender).

Rose laughed along with her friends, but her laughter died at the second she put her eyes on Faith, who sat at the Ravenclaw table with Roxanne, Jasmine (who had her face quickly fixed at the Hospital Wing after all the drama) and Phil. Three days had passed since their falling out and their quarrel hadn't been settled yet. Every single person they were mutual friends with had tried to find out what was going on, but Rose refused to give them any indicators - except for Hugo and Albus, who agreed completely with Scorpius and advised her to let Faith cool off.

However, as the days went by, Rose started to lose her prospects on her friends' predictions. Every time their eyes met, as it was happening at that moment, Faith put on a murderous look on her face, and Rose couldn't do anything but to feel miserable and look away. The both of them would have their last practice before the Slytherin game on the next evening, and Rose feared her (former?) best friend wouldn't be willing to cooperate as a fellow chaser. But she didn't know how to approach Faith either, and that impasse kept burning her insides with frustration.

The only bright side of their friendship collapse was that Faith had been actually spending most of her time with Phil. They would have all their meals together and Rose had passed by them studying at the library on two occasions. He was obviously being very supportive, although, judging by the way he had inquired Rose about the nature of the fight during their rounds, he didn't have a clue of what it had been about. Nevertheless, Rose was happy to see them together, even if it meant she had to watch them from afar.

"Hey, Rosie," Lily's voice startled Rose out of her thoughts as she sat beside her cousin with an excessively satisfied look. "How are you doing today, my favourite cousin?"

Rose frowned (Hugo exclaimed "Hey!", but was blatantly ignored), finding Lily's behaviour both odd and terrifying. Albus seemed to think likewise, as he was eyeing his sister suspiciously.

"I'm...fine, as fine as I can be, I guess," she answered slowly, raising a questioning eyebrow.

Lily beamed and started filling her plate absent-mindedly. Oh, this is no good, Rose thought nervously, but it might as well have been the conclusion of every member of her family within earshot, given the way Hugo, Albus and Lucy sighed.

"Well, it is never too late for a day to get better, isn't it?" she pondered cryptically. "Aren't you late for you Muggle Studies class?" with that last question, Lily tended to her meal and offered no further explanation.

"How do you even-" Rose had begun to ask, gaping at Lily incredulously, but gave up in the middle of the sentence. "Never mind, I don't wanna know. I'll just go."

The only reaction Rose elicited from the youngest Potter was a small giggle. Groaning, she grabbed her backpack, waved her friends goodbye and started walking away. She was just a few steps apart from them when she heard Albus ask, "What the bloody hell are you up to, Lily?" to which Lily merely laughed, much to Rose's relief. She didn't want Albus to know about his sister's schemes just yet, as it would surely mean Scorpius' knowing about them as well.

But what the bloody hell is Lily up to, indeed?, she asked herself, making her lonesome way to the second floor. Muggle Studies was the only subject neither Scorpius nor Albus felt inclined to attend - even though they had several magically modified muggle appliances at home, as did several of her friends and acquaintances (a fact she would always proudly point out as her granddad Weasley's doing). Scorpius had told her once that he and his mother had bought their first television when he came back from first year at Hogwarts, but kept it hidden from his father, afraid of what he would think of it. Draco Malfoy naturally destroyed the appliance when he first saw it, but after Scorpius tried again with a second one, he begrudgingly agreed to give it a shot. He ended up turning into quite a fan of football — not that he would ever admit it to anybody, obviously.

As for Faith, she did attend the class and was supposed to be Rose's partner; that didn't seem the case of that day. Rose wouldn't be surprised if Faith didn't show up at all so she wouldn't have to acknowledge her existence, even if it were for the sake of the lesson. Goddamn it, Faith. No, goddamn it, Rose. You fucked up everything, she thought angrily, biting her lip.

"Hey, Rose, wait up!" a male voice called out from behind Rose and she turned to identify it. Cameron Doe jogged towards her and she smiled sympathetically at the sixth year Hufflepuff Prefect. "Heading to Muggle Studies too?" he asked as he reached her.

"Yeah, just finished lunch. Wanna join me?" Rose invited, figuring she very much needed some company. Cameron nodded and strode along, his tall figure towering over her.

"Actually, this is good, 'cause I've been meaning to talk to you for the last- uh- weeks," he announced rather awkwardly and Rose stared at him with confusion as they kept walking.

"What about?" she questioned curiously, even though the pieces had begun to fit at the back of her mind. Normally she wouldn't have a clue, but Lily had made a point to keep her watchful. Besides, Cameron was Eric Corner's best mate, who happened to be going out with Lily since the beginning of the term. It wasn't exactly rocket science.

"It's- uh- I wasn't sure of how to go about it, but today Lily told me to just go for it, so-" he stuttered, blushing deeply. Rose felt her face burn as well, but concentrated on keeping her demeanour straight. She was right; not only Cameron was probably about to ask her out, but Lily had absolutely everything to do with it. Lily Potter hardly misses a trick. I should have known, she thought with astonishment. "So- next week's last Hogsmeade visit before the Holidays, and I- I was wondering if you wanted to- to go with me."

Rose studied her classmate for a few seconds, her face as scarlet as her hair. Cameron's beaded dark eyes were staring back at her nervously, albeit almost hidden by his thick black hair. He had always been good to her during their few interactions over the years; as polite and pleasant as a Hufflepuff is expected to be. Yes, Lily, I get the message just fine: what the hell, let's do this, she decided. Since she couldn't have Scorpius, she might as well go out with someone decent.

"I think that would be nice," was Rose's answer, accompanied by a smile. Cameron beamed, looking immensely relieved. On cue, they reached the Muggle Studies classroom; suddenly Rose had a lesson partner as well as a date.

Lily, I don't know how you do it, but you're wicked.