Title: Light of Day
Author: The Original Horcrux
Rating: T
Date: 1/6/12
Characters: Rose/Scorpius
Word Count: 3,290

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, or any quotes you may recognise in this chapter.

Chapter 7
I Have Confidence

Okay, so that did change things a bit. I could see that Jade could read my expression, no matter how hard I tried to hide it.

"I knew it…" she said bitterly, looking down, tears welling in her eyes. "I knew you'd judge me once you found out who I was crushing on."

"I'm not judging you." I said calmly. "I'm just a little shocked is all."

"Hence you judging me." Jade said.

"I'm not freaking judging you! If you must know I think you're incredibly brave and awesome for telling me as openly as you did." I exclaimed.

"Alright, alright, I'm a little stressed out I admit and I really don't want anyone to know right now, promise you won't tell anyone Rose. Not even Albus." Jade pleaded. I snorted

"Why would I tell Al? He's the biggest blabbermouth this school has ever seen." I laughed "He's also a douche." Jade gave a small smile.

"Seriously Rose, you can't tell anyone, especially Ella."

"Yeah, I'm totally gonna stride out into the common room and announce that you're gay and in love with Ella…" I said sarcastically "Why would I tell anyone?"

"Just making sure." Jade muttered "It took a lot just to tell you, I don't want anyone else knowing… I might tell Rio though, seeing as I know that she's cool about it. I still can't believe you had six galleons on me."

I laughed, thinking about how Rio would react when Jade got round to telling her. I knew for a fact that Rio didn't have six galleons at the moment, having blown it all at the October Hogsmeade visit where she had mysteriously disappeared for two hours before returning to the three broomsticks and telling us that she got lost and couldn't find us.

"Do you really like Ella?" I asked quietly, breaking the silence.

"Yes" Jade said "I don't like her, I love her so much it hurts. But I know she doesn't feel the same way, you saw what she was like when she caught me checking her out, that was a narrow escape."

"I think you should tell her how you feel." I voiced

"What? And get screamed at about how I'm a 'dirty little fag' again. Those words hurt when she said them the first time Rose, they'll kill if I hear them again, especially from the lips of the girl that I love." Jade said dejectedly

"Ella didn't mean that and you know it." I said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"She only didn't mean it because she thought she'd falsely accused me of something. If she knew she was right, then she would never have taken it back." Jade said, her eyes welling with tears and her body starting to shake with sobs. I couldn't believe it. I just could not believe it. Jade Marks was crying. Not just upset. But crying! I had never ever seen her cry before in my life, and I've known her for six and a half years.

"Hey, It's alright" I said, putting an arm around her shoulder "Ella'll understand. Sure it might be a little awkward at the time, but she'll come through. I know she will."

"But what if she yells, and gives me hell for it." Jade said timidly, wiping her eyes.

"Well… you cry a little, and then you wait for the sun to come out; it always does." I said.

"But… I love her." Jade repeated "I don't think I could handle her not talking to me."

I looked at Jade sympathetically. She was an absolute mess. She had just poured her heart out to me about the girl she loved, Ella, who also happened to be my best friend since birth. It meant a lot to me that Jade trusted me enough to tell me the deepest and most desperate desire of her heart, but it was also a lot of weight on my shoulders. I don't know why it happens, but whenever others tell me about a burden on their shoulders, I feel like I have to carry the burden too once they've told me. I don't mind, because It's only half of the load, but when more and more people confide in you, all of those half loads become heavier and heavier until they start to affect you as well, until you tell someone. Then the burden is halved off your shoulders and you tell someone else and it's halved again, until everyone knows and the burden on your shoulders is so small that you feel like you're not carrying it at all. But the thing is, I couldn't tell anyone, not about Jade and not about Scorpius. I couldn't tell anyone outside our immediate friends about Rio and Hugo and I are both carrying a quarter of the burden about Grandma Jean each.

Here Jade sat, asking me for advice on what to do. I've never had a relationship, but I love playing matchmaker, and anyone in their right minds could see that Jade and Ella are not made for each other. The advice I was going to give Jade was going to disappoint her greatly.

"Jade, I'm not telling you to give up on Ella, but do you want to see if you can fall for someone else, someone who actually plays for your team." I said hesitantly.

"I've tried Rose, I really have, but I've fallen for Ella so hard."

"Then you should tell Ella how you feel, regardless of the consequences" I said.

"Are you sure?"

That was the deathly question Are you sure? No, I was not sure at all, in fact I wasn't even sure that I wasn't sure. Confidence Rose I told myself. I had to have confidence that everything was going to turn out fine.

"Yes, I'm sure." I said as my ego started to grow.

"Thanks Rose," she said, hugging me awkwardly. "But I'll do it when I'm ready to."

"It's your choice" I said, nodding in a touché way.

"You really are a great friend." Jade said, standing up and walking to the door. "Thank you. For everything."

"You're welcome" I said as she walked out.

You know what? Let them bring on all their problems; I'll do better than my best to sort all of them out.

"Jesus, when is Elise going to stop!" Rio exclaimed at breakfast the following week.

"Sister troubles?" Ella asked.

"Troubles? More like overprotectiveness. Honestly read this." Rio exclaimed exasperatedly, thrusting a letter she had just opened from Elise across the table at Ella and I.

Dear Rio

How are you? You coping okay? You shouldn't be back at school this early, but mum and dad told me that you insisted. I'm really sorry about Jarrah, it was my fault, I didn't keep a close enough eye on her.

Good luck for your Healer Exam in a couple of weeks.

Lots of Love
Elise.

"When is she going to realise that I'm fine" Rio insisted as I passed the letter back over to her.

"Jarrah was her sister too you know, she's just worried for you." I replied.

"I don't need to be worried over." Rio grumbled.

"Ree, you've got to understand this situation." Ella said "Elise feels like she's responsible for Jarrah's death because she was staying at her place when it happened. You're all she's got left and she wants to protect you. It's an older sibling instinct, trust me I get it from Alice and Abi all the time. Frank says I do it to him too."

"But I'm fine" Rio insisted

"Then tell her!" I said "Then maybe she'll stop, although I can't guarantee that because you're her baby sister and she's going to dote on you for the rest of your life."

"I'm not a baby anymore" Rio exclaimed, it seemed like everything we said was affecting her negatively today.

"Fifteen years between you? I think you'll always be her baby sister." Ella snorted.

"Oh come on, just 'cause she's thirty two doesn't make me a baby."

"Compared to her you are. She's practically a dinosaur" I joked, Rio responded with the first laugh I'd heard emanate from her lips in two weeks.

"What's next?" Ella asked

"Muggle studies" I said and Ella clapped her hands excitedly.

"Did you know they're getting these things called caterpillars in!" Ella exclaimed.

"Caterpillars?" I asked, confused

"Yeah, you type something into them and like a million results come up within like two seconds." Ella said.

"Oh, Computers, I've got one at home. Dad thinks it's pointless but mum, Hugo and I use it a lot." I said.

"Oh is that what that thing in your living room is. I thought it was just a mini one of those watchama call it's" Ella said.

"A Television?" I said, closing my eyes in frustration. Ella really was hopeless when it came to muggle gadgets.

"Yeah, one of those" Ella replied happily "Hey, I think I convinced Mum and Dad to let us get one!"

"Nice. Do you actually know how to use one?" I asked.

"No! But that's what you're there for Rosie, to help us use it." Ella said, clapping me on the back.

"Nice to see that I'm cared about Ella" I said sarcastically. "Appreciated"

"Love you Rosie" she teased jokingly "I'm kidding, Mum said she'd get the guy who delivers it to set it up, then she'd perform some sort of spell on it to get it to work."

"Good luck with that." I said, a smirk playing around my lips.

"I won't need it!" Ella said "I'm an ace at Muggle technology."

"Rose! How. Do. I. Work. This. Stupid. Thing!" Ella exclaimed, hitting the computer on the side as she tried to make the mouse move. I laughed as I leant over and showed her how to use the mouse, instructing her on how to click with it and how to scroll on pages.

"What happened to you being an ace at this?" I asked

"It's harder than I thought" Ella whined. I glanced over at Jade who was quietly swearing at her computer as she waved her wand at it. She had been strangely quiet around Ella since she'd come out to me the week previously. I hoped it was because she was still thinking things through rather than being angry with me.

"This is stupid!" Ella exclaimed. "Neither Albus or I know how to use these things. You and Malfoy are the only ones that do and oh whoop de doo, you're partners."

"Scorpius" I corrected before I could stop myself.

"What?"

"Nothing" I said quickly, trying to cover it up. What had gotten into me today? Firstly I can't stop thinking about Scorpius and my tutoring session tonight, next I correct Ella when she says Malfoy… hell, and I'm even calling him Scorpius in my mind now. I shook my head to get rid of the feeling. Ugh, why am I starting to get the feeling that I actually don't hate him anymore?

"Rose, you do realise that you'll be late for your tutoring session with Malfoy, don't you?" Jade called after me as I went up to the dorm that night.

"Yeah, but I come first." I called back before ascending the staircase, pulling my bushy red hair out of its braid and letting it flow freely down my back. I had tons of work to do, plus we needed to type an essay for muggle studies on why muggles use computers.

I dumped my bag on my bed and flopped back onto it, wanting to fall asleep. But I had to tutor Malfoy in fifteen minutes, so that was out of the question and I had heaps of work which I was supposed to be starting now.

With a sigh, I heaved myself up and opened my bag, spreading out all of the work that I had to finish by tomorrow when something under Jade's bed caught my eye. It probably wouldn't have if it wasn't sticking out… or bright green. It was a box. I knew I shouldn't look inside, but come on, It's Jade. So unless she has some porn in there then I'm sure the contents are harmless. (If it is porn then I'm going to burn it)

I picked up the box and attempted to open it, only to find that it was locked. But not magically locked, it was locked with a key that Jade no doubtedly had on her at all times. Okay, so at this point most people would put the box back, giving up. But Mum has always told me that I'm too nosy for my own good. I can never resist something with a lock on it.

I drew my wand and whispered alohamora, hoping that she hadn't performed counter spells against it. She hadn't.

"Ah! Result!" I exclaimed quietly, stowing my wand back into my robes and opening up the box. Inside was a stack of parchment, all with Jade's untidy scrawl on it. I picked the first bit out and began to read to myself

24th October 2024

Dear Ella,

You light up my world like nobody else, your smile is like the light of day to me and I think that you're amazing. The sparkle in your eyes makes me want to throw you in the air and shout 'hallelujah' you are so perfect in every possible way. I love you so much. You're the one for me. Please kiss me.

Jade

A smile gradually made its way across my face. They were love letters. Love letters form Jade to Ella. I quickly leafed through the pieces of parchment to find that they were all like that, every single one. I rummaged to the bottom of the box, pulling out the very last piece of parchment in there and reading through it.

16th September 2024.

Dear Ella,

I missed you so much over the summer, seeing you was like the Light of Day again, you burn brighter than the sun. I love you so much, probably more than a friend. Yeah, I'm in love with you Ella, I hope you can find it in your heart to love me too.

Jade

"Oh Jade" I muttered, placing the piece of parchment back in the box. "You're too sweet."

"Rose!" I heard Ella call up the stairs. I jumped about a foot into the air and hastily started to put the pieces of parchment back into the box. Nobody could know about this, especially not Ella. "Rose, you're late for tutoring with Malfoy!"

"I know." I yelled back, "Must've dozed off." I locked the box with my wand and shoved it back under Jade's bed just as the door swung open and Ella walked in. I quickly made it look like I was packing my bag up for tutoring.

"This isn't like you." Ella said "You're always impeccable. Always on time"

"I'm a little stressed lately." I said, closing the flap of my bag and swinging it over my shoulder. "I'll see you when I get back, yeah?"

"Bye" she called after me as I ran out of the dorm and through the common room. I slowed down once I reached the Library as I didn't want Scorpius to think that I was too eager to see him. Why am I even eager to see him anyway? Ugh.

I heard a giggle and a soft moan from around the corner. Oh you are kidding me I thought, not another couple out of bed after hours. This was not what I needed right now. I fished my head girl badge out of my pocket and pinned it to my chest as I rounded the corner, ready to bust the couple, but what I saw was not was I had bargained for.

It was Scorpius, snogging a Ravenclaw girl that I recognised as Carla Mace, up against the wall. She giggled softly with her eyes closed as he sucked on her earlobe. I felt my gag reflex trigger and I turned away, hot anger consuming me threatening to envelope me completely, and that was when I realised, that was when I figured out why I had been thinking about him so much, why I had been referring to him as Scorpius instead of Malfoy. I didn't hate him anymore, not only did I not hate him, I loved him. And if you can't imagine that it gets any worse, then don't look. Not only do I love him, but I'm in love with him. Oh fuck.

AN: Writing this through a concussion with no editing probably isn't the best thing to do but I hope it makes sense.

Okay, so I just had the biggest mind fuck since I found out that Torchwood was the letters of Doctor Who rearranged. I just found out that the singer of "Stand" (my favourite song at the moment) played Cinna in the Hunger Games. (Lenny Kravitz) My favourite song and favourite character are sung/acted by the same person! MIND BLOWN!

Okay imma shut up now.

Reviews and Feedback are always valued and appreciated

Until Next Time

~The Original Horcrux~