It was five days until Christmas, and we were all packing to get the train back to London for the holidays. My trunk was open at the end of the bed, my belongings spread across the room as if somebody had cast a Reductor Curse over them. I sat on my bed, duvet wrapped around so I looked like some red-headed, blue caterpillar.

"Come on Rose, you need to get packing!" Anna said, throwing a skirt at me.

"But it's cold!" I moaned, shuffling along the bed. I didn't have that much packing to do, I was wearing most of the clothes I owned. Even with the cold wind around the castle, Ravenclaw Tower usually remained warm with fires in each room. However, due to the fact that all the occupants of our dormitory were going home, a fire had not been lit today. This left the room at Arctic temperatures, the stone floor like walking on blocks of ice.

"Stop being silly." Anna said, in a manner that reminded me very much of my mother. I sighed and leant over to my bedside table, picking up my wand. I flicked it at the piles of clothes, books and parchment and watched as they flew neatly into my trunk. I stood up and pulled on my shoes.

"There, didn't take long did it?" Anna smiled patronisingly. "Come on, we'll miss the carriage to the station."

We left the tower in a big group, full of other students leaving for Christmas. As we walked, a certain boy caught my eye, especially because he kept turning around and grinning at us as he walked. His brown hair was messily spiked up and he had dimples on each cheek every time he smiled. And every time he smiled in our direction, I heard a small sigh escape my best friend.

"So, Dorian Stretton, eh?" I asked, nudging Anna as she once again swooned at his smile. She blushed and looked at me, twisting a strand of her hair.

"He's really nice, I can't believe that I've never really spoken to him before." she gushed. I took her arm and linked it, grinning merrily to myself.

"Well, I have to say Annie, I approve. Better than that Jared guy."

"Jared who?" Anna asked innocently.

"So, Dorian and you went to Puddifoot's?"

"We did, but we weren't expecting you and Scorpius when we arrived. Thought you hated it in there?"

"I do," I said, "But Scorpius thought it was where I wanted to go. He was quite relieved when I told him that I didn't."

Anna nodded, listening to me as I recounted what had happened a few days previously.
After deciding to go to the Three Broomsticks, we met Scorpius in the street as he was leaving a shop. It definitely wasn't one that sold quills like he wanted, so I wondered what he was buying. The group of us found a large table in the pub, and I tried to ignore my Uncle studying Scorpius as he talked about Quidditch with James and Al. George's eyes darted from Scorpius to me as we sat together, making the situation quite uncomfortable.

I talked to my brother to distract myself, as George began asking Scorpius rather pressing questions.

Hugo had been watching Jared Smith in the common room and concluded that he had a new girlfriend in his own year. I imagined the seventh-year sucking face like a leech as he groped his new bimbo with boobs the size of quaffles.

I decided not to tell Anna all this, I was sure she'd be thinking of Dorian now anyway.

/\

Anna ran into Dorian's arms in the train corridor as he left to find a compartment with Barney and Patrick. He pulled her off her feet and swung her around, creating a blockage as students tried to find empty compartments. I laughed, whilst secretly wishing that it was me and Scorpius. I was fed up, what was he waiting for?

"Ro, we've found a compartment." Lily said, I turned and followed her.

I sat and watched the world fly by as the train picked up speed and began to journey through the countryside. The afternoon as pretty boring, only a marathon game of Exploding Snap to pass the time. That and watching my brother and male cousins ingest their bodyweight in food when the trolley came past. It was like their stomachs were bottomless pits, always needing to be filled with something.

Scorpius joined us for the remainder of the journey after lunch, sitting opposite me, I felt his eyes stare as I talked to Anna.

"Rose?" I looked at him as he said my name. He was holding out a deck of cards. "You and Anna joining in?"

"Sure." I smiled. He dealt the cards and so we played.

/\

I was loosing badly. It was a silly idea to play snap against James, he always won. He slammed his huge palms down on the table time after time, his deep voice growling as he said 'Snap'. My little hands and squeaky voice couldn't compete. I tried not to get competitive, but I couldn't help it.

"Snap!"

"Merlin, Rose, calm down!" Al laughed.

"Sorry," I blushed, sitting back on my seat. Anna and Lily giggled as my ears turned red. A pile of cards began to form again, growing more tense each time someone added to it. I was wound up like a spring, waiting for that pair to...

"Snap!"

But I was too slow, someone's hand hand gone down first. A pale, smooth hand. And mine was resting on top of it. I had just slammed my hand down on top of Scorpius', probably leaving a mark. I looked up, he was just staring at our hands on the table. The room went quiet, all except for an excited squeak erupting from Lily. It was at this moment that the deck chose to explode.

Cards fell down like snowflakes, filling the compartment. Everyone looked up and watched as they floated through the air, landing all around. I didn't move my hand as I watched in awe. The cards seemed to be moving slowly, it was really weird. I felt Scorpius' fingers move and my eyes snapped back to the table. His cool hand had moved out from under mine and was now laced between my own fingers. I couldn't help but smile.

And yet Scorpius hadn't seemed to have noticed, he was looking out of the window. Al looked at me and shrugged.

This was getting ridiculous, I was so fed up of waiting! What was his problem? It's my hair, isn't it? I knew people had issues with redheads. I refuse to wait any more for him. Well … maybe a little longer.

"We're nearly there." James said, standing up as Anna attempted to force the cards back into their box. Al stretched his arms out, accidentally hitting Scorpius with his elbow, awakening the blonde from his trance-like state. His hand pulled away from mine as he clutched his ear.

"Crap, sorry mate."

"Ah, it's all right." Scorpius replied, rubbing at his now red ear.

The train pulled slowly to the platform and out of the window I could see a crowd of anxious parents. It would be highly likely that both my mum and dad would be there, ready to embarrass me.

As if I had summoned them, I saw my mother, Hermione Jean Weasley, jumping up and down frantically and waving. It was like she was a child, not a middle aged mum-of-two. Dad was looking at her, laughing, as Uncle Harry muttered something in his ear. Dad looked straight at me, a strange expression on his face. I was stood at the window with Al and Scorpius, both of whom had also noticed my father. The train finally stopped and the carriage doors were opened.

"Erm, don't want to keep my father waiting," Scorpius muttered, picking up his coat. "Al," he nodded at my cousin. He stepped towards me, then stopped. "Have a good Christmas, Rose." he said, turning on his heel and leaving the compartment. What, did I smell or something? Was very tempted to check and sniff my pits, but I restrained myself.

"Well that was weird," Al said as we stepped off the train. "I wonder what's up with him."

It didn't take a genius to work it out. I looked up to see dad giving a basilisk death-stare to the back of Scorpius' head. The car journey home was going to be interesting.