Thank you, thank you for the lovely reviews! Chapter-wise, I'm thinking around five left right now. So, probably not long to go, but I am terrible at plotting out
Lily was the one to break the news to Rose. She received five minutes of an unrestrained rant, more swearwords than she'd ever heard in her life, and some side story about Edgecombe distracting Lily and keeping her out of the common room before Rose understood.
Scorpius was back with April.
Realisation came scant moments before the couple entered the room, hand-in-hand, and headed for the Slytherin table. Lily stood, but Rose held her cousin in place firmly, willing herself not to cry. She'd known - she'd known all along what this was actually about. Scorpius didn't owe her any warning. But it would have been nice - then she wouldn't have saved his usual space, wouldn't have seated herself opposite the Slytherin table without further thought.
"It's okay, Lily, I already knew," Rose said firmly, lying through her teeth. She wasn't going to react; not here in the Great Hall. This was going to have to be considered later. "But I'm going to need you to sit down, and tell me all your best jokes, because otherwise it's going to look very much like Scorpius was the one to break up with me, and we don't want that."
Lily sat down, still visibly seething. "I'm going to coat his mattress in itching powder," she said, and her lips stretched into a smile. "I'm going to snap every twig off his broomstick. I'm going to glue his bed to the ceiling. All his quills are going to write backwards. I'll make Celestina Warbeck play on loop in his head for eternity."
"I think you're the most terrifying person I've ever met," Rose said slowly, trying and failing to plaster a grin to her face.
"That means a lot," Lily answered, "but I'm just warming up."
She was lounging in the Gryffindor common room when Scorpius entered. Up until that point, she had been even enjoying herself, indulging in a tense game of Wizard Chess with Albus (obviously she'd won), and playing Exploding Snap with Roxanne (who'd singed her collar, but Rose and Lily assured her that the blackened mess was preferable to the frills anyway). She had not expected him here, and the last card fell from her fingers.
Tension thrummed through the room as the Gryffindors registered his presence, and James stood, blocking Scorpius's path to Rose.
"I think you've done enough, Malfoy," he said firmly, and Rose was overwhelmed by affection for her family.
For a moment, she was awfully tempted to let James scare Scorpius off. James could probably do with the ego boost following yesterday's match, and Scorpius's eagerness to be far away from the Weasley clan was tangible. Then, he stood his ground, and said, "I know. But I'd like to speak with Rose anyway, if I may."
It was brave of him to come looking for her in the lion's den, and although she wanted to nurse her wounds a little longer, she also didn't want him to know how bothered she was by the whole thing. So, she got to her feet, and told James in a clear, strong voice that she wouldn't be long, and watched Scorpius shrink a little further into himself. It was strangely unsatisfying.
"I'm an idiot," he said, as soon as she'd shut the portrait hole behind her.
He looked the same as he had the previous day - perhaps a little more drawn - but the space in between them felt foreign now. All her questions, quelled in the presence of her family, bubbled to the surface. Had he been building up to this? Was that why he hadn't sat with her at dinner yesterday? Was it her - was she terrible at kissing?
Enough. Rose exhaled, feeling for her words with caution. "I would have liked to have known sooner," she admitted, leaning against the bannister. Casual. She could be casual. They were supposed to be able to be friends now, or Albus's plan would go to waste. "But it's what we were working towards, after all. I just didn't know you were so - close."
That was the main problem, really. If she'd kept the April dialogue open with him, she wouldn't feel so foolish now - wouldn't keep thinking of all the ways she could have protected herself sooner. All the ways she could not have kissed him on the Quidditch pitch.
"We weren't," Scorpius replied, crossing his arms in front of himself. It came as a relief to know that it hadn't been brewing underneath her the whole time. That, maybe, she had been Rose in her own right, and not merely a device to get April back. "It was just - well, Friday night, I thought, maybe. Not before then, I promise."
Friday night. Before Saturday afternoon. Right.
She was not going to cry.
"That's, well, that's-" Her arms slipped as the staircase began to move beneath her. She stepped up onto the top platform hurriedly, and was crowded by Scorpius.
Great.
"Scorpius, I think you should go," Rose said, trying to inject some of James's strength into her tone.
He looked a little lost, stepping back from her. It wasn't her place to try and make him feel better (he had a girlfriend for that now, a real one), and she laced her hands together behind her back. "Right. I'm sorry - I mean, did I say I was sorry? I'm sorry, anyway. For wasting your time." He waved a hand around. "You know. For all of it."
"Rose?" The portrait had swung aside to reveal Albus.
Rose climbed through the portrait hole without a backward glance.
"This is not what I had in mind when you said you needed help with your Defence homework," Rose hissed.
Lily laughed. "No, I know - like I would ever make you do anything so boring. Agnes has probably already finished my homework by now. Anyway-" she cut across Rose's protests easily "-I think it's time for you to choose. Butterfly Wings or Wizochoc?"
"What?"
There was a thump, as though Lily had thrown down her backpack, and then Lily shouted, "Lumos," and the passageway behind the old witch was illuminated, the wand-light directed into small glass balls. "So," Lily said, having also had the presence of mind to bring a blanket (somebody in Slytherin was probably missing it right that minute) to cover the cold earth. "Butterfly Wings or Wizochoc? Or both. You can have both if you'd like."
"Lily." Rose sighed, rubbing a hand across her face. It had been a very long day already, and all she wanted to do was curl up in bed with a book. That was going to have to wait, clearly, notwithstanding the fact that Grace would probably haul her out of the dormitory. Grace appeared to have taken the break-up personally - just like everybody else in Rose's life. "I'm going to need you to explain what we're doing here."
"I can tell you what we're not doing here, and that's eating sweets," Lily answered, biting the head off a fudge fly. Rose's face obviously spoke volumes, and Lily relented, patting the blanket next to her. "I thought it would be nice to cheer you up a bit. You looked miserable after Malfoy interrupted Weasley Wars. If it helps, he's probably miserable with Awful April - she's really boring, and not a patch on you."
The cold passageway was not Rose's idea of a fun Sunday afternoon at the best of times. The library was warm, her friends were rallying to her (if a little on the suffocating side of things), and she needed to figure out the rest of her Transfiguration essay before Neville gave her more homework on Monday. Lily's face was earnest, though, and - well, it wouldn't hurt to put Transfiguration off another day. Rose gave in and sat cross-legged opposite her cousin. "I hope you've packed some Chocoballs, or I'm off."
"Like I would have dared come without them." Lily pulled a packet out of her bag, as Rose was stacking her books either side of them. "Rose, I'm sorry, you know. I know you were really starting to like him. And I know he really likes you, too. We can get April out the way again, I swear I can do it."
Rose focused her attention on warming the books up and hoping the heating spell would not cause them to catch fire. She had received enough lectures from her parents on demonstrating with her books before - it just so happened that sometimes, they were the only thing around on which she could practise. Once she was satisfied the chill was lessening in the frigid air around them, she was forced to address Lily. It would be easiest to leave her cousin in the dark. But Lily had gone to all this trouble for Rose and, really, Rose had no one to blame but herself for her current predicament. "Lily, that - that is a very kind suggestion, but it isn't necessary. Scorpius and I... he was never actually my boyfriend. Al asked me to do him a favour, and pretend to date Scorpius for a while so he could date April again." She waved a dismissive hand. "As you can see, it worked."
Lily's mouth dropped open, and Rose watched as she turned the past month over in her mind. "Rosie. You sly... I can't believe you fooled me all that time! I can't believe you let Malfoy touch you, and you weren't even dating! I can't believe I was nice to him."
"You weren't that nice to him," Rose said, the corners of her mouth twitching.
Evidently, Lily was contemplating all the terrible things she'd missed out on doing to Scorpius. "That's true. But still! Why do you listen to Al's awful ideas, and never do anything I suggest?"
"Last time I listened to you, Nana's wireless exploded."
"And I think we can both agree that it improved Christmas Day for everybody."
Rose bit back a smile. It wouldn't do to encourage her.
Lily fumbled with her backpack, pulling out the Butterfly Wings. "Uncle George says he used to make these fly at school; says that was his Valentine's Day trick. Wingardium Leviosa." The wings on the top shivered, and then took to the air, its sugary coating glinting in the dim light.
"Is he the one who told you to come here?"
Lily nodded, leaning back on her hands, and watching the wings hover. "It's useful if I want to go off Map. I mean, I also took the Map from James's dormitory today, so that helped too. All in aid of a little peace and quiet for you - I'm so glad that you were lying to me and didn't actually need it."
Well. She deserved it, but the barb certainly didn't make Rose feel any better. "I - I'm sorry, Lily. I just - I thought it would be easier if fewer people knew."
There was a pause as Lily stretched out for the flapping wings. "That's fair enough. I mean, if it had been me, I probably would have come to some arrangement that didn't mean I was snogging Scorpius Malfoy outside the Quidditch changing rooms, when I thought no one else could see me."
A rush of heat swamped Rose; she pushed her sleeves up, swallowing hard.
"Right before he got back with his ex-girlfriend. Which, apparently, you knew was going to happen. Probably wasn't the best idea if you're faking the whole thing."
Lily's gaze was stern and Rose couldn't bring herself to meet it. "I-" The words wouldn't come. She closed her eyes.
"Oh, Rosie," Lily said, wrapping her up in a hug. "I'm sorry - I didn't mean to upset you. Honestly, I didn't. I just - I don't understand you. Can't you tell Malfoy?"
Rose shook her head, swiping her fingers under her eyes. "I'm fine - no, really, I'm fine. I was dealing with it all, and then he kissed me, and I thought, maybe, but obviously he doesn't feel the same way. I'm fine."
"You said that," Lily pointed out, giving her a very Lily-like look. Whatever she was plotting, Rose hoped that she had no part in it. She'd had her fill of Slytherin schemes. The thought slipped away as Lily exclaimed, "Oh, Merlin, did Hugo know before me? I know he's your brother and everything, but Rose, that is just uncalled for!"
Sweets with Lily had brightened her mood again - the only brief difficulty arising as they stared back up the stone slide before Lily recalled Uncle George's rope ladder. Rose was crossing her fingers for a quick meal and early bedtime, but halfway through her spaghetti carbonara, Grace kicked her in the shin.
"Ouch, Grace, what-"
A throat cleared from behind her; she turned to find the last person she wanted to speak to. April.
April showed none of Rose's disinclination, and slipped between Rose and Max, forcing the Ravenclaws to shuffle apart. "I won't stay. I brought your things back from Scorpius," she said gently, passing a bag over. It clunked onto the table-top; Rose noted she hadn't enchanted it. April's tone took on a fond note, causing Rose's stomach to sink a little further. "He's a bit awful - I didn't know if these were things you might need, and he tends to avoid uncomfortable situations, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to give them back to you. Also to see if we were okay." Rose's eyes darted up to meet April's. "I didn't want to inadvertently have upset you. I know the timing was... difficult."
"I'm fine," Rose replied, wondering if she should stitch it into her robes to save people the trouble of asking. She had the feeling she'd be devoting long hours to the library in the near future, just to escape conversations like this one. "But thank you."
April gave her a wide, relieved smile, and returned to the Slytherin table.
"Why did you let him take your things?" Grace asked, curiously.
"I didn't think I had," Rose replied, unknotting the string. The bag was full with something, at any rate. Had April seized the opportunity to get rid of her least favourite of Scorpius's belongings? "She must have been mistaken. I-" She paused, pulling out a handful of pages, scrawled over in familiar writing. Very familiar writing. "This is my Defence essay - no, it's a copy, I tore this page." She pressed her fingers to her lips, something beginning to dawn on her. "My Transfiguration notes. Charms. A letter - a letter I wrote to my dad yesterday." Her voice cracked, and she looked up at her friends, incredulous. "How did he- I don't understand."
Max leaned over, rifling through the bag. "I'd say somebody's charmed your quills. Or your ink. Quills would be easier, though."
It was the only thing that made sense, but how could he? All her essays, all her careful notes for class, no wonder he'd never laid nib to paper in front of her. He'd never needed to whilst she was doing all the work for him. Somehow, it felt like more of a betrayal than showing up hand-in-hand with April that morning. Had he orchestrated the April scheme to gain better access to her work? How long had it been going on?
Long enough, anyway. Rose yanked her three quills out of her own bag, hands trembling. She snapped the first.
Grace put her hand over the second. "Hang on a moment. Firstly, it looks bad. But let's make absolutely sure. Because if it is him - don't you want to send him a little message?"