Lily couldn't stand it anymore. She had few female friends, as she was much more of a tomboy than a gossip queen, and none of the guys would understand why she was so upset. And her female cousins were much too into themselves and much too knowledgeable in the area of boys that she was afraid they would laugh her away.

She knew it would be a little awkward when she went to see Rose – they hadn't spoken all term – but she just needed the comfort of a female who would know what she was going through. Well, she mused, maybe she doesn't know exactly what it feels like but she'll be able to help me out. She always used to do when we were younger.

Her decision made, Lily left her dorm room and headed straight out the portrait, not even bothering to acknowledge Hugo as he tried to get her attention. He was a prat and would therefore be ignored until she sorted herself out. Or until Rose started sorting her out, at least.

She slowly made her way to the dungeons and to the tapestry just to the right of the Slytherin common room. She took a deep breath and knocked loudly three times, trying in vain to keep the new tears that were forming in her eyes at bay.

Scorpius was sitting on the couch working on his Ancient Runes homework when he heard her knock. With a furrowed brow, he got up and opened the door. When he saw the look on Lily's face, he quickly ushered her in and sat her down on the couch.

"Rose! Hurry up in there. Lily's here and she needs to talk!" He quickly conjured a cup of hot chocolate and handed it to the younger girl before excusing himself into the Slytherin common room. It looked like a girl problem and he was rubbish at those.

When Rose came down about ten minutes later she was dressed in a pair of shorts and a shirt that had to belong to Malfoy – it was about three sizes too big and not at all something her father would wear. "Lil? Are you okay?"

Lily just stares at her for a moment, completely in awe of the fact that her cousin wasn't asking why she hadn't spoken to her in ages. Rose was typically a heart-on-her-sleeve person in regards to anger and resentment (which she got from Ron, of course) and this was something completely out of the ordinary. She wondered just when Rose had changed and realized that missing her cousin going from girl to woman was just another moment in time she'd wished she hadn't missed. "It's … stupid …"

"Oh, I doubt that, Lily Potter," Rose said as she sat beside her younger cousin. "You don't get upset over stupid things. And by the way Scorpius flew out of here, I would reckon you're pretty upset."

"So you're together now, you and Scorpius?" Lily asked in a desperate attempt to deflect talking about her problem for a moment. True, she was the one who sought out Rose, but now, when she was sitting with the older witch, she felt like her problems were so trivial compared to the ones her older cousin was going through.

"Yes," Rose admitted. "And, if you don't mind me asking, which rumor was it that you heard?"

"I saw you two on the pitch with Professor Malfoy and the rest of their family. I … I saw you holding the baby and the way Scorpius wrapped you up in his arms and … Rose, it was so beautiful. I couldn't … there were no words that came to my mind but perfect and right. And I knew, then, that you and he were together and you didn't care if his family knew. And since Al was there, I bet Dad knows too."

Rose smiled slightly and gave a small nod. "Better than the he got her pregnant and has to pretend to date her until they figure out how to get rid of the baby without Flitwick knowing story I heard in dinner last night," Rose laughed. "Now," she continued, sobering, "tell me what happened. It's not like you to get this upset without being angry."

"Oh, I'm angry," Lily acknowledged. "But I'm hurt too. I just never expected it to feel like this …"

"What happened?"

"It's … Lorcan."

"Scamander?" Rose asked.

"D'you know anyone else with that name?" Lily asked with a slight giggle.

"Right," the brunette acknowledged. "Did he try something …?"

"No! Not at all … in fact, he probably never will."

Rose's eyebrows scrunched together as she thought about what Lily was trying to tell her without actually saying it. That in and of itself was quite odd as Lily rarely held back from saying exactly what she meant. "Lily …?"

"He's taking Calliope Quintilla to Hogsmeade this coming Saturday!" Lily finally cried out, unable to contain herself any longer. "He's taking the bloody space cadet on a date! Can you believe that? He's taking her instead of me when all the signs were saying that he liked me. I don't understand it!"

"Oh, Lil …" Rose said softly.

"It's 'cause I'm not like all the other girls, isn't it? If she's the kind of girl he's looking for … I mean, I'm not like her. I'm the one who started petitioning for the girls to be allowed to wear trousers instead of skirts. I play quidditch and get into tussles … he's not looking for that in a girl, is he? No, of course not," she continued to herself. "Why would he?"

"Lily, listen to me," Rose said strongly. "Just because he asked out Calliope Quintilla doesn't mean he doesn't fancy you. He could just be trying to see if he really does or not. Before Scor and I got together he was dating that Ravenclaw in the year ahead of you – Carla Hensin? – to make sure I wasn't (or was) what he wanted. And I did the same thing with … most of the guys I was with last year. What I felt for Scorpius was so intense that I was afraid of it …"

"I can't imagine that Lorcan is scared of me," Lily said doubtfully.

"Not of you, Lil, but of what you could mean."

"I don't ever want to grow up if I have to learn to talk in riddles like that," the redhead scowled. "Why can't he just say what he bloody wants to say – either he wants to be with me or he doesn't. Yes or no. They're pretty simple words …"

"Maybe he's going out with her because he knows he does like you and he doesn't know how you feel about him," Rose said with a shrug. "Mum told me that your mum liked your dad before they got together but since Uncle Harry wasn't particularly fascinated with Aunt Gin yet, she dated other guys and waited for your dad to come around. Obviously he did."

"So you want me to act like a tart and date loads of other guys why I wait for Lorcan to decide whether he wants to be with me or not?" Lily asked doubtfully.

"No, you nutter," Rose sighed. "I'm saying that simply because he's taking some other girl to Hogsmeade doesn't mean he doesn't fancy you. I think you should do what you want – if some other bloke asks you to go, say yes – and eventually Lorcan will make his feelings known one way or the other." She paused for a moment. "Wait. You said he's taking the Quintilla girl?"

"Yes," Lily pouted.

Rose gave a short laugh. "They'll never work out."

"Why not?"

"Well, it's always been said that blokes look for their mother in girls. They're attracted to women, for some reason, who remind them of their mother. But I think Calliope is too much like Luna for Lorcan to be happy. Though you have some Luna qualities as well." When Lily tried to protest Rose cut her off. "No. Not the crazy ones. But you're strong. You're independent. You're fierce and you're quite beautiful. He just needs to sort it all out for himself."

Lily was quiet for a few moments before she looked back up to her cousin with a small smile. "Thanks, Rose. I've missed being able to do this."

Rose was ready to respond with the fact that she had been waiting for someone from the family to come around and not act like a stuck up prat anymore but she decided to stay quiet. Lily was here, reaching out to her, and it felt good. It made her think that there was a chance of reconciliation after all. "Me too, Lils."

--

The rest of Sunday passed quickly, as did Monday and Tuesday. Before any of them knew it, NEWT Potions was upon them. And it was time to check out Rose and Professor Malfoy's new seating plan.

There seemed to be a general contentment among almost all of the pairs (except for Darla Mixon, who got stuck with the Humphrey prat) and everyone seemed to settle in nicely.

"I think it's great about you and Scorpius," Vicky Berman said to Rose as they began counting out their lacewing flies.

"Thanks," Rose said as she started cutting the ginger root that would need to be added just as the cauldron started to boil.

"This is one of those things you don't want to talk about, isn't it?" the blonde asked softly.

"It's not that," Rose said seriously. "It's just … and it's not that I don't trust you – you've been one of my best girl friends ever … it's just that I don't want this to be fodder for the rumor mill. I mean, everyone knows about Paddington's deal with my dad – which I have no intention of honoring, mind you – and everyone knows about what I shouted at Dad when he came for my detention … by the way, Professor Malfoy put silencing charms on all of the portraits in his office – except Snape – since he doesn't know which one spread the rumor … and now it's all over school. And I don't think a single one of the rumors is anywhere close to being true."

"I know that, Rose," Vicky replied. "Besides, everyone in Hogwarts could see that you and Scorpius would get together eventually. We didn't know if it would be a serious relationship or just a casual fling – a lot of the girls were betting on a fling, mind you, since those dumb rumors about Scorpius and all those girls …"

"He really did go out with all those girls, Vick … he just never shagged them. Well, not all of them. I think he had two or so," Rose shrugged.

"And you're okay with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" the brunette asked as she stirred the cauldron while Vicky added the ingredients. "Scorpius isn't the first bloke I've been with. I think it would be slightly hypocritical for me to get all wonky on him for doing something that I did as well."

Vicky stared at Rose for a moment with a slight smile on her face. This was the most open Rose Weasley had ever been with her and she had to admit she liked it. She knew that she and the Slytherin could have been great friends but once in Hogwarts, Rose had closed herself off to everyone outside of Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy. They spoke and were on friendly terms of course, but it wasn't as if they had girl talk by the lake or visited Gladrags in Hogsmeade. This new Rose – still confident and perhaps a little content – was something of a marvel to everyone around her. She had a feeling that the Head Girl was about to become even more popular.

"Are you and Scorpius going to Hogsmeade this weekend?" she asked Rose suddenly.

"Erm, I think so. I think Al wants to take Harmony on a real date and quidditch is the week after so we have this Saturday off. Why do you ask?"

"Well, erm, I'm going with Bentley Lofton, we're sort of dating – he's a Gryffindor. Anyway, I thought maybe we could, you know, double?" Vicky asked. She quickly added, "Please don't feel like you have to say yes or anything. It was just an idea and I like you a lot, Rose, and I think we could be friends. Oh, bother, I've gone and made a fool of myself …"

"It sounds like fun," Rose smiled. "It will be our first official date as a Hogwarts couple."

"Really?" Vicky asked.

"Really," Rose agreed. "Scor and I will meet you at ten in the courtyard."

"Brilliant," the blonde responded. "It'll be nice to do something other than study."

Rose mock-gasped. "A Ravenclaw not wanting to study? Oh! The world is ending!"

"Shove it, Weasley," Vicky responded with a smile as she nudged her shoulder against Rose's. "We do more than study Runes and Arithmancy in the cleverest house in Hogwarts."

"Yeah? You study things like chemistry and biology…" Rose asked, trying to keep a straight face.

"And anatomy," Vicky whispered back with a grin before the girls settled in to do their work.

Rose smiled again, still feeling much better after her conversation with Professor Malfoy (who was discretely smiling from a few rows behind them) on Sunday night.

--

"So, I think we've put this off for long enough," Rose said as she sat outside the Three Broomsticks in the back garden (which Mrs. Longbottom had insisted on putting in). "Who's going to ask the first question?"

"I believe you just did, Miss Weasley," Draco smiled. When she didn't return it, he knew her mood had darkened once again. He sighed and shook his head. "Are you still angry because you really are or is it because you're not ready to forgive your father yet?"

"Both."

Draco sighed again. "Rose, I know you don't want to, but you're going to have to give me more than one word answers if you want this to help."

"I know," she responded. "But I think it would be better if you tell me a bit about what it was like for you growing up. I mean, from what I heard – from what Mum told me, which is very little – pleasing your father was always the highest To Do on your list."

"It was," Draco acknowledged. "I didn't want to disappoint him. He was my father. I wanted to be just like him when I grew up." He paused for a moment. "Voldemort tricked my father. And then he turned him into someone I wouldn't recognize today if he came up to me on the street. He wasn't so bad before he married Mum … that's what my grandmother said … but he married Mum and joined Voldemort around the same time. And then I was born right around the time that bloody prophesy was made and, well, you know. Father moved back into normal life but he was different from when Grandmother knew him. He was intent on the dark arts and seemed to want to excel. Mum said she thought he was trying to take over for the Dark Lord. So he pushed me until I broke."

"How did you break?"

"Well, I was so determined to make him proud of me that I became quite the little git. Your mum slapped me in our third year – she was having some kind of issue with your dad, I think. Anyway … I was just an all around prat and it was mostly because of your mother. See, Father wanted me to be the best at everything … but your mum bested me in everything. I think that was the main reason we didn't get along. I was angry at her for being better so I took it out on her and her stupid friends. And because she was a muggleborn. Father would have flayed me alive if I was friends with one of those."

"Dad hates me because I'm a Slytherin," Rose said softly. "That's when it started. I think he thought I was his little mini-Hermione or something. But I'm not that much like her – not really. I mean, I am a little bit, but my family, when I was growing up, they started seeing that I wasn't like Mum or Dad … not like Hugo is. But Dad didn't want to see it."

"First, your father doesn't hate you. It may seem like he does but he really loves you. He just doesn't know how to reconcile the fact that you're a Weasley and you're in Slytherin."

"It shouldn't matter what house I'm in, Professor!" she exclaimed, ignoring the stares of the witches and wizards around them. "He should love me because I'm his daughter. He shouldn't have cut me out of his life like that!"

"I agree with you, Rose. I was angry at my father for years for the way he treated me. Before and during Hogwarts. And I know he'll come around, Rose. He really does love you and I think, after your Mum's been away from him for so long, he'll start to realize how much of a git he's being and what the results are. He just needs that jolt of reality. I'm sure he'll come around soon. Well, I'm not sure, but I hope."

"I wish I had your faith, Professor," Rose said softly.

"You can, Rose. All you have to do is live your life and believe that good things will happen. Scorpius' mother really disliked me at first, but I had some faith and look where we are now: two fantastic kids and the best marriage I could ask for. Just let yourself be happy, Rose, and you will be. It'll all work out in the end."

"Thanks, Professor," she said softly before changing the topic to something else entirely.

--

"Hello, Lysander," Lily said softly as she sat down beside the third year in the library. "Having a good week?"

"Yeah," he replied quietly. "Thanks for coming to help me with this Runes work though. I just can't get these couple to translate into what your aunt did."

"Few people can," she smiled. "Aunt Hermione was – and is, of course – brilliant. She could have done anything she wanted."

Lysander nodded and turned back to his book. "Are you doing okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Nothing out of the ordinary, at least," she replied.

"D'you wanna talk about it?"

She knew she should have said no. She knew she should have just dropped it. Lysander was Lorcan's brother for Merlin's sake; his younger brother. Well, she rationalized in her mind, it's not like I'm asking him out or using any names. "Yeah. That would be great."

"So … what's up?"

"Well, there's this guy … and I like him … and I think he likes me. But we're in different houses, you know? And he likes this other girl, I think, but I don't know."

"That sounds very confusing," Lysander said honestly, but his heart gave a skip. Could she be talking about me? I know I've been hanging around with Susan Bultruckle. Maybe she's jealous. "I think he would be crazy not to like you back."

She smiled slightly. "Thanks, Ly, but that doesn't make it any easier."

"How about I try to make it a little easier on you. Why don't we go to Hogsmeade together on Saturday – it's my first visit and I'm kinda nervous and excited about it anyway – and you let me buy you something to eat at the Three Broomsticks?"

She stared at him. She knew she should say no because she had a crush on his older brother… but she couldn't turn him down. It was his first time in Hogsmeade and his brother wouldn't be there to help him out. Lysander was a good kid and he deserved to have a little bit of fun. "Sounds great."

"Great!" he cried out with a wide smile before pressing a chaste kiss to her cheek and practically skipping out of the library.

Oh shit, Lily thought. Does he think it's a date?