Walking into the common room was like accidentally gatecrashing a funeral- confusing and depressing. The room was silent, the mood heavy, and I had the distinct feeling that I was intruding on something. Even the crackling fire and the warm tones of the room did nothing for the atmosphere. As I walked hesitantly into the room, my eyes lit up as I spotted James- somebody that would tell me what was going on! But my brisk pace towards him slowed down when I realised he was sitting with the whole Gryffindor Quidditch team, and everyone looked absolutely miserable.

"James? What's going on?" I asked tentatively.

My voice snapped him out of his reverie and he looked up at me in surprise, "Rose, hey." His expression was pained and it looked like it physically hurt him to say the words, "It's Albus. His arm got shattered by a rogue bludger at practice. Can't play in tomorrow's match."

My mouth dropped open, "What?! Oh my God! Is he okay?"

"Bloody pissed is what he is." James replied, "Keeps trying to argue his way out of the Hospital Wing, but Pomfrey's not having it."

"Merlin." was all I could come up with. That was bad .That was really really bad, and this was coming from a person who didn't really care about Quidditch. "I'm so sorry, James… So there's no absolutely nothing we can do about it?"

James sighed, "The chances of Al playing are slim to none, Zoe isn't up to it, and we don't have enough time to train up anyone else! It's just always been Albus, you know? I never thought we'd need to replace Albus!" He put his head in his hands.

"Oh dear... I wish I could help, but I'm pretty useless when it comes to Quidditch. I should go visit Al. I'll be in the hospital wing if you need anything." I patted his shoulder gently before leaving the room.

James was not joking when he said that Albus was pissed.

"It doesn't even hurt! I'm fine! Can't you see that I'm absolutely fine, woman?!" was what I heard upon entering the Hospital Wing.

It was safe to say that Albus was not having a good time of it.

"Lay back down this moment, young man, and be quiet before I give you another dose!" She snapped, before bustling back into her office, muttering about hot headed boys.

It was safe to say that Pomfrey wasn't having a good time of it either.

Albus let out a groan of frustration before falling back onto his mountain of pillows.

"Hey." I said as I sat down on his bed. "How are you doing?"

"Oh hey Rose." He gave me a rueful smile, "How do you think?"

"Does it really not hurt?" I asked prodding his arm gently.

"Hurts like a bitch."

"Oh Albus." I sighed.

"I just can't believe it happened!" He exclaimed. "It's the first time I've been hit properly by a bludger in years, and it just has to be before our first match. I honestly don't know if I should laugh or cry."

"Well…" I tried to think of something positive to say, "at least it's only your first match, and not the final or something."

Albus sighed, "The thing is, I can still play with my left hand! It sounds arrogant, but I know I could still win the game with just one hand!"

I opened my mouth to utter some more soothing words of comfort when the doors of the hospital wing were flung open and a determined looking James came storming up to the bed with Zoe hot on his heels.

"Rose." He said with steely conviction, and then without further preamble, he dropped the bomb. "I need you to play seeker for tomorrow's game."

"What?" Albus and I reply in incredulous unison.

"We need you as seeker for tomorrow's Quidditch match." James repeated, unfazed by our disbelief.

"What?!" I spluttered again, "Are you trying to be funny?"

"I'm being serious, Rose." He replied with the same unnerving tone.

"Are you okay, man?" Albus asked, "I know everyone's panicking, but let's not be rash here."

"James, c'mon. You're talking about me here. Rose Weasley, who doesn't even participate in family scrimmages for fear of death, and you're asking me to play in a real match? You want me to fly?"

The clearly deranged boy merely nodded.

The laughter that was about to burst from my lips died in my throat and the horrible realisation that he was actually being serious began to sink in. "Do you want me to die?!" I choked out, incredulous and alarmed. And when that didn't seem to do the trick, I tried another tack. "Do you want to lose the match?!"

"Rose, I've seen you fly. You're good."

"Yes, Rose. Remember when you saved my wand? That was amazing!" Zoe exclaimed encouragingly.

"Oh my God, you've got to be kidding me." I muttered. "You have got to be kidding me."

"And your reflexes are good too." James interjected.

"Guys, c'mon. Come on-" I was cut off by an apple that was suddenly speeding towards my face, and I instinctively ducked and to my horror was suddenly holding it in my hand. I dropped it instantly as if it was poisonous, and looked at Albus feeling utterly dismayed and betrayed. "How dare you!"

I turned to James who was looking at me with a smug expression, Albus with a contemplative with one, and Zoe with an encouraging smile.

Oh Merlin, this was not good.

"No!" I exclaimed outraged, as if the sheer power of my voice could stem the flow of their preposterous thoughts. "No no no no no. This is not happening. I can't. No seriously guys. I can't. This is not funny. I can't play Quidditch, I can't even fly for Merlin's sake! I'm scared of heights! Just because I flew that one time with Zoe, doesn't mean I can fly in a Quidditch match! I'll lose the match for you, I can guarantee that. I probably won't even kick off the ground when the whistle blows. I'll just end up running around the Quidditch pitch in the hope that the snitch will fly low enough for me to reach. I can't do it." I looked imploringly into their faces, but the only change in expression was a couple of raised eyebrows. "Please."

"Look Rose, you are ten times better at flying than I am." Zoe said soothingly, "Gryffindor needs you. Who else can do it?"

"But, what about all the other people who tried out?" I asked in desperation. "There must be someone else in the entirety of Gryffindor who can fly a freaking broomstick!"

"They were rubbish." James dismissed with a nonchalant wave of his hand.

I shook my head frantically. "Listen guys, that time by the lake was a one off, a fluke. I'm a completely inconsistent flyer, you can't rely on me. I'll let you down for sure. That's the first time you've seen me fly in years, in fact it was the first time I'd flown in years. How can you base your opinion on that? And don't you remember that I fell in the lake after that? Did you forget that minor detail?"

"You were never bad at flying, Rose." Albus remarked, "You just didn't particularly like it."

"Didn't particularly like it?" I all but shrieked, "I detest it, I abhor it, I am completely and utterly terrified of it!"

They just all looked at me.

"Please don't make me do it." I begged, lip quivering. "Please."

"I wouldn't be asking you to do this if I didn't believe you could do it." James replied gently, but firmly.

"But I don't want to do it." I said weakly.

Zoe's eyes were sympathetic, but they were vastly outweighed by James' unwavering ones. "Rose, you know the game inside out. Those newbies have got nothing on you."

"What about Albus? There's still a chance that he'll get cleared by Madame Pomfrey!" I cried.

The three unimpressed looks I received expressed their thoughts on that suggestion more clearly than words could have.

"And what would you do if I refused?" I asked.

There was a beat of silence before James replied, "That's just a hypothetical question right?"

"Oh my God, I can't believe this is happening." I murmured, it was like all my bad dreams were coming true at once. "Why would you do this to me? Why?! I can't deal with this sort of pressure! Why can't I at least be chaser or something, or beater? Why does it have to be the bloody seeker?!"

"You don't know any of the plays we've been working, and like I said, you've got good reflexes, and you saw the snitch before we did in the Slytherin and Hufflepuff match." James responded.

All I could do was whimper pitifully in response.

"Thank you so much, Rose. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" James gave me a massive bear hug which did little to appease me.

"I hate you all." I said miserably, "I hate you all so much."

"We love you, Rose." Zoe replied, undisturbed.

"You better all give me bloody good birthday presents. Or let's be real here; give bloody good speeches at my funeral."

"You'll be brilliant, Rose." Zoe said.

"For what it's worth, I'd rather you play in my place than anyone else." That was worth a lot coming from Albus. But it still didn't quash my sudden urge to throw up.

I woke up several times during the night and it was almost a relief when it finally became an acceptable time to get up, so that I could stop stewing over the forthcoming events and my impending doom.

"I think it's really brave what you're doing Rose." Ingrid told me, "Very noble and selfless of you."

"Thanks." I murmured in response.

"And it doesn't really matter what the outcome is. Of course the aim is to win, but I don't think anyone would really mind too much if you didn't catch the snitch."

I hadn't really thought of that. Everyone thought, or knew rather, that I was a shit flyer, so they were no expectations, right?

"I certainly don't care if you catch snitch or not." She grinned at me.

I gave her a small smile, "Thanks Ingrid."

All that Ingrid had done to soothe my nerves was in vain, however, because as soon as I entered the Great Hall for breakfast, I was a nervous wreck. The room was alive with anticipation, everyone was chatting away excitedly, proud Gryffindors and Ravenclaws alike were placing bets, and I..., I was sitting in the corner having a nervy b.

I had forced down half a piece of toast (was it always this dry and tasteless?) when Ralph suddenly pulled me into his conversation. "Pfft, Alfie here thinks that Ravenclaw's going to win by 30 points. Ridiculous, huh Rose? What do you think it will be, will we win by 50 or 80 points?"

I almost threw up my toast right there and then, and quickly found the nearest exit.

It's safe to say that the morning before the game was a dark time for me. My thought process went something along the lines of: Crap crappity crap crap crap. Which I think was completely warranted, because, let's be honest, I was screwed. What on earth was I doing anyway? What on earth was I freaking doing? I couldn't play Quidditch! I was going to let all of Gryffindor down. Oh Merlin oh Merlin oh Merlin oh Merlin. All I could think of was poor Albus sitting helplessly in the hospital wing, and the only thing that was getting him through his frustration was the fact that there was some miniscule chance that Gryffindor might win anyway.

The miniscule chance that I would catch the snitch.

Shit shit shit shit shiiit. Okay, breathe Rose, breathe. I forced myself to think positively. You are a strong, confident, young woman. You're a Gryffindor, you're a Gryffindor Prefect. You got on O on your past three essays. WHO THE FREAKING CARES ABOUT MARKS AT A TIME LIKE THIS? Holy crap, did I just think that? I must be going mad. I'm mad, that was the only conclusion I could come to. But honestly, marks were not going to help me win a Quidditch match. And my house would not be sympathetic if I whimpered a pathetic "but I got an O on that really hard Potions essay!" after failing to catch the snitch.

Freaking hell, the bleeding snitch was not even my problem at the moment; it was actually getting on a broomstick and surviving a Quidditch game.

I was going to let James down, and Albus down, and the whole team down. Not to mention the whole house, and embarrass myself in front of the whole school.

How would anyone take me seriously as a prefect after this?

I checked my watch. Oh Merlin, 45 minutes until the match began. I couldn't do this. Oh God, I really didn't think I could do this. But if I didn't do it, I'd be letting James and everyone down by default. Oh God, HOW DID I GET INTO THIS SITUATION? Was there a secret passage leading out of the school and into Australia or something? There must be some kind of wizarding school there... and if not, I'm sure I could find some nice beach to relax on in the mean time.

Without thinking my feet led me to the library, and as soon as I entered, my highly strung nerves were soothed slightly by the smell of the books. Shelves and shelves of books. This relief soon disintegrated into frustration and disappointment, however. Disappointed that my sanctuary could not even help me now. After all, what good was a book against gravity, seven aggressive Quidditch players, and the disappointment of your whole house? I all but cried out in frustration as I forced myself not to and knock over a pile of sacredly ancient books and stomped back out.

"Woah there." A voice came from directly in front of me, "Everything all right?"

I looked up to see Scorpius, concerned but with an amused twinkle in his eye. Got an amused twinkle in your eye have you, Malfoy? Well, I'd show him amused twinkle when I was done with him! But as I opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind, all the fight went out of me and suddenly all that was left within me was despair. I would let the team down, the house down, but what could I do about it? I just looked at him in absolute misery before walking into his arms.

It took him a second to respond, but I think he must've understood the utter distress and desperation painted across my face as his arms wrapped around me and I gratefully sagged into him. Breathing in his scent and snuggling my head into his chest, I had a brief moment of peace of mind. It was if his body was a physical wall between Quidditch and me. A temporary safe haven. He had the tact not to ask any questions and just soothingly ran his hand up and down my back.

It was several moments before I could pull myself away. "Thanks. I needed that."

He brushed off the thanks, "Are you okay, Rose?"

And that was all it took. It was like a pile of rocks hit the bottom of my stomach as reality set back in. "I have to play Quidditch." It was painful just saying the words, accepting the truth.

"What?" He seemed to be waiting naively for the punch line.

"This game. The game in," I checked my watch, oh lord, "half an hour." Seeing his confused face, I continued. "Albus got hit by a rogue bludger in practice yesterday. There's no one to fill in. James is making me play. I have to play Seeker. They wanted to keep it under wraps."

I could almost see his brain trying to process the bizarre information. And then I could also almost see him trying to find away to play down his confusion down in a fruitless attempt to make me feel better, "Wait, so let me get this straight. You're playing seeker in the Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw match against Sean Pike." Scorpius said dubiously.

"I'm screwed, Scorpius." I looked at him despairingly, "I'm screwed!"

"No Rose, you're not screwed." He replied instantly.

I wasn't buying it, and the anxiety that had been so valiantly squashed was rising back up in full force. "You have no idea, Scorpius. I can't play Quidditch. I can't do it. I can't. The air, it's so high up, and…"

"Rose." Scorpius interrupted, in an attempt to end my tirade, but now that I had started, I was on a roll.

"Oh God, I'm going to let my family down, and the team, and my house…What's the point of having six other players when it comes down to the bloody seeker anyway? It all comes down to one stupid little ball and two stupid people. God, Quidditch is ridiculous, and James is ridiculous, why would he make me play seeker of all positions? Why would he make me play at all? How can I possibly compete against people who have trained for years?" My voice was getting higher and more panicked as I became more and more suffocated by my anxiety.

"Rose. Rose!" Scorpius all but shouted, putting his hands carefully on my shoulders and looking me in the eye. "It's okay. You're going to be fine, Rose. Do you hear me?"

I just stared at him, breathing slightly more heavily than usual.

His shoulders relaxed a bit, but his hands remained on my shoulders. "Okay, just let me think for a moment."

Think? Think?! What more was there possibly to think about?

"Okay." said Scorpius after a moment, his grey eyes boring into mine, "Sean Pike. He's a fifth year, favours his left side, not the fastest Seeker, but he's got a good eye. I hear he's been practicing his Wronski Feint. He'll be thrown to see you out there instead of Potter, might be a bit cocky, so use that to your advantage."

My breathing became a little easier as I nodded. This was quite possibly the most helpful thing I'd heard all day.

"Don't let him intimidate you. He might try all these fancy tricks, but just ignore him, just… imagine you telling him off for being out after curfew or something."

The corners of my lips lifted a little, "Okay, I'll try."

"I've never seen you fly, but you'll be fine. Potter… he's probably asked you to play for a reason, and I trust his judgement when it comes to Quidditch."

Seeing that I still looked a little, or rather, a lot worse for wear, he continued. "If nothing else, just remember that... I never thought I'd say this, but, at the end of the day, it's just Quidditch." The corners of his mouth quirked up a little, and I felt mine mimic his.

He checked the time, "You better go."

But I didn't want to go; going would mean playing Quidditch, facing the team, the school. I just wanted to stay here. In the hallway, with Scorpius.

When I didn't move, he gave me a gentle nudge towards the door.

"I don't want to." I all but whimpered.

Scorpius laughed softly at this.

"I'm serious, can I hide out in the Slytherin Common Room or something? No one would think to look for me there."

He laughed in earnest at this, "But you've stressed for such a long time over this, it would be such a waste of time and energy if you didn't go through with it!"

I didn't find this particularly funny.

He took me by the shoulders and began walking me to the door. "C'mon, I'll be in the stands, you'll be fine."

"Okay," I breathed, "Thanks. For everything."

"Good luck, Rose." He said with a smile that did nothing for my nerves, before turning on his heel and leaving me in the hallway.

I took a shaky breath and closed my eyes for a moment, trying to visualise the match, trying to visualise myself flying around on the pitch confidently. I heard footsteps down the hallway and forced myself to start moving towards the changing rooms. I just had to breathe. It was just like Scorpius said, it was just a Quidditch match. Life would go on afterwards, and in three years time, I probably wouldn't even remember this moment. Well… that depended on how badly I screwed up. No, Rose, don't even go there. I just had to go out there and try my best. That's all I could do. That's all anyone could ask of me, really. I had to do this, for James who'd worked so hard, and for Albus who realistically, probably had it worse than me- sitting helplessly in the hospital wing, not being able to do anything. I had to do this.

My parents fought in the bloody war, I could play a freaking Quidditch match.

Hello dear readers!

Here is your long awaited chapter! Thank you so much for all the lovely messages, they really did spur me on- especially when I got back (not as long ago as some of you might think) and was suffering from a severe lack of motivation and inspiration.

Hope you enjoy this one :)