Author's Note: So, I know this chapter is early, but I don't really think you mind, do you? Don't worry though, I'm still going to do my weekend update as usual.

For my constant reviewer, team.: Thanks for the constant reviews, it makes me happy to go onto my email and get a notification of a new review! Soon you'll find out exactly what 'help' means in Lina's standard, probably next chapter, not this one though! Yeah, that was a mistake in the chapter, I had originally meant for her to be writing to him, but then I looked back on the first chapter and realized that then I had said that he was dead, so... If it were my friend I would die too!

Chapter 12: Secrets and Lies

I lay in my bed listening to the night sounds, hooting of owls and the whooshing of the wind. The encounter with Nott still shook me, even now, a week from it, which was evidently what he was aiming for. If you don't start being politer, you might get into trouble one day. His words echoed in my head, sending slight shivers down my body. Was it a threat?

I hadn't even told Lina; for fear that it might get back to Nott. Philippe Nott. The current bane of my existence. At six one, the boy is almost a foot taller than myself. He was not thuggish like his cronies, but slimly built, quite like Scorpius. His hair was as black as his eyes, his features toned. His whole aura about him was scary, mysterious, and creepy. He is the kind of guy you would expect to be following your footsteps in the night, watching you.

I shook my head in disbelief. Since the encounter with him, my eyes had always been alert during any more night wanders, my wand out. I had not spoken to him since, but had many times looked up in a class and found that his eyes were boring into my own, an unknown threat just below their dark surfaces.

I sighed and rolled onto my side. This was helping nothing. I had to get some sleep or everything would just get worse and I would give it away that something is wrong. Well, more than I've already given it away.

-A+R+S-

"Hey Lily, have you noticed anything different about Rose lately?" I asked my sister as she fell into step with me.

"Not really, why?" she asked me.

"I'm kind of worried about her, you know, because of that day she was back late from dinner even though she left it early." I said truthfully. Lily looked thoughtful.

"Well, that is the only odd thing about her I've noticed. She seemed, I don't know, scared that day. It is weird Al. I could ask her about it. We share everything." she said and patted my shoulder before making her way back to her chattering group of friends. That was the good thing about Lily. She could be a total gossip and drama queen, but she was the most loyal person you've ever met when it comes to family and friends. Despite what some may think, she can keep a secret very well. This worried me, because, although I had no doubt that Rose would tell her cousin what was going on, I was not certain that Lily would tell me afterward, especially if Rose asked her not to, which she most likely would.

I made my way over to where Scorpius was sitting and shook my head in response to his unspoken question. He turns his head away as I sit down and sighs.

"Rose isn't budging either. Every time I try to bring it up she gets this scared look in her eyes, but she keeps insisting she just got lost."

"Lily said she'd talk to her, but, knowing Lily, she won't tell us even if she gets an answer out of Rose, which is probable."

"Lily doesn't seem the type to keep it from us though, if something is threatening Rose." Scorpius said doubtfully, running his hand through his blond hair.

"If something is threatening her, I'm sure that Lily would tell us." I said confidently, trying to sound more sure than I actually was. True, if something, or someone, was threatening Rose, Lily would probably tell them, but would Rose tell Lily? Something in my mind said no. Rose was the type of girl who would shut people out once things got bad, and she wasn't the type to seek revenge, while all her cousins and friends would. So, basically, if she told Lily nothing, things were very serious.

-A+R+S-

I looked down the dinner table from where I was sitting with my group of friends, who were chattering away. Rose was sitting with the girls, picking at her dinner distastefully while her friends encouraged her to eat it. I got up from my seat, ignoring my friends who continued to chatter, and made my way over to my cousin. She looked up as I came near.

"Hey Lils," she said in a fake cheerful manner.

"I need to talk to you." I said without pre-amble, grabbing her hand and helping her up out of her seat. She looked confused, but didn't protest as we left the Great Hall. I made my way up the many staircases of Hogwarts, Rose's hand still in mine like a small child's in their parent's hand. I reached the landing on the sixth floor, pulling Rose behind me.

"Where are we going? Couldn't you have talked to me in the Great Hall?" Rose whined. Her eyes widened in understanding as we reached the blank stretch of wall outside The Room of Requirement. I walked three times past it, thinking hard on what I wanted there, and a door appeared in the wall. I wrenched it open and pushed Rose inside.

Inside the room, there was two beds facing each other, a rocking chair, and posters on the wall. Rose's mouth dropped open, and I knew why. This room was a combined version of hers and mine from home, half of the posters mine, half hers, same beds, and her old rocking chair.

"Wow." Was all she could manage. I lay down on my bed with my head propped up by my elbow, looking at her as she copied me. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked comfortably, clearly whatever had been bothering her had escaped her mind due to the resemblance of this room to her own.

"What's been going on?" I asked her seriously. Her face fell due to my tone.

"What's been going on where?" she asked me confused.

"I mean last week, when you came back to the common room late." I said, not bothering to accuse her of knowing what I was talking about, it was an overused line. Rose's face, if possible, fell even further.

"I told you all then. I was caught up, got lost." she said, looking away in pretense of scanning the room fondly.

"There are only about five people who believe that story Rosie, and I'm not one of them." I said, leaning over to look at her complexion, which had gone pale again. There was a pregnant pause.

"Nothing happened Lily."

"To hell that nothing happened! Every time someone mentions it, you get scared, I can tell! If you're even lying to me about it, it must be bad." I stood up and began pacing the room, thinking angrily, I thought she knew better than to lie to me. Rose stood up too, matching my anger.

"It's none of your business whether something happened or not, Lily! You're not my mother!"

"I'm your cousin, and cousins look out for one another. Anyway, I could easily owl your mother and get her to come up here herself!" I said, stepping closer to her. Something changed in Rose's expression, some kind of wall went down. She collapsed on her old armchair and burst into desperate tear.

"But I don't know what to do Lily! I don't know what to say! I know I'm overreacting, I just... I just..." she continued to sob, I lifted her up and brought her over to her bed, letting her cry into my shoulder as we sat down.

"Shh... It's ok Rosie. It's ok if you just tell me what's wrong." I whispered to her shaking figure. Rose stood up fast.

"No. I can't tell you, it'll make it worse. I just can't..." she looked desperately at me, begging me to understand, and walked past her bed and left the room. I sat on Rose's bed frozen. Rose, strong, dependable Rose, had burst into tears in front of someone. And then, after that, she had still declined to tell me what was wrong, because now I knew for sure that something had happened that night, something bad. I vowed with all my heart that who over had made sweet, dependable, and sensitive Rosie this scared was going to pay someday, and that would not be pretty for them.

-A+R+S-

I woke with a start as early morning light filtered through the hangings in the boys dormitories, my whole body aching from the Quidditch practice yesterday night. I rubbed my eyes and looked at the clock, groaned and closed my eyes. Then I realized that today I might find out what was really going on with Rose from Lily, and rolled over off my bed, grabbing some clothes and throwing them on.

"Hey Al, get up!" I yelled to my best friend, stamping into the bathroom and brushing my teeth quickly.

"Why so early?" Al grumbled sleepily, lifting his body out of bed.

"Lily always goes down to breakfast early." Al stared at me.

"Stalker much Scorp?" He said disbelievingly. I rolled my eyes.

"She might tell us what happened with Rose, dolt." I said, ruffling my dorm mate's hair. Understanding dawned in Al's green eyes, and he leaped out of bed too. A few minutes later, we were both ready to go down.

As we reached the Gryffindor table for breakfast, Lily looked over to them in surprise. "Up early boys. Didn't think you had it in you." She laughed lightly.

"Actually, we came down to see you. We were wondering what Rose said about that night." Al said, staring his sister in the eye. Lily made a small 'o' with her mouth.

"So what did she say?" I asked impatiently. Lily's eyes took on a guarded look.

"It's all right. She was just overreacting, it's nothing really." Lily said carefully.

"But what did she say happened?" Al asked impatiently.

"It's none of your business. The important thing is," Lily snapped, and paused reluctantly. "The important thing is that she did tell me. It really is no big deal." Lily walked away, holding her shoulders high as usual, confident. I sighed in frustration.

"I knew she wouldn't tell us!" Al exclaimed angrily.

"Yeah," I said, my eyes lingering on Lily's retreating shape. "At least Rose told Lily though. And it's not serious."

-A+R+S-

I don't know why I told Scorpius and Al that she told me. I just wanted to help her. I could tell that whatever was bothering her just got worse as people asked, so maybe... Maybe it would help her to be left alone. Part of me screamed to run back and say that I had been lying, and that she actually hadn't told me, but me and Rose were like sisters, we stick together. It must be the right thing to do. Yes, it must...