I remember when

I remember I remember when I lost my mind

There was something so pleasant about that place

Even your emotions had an echo

In so much space

~Crazy - Gnarls Barkley

Disclaimer: I only own Rose's sarcastic mind.

Today is not going to be a good day.

I can tell that it won't be as soon as I wake up - half an hour late, I might add - and find that my eyelashes are stuck together. I have to splash ice cold water onto my face to be able to actually open my eyes. I rummage in my trunk, eyes half closed still, and pull out the first pair of robes my hands touch.

I head down to breakfast groggily, my hair a mess. Lily and Ly are waiting for me at the Gryffindor table. My eyes stray over to the Slytherin table of their own accord to see Scorpius sitting with Al. I turn away quickly and walk over to sit beside Ly.

"Bad night?" he asks sympathetically.

"Couldn't sleep," I groan.

"Mail's here," says Lily, far too cheerfully for my taste. An owl drops a copy of the Prophet in front of her and she opens it. "Hey, James is on the front page!"

"What?" I sit up quickly.

"So in Puddlemere's game last night against the Wimbourne Wasps, the regular Seeker got taken out by two Bludgers at the same time," says Lily, scanning the page. "James had to be substituted in, and he caught the Snitch within ten minutes."

"That's excellent!" I exclaim, looking at the picture on the front. James is riding his broom around the picture, holding the Snitch high and grinning widely. At least someone will have a good day.

"He'll be their Seeker until the regular one recovers," Lily continues, as three girls in her year slide up behind her. One taps her on the shoulder and she turns around. "What?"

"Could you please get us James' autograph?" asks the girl politely.

"Why?" Lily looks dumbfounded.

"Because he's famous now," squeals another girl.

"And he's hot!" shrieks the third.

"Ew." Lily gets up and leaves, repulsed.

"Could you, then, Rose?" asks the first one. I just huff grumpily and head to Potions.

-TTIHM-

Potions is torture. I have to brew the Girding potion (the one that gives you endurance) with Scorpius and I can't forget what he said last night and what I thought he meant by it. To add to this misery, half the boys in the room are boasting at the tops of their lungs how they don't even need Girding. Idiots.

Anyway, I'm toasting the dragonfly thoraxes while Scorpius assembles the rest of the ingredients. We haven't spoken a word to each other yet. Well, he said good morning to me, but I just sort of blushed and grunted, so I suppose I haven't spoken to him yet. Whatever.

He adds the fairy wings and turns up the fire. It's really hot in the classroom, what with all the fires going at once, so most people have taken off their robes. The girls are just in their school shirts and skirts, but the blokes have to wear full pants. Which sucks bollocks for them, but too bad. I'm not in a mood to care about the well being of anyone else right now, seeing as I can barely keep my eyes open. And I'm starving - I stuffed a muffin in my pocket before leaving breakfast and I'm taking secret nibbles when no one's looking.

Then Scorpius rolls up the sleeves of his shirt, and my eyes open wide. I force them shut again (that's a new one). It's what he said yesterday that's messing with my head and- and making me think about him in different ways. I wish there was a way to find out what he meant by it. Other than, y'know, asking him.

The potion is turquoise, so I add the Doxy eggs and then the dragonfly thoraxes. It turns silver, now we have to wait for it to turn red. I look around the classroom, putting my hands in my skirt pockets. There's something in my right pocket. It feels like a piece of cloth- oh, bloody hell. That handkerchief is following me around! It must have somehow gotten into this pocket when I shoved it into my trunk last night.

I pull my hand out of my pocket quickly and add the flying seahorses. The potion turns gold. Scorpius stirs it three times counterclockwise and it turns green. We carefully pull the cauldron off the fire as Slughorn comes waddling over. "Done already?"

"Yes, Professor," says Scorpius. I sneak a bite of muffin from my other pocket.

Slughorn picks up some in a vial, looking impressed. "Outstanding! Look at what the two of you can brew. Shows what happens when we put aside past prejudices and learn to work as partners!"

I choke on my muffin at his words and Scorpius slaps me on the back just a bit too hard, smirking. "Yes, definitely."

"You two are free to go if you'd like," calls Slughorn as he takes the vial back to his desk.

I grab my bag and run out the door all the way up to the common room, where I realize I've forgotten my robes downstairs. I'm not going back down now. I'll just pick them up at lunch.

I sit down heavily and that bloody handkerchief falls out of my skirt pocket. I ball it up, ready to throw it out the window, when I notice a second handkerchief on Scorpius' desk. I walk over slowly, then pick it up and smell it. It smells like the old one used to! I quickly swap the handkerchiefs, arranging the old one in the same position the other one was in and shoving the new one in my pocket. I sit on the couch just as Scorpius walks in with his bag. "What are you doing?"

"Thinking," I answer.

"About what?" He quirks an eyebrow.

About how your shirtsleeves are still rolled up. And how I just stole your handkerchief - while returning another one. "The universe. The meaning of life. You know."

"Right," he gives me an odd look and pulls out my robes from his bag. "Anyway, you left your robes in Potions, so I thought I'd bring them up for you."

"Thanks." I reach out and take them, but don't get up from the couch.

"We have Transfiguration in ten minutes." He gives me another strange look.

"I'll be there." My voice cracks the teensiest bit. I pray he doesn't notice.

He looks confused, but shrugs and leaves the room, his footsteps fading as he gets further away. I toss my robes aside and bury my face in my hands.

"Merlin, I'm so weird," I say miserably into my palms.

-TTIHM-

Transfiguration, like Potions, was also torture. I finally succeeded in turning my arm green and scaly, but it wouldn't change back. Chang had to help me. I'm just so glad that's over and it's lunch right now. I need sustenance so badly.

I walk to the Great Hall and sit in between Lily and Ly as usual, with Louis, Caroline, Al, Jasmine and Scorpius across from us. I make sure that handkerchief is tucked securely into my pocket and can't possibly fall out. I don't even know why I took this one. First chance I get, I'm stuffing it into a corner of his desk.

Someone taps me on the shoulder and I turn around. It's Alexandra Delworth - one of The Slags. What could she possibly want with me?

"I hear you're related to James," she says condescendingly.

"Did you just hear that now?" asks Caroline sarcastically. "Someone's a bit slow on the uptake."

"Shut up, puny fifth year," hisses Alexandra, then turns back to me, smiling sickeningly. "So... I would love it if you'd get me his autograph."

"I bet you would," cuts in Lily.

Alexandra looks at her. "So you'll do it?"

Lily snorts, waving her fork. "I didn't say that now, did I?"

"How about you?" Alexandra turns to Al. "Or, you know, since you probably have some of his hand-me-downs, and old jersey of his would be fine. Or better yet, boxers."

"You want my brother's boxers." Al gets one of those slightly panicky, freaked out looks.

"A jersey will do, though," shrugs Alexandra. "I'm not picky."

Lily gets up and prods Alexandra with her fork. "Go away. Go. Now." She keeps prodding until Alexandra is thirty feet or so away from us, then returns and sits down angrily.

"Bad morning?" asks Ly.

"Seven girls have asked me something related to James," she hisses. "Seven. Do you know what that number is? It's the amount of Horcruxes Voldemort had. It's a sign, people."

"Lily..."

"Rose..." She mimics me. "I swear, the next person to ask about James gets slapped across the face."

At that very moment, Johnny, the bloke she fancies, comes up to us. "So I hear James is the new Seeker for Puddlemere?"

Lily looks like a deer caught in headlights.

"Go on, then," grins Caroline, miming a slap. Lily flips her the bird and drags Johnny off.

"We have Charms after lunch," Ly says to me.

Al groans. "I can't handle Charms today. What are we even doing?"

"Learning how to create those anti-gravity mists," Scorpius answers.

"What would we even use that for in real life?" grumbles Al.

No one can think of an answer, so we just sort of sit around in silence until its time to leave for class.

-TTIHM-

"Could you please get me James' autograph?"

"What's James' favorite colour?"

"Do James' feet smell really bad?"

"Can you give me James' old tooth brush?"

These are the sorts of questions I've been encountering all day. So far, my standard response is to hold up my hand and walk away. The only time I deviated from this was for the tooth brush question, where I stared at the girl in shock for almost a full minute.

Louis is in a pretty bad mood at dinner for the same reason. Lily and Al are in even worse moods. All in all, I'm thankful when dinner's over and I can escape to my common room with my homework. The fact that I actually just thought that proves how awful dinner really was.

Anyway, I'm working on Charms theory, with Scorpius beside me, working as well. We work in silence - at least, until Scorpius sneezes loudly and I nearly jump out of my skin. He laughs at me as he gets up to walk over to his desk. "Nervous today?"

I just scowl and go back to my theory.

"Hey." He's standing at his desk, looking confused.

"What?"

"Nothing," he murmurs. "I could just swear I left a different handkerchief here this morning. I actually thought I lost this one. Did you see anything?"

Oh, shit.

"Why would I know what happened?" I ask in a high voice. "What are you implying? That I had something to do with it? Or that I took it? Why would I even do that? That's just weird." Which I am, apparently.

"Yeah, so was that little rant." He frowns at me, sitting beside me. "Are you sure you didn't have anything to do with it?"

"Like I said, why would I take your handkerchief?" I scoff.

He leans closer, searching my face. "I have no idea. But you seem pretty highstrung about it."

"I'm not highstrung," I protest in a very highstrung voice.

"Aren't you?" he contradicts me in a low voice, leaning even closer. I gulp audibly.

"I can't stand it! I just can't stand it!" Lily barrels into the room.

Scorpius leans back from me (finally) as Lily plops herself down on the couch between us. "My idiotic roommates have put up posters of James all over the walls!"

My mouth drops open. "You're joking."

"I wish," she snarls, tossing a crumpled-up piece of paper at me. "Have a look at that!"

I unfold the paper. "Oh. Oh, my."

"What?" Scorpius tries to lean around Lily to see.

"I've been scarred for life," I announce.

"This is what's all over my dorm right now," complains Lily, passing Scorpius the paper.

His eyes pop open at the picture. "Wow, that's... revealing."

"The real question here is, when did James even take that picture?" Lily examines it. "Also, when did he get that tattoo? It's hard to believe I never knew he had arrows on his hipbones pointing to his-"

"I'm scarred," I repeat, before she can say something that would scar me further.

"Yeah, seeing your cousin in nothing but black boxers will do that to you," agrees Scorpius.

"Mum's going to kill him when she sees this," says Lily gleefully.

"Let's all pray for him," mutters Scorpius. "Ginny's anger is terrifying."

He would know, from the time he stayed over at the Potters' house and broke a vase while playing indoor Quidditch. I'm not joking - they really were stupid enough to do that.

"So I'll be staying here for a bit," says Lily, leaning back.

"You can't," says Scorpius immediately.

She frowns at him. "Why?"

"Because its almost curfew," he points out. "I'd just hate having to take points from Gryffindor house."

"She can stay," I interject. I really don't want to be left alone with him right now. Partly because his bloody shirtsleeves are rolled up again. And his handkerchief is burning a hole in my pocket.

"Alright," shrugs Scorpius. "If she's willing to sacrifice fifteen points."

"You're a twat," says Lily to Scorpius, getting up. "Ten years from now, I'm sending you the bill for the psychiatric treatment I'll need after constantly seeing these pictures."

"Yeah, yeah." Scorpius just waves her off.

Silence descends once again, now that Lily's gone. I shift my hair over my shoulder so I can hide and bend over my homework.

"I swear on Merlin's saggy left arse cheek, if one more person asks me for anything belonging to James I'm going to kill somebody!" Al bursts into the common room.

Scorpius sighs. "Remind me why we gave you and Lily the password?"

"I can't take it!" shouts Al, ignoring him. "I'm going mad!"

"Come sit," I offer, patting the spot between Scorpius and me. "Tell us everything."

"I can't talk about it," moans Al. "Ooh! Fudge!"

He gets up and skips (yes, skips) to the giant block of fudge on the corner table, breaking off a piece.

"Why didn't you hide it better?" I hiss at Scorpius.

"Me?" He raises his eyebrows in shock. "I thought you were going to hide it!"

"Well, obviously not," I snap.

"Mmmm, tha's goo' shtuff," sighs Al with his mouth full.

"That's our good stuff!" calls Scorpius. "Get out of here!"

"Fine." Al rolls his eyes, breaks off another piece, then darts out of the room before we can say anything.

"Idiot," mutters Scorpius.

My theory is now done, but I pretend to do it anyway just so I don't have to talk. All I can think about is those damn shirtsleeves, and how hot the fire is. And how heavy that handkerchief in my pocket is. And what would happen if it were to fall out, and Scorpius were to see it...

I stand up so quickly I almost knock over the table. "I want fudge!"

Scorpius gives me a strange look. "Go ahead, it's right there."

I nod jerkily like a puppet and walk over to the corner where the fudge is, breaking off a large piece for myself. I try to calm down by nibbling it slowly as I walk back to the couch and sit down.

Scorpius looks at the fudge. "That smells really good."

I nod with my eyes closed, savouring it.

"You look like you're enjoying it," he adds.

I just nod again, taking another nibble and opening my eyes.

"I bet I'd enjoy it too," he murmurs, staring at it.

"I bet you would too," I agree.

"I'm asking you for some," he says in a tone one would use with a mentally retarded snail.

"I know," I shrug. "But you don't have to ask me. It's right over there."

"But I don't want to get up," he protests. "Just give me a piece of yours."

"No."

"C'mon, please?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Fine," he shrugs. "I guess I'll just have to take it from you."

I don't really register what he's saying until he jumps on me, trying to get the fudge from my hand. I instinctively hold it away from him and try to push him off with my free hand, but he's too heavy. He reaches over and breaks off a piece from my outstretched hand, then eats it. "Mmmm, Al's righ'. That's goo' shtuff."

I laugh, but then realize he's still on top of me, and this is a very awkward position. I push him off quickly and sit up, trying to tidy my hair and catch my breath.

When I look up, he's watching me with a smirk, eating his fudge still. He's got some on the corner of his mouth. Oh, Merlin. I have to go.

"I'm going to... to the roof," I improvise wildly and walk upstairs as quickly as I can. At the top of the stairs, I breathe deeply of the cool night air and start to relax. It's windy tonight; the wind feels good on my hot face, which is no doubt fuschia or magenta coloured at this point. I keep breathing deeply and start to calm myself down.

"You alright?"

I shriek and whirl around. Scorpius is coming up the stairs, giving me a worried look. Well, there goes calm.

"I'm dandy," I squeak. Which is probably the first and last time I ever use that word.

"Dandy." He raises an eyebrow.

"Mmm-hmm." I turn to face away from him. The wind blows my hair back.

I think I hear him chuckle behind me, but I can't be sure, it's too quiet.

The wind picks up, and suddenly, something flies in my left eye, which starts to itch and burn.

"Oh, Merlin!" I bend over and rub my eye. "Bloody hell!"

"What?" asks Scorpius, alarmed.

"Something flew in my eye!" I screech, blinking frantically.

"Put your head up," he commands, walking over to me.

"What? Why?"

"Do you want to get it out or not?" he demands.

"Of course I want to get it out! I'm not a bloody masochist!" I press my eyelid shut, hoping it will somehow disappear. It starts watering.

"Then let me help you!" He comes closer and holds my face between his hands, tilting it up. I freeze mid-rub and also stop breathing. What is he doing?!

Then he opens my eye with his thumb and forefinger and stares into it. Oh, good. I thought he was going to kiss me for a second there. Again.

This is getting pretty uncomfortable. I can only see out of one eye, since the other is watering like bloody Niagara Falls. I'm about to protest when he finally lets me go. "It's no good. I can't see anything."

"Neither can I," I mutter, swiping at the tears falling from my eye.

"Here." He offers something to me. I take it, then realize what it is - another damn handkerchief.

"I'm fine," I say, trying to hand it back.

"Just use it!"

"Pushy," I mutter, wiping my eye with it. "Well, thanks anyway. I'm going back inside before a meteor hits me on the head or something." I ball up the handkerchief in my hand and walk back down the stairs, Scorpius laughing behind me.

I pick up all my things and leave the common room, heading back to Gryffindor tower and climbing up to my dorm. Scorpius is probably still up on the roof. I hope nothing goes in his eye, because I just realized he doesn't have a handkerchief. It's still in my hand.

Now I have two. Why don't I just start a bloody collection or something?!

A/N: Hey everyone! Believe it or not I really missed you all! I want to thank all the guest reviewers that I couldn't respond to, you guys are really sweet!

On a more serious note, there is something that needs to be brought to attention. I have included it in the author note of the newest chapter of Partners Against Crime, my other story (really don't feel like typing it out again and while writing this I have no internet!)

What do you all think is behind Rose's craziness? And aren't you all proud of James? :D

~Meg xx