Chapter 36: And So It Begins

"Wicked! PARTY!" James whooped as he read mum's letter over my shoulder in the common room later that evening.

"No bloody parties," Sarah rolled her eyes at James before turning her attention back to me.

"Silence, woman!" James said mock-sternly, although he winked.

"Isn't it going to be weird? I mean, the guy just rejected you," Sarah pointed out to me. I sighed.

"Yeah, I know. But if I'm honest, I've seen myself naked recently and I wouldn't be all that keen to get down with Moby Dick," I said, gesturing to my stomach, thighs and hips.

"You are kind of weird-looking nowadays," Dom offered tactlessly.

I rolled my eyes in thanks and even James looked shocked. I also realised that when my hormones went bi-polar again later I would probably cry for hours over that comment. I'd become ridiculously sensitive lately.

"Dom!" Becky said in surprise, looking between the two of us. I shrugged and Dom grinned at me. Our dynamic is a weird one.

"So the pregnant look isn't 'in' this season. I don't think Scorpius turned you down because your hips have their own postcode," Sarah said dryly. She gave me a look over the jumper she was taking out for me and I cocked my head.

"Teach me, mighty sensei!" James replied, grinning at her. I looked at her imploringly too.

"Well, earlier he seemed pretty happy with the Easter arrangement too; maybe he didn't just want to be a fuck-buddy," Sarah said, sticking her wand behind her ear as she found the seam-line on the jumper. I cringed at the expression like the repressed prude I am.

"Fuck-buddies are something that Dom has. They're not something that I have; I never wanted that from him," I said, giving Dom a sideways look.

Okay, so maybe the 'Rose is fat' joke stung a little. And maybe the 'Dom is a slag' joke would make up for it.

"I'll give you that one," Dom said, nodding sagely at my comment, "but I have been with Steve for like, two months now. And I haven't slept with anyone else!" She said, looking pleased.

"Congratulations, you've finally reined in your vagina," James said sarcastically. Dom stuck her tongue out at him.

"But seriously, what if Scorpius wants a relationship with you?" James added. I looked at him – the thought had never crossed my mind that Scorpius might have actual human feelings on the subject.

"We can't… we're having a baby together!" I spluttered stupidly.

"Yeah Rose, that's actually the norm… y'know, to be in love with the person whose baby you're having?" Sarah laughed and I blushed at my ridiculous statement.

"If he wanted something more from me, Easter will be the perfect time to say it," I said calmly, although panic was mounting in my heart.

He can't want something more than we already have, surely?!

Scorpius

"Isn't it going to be awkward, just the two of you?" Albus asked in the common room late that evening.

"Like we're going to be able to keep James away from a house without adult supervision," I replied with a chuckle. Al grinned and nodded.

"Good point, but honestly, won't it be weird? I mean, you guys did sleep together again recently. And she's a little bit pregnant with your baby." Albus added, looking put-off by the idea of his cousin sleeping with anyone.

"We're going to have to have some kind of relationship – we're going to be tied together forever," I conceded. "But I don't think she wants anything more than that," I added.

"You mean she doesn't want what you want," Al said. I was immediately both amazed at his intelligence and wary of it.

"I don't want anything," I lied. I wanted… I don't actually know what I want yet. But I know I want Rose to myself.

I'm a greedy sod like that.

"Don't lie to me, mate. We've been friends for seven years; I know when you're telling a naughty fib." Albus laughed and I grinned crookedly.

"Anything we need to discuss, I'm sure it'll come out over the holidays," I said carefully.

"You mean you're going to tell her how you feel? You know, after you figure it out yourself," Al asked. I looked over at him sharply and he smirked at me.

"You've got two weeks to figure out what it is you want from her," He said. "Just don't mess her around, okay?" He added.

I nodded slowly.

"I won't ask anything from her I know she can't give," I sighed. Albus looked at me, but didn't comment on my sudden gloom. He does know me too well for both of our own good.

"Well, good," he replied lamely, before making his excuses and traipsing down to bed, leaving me to wonder what exactly it was I wanted from Rose, and whether she had anything at all to offer me.

James

"How do you think Rose is going to react if Scorpius wants to get serious with her?" Sarah asked me later that week as we lay together in my bed.

The muffliato charm had been cast before she had even come up to my dormitory as arranged. I kicked the covers off my half-naked body due to the heat and looked down at her, lying on my chest.

"She'll freak out, as she always does, then she'll probably get you to apparate to her, as she always does, then you'll tell her she's going to be okay, as youalways do," I replied with a shrug.

Sarah leant on her elbow and looked at me, her fire-engine red bra being revealed to me again as she cocked her eyebrow. I could feel the fire in my eyes as I held her gaze and she slowly drew circles in my chest with her fingertips.

"I was thinking we could just…talk this time." I said, grabbing her southward-heading fingers and using the small amount of blood that was still going to my brain to stop her.

My body screamed at me, but what I actually wanted was a long-term plan to keep the girl of my dreams, instead of grabbing the odd opportunity to sleep with her whenever her boyfriend wasn't around. Even thinking the word boyfriend, admitting in my own mind that she wasn't mine hit me in the centre of my heart.

She sat up and faced me. The small amount of moonlight coming through the curtains around my bed lit up her shining hair and soft, beautiful curves as the blanket fell away from her body. She held my gaze though, and looked genuinely interested in what I wanted to say.

If only I could remember my own damn name.

"What's going on with the revenge thing? I mean, we've been back together almost a month and yet I still can't brag to anyone or tell my family how happy I am again." I said with difficulty, trying to ignore everything from her neck down.

"Well, thankfully I actually have an idea for that. For tonight," she replied. I sighed a breath of relief.

"Thank god. What is it?" I asked.

"I'm going to stay here tonight," she replied. I instantly took back my relief and was on the defensive again.

"Err, if you haven't noticed your real boyfriend, you know, the one who actually can brag about having you, sleeps in the bed next to mine. If he sees you lying in my arms he's going to rip off little James. And we all know that's your favourite part of big James," I said, like she was insane. Which she clearly is. She gave me a soft smile, and leaned forward to kiss me, sneakily unhooking her bra at the same time.

"Trust me," she purred in my ear. I looked down at her.

"You know, you can't win all debates like this," I said, without sounding like I even believed it myself, since one of my hands was in her hair and the other sliding down her back.

"I can try," she replied, giving me her cocked-eyebrow-I-own-you look.

"Go on then..." I practically gasped.

The next morning, I woke up feeling like I could fly without a broom, and do magic without my wand, and run around without legs… All kinds of mental shit.

That's when I saw her.

My bed-curtains were completely drawn and while all the other guys were asleep, the girl lying next to me was clearly only pretending.

The girl was Amy.

"What the-?" I hissed, jumping away from her and pulling my boxers on. 'Amy' grinned at me.

"It's me you moron," Sarah said, looking at me through Amy's eyes.

"What are you doing?!" I hissed. She looked at me; the red bra she wore again was at least four sizes too big on her now, and the matching pants were looking loose as well. I had never seen the real Amy this bare – I avoided it as much as humanly possible.

"Where have your boobs gone?" I whined.

Sarah began to laugh Amy's brittle giggle but stopped suddenly, looking over at the next bed, where Danny was starting to stir. She made sure the curtains were fully open before she dropped her head onto my chest and feigned sleep. When Danny finally opened his eyes, he found himself looking right over to where his secret girlfriend/real-girlfriend-pretending-to-be-his-whore was asleep on my bare chest.

Even I'm confused.

"What the fuck?!" Danny said loudly, sitting straight up, before he remembered himself. Sarah grinned into my chest, but the other boys were stirring at the noise he had made.

He had given himself away, and all three of us knew it.

"James, come on man. It was okay when it was Sarah; we all wanted to see what she was hiding under that Quidditch gear-" at this, I actually felt Sarah's face get warm in embarrassment against my body "- but no Slytherins, man," Steve reproached as he wandered, tousle-haired, into the bathroom. Danny followed him, fists clenched.

"Sorry guys, I forgot the curtains! Silly me!" I smirked, drawing the curtains around me and casting the muffliato charm outside them without looking.

Amy's brown hair was starting to darken and lengthen as I watched – it seemed the potion had lasted just long enough. It's a good job our gang always has a good supply of Polyjuice potion at hand to get into mischief, courtesy of Rose, Albus and Becky. Sarah sat up and I literally watched her boobs grow and fill out her bra once again. Her waist thinned and her hips expanded, her legs lengthened and became shapelier again. The pale skin darkened to the colour of light caramel and her dark eyes lightened to blue as her lashes thickened and her plump lips returned.

God was I happy to see her.

"You scared me," I said, clutching her to me.

"Phase one of our plan is complete though," Sarah offered in reply, looking up at me with a smirk.

And I couldn't help but feel smug too.

We walked down to the Great Hall quicker than everyone else – we managed to sneak out while all; the boys were in the bathroom and while Sarah went to shower and change and I waited, I filled Rose in.

"God she's good," Rose mused with a crooked grin after I finished, having left out most of the bits where either of us was naked.

The girl herself flew down the stairs a moment later, smelling of fresh passion fruit and oranges.

"Well done, I'm glad you're finally on the way towards being properly together," Rose congratulated us as we walked down to get food together. Dom and Becky were sat with Scorpius and Al at the near end of the table and so we plopped down next to them.

"Where's Danny?" Becky asked. "He hardly lets you out of his sight," she added with a grin.

"He's outside in the foyer arguing with Amy. I saw them on the way in; he was saying something about red underwear?" Scorpius shook his head like the whole thing was mad. Sarah laughed and looked at me from across the table. Her foot found my leg under the table and she kicked me playfully. Rose grinned at Dom, who looked confused and we began filling everyone in.

Finally, it felt like things were falling into place.

Just a little rest before the ScoRose action begins, the next chapter sees the parents again, as well as Scorpius showing Rose around their temporary home. Hope you enjoy, please review :) -Sarita x