Please don't hate me. Please. I thrive on your collective love and affection, and if you're reading this, then I'm incredibly grateful that you've stuck with me. I'm sorry for disappearing, but I'M BACK NOW AND THAT'S WHAT MATTERS, RIGHT? RIGHT?

I'm sorry for falling off the face of the earth - if you follow me as an author you'll know by now where I've been, but if not I'll tell you. See, a good friend of mine started a theater group on campus at the end of the spring semester last year. I joined, of course, because theater. At the beginning of this year, he approached me with the idea of writing and performing (with this group he'd formed) an original parody of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Well, dear readers, of course I couldn't say no! So, he let me take charge of the team that wrote it, and together we put together what I think is a fantastic script. (Don't believe me? I've posted it on my page, go check it out!) From there, it was time to look for a director…and when he asked me I said yes, because I loved the idea and I loved the script and I love the group. And after a lot (A lot. Like, a lot a lot) of work, we pulled together a show that I'm extremely proud of. I'm going to try to post a link to the recording once my tech person has managed to wrestle her wifi into submission and upload it, so if you're interested check back on my profile in about a week and a half. I can also try to add the link in the next THR chapter.

Anyway, as you can imagine, between writing and then directing, all my free time (as well as time that should have been dedicated to doing schoolwork) was spent on this amazing project. So, that's where I've been, and now I'm very excited to post what is officially the LONGEST CHAPTER I'VE EVER WRITTEN! I know I've said that before, but damn, they just keep getting longer folks - and I have so much left to say before this story comes to a close, so don't worry, it WILL be finished…just bear with me, because it'll take a little more time than I'd like. There will be at least 6 more parts to be precise, as the Trio tackles seventh year (with the possibility of a more…..we'll see ;) )

Reminders: I am not J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter is not mine, and you're all fantastic followers and I ily very much

tl;dr I'm awful and helped write and direct a CC parody, which made me busy and I'm sorry

I hope you enjoy this long-awaited chapter!

Chapter 36

Sixth Year, Part Six

The return to Hogwarts proved to be a difficult re-adjustment for both of them. Over the years she'd known him, Scorpius had proven how difficult it was for him to come to terms with the seemingly endless parade of painful obstacles that life threw at him (though she was certainly far from being a pro at this herself, she thought, as she remembered the severe mood swings she'd suffered after her nearly fatal excursion in the Forbidden Forest), and this was very obviously the worst event he'd had to cope with yet. By comparison to his own baseline, then, he was doing extraordinarily well… but this was not to say that things were going well for him. Though Scorpius' sleeping habits had significantly improved after his grandmother's funeral as long as Rose stayed with him each night, their return to sleeping in different dormitories in Ravenclaw Tower led to a significant decline. The purple bruise-like shadows beneath his eyes that had slowly faded in the time between Christmas and when they boarded the Hogwarts Express returned in just a few short days after their arrival at the castle. Rose took it upon herself to brew him a steady supply of Sleeping Draughts, though technically all potions used for medicinal purposes were meant to be created in the Hospital Wing and dispensed by Madame Longbottom. Though this seemed to help a bit, allowing him to remain functional enough to eat normally and do well in his classes, it was clear he still wasn't getting enough rest each night. To compensate for his inability to fall asleep in his own bed, Rose noticed he began to take daytime naps in the common room while she was there with him doing her schoolwork, and even fell fully asleep a few times late at night as they talked, curled up with her in the window seat overlooking the Black Lake. Each time this happened, neither Rose nor Albus had the heart to move him; instead, Rose resigned herself to the slightly sore back she knew she'd have in the morning and conjured a blanket to keep them warm after the common room's fire had been extinguished.

Though they had more moments like these together than they had during their previous stays at Hogwarts, she began to seek space from Scorpius in other, smaller ways. After Scorpius had made it clear he didn't want to discuss the possible spell she had stumbled upon at Christmas, and had even stopped wearing the ring Albus had given him so he could forget about it almost entirely, Rose privately resolved to check every book in the library that had anything to do with Rowena Ravenclaw, the House she founded, and the motto she'd chosen for it. The redhead managed to conceal this area of interest from Scorpius and briefly considered confiding in Al, her only family member in Ravenclaw, and the one who by giving her that ring may very well have saved the life of his closest friend. In the end, though, she decided against it. Rose knew Albus well, and while he would try to hide Rose's side project from her boyfriend at her insistence, she didn't trust that he could convincingly keep a secret from his best mate – he would try, but would most likely fail. Subtlety was not in his nature, and furthermore, he was idealistic when it came to keeping secrets, believing there was no need for them between people who were as close as the three of them. If she told him, he would accuse her of behaving unfairly toward her boyfriend. She would then attempt to explain she was only hiding this because Scorpius had made clear he didn't want to learn about the spell, and that as her boyfriend he should know her well enough to understand she wouldn't stop pursing knowledge of any sort just because he didn't want to admit the subject existed. Albus would reluctantly attempt to keep the secret, but it would only serve to cause strife between them, and ultimately her research would be revealed. No, it was far better to keep this from the people she was closest to, though she wished she could talk about her slow but steady progress with someone who would appreciate it.

This desire led her to spend more time with a rather unlikely party: Lysander Scamander. Though he was a close friend of Hugo and Lily's, and had spent a good amount of time at the Burrow and her own home from a young age, he wasn't Rose's first choice of a confidant. Still, several events conspired to lead her to trust him with her clandestine research:

First, her attempts to spend more time with others, away from Scor and Al, led her to spend more time in the library with Roxanne, her friend Cara Zabini, Gregory Ollivander, Lucy, Hugo, Lily, and the Scamander twins. Though none of them spent as much time there as she did, their schedules were staggered so that she found it was almost impossible not to spot at least one of them there at any given hour.

Second, her eclectic reading tastes that very obviously had nothing to do with their lessons began to draw the attentions of these friends she studied with.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, Lysander was a Ravenclaw, and the son of Luna Lovegood besides. This meant he was infinitely curious about subjects he was interested in (which, as far as she could tell, was everything besides Potions), and like his mother possessed an open mind when it came to rather strange matters such as secret spells and conspiracy theories. And because he was a Ravenclaw, Rose didn't feel as if she was giving away some sort of House secret, as she would have if she'd told Roxanne (a Slytherin), Hugo (a Gryffindor), or Lucy (a Hufflepuff).

So when Lysander hesitantly asked her one rainy Saturday afternoon in the library, when no one else was present, why she was reading a book on the early life of Rowena Ravenclaw, she made an uncharacteristic spur-of-the-moment decision to answer truthfully.

Rose turned 17 on March 14th, a milestone event she'd hoped in vain that no one would remember. Scorpius, Albus, the rest of her family at Hogwarts, Andy, and the Scamander twins threw her a small party under the oak tree at the edge of the Black Lake, with a cake they'd snuck from the kitchens and a few, thoughtful presents that showed how well they knew her. She received cards and presents via owl from her parents as well: Licorice Wands and Potions books. Though her hatred of being in the spotlight on her birthday had not abated over the years, she managed to accept their attention with good grace, and even might have enjoyed herself just a tiny bit. Maybe, just maybe, birthdays weren't completely horrible after all.

When she stumbled downstairs for breakfast one morning during the Easter holidays, still in her pajamas, she was greeted by a wall of sound she later realized was meant to be a chorus of "Happy birthday," sung by about seventy people in varying tempos and keys; at the time, all Rose could do was blink in surprise, still half-asleep, and marvel at how many people had managed to squeeze themselves into her kitchen.

Then it hit her, and panic began to settle into her stomach as she raced back up the stairs to her room. Her parents had thrown her a 17th birthday party. She was going to kill them.

Hugo went upstairs to find her about a half hour later, when it became apparent she would not make another appearance at the celebration unless forced. "So, will you come back down with me willingly, or do I have to carry you?" he asked as he came into her room unannounced, plopping himself down on her bed. "I'm bigger than you now, you know I could." She glared at him from the window seat in the corner, where she sat huddled underneath a heap of quilts. "You can try," she retorted. "I'm not above biting. And I'm officially old enough to hex you outside school, now."

Her brother sighed and lay back, staring up at the ceiling. "You know you have to go down there."

"But what did Mum and Dad…scratch that, this must have been all Mum's doing…but what did she expect, really? I hate my birthday. I hate being the center of attention, because I just know I'll do something stupid or embarrassing and everyone will be watching. And I hate how stupid it is that people feel like they need to give me presents just to prove they care for me, just because Mum gave birth to me on March 14th seventeen years ago."

"How is that different from Christmas, though? Or my birthday. You always celebrate my birthday."

"At Christmas you exchange gifts with family and close friends - it's equal. And everyone else gets excited about it, so it makes sense that they'd wish you a Happy Christmas because they truly feel the same way. But people always think they need to wish you a happy birthday when they find out and give you gifts, even if they hate you. And you're my brother, I remember when you were born, of course I'm going to celebrate your birthday."

"Well, you're my sister. Why can't I celebrate with you, then?"

"You did. At school. All our family was there, and I hate to admit this, but I may have actually enjoyed it-"

"But Mum and Dad weren't there. And neither were Nana and Grandpa Weasley, or Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny… they all love you too, Ro. They just want to show you that. No one down there hates you, I promise – they didn't come to tease you."

Rose sighed and remained quiet for a few moments before responding. "I know I need to go downstairs – I got dressed and everything." Here she pulled the quilts off herself and heaped them on the windowsill next to her to prove her point, displaying the flower-print dress she'd donned. "I just wish Mum had taken into account what I want instead of what she wants."

"Dad's usually the one that stops her, when she's wanted to throw you surprise parties in the past. But, well…he didn't this time."

Rose knew her face must have betrayed a bit of the hurt she felt at this, because Hugo hastily added "And I don't think he could have if he'd tried. It's your 17th birthday, of course Mum was bound to go mental. Dad probably just wanted to avoid fighting over it. I think he's excited too."

"Yeah," she said softly, standing up from her seat and turning to the dresser under the pretense of retrieving the silver necklace Scorpius had given her for her 17th from the small wooden jewelry box perched there. It took her a moment to school her expression back to what she hoped it had been just a few moments ago. "Yeah, that must be it."

Rose followed Hugo outside obediently. She exerted the social efforts expected of her, making the rounds of the party to thank everyone for attending a celebration she hadn't wanted in the first place. Everyone she spoke to cheerily congratulated her on finally turning seventeen, as if it was an accomplishment she could control rather than a decision of fate. Perhaps it was Scorpius' (conspicuous) absence, but her father's words and actions were surprisingly enthusiastic, almost (but not quite) as if nothing had happened between them. Rose hoped this was a sign that things were slowly mending between them…but she'd always believed it was best to expect the worst and only hope for the best. She spoke with Al for a bit as well, though he couldn't be counted on for an excuse to avoid the rest of the attendees as she'd hoped; he'd brought Phoebe Kitsch - a Hufflepuff in their year - and was entirely distracted in his pursuit of making her laugh and staring into her eyes. Rose was surprised, as her cousin hadn't told her that he'd broken things off with Kristina Goyle, and wondered what could have happened between them. Not that they'd been too serious, of course - and come to think of it, she thought that maybe Albus felt he wasn't ready for that kind of commitment. Shrugging, she made a mental note to ask him about the breakup later, then moved on to the next set of guests.

Once she'd performed her obligatory duties as birthday girl, Rose retreated quietly with a book in hand into a corner of her mother's garden surrounded by high hedges (which she believed Hermione had made for this express purpose of hiding from the rest of the family and their occasional guests in order to read). She quickly lost herself in the pages of a historical account of Rowena Ravenclaw's childhood, and didn't look up until she heard footsteps echoing on the stone path in front of her.

"She's rather fascinating, isn't she?"

Rose looked up at Luna Scamander, who was standing in front of her with a bright, sunny smile on her face. "She really is."

"I have some more books on her at home, if you'd like to read them. I can send them back to Hogwarts with the boys."

"That would be lovely," she replied genuinely, smiling. "Thank you." Though Rose hadn't much wanted to spend time with any of her party's attendees, she decided to herself that Lorcan and Lysander's mother was different, though she didn't know her particularly well compared to some of her other family's friends like Kingsley or Andromeda Tonks. Luna wasn't going to put her on the spot or laugh if she tripped or said something dull. Based on the stories Rose had heard over the years about her parents' eccentric friend, she'd spent a good deal of her days at Hogwarts being teased for being true to herself. Rose instinctively knew she could trust Luna with just about anything…and with this thought, a certain subject that had been occupying her in much of her free time popped into her mind.

"She was quite an inventor, wasn't she?" Rose said carefully. "Always coming up with new spells and instruments. The author of this book says that he doesn't think we'll ever find record of all of them."

"Oh, I suspect more people have discovered her creations than we think."

"Then why wouldn't they share them?" asked Rose. "Certainly discovering one of Rowena Ravenclaw's lost spells would bring lots of fame and fortune to whoever uncovered it."

"Because our House has never been about fame and fortune. Save that for the Slytherins and Gryffindors. Ravenclaws are wise enough to know that some spells are too powerful to be shared with those they can't trust."

Rose started to reply, but Luna continued to speak. "I'm glad you seem to have figured out that lesson on your own, Rose. I'm very proud of you, you know."

"How- how did you know I'd found one of her spells?"

"Because I found it myself, when I was about your age, or at least I expect it was the same one. My father and I were trying to create her lost diadem, before it was found. It turned out to be a Horcrux."

Rose's face must have gone blank at this, because after a moment Luna replied, "Ah, I see, you haven't heard about those yet. I'm sure your family will tell you when the time is right. The War got rather dark, I'm sure you know that by now. Anyway, all the historical accounts seemed to agree that the diadem was engraved with that saying, "Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure." None of them said what language it was in, which led to some quite interesting research. It turned out to be in English after all, of course, though Father was quite convinced for some time it would be in Mermish. But still, it led us to discover her spell when we tested out the effects of all the different possible translations. It's funny how things work out sometimes, isn't it?"

Rose smiled. It relieved her to know that the feelings she'd been having all these months were justified, that some emotion or rush of adrenaline she'd felt in the heat of the moment at Malfoy Manor hadn't led her on some wild goose chase, a journey to nowhere. It also made her a bit more upset with Scorpius though, in an unexpected way. They'd shared almost everything with each other for so long now, and here it had just been confirmed that she'd made what would probably be one of the greatest discoveries of her life…and she couldn't share it with him. Scor wouldn't want to know about what Luna had helped her to discover, because that meant he'd come closer to death than he could accept. She understood that, understood his need to pretend they all had more control over their lives than was possible – heaven knows that's what she did most of the time, throwing herself into her studies of magic and Muggles and even other people in an attempt to understand it all, to feel in charge of what happened next, or at the very least aware of events before they could reach her life so she could brace for the impact.

But this chance encounter with Ravenclaw's hidden magic, as well as her unshakable curiosity, had brought her to a point where she was having to question the extent to which she could truly control every aspect of her life, something that until now had been a pillar she could lean on and build her life around, and she wouldn't be able to articulate it to the person she'd come to think of over the years as her other half. Up until now they'd fit perfectly together in almost every way, like two puzzle pieces clicking into place, accommodating one another's edges and filling in the gaps between themselves. But now, it seemed they'd discovered an area where they didn't quite mesh. It happened in all relationships, she knew that. Her own parents had their arguments, especially when she'd first befriended (and later starting dating) Scorpius. Her father's temper didn't always go well with her mother's level-headed rationality and finely tuned sense of justice, but they still worked well together despite that. Her Aunt Ginny's caution and fierce protectiveness when it came to the safety of her family sometimes clashed with her uncle's sense of adventure and desire to make a positive impact through his work as an Auror, but they'd gotten past it. It felt different now, though, finding herself facing an obstacle she and her boyfriend would have to work past in order to advance in their relationship. It was frustrating and upsetting, and just the tiniest bit scary.

Rose said none of this to Luna, forcing her emotions under the surface to be felt and contemplated at another time. "I agree, it is interesting how things always seem to work out in the end in a way we wouldn't expect. That's life, I suppose." She paused before continuing. "Were you able to figure out the mechanics of the spell?" she asked hesitantly. "What it does, exactly, and what its limitations are?"

Luna simply smiled.

"…Or…that's something I need to figure out for myself, isn't it?"

"Well, I expect Lysander will help you –"

Rose gave her an incredulous look at this.

"I figured you'd gotten him involved by now. Or at least, I'd hoped so. Both of my boys have always preferred a little adventure in their lives, but Lorcan's grown up to like the sort that involves duels and hexes and adrenaline. And that isn't what Lysander wants at all. But a centuries-old mystery he can solve without having to leave Ravenclaw Tower? It'll do him good."

Rose grinned at this. "Thanks for talking with me – I'm glad I'm not alone in all this. Or, rather, that Lysander and I aren't alone."

The blonde-haired witch's expression grew momentarily confused. "But haven't you told your cousin by now? And Scorpius?"

Rose knew her face must have given something away, because Luna sighed in response and patted her on the shoulder. "I'm sure it'll all get sorted in time. I don't know him that well, but from what I've seen he's tough as nails under the surface. He won't be quite the same as before, of course – experiences like that tend to never really leave you. But he loves you, and I think one day, once he's removed enough from what happened to really process it, he'll understand."

Rose smiled thinly. "Thanks, Luna."

"My pleasure. We should talk like this more often, Rose – it's nice to spend time with someone who's as curious as I am."

Rose continued to work to this end with Lysander once they returned to Hogwarts, and together the pair made great headway. Though they were far from figuring out all of the spell's details, the pair was able to uncover its general mechanics through their research into Rowena Ravenclaw's life as well as through trial and error. It's greatest limitation seemed to be that it would only let the user remember something they had learned but forgotten; in other words, it didn't appear to be able to give them information upon casting it that they had never before encountered. Secretly, she appreciated this constraint, as it meant the spell couldn't act as a magical shortcut around the years of hard work she'd put into her classes.

It took a fair amount of work and time for Rose and Lysander to figure even this much out about Ravenclaw's charm, which necessitated that that they spent a good deal more amount of time together than they had previously. While Rose enjoyed getting to know the boy beyond his shy, bookwormish nature and learned to appreciate his formidable research skills and kind nature, their newfound friendship began to draw the attention of Albus and Scorpius. Al simply shrugged it off, and tried to make him feel welcome to join them when the trio studied together in the Tower or at meals; it wasn't as if they'd ever been on bad terms, after all. Scorpius took this development a bit more suspiciously, which Rose understood to some extent. After all, before the events of this past Christmas, they had shared everything with one another; now, she had a habit of disappearing off with Lysander Scamander once she'd finished her assignments for the day, only to return to the common room with him that night, giving little but trite explanations as to what they'd been doing.

This was just one of several outward signs of the gulf she felt growing between them, but there was little she could do about it. And still, most things hadn't changed. Scorpius' nerves had calmed somewhat, but he was still much more on edge than before, easily startled by loud noises and people coming up behind him. He grew increasingly defensive of her and Albus, which resulted in a few moments of panic on his part - like when Roxanne snuck her cousins a few harmless color bombs that exploded in small puffs of smoke, leaving Rose's skin Ravenclaw blue and Albus' an eye-watering shade of yellow for a solid twenty-four hours. It took him much longer to realize that his girlfriend and best mate were not in any real danger, and still longer to slow his heart down to a normal pace and focus on his schoolwork again. She'd chewed Roxanne out for that one after the fact, for which the younger girl apologized. He also began to carry the Muggle camera she'd given him nearly everywhere he went. Knowing that forms of creative expression are often thought to be helpful for those recovering from trauma, she didn't question it or ask what he was photographing – she knew he'd show her when he was comfortable. His sleeping habits had begun to improve since the Easter holidays, but Rose still found herself having to sleep in the common room with him occasionally - she didn't mind, of course, but the longer it took for Scorpius to return to normal, the more worried she became. It broke her heart a little more each day to hear him telling her about the nightmares he had, and the fears he had to fight through just to remain functional. Rose wondered if wizards had therapists, and whether or not she could convince Scorpius to see one if they existed. No matter what, she would be here to support him in any way she could, as would Al, but they weren't trained for this kind of thing. Surely an expert would be able to help in ways that she and her cousin simply couldn't? She shared these concerns only with Al, however, and it stayed that way until the last weekend in May. They would be home in less than a month, she reasoned, and if Scorpius had made it through from Christmas until now, surely he could make it the rest of the way to the end of term (less than three weeks away, now) without major incident. He was eating, he was excelling in his classwork as always, and to those who didn't know him as well as she and Albus did, it appeared that he had all but recovered from his ordeal.

The one thing she hadn't considered was their final match against Gryffindor. The season's standings were close enough that this last match would determine the winner of the Quidditch Cup, and ultimately the House Cup as well. The school showed up in full force, with half the stadium decked in blue in copper and the other donning banners of scarlet and gold. Rose soaked up the cheers she received each time she scored, and applauded for Scorpius each time he made a save as Keeper. Albus soared around the pitch while they played, searching for the Snitch. And all this was narrated by James, who sounded as if he were hopping up and down in the commentator's box with excitement. "And Gryffindor Chaser David Greene is heading up the pitch with the Quaffle, passes to Polly Chapman, back to Greene – Oh but Ravenclaw Arran Wright has intercepted with help from Beater Penelope Peakes! They pass to Tara Abney – NICE ONE SIS! Lily Potter now has the Quaffle, Merlin I love her! Still no sign of the Snitch, my brother Albus is just hovering stupidly over everyone's heads – and now he's sent me an indecent hand gesture, folks – Professor Longbottom, he has to get some sort of penalty for that, doesn't he? No? Oh well, I'll get him back for it later. And it looks like Lily just dodged a Bludger sent by Bernard Belby, but ol' Big Ben just can't hold a candle to my sister – okay, looks like I spoke too soon, Abney has taken possession. Better luck next time, Lils – or we'll disown you! Only kidding, of course. Abney corkscrews to avoid a Bludger sent by Fred Weasley – some loser, I've no idea who he is – and SHE'S DROPPED THE QUAFFLE! Greene is in possession and is now tearing up the pitch toward the Ravenclaw goalposts, manned none other than my cousin's boyfriend, Scorpius Hermes Malfoy. If he doesn't block this, he'll sure be in the doghouse later, folks! And now Rose has made the same rude gesture – is my whole family turning against me?! Professor, can she really get away with this? Fine, fine, yes, I'll shut up. And – Malfoy blocks the attempt! The score still stands at 140 Ravenclaw, 110 Gryffindor – it's anybody's game, folks!"

Rose rejoiced as they scored twice more, bringing them up to a lead of 50 points. They were winning, Ravenclaw was winning, thanks to the hard work she and Scorpius and the rest of the team had put in this year. And Albus was an amazing Seeker, surely he would beat Gryffindor's Laura Payne to the Snitch, once it made an appearance. Finally, they had a chance to win the House Cup!

"Lily's intercepted the Quaffle now, heading toward the Ravenclaw posts- and it looks like Rose is going to try for the steal! She makes a grab for it –"

Rose felt something smash into her outstretched right arm – something inside her cracked under the force of it.

"And Rose has been hit by a Bludger! Nice aim, Fred!"

The impact sent her veering to the right – it was a strong hit, and she'd already been off-balance as she'd strained forward to reach for the Quaffle in Lily's hands. Instinctively, she put her right hand back down on the broom's handle to correct her course, but instantly recoiled as pain shot up her limb at the movement.

"And my marvelous sister is about to – wait, Rose? Rose Weasley appears to be having some difficulty controlling her broomstick right now – she doesn't appear to be stopping."

She was falling outright now, legs wrapped around her broomstick in a desperate attempt to right herself, but it wasn't working. The sky and the ground blurred together dizzyingly as she spiraled through the air. She could still tell she was losing altitude though - the grassy turf was approaching rapidly.

"Merlin, she's falling fast – someone help her!"

Rose saw Albus and Lily chasing after her from the corner of her eye, but she reached the earth before they could catch up. She rolled as she landed to diffuse the force of her impact, sending another wave of pain up her arm that made her gasp. Her head cracked against the turf, and she saw stars. Al was by her side in a moment; he knelt over her, and her blurred vision made it appear as though there were two of him. "Rose? Ro, answer me. Rose?" she heard him asking through the ringing in her ears.

She tried to look him at him directly, but she wasn't sure which one was the real Al, and so her gaze flitted between them. "I'm okay, I promise. Still in one piece," she said breathlessly.

Rose sensed the presence of more bodies gathered around now. Lily, Hugo, Fred. But where was –

"Rose? Rosie!" Scorpius' panicked voice rang out from the back of the small crowd surrounding her. "Merlin, let me through!"

James' voice could be heard shouting across the pitch, still magically amplified – "For fuck's sake, would someone just tell me if she's alright?"

Her vision had straightened out by the time Scorpius was able to kneel down next to her, across from Albus; there was only one of him, and so she was able to meet his eyes easily. He was clearly terrified, pupils dilated so that the blue-grey color of his irises was almost entirely obscured. "Scor," she said, trying to keep her voice level even though her arm and head ached. "I'm okay, I promise. Just a few scratches, see? Here, can you help me sit up?"

His voice was strained to the point of breaking as he answered, "Are you sure you should be doing that? Maybe we should wait for Madame Longbottom-"

"I'm fine. Really. Please, just help me up."

He began to reach for her right arm – the one she was fairly sure had been broken. She pulled it closer to her without thinking, and she saw his eyes tighten as he noticed.

"Did you really have to hit her quite so hard, Fred?" she heard Hugo snipe from somewhere near her ankles.

"It's not as if he meant for this to happen," said Roxanne – apparently the other members of the Weasley family had managed to quickly cross the Quidditch pitch from their position in the stands.

"Rose, I'm so sorry-" started Fred-

"Shut up! You don't get to apologize to make yourself feel better!" Scorpius shouted, interrupting her cousin.

Rose stared at her boyfriend in fascination. He hardly ever raised his voice, and to the best of her knowledge had never gotten angry at anyone but himself. She began to sit up on her own, eventually succeeding with Lily's help once the younger girl saw what she was trying to do.

"Fred, what were you thinking?" Scorpius continued. "You could have killed her!"

Albus snorted at that. "Rose is made of tougher stuff than that. You know her as well as I do." He slipped an arm around Rose's shoulders at that to help keep her upright, and she appreciated that he was careful not to jostle her right side.

She tried to reach out to touch Scorpius' shoulder with her left hand, since he still knelt at her side but had twisted away from her to argue with Fred. "He was just doing his job, you know that. And I'm fine, really-"

"Fine?" he asked incredulously, still facing away from her. "You fell from your broom. You hit your head, broke your arm-"

"Your arm's broken? Bloody hell Rose, I'm so sorry," chimed in Fred, his tone sincere. She'd never heard him sound quite so serious – he and James were forever making jokes and pulling pranks, and they somehow managed to always sound at least a little sarcastic.

"Fred, really, I'm not upset. And Scorpius –" she tugged on his shoulder a little to force him to turn around, confident she could calm him down if she could only look him in the eye – "Scorpius, look at me. Look at me."

He whirled to face her, and she was startled to see that his face was flushed, eyes beginning to burn with some mixture of rage and fear she'd never seen in him before. "Don't try to calm me down, Rosie, don't try to act like you wouldn't be upset if it was me who got hurt."

"Of course I'd be upset! I'm always upset when you get hurt, or anyone when else I care for does. But you can't go taking it out on my cousin just because he did his job as a Beater and knocked me off my broomstick."

"You broke your arm. You fell from at least four stories up-"

"And Al did worse when he broke his collarbone during that match in second year. Or had you forgotten?" Though she understood that his panic came from the events at Christmas, which he was still working through, she was beginning to lose her patience with him. Her head was throbbing, her arm filled with searing pain, and all she wanted was him, as her best friend, to hold her and stroke her hair and tell her everything would be alright until Madame Longbottom came. Instead, she was having to comfort him, assuring him and the rest of her family she felt fine (though from the glances Albus was sneaking her she knew he had caught on that she wasn't) when she really felt like curling into a ball on the nice cool grass.

"So, what? You don't want me to worry about you? It isn't exactly something I can turn off."

"That's not what I'm asking! I just need you to step back for a moment and please stop being so overprotective!"

"Rosie, you don't understand." Once again, his voice sounded as if it were about to break. He spoke quietly, so that the conversations of her brother and cousins around her drowned out most of what he said from all but her ears. "You were falling, and all I could think about was how I couldn't bear it if I'd lost you. I love you. And I need you. You know I do."

"Scor, I do understand," she replied. "And I love you too. But what you're doing isn't helping."

"Rose? Rose!" She heard the sound of James running toward them, panting; clearly he'd just run all the way from the commentator's box at the top of the stadium. "Is she okay?"

"Yes, she's okay!" replied Al, glad for a reason to interrupt their tense conversation, which he was close enough to overhear.

"Mostly," she heard Hugo add on under his breath.

"No, she's not okay," Scorpius loudly contradicted Albus. "Her arm's broken, and she may have a concussion." Rose resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"What's taking Madame Longbottom so long to get here?" asked Lysander hesitantly. Rose hadn't even realized he was there until he spoke.

"Fantastic question, Scamander," said Lily, clearly happy for the change of subject. "Why don't you go investigate?"

"And take Fred with you," said Scorpius brusquely.

"Scorpius, enough," snapped Rose.

"What are you on about, Malfoy?" asked James, making his way toward the blonde.

"I just don't understand why everyone is forgiving Fred so quickly," he replied, standing. "Hugo's the only one besides me who seems to be even remotely upset with him."

"Because he obviously didn't mean it!" shouted Roxanne. It was clear her patience was gone. "Fred loves Rose, he'd do anything for her! Any of us would do anything for each other!"

"And that includes you too, Scorpius," Lucy added hastily. "You're one of us now. Surely you know that."

"I think what the rest of my family means is that there's no point in yelling at Fred, when he already feels guilty enough," said Lily.

"And really, if I had better balance I wouldn't have fallen in the first place," said Rose.

Scorpius closed his eyes, clearly frustrated, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Don't even try to blame yourself for this, Rosie."

"There's no one to blame, mate," said Albus. "It was an accident."

"My grandfather always said that accidents are a careless man's excuse," Scorpius replied curtly.

"Oh right, because your grandfather is the perfect person to get your morality lessons from," James replied sarcastically. "Being a little too eager with a Beater's bat is a sight better than being a Death Eater."

"James, stop it! Scorpius, go find someplace quiet and calm down. Now. My family can take care of me from here, and you're not helping."

James snorted and walked away.

Scorpius looked down at Rose on the ground in hurt surprise, but she lowered her head so as not to look at him. "We'll talk later, okay?"

"Okay," he replied quietly, sounding defeated. He turned and left, and Rose felt something tighten in her chest as she raised her head high enough to watch his back growing smaller through her curtain of red hair.

"Rose, dear, how are you feeling? That was quite a fall," said Madame Longbottom as she arrived, with Lysander trailing behind her. The older witch bustled over to kneel at her side, and her family (apart from Al) cleared away gratefully.

"I'm okay," said Rose in a dull voice. "I'm fine."

They never did really talk about what had occurred at that Quidditch match, though – at least not before the end of their sixth year and the beginning of the summer months. Scorpius visited her later that day in the Hospital Wing, quietly apologizing to Rose and her family. The Weasley-Potter clan welcomed him back, of course; most of them began treating him the same as they had before. It took a bit longer for James and Roxanne's anger to fade, but by the end of the year all had returned to normal on that front. But Rose noticed a change in her own relationship with Scorpius. It had begun with their argument over the spell she'd discovered and saved him with, she knew, and had grown larger in the following months as she'd hidden her pursuits in researching Rowena Ravenclaw from him. She told him and Al about her academic exploits with Lysander Scamander once she'd been released from the Hospital Wing, and he seemed surprised and upset, but said he understood - her cousin, perceptive as always when it came to her, seemed to have gathered more or less what was going on.

She still loved him, of course. And this wouldn't mark the end of their relationship – this was only their first test. They would talk about what had happened eventually, she knew, when both of them had come to terms with the fact that their relationship wasn't perfect or infallible or all of the things she'd come to unconsciously assume it was. They were human, and each had their own faults. Until now, Rose thought she and Scorpius had done a good job of bending around one another, being strong where the other was weak, being lenient where the other was stubborn – and that was what made relationships last. But despite what all the Muggle romance novels she'd read seemed to think, no two people ever fit perfectly together, completely without quarrels or disappointments. For now, Rose told herself she wanted to focus on processing her own feelings before she jumped headfirst into a conversation with Scorpius about it to see where his thoughts on the matter lie. And for now, they weren't quite as comfortable around each other as they had been previously – though again, Rose reminded herself that she hadn't been entirely open and at ease with him since Christmas. Scorpius was a bit less affectionate, and a bit more guarded when he told her about what he was feeling, or the nightmares he'd had. Still, she spent hours sitting under the oak tree and in the library with him and Al, doing their schoolwork and goofing off like before; when Scorpius fell asleep talking to her (because they talked about everything other than the events of that last weekend in May, nowadays) on the window seat in the common room again, she sighed and conjured a blanket and slept there with him. But there was still a tightness in her chest she could never quite get rid of when she spent time with him, as if she were perpetually watching him walk away from her on that Quidditch pitch, upset and dejected, in her mind's eye. It didn't make her want to avoid him, of course. She loved him. But that didn't make it go away, either.