Wired, and I'm tired,

Think I'll sleep in my clothes on the floor

Maybe this mattress, will spin on its axis

And find me on yours

~Edge of Desire - John Mayer

"This is the moment of truth."

Scorpius and I each have a vial full of Polyjuice Potion in our hands. The Polyjuice Potion that we've spent the last month brewing in an empty dungeon, the potion that counts for a huge part of our final mark. It's meant sleepless nights spent down here, missed meals, and a couple quite awkward moments... but I've been trying to forget about those.

Scorpius reaches up and pulls out a hair of his, and I do the same to myself. At the same time, we drop the hair in each other's vial. Mine bubbles and turns silver; his turns a bright red.

"This thing better work," I mutter. We clink vials and then simultaneously down the potion like a shot.

It tastes amazing. I don't know why people say Polyjuice tastes bad - it's like melting chocolate and oozing caramel and salty-sweet cheesecake, all in one.

Then my insides contract and shift, and the floor seems to move downward, or maybe I'm growing. It feels like cords are wrapping around my arms and torso, but I look down at myself and it's muscle, my shirt tightening around it. The cuffs of my sleeves pop and so do the buttons on the shirt. I feel cool air on my ankles and realize that my pants are too short.

In front of me stands a short red-haired girl with big hazel eyes and freckles. She looks like I do, but a bit off. Then I remember that it's Scorpius, and it looks off because I'm seeing my face the right way rather than flipped in a mirror. He/I/she is wearing boys' clothes that are too big for him/me/her.

Scorpius/me groans as she/he looks at me/him. "Oh, Merlin, I look awful in girls' clothes!"

I recoil, taken aback, because I was expecting his deep voice, but of course it's my voice.

"I'll change them," I say, and it comes out very deep. I point my wand at first my clothes, then his, and they instantly switch.

The girl in front of me looks down at herself, swinging an arm and moving a foot experimentally. "Hey, I just realized something."

"What?" I ask in my new deep voice.

(S)he grins at me. "I can look at myself naked."

My ears turn hot. "Scorpius Malfoy, don't you dare."

(S)he purses his/her lips. It looks strange, because it is an expression I often see on Scorpius, but now it's on my face. "But what if I have to use the bathroom?"

"Don't pull that one." I glare down at myself/him. "I went twenty minutes ago, and the potion lasts for an hour."

Scorpius frowns and crosses his (my?) arms. "Fine." Then he frowns again and recrosses them, then does so once more.

"Having trouble?" I ask patronizingly.

He attempts to cross my arms again. "How do you have tits like these? They get in the way!"

"Well, I can't walk right, I've got, like, marbles wedged between my legs now," I counter. I do have to spread my feet wider than normal while standing.

"Yeah, but..." He attempts to cross his arms once more, then gives up, sort of poking at my chest. "Aren't you always, you know, bumping them into things, and having them jiggle when you jump, and-"

"Oh, my Godric!" I exclaim. "Can we not talk about my breasts, please? And stop touchingthem! They're mine!"

"Fine," he snaps. "We just have to wait till the potion wears off. About forty-five minutes."

We take seats on the two stools we brought in here. It's really uncomfortable for me - I have to spread my legs and tilt my pelvis so that a certain part of my (Scorpius') anatomy doesn't press into the seat. I end up crossing my legs.

Scorpius looks at me from behind my eyes. "I have never, ever, sat like that."

"What's wrong with it?"

"Generally, gay men cross their legs and sit. Which, I suppose, makes sense if you're really a girl."

"Well, your legs are splayed out so wide my pants are going to tear," I point out, and he shifts them a bit closer together.

Then Al walks in. "How's the potion brewing going?

"Fine," we chorus.

"Good," he says, grabbing my arm. "I need you, Scorpius."

"But I'm-" I start, but he cuts me off.

"I don't care if you're busy with Rose." He tugs me off the chair. I frown - the way he said that seemed weird.

Then I realize I can't trust Scorpius to not look down his shirt or something, so I turn and glare back at him. "Hey, Rose! Come with us!"

"But I-" he begins, but I interrupt him.

"Come. Now."

He slips off the stool and walks behind us, his disgruntled expression taking shape on my face.

Al regards this with confusion as we walk towards the Slytherin common room. "Since when do you let Scorpius tell you what to do, Rose?"

"Since never," he grumbles in my voice, and Al shrugs it off.

Once in the common room, with the green light playing over the walls, Al sits Scorpius (who, of course, he thinks is me) down on a sofa. "Now you stay here, Rosie, Scorpius and I have to talk about something."

"No, he- she can come," I interject.

"Er, Scorpius?" Al leans close to me. "I don't think you want Rose to hear this."

On the couch, Scorpius suddenly goes, "Ohhhhh."

I wrinkle my nose. "Oh, ew, gross, are you going to talk about your sex life?"

Al has this expression of disbelief. "Scorp, are you serious?"

"Of course not," Scorpius chimes in. "He's just pulling your leg, aren't you?"

"Oh, yeah," I say quickly, realizing that I should probably know what he's talking about. "But can we talk later? Rose and I have to go."

Al's forehead creases. "But-"

Suddenly, when I look over at Scorpius, sitting on the sofa in my body, I notice a finer blond streak in my thick red hair. The streak slowly widens. Scorpius widens my eyes at me - or, rather, his eyes now. The colour is reverting back to grey. I know I must also be changing back.

"Sorry, Al," Scorpius chokes out in a curiously deep voice, and we run out of the common room and find an alcove in the passageway. I cast the spell to switch our clothes, catching the moment just right so that nothing gets torn or stretched this time. The floor gets closer, red hair sprouts and curls around me, and I can feel myself getting lighter and softer.

Breathing hard, we both straighten up. Scorpius is also back to himself. We just eye each other for a moment.

"Well, it worked," Scorpius murmurs.

"I'll say," I mutter. "It feels nice to be me again."

"Ditto," sighs Scorpius. "I can finally cross my arms." And he proceeds to do just that.

-TTIHM-

I'm sitting with Scorpius, Lily and Jasmine at tea when Al comes running up, huffing and puffing like he's just run a marathon. "Scorpius!"

"Yes, Albus?" Scorpius turns and regards my cousin as if on very serious business.

"I have to tell you something," Al pants.

"It can wait," Lily says dismissively, waving her hand at Al. "We were discussing what to do for Rose's birthday tomorrow."

"Actually, we were discussing the fact that it's a school day, and we have classes so we can't do anything," I amend.

"Classes," snorts Lily. "Who needs them?"

Scorpius raises his hand. "We're handing in our Polyjuice potion tomorrow, so we sort of do."

"Does yours work?" asks Jasmine, interested.

Scorpius and I exchange a glance, then I speak up. "Yeah, it works alright."

"What about your Veritaserum?" Scorpius asks Jasmine and Al.

"It works," they say simultaneously, then blush.

Lily raises an eyebrow. "Do I want to know? Probably not."

"No," they chorus again, then giggle. Beside me, Scorpius wrinkles his nose, and I pretend to vomit.

When I look up, I notice Dom at the entrance of the hall, without Josh stuck to her like a leech for once. She hesitates, her eyes sweeping the room, and then her gaze lands on me. I lift my head higher and smile at her so she knows to come and sit here. She half-smiles back, and turns to walk in our direction, when suddenly, as if he'd Apparated there, Josh appears by her elbow and grabs her arm, whispering something in her ear. He steers he over to the Hufflepuff table, sending a poisonous look at me which Scorpius notices. But he says nothing about it, just nudges my knee with his, which I know means he's trying to comfort me.

No one else seems to have noticed. Lily is in the middle of a rant. "-and if they can't cancel classes for one day, when it's the Head Girl's birthday, then they are arseholes. Pass me the scones, would you? I hope you like the gift I got you, Rose."

"It better not be sexy lingerie again," I warn her, passing her the plate as Scorpius sniggers beside me.

"What the effing hell do you use sexy lingerie for?" Al looks revolted.

"To look hot before she shags someone," Lily answers casually, buttering a scone, as Al coughs his up and Scorpius spews his tea all over the table.

I roll my eyes. "I haven't used it, Al, don't worry."

"Because if you do, I'll punch the bloke you shag," Al threatens, and Scorpius drops a biscuit into his tea, which for some reason sends Lily and Jasmine into fits of giggles.

"Breathe," I remind them, wiping splatters of tea from my shirt.

"No, please don't ever breathe again," mutters Scorpius beside me, and I elbow him.

"Anyway," Al says, still shuddering inside. "What are you all doing after this?"

Lily sighs. "I've got to make up team lists for Quidditch."

"That's right," I grin. "Gryffindor Quidditch Captain."

"Oh, shush, Gryffindor Quidditch Keeper." She blushes lightly.

"I think you should consider Hugo, though," I add. "Thanks to his- er- extracurricular training, he's gotten really good." I elbow Scorpius again, and he grins like a fool.

"He's reserve," says Lily. "He's pretty awesome, but you're still just a little better."

"I'm still going to beat you this year," Scorpius says beside me.

"Just like we beat you last year," Al adds.

"Scorpius meant personally, Keeper to Keeper," I point out. "And let me remind you, Blondie, I beat your record in the finals with my entire season last year."

"Blondie, is it?"

"Yes, Blondie."

"Well, that's changing this season, Carrots." He smirks at me.

"Carrots, is it, Blondie?"

"Yes, Carrots."

"I can't stand it." Lily gets up and leaves abruptly, and I stare around, shocked.

"Yeah, we're going to..." Jasmine and Al also back away from the table and leave the hall. I purse my lips in confusion.

"How about we bottle our potion and then finish that report?" Scorpius suggests.

"Sounds good," I answer.

-TTIHM-

Lily POV

"Can't they just shag already?"

Jasmine and I are in my dorm. I'm lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, and Jasmine is sitting on my trunk.

"I'm not even directly involved, and they're making me sexually frustrated," I complain.

Jasmine chuckles. "Yeah, I guess you don't currently have an outlet for that."

I raise my hands. "Please, do not talk aboutyour outlet."

"Don't worry, I won't." She smirks at me.

"Good," I sigh. "Because that's scarring. What should we do next to, er, help the two lovebirds along?"

"Valentine's Day is coming up in ten days," says Jasmine thoughtfully. "We could sort of engineer it so they're alone with each other in Hogsmeade."

I sit up. "Yeah! We'll pretend to all hang out together, you, me, Al, Scorp and Rose, then I'll leave because I see a cute single bloke-"

"And then Al and I will go off on our own for 'couple time,'" finishes Jasmine. "It's perfect!"

"And we should leave them somewhere they'll really be alone," I add. "Like, we could take a walk up into those hills or something-"

"Or sit at a really private table in the Three Broomsticks," suggests Jasmine. "Because if it's outside, they'll be too cold to even think about locking lips."

"Well, it's still a while away," I remind her. "We can plan. But what about tomorrow? Rosie's birthday?"

"She'll be seventeen," muses Jasmine. "It's a special one, isn't it?"

"You know - I think something might happen tomorrow," I speculate. "Scorpius is probably going to give her something."

"We'll see," says Jasmine. "For now, let's observe."

-TTIHM-

Rose POV

The bottle of Polyjuice potion glints in the firelight on the table before us, as we write the individual sections of our reports. We had to write a section of the report together, on what Polyjuice potion is used for, its theory and its origins. The individual part involves our personal challenges and/or successes while brewing it and an overall evaluation of both ourselves and our partner.

My evaluation of Scorpius - for this project, that is - it's simple. He's a good partner, did his fair share of the work, had good input, and we worked better together than I expected to be possible.

My personal evaluation of Scorpius? Ah, but that's a slightly different story.

He sits back and stretches, yawning. "How far along are you?"

"Almost done," I answer, tearing my eyes away from the little strip of skin that his shirt lifted to reveal.

"Me too," he says, putting his arms back down. "You better have evaluated me nicely."

"Don't worry, I did," I laugh.

"Because I gave you a shining review, and reciprocity is mandatory," he adds, mock-seriously.

"You're not even shining - you're sparkling!"

"Excellent, I've always wanted to sparkle."

I look at him - his eyes are sparkling, or twinkling, sort of, I guess, the firelight reflecting off them so that they look simultaneously like silver-grey precious metal and soft and warm at the same time. I look back to my sheet. "Well, you're almost a vampire."

"What?"

"It's this muggle story - you know what, never mind."

We're silent for a while. The flames flicker and crackle, dancing in the grate. I can feel the warmth from the fire radiating out, surrounding me, enveloping me. I put my head back on the couch and let my eyes slide closed.

"Hey." Something touches my cheek, and my eyes open to see Scorpius' face inches from mine. I start, and he moves back quickly. "You shouldn't fall asleep here - your bed is right there."

"Um, right." I scramble up from the couch and into my room.

So it's been nice having a room of my own. I no longer have to worry about privacy, or listen to anyone snoring, or even wait for the bathroom - after living with six other girls, Scorpius seems pretty quick.

I pick up a sports bra and track pants from my trunk and take them into the bathroom to get ready for bed. I change quickly and then brush my teeth. As I'm rinsing off my face, the water running, I hear a low noise from behind me and whirl around. Scorpius is standing there, without a shirt (naturally), looking shocked. I cry out and yank off a towel from the towel rack to cover myself.

"Sorry," he says. "The door on my side was unlocked so I thought you were done."

"Well, I'm not." I clutch the towel tighter to my chest.

"You're wearing clothes," he points out.

"Not enough clothes," I sniff. I do sleep in what I'm wearing, but no one else sees me in it.

"Everything that really needs to be covered is covered."

"I cannot believe I am standing here in a bathroom half-clothed arguing with you!" I yell.

"Neither can I," he smirks, looking obviously up and down me, and I pull the towel higher.

"You're a pig."

"No, I'm a male."

"Male pig."

"Male wizard," he corrects me.

"We could do this all night."

"I'm all for that." He leans against the wall and cocks one eyebrow at me, then bursts out laughing when I blush furiously. "I mean, come on! You walked right into that one!"

I throw my towel at him, then I realize what I just did, and run into my bedroom, shutting the bathroom door behind me.

"Sweet dreams!" Scorpius calls through the door, chuckling. I scowl, my cheeks still hot, and climb into bed, wrapping the covers around me. In the bathroom, the water runs for a while, then shuts off. I can hear his door opening and closing, and a faint creak as he gets into bed. Even when all is silent, I'm aware of him, just steps away, sleeping quietly.

-TTIHM-

Two hours, three hours, four hours, I can't sleep. I get out of bed, pulling an old, loose sweater over my sports bra because I feel cold, and head out to the common room.

Suddenly, something moves on the sofa and I let out a shriek, then calm myself down as I realize it's Scorpius. He snickers. "Jumpy?"

"I wasn't expecting you to be up," I say, sitting down beside him.

"Me either," he says. "Couldn't sleep?"

"No." I wrap my arms around my knees as I shiver a little.

"Cold?" he asks. I nod, and he reaches over the back of the sofa and snags the blanket, shifting closer to me and throwing it over both of us.

"Happy birthday, by the way," he adds.

My eyes widen in the mostly-darkness. "Oh yeah! It's past midnight, isn't it? I guess I'm seventeen now!"

He laughs. "That was anticlimactic."

"I know," I sigh. "I don't feel much different though."

"It's because you're at Hogwarts," he explains. "When you're outside, you can do magic, and it feels very different."

"I suppose you would have noticed that right away. August 15, am I right?"

"Yeah." I'm rewarded with a smile, the firelight gleaming off his teeth.

I lay my head back on the sofa, but then I realize his arm is there. "Oh, sorry."

"It's all right," he says, gently nudging my head so I put it down again. His arm is warm and firm. He curls it around my shoulders and rests his head on top of mine, I let my eyes slide shut.

A/N: sorry sorry sorry sorry! I didn't update for two weeks! In my actually solid defense, I had exams the past two weeks, so that's why. But that's done now! What did you think of Scorp and Rose's potion? I thought it worked quite well, myself...

Wednesday is my birthday, I'll be 17, so please leave me a gift and review :D

~Meg xx