*DISCLAIMER: The Wizarding World and the characters in it belong to J. K. Rowling, duh
Also, if you haven't noticed from the previous chapter, English isn't my first language, so I apologise for any grammar mistakes you might stumble upon.
Winter was slowly transitioning into spring. Sunrays were making their way through the windows of Hogwarts' classrooms and the waves of the Great Lake rolled calmly toward the shore.
The weather provided perfect conditions for Quidditch and as such, Rose's Captain, James, whose title she wished to overtake next year, called them in for a practice almost every day.
She was great at Quidditch and knew she had to be if she was going to be a Captain one day, so naturally, she tried her best. She scored more hoops than anyone and James had to congratulate her on handling the Quaffle so well.
Well, that was Saturday. Three practices later, James was already giving her annoyed looks and disappointed comments.
Look, she had a though week, okay? With spring, OWLs were approaching at an alarming rate and the professors kept giving out extra homework, on which she wasn't going to fall behind. She spent entire afternoons writing essays, evenings on prefect patrols, and nights studying. Her dormmates were getting very angry because they couldn't sleep at night, with Rose illuminating the room to be able to write. Her best friend, Alice Longbottom, developed big purple bags under her eyes and that finally convinced Rose to not study past midnight.
Frequent Quidditch practices required a lot of energy and she wasn't getting much sleep, a dreadful combination. She lost even more energy dealing with Scorpius. When her Charms essay was graded better than his, she stuck out her tongue at him, and of course, with her luck, the teacher saw her and took points from her. She almost lost it when Scorpius' mocking grin went unnoticed by the professor, and Alice didn't even stand up for her. She just kept rolling her eyes and saying Scorpius wasn't even trying to mock her and that she should stop being so mean to him.
"I'm not mean to him; he's mean to me!" she protected herself, as Alice rolled her eyes once more and with the corner of her eye, Rose could see Albus making the same annoyed face.
By Thursday, she was even more tired of everything and pretty sure her week couldn't get worse. Boy, was she wrong.
The Quidditch practice was exhausting. She tried to focus on the Quaffle, but it was harder than most days. Somehow, almost by a miracle, she managed to get hold of the ball as she flew past the stands. Alice was cheering her on and Albus was sitting in front of her, doing the same. Next to him in the first row was Scorpius, yawning. As she flew past him, holding the Quaffle tightly in her right hand, she could smell how he stunk of the most disgusting candy in the world, saltwater taffy. He must have been the only person in the world who wouldn't leave Honeydukes without a pocketful of them. The smell almost made her sick, but then … BOOM. She was hit by a Bludger, right in the stomach. It knocked her off her broom, but luckily, she was flying just a few feet above the ground. The sensation in her stomach and the slight smell of taffy that stayed in her nose like a memory made her puke. Her stomach hurt like literal hell, however the matron assured her she would only need to spend the night in the hospital wing – and how long of a night it was.
Alice was the first to visit. Rose asked her to bring her Defensive Magical Theory, but the nurse forbid her to do so; Rose needed her rest and that meant no studying for tonight. Isn't that just great?
"Don't you think she's right?" Alice asked. "You definitely need some rest, it's killing you."
Rose groaned.
"Look, you shouldn't worry about OWLs. You already know every single textbook by heart."
Rose tried to disagree, but Alice knew exactly what her best friend was going to say and intentionally didn't give her time to argue with her.
"I'll see you at breakfast in the Great Hall tomorrow, and you better not have dark circles under your eyes. I want you to finally get some sleep. Promise me you'll try?"
"I promise," Rose said in a low, defeated voice.
James visited next. "You'll be able to play Hufflepuff, right? I don't have time to find a new chaser two weeks before a match!"
"I'll play," she assured him and for a moment, his face was gleaming; Rose was an amazing chaser, and it was no secret how much he valued her as a player. The pure look on his face didn't last long though. It was quickly replaced by a stern face as he demanded that she must get more rest and not think about other things while playing; he can't have her falling off her broom being hit by a Bludger during the game. This time, she was the one rolling her eyes. Her? Thinking about other things? Oh, please!
Albus was the last to come visit her at the hospital wing. She saw Scorpius coming with him but staying at the door rather than coming closer to her. She pretended not to notice him there, but a few curious glances she directed at him didn't go unobserved by Albus.
Albus and her had one of those 'cousin talks' she really missed when he was hanging out with Scorpius and she was making sure to keep away from him. He stayed with her right until curfew, when Scorpius and he had to return to the Slytherin dungeon.
When the two of them left, Rose was left with nothing to do. She tried to follow the matron's advice and get some rest, but she couldn't fall asleep, feeling uncomfortable not studying at an hour she usually spent buried in textbooks. If she couldn't sleep, what's the point of not at least being able to be productive and study?
She kept tossing and turning in her hospital bed and letting her mind drift away, first towards Quidditch and the approaching match with Hufflepuff, then to James's strict face, Alice's caring words, her friendly talk with Albus, and finally, towards a certain annoying blond boy standing under the door frame, looking at her quietly while she was sharing a laugh with her cousin.
A/N: Thank you so much for giving this a read. Hope to see you next time ;)