"She's a beauty. Ain't she, Rosie?" Hagrid said giving one of the thestrals a pat on the neck.

"I'll take your word for it. I can't see her." I reminded Hagrid. I placed an apple slice in the palm of my hand and held it out. Within seconds, I felt a tickling sensation on my hand as an invisible mouth gobbled it up.

"She's a proud one. The way she's flexin' her wings and holds her head." Hagrid said he then nudged the space behind him. "Would give yeh a run for yer money pullin' carriages, ol' fella."

I laughed and returned to my place at the edge of the clearing to guard the buckets of food for the thestrals. I watched Hagrid talk to each thestral and give them food. I avoided looking down at the contents of the buckets filled with rotting leftovers.

Then suddenly one of the metal buckets full of food for the thestrals knocked over littering the contents across the forest ground.

"Cottontail!" I exclaimed waving my hand over the pile of fruit and meat that was quickly disappearing.

I knew it was Cottontail, that annoying thestral that had knocked me off my feet the first time I visited the herd with Hagrid. He wasn't exactly a small baby anymore according to Hagrid. He was only thestral light-footed and sneaky enough to grab food from right under me.

Finally, I felt his bony body in my grip and I gave him a shove but he didn't budge. I could feel his shoulders locking and his hoofs digging into the dirt.

"Rose, don't leave him eat all that he'll be sick!" Hagrid advised as if I had handed him the food on a silver platter.

"Hagrid, help me!" I huffed pushing against Cottontail with all my strength. I started to break into a sweat even though it was freezing outside but he still didn't budge from his spot. I was on my hands and knees pushing with all my might and when that clearly wasn't doing anything I switched to pushing with my back.

The best thing would be to pick up the food, I tried that once Cottontail almost ate my fingers. The solution to this problem (like any other problem) would be magic if the damn thestral didn't try and ram me every time I pulled out my wand.

"Cottontail," I hissed. "Why didn't I just call you Malfoy! You're exactly like him."

If Malfoy was a thestral I believe he would be Cottontail. If someone told me Malfoy was actually Cottontail in disguise, I wouldn't be surprised. Malfoy can get under my skin and trick me like no one else can. Cottontail can do that as well but instead of witty words and Malfoyish conversation, he rams, snorts, sneezes on me, occasionally tries to step on my foot and sometimes rubs up against me for pets. I think some part of me really likes Cottontail and finds him cute otherwise I would have hexed him out of my life by now. Malfoy… let's not make that comparison.

Hagrid abandoned petting the (good) thestrals to come help me. He picked up Cottontail like he was nothing but a stuffed toy. I took this opportunity to Wingardium Leviosa back the remaining food (not a lot, mainly apple cores) into the bucket before Hagrid put him down. Not knowing where he was I picked up the two untouched buckets and hugged them to my chest the foul smell of rotting everything wafting into my nose.

"The little messer." Hagrid chuckled as I stuck out my foot checking for Cottontail. "Why don't yeh feed the rest of the thestrals."

"Okay," I said momentarily forgetting about Cottontail who could be prowling anywhere. "Where are they?"

Hagrid led me to the rest of the herd. Who were calmer and gentler (like thestrals are supposed to be) than Cottontail. Despite their nature, they all ate quickly and messily. When they had finished eating they (said Hagrid) wandered off happily. I was left covered in spit and apple chunks from a thestral who had nestled his head into my robes while he was eating. It was adorable until I saw the mess he had left behind.

Once Hagrid and I said goodbye to all the thestals. We started walking out of the Forbidden Forest that's when Hagrid asked a peculiar question,

"When yeh were talking to Cottontail, Rosie, did yeh say somethin' about Malfoy?"

I was in the middle of using the cleaning charm on my robes my wand froze in mid-swirl.

"No," I said quickly finishing the charm. "Why would I say something about him to Cottontail?"

Hagrid gave me a doubtful look, his fuzzy eyebrows frowned at me while my face heated up. I let out a nervous laugh and changed the subject before Hagrid could respond.

"Remember that time…"

Remember what time?!

"Remember the time I," the only time I could remember was the time I fell down a hill and into a ditch in Care of Magical Creatures. That was last week and the only thing I could think of that was non-Malfoy related. "I… slipped down a slope and into a ditch when you were telling us about flobberworms."

Hagrid gave me a confused look then burst out into a hearty laugh. I almost fainted with relief.

"That was a long fall."

I was laughing at something ridiculous Abby had said during Hagrid's lecture about flobberworms. I laughed so hard I took about five steps backwards before losing my balance on an edge of a hill that I didn't even know was there. Jane tried to warn me by screaming 'Rose, be careful!' but I couldn't hear anything apart from my own laughter and I couldn't see anything through my teared up eyes. I slid down the hill on my back and tumbled a few times before coming to a stop in a mud puddle. I think I still have twigs in my hair and moss in my robes from it.

Everyone rushed to the edge to look down at me. Once I shouted back up to them weakly from my curled up position in the mud. "I'm okay!" They all burst out laughing while Hagrid trekked down the hill to rescue me. He was holding his breath trying not to laugh.

I told Malfoy all about it during Divination.

"Ouch." was his response then he laughed and he said, "Classic, Weasley."

Hagrid was laughing about different aspects of the fall making him forget about Malfoy. Merlin, I have to be more careful. My time with Malfoy won't be as fun if I have people finding out about it and barking at me for it.

Hagrid finally dropped the fall thing when we stepped out of the Forridden Forest.

Hagrid left out a final laugh before checking his oversized wrist watch.

"Aren't yeh goin' to the quidditch match with Abby and Jane today?" Hagrid asked his eyes moving towards a group of people ahead of us dressed completely in yellow and black. Their faces were painted with yellow and black stripes making them look like huge bumble bees.

The Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw match was the buzz of the school for the last couple of days. Everywhere we went in the castle people were either chanting Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw at the top of their lungs. Abby did this at random times during classes and in the corridors high fiving people we didn't even know.

I wanted to spend my time during the match in the silent castle in the Library or playing with Pumpkin but nooooo. Abby and Jane had to drag me along to the match with them.

"It'll be fun!" was Jane's argument.

So there I was dressed in blue robes, my Ravenclaw scarf and bronze hairclips match ready by my standards. Abby offered up one of her new and improved light show t-shirts that made sound effects every time a Ravenclaw goal was scored. She sold some of them. With the help of Fred and James Abby's t-shirt's had the added value of being scented. Her Ravenclaw t-shirts smelt like blueberry, her Gryffindor t-shirts smelt like strawberry, her Hufflepuff t-shirts smelt like cinnamon and her Slytherin t-shirt were not in existent but if they were they would probably smell like a potion gone wrong.

"Yes, Hagrid, sadly I've been forced to go." I replied.

"Yeh'll have fun. I'll be there as well supportin' Ravenclaw." Hagrid said brightly. "Yeh better go though Abby and Jane are probably looking for yeh if yeh want to get good seats."

"Bye then, Hagrid," I waved after we had placed the empty buckets on hooks outside his hut. "I'll see you at the match."

A minute after I started walking across the grounds I saw Abby and Jane coming in my direction decked out in Ravenclaw colours.

"RAVENCLAW!" Abby screamed at a random guy passing by.

"RAVENCLAW!" he screamed back without any hesitation.

Jane hurried over to me and pinned a rosette to the front of my robes. It was covered in blue and bronze flowers.

"Abby gave me the inspiration and I got the spells." Jane informed me pointing to the matching rosette on her robes.

"Nice!" I said admiring it.

Abby ran over to us. Her face was painted to look like an eagle, there was glitter in her hair and her light show t-shirt was producing blinding multi coloured lights. When she approached us the sweet smell of blueberry muffins hit my nose. Which made my stomach rumbled at the thought of the delicious food.

Jane and I definitely paled in comparison to Abby's get up.

"Let's go!" Abby half-screamed half-normal talked. "I want front row seats!"

By the time, we had made it to the top of the stand in the Ravenclaw section all the seats in the back and the first two rows were taken so we had to settle for third-row seats.

"Curse the people in the front row!" Abby whined as we took our seats.

"I don't know why you would want front row seats, Abby," Jane said looking at a few members of the Hufflepuff team who had started running laps around the pitch for no reason. But they didn't look stupid, how could you look stupid running around with a six pack and a set of muscular arms to go with it?

"The last time we sat in the front row," Jane continued. "We almost got pelted with bludgers, the beater's bat, the beater himself and an out of control firework and broom!"

Thankfully, I was hiding in the Library for that one.

"That was at a Gryffindor v. Slytherin match," Abby replied with a frown. "The Gryffindors were real lions and the Slytherins were such enormous slimy snakes. And it was last year, quidditch at Hogwarts is an entirely different thing this year."

"Really, Abby? Have you seen the Slytherin team?" I asked remembering when I had passed the team and their… groupies returning from practise a couple of days ago. They were like a gang of trolls! I was forced to press up against the wall as they passed since they completely ignored me and refused to move aside. I think Albus waved at me, nodded or some other type of greeting I'm not sure cause I was craning my neck over the quidditch players to see if Malfoy was there. He was there, at the back following the crowd. He grinned at me when I saw him my smile only got wider. Only when he turned the corner did I realise that I had been smiling the entire time at the Slytherin quidditch team (embarrassing).

I was wondering why my face felt weird and my cheeks started to cramp. Malfoy looked small next to all the buff gorilla like quidditch players even most of their fans were the same physique as them. Malfoy is a tall guy but he looked short next to the group. Albus is shorter than Malfoy so he looked like a cornish pixie. After they had disappeared from sight I struggled to extract the smile that was imprinted on my face, I was starting to worry I was jinxed. But I ignored it and continued my walk to the Library feeling fuzzy inside.

I smiled in the quidditch stands up at the sky at the thought of Malfoy I guess I was smiling cause he's an okay, sometimes funny guy who I have fun with. It had been about two weeks since our first study session in the Library. The week after our first I had sat at my usual table in the Library around the same time as the week before. I took out my books intending to study but it was hard to work. Every second or so I would glance up to check if Malfoy was coming which was stupid. I probably ate too much of the chocolate croissants at breakfast. I almost jumped out of my skin when by the fifteenth time I had looked up. There his was strolling across to the Library towards me. He took the seat across from me and spread out his book in front of him.

"Weasley, stop staring, it's rude you know?" he gave a small laugh. "At least smile or something the blank face is creepy."

I gave him a small smile then ducked my head back down to my book when I realised what I was doing.

"How did you get out of cheerleading for the Slytherin quidditch team this time?" I asked not raising my head. I knew my face had turned scarlet. I picked up my quill and pretended to be underlining the words on the page of the book in front of me.

"It's not 'cheerleading'. I don't know what that even is but I'm guessing it something you would never find me doing."

"Muggle reference." I informed, Abby and her muggle pop culture references were really grinding their way into my brain.

"I told Yaxley I was dying to clean the quidditch equipment again and fix up the quaffles that they had broken last week. I told him I had forgotten my wand."

"Nobody could possibly be that thick." I said forgetting about my burning face and pulling my head back up.

"Well, he is. He laughed and told me I could."

"Actually, I forgot to ask, what is Albus saying about all this?"

"He's such a git," Malfoy said his mood snapping from upbeat to cranky. "Do not repeat that. He just laughed in my face and made an even bigger joke out of it."

"Let me guess he used that annoying tone where he says something outright rude in a sweet way?" I said feeling my own mood sinking at the thought of Albus.

"Yeah, but it's not a tone anymore it's his normal way of speaking. He said…-" Malfoy fell silent and scratched the back of his neck and frowned.

"What?" I asked leaning forward in my seat almost on his half of the table.

"Forget it." Malfoy said flicking open the nearest book to him.

I reached over, slid the book out of his reach and shut it. He raised an eyebrow at me, I was almost in his face. My hips were pressed painfully up against the table. I was really curious and I knew it would bug me throughout our study session if I didn't ask.

All traces of his mood were gone from his face. His silver-grey eyes were brighter and wider, his nose was uncrinkled and his lips were tugged upwards.

"Nosy much, Weasley?" he asked.

"Yes, Malfoy," I said. "Obviously."

"Since you can't keep your nose out of other people's business," Malfoy said. "He said it's nice Yaxley is taking charity on me and that I must feel like a real member of the team now."

I suddenly wanted to punch Albus right in the face.

"Don't listen to him he's stupid and a bully." I said.

"Weasley, does it look like I'm crying over anything he says to me?"

I scanned his face looking for signs of anger or hurt but all I saw was amusement. I looked from each of his individual features twice over. I was weirdly interested in the shape of his nose. The longer I looked at him the less pointed his features seemed to be, parts of his face that had once seemed cold and snappish were now warm and smooth.

"No." I finally answered when he shifted in his seat making me blink out of my trance. "But-" I lifted one of my hands to point at him forgetting the position I was in and how stiff my hands had become.

I rocked almost losing my balance Malfoy grasped my shoulders steadying me. My face heated up (yet again) at the feeling of his warm palms on my shoulder.

I came to my senses quick enough to slide back to my side of the table and sit back down before Malfoy could tell me to.

"But?" Malfoy asked no witty comment accompanied his words this time.

I searched my mind for what I was about to say but found nothing but blanks.

"I forget." Surprised at my sudden lack of words. I was almost never lost for words with Malfoy so I was a bit taken back.

Malfoy shrugged. "You'll think of it in a minute or knowing you a second from now and about a billion other sentences."

"Rose," Abby said waving her hand in front of my face. "Are you in there?"

"What?" I said blinking at Abby and Jane who were staring at me like I had just said something stupid. Had I said Malfoy out loud or something along that line of embarrassment?

"You were smiling like you were a unicorn or another cute creature." Abby said.

"What did I miss?"

"A debate about who is the toughest on the Slytherin quidditch team." Jane answered looking at me with suspicion.

"I hate to say it," Abby said. "But that Avery has a cute butt. Everything else is a two out of ten. But that butt is a definite 10 out of 10. It's the only thing the Slytherin team have got going for them."

"Yeah," I replied. "I'm glad I missed that."

"Admit it," Abby said. "You've been walking down the corridor and have been like 'Woah! Where did that bag of luggage come from'."

Jane shook her head, "I'm afraid that's only you, Abby."

Abby looked doubtful, "I heard he's not exactly a lady-killer. But if he ditched the green tie and came on over to the Ravenclaw house I would give him a chance."

I didn't know whether to laugh or cringe at Abby's fancies but luckily I was saved by the commentator clearing his throat into the microphone and announcing,

"Welcome to today's match. Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw. Only one can win today's match! Will the badger eat the raven-"

"Eagle!" someone yelled at the commentator in the teachers stand their voice filling the stadium through the microphone.

"Or will the eagle poke the badger in the eye with its beak! Here come the teams! Drum roll, please!"

The teams had set foot on the pitch their brooms slung over their shoulders.

I wondered if Malfoy was in the stands, my attention started turning to the sky once again. Before I clicked into my senses.

"What the Dementor?" I muttered to myself. "Why do I care?" I said a bit louder than I expected.

"Yeah, Rose!" Abby heard me and shouted over the crowd of booing Ravenclaws and cheering Hufflepuffs. "WHY DO I CARE?! BRING ON RAVENCLAW! BADGERS CAN SUCK OUR-"

Jane and I both turned to Abby.

"CLAWS!" she finished.

The rest of the match when politely, the complete opposite of a Slytherin versus anything match. Abby cheered and screamed so much that I thought she would lose her voice but that never happened. I didn't know when to cheer so I copied Jane when my silent protest against quidditch had become too boring. Sitting on the bench in the stand while everyone else was jumping around was dangerous especially when two Ravenclaws from the back tried to crowd surf to the front.

I spotted Hagrid standing with Hugo and Lily in the second last row. I couldn't get to them with all the commotion so I just waved at them. Hugo was thrown up on Hagrid's shoulders (that boy has no shame) having the time of his life, and yet he will not accept a hug from me. Lily was busy with her never ending group of friends, she was really miss popular in her year.

The match finished after two hours when the Hufflepuff seeker caught the snitch. Abby screamed and may have at some point cried when the commentator announced that Hufflepuff had won. Jane and I collapse back into our seats in exhaustion.

"Bloody hell, this is so unfair no afterparty!" whined the sixth year boy in our row to his friends.

And Abby gave him a piece of her mind while Jane and I turned the other way and pretended we weren't with her.

"Bertie Bott's?" Jane asked passing me the box that she had hidden under her cloak.

"You've read my mind!" I said shoving a fist full into my mouth wincing as all the different flavours exploded on my tongue. And that was our afterparty.