No slushy snow remained on the ground as Abby and I strolled to Hagrid's hut. The high grass, however, was wet with dew and soaked through my tights in mere steps. There was a strong wind that whipped right through us. I could hear Abby's teeth chattering as she reapplied her heating charm.

"Look smoke's coming from his chimney. Thank Merlin a fire." I said tugging Scorpius' scarf tighter around my neck. "He must know we're coming."

"Not another hill," Abby moaned as we half slipped half walked down the final hill to Hagrid's hut. Once we got to the end of it, still intact, we sprinted towards the hut. I could feel the warmth of the fire already as I knocked on the door. Shuffling came from inside.

"I just thought of something brilliant. We tell Hagrid," Abby said bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"No," I hissed. "That's a gateway to the rest of my family, Abby. You've sniffed too much of that rotten potion."

"Maybe so, but let's suggest the idea to him. He's a softy, Rose, and then everyone will turn around and warm up to the idea. Trust me I'm doing you a favour."

I laughed, "Hagrid's great but he's a bit… old fashioned in his views."

"Old fashioned? I found beard styling magazines in his house the last time I visited. I don't think he had them before Voldemort bit the dust."

Before I could reply the door to Hagrid's hut opened and a grinning Hagrid appeared wearing a Christmas tree patterned apron and gigantic oven mitts over his usual moleskin get up.

"Hi, Hagrid!" Abby beamed pushing passed Fang to get inside. "Is that a fire I feel?"

Oh, Abby, why?! I stepped in after Abby almost being knocked over by a panting Fang who decided to pounce full force on me. I fell back into one of the patchy armchairs while Fang happily suffocated me.

"Fang down! He missed yeh." Hagrid chuckled before turning to Abby. "Will you get yerself out of that fire. I don't fancy fishin' yeh out and bringin' yeh to the Hospital Wing."

Abby's orange bathed face huffed but she took a step back from the roaring fire. Just then the fire gave a loud crack and sparked.

"Sit down and I'll get yeh some tea. Yeh're just in time I'm tryin' out a new recipe."

Fang's gave me a loud slurping lick across the face. I grimaced at first at the soapy warm texture of his tongue before laughing at the sheer cuteness of his big black innocent eyes.

"Chocolate chip cookies!" Abby said sitting down in an armchair and shuffling in it towards the fire.

"Close," Hagrid replied crossing the room in one stride and picking up a pot settled over the heat of the fire. "I'm thinking of pumpin' the rock cakes with chocolate. Yeh two must be gettin' bored with plain ol' rock cakes. The house elves up in the kitchen gave me the idea. I tried caramel but Fang somehow got behind me and put his tongue in the caramel pot."

Hagrid grabbed a wooden spoon from his hanging rack of cooking equipment and started stirring the melted chocolate around the pot.

"At least there's chocolate," Abby said licking her lips. "Speaking of chocolate, Hagrid, don't you think it would be the icing on the cake if Rose got a boyfriend?"

I bit my lip behind Fang. I suddenly felt very curious and giddy. I wanted to know what Hagrid thought. It could work out just fine like when I told Abby. Right?

Hagrid frowned, "I told yeh before I don't feel comfortable discussin' yer girly problems."

Abby laughed and waved him off, "But who would you pair her with?"

"Pair?"

"Please don't answer that, Hagrid," I said. "Abby's joking."

"Speaking of joking. I heard a very scandalous rumour. Can you believe this? Some people think Rose is going out with Scorpius… Malfoy."

Abby and I watched Hagrid reaction. He stirred the hot chocolate faster and grimaced.

"Why would yeh tell me something like that, Abby? Yeh're putting us right off the cakes."

"You think it's that bad?" I said without thinking.

Hagrid raised his bushy eyebrows.

Abby sprang up in her seat to my defence, "Do you know Scorpius Malfoy?"

"Yeah, I saw him bein' awful to Rosie a good couple of times. Spittin' image of his dad in looks and behaviour at his age, if my memory's right."

"No, he isn't," I said, again the words rushing out of my mouth. "He's a completely different person."

Hagrid dropped his pot at my words but it was saved from impact with the floor by the quick-wand actions of Abby.

"Rose, this ain't true, is it?" Hagrid said his voice devoid of any cheer.

I sank back behind Fang's panting body.

"He's a nice guy," I said my mouth dry.

"That's not what I asked," Hagrid said deadpanned. "I don't want yeh girls messin' around with things you shouldn't. It isn't a game. Yeh'll get into serious trouble beyond a tellin' off from yer parents and not to mention meself."

"Jesus, Hagrid!" Abby burst out. Fang's ears flicked in her direction. "It was a joke."

I nodded quickly, "It is, but out of curiosity why do you hate him?"

Hagrid looked at me unconvinced. I shifted uncomfortably in the armchair holding on to Fang tighter. I felt like the truth was printed across my forehead and on display for everyone in the room to see with flashing lights.

Hagrid sighed, "Let's change the subject. I don't fancy talkin' about the Malfoys on a nice day like this."

"Whatever, we'll come back on a rainy day then," Abby shrugged, a bitter note in her voice. "I think it's about time Rose and I went back up to the castle. We have homework to do."

Abby stood up and put her wand away. The pot fell to the floor giving a deafening clatter.

"Don't talk to me in that tone, Abby," Hagrid scolded. "Why are yeh gettin' so worked up about the Malfoys?"

"She's not," I said quickly scrambling out from under Fang. "We have a lot of homework to do."

I wanted to get out of the hut. The heat from the fire was starting to feel overwhelming. I wished that Hagrid would've given a hearty laugh and shaken his head at the thought. Not get angry at the suggestion of Scorpius and me together. I wished there was a spell that could, legally, erase the last ten minutes.

Abby put her hands on her hips and curled her lip.

"I think it must be tough out there for Slytherins. Not Potter, the good ones. The people who didn't ask to be put in the situation they're in. And who prove they are better than what everyone thinks. No dark mark, that we know of, and-"

"Yeh, girls, don't understand how bad the war was," Hagrid said bluntly his eyes darkened. They always did that on the rare occasion he talked about the dark days. "It went on for years, we lost so many irreplaceable people. It's wasn't a fairytale. One mistake and I wouldn't be talkin' to yeh today, yeh two wouldn't be at Hogwarts and yeh might not even have been born." Hagrid reached into the pocket of his apron, pulled out an enormous filthy handkerchief and blew his nose loudly. "I carried young Harry out of those woods." His words were muffled behind the handkerchief. "I hope yeh'll never get feel what I felt, what we all felt."

My heart felt heavy in my chest. I moved over to hug his sad figure, "Oh, Hagrid-"

"That's the past things are different now," Abby said plainly, her eyes burning into Hagrid.

"History repeats itself," Hagrid replied picking up the pot of ruin chocolate. "If we're not careful."


After curfew that evening Abby, Kenny, and I were gathered on the rug in front of the fire doing our homework. I was almost done besides from the Divination essay I had to do. I was waiting to do it with Scorpius he always had the best ideas when it came to Divination.

"Hagrid has some issues," Abby said. "I think we might have to refer him to a therapist."

"Be a bit more sympathetic, Abby, my family gets like that too," I said sadly. "My mom hates when anything goes out of routine. Dad says she's paranoid. She thinks sudden change is going to result in more change that's going to end up like did twentyish years ago."

"Really, your mum is like the smartest person in the wizarding world, if not the whole world, how?" Abby asked.

"Intelligence doesn't matter when it comes to this. Maybe we should be a bit more careful. Hagrid might be right-"

Abby rolled her eyes, "Hagrid doesn't know what he's talking about and frankly, I think he's been replaced by an evil clone. I can't believe I'm saying this, I approve. You know the blonde boy better than anyone in this school. Just go with your gut and heart as weird a combination as that is."

"I am, you know how I feel. What I mean is being more sensitive when it comes to war triggers."

"Is Scorpius apart of our group now?" Kenny asked from behind a towering pile of books.

"Ugh," Abby moaned.

"What? I thought you liked him." I said.

"No, it's just that if we let him into our circle-"

"It's a triangle right now." Kenny interrupted. "If we let him in we would be a square or a diamond."

"Being a diamond does sound nice," Abby remarked. "But we'll become one of those couples groups."

Kenny retreated behind the pile of books again out of sight.

"Scorpius and I are not that bad," I said gesturing over to Jane's group which was the definition of a couples group. "There's not a chance in Knockturn Alley that we're going to become that."

Kenny intervened appearing again, "I just want another guy in the group I don't care who it is. All the girl talk and oestrogen is too much for one guy to handle. I know things that I shouldn't know, that no other guy in the year knows. It's upsetting my reading. I didn't know what the phrase 'witch monthly' meant until Abby came along. I was blissfully ignorant."

"You asked," Abby said.

"I didn't ask. You started randomly quizzing me on it." Kenny sighed.

"Poor, Kenny, I don't want to know the details," I said shaking my head.

Abby suddenly pulled a face and ducked down hiding her face in her arms. Kenny hid again behind his stack of books.

"What?" I asked. I turned my head and saw exactly what. Jane was moving towards us with a friendly smile on her face. Her bright red lipstick was smudged from kissing Eric. I shuddered. The Jane that was once part of our group and was our friend would never snog boys in the Common Room. She'd be happier with a book and studying with us.

"Hi, Rose," She greeted brightly. A long awkward pause followed this, in which I could tell she was debating what to say next. She finally settled on, "And Abby."

Abby kept her head nestled in the sleeve of her robes only her hand moved slightly and for a second her middle finger was sticking out.

I couldn't argue with that.

"Hello, Jane," I said trying to sound polite. "What brings you to the fireplace?"

Jane laughed and sat down in front of me.

"I've been thinking about you and Abby. I realise we've been kind of drifting and some people are taking it better than others," she said staring at Abby. "So to make up for that I've found you boys."

"No thanks." Abby spat into her sleeve.

"I said no, Jane, I don't need a guy and I don't want one," I said moving back towards my homework signalling the conversation had ended.

"But," Jane pressed. "Hogsmeade is on Valentine's day this year and I would hate to see you two dateless."

"We're fine, Jane," I said firmly. "We aren't into boyfriend… activities."

"Get Kenny a date instead!" Abby hissed.

"Leave me out of it." Kenny's voice came from behind his books.

Jane laughed again and waved us off, "You're so modest. It's too late now anyway. I found the perfect guys in the year above-"

Abby made a loud gagging sound.

Jane's nose crinkled but she continued, "Some of the best-looking guys in the school besides my Eric."

Abby coughed.

"Slow down!" I said holding out my hands. "I'm going to be blunt with you, Abby and I would rather jump from the Hogwarts Express than go to Madam Puddifoot's and do something equally as ew with a random guy."

"I second that." Abby agreed.

Jane frowned in confusion, "I'm just trying to be nice. You two make everything so hard, you know that? Why wouldn't you want a boyfriend? Everyone wants one!"

"I don't," Abby replied.

I shook my head.

"Fine," Jane sighed getting up. "Your loss. But you get to explain it to them."

"We're not," I said annoyed but she was already walking away.

Abby sat back up and huffed, "Great! You think Scorpius can jinx them as a welcome to our group favour?"