A/N Will somebody please explain to me what Beta readers are?

'Rose is amazing, you'd love her,' Lucas told the cougar eagerly. 'It's so nice – I have friends, I have a girl, I'm Head Boy – I keep waiting for some one to tell my family about it.'

The cougar butted his hand, demanding to be petted.

Lucas laughed, and began petting it. 'Yes, your majesty.'

Suddenly, he heard a growl from behind him. Turning around slowly, Lucas found himself face-to-face with a huge wolf. He didn't think it was a werewolf.

A cub peeked out from between its legs, and the wolf shoved it towards a tree. Then it turned back to Lucas and the cougar. With another growl, it flew at Lucas, knocking him to the ground and sending his wand flying out of his hand.

He heard another growl, and saw a flash of tawny fur leap at the wolf, pushing it off of him. He stood up, and looked around frantically for his wand.

Rose was kicking and biting and scratching at the wolf, keeping it away from Lucas as best she could. She looked up for a second, and saw him looking for his wand.

No! she thought. Go!

Backing into a tree, she slammed the wolf hard against it. With a whimper, it lay still. Rose didn't think it had died. Limping over to Lucas, she felt herself collapsing. Oh shit, she thought, as she felt white-hot needles of pain coursing through her body as she transformed back in an instant. The world went black.

Lucas watched in amazement as the cougar limped over to him. He could see it bleeding heavily from many scratches, and he rushed over to help it. Suddenly, it collapsed. Lucas gently touched a scratch with his now-found wand, cleaning it.

He stepped back as he saw the cougar's limbs began to change. Incredulously, he watched the limbs of the cougar seem to melt, and twist, until Rose was lying before him, sheet-white, and bleeding heavily.

Cursing and scooping her into his arms, he sprinted towards the castle as fast as he could.

'If you hadn't brought her here in time –'

'She'll have a lot of explaining to do when she wakes up –'

'Look! She's awake!'

Groggily, Rose opened her eyes that felt as if the lids were made of lead. She saw Madam Pomfrey looming overhead and the events of the last night popped into her head.

'Oh shit,' she murmured, and immediately closed her eyes.

'Come now, Ms. Potter, drink this, so your friends can see you. They've been awfully worried.'

Rose opened her eyes, and gingerly drank the foul-smelling liquid the elderly nurse gave her.

'Five minutes! That's it!'

Lianne, Calder, Harry, and Lotte bent over her bed anxiously. Lotte and Lianne helped her sit up carefully. Rose turned, and saw Lucas asleep on a chair beside her bed. She reached out a hand, and grabbed his.

'Somebody get him a blanket,' she said quietly. 'How long has he been here?'

'Since he brought you in, last night,' Calder said. 'The Headmaster's waiting for you to tell him what happened.'

Harry began scolding her. 'What the hell were you thinking, being in the forbidden forest, Rose? You're the Head Girl! Start showing some sense!'

Lotte glared at him. 'Don't give her that,' she said. 'Rose almost died last night!'

'No I didn't! I was fine, honestly!'

'Yeah,' Lianne drawled. 'The very definition of fine is unconscious and bleeding like a stuck pig.'

Rose wasn't listening. Lucas had just woken up, climbed onto the bed, and pulled her into his lap.

'Damnitt Rose, don't ever do that again!' He hugged her tightly. Rose winced, but hugged him back.

Aberforth Dumbledore walked into the infirmary. Rose and Lucas burst guiltily apart, although Rose was still sitting on his lap. The Headmaster took the chair where Lucas had been sitting.

'Ms. Longbottom, Mr. Longbottom, Ms. Lupin, and Mr. Weasley, I'm afraid I shall have to ask you to leave us.'

Lianne, Harry, Calder, and Lotte nodded, and giving Rose one last hug, they all shuffled out of the room. Rose and Lucas looked at the Headmaster apprehensively.

'Ms. Potter, Mr. Nielson, I need you to tell me what happened.'

Rose and Lucas told a convincing story about the wolf knocking Rose down and attacking her. The Headmaster nodded, but they could tell he wasn't convinced.

'I shall accept your version of events, but this is the first and last time I will turn a blind eye to an illegal animagus.' With that, he swept out in a flash of glittery purple robes, leaving Rose and Lucas gaping after him.

Rose and Lucas did their rounds in silence. It wasn't the companionable silence they had become used to, but an awkward, ominous silence. Finally, after chasing two 2nd year Hufflepuffs out of a broom closet, Lucas grabbed Rose's hand and began pulling her through the corridors.

'Lucas, what the hell? We need to –'

'Talk, yes, we do,' said Lucas absent mindedly, pulling her gently up a flight of stairs. They came to a small, circular room, with scarlet-cushioned window seats in cozy niches in front of the eight huge windows. From height of the view from the windows, Rose guessed that they were in one of Hogwarts' many turrets.

Lucas sat down, bringing Rose with him. He leaned against the wall, and stretched his legs out on the seat. Rose slapped his leg playfully, the new-formed awkwardness fading for a moment.

'Move, you big hog!'

Lucas lazily tucked his arms behind his head. Rose rolled her eyes, and walked over to another window seat. She leaned against the other side of the wall Lucas was leaning against. She couldn't see him, but when he spoke, she could hear him.

'Why didn't you tell me?'

'You hated me.'

'No I didn't. I never hated you. Ever. I hate Lord Voldermort. Not you.'

'You call him Lord.'

'Out of habit. Quit trying to change the subject.'

'Well, even after we became friends, what was I supposed to say? 'Oh, by the way, I'm an illegal animagus and every so often you pour your heart out to me?''

'That works.'

'Don't be stupid.'

'If it pleases your majesty.'

'Lucas! Look, you needed something to show you affection.'

'A person would've been better!'

'Well, I'm sorry I didn't immediately get up and be civil to someone who insulted me at every opportunity they got!' Rose stood up, and stalked over to where Lucas was sitting. She glared down at him. 'What was I supposed to do? I couldn't tell you! I couldn't do anything! Something like this would've happened!'

'How can I trust you anymore? You had my trust, Rose. You're the only person who's ever had that.'

'Oh, don't feed me some sad little story about your suffering, Lukey!' Rose spat the hated nickname of old out with such venom Lucas drew back a little.

'Fine, Rosy! I won't!'

Rose felt arms reach out and grab her waist. She was pulled bodily onto Lucas' lap, where he promptly kissed her. She kissed back, opening her mouth as the kiss got more serious. Finally, she pulled away, and looked at Lucas, who had a smug smile on his face.

'You suck,' she informed him, leaned over, and kissed him again.

Before anyone knew it, it was the day before Easter break. The 7th year Gryffindors were lying in the common room, all bored but each too lazy to get up. Rose and Lotte were lying on a couch, while Lianne, Calder, Harry, and Lucas were lying lazily on pillows in front of the fire.

'Mmm, I'm bored,' Lotte said for the millionth time.

'Me too.'

'Uh-huh.'

'Yup.'

'Why do Rose and Lotte get the couch?' Calder complained.

'Because we're cooler than you,' Rose explained cockily.

Lucas snorted. Rose glared, and threw a pillow at him.

'Aw, lover's spat,' Lianne said, ducking both pillows aimed at her.

'We should go out to the lake,' Harry suggested.

'Ew, movement!'

'Mmmpth.'

'He's crazy.'

'It's actually not a bad idea.'

'I always knew insanity was contagious.'

'Well, Li, you're the expert, aren't you?'

'Shut it, Nielson.'

Lucas and Rose were walking towards the compartment where their friends were sitting, but suddenly Lucas grabbed Rose's hand. Rose was surprised at Lucas' sudden display of PDA. She was even more surprised when he kissed her, in the middle of the hall, and steered her gently into an empty compartment.

'What was that about?' she asked, amused.

'I think it just sank in that I won't be seeing you for a few weeks.'

'I knew you cared about me.'

'Of course not.' Lucas hugged her tightly, resting his chin on top of her head. He loved the way she fit in his arms, and the way she turned her head slightly so it rested against his chest. He loved everything new he was feeling. But most of all, he loved Rose.

A/N Actually, it fits better if Narcissa and Snape find out about Rose in the next chapter. Sorry.