Author's Note: It's been a long time since I've inhabited Rose's mind. Writing her is so much different than writing anyone else. I'm currently working on a new Rose chapter, and I need to do some hardcore daydreaming to get back in the right headspace. I'm very out of practice writing rambling thought processes, but most of the characters in this story have those. I also feel bad for Seth, Seth is going to have his day! Or maybe he will continue to suffer… Also, I think this is the first appearance of Albus, he is the clumsiest boy on planet Earth, and we love him for it. And he tries so hard to be smooth.

Content Warning: Strong language, sexual content, suicide mention.

Chapter 5

Matilda & Fidelio

(Rose)

I held my wand delicately in my hand as I levitated first one freesia (yellow), then another (purple) and another (pink). I sent up a few more, watching with a listless fascination as they slowly and gracefully floated around above me. I flicked my wand gently and each petal detached itself from the stems. They mingled together in the air, creating a sort of stained-glass window effect, like a canopy above my resting head. I had music playing in my mind, a sweet, soft melody that flowed and bounced and drifted lazily, like cotton through the air on a midsummer's day. I swished my wand through the center of the petals, and they all rearranged themselves again, creating the image of an R on a multicolored background. I shot more orange and pink ones up into the fray, then rearranged the petals so they formed a rough interpretation of my face, flaming pink-orange-red hair framing a mass of yellow and white with deep mauve petals for my eyes and red ones for my lips.

I cast my gaze across the grounds to see a group of girls in short skirts or shorts or tight jeans walking in my general direction. I waved my wand and petals reattached themselves to stems, then they dropped onto the grass beside me. I sat up and gazed down at the flowers, all of which were now mixed-up colors on green stems. I smiled a small, pleased smile at them, then I carefully stuck them back in the dirt. I waved my wand over all of them, attaching the stems to roots below. I stood up and made my way back to the castle before the girls could get near enough to become interested in me.

I took one last deep breath of chilly air, then I hurried inside the castle. It was a Sunday afternoon in late September. June was getting Potions help from Dima in the library, Aminta was spending "quality time" with Kane, Aura had a meeting with the Professors and Lacey was attempting to tutor an obnoxious cousin of mine by the name of James Potter. I drifted through the corridors of Hogwarts, mostly with a glazed expression on my face as my mind went through various thought processes. At one point, my mind ventured to a dream where I was in Medieval times dueling dragons.

My eyes had been unfocused for quite a while, so I decided to blink, and I looked around. I had wandered to a very unfamiliar part of Hogwarts. It was a lot like those dreams I have often where I'm in a brand new- or perhaps, very old- part of Hogwarts, a part that, in all my dreams, I always get lost in. I continued to walk, looking at all the architectural details, the portraits, the statues, the doors. I turned a corner. I was so intent on trailing my fingers along the carved pattern in the wall that I didn't notice someone right in front of me. I jumped a little as they stopped short. Then I looked up at the tall boy and scowled a little.

"Oh. It's you," Scorpius Malfoy muttered with obvious distaste.

"Yeeah," I said in a far too light, much too sweet voice, "fuck you, too." I twisted my mouth in an attempt to make myself look and sound threatening, then I moved past him. I kept walking for a while down the steadily darkening hallway. Then I came across a lime green Bertie Bott's Bean. "Hmmm..." I said to myself, then I put it in my pocket, deciding that it might come in handy in the future. I peered down the hallway but found that it was pitch black. I decided that my inadvertent adventuring was done for the day, so I turned around, hoping that I wouldn't run into that pompous prat again.

When I got back to the common room, I found June lying on a couch in front of the fireplace talking to Dima, Marcy and Jade. I sat down on June's legs, only to have her tense up and cry out.

"Oh, oh! Rosie, don't!"

I stood up and looked down at her expression of agony.

"What is it?"

"My legs are so sore!" she whined. "From the run I went on yesterday. Aagh." She sat up and I sat down again beside her.

"That's good though," I replied. "That means you're pushing yourself. Keep up the good work and you'll have a fit body like me in no time!"

"Pushing myself?" June snorted. "Yeah, to suicide."

"That's nothing, June. My cousin, Al goes for a run around the grounds every morning."

June's mouth fell open in shock at this.

"Maybe you could get him to be your personal trainer." I winked. "He's James's brother. In our year too. Slytherin. You've probably seen him."

"Yeah, yeah. I, er, I've seen him. Gawked at him. Run into him. Been there, done that."

I grinned at her, then began to twirl my hair around my finger.

Hmm. I've never dyed my hair before. I wonder what I'd look like as a blonde. I bet terrific. But I think if anything, I should go blue. Or purple. Or pink. I bet I could really pull off pink. It'd go with my complexion really nicely. I bet my eyes would look superb with it too. My cute little barrettes would look brilliant in it. However, I might have to eliminate some of the pink from my wardrobe. Oh, and of course Gryffindor's colors are red and gold. But it couldn't be any worse than my current hair color with crimson, could it? And I wonder what kind of makeup would look nice with it too. Speaking of which, I need to remember to pick up more mascara, lipstick and eye shadow the next time I'm in Hogsmeade. The first Hogsmeade trip is coming up, I should find a date. Perhaps I should ask Henry? Nahh, he's a Potter Packer, must stay away from those. Seth Eaton was giving me the eye in Potions the other day, maybe him. Yeah, I'll go see if he's interested right now, actually.

I stood up without even pulling my mind away from deep thought and I began on the course to find Ravenclaw sixth year, Seth Eaton, to ask him to Hogsmeade this Saturday, October 2nd, 2021. My feet took me throughout the well-trodden halls of Hogwarts, as they had memorized almost every square foot in conscious walking and almost-conscious walking (as was my usual state). I hardly needed my eyes open to traverse the passages anymore. I never really paid much attention to where I was going, I just had enough faith in my instincts that I would eventually end up where I had intended in the first place. Although, I found myself forgetting where I was going a lot...

I looked up, hearing a faraway commotion. My eyes focused and my head cleared a little, then everything was at a normal volume. I was in the Great Hall, hurrah. I took a quick survey of the room, then I started walking toward my target. He was sitting at the Ravenclaw table with one girl and two boys. He was decent looking, really. And that's about all you can ask for in Hogwarts. It's true that basically half of the male population here are nice and sweet, and the other half are godly in appearance. And they rarely run together. So yeah, Seth Eaton is a decent specimen of the middle ground.

They all looked up at me as I stopped in front of them.

"Hi, Rose," Seth said with a smile.

"Hi," I replied. "So, I thought it over and if you really want to go to Hogsmeade with me, I'd be glad to go with you." What? It's not like I'm going to ask him out in front of all his friends. This way, it sounds like his idea. Genius, right? I smiled really nice and wide, showing off my pearly whites that Grandma and Grandpa are oh-so proud of. Seth paused for a second, and his friends looked at him, then he grinned almost as widely as me.

"Oh, yeah, that sounds fantastic. I'm, er, glad I asked you," he nodded.

"Brilliant! I'll see you, then." We said goodbye and I turned around and walked off. I could vaguely hear a female voice raised in anger and a few male voices under that, but it was none of my concern. I had almost cleared the large oak doors when I saw that slithy, sulfuric, sickening Slytherin sod, Scorpius standing at the doorway and swiftly glancing away from me. I stuck my tongue out at him and used my hands to mold my face into a revolting image as I passed him, not letting it go until I was sure he'd seen it and responded with a repulsed face that required less work.

Whoooosh! Saturday morning. Bet you weren't expecting it to get here this quickly. I decided to wear a really divine poofy blue skirt with a crazy number of sheer ruffles and pale pink embroidery. That combined with the rest of my outfit, and with my hair in a really cute mess of red hair and little twinkly barrettes and such made me (I am sure) irresistible. So, I met Seth in the Entrance Hall, linked arms with him, and we made our way into the town. June and Dima were going with Aminta and Kane.

"You look like a cupcake," Seth said and I beamed.

"Thank you! That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me ever!"

"So where do you wanna go first?"
"Hmm. Well, I have to go to Ludivine's for makeup and hair rollers. Then I suppose it would be sensible to stop by Honeyduke's and Zonko's, then we'll finish it all up with a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks," I mused. "Sound good?"

"Uuh...yeah," he nodded.

I'm a good shopper, yes, I am. I always know exactly what I need to get and where I need to go to get it. I'm very decisive and everything, so I'm usually in and out of a store like zat! Only today, my mind drifted away, and I found myself wandering about the store following various items on the shelves. And Seth was probably too unnerved by my attitude to say anything. So, the poor boy had to walk through makeup, hair dye and feminine hygiene products for quite a while before I realized what I was doing. Then we were out again into the nippy air.

"You sure those are warm enough for you?" he asked, breathing into his hands. He was, of course, referring to my sparkly pink tights. I assured him that they were quite sufficient, but thank you very much for asking, you sweet darling. I'm not sure why, but he sometimes seems a little put off by the things I say to him. I wonder if there's something I'm missing out on. The kids still say "far out" these days, don't they?

After a while of venturing about the town and making odd purchases here and there, meeting friends, striking up conversations with random strangers (which didn't seem to rub quite well with Seth, for some reason) and occasional talking between the two of us, Seth tugged on my arm. I looked at him and he was pointing at the doorway to the Three Broomsticks.

"Oh lovely, we ended up here!" I smiled.

"I thought we came here on purpose...?"

"It's delightful, anyway," I shrugged. "Come on."

We entered the tavern to find a mass of cheery, loud bodies, most of whom were, of course, Hogwarts students. We mingled for a bit, chatting with various people we knew. I knew everyone of course. Yes, I know every current student at Hogwarts; I pride myself on my social knowledge. So eventually we bought ourselves some butterbeer and sat down at a table. To my displeasure, it was a table with an absolutely perfect view of Scorpius Malfoy and girlfriend, Eve Stroud. They deserve each other.

"Don't they just deserve each other, Seth dear?" I grumbled to him. He looked around in confusion. I took a sip of my butterbeer, keeping narrowed eyes on the couple only a few tables away. Naturally that hoe-bag had her hands all over him over, and under, the table. The poor boy must be chafing down there. "Aren't they just a perfectly sleazy couple? Hm, Seth, sweetie? King Sleaze and Queen Sleaze, love? Their majesties, their divine sleaziness? Isn't it just darling, darling?"

"Rose?" Seth muttered and I finally broke my gaze to look at him with an innocent smile. "No offense, but you're getting odd."

"Odd? That word isn't in my vocabulary, honey."

"Yeah, apparently your vocabulary consists solely of clichéd pet names," he quipped. Drat. Ravenclaws. Always have a comeback to everything. I decided to laugh it off and take another gulp of butterbeer. The afternoon wore on. I think at some points, Seth tried to talk to me. Oh dear, did I completely ignore him? Not my fault, I swear. Is it any fault of mine that those two horrid excuses for living, breathing, normal, feeling human-type creatures were practically shagging right in front of my beautiful, brown, Bette Davis eyes? Hm? Is it any fault of mine that they were basically putting on a show, just for me? Hmmm? Is it any fault of mine whatsoever that they both, the two of them, jumped up, rushed over to me, grabbed me by my shirt collar and actually tried to force me into having a threesome with them? Hmmmmm? Alright, alright, I'll admit I wasn't actually wearing a collared shirt. Oh yeah, and no, they didn't actually do anything like that last point. But the first two, yes. Absatootly. Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a cauliflower in my eye.

"Rose!"

I heard someone call my name and I looked around. June and company were walking toward me with drinks in hand. June was looking around in excitement.

"This place is so neat!" she said when they drew near us. Seth and them exchanged "hello"s, then they all decided to sit at our table. Thank Merlin's beard Aminta decided to block my view of those scoundrels.

"Oh yeah, welcome to the Three Broomsticks!" I said.

"Much nicer than that other place we went," she noted, and we all agreed readily. Then Aminta and Kane started kissing sloppily, making loud, awful noises. It made me believe that perhaps watching Malfoy and his girlfriend was even a little better. But just then I saw the two of them stand up, holding hands and preparing to leave.

"Rose."

Someone began poking me in the arm.

"Rose. Rose. Rose!"

I tore my eyes away from the two Slytherins. Curly-haired Hugo was still poking me hard in the arm.

"Whaat?" I asked in a somewhat annoyed tone.

"You still owe me three galleons!" he whined.

"I'll give it to you later," I answered, waving him away and looking back at the table where Scorpius and Eve had been. When I saw that they weren't there anymore, I looked around the room to try and spot them. Probably gone back to the castle for a little "how's-your-father." The poking commenced again. "WHAT!" I growled at my annoying little brother.

"I want it noow," he told me.

"Why? You have your own money."

"But I want it."

"What for?"

"Me, Lily, Don and Felix-"

"Lily, Don, Felix and I," I corrected him, and he rolled his eyes.

"We're gonna go to the new amusement center."

"What in the name of Goopy Gargoyle is an amusement center?"

"Y'know; a place ya go fer amusement and fun and stuff-like. 'Sgot games, food, drinks, couches, fun stuff..."

"Don't talk like a moron, Hugh," I said, but I reached into my purse and dug around for a bit before I found the correct amount. "Be responsible with this." I handed him the money and he nodded. I looked behind him and waved to Lily, Don and Felix.

"Cheers," Hugo mumbled, turning around.

"Thanks, Rose!" the other three called to me, then they all hurried out of the place.

"That was her brother," Dima explained to June who "oooh"ed. "And Lily is James's sister." June "aah"ed. Seth started talking to me then about shellfish...or starfish...or strawberries...or straw houses...or pigs... Anyway, as he was speaking to me, something about the size and shape of an orange soared through the air, above the heads of everyone in the pub and crashed, with a resounding thud, into the side of June's head.

"Ooowww!" she cried out, clutching her head. There was laughter in the surrounding crowd of students and then a dark head burst forth from it with a goofy grin on his face. His expression froze into a look of hilarity as he took in the details of June and the rest of us.

"S-sorry," Albus choked out through laughter. He bent down to pick up the ball.

"Do you realize how much that hurt?" she asked, looking at him for the first time. Her mouth fell open, then she laughed a little. "What is it with Potters and giving me concussions?"

"I apologize," he replied. "And may I formally introduce myself. I am Albus Severus Potter, and who might you be?"

"Well, that's an unfortunate name if I ever heard one," June snorted. Absolutely no tact, as always. "Uh, but I'm June Lorrison."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance," Albus said, bringing the back of June's hand up to meet his lips. She burst into laughter, and he grinned. "And a pleasure to be of comedic service to you," he added with a wink.

"Once you've stopped your steady spiral into the hall of weirdo hall of fame," I said to him, "I was meaning to ask you something that, by your attitude here, you may like." He cocked his head in interest. "The duchess here has expressed her interest in a personal trainer. Howsabout you take her on your daily run?"

"Oooh, so you're itching for some Al?"

"I'm what?" June scrunched up her nose. "Jeez, you really are related to James."

"Yeah, I didn't realize how that sounded until I said it," Albus said. "I'm not really like this! It's just...it's just that your beauty has taken me by surprise." He smiled. June's eyebrows were so high they were in danger of disappearing above her hairline. "Uh...I mean...you want to remain fit and healthy? Well, I'm the man for you! Albus Potter, personal trainer extraordinaire: at your service." He bowed.

"Whatever," June muttered with a laugh. "We'll see. Rose is kind of jumping the gun here."

"Call on me, any time, love," Albus replied, then he turned around and started walking off. Before he was too far away though, he threw the ball backwards for it to hit June's nose, then land in her lap. He turned when he'd reached the door, saluted, then left.

"What the fuck is wrong with your family?" June asked me, rubbing her nose. She looked into the clear ball where a small monkey in a party hat rode around on a unicycle. Every now and then it fell off, but then it dusted itself off and got back on again.

"I ask myself that every day," I answered, patting her comfortingly on the shoulder. "He really seemed taken with you, though."

"Are you sure? You sure he doesn't do that bumbling-idiot-yet-still-somehow-charming-in-an-awkward-way routine with every pretty girl he comes across?"

"Are you kidding? Al and James are polar opposites. Al is a bumbling, awkward idiot. He's a great guy and yes, he did inherit the classic Potter-Weasley good looks, but he has never been intentionally charming," I laughed. "Of course, he does get girls because of his looks and because he has this kind of cute, socially awkward, hapless personality that triggers the maternal sense in even the coldest of women."

"Hmm. You sound like you've got a good grip on the situation," June said.

"I've seen it all throughout his life."

"Can we please get out of here?" Dima whispered to me. "Kane's actually begun to suck Minty's face off."

We got out of there.

A leaf sailed past me through the cool air, bits of its skin flecked away to reveal a skeletal figure. It swirled and loop-de-looped on the breeze. I smiled at it as I followed it down the street. Sometimes it glinted dully like a rusty statue, sometimes I swore I could hear it singing, in a low, rustling voice. I began to hum along, almost dancing down the street as an orchestra struck up a melody in my head. The music begged me to dance, so I did, making sure to twirl my skirt around a lot. It was the kind of skirt that just deserved to be twirled.

"You don't do that often, do you?" June asked me the next morning at the breakfast table.

"Do what?" I asked. I waited for her to finish yawning.

"Just wander off, singing to yourself and dancing like a crazy person?" she clarified. I pursed my lips in a thoughtful expression.

"Wander off...singing and dancing..." I muttered, mulling it over, "...oh, yes!" I answered. "Yes, it's the whimsical side of me. I think I get it from the leprechaun in me."

"There's a leprechaun in you?"

"Oh, no, not as far as I know. But I'm part leprechaun."
"You are?"

"Sure! Maybe...at least...I think I once had a dream that I was." I paused in thought. "Yeah...sometimes it's a little difficult to distinguish dreams from reality. Like, last Spring I had a dream that I had got into a big row with Dima, so I was walking on eggshells around her for the following week! Then I asked her if she'd ever forgive me, and it turned out she had no idea what I was talking about. I also once bought a dress for a school dance that never arrived."

"Oh, how I would love to see inside your head just once," June breathed in wonder. An owl cry rang through the Great Hall at that moment, and then it was followed by another and another, until it was a clamor. We looked up to see the feathery bodies of post-burdened birds soaring through the air above the tables. A copy of the Daily Prophet, a rolled-up issue of Witch Weekly and a square envelope landed in front of me while June received merely a crisp white envelope.

"What's that?" I asked as I unrolled the magazine.

"Nothing," June replied, slipping the letter into her purse.

"That's the third 'nothing' you've got in the past month. Maybe you should make a complaint to the post office or something," I told her, and she laughed. Someone reached over my shoulder to grab at a plate of breakfast rolls. I looked behind me to see a very bleary-eyed Riley. In fact, he had dark circles under his barely open eyes.

"Jesus, you look like a zombie, Riley!" June exclaimed.

"Aren't I?" he mumbled, slumping down beside me.

"What's up?" I asked him.

"Stayed up all night," he answered wearily. "Talking to Aura. Listening to Aura. Had to help Aura." June made a whipping sound. Riley mimicked it in exhaustion.

"Why don't you just go to bed now? It's Sunday," she said to him.

"No, mischief business," he shook his head.

"What? What kind of mischief?"

"It's strictly confidential. Rules of the Potter Pack, you know?"

"And if they're your friends, they'll let you get some much-needed sleep."

"It's not necessary..."

"Like hell it isn't!" June stood up and stomped down the table to where James, Lucas and Henry were sitting. Riley and I exchanged a glance, then we hurried after her. "Now listen here, Potter! You're gonna let Riley get some sleep whether you like it or not!" she was demanding. James looked at her blankly, then looked at Riley and me.

"Uh...sure," he muttered.

"Yeah. That's what I thought," June nodded proudly.

"Oh yeah, no problem," James continued, an easy grin sliding onto his face. "I mean, I understand what you're saying, and I fully support it."

"What I'm...saying? Wha?" June mumbled.

"Yeeah," James winked. "I'd never get in the way of my best mate getting laid."

"Oh, for god's sake," June breathed exasperatedly.

"Thanks anyway," Riley said, clapping her on the back. He seemed to take it as a sign of acceptance though, as he left the Great Hall for, presumably, his dormitory.

"Have a good 'sleep'!" James called after him using air quotes and putting emphasis on the word sleep. Meanwhile his friends were laughing and shaking their heads.

"Let's get out of here, huh, sweetie?" I asked June, to have James imitate me in an obnoxiously high voice. I held my middle finger out to him, then guided June away.

"Aack," June breathed, bringing her hand to her forehead and wincing. "I've got a really bad headache. I think I'll just go to the hospital wing."

"Right, super-duper then. Hope you feel better," I said with a smile and a nod. June waved then started off toward the stairs. I looked down at my shoes, sparkly and peach colored. They twinkled up at me and it sent a smile to my face. I wiggled my toes and moved my feet around so the sparkles would catch the light.

And that's when it happened; piano music started up faintly in the distance. I looked up, perking up my ears. The music got louder, and a gruff voice began singing in a beautiful, melodious paradox of harsh vocal cords with divine harmony. And there was a violin and drums tying it all together in the background, and even a tambourine. It was a song of undying and wholly devoted love, a powerful yearning and a steadfast loyalty. There was also the underlying tone of hopelessness, self-sacrifice and of suffering through and through. It gave me the chilling vision of stark white knuckles locked in a death grip.

I followed it, as I do all the songs that weave their way into my head. I never quite understood it, but I've never in my life resisted it. It's all just part of this magical world; what right do I have to fight it? I've never once shown any musical promise, which I guess is odd. I don't even know whether I hear real songs that exist or whether it's all in my head. Perhaps they come from another world. Maybe they're ancient, lost, forgotten songs.

The song led me up stairs, through corridors, into dark, hidden passageways, down stairs, up stairs, through classrooms, in circles, and then I eventually found myself in the same mysterious hallway that I wandered to exactly a week ago. I ventured further down the dim passage, lighting my wand up when it grew too dark to see. I felt something irregular through the thin sole of my shoe and I looked down. I had stepped on a red Bertie Botts Every Flavor Bean. There were two more scattered on the floor in front of me, a black one and a purple one. I bent down and picked them up, slipping them into my pocket. I continued.

By the time I reached the end of the hallway (at which point I found myself facing a stone door), I had collected four green-hued beans, two blue ones, six orange ones, seven white ones, three brown ones, five red ones, six yellow ones, three pink ones, four purple ones, three black ones and four grey-ish ones. I could only imagine that behind that door there was a treasure trove of beans, piles upon piles, and that when I opened it, they would come spilling out to bury me alive. So, I opened it.

Behind the door was nothing more than a dusty old room. It was rather empty, the only furniture in it being a basic wooden desk, a leather chair in front of it, a chalkboard with wheels at the front and a large leather chest with golden clasps. I walked into the room, all of the wood roughly the same dark, worn type. It looked very old and undisturbed, but there wasn't a hint of dust anywhere. There was a spindly silver chandelier suspended in the air in the very center of the room and it bathed everything in a warm, comforting light.

I examined the whole room, from corner to corner with just the slightest hope of finding something really special. I ran my finger along the chalkboard, leaving a slightly darker line in the layer of old chalk dust. I knelt down in front of the chest, attempting to open it, but it was locked, and no unlocking charm would work on it. For all I knew there could be a dead body in there. But the room didn't smell bad, there was the hint of cologne in the air; a musky, manly smell that delighted me.

I made my way over to the desk where I sat down in the incredibly comfortable chair. I pulled the beans out of my pocket and spread them on the surface of the desk. I counted them. 46. I separated them into color-coded piles, then I made a rainbow, then I drew my face in strange, psychedelic colors. I mixed them all up again, then I arranged them to spell the name "Matilda." After I'd finished there were three beans left, so I ate them and admired my handiwork. I stood up, deciding to leave it there and see what happened.

When I got back to the common room, I found June talking to Dima and Aminta. I sat down beside them.

"Oh, there you are! Look at this," June said, holding up a silvery envelope with a deep green wax seal on the back. On the front, written in shimmery green ink was: 'June Lorrison, Gryffindor sixth year'.

"Oh no, you've been invited," I told her.

"Yeah, Eve and the others intercepted me as I was leaving the Hospital Wing and they gave me this," she explained as she opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of green parchment, with silver writing on it. "Ooh, fancy," she mumbled, though she didn't sound very impressed. She scanned it over. "Apparently I've been 'cordially' invited to a cocktail party hosted by them." She looked at us with raised eyebrows as Dima took the letter from her. She snorted as she read it.

"Upper class bitches sounding posh," she said.

"What does it mean?" June asked, smiling uncertainly.

"It means they're trying to recruit you into their bitchy, fake-ass group," Aminta told her, to receive a high five from me.

"What do I do?"

"Whatever you want," I shrugged. June twisted her mouth thoughtfully.

"Well, I suppose, in politeness..." she pondered. The three of us raised our eyebrows at her. "What? Come on! It says they're serving cocktails and other mixed drinks! And I have never been one to refuse free cocktails. Then again, I've never been offered free cocktails."

"Alright," I grinned, "go ahead. But try not to get too involved with them. Once they have you, they will not let you out easily." She gave me a questioning look. I could tell her about the last girl to take advantage of their kindness and then leave them, but I decided not to worry her. I also wouldn't tell her about ex-boyfriends of the girls. Although, this train of thought led me to the ultimate fate of one Scorpius Malfoy, poor wretched boy, how terribly ruined he'll be when Eve is through with him. I bet his hair will be coming out in handfuls by the end of it, then the darling will look just like his old man. The two of them can join the hair club together. A sinister grin must've taken over my face at that point because when I refocused my eyes, my three dorm mates were giving me strange looks. "Oh, come on, don't give me those looks, I know you're all used to me." They laughed in agreement.

When I ventured back to that room a couple days later, I found something that made me smile with wonder. On the table where I had left the signature of Matilda in beans, there was a new message. I sat down in the chair and looked down at the multi-colored jellybeans. The name "Fidelio" was clearly spelled out. I counted the beans to find that there were thirty-eight. On the way to the room, I had collected twenty-one. My hand hovered above the table for a few moments, then I decided to add "hi" (ten beans) before the name and a smiley face (five beans) after it.

I leaned back in the chair then, absent-mindedly stroking the wooden armrests with the tips of my fingers. I looked up at the ceiling, wondering who Fidelio was and whether it was even just one person. What if this room was frequently visited by random students- both male and female? What if this message was left by a group of giggling first years? But there was that same faint scent of cologne. Anyone can wear perfume or cologne, but it only smells this good after it has mingled with the lovely natural smell of a truly lush man. Or woman in the case of perfume. And it becomes their signature. And that is a wonderfully magic thing. So, I can only imagine this to be a sophisticated young man with a tremendous facial structure and a fit body.

I got to my feet and again went over to the chest, attempting to open it another time. Perhaps there was some clue to this mysterious person in there. I put my eye to the keyhole to peer in, but there was only darkness. I sat back on my heels and blew out my cheeks in slight exasperation. Then I looked at the other side of the room and saw the green chalkboard. Hmm. I walked over to it. There was still the slightly darker line where I had dragged my finger, and right beside it was an identical line, only a little thicker.

"Fascinating..." I breathed, tapping my lip. I took out my wand, looking at the board and pondering. I finally decided what I would do, and I pointed my wand at the board, silently issuing the charm for writing in chalk. I swished my wand through the air until there was a tic-tac-toe outline: two vertical lines intersecting two horizontal ones, creating nine blank squares. I drew an X in the very center, then I left.

Two weeks passed in which I visited the room nine times. I wondered why I never once ran into this Fidelio. I never saw anyone in that hallway, it was as if it was only there for me and him, and no one else saw it or knew of it. The first game of tic-tac-toe was a draw. They always were if both opponents are smart enough. But it was entertaining. With each move that he made, there was a little side note, mostly a joking taunt or funny comment, and I always left a witty response. It was easy to be cute and quirky when I had time to think of something to say. I even started having little conversations with him in my head when I zoned out in class. That was happening a lot more often lately.

One day in Charms, Professor Destrol was feeling tired, so he just assigned us to practice basic sizing. So, I drifted into a daydream about Fidelio (one of the ones where he resembles young Clint Eastwood or young Harrison Ford or someone dashing like that and I resemble a glorious Ginger Rogers). Anyway, the button that I was enlarging had gotten so big that it took up about half of the class and the students around me were calling and cussing and such. I didn't hear them because that was the point where Fidelio told me how lovely I looked as he placed a flower behind my ear and leaned in toward me. And then, just before the top of the button touched the ceiling, the whole thing burst into thousands of flower petals and sprinkled over everyone in the class. I snapped out of the dream when one of the petals flew into my eye.

"Oh dear...oh my word..." Professor Destrol was saying, rather flustered. "That was very dangerous, Miss Weasley! You could have caused a lot of trouble, young girl! Using magic without your fullest attention is very reckless! Ten points from Gryffindor! And don't let me catch you doing that again!" I had gulped and nodded solemnly, though I hadn't known at the time that I would be repeating that mistake a lot in the future.

There are no Fidelios in Hogwarts, of course I know that, being Rose Weasley. So, he could be anyone. Just like Matilda could be anyone.

I didn't tell anyone about it either, because I knew that word would probably get out and Fidelio would inevitably hear that it was me all along. He'd probably lose interest then, or do something nasty, having the advantage of knowing my identity while his was still a secret to me. I could only imagine all the possibilities that could lead to. But I do hope that he isn't really like that. I've only had one conversation with him via chalkboard during a game of tic-tac-toe, but I can tell that he's sweet and funny. It probably is best if we never find out each other's identities: it would only ruin the magic and the illusions we have about each other. I bet neither of us would live up to the characters we've created in our heads as Fidelio and Matilda.

I was working all of this out in my head when I suddenly found my nose hitting something hard and cold. I brought myself back to earth and took in my surroundings. I was face to face with a stone wall. A few people laughed as they walked past me on their way to classes. Class, right, I'm on my way to Potions.

As soon as I entered the dungeon classroom, I caught a delicious whiff of Fidelio's cologne. It seemed to wrap itself around me, like Fidelio's arms always did in my dreams. Oh, blasted badgers, I'm in love with a dream. I shook my head to dislodge the hold the amortentia potion had on me and I made for June's table. She went to the Slytherin Sluts' cocktail party last Saturday.

She'd told us all about it. It had been held in the Room of Requirement (not that she knew anything about it until the Slytherins explained it to her). For the party the decorations were green and silver. Silver candelabras floated in the air above them, some of the candles with green flames and some with pure white ones. The dress code had been formal, of course, though there was always room for a little sluttiness where they were concerned. June had originally intended to wear totally casual, everyday clothes, not caring at all about their rules. But Minty had widened her eyes and shook her head, hurriedly pulling out an unquestionably formal cocktail dress for June to wear. It didn't completely fit properly, but with a little bit of magic it at least stayed up.

So, they all sat on fancy couches, eating fancy hors-d'oeuvres and drinking fancy drinks. They were all very interested in June, of course, asking her questions. Then, June told us, they pulled her into gossip-y conversations and talk about fashion and memories and boys and such. They all wanted to know about June's love life and what her life had been like in Canada. After many drinks they turned up the music and danced. June described this with a bitterness. Five girls just dancing in the middle of a room? She didn't get it. But she did say that it got funner the more they drank. But it ended before any of them got that drunk at all. That wasn't cool with her, apparently.

She had been invited to their Halloween party, though, which was held by them in the Room of Requirement every year and every "cool" student attended. I always went, even though I was never invited by them, but I was the guest of around five other students that had been invited. I have connections in this school, and I'm not about to not go to a big party just because the hostesses happen to hate my guts.

Professor Abbascia seemed a little put-off for the whole lesson that day. Everyone could tell that something was on her mind, and it was really getting on her nerves. So, for the whole class, while she was fuming and forgetting what she was teaching, the students whispered among themselves, everyone making different guesses about what it was. The song in my head told me it was a confused relationship plagued with misunderstandings and incompatible personalities. It was a long-distance relationship, I felt, and it was struggling. Hmmm, poor Professor Abbascia, I hope that's not what it is.

My head was in the clouds as I walked out of the room, leading me to somehow get stuck in the doorway with, ah- Seth Eaton. We looked at each other and laughed, then he backed up and held his hands out, gesturing for me to go first. I thanked him graciously and we each got out intact.

"Hey, it's been a while since we talked, huh?" I asked him, suddenly feeling a touch of guilt gnawing at my insides. Have I completely ignored him since our date? I wracked my brain, but I couldn't remember a single word we've said to each other since that day.

"Well, you called me Thimbledy one day when you bumped into me. You hurried off so quickly that I didn't have time to say anything," he replied, and I winced.

"I'm so sorry, darl- I mean, Seth," I smiled sheepishly, and he laughed. "I just, you know, get lost in my head and whatnot."

"Yeah, I gathered that," he replied. "That's actually one of the things I like about you."

"Yeah?" I asked, a grin spreading across my face. "Now that's probably the nicest thing anyone's said to me ever."

"You wanna...play some cards?" he asked uncertainly, bringing out a deck of cards, each of them with a different goofy-looking animal on them. He followed my gaze, then showed me the back of the deck. "Looney Tunes," he explained, with a small, embarrassed laugh. I gave him a questioning look. "It's a muggle program," he added.

"I'd love to play loony cards with you!" I beamed. We walked out into the sufficiently nippy air, then scowled at the tumultuous downpour and gloomy gray skies. "Inside, I reckon," I said, and Seth agreed. So, we found our way to a random hallway and sat down on a bench, facing each other.

Now in my daydreams, Fidelio is as nice as Seth, but still with a smoking hot body and a very charming, if not a little cheeky, smile. But I suppose one can't have it all. A real-life Fidelio would probably be too good to be true, and he'd probably end up having a deep, dark secret that jeopardizes his entire perfect façade. Like being a cannibal or something equally wrong.