Note: This is a revised version of the original I posted before. Mostly to fix spelling and grammar mistakes but a few other things have changed as well.

Thank you so much to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. Definitely, go check out her story.

And thank you to all of you that have taken the time to Favourite/Follow and review this story. You guys are what pushes me to write. Thank you! xoxo

Now on to the chapter!

Chapter 5

November 24th

Sunday

~oOo~

"Come on Ro!" Mary pleaded in between bites of her breakfast.

"I don't feel up to it today Mar, but you guys go and have fun." Rose answered with a tired smile, trying to restrain a yawn.

Rose hadn't slept at all the night before. She had just lied on her back, staring at the white silk that was draped between the four posts of the large king sized bed, and thought.

After that first night in the hospital wing, Rose had vowed that she would never share the same bed as Malfoy, but then she had walked into her new bedroom, the one where only one bed stood.

This was something she wasn't happy with at all.

But that wasn't the reason Rose couldn't sleep. No, the cause of her late night wakenings was the Bond. That stupid, controlling, irritated, Bond. The Bond wasn't happy with her for not getting along with Malfoy. All night it had kept her awake with an almost constant pain in her stomach and the buzz of Malfoy's voice in her head.

It wasn't Malfoy talking to her, though, it was as if the Bond was just bringing up old memories and playing them over and over again in her head. They were sweet things, things that would make any girl melt, that Rose had answered with rudeness and insults.

Suffice to say, Rose was feeling pretty guilty by the end of the night. She was exhausted, and the thought of the long cold hike down to the Hogsmeade village made her want to groan.

"But Ro, we need to find our dresses and this might be our last Hogsmeade weekend before the ball," Lizzy said pleadingly.

Every year, Hogwarts held the Yule Ball. It used to only be held when the Triwizard Tournament was taking place, but since the Battle of Hogwarts, it had been held every year.

It was an event that made Rose both happy and anxious. It was nice to dress up, nice to dance with her friends and just have fun, it was nice to just relax. But this fun had faded slightly as the years went on. Because no longer where they elven-year-old giggling girls. Because every year boys came up to her friends and asked them to be their date to the ball and every year Rose was the only one that didn't get asked. This wasn't because no one wanted to go with her, on the contrary, plenty of boys did, but they never asked because of Al. Because he was always by her side at this event and no one wanted to cross Albus Potter.

And this year, after everything Rose had thought she would have just the right excuse not to go.

But as she looked at all their hopeful pleading faces, she felt her resolve weaken.

"Please, Rose!" All four girls pleaded, each one doing their best puppy eyes impression.

"Oh alright," Rose said with a sigh. She bit her bottom lip to stop herself from smiling as the girls all let out cheers, making people up and down the table look at them.

"Do you need anything in Hogsmeade?" Rose asked looking at Malfoy sitting next to her.

"Nay, anything I need I just order and get delivered here. It's a lot easier than waiting for the next Hogsmeade weekend.

Rose's eyes lit up and she turned to her friends, opening her mouth to speak.

"No," Grace cut in. "We need to try the dresses on and see how they look. We can't just order it and pay money for them when we don't know if we'll like it when we're wearing them." Grace crossed her arms and gave Rose a look from across the table.

"Fine, we'll go to Hogsmeade."

Rose looked up at the Magic ceiling of the Great Hall, grimacing at the dark sky and winds outside.

"Why aren't you eating?" Malfoy's warm breath tickled Rose's neck as he leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"I'm just not hungry, " Rose answered curtly, looking away from Malfoy's disbelieving face.

Malfoy looked like he was about to push the issue, but then the girls went very quiet across from them. Looking around, Rose saw why. At the entrance of the Great Hall was Kile, Ashley's ex-boyfriend. He seemed to have recovered from his injuries and was now walking straight toward Ashley.

"Oh no," Rose glanced across the table to see Ashley trying to hide behind Mary, whose face was hard as stone.

Rose felt pity for her friend. Ashley had loved Kile, and they had been dating since last year. How could she not have strong feels for him? She also felt anger toward Kile for breaking Ashley's heart. If he didn't want to go out with Ashley anymore, why hadn't he just broken up with her?

But instead, he led her on for weeks! Letting her think that everything was fine, while behind her back he was snogging another girl.

Rose met Kile's eyes, daring him to come within a yard of Ashley. Kile stopped dead in his tracks, locking eyes with Rose, pleading with her silently to understand.

Kile was a Ravenclaw. If he turned down the centre aisle, he was going to try and talk to Ashley. But if he headed toward the blue tablecloth covered table, they were safe.

Kile must have seen something harden in Rose's eyes because after a moment he gave a small shake of his head and turned to walk over to his table.

"Come on," Rose said standing from the table, looking at Ashley who was trembling slightly, tears pooling in her eyes. "Let's go to Hogsmeade."

~oOo~

Rose always thought that the village looked prettiest in winter. The snow fell gently from the grey clouds above, littering the streets and rooftops in a layer of soft white.

Rose walked close by Malfoy's side. Pressing herself against him in an effort to stay warm from the cold air around them. The whole group was there: Mary, Ashley, Grace, Lizzy, Al, James, Fred, and all the rest of the male Gremlins. Rose smiled as she watched James and Fred playfully tease Al. Al gave them both a shove trying hard not to smile

Everything was easy and laid back. The group had been laughing since they had left the castle, and Rose felt happy to know that something would never change.

"We'll see you guys later," Rose said smiling at the group of boys as they split paths. The boys went toward the joke shop while Rose, Malfoy, and the girls headed for the clothing shop on the corner.

Malfoy didn't look too happy about going clothes shopping while the guys all went to buy more joke supplies, but he didn't complain. Rose felt a little twinge of guilt as Malfoy walked by her side. In the past, she would have been sure that he was just acting and that any moment he would start whining. But now she knew he wouldn't.

The bell above the door jingled happily as the group entered the store and Rose breathed in the sweet smell of perfume.

They walked deeper into the shop and Rose looked around at the familiar light blue walls and the sharp white trim. There were rows of shirts, pants, skirts, and every piece of clothing a person could want. But Rose knew that there was more than meets the eyes with this shop.

There were a few people scattered around the shop, most of them girls and a few guys who were leaning against walls or racks looking bored as their girlfriends searched through row after row of clothing.

"Girls!" Rose turned and smiled at the cheerful greeting to see Maggie, the shop owner, walking briskly toward them.

Maggie was a woman in her late twenties or early thirties with thick honey blond hair that she always had hanging in pretty curls around her face. Her blue eyes sparkled with kindness and joy, and her smile was large and welcoming.

Maggie walked up to the girls and hugged each one in turn and almost hugged Rose before she pulled back just in time. Maggie glanced at Malfoy and she gave Rose a look that wasn't pity but somewhere close to it.

"Oh, Rose!" Maggie said in her light pretty voice, concern lacing her every word, "I heard what happened, I've been so worried about you. How are you doing?"

Rose gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Maggie. After the first day, it got easier."

"I couldn't imagine going through something like that. Oh, it must have been such a shock!"

Maggie's gaze sharpened as she looked at Malfoy standing just behind Rose. There was a moments pause before Maggie's intense gaze turned friendly. "You must be Scorpius. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Finally?" Malfoy raised a blond eyebrow in question and Maggie laughed lightly.

"I've heard a lot about you from my female Hogwarts customers. Not to mention all I've heard from Rose here," Maggie smiled as Rose blushed. It was true, she had talked many times to Maggie about Malfoy though mostly it was just to vent about how she couldn't stand him. There was one time though that she had admitted that he was very attractive, and maybe she could like him if he wasn't such a prat.

Rose didn't have to look at Malfoy to know that he was smirking at her. "We've come to look at dresses for the Ball Maggie. Have you got any new ones since that last time we were in?" Rose said suddenly, desperate to change the subject before something embarrassing slipped.

"Actually, I just got some new options in that I thought you girls would love. Follow me."

They weaved through the racks and rows of clothes and headed toward the back corner where there was a large door marked in white letters.

EMPLOYEES ONLY.

The room behind the door was all white with rows and rows of glittering and sparkling dress. They were all colour coded and were organized by their make and length. There were dresses in every colour and shade under the sun: reds, pinks, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, purples, whites, blacks, greys, and every colour in between. Sparkles and lace surrounded the girls filling them with excitement.

The girls instantly scattered to the racks as Maggie moved onto the back. She said that she would grab the new dresses and that they should look around to see if there were any dresses they liked in the meantime.

Rose headed straight over to the blue dresses with Mary at her side.

They both started pulling out dresses they liked and holding them up to show the other, asking for their opinion.

"Here we are!" The girls looked up to see Maggie coming down the main aisle holding about a dozen dresses in her hands.

She then distributed the dresses out among the girls giving out her recommendations on what would look best on everyone.

Maggie handed Rose three dresses. The first was a light blue number that matched Rose's eyes almost perfectly. It was beautiful with an off-shoulder neckline and very small jewels that scattered down until it met with the pretty bunched fabric belt leading to a long flowing skirt.

The second one was a pretty periwinkle purple with a single thick right shoulder strap that had tiny crystal butterflies scattered across the top of the dress. There was also a thin crystal belt across the high waist, and the skirt fell down in long sweeping petals of fabric.

The third dress was royal blue with a high neck that gave it a very regal look. The fabric lightened on the way down so that by the time it reached the ends of the skirt it was crystal white. It gave the gown a melting effect that was stunning.

Rose took in the breath-taking dresses in awe. No matter how many times she came to this shop, she could not help but be amazed by Maggie's beautiful gowns.

And the amazing thing was that she made them all herself.

Maggie was a fashion witch that had dedicated her life the making her own clothing line. She had shops all over but liked to stay and personally run the one in Hogsmeade, it being the first shop she opened. That, and she loved the kids that came in from Hogwarts.

Rose walked over to an open stall carrying the dresses Maggie had given her. She suddenly remembered Malfoy, he had to be close while she went into the stall.

"Umm, there's a bench right there you can sit on while I'm trying these on," Rose said motioning to the bench pushed against the wall right next to the stall. Malfoy smirked before moving to sit.

Rose gave him a look before ducking into the stall, locking the door behind her and hanging the dress on the hooks that lined the wall.

It took a while to try them all on. One after another, the dresses were pulled up, admired, and then either approved of or not. When Rose was trying on her last dress, she could hear her friends exiting their stalls and calling out that they had chosen a favourite.

Rose finished zipping up the last dress and looked at herself in the mirror. No, the off-the-shoulder neckline wouldn't do at all. She reached behind her to unzip it.

Rose stared hard at the remaining two dresses. After a moment, Rose gently took down the one that she had loved the most and slipped into it.

This dress had a lace-up back which took more work, but the result was beautiful. Rose approved.

The stall door creaked softly as Rose stepped out. Everyone turned at the sound, and all of them sighed and awed.

Lizzy stepped aside as Rose walked toward them so that she could have her turn in front of the mirror.

Rose had picked the third dress Maggie had handed her. The high neck of the dress was beautiful and Rose loved the melting effect. It seemed perfect for the Yule Ball.

The dress hugged Rose perfectly in a way the showed off her hourglass figure, but it also wasn't too tight The thin crystal belt around her waist caught the light and added just a touch of sparkle to the dress. But Rose's favourite thing about the dress was the fabric. It shimmered with a layer of glitter making her look like she stepped out of a fairytale winter wonderland.

Maggie grinned as all the girls oohed and awed, "I knew you would like that one Rose and I must say it suits you perfectly."

"You all look so beautiful!" Rose exclaimed getting a good look at the girl's dresses.

Lizzy, Grace, and Mary gathered around Rose. Lizzy's dark green dress emphasized her deep hazel eyes. Grace had chosen a deep purple gown that formed a small train behind her. And Mary's light blond hair contrasted beautifully with the light blue hi-low dress she wore. Everyone looked so lovely.

The creak of the stall door told them Ashley was coming out and the girls turned to see.

Her slender figure stepped out of the stall with a few delicate steps, and all the girls stared in shock.

Sweet conservative Ashley was wearing a gown that could only be described as sexy. It was deep red with a low-cut neckline and a slit up the right side of her leg.

"Is it too much?" Ash asked quietly after a moment of silence. She stepped out completely and let the door swing shut behind her. The bang of the door broke everyone's shocked stupor.

"No no!" Mary said stepping forward to gently lead Ashley in front of the mirrors. "You look beautiful!"

And it was true. Once you got over the immediate shock of seeing Ashley in a dress so revealing, it was easy to see it was made for her. In truth, the dress wasn't even that revealing, it was the fact Ashley was wearing it that was a shock to them all. Rose could even feel Malfoy's surprise and amusement radiating to her through the Bond.

"Mary's right Ash, you're gorgeous," Rose said smiling at her friend as she turned in front of the mirrors.

"You all look beautiful," Maggie said smiling at the girls. "Does everything fit nicely, if not I can make some adjustments."

After some quick adjustments to each dress, the girls walked back into their stalls to change. Rose was opening her stall door when she looked over at Malfoy watching her. She hadn't even glanced at him when she had walked out. She felt a little guilty for ignoring him, he was her fate-decided date to the ball.

Before she could think about what she was doing, Rose stepped forward and stretched out her arms slightly looking at Malfoy. "So what do you think?"

Malfoy stood up from his seat and stepped closer to Rose. She felt her breath hitch slightly at the sudden close proximity.

Rose stared up at Malfoy with wide blue eyes meeting his stormy grey ones with an unsure gaze.

After a moment, Malfoy reached down and gently grasped Rose's hand in his own. Taking a small step back, he lifted it above her head and turned Rose slowly, making her dress shimmer slightly.

"I think you look beautiful."

That soft comment startled Rose more than Malfoy's close proximity had, and as she came to a stop in front of him she saw something in his eyes that she'd seen before, but had never been able to place.

They stared at each other for a long moment, Rose's blue eyes studying his grey ones with intensity. The air seemed to thin all of a sudden, her hand felt hot and electrified as he held it, and his eyes, dammit, his eyes were so grey, so intense, they seemed to suck her in, she was drowning in them.

Both then her brain seemed to kick back into gear and she pulled her hand away, taking a much-needed step back. This seemed to snap Malfoy out of it to, he took step back as well, clearing his throat, he quickly looked away.

"Thank you," Rose muttered, wondering why she was so short of breath.

She stepped back and fumbled with a trembling hand for the doorknob to the stall. Rose opened it and stepped in, shutting the door quickly behind her. She closed her eyes and took a breath. What on earth had just happened? Why did that look in Malfoy's eyes make her feel weak in the knees and make a warm fuzzy feeling bloom in her chest?

Rose shook her head and reached behind her back to unlace her dress.

After paying and saying their goodbyes to Maggie, the girls and Malfoy left the shop and walked the short distance to The Three Broomsticks where they had planned to meet the guys.

Rose let out a sigh and pushed back the hood of her cloak as she stepped into the warmth of The Three Broomsticks, her cheeks and the tip of her nose flushed slightly red from the harsh cold outside.

The place was very crowded with many different witches and wizards and other occupants Rose knew weren't of the human race. Rose found herself drawing closer to Malfoy as they carefully walked through the crowd, trying very hard not to touch anyone.

"Mary and I will get some butterbeers. You try and find the guys," Grace stated, and after handing the girls their bags, they walked off into the crowd in the direction of the bar.

"Can you see them?" Lizzy asked standing on her tippy toes and looking around, trying to see over the heads of the crowd. Malfoy who was the tallest in the group and had the easiest time seeing past everyone was the first to spot them.

The guys were all sitting in a large circle booth in the back, laughing and joking loudly with bottles of butterbeer held in their hands.

"They had to choose the booth farthest away from the door didn't they?" Rose grumbled as she barely managed to slide past a pair of very large wizards who were laughing boisterously and looked very drunk.

"Rosie!" Al yelled when he caught sight of his cousin, grinning so widely that Rose couldn't help but smile back.

He's such an idiot, Rose thought fondly, shaking her head at the cousin that she loved so much.

The guys all moved aside to make room for the newcomers, Rose and Malfoy took the seats closest to the end so they wouldn't be sandwiched between the others.

Moments later, Mary and Grace came back holding butterbeers for all the girls and Malfoy. Malfoy objected that he should be the one buying the drinks only to be told to shut up and have a butterbeer shoved into his hand.

The talk was easy and cheery, not to mention loud, but Rose enjoyed it. It reminded her of the past, when they would all come down to Hogsmeade and just sit in The Three Broomsticks, happy to be away from the castle for a few hours.

To Rose, this was perfect. This was the way things should be.

But Rose knew that after this year the group wouldn't be so laid back. Once they entered their seventh year, they would all start worrying about the future after Hogwarts. There would be guidance counselling, planning, not to mention the stress that would fall on all their shoulders when they realized that they would need to get good grades so that they could get a decent job after school. Rose knew that once this sank into all their minds that the group would lose this sense of bliss they all felt.

They had no real responsibility, no real worries yet. And once they did, the joking would fade, and soon make even the laughter end. Rose knew that it wasn't all dark and grey, but she also knew that things would change a lot and that after this year, nothing would be the same.

~oOo~

Rose sat on the ground in front of the fire, holding out her hands to warm them by the flame. The walk back up to the castle had been a long cold one and Rose was very grateful to be back inside the warm walls of Hogwarts.

The whole group had all come up to Rose's and Malfoy's dorm and they were scattered all over the room and the sound of their talk filled Rose's ears as she sat with her legs crossed on the floor. A movement in her lap made Rose look down and smile at the bundle of fur.

Rose's kitten, Jinx, which she had gotten at the beginning of the year was curled up in her lap, her soft black and white fur looking darker in the light of the fire. Jinx was a playful kitten, almost always up to something, thus she was given the name Jinx.

Rose had missed her cat in the past few days and stroked the soft fur lovingly as Jinx rolled onto her back and yawned, her tiny soft pink tongue curling slightly, and her eyes scrunching up so adorably.

"Finally got that cat to sit still, have you?" Rose looked up as Malfoy sat down next to her, crossing his legs and warming his hands in front of the fire.

Jinx and Malfoy had never gotten along, not since the kitten had gotten into Malfoy's stash of prank supplies at the beginning of the year and tore all of it up with her small sharp teeth.

"Still holding a grudge against my kitten Malfoy?" Rose asked with smirk

"That's not a kitten Weasley, that's a Hippogriff in disguise and a bad-tempered one at that," Malfoy sent Jinx a glare that plainly said 'You're not fooling me' and looked away, taking a sip from his butterbeer.

"A Hippogriff. Really?" Rose couldn't help but smile at the look of sincerity on Malfoy's face. She glanced down at the small fluffy kitten curled up in her lap and let out a chuckle. Jinx was anything but a bad-tempered Hippogriff.

They both looked up when Al sat down heavily next to Malfoy, with a sigh that was both frustrated and dejected.

"What's up with you?" Malfoy asked before taking another sip of his drink. Malfoy shifted so that he could uncurl his legs from underneath him and bent them so that he could rest his arms on his knees, turning his head to look at Al.

"Abigail. Saw her flirting with that twat Gibbings on the way up from the kitchens," Al answered miserably.

Rose just sighed.

Since second or third year Al had had a crush on a girl, Abigail or as she was usually called, Abby. Over the past few years, the crush had just grown and Al had grown more desperate. What Rose found very irritating about the whole situation was the fact that they both liked one another, Abby had told Rose before that she liked Al and Rose had lost count of the times she had to sit and listen to Al talk about Abby.

Abby was a wonderful person, she was kind, thoughtful, funny, not to mention she was attractive and Rose knew that if Al didn't act soon that Abby would get swept away. Already she had been in two serious relationships, though both of them had ended and from what Rose had heard, Abby had been the one to end them.

Rose had spent time with Abby before and found that she liked the girl very much and, in her opinion, she was perfect for Al. She liked a good laugh and was a fan of Quidditch but was also quite smart and liked reading, not as much as Rose but she could still sit down and read a good book for longer than two minutes, unlike Al.

Rose gave a small huff of annoyance and tuned out the familiar conversation that was started next to her. At first, Rose had been sympathetic toward Al, understanding his hesitation to talk to the girl and his worrying that she wouldn't feel the same but it had been years and he had done nothing.

Rose was actually quite mad at her cousin when it came to Abigal Finn because not only was he hurting himself by not talking to her but he was also hurting Abby who so obviously liked him. Rose could see the hope in Abby's eyes when Al walked past her in the hallways, thinking that maybe he was going to talk to her but Al always just walked past her after a sheepish look or a smile tossed her way.

But Rose could see that Abby was still holding out hope that Al liked her every time she looked at him from across the Great Hall.

Rose felt that it was unfair of Al not to do anything, to just string her along with smiles and glances. But Rose kept her mouth shut and didn't tell Al what she thought about all this, it wasn't her place.

Rose looked over at Malfoy next to her and suddenly a thought formed in her head, taking her aback. She would never get a choice like Al and Abby did. She would never get to pick the person she was going to spend the rest of her life with, because of the Bond she couldn't choose.

But just as the trickle of anger and resentment started Rose looked at Malfoy again and she knew that she couldn't complain, she was safe, fed, had a roof over her head, and was loved by a wonderful family and just that in itself was more than enough to be grateful for.

Rose sighed, she had no right to feel sorry for herself for not being able to pick and choose, and she knew that, she did, but even so, she wondered.

What would it have felt like to fall in love with someone that she had chosen?