A/N: It's been too long, and I'm sure that by now I've lost most of you. I can only apologise, and promise that I disappeared because life happened in unexpected ways. Fortunately for me, I was able to return, and I'm very prepared to finish this story. If you're out there, I hope you can give it a chance. Here it goes.

Flawless

Rose glanced out her window, at the freshly cut grass of their front lawn. A few meters away, she spotted Hugo, chasing after a small flying object. She squinted to make out what it could be and identified it as one of the collective item cars their grandfather had given him. The tiny automobile flew in circles, apparently out of control, as Hugo desperately jumped to grab it. Another of his unauthorised spells had gone wrong. Rose sighed in exhaustion. For Hugo, this had been like any other summer. He had complained a few times for the lack of outdoor activities he was entitled to, and blamed Rose for it, but his uneasiness never lasted long. Hugo had a peculiar talent to occupy himself in the strangest ways; like hexing muggle objects when no one was looking.

An abrasive pressure overpowered her chest suddenly. She was going back to school, and the uncertainty of her new reality caused a great deal of anxiety. A different feeling, she thought. For the past weeks, she had carried an unpleasant sensation of emptiness. She had learned to live with it, though. In many ways, time had stopped for her; life had stopped. She was waiting in a state of numbness and resignation.

Rose reached for her backpack, and then took the scarf that was sitting on her desk, light blue, soft to the touch, and placed it in the bag. She stopped and exhaled again.

Most nights, she would fall asleep only once her body had reached a state of complete fatigue, once she could no longer find the strength to move. Only then would her eyes give into the darkness. The harmony wouldn't last long, though, and she would wake up abruptly—her long nights filled with recurring nightmares that would burst into her dreams. At first, she felt ambushed by the horrors. As the weeks passed, she would simply wait for the nightmares to arrive, like an unwelcomed but very familiar guest. Most nights it was Gerard who tormented her. His yellowish eyes searching for hers. His smile, the sound of his sinister laugh, pronouncing her name repeatedly. She could hear him even once her eyes had opened. The menace of him coming back for her lived at the core of her nerves.

Other nights were different. She would dream she was alone, strolling in comfortable darkness. Out of nowhere, Scorpius' grey eyes would surface, his pale skin, his unruly hair, a grimace that would reveal on his face. Rapidly, a rush of blood would drive to her head and wake her up. It never endured.

Rose took one last look through the window until Christmas, one last look from home. In some ways, one last look from prison.

"Ready?"

Rose startled, turned abruptly, tightening the grip on her bag, bringing it close to her chest.

"I didn't mean to scare you. Are you alright?" Her father murmured, his hand still on the doorframe, his face plain. His hair, messy and uneven, somehow disguised the bags under his eyes. Rose nodded as he walked closer to her.

"Ready for another year?" He asked. Rose pressed her lips together and nodded again. "Brilliant. Good talk," he joked plainly.

"I thought you'd be at the Ministry. I thought mum would take us to the station."

Ron wrinkled his forehead. "Don't worry. That's still the plan," he said, raising both arms to the level of his chest, hands wide open, a small peace offering.

"I didn't mean it like that, dad," she lied. "I just-"

"That's alright. So? Are you excited? Last year at Hogwarts."

Rose shrugged. "I suppose. I don't know what to expect," she retorted and heard the coldness of her resentment.

"Rose," he walked closer. "Listen, I know this is hard on you, more than on anyone else. But please, try to understand. Your safety is the only thing that matters."

"It's fine, we don't have to go over this again," she turned her face slightly, enough to break visual contact with her father.

"It won't be that bad. Just a few Aurors at the school, keeping an eye around."

"Keeping an eye on me," she corrected.

"Guarding the premise."

"Guarding me," she looked at him, straight in the eyes. Her tone was defiant. She could feel her face tightening.

"Rose," he sighed. The subject had worn out between them during the summer. There was little to add, and they were both exhausted from stressing it. "It will soon be over. I promise."

Rose inhaled again, restless, impatient.

"There's something else I want to talk to you about."

"Let me guess," she hissed and turned her face away from him again.

"The Malfoy kid."

"Dad-", she grunted.

"Just answer me this." He raised one hand, calmly. "What do you want with him?"

Rose's eyes widened. His choice of words took her off guard. "What? What are you talking about?"

"I want you to tell me, Rose. If you're going to insist on making me believe you're friends, then tell me, what do you want with him? I need to understand."

"Dad-" she shook her head, "there's nothing to understand. We are together in some classes, and we helped each other out."

"Your average dropped last year."

"I got a flawless O in Potions," she dared proudly, "the first time since my third year."

"I'm not an idiot, Rose-" he snapped. "Why now? What made you befriend him last year? When you had-" he sighed deeply, "successfully ignored him for five straight years!" Ron's words sunk in nostalgia as if longing after a happier time.

"Dad," she shrugged. "Coincidence. We sat together in Potions, and we got along alright," she insisted, shameful for her overly simplified statement. "Then again in Muggle Studies," she recalled.

The cynicism in Ron's immediate laugh angered Rose. "Muggle Studies," he repeated acidly. "I'm telling you, it has to be a joke."

"It just happened."

"Nothing just happens," he emphasised. "Rose, this is too much...coincidence. The same year there's a breakout in Azkaban, the same year you become the target of a complete maniac -who is still on the loose- this Malfoy kid and you become friends. Just like that! Do you get how strange this all is?"

"No," she said acidly. "I don't! There's no way I could understand because I don't know much, to begin with! Why shouldn't I be friends with whomever I want? If you choose to keep the past a secret, I shouldn't be the one having to make decisions based on mere prejudice!"

"You know enough, Rose! You know the Malfoys are a dark, twisted family. You know what they did to your mum. You know enough!"

"Dad, I'm not doing this again," she turned her face away from him, once more.

"You mean, lie to me?" he snorted, taking his right hand to his forehead. "And to think that I have no real clue of what is going on between you two."

"You're overreacting," she whispered and felt tempted to leave the conversation there. She betrayed her instincts, though, and continued. "He's a good person, dad," she said.

"Highly unlikely," he retorted dryly. "But it doesn't matter anyway, Rose."

"What?" she gasped, stunned by her father's cynical take.

He walked up closer, a hard expression on his face. "He may have...honest intentions," he said slowly. "But don't forget, he may as well be someone else's puppet."

Her father's words pierced her, like fine needles. Rose pressed her eyes shut. Instantly, her throat ached. She struggled to hold in the small tears. She stood in silence while she hung on to her backpack, fiercely.

"Rose, promise me you'll take care of yourself. Please, promise me," Ron begged painfully. Rose opened her eyes and looked around the room. Her father seized her by the elbow, carefully, as if afraid she would startle again. "I can't allow anything bad happening to you."

"Dad," her voice broke, and her father took her moment of weakness as an opportunity to wrap his arms around her. Rose held her bag tighter than before, but buried her face in his sweater, silently.

"Nobody gets this upset for some bloke who's just a friend," he whispered with a voice of dry resignation. A comfortable silence kept them company until Rose spoke again.

"I'm exhausted," she confessed.

"So am I." Ron kissed his daughter's head and pressed her tightly. "Promise me you'll take care-"

"-If you promise to trust my judgment," she retorted, separating herself slowly from her father. She looked up. Ron stared down at her, intently. He nodded.

She nodded back.

o0o

Caught in the cloud of smoke, the noise, and the furore, Rose stood still, quietly staring at the men and women that rushed their way down the platform, their cloaks moving hysterically.

The weeks had passed painfully slow. Restrictions at her home were so rigid that she had not even visited her grandparents on her mother's side. They had come to visit her and Hugo instead. She felt cornered, counting the days until she could smell the smokey air at King's Cross.

Rose glimpsed one more time at the platform and its raging activity. She wondered if Scorpius was already on the train, or if he was yet to arrive at the station. The thought of meeting him in front of her mother brought a nauseating sensation. She would rather avoid another family encounter if that meant she would have to elaborate more on the type of relationship she had with him.

She looked around. In the distance, and almost by accident, she spotted the man who had been watching over her at Flourish & Blotts; tall, standing straight, his severe glare staring vacantly at the crowd, hiding the real reason for his presence at King's Cross. She sighed heavily.

"Is that man going to follow us around now?" She asked dryly, loud enough to be heard by her mother. When she turned around, Hermione was looking at her.

"Rose, please, be—"

"Patient. I know," she interrupted.

"I don't mind," Lily said, suddenly standing next to Rose. "He's not- terrible to look at."

"Lily, he must be ten years older than you, at least." Rose snapped.

"Calm down! I was joking," the girl shrugged.

Hermione took Rose by the shoulder, who turned to face her mother in a fast move. She fixed her bag over her free shoulder and stood still when her mother placed her hand under her chin.

"It's been a hard couple of months, I know," she murmured. Her thumbs ran up to the dark shadows that had formed under Rose's eyes. "You haven't been sleeping or eating -or talking."

Rose hung on to her silence.

"We've taken all your freedom away from you."

"And your trust," Rose filled in.

"Rose, it's—"

"It's for my own good," she bitterly said.

"You're entitled to be upset. I understand why you shut us out. I can only ask you- don't do so while at Hogwarts. Keep your friends very close, keep Albus as close as possible. Promise me you'll do that."

"I promise," she sighed. "I don't have anything stupid planned for this year."

Hermione hugged Rose tightly and kissed her cheek softly.

"You're tough," Hermione said once she released her embrace, to which Rose smiled poorly.

"Right."

"Can I give you some advice?" she inquired. Rose frowned.

"I— guess."

"You're confident. You're passionate—both wonderful virtues. Just be very careful, Rose. Always choose reason first. Don't let your impulses get the best of you."

"So, this is about Scorpius."

"It's about you. Things are not what they used to be. Think with a cool head, and be cautious." Hermione took one of her daughter's loose curls and placed it behind her ear. "Just keep your eyes wide open."

"I will."

"And—" Hermione hesitated as she fixed Rose's sweater. "Be discreet" she added with a nod. "It will all be over soon, you'll see. You have to take your NEWTS this year, and with all your responsibilities I'm sure time will pass by very quickly."

Rose nodded absently, noticing how prominent her mother's cheekbones were. She looked thinner, tired. She had been working long hours at the Ministry, and it was beginning to show.

"Mum, you should take a few days off, get some rest. I'll be fine, I promise," she decided to say. Hermione hugged her tightly one more time.

oOo

Once the train had taken off, Rose and Albus found an empty cabin. She sat down, her face towards the window, and her eyes on the station, which was becoming smaller in the distance. Rose had to suppress the impulse of turning towards the door of the cabin every time she heard steps. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathed in.

"I heard we'll have three Aurors at school," Albus said, as he closed the door of the cabin behind him. Rose sat up straight, breaking her distraction.

"How do you know that?"

"My parents were arguing about it last night again."

"What do they want that many for?"

"One will be guarding the grounds; the other one will be inside the castle."

Rose breathed in, stamping her head against the wall. "What about the third one?" She asked, embracing an unpleasant feeling.

"The third one is for you."

She blinked. "This is…" but she didn't finish the thought. She was too drained. Albus looked down at his feet.

"My mum said it was too much for you. She said you wouldn't be able to take that amount of pressure. She accused my dad of being insensitive. Dad replied something about having no other choice. They went on for a while. She asked him to remember what it was like when they were students, and how dreadful it had been when the Ministry of Magic was controlling the school."

"And?"

"Dad said this was nothing like that. And that's when my mum got even more upset. She said it was the same thing. She said the Ministry was controlling Albus Dumbledore because they thought he was mad and dangerous. She asked him to remember how wrong they were about him then, and how wrong they could be about Scorpius now. But that's as far as I could hear. They went silent for a while, and then I heard them murmuring, but I couldn't make out a word of it."

"Is the Auror going to watch over me or is he going to watch over Scorpius?"

"I'm guessing both. I don't know."

"Do you think uncle Harry knows about us?"

"He did ask me about it, and he asked Lily as well. It's not crazy if he has a clue."

Rose pressed her palm against her forehead. "This is going to blow up in my face. What am I going to do?"

"One day at a time," Albus shrugged.

Rose stared out the window, at the plains, the trees, at nothing. "My dad knows, " she stated recently.

"What?" Albus asked. "Then why are we working so hard to keep it a secret?"

"Well, he knows I fancy him. I don't think he knows exactly what's going on."

Albus grunted "Oh, the snogging, you mean? The shady notes? Or sneaking around the grounds together- alone?"

"Right," she murmured. "All that."

"Didn't he ask?"

"Yes."

"And you lied."

"Yes."

"And he believed you."

"No."

"You're right. This is going to blow up in your face- and mine," he widened his eyes, his head slowly shaking in a silent complaint. She had to give it to him for putting up with her all summer; Patience he had, solidarity he had. Lately, it even seemed his reasoning was sharper than hers.

As Rose turned to look at Albus, with guilt sinking in, the door to the cabin burst open. Rose's chest shrunk, she instinctively held her breath. But it wasn't Scorpius who stood at the door.

"Rose, What are you doing here?" Lily inquired as she walked inside.

"Lil" Rose closed her eyes, dreading the rerun of the same conversation she had just held.

"I ran into him just now. He asked me if you were ok. I told him I'd help him look for you, but he said—"

"He said no," Rose answered bitterly.

"Yes, but—"

"Leave it, Lily," Albus interrupted.

"But—"

"Seriously, Lily. Just leave it alone, " he insisted.

"Alright then," she retorted to her brother. "Don't stress over this, Rose," Lily chirped. "We'll think of something."

"We?" Albus inquired. "We won't think of anything."

"Maybe you won't, but I—"

"Why are you so interested in this?" Albus interrupted his sister.

"Because," she shrugged, breathing in to elaborate an argument.

"Lily," Albus cut her while pressing his palm against his forehead. "Why don't we all just calm down and be quiet for a while?"

"Fine…" the girl murmured, looking at Rose, who smiled at her. Lily rested her head against the cushion, next to her, and as Rose began to enjoy the minute of silence that was developing, with nothing but the sound of the train moving above the rails, Lily opened her mouth again.

"Anyone want something from the trolley?"

Albus rolled his eyes. "Lily, go search for your friends."

oOo

"Finally," Rose sighed heavily, her head sinking into the soft, cold pillow. Her body felt lighter as it found its place in her bed. Suddenly, she felt steady in the certainty and predictability that was Hogwarts, where she was safe from interrogation. Her muscles ached in exhaustion, revealing how little she had slept those past weeks.

The emptiness in her chest and the pain of her stomach were feelings that had become too familiar to her, but it was the lack of sleep what was touching her nerves. She sunk some more in her bed, and curled in the fresh sheets, her eyes mildly heavy.

"Oh, look, Rose is already here," Lorraine's voice broke the peace.

"What are you doing? Time to get ready for the sorting ceremony," Chassidy said. Rose pressed her eyes tightly before opening them.

"I thought you'd be excited to see your boyfriend," Lorraine added, in a gloomy tone.

Rose gave her dormmates a quick look, with a minimal will to move her body. She then sighed as she pushed her thorax up.

"You're not going to say anything?" Lorraine said.

"I rather not."

"Are you two still together?" Chassidy followed.

"It's complicated," she cut off, jumping out of bed.

"Do the Aurors at the school have anything to do with that?" Chassidy insisted.

"I— I really can't do this right now, if you don't mind, Chass."

"Well, someone got her knickers tampered with during the summer," Lorraine retorted.

Rose walked up to the mirror and studied her reddish, long, loose curls, which covered her face. She ran her fingers through her hair, to delicately tame her locks.

"Are you alright, Rose?" Chassidy inquired. "You seem— stressed."

"I'm fine."

"I heard the Aurors are here to protect us, because of what happened to you last year." Lorraine's comment sunk in heavy.

"Lorraine!" Chassidy scolded.

"What? It's what people are saying," Lorraine insisted. "Is that why it's so complicated with Scorpius, now?", she asked maliciously. Day one at Hogwarts and Lorraine was already too hard to swallow.

"I'll see you downstairs, alright?" Rose interrupted them, and Lorraine widened her eyes.

"Rose, we didn't mean to—"

Already halfway through the door, she didn't hear the end of Chassidy's retort.

Strolling down the corridors was pleasant. Rose was beginning to feel different, renewed, closer to her old self. Her tensions were gradually fading. She picked up her pace and turned the corner towards the Great Hall. A comforting smell of hot cocoa and turkey persuaded her to walk faster.

And then she saw him. She stopped. He was standing close to the main entrance, one hand in his pocket. His stare as strong as ever, his eyes fixated on her. Rose pressed her lips, restrained the birth of a smile. Her chest, numb until that moment, pounded; fierce, alive again.

Scorpius gently took off towards her, leaving the entrance to the Great Hall behind. Rose breathed in, her chest aching with every movement. She gave in to the feeling of his warm scent.

"Weasley. You again," he murmured, a shy smirk twisting in the corner of his lips, like releasing it from confinement.

"Hey," she murmured back, her voice weak. A divine silence followed, their eyes meeting privately, once again. Every nerve under her skin bruised her voraciously, begging for disclosure.

"So— hey! Good to see you again, Scorpius. Good summer?" Albus' voice broke the spell, dragging Rose out of her fascinating trance. She turned in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

Albus snorted. "I've been with you all along," he claimed. "We walked out of the common room together. Remember that? Yes?" He retorted, nodding continually, irritated by now.

"Oh," she frowned in acknowledgement.

"Summer was— tolerable," Scorpius answered, addressing Albus. "What about you, Albus?"

"It was great. It was brilliant," Albus said in portrayed enthusiasm. It seemed to Rose that his voice shrieked above his natural range.

"Good to hear," Scorpius responded with a single, polite nod.

"Yes, we all had a great summer, didn't we, Rose?" Albus repeated in his hype.

"Albus," Rose called dryly. "What are you doing?"

"Just catching up with my mate Scorpius, here. Just catching up," he retorted carelessly.

Scorpius frowned for a moment, slightly disoriented by the conversation. He turned to Rose.

"How are you, Rose?" Scorpius asked her plainly, his eyes sharply turning towards the subject of his interest. The mere sound of his raspy voice claimed her skin again.

Rose shrugged, nodded faintly. "I—", she cut herself, breathed in. She felt terrific now. "I'm— well."

"You look— well," he smiled in modest satisfaction, a smile that overpowered every single one of her previous emotions. Comforting silence followed, again.

"Innit great?" Albus' voice broke in. "So, now that we know we are all alright and...we are all well, we can get moving to the Great Hall!" He announced fervently.

Rose turned to him abruptly, and as her eyes searched deep into Albus' pupils, to send him an implicit threat, she spotted the Auror in the distance. He was standing at the end of the long hall, his back against the wall, and his eyes firm, staring blankly. With a careless manner, he shifted his eyes to the floor. She snorted and shook her head.

"Right. Time for dinner," she said in defeat and looked at Scorpius again, who was now staring at the discreet Auror in the distance.

Scorpius nodded softly; no expression came out of his grey eyes. He turned to Rose, and she could see his complexion changing as he looked at her again.

"I guess I'll see you later, Scorpius," she painful worded out.

"You will," he smiled.

"Great! We'll catch up later. Much to talk about, right?" Albus interrupted and patted Scorpius in the shoulder once.

Scorpius frowned, took a look at Albus, and chuckled in disconcert. "Right. We'll catch up."

"Was that necessary? To behave like an absolute mental git?"

"I was friendly," Albus shrugged, as he sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"You were ridiculous," she followed and sat next to him.

"Right," Albus turned impatiently to look at her. "Listen, you need to control your temper," he said sternly, pointing firmly at Rose. "I get it. You're edgy; you're pissed, you're angry at the world. Brilliant. But this has only just begun, and you're going to have to be more patient. You said-", he breathed, turned to look over his shoulder for a moment, and lowered his voice as he turned back to her. "You said you were going to keep a low profile with him, from now on, to save yourselves more trouble. But then you see him, and what do you do? You just drool all over the bloke."

"I never said I was going to stop seeing him," she whispered.

"You said you planned to be careful. You think that Auror is not going to report everything he sees to uncle Ron?" Albus claimed, pointing at the Great Hall entrance.

Rose rolled her eyes. "This is a misuse of Ministry resources," she claimed.

"Whatever, Rose. To the Ministry, he's one more Auror assigned to Hogwarts, to guarantee the students' safety. To uncle Ron, though, he's his eyes and ears here. And you said you weren't going to give him a reason to—"

"—mess with him," she finished his sentence.

"It's not that hard, Rose. Just act cool when the Aurors are around. Scorpius is only one more bloke."

Rose stared at him. "You mean act cool, like that little number you put together earlier?"

"Hey, if my performance inspired you, so be it," he retorted and crossed his hands on the table.

"This is not going to be easy," Rose murmured and tilted her head enough to glimpse at the Slytherin table. There, in a corner, sat Scorpius, next to his friend Thomas Judd. Tall, dark, and of an amiable temper, Thomas did most of the talking. Scorpius slowly nodded, playing close attention to Thomas' discourse, his eyes slightly lost behind the careless locks that fell softly over his face.

It seemed to Rose that her first five years at Hogwarts had passed during a different lifetime. In those years, she had rarely wondered her eyes to the Slytherin table, in the direction of the quiet boy with a stare that pierced anyone who dared to look at him. Like many students at school, she had ignored him for years.

It wasn't hard for most people to overlook Scorpius. Students at Hogwarts usually took one of two attitudes when it came to him; they either ignored him or feared him. Scorpius' grim character during his first year at school had left a hostile impression on people's memories.

Rose could recall Scorpius back then; slim, yet taller than most students his age, his face always sombre, daunted even. Smiles were not a part of his complexion. She remembered talking to Albus about the bitter Malfoy boy, mainly because many students declared he had to be Albus' natural rival. Albus couldn't care less about him, as he managed to successfully ignore any assertion that would suggest he had to follow the footsteps of his father. Scorpius never showed any interest in him either. Still, that didn't stop gossip from spreading across the hallways. Most of that gossip had centred on Scorpius' alleged evil ways.

Tensions rose between Scorpius and several other students towards the end of the year until John Philips ended up in the Hospital Wing. An argument had turned into a duel, where Scorpius hexed John into unconsciousness. The event caused a great deal of commotion. Strangely, though, everything changed afterwards.

When their second year began, the Scorpius who came back from summer break was just as sombre, but in a cryptically quiet manner. Rumours still lurked throughout the corridors, of Scorpius joining a dark cult, of him holding the dark mark, of him killing his owl pet. But he never engaged with any of it.

For the most part, he isolated himself and seemed to socialise only when it was imperative to do so. Scorpius won a spot on the Quidditch team, as a keeper, where he demonstrated a natural talent. Moreover, he stood out in potions rather fast. By the end of his second year, he had become the top student of the class, a position he still had today; something Rose could never beat him at, which drove her crazy.

The Malfoy boy rarely spoke, rarely addressed someone outside of the Quidditch pitch. His polished manners, though, won him the respect of teachers but intimidated other students even more. He kept to himself and the company of his two friends, Thomas and Jasmine, and went on to ignore the world that was ignoring him. With little regard for the school's norms, he spent long hours at the pitch, often late into the night.

It all seemed to work perfectly fine for everyone; there was a natural order to things. Like most people, she rarely spoke about him, and she rarely exchanged words with him. During the three years she spent in the Gryffindor Quidditch team as a chaser, she engaged with him in very indirect ways, except for the time she accidentally threw the Quaffle at him. She knocked him out of the broom and sent him unconscious to the Hospital Wing, an accident she apologised for. That was the most anecdotic memory they ever shared- until their sixth year at Hogwarts when the natural order of things flipped. All it took was for Rose to reluctantly share a table with Scorpius in Potions, and then in Muggle Studies.

From up close, his eyes didn't look as sombre. Instead, they seemed intriguing, alluring. What unravelled between them was as quick and frantic as lit up gunpowder. Her sixth year may have been full of turbulent, perplexing events, but one thing was clear to Rose: Her thoughts were all aligned, drawn to that Slytherin table, towards the absorbing, seductive grey eyes —that had just caught up with her own.

"I got the dirt." Lily had just joined them, breaking Rose and Scorpius' connection.

"Dirt on what?" Albus said sternly.

"On the Auror! The one who is following you around, Rose. His name is Hendrick Dole. He's been in the Auror Department for two years. That's why he looks so young."

"How do you even know that?" Albus questioned in confusion, throwing his sister a hard look.

"I have my ways," she whispered and turned quickly to the front of the room. Headmaster Hartwell Barrow walked to the podium. A rather short man, with a characteristically thick grey beard and a long pointy black hat that compensated a few centimetres in height. The headmaster placed his hands on the podium and called for the students' attention.

"What else?" Rose had lowered her head, to look straight at Lily, speaking as quietly as possible.

"Headmaster Barrow is furious," she continued, alternating between looking upfront and staring at Rose. "According to— my source, he disapproves of having any Aurors inside the castle. He even threatened to have them removed at the slightest incident."

"Incident?" Rose frowned.

"Lily, where exactly are you getting all this rubbish?" Albus inquired again.

"It's not rubbish! It's the truth!" she replied, ignoring the core of her brother's question.

"What else do you know?" Rose insisted quietly.

"He summoned them to meet with him right after dinner," Lily said. "I think he does it on purpose. My guess is he doesn't want them to wander in the castle when there are students around. It makes sense, right? They make people nervous."

"They sure make me uneasy," Rose said bitterly.

"Would you two be quiet already?" Albus begged in a mumble.

"I'm just saying, Rose, right after dinner— that's your best chance—"

"Lilyyyy," Albus grunted, the palms of his hands pressed against his face in frustration. "Go find your seat."

Lily rolled her eyes and proceeded to effectively ignore her brother, as the sorting hat took off in song.

Both the ceremony and banquet felt like the longest yet in her time at school. She could not help looking back at the door every other minute, where the Auror stood, firmly. It wasn't until the students had started to stand up from their tables and walk out of the Great Hall, that she turned and noticed he was no longer standing beside the archway.

"Where did he go?" she said perplexed.

"See? Headmaster Burrow summoned them! This is your chance, Rose!" Lily said.

"Lily," Albus grabbed his sister by the arm. "Why are you making this so difficult?"

"Why are you being such an arse?" she shook her arm with much strength and released herself from her brother's grip.

"Stop encouraging her! You're only going to get her caught!"

"I am not!" she thundered.

Rose took one last look at the entrance to the Great Hall, no Aurors. She then turned quickly towards the Slytherin table. She had been so focused on locating the Auror she had neglected to check if Scorpius was still there.

—And he wasn't. Thomas sat with Jasmine and three other Slytherins, chatting carelessly.

"Guys," she breathed out and realised that Albus and Lily's quarrel was still alive. He was arguing something about common sense. "Guys!" she said again, and they both turned to face her.

"What?" Lily replied.

"Nevermind all that. He's not even here," she said, pointing at the Slytherin table.

"Oh," Albus said, in a relieved manner. "See, Lily? Common sense," he told her, his hand gesturing towards the same table Rose had pointed at. Lily rolled her eyes again and released a frustrated grunt.

At that moment two of Albus' dorm mates approached them, Henry Carter and Cameron Walker. Lily took it as her queue to leave the group and rejoin her friends further down the Gryffindor table. After a short chat, Rose stood up from the table as well.

"You're leaving," Albus noted.

"I'm just— I'm just going to head to the common room," she declared. "I'm not in the mood for any of this. I'll see you back there," she said.

Albus looked at her and nodded. His stern face had turned into one of worry.

"See you later then," he solemnly replied.

Once Rose walked out of the common room, she confirmed Lily's most persuasive statement: the Auror was not at the door, or outside the hallway. The realisation gave Rose a pleasant feeling of relief, as she strolled down the corridor. For a moment, she was free. The sensation was followed by one of regret. There was no easy way of letting Scorpius know she was unsupervised. For all she knew, Albus might have been right. Maybe Scorpius really was the one with the better grasp of common sense. What was the point of blowing it all up on the first night, anyway? Suddenly, in the quietness of this lonely moment, Albus' complaints made more sense to her. Maybe it was time to shut Lily's immature enthusiasm out for a while, even if she meant well.

Rose walked down the corridor and breathed in deeply. It was going to be a long year. But again, as Albus had said, she was going to have to take it one day at a time. She would see Scorpius in at least half of her classes. She would continue to share a table with him in potions, she hoped, and Muggle Studies, most likely, if he had signed up for that class again.

"Stop," she murmured, shutting her eyes tightly for a moment. She had to stop obsessing about every single detail. She had spent all summer wishing it was over so she could return to Hogwarts, and now that she was there, she felt just as restless, just as lost, just as miserable. She was going to drive herself mad.

The hallways felt empty, and she realised she had taken a wrong turn to the Gryffindor common room. As she corrected her course, she instantly remembered that she could no longer wander in the hallways at night. She was no longer a Prefect. She was sure her father had had something to do with that fact. She was convinced. She grunted. With no privileges left, and Aurors guarding after her, this was bound to turn into a dreadful year.

"This is ridiculous," she said, turning right, down the hallway. There she was, obsessing again. "I need to find something to occupy my mind with," she murmured, suddenly aware she was talking out loud. She picked up her pace. She needed only to reach the end of the hallway, and she would be closer to the staircases. She walked some more and reached the end of the poorly lit hall —but before taking a turn, she was pulled back. She gasped. The owner of the hand that held her by the waist pulled her against his body and into a narrow, dark room. The door shut closed. Darkness.

"Got you," he said.

o0o

Song: 'Flawless' by The Neighbourhood