The session had started out like any other, and as it progressed there were no indicators of any sort of change in Spencer. If anything, he seemed more critical of Rook than usual. It was certainly obvious he was eager to reach the end of the session, and Rook was completely taken aback by him asking to walk with her when it finally came time for them to leave the library.

"You're a bit slow, but you're actually not half bad at Arithmancy," Spencer commented as they walked the corridors of the castle. They had been chatting a bit, and Rook found it to be tense and uncomfortable, but she didn't want to be aloof when he was finally being friendly. She tried to chat amicably, asking him questions about himself in an effort to get to know him better. He was also in Arithmancy, and had expressed that it was his favorite subject, aside from Transfiguration. "I bet if you spent less time with the Weasley clowns you would be a lot better in some of your subjects."

"Why do you say that?"

"They're slackers, aren't they? Can't be good for your studies, especially with the amount of catching up you need to do to graduate."

"Actually, they've been helping me—" Rook started defensively, but Spencer cut her off.

"Do you have any other friends here? It's a shame you're not in Ravenclaw; we could see each other more, and you could find female friends who are a good influence."

"Oh, I actually am friends with a Ravenclaw girl," said Rook with a fond smile.

Spencer's eyebrows shot up. "Really? Who?"

"Luna Lovegood! She's really talented, and pretty funny too."

"Lovegood?" Spencer repeated. "The second year?"

"Yeah."

"Huh… I guess you're both fairly unique, to say the least. But that's not quite what I meant."

Rook shrugged. "I like her."

"Listen, Rosemary," Spencer stopped suddenly and turned to face her. "Do you know about Hogsmeade?"

Rook nodded. "The village, right? I hear there are some great shops and stuff."

"There's a trip coming up on Halloween, and I was wondering if you'd like to go with me."

"Uh… I don't know," Rook spoke hesitantly. "I talked to Fred and George already about going with them."

Spencer frowned. "You're with them all the time."

Rook's discomfort was mounting. "That's probably why I have plans to go with them." She made to move on, but Spencer rushed in front of her, cutting her off.

"Ditch them, for once. I promise I'll show you a better time."

Rook eyed him cautiously. "Do you have a bigger trebuchet, or something?"

"Is that a joke?"

"Of course not! Why would I do that?" Rook answered with a wide-eyed expression. Stefan stared back at her, unsmiling.

"You know, sometimes I can't tell if you're playing dumb, or—"

"I'm just plain stupid, Spencer. I'm even certifiably stupid! I'd show you the certificate, but I left it in my dormitory. I drew it in crayon!"

Spencer sighed. "All right, then, I'll spell it out for you; I want to go to Hogsmeade with you on a date. And, for your information, this is hard enough to do without the messing around, so please just say yes."

Rook bit her lip anxiously as she considered Spencer's proposition. She was completely unprepared for this. The truth was, Spencer was handsome, and he had helped her a lot, and it hadn't occurred to her before that she might be making him nervous. "Uh… Maybe… maybe I can meet you after Fred, George and I stop by Zonko's for a bit," she acquiesced at last.

Spencer looked mildly irritated. "I suppose that's the best I'm going to get, isn't it?" He ran his hand through his hair and smiled wryly. "Better than nothing. I'll meet you at Zonko's. You should wear a dress, since you don't have to be in uniform."

Rook didn't reply. Her head was in a whirl. She was relieved when Spencer left for the Ravenclaw common room, but quickly began to panic as she reflected on her answer.

Why did she say yes? Why? WHY?! He made it sound like one date wasn't much to ask for, and Rook thought maybe she would like him once she got to know more about him. But the problem was she already liked someone.

George… What would he think when she told him? She had been looking forward to him and Fred showing her around Hogsmeade for the first time, and even secretly hoped to maybe catch his eye by wearing something pretty.

But there was a reason she hadn't told George how she felt. Aside from her real purpose for even being at Hogwarts, she just wasn't ready to date. Was that abnormal for someone her age? Just last year no one seemed to like her, much less boys, and, quite frankly, she had no interest in romance herself. Now, all of a sudden, she had a whole slew of… amorous troubles.

Explaining to George was more excruciating than Rook had anticipated. He was as understanding as he always was, which only made it more confusing for Rook.

The exchange had definitely affected the trio's dynamic for the remainder of the night, and, following some commotion over Hermione's cat and Ron's rat, the three of them left for bed. Rook found herself unable to sleep for some time, lost in thought. She felt as though she was seeing less and less of Fred and George all the time. Even on the rare occasion she wasn't stuck in the library, she would sometimes return to the common room unable to find them. Since Angelina and Alicia were also conspicuously absent at these times, Rook's paranoia prompted her to fear she was being gradually ousted from the group. It didn't make much sense, though, seeing as they were all still perfectly friendly with Rook. Then Rook thought that maybe the four of them were disappearing together for some other reason… Rook had briefly considered asking Lee about it, but she was a bit too afraid to hear the answer, so she let it go. Still, she couldn't help wishing she were at least in the same class as Fred and George. As she lay in bed thinking about her limited opportunities to spend time with them, she felt a penetrating sadness, as well as an intensified feeling of regret over accepting Spencer's proposal.

The next morning, Fred was giving Rook the cold shoulder, and George seemed somewhat subdued. Rook had hoped that things would return to normal after they had all slept, but the walk to the Great Hall was an unusually quiet affair.

"I'm sorry," said Rook once they sat down, feeling the need to say something.

"Why are you sorry?" asked George.

"I just… I know we had planned on hanging out in Hogsmeade together."

"There will be other Hogsmeade weekends, Rook. We understand."

"Speak for yourself," Fred grumbled.

Rook hung her head, shamefaced.

"Ignore him, Rook. He was just looking forward to showing you the joke shop. He's all right."

"What did I just say?" Fred snapped irritably.

"Oh, I guess I forgot to mention I did tell Spencer I'd meet up with him after I visit Zonko's with you two first."

George straightened up. "You did?" he asked, surprised. "So you are going to the village with us?"

"I'd like to. When he asked me, I told him I had plans, but he was tenacious. That's sort of why I—I mean, I said yes, but…" Rook trailed off, unsure how to explain her reasoning. "I just don't want you to think I wasn't looking forward to seeing Hogsmeade with y'all. And I hope we can still walk there together."

"Fred?" George prompted.

"I find these terms agreeable," Fred spoke without hesitation. "It would be a crime to be introduced to Zonko's by anyone but us, I hope you realize."

"Obviously," Rook agreed emphatically, considerably cheered up by Fred's amity. There seemed to be improved moods all around, and the three easily returned to their usual routine.

On Halloween morning, Rook and fellow roommate Patricia Stimpson awoke with ample time to fret over what they were to wear. Stimpson decided on an outfit a lot quicker and offered her expertise to Rook as she applied her makeup. Rook had a lot of factors to consider as she rifled through her sparse wardrobe of casual clothing. Though she had gone clothes shopping with her mom before she left for Britain, Texas just did not offer much that could withstand the biting cold of the Scottish Highlands. Fortunately, Rook was quite used to rain, and had come to Hogwarts with her favorite burgundy raincoat and matching boots. Though she somewhat resented Spencer's suggestion of wearing a dress, Rook finally settled on a gray sweater dress and fleece leggings for the rest of her outfit.

After Stimpson had moved on to the common room, as Rook pulled on her leggings, Angelina and Alicia awoke as well. Angelina threw on a pair of well-worn jeans and an oversized sweater. Rook found her to be effortlessly beautiful and felt a pang of envy. Alicia, who Rook considered just as pretty, spent a good deal more time getting ready, and Angelina and Rook stayed in the dormitory for consultation while Alicia tried on various articles of clothing.

"So, Rook," she said as she evaluated a floral print blouse. "I heard we're all going in a group. Haven't Fred or George asked you out, yet?"

Rook was more surprised by this than she rightfully should have been. Part of her had thought that maybe Angelina or Alicia was romantically involved with Fred or George, but she realized she had very little basis for this assumption.

"We're just friends," Rook answered. "Someone did ask me out, though. I'm meeting up with him in the village after we visit Zonko's."

Alicia spun around dramatically. "What?!" She exclaimed loudly. "Who?!"

Rook looked to Angelina, confused, but Angelina looked equally taken aback by this news.

"Stefan Spencer," Rook answered unenthusiastically.

"Oh my God, Stefan?!" Alicia squealed. "I don't believe it!"

"How did you manage that?" Angelina teased.

"He just asked me out of the blue, after a session. I didn't think he even liked me."

"You do seem like his type," said Angelina thoughtfully. "Though, I don't think he's ever dated anyone outside of Ravenclaw."

"I'm so jealous! I wish I needed tutoring!"

"I guess that means Fred and George are both still available," said Angelina in a would-be-casual voice.

"Come off it, Angelina! Do you really want to date someone shorter than you?"

"Not all of us are as superficial as you, Alicia!"

"Well, I'm starting to think the twins don't have the attention span for romance. And, if you ask me, I don't really see much difference from them and Lee except the fact that Lee is at least a respectable height."

"You're terrible, Alicia!"

"Oh, you know I'm just kidding. Well, mostly."

The three of them made their way to the dormitory, Rook jittery with nervousness. She wondered if dating was always so complicated and unpleasant. It wasn't supposed to be, was it?

But Rook couldn't help feeling some excitement when she joined Fred and George in the common room. They were both wearing slightly-undersized cobalt blue sweaters and very shabby jeans. George's were skillfully patched at the knees with fabric that happened to match the color of her jacket. Rook felt oddly pleased by this small synchronicity between them, and thus began hyping herself up for her first Hogsmeade trip.