Weeks had passed, and still Rook hadn't told the twins anything about her upbringing. She realized, after a certain point, that there was something bigger holding her back.

Rook had a secret that went beyond her being adopted, beyond being traumatized by her erstwhile foster father's abuse: something not even her sister knew. It was a secret she kept buried in her subconscious as well as she could, until she realized that part of her longed to tell Fred and George the truth.

It was an insane prospect. She was pretty sure that telling anyone could potentially result in her expulsion, or worse. At best, they would no longer want to be her friends. How could she even think about risking so much?

But the answer to that was simple. Keeping the secret made her feel like an even worse person. How could she act like a normal Hogwarts student, like a normal teenager, knowing that Fred and George probably wouldn't even want to be friends with her if they knew the kind of person she really was? But then, in her heart of hearts, she dared to hope that they might forgive and accept her—the real Rook—in spite of her horrible past.

Rook dreaded the prospect of the winter holidays ahead. She would be stranded with these dark thoughts. If there was someone who could have made her feel better about any of this, it would have been her mom, Olida, but she was across the Atlantic. Olida would be throwing a birthday party for Artemesia on Christmas Eve, and Rook wouldn't even have Fred and George to distract her from her homesickness. She avoided mentioning her unofficial birthday to the twins, as she didn't want them feeling any more sorry for her than they already did. She hoped that they, at least, would get to enjoy spending time with their family.

Rook resolved to focus on the coming Hogsmeade trip. She was a bit apprehensive about it, and she wished she had more friends to cushion the tension that always seemed to linger between the twins and Spencer. Unfortunately, Luna Lovegood was too young to visit the village and Angelina and Alicia seemed oddly distant toward Rook lately.

Rook, Fred and George had a late start getting to Hogsmeade, as Fred and George had to pass on the Marauder's Map to Harry with due ceremony. Rook decided to wait for them in the Entrance Hall. As she waited, she happened to run into her friends Max and Tamsin.

"Rook!" Tamsin exclaimed, running up to her excitedly. "Congratulations! Oh, I'm going to miss you!" Tamsin threw her arms around Rook.

"She's not leaving Hogwarts, Tams, she's just not in Herbology with us any more," said Max, chuckling.

"Who knows? I might have Charms with you next semester."

"Yes, but we have Charms with the Gryffindors, and we can't really make fun of them together, can we?"

Max sighed and shook her head. "Katie's such a good sport; takes all the fun out of bad-mouthing her."

Rook frowned. "Why don't you like Katie?"

"Oh, she's just joking because Katie's on the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

By now, Rook had discovered that Max and Tamsin both played for the Hufflepuff team, as a beater and chaser respectively. Rook didn't know if this year had been particularly tense in terms of competitiveness between the houses, or if it was always this charged during Quidditch season.

Fred and George joined them, and Rook formally introduced them to Max and Tamsin. Rook had expected the four of them to get along well, since they all played Quidditch and they each had a great sense of humor, though Tamsin's was a bit more subdued. In a short while, Fred and George had Max in stitches, but Tamsin was clearly feeling a bit shy and overwhelmed, and Rook hung back with her as the other three led the way to the village.

The five of them wandered Hogsmeade a bit before it came time for them to make their way to the Three Broomsticks. They visited Zonko's, Spintwitches Sporting Needs and the Shrieking Shack. They passed Dominic Maestro's Music Shop just as Spencer stepped out of the store, wrapping a woolen scarf around his face to brace himself against the icy wind. Rook waved to him and he joined the group.

"I was just about to head over to the pub," he said cheerfully. "I could really use a butterbeer right about now. I'm Stefan, by the way," he said, introducing himself to Max and Tamsin, "Stefan Spencer."

They gathered in the Three Broomsticks to find Rook's friends Ulric Ogden and Eloise Midgen waiting for her inside. The group gathered around two tables pushed together in a corner of the pub.

Rook's friends seemed to enjoy themselves. The twins got along with Max even more than Rook could have predicted, and they spent a good chunk of time talking Quidditch, practical jokes and music. Tamsin chatted casually with Spencer, and Eloise, who appeared to be completely smitten with Spencer, listened intently. Ulric didn't say much, but he never usually did. Rook deliberately chose a seat beside him for this reason. She was easily overwhelmed in crowds, and she enjoyed sitting quietly off to the side with him. Ulric, who seemed to never leave his dormitory without a book, flipped through a tattered paperback entitled If They Come in the Morning, occasionally pausing to share his thoughts with Rook.

"So, Ulric," Spencer interrupted them at one point. "How did you and Rosemary come to be friends?"

Ulric looked up from his book slowly and stared at Spencer. "Who?"

"Er…"

"He's asking about you and Rook," Tamsin explained tentatively. Ulric's eyes flashed toward Tamsin and then made their way back to Spencer, staring at him intensely.

"Right, er… How did you and Rook become friends?" Spencer asked again when Ulric said nothing.

"We worked in a pair sometimes, in Herbology," Rook answered.

"And you hit it off?" Spencer spoke, addressing Ulric once more.

"Yes," Ulric answered concisely.

"They're a funny pair in Herbology!" Max contributed boisterously when she tuned into the conversation, causing Fred and George to looked over at them curiously. "Always singing to the plants! Oh, the Slytherins just hate it, but Sprout usually lets them because she says it's good for the vegetation."

Spencer looked over at Rook, a look of genuine surprise on his face. "You sing?" Rook realized that Spencer must have been the only one of her friends who had never heard her sing. She couldn't help singing at least a little bit every day. Before she had come to Hogwarts, she had her mother's old Walkman on her at virtually all times, as a sort of security blanket. It had been difficult for her, being in a place where she couldn't listen to her favorite songs in her off time. Perhaps as a symptom of this, she would often start singing her favorite songs spontaneously, sometimes without even realizing she was doing it. During one Herbology lesson, when Rook was first paired with Ulric, Rook had started singing a folk song about a rose only to have him join in out of the blue.

"Not well," Rook insisted, blushing furiously. "Ulric has a great voice, though." She looked over at him for help, but Ulric had gone back to reading his book, seeming disinterested in the conversation.

"I think you sound good!" Eloise piped up, referring to when Rook and Malerna sang together on the Hogwarts Express. Rook felt a sudden sadness. She wished Malerna could be here celebrating with all of them.

"If it annoys Urquhart and Clegg, it's music to my ears!" said Max with a chuckle.

"Seems as though you're quite the Renaissance woman," Spencer commented, meeting Rook's eyes as he spoke.

Rook didn't have time to be flustered by the flirtatious inflection of his voice, as Max was punching her playfully on the arm and adding loudly, "Now we just have to see how she does in the air!"

Fred and George had responded to all the talk about singing by bursting into a drinking song they had written themselves: a colorful song about how one should never drink and transfigure. Rook joined in, as she'd had the privilege it of hearing once or twice before, and Max jumped in by the second chorus, butchering the lyrics with great confidence. Spencer and Eloise seemed embarrassed by the rumbustious display. Tamsin, however, enjoyed watching Max, and Ulric continued to read his book, though Rook was sure she saw him smirk at a few of the more absurd lines in the song. Eventually, the barmaid, Madam Rosmerta, came over to remind them that there were other patrons in the pub, and inform them that she was cutting them off. Rook might have been chagrined, but she had so much fun with Fred and George, and their shamelessness tended to be contagious.

Of course, Rook had worse things to be ashamed of than a bit of disruptive fun.

Just like that, Rook instantly felt out-of-place. The others continued their conversations, but she felt miles away from all of it. This wasn't her life. She felt like an imposter among them all. Rook withdrew further into herself. These were her friends, but none of them really knew her. How could she act like one of them?

As Rook continued to spiral, Ulric rose, tapping Rook lightly on the should and speaking quietly, "I'm about to head back. Can I see you outside for a moment before I leave?"

Rook nodded blankly, excusing herself and following Ulric as if on autopilot. Once outside, the cold air stung her cheeks, but she was glad to have an excuse to leave the crowd for a moment.

"I enjoyed myself," said Ulric. "I was wondering if you would like to sing with me, before I go back to the castle?" It was funny how Ulric's speaking voice seemed entirely void of emotion when his singing voice was incredibly evocative.

"Here?" Rook asked uncertainly, looking around.

Ulric only shrugged dispassionately.

"Uh, okay."

They decided on a song they both knew and began singing softly in the snowy street outside. Like a spell, Rook let go over her guilt and anguish, focusing on the rise and fall of the words they sang. Where singing with the Weasleys filled Rook with laughter and exuberance, singing with Ulric calmed her, and helped her block the spiral of negative emotions inside her.

Once the song was over, Ulric said nothing. He simply smiled at Rook and waved as he turned to walk back toward the castle. Rook stood for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and rejoining the others.

The visit concluded without incident. The twins were on their best behavior with Spencer, and the group dispersed gradually since the departure of Ulric. Rook's friends had other friends to bid farewell to, and soon it was just Rook, Fred and George left at the table, talking and joking in their usual manner. The trio made their way back to the castle before dinner, and they were all keen on drawing out the time before the twins' departure in the morning. They stayed up until past midnight, until they were at last bested by their exhaustion.

Rook collapsed in her four-poster, ready to hibernate through the entire winter break. As if determined to punish herself, however, Rook's mind drifted back to the dark memories that seemed to worm their way into her head with greater ease every day. When she did finally fall asleep, it was only to re-live that horrible night in her dreams.

The night she killed a man.