Disclaimer: Copyright J.K. Rowling

Chapter 23: Responsibility

Rose frowned at the length of parchment before her.

One would think that the applications of the Fidelius Charm would be a fairly straightforward topic, but when it came down to it… Where should she even begin? Most wizards and witches used some form of the Fidelius Charm on their homes, and Hogwarts, of course, made use of an exceptionally powerful version. But everyone already knew that; what could she say about it that wasn't painfully obvious?

It was just a project, of course. She was sure Tony wasn't putting as much thought into this as she was, but then again, he had the easier part. He just needed to research the history of the charm; she, on the other hand, had the not inconsiderable challenge of saying something new. Something original.

That was why she had risen earlier than everyone else, and was currently sitting before the window in the empty Gryffindor common room, gnawing on the tip of her quill and trying, in vain, to come up with a fresh idea.

When she heard the scrape of the portrait hole, Rose sighed a little. Soon everyone would be getting up, and she would have to get ready for class. Her window would be gone. Reluctantly, she turned to see who it was, and frowned.

"Lily? You're up early. Did you go for a walk?"

The other girl gave her a weak smile, and sat herself down on the couch opposite the fireplace without replying. Her hair looked as though it hadn't been brushed, and she was wearing the same clothes that she had worn to the village yesterday. That wasn't like Lily.

All at once, a horrible suspicion gripped Rose, and she stood from her chair. "Lily?" She advanced towards the couch, slowly. "Did you spend the night in Hogsmeade?"

Her cousin nodded.

"With – with Carlos?"

Again, her cousin nodded. Rose came to a halt, clasping her hands together. "Did you… did you…" She trailed off, hoping Lily would finish her sentence, but her cousin did not oblige. She tried again, "Did you - spend the night spend the night?"

"Yeah," Lily said flatly, and Rose gulped.

"Oh no… Lily, I've got to tell you something."

"It's OK." Her cousin looked down at her hands. "Carlos told me this morning."

"He what?"

"He told me about the bet." Lily sighed. "Sit down, Rose. It's OK." She patted the space beside her on the couch. Hesitantly, Rose obeyed, but it took a moment before she could look Lily in the eye.

"Listen," she said at last, in a low voice. "I would have told you before, but I didn't want to be the one who… I never thought that he'd really – that you'd - "

"That I'd be stupid enough to trust him so completely. To do that with him." There was the slightest edge to Lily's voice now.

"No. That's not what I was going to say, Lily."

"It doesn't matter, anyway." Lily stared at the fireplace, tapping her fingers on her thigh. "I wouldn't have believed you, even if you had told me."

"Still, I should have - "

"Rose." Lily turned on the couch, and fixed her with a stare. "This is not your fault."

There was a silence, then Rose stood up, swinging around and starting to pace up and down before the fireplace. "I can't believe he did that to you. I can't believe he – Merlin, if I could get my hands on him, I'd just – " She made a half-hearted strangling motion, but couldn't find the words.

"He told me he loved me," Lily said quietly. "Not just before, but this morning, too. After he had told me. He said he hoped I could forgive him."

"And what did you say?" Rose looked at her, aghast.

"I didn't say anything. I couldn't." Lily shrugged her shoulders. Her voice was flat again. "I don't know what he expected me to say. Like, 'That's OK, Carlos, I don't mind that you used me in a bet to win ten Galleons and get back at my brother. It's OK that you used me and betrayed me and - "

Rose reached forward and put a hand over her cousin's, who shook her head, blinking away tears. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

There was another silence, much longer than the last, and then Lily turned to look at Rose. "I thought it would be different. Doing that – with Carlos. I thought I was ready. But now, I feel so…"

"It's OK." Rose squeezed Lily's hand, then paused. "No, actually. This isn't OK. No part of this is bloody OK."

"Don't…" Lily began wearily, but her cousin put her arms around her, hugging her.

"I know. I won't go on about it."

Lily hugged her back, pressing her face against her shoulder. After a moment, she said, her voice muffled, "I don't think I can go to class today. Can you tell the others I'm sick?"

"Of course." Rose ran a hand over the younger witch's hair. "Take as much time as you need. I'll ask Hugo to get you the homework."

Lily snorted. "Great, 'cause that's what I was really worried about."

"Well, I have to hand it to you, Carlos," Torrance Bole said lazily. He was lying on his bed, hands folded behind his head. "I wasn't convinced you'd manage to get the Potter girl to go on a date yesterday, let alone sleep with you."

"It wasn't that hard," Santini said, with a smirk that Scorpius, who was watching him closely from his own bed, thought didn't quite reach his eyes. "Now, cough up, Bole."

Smiling, Torrance gestured to the leather satchel at the end of his bed. "I'm a wizard of my word, and no sore loser, either. You win, Carlos."

"But I bet it doesn't feel like winning," Scorpius said astutely, as Santini fished the ten Galleons out of the satchel, and the Slytherin captain had no answer for him.

What the hell had happened last night?

He remembered, of course. He remembered the way Cassie's lips had felt on his, and how soft her hair had been as it tickled his face, and how her hard, muscled body had melded into him as they kissed in the pitch. He remembered the spark of desire in her eyes, and he remembered feeling that they could have gone further – much further – than they had. That she had definitely wanted to.

But she hadn't known what she was doing. She had been very drunk; it wouldn't have been right to do anything else. Anything they couldn't come back from. Whereas a kiss, a drunken kiss – well, there wasn't very much in that, now, was there?

James groaned, causing a few of his neighbours at the Gryffindor table to give him curious glances. As if he cared. Merlin, what had he been thinking? Cassie Miller, who had been on the Quidditch team for years, who was his cousin's best friend. I don't snog my cousin's mates, he had told Cassie before. Well, now he was eating his words, wasn't he?

A couple of third-year boys passed by the table, sniggering at something. James threw them an annoyed glance for disturbing his thought process, and then he heard one of them say his sister's name. He frowned, wondering if he had been mistaken. But they muttered it again amongst themselves, and erupted into a fresh bout of laughter. There could be no doubt this time.

James rose from the table in one rapid movement, all thoughts of Cassie Miller banished, his chair scraping back along the floor. One of the boys saw him, cursed, and hissed to the others, and they sped up their pace, legging it out of the hall. But James Potter was hot on their heels.

Rose was pleasantly surprised, when she emerged from Potions, to see Tony Mason waiting for her outside. He grinned when he saw her, and reached for her books. "Let me take some of those."

"Oh – thank you." She smiled, a little uncertainly. Nina, who was passing by, raised her eyebrows at her, while Albus simply looked troubled. Perhaps he had heard about Lily already.

"What's wrong?" Tony asked, and Rose realised that she had been frowning.

"Nothing," she said hastily, then added in a lower voice, once more of her classmates had overtaken them and they were nearing the staircase, "I suppose I'm still not very used to this."

"Neither am I," he said, and she snorted. "What?"

"Liar," she teased. "I know you've had loads of girlfriends."

"Yeah, I was just trying to make you feel better," he joked back, and then added, more seriously, "I've never gone out with anyone like you before, though, Rose."

"Hardly surprising," Orchid Ottelby drawled, coming up level with them, Bole in tow. "You're not really his type, after all, Weasley."

"Is that supposed to insult me, Ottelby?" Rose said lightly.

"Oh, no, Weasley. Take it as a warning." Ottelby flashed a smile at her, and then added in a false whisper, "But do bear in mind that Mason likes his girls with a little more experience. I doubt he'll stay interested once he realises that the only thing you know how to do is your homework."

Rose flushed deeply, suddenly unable to look at Tony, and Ottelby went on, "Of course, I'd be happy to give you some tips if you want, Weasley. One witch to another, you know?" She winked.

"Leave us alone, Ottelby," Rose heard Tony say next to her, his voice hard. They had stopped at the foot of the staircase now, and a couple of their classmates were hovering around, watching the exchange. Risking a glance upwards, she caught sight of Nina and Sharpwood, with Scorpius watching from beside them, and felt that like she could sink down into the floor in mortification. He had heard everything, too.

"Oh, but I haven't started with you yet, Mason," Ottelby said in mock disappointment. "I think you should know that Weasley only agreed to go out with you because of your little… well, accident."

"That's not true," Tony said hotly, while Rose continued to stare at the floor.

"She's curious," Torrance Bole broke in, exchanging an amused glance with his girlfriend. "She just wants to get the whole story about your being attacked. That's Weasley all over, mate."

Rose's fingers had been inching around her wand in her pocket. She tightened her grip on it now, but did not pull it out. Her embarrassment currently outweighed her anger, and she just needed to get away. Without another word, she sped up her pace, climbing up the staircase. Scorpius and Nina stared at her as she passed them, but did not offer any support. Some friends.

"Rose! Rose, wait!" Tony hurried up the staircase after her, still clutching her books. She kept walking until they had reached the door leading to the entrance hall, then turned to face him. He had reddened slightly, but was looking at her with only concern in his eyes. She swallowed.

"You shouldn't let them get to you, Rose."

"You don't think any of those things about me, do you, Tony?"

"Of course not." He took a step forward, but she turned and pushed through the door. He followed. "Hey, Rose, wait up. Come on, I wasn't the one who said that stuff, was I?"

"No, I know that." She sighed, and turned to him again. "I'm sorry."

Tony, however, was looking past her now. "What the hell?" he muttered, and she followed his gaze, towards the crowd of students that had gathered in the centre of the hall. Some of them were jeering, others laughing, and still more were murmuring amongst themselves, alarmed and excited.

Rose pressed forward, peering around a tall fourth-year to get a good view, and stopped short. "Oh, no…"

James Potter was grappling with Carlos Santini a few paces away from the phoenix monument, his expression a mask of fury. Neither of the wizards appeared to be using their wands, but were making extensive use of their fists and elbows. And feet, apparently. Rose gasped as a bruised and bloodied Santini slipped to the ground, and James began kicking him savagely in the side. "My sister!" he was roaring, over and over again, above the din of the crowd. "My sister!"

"James," she cried out as he kept kicking Santini, even though she knew it was no use. "James, stop it! You'll really hurt him! James."

"I can't believe he's doing this," said Albus, appearing on Rose's other side. His face was pale as he watched his brother. "Does he really think it'll help Lily?"

"I think the only thing on his mind now is beating Santini to a pulp," she muttered, but Albus was already pushing his way through the crowd, attempting to herd the students away from James and Santini. She joined him after a moment, recalling her prefectly duty, but saw at once that their efforts would not prevail. There were simply too many people; it seemed as if most of the school had turned out to see the action, and none of them wanted to miss it.

When the Aurors on guard finally came on the scene, black-robed and grim-faced, they had considerably more success in rounding up the students. There was a collective groan of dismay, and murmurs of dissent, but as the fight had been broken up at this point; James Potter and Carlos Santini separated and dragged away, most of the onlookers reasoned that it was not worth staying much longer. Rose and Tony, both shaken, followed suit, and the rumble of many feet could be heard on the staircases for some minutes after, as the students reluctantly returned to class.

"I've been exceptionally patient with you this year, Mr Potter," Professor Hobspawn said tightly. "Indeed, in all of your years at Hogwarts, I've shown you quite a bit of leniency. Not just out of respect to your parents, but in consideration of the fact that you are, for the most part, an excellent pupil. You have made a valuable contribution to the school, through your studies and through your accomplishments with the Quidditch team."

James said nothing, just stared at his bleeding knuckles. They were throbbing with pain. He ached in a lot of other places, too, and the hard chair across from the Headmaster's desk that he had been forced to sit in wasn't helping matters.

"I've been patient," Hobspawn repeated, his small grey-green eyes regarding James with something like disappointment. "But I'm afraid I can't overlook this. Not only did you send Carlos Santini to the hospital wing for the second time in a month, but worse still, you set a bad example to your fellow students. And to do so when you are in a position of responsibility…"

"I'm sorry, professor," James said, looking up at last. "But you don't understand. He – my sister - "

The Headmaster held up a hand. "I don't want to hear about what Mr Santini did to provoke such an attack. What I am concerned with is your reaction. I've already written to your parents. And as for your punishment…"

James was silent, awaiting whatever sentence the Headmaster would pronounce. However many detentions he would have to perform –

"You will be banned from Quidditch for the remainder of the season."

"What?" James's head shot up once more, and he stared at Hobspawn. "But, professor, it's my final year! I'm the team captain!"

"I'm aware," the Headmaster said in a clipped voice. "You may continue to train your team, but you are forbidden from playing in the final match."

"But – sir - "

"Keep arguing," Hobspawn said calmly, "and I will confiscate your broom outright."

James pressed his lips together, and rose slowly from the desk as the Headmaster gave him a gesture of dismissal. His head was spinning; he found it hard to believe that what he had just heard wasn't some terrible nightmare.

As he reached the door of the office, slightly dazed, Hobspawn said from behind him, "Hopefully, this will teach you to take your responsibilities more seriously, Mr Potter."

James couldn't help it. He swung around. "I do, professor," he insisted, angry when his voice cracked with emotion. "I've always taken them seriously. They mean… everything to me."

Professor Hobspawn looked at him, and for a moment, he seemed a little sorry. Then he said, quietly, "Responsibility doesn't always mean taking things into your own hands, James. Sometimes you've got to take a step back and trust that other people know what they're doing."

It was unusually balmy for February, the sun having properly emerged from its cover of cloud for the first time in what seemed weeks. Accordingly, at the lunch bell, hordes of students spilled forth from their classrooms, piling into the courtyard to spread their cloaks and jackets on the cold ground.

"Is it true that James Potter's been banned from playing in the next match?" Tony Mason asked, wide-eyed, and both Albus and Rose nodded their heads grimly. Their group was seated close to the archway.

"There go Gryffindor's chances of getting the Cup this year," Nina said, with a shake of her head. "Not that I care."

"We can still win without James," Cassie said, but her voice lacked conviction.

"Maybe if you play in his place," Rory Finnigan said quietly.

Cassie looked down as a shaft of sunlight played across her face. "You know I can't do that."

"Then we don't stand a chance."

After a few seconds of gloomy silence, Tony Mason clapped his hands together, making a few people jump. "Cheer up, you lot. It could be worse. We've lost some great players on our team before, you know, and we've always pulled it together."

Nina snorted. "Where would we be without that Hufflepuff optimism?"

"Optimistic people live longer," Tony retorted airily. "Did you know that?"

"Yeah." The Slytherin girl squinted at him, a little suspiciously, while Rose hid a smile. "I think I remember reading that somewhere."

"Well, there you are." He grinned, his white teeth flashing in the sunlight, then his expression soured a fraction as he caught sight of a figure passing under the archway across from them. "Oh look, there's Malfoy."

"Hey, Scorpius!" Nina attempted to wave him over to their group, then sighed as he strode on, across the courtyard. "What's he in a strop about now? I'd better go see if he's all right."

"I couldn't care less," Rose said wearily. "It's always something with him." Even so, she stood and made to follow after Nina. Tony, still sitting on the grass, caught hold of her hand.

"Where are you going?" he said, looking slightly disappointed.

"I just have to ask Malfoy something." She gave his hand an answering squeeze, then let it go.

Scorpius had come to a halt by the time Rose and Nina reached him, on the grass at the other end of the courtyard. He turned to face them, looking sullen. "If you want me to sit with you so badly - "

"I think I know who attacked Tony at the match," Rose interrupted. Both of the Slytherins stared at her. She waved a hand at Nina. "You might as well hear this, too."

"Golly, thanks," Nina said sarcastically. "What a privilege."

"Orchid Ottelby and Torrance Bole," Rose went on, ignoring her. At Scorpius's look, "I know they might be your friends, but you've got to open yourselves to the possibility that they're involved."

"And why is that?" Scorpius said coolly.

Rose drew in a deep breath, glancing at Nina. "After Potions, when they were giving me and Tony a hard time, Ottelby mentioned his accident, and there was something in her eyes… she looked smug, as though she knew why it happened. Who caused it."

A brief pause, then Scorpius took a step forward, running a hand along his chin contemplatively as though he were a mage. "So that's your evidence. You saw something in Orchid's eyes?"

"Yes," Rose said defensively. "Back me up here, Nina. You know what she's like – what she's capable of."

But Nina, looking back at her, did not say anything. Rose blew out her breath in frustration. "Merlin's sake, I know you don't trust them. You've said it to me before. Why won't you admit that they could be involved?"

"Because you have virtually no evidence," Scorpius said, but Nina held up a hand, exchanging a glance with him.

"It's not even that, Rose. It's that you don't know them. We know them – we've known Orchid and Torrance for years – and so it's OK for us to say that they might be up to something, but when you say it, it's different."

"That's stupid," Rose snapped, and strode away from them. She had come to the open door that led into the castle when Scorpius caught up with her.

"It's not like you to walk away from an argument."

Rose twisted around to face him, one hand on the door. They were standing under the shadow of the cloister. He was watching her with an unreadable expression as he added, "You did it this morning, too."

"This morning wasn't an argument; it was an ambush."

Scorpius didn't seem to know what to say to that. He looked down, pushed a hand through his hair, then said, in a voice that had a curious edge to it, "Why do you care so much, anyway? About who attacked Mason?"

"You're really asking me that?"

"You told me you wanted to focus on normal things. To – enjoy being here." He looked at her challengingly. "Was all that just talk?"

"No." Rose turned, stepping into the corridor, and he followed after her. She sighed, trying to put it into words. "I care so much because I owe it to Tony to try and find out who attacked him."

"Oh. I see."

Neither of them spoke for a moment, and then Rose said quietly, turning to him, "You know, you could have stood up for me earlier, when Ottelby and Bole were saying those things to me."

Scorpius looked down at her, surprised. "I didn't think you needed me to come to your rescue. Mason was there with you."

"That's exactly why I could have used some help!" Rose sighed. "This thing with Tony is new, and your friends almost ruined it."

"And what is this thing?" Scorpius said suddenly. "Is Mason your boyfriend or something?"

To her annoyance, Rose felt herself blush. "I don't know." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why do you ask?"

"I just think you could do better, that's all."

A pause.

"You think I could do better? Really?"

"Yeah."

"And who would you suggest?" she asked pointedly.

There was a glimmer of something in Scorpius's eyes for a moment, and Rose found herself wondering, not for the first time, if his apparent dislike for Tony had some other motivation… But then he just looked contemptuous.

"Orchid may have been right."

"Excuse me?"

"She said you're only interested in Mason because he was attacked. Maybe she had a point."

"How dare you?" Rose took a step backwards, then another, all the while staring at Scorpius. "It has nothing to do with his accident. What I've been needing for ages is to feel normal again, to feel like myself, and Tony helps me to do that. I'm interested in him because I like him."

"Right."

"I can't believe that you would even suggest…"

He interrupted, glancing around the corridor as it began to fill up with students once more, issuing from the courtyard as lunchtime ended. "You know, I've got some things to do, fascinating as this discussion is - "

Rose recoiled from him. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Your sarcastic thing." She glared at him. "I thought we were past that."

"Apparently not." Scorpius shrugged his shoulders. "See you around, Weasley."

The courtyard was emptying of people, and Albus had no trouble spotting Penny among a group of Ravenclaw girls heading for the Entrance Hall. He hurried over, and she shrank back when she saw him.

"You didn't join us at lunch," he said nonchalantly. Penny grimaced, then motioned to the other girls to walk on. When they were out of earshot, Albus added, straightening his glasses, "Was it because Tony Mason was there?"

Penny shook her head, but did not look at him. "You haven't told anyone yet, have you?"

"No. But I will. Do you realise how hard it's been to keep this a secret from everyone?" Unexpectedly, Penny made a scornful noise, and Albus raised his eyebrows. "Obviously not. You don't seem to realise, either, the gravity of the situation. An Unforgivable…" He whispered the last two words, but still his companion jerked her head around, to check that no one nearby had heard them.

"I was bullied into it," she muttered at last. "You don't know what they're like. Orchid and Torrance."

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea," Albus said darkly. "I also happen to know a few things about Unforgivables, and you can't just be bullied into casting one. You've got to really mean it."

"I know." Penny Alderton pursed her lips, then met his gaze. "I did mean it. I knew I needed to do whatever it took to protect my brother."

"Even if it meant attacking someone, putting them through excruciating pain…"

"Wouldn't you do the same? If someone threatened James?"

Albus looked at her, startled, and reached up to adjust his glasses again. "Look, Penny, you've got to talk to someone. Or I'll do it for you. The Aurors have to know. Maybe they can help your brother."

Penny shook her head. "They can't. No one can help him but me."

"But you can't just - " He paused, shook his head, then resumed, "You can't just take things into your own hands like that. It shouldn't be your responsibility, Penny."

"But it is," she said quietly, and Albus sighed.

"Time's running out, Penny. That's all I'm saying."

When he had moved away, following the crowd into the castle, Penny remained where she was, listening hard. After a moment, she heard a snort, and then Orchid Ottelby and Torrance Bole stepped out from behind the column, matching grins on their faces.

"She's quite an actress," Torrance remarked to his girlfriend, who was still shaking with laughter.

"No one can help him but me," Orchid mimicked, rolling her eyes. "I think we've been quite useful to your brother as well, Penny. Don't take all the credit for yourself."

"Oh, but she had to play the part." Torrance winked at Penny. "And play the part she did."

"This is serious," Penny said sharply. "Time's running out, like Albus said. It won't be long before he starts wondering why he didn't get a reply from his father to the letter he sent – the one that you intercepted. And not too long after that before he tells Hobspawn about me himself. And then - "

"Penny, Penny..." Torrance cut through her rant, and moved to her side, throwing an arm around her shoulders. She stood there stiffly while Orchid smiled a slimy smile at her. "We've got it all in hand. Show a little faith, will you? We know how to deal with telltales – before they do any damage."

"He's going to do damage, though," Penny said, her voice rising in panic. "And soon. He's becoming a real threat, and you've got to - "

"You heard Torrance," Orchid said, a hard gleam in her eyes. "We'll take care of it."

"With pleasure," her boyfriend added, with a final crush of Penny's shoulders before he released her. "Don't you worry your pretty little head about it."

James lay on his bed in the deserted seventh year boys' dormitory, staring up at his ceiling morosely. He had taken the day off class after leaving Hobspawn's office. There was no way he could possibly have focused on anything the professors were saying, when his head was swimming with disturbing visions of his team winning the Quidditch Cup – without him.

He had brought it on himself, of course. His many reflections led to the same conclusion. For James was no fool. He knew when he had done wrong, and today was one of those instances.

But Carlos Santini had utterly deserved it. What he had done to Lily…

James had tried her dormitory door earlier (he had managed to slip past the security charm on the staircase) but she had refused to let him inside to talk to her. According to Rose, she was not seeing anyone. He was hardly surprised, but it was frustrating, not being able to do anything.

You've done enough damage, said a voice in his head that sounded very much like his brother Albus's. Suddenly, he was tired of being alone with his thoughts. Sighing heavily, James got to his feet and tramped down the stairs to the common room.

It was crowded, and he made his way to a free armchair, only to find, too late, that Cassie Miller was sitting in the adjacent one.

"Hi," he muttered as he dropped into the chair. He could sense her stare, though he did not meet her gaze. Snatching a newspaper out of the hands of a nearby first-year, he pretended to be studying the front page.

"I heard you were barred from the match with Ravenclaw," she said abruptly, and James winced, keeping his eyes fixed on the newspaper with an effort.

"Yeah."

"Found a replacement player yet?"

"Er, no…"

"I'll play."

Despite himself, James lowered the newspaper and regarded her over it with surprise. "Really? What about your parents?"

Cassie shrugged, her black hair shifting over her shoulders as she did so. James had a sudden recollection of running his hands through its silkiness only last night, then shook himself as she said, "What they don't know won't hurt them. And this is important."

"O…K. If you're sure."

"I'm sure." And she sounded it. James returned to his newspaper, but had only managed to skim through an article on St Mungo's recent expansion when Cassie spoke again. "About last night, in the pitch…"

"It was a mistake," he interrupted.

"Yes," she said after a moment's hesitation. "I was very drunk."

"You were. And I'm with Summer."

"I know." A pause. "You're not going to tell her about it, are you?"

"There's no need," James said, folding up his newspaper. "It was just a…" He lowered his voice as he handed the newspaper back to the first-year, who was eyeing them curiously. "It was just a kiss. Didn't mean anything."

"Right. Right, of course not." Cassie Miller rose from the armchair and left him, and James dropped his head back against the armchair, exhaling loudly.

"There's no such thing as a kiss that doesn't mean anything," the first-year boy piped up from behind him, and when James twisted around to look at him disbelievingly, the eleven-year-old actually winked. Winked, at a seventh-year. There was no doubt about it; first-years were getting more cheeky every year.

"You've got a lot to learn," James Potter told the boy, with some satisfaction.

"Lily?" Rose knocked on the dormitory door for a third time, then exchanged an exasperated glance with Nina Meyer, who had reluctantly agreed to accompany her on her mission to cheer up her cousin. "Lily, open up."

There was no answer from within. "Maybe she's asleep," Nina suggested, a little too eagerly. "You can come back later." But Rose shook her head and mouthed moping before giving the door another rap of her knuckles.

"Lily, I've got chocolate. And that Sirens album that you lent me ages ago. You want to get that back, right?"

More silence, then the door creaked open at last, and a pale, puffy-eyed Lily held a hand out for the album, but Rose pressed her way in before handing it to her, motioning to Nina to follow. The curtains were shut over the windows, and the room was stuffy. "Where are your dormitory mates?"

"Doing homework and stuff," Lily said flatly, placing the album on her dresser before returning to her bed. Rose came to sit at her side, while Nina stood awkwardly in the middle of the dormitory. "Who's this?"

"Oh, of course, you've never met properly. Lily, this is my friend, Nina Meyer; Nina, you know Lily."

"Everyone knows me now," her cousin said bleakly.

There was an awkward silence, then Nina drew out the box of Chocolate Cauldrons and gave it to Rose, who put it on the bedspread before Lily.

"It'll blow over, you know," Rose said gently. "These things always do. And in the meantime, Lily, there's no point beating yourself up like this. What happened wasn't your fault."

"It was," Lily said softly, lying back on her pillows and ignoring the chocolates. "I was stupid. Weak."

"Lily…" Rose said, her voice choked with feeling, but she couldn't think of anything comforting to say; she had already said it all. Reaching out, she patted Lily's shoulder over the bedspread, and then, to the surprise of both, Nina Meyer spoke up from behind them.

"You say weak," she said slowly, her eyes fixed on the window. "You think that because you trusted Carlos, that somehow makes you a lesser person. But - " here she gave a bitter little laugh, startling to their ears, " – if I had a Knut for how many times I made excuses for someone who used to be a friend of mine. How many times I really, truly believed that she cared about me, despite all of the hints I had, all of the signs I should have seen." She stared at the window for a moment more, then turned to face them.

"You're not weak for believing in someone. You're not stupid for being proved wrong about someone who set out to manipulate you from the very start." Nina drew breath before continuing, and Rose could have sworn she saw the glitter of tears in her brown eyes. "He betrayed you. That is not a reflection on you; that is a reflection on him, and on his weakness. So you made a mistake when you trusted him. You're human. Get used to it."

After a pause, Rose said, a little hoarsely, "That was quite a speech."

Lily had tears of her own in her eyes, and she simply nodded in agreement. Nina lifted her shoulders awkwardly, and then the three witches were silent once more.

Scorpius pulled the door of the changing rooms behind him and set off across the pitch. Training had finished some minutes ago, and the other players had already headed back to the castle, but he had taken his time. Lost in thought as he put away his broomstick and took off his gloves, he had scarcely noticed them all departing.

His muscles ached as he walked, his bag slung over his shoulder. The sun had already set, and the sky above him was dull and overcast. It was twilight: that time of day when everything seemed blurry and undefined and hovering on some brink – waiting for something.

Scorpius was only waiting for this day to end. Santini had been unbearable at training, as always, and before that, his argument with Rose… He couldn't get any of it straight in his head; why he had said all the things he had said; why the idea of Rose liking Tony made him so angry; why seeing the two together in the courtyard had made him want to hex Mason. It really was unfathomable; he didn't think he had ever felt so strongly about a Hufflepuff before.

As he skirted around the pitch and reached the environs of the lake, which stretched out before him as grey and flat as the sky, Scorpius, all at once, fathomed the unfathomable. It was a thought that had been lurking in the back of his mind for some time; just how long, he couldn't say, but now it seized him in its full force.

It was quite simple, really. He felt so strongly about Mason because he was jealous of him. He was jealous of him because Rose liked him, and he didn't want that.

Scorpius swallowed, staring across the still lake. This was not good. This was not good at all.

Then, his eyes caught a distant ripple in the waters. The ripple spread, and soon the lake was not as calm as before. And following the ripple came a small rowboat, and in it a man. Scorpius stared, coming to a complete stop by the shore. It didn't look like one of the schoolboats. What was it doing here?

When he was a few feet away, the man put down the oars and hailed him, raising a hand in a friendly, if a little uncertain, wave. Now that Scorpius could see him more clearly, his unease grew and grew. The man wore an anorak, with a rolled-up map sticking out of the pocket, and a broad-rimmed hat. He looked, for all intents and purposes, like a Muggle. But that, of course, couldn't be the case.

"I'm afraid I've gotten a little lost," the man said as his boat ground into the shallows. He jumped out nimbly, shading a hand against his eyes rather unnecessarily, and stared up at the castle. "Can you tell me what this place is? It's not marked anywhere on my map."

Scorpius cast a desperate glance around, but there was no one else in sight who could help him out; the grounds were deserted. He looked back at the man, who was still gawking at the castle. "That's – that's just an old ruin."

"A ruin!" the man exclaimed, looking back at Scorpius. "That's a castle, and a proper one at that. I've never seen anything like it before." His eyes widened with wonder as he regarded Hogwarts once more.

"You mean, you can see it?" Scorpius could not contain his alarm. "You can see the whole castle?"

"Can indeed!" the man said eagerly. "A fine-looking place. Pity Sarah and the kids aren't with me, but I can always take a photo. Or – could you take one with me in it? Would you mind?"

Scorpius blinked as the man pressed a digital camera into his hands and stepped back, posing dramatically with his hands on his hips. "Do you know how to work it?" he asked anxiously, after standing in that fashion for more than a minute.

"It's not turning on," Scorpius said dumbly, and the man cursed mildly, relaxing his pose and taking the camera back off him.

"That damn battery. Well, thanks for trying, in any case." The man gazed up at the castle for a moment more. "This'd be a nice spot for a picnic, you know."

Scorpius nodded vaguely, through a haze of confused thoughts. Was he dreaming? Was this man a wizard playing a prank of some sort? He must be – he couldn't really be a Muggle, could he? It wasn't possible.

But what Scorpius Malfoy did not know was this: a whole host of seemingly impossible things were to occur over the coming months, and this was only to be the first example.