The vastness of Hogwarts' library continued to surprise me. I often did any work in the Ravenclaw common room, supplied with its own large collection of books, but occasionally it was nice to explore the school's assortment. I brushed my fingers gently along the spines of a series of books about ancient magic. In the past, wizards and witches were much more powerful but as time passed, their powers faded. There had been no confirmation of whether this was due to the expansion of the magical community or was an evolutionary advantage. Those that proposed the latter theory believed that their magic was so strong it was difficult to control and those with stronger powers usually fell victim to their own magic, hence weaker powers were selected for within the wizarding population.

My fascination with the books was particularly due to the similarity between ancient magic and my own. One way my affliction interacted with my body was to enhance my magical strength- a much more dangerous thing than I initially assumed. In my fourth year, I attempted to perform a stunning spell in Defence Against the Dark Arts. It was a simple enough task, but as we were performing against a mannequin, Professor Thomas encouraged us to truly go for it. A successful spell would throw the mannequin backwards from its position. I remember the adrenaline rush through me and I was eager to prove myself, as this was the first time we were truly using an attack spell to its full potential. I breathed deeply and yelled out "Stupefy!" The mannequin exploded, its limbs teared from it and wooden chest splintered. The class stared at me and the Professor had looked at me, baffled. He had asked me to stay behind that day and I deflected all of his concerns until he gave up and let me be. The class then proceeded to stay relatively far from me for a month, whispers about me filling the corridor, but I knew then onwards that I had to restrain myself in DADA and never had a slip again. Eventually people dismissed it as one strange event, but it plagued my mind ever since and it had meant I was never particularly fond of the subject.

This area of the library was quiet and relatively untouched as it lied in the restricted section. The books contained some gruesome spells and concoctions so they lied here, but they were full of useful information. After much pleading, Professor Limpet agreed to give me a pass offering unlimited visits to the restricted section, primarily because many fascinating potions were in books alongside other more morbid ones, but also to research about the history of ancient magic, to hopefully understand myself more. If I was coming to the library alone, I would usually hide out in here to avoid the eyes of students and Madam Pince. The restricted section itself was so large that even if someone were to visit it, it was unlikely they would notice me.

I had a free and Sonali did not, therefore I was quite content to pick out Volume III in a collection about old magic and sit down cross-legged with my back along the bookshelves. I began to read a chapter explaining the differences between present-day magic and magic in the past, as well as theories on why it has changed. The detailed description of magic gone wrong with grisly consequences barely caused me to bat an eyelid at this point as I was fully aware of the gory details discussed in books of the restricted section. I was particularly pleased when it began discussing why some wizards of this generation would still have the powers of wizards of the past when I unintentionally leaned backwards and knocked over the unstable bookshelf. Luckily my reactions were quick and I halted the bookshelf with an impediment jinx. The books continued to fall, but it was less calamitous than it could have been, making a minimal racket so hopefully Madam Pince would not hear. I pulled back the shelf with another charm and the books flew back on without me waving my wand. I initially considered that I had used some obscure form of non-verbal magic, before I spotted the blonde mop of hair I had begun to recognise instantly.

"I heard something go on here, thought I'd come check it out," explained Scorpius.

"Thanks for your help," I replied, sincerely. My days would go by relatively uneventful, until Scorpius was in the vicinity and then everything seemed to take a turn. It had been over a week since I caught him during prefect rounds and Potions lessons had been fairly standard. We rarely talked in lessons, too keen on concocting our own potions to perfection. I assumed the dynamic would change when we began working on potions together later on in the year, but for now we performed solo.

I was surprised when he joined me on the floor, sitting beside me with his knees folded up to his chest.

"You know, we never did decide on that library day," he said, whipping a chocolate frog out of his pocket and tearing open the packet. I watched as it leapt out of the box but he caught it mid-air and bit a leg off, causing it to become stationary.

"Good reflexes," I mused. "And no, we did not. Would you like to research right now? Is that why you're here?"

"Nah, I'd be an idiot if I took Rose Weasley away from her book," he answered, signalling towards the book in my head. I laughed at the response and took that as my cue to continue reading. It wasn't hard for me to ignore Scorpius' presence as I read about the chemical properties of the DNA retrieved from older wizards in comparison to those of today and how it was changing with each generation. I chanced a quick glance at him and noticed he had begun to read Volume I of the same collection that I was reading. I was curious as to why he'd choose this topic over anything else, but resumed my own reading and was soon absorbed. We read for at least half an hour in pure silence apart from the sound of our own breaths.

I was calm and at peace, until slowly, the room began to fade into black. My breathing rate began to pick up as I felt my throat constrict. I was struggling to breath and I was scared. Scared of the black that was overtaking my mind. Scared of my own mind and its power. I wanted to run away but I couldn't run away from myself. I was shaking madly, curled up in a ball and rocking back and forth. I heard a faint voice calling out my name, clear enough for me to have a small moment of clarity.

"Blue vial," I mumbled faintly and began to reach out. I saw a vial held out for me, I looked at the face and jumped away from him. I was scared. Scared of him. Who was he? What if hurt me? The faint voice calling my name allowed me a temporary moment in reality. It was Scorpius. I could trust Scorpius. I snatched the vial quickly and poured it down my throat. I was still for a moment as the effects of the potion flooded through me, but then I felt the darkness clear and my anxiety fade. I was back. I made a mental note to notify Professor Limpet that the potion was successful and an improvement on its predecessor. I turned to return the vial to my bag, when I spotted Scorpius. He was staring at me, his expression showing a mixture of concern, fear and confusion. Shit.

"Are you okay?" he asked, softly, those same words causing my heart to clench. When I didn't reply, he continued. "What happened, Rose? And why did you drink the potion we made with Professor Limpet?" If I wasn't so worried about the situation I was in, I probably would have noticed that that was the second time he had called me Rose. "You don't have cat flu. What's going on?"

"Sorry, I have to go," I muttered, grabbing my bag in a hurry and rushing out the room before he could follow me. Well, this is just great.

Once I was certain I had made sufficient distance from Scorpius, I had returned to the Ravenclaw tower, ready to tell Sonali about the day's events. I was expecting her to be in the dorm, however as I walked up to the knocker, I saw her sitting on the floor with an impassive expression. A few fourth years answered the riddle to gain entrance to the common room and tears began spilling out of Sonali's eyes.

I sat beside her and pulled her into a hug, worried as to why someone who I knew to be so strong and independent was in such a state. "I'm so pathetic," she stated, attempting to wipe away the tears from her cheeks and compose herself. "Why the hell am I even in Ravenclaw? I don't bloody belong here, everyone knows that, the Sorting Hat just fucked up."

"What on earth? What happened, where is this coming from?" I questioned, shocked at the absurdity of her claims.

"I couldn't get in, Rose. I'm meant to be a seventh year and I can't even get into my own common room. I can't answer a damn riddle," sighed Sonali. She had pulled away from me, not a fan of physical comfort past the odd hug.

"It's okay, we all can't answer the riddle from time to time. You could have just slipped in after someone else," I replied.

"Rosie, you don't get it. I can never answer them. Not just that, but my grades are awful. I'll be lucky enough to pass all three of my NEWTs with 'Acceptable'. You guys, you all love learning. Sure, some do more work than others, but you all get good enough grades or you're all book nerds or something. I just don't understand why I was put here," she finished and I stared at her wide eyed. I had never known that Sonali had all these feelings bottled up inside her. I knew she wasn't doing great grades-wise but she always had such confidence in herself, I assumed she embraced all her qualities. I felt slightly ashamed of myself for not noticing earlier, but I had to try and make it better now.

"Well, I do. You're smart, and don't try to interrupt me with some petty argument about your grades. Maybe academics aren't your area of expertise and that's fair enough, but you not getting along with your subjects does not mean you are unintelligent. You have the most common sense out of anyone I've ever met and you consistently give me advice about how to go about things. You may not get Os, but you were made captain of the Quidditch team because you are absolutely brilliant at strategising and you can run a team. That requires an incredible amount of brain power. Just because you don't love learning about potions, doesn't mean you don't love learning in general. Think about all those Quidditch books you've read, all for the sake of learning more about the game. Or when you visit Hagrid and learn about some new magical beast! The Sorting Hat knew you were a Ravenclaw the moment the hat dropped on your head. Heck, it was quicker with you than me."

"Why did the hat take so long on you? I never asked," queried Sonali and I chuckled.

"You'll find it funny. It was actually confused whether to put me in Slytherin or Ravenclaw. It said I was intelligent so appropriate for Ravenclaw, but my thirst for knowledge collided with my ambition. It said I might do well in Slytherin- build up my cunning. Nonetheless, I insisted Ravenclaw because it had taken in my first proper friend and I didn't want to lose you."

"You chose Ravenclaw because of me?" she muttered and the surprise in her voice was audible.

"Of course I did, you numpty. You meant the world to me, right from that first day," I responded, confidently. She smiled warmly at me and I grinned at seeing her look relatively happy again. "Oh, and also because Slytherin most definitely sucks balls," I added and she laughed openly.

"True that. Let's get inside, I can tell you about how Becky Pollard got attacked by a Bowtruckle last period," she said, hopping up onto her feet. She grabbed my hands, heaving me up so I was standing too. Ah, the benefits of having an athletic friend.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked, concerned. I hoped she wasn't putting it on.

"Genuinely, I'm okay. I'll let you know if I feel shit though," she replied and I nodded approvingly. She banged the knocker and it began its riddle.

"Who makes it, has no need of it. Who buys it, has no use for it. Who uses it can neither see nor feel it. What is it?"

"Oo, I've got this one! That's gotta be a coffin!" exclaimed Sonali, and the door proceeded to open. I grinned at her as she gleefully entered the common room and did a little jive to the bottom of the stairs.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" questioned Gale, from an armchair near us where he was sitting with his friends.

"I answered that fucking riddle! It can fucking suck it, that bloody gobshite of a knocker," declared Sonali, to mine and Gale's laughs. Some fourth years looked at her appalled, but she simply responded with a middle finger. Sonali's vocabulary when it came to profanity was quite extensive, something most of the common room was well aware of and accepted. They didn't care if she cursed the diadem off of Rowena's head, as long as she won Ravenclaw the Quidditch cup.

"Yes, mate, well done!" congratulated Gale, his voice full of sincerity. I noticed Sonali's expression fall slightly on Gale using the word 'mate' to address her, but she brushed it off and continued with her boogie. Sonali soon struck up conversation with the rest of his group and I quickly realised they would accept me as a friend of the Quidditch captain, so I joined in too. She started recounting the epic tale of the Bowtruckle biting Becky's ankle to the whole Ravenclaw common room. The room was soon in fits of hysterics, hearing about the Gryffindor's melodramatic limp to the hospital wing. Who said Ravenclaws couldn't have a laugh?

I spent that day and the next successfully avoiding any possible encounters with Scorpius. It wasn't too difficult as the only place we both visited at the same time was the Great Hall for meals and the hall was crowded enough for me to evade him and his potential questions. The issue came the day after, when I had Potions. I had contemplated skipping the lesson, which considering my 100% attendance and adoration of Potions, showed how much I was dreading an encounter with him.

"Don't make me go," I whined, as Sonali tugged me along the corridor. I had filled her in on the situation soon after we got up to our dorms and after joining me in a temporary freak out, she told me I just had to 'play it cool'.

"Man up, Weasley. Pull yourself together," she ordered. "Though I have to admit, it's a refreshing change to see you complaining about Potions."

"I'm not complaining about Potions," I denied, immediately. "I'm complaining about having to see him. What if asks me questions? He can't find out, Sonali!" I was panicking until Sonali slapped me on the arm. "Ouch, that was unnecessary."

"You're becoming Hugo by the minute," she joked and I scowled at her, still rubbing my arm. "Honestly, I know you're scared, but it will be fine. You said you guys don't even talk much in Potions anyways- just focus on the Potion. If he asks you loads of things, just ignore him until he gives up." I breathed deep. I had a plan- it would be fine. I gave her a quick hug, before hurriedly entering the room and sitting in my seat. I could make out Scorpius in the corner of my eye, but my head was firmly faced towards the front. I saw his mouth open and braced myself for the questions. My teeth were firmly clenched together.

"Hey," he greeted. Wait, what?

"Erm, hi," I replied, lamely. Millions of thoughts were shooting across my mind. Just, hi? That's it? I chanced a quick glance at him, but he was occupied reading his Potions textbook. "Er… so," I continued, pathetically trying to break the uncomfortable silence between us. Scorpius sighed deeply, slamming his book shit and pushed his fingers through his hair. He leant back in his chair, so it was balanced on its back two legs. "A chair is meant for four legs, not two," I chastised, impulsively. I promptly regretted my words when he cocked an eyebrow at me, but he brought back his chair onto its four legs nonetheless.

"I really want to ask you about what happened. I want to know so bad. And you know, true to my Gryffie nature, I will definitely find out. But I also know you're pretty stubborn for a 'Claw and you won't tell me- you'll just ignore me. And that sounds like I lose both ways, so I'd rather just move past it and you actually talk to me," finished Scorpius and he looked directly at me, awaiting my response.

"We'll talk, I like that plan," I replied, smiling at him. He grinned back at me. For the first time, I noticed he had a slight overbite and I chuckled.

"What are you laughing about?"

"Your overbite," I replied, and he immediately stopped smiling. "No, no- it isn't bad, I think it quite suits you actually, you have nice teeth," I complimented hastily and he smirked at how flustered I was. "I laughed because my mum had an overbite exactly like that till her fourth year, at least it looked the same in photos."

"Why doesn't she anymore?"

"A jinx caused her teeth to grow below her chin and when she went to get it sorted, Madame Pomfrey made them a perfect set."

"I've considered getting it sorted, just never bothered- maybe I should."

"No," I immediately replied. "I mean, I think it suits you. If it's not causing you any problems- you shouldn't do it for aesthetic reasons, that's what I'm trying to say. You look good with it, it makes you look more like yourself," I justified and blushed when Scorpius smirked further.

"You think I look good, Weasley?"

"That's what you got out of that," I scoffed, but didn't deny it and Scorpius picked up on it. I'd be an idiot to say Scorpius wasn't attractive- it was clear he was. He had messy bleach blonde hair and piercing steel grey eyes, with a sharp jaw line to compliment the aura of rugged masculinity he gave off. He was tall, just over 6 foot, but had a reasonably stocky build due to years of training as a Beater. His muscles filled out his shirt and in standard Gryffindor fashion, a few of his top buttons were undone and his sleeves rolled up, giving an impression of nonchalance.

"Weasley, stop admiring my body, I'm a taken man," he joked, and I chuckled before realising what he said. I'm a taken man. Of course he was. Why was I so surprised? Scorpius was bound to get a girlfriend soon enough into this year. He hadn't been in a relationship since fifth year, at least not one that Hogwarts gossip was aware of, so it was only a matter of time.

"Oh, who?" I queried, plastering a fake smile onto my face and acting enthusiastic. I knew it shouldn't bother me. Scorpius and I were barely acquaintances, we had just spoken a little this year and that too only for Potions purposes.

"Daniella Jackson. I'm surprised you didn't already know from all the gossip going around," he chuckled and I forced a laugh. I wish I could say Daniella was some awful bitch, but alas, she was incredibly kind. She had never been anything but sweet to me and was loved by the majority as a popular Hufflepuff. She had thick, curly locks, which were pitch black and framed her face beautifully. Tall and slim, with a dark brown complexion, she was an object of desire for many and the perfect girlfriend for one perfect Scorpius Malfoy. I cringed at my reflection in the cauldron. My hair was an unfortunate combination of my father's bright red and my mother's frizz, and my pale skin, whilst mostly clear of spots, held little to be desired. I wasn't unattractive per say but I wasn't a stunner like Daniella.

I was distracted from my musings by Professor Limpet beginning the lesson and that's when my confidence came back to me. I reminded myself it was okay that I wasn't a stunner, because I had something Daniella didn't- my academic potential. My brain. My intelligence was my best trait and that was something that had always mattered a lot more to me than my appearances. It may be a little different to the usual brain, considering it was constantly degenerating, but my continuous learning meant I was building it up at the same time. Having gorgeous long legs wouldn't cure me of my illness, but my intelligence could. I smiled to myself as I scribbled down notes on what the Professor said and peeked at Scorpius. His overbite was particularly obvious as he grit his teeth. Even Scorpius Malfoy wasn't perfect, no matter how much he seemed it sometimes.

Lysander and I were in the final half an hour of our second prefect round. It had been average once again, but we had made more chatter than usual and it was quite enjoyable. We had discussed topics ranging from Potions to favourite dinners, and we had talked about our plans for after Hogwarts.

"You seemed less tired today, I'm glad," I commented and he smiled weakly.

"Yeah, a lot was going on… I've kind of sorted it now," he replied, sheepishly.

"Was everything okay? Do you want to talk about it?" I questioned.

"It's not a great thing to be honest, you'd probably judge me for it and I don't know whether I want that," he answered.

"Scamander, half of the school thinks there's something wrong with my mental state." Because there is. "I'm not in a position to judge you for anything, and I wouldn't. Why don't we sit there?" I suggested, pointing to a bench nearby. My curiosity extended to me being nosy, especially about issues such as these. I knew my motivation to talk to him should have been purely out of good heart, but it wasn't. He shuffled his feet nervously as I waited for him to begin.

"I did a pretty crap thing. You know Becky Pollard? Well, I don't know if you know, but she's dating Jeff Goldstein," he began. I racked my brains and vaguely recalled Jeff was in our year, a Hufflepuff who I had barely spoken to in my years at Hogwarts. "One day, I was helping Becky with some Charms homework in the Library. It was all fine, but then she leans over and kisses me. I wasn't really sure what to do, so- and I know it's terrible- I just went with it. Suddenly we were meeting in broom cupboards and empty classrooms at midnight- that's why I was so tired. It was driving me mad. I knew I was doing an awful thing and I hated myself for it, but every time she told me to come somewhere I couldn't say no. I'm not great with girls and didn't want a relationship and here was this girl who just wanted to have sex with me. I know it's shallow and a shitty thing of me to do and yesterday it got to the point where I couldn't do it anymore. I went up to her and told her we were done," he finished and gulped. He was looking at the floor- I assume not wanting to see my reaction- but I wasn't appalled or anything.

"Look, you're right, it isn't something to be proud of, but you stopped, didn't you? You stopped it and that was the right thing to do. She should be more ashamed- she's the one in the committed relationship. Everyone makes mistakes, but you have to move on from it," I suggested, and he nodded.

"You don't think I'm a bad person?"

"A bad person wouldn't have stopped it. You're a good person who made a mistake, but you rectified it. Now it's for Jeff to decide whether he wants to stay with her."

"Should I tell him?"

"Give it a few days. If she still hasn't told him, I would. He would want you to," I reasoned.

"Thank you," he said, wrapping me in a hug. I was initially a little shocked, but hugged him back. Lysander was fairly handsome, with a lanky and mostly toned build. He had a crooked nose and his broken glasses were taped together, but he still attractive, even if in an unorthodox fashion. As he pulled away from the hug, his hand lingered on my arm and his eyes ran up from my arm to my face. "I never noticed how pretty you were," he muttered, his blue eyes looking directly into mine.

"Oh… er, thanks," I responded, as he lifted his hand to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. I was perfectly aware that he had learnt all these moves in order to impress Becky as opposed to myself, but part of me still enjoyed it. He leant in closer, till I could feel his breath on my neck.

"Can I kiss you?" he whispered. I knew I was a rebound from Becky, but I was reluctant to say no to some action, especially after learning about Scorpius and Daniella earlier that day. He placed a gentle kiss on my collarbone, causing me to shiver and that was all the confirmation I required. I nodded and his lips crashed onto mine. His left arm was wrapped tightly around my waist, whilst his left hand cupped the back of my neck. I lifted my leg around him so I was straddling him, as he trailed kisses down my jaw. I clung onto the back of his neck, grabbing his hair with my hands and he lifted me up and pressed me against the wall of a nearby broom cupboard. I whipped out my wand to lock the door, and Lysander looked at me once more to make sure he had my consent. Upon my nod, Lysander hastily pulled open my shirt and slid down my skirt. Oh, it had been way too long.