A/N: Just in case it wasn't clear, when we speak of Thomas, we speak of another of my OC, Scout's best friend (aside from Harry, Ron, and Hermione) who is a squib.

Enjoy chapter 2!

Chapter rating: K+ for minor swearing

Scout lay in her bed hours later, pondering. None of the other girls were actually asleep, everyone was still much to excited or frightened. Poor Hannah Abbott, who had been paired with Goyle, had been forced to be taken to the hospital wing for a barrel of calming drought. She thought about Thomas... they'd kissed after she'd made it home from the Battle of Hogwarts. He'd told her he loved her... she'd slugged him, of course, but they had been dating when she had left for her final year. But now... Ron, married... become a parent...for Godric's sake, she was only 18!

Oh, God... things would be so awkward with Ron. She had to tell Thomas. The thing was, the thing he was most afraid of was her marrying Ron or Harry. She pulled out her wand. "Accio, Parchment! Accio, Quill!" She muttered.

Dear Thomas,

We got our marriage letters today. Now, what I mean by that is that since so many wizards and witches were killed during the battle, they had to match us up with fellow students.

Now, please don't get upset- believe me, I'm not too keen on this myself. I'm paired up with Ron. And we have to get married in a month. And have a kid within two years of being married. Now, please don't freak- I know you, Thomas. Believe me, I love you, but I have to do this, or else they snap my wand and I have to live in the muggle world forever.

We've had so many great times together. I love you.

Please stay in touch.

Scout.

Early the next morning, Scout awoke to find that It was a cold, cloudy Saturday, which suited her mood perfectly, and the only thing she felt like doing was flying. She dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt and headed up to the Owlery, where she found her owl Private sitting on the end with his beak tucked under his wing.

"Private... PRIVATE." She muttered, prodding the great owl. He blinked, and gave her a perturbed look.

"Mission for you, soldier." The owl suddenly became more alert. "I need you to take this to Thomas. Now, be careful, Private. You're heading into extremely cold weather, and I want you to stay at Thomas's after you make the delivery for no less than three days. Good luck, Private. Safe flying." The gray owl took the letter and flew of into the horizon.

Scout sighed and decided to go down for breakfast- it wasn't exactly the normal breakfast time, but the Owlery and the Great Hall were on opposite ends of the castle, so it would be a bit before she got down there.

As she walked down the stairs, she discovered she'd left her wand in the dormitory, so she turned around and headed for the common room, muttering to herself angrily. "Password?" The Fat Lady sang.

"Fortuna Major." Scout recited. The portrait swung open, and she climbed inside, only to run smack into...Ron.

"Oh. Uh..."

They both blushed a dark crimson. Scout couldn't understand why she was blushing- he was still only Ron, at least for a month...

No, that wasn't true. He was Ron. Ron, her best friend who couldn't just be her best friend anymore... he was her fiancee. In 30 days, he'd be her husband, and in 364 days, they'd at least have a child. The deep red was spreading from Ron's cheeks and disappeared into his hair.

Scout cleared her throat awkwardly. "So...uh...you feeling better? I saw you had, uh... fainted last night..."

"Oh. Uh, that...yeah, I'm better...I guess..." He cleared his throat and looked away.

"Good." She replied, and they stood there for at least another minute, not daring to make eye contact. Finally, she said, "I, uh, was just here to get my wand. I was going downstairs when I realized I'd forgot it."

"Oh, well don't let me stop you," He hastily said, stepping aside. "I was just going to the Owlery."

"You should have let me know, I was just up there. I had to send a letter to my... uh, parents, to tell them what happened yesterday, with the marriage law and all."

Ron's face, which had slowly been returning back to normal, flamed up again in red at the mention of the letter. "Uh, yeah, that's what I was gonna do, too." He muttered.

"Oh, well, don't let me stop you." She said, and she awkwardly went to the staircase leading up to the dormitory. She stopped to watch Ron for a minute. He was still blushing furiously, and muttered something. All she caught 'wish, apparate, and Hogwarts.'

She went into the room and noticed her roommates had left for breakfast. As she retrieved her wand from her nightstand, she found she had lost her appetite.

A while later, Scout had taken her Comet Two-Sixty and headed out to the Quidditch pitch. She had been a chaser for a while, but then discovered she was equally matched with bludgers, and horrible at seeking. She had absolutely no patience with the little golden ball.

Up in the air, Scout's troubles seemed to vanish. She no longer thought of Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Neville, or Ron... Her hair whipped in the wind as she soared, diving and then pulling up, circling the pitch. She had almost completely forgotten about the marriage law when she saw Lavender Brown and Seamus Finnigen passionately kissing under the stands. It was then that her anger returned, and she was revolted, knowing that she and Ron would soon be forced to do that.

Minutes later, she had came out with the Quidditch balls from the equipment room, and was chasing after the bludgers. This one's for Rufus Scrimgeour for passing such a dumb-ass law. She thought viciously as she whacked the ball as hard as she could and it went sailing towards the Black Lake.

Finally, after being pelted with one in the back twice, she descended to the stands. The bludgers began descending themselves, hurtling towards her like comets. At last she raised her wand and yelled, "STUPEFY!". The bludgers stopped suddenly, and fell to the ground, as limp as a boneless arm.

She sighed and trudged down the stands, not wanting to return to the castle where it was alive with buzzing couples holding hands and snogging, but to stay in the air on a broom, with the wind whipping her hair and forgetting about the stupid marriage law. She sadly packed up the bludgers and headed for the equipment room, knowing that the worst was yet to come.

And she was certainly right about that.