Rose smiled as she watched a familiar owl swoop towards her bedroom window. She had been writing in her diary but she had a feeling that this letter about to reach her would be a much better use of her time. She was sprawled on her bed, it's emerald green sheets crumpled from the night's sleep. She was tired, it was Saturday but the day's previous practice session had left her sore and relatively unable to move. Hence the lethargic day and mood. Slowly she set down her quill and paper and leaned forward to open the window. Her bed was right beside the pane and from there she could get a relatively good view of the entire city. Well it was no Falmouth; that was sure. Chudley was an industrial city so there wasn't exactly a lot of natural greenery. The frequent smell of dust and roadworks often forced her to keep the windows firmly shut. She coughed a little as she opened it now, a gust of air rushing into the room. Athena flapped her wings and landed steadily on the ledge. Despite her getting on in age, the family owl had remained a trusted message deliverer for Rose. Really there was no other owl she would trust. She truly loved Athena, with her nicely arched beak, her large dark eyes and her wonderfully brown and dappled feathers. Every Hogwarts letter she ever delivered back home had been sent through the same beloved owl.

"Hello there dear." She reached to stroke the bird affectionately and detached the letter from her leg.

Athena ruffled her feathers uncomfortably and perched on the sill. Rose sighed, feeling a little sorry for her. Perhaps it was a little cruel for her to have brought her to Chudley with her.. There was no doubting the bird's loyalty, she would go wherever she was instructed to, but after a lifetime at the Burrow with all the fresh air and greenery, Rose knew that a life in Chudley did not suit her well. She ushered Athena into the room so she could quickly shut the window. Slamming the pane, Rose chewed her lip. If only Scorpius came to visit. Then he would know how lucky he was. She hadn't wanted to make a big deal out the of the whole situation when she had gone over, after all she had been a guest but it was getting unbearable. Rubbing her forehead, she watched as Athena comfortably settled herself back into her cage and closed her eyes.

"Maybe we can send you back to the Burrow tomorrow?" Rose spoke to the owl.

Athena did not response.

"Or not..." Rose muttered

"Hooo." came the response.

Rose shook her head and then turned her attention to the letter in her hand. The handwriting was the same, elegant and typically Scorpius, as always. It was in green ink. Rose saw her name and address on the front. She gently stroked the lettering. To think, that they had to resort to writing letters to each other! There used to be a time when they could spend almost every moment with each other. The whole situation was so foreign to Rose. She grabbed a letter opener and efficiently, removed the letter from it's envelope. She walked over to her desk where Athena's cage was set down and switched on a reading lamp. Leaning back in the chair, she began to read.

"My Dearest Rose,

Training is getting tougher. Wood's pushing us to gear us up for the oncoming season and I'm worried I can't meet the expectations he has for me. I know what you're going to say, that I should believe in myself. This is just me being pessimistic really. It's great to hear that practice is challenging but good for you too. I know what you mean about the dive practices. I'm always afraid that I'll miscalculate and hit the ground. I think the more you do them though, the easier it gets. Especially when you do them with your fellow beater. I think it boosts morale. Speaking of partners, I hope Keitch is working well with you compared to Horton and myself. He's a good player, really but he's keeping me on my toes the whole time, I can't really trust him. Maybe he's trying to teach me something I don't know. He pulls these weird tricks all the time, just when I think I know him, I don't know what he'll do next at all! It's not like how I flew so easily with you, how I could sense your next move. But maybe that was a bad thing? Oh I don't know...

Anyway, I'll be heading home tonight for the weekend to see my folks. My mom's been nagging for ages and I think you're right about the whole family thing, just let them have their way you know? Plus I don't mind heading back. I quite miss them. You should come too if you can, my dad will be pleased. Another chess match perhaps... Let me know will you?

All my love,

Scorp"

Rose gently folded the letter and glanced about the room thinking. She smiled at the idea of another chess game with Draco Malfoy but the letter reminded her with another pang about life without Scorpius by her side all the time. He sounded so busy, so self sufficient, like he didn't need her. He probably didn't. Rose didn't show it but she needed Scorpius, to be around to support her. There was a hole without him. She didn't want to come across as the desperado sort of girl, he needed his space but there was always that nagging thought at the back of her head that kept telling her that one day Scorpius would just drop her like a hot brick and move on with his life. What made her, Rose, so special compared to all those other girls who were probably throwing themselves at him. And then on course he had reminded unintentionally of course but all the same, he had reminded her all too well of Keitch... Andrew Keitch.

Closing her eyes at the memory, Rose reflected now that maybe it hadn't been for the best when she had decided not to tell Scorpius about her first encounter with her fellow beater. She had strongly considered it when she had visited him in Falmouth for the first time. Rose had been in her element there, the big open windows, the great scenery, the sound of the waves and then Scorpius right beside her. She had had the strongest desire to tell him all about Keitch and how he scared her. How she scared herself. She had wanted to tell him again, just how dusty it was in Chudley, how claustrophobic and how no amount of spring cleaning could change that. How her neighbors only nodded at her when they bumped into each other and never actually made eye contact or spoke. But he had been happy. Scorpius had looked so happy. How could she saddle him with her problems?

And while she would never admit it to herself, it had also Rose's stubborn streak at work. She had always been strong willed in situations like these so this was no exception. How could she admit to him that she was struggling, that she couldn't handle things on her own? She liked to be able to say with confidence that she could cope. But leaving her family was a much bigger step than she had previously anticipated it to be. Now that she couldn't retract her decision, she also couldn't admit to herself or to anyone else that she may have made a mistake. What a big mistake...

Rose had been the first one to show up for practice. It was morning about 7.30 when the faint sound of cars was less pronounced. Rose took in a deep breath. Some of the cleanest air was in the morning. Mounting her broom, she took to the sky, letting her arm stretch out and glide along the air. More deep breaths. The last few weeks had been tough settling in but now that she was in the air, she felt safe, comfortable. She accelerated, letting her troubles fade away as she watched the world literally go by. Slowly she felt her eyes slide shut. Subconsciously she told herself it was a bad idea. She didn't know the course like Hogwarts. She couldn't fly blind. But she just needed to feel the wind whip her face, really feel it. After a pause she opened her eyes.

"Shit." Rose muttered to herself

As she saw herself heading directly for the audience stands at full speed. Trying to turn the broom around, Rose jerked too hard on her left and suddenly she felt the comfort of the broom around her legs slip away as she fell to the ground, the broom slamming into the stands without her. Screaming wasn't going to solve anything, she knew. She had fallen enough times to know what to do. Calmly, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her wand. She glanced down and momentarily panicked as the ground got closer. She had been flying at some altitude... But quickly she steadied herself and prepared to utter a net charm below. Just as she twirled her wand though, she felt herself stop in midair. Cautiously Rose felt the space under her. No net. Someone was levitating her. Slowly she willed herself to look down. A male figure was standing directly below her, his brows furrowed in concentration as his wand pointed accusingly towards her. Rose felt herself being lowered bit by bit onto the ground. Sighing she tucked her wand away and waited till her feet touched the ground. So she got a bit of a shock when she landed straight into the stranger's arms.

"Oof!" she cried. "I... didn't expect that."

"Looks like you were about to have quite a fall." came a familiar voice.

Rose looked up at her rescuer for a good look of him and suddenly it clicked in her head, just who had saved her. She found her hazel eyes staring straight at the dark amber ones of Andrew Keitch. For a moment Rose was tounge-tied and gaped at him. Andrew Keitch was holding her! In his arms, her hands were around his neck, he was smiling at her. They were literally face to face. Well this was certainly not how she had planned to meet him anyway. But it did have it's upsides. She got a really good look of him now. He must be in his early 20s, his hands were like Scorpius' they felt calloused and hard. His face was less pronounced though, in terms of features. Scorpius' face was more angular he had a rounder face shape. His hair was dark brown and ruffled, his arms were visibly muscular. And his smile, it was warm and a little shy?

"Yes, well" Rose said breaking the awkward pause, "I was going to break it myself."

Andrew frowned and placed her back on firm ground. Rose took a step back a little disorientated by forced herself to focus on his face once more.

"A simple thank you would suffice?" he commented.

Rose blinked.

"Well yes I mean thank you but what I meant was that I'm not completely helpless. I mean I..." She rubbed her brow in frustration. "You know what I mean."

Andrew chuckled a little.

"No worries I was only teasing. Yes I saw you whip out your wand. I trust this has happened to you before then?"

"Too many times." came the reply.

"Ah, well what were you doing up there so early?" he asked.

"For the morning air. It's clean." Rose smiled.

"Hah! You're right about that. One of the few disadvantages about Chudley. That's why I come early too. " he nodded.

"Oh." Rose nodded.

"You better find you broom." Andrew pointed to the stands.

"Accio Broom!" Rose called. There was a pause before she could hear the whiz of her broom as it flew straight back to her hands. Rose briefly examined it with her hands. There appeared to be no permanent damage. Glancing up again she saw Andrew inspecting her.

"What?" she asked.

"You're Rose aren't you? Rose Weasley?" he asked back.

"How did you know?"

The hair." he chuckled.

"Good guess." she muttered. Rose's hair was hardly as ginger as her other cousins and she was extremely sensitive over it. At least Scorpius liked her hair.

"Well I guess it's a good start to being partners. We have to learn to trust each other and all. I guess you can count on me then." he winked playfully.

"Yea..." Rose shifted her feet uncomfortably.

Andrew was being nice but somehow she felt like he was trying to fill a role. Scorpius' role. She felt strange and awkward working with someone other than him. She knew Andrew would make a good substitute but it wouldn't be the same.

"I should get cleaned up before practice." Rose murmured. Her hair was in a mess and she felt like she needed to just sit in an air conditioned environment for awhile.

"Wait a second." Andrew stopped her and leaned forward.

He carefully removed a small leaf that had surreptitiously lodged itself in her hair probably as she had fallen. That hadn't been what had bothered Rose. What had bothered her was that when Andrew had removed the leaf, his hand stayed on her face, stroking it slightly. There was also something in his eyes, the way he was looking at her now suddenly she had noticed this strange look that made her slightly uncomfortable. It was almost the way Scorpius looked at her sometimes. Rose disliked the fact that he was intruding into a space or an emotion that she reserved only for Scorpius. She was pretty sure friendship wasn't on his mind at the moment, not the way he was gently stroking her face and playing with the strands of auburn hair. It sent a cold shiver down her spine. Rose blinked for a moment, taken off guard. In Hogwarts nobody had touched her like that apart from Scorpius because they knew she was off limits. Keitch didn't. She had to make her intentions clear to him now. Shaking herself out of temporary paralysis, Rose took a strong step back, shaking his hand away.

"I should go." and she hurried off...

Glancing at the letter once more and her mind going over the incident Rose shook her head. On pitch, Andrew was just like everyone else. He was right, she could count on him, he was always ready to back her up in games but then there was this other aspect to their relationship. When they were alone he would sneak up behind her. Whisper in her ear, smile at her in that odd sort of way that made her heart race but at the same time fill with dread. Rose was confused; conflicted. Rose didn't like him in that way, no, that was Scorpius and only Scorpius but it was definitely difficult not to avoid him since they worked together so directly and to ignore such powerful signals he was sending to her. She had no idea how to respond around him. He was a nice person, she kept trying to convince herself. A good team player and fun to be around when in large groups when things didn't get personal and awkward but she hated all the advances he was making on her. Did he think that just because he had "saved" her he had the right over her? Or was she supposed to melt at the thought of his heroic deed like butter in his arms? Well it might work for some but not for Rose, she thought. And then of course there had been the incident the day before, the true breaking point for her. She had tried to push it out of her head but it had been no use. Now she really had no idea where to go with Andrew...

"Can I talk to you." Andrew murmured.

Rose jumped a little as she felt his breath on her neck. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before turning to face him.

"What about?" she asked.

"I thought maybe you and I can meet up tomorrow for lunch?"

"To discuss tactics?"

"No I was thinking more personal discussion..." he smiled that smile again.

Rose frowned, trying to shove his face out of her vision and focus on Scorpius in her mind. Think about Scorpius, she willed herself.

"Why would you want to do that?" she asked.

Andrew chuckled a little.

"Come on Rose... You don't have to be shy to say yes."

Rose bit her lip.

"I'm afraid I have to decline."

"Playing hard to get then?"

"I have a boyfriend Andrew."

There was a sudden pause as Andrew, who had opened his mouth to speak, stopped in mid thought. He seemed to stare at her for a second, gathering his composure before he could continue. Rose just stared at him, her arms now crossed, angry. How dare he! That look in his eyes a moment ago had given her such a clear impression on what he wanted. There was no way he would get it from her, that was for sure. She belonged to Scorpius and only Scorpius. If he thought he could just waltz in and snatch her away so easy well, he had another thing coming. Sure he was a great Quidditch player and a good looking enough guy but honestly! He expected girls like her to fawn over him? Rose hadn't realised until this point just how frustrated she had been by the situation, how pressuring it had been for her. She had suffered till this point for the sake of the team and for her job, being professional. She had made unnecessary excuses for him, the way she had tried to make excuses for Leo, Albus and Scorpius in Hogwarts when they fought. But now she saw that really she didn't have to. She was not obligated to. She was Rose Weasley. Who did she answer to? Only herself. Seeing the great Andrew Keitch, despite everything that he was, temporarily dumbstruck had given her enormous satisfaction. But it didn't last for long.

"I didn't mean it like that Rose..." Andrew's tone was completely different now, it had suddenly changed to something almost apologetic. He looked innocent and well meaning, not suggestive at all. His eyes were soft and his hands together.

Rose shifted her weight awkwardly at the change. He had changed tactics.

"I have plans." she held her ground.

"I just thought it would be nice to get to know each other, to be... friends?" There with the innocent tone again.

It drove Rose insane how this man could flip from all his different personalities to suit his need. Suddenly she didn't care how many bludgers he had saved her from, all she wanted to do was hit him with one now.

"I still can't make it." she lied again. And with that she had spun on her heel and stalked out, willing herself not to turn around, run to him and slap his face.

As she shook herself out of the flashback, Rose had a headache. The ones that went on for hours and hours. It annoyed her. Staring at her bookshelf across the room now, Rose set the letter down and walked towards it. She ran her fingers along the book spines and sighed heavily. A wave of intense emotion and anger suddenly hit her and the strong urge drove her forward. She was done with conformity. She grabbed a handful of books and ripped them out of the shelves, throwing them to the floor. She grabbed more and more, slamming them harder into the ground, taking out all her frustration on the pages. She shouted and cried out as she did so, beating the wall, shaking the shelves, running her fingers through her hair and kicking things.

"Hoo!" there came a nervous call from Athena who had come out of her cage, staring at Rose worriedly.

Rose ignored her and continued to almost in a daze, destroy her room. She had moved on to her chest and her drawers grabbing and ripping clothes, tossing the onto the floor, stamping on them, pounding them with her fists. Looking up at the wall all of a sudden, she saw the poster of the Cannons with Keitch's face prominently displayed. Walking over to it, she clasped the poster firmly and tore it off the wall, crushing it into a tiny ball.

"Inferno!" she nearly screamed as she watched the ball erupt spontaneously into flames. As flames died down though, so did her anger and slowly she slid down to the floor, the tremendous energy that had built within her, slowly ebbed out once more. Leaning against the wall, Rose began to hit her head against the wall slowly. She was crying, the tears sliding down her face. She buried her face in her arms and began to weep. Athena flew across the room and pecked her gently, trying to see if Rose could be cheered up. Rose looked up at the gentle and loving bird and stroked it for a brief moment.

"Oh you sweet girl." she whispered. "We both hate it here don't we? I don't even care about the Quidditch anymore I just want Scorpius to tell me it's ok. We both hate it here. But you're the only one tough enough to admit it."