-sigh of relief- I'm glad you guys don't mind that I am rushing this! In response to one of your questions, I don't really know how many chapters this story is going to have since I'm not planning it, I'm just writing as I go along (Please don't kill me!) But I'm taking a guess it will be around 20-25 chapters at the most. Again, thank you so much for your reviews, they really give me a boost! Keep 'em coming!

The end of fourth year came as quickly as the blink of an eye. Before Rose could even make sense of why James was darting her wierd looks every now and again and Scorpious snarled every time he saw her, she found herself sitting in a compartment with Albus, staring out of the window, the exact action she had been doing when she had first met Scorpious on the train. The memory saddened her as she thought about it. Her attmepts to talk to Scorpious had gone down the drain. He would either swear at her or turn the other way when he saw her walking towards him. Rose had finally given up and had avoided him too- though it was clearly hard. He never spoke a word to her for the rest of the year and now she was sitting with only one of her friends who sighed and looked out of the clean panes of the window every now and again. Rose knew she was boring him, but, honestly, if he was finding her company so cloying, couldn't he find himself somehwere else to sit?

"Albus," said Rose softly after the sixth time she heard him sigh loudly. "I really don't mind. You can sit somewhere else if you want to." Albus gave her a quizzical expression.

"How did you-"

"I just do," Rose shortly replied.

"Well, I do kind of want to sit with Rebecca," admitted Albus, but he looked apologetic when he saw the loook on Rose's face. "You can come too, if you want." Albus had clearly mistaken Rose's expression of anger for one of sadness. He still didn't know Rebecca was cheating on him with his brother, yet she shouldn't be the one to tell him. She didn't really want to be the bearer of such disgusting news.

"No, I think I'll stay here," said Rose quietly, the trees outside reflecting in her dark blue eyes' as the train speeded along the track. "I want to sit on my own."

"You sure?" asked Albus hesitantly, Rose didn't say anything; just merely nodded. Reluctantly, Albus got up and opened the door.

"I'll catch up with you later, ok? Oh, and if you want to come and join us, you're welcome."

"Thanks, Al," said Rose. She could feel the beginnings of a sob catching at her throat and willed Albus to leave the compartment quicker so she could break down without any questions and probing from people who looked and sounded concerned but only wanted the latest gossip. As soon as the sound of the compartment door shut, Rose covered her face with her hands and felt the warm tears fall onto her fingertips. She wondered how long she had held the tears in. It felt good to get it out without anyone watching her or comforting her because comfort or sympathy just made her feel a lot worse.

"So now you know," said a smug voice from above her. Rose looked up, startled. Rebecca stood by the door, hand on hip, eyebrow delicately raised.

"What are you on about?" asked Rose, quickly wiping the tears away.

"Now you know what it feels like to have something missing," said Rebecca, taking a seat opposite Rose. Rose's eyes' narrowed.

"Didnd't Albus leave to sit with you?"

"I told him I had someone to see," said Rebecca with a sly grin. Shrugging a lock of hair away from her face, she pulled out a nail filer and Rose watched as she slid a frail fingernail under it.

"What did you come here for?" asked Rose. "Can't you see that I want time on my own?"

"Well, actually, it looks to me like you want time with someone," said Rebecca without looking up, stil intent on her fingernails.

"Well you thought wrong," said Rose angrily. "Leave me alone, you hoe." Rebecca looked up, half angry, half hurt.

"Don't call me that, Rose. I resent it," she said in a low voice.

"Why not? It's true! You're dating two boys' at once! And they're brothers!" Rose felt the tears gathering near her eyes' again for no particular reason but was incognizant to it.

"Hoe's date boys and drop them," said Rebecca softly. "I have dated Albus but I'm too scared to drop him. That's not heartless, that's cowardice. There's a big difference, Rose. If I didn't care for feelings, I would've dropped Albus before you could've said the word 'stop.' But I haven't and I've told James to back off because if Albus were to find out, I know how upset he'd really be. I just need the right time to tell him, and you pestering me all the time is not helping me." Rebecca's words silenced Rose and she leaned against the soft, cushiony seat of the carriage and closed her eyes'.

"Look," came Rebecca's voice again, but this time kinder. "I know you've been through a lot and I don't want to be rude, but Rose...this is just the beginning of it." Rose's eyes' snapped open.

"What do you mean?" she asked, sitting up straight.

"I mean," said Rebecca, sighing and slipping her nail filer into the pocket of her jeans. "That things can get worse then this. You could find yourself in a situation where no one is talking to you at all."

"What do you mean?" asked Rose angrily.

"Look at Albus, Rosie," said Rebecca standing up. "Did he even bother to talk to you, to ask how you were? You're getting so depressed and upset, you don't realise you're pushing people away from you. People will start to think 'oh, there's a girl who's crying all the time, what's the point of talking to her?'"

"That's not true," whispered Rose. Rebecca placed a pale, manicured hand onto Rose's shoulder.

"Trust me on that one, Rose. Bloody hell, I've been there and back."

"Yeah, pull the other one," said Rose, smiling.

"Looks can be decieving, Rose," said Rebecca, making her way out of the compartment. "Does Scorpious act like he looks? I don't think so." Rebecca slammed the door shut behind her, leaving Rose to think. Rebecca was wrong about the last one, thought Rose incuriously. Scorpious was exactly what he looked like.

"You alright, honey?" asked Ron, one hand on the wheel, turning around to take a look at Rose.

"Yes, you do look a bit pale," said Hermione worriedly, looking around from the passenger seat.

"I'm fine," said Rose.

"Dad!" whined Hugo. "Drive faster!" Ron darted a pleading look at Hermione, but she stood her ground.

"Absolutely not, Ronald. It's too risky, especially with all these muggles around..."

"Oh, come on, Hermione!" said Ron, eyes' half on the road and half on her. "I drove fine when I was in second year, I think I'm a pro in the air now..."

"And what will you do when the invisibilty boost goes faulty again?" asked Hermione, eyebrows' raised.

"I've got you," said Ron, flashing her a smile.

"Unfortunately for you, Ronald, I haven't got my wand," said Hermione, flashing Ron her own smile. Ron scowled and turned his attention back to the road.

"Rose, what's wrong?" asked Hermione to Rose that night when everyone else was asleep.

"Nothing is," said Rose, not looking up from her revised edition of Hogwarts: A History.

"Rose," sighed Hermione, taking a seat on her bed. "I'm your mother. You can't fool me."

"I'm not fooling you, mum," said Rose earnestly.

"Then tell me what's wrong," pleaded Hermione. "Let me help you."

"Nothing's wrong," said Rose, cringing because she knew it was her least convincing tone. "Seriously, you have nothing to worry about." Hermione watched her for a long moment.

"You do know if you had anything to talk about, you can come to me?"

"I know, mum," said Rose, smiling. Leaning forward, Hermione kissed her daughter on the head.

"I'll be waiting for you when you think it's the right time to tell me. Everything," she added. Rose nodded and watched her mother silently slip away, shutting the door behind her.

Well, mum, thought Rose bitterly. You're going to have to wait a long time for that.