Chapter 5

"Scorpius!"

Scorpius is legging it through the hall back towards the ballroom.

"Malfoy!" I yell after him.

He finally stops and I almost crash into him.

"Hi," I pant, breathless from that mad sprint.

"Hi," he replies. He's in his dragon-hide jacket again, his hair all swooshy and stylishly crumpled. He doesn't look surprised to see me.

"I just want to explain-" I begin to say.

"Explain what?" says Scorpius. He looks almost bored. Maybe he didn't see anything?

"Er… About the kitchens."

"What about the kitchens?"

"That they're all Free Elves."

Scorpius frowns. "Where are you going with this, Weasley?"

Okay, he definitely didn't see anything.

"That they're all Free Elves and aren't being forced to work tonight. My mum would kill Uncle Harry if he ever used a bound house-elf."

At the mention of Mum my stomach tightens, but I ignore the unpleasant sensation and watch Scorpius' face which is still expressionless.

"Thanks for that fascinating fact," he drawls. God, I just want to sock him.

"Any time," I say breezily, then hurry off into the ballroom to find Melody so we can get the hell out of here.

I look around cautiously for Mum, and spot her talking to Harry and Luna in the corner. Dad is nowhere to be seen. It's almost midnight and people are starting to filter out the double french doors that open out onto a massive balcony. I make my way outside taking a route to avoid that particular corner, and expect the chilly wind to hit me as I step out. Surprisingly its just as warm as it is inside. It's like they've surrounded the balcony with a bubble of warm air, and I make a mental note to ask Ginny about it later.

"There you are," says Melody, coming up to me. "Where'd you go?"

"I'll tell you later," I say to her for the second time that night.

She nods, not prying. One of the things I love most about her; if it were one of my cousins they'd annoy the heck out of me until I told them.

"They're going to start the countdown soon," Melody says excitedly.

I thought, after all these years fantasising about my first kiss with Teddy Lupin, I'd be ecstatic after it finally happened - but I feel strangely empty.

I don't have the heart to ask her to leave with me right now when she's so clearly excited to see the famous New Years fireworks at the Potter manor, so I decide to hang around for a bit longer. I can't help myself shooting glances over my shoulder, though, waiting for Teddy to come stumbling into the room.

We gaze out over the bay that the manor overlooks, and down over the gleaming water. It's a beautiful, still night, and it's about to be set on fire.

"Ten! Nine! Eight!" comes the countdown as everyone shouts in unison.

"Seven! Six!" Melody screams in my ear next to me.

"Five! Four! Three! Two! One!"

Everyone cheers madly, couples kiss, and then the loud bangs start as someone sets off a dozen fireworks at once from the cove below. They're magnificent; at first they're an orange, flaring up in streaks into the night sky, then burst into a million green sparkles. There's another bang and pure white lights crackle into life over the balcony. People 'oooh' and 'ahhhh'. Then comes the one we are all waiting for, the big finale; a huge bang resounds around the bay and up the slope towards the balcony, and its like a fiery, life-size dragon has come rushing up out of the water. Cheers go up as it swoops in, popping and crackling with a multitude of fireworks within its belly, breathing fire from its mouth which itself looks to be made of flames. It does a loop over the bay and the balcony, then leaps up higher into the sky where it disperses into thousands of sparkling lights that spell out, 'Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes'. I can't help but grin at the shameless advertising; it was probably Dad's idea.

"That was wonderful!" exclaims Melody.

"That was pretty cool," I admit.

The crowd trickles back inside as the band starts up again once more. I'm about to tell Melody that I'm going upstairs to bed when a raucous call goes up somewhere in the middle of the room as a bunch of people jostle each other and start cheering. I finally make out what they're saying.

"Victoire! Victoire!"

Victoire is laughing and smiling (as if she hasn't just broken the heart of the nicest guy on the planet) while she's being cheered on by a group of people who're making their way towards the stage where the band is playing.

"Fucking hell, you'd think she'd give it a rest for one night," Dominique says, coming up behind me.

We watch as she's cajoled into going on stage. The band stop playing as she whispers something into the lead guitarists ear and he nods.

Victoire takes out her wand and holds it to her throat. She looks like an angel standing up there, the fairy lights above glinting off her pale hair and skin. The first notes of 'I Kissed A Gnome, And I Liked It' start up, and the crowd goes mental.

Victoire's sultry, silky voice winds its way through the crowd, and those that know the words - which is most - sing along. Dominique stands next to me, arms folded, glaring at her sister.

If Victoire looks like an angel, then Dominique is an exotic warrior princess. I don't think two siblings could be more different; they are equally beautiful (so much so that it makes me want to puke) but Victoire has more of a soft, classic beauty, the kind of look that suddenly makes men chivalrous around her. Dominique has strawberry blonde hair where her sister's is golden; she's got wide blue eyes where Victoire's are grey; her forehead is too large, her eyes far apart, but the end result is an unique beauty that most girls would kill for - that makes most men weak at the knees for.

"Eet felt so wrong, but eet felt so right!" I hear Fleur sing, rather off-key, as she stands near us swaying to the music.

Dominique groans.

"And I liked iiiiit, and I liked iiiiiiiit!" Melody practically yells next to me. She's jumping up and down.

Dominique, on the other side of me, leans forward and shoots her a nasty look but she hardly notices.

I can't help it; I turn to Dominique and silently mouth, 'taste of his mossy forehead' at her, and grin when she scowls at me. My grin fades when I spot Teddy leaning on the wall all the way over at the side of the hall watching Victoire on stage. Dominique quickly turns to the direction of my gaze, sees him, and looks back at me with an inquiring look.

I ignore it and turn back to the stage. I can tell she's still giving me that weird expression, and I sense her looking back over her shoulder at Teddy, then at Victoire. I will her not to say anything. She doesn't.

"I'm going to bed now," I tell Melody.

Melody is so into the song she barely hears me. She just nods like a maniac, still grinning, and keeps bouncing along.

I push past a group of adoring fan girls who're all but crying as Victoire sings, and head towards the entrance of the ballroom. I come to a screeching halt when I see my mother standing in the doorway looking straight at me.

I keep my head down, as if I haven't seen her, and continue past.

She grabs my arm. "Rose."

I look up and angrily shake her off. "Save it, Mum. Nothing you say will make it better."

"I ended things with Jeff."

I blink dumbly at her. "What?"

"He's gone now, back to America."

"Why?"

I don't know why I'm being so difficult.

"Because… After what I saw it did to you two… I couldn't put any relationship before what I have with you. I love you and Hugo more than anything in this world - I- I'm sorry, Rose. For being such a bad mother. I'm coming back, I promise, I just have to go back and sort out a few things. But I'm back." She repeats that last line firmly.

"What about Dad?"

Mum looks at me sadly, and I know I'm asking for too much.

"Your father and I… That's a separate issue. We have a few things to work out. But I'm back, Rose, I'll be Mum again."

"So you're not moving back in?"

Mum looks uncomfortable. "Well… Just for a little while. Your father offered-" I hate that she keeps calling him 'my father', as if he has nothing to do with her anymore, "-a room for me to stay in while I look for a place of my own. He'll be in Hogsmeade anyway living at the shop, so I'll be staying at the house. Just Dory and I."

I nod, still reeling from this huge change (again) in my life.

"Okay," I say.

She looks at me, as if expecting me to say something else. I probably should, but I don't give her the satisfaction. What did she expect - that she comes back and we're all hunky dory about it? That we go back to playing happy broken family?

I decide to ask about the most banal thing. "What about your studies?"

"I've handed in my thesis, it's all done now. As for other research…. I'll find something over here. Oh, Rose, I've missed you-"

She comes at me for a hug. I allow her to hold me, but I don't return it. I know I'm being a baby about it but that anger and indignation is still there brewing under the surface of my calm demeanor.

"I'm going up to bed now," I tell her. "I'm tired."

She nods. "Of course. You've always been the responsible one," she says, glancing at Albus, Roxanne and Dominique who are drunkenly mocking Victoire's singing at the back of the hall.

Her comment annoys me more than anything. As if I'm following in her footsteps. I've heard it all before - oh, you are so like Hermione - while I stand there grinding my teeth wanting to be anything but.

"I snogged Teddy." I fling the barb out, and relish her reaction.

She's horrified, I can tell. "You what?"

"Don't tell anyone. It's supposed to be secret. Victoire and Teddy broke up."

"Rose, he's so much older than you- And- How could he take advantage of you like that? He's-"

"He didn't 'take advantage' of me," I snap. "He likes me. And I like him."

Mum shakes her head and the gesture is so condescending I want to slap her. "Rose, honey, nothing good will come of this, I'm telling you."

"What do you know about relationships anyway," I say.

Mum shuts up.

"I'm going to bed now. And don't tell anyone - especially Dad. We both know he'll blame you for my 'acting out'."

I sound so much like a manipulative bitch it scares me, but I kind of like the way Mum's face pulls into a pained expression as I leave her standing alone in the hall once more.

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New Years Day at the Potters is always late to begin. Around about midday is when half-asleep, zombied-out Weasleys start walking around the house grunting at each other.

Okay, so I'm exaggerating, but pretty much everyone is really really hungover.

"Has anyone seen my bracelet!" Lily shrieks down the stairs from her room. I mean almost everyone. Her voice reaches all the way to the grand entrance hall and reverberates around the room. I swear the crystal chandelier actually shudders.

"You lost it again?" Ginny yells up at her.

I walk into the dining room and see Harry seated, wincing at all the high-pitched female voices. Uncle George actually covers his (one-and-a-half) ears.

"Never mind!" Lily yells back after a moment's pause.

Ginny shakes her head.

"Those were some great fireworks Uncle George," I say, taking a seat at the table and pouring myself a bowl of cereal.

"Why thank you, Rose," George says, clearly pleased. "I bet some day you can improve those, can't you." He gives me a wink.

I smile back at him. It's been a long-running joke that someday I will work with my dad and George at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, specifically in Explosive Enterprises, what with my slightly pyromaniac ways and all.

"Don't let my dad hear you say that," I say.

George chuckles. "Ron's just faking that worry for your mother - he secretly wants you to work with us. We'll be rolling in it when you do."

"Did Mum go home?" I ask Ginny suddenly.

I catch Ginny and Harry exchange a look (adults are so obvious) before she replies, "Yes she did. I think she went back to yours."

"With my dad?"

"I'm not sure…" Ginny says, then busies herself with making more toast. Harry seems very interested in his breakfast. Uncle George just shrugs at me.

So they went home together… Does that mean what I think it means? While it kind of grosses me out to think about my parents together in that way, I embrace that small hope of what this means for their relationship. Maybe a good ol' rebound is all my mum needed.

Speaking of rebounds…

I tossed and turned all night thinking of that kiss with Teddy. I'm neurotic on my good days, so that little development completely shot my nerves. That's what Melody told me - that Teddy was just upset at Victoire and he was drunk and he just wanted a 'rebound' - and deep down, I know she's right. But still I cling to the hope that Teddy genuinely likes me. I mean, I know he likes me… but maybe all those years of seeing me in my nappies or running around naked can't be dissolved by one night of me playing dress-up.

I munch on my cereal and absently listen to Harry and Ginny discussing James and Greta Longbottom's passionate snog by the fireplace. Seriously, they're worse than Dominique and Roxanne. I quickly finish eating when Lily and Lucy bound in gushing about blonde French boys and excuse myself from the room. Grabbing my coat from the entrance hall, I head towards the kitchen.

On my way out the back door I can't help but glance over at the alcove with the bartop and the stools where I met Teddy last night. It frustrates me even more.

Out on the chilly grounds I breathe in the crisp winter air. My breath fogs out before me as I make my way down the yard to the old oak tree at the end of the property. It's the only place I can really be alone (and where no one can see me do something I probably shouldn't). I stomp through the snow around to the other side of the tree, out of sight of the windows of the manor, and practically have a heart attack when I spot someone standing there.

It's Scorpius. Great.

He doesn't realise I'm there. A cigarette hangs from his lips, and he's angrily shaking a lighter about with one hand while sheltering it with the other. The tosser smokes - what a surprise.

"Here, let me," I say, stepping forward and sticking out my wand.

A thin tendril of fire ignites into life near his face, and he jumps.

"Watch it!" he says, turning to me.

The cigarette still isn't lit properly - I just burnt the end of it off and the ember goes out.

"Fuck. Hasn't anyone taught you not to play with fire?"

I glare at him, but he's turned back to flicking his lighter. He knows that's a sore spot for me. He's been there on the sidelines since I was a kid, bearing witness to the strange antics of his best friend's cousin, that Weasley girl. The uncontrolled magic of most wizarding children usually result in cutesy or mildly annoying things, like blossoming flowers or backfiring cars, but for me it's always been something to do with fire. It got so bad that my parents received regular visits from Ministry officials warning them to keep me under strict, 24-hour surveillance. Good thing Mum was high up in Magical Law Enforcement back then, or I'm positive I would've been shipped off to kiddy Azkaban or something. Unfortunately for them it didn't stop when I got my wand (core of phoenix feather, naturally); at Hogwarts I became infamous for setting part of the boat on fire during the journey across the lake in first-year.

"A cigarette?" I say. "Isn't that a Muggle invention a bit beneath you, Malfoy? Thought you'd be more of a pipe kind of wizard."

Scorpius gives up on his lighter and turns to me.

"I'm not my father, if that's what you mean. Our parents names don't define us. You should know that better than anyone, Weasley."

I blink at his surprisingly profound reply. I'm annoyed at how guilty I feel for taking a jab at his supposed 'pure-blood' ideals. He's right - I should know better than most that our parents legacies, despite how much they shadow us in the wizarding world, don't define who we are.

"So did you enjoy your night with Albus?" I say stupidly.

"It was magical. How was your night?"

His face doesn't give anything away. I look back at him, trying to read those grey eyes. I'm starting to doubt my conclusion that he didn't see me and Teddy.

"The food was good," I say.

"And the company?"

Alright, now he's toying with me.

"You did see us, didn't you?" I accuse.

Scorpius looks down at the snow and kicks a clump of it over. "I saw you snog Teddy Lupin, yeah. So is he a better kisser than me or what?"

This is the first time he's mentioned that patrol night aloud. The mocking question hangs between us in the chilly air. I don't deign to respond to it. "Don't tell Albus."

Scorpius scoffs. "Why would I tell anyone? No one gives a shit about what prim and proper Rose Weasley gets up to."

I frown. Okay, that hurt.

"I'm serious. Don't tell anyone," I say.

"Alright, I won't."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me," Scorpius says, pushing himself off the trunk he's leaning on.

I think he's going to say something else - some snarky comment on how he's doing everyone a favour by not pestering them with details of wet blanket Rose Weasley's love life - but he just starts making his way back to the manor without another word.

Ugh. Prick.

Disclaimer: The title and lyrics of Victoire's song are based on Katy Perry's I Kissed A Girl

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