Chapter 7

The first day back sucks donkeys arse. Detention? Really? Rose Weasley does not do detention. If I deserved it, then sure, I'll do it without complaint. It's the injustice of this situation that gets me.

I make my way through the snow of the grounds down to Greenhouse 2. At least it's with Hagrid.

"Alrigh'y then. Is everyone here?"

I see his massive form outlined by the moonlight, facing a handful of students all shivering and looking up at him. He looks up at me approach and I see the surprise on his face.

"Rose? Blimey, it's a family reunion!"

Then I realise the other students are Lily, Lucy, Albus and Hugo. There's also Lorcan and Lysander Scamander.

"What did you get detention for?" Lily asks me.

"For something I didn't do," I say, shooting a glare at Albus. It was either him or James.

"That's what they all say," chuckles Hagrid. He claps his enormous hands together and the sound is so loud we all jump. "Now, this is not the time fer chit-chat. This is punishment. Off to the Forest."

We all follow Hagrid as he leads us to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"Why are you here?" I ask Hugo as we make our way between the trees.

"Because we dropped a dungbomb in the girls dormitories."

"Hugo!"

Hugo shrugs. "They're annoying. They hogged the pool table all night."

"Hufflepuff has a pool table?"

"Yeah, don't you?"

"Molly put me in detention again," Lily whines. "She said my uniform was not regulation."

"She said I was late to class," Lucy says. "She's not even in my class!"

"She just doesn't like me," Albus says.

I raise my brows. "Surely you must've done something."

"I may have chucked a peanut at Adele and it landed near her precious Ravenclaw table… But seriously, a peanut!"

"Someone has to stop your sister," Lily says, looking at Lucy. "Becoming prefect has turned her into a monster."

"It's not my fault," Lucy says.

"Where do you reckon we're going?" I ask Albus.

The trees are getting denser and the ground more uneven. These roots are really not good for someone with my shocking balance and coordination.

"Beats me," he says.

Finally we come to a stop in a small clearing. The only light comes from a lamp Hagrid is holding.

"We will be harvesting staghorn mushrooms. They're about the size of yer hand, flat, brown, can't miss 'em. Any questions?"

Lily raises her hand.

"Yes, Lily?"

"Can we use magic?"

"No, no, you have to use yer fingers to pull them out otherwise yeh'll ruin the stems."

Lily does not look impressed.

"Alrigh', off with yeh lot! I'll be here to call yeh back in an hour."

"An hour," Albus whispers to me.

"Tell me about it," I say.

I carry one of the potato sacks Hagrid hands out over to a bunch of entangled roots at the edge of the clearing. This is so not how I imagined my first night back to go.

"I know it was you," I say to Albus when he follows me over to my turf and crouches down beside me.

"Me what?"

"The clown."

Albus grins. "That was James."

"I knew it. Why didn't he take the blame? He loves getting the credit for his pranks."

Albus looks down at the mushroom he just plucked. "Err… Dunno."

Albus is a terrible liar. He looks all over the place except your face, and he starts fidgeting. I honestly don't know how that boy got put in Slytherin. I suppose because one more Potter-Weasley in Gryffindor would mean the place would explode with all that ego.

I narrow my eyes. "What's going on with James?"

Albus looks at my forehead, and then behind me towards the trees. "You promise not to tell?"

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"Alright… He's about to be expelled."

"What?"

I exclaim so loudly everyone in the clearing turns to look over at us. I smile and wave back enthusiastically until they all turn away again.

"He's about to flunk out of his classes. He barely scraped through into two N.E.W.T. classes last year, and I'm pretty sure that's only because Dad pulled some strings."

I can't believe it. James Sirius Potter. Quidditch superstar. Golden child of the Chosen One. …Hogwarts dropout?

The questions tumble out as soon as they pop into my head. "So what, he's doing all his pranks on the down-low now? What about his schoolwork? Do you think he'll pass this year? What if he doesn't? Thought that didn't matter for Quidditch?"

Albus doesn't even attempt to answer any of them. He shrugs. "I don't know what's going on now. I guess he's just dealing with it the James way."

"You mean, not dealing with it at all?"

"I guess so."

I'm still confused, though. "Why isn't he just allowed to repeat the year? Why expel him?"

Albus frowns. "It's Wiggan's first year as Headmistress, I think she's trying to use him as an example that being a Potter doesn't get you special privileges, or some shit. You know McGonagall always let him off easy for all those pranks."

Headmistress Wiggan - ex-Defence Against the Dark Arts professor - makes Minerva McGonagall seem like a Pygmy Puff. She's got the kind of face that looks pissed off no matter what she's doing. I don't think I've ever seen the woman smile. To be fair, she was a great Defence teacher. I just think she should've stuck with that position.

"That's a load of bull," I say indignantly. "What about the other tossers he pulled those pranks with? Wood? Baxter?"

"They're not failing. And they never got caught near as many times as James."

That's true. The mirrored finish of all the cups and crests in the trophy room is all thanks to James single-handedly polishing them pretty much every week in detention since he's been at Hogwarts.

"So what happens if he does flunk out? I thought he just wanted to go professional in Quidditch?"

"You have to get at least an 'A' in two N.E.W.T. levels to get a try-out on a team, apparently."

Huh. And here I was thinking all professional Quidditch players are bull-headed idiots. (Sorry, Ginny).

"Don't look so surprised," Albus says when he sees my doubtful expression.

"Eughh!" I hear Lily shriek.

I turn to see her bolt up and then jump up and down on the spot, one arm reaching down the back of her coat while the other flails madly around. Lorcan Scamander is running away laughing madly.

"Lorcan! I'm going to kill you!" Lily says, running after him.

"Oi! Stop it, yeh two, this is detention!" booms Hagrid, but they're running around in circles around him.

"Ahhh, young love," Albus says.

When everyone's finally calmed down, after Hagrid makes Lorcan apologise to Lily ("I'm sorry for accidentally putting a mushroom down your shirt, Lily"), the rest of the hour passes relatively quickly. I bug Albus some more about James and his answers start to become more and more short until eventually he's just grunting back at me. By the end of the hour my hands are filthy, there's dirt crusted under my nails, and I am exhausted.

"I got the most mushrooms!" Lysander says proudly as we trudge back through the forest swinging our potato sacks.

"It wasn't a competition," points out Lucy.

Lysander makes a fart noise at her.

Back at the greenhouse Hagrid collects our hard-earned mushrooms.

"Goodnight, Hagrid," I say as I hand my sack over. "Albus and I will come visit for tea some time under more pleasant circumstances."

Hagrid chuckles. "More pleasant circumstances indeed. Don't make me have ter make a call to Hermione now."

My smile falters a bit.

"Oh- sorry, I forgo', I thought she-"

"No, no, it's okay," I say quickly. "She's back now. Just not back with Dad."

Hagrid still looks apologetic. "Sorry," he repeats. "It's just so strange. It was always Ron and Hermione. Hermione and Ron."

"Yeah…" I say. "Anyway, I better be going back up now. Don't want to get another detention." I follow my pitiful jest with a light smile, and hurry to catch up with Albus and the others.

Something else I haven't been wanting to think about; my parents are still not together, despite their supposed 'going home together' at New Years. It turns out Mum spent the night in my room. She even left a note for me to find the following morning, before I came here for another term:

Dear Rose

I've been thinking about what you told me and I just want to say that if you're happy, then I am too. All I ask is that you think about what you are doing, and also make sure that he is in it for the right reasons.

You know that I am always here if you need someone to talk to.

Love,

Mum

God, the whole bloody thing was about Teddy. I knew I should've kept my mouth shut. I'm pretty sure she hasn't told Dad, though, or else Teddy would've been hexed from here to Albania by now.

I ignore the part of me that tells me she probably swallowed all her pride to write that note - of course she's not happy with it. Heck, I wouldn't be either if my seventeen-year old daughter snogged my twenty four-year old godson (or, as she's probably seeing it, the other way around). I grudgingly admit that if she has made that much effort to get close to me again, I probably should too. I just need a bit more time.

As for the whole Teddy situation, I've still got his note in my pocket. I've pretty much dissected and memorised all the words now, I just haven't replied yet. Which reminds me, I should find out when this semester's Hogsmeade dates are…

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Dear Teddy

Sorry for the late reply, I've been really busy sorting a few things out.

The closest Hogsmeade date is next Saturday, are you free then?

Let me know.

- Rose.

I look down at the note I've written, wondering if it sounds casual enough. I'm in the common room and have been crafting this reply for the past twenty-something minutes. Sounding casual is harder than it looks. I begin re-writing it on a new piece of parchment.

"What're you doing?"

I jump at Dominique's voice, dragging a black line of ink across the page. I swear under my breath and look up to find her smiling at me. Something is very wrong - Dominique never smiles at me.

"Nothing," I say, then immediately regret it when she leans over the table to peer at the letter. I draw it up to my chest, making it even more obvious that it is not something I want her read.

"What's that?"

"A letter."

"To who?"

"To whom."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Is it to Teddy?"

I feel my face flush. "No," I reply hastily. "Why would I be writing to him?"

Dominique gives up trying to sneak a peek and plonks herself down in the squashy arm chair opposite me. "Rose, what's going on?"

"What do you mean? Nothing's going on. I'm fine."

"Well you don't look fine. Why are you going red?"

Goddamn ginger genes.

She scrutinises me with her piercing blue eyes. "Did something happen between you and Teddy?"

I sharply intake a breath. "No."

"Because I saw your face at New Years. I'm not a complete idiot, you know, despite what you think of me."

"I don't think you're an idiot."

Dominique shakes her head. "Don't change the subject."

"I'm not."

"You know they broke up, right?" she says.

"Yes," I say quietly.

"Well all I wanted to say was I'd much rather have you as a sister than Victoire. And I think you're good for Teddy, more than she ever was."

Now my face is really red.

"I don't know-"

"Oh, don't play dumb with me," Dominique snaps. She gets up to leave. "If you like him, then just go for it. Fleur's going to hate you, and so will Victoire, but whatever, you'll have me on your side. I just wanted you to know that."

I'm speechless. This is spiralling into way, way too much drama. My poor neurotic brain cannot deal with this.

"Er… Thanks," is all I say. Then I mentally curse myself; that's pretty much admitting that something did happen between Teddy and I, and that I'm going to 'go for it'.

Dominique nods, and her expression is so serious I would've laughed had it not been for my racing heart and sweaty palms.

After she leaves I slouch back into my seat. I replay the words in my head: 'Fleur's going to hate you', 'so will Victoire'. But they're not the only ones. My whole family is going to hate me.

Staring into the fireplace, I can feel the stress building like a pressure in my chest. I know I have to get out of here and get some air. Only the Terrible Three are in the dorms when I go in to grab my coat (I think Melody's meditating in the Astronomy Tower or something). They barely spare a glance my way when I barge in and storm out again.

Being prefect has its perks; no one questions why I'm out of the Gryffindor common room after hours. I walk speedily down the Entrance Hall and for the second time that night I make my way down to the greenhouses. I head to my usual spot behind Greenhouse 3, an abandoned, dilapidated building full of overgrown weeds. But there's already someone there. Smoking.

Guess who?

"What're you doing here?" I ask angrily.

Scorpius exhales a plume of smoke at me. He doesn't say a word. Prick.

"This is my spot," I tell him. I sound like a right baby but I don't care.

"I don't see your name anywhere," is his equally juvenile reply.

"It's always been my spot. Find your own place."

He stands up straighter, making the height difference between us even more apparent. "Suppose I make this my place."

"Suppose I scorch your eyebrows off?"

"You wouldn't dare."

I'm holding my wand now. "Try me."

Scorpius scoffs. "You're mental."

This is about the two hundred and fifty-fourth time I've heard that during my years at Hogwarts (not that I'm counting), but it still hurts. "You're a prat," I retort.

"What did you come here for, anyway?" asks Scorpius.

I hesitate. "To meditate."

Scorpius looks doubtful. "Whatever."

He takes a drag of his cigarette, and I have a sudden urge to blast it out of his hand.

"Fag?" he says, holding out a carton half full of them.

"No."

He shrugs and continues smoking. I'm standing with my arms crossed, not quite facing him straight on. I look out further over the grounds towards the Forbidden Forest, thinking of where else I can be alone. There aren't that many places that aren't in direct line of sight of the castle.

"How was detention?" Scorpius asks.

"Alright. No thanks to James."

"That was James?"

Oops.

"Er… No. I dont know. Maybe."

I am such an egg.

"Calm down, I'm not going to tell anyone."

I grind my teeth. I hate it when people tell me to calm down. "I don't know who it was, but I got the blame for it. I swear Addison hates me."

"She's fit," he says.

"She's old."

Scorpius shrugs. "Even better."

Ugh.

"Rose?"

I look away from the forest to see Scorpius staring at me intently. The colour of his eyes are hard to see in the dark, but suddenly the image of those stormy grey eyes close to mine on the last patrol we did comes to mind, and my knees go weak.

"Yeah?"

Scorpius throws the glowing cigarette butt into the dirt and steps closer to me. "Are you and Teddy-" he begins, and I almost scream in frustration. Everyone seems to be obsessing over Teddy more than I am (that's a lie, he's been on my mind constantly ever since New Years, but at least I don't have to hear his name out loud when it's all in my head).

"Nothing," I say firmly, cutting him off.

"So what the hell was that?"

"None of your business," I tell him.

"It kinda is."

"Excuse me?" I say, shocked.

"I snogged you first."

It takes my brain a while to process this.

"So- What- You- You own me now?" I manage to get out.

Scorpius looks down at the grey slush of snow near his feet. Then he looks up at me, and my annoyance spikes at the smirk he is wearing.

"Are you jealous?" I say.

His face instantly snaps into a scowl. "No. Why would I be jealous?"

"You snogged me because you feel… something… for me, and now you're jealous."

It's something I've been pondering for a while, but never really had the guts to tell anyone. Or myself. After all, who would ever fancy crazy Rose Weasley?

His face is stony when he says, "I snogged you because you were available and I felt like a snog."

Ouch, never mind. Now it's my turn to scowl. "Whatever, Malfoy. I'm going. Do not tell anyone about Teddy."

I turn to leave. This conversation is getting way too similar to our last one at Potter Manor.

"Rose," Scorpius calls as I begin the walk back, hurt and humiliated.

I ignore him.

"Rose!"

He grabs my arm, and I whip around.

"What?"

"Teddy Lupin is a tosser. He's just using you."

I rip my arm out of his grip. "And you're a hypocrite. Stay out of this."

I turn around and march away from him once again, his words ringing in my ears.

Merry Christmas everyone!

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