A/N: I am REALLY sorry for the lack of update. I've been busy with my assignments and whatnots. Anyway for this chapter, I'd like to thank Kathy T for the idea. Hope you readers enjoy this!

Disclaimer: Only the plot belongs to me.

CHAPTER 18

The library that night was full of second year students because there was a test coming up on the next day for them. Scorpius had already finished studying a couple of days ago, courtesy of Rose. So he was relieved that he didn't have to go around the area to look for an empty seat and study. He had had enough of the history of how magic was 10 years ago (I already have my parents who could tell me all about it). He needed a breather.

Scorpius sighed. Breather, my foot. I still have to go around the library to look for that blasted book for that blasted homework. He looked up at the tall bookshelves in front of him. His eyes were wandering from the top right-hand corner, to the bottom. He didn't even blink as he thought he might miss it.

Having finished scanning the fifteenth bookshelf that night, he let out a deep breath and turned around to find himself staring at the sixteenth bookshelf. As his eyes checked the unending stacks of books, he felt his back being tapped. Somehow glad to be distracted, he turned around.

"Hey, I found the book," Albus said in a low voice, the book on his hands.

"Great. Where'd you find it?"

"Someone left it on the table," he answered. "Come on, let's go."

Together, they went out of the full library. Once they're outside, Scorpius let out a breath as he felt relieved to leave the area just now. There were so many students that it suffocated him (especially the body odour).

"I wonder why they didn't cast a spell to get rid of the awful smell."

Scorpius smirked. "Maybe they're all used to it." He turned to face his best friend. "Their noses are already adjusted to the smell."

Albus chuckled. "That's possible. Now I think we have to thank Rose for asking us to study earlier with her."

The blond boy nodded. "It'll be the first that we thank her for that, won't it?"

After a few turns and stairs, they reached their destination. Still laughing, they said the password to the Fat Lady who let them in and went in to the Common Room where there were only a few students around. Most were probably in the library studying for their tests, some were in their dorms, and the others in the Great Hall having dinner.

Albus ran to his favourite sofa and immediately made himself comfortable by lying on it. "Common Room has never been this empty, unless it's after midnight." He then stretched his limbs out like a cat with a lazy smile plastered on his face. "I felt like sleeping here."

"Please no," said Scorpius, taking a seat on the ground near the small table. "We have a lot to do for the homework." He then picked up the book Albus had carelessly thrown to the table. He started flipping through the pages. "And I'm not so sure whether this book can really help us or not."

Albus reluctantly got up. "We can always Rose for help."

"Nah, I met her before we went to the library just now. And she actually threatened me not to ask her anything," he mumbled. His hand was still busy flipping the pages. "Unless you want her to hex you, I suggest we ask someone else or do it ourselves."

Albus sighed and took a seat next to Scorpius. "But she's the smartest around." He paused with a frown on his face. "Well, we can also ask the professors. But will they help us?"

Feeling a bit tired, Scorpius yawned. "They will if we ask them nicely. But we'd better ask them tomorrow. It's too late now," he said, before he let out a long sigh. "Why can I not find anything related to our homework?"

The brown-haired boy rested his right cheek on his crossed arms on the table. "Should we ask James? I'm sure he at least knows a bit about this."

"Won't he ask for something in return?" Scorpius mumbled. As he turned over a page, his eyes fell to a heading titled 'Everlasting Rose.' He muttered the title, causing his friend to look up and read it too.

"'Everlasting Rose'? I think I've heard of it before," mumbled Albus, who then fell into silence as he seemed to remember where he had once come across the two words.

Meanwhile, Scorpius busied himself with reading the few paragraphs about the rose. The more he read, the more he became interested in trying to make one. The spell was easy to be uttered, but the wand movement looked quite difficult, judging by the moving picture in front of him. As he was about to retrieve his wand for practice, Albus shouted, surprising the few people around.

"I remember," he mumbled with a grin on his face. "Aunt Hermione used to tell us these Muggle stories when we were little. One of them was called 'Beauty and the Beast' where the Beast had this rose that doesn't … oh wait." Albus suddenly stopped talking and tilted his head slightly to the left. He looked away for a few seconds before coming back to look at his friend. "It's not actually everlasting. The rose had this spell where the petals fell one by one slowly."

Scorpius blinked. "What's your point then?"

"My point is: why don't you make one of these 'Everlasting Roses'? Rather than casting a spell to make the petals fall one by one, why don't you make it in a way that the rose won't die?" Albus made a suggestion. "Once you've perfected it, you can give it to Rose. The flower you got her a few months ago must be dead already. Unless she cast a spell so it wouldn't die."

"What if she did? What's the point of me giving an 'Everlasting Rose' if she already has one?"

Albus placed his arm around Scorpius' shoulder. "It's the thought that counts, isn't it? She can't possibly chuck the rose anyway. She fancies you."

Scorpius' face turned red at the words said by his friend. He cleared his throat and looked at him. "Then, will you help me? The wand movement is kind of complicated." After he got a nod and a pat on his back, Scorpius continued, "And if you can do it first, I'd send your rose to her."

"What?" Albus said, incredulously. "You can't be serious. That's not right. She has to receive a rose from you, not me. If she gets my rose, wouldn't it mean that she accepts my feelings?"

The blond friend nodded slowly as he came to a realisation.

"She's my cousin, Scor. I love her, yes. But I don't love her like you do," he said, causing Scorpius to blush even more. Albus grinned. "Just believe in your love towards her. I'm sure you can do it. You might even find the spell as easy as answering an exam."

Feeling embarrassed, Scorpius shoved his friend none too gently.

"Both of your voices are so loud, I could hear it from my room upstairs."

Albus and Scorpius looked up at the owner of the newcomer's voice. It was James who was standing on the stairs, his right hand scratching his head.

"Why are you two still here anyway?" James asked before he yawned. He then started towards the sofa before cuddling like a baby. "It's quite late."

"Speak for yourself; why are you here all of the sudden?" Albus retorted. "Weren't you sleeping just now?"

James stretched out his limbs. "I wasn't. I was actually doing my homework for tomorrow," he answered. He turned his face to the left, looking at his friend and brother. "Was going to sleep after I finished, but I heard your voices. So I came down. What were you two talking about?"

"Remember 'Beauty and the Beast'? There was this rose the old lady put a spell on, right?" Without waiting for a response from his brother, Albus took the book on table and showed it to him where the 'Everlasting Rose' picture was shown. "The one on the book is similar; it's just eternal. So why not Scorpius learn how to make one and give it to Rose as the next gift?"

The older boy nodded his head as his eyes scanned the words and picture in front of him. "Not bad of an idea, Al." He looked up to face Scorpius. "You haven't given anything as a secret admirer for a while. This is the perfect time to do so." He then gave him a wide grin.

"The only problem is the wand movement." It was Scorpius' turn to open his mouth to share his opinion. "It's probably the most complex one I've ever seen."

James' grin got even wider, if possible. He suddenly got up from his position and slid down the sofa to sit on the ground next to his brother. "Lucky for you, I know someone who knows how to do this."

"Who?" Both Albus and Scorpius asked simultaneously.

Instead of answering, James pointed his thumb to himself with the widest grin Scorpius had ever seen on people's faces. "It was for some homework last year. Not many people succeeded, but yours truly," once again pointing at himself, "got a bit help from Aunt Hermione and as a result, I got an E!" He dramatically looked away with this proud look, before looking back again. "She was a bit disappointed but it was higher than I first thought."

Scorpius wasn't convinced because James was the type of person who liked to joke around about something related to studies. Not to mention, the grin on his friend's face. He looked like he wasn't telling the truth about him getting an E in making an 'Everlasting Rose'.

"But how come I don't know anything about this?" asked Albus to his brother.

"Because I asked Aunt Hermione to keep it a secret between the two of us. If Mum knew, she'd probably kill me for asking someone, especially her sister in law, to help me," answered James. "Aunt Hermione didn't want to help me at first, because she said I should do it myself since it's my homework. But in the end, she did as she saw how horrible I was back then."

"Then, show us," said Scorpius. "I'll conjure up a rose and you'll make it everlasting."

James smirked. "Okay. But let me read the book again. I forgot how to do it."

After a few flicks of the wands and a couple of spells from both friends, the red rose that flew from outside the window had turned slightly pink and emitted a bright glowing light. They were in awe at the flower in front of them. James was included because he was certain that he would get it wrong after a year had passed since he last made it.

"James, this is … wow," Albus whispered an incomplete sentence as he was still absorbed in the rose. "I … this is …"

Scorpius picked up the rose slowly as he thought it was fragile. "What he said." It was his turn to say a non-understandable sentence. "Wow," he mumbled as he turned the rose around on his hand.

"I'm also surprised. Didn't expect it to be this perfect." Only James was able to speak properly. "The colour and the light are the only things that show that the spell worked. Oh," he then took the flower from Scorpius who immediately looked like a kid whose sweet was stolen, "and you can't exactly peel the petals." James surprised the rest of them by trying very hard to rip off the petals.

"Wait, wait, wait!" exclaimed Scorpius, taking back the flower. "What the bloody hell were you trying to do? This rose is so perfect, I can give this to her now."

James smiled as he saw how ridiculous his friend was being. "Okay, first of all: this rose is everlasting. It won't die even if you chop off the stem." His smile was even wider when both Albus and Scorpius' eyes widened. "Second of all: you have to make your own 'Everlasting Rose'. So you'll feel accomplished and even more proud of yourself for being able to make one."

Scorpius sighed. "I know, but I –"

"Come on. If I can do it, why can't you?"

"Yeah, you're smarter than him anyway," said Albus, earning him a shove from his older brother.

"I'll help you, mate," James offered his help. "Or, you want Aunt Hermione to?"

It was Scorpius' turn to shove James who was just laughing at the antics.

"It's actually quite easy. You just have to watch out for your wand movement. Once you perfect it, your rose would look like the one in the picture," said James who then showed him the picture on the book.

"Wait," Scorpius mumbled before looking up at James. "If that's the case, I would need a lot of roses. Where would I find those? I can't exactly take a whole bouquet of them. People would notice."

"Maybe we can practise on wild flowers," suggested Albus.

James shook his head. "Nah, this spell only works on roses. You know what; you just worry about the wand movement. Finding the rose is the easy part."

That night, both Albus and Scorpius ended up practising for the wand movement. They forgot everything about the homework they were supposed to do. Thankfully it wasn't due on the next morning, or they'd be having a detention from the Professor.

Unfortunately, little did they know, Dominique was there the whole time listening to the conversation between the three best friends. She couldn't help but smile as she knew exactly what the next gift from the Secret Admirer to Rose was.

A/N: At first, I thought the rose in Beauty and the Beast was everlasting. Then I remember the petals eventually fell one by one. That's why I made Albus like that when he remembered what his Aunt Hermione used to do to them. Anyway thank you for reading. Don't forget to review. Til next time..