It was like everything that Rose had studied so hard had evaporated. She couldn't reach her wand, and even if she could have, there wasn't a single spell that came to her mind. Instead, a thumping red panic was pulsing through her, blocking the part of her that vowed to stick to rational thought. She had to get out.

The misty light was too grey to see through or past. Rose could make out nothing more than shadows beyond the foggy screen that had formed a seamless bubble around her.

Suddenly, the case of light shattered. Rose landed squarely on her feet, knees nearly buckling under her sudden weight.

The room around her was full of female students. One pointed her wanted Rose, but her mouth was pressed shut in a firm line. Scorpius had a firm grip on one of the others, with his wand under her pointed chin.

There was a moment where no one moved. Then, slowly, the girls lowered their wands. Scorpius glanced around the room, his eyes electric and alert. He released the girl whom he had grabbed, but his wand remained pointed at the others.

"Scorpius," said Rose, forcing herself to sound calm. "Scorpius, relax."

Two girls popped their heads out from a stall on the side of the room. One was dark skinned with straight black hair cut in a short bob. The other was fair and blonde, wearing a blue bow in her hair.

"Play nice, now," said the blonde to the other girls. "No need to scare away our first customers."

"If they're customers," said the darker girl. "Mindel, you handle this. I wanna keep working."

The blonde girl hopped out of the toilet stall and approached Rose and Scorpius. Scorpius took a step forward and Rose pulled out her wand, heart still beating erratically.

"I'm Mindel," said the girl as she stuck out her hand, unperturbed by the wand pointed at her. "Ravenclaw, year five. You're Rose Weasley, aren't you?"

Rose hesitated, then put her wand back in her pocket. "Yes," she said tentatively. "Yes, I am."

"I know your friend Lorcan," explained Mindel. "Could take my spot on the Gobstones team if he wanted to, but he doesn't."

"Sorry to be rude," said Scorpius sharply. "But I think you owe us an explanation."

"Of course!" cried Mindel. "Everyone, this is Rose Weasley and her friend Scorpius Malfoy. Rose, Scorpius, these are the ladies of Enchanting Enhancements."

"Leave introductions to later!" called a voice from the stall. "Find out why they're here!"

Mindel sighed. "That's Riss," she said quietly. "Don't mind her, she's just a bit crabby."

"Someone attacked Rose when we came in," said Scorpius flatly.

"Oh dear!" cried Mindel. "One of the girls must've gotten spooked, is all. We didn't expect anyone on the first day of classes. We're hardly prepared for customers so soon!"

Rose was able to give the room her full attention now that the apparent danger had passed. It looked like any of the other bathrooms in Hogwarts, except for an assortment of crates scattered around the room. A few girls, who had not stopped working when Rose and Scorpius had entered, were pulling handfulls of small velvet bags out of one crate.

"But you notice our merchandise!" said Mindel exuberantly. "Come, let me give you a tour."

"A tour of what exactly?" asked Rose.

At a glance from Mindel, the other girls leapt into motion. Some began to unpack more boxes, while others sorted the velvet bags into piles.

"This is the headquarters of Enchanting Enhancements," said Mindel regally, spreading an arm out to encompass the room. "We offer an array of supplements and other herbal enhancers for the harried Hogwarts student. Riss over there is in charge of our special potions department-"

"Mindel, the daisy roots!" called Riss from her spot in the stall. Rose now understood the stalls; the girls were using them to brew potions.

Mindel pointed one of the other girls, who immediately dropped the bag she was holding and grabbed another. "To Riss," said Mindel curtly. The girl hurried to the stall Riss was using and handed the bag through the door.

"We're a modest company," continued Mindel, "but don't let our size fool you. We have a promising year ahead of us."

Rose picked up a velvet bag, loosening the drawstring top. "Who do you cater to?" she asked, prodding the powder within the bag with with her finger.

"Oh, the general population," said Mindel vaguely. "There will be plenty of frantic O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. level students to keep us afloat. We have something that appeals to everyone, from the socially-awkward first year to the seventh-year pulling one last all-night study session."

Scorpius went to examine another stack boxes, but Mindel set her wand on top of it casually.

"These are some of our more... expensive pieces," she said brightly. Her wand was still on the box. "They mustn't be toyed with. Please, let us continue."

Scorpius narrowed his eyes fractionally, but Rose pulled him along.

"As you can tell, our premises is still being worked on," said Mindel. As she spoke, one of the other girls levitated a sponge to begin scrubbing a window. "We should be officially open for business very shortly, so make sure to tell your friends-"

"Mindel!" snapped Riss from the stall. "Aren't you done yet?"

"Just a minute, Riss," said Mindel patiently. "I haven't asked her yet."

"Asked me what?" said Rose.

"Well," said Mindel, leaning close and speaking in a confidential tone. "We're looking for one last girl to join our team. You see, seven is a wonderful number, but Riss is the only strong potion-maker among us. You're good with potions, are you not?"

Rose was taken aback. "I - I suppose," she said uncertainly. "And that's very nice-"

"The position pays well, of course," added Mindel with a conspiratorial wink. "We made a tidy profit last year, and now that we've expanded, it's only going to get better."

Scorpius beat Rose to her next question. "Where's Moaning Myrtle?" he said.

Mindel's eyes hardened. "Oh, she's around," she said, her voice still light. "She doesn't mind what we do as long as she gets to laugh at some the customers. Personally, I think she likes the idea of having some company. So, what do you think?"

"Thank you for thinking of me," said Rose slowly, "but I don't think I can add anything else to my schedule. I have too much work with my classes as it is, and now the dragons."

Mindel sighed. "I knew you would say that," she muttered. Her complexion brightened as she forced on a cheerful smile. "Well, that's quite understandable. You're welcome to come back anytime, even as just a customer. Riss can whip you up any potion you need. We take orders well in advance, so even if you need something that requires significant brewing time, she'll make it happen."

"Thank you," said Rose politely as Mindel walk them to the door. "Good luck with your... business."

Cordial as she was, Mindel suddenly seemed in a hurry for them to leave. Rose and Scorpius found the door closing only inches behind them.

"That was... unexpected," said Rose as she bent down to collect the books she and Scorpius had left in the hall.

Scorpius only seemed to fully relax once they started down the corridor away from Enchanting Enhancements. He finally pocketed his wand and flexed his hands.

"Odd is what I would call it," said Scorpius, glancing back at the door. "How does McGonagall not know about them?"

"No one likes to disturb Moaning Myrtle," said Rose. "As long as they're not painfully obvious, McGonagall may never know."

Rose didn't remember her plan to visit Professor Evariste until they were entering the Great Hall. She decided that her question could wait. There was only five minutes left in which to eat, and she definitely needed something in her stomach before Potions. She gulped down a cup of water and had just finished buttering a roll when the bell rang. She ate it on her way down to the dungeons, being sure to brush the crumbs off her robes before entering Professor Slughorn's classroom.

It wasn't until she sat down that she realized that Albus hadn't been at lunch. He wasn't in his usual seat beside her either.

"Where's Albus?" she asked Scorpius, who had just slid into the room, glancing around to see if he was late.

He shrugged. "Figured he was with you," he said. "Great Hall still?"

"No," said Rose, "he wasn't there."

Albus darted into the room just as the bell rang. Professor Slughorn, already standing, raised a brow at him.

"Lateness is not tolerated, Mister Potter," he said, a dark overtone to his jovial voice. "Do you have a note?"

Albus hesitated, then handed his professor a small piece of parchment. Slughorn stared at it for a moment, then began to laugh heartily.

"This here is something," he's chuckled. "I'll let you go for pure cheek. Get to your seat."

Rose pushed out a stool for Albus, who fell into it gratefully.

"Who was that note from?" asked Rose quietly, but Albus shook his head.

"Not now," he hissed, a faint blush rising up his cheeks. "Later."

It was another painful lesson spent going over what they had learned the year before. Rose had been hoping to start something new, but that would have to wait until the next class. She forced herself to pay attention as Professor Slughorn reviewed things she already knew, though she was tempted to try and get answers out of Albus. Miraculously, she kept her mouth shut until the bell rang again.

"You were late," she chided him. "Who was your note from?"

Red flew up his cheeks. "No one," he muttered, not meeting Roses eyes.

Rose raised a brow. "Albus Severus Potter," she said firmly, "you tell me who that note was from."

Scorpius whistled. "Who knew she had it in her?" he said, ignoring Rose's glare.

"Fine," huffed Albus. "I skipped lunch so that I could... so I could practice." He looked at the floor, clearly embarrassed.

"Practice?" asked Rose, lost. "For what?"

Scorpius' face lit with a grin. "Conditions good?" he asked excitedly. "I'm going out after dinner tonight. You in?"

The pieces fell together and Roses head. "Quidditch," she groaned, "always Quidditch. When are tryouts?"

"Thursday," said Albus as Scorpius said, "Friday."

"Gryffindor and Ravenclaw are on Thursday," explained Albus.

"Yeah, and we share with Hufflepuff on Friday," continued Scorpius. "Rose, you should go to tryouts with us. I hear they're fun."

"I heard they're terrifying," groaned Albus. "I am completely unprepared-"

"You flew every day this past summer," retorted Rose. "Really, you'll be fine."

Albus' attitude held up through dinner. Food seemed the only thing that could silence him, and even then, he would occasionally sit down his fork and drop his head into his head.

Rose scratched an itch her hand as Albus buried his head for the third time. "Don't sulk," she said, trying to be firm with him. "You have to have energy to fly more later, right?"

"She has a point," said James. "We all need our strength."

"You have nothing to worry about," said Rose, itching her hand again. "You're already on the team, remember?"

"Cameron would replace me in an instant if someone better came along," said James darkly. "Opal's the one who took me on a temporary last year, remember? I'm just lucky that bloke never came back to school or I'd be toast."

"Rose, your hand," said Lysander suddenly, grabbing her arm.

Rose looked down and saw had nearly scratched herself raw. Her hand was covered with rough, red splotches that stretched up from her fingers to her wrist.

"What did you do?" asked James, making a face. "It looks all diseased."

"I don't have a clue," said Rose slowly, examining her hand gingerly. "It wasn't like this before."

"I mean, yeah," said James, "we would have noticed if your hand looked like it was gonna fall off."

"You should go to Madam Chang's after dinner," suggested Lysander.

"Yeah," agreed Albus. "Do you want me to come?"

"I'll be fine," said Rose, "you go fly with Scorpius. Or James," she said, seeing James' glare. "Whatever the plan is."

Twenty minutes later, Madam Chang examined the spots on Roses hand, holding it gingerly. "You're having an allergic reaction," she said gently. "Probably an ingredient in Potions or a plant in Herbology. I see this a lot. Here, I have some ointment for the spots."

The light blue lotion stung a bit when it touched Roses skin, but when Madam Chang wiped it off, the rash was gone.

"Be more careful, dear," she advised Rose. "Perhaps try wearing dragonskin gloves during your classes. Professor Longbottom probably has some extras in the greenhouse."

Rose nodded agreeably, but secretly declined. Writing notes and handling ingredients would be a nightmare through the thick gloves. Besides, she hadn't even had Herbology yet, so it had to have been something in the Potions classroom.

As the week drew on, Albus became progressively less confident about his flying abilities. By the time Thursday morning arrived, he had himself convinced that the entire Quidditch pitch would fall to pieces if he so much as touched a broom.

"It's going to be humiliating," he moaned over lunch. "There's only one Chaser spot open, and it'll go to someone older. And better."

"Don't think that way," said Rose soothingly. "You don't know what Cameron's looking for. Anyway, he did ask you to come and try out, remember?"

That seemed to be the only thought to relax Albus as the day wore on. He was jittery in all of his classes; Rose took to kicking him under the table to make him stop shaking the desk and messing up her notes.

Finally, it was time for dinner. Pale and shaking, Albus picked at his food for a few minutes, then pushed the plate away.

"I'm too nauseous to eat," he groaned when Rose shot him a reproachful look. "If I eat, I'll be sick all over the field. Flying, full stomach, no good."

"Don't be so nervous," said James, patting his brother's arm. "Cameron's a pretty cool bloke. I'm glad he replaced Opal when she left. I'm sure he'll like you."

Though Rose would have preferred to stretch out in the common room and read one of the books she had taken out about dragons, she had agreed to come and watch tryouts. Albus had smiled gratefully when she said yes, so she couldn't back out now. Lysander was also coming for moral support and was trying to explain to James the paper Professor Slughorn had assigned that afternoon.

"Don't think about it right now," Lysander finally sighed, "just concentrate on flying well, alright?"

Albus made a choking sound as he and Rose stepped onto the field. "All of these people?" he said.

James seemed unconcerned with the turnout. "Don't lean on your broom like that," he told Albus, who had been supporting all of his weight on his Astro. "You'll bust it up before you even get in the air. Anyway, half these people don't have brooms, they're here to watch. Don't look scared, you've gotta at least pretend to be confident, okay?"

When Cameron Thornton appeared on the pitch, Rose took it as her cue to go sit in the stands. She sat in the bottom row and called encouragements to Albus, whose face had gone completely white.

"Do you think he'll actually pass out?" asked Lysander quietly, sitting beside her.

Rose groaned at the thought.

"We have quite a turnout!" called Cameron, quieting the crowd. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Cameron Thornton, newly-appointed captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, where I play as Beater."

He went on to introduce Dominique, who was the team's Keeper, and then the rest of the returning players, including James. At least his position on the team seemed to be secure. Perhaps no other Seekers had come out to try and snag the position.

A golden blonde head poked around the corner. Louis Weasley hopped onto the stands and slid over to sit next to Rose.

"Long time, no see," he remarked, setting his bag down. "Here to cheer Al on?"

Rose nodded. "How come you're not down there?" she asked. The current team was standing behind Cameron as he separated the others into small groups.

Louis' face soured. "My marks last year weren't great," he explained. "Mum convinced Dad that I had to concentrate on studying, especially with O.W.L.s coming up and all."

"So no Quidditch?" asked Rose.

"No Quidditch," said Louis. "If I do well on my O.W.L.s, they say they might let me go back out for the team next year."

"That's good, then," said Rose, but Louis didn't look too optimistic.

Cameron had divided the Gryffindors into a few groups. Each group flew laps around the pitch, then landed so the next group could take flight. Rose had expected something a bit more action-packed. Or at least, something less dull.

"Are they actually going to play?" asked Rose as she and Louis watched Albus' group fly. Albus was easily the best one in the sky. Two of the girls appear to have never flown before, and one of the boys did a series of accidental loops before shakily righting himself.

"Soon," said Louis, smiling fondly. "When the winds howling in your ears and twisting in your hair... nothing else matters. You forget about schoolwork you haven't done, rows you've had... all of it doesn't matter what you have that bat in your hand and the ball comes whipping towards your head."

The intensity with which he spoke of the sport shocked Rose. She had never heard him take anything seriously before.

Albus' group was the last to fly. Cameron took a moment to address the group as a whole before he began to pick people out of the crowd. Those people began the downtrodden walk back to the castle.

Rose crossed her fingers, but Albus was not among those eliminated. A few of the students cut, including the two girls from Albus' group, joined the crowd in the stands to watch the rest of tryouts. The remaining students were split into two teams.

"Now he sees how they work as a team," Louis told Rose. "They've gotta work well with the others, you know?"

"What positions does he need to fill?" asked Rose.

Louis thought for a moment. "Well, he needs to replace me as a Beater," he said, "and he has the other spot. James is Seeker, Dominique is Keeper… So with Mink still on the team, he really only needs two Chasers."

Hopefully Albus had realized by now that there were more open spots than he had originally thought. He certainly didn't seem nervous anymore as he zipped around overhead.

Cameron switched some of the players around three times before allowing them all to land. Rose watched as he dismissed the whole group. Most began meandering back towards the castle, while others headed for the stands. Across the pitch, the Ravenclaw team was preparing to start their tryouts. Albus was still on the pitch, chatting animatedly with Cameron. Louis stood and stretched, tipping his head back so his golden hair brushed the tops of his shoulders.

"I'm heading in," he told Rose, looking a bit drowsy. "I have some things to do. See you later."

Lysander grabbed his bag and followed Louis back towards the castle, looking relieved. Rose could tell from how he had been talking about his Potions essay that he would have much rather been starting on it than watching Quidditch.

Rose packed her bag—she had brought her first Transfiguration assignment to work on, but she hadn't gotten a chance to look at it. She hoped that Albus would finish his conversation soon so they could return to the common room.

By the time Rose had descended from the stands, Albus had wrapped things up with Cameron and was headed her way. He was grinning broadly and there was a spring in his step.

"How did it look?" he asked eagerly. "How were the others? What do you think?"

"I think you did great," said Rose as they started the climb back to the castle. "You didn't drop the Quaffle, and most of the others did at some point. So that's gotta be good, right?"

Albus laughed, and all of the pent-up stress dissipated into the evening air. He hummed tunelessly until they reached the common room, where James was waiting.

"Nice job today, Al," he said, patting his brother on the shoulder and grinning proudly. "List goes up tomorrow!"

"Wouldn't it be great to make it on the team?" asked Albus excitedly. "Then maybe next year, we can get Lily and Hugo on too."

"There aren't enough of spots on the team for everyone," chided James.

Albus and James were too busy arguing logistics of filling the Gryffindor Quidditch team with Weasleys and Potters to notice Rose sneak away towards the girls' staircase. Lysander offered her a smile and a thumbs-up before she slid away towards the comfort of her bed. She could work on her Transfiguration just as well from there.