"All aboard the train, dears! Come now, follow me!"

Rose ducked away from the window she had been hanging out of. Her hair was windblown and tangled. She tied it up in a knot as she went to find Albus.

The days preceding Christmas vacation had been hectic. Rose had never had such a difficult time packing. Last year had been easier, staying at the castle. She couldn't figure out what to bring home for such a short stay. After two days spent packing and unpacking and packing again, Tia finally told Rose to sit on the bed and stop trying to figure it out. So Rose was now going home with only the things that Tia had chosen for her. Her bag was light, which both pleased and worried her.

Albus and Scorpius were waiting in the compartment when Rose arrived. They both looked as if they had had a sleepless night.

"That storm was killer," said Albus as Rose closed the compartment door. "I kept thinking someone was slamming into our window."

"I wouldn't have heard it from the dungeons," groaned Scorpius, "but no. Lisatt had us out flying."

"In that weather?" said Rose, genuinely surprised. The previous night's storm had deposited a thick layer of snow on the castle grounds. She too had heard the strong winds howling as she retired to bed, and they did not subside until the early hours of the morning.

Scorpius nodded miserably. "Lisatt figured we might as well take the time that Cameron wasn't using. She tried to rope me into staying over break, but I told her I had plans with my father."

"Bet she loved that!" laughed Albus.

"Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head," said Scorpius mildly, "but she didn't mention it again."

The compartment door slid open. A stack of books floated in, followed directly by Lorcan and Lysander. Once the door was closed, the books tumbled to the floor.

"James has detention again," announced Lysander wearily. "Slughorn found him and Louis playing with a book of curses in the hall."

Rose's eyebrows shot up. "A book of curses?" she repeated uneasily. "Really?"

Lorcan nodded. "Slughorn thinks they nicked it from the Restricted Section of the library," he said, his voice light and casual.

Rose shook her head. "Those two will get themselves expelled before the year is out," she grumbled.

The ride back to King's Cross station was subdued. The train flew over snow-covered hills and white trenches. When it pulled into the station, Rose found herself waking from a dazed, dream-like stupor.

Students were sent through the magical brick barricade in groups of two and three. Rose pushed her trolley through with Albus and Scorpius flanking her. Together, they dove into the Muggle world.

The station was full of bustling parents seeking out their children. Rose had expected it to be less crammed than at the start of term, but she hadn't taken into account that the holidays meant more traffic. Scorpius looked around, his face a mixture of awe and confusion. Part of Rose's brain registered that it might be his first time in a non-magical community.

Rose spotted her mother standing by a pillar. "Mum's over there," she said, pointing Hermione out to Scorpius. "Albus, will you be alright finding Aunt Ginny?"

"I'll be good," said Albus. "See you all on the Grange, okay?"

"What's the Grange?" asked Scorpius as Albus went to find his mother.

"You'll see," said Rose. "C'mon, let's go say hi to my mum."

Hermione hugged her daughter tightly. "Hello, Rosie," she said warmly. "And Scorpius! I'm glad you decided to spend the holidays with us."

"Rose didn't give me much of a choice about it, Mrs. Weasley," said Scorpius with a shy grin.

Having greeted her mother, Rose was able to examine her. "Why are you still in your work robes?" she asked, tilting her head at her mother's plum robes. "Are we going to see Dad at the Ministry?" Personally, she didn't think that having a confrontation between her father and Scorpius was a good plan, especially while at the Ministry.

"No," said Hermione, "he's at home with Hugo. I got called into the office last minute, even though I told everyone that I was going to be fetching you from the station. Anyway, we just need to pop back there are grab a few things I left."

"Let's go, then," said Rose. "Albus and James are going to beat us home."

"Not if James has himself in trouble again," said Hermione. Rose turned to see James standing between Professor Slughorn and Aunt Ginny. He looked at the ground glumly as his teacher showed his mum a book.

Hermione looked away. "We'll be off, then?" she said to Rose and Scorpius. "I figured we'd get to one of the travelling rooms and pop on over to the Ministry."

Rose followed her mother as she headed off towards the loo. They passed Lorcan and Lysander, who stood with their mother, faces grave. As Rose passed, she heard a snippet of conversation.

"…and that is how the Humdingers got in the house. Now, we need to focus our energy…"

The rest of the words were lost in the babble of the station. Rose searched the crowd for other familiar faces. There was Tia Marsh with her aunt—Tomasa Kerpbow, a Slytherin girl in Rose's year—Gemma and Genna—

Rose almost tripped over her own feet. She thought for a moment that she might be hallucinating. She hadn't seen the Gemini since the end of her first year, when they were standing in this very train station. But as she stared, the two young faces broke out into grins. Both girls approached her, matching in both their gaits and periwinkle dresses.

"Rose!" cried Gemma with a dazzling smile. "We've missed you—"

"Immensely!"

"—and are glad to see you are well."

"Where have you been?" asked Rose quietly. "I figured I'd see you back at school."

"We were needed elsewhere," explained Genna.

"We've been quite busy!"

"But we should've written-"

"-yes, we should've."

Rose felt a hand on her shoulder. It was her mother, wearing a guarded expression.

"Rose," she said, "more friends from school?"

She was surprised that her mother didn't recognize the pair from their meeting the previous year. "Not exactly," she began, "we-"

"Come, Rose," said Hermione. "I must get back to the Ministry." To the Gemini, she offered a sharp nod. Rose followed her mother, glancing back at the small twin witches. They had their heads together in conversation. Scorpius tilted his head as Hermione guided them through the crowd, but Rose could only shrug in response.

Hermione led the way to a door that read Out of Order. Ignoring the sign, she opened the door and ushered the children through.

The inside of the room was pristine, unlike the ragged, water stained sign leading to it. It was also filled with wizards, most accompanied by Hogwarts students.

"Wicked," breathed Scorpius. "What is it?"

"It's one of the Disapparation Rooms set up by the Ministry," explained Rose, proud she remembered it from one of her books. "It's for witches and wizards in transit, usually with company. Perfect for Side-Along Apparation."

"How do you get to the station for the start of term?" asked Rose curiously.

"Not like this," said Scorpius, shrugging uncomfortably.

Hermione, oblivious to their conversation, led Scorpius and Rose into a golden circle outlined on the tiled floor.

"Ready?" asked Hermione, taking one of each of their hands.

Before Rose could respond, she felt a familiar whoosh of air around her. Her stomach dropped as the scene before her eyes shifted. The elderly wizard she had been watching was replaced by a graying witch in lime green robes.

"The Ministry prefers these rooms for commuting," continued Hermione, acting as if there had been no break in their conversation. "With plenty of people Apparating in and out, we don't want any splinching to occur. Right, then, follow me."

Rose fell into place by her mother's side, matching Hermione's brisk pace. Scorpius followed a step behind, looking around in wonder.

"This place must be huge," he said to Rose furtively. "How does your mum know her way around so well?"

"Years of working here," responded Hermione without turning. With a half-smile, she added, "And excellent hearing."

Scorpius gave Rose a slightly terrified look.

"It's really simple once you're used to it," said Rose reassuringly. "Imagine it like spokes on a wheel. But the wheel is more like a globe. But less round."

A harried-looking wizard approached Hermione. He seemed close to having a mental breakdown. After a moment, Rose recognized him as her mother's assistant, Myers.

"Mrs. Weasley, I'm so glad I found you," he panted, out of breath. "I've been running everywhere—"

"I know, I left my reports in the office," said Hermione apologetically. "You didn't have to bring them to me."

"I didn't want you forgetting," he said, as if the forgotten reports could mean the end of the wizarding community.

"I will bring everything home with me, then," she said, taking the folder Myers clutched. He released it eagerly. "Have a Happy Christmas, Myers."

"Same to you, Mrs. Weasley."

Rose attempted to sneak a peek of the file as Hermione flipped through its contents. Hermione noticed and close the folder with an amused grin.

"You know the rule, Rose," she said gently.

"I can't look through your work folders," grumbled Rose. She knew that her mother needed privacy, and that some things weren't meant for her eyes, but that didn't stop her curiosity from running rampant.

They did not return to the Disapparation Room. Hermione simply grabbed onto Rose and Scorpius' shoulders and closed her eyes. Rose's world shifted once more—the walls of the Ministry seemed to fold inward to become her kitchen.

"We're home!" called Hermione into the house.

Scorpius looked to Rose, worry covering his pale face. "Your dad hates me," he reminded her, as if she had forgotten.

She hardly needed the reminder. "Call him sir," she suggested under her breath. "That should throw him off long enough for us to make our escape."

Scorpius could only manage a weak nod.

Hermione had draped her Ministry robe over a chair, revealing a hand-knit sweater. "Your grandmum is over," she explained to Rose. "You'll be pulling out your old one for dinner tomorrow."

Before Rose could respond, her father entered the room, ducking through an abnormally small doorway. "Can't we just disenchant this thing?" he asked, rubbing the spot on his head that he knocked against the doorframe.

"No," said Hermione firmly. "It's meant to keep bad energy out of the room. Are you surprised it shrunk up on you?"

Ron ignored his wife. Instead, he looked to his daughter. "Rosie's here and I don't get a hug?" he said jokingly. "What have they done to her at that school?"

Laughing, Rose reached up and hugged her father. It was good to see her family after a long stretch at school. Speaking of which—

"Where's Hugo?" she asked, glancing around to see if her was hiding under the large oak table or behind a china case. She had expected him to be the first one to tackle her at the train station.

Ron gave Hermione a significant look and said, "He's up in his room."

Hermione sighed. "Ronald," she said firmly, "you have yet to greet our guest."

Ron looked at the space above Scorpius' head. "Welcome," he said stiffly.

"It's a pleasure to be here, sir," said Scorpius smoothly.

It worked. Ron's brows shot up and he looked directly at Scorpius for a moment. Rose decided to take advantage of her father's surprise.

"We'll be upstairs," she told her parents quickly. She tugged on Scorpius' sleeve, gesturing for him to follow her. "Watch your step," she continued. "The stairs are a bit spunky this time of year."

Spunky was an understatement. The stairs were actually heaps of oddly-formed geometric shapes that shifted as one tried to walk up them. Rose managed well enough—she knew the formations and was able to skip lightly up them. Scorpius was left at the bottom of the stairs, regarding them warily.

"Try to stay on the squares," advised Rose. "Those stay pretty still."

Scorpius made his way up the stairs precariously, judging each step before he took it. Finally, he reached the top.

"Let's introduce you to Hugo," said Rose quickly, leaving Scorpius no time to object to the quirky staircase.

Rose knocked on Hugo's door, and from within, a voice called, "Go away!"

Rose frowned. "I'd better go in first," she told Scorpius. "Just wait out here for a minute, okay?"

Hugo was sitting on his bed, knees curled up to his chest. His fiery read head was propped up on them. Before he even turned, Rose could see the mulish set of his mouth.

"I said—oh, it's just you." Hugo relaxed a bit. "Why're you here?"

"I want to introduce you to one of my friends," said Rose gently. "He's—"

"No!" snapped Hugo, the mulish look returning. "I don't want to meet a Malfoy."

"Mum wouldn't want you to act this way," said Rose, a bit hurt. "Hugo, he's—"

"Just go away," ordered Hugo angrily.

"He's not like that," insisted Rose. "Come on, Hugo, he's my friend."

Hugo did not respond. Chest aching from the unexpected rejection, Rose slipped out of the room.

"I heard," said Scorpius, saving Rose the explanation. "Could I go in for a minute, just to try?"

Rose hesitated, then said, "I don't know how far you'll get. Hugo has a bit of a stubborn streak."

"Just like his sister," said Scorpius with a grin. Retaining the smile, he entered Hugo's room. Unable to contain her curiosity, Rose listened from next to the doorway.

"Hi, Hugo," she heard Scorpius say. "I'm Scorpius." After a moment, he added, "but I guess you already knew that, eh?"

Long moments of silence passed. Scorpius finally broke it with a quiet, "Woah…"

Rose was lost for a moment. Then Hugo said, "Don't touch it," firmly.

"Wouldn't dream of it," replied Scorpius easily. "Is it signed by the whole team?"

Rose suddenly knew what they were looking at. Hugo had an older model broom hanging on his wall—a Firebolt, if she had to guess. Alone it was worthless, but Ron had managed to get it signed by the entire Chudley Cannons team after a game. It was Hugo's prize possession.

"I read about one of their latest games," said Scorpius eagerly. "I was impressed by Lewonski's feint towards the end."

"I wasn't," said Hugo without a moment's hesitation. "If he would have used it sooner in the season, sure. But now?"

"But you have to admit, he has style," said Scorpius. "Do you play?"

"A bit," said Hugo slyly. Rose rolled her eyes; her brother spent most sunlit hours on a broom. "What about you?"

"A bit," repeated Scorpius, his words equally as deceptive. "How about we go convince your sister to fly with us while it's still light out?"

Hugo laughed, the sound boyish and light. "Oh, you won't get her to fly," he said, "not after what happened."

Rose froze, her hand hovering above the doorknob. She hardly wanted to interrupt the budding friendship. But by the same token, she didn't want her brother to embarrass her.

"What happened?" asked Scorpius curiously.

"She didn't tell you?" said Hugo, surprised. "We were at our grandparents' house—the Muggle ones, on our mum's side. Rose was only five, but she had seen Dominique fly before. So she took a broom from the cupboard and snuck out onto the roof."

Rose squeezed her eyes shut. She knew how the story went—she had mounted the Muggle broom and jumped off the roof. Her injuries had been minor, but the event had put a permanent dent in her confidence. It hadn't made sense to her. Why did the broom not carry her? It worked for Dominique and Louis, so why not her as well?

"She refuses to fly to this day," finished Hugo with a sigh. "Makes a bloody good referee, though."

There was silence from Scorpius, then, "C'mon, Hugo. Let's go see if Al and James want to play us."

Rose stepped away from the door a moment before Hugo pulled it open. She forced a smile for him and watched as he flew down the stairs with ease.

Scorpius emerged from the room with a solemn expression. He stared at Rose for a moment, then looked down.

"Sorry," he said simply.

"I've gotten over it, and so should everyone else," said Rose, not meeting his eyes.

It looked like Scorpius was going to continue, but her expression stopped himself before the words escaped his lips. Instead, he simply nodded and turned to the stairs, giving them his complete attention.

Hugo was already out in the snow by the time Rose and Scorpius descended the stairs. Rose swept her wand arm out to encompass the entirety of the expansive field that lay before her and Scorpius.

"This is the Grange," she said to Scorpius, who was clearly in awe. "It keeps the whole family connected. Al and James are straight across, and the twins are just off to the left."

"You all live here?" said Scorpius quietly, looking around. Each house was barely visible across the white expanse, with the Potters' home a mere speck in the distance.

"Not all of us," amended Rose. "Uncle George and Aunt Angelina live in Hogsmeade at the new shop with Roxanne and Fred."

"Fred being the little guy in Hufflepuff?" said Scorpius, clearly trying to keep the Weasley clan straight in his mind.

"Yes," said Rose, "he's the Hufflepuff. Oh, and Uncle Charlie lives in Romania, but he's here for the year."

"The dragon man," said Scorpius with a grin. "I remember Al telling me about him. How come he is not Hogwarts with the riders?"

"Differing opinions," said Rose simply.

Out of nowhere, two broomsticks shot by overhead. Rose caught a glimpse of Albus' black hair on one, and James's messy brown on the other. Finally, the third broom with the tiniest rider: Lily

The Potters circled around and landed in front of Rose, Hugo, and Scorpius. James immediately dismounted and stepped in front of Lily, blocking her completely from view. He narrowed his eyes at Scorpius, and his mouth twisted nastily.

"Hugo and I are going to fly for a bit," said Scorpius, ignoring James and looking to Albus. "You want to come along?"

"I do!" squeaked an eager voice from behind James.

Albus ignored his sister. "Sure, I'll go along," he said. "James and Lily were just heading back to the house."

James shot his brother an angry glare, which Albus ignored. It was clear that James was annoyed over Scorpius' presence, and Rose had a feeling that the anger would not be soon to pass.

"Yeah," sneered James, "we were just leaving. Have fun."

Lily started to object, but James silenced her with a glare. Together, they hopped on their brooms and, and with a reluctant glance over the shoulder from Lily, flew towards their house.

"James is in a good mood," assessed Scorpius calmly. "So, who's up for some Quidditch?"

The next morning started off quietly. Rose woke with the sunrise and went to Hugo's room. Her brother was curled up in bed, which left Scorpius sprawled out on top of a cot.

"Time to wake up, boys," she said, shaking Hugo's arm. "Mum and Dad will be up already, and we need to help."

"Help?" groaned Scorpius, clearly disoriented. His eyes were barely squinted open, letting a bare sliver of light into them. "With what?"

"Food!" cried Rose. "Didn't I explain the way Christmas works around here?"

Scorpius sat up, eyes still bleary. "Happy Christmas?" he moaned. "Presents? Food?"

Hugo offered up a quiet laugh from his bed. "Oh, you have no idea..."

Scorpius groaned and flopped back onto his bed.