The first week of February came with a storm so massive, Cameron had to cancel Quidditch practices. Unfortunately, there was no canceling the impending match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. That weekend, the school slowly emptied as the students and professors made the icy trek down to the pitch, which was engulfed in white.

Rose had tried a few new enchantments to keep herself dry and warm, but what had seemed effective in the castle was rendered useless by the time she reached the stands. Two pairs of hands grabbed Rose and tugged her down onto one of the benches.

"This is a bad idea," echoed Lysander's voice in Rose's ear. She assumed that if it was Lysander on her one side, his twin would be on the other. She didn't hear much else that they said over the course of the game. They would see the occasional flash of scarlet and cheer, knowing that a Gryffindor player was near.

Just as Rose was deciding to return to the castle and wait for news there, there were screams from somewhere close by. A moment later, she saw a familiar face and tangle of brown hair.

"Bloody hell, this game is rubbish!" cried James angrily. It was a testament to how loud he was that Rose could hear him. "How in the name of Merlin I supposed to see the Snitch?"

Suddenly, there was the explosion of a canon. James spun, nearly slipping and falling back onto the bench. Rose got to her feet, as did Lorcan and Lysander. There was the sound of another canon, then a third.

"Students!" called out Professor McGonagall, her amplified voice piercing through the howling winds, "you are all to return to the castle. This Quidditch match has been postponed until after the storm has lifted."

"You can't cancel Quidditch!" howled James, falling to his knees.

After a bit more howling, Rose and Lysander half-carried a waterlogged James back to the common room. The entirety of the Quidditch team, as well as most other students, stood around the fire, dripping on the floor.

"McGonagall just can't do this to us," said Cameron as the team began to dry off. "We were winning!"

"You scored one goal," disagreed Louis, who was lounging in a chair by the blazing fire. His eyelids drooped lazily, and it was clear he had not come out to see the game. "One goal, and Will thought he was on the other end of the pitch."

"You'll have time to make it up," Rose reminded the others, who were still grumbling. "McGonagall said that it was only postponed. Once the snow lifts, you can go out there and finish the game. And remember, your third match is in April. You can make up for lost points then."

"Since when did you care so much about Quidditch?" asked Albus quietly as the students began to disperse. Rose shrugged, then took another outburst by James as an opportunity to slip up to her room. All she wanted was a warm, dry set of pajamas and her bed.

The blizzard eased up over the course of the week until Rose was once again able to roam the grounds. That Saturday, she went to check on how the dragons were doing.

"Welcome," said Giovanni with a grin when Rose arrived. "I knew you would come, snow or not. How are you?"

"I'm doing well," said Rose politely. "Is there a lesson today?"

"Contessa is flying well this morning," said Giovanni. "How would you like to give her a few circles?"

It took Rose a moment to realize what he meant by circles. "You mean, fly her?" she squeaked. "In... up there?"

Giovanni chuckled. "Don't give me that scared little girl routine, now," he ordered. "Marco has told me a fair bit about you, and your uncle only speaks your praises. Here, now, follow me."

Rose followed the large man into the forest, glancing back to meet with Witherwings' stare. She smiled halfheartedly at the hippogriff, then trudged on.

The dragon enclosure was further east in the forest than Rose had expected. It was obvious why students never stumbled upon the dragons; Rose wondered if they were even still on Hogwarts grounds.

Giovanni led her to a great scarlet dragon with a large, expansive wings. The dragon had startlingly sapphire eyes that bore into Rose's as she looked up. She was a truly magnificent beast.

"She's beautiful," breathed Rose, holding out her hand for the dragon to lick. It did so gracefully, keeping most of its body still as it bowed its head almost imperceptibly.

"Very good," said Giovanni, "you remember your lessons, I see. Rose, this is our Contessa."

Rose waited until Contessa was finished licking her hand, then executed a small, precise bow. Contessa returned the bow, bearing her large, sharp teeth in what Rose hoped equated to a grin and not a snarl of anger.

"She's beautiful," said Rose softly. "Are you sure she'll allow me to ride her?"

"Dragons are fickle," admitted Giovanni, "but she has already accepted your scent and show of respect. If you're up for it, I'd like to see how you do."

Rose took a moment to examine the large dragon.

"She's already saddled up," she said, spotting the grand saddle on Contessa's back." "You knew I was going to come, didn't you?"

"It was I, actually," said low voice.

Rose turned and saw Marco sitting on the stump of a tree. He had a stack of glass blowing tools by his side, but for now, his full attention was focused on Rose.

"Lorcan practiced with me in the snow," explained Marko almost sheepishly. "We determined that you would soon come to fly."

"He showed me a glass ball with your face inside of it," recalled Giovanni, his eyes glazed over in wonder. "It's about time we started getting your lot up in the sky anyway."

"The picks for the end of term race go up soon," explained Marko quietly. "It would be wise to see those we are considering fly before we post the list."

"Let's try it, then," said Rose, steeling herself. After all, Uncle Harry had fought a dragon and come out victorious.

Contessa blinked lazily, her large eyes scanning the woods. Giovanni patted her flank lightly as he grinned.

"We were hoping you'd say that," he said. "All right, then. Saddle up."

Rose assessed Contessa as she circled around the dragon. She was large, yes, but what from what Rose had learned about dragons, Contessa was tiny for her breed.

"Put your foot in the stirrup here," instructed Giovanni. He had to help Rose up; the stirrup was too high for her to reach.

Rose scrambled up into the saddle. Her legs were too short to reach down and rest in the stirrups. Instead, her feet dangled uselessly by the side flaps of the saddle.

"Let me just..." said Giovanni. With a few flicks of his wand, the saddle shifted and suddenly felt more comfortable beneath Rose. The stirrups were snugly over her feet. Thick bands wrapped around her torso, then locked into the saddle.

"For safety," explained Marco. "There are handles by the front. Grab onto those when you can."

"Here, now," said Giovanni, "take the reins. You use them to turn her. Professor McGonagall helped to set up guide points so that the dragons cannot fly outside of the Hogwarts grounds."

Rose nodded, taking it all in. Stirrups. Handles. Reins. Guide points.

"I'll give her the signal to go up," said Giovanni, "and she'll shoot for that clear patch between the trees. Don't try to guide her until you're clear of trees. After that, it's up to you."

"Leaned forward when you want to go down," advised Marko quickly, before Giovanni could send Contessa to the sky. "She'll obey when she can, so do not panic if it takes a moment."

"Okay," Rose choked out.

Giovanni called out in a foreign tongue that Rose took to be Italian. Contessa flexed her toes in the soft dirt, then charged the trees. Before Rose had a moment to brace herself for impact, she was in the air.

She clutched the reins desperately, squeezing her legs in an attempt to stay on Contessa's back. The dragon flapped her immense wings, bringing the pair higher into the sky.

The wind pushed Rose deeper into the saddle, and the air whipped her hair around her face. And once her stomach had settled a bit, she realized that there was something comfortable about being on top of such a large creature. There was no fear of falling off, she realized, letting out a peal of laughter.

She was flying. She was really flying.

Contessa began circling high above the towers of the school, making vast loops that allowed Rose to relax. Gazing down on the castle and grounds, she marveled at how small everything looked. There were a few dark spots moving by Hagrid's hut. She tried to wave down at them, but as she leaned forward to balance herself with one hand, Contessa began to plummet towards the ground.

A small scream escaped Rose's lips before she remembered what Marco had said about leaning forward. She leaned back, but it was too late. Contessa was heading back for the forest. She dipped low to glide over the treetops before dropping gracefully into the clearing with the other dragons.

Giovanni and Marco were waiting as Contessa landed. Giovanni undid the magical harness and helped Rose out of the saddle.

"A bit weak at the knees, now, are we?" Said Giovanni as Rose as legs gave out from under her. He caught her arm and helped her up as she staggered forward.

"It's a bit of a rush your first time," said Marco in his soft voice, "but you get used to it."

Rose found herself unable to speak coherently. "That was... it was just... how do you..."

"Practice," responded Giovanni. "Practice, determination, and sheer will."

That night in her dormitory, Rose thought about those three concepts. Determination wasn't a problem. It had led her last year to the cave were Sirius Black once lived. Determination had saved Dmitri's life... or so she and Scorpius had thought. Now, she had no idea what had happened to her friend. The thought sent a painful pang through her chest.

Willpower was also a nonissue. Rose had once been told that she had the will of her mother, who she knew to be a truly brilliant witch.

That left practice. Flying on Contessa was an experience that Rose was prepared, if not eager, to repeat. It was what her cousins all experienced on broomsticks: the height, the speed, the wind... It did not terrify her like the thought of flying on a broomstick, though. It was truly flying, not falling.

She hadn't expected to care so much about the end-of-term exhibition, but suddenly she had this need to be a part of it. The book learning had intrigued her, but the actual flying was what she now craved. It had only been hours since she had been on Contessa, but she wanted to be back again.

But the next day brought a new batch of snow. Rose considered heading down to the edge of the forest to check if Giovanni was waiting. However, the entire previous day had been eaten up by the mixed lesson, so she had to address the pile of homework sitting next to the fire. That scroll on silkworm properties wasn't going to write itself.

As she wrote, she found herself daydreaming about riding Contessa again. The grounds would be even more beautiful with a light covered of snow. Students walking across the fields would look once more like ants from her position overhead, and though the air would be freezing, she would be on top of a magnificent creature radiating heat.

Albus plopped down in the seat across from Rose, breaking through the visions of snow and dragon scales.

"James and I are going down to see Hagrid," he said. "Are you coming?"

"Well, I just finished my Potions assignment," lied Rose, "so I might as well. Have you even started?"

"Finished it last night," said Albus proudly. "Lysander threatened to tell Cameron I was neglecting my studies I didn't."

"Not that Cameron would care," grumbled Rose.

James met them down by the Great Hall. Together, the three of them headed out into the storm.

Hagrid answered the door as soon as Rose knocked. "What d'you three think yer doin' out here?" he said, ushering them inside. "Come in, come in."

Rose shook the snow from her hair and ran her fingers through the ends. Hanging her things to dry by the fire, she heard something fall behind her.

"Sorry!" cried Albus. There was a shattered plate on the floor, along with what looked to be fruitcake.

"Reparo," said Rose, flicking her wand at the broken plate, which snapped back into one piece. She levitated cake and plate onto the table. Hagrid picked up a long serrated knife and nodded his thanks to Rose before looking at the fruitcake.

"It's good ter see yeh, actually," said Hagrid as he attacked the cake. "I was beginning teh think yeh'd forgotten about me."

"We hardly have any time off from Quidditch practices," said James, but it didn't sound like a complaint.

"Not in this here weather, I hope," said Hagrid. The knife didn't appear to be doing any good against the fruitcake. "This is no weather teh be flying in"

Grinning, Rose told Hagrid about the previous day's flight. James gaped; he had yet to hear about Contessa.

"You rode a dragon?" he cried, I brows leaping up his face. "You, who won't fly on a broom because you're afraid of falling. You, on a dragon?"

"It can't be that hard to imagine," muttered Rose as a blush crept up her cheeks.

Hagrid patted her reassuringly on the shoulder. It felt like a load of bricks pressing her down.

"Don't let James get ter yeh," he said. "Little Rosie, up in the air... James, are yeh goin' ter try it?"

James snorted.

"What are you, mad?" he said. "I'll keep to my broom, thanks."

"Same here," said Albus when Hagrid looked to him.

The afternoon with Hagrid passed quickly. Rose organized two weeks' schedules in her head as the brothers talked about the latest Quidditch match.

"I've never seen worse conditions m'self," said Hagrid gruffly. "That snow was something terrible."

"Aw, it wasn't too bad," said James casually. Rose knew he was lying, but did not particularly care to correct him.

"I think the plan is to make it up next weekend," said Albus. "We'll have to see, though, with this storm coming in."

Rose waited until the right moment to bring up a touchy subject. Hagrid was relaxed, seated on his large bed, chuckling at James' impression of Professor Binns giving a lecture on the goblin wars."

"That reminds me," said Rose. "Hagrid, you're friends with the centaurs, aren't you?"

Hagrid's good humor faded. "Centaurs aren' friends with witches and wizards," he said tersely.

"Uncle Harry said that they were friendly with you," said Rose, "when one of them taught here."

"Firenze," said Hagrid. Rose remembered one of the centaurs being called that in the forest. "We had what yeh'd call an accord, I suppose. But not friends, no."

"When we met some of the herd," she said tentatively, "they didn't really fit what I thought centaurs would be like. They weren't really like the creatures I've read about."

Hagrid gave her a careful look.

"Things aren' like they used teh be," he admitted, "but yer too young teh be worrin' 'bout all that."

"You mentioned Noxe yesterday," pushed Rose. "Have you met all of them? Do you know what changed?"

"Now listen and listen good," said Hagrid flatly. "The centaurs, they're not teh be messed around with, hear?"

"But-"

"No, Rosie. Now, yeh should get back to the Castle. Don't want ter miss yer supper."

Rose, Albus, and James took their dry things from on top of the fireplace and bundled themselves up before returning to the castle. The snow had stopped falling but was piled high on the ground.

Rose was frustrated by the turn of event. Hagrid had been of no help whatsoever, except for confirming her suspicions about the herd. Something was definitely going on, and she was going to figure out what it was.

"Another ten points for Gryffindor," came the cry, followed by a loud roar from the Gryffindor section of the Quidditch stands. Rose squinted, trying to find James overhead, but it was difficult to make out individuals with both teams flying so quickly.

The game with Hufflepuff should have been an easy win, from everything she had heard the boys discuss in the common room. When the date was finally agreed upon, James and Albus both seemed confident that it would not last for long. James would be able to spot the Snitch now that the weather had cleared up. It would be over in twenty minutes, James insisted.

Two hours into the game, Rose was wondering why she had believed all of their foolish claims. The Hufflepuff team was flourishing in the clear, sunny day. Their Chasers were equally matched to Gryffindor's, and their Beaters weren't holding back. Both teams continued to score, but with the most recent goal, the game was (once again) tied.

"McKillop has the Quaffle," called the announcer. Now that Rose was able to see clearly, she realized that it was none other than Arianna Burrow, Louis' girlfriend. "She's- no, a direct hit from Longgrass! The Quaffle is- no, Mink has it, passes to Graceland, Graceland heading towards the- he shoots- blocked again by Snyder! She's on fire today."

Lysander was doing his best to pay attention, but Rose noticed that he had begun to strum his fingers anxiously against his leg.

"James will find it soon," she said quietly, putting her focus back on the game. The Quaffle was back with the Hufflepuffs.

"I'm not too sure," said Lysander, his voice just as low. "It's taking a long time, isn't it?"

Rose shrugged. She wasn't exactly the resident Quidditch expert. The games at her house were purposefully drawn out, and the professional ones she had seen when she was younger lasted anywhere from ten minutes to ten hours. She had no idea what the average length was for a school match.

"Chiprean dives!" exclaimed Ariana, her voice climbing until it was almost a squeak. "Has she seen the Snitch?"

Rose looked around frantically for James. She saw a blur of red shooting across the pitch. If that was him, there was no way he would reach the Hufflepuff Seeker in time.

Brooke Chiprean, clad in a set of bright yellow robes, plummeted towards the ground. When it seemed that she was going to crash, she angled her body sharply so that she was zipping parallel to the ground, nearly skimming the grass. Her arm whipped out, and a moment later, she tumbled off her broom. With a loud whoop, Brooke jumped to her feet and thrust her arm in the air.

"Brooke Chiprean catches the Snitch!" cried Ariana amongst a clamor of cheers. "Hufflepuff wins the game!"

It was as if the entire Gryffindor section of the stands deflated as one. Rose found herself surrounded by bowed heads, muttered complaints, and consolatory pats on the back.

"Well," said Lysander, getting to his feet, "we should head back. Try to get everyone to calm down before James gets there."

Rose trudged back to the common room with the rest of the disheartened Gryffindors. She honestly hadn't anticipating their loss, nor had she anticipated being saddened by it. After a moment of thought, she realized that it wasn't the fact that they loss that had upset her, but the knowledge of how upset James and Albus would be.

When the team arrived in the common room, the other Gryffindors gave them a half-hearted round of applause. Dominique smiled at everyone and whispered something to Cameron, but he shook his head. Brushing past everyone, he headed straight for the stairs that led to the boys' dormitories.

"He hates losing," said Dominique when Rose approached her. Her strawberry blonde hair had blown loose of its ponytail during the game and now hung in tangled bits around her face. She touched it absently, then said, "I should go shower," and wandered away. Rose watched her go. She didn't want to pry, but Dominique showed more interest in Cameron than any of the others on the team. She wondered if perhaps her cousin wanted more than just a working relationship with her captain.

"Rose!" called a voice from somewhere beyond her dreams. "Rose, get up!"

Groaning, Rose sat up. Still disoriented with sleep, she rose and went to the girls' dormitory staircase.

"I'm sleeping in!" she hollered down the stairs. "Go away!"

"They posted to the list for the dragon riders!" yelled Albus, "Get down here!"

Blood suddenly racing in her veins, Rose pounded down the stairs. The common room was full for a Saturday, and the crowd had formed around the notice board. It had been another hectic week with professors piling on more schoolwork than Rose had expected to receive for only being in her second year. She had been up late studying for a Charms exam because she had expected to be able to sleep in the next morning. From the light streaming in the common room windows, however, it was still far too early for her liking.

"Let her through, let her through!" cried Louis, who was near the front of the crowd. "Let Rose through, she needs to see!"

Hands pulled Rose to the front of the crowd. Someone patted her on the back as she looked up at the board. A freshly-pinned announcement covered the normal notices about trips to Hogsmeade and prohibited items:

League of Dragon Riders

The following students have been selected to represent their houses in the end-of-term exhibition. These students have shown dedication in their studies and have each had a successful encounter with one or more of our dragons.

Gryffindor: Rose Weasley

Hufflepuff: Herbert Chornell

Ravenclaw: Deasia Barnes

Slytherin: Tobias Krimp

"Congratulations!" said Albus, a wide grin filling his face. "You did it, Rose!"

Rose was stunned. She had been certain that the Riders would choose an older student, one who had flown more than once. She had been busy over the past few weekends, and as much as she had been aching to go back and visit Contessa again, she knew that her studies had to come first. But now... they had chosen her. It was a feeling beyond receiving a perfect mark on another exam, far better than receiving another piece of praise from one of her professors. This moment belonged to her, only to her, and she felt as if her chest would simply explode from the feeling.